#the seasons are changing and with them i am changing

[jesterkoops]

It’s really funny to me to see people suddenly going all SHOCKED PIKACHU after this episode with the realisation that the show will have to address how Helena being complicit in Gemma’s.. whatever it is is going on down there has repercussion for Mark and Helly's (and Helena's) relationship. And saying this suddenly changes how they see Mark and Helly’s relationship and HELLY BAD! NO MORE HELLY FOR MARK! NO!

Really?? It took THIS episode for you to realise this was literally going to be THE major point of conflict for them?? I remember finishing the rewatch before this season began and saying this very thing to my friends. Why else would they even make MarkHelly a thing and reveal she was Helena in the very next episode, if that’s not precisely where this was going to go? This episode hasn’t really changed how I see Mark and Helly/Helena’s relationship at all, because for me it was a given all along this was bound to come up. It was literally THE thing that shot my interest in their dynamic through the roof, when before I was like "meh, another workplace romance between leads". There was literally nothing in this latest episode that changed how I see any of these dynamics. The specifics of whether Gemma was braindead, or alive, or cryogenically frozen, or what have you has no impact on the fact that Helena is to some degree complicit in all this (to what degree, and just how much she actually knows, is still TBD; she's still such a mystery - I have another post about this in the works).

And what baffles me is that some seem to think that the people who came up with THIS show couldn’t possibly find a way to develop this that hasn’t yet occurred to us. "Well, I can't see any other way this ends if not with Mark getting Gemma back, and Helena evil/sacrificing herself for Mark and Gemma/dead" (or something along those lines). Like, sure, that's the most logical conclusion and THAT is what intrigues me: what am I missing that these writers have up their sleeves? It baffles me that it took ONE episode for some to be willing to strip away the entire complexity of the show and the innies/outies dichotomy and the moral and empathy dilemma it is supposed to force upon us through Mark acting as a 'conduit' for the audience.

Pitting up the two relationships against each other as one being superior to the other trivialises innies and their feelings the same way Lumon does. You can't on one hand feel empathy for Gemma's multiple innies and consider their feelings as valid and the impact they have on Gemma and in the same breath dismiss innie Mark's and Helly's feelings as childish and unimportant.

Being able to dismiss innie Mark's feelings as unimportant or inferior to outie Mark's feelings is an easy solution to the struggle reintegration is supposed to present. Take away that struggle, and you remove what's narratively interesting about reintegration.

Along these lines, the last few days I realised that Gemma HAD to be alive for this to be interesting because her being actually dead gives Mark (and consequently the audience) an easy way out. If the whole point of reintegration involves Mark dealing with the fact that he merged a part of him that loves Gemma with a part of him that never did and loves someone else instead... well, if Gemma is actually gone, that doesn't pose much of a challenge for Mark, does it? If Gemma were gone, his predicament would be the same as any other widower who falls in love again. But if she's alive, he has to actually wrestle with the two parts of himself that pull him in two different directions and want two different lives.

And we circle back to point 2: the only way point 3 is narratively interesting is if innie Mark's feelings are just as strong and important and valid as outie Mark's feelings.

And, to a lesser extent, for his feelings to be as strong and important and valid, Helena CANNOT just be a straight up villain because then we would circle back to point 3; it would be the equivalent of Gemma being dead. It would strip the dilemma from Mark because it would be easy for him to dismiss his feelings for her/Helly.

I admit, this is a very very tricky situation to navigate for the writers to avoid falling into cliches and to wrap it up in a way that's original and satisfying. But it's ridiculous to be definitive about an endgame at this stage when there is still so much story to go through. You are literally jumping the gun and reaching conclusions while missing a ton of information and development still.

[carawenfiction]

I hope this isn't a bother. I know you aren't accepting asks anymore, so please ignore if you don't want to read 🙂

I love your story. It was my second IF ever, and it helped set the tone because it's amazing. I am so glad you wrote it. I truly love your characters. I know you aren't writing it anymore, but if you ever want to post any details from the rewrite or just random snippets, they would be devoured. I love all of the romances, but Quaiel was especially intriguing. I would love to write stories about them, but I don't want to be too far off your original thinking.

Again, please don't feel like you have to respond or care about any of this. I just appreciate your book and all your characters. I hope you have a lovely holiday season. Thank you for all your hard work.

Hello again everyone <3 thank you for this ask and all the other asks expressing concern about my well-being and asking me about potential other writing projects. And thank you to those who have sent me enthusiastic asks about the world and characters of TSS. I know it's been a long time since I was active here so the fact that I'm still getting messages and asks at all is pretty shocking to me, but makes me very happy.

I wanted to make an update here and let those who still follow me know that I'm actually in the process of writing a new IF. It has a published demo, though I won't reveal the title just yet since I want to get some more of it done before sharing it with everyone here. I feel incredibly guilty about the state I left TSS in even though I knew it was the right decision for me, and I want to make sure that I've got more to show for this new project to regain some trust that might have been lost with the long time waiting and then the cancellation.

As for TSS: while it won't be continued, the story and characters have stayed with me through the years. The reason I haven't released any snippets or my planning for how things would go is because I've been considering, if I've got enough time, to maybe rewrite the story at my own pace (it would be a very thorough rewrite and many things both storywise and characterwise would likely change), make it a complete story instead of a trilogy and release it for free. I'm still not making any promises, though - this is a very huge maybe. But it's something I would really like to do when and if there's a good opportunity to do so.

Absolutely feel free to write stories about Q and any of the other characters! I'd love to read them if you do. Part of what I love when it comes to writing is how the creativity of one person can ignite creative sparks in other people. It's honestly magical.

Take care of yourselves and thank you for sticking around <3

[illuminatedquill]

I am loathe to wade into the shipping discourse because it’s not how Severance should be viewed - at least in its entirety - but also the writers, directors, and cast members definitely seem keen on the audience being forced into Mark’s dilemma: Helly or Gemma.

This conflict is woven into the show’s theme and is featured prominently in the intro, even. So it’s hard not to get involved and have thoughts. It’s a deeply uncomfortable topic to consider, which I totally get and, speaking personally, I despise love triangles in stories.

Severance gets a slight pass because they’re actually doing justice to the concept and making it interesting and complicated but I will admit that I’m still not a fan of Mark x Helly. I think they were better off as just friends, with the romance firmly staying between Mark and Gemma.

If you’re not interested in hearing any thoughts about this then feel free to keep scrolling. Otherwise, read on:

Mark x Helly only makes sense to me if it adds weight to the final choice of him staying with Gemma in the end. From my point of view, Helly’s most interesting relationship is with herself - namely, her outie Helena. In this season, that seems to have been sidelined in favor of her romance with Mark which is . . . a choice.

It’s possible that leads to the popular theory that Helly becomes pregnant by Mark, one that I’m personally not fond of, since it makes the relationships even more complicated (and I think the show has enough complicated interpersonal dynamics as it is) but I am giving grace to the Severance writers to handle such a plot line with their usual creativity and keen guidance.

Anyway, I don’t think anyone watching the show with working eyes can deny that Helly is deeply important to Mark and even Gemma, to an extent. If Gemma is the impetus for the show even existing, then Helly is the catalyst that spurs the show’s characters forward with her firebrand personality. She’s exactly what Mark needs right now, and the same could be said about Mark for her. He grounds Helly and gives her a safe space, whereas she gives him purpose and the will to move forward. Mark needs that.

Helly’s presence is what spurs Mark to start the search for Ms. Casey (even if that’s been somewhat derailed this season).

There’s a valid argument to be had that Mark x Gemma, having changed and lost so much because and for each other, would be doomed to a lifetime of misery for choosing to stay with each other. There’s so much tragedy between them, even before Lumon cruelly split them apart.

Helly could be a new start for Mark, free from that pain. Her and Mark’s relationship feels youthful in a stark contrast to Mark and Gemma’s lived-in marriage. That is purposeful; the creators of the show have said that one of the themes for this second season is adolescence. And we know that they go well together, having seen them in action on the severed floor.

But . . . it doesn’t feel true to the themes of Severance if they do go down that route, at least to me. Mark’s central character flaw is his conflict avoidance: his unwillingness to face the hard and painful experiences head-on in an honest and open manner.

Helly is important to him. He loves her. She is what he needs right now.

But it has to be Gemma. Not because he’s married to her or out of loyalty to what they had before. Because that Mark and Gemma are gone. Dead. Neither of them are going back to how things were between them.

It has to be Gemma because that’s the only way either of them are going to truly get out of Hell. Going with Helly would mean not having to face all that hardship and pain and suffering that healing would require. It would mean that Mark and Gemma suffered for nothing.

They have to face it; all the damage done from Lumon, from their own selves, and from each other. Face it together and learn to love and be happy and live together despite it all. And they have to undertake that journey together.

Severance never takes the easy route. It’s making the statement that you cannot sever away the trauma and pain of life without losing your humanity in the process.

Mark x Helly vs Mark x Gemma. It gives more weight to know that, despite having the chance for him to walk away, he still chooses Gemma. That he wants to be with her after everything: the good, the bad, the ugly. To stand by her side and go through it all with love and honesty and faith that they’ll make it through this.

It’s Gemma. Always has and always will be.

(I know there’s the question about what Gemma would want, especially after finding out that innie Mark loves Helly - and if they do go down the pregnancy route, hoo boy. But I think we forget that Gemma is intelligent - innie Mark was born out of a need to forget her. And she knows and understands from painful experience how innies work. If anything, Gemma might be more mad about the fact he chose to get severed rather than him falling in love with another woman, considering memories of him were all that was keeping her going while locked away in Lumon’s dungeon whereas Mark thought creating a version that never knew her was needed to keep functioning. But, all the same, I don’t think watching her fight tooth and nail for almost an hour leaves any doubt in my mind that she would still want to be with him. It wouldn’t be easy to reconcile with but, hey, life and love are messy. It’s the story of everyone. Trying to avoid it deprives you of the full richness of our brief lives and robs it of meaning is what Severance is saying. But if she and Mark survive getting free and clear of Lumon and are open and honest with each other, then they’ll be okay, I think. And, of course, the love is still there, in spite of it all. That’s enough to convince me. It won’t be the same, but it can be good again. I know it can be. After all, winter never lasts forever. Spring always comes again.)

These are my own thoughts, I cannot stress that enough. It’s what makes sense to me. Even though I don’t care for Mark x Helly, I do adore Helly’s character and wish her the best ending possible. But with Helena as her outie, I just don’t see that being a possibility. And, no, I don’t believe that Severance is going to attempt a redemption arc for Helena. Not that the writers couldn’t write a damn good one for her - they certainly could - it’s just that particular narrative would require a huge amount of character work that should take multiple years and seasons to develop properly. You can’t just flip a switch and she’s suddenly Helly, even if she does reintegrate. I just don’t think it’s a story that should be rushed, like how it was with the resolution to Helena co-opting Helly’s bodily autonomy to be intimate with Mark. Fringe did that storyline way better and the reason why is because they had the time and space to do so. Severance does not - not in this current era of streaming shows where everything is condensed to 10 episodes max. Doesn’t matter how good the writers are.

[butterflydm]

Scattered WoT rewatch thoughts (1x01-1x04)

This includes spoilers for s3, because my rewatch is adding some context to my thoughts for season three and the spoilers we know so far and book spoilers through Lord of Chaos:

1x01

I do think it's likely that Egwene's Accepted Test is going to mirror the scene with Liandrin gentling the man from the cold open, but Rand being in a river ties it more to Egwene and the Two Rivers. Egwene has been very associated with water so far, from needing to trust the river in s1 to undergo the rite to officially become a woman, to a jug of water being the symbol of the battle of wills that she has with Renna in 2x06.

We have been watching Egwene's and Rand's paths diverge from each other from their very first scene together - the first time we see them kiss (and have implied fade-to-black sex) basically is a play from Rand to buy himself a little more time with Egwene before she breaks things off with him. Afterwards, she tells him that their futures aren't going to be aligned with each other. We even see her reject his symbolic romantic gesture of giving her a berry, which he used to give her when they were younger.

Rand will later say that Selene is the first woman to see him as a man and it does feel like his relationship with Egwene is very tied up to his boyhood.

So, s1 has an ep1 post-coital scene where Egwene's abilities separate her from the possibility of a future with Rand, so we may see this mirrored (if you'll pardon my choice of words) in 3x01.

First Finn foreshadowing for Mat: the tiny noose-like bits of thread on Fain's wagon.

The Rand & Egwene on a cliffside rock scene is another one that we know gets echoed in s3, with Lanfear taking Egwene's place and changing the narrative.

I really like that Nynaeve's feelings about the Two Rivers are grounded in her personal relationships (Rand has also been hearing a lot of things about the AS to make him wary, going by what Tam says about them).

Mat provides gambling, alcohol, and fostering emotional sharing in the relationship between the three boys. And we see them showing care and concern back to him.

I really do love how the show took the concept of Bel Tine and tied it into the world mythology of the Wheel and reincarnation. Very good philosophical setup for the future. Wheel keeps turning and we keep trying to do better than the last time.

We also see Nynaeve's loneliness in the Bel Tine scene, which is what Rand talked about when he was talking about what Egwene choosing to be a Wisdom would mean - no family of her own.

Overall, the show does such good job of showing how this mountain village has held onto the old ways without even realizing the depth of what those ways mean.

The battle is so well done. The fear and panic of the villagers at first, and how Moiraine helps them. I am also going to stand up and say that i think that having (and killing) Laila was a good choice! It shows us the cost of the Trolloc attack, it sets up Perrin's fear over his own battlerage, it sets up Perrin's overprotectiveness over his love interest without making wild overprotectiveness just a Two Rivers trait. And it really made all the show-only reactors that I watched sympathize with Perrin instantly. It was a solid change.

Rand undergoes the first of many "my parents weren't what I thought" when he sees how well Tam fights with a sword.

I love that we see our EF5's courage so strongly but in different ways.

Our first glimpse of weaves and of Aes Sedai working together with their Warders! And we see how effective they can be together. We're going to see the limitations of Warders in s3, I think, because they don't help much in a Power vs Power battle, but for most trouble that an Aes Sedai has been able to get into before now, they were very useful!

Also: Egwene is wearing a bracer on her left wrist here that is very much like the one she wears in s3 (and that does kinda echo the sul'dam bracer).

Rand mentions earlier that stories say a single Aes Sedai is said to be able to turn the tide of a battle and we get to see that here when Moiraine pulls down the Winespring Inn to hurl the stones at the Trollocs.

Poor in-denial Rand here, who does not want to believe what his dad confessed to him on their journey to the village.

Rand, Egwene, Moiraine, and Laila all in blue here, in the aftermath of the attack. Both Rand & Egwene cover up their blue shirts with brown sheepskin coats for their journey out of the Two Rivers. Mirrors!! Foils! Following parallel but separate paths, which is part of why they can't be together.

Rand knows that this about him but he can't admit it to himself. I love it when stories continue to add depth on a rewatch.

1x02

We saw the danger of the Shadow in the last episode, now we set up the danger of the Whitecloaks. Another scene that gains depth on rewatch, as show-onlys will later realize that the Whitecloaks are murdering a healer here, once they find out more about the Aes Sedai. They are zealots.

"Sometimes brutality is the only path to mercy." Yikes!

This episode also brings in the evil of Shadar Logoth, a more ancient example of purely human evil that is not driven by the Shadow or Darkfriends. The city that ate itself alive out of paranoia and self-isolation from the world. A cautionary tale for what the Two Rivers could have become.

We get first lessons in Aes Sedai Oaths here, both their limitations and the ways to find loopholes around them. We also see that Rand confronts Moiraine publicly while Egwene also confronts her, but privately (because Moiraine is also clearly more comfortable having private confabs with Egwene over any of the boys - she's no Red but still has a wariness about men could channel).

Is this Egwene and Mat's only conversation? (And they are quickly joined by all the others)

We see Mat trying to lighten the mood, while Rand begins to show hints of leadership, wanting them to form a plan in case Moiraine turns on one of them.

I like the change that the show made in the Three Oaths, giving them a solid origin based in history - and tying it to Hawkwing also ties it to the Seanchan. The White Tower chose to leash itself to specific rules, while the women in Seanchan were forcibly leashed by their government.

Moiraine must feel so hopeful when she realizes that Egwene can channel and so the world might get a Dragon who can't go mad from saidin.

Genuinely, it is so baffling to me how some people watching the show were calling Rand clingy and trying to hold onto a dead relationship when it's literally Egwene sending the mixed signals and trying to cuddle up to Rand here, the episode after she broke things off with him.

Rand and Moiraine's first fight! We're going to get more of this in s3 as well, I believe. Moiraine trying to direct and control them, while Rand wants to actually know the endgame and what her plans are.

Poor Mat & Perrin forced to witness the fight afterwards between Rand & Egwene.

Mat is so good at defusing emotional conflict. He is the one who gets Rand to level out after the disagreements with Moiraine & Egwene.

We are shown the division in the Whitecloaks here - the Questioners being the true zealots, with the regular Children being willing to bend on matters of Aes Sedai.

Rand is gonna glare a hole in Moiraine's back.

The ruined bridge! Love all the old ruins in the Two Rivers area.

Mat again shows his emotional intelligence by starting the sing-along to boost spirits among the group. And we get a little history lesson. Fingers crossed for Mat singing again in s3!

Also: this scene made me cry during this rewatch.

We're briefly told here that they've been traveling for days, before the night when they go into Shadar Logoth.

Rand and Egwene work through a bit and come to better terms over the course of this episode but their main conflict of being on fundamentally different paths is not resolved. I'm guessing this will get echoed in s3 but they will actually fully accept and come to terms with their separate paths.

Perrin's first wolf encounter! ❤️

Once again, we see Mat reaching out to one of his friends to help them process - Perrin in this case, offering him a dagger that Laila had made for Mat and returning it to Perrin. I hope we get to see some of that in s3 with his friends in ep1. Mat is so sweet to his friends.

S1 - Rand goes to a dead city with Moiraine & Egwene; s3 - Rand goes to a dead city with Moiraine & Aviendha (based on the trailers).

Mat getting drawn to the dagger. Man, that is gonna fuck him up. My poor sad wet cat.

Our first plot-mandated split up - I do understand why we don't get a second Cauthor road trip since they did get all this time and focus together in s1, but I am definitely hoping that the change means we'll get them together again later on the series, hopefully spending time with each other in s4 (if we get it, etc). And I hope for a couple of good scenes before they part ways in s3.

1x03

We learn more about Nynaeve's grit and cleverness in the opener, as well as revealing that Trollocs will cannibalize their injured companions.

Nynaeve is such a badass here. 💖

I love this credits sequence so much. I understand wanting to spend every moment of the episode runtime but it's just so lovely.

Lan being impressed by Nynaeve tracking them. 💖

The Great Cauthor Roadtrip has begun!

"They say all roads lead there." "That's not how roads work." I love them so much.

Perrin & Egwene's roadtrip also begins. I do quite enjoy their scenes together even if I'm not getting the shippy buzz from them. But Perrin & Egwene both trying to light the same fire and not being certain who did it in the end... I hope we get a continued connection between them in the future (iykyk).

This episode is where we can clearly see Nynaeve's healer yellow under her warrior green. Perfect, no notes. All the scenes between Lan & Nynaeve in this episode are pure gold.

We can also see more clearly how Lan has a fancy pattern on the shoulders of his outfit.

Ishamael trying to suss out which of the ta'veren is the Dragon via dreams. Perrin dreams of Ishy here but Egwene doesn't seem to. The wolves herding them to safety in the scariest way possible lol I love them. They are probably trying to talk to Perrin but he can't see their visions yet.

Our first glimpse of an Aiel (dead in a cage). It really sets the tone for the town as a whole.

Hello, Thom! And Dana has her eye on the boys from the beginning. I do love Thom's song here and, of course, what it implies about Thom's sympathies towards men who can channel. I'm hoping for at least one good convo about Rand between Mat & Thom in s3.

Mat's keen emotional intelligence in display in previous episodes gets turned like a knife against Rand in this one and it hurts a lot.

"Someplace new, you can be anything you want. And no one's gonna know the dirt you were born in." We'll see Mat indulging in this idea a bit at the start of s3, I think.

Our first hints of Perrin's overprotectiveness post-Laila's death, and Egwene pushing back and offering compassion that Perrin doesn't feel like he deserves, and refusing to let him risk himself for her sake - they go together.

I think we got Aram confirmed for s3, so looking forward to his reunion with Perrin and how they might interact.

Egwene getting covered with the shawl of many colors.

Dana is such a good compilation of "every darkfriend on the road" that Mat & Rand encounter on the road.

Lol at Rand being so snippy over Mat when we know he actually thinks extremely highly of Mat. He's just mad at him right now because Mat is being an asshole for what seems to be no reason.

Our first hint that Siuan and Moiraine got a relationship upgrade comes when Moiraine whispers a pained "Siuan" when she's really out of it. Also they did a great job of making Moiraine look on the edge of death.

We get to see more of Thom's compassion when Mat encounters him at the dead Aiel's cage. Love our little lesson about Aiel here - and our first open hint about Rand's heritage, as Thom tells us red hair is rare outside the Aiel Waste.

"If you're going to take from the dead, the least you can do is bury them."

First mention of the Stone of Tear and the Lion Throne of Caemlyn.

Dana going for the kiss - start of a pattern there, the Shadow trying (and succeeding in s2) to deceive their way into Rand's bed. And she genuinely likes Rand too, but is still willing to betray him.

Our first hint of Rand using the Power, when he breaks the reinforced door.

I really like that they used Dana to give us Ishamael's philosophy. Break the Wheel to stop the pain of the world. I like that Mat encounters this again with Ishy at the end of s2 and we see him reject it.

Okay, Thom never openly tells either of the boys that he thinks they're the Dragon but he overhears their conversation with Dana and also assumes right away that it's the madness troubling Mat in the next episode.

Hi, Logain! I like how both Nynaeve and Logain are used to create doubt in Moiraine's mind over the accuracy of the prophecies.

1x04

Logain does a good job showing us all the scary foreshadowing for what the Dragon will be capable of. What Logain does to one country, Rand is supposed to do to the world, essentially. We see both the power and the madness here.

"What does a crown mean to the Dragon Reborn?"

Logain knows and believes in the prophecies and believes that he is truly the Dragon, with the voices in his head urging him on.

We do see Logain fighting and winning against the corruption here, healing the king instead of killing him.

I love what they've done with Logain so far in the story. I don't think we've seen any spoilers about him in s3 yet but I would not be surprised to see him.

We get to learn a lot about Aes Sedai in this episode, with Nynaeve as our main vehicle for learning the lore, which is great because of her prickly relationship with Moiraine.

The war party to capture Logain is comprised of Green & Red sisters and this is an authorized operation that we can directly compare to the unauthorized operation that Liandrin and her fellow Reds carried out in ep1. Logain is captured and shielded, not gentled on the spot. Then he is meant to be taken back to the White Tower for trial - I'm guessing this is actually meant to determine if he's the real Dragon Reborn. False Dragons get gentled and the true Dragon stays shielded until the Last Battle, to keep him from using the Power and going mad from the corruption.

Liandrin is so snippy and petty with Moiraine. I kinda do feel like she tried a flirtation with Moiraine in the past and got shot down.

I really love how the show gave the Warders their own subculture and community. We did not get enough of that in the books at all. A+ improvement.

We find out here how secretive Moiraine & Lan are around other Aes Sedai & Warders. We also learn that Liandrin is pushing against the Amyrlin's decrees and that there are rumors spreading about the unsanctioned gentlings.

Aram is lovely and charming. The show also did a really good job making the Tuatha'an endearing.

Rand and Mat bonding over their mutual paranoia towards the rest of the world: oh dear.

"I always knew women couldn't see men's weaves..." setting out right here that there is a distinction between the two Powers.

I like Alanna & Moiraine's friendship. And Alanna does a good job setting out the Green Ajah mission statement - the Battle Ajah, to prepare for the Last Battle.

Alanna worrying that the current Tower policy about the Dragon is too aggressive and might lead to the Tower gentling the Dragon Reborn and dooming the world.

Liandrin starts her work on trying to get to Nynaeve. Not sure if she already knows anything about the Two Rivers ta'veren or if she's just looking to subverting someone traveling with Moiraine.

Rand taking charge of the situation to de-escalate, while Mat continues to slip.

Lol at Liandrin being the one to tell us the Blues are ~just spies~ and then to give us the official line on the Red Ajah philosophy - the magic cops, basically.

Liandrin also makes it clear here that men are not welcome under the Red Ajah's tent.

Tying the Way of the Leaf into the reincarnation cycle of the Wheel makes so much sense and rally solidifies it and grounds it into the world.

Rand starts to worry that something is really wrong with Mat here. The little girl offering Mat the Birgitte doll is so sweet.

Rand trying to rationalize what's happening with Mat, and Thom tries to gently led him to the idea that Mat can channel. Very good conversation, because Rand is torn between not wanting to believe it of himself but part of him knowing that it's him, and his worries over Mat. Rand hears about the consequences of being gentled here, and then sees both gentling and mental illness up close in s2.

"Nothing is more dangerous than a man who knows the past." Appropriate for both Rand & Mat!

Having Nynaeve hang out with the Warders so that we can learn more about them is so good.

And our first poly relationship hints!

I like that we get to see Moiriane doubting herself and her path, questioning the prophecies. And Lan reassuring her that they're on the correct path, reminding her of the dreams and the Trollocs, that Logain doesn't fit what they know about how old the Dragon should be.

This story that Ila tells is going to echo in s3 as well, as we see the Aiel come up against this choice and the split between them happens as some of them pick up a spear while the others do not, choose to stay true to their original culture instead.

"Have you lost him?" "No. No, I would know if I had." Egwene still thinking about Rand, as Rand was thinking about her last episode.

Rand waking up and making that promise to Mat. Awww. "No matter what happens, I'm here."

The show really has set out such a strong foundation for Mat & Rand's friendship, so while them not being together in s3 isn't my favorite adaptation choices (though I do think I will probably love Mat in Tanchico) they do have a very solid foundation of relationship work already put into them.

We got Perrin's Ishy dream, now we get Rand. Perrin is hammering away (at Laila's body?), Mat is wandering around with a bloody red hand, and Egwene is yoinked away by Ishy. And Rand wakes up from that into a waking nightmare of seeing Mat surrounded by a murdered family and then leaving Thom behind to save Mat & himself. Genuinely, not having a good day.

Thom was already ride-or-die (or believe them to have murdered a family under the influence of the corruption but still be willing to help) for the boys here.

I imagine the pitch Liandrin is giving Kerene here is the same slippery slope that the Reds went down originally - these men are too dangerous for us to risk carting them all the way back to the Tower.

Nynaeve and Lan bonding over lost family. Very sweet moment. Cried a bit here too.

I do think this fight is serving as big foreshadowing for Dumai's Wells. The Dragon captured by the Tower, his forces rallying to free him, him breaking out to join the fight. We'll just be on the other side of the battle that time, as Perrin (and hopefully Mat, in this version, fingers crossed, come on, let him actually be Rand's general for more than ten seconds!) fight to free him from the Tower embassy, while Rand fights to escape.

In addition to Kerene's death, we see a Red sister shot up with arrows too, though maybe she lives.

Nynaeve's AoE heal that probably made Moiraine less inclined to believe that Egwene could be the Dragon, because of how strong Nynaeve is.

[raayllum]

Is there like‚ some kind of symbolism of Claudia fixing Callum's hair VS Rayla lovely touching it?

There's probably a whole mini meta just waiting in TDP about hair (how Soren parts his hair switching post-timeskip to reflect how he's literally switched sides; Claudia's moon symbolism hair, which I do have a meta for in my drafts rn) so to put it simply: yes, I think so!

Claudia cares a lot about appearances. This ties into how much she hates feeling judged ("you're doing it again prince judy-face!" / "here to judge me, captain true heart?"). She values things looking put together, largely because she puts more emphasis on things being Physically okay rather than considering someone's emotional state (i.e. overruling Viren and Soren in S2 and S4 respectively). We see this overtly in "Lost Child":

“You’re still here. Even though I’m…” She gestured at herself, to something beyond the soil-soaked boots and tearstained face: a total mess. [...] A moment later, she blinked into the pond; her reflection beamed up at her. Her eyes brighter, her face fuller, more color in her cheeks. Small changes, but still—There I am, she thought.

We also see this in show canon. She checks with the little leaf-cub creature in 6x04 that her new haircut suits her. She also reflects that maybe seeing the creature as parts is bad, implicitly, because the creature is so cute/adorable. (This is in stark contrast to Ezran who reflects a season earlier in 5x06 that sea slugs may look gross, but they have a rich inner life and he's regularly made friends with them. Post with that comparison here)

Another consistent facet of Claudia is that her compliments are sometimes not entirely compliments. This happens just once with Terry ("Claudia says that makes me weird, and wonderful, so...") as she more readily compliments him ("you saved the day!" / "goofy and glorious just like you!"), but it happens basically any of the few times she compliments/offers praise etc. to Callum in any manner.

It was completely ridiculous. Adorable. Did you just say adorable? Did I? (1x02)

That was very confident Callum. Oh, thanks. Even if your hair's a little messy. (2x02)

You didn't open it? Why would I do that? [The letter] is for you. Though I could've easily opened it and then resealed it with magic. Did you? Did I? We may never know. But no. No.

Yeah, you always were a very clever human, weren't you, Callum? (4x08)

Impressive, Callum. Somehow you learned primal magic. But dark magic will always have the edge. (7x07)

(AKA she giveth and she taketh away.)

So Claudia fixes Callum's hair. She compliments him, but also makes him more nervous. She adjusts his appearance to something she thinks is 'better' (cleaner). Absolutely none of it is malicious, but it does reaffirm that when crushing on her Callum never felt entirely comfortable around her despite being longtime friends, whereas even though Rayla can be much gruffer, Callum feels a lot more comfortable around her (even once he develops feelings) in general.

So there's the obvious level of comfort (Rayla) vs non-comfort (Claudia), as well as a longstanding childhood crush vs what has blossomed into more mature, enduring love of 3+ years as of the end of 7x09.

Claudia sees that his hair is messy and points it out; Rayla sees that his hair is messy and quietly fixes it herself, doing so simply and leaving Callum looking more relaxed than before, rather than less like in 2x02.

Rayla, as we know, doesn't really care about appearances. She routinely doesn't care about titles, she goes with what her gut tells her, and anytime she expresses distress over her appearance ("I'm a mess") it's scaffolded under "I'm showing weakness" rather "I look bad". There's a similar fear of judgement lurking underneath as Claudia's, but I don't think Rayla sees herself as a Good Person the same Claudia does, and therefore doesn't have the need to keep seeing herself that way in the same manner.

Either way, Callum is always Callum to her ("You're so gross" with a fond smile on her face; his scarf is smelly and he knows it and just smirks at her over it; "you're a good person, Callum, maybe the goodest," etc), and always her Callum — her heart, her home, her best friend and partner — and that's what the 7x09 scene is ultimately about, I think.

Do me the honour of letting me talk a bit about hair-touching and white streaks, though, for a second, when it comes to Claudia, Terry, Callum, and Rayla.

Because despite Claudia and Terry being very touchy-feely for 3.5/4 seasons, Terry never once touches Claudia's hair in quite the same manner or framing that we see in 7x09. He touches her hair, sure — he braids it for her and then later cuts it — but this is the closest we get to an adjustment, which is when he's bathing her and cleaning her up in 6x03.

Now, pushing the white hair and all its associations to get to Claudia, flesh and blood and very much still alive, underneath would be ripe enough as a symbolic examination, honestly. The reason why this feels so different to me than 7x09, I think then, is that there are two scenes 7x09 mirrors when it comes to someone touching Claudia's hair in the "facing the camera, strands on the face/cheek" directly shot.

And it's herself.

SOREN: You saw what Dad turned Kasef into. What Dad turned into. Claudia, you're changing too. (3x07)

CLAUDIA: But... I'm still nice. I'm still me. (7x09)

In both instances, she's not willing to admit that Soren is right / that she's changed (or, arguably, that she needs to change just in the opposite direction). She touches it first as a sign of shame in the face of her brother's words, the first white streak in her dark hair. Then she touches one of the few dark streaks that remain, reassuring herself (because nobody else will or can at this point) that she's still the person she thinks of herself as, someone who's still nice ('good').

Callum, meanwhile, never touches his white streak. He wakes Rayla up in the middle of the night (which she takes much better than I would, I can say that much) and offers his scarf, asking if she trusts him. But Rayla notices his hair is a little askew, so she tidies it for him. And the whole time, his expression is completely open, smiling and trusting her in turn... even when she hasn't actually answered his question yet, and his expression softens even before she has too.

She doesn't tuck or hide it away. It's a part of him, and therefore a part she loves ("Everything"). And he knows it.

[backwardshatnick]

heartbeat ♡ ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ

in which matt can't sleep peacefully without hearing the lub-dubs coming from your chest.

pairing: small spoon!matt x big spoon!reader wc: 1.05k notes: reader is called ladybug (inspired by "lessons" from @blushsturns (thank you!!) and matt's instagram story). also i'm trying to experiment with povs so instead 'you' everything will be in first-person. let me know if this format is comfy or should it be changed :) [divider credits to @firefly-graphics]

i took my left leg out of the duvet and tried to close my eyes and let the sounds of our breathing and pumping hearts drift me away into my interrupted slumber.

sure, i managed to get a few extra minutes of rest but it was still too warm. i removed the lavender duvet that matt and i share and took the beige coverlet instead to keep myself comfortable with both my legs out and feet peeking at the edge of the bed, in hopes that this minute attempt would cool my body.

but it is still hot.

while it is still winter, the past week has been too temperate for the season where the pavements are sloshing with ankle-deep puddles and mud, ducks are starting to make their way to the now not icy allée and schoolchildren stomping away in their yellow rubber galoshes.

looking down into my outfit, i had a plain pink t-shirt on with fleece pyjama bottoms that had a matching teddy bear print. it must be the pants and i am desperate to get changed into something that is not as thick. not wanting to wake matt up, i slowly and gently got down from the bed, stepping on the contrastingly frigid wooden floor as i made my way to find the other pair of my slippers which were strewn across our bedroom.

stepping out of the room, i went straight to our bathroom where the freshly folded pile of clothes could be found in the wicker rattan basket on top of the washing machine. fishing through them, careful not to unravel matt’s work, i finally found my pair of dark green shorts that i frequently wore to sleep and switched into them immediately.

the clock that we had on our kitchen counter beeped once, signifying that it was only one in the morning. as the kitchen was located in between our bedroom and bathroom, i decided to pour myself a glass of water before coming back. tiptoeing to look into the cabinet, i managed to take out a brown ceramic mug and headed over to the fridge with my hand reaching out to pull the handle.

grabbing the blue brita filter, i started pouring what was left and made a mental note to refill it once i was done with my late-night drink. however, the brown mug had slipped down my fingers while i was closing the door, watching the water streams leaving the mug in a blink. with a harsh drop, the fragile mug had shattered on the floor, my refreshment dousing it damp.

“matt, stop sneaking up on me like that!”

it was obvious that he was panicking as he had rushed to grab a rag and broom to clean the mess up, “i’m sorry, i’m sorry i didn’t mean to. let me help you with that, ladybug.”

while waiting for him to be finished, i topped up the brita and got the both of us empty mugs, placing a camomile tea bag in each as i filled the electric kettle with water and leaving it to boil.

it was serene in the kitchen, the only source of light being the overhead lamp on our stove and the consistent bubbling from the kettle filling in the silence before it was soon replaced with a gentle click. i stood up as matt slid the chair out next to me and while pouring the water he voiced out, “what are you doing still up? i swear you were next to me the whole time i was asleep.”

“i was so sweaty and had to switch into these shorts and was about to go back to our room, but i figured that since the both of us are awake, do you want some biscuits? we can move to the couch instead and watch a movie.”

“it’s my turn to pick, right? we watched 101 dalmations last week, so let’s go with peter pan,” he answered, carrying both of our mugs to the wooden coffee table situated in our living room. i followed suit after i had arranged the pastries we have from our pantry on our cake plate, the sugar crystals from the cookies glistening under the warm glow of our stove.

in the living room, matt had already set up the film as i could hear the well-known blue walt disney intro and jingle, followed by the tune of the second star to the right, as the movie continued to play.

i set the plate on the table together with our mugs and made my way to the couch that we had, removing the white throw blanket to wrap them around the both of us. matt settled and laid his head on my lap, the depth and clarity from his deep sapphire eyes glinting and staring into mine as he said, “we are about to have a magical night.”

we both fell asleep halfway through the movie and i was awoken when i heard the villain song where the pirates sang and danced after they succeeded in capturing the darling children. i was about to stand up and switch the tv off when i could feel matt’s arm halting my movements, wrapping them around my waist.

“where do you think you’re going? come here and hold me for a bit, i love to listen to your heartbeat when we cuddle.”

a giggle escaped my mouth as i haphazardly traced my fingers over the remote control to switch the tv off, “we’re sleeping on the couch tonight?”

“as long as i get to hear my ladybug's lub-dub we will.”

“of course, mr. matt,” i replied, both of my arms stretched out as he proceeded to rest his head on my chest when we were both sat on the couch.

he looked up to me, brushing his soft pink lips on mine before lightly pressing his ear to my torso, “that’s mr. darling to you tonight. sleep tight, my ladybug. i love you.”

“and i love you more, mr. darling,” wrapping both of my arms around his obviously larger frame while he had his hands clasped together, our speech slowly slurring as i could finally doze off to the now cool, but snug-enough air, where alongside the soft sounds of respiration and palpitations, we were accompanied by the subdued buzzing roar of the fridge.

[greatbananaboat]

jayce vs. caitlyn: unpacking prejudice

i did a thing. disclaimer: i am not an anti. i like jayce. i like caitlyn. use my post for your anti bullshit and i will be very mad. >:( <- this will be me if you use this for anti character bullshit

um anyway it's kind of long you have been warned.

initial attitudes:

caitlyn: starts with fear and misunderstanding of zaun, but evolves to see the people there as victims of their circumstances and worthy of empathy.

jayce: begins with an elitist, dismissive view of zaunites, seeing them as dangerous, and even his intentions to help zaunites are primarily because he's focused on further progressing hextech.

actions towards zaunites (unfortunately, there's a large difference in the amount of times the two interact with zaunites in meaningful ways that teach us things about the way their deep-seated prejudices affect us, but i tried my best):

caitlyn: acts as an advocate for zaunites, trying to help vi and the people of zaun by using her position to get resources, often running into resistance from piltover's elite. she seems to genuinely care about zaunites as people and not simply another talking point.

jayce: focuses on advancing piltover's technological superiority. the majority of the positive things he says about zaun or wanting things to change for zaunites are tied to his dream for hextech. he focuses more on his accomplishments with hextech than he does about the actual zaunites.

growth and change:

caitlyn: shows significant character growth as she recognizes the struggles of zaun and begins to fight for a better future for both piltover and zaun.

jayce: struggles with his growing realization that his actions have harmed zaun, but remains largely entrenched in piltover's status quo, unsure of how to change it without jeopardizing his advancements with hextech.

caitlyn gradually shifts from viewing zaunites as criminals to understanding their suffering and seeking solutions, whereas jayce's perspective, though beginning with naivety and ignorance, starts to hint at moral doubt but remains heavily influenced by his position in piltover's power structures.

overall, their prejudice against zaunites manifests itself in ways that make complete sense when compared to who they are as characters.

caitlyn is a character who cares deeply about justice and helping people. it stands to reason that she would also care about bringing justice for zaun and not just piltover. she grows to care about the suffering zaunites face and advocates for them constantly. even after her attempts at peace are denied when it comes to jinx, she still cares for all of zaun as a whole. she slips into harmful rhetoric multiple times, but her ideals remain relatively steadfast.

jayce's story doesn't have as much connection to zaun and zaunites in general, which is why he has far less interaction with them. his interactions with zaun are centered around hextech, and because hextech is his primary focus, this means he often makes decisions that will harm zaunites. after his experience in the au, where he sees that hextech will destroy piltover if allowed to advance, he returns with the sole focus of destroying hextech. at this point, his prejudice takes a backseat along with most of his other traits from season 1.

and now the evidence, because i'm obsessive like that :) also pls pls interact i manually went through and timestamped all of these

caitlyn:

says that the undercity is dangerous and should be feared

S1E2 00:00:27 --> 00:00:31 You really went to the undercity to get these? Weren't you afraid?

believes that not everyone in the undercity is violent and that recent violence can be traced back to one errant person

S1E4 00:33:22 --> 00:33:28 Listen, you know how I've suspected there is a single mind behind the undercity's violence?

goes to stillwater to ask inmates questions

S1E4 00:35:38 --> 00:35:40 I need to speak with one of the inmates.

implies that she can't trust vi because she's a zaunite and a prisoner

S1E5 00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 In what mad world would I trust someone like you?

convinces jayce to approve of her releasing vi despite just having voiced her distrust

S1E5 00:04:26 --> 00:04:27 It's for her release.

is visibly upset about the idea of the warden hurting the prisoners

S1E5 00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 How many chats have you had with her?

follows vi to the lanes instead of making her take the bathysphere the way caitlyn originally suggests (also unrelated but it's funny as hell because while she is trying and failing to parkour, the old man is taking the bathysphere, and they get down to the lanes at the same time)

S1E5 00:11:41 --> 00:13:10

despite her protests, allows vi to lead her around and trusts her to do what's been asked of her

S1E5 00:14:50 --> 00:14:54 Unbelievable. I didn't break you out of jail to eat… slop.

again, despite her initial protests, when told to pretend to be a sex worker at the brothel, she does it (although this may just be bc she's whipped)

S1E5 00:22:52 --> 00:23:01 Ah, yes. Matilda. My parents named me Matilda. After my great-grandmother Matilda, the, uh…

saves vi from being killed by sevika (this is also to ensure her ongoing investigation won't be jeopardized, but it's clear she does care about protecting vi and again, the investigation in question is to prove that the violence that's been blamed on all of zaun is actually just one perpetrator. she is showing dedication to getting justice for both zaun and piltover.)

S1E5 00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 [gunshot]

(at this point i had to stop using very many interactions between vi and caitlyn because they are also affected by caitlyn's growing feelings for vi. that said, her interactions with vi are also very telling of her growth as a person and her examination of her prejudices.)

caitlyn acknowledges that zaunites are just as capable of goodness as piltovans. vi talks about how topsiders hurt and judge zaunites and caitlyn genuinely listens to her and actively unpacks her own prejudice

S1E6 00:17:58 --> 00:18:05 It's all right. Despite it all, I can tell… you have a good heart.

while looking for some way to help vi, caitlyn runs into huck. she trusts him to help her find something to heal vi. she gives up her gun to get a potion to help vi. this is significant because it shows that she was listening to what vi said earlier about zaunites not being monsters. she gives up her only weapon and the only thing she has to defend herself

S1E6 00:20:00 --> 00:22:23

after being used by vi (who never told caitlyn that the person she's been hunting is vi's sister), she still stays back and doesn't apprehend or attack jinx, speaking gently to her

S1E6 00:34:51 --> 00:34:53 Your sister is Jinx?

offers herself up to the firelights in place of vi, not knowing anything about the firelights except that they're zaunites and that they kidnapped her and vi (cares more about vi than her fear of what will happen to her if she gives herself up: the fear of zaunites she used to have is now disappearing because she's seen they aren't the monsters she expected)

S1E7 00:19:12 --> 00:19:16 Listen, let her go. I brought her here. It's me you want.

listens to ekko's complaints about piltover's oppression, and she clearly wants to fix things between zaun and piltover. she talks about wanting to end the cycle of violence and keeping zaunites from getting hurt by enforcers. unlike other characters, when she refers to "the city", she means piltover and zaun equally

S1E7 00:22:18 --> 00:22:39 Ekko, it's wrong what's been done to you. You'd be well within your rights to keep [the Hextech gemstone]. I couldn't blame you. But… if you do, this cycle of violence will never stop. This is our best shot at setting the record straight. This city needs healing.

vouches for the zaunites as a whole to marcus, not realizing he's in silco's pocket

S1E7 00:29:22 --> 00:29:26 Sir! I have proof. Silco's behind everything.

defends zaunites to her mother, acknowledges the harm caused by piltovans, and shows interest in changing things for zaun. also refers to zaunites as piltovan citizens and equals, not like a lesser community

S1E8 00:07:27 --> 00:07:38 You know what else reflects on the Council? Its citizens living on the streets. Being poisoned. Having to choose between a kingpin who wants to exploit them and a government that doesn't give a shit.

speaks to the council to defend the majority of zaunites to the piltovan elite, telling them they shouldn't blame all of zaun for the actions of the shimmer drug lords. she also tells them that piltover has failed zaunites

S1E8 00:21:31 --> 00:21:54

when jayce suggests going to the undercity and using force, possibly triggering war, caitlyn protests, saying that there are innocents and good people in zaun

S1E8 00:22:27 --> 00:22:30 There are good people down there.

caitlyn wants to come up with alternative ideas to take down silco and free the people of zaun after the councilors (minus jayce) suggest negotiating with silco

S1E8 00:23:49 --> 00:23:51 I can fix this.

is kidnapped by jinx in a vulnerable position and forced to dress at gunpoint (also likely tortured, as she flinches when jinx gets close to her during the tea party scene and somehow jinx knows that vi calls caitlyn cupcake despite never having heard it herself)

S1E8 00:34:59 --> 00:36:22

jinx gives vi an ultimatum: kill caitlyn or lose powder

S1E9 00:28:44 --> 00:28:49 Send her on her way and-- And you can have Powder back.

watches jinx fire the rocket that ends up killing her mother

S1E9 00:35:25 --> 00:37:06

(unfortunately, i couldn't find timestamped transcripts for season two of arcane, so following citations may be quotes without timestamps, if there are timestamps, it's because i went through the episodes myself to find them)

when salo orders a show of force, caitlyn protests

S2E1 00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 Innocents will be caught in the crossfire.

wants vi to join the enforcers as a symbol that not all zaunites support jinx, later regrets it and tells vi she doesn't have to accept

S2E1 00:12:11 --> 00:12:18 The Council won't stop them. You can show that not all of Zaun supports Jinx. We can show them. Together.

witnesses the attack on the memorial, and as far as she knows, the attack is organized by zaunites

S2E1 00:23:46 --> 00:31:24

calls renni & her goons animals for attacking the memorial

S2E1 00:32:16 --> 00:32:18 What kind of animals?

instead of entering zaun with the full force of enforcers, caitlyn suggests the alternative of taking a specialized strike team into zaun to minimize the harm done to innocents

S2E1 00:35:16 --> 00:35:28 I will lead a strike team into Zaun with three objectives: Locate Jinx, dismantle Shimmer, and neutralize any agents still loyal to Silco.

gasses the hideout jinx is in so they can apprehend her (however, there is nobody in the area except the enforcers, jinx, and later smeech, sevika, and isha)

S2E2 00:22:45 --> 00:26:36

uses the grey (similar to tear gas when exposure is not extended) in targeted locations to locate and take down the chem barons and gain information from zaunites on jinx's possible whereabouts

S2E3 00:00:52 --> 00:02:01

threatens to harm heenot despite him clearly not posing a threat to them (this can also be attributed to the fact that he used to work for smeech, a chem baron, but it can be assumed that because of the circumstances, caitlyn has her guard up against zaunites in general at this point)

S2E3 00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 Tell us how you wound up here.

this one is unrelated despite some people believing it is related to caitlyn's prejudice, so i'll share my interpretation of it. when caitlyn says this line, she isn't comparing vi to zaunites in general. she's saying she thought vi was different from before (before being season 1, when vi begged her to hold her shot when she was about to kill jinx and because she listened, jinx managed to fire the rocket that killed caitlyn's mother). in this moment, vi has just made her hold her shot again, and again this has led to jinx setting off an explosion which harmed innocents in piltover. she says the line about jinx's blood being in vi's veins because she is referring to the fact that because they're sisters, vi will always choose jinx over caitlyn. jinx and caitlyn are similar in that they constantly try to make vi choose between them, sometimes without even realizing. when vi responds by asking caitlyn why she's acting like jinx, it's a response to what caitlyn is saying, but not necessarily what caitlyn MEANS.

S2E3 00:29:19 --> 00:29:26 I keep telling myself that you're different. But you're not. It's her blood in your veins.

is clearly unhappy with the violence instigated by the noxians towards innocent zaunites

S2E4 00:12:21 --> 00:12:25 Was it for my encouragement that your man Rictus was instigating violence?

doesn't want to arrest innocents for no reason and doesn't want violence

S2E4 00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 Arrests require cause.

under her leadership, the noxians and enforcers are instigating needless violence against innocents and rioters alike

S2E4 00:20:05 --> 00:20:13 Enforcers raiding our homes. Noxians down our throats. Innocents getting carted off to Stillwater.

visibly upset about the deaths of zaunites and enforcers alike caused by warwick

S2E5 00:05:03 --> 00:05:54

comments on the experiments that have come out of zaun, referring to the shimmer-fueled monsters, chem tanks, and now warwick (also, the noticeable removal of the word "blood" in her statement leads me to believe that no zaunites had been killed by the enforcers and noxians during the occupation)

S2E5 00:05:54 --> 00:06:08 Months of peacekeeping occupation. Countless operations. Oceans of sweat and tears. I'd begun to think we might finally see an end to Zaun's perverse abominations.

we learn that she outlawed the use of certain cells in stillwater because of the horrible conditions faced by prisoners who were placed in them

S2E5 00:06:30 --> 00:06:40 There are cells buried deep within this prison so devoid of light and fresh air and all basic human considerations that up till now, I have forbidden their use.

expresses regret for allowing ambessa to manipulate her

S2E8 00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 I know!

shows remorse for her actions against the zaunites

S2E8 00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 No amount of good deeds can undo our crimes.

acknowledges that in her pursuit for jinx, she's allowed the harm of innocents, and resents herself for it

S2E8 00:13:18 --> 00:13:22 Hating you, I've hated myself.

by the end, she's still dedicated to changing things for zaun and piltover

S2E9 00:44:37 --> 00:45:12 And though we are doomed to revisit the error of our ways, spark ever more conflicts, our story isn't over.

jayce:

says zaun is dangerous

S1E2 00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 A little danger is worth the risk, don't you think? (referring to going to zaun to collect tools)

shares the credit for hextech with viktor, a zaunite

S1E3 00:08:32 --> 00:08:33 Our Hextech dream.

cares about making everyone's lives easier, including zaunites

S1E4 00:26:05 --> 00:26:12 Things that will bring an end to your hardships. Whether you're the scion of our high houses or an honest laborer from the underground. (referring to new, portable hextech)

S1E5 00:08:55 --> 00:09:00 What about our pledge to improve lives, for those in need? For the undercity?

shows concern for viktor and mentions that the cause of viktor's sickness is one of the things he wants to change with hextech

S1E6 00:06:36 --> 00:06:48 I think it has something to do with gasses in the fissures where he grew up. Exactly the sort of thing we wanted to fix with Hextech. Improving lives. Solving real issues, not just trade disputes.

when viktor suggests that the hextech could be used to extend life and augment physiology, jayce cares only about the effects it will have on viktor (this one's unrelated really but look at their brotherly love /silly)

S1E6 00:15:33 --> 00:15:36 Curing you.

in order to protect hextech, he advocates for policies that will hurt zaunites

S1E6 00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 Then, that's what we'll do. (referring to searching everyone who crosses the bridges, which marcus brings up as an impossible idea)

again, in order to protect hextech, he makes fearmongering comments about zaun so he can get heimerdinger kicked off the council

S1E6 00:24:12 --> 00:24:22 Shimmer is rampant in the undercity. Attacks at the Hexgates and in the Academy Square. Enforcers fear to set foot in the Lanes. All under your watch.

continues to act like zaunites are monsters

S1E7 00:13:37 --> 00:13:40 There are people down there who seem hell-bent on destroying us.

tells viktor that zaunites are dangerous (although he apologizes when he's reminded that viktor is also a zaunite)

S1E7 00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 What diff… They're dangerous.

begins considering the creation of hextech weapons to defend piltover against zaun

S1E8 00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 Your Jayce Talis has turned his eye to Hextech weaponry.

is willing to go into the undercity with force, possibly starting a war, so he can recover the hextech gemstone. ignores protests from caitlyn and other councilors

S1E8 00:22:21 --> 00:22:27 This Jinx has the Gemstone? Then we have to go in by force.

jayce is the only councilor frustrated at the prospect of negotiating with silco instead of using force to recover the gemstone

S1E8 00:22:52 --> 00:22:54

threatens to have vi arrested for approaching him in his forge

S1E8 00:28:20 --> 00:28:22 I could have you arrested.

brings enforcers with him and vi on their mission to the undercity to take down one of silco's drug facilities, which ends up getting a child killed and dozens of child laborers arrested

S1E8 00:30:19 --> 00:38:24

after killing a child, refuses to continue with force, seems to regret harming a relatively innocent person

S1E9 00:00:47 --> 00:00:48 We're done here.

regretting his use of force but needing something to show for his time in the undercity, he negotiates with silco to get jinx and the hextech gemstone

S1E9 00:15:56 --> 00:15:59 Get me Jinx. And I'll give you your nation of Zaun.

he advocates for giving zaun sovereignty (although, in the process, he uses viktor's zaunite heritage as a talking point)

S1E9 00:23:45 --> 00:23:52 My days here are numbered, but I've come with Viktor, my partner and a Zaunite, with one final proposal.

is on the receiving end of jinx's bomb, as well as the other councilors

S1E9 00:36:58 --> 00:37:06

(unfortunately, i couldn't find timestamped transcripts for season two of arcane, so following citations may be quotes without timestamps, if there are timestamps, it's because i went through the episodes myself to find them)

is attacked by renni (the mother of the boy he killed) at the memorial for the deceased councilors, and is nearly killed

S2E1 00:23:46 --> 00:31:24

goes back on his word to viktor and creates hextech weapons for the strike team

S2E1 00:35:20 --> 00:36:15

he and ekko show clear distaste of one another

S2E2 00:20:00 --> 00:20:03

it's discovered that the firelight tree is becoming corrupted because of the overuse of hextech

S2E3 00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 Do you think this could actually be a result of overuse of Hextech?

the failsafe for the hexgates was built in the underground, such that if it were ever to explode, it would destroy the lanes due to its proximity to zaun's utility ducts. without realizing, jayce had designed it so that it would take out the water supply and ventilation systems of zaun, with no negative effects to piltover. despite his claims that hextech could improve the lives of zaunites, it seems he didn't consider them while designing the hexgates

S2E3 00:18:34 --> 00:18:38 So instead of it exploding in your neighborhood, it would blow up in ours.

S2E3 00:18:49 --> 00:18:57 You know, you say we should feel like we're all one people. But whenever it rains, we're the ones that get wet.

(after jayce goes into the au, his outlook on hextech completely changes, so his prejudice against zaunites doesn't come up further. however, it's worth mentioning that he doesn't truly understand the harm hextech can cause until he sees a destroyed piltover, despite having seen and heard of its negative effects on zaun.)

admits that it's unfair to ask the zaunites to fight with piltover after lifetimes of oppression, but still requests their aid

S2E8 00:25:35 --> 00:25:38 Now, this isn't a fair request, but it is our only hope.

[justcallme-ange]

Wait...Would You Fall in Love with Me Again but dnb. Like immortal (Techno) and the same soul in every reincarnation? (Dream) orrrr dsmp lore and Techno sees the differences in Dream before and after the prison arc ("I am not the man you fell in love with") because angst is cool :)

Nonnie, nonnie I know we're sharing but please it's my turn with the braincell!!

It's in the works - Idk how you knew but it's in the works. I've got two scenes fleshed out but yeah. Have some storyboards in the mean time. There's some lore I've been thinking about in regards to the AU (because I can't actually show all of this) but - I was thinking Season 2 DSMP. DreamXD has memory wiped everyone, including the people taken by Lady Death, but it's less of a total memory wipe, and more of a block. (Tis the condition to come back onto the sever). So people remember each other, and they're all familiar with the server, but context for everything has been removed. So scars and stuff stayed and people still have vague ideas of where they stand with one another, ie. c!Q is on friendly terms with everyone but no one seems to be able to fully trust him. Bring in c!Dream, who's memories stayed, because DreamXD can't let a man catch a break. He has the powers to unlock the memories of the people he encounters, he just has to remind them of who he is and what happened previously (still deciding if it's a phrase or an actual spell). So he has the choice of either allowing everyone to move on, and start their lives anew (with only him suffering with their past mistakes/choices/knowledge) or have them remember and have to deal with the fallout. So in this Techno and Dream are married, have been married a while, and while Techno and the rest of the Syndicate were able to escape before everything blew up, the memory wipe made it so that Techno knows he's married, knows who he's married to, but has no idea where Dream is, and anything that happened to them previously. Techno has this feeling that Dream is in trouble, but no idea how, and the server is no help because while not outright hostile to him, they seem ambivalent to him and Dream.

So to the "Would you fall in love with me again" - Dream finally returns and decides to give Techno his memories back, so that Techno can make the choice of where they stand and if he wants to stay together with Dream, a Dream who is different, changed, broken.

Pretty sure I got the server memory wipe thing from @simplepotatofarmer so giving credit where due

[lunareths]

Spring Water

‧₊˚✩彡 ── ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: named!MC x Caleb

‧₊˚✩彡 ── sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs: An afternoon of sweeping fallen petals is interrupted by the teasing of one childhood friend until an unexpected injury forces them closer, noticing things about the other they hadn't before.

Giselle isn't a kid anymore and neither is he...

‧₊˚✩彡 ── ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ:6,424

‧₊˚✩彡 ── 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: vanilla spice, but still 18+ mdni, cunnilingus, female orgasm.

‧₊˚✩彡 ── 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄: This takes place before his 'disappearance' but not so far back that they're in high-school, MC is either almost done with the entrance exam or has just started being a hunter. I also got the idea for this during the scene in the main storyline where Caleb holds her still while treating her wound and tells the cat and the bell story, I wanted this particular event to be on his mind during that, just to make it extra tense.

*Doubly so; this is my first bit of fic for this fandom; so I try not to read too many other fics on the first pass as to not be influenced, so if there's any similarities to another work that you see here it's purely coincidental. With that said please enjoy.

It was late spring, and the first hints of summer clung to the shifting breeze as warm sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting flickering patterns across the courtyard. The branches of the surrounding trees sagged under the weight of blossoms, their petals drifting in lazy spirals to the ground. A fusion of floral fragrance and the distant hum of the forest permeated the air, imbuing the space with an almost hypnotic tranquility. Standing amidst the afternoon glow, Giselle Valentine surveyed the mess of scattered petals carpeting the courtyard of her childhood home.

With an audible sigh, she dragged her broom across the stone path, pushing yet another pile of pink and white petals aside. The trees, while undoubtedly breathtaking in their seasonal bloom, left a perpetual mess in their wake—one she was charged with managing.

Just as she cleared a section, another gust of wind swept through, undoing her efforts as fresh petals rained down. Muttering under her breath, she swept a few stray strands of hair from her face, barely suppressing her irritation.

Caleb, her childhood friend, hadn’t initially intended to stop and watch. But there he was, casually leaning against the courtyard gate, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the determined furrow of her brow as she waged an unwinnable war against nature.

She had been at it for some time, her broom scraping across the stone in rhythmic frustration. Each time she made progress, nature effortlessly countered her efforts, sending another cascade of petals to reclaim the space she had just cleared.

Caleb smirked. Some things never changed.

Giselle, ever persistent, muttered in defiance, refusing to surrender to the inevitability of the elements.

His lips twitched in amusement. He supposed he should make his presence known, but watching her battle the petals was far too entertaining to interrupt.

She let out an exasperated sigh, blowing a loose strand of hair from her face. That was his cue. Pushing off the gate, he strolled into the courtyard with deliberate ease.

"You know," he drawled, tucking his hands into his pockets, "they invented leaf blowers for this very reason."

Giselle startled, whirling around at the unexpected voice. A few petals fluttered loose from her hair, and Caleb fought to suppress his grin.

She narrowed her eyes. "Great. The peanut gallery has arrived. How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to see you struggling with inanimate objects," he responded smoothly, nodding at the ever-growing collection of petals swirling around her feet.

A faint flush crept onto her cheeks as she gripped the broom tighter. "I am not struggling. The wind is cheating."

Caleb arched a brow. "Right. And next you'll tell me the petals have formed a conspiracy against you."

“I wouldn’t put it past them," she grumbled, shoving the broom at a particularly stubborn pile. "They look delicate and harmless, but they’re relentless."

Caleb snorted, rocking back on his heels. "So, what you’re saying is, the great huntress-in-training, Giselle, has been bested by springtime flora?"

Giselle pointed the broom at him, her expression dead serious. "Say that again, and I will sweep you into next week."

He grinned, stepping just out of reach. "I’d love to see you try, Gigi."

Her eye twitched. Caleb knew exactly what he was doing.

"You know I hate that name."

"It’s either that or pipsqueak, and I know how much you love that one," he teased, his smirk unrepentant.

Giselle exhaled slowly, clearly choosing restraint—for now. Resuming her sweeping, she muttered, "So, I imagine you finally found time to visit us simple folk, Flyboy?"

Caleb smirked at the retaliatory nickname, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Here to offer moral support… and inhale some good ol childhood nostalgia."

Giselle rolled her eyes. "Yeah? Smell familiar?"

He tilted his head, inhaling dramatically. "Mmm. Smells like hard work… and failure."

She whipped around, aiming the broom at him.

Caleb dodged effortlessly, laughing.

"More like unhelpful commentary," she muttered. "A leaf blower? Seriously? Do you see an outlet anywhere in the countryside, Caleb? Or should I just conjure one from thin air?"

"You could find a battery-powered one if you really wanted to," he quipped.

She scoffed and turned back to her task. "It’s fine. It's just... annoying."

Caleb watched her, the smirk softening on his lips. The scene felt familiar—comfortably so. As if nothing had changed. He liked that.

The way the late afternoon light filtered through the branches, catching in her hair. The way her expression set with the same stubborn determination she’d had as a kid when she insisted she could beat him in races up the tallest tree.

He was struck suddenly by the memory of her younger self—wild, free, scraped knees and bright brown eyes, completely unaware of how she had embedded herself into the foundation of his life.

Now, years later, she was still here. Still stubborn. Still beautiful.

And it was getting harder to pretend that she was still just the girl he grew up with.

He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, shaking off the thought.

"Hey, so. You’re not even sweeping right," he teased, grasping at something lighthearted to clear his mind.

"Oh, I’m sorry,  Mr. Expert Sweeper, would you like to take over?"

"I’m just saying—"

He didn’t get to finish. In that moment, Giselle stepped back, her foot catching on something beneath the petals.

Everything happened so fast.

Her body lurched, the broom slipping from her grasp as she stumbled over a hidden tree root. Caleb moved on instinct, his reflexes sharp. He barely had time to react before she yelped and went down, landing hard on one knee.

Caleb was beside her in an instant.

"Geez—Giselle?" The teasing edge in his voice had vanished, replaced by sharp concern as he crouched beside her.

She grimaced, shifting to sit properly. "I’m fine—" She tried to stand but inhaled sharply, her ankle buckling beneath her weight.

Caleb caught her before she could fall again, one arm looping around her waist. "Yeah, that definitely looks fine," he muttered dryly.

She groaned and sighed in irritation. "Obviously, I didn’t see the root."

"No kidding."

Without waiting for an argument, he hooked his arm under her knees and lifted her effortlessly.

"Caleb—!"

Ignoring her protests, he adjusted her weight. "If you’re going to yell directly into my ear, at least try to sound more grateful."

Carrying her to the porch, he set her down gently.

Giselle hissed, her hands gripping the edge of the porch as she tested her weight again.

Caleb exhaled sharply through his nose. “Yeah, okay. Stop moving,” he muttered, already lowering himself into a crouch before her.

She huffed, crossing her arms, but refrained from arguing as he positioned himself between her knees, his gaze narrowing with concentration.

His hands were steady and gentle as he carefully reached for her foot, his fingertips brushing the bare skin of her calf before they curled around her ankle.

"Just let me look at it," he said, his voice quieter now—measured, controlled. Yet something in the way he touched her—so careful, so deliberate—sent a slow, uncertain warmth coiling in her stomach.

Caleb exhaled through his nose and took his time, loosening the laces of her shoe before carefully sliding it off.

Giselle flinched, a sharp inhale slipping past her lips as a fresh wave of pain flared when he inadvertently moved her foot too much.

"Sorry," Caleb murmured, genuine in his apology, his brows knitting together as his jaw tensed slightly. He adjusted his grip with greater care.

He continued, gentler now, his fingertips grazing over her sock before slowly peeling it away, revealing the delicate curve of her ankle—already beginning to swell, the skin tinged red from the strain.

Neither of them spoke as he pressed lightly against the swelling, his touch steady and methodical. The warmth of his fingers against her skin sent a ripple of awareness through her—one she wasn’t sure she was ready to acknowledge.

He gazed over the soft slope of her foot, the warmth of her skin pressing against his palms.

For a fleeting second, he, too, became acutely aware of everything—the way her leg rested against his thigh, the subtle heat radiating from her, and a delicate scent clinging to her. It was faint but unmistakable, a blend of crushed strawberry leaves and something sun-warmed and clean, like ripe fruit kissed by the afternoon air. It lingered in the space between them, deceptively light yet impossible to ignore this close.

He shook himself out of it, forcing his focus back onto her injury.

"Well...It’s not broken," he finally said, his voice lower. "But you’re not walking on it for a while."

She shifted, leaning back slightly. “Thank you, Doctor Caleb, you’re clearly in the wrong profession.” she teased, but her voice was softer, her breathing a little shallower now.

He didn’t answer.

Not right away.

Because his hands were still on her, still resting against her skin, and she wasn’t pulling away.

Caleb exhaled slowly, trying—failing—to ignore how warm her skin felt beneath his hands. His fingers lingered, pressing lightly against the curve of her ankle, feeling the soft thrum of her pulse beneath his thumb.

“I, uh—” He cleared his throat, his hands reluctantly sliding away from her skin.

Giselle raised an eyebrow, a perplexed expression flashing across her face at his sudden hesitation.

Caleb rubbed the back of his neck, forcing out a lopsided smirk to cover whatever the hell that moment had just been. “Let’s, uh—let’s leave that career path to Zayne, shall we?”

Her lips twitched, her eyes glinting. “Caleb? Mr. Popularity, Ace Flyboy is yielding?”

Caleb scoffed, shaking his head. “Please. Patching you up was something I did all the time when we were kids. I’d be a terrible doctor for like... anybody else.”

“Mm, yeah,” she mused, leaning back onto her hands. “You did have a habit of slapping a bandage on me and calling it a day.”

“Worked, didn’t it?” he shot back, regaining his footing, slipping easily into that familiar teasing territory.

“Only because I didn’t know better,” she smirked. “Zayne would’ve had me in a full-body cast if he saw how you handled first aid.”

Caleb rolled his eyes, but the warmth clinging in his chest was undeniable. The teasing, the banter, the way she looked at him just now—it was so them, so effortlessly natural. And yet…

His gaze drifted downward again—to her leg, the faint sheen of sweat on her skin, the way her dress still rode just a little high. He forced himself to refocus.

Clearing his throat, he stood with more purpose than necessary.

“We need to get you inside,” he muttered, extending a hand toward her. “Before you do something else dumb, like try to walk on that.”

Giselle shot him a glare, crossing her arms. “Oh, come on. I’m not that stupid,” she huffed. “I wasn’t about to just  stand up and start walking on a busted ankle.”

Caleb lifted his hands in mock surrender, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Okay. Okay.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “I won’t surprise you this time. Here’s me, officially asking for your consent to carry you inside to the couch, Miss.” He met her gaze, arching a brow. “Do I have it?”

Giselle blinked, momentarily caught off guard. The way he said it—half teasing, half exasperated—shouldn’t have made her stomach do a little flip. And yet, her face was flushing despite herself.

She cleared her throat, rolling her eyes for good measure. “Hmm. You do.”

Without another word, Caleb bent down and effortlessly scooped her up, hooking one arm under her legs and the other behind her back. The movement was smooth, practiced—like it took no effort at all.

Giselle stiffened slightly, caught off guard by just how easily he lifted her. He smelled nice—clean, like fresh linen, and something subtly spiced, warm, and grounding. It was a small detail, but it lingered, distracting her almost as much as the quiet strength in his arms.

She had known he was stronger now—had seen the way his frame had filled out with each visit, the way he moved with more power, more certainty—but feeling it was something else entirely. Had he always been this strong? Or had she just never noticed before?

For a moment, adult emotions complicated the familiar, simplistic image she had of him, shifting the way she saw him in a way she still wasn’t sure she was ready to face.

Before she could dwell on it, he was already lowering her onto the couch, his touch steady but brief, pulling her out of her thoughts as he straightened up.

Caleb lingered for a moment, standing over her, his gaze half-lidded as he took her in.

She was still catching her breath, her chest rising and falling in slow, measured beats. Loose strands of dark hair framed her face, a touch tousled from the movement, her skin still carrying the faintest flush—not just from exertion, but something else. His eyes drifted lower, over the way her dress settled around her thighs, the curve of her leg now resting against the couch.

There was something disarming about seeing her like this—unguarded, caught in the space between irritation and something softer. For a moment, the teasing, the familiarity, the easy banter between them faded into something quieter...heavy.

"I'll, uh, get you some ice to bring the swelling down."

Giselle hummed in acknowledgment, reclining slightly against the couch, her fingers absently toying with the hem of her dress. There was no discernible expression on her face, no teasing remark—just a quiet, unreadable stillness.

Caleb hesitated for a fraction of a second, the odd tension clinging to his skin like static. He wasn’t sure what to make of it—the silence, the way she wasn’t meeting his eyes. Brushing it off, he turned toward the kitchen, willing himself to focus on the task at hand.

As he disappeared around the corner, Giselle exhaled, releasing the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. The warmth of his hands still lingered on her skin, the ghost of his touch refusing to fade.

She glanced down at her ankle, then at the empty space where he'd stood just moments ago.

The boy she had grown up with was still there, beneath the teasing quips and exasperated sighs. But there was something else now—something unspoken, something neither of them seemed quite prepared to confront.

"Here," he said quietly, his voice steadier than he felt. "Keep this on it for a while."

"Thanks."

Her fingers brushed against his—just a second too long.

The contact was brief but charged, her gaze steady and unreadable. For a moment, something unspoken hovered between them, fragile and uncertain.

Then Caleb stepped back, clearing his throat, shoving his hands into his pockets as if that would somehow ground him.

“You’re lucky I was here,” he said, his usual smirk settling back into place, though there was a stiffness in his posture that hadn’t been there before. “Otherwise, who knows how you’d have gotten inside?”

“I would’ve managed,” Giselle countered, though her voice was softer now, almost teasing.

“Sure you would’ve,” he murmured, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. But even as his smirk remained, the playful glint in his eyes did little to disguise the way his jaw clenched—the way his gaze flickered, just briefly, back to her legs before he forced himself to look away.

Giselle shifted on the couch, reaching forward to adjust the ice pack. The strain from sweeping earlier had left her muscles tense, and even the simple movement felt more cumbersome than expected. As she leaned in, the fabric of her dress slid higher against her thigh, baring just a little more skin to the dim light of the room.

And then—for the briefest moment—Caleb saw the most precious part of her.

The faintest trace of soft, white cotton.

His breath stalled. A flicker of something unsteady passed through him, quick as a spark but impossible to ignore. He snapped his gaze away, jaw tightening as he willed himself to think about anything else—her injury, the ice pack, the fact that he really, really didn’t need to be noticing that.

Heat coiled at the base of his spine, his body betraying him in a way that was both unfamiliar and entirely unwanted. His gaze tore away instantly, his jaw tightening as though sheer willpower alone could erase the image from his memory.

But it was too late.

The imprint lingered. The way her skin looked against the fabric, the sheer intimacy of it.

This was Giselle. His Giselle.

He had no business noticing things like that—but the realization hit him all at once, crashing over him like a wave he hadn’t seen coming. For the first time, he wasn’t just seeing Giselle as his best friend.

It wasn’t as though he had never noticed her beauty before. That awareness had crept up on him gradually, in ways that were easy to dismiss—a passing thought, a flicker of admiration, something harmless and fleeting.

But this?

This was different.

This wasn’t distant admiration. It was a gut-punch of attraction, startling and unrelenting, settling somewhere low and dangerous in his stomach.

And he hated it.

He hated how effortless it was, how easily his body reacted before his mind could reason its way out of it.

He had to say something—anything—to shatter the thought before it took root.

“Hold on—let me help. "Geez, Giselle...” he muttered, his tone sharper than necessary, almost scolding.

Not because she had done anything wrong.

But because he needed the distraction.

She blinked, momentarily startled by his abrupt shift in demeanor, her eyes searching his face. If she had noticed why he was suddenly tense, she didn’t say so.

Still, there was that shift again—no matter how many jokes he tried to hide behind, it just kept coming back, creeping between them, demanding to be dealt with.

Before she could respond, he was kneeling before her again, reaching for the ice pack, hyper-focused on the one task that didn’t require acknowledging the torrent of emotions racing through his skull.

His fingers brushed against hers as he adjusted the pack, the cool condensation dripping against his skin, but his own body ran too warm now, his pulse unsteady, uneven.

He forced his grip to remain steady, willing his mind back to neutral territory.

This was just Gigi.

Gigi, who had scraped her knees a hundred times as a kid. Gigi, who had always been just a little reckless, a little too stubborn for her own good.

But she wasn’t just Gigi…

No.

Giselle.

An unfamiliar weight settled in his chest, the realization creeping in before he could stop it and that realization unnerved him more than anything else.

“You don’t have to—” she started.

“Gigi just-” Caleb interrupted, his focus locked onto her ankle as if it were the most critical thing in the world. “Just let me do it.”

Giselle narrowed her eyes, sensing something different in his tone. Instead, she leaned back against the couch, watching him work, noting the quiet tension in his shoulders—tight, deliberate, restrained.

“Thanks...for taking care of me Caleb,” she murmured after a moment, her voice softer now.

Caleb nodded, but he still didn’t look at her. His fingers lingered, adjusting the ice pack with meticulous care; his jaw locked tight, his movements betraying a deliberation that hinted at something simmering beneath the surface.

The room felt smaller, the silence heavier. Outside, the wind rustled faintly, a quiet whisper against the walls. The only sounds between them were the steady rhythm of their breathing; the only light was the fading glow of the setting sun, casting long shadows that stretched across the floor.

Finally, Caleb glanced up, his gaze locking onto hers.

“You’re overdoing it, Gigi,” he said, his voice low, edged with something almost scolding. “All this—pushing yourself, trying to do everything on your own—you’re going to hurt more than just your ankle if you keep this up.”

Giselle arched a brow, a teasing smirk tugging at her lips despite the unspoken tension curling between them. “Why are you wigging out, Caleb? It’s just a little sprain.”

“This time.”

Caleb exhaled sharply, frustration threading through his words. But this wasn’t really about her ankle, and he knew that.

Giselle’s smirk wavered, her expression shifting into something more uncertain.

Caleb shook his head, running a hand through his hair, tousling it further, his mind caught in the dissonance of who he was supposed to be—

The responsible Caleb. The one who looked out for his best friend.

And this Caleb—the one battling emotions that had grown too large, too real, for a friend who, somewhere along the way, had become a woman he could barely think straight around.

"Sorry. Sorry for making it weird," he muttered, his voice gruff, his gaze skittering away as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It’s hard to turn that off." It was a pitiful excuse, but she bought it.

Giselle laughed softly, leaning further into the couch. "You’re the one who came rushing back like I was dying."

"Because you’re hopeless," he shot back, the usual sarcasm returning—though his voice still carried the weight of something unsettled.

It wouldn't be for long, but his walls were back in place, yet he remained kneeling by the couch, fingers absently pressing into the edge of the ice pack, adjusting it once more. He hadn’t moved since placing it there, his hands hovering near her ankle, reluctant to let go.

The silence stretched, fragile, punctuated only by the gentle rustling of petals against the window, the distant hum of the spring breeze.

Then—

“Gigi…?”

The nickname fell from his lips with a gentleness that caught even him off guard, the sharpened edge from moments ago all but vanished. There was something else in his voice now—something hesitant, unguarded. A quiet mix of anxiety and nervousness, like he was teetering on the edge of saying something he wasn’t sure he should.

She blinked, tilting her head to look at him. “Hmm?”

He didn’t respond right away.

Instead, his hand moved—trailing up, fingers brushing lightly along her calf as he turned to face her. His movements were slow and deliberate, as though he wasn’t entirely aware of what he was doing, his hand warm on her leg, his thumb tracing soft circles just above her knee. The weight of his gaze on her made Giselle’s pulse quicken, the charged silence between them thick enough to drown in.

“Can I…” His fingers flexed against her thigh, the words catching in his throat. For the first time in a long time, his nerves got the better of him. “Let me…”

He trailed off again, and Giselle’s breath hitched. She had never seen him fumble for words like this.

"Let me make you feel better."

His tone was steady now—completely fixed—but the way his fingers trembled, just slightly against her skin betrayed him. Not hesitation. Not doubt. Just the weight of this moment.

She blinked, startled by the low, almost pleading quality in his voice. “Caleb, you’ve already—”

“Just… let me,” he interrupted, his hand sliding just a little higher, his grip still sure, still confident, even as the faintest quiver ran through his fingertips. His thumb brushed along the sensitive skin above her knee, his focus utterly locked onto her, his own nerves an afterthought compared to the anticipation thrumming between them.

“You’re always trying to do everything yourself, Gigi,” he murmured. “You never let anyone… me, take care of you.”

Her heart pounded, heat curling deep in her chest at the weight of his words—the care behind them. This wasn’t about her ankle anymore.

And still, he wasn’t rushing, wasn’t pushing.

He was just waiting.

“Caleb…” she started, but the hesitation in her voice melted away when he leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss just above her knee.

Her breath stilled, her body tensing slightly at the unexpected sensation. But his touch was so gentle, so deliberate, that she couldn’t bring herself to pull away.

“Say yes,” he murmured, his lips brushing against her skin as he kissed higher, slow and reverent. “That’s all you have to do.”

She stared down at him, her chest tightening with emotion. The boy she had grown up with, the one who had teased her endlessly, climbed trees with her, and always made her feel safe, was now kneeling in front of her like she was the center of his world.

Despite the surge of so many different emotions welling inside her, one feeling cut through the rest—her trust in him.

Caleb did make her feel safe. He always had.

And though she was stumbling through this, awkward and uncertain, there was a quiet, steady comfort in the fact that it was him.

Her hand slid down to rest lightly on his shoulder, her fingers trembling just slightly as she nodded, meekly, the weight of the moment stealing her voice.

A tinge of coyness bloomed in her chest, warm and unfamiliar, leaving her unable to say yes—so instead, she let the simple movement speak for her.

Caleb exhaled, a shaky breath of relief, and for a moment, he paused, his forehead resting lightly against her thigh. Then he looked up at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of nervousness and longing.

“I’ll take care of you,” he murmured, his voice soft but sure.

Caleb exhaled, a shaky breath of relief, and for a moment, he paused, his forehead resting lightly against her thigh. The weight of her silent consent settled over him, grounding him, steadying him.

Then he looked up at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of nervousness and longing

"I'll take care of you," he murmured, his voice soft but sure.

Giselle nodded again, unable to meet his gaze. She wouldn’t dare. A blush burned high on her cheeks now, making it painfully clear how out of her depth she was. And yet, her body relaxed under his touch, tension melting away with every slow, deliberate press of his lips against her skin.

He moved carefully, patiently, his warmth lingering with each reverent kiss. There was no rush, no urgency—only quiet devotion, a silent reassurance that she had every opportunity to stop him.

But she didn’t.

Because she trusted him.

His hands slid gently along her legs, parting them slightly as he shifted closer, his movements careful and deliberate. There was no urgency, no demand—just quiet intent.

Each kiss he placed on her skin felt like a promise, like something deeper than words could ever convey. Devotion. Reverence. A quiet, unspoken need. The tenderness of it made her heart ache in the best way, warmth pooling deep in her chest.

"Caleb…" she whispered, her voice trembling. She wasn’t sure what to do with it—what to do with herself.

Every sensation was new and unfamiliar in a way that left her breathless.

He paused, glancing up at her, searching her face for any sign of doubt.

"I'm okay," she breathed, her voice unsteady, laced with something soft and aching.

A stifled moan caught in her throat as her fingers—delicate, uncertain—instinctively found their way into his hair, threading through the strands as if seeking something to hold onto.

His lips curved into the faintest smile before he leaned in again, his kisses trailing higher until they reached the hem of her dress. He hesitated there, his breath warm against her skin, his fingers hovering at the edge of the fabric as if giving her a final moment to stop him.

When she didn’t, his hands moved with quiet reverence, gently sliding the fabric up just enough to continue.

What followed wasn’t rushed or clumsy. Caleb’s touch was careful, deliberate. His movements unpracticed but instinctive, guided more by the overwhelming need to make her feel good than any kind of experience.

His heart pounded in his chest, nerves fraying with every second. This wasn’t something he’d ever done before.

Wasn’t something he’d even imagined he would be doing—especially not like this.

Not with Giselle.

Not on some lazy spring afternoon, with sunlight spilling across her skin, her scent—warm, faintly sweet—wrapping around him, making it impossible to think straight.

But now that he was here, so close to her, his focus narrowed—drawn to the small, tender details he hadn’t noticed before.

The faint tremble in her thighs as his hands brushed against them. The soft, nervous rhythm of her breaths. The warmth of her skin beneath his lips.

He tilted his head slightly, the somewhat rough denim of her dress grazing his cheek as he pressed another kiss higher up her thigh. Her scent—something faintly floral, something undeniably hers—wrapped around him, pulling him deeper into the moment.

And then, just like that, the same shyness that had enveloped Giselle crept into him.

The weight of the moment settled in his chest, filling it with the flutter of something unfamiliar. Something delicate. Something real.

But it didn’t feel overwhelming.

It felt right.

He was exactly where he wanted to be.

He pressed a kiss to the soft curve of her inner thigh, his lips lingering there as he let himself breathe her in.

There was something intoxicating about the way she enveloped his senses—like warmth and something delicate, mixed with the faintest trace of spring air from being outside. It was subtle, but it wrapped around him like a thread, drawing him closer.

Then, as his lips brushed against the edge of her underwear, the cotton soft against his mouth, a breath caught in his chest.

He hesitated.

His fingers tightened slightly on her legs as he glanced up at her, something deep and searching in his gaze.

Her eyes—half-lidded, flickering, uncertain yet steady—met his. Her cheeks were flushed, warmth rising to the surface, but there was no fear there.

Only trust.

And then—her fingers, which had been hovering uncertainly at her sides, found their way into his hair again, tangling lightly as if to tell him, wordlessly, that it was okay.

That was all he needed.

Caleb slid her underwear aside carefully, his breathing going ragged despite himself. The sight of her—bare and vulnerable before him—was almost enough to make him stop, not because he didn’t want this, but because it felt like too much. Too intimate. Too important.

He took a steadying breath, his lips slowly brushing against her again, this time lower. The heat of her skin, the faint taste of her—salty, sweet, utterly unique—sent a shiver through him.

His grip on her thighs tightened slightly as he leaned in further, his tongue darting out tentatively at first, unsure but curious. The texture of her, the softness of her, the warmth—it was intense in the best way.

She gasped softly above him, her fingers tightening in his hair, and the sound sent a thrill down his spine.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the way she felt beneath him, the way her body responded to his touch. Each sigh, each subtle shift of her hips, guided him, building his confidence as he moved with more fervor.

Pulling back a bit tentatively, a deft finger slid into her wetness, yielding an arch to her back, his tongue drawing towards the bundle of nerves at her apex.

He pressed his lips against her again, this time more firmly, his tongue moving with slow, deliberate strokes that earned him another soft, breathless moan.

"Gigi... you taste so good…"

He’d whispered it, almost to himself, unsure if she’d even heard him. But it didn’t matter—this moment had consumed him, like a man lost in something he had no desire to escape from.

Just like he always had when it came to her, he subconsciously committed everything to memory—the motions that made her tremble, the rhythms that had her gasping, the way she writhed beneath him, utterly undone.

The way his fingers came away slick, drenched in her, it was hypnotically visceral.

This is Giselle, he thought, the realization hitting him with a force that almost made him falter. The girl he’d grown up with. The person he’d always cared about, always looked out for. The one he could never seem to get out of his head, no matter how hard he tried.

And now, she was here, her body trembling beneath his, her trust in him so complete that it made his heart flutter.

He lifted his gaze for a moment, watching the way her head tilted back, her lips parted as she breathed heavily. The sight of her—flushed, utterly unguarded—threatened to unravel him, the blood rushing away from his good common sense.

Then she whispered his name, her voice trembling, and something inside him shifted.

This wasn’t just about her body, her taste, her response—this was about her, about showing her how much she meant to him, even if he couldn’t quite put it into words.

His movements softened, his kisses slower, more deliberate, as if he were trying to tell her everything he couldn’t say aloud, and when she gasped again, her fingers tugging at his hair, he knew—he would give her everything.

A searing white heat tore through her.

Her body reacted instinctively, an involuntary push downward as a rhythmic climax built, crashing over her in waves.

She hadn’t known it before, had never felt anything like it, but in that moment, everything around her shut off.

Caleb followed her through it, riding each pulse, each tremor, not certain if he was doing the right thing—only knowing that he never wanted to stop.

When her body stilled, Caleb exhaled, his breath unsteady, his body still thrumming with residual heat. His pulse hadn’t quite settled, and neither had his thoughts. The familiar tension that had plagued him the whole afternoon began to rear its ugly head again now—charged with something deeper.

Giselle's chest rose and fell in slow, steady breaths, her skin flushed, dewy in the fading light. The tension that had once gripped her was gone, however, replaced by an almost ethereal softness. She looked utterly at peace, and for a moment, Caleb just watched her.

His gaze drifted downward, lingering over the gentle curve of her thighs, the way the last traces of her pleasure still clung to her skin. His throat tightened, that familiar trance-like state still clinging to his mind like a persistent fog. She was beautiful like this—unguarded, undone, and something deep within him ached.

He forced himself to move, to shift his focus. Slowly, with a quiet reverence, he reached for the hem of her dress, carefully pulling it back down, covering her with the same care one might handle something fragile. There was no urgency now, no teasing quip to fill the silence—only the quiet weight of the moment settling into his bones.

She needed rest.

With a reluctant sigh, Caleb pushed himself to his feet and disappeared for a moment, returning with a blanket. By the time he'd come back, she was already asleep.

His eyes welled slightly at the sight—the way she had curled into herself, her fingers lightly grazing the couch, her expression soft, peaceful.

A quiet chuckle barely left his lips as he shook his head.

“Not fair, Gigi. You’re always wandering off on your own,” he murmured, though the words held no bite. Maybe it was for the best.

Carefully, he crouched down and draped the blanket over her, his fingers brushing against her arm in the process. She barely stirred, only shifting slightly, nestling deeper into the warmth.

For what felt like an eternity, he simply stayed there, crouched beside her, taking her in.

Then, finally, he let out an exhale, rubbing a hand over his face as exhaustion began to creep into his own limbs. With a quiet sigh, he shifted back, settling onto the floor a small distance away.

Caleb exhaled slowly, leaning against the couch, but even as his eyes threatened to close, his mind refused to settle.

The weight of what had just happened began setting over him like a second skin—clinging, inescapable.

So what now? he mused inwardly.

Would they talk about this? Would they even acknowledge it?

A part of him—the part still intoxicated by the feel of her, by the way she had trusted him so completely—wanted to believe this meant something more. That it wasn’t just a passing moment, a fleeting indulgence, but something real. Something that changed things between them in a way he wasn’t sure he could come back from.

But that was selfish.

He had offered her this, and she had accepted—but she owed him nothing in return. No promises, no confessions, no neatly wrapped resolution. He wouldn’t let himself expect anything from her.

And then, there was the other part.

The rational part. The one that reminded him who they were to one another.

Giselle was still his best friend.

They had spent a lifetime in easy companionship, in teasing, in trust. They had never—not once—crossed this line before.

And now, they couldn’t uncross it.

Would she regret it? Would she pretend it never happened?

Would she want him to?

His fingers curled slightly against his knee, tension creeping back into his jaw. If she wanted to forget this, he wouldn’t fight her on it. He wouldn’t push, wouldn’t hold onto something she didn’t want to keep.

Even if he already knew—deep down—that forgetting was impossible.

But if that was what she wanted, she would have it.

And he would still be there for her.

No matter what.

Leaning his head against the couch, he let his eyes drift shut.

His resolve was absolute, as steady as the rhythmic rise and fall of his breath.

Outside, the lazy spring afternoon carried on with no care for the weight in his chest, no concern for the quiet war waging in his mind. The wind whispered against the walls, the golden light of the setting sun stretched across the floor, and beside him, Giselle slept—peaceful, untouched by the turmoil threading through him.

And so, with only the sound of their breathing and the faint rustling of the wind outside, he let himself doze off, too.

[unserenedreaming]

Yellowjackets rankings

SPOILERS FOR EPISODE FOUR

I have decided to update my rankings weekly, and here they are for week four:

WILDERNESS

I would die for them

Jackie: I am still Jackie's number one soldier. She haunts the narrative across both eras and I love that for her. Every time she's on screen my life expectancy increases five years, my skin clears, and nature begins to heal.

Akilah: The way she holds onto her bunny for comfort during the trial scene made my heart ache. She's just a soft girl stuck in a terrible, awful situation. Still praying that she makes it back to civilization.

Coach Ben: He lives to see at least one more episode, thank fuck. My guy is a self-admitted coward, but I know he didn't set that fire and is either being framed purposefully or unintentionally (see below)

Travis: Continues to be traumatized by the Wilderness & Lottie but he's managing to hold onto his sanity...mostly

Misty: It's a shame Misty never went into law (though she is certifiable so I understand why) because DAMN she had almost everyone convinced, even Tai, of Coach's innocence.

Nat: I felt like this was the first time we actually saw genuine emotion from Nat this season, which reminded me of just how talented sophie thatcher is

I care about them but not as much as the others:

Tai, Van, Mari, Lottie, the others

IDGAF:

Shauna: I get it. She's got pent up issues from Coach being a coward when she gave birth. Maybe she blames him for her baby dying, an understandable anger but it's directed at the wrong person, since it wasn't anyone's fault. I think she knows that he didn't set the fire or at least has her doubts, but she needs someone to blame since it's very likely that it was set by accident (I'm looking at you, Van's vision from ep 3). But bullying everyone into agreeing with you doesn't make you a good leader, it makes you a tyrant.

Melissa: little piece of shit instigator. Girl you gotta understand Shauna is just using you for validation.

PRESENT DAY

I would die for them:

Jeff: Jeff the rizzler, Jeff the charmer. I love this man. He tries (and fails) to have enough empathy for the two of them, honestly believing that he needs to do good things because of karma. If he dies this season I'm gonna throw up

Shauna: I've said it before and I'll say it again: I would die for Melanie Lynskey. Her portrayal of Shauna is so real and wonderful and messy and toxic and hilarious. I love her.

Misty Watching her fantasize about stabbing Shauna before telling herself it wasn't a good place for herself to be, and then stealing that old lady's puzzle pieces was so wonderful. I hope she never changes

Lottie: IT'S GOTTA BE A FAKEOUT RIGHT?? THEY WOULDN'T DO THAT TO YOU RIGHT? She's gotta come back, she's so weird and a little scary but so so enchanting

Tai: Crazy gay disaster with a good memory for romance

Van: Dying gay disaster with shaking hands I'm worried about

I care about them but not as much as the others:

Walter, Callie, Randy (I forgot about him, but he was fun this episode!)

IDGAF

everyone else

Anyways if you made it this far thanks again for reading my rambling. If you agree, congrats. If you don't, also congrats.

[andi-o-geyser]

fym “PROBLEMATIC” the only problem is going to be you trying to walk tomorrow. go get pegged

[stimtfil]

[non-plutonian-druid]

[ID: Several drawings of Five from the Umbrella Academy being hugged and/or being shown other forms of physical affection, from each of his siblings (plus Lila). They include: Klaus draping himself over Five's head while Five claws at him and scowls. Allison wrapping Five in a tender hug. Luther carrying Five like a football while Five glares but has giving up on fighting. Diego lifting Five up in a hug while Five looks surprised. Five leaning on Viktor, napping, while Viktor reads a book. Lila scrolling her phone with her legs draped across Five, both of them lying on the floor. End ID.]

I have largely restrained myself from giving Five hugs because he does not hug. But now!!! It's fair game and I'm here to make it everyone else's problem

[mermaidslabyrinth]

First off thank you @vhagar-balerion-meraxes and @dr-aegon for tagging me. This one made me think and i enjoyed filling it out. 🌈

What's the origin of your blog title? I’ve always thought mermaids were such fun fantasy beings. And really fun to believe in. Plus they’re my sister’s favorite (I’m a fairy girl…idk why I didn’t pick fairy but it’s who I am now). Labyrinth is a roll over from my old blog name (lost-in-lokis-labyrinth) but was just too much so I just took labyrinth. Plus, I really like Ariadne from the myth.

OTP(s) + shipname: Serena/Darien (I don’t think they have a ship name. Sailor Moon; old school dub [Forever sad my tapes got ruined 😭]), Kylux (Kylo Ren & Hux [Star Wars]), Harringrove (Billy Hargrove & Steve Harringston [Stranger Things]), Daemond (Aemond & Daemon [House of the Dragon])

I like how the three people above me are like: Aegond 🥰. And I'm over here like: ...Daemond 😃.

Favourite colour: Lavender

Song stuck in your head: Boss Bitch -Doja Cat (I had to look up the title and who sang it). I may have been watching a video about Daemon I have on my phone with this song.

Weirdest habit/trait: I am very particular where things go in the fridge and freezer. Like only liquids on the top shelf in the fridge. Nice, neat, organized. My mom asked the other day about it when she caught me moving a container to the second shelf. I said “yes, it drives me nuts.” Also my room, I’ll know if something is out of place. Even if it looks like it was haphazardly put there.

Hobbies: Writing, reading, rewatching shows from my younger years, making memes of my HotD OMC for my Pinterest boards, got back into drawing

If you work, what's your profession? I take care of my mother. And help out with my nephews.

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be? Be paid to travel or do nothing.

Something you're good at: Organizing. Cleaning. Set me loose in a home and will make every thing tidy and clean (except the bathtub…idk why but no).

Something you collect: Pins. Mostly Disney, Sailor Moon, cryptid, pride. Monster High Dolls (og) but only if I find them out shopping at thrift stores.

Something you forget: Simple tasks. If I don’t write it down I can get side tracked…

What's your love language? I just like to help or get something for someone.

Favourite movie/show: Ever After, I can watch that at any point in the movie. // Roseanne (88-97 series), season 9 sucked but there were a handful of good episodes in it.

Favourite food: Falafels and naan. With baklava for dessert.

Favourite animal: Elephant. They are the first thing I want to see at the zoo. I know it’s frowned upon now but I am so happy I got to ride one as a child.

What were you like as a child? Odd. Very imaginative. I could easily play by myself. Ornery (my grama called me that a lot, others just called me a brat). I was a spirited child and didn’t back down easily.

Favourite subject at school: English

Least favourite subject: Science tied with math (terrible teachers). Honorable mention: PE

What's your best character trait? I’m willing to listen. I may not give good or any advice, but I will listen to what you have to say.

What's your worst character trait? I can be quite stubborn. In my family we call it the ‘[Grampa’s last name] Gene’. Bc it seemed like everyone related to that side is beyond stubborn.

If you could change any detail of your life right now, what would it be? That I could travel to places I would love to see.

If you could travel in time, who would you like to meet? I think it would have been fun to meet my mom when she was in her twenties to early thirties. Like just before she had me. She was such a lively, fun person. The stories I’ve heard, I’d like to see them first hand.

GET TO KNOW YOUR MUTUALS

@lonnson thank you so much for the tag!🫶

What's the origin of your blog title? It's an oxymoron-ish rendition of one of my childhood nicknames (Snow White).

OTP(s) + shipname: Hannigram (Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham, NBC Hannibal); Mary and Matthew Crawley, Downton Abbey (no ship name afaik); Farawyn (Faramir and Eowyn, The Lord of the Rings); Tomgreg (Tom Wambsgans and Greg Hirsch, Succession); Aegond (Aegon II and Aemond Targaryen, Fire&Blood/House of the Dragon)

Favourite colour: green

Song stuck in your head: The Line by Twenty One Pilots

Weirdest habit/trait: refusing to do certain things just on principle, without any kind of rational explanation (it doesn't happen often but some of those principles are very silly)

Hobbies: travelling, reading, writing poems, listening to music, watching movies/TV shows, making collages that I pretty much never post

If you work, what's your profession? I head a division of the Fares and Services department in a public transportation company.

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be? Project management (it's pretty close to my current job, so I'm fine in that regard).

Something you're good at: planning events and mediating conflicts

Something you hate: having to defer to stupid people's judgment

Something you collect: chopsticks

Something you forget: buying salt🤣 For some reason I'm always caught off guard when I run out of it and then go without for a solid week because my brain just can't process the fact that the salt is gone.

What's your love language? Problem solving.

Favourite movie/show: The Lord of the Rings, Love Actually, Inception (movies); Hannibal, Succession (shows)

Favourite food: OMG, I don't even know! I'm such a foodie that I can't really choose.

Favourite animal: cats

What were you like as a child? Very Hermione Granger-like.

Favourite subject at school: English and history

Least favourite subject: PE (mainly because the teacher was an effing tyrant)

What's your best character trait? I'm responsible and dependable.

What's you're worst character trait? I procrastinate way more than I should.

If you could change any detail of your life right now, what would it be? I'd like to be more certain about the future (big freakin' detail, right).

If you could travel in time, who would you like to meet? My maternal grandfather who died before I was born. He was a remarkable man; plus I've been told time and time again that I resemble him a lot, often in really uncanny ways.

No pressure tags: @vhagar-balerion-meraxes @very-straight-blog @autumnrose11 @heretherebebookdragons

[archiveoftragedies]

Yellow asking in a broken voice "why does he care about you?" and John taking a moment to think to then reply, simply, "because I care about him" .........

[s0fter-sin]

one of my favourite aspects of supernatural that you very rarely see in paranormal shows is that sam and dean are already versed in the world they live in. there’s no sudden discovery of ghosts and demons and now they have to learn about them along with the audience; they are born into it and already know all about it. it allows the audience to follow their personal story instead of also trying to figure out this new world and its rules

the first season is full of knowledge we never see them learn; “w*ndigoes are in the minnesota woods or- or northern michigan. i’ve never even heard of one this far west.” […] “great. well then this [his gun] is useless.” (1x02), “you don’t break a curse. you get the hell out of its way.” (1x08), d: “it’s a god. a pagan god, anyway.” […] “the annual cycle of its killings? and the fact that the victims are always a man and a woman. like some kind of fertility right.” […] s: “the last meal. given to sacrificial victims. d: “yeah, i’m thinking a ritual sacrifice to appease some pagan god.” (1x11)

almost every episode in the first season is a monster they’ve faced before that they then explain to the audience in a way that should feel patronising; like it’s the same speech given over and over again but instead, the audience almost feels included in the knowledge. it’s stated with such an innate confidence and comfort in said knowledge that it feels like we already knew it too; “spirits and demons don't have to unlock doors. if they want inside, they just go through the walls.” […] “the claws, the speed that it moves; could be a skinwalker, maybe a black dog.” (1x02), “it's biblical numerology. you know noah's ark, it rained for forty days. the number means death.” (1x04), “no no no, not the reaper, a reaper. there's reaper lore in pretty much every culture on earth, it goes by 100 different names.” […] “you said it yourself that the clock stopped, right? reapers stop time. and you can only see 'em when they're coming at you which is why i could see it and you couldn't.” (1x12)

they already know and, at least in the first season, already have what they need to kill whatever they’re hunting; already know to salt and burn bones for spirits, fire for a w*ndigo, exorcisms for demons, a silver bullet to the heart for shapeshifters. there’s only three times in the entire first season that they run into something new to them; 1x14 when sam gets his first vision that leads him to another psychic, 1x16 when dean calls caleb for help on the sigil he put together and he tells him about daevas, and 1x20 when they find out vampires are real- and they only don’t know that bc john thought they were hunted to extinction and not worth mentioning

(there’s also technically two half instances if you count one of them knowing something the other doesn’t - sam figuring out the tulpa in 1x17 and dean already knowing about the shtriga in 1x18 - but those still rely on sam and dean having prior knowledge)

even when they’re uncertain about facing something, it’s not bc they don’t know what it is; it’s precisely bc they know what it is and acknowledge that it’ll be a difficult hunt (“i don't know, man. this isn't our normal gig. i mean, demons, they don't want anything, just death and destruction for its own sake. this is big. and i wish dad was here.” 1x04)

so much of the tension in paranormal shows typically comes from the main character(s) not knowing what is happening to them/the people around them and having to find out how to resolve it. supernatural is unique in that it operates more like a police procedural. the tension comes from solving the clues and identifying patterns to figure out who (what) the killer is and intercepting before they can take another victim

it’s such a different tone to go for when compared to other shows that came both before, during, and after its run. it sets sam and dean on even footing with each other since they both have the same knowledge going in, and it puts them in a place of authority usually reserved for an outside character

the shows i compare spn to most is charmed, buffy and teen wolf; every main character in those shows are brought into the paranormal world knowing nothing, putting them on the same level as the audience, and they have their mc interact with others already knowledgeable about that world in order to overcome their problem/monster of the week. the audience organically learns about this new world as the characters learn about it. it’s a sound writing strategy that prevents “as we already know”-style exposition but something that complicates it is if your world building isn’t unique or intriguing enough, this slow introduction can become boring

we’ve seen shows like these before; sitting through the same tropes of characters learning to use their powers, struggling with no longer feeling normal/relating to the regular world around them, and not knowing how much they can trust the people already involved in this new world gets repetitive. all three shows eventually reach the same level of comfort with their new world that spn starts with but if the characters aren’t enough to draw you in, you can end up dropping it before they reach that point (and often, before the overarching plot can really kick in and evolve the show beyond the villain of the week format)

it’s the superhero origin movie in tv format; dragged out and overplayed. dropping the audience into an established world of course comes with its own problems but you also have the benefit of pre-existing established character dynamics that let the audience slot in like they’ve always been there instead of just getting to know all the characters while the characters also get to know each other

sam and dean already knowing about the supernatural lets the audience immediately get to the core of the story; the conflict between sam and dean, the search for their father, and the mystery of what killed their mother