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ofoceansandtombsanew · 2 years ago

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A Sight Second to None

tags: god!reader au, pre!relationship, pre!canon, god!reader and rukkhadevata aren’t siblings, happy lantern rite simps

a/n: it’s lantern rite time, i have to write something for the geo daddy so i figured why not give him something set in the god!reader universe. light spoilers for 3.2′s last act of the sumeru archon quest if you haven’t played it yet, and i’d give the first few bullets of god!reader’s lore guide a read here as well. other than that, enjoy, tell me your thoughts and talk about the god!reader cinematic universe with me.

"Is the décor to your liking?”

“I’ve told you once before, Morax, and I’ll tell you again,” you answer with a tone too stern for the question you were asked. “The sights of any country will always be second to that of my own.”

Morax’s lips quirk into an amused smile. “I find second place to be better than last then if I have to ask Amur their opinion of my home.”

“This country’s geography has a lot of character.” Even if you’re the first to admit that Morax and yourself have never gotten along the best among the divine you knew, you wouldn’t be petulant enough to discredit his efforts.

You’ve seen many a fine sight in your centuries of living, Liyue is one of them. From the spears he cast to create the stone forest of Guyun to the lowest peaks of Liyue’s mountains; Morax worked hard to craft Liyue into its current image and he did a fine job.

“Just as long as you know Sumeru is the best. Our oases and forests are second to none.” Morax had seen them quite a few times due to your nations’ proximities to one another and the newfound allegiance of the Seven.

It was no longer an oddity to hear from your friend that she was being called to a small gathering Barbatos insisted she attend, nor was it odd when the other Archons found themselves visiting Rukkhadevata in Sumeru. What you presently find odd, however, is that this isn’t a gathering for the Seven.

It is simply you, merely one of the gods of Sumeru allied to the Dendro Archon, and Morax alone.

“Why not bring Rukkha here?” You finally bring yourself to ask. “She would love to see something like this, she’s interacted plenty with mortals.” You and the newly appointed Archon of Sumeru were similar that way, although your methodology differed. We’re old friends. Even more than that, perhaps both your similarities and differences were inevitable. We were born from the same tree, after all. Irminsul connects you both more deeply than could ever be expressed.

You are both one of many parts of it, a branch and a root respectively. Life and Death with the green of Dendro running through both your veins. She will always have your loyalty and you hers.

“Barbatos of Mondstadt has dragged you lot to plenty of parties.” you continue, pushing away your thoughts. If Morax picked up that your mind was bordering topics beyond his nation’s holiday, he doesn’t show it. If he has, you can appreciate him saying nothing. Perhaps Rukkhadevata wasn’t exaggerating when she said the Geo Archon had begun to mellow out since the last time you encountered him. “I’d expect an invitation like this from him. I thought you preferred the company of your adepti to anyone else.” Yet Morax requested your presence specifically. It was so abnormal you couldn’t help dragging yourself across the desert and forest of your homeland to your neighboring nation for answers.

The Lord of Geo’s face is unknowable. “I thought this sort of holiday would be to your liking.” At the curious raise of your eyebrow, Morax explains on smoothly. “Lantern Rite celebrates the lives of those who sacrificed their own for Liyue’s prosperity. Mortals, Gods and Adepti alike. Considering your philosophies, I thought you’d enjoy it.”

“Because we are alike,” you reply almost smugly. “Mortals and the divine. It doesn’t matter where we start, we all meet the same end. Every life on Teyvat is important.” It’s a point you and Morax could never agree on. Neither of you would yield even when Guizhong herself stepped in, finding the debate too heated even by her standards. Dendro and Geo are compatible elements by nature, that didn’t seem apply to you and Morax. You thought him close-minded and stuck in his ways, he thought you young and inexperienced despite you only be a few millennia younger than him.

Oddly enough, however, that same Morax is sitting beside you with a look you almost deem fond.

"Anyway, even you should know that all the fun is down there,” you gesture broadly to Liyue Harbor. The lights of the lanterns shone similarly to the stars twinkling above the vast desert and you could hear the distant sounds of music. You aren’t surprised, however. Morax never interacted with his followers unless he had to and even then there was always a distance he placed between them.

“We can attend the festivities whenever you’d like,” Morax replies kindly and much too quickly for you to believe it.

You poke his forehead the way you would Deshret in his deep sleep, wondering if he dozed himself into an eternal slumber. “Is everything alright in there?” You query in disbelief. “Who are you and what have you done with Morax? Is there an imposter among the Seven? Should I alert all the Archons that the Lord of Geo’s been possessed by a fake?”

Grabbing your wrist, Morax halts your poking. Strangely enough, he doesn’t let go though his hold is gentle. “I’m not going mad, I’m simply taking a page out of your book, God of Festivals.”

A wave of embarrassment sweeps over you at the mention of what is becoming your most popular epithet and you gently tug your wrist from his grip. “I only started calling myself that so the people of Sumeru would stop balking at my ideal at the mere mention of it.” You and your friends all had your ideals, your own basis for what you considered wisdomー it was just unfortunate yours was the only one mortals had a primordial fear of.

“Life should be thought of as a grand festival”, you told your tribes. “Treat it like a celebration! Mortal children come into this world needing to be cared for by their elders and yet mortal elders become more like children the older they become, the youth taking their roles as providers. Your dreams, decisions and ambitions. Make them the games a child would play at a festival so they can return home without regrets! Mortals and the divine, we all return to the earth. Make sure you can return with no regrets! This is my wisdom.”

Morax chuckles at your sheepish expression and it isn’t the first time you resent his baritone voice. It should be forbidden for someone teasing you to have a voice so pleasant. “I like it, it’s very fitting of you.” At your sour glare, he reassures you his opinion is not in jest. “The gods of Sumeru all sought and continue to seek Wisdom, it’s the lifeblood of the nation. Even if our opinions have differed in the past, I’ve never doubted the wisdom you hold. I admire your tenacity, I’m not sure I would be able to find ways to make a subject most humans find taboo more palatable. At least, not in such a creative way.”

A quiet passes over the two of as you take in what was said. He isn’t joking, you’ve joked yourself in the past that the blockhead is too serious to joke. You find it unbearable to stare into amber eyes any longer, finding comfort in the warm glow of the capital in the distance. “You said if I wanted, we could see the festivities in person,” you begin after a few moments. “I’m considering this a contract from the Lord of Geo himself so let’s go.”

Another chuckle escapes Morax’s lips and you can’t hold back a snicker of your own. “The last time I visited Sumeru I saw you dancing with the mortals,” it feels random when Morax tells you this but his eyes are distant, chasing a memory. This time his expression looks undoubtedly fond. “It looked fun. I want to experience things as you view them, if you’ll allow me.”

“You don’t seem like much of a dancer,” you murmur quietly but you don’t disparage him.

“This isn’t a holiday that calls for dancing, but this is only the fifth Lantern Rite to ever take place,” Morax stands, holding a hand out for you to grab. You find it too easy to accept his offer and feel too self-conscious of how closely you are standing beside one another. “Perhaps that can be a change made if the people are given a little guidance.”

“Oh stop, you old rock,” you say out of habit. You feel as if you’ve had one too many drinks, noting again how Morax makes no move to separate his hand from your own. It’s strange but you don’t find the urge to fight it. It’s only for one night, only to see the festivities of Liyue’s newest yet most important holiday. “I want to see how the people here celebrate things without biased divine intervention. Just lead the way to the Harbor before I start growing over with moss.”

His smile is light, familiar with your sense of humor by now. “I’ll be sure to lead at a moderate pace then.”

#look she's writing #or at least trying to get over my writer's block by forcing myself to write SOMETHING #zhongli x reader #morax x reader #god!reader au #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #basically things are starting to settle down after the archon war and zhongli wants to begin acting on his feelings #he's been smitten with the reader for a long time now #consider this the part of the main canon for zhongli's spinoff in the god!reader au

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bakuliwrites · 1 year ago

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So, I've been in the midst of planning for a longer BG3 fic featuring my Tav, Orlando (a Tiefling with a deep sea aesthetic), and her questline, were she to have one. However, my brain is in a bit of a fog right now and all I've really been able to write for it are a series of letters between her and Gortash. Also, Gortash storyline spoilers. TW: toxic relationship, slightly suggestive

For some context, I wrote up a post about them here. Otherwise, here are the final letters they sent one another before Orlando was captured by the mindflayers and tadpoled. Orlando doesn't have any idea what Gortash is up to, other than he's rising in the political sphere. She's not sure how, but she has some suspicions. Note: They write in code to one another and Gortash signs his letters as EF because Orlando knew him mostly as his surname Flymm when they were young

Orlando to Gortash:

My Cherished E,

I grow weary of you dodging my questions. You act as if you are doing me a favor by sparing me the dirty details of your work. You are not a martyr, and I am not a little girl trapped in a pond in the dank basement of a devil’s lair. I can handle whatever it is you have done. I have my own skeletons in the closet, as you well know. Over the years, you have shown me yours piece by piece, rib by rib, vertebrae by vertebrae. Can you not simply rip the wool from my eyes? I don’t care what it costs me. I suffer more in the dark.

You speak of our future together as if it is set in stone, yet when I ask to come see you, you deny me. You push me away, E. And then draw me back in, time and again, with promises of tomorrow. You say your furtiveness is for my protection. But I think you are afraid of something. Of me, E? Of me leaving? I won’t make promises I can’t keep, but can’t you at least grant me the respect of knowledge? Can’t you tell me what “grand plan” you have that’s to guarantee our future?

Sometimes I wonder if, perhaps, you are ashamed of us. Of where we came from, who we used to be. Would I be a detriment to your campaign? Were I to show up in the midst of your glory, would I disrupt the delicate balance you’ve built? You run from the past, as do I, but I’m tired of it.

E, as always- as it has been since our youth and as it shall always be- my heart is yours. But if our path is to be one paved in secrecy and withholding, I will need to reevaluate where we stand with one another. It is painful for me to write this, but I have shed too many tears to remain reticent over the matter.

Yours Eternally,

Gortash's Response:

My Abyssal Angel,

You wound me. If you would indulge me for a moment- imagine me, sitting at the desk in my office, bathed in fading candlelight, head hung in defeat as I pour over the letters you’ve sent me these last several months. Imagine the heavy sigh that escapes my lips as my eyes sweep over the closing of your last communication. Can you not hear the very ache of my heart when I read your cutting words? To imply that I have some ulterior motive for keeping my work from you wounds my very soul. My secrecy is your safety. My discretion, your protection.

Nothing has changed, my dearest. There is, and forever shall be, a place for you at my side. As there always has been. We are equals. My plans have always included space for you. But I “martyr” myself (as you put it) not just for you, but for my campaign. What if our letters were to be intercepted? What if our code were to be broken? What then? All would fall to ruin. I would have nothing to give you. But if you are going to be so insistent upon knowing the nitty-gritty details, then it seems I can no longer hide them from you. Come to me in Baldur’s Gate, quick as you can, and I will divulge everything. Let me prove to you that it is not shame I feel. I work only to protect you.

But I must warn you- what you learn will irrevocably alter the nature of our relationship. If you are ready for this, then by all means, come to me. Allow me to show you the fruits of my labor. Perhaps, when you partake in their glitz and glamor, you will understand why I have done what I have. Or perhaps not. Maybe you will find an underlying bitterness to their saccharine taste. Either way, come to me. Allow me to hold you one last time as the man you’ve known since our youth, before you meet the one I have become.

As it has been since our youth- as it shall always be- my heart is forfeit to you, O. I await your reply with bated breath.

Yours with Fervor,

Orlando's Response:

My Cherished E,

I wrote my last missive to you in a bout of sorrow and anger. I was upset. It was a hastily written, ill thought out rambling that should not have made it past the privacy of my diary.

E, what knowledge could you impart unto me that would so vastly alter my feelings for you? Even so, I will accept what you have to say. I will come to you in Baldur’s Gate, post haste. I can wait no longer. Too many years we have spent apart. It feels as if ages of the world have fallen away while we have sat idle. My heart yearns for yours. The sea bore me away from you. It is the sea that will carry me back. Share with me the strife you have faced in my absence. Share with me the secrets that weigh heaviest on your mind. I will listen with patience.

In a tenday, wait for me upon the docks. I will appear to you there, by the light of the stars, and you can make me yours. For however long that might be. One night or forever, I don’t care. I simply cannot live this way anymore.

Yours Eternally,

Gortash’s Response:

My Abyssal Angel,

You need not apologize for voicing your concerns. In fact, I find your combativeness refreshing. A stark change from the Devil’s Dutiful Daughter act you once put on for that oaf, Raphael. You have changed, blossomed in your years since our captivity. We’ve both grown so very much.

I look forward to seeing more of that fire in you when you arrive in Baldur’s Gate. You have embers in you, O. Unleash them. Let them blaze as bright as I know they can. I can feel them straining against the confines of your lungs. Breathe your fire, my darling. Set the world alight with me.

We are not tools. We are not pawns or playthings or trinkets to display. As I said before, you will always have a place at my side, a part to play in my work. Soon you will see what part that is. And soon, you will be by my side. For good, if that is what you should want. Our union would be good not only for the two of us, but for the world.

I know you do not keep up with news in Baldur’s Gate, but I know you are aware that I have been rising in the ranks these last several years (hence the secrecy). I now have every reason to believe that I will be crowned Archduke soon enough. I should like it if you are there for my coronation. Date, to be determined. It may be a few weeks, yet. If you can stay in Baldur’s Gate that long, I can promise you a most thrilling visit.

But enough shop talk. All will be illuminated once you arrive. Hopefully, by then, I’ll be more than I am now.

With Adoration,

P.S. I have come to understand that the throne in the audience chamber of Wyrm’s Rock is padded. My imagination runs rampant, my darling. Already I can feel the lick of your newfound flame on my lips…

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amaya-7 · 2 years ago

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A Small World To Your Eyes

• In the world of Old Mondstadt, there was a bard, a wind sprite, and a city of people who were neglected the sight of the stars. “What is freedom, if demanded of you by a god?”, is a question sought in those years. A question, holding more than what it lets on.

⌌⊱⇱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊰⌍

• Angst, Venti’s backstory/story quest spoilers, descriptions of war, sad boi hours, I haven’t slept in 2 days so take the spelling with a grain of salt

⌌⊱⇱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊰⌍

“The beginning of the end” is a term well known; though it’s not a term well seen.

A particular boy sat on a small plain of grass, slightly slanted to resemble a small hill. The grass was green, but a little too dark.

Healthy grass would look vibrant, sprightly! At least, that’s what Venti imagined. The grass where he lived was dull- prosaic - in the eyes of a bard.

Everything was dull in Old Mond’. The stone pillars that held up great bridges, the grey walls to stop the citizens from getting hurt in the splitting dome of wind.

He felt like a bird in a cage. Oh, how his heart ached to see a real bird. Even a feather would suffice.

The thoughts of his situation veiled his young mind thickly. He could barely hear the tune he softly plucked on his lyre, or the soft sound of light bells to accompany it- oh.

Venti tuned back into the world around him- the small world he could see at least. The little wind sprite next to him floated lazily around his head.

“Have you ever seen a bird?” The bard whispered, as if he were asking a question that the world shouldn’t pry on.

The small wind sprite stopped its circling and came to rest on the bards knee where his legs were crossed.

It made high-pitched ringing sounds, short and sweet. A form of affirmation, in Venti’s mind.

“I haven’t. I haven’t even seen the blue of Teyvats sky. I wonder how sweet the setting of the sun looks, or how brilliantly the stars in the sky shimmer.” Venti pondered, the wind sprite twinkling away in agreement.

“I can’t even fathom of how vast the lands outside spread, or how deep the ocean dwells. But you’ve seen it all, haven’t you Barbatos?” The bard continued.

He named the wind sprite ‘Barbatos’ as a form of friendship. The wind spirit had quite the personality akin to that of someone who has lived to tell many tales. A wise someone.

‘Barbatos’ means bearded, and Venti felt the wind sprite and the name were compatible in that sense. A wise entity; a free entity.

“I really hope you can understand me. I enjoy having you around, expressing my dreams to something that has seen them firsthand gives me a sense of satisfaction.”

What Venti didn’t know, was that the little wind sprite understood every word he said. Though, unlike Venti, it couldn’t verbally express his thoughts.

It couldn’t tell the young bard about how there was more than one type of bird, or how beautifully a shooting star could shine.

It wanted to tell Venti all about how the world was so much bigger. How the world he was shown was nothing compared to the word he had yet to experience.

It wanted to show the young bard. To show him everything he has dreamt of firsthand. To see how happy Venti would be when his dreams came to life.

Alas, the wind sprite chimed away, and all Venti could do was enjoy the sound.

As the bard looked over at the tower where the city’s God resided, his face clouded over in thought. He understood where Lord Decarabian was coming from; protecting the city and allowing them a form of freedom in this safe vicinity.

What he failed to realise, however, was that ordering freedom had no purpose. To order freedom is to bound another set of shackles to whomever it was ordered upon.

A city of freedom, with no freedom give. How funny.

The wind sprite observed Venti curiously, the boy’s look of inner conflict not going unnoticed.

Then, the bard stopped strumming his lyre. His gaze was still fixated upon the tower, but he held not a look of indecisiveness, but one of determination.

The fog within the boy’s mind had finally thinned into nothing.

He set his lyre aside onto the sun-depraved grass and held out his hands to the wind sprite.

Barbatos gladly took refuge in the cup of his palms, flapping his little wings expectantly at what the bard was about to say.

“Barbatos, I want to ask a favour of you.”

𝙄’𝙢 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜.

“I’ve decided that Mondstadt shall no larger be the city of caged birds. We’ll be the city of freedom. True freedom.”

𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙩.

“That means we’ll have to go to war against Lord Decarabian. A battle for the Mondstadt everyone dreams of. I’ll rally up the citizens and get everyone who can fight to fight alongside us.”

𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩?

“What I would like you to do, Barbatos, is fetch me a celebratory gift. A symbol of our retribution on those who robbed us of our lives.”

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙮𝙢𝙗𝙤𝙡 𝙗𝙚?

Venti smiled at this particular chime, for he somehow understood.

“Could you get me the feather of a bird? Birds are a well known symbol of freedom, and I’ve always wanted to know how they feel to the touch.”

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡.

The young bard stood up, a determination in him so fierce that it could rival the flames of hell. The wind sprite floated off of his hands to watch him run off.

“Make sure to give me that feather after, then we can see the freedom of Mondstadt together!” He called back, waving a hand in farewell.

𝙒𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡, ��𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞.

_______

The battle cries of hundreds enveloped the city. The citizens of Mond charged alongside the Bard, holding his bow and arrow.

But not before long, blood stained the once dark-green grass. Bodies fell by the minute, stone crumbled and pillars collapsed.

Fire danced its way up the tower as Lord Decarabian watched his city fall to ruin. Watched his people turn against him. Watch, as they waited for him to be dethroned.

Lord Decarabian didn’t personally try to stop their attempts, for it was the freedom of choice, was it not? But that is what he had given them. Freedom. He thought they were happy.

He gave his people sanctuary, protection from the wrathful gods outside of his barrier. So why? Why were they trying to fight for ‘freedom’? Why were they fighting for something he had long-since given them?

Lord Decarabian sat in his tower, pondering about where he went wrong, while the people below fell to their eternal slumbers.

_______

The wind sprite had found a feather, indeed. Blue and white adorned it, along with its softness to the touch- the softest it could find.

But the boy who had asked for it was leaning against another boy with hair of flames; a survivor of the battle.

However, the flame-haired boy was not supporting the injured. The bard was still. His cheeks pale. He was no longer strumming his lyre in heavenly tunes, but holding it limply to his side.

An arrow had struck the space on his chest in which he would usually hold the lyre. He eyes stared unseeing, not at the ruins of Mondstadt, but at the blue sky above.

“The beginning of the end” is a term well-known, and now well-seen. The beginning of Old Mondstadt breaking anew.

𝘼 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨, 𝙑𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞. 𝙄 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙫𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙨.

Though the bard got to see the blue sky in his final moments, the wind sprite never got to give him his feather.

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cheri-translates · 4 years ago

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[CN] Victor’s Leaving Traces Date

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date, 留痕之约, which has not been released in EN! 🍒

[ This date was released on 28 April 2021 ]

MC (phone call): I found your study room. May I invite CEO Victor to state his next instruction!

Victor (phone call): There’s a black file on the third shelf of the bookcase, closer to the right side. Do you see it?

MC: Third shelf... to the right... I see it!

Victor: Mm, open and check it for me.

I tap on the hands-free function, place the phone on the table, then carefully retrieve the file.

Today is the sixth day that Victor is on a business trip, and he gave me a call asking me to help him find a document.

Even though this is for an “official purpose”, being in this room filled with a familiar scent and hearing his voice feels pretty wonderful.

Flipping open the file, what enters my vision is the cover page of a contract.

MC: Is there an investment contract for a public educational welfare program inside?

Victor: That’s right.

When I see the date stamped at the bottom, my lips involuntary curl upwards.

MC: The public welfare program you invested in last year is going to have a charity gala in a few days... Someone keeps claiming that he isn’t a philanthropist, yet does quite a number of things in secret which reap zero returns.

Victor: Actually, it doesn’t count as zero returns. This program offers public welfare courses and training in universities. Each year, there are graduates who choose to work in LFG. The value they create is a form of return.

MC: Do all investors like such long-term strategies? Snatching up investments quickly, but only obtaining benefits after a very long time.

Victor: It’s also possible that there wouldn’t be any benefits. Since risks can’t be avoided, why not shoulder the greatest risk, and find that biggest “fish”.

MC: ...that’s what someone strong and capable would say.

I turn around, storing the file into my bag. Catching sight of Victor’s spectacles on the table, I pick them up, holding them in front of my eyes.

After adjusting to the slight dizziness from the spectacle degrees, I hold the spectacles and scan the surroundings.

MC: Victor, I’ve always been curious. Does the world you look at differ from other people?

Victor: How do you think it’d be different?

MC: For example... can you see the shape of time?

My imagination roams uncontrollably. If I could see time, and even adjust its speed, I might become the second Victor...

However, a sigh at my ear very quickly interrupts my daydream.

Victor: Even if I could see it, it wouldn’t be the way you imagine it.

MC: ...

Victor: If I remember correctly, a certain someone still has the job of broadcasting LFG’s charity gala. If you want to do a proper job, don’t place your hopes on shortcuts.

Hearing his cool voice, I purse my lips.

MC: You’re putting emphasis on efficiency again. You’re really skilful in managing your time... In that case, could I look forward to you returning early? With CEO Victor supervising me personally, my mentality at work will be even better.

Victor: I find that you always have a hundred reasons for not doing honest work.

MC: That wasn’t my main point...

Perhaps hearing my grumbling clearly, Victor laughs.

Victor: But you can look forward to it. Do what you have to do properly, and wait for me to return.

The next day, I send the document Victor needs to the office. After that, I take a taxi over to conduct a pre-interview.

Aside from preparing for the charity gala, I’m also doing a documentary with the theme of “Craftsmen of Time”. It records people who are able to maintain their craft despite having a fast-paced life.

Today, I’m visiting a boutique for custom-made suits which has been in business for several decades. It’s hidden in a small alley in the downtown area, and it’s as though time has stopped at a corner.

The boss shows me around the store while giving me introductions. After making one round, he lifts his head to look at his watch, then turns to me apologetically.

MC: Miss MC, I’m sorry about this, but a customer has made an appointment for a fitting, and will be here soon. We do a one-on-one service here. If the customer is unwilling, you might have to step back for a while.

Just as I’m able to wave my hands to express my understanding, the sound of the door being pushed open drifts from not too far off.

What follows is a familiar voice -

?: She doesn’t need to leave.

I turn my head. As expected, I see Victor walking in.

Boss: Mr Victor.

MC: Victor!

The boss and I speak in unison, then stop at the same time.

Seeing the slightly shocked expressions on both of their faces, I’m a little embarrassed as I scratch my cheek.

MC: Ooh... erm. Welcome.

Victor: Mm, thank you.

A few employees behind chuckle softly. However, Victor is unaffected, and he walks over to look at the notebook in my hand.

Victor: You’re working?

MC: Mm, I'm here for an interview. What are you doing here?

Victor: Didn’t you hear it earlier? I have an appointment at this timing. I’ll be interrupting you for a while, but it won’t take too long.

I shake my head to show that I don’t mind. Only then does Victor turn his head towards the boss.

Victor: Today’s the fitting, isn’t it.

Boss: That’s right. The clothes have already been hung in the changing room for you.

Victor: You’ve worked hard.

Victor walks into the changing room. I hold onto his outer coat while sitting on a chair at the side, waiting. Once again, I look around at the suits displayed in the shop.

Before, I used to tacitly agree that formalwear were more or less the same. Today, I realised that there are many differences when it comes to the details.

They can also be custom-made according to various settings and personal preferences, to become a form of personalised “fashion”.

Not following the crowd and not being set in stone is indeed very appropriate for Victor’s style.

After a moment, Victor pulls open the door and walks out. The boss immediately steps forward to check the measurements.

I stare directly at Victor in the mirror.

Even though the suit isn’t finished, the superior quality and lines have already made the person before me appear even taller and more capable.

It’s just that...

Boss: It’s been a long time since I last saw Mr Victor. It seems you’ve become much thinner recently. The suit will be done in a few days. To be safe, we’ll take your measurements again today.

Victor: I’ll have to trouble you then.

I flip the notebook open as a guise, but my gaze never leaves Victor.

The employee measures his neck. Victor lifts his head, and I realise that his lower chin has become thinner. When he’s expressionless, he looks even more solemn.

The measuring tape extends and retracts on his body, leaving light wrinkles on his already-fitting vest.

Ever since we met, it seems like his appearance in my mind has never changed.

A serious expression, wearing a well-fitting suit, always with people clustering around him... just like the sight before me right now.

However, in contrast to the usual, the Victor of this moment is a little different.

What the boss said is correct. He has indeed lost weight. But only a week passed - how could there be such an obvious change?

I recall how he looked before he left on the business trip. For a moment, I find that he was different from the way he is now. In the next moment, I find that he was the same as the way he is now.

I finally realise that before this, I never even noticed that he had grown thinner...

Wanting to look at him more carefully, I narrow my eyes, only to suddenly meet Victor’s gaze.

Victor: Looks like you learnt quite a lot today.

MC: What?

Victor: Are these numbers needed for work?

Following his gaze, I look at the book in my hand, and realise that I had subconsciously recorded down many numbers.

These numbers seem to be the measurements taken by the employee...

MC: T-this is just an accident!

Seeing that the employee has finished taking measurements, I hurriedly shut the book, stuffing it into my bag.

Boss: We’ll make some adjustments, and will contact you in a few days to collect the finished suit.

Victor: Thank you for the hard work.

After saying this, Victor walks over to me. Pretending to be professional, I shake and open his outer coat, helping him put it on.

MC: Is the new outfit for the charity gala?

Victor: Yes.

MC: When the time comes, I’ll remind the director to do more dashing close-ups of CEO Victor!

Victor: You’re still so proud despite using your professional capacity for personal gain.

Victor casts me a sidelong glance. Since I have nothing to fear, I give him a smile.

MC: Oh yes, why didn’t you tell me that you returned early?

Victor: Didn’t I promise you over the phone last night?

MC: But it’s still too quick... Did you board the plane right after hanging up?

Victor: It just shows that the timing was just right.

As he mentions this casually while fastening his buttons, I can’t help but ask him a question that I should have asked from the start.

MC: So was this chance encounter also a coincidence that was “just right”?

Victor: This wasn’t a chance encounter. You shared your location with me in the taxi earlier. You don’t remember?

MC: Ah, my fingers must have slipped...

Victor: You can maintain this habit. I guessed that you had work to do, so I didn’t send you a message. But I remember that a certain someone mentioned wanting me to supervise her at work, so I came over to have a look.

Victor appears to be in a good mood, and he pats the top of my head.

Victor: I’m done with my task here. You can continue with what you were doing.

MC: Wait!

Seeing that Victor is about to leave, I hurriedly take a step forward to stop him.

MC: I’ll go with you.

Victor: Are you done with the interview?

MC: Today’s portion has been done. Give me a moment.

I blink at him, then run swiftly to the boss to make an appointment for the next collection of materials.

Even though I did hope that he’d be by my side to “supervise me at work”...

When the person I’ve been yearning for day and night appears in front of me, my train of thought is unable to remain entirely on work.

It’s rare for Victor’s to have a free schedule, so I urge him to return home to rest.

The sun sets, and the clamour of the city gradually goes away. Life seems to return to its original rhythm in this tranquil room.

I’m leaning against Victor as I tap on the keyboard, yet can’t help but peek at him from time to time in secret.

I watch as he wears the spectacles that were in his study room before, and the curiosity that I shelved aside from the previous night surfaces once again.

MC: Victor, do you still remember when you first stopped time?

Victor: I can’t remember clearly. Back then, I didn't think of deliberately stopping time. I just had a blurry wish.

MC: That’s really nice...

Victor: You seem to really like this ability?

MC: Anyone would be envious. Being able to stop time is both cool and useful. To take it even further, if you want to, life can even be extended.

A soft chuckle drifts from the side, kneading into the sound of flipping paper.

Victor: It isn’t that easy to control time. Simply stopping it for a while doesn’t change any outcome. The time that’s “stolen” isn’t very meaningful either. Instead, why not watch time flow by and see what it can bring?

After hearing his words, I stop typing.

MC: As expected, when it comes to the topic of time, you’re the person with the most right to speak. You really won’t consider letting me add an episode featuring an exclusive interview with you?

Victor: Rejected.

MC: You rejected so quickly... hm?

Just as I turn my head to look at him, a slight sharp pain drifts from the back of my head.

Thinking my hair is trapped on something, I reach out to look for it, and bump into VIctor’s hand accidentally.

Lowering my head, a few strands of hair spread over his fingers. The tips of my hair brush against my hand, and finally fall back into his palm.

Was he... tangling my hair earlier?

This action doesn’t seem to fit with Victor’s style. I glance at his slightly unnatural expression, controlling my laughter as I ask him a question.

MC: Victor, what are you doing?

Victor: ...I just realised that your hair has grown a little longer.

MC: It does seem like a while since I went to the salon.

I smoothen my hair in front of my chest to take a look, but don’t find any obvious changes.

MC: I can’t tell, but it’s definitely a little longer than when I had it cut.

Victor: Of course you can’t tell if you see it every day. But it’s much more obvious when looking at it after a period of time. Yesterday, you asked if I could see the shape of time. It probably looks like this. It isn't difficult to find proof of time’s existence. You can see it too.

Victor smoothens my hair a little clumsily, the corners of his lips lifting upwards.

I suddenly recall my hug with him earlier, and how I felt that his waistline was evidently thinner.

Time is constantly flowing, leaving numerous, subtle traces on our bodies.

And these little discoveries after reuniting are a form of compensation, enabling people to see the things we’ve grown accustomed to in a fresh light.

Lifting my head, I reach out to prop up his spectacles.

MC: So this is the time in your eyes.

Victor: What do you mean?

MC: In the past, I used to think that the passage of time was something a little sad. It seemed like many things fade away and vanish with time. But maybe this isn’t the fault of time. It’s just that we neglected those things because we’ve grown accustomed to their existence beside us.

Victor: Not a bad thought.

MC: See? There are benefits to occasionally deviating from habits! At the very least, I discovered another side of “Victor”.

Victor: A dummy being able to enlighten herself counts as a form of improvement. But based on the number of anniversaries you commemorate, some things are difficult to ignore.

MC: ...just treat it as a periodic review!

Victor: So at this current stage, what do you want to review?

MC: Right now...

I turn my body towards Victor. While thinking about this question, I subconsciously scrutinise Victor up and down.

His washed hair is no longer restrained by hair gel, and the eyes beneath his fringe are warmer and brighter.

I can’t recall when he started looking at me with that gaze often.

How many days and nights have we spent together? There are probably so many that I wouldn’t be able to segment them into “periods” soon.

But no matter which anniversary it is, or which moment I wish to inscribe, my feelings are the same.

MC: I thought of a poem I once read in a book - “Now is the time for drinking!” Being able to discover new surprises from a life one is accustomed to... Right now is the best time.

Victor glances at me, then turns my hand over, making a stamping gesture.

Victor: I approve of this “periodic review”.

After a tight schedule of preparations, the day of LFG’s charity gala quickly arrives.

In previous events like this, I’d remain backstage, constantly rushing around.

Even though I'm sitting with the distinguished guests this time, I take occasional peeks at my phone, paying attention to the happenings backstage.

The first half of the soirée goes smoothly, and many people make use of the intermission to rest and relax.

Just as I think of searching for Victor, my phone vibrates. I hurriedly slip away to the corridor of the venue to answer it.

MC: Willow, did something happen?

Willow: Boss, some issues cropped up with one of the auction items for the second half. Come quickly and have a look!

I check the time, realising that there are only twenty minutes before the second half of the soirée starts.

With no time to hesitate, I rush to the props room immediately.

People are bustling around backstage, and only the props room is unusually quiet.

Willow leans towards me, quietly explaining the situation before me.

Willow: When preparing the props earlier, we accidentally bumped into Auction Item No. 4 and it fell somewhere. The item’s too small, and we haven’t been able to find it. The person responsible for No. 4 has a bad temper, and is stopping us from working until we find the auction item.

I pat Willow comfortingly.

MC: Don’t panic. Our colleagues are always watching the props room, so it shouldn’t be lost. First, tell the director that this item will appear later in the evening. Pick a few meticulous colleagues to look for it. The others can handle the props as soon as possible. Leave the person-in-charge to me.

Willow nods, and very quickly attends to the matter. I suck in a soft breath, walking towards the person-in-charge who is not too far off.

MC: Hello, may I know if you’re Mdm Zheng? I’m the producer of this soirée...

While I’m conversing with the person-in-charge, my colleagues hastily deal with the props.

And that “missing” Auction Item No. 4 is finally found in between several large paper boxes.

After the person-in-charge checks it personally, she rushes to send it to the stage at the very last minute.

Stepping into the house, the phone which has been vibrating for the entire evening finally returns to silence.

The second half of the soirée was more or less spent coordinating the auction issue backstage.

By the time I finished replying to all the messages accumulated in my phone, the car had already reached the house.

I watch as Victor minds his own business and hangs both of our outer coats properly, and doesn’t seem to have an intention to probe. Clearing my throat, I follow after him.

MC: Cough cough. Isn’t CEO Victor going to ask what I was busy with this evening?

Victor: I heard all about it. You resolved a big problem.

MC: ...you don’t sound very surprised.

Victor: You think I don’t know what you’re busy with? Also, this is something you’re already capable of doing.

MC: Hmph, whatever you say makes sense.

Despite my words, the corners of my lips lift upwards involuntarily.

Victor glances at me, then pulls me towards the cloakroom suddenly.

By the time I return to my senses, he has already settled me down onto a soft chair.

MC: Whats wrong?

Victor doesn’t respond. He squats down in front of me, pinching my ankle.

Victor: After busying yourself for an entire evening, are you tired?

MC: I’m pretty okay. I usually run around like this too. I’m the type who’s good in both books and martial arts!”

Victor seems to chuckle. He lifts my left foot and places it on his lap, then helps me untie the numerous shoelaces.

MC: !

My heel presses against his newly made trousers. I freeze for a moment, subconsciously wanting to retract my foot.

As though undisturbed, Victor continues holding on to my ankle, studying the knot tied to my calf.

Victor: Looks like making you take on a few large-scale events is quite meaningful. I still remember how you used to get nervous when meeting people who were the slightest bit famous. Also, when faced with trouble, you’d first lose your head and panic. After resolving it in a roundabout manner, you’d even ask me for praise.

MC: You actually remember such embarrassing things...

Victor: It’s meant to show how much you’ve improved.

While saying this, Victor tugs at the shoelace, brows furrowing slightly.

Victor: Why are these shoelaces so complicated...

Glancing at his somewhat perplexed expression, I chuckle as I pull on his hand, guiding him in untying the knot on my leg.

MC: Knowing that CEO Victor was attending the event in splendid attire, I had to work hard to dress up as well. Aside from improvements in work, don’t you find that my aesthetic sense has also improved?

Victor removes my shoe for me, rubbing my toes gently.

Victor: These shoes suit you, but they don’t fit your feet adequately. Your toes are swollen, and you didn’t feel it?

MC: Isn't this what happens when wearing high heels for a long time?

Victor: Things that are truly suitable will be comfortable no matter the circumstances. Although there are improvements in certain areas, there isn’t much progress when it comes to taking care of yourself.

After saying this, Victor once again lowers his head to untie the shoelaces on my right foot.

Staring at the top of his head, I can’t help but find this situation a little abrupt.

The person who was receiving the applause from an audience just a few hours ago is now voluntarily taking care of me tenderly.

Not only that. Even when I’m unaware, he’s always paying close attention to me.

Even when it comes to details I don’t realise, he takes note of them for me.

In this instant, a faint, stinging emotion is in my heart, urging me to blurt out my genuine thoughts.

MC: The reason why I haven’t made progress is because you’ve been taking such good care of me, isn’t it? CEO Victor may be an investor in other areas, but in this area, you’re a big philanthropist.

Victor: Are you blaming me?

MC: I’m complimenting your conscientiousness and patience, and how you’re willing to spend time taking care of a dummy.

Victor chuckles, and I feel warm breaths faintly on my skin.

Victor: Looks like this dummy hasn’t realised that I didn’t help you this time.

MC: Hm? Are you referring to the soirée?

Victor: Mm. From planning to execution, including the sudden incident, I didn’t provide any advice. Do you know what this means?

MC: It means... that this was a test?

Victor: It’s just a periodic test. Not bad. You passed.

MC: In that case, do I get a periodic prize?

Victor: From now onwards, I can give you the right of choice. You can judge for yourself if you want to accept the programs I give you. Whether it’s a request from other businesses or from LFG. As long as you give me a clear and logical reason, you can reject them.

I’m stunned, and it’s only after a long while before I blink my eyes slowly.

MC: But rejecting CEO Victor’s goodwill sounds like a wastage of natural resources...

Victor: How do you know that everything I give you is “goodwill”?

MC: Huh?

Victor: I said that I'd let you judge for yourself. There aren’t many good things that fall from the sky.

MC: In that case, if I simply feel tired and want to take a break, could I reject them too?

Victor: If it isn’t because you’re being lazy, you can.

MC: What if it’s because I’m giving the opportunity to our competitors?

Victor: You’ll bear all the consequences yourself.

MC: ...as expected, you’re still an investor.

Victor: If you aren’t happy about it, you could become an investor yourself and confront me.

MC: That’s even more absurd!

Victor laughs, glancing at me.

Victor: The quantitative and qualitative changes will require time. You can get used to it slowly. But the next time you take on several jobs, remember to change into a comfortable pair of shoes. Don’t make others worry.

With a gentle brush of my leg, the shoelaces of my right shoe loosen.

My ankle relaxes, and I subconsciously lower my head to look at Victor, suddenly thinking about something.

MC: Victor... I have one more question to ask you. Is the reason why you’re giving me this reward because of sympathy or because I’ve really improved?

Victor: The latter of course.

MC: But I can’t really sense any changes in myself. You mentioned it earlier too. What happened tonight was something I should already be capable of doing.

Victor: When I said that you could do it, I was referring to the you of right now. The mistakes you made in the past didn’t surface, and the issue was resolved very well. Of course it’s an improvement.

I scrutinise his serious expression, and the corners of my lips gradually curve upwards.

MC: Is this an assessment criterion CEO Victor made specially for me?

Victor: I treat everyone equally when it comes to work. But this reward was indeed prepared specially for you.

MC: Thank you for the special care, CEO Victor! On a certain level, such improvement should also count as a trace of time.

Victor: That’s right. In that case, I’ll look forward to seeing more time on a certain person.

The final shred of doubt at the bottom of my heart is smoothened out. I cradle Victor’s cheeks, giving him a quick peck at the side of his lips.

MC: T-this is a “stamp of approval”! From now onwards, CEO Victor has to mentally prepare himself for my “rejections”.

After saying this, I try to seize this opportunity to retract my foot, but Victor catches me firmly.

Victor straightens up, looking at my expression with interest.

Victor: You seem to really like this method of “stamping”.

MC: [blushing] Well... After all, this is a tiny special privilege that I have.

Victor: Even though you know that it’s a privilege, you still use it so guiltily. Your face is as red as a tomato.

MC: [blushing] ...

Hearing the teasing tone in his voice, I feel my face becoming even warmer. Slightly embarrassed, I duck my head backwards.

Victor chuckles softly, a hand propped against the cabinet behind me, blocking my way out.

Victor: Don’t forget that this is a “contract” that both parties have to sign. Before I “stamp” it, you still can’t refuse.

The unique scent of the person in front gradually encases me, as though wanting to return in full the warmth of an evening spent apart.

As the distance gradually closes, even the lights are unable to come between us.

My vision begins to blur. It turns out that being at a close range would render one unable to see the person before them.

Yet, I am very certain that at this moment, even if we’re very close, we will still be able to see each other.

The corners of our lips meet gently, and a familiar temperature is branded on my skin.

The subtle ticking of the second hand drifts to my ear, as though penning down this memory.

In the very long time we share, one more stroke is written.

👠 Phone calls: First l Second

👠 Support the cafe by dropping by the tip jar!

#mlqc #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mlqc victor #Victor's dates always make me feel so peaceful <3 #and I learn a lot of life lessons LOL #sometimes I can't tell if I'm translating a date or a self-help guidebook

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ymiwritesstuff · 4 years ago

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Tenderly Perfect

Well, here it is, a Zhongli fic as I promised. I swear this man is doing things to me I can’t lmao. Also I’m not THAT deep in the lore so apologies if some things are incorrect. Anyway hope you enjoy, just some simple fluff with not much plot hehe.

Genshin Impact

Zhongli x Fem!Reader

Summary: Zhongli insists on taking you outside the city for a moment of good food, company and hair brushing.

Notes: SPOILERS FOR THE ARCHON QUESTS!, Fluff

Climbing to the highest point of Mt. Tianheng was the last thing you were expecting that day, though you should have expected as much. You have known him so long, of course he would be the one to suggest something like this. After hearing that you had never been on top of the impressive mountains just outside of the city, he was almost shocked and insisted on spending a day there, enjoying an all too lavish meal from Wanmin restaurant.

Zhongli held your hand throughout the trip, despite it not being entirely necessary, though he did save your face from hitting the ground a few times as the terrain proved to be rather unforgiving with its uneven areas and tiny pits. Being the perfect gentleman he was, he was more than happy to carry everything you brought with you on your little trip in his other hand while never letting go of yours. The action warmed your heart.

“We’ll reach our destination shortly.” He turned to you, a warm smile on his face. “The view up here is among the finest in all of Liyue.”

The way his deep voice spoke softly tingled your insides pleasantly, his hand gently holding yours as you ascended a set of stone stairs. You couldn’t help but mirror his smile, appreciating his efforts of showing you his favorite places in hopes that you would enjoy them as well. With him though, everything was enjoyable. Perhaps it was his divine presence that seemed to make every location that much better.

“I can’t wait.”

Despite learning of his true identity only recently, you had always had this underlying feeling that there was something peculiar about him. The way he spoke of Liyue’s traditions and history as if he had been present in those influential moments, was something you thought about a lot, yet it still surprised you when the truth was revealed.

Zhongli was somewhat uncertain of your reaction initially but was washed with relief when you expressed no hysterical shock or possible hostility. Since then, he has been enjoying his retirement with you with much jubilance.

You knew the journey had come to an end when Zhongli let go of your hand, allowing you to take in the breathtaking view on top of the mountain. Your (E/C) sparkled in awe as they looked around. The entirety of Liyue was visible, the whole city looking so incredibly tiny from so high up. The gentle breeze that hugged your form and swayed your hair was warm and welcoming, and you finally realized why the Lord of Geo wanted you to witness this with your own eyes.

“Zhongli this... This is…” You couldn’t find the right words because nothing would do the stunning view that bathed under the afternoon sun any justice. So you opted to just turn to him, immediately noticing his gentle smile that always made your heart swoon.

“I am glad you like the sight.”

You walked up to him and placed a kiss on his lips, being mindful of the bag he was carrying. After pulling away you glued your eyes on his resplendent golden ones, staring at him in admiration.

“It’s perfect.”

His other hand rested on your waist as you pressed your foreheads together, enjoying the feeling of having each other so close. At times like these, you couldn’t help but wonder what had you done to be blessed with someone like him. One would think that after becoming aware of his true identity as Rex Lapis, you would treat him as such. However, the person before you was Zhongli, just Zhongli, the man whom you had met while wandering aimlessly around Liyue, surrounded by unfamiliarity.

“Shall we begin?” you heard him ask, lightly lifting the bag that held the food you hadn’t even realized you had been craving. The quality of Wanmin restaurant didn’t disappoint, though you wondered if Zhongli had remembered to bring Mora with him when making his order. Though, knowing him, he most likely found another way to pay for the meals as he always did.

“Certainly.”

You helped him place a large blanket on the grass, allowing for a more comfortable experience, before placing the food that was still somehow warm on top of it, your eyes admiring the meals prepared by the famous restaurant. As you examined the sight before you, you noticed something and decided to open your mouth.

“No seafood?”

Your words were meant as a mere joke, as you were more than aware that the Geo Archon absolutely despised having anything from the sea on his plate. Still, to your surprise, he merely looked at you, slightly tilting his head to the side.

“Would you have preferred that? If you’d like it is in no way an issue for me to go back and-”

You cut him off with a giggle, finding his desire to make you happy above all else adorable.

“No, no. There’s no need. This is perfect.” You threw him a smile which he happily returned.

Once all the food had been laid out, you immediately went to dig in, enjoying the delicate flavors of the jade parcels and the juiciness of the meat rolls. With each bite you hummed in satisfaction, all the while enjoying the surrounding nature and the wonderful company.

In the midst of the dining and chatting with the gentleman responsible for this lovely picnic, the surrounding wind seemed to get stronger, as if the playful Anemo Archon himself was messing with it. You only noticed the change in the weather when the wind decided to latch itself onto your hair, causing it to fly everywhere before settling right on your face.

You heard Zhongli let out a chuckle of amusement as you moved your hair away from your eyes, looking at him with slight embarrassment in your gaze. With a soft sigh, you reached for your own bag and took out a hairbrush that you had fortunately taken with you.

“Didn’t think I’d need to use this here,” you laughed softly tracing the designs carved into the handle. It was an old brush but did its job wonderfully.

Just as you were about to start brushing your hair that had become full of knots in a matter of seconds, you felt Zhongli place his hand on top of the one that held the brush. You looked up at him questioningly.

“May I?”

His voice was gentle as if he was asking with the utmost carefulness. You didn’t understand why though, you were more than happy to accept his offer.

“Of course.”

You gave him the hairbrush and turned your back to him, leaving your messy hair to be dealt with by the Geo Archon. Before he would start running the bristles through your locks, however, he had to inspect the brush closer. His golden eyes looked at the carvings, his mind traveling through Liyue’s long history.

“I recall a time when these handmade hairbrushes first arrived in Liyue. Traveling merchants would sell these at the harbor for a large sum of Mora,” he stated and you listened, always ready to hear his many stories and memories from a time unknown to you. “Only a few made their way to civilians’ hands, and fewer remain today.”

“Guess I’m pretty lucky then, huh?” A smile stretched his lips at your words.

“Indeed you are, my love.”

Zhongli ran his covered fingers over the carvings on the back of the brush reminiscing for a moment as he often did, especially now that he had abandoned his position as Morax. He removed his gloves and placed them beside him on the blanket before finally moving his attention to your (H/C) hair.

“Despite its age, this brush has stood the test of time rather beautifully.”

You felt the brush run through your locks, closing your eyes and enjoying the feeling.

“You mean just like you?” You joked, which earned you a chuckle from the male as he occasionally ran his bare hand through your hair.

Zhongli loved your hair, how soft it felt between his fingers, how it often swayed in the wind, how perfectly it shone. It framed your face perfectly and only enhanced your appearance he was so fond of. It was as if it was touched by a divine being.

He took his time with brushing it, making sure to unravel every knot carefully as he did not want you to feel even the slightest bit of discomfort. Even if you did, though, you wouldn’t mind. The fact that he was willing to brush your hair for you in the first place was good enough and filled you with happiness in its purest form.

His golden eyes, filled with a fondness for your entire being watched as your hair regained its previous state, and even when there were no visible knots, he continued to run his hand through the strands, enjoying the softness that he had restored.

“Beautiful,” he whispered as you felt his hand move to your cheek. He turned you to face him, his touch so gentle one would think it impossible that they were used to make spears out of stone to slay an ancient god. His words, no matter how many times he said them, always made a shade of crimson dust your cheeks.

Zhongli reached for something in the bag that once held all the food items, retrieving a single Glaze Lily, fully in bloom. Your eyes glued themselves on it, staring at the stunning flora in awe.

“I picked this before our departure,” he said as if answering a question you hadn’t stated out loud. “My intention was to merely give this to you, but…”

With gentle movements, Zhongli placed the lily behind your ear, moving a tiny bit of your freshly brushed hair to the side. You watched him, drowning in his loving gaze.

“This just might be the most efficient way of doing so.”

He kept a hand on your cheek and you placed yours on top of it, wanting to enjoy the feeling of his bare hand on your skin. You smiled once more, his words sticking to you. He made you feel so happy, so appreciated, so loved. No words came out of your mouth as you slowly closed the gap between you.

Zhongli returned the kiss, keeping his hand on your cheek while the tips of his fingers grazed the tiniest part of your perfect (H/C) hair that he adored.

#genshin impact #GI #genshin impact x reader #原神 #zhongli #genshin impact zhongli #zhongli x reader #genshin impact zhongli x reader #zhongli x you #genshin impact imagines #reader insert #fluff #gi zhongli #gi zhongli x reader

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forzalando · 4 years ago

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The Perfect Arrangement | George Weasley | Pt. 1

Pairing: George Weasley x F!Reader AU: Bridgerton!AU Word Count: 2.1k Warnings: Bridgerton spoilers, mentions of alcohol

Summary: As a woman in the early 19th century, you’ve been told all your life that marriage should be your ultimate goal, however, you do not share that sentiment. When the insufferable George Weasley devises a plan that may solve your problems, how can you say no?

A/N: hi friends! this will be a multipart (probably 3-4 parts) George fic inspired by Bridgerton. i’m so excited for it and i hope you all are too :) thank you for reading!

The start of the social season had been, as you had expected, the topic of conversation around the ton for the past few weeks. It was impossible to go anywhere without hearing whispers of who would snag an engagement in the next few months.

Particularly, people had been interested in who the Queen would declare the “diamond of the season”. Your mother was positively convinced it would be you, but you had other plans in mind for your life other than parties and dresses and loveless marriage. However, when the Queen took one look upon your face, she quickly declared you incomparable, as she had done the same for Daphne Bridgerton, now the Duchess, a few years prior, and your fate was sealed.

As a member of the distinguished and esteemed Y/L/N family, and as the eldest daughter, you had a trivial, yet necessary and important role to play, even if you longed to free yourself from it. Your mother and father, as wonderful as they might be, had high expectations for you, and you would not and could not let them down.

Your mother fluffed your hair and primped your dress in preparation of the Danbury Ball, admiring you fondly and gushing about how beautiful you looked.

“Maybe your luck will be as wonderful as the Duchess, her love match was indeed unprecedented but oh so joyous. Do you think your fortune might align with hers, dear?”

“Mama,” you sighed. “I have no interest in a life like the Duchess’s. All the parties, teas, and properness. Besides, there isn’t another Duke for me to marry.”

“I did not mean that you would have to marry a Duke to share her fate; only that you may marry for love.”

You huffed as you turned away from the mirror. In truth, you had no interest in marrying for love, or marrying at all for that matter, but the duty of an eldest daughter was set in stone.

All too soon, you arrived at the Lady Danbury’s spectacular first ball of the season; the sea of gowns and tailored coats causing a queasy feeling to settle in your stomach, and you wished with all your might that anything at all would ruin the festivities.

A glass of champagne was placed in your grasp and you let your eyes wander around the room; Lady Eloise Bridgerton, a close friend of yours, donned a similar look on her face though her mother enthusiastically tried to get her to waltz across the dance floor.

Glancing to your left, you noticed Lord Farley, a rather grotesque older man, eyeing you up and down; his beady eyes causing the queasy feeling to return and for your feet to take off in what could almost be considered a sprint.

When he was no longer in your line of sight, you began to slow down your gait, but a shoulder roughly bumped into yours and an unattractive yelp escaped your lips.

The unmistakable chuckle that followed your outburst made you groan due to your detestation of the man you knew you had bumped into.

Lord George Weasley; a man, nay, a boy, with hair of fire and a wit to match. You had known him for years as you were the same age and his sister Ginevra was the best of friends with your younger sister.

“I want to believe, Miss Y/L/N, that you would not take such drastic measures to capture my attention, but I must say I am flattered nonetheless,” George teased, his hand reaching out to steady you as you recovered from the collision.

“Mr. Weasley, I believe you to know me better than that,” you spoke with gritted teeth as you swatted his hand away. “Besides, there are plenty of young women here that would kiss the ground you walk on. Might you bother them instead?”

“Ah, but where is the fun in that? I’ve noticed that you still have room on your dance card?”

“I always have room left on my dance card.”

You tried to step around George and escape his company, but his impossible height made it so easy for him to evade your attempts.

“Is that by choice or because you’re just so pleasant to spend time with?” he inquired with a smirk.

“Suppose a bit of both. Now, if you would be so kind, I’m quite parched and would love another glass of champagne.”

“Perfect, I shall accompany you.”

George Weasley, you surmised very early on, was nothing but a flirt. You wouldn’t go so far as to call him a rake, because as far as you knew he was an honorable man, but he was also most intolerable with his boyish charm, sense of humor, beautiful eyes…

Yes, you were quite sure that he was entirely intolerable.

“Have you told your mother you have no interest in procuring a husband, yet?” he mused, breaking you out of your trance as he carefully handed you a glass of champagne.

“Don’t call it procuring as if it’s a transaction. And no, I haven’t. Do you think I’d be standing here alive if I had?”

“Good point,” George hummed as his eyes surveyed the room, no doubt searching for the next woman so unlucky enough to be graced with his presence.

“How is your family?” you asked as you sipped on your flute of bubbling liquid.

“They’re doing well, thank you for asking. Work has been a bit hard on Dad but – ”

Before George could finish, a man approached you and bowed; taking the hand not holding the champagne flute and pressing a kiss to your knuckles.

“Miss Y/L/N, would you like to join me for a dance?”

You noticed George looking on angrily at the sight before him, probably because his ego couldn’t take the interruption.

“I’m flattered, Lord Rainier? I believe?” When you received no objections, you continued. “As I was saying, I’m flattered by your offer but I simply must decline. I am feeling a bit ill and all that spinning might make me sick.”

“Yes, yes, of course, Miss Y/L/N. Perhaps another time?”

You gave him a small, soft smile and let out a sigh of relief when he walked away. Turning back to George, you urged him to continue. While you held him in contempt, or so you told yourself, you did enjoy his family as they were all simply lovely.

“You were saying, George?”

“Right, work has been a bit hard on Dad, after his accident a few months ago. He’s been doing better but Charlie had to take a break from his travels to come home and help out since he’s the eldest. Fred and Angelina are expecting again, if you haven’t heard. They’re hoping for a girl this time.”

“Maybe if you were more like your brother you’d be married and having children by now,” you teased.

He gasped and clutched his hand over his heart, drawing the attention of anyone near.

“You wound me, Y/N.”

Much to your dismay, you laughed at his actions, devastated that you gave him the satisfaction of knowing he was entertaining you. However, the moment was short lived as another man interrupted your conversation.

“Miss Y/N, I must say you are looking exquisite this evening. It would be a shame for your dress not to take a twirl on the dance floor. Might I accompany you?”

You tried not to groan when you noticed a line forming behind the man currently asking for a dance.

“Actually, Lord Beverly, I’m feeling a bit warm. I was just about to go outside for some fresh air.”

“I shall accompany you, then.”

“Without a chaperone? Goodness, no, please find another young lady to dance with. There are certainly many that would be delighted at the chance.”

You looked around Lord Beverly to see at least four other men waiting for their chance to ask you for a dance, and the thought of making up more excuses made your head spin. You graciously bid Lord Beverly a good evening, and turned on your heel towards the nearest exit.

In your haste, you did not notice George following you into the gardens.

“Well, you sure like to let them down easy,” he joked.

“George!” you cried. “We can’t be seen alone, are you daft? Trying to ruin me and my family?”

“Calm yourself, my Mother is just right there.”

You looked a bit to George’s left and saw his wonderful mother keeping a careful eye on the two of you, graciously leaving the attention of her husband to ensure that none would suspect foolery between you and George.

“As I was saying, it’s awfully obvious that you do not want any man to court you. Your mother will realize well and soon enough of your…aversion to marriage.”

“The only reason you know that is because you eavesdropped on a conversation I had with Eloise. But yes, I have no desire to marry, and I’m quite certain I never will. I’ll have to fight off suitors and think of a million excuses until I’m considered a spinster and men no longer want me.”

Silence enveloped you both as a tear slid down your cheek. You hastily wiped it away, hoping that George hadn’t seen, but of course, you were not so lucky.

“Is the idea of marriage really that upsetting to you, Y/N?”

“All those men, all they want is a woman to wear on their arm and to give them children. That’s what a woman’s life is in marriage. A husband doesn’t care about his wife’s passions, desires, intellect, among other things, and I can’t bring myself to entertain the idea of a life that has no room for my happiness.”

George was quiet; pondering your response and your feelings, when he was suddenly struck with the most brilliant of ideas.

You see, Mr. George Weasley was in love with Miss Y/N Y/L/N, has been for several years in fact. He couldn’t tell you exactly when or why, but he knew that the fluttering in his chest and the way his whole world became brighter when she entered a room meant that Y/N was more than just someone to engage in friendly banter with.

“I’ve thought of an idea,” George muttered, piquing your interest.

“Whatever might it be, Mr. Weasley?”

“Your…situation, can only go away if men were to believe you were taken, correct?”

“Yes, I suppose, only I can’t fool them into thinking that. It would become quite suspicious when I’m seen alone everywhere. And, there’s no way I could ever fool my parents.”

“Except you wouldn’t be alone, you’d have me!”

“I don’t believe I’m following your idea, George.”

“Marry me.”

You choked and sputtered on your own spit, unable to take a breath through your coughs and gasps. George’s hands flew to your shoulders to steady you, helping you to breathe easier and calm yourself down.

“George, you must be joking,” you said quietly.

“I am as deadly serious as I could ever be. Not a real marriage, of course. Real in every sense of the word in terms of legality, but not real as in, well, us together. I’ll spend this social season courting you, and at the end of the season I’ll propose. We’ll get married in a few months’ time, and then we can travel the world, doing whatever our hearts desire.”

“Why on earth would you want to marry me?”

“It’s quite simple. You need to get the eligible bachelors of the ton to leave you alone and you never want to marry because your husband would restrict your freedoms. I, as your husband, wouldn’t dare. You’re not entirely awful, I suppose there are far worse people to spend my life with, even if you utterly despise me, and marriage, real marriage, isn’t something I want either.”

You looked at him quizzically, searching for signs that he’d had far too much champagne or had gone completely mad in the head, but he looked right as rain, and your mind was spinning.

“I find it hard to believe you do not want to marry, after all the times you’ve said you cannot wait to marry the woman you love.”

“Honestly, the woman I love is….unattainable, I’ll put it that way. I won’t ever love anyone but her. I’m also waiting for an answer, it’s not every day you have to have a discussion after a proposal.”

“You’re sure this will work, Mr. Weasley?”

“How hard can it be to pretend to be in love with a woman as beautiful as you?”

“I always knew you were a flirt, but God, do you lay it on thick.”

George looked at you expectantly, almost a glimmer of hope is his eye, but as quickly as you thought you’d noticed it, he looked away.

“My answer is yes, George. Let’s fool the ton, our families, court, get married, and then travel the world platonically.”

“That sounds like the perfect arrangement, darling.”

@theweasleyslut @vivacesole @weasleyclaw @nuttytani-reblogs @theweasleysredhair @hufflepuffbaby9 @theboywhocriedlupin @swellwriting @fortisfiliae @thoseofgreatambition @woakiees @wildfire-whizbangs @gcdric

please let me know if you’d like to be added to my taglist!

#george weasley x reader #george weasley au #george weasley #bridgerton x hp #bridgerton spoilers #bridgerton #hp #tw: alcohol

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arctic-comet · 3 years ago

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Osblaineweek2021, Day 2: Prose

I love book quotes. Looking at quotes is one of my favorite ways to to inspire myself to write more fic.

Here’s a small collection of book quotes (and recs!) of where I’ve “found” June and Nick.

This post contains spoilers for the following books/series:

- Lover Mine by JR Ward

- The Wrath and The Dawn duology by Renée Ahdieh

- A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas

Lover Mine by J.R. Ward

Summary:

John Matthew has come a long way since he was found living among humans, his vampire nature unknown to himself and to those around him. After he was taken in by the Brotherhood, no one could guess what his true history was- or his true identity. Indeed, the fallen Brother Darius has returned, but with a different face and a very different destiny. As a vicious personal vendetta takes John into the heart of the war, he will need to call up on both who he is now and who he once was in order to face off against evil incarnate. Xhex, a symphath assassin, has long steeled herself against the attraction between her and John Matthew. Having already lost one lover to madness, she will not allow the male of worth to fall prey to the darkness of her twisted life. When fate intervenes, however, the two discover that love, like destiny, is inevitable between soul mates.

It's basically a paranormal love story between two warriors. He's really young (although he's actually a reincarnation of a very old vampire warrior, but he doesn't know that), and she's like 300 years older than him. In this book, she's been raped and abused by a guy who also used to bully him. She escapes, but he saves her life. She's hungry for revenge and wants to die after achieving that goal, but of course eventually changes her mind. In the end he actually serves her rapist to her on a silver platter so that she can kill him (sound like anyone we know?). He literally holds the guy down while she kills him.

They're my ultimate favorite ship in this series, and IMO their relationship eventually develops into one of the strongest ones. This series is a bit of a hit-or-miss for most people, because the language and the writing style are pretty ridiculous in all seriousness. If you decide to read this, I recommend starting the series from the beginning because John and Xhex meet for the first time several books before this one, LOL.

Here are some of the quotes that make me think of Nick and June:

“Besides, the story of the two of them was written in the language of collision; they were ever crashing into each other and ricocheting away—only to find themselves pulled back into another impact.” ― J.R. Ward, Lover Mine

“As his ears rang and his heart broke for her, he stayed strong against the gale force she let loose. After all, there was a reason why here and hear were seperated by so little and sounded one like the other. Bearing witness to her, he heard her and was there for her because that was all you could do during a fall apart. But God, it pained him to see how she suffered.” ― J.R. Ward, Lover Mine

“...the only thing that had tethered her to the earth had been him and it was strange, but she felt welded to him on some core level now. He had seen her at her absolute worst, at her weakest and most insane, and he hadn't looked away. He hadn't judged and he hadn't been burned. It was as if in the heat of her meltdown they had melted together. This was more than emotion. It was a matter of soul.” ― J.R. Ward, Lover Mine

The Wrath and the Dawn duology by Renée Ahdieh

Summary:

One Life to One Dawn. In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all. Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

This is a young adult fantasy romance, and basically, Khalid is a lot like Nick. He’s made mistakes that he needs to own, but at the same time he’s forced to commit atrocities he doesn’t want to do. He hates himself and doesn’t believe himself to be worthy of love, and yet he falls in love with Shazi. He's viewed as the villain of the story by everyone aside from Shazi and a few other characters until almost the end of the 2nd book.

“I love you, a thousand times over. And I will never apologize for it.”

―Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“It’s a fitting punishment for a monster. to want something so much—to hold it in your arms — and know beyond a doubt you will never deserve it.”

― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“When I was a boy, my mother would tell me that one of the best things in life is the knowledge that our story isn't over yet. Our story may have come to a close, but your story is still yet to be told.

Make it a story worthy of you”

― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“In that moment of perfect balance, she understood. This peace? These worries silenced without effort? It was because they were two parts of a whole. He did not belong to her. And she did not belong to him. It was never about belonging to someone. It was about belonging together.”

― Renee Ahdieh, The Rose & the Dagger

“A boy who'd thrived in the shadows.

Now he had to live in the light.

To live . . . fiercely.

To fight for every breath.”

― Renee Ahdieh, The Rose & the Dagger

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Summaries:

Book 1

Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ... Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

Book 2

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people. Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two. With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

Fantasy romance with explicit sex scenes, and book 2 is a lot better than book 1. Our main character Feyre falls for a really boring fae guy, but also meets the hottest guy she’s ever known. The first guy of course isn't the real love interest (this is a twist this author loves to do). They all end up as prisoners, and the 2nd guy saves her life when the 1st one is totally useless. He also makes her hate him as he does it because he has to. After getting out, she tries to make her old relationship work, but it doesn’t, and guess who swoops in?

I do see some Nick in Rhysand (in addition to his role in the love triangle). They’re both traumatized and prefer to keep a lot of their feelings to themselves. I also see some of the same selflessness in both of them. Rhysand wants Feyre to choose him because she loves him, but he’s willing to accept that she may not, and doesn’t tell her that they’re pretty much destined to be together (it’s a supernatural thing, and he will suffer a lot if she decides she doesn’t want him).

“Everything I love has always had a tendency to be taken from me.”

―Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses

“It took me a long while to realize that Rhysand, whether he knew it or not, had effectively kept me from shattering completely.”

― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses

“Regardless of his motives or his methods, Rhysand was keeping me alive. And had done so even before I set foot Under the Mountain.”

― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses

“Because," he went on, his eyes locked with mine, "I didn't want you to fight alone. Or die alone."

― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses

“He thinks he'll be remembered as the villain in the story. But I forgot to tell him that the villain is usually the person who locks up the maiden and throws away the key. He was the one who let me out.”

― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Mist and Fury

“And I wondered if love was too weak a word for what he felt, what he’d done for me. For what I felt for him.”

― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Mist and Fury

“I was his and he was mine, and we were the beginning and middle and end. We were a song that had been sung from the very first ember of light in the world.”

― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Mist and Fury

#osblaineweek2021 #osblaine #the handmaid’s tale #nick x june

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cherry-valentine · 4 years ago

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How Black Clover Gets Lady Characters Right

*Spoilers for most of the Black Clover anime (mostly character related stuff, not much in the way of major plot stuff)*

Black Clover is right up there with Gintama in terms of shows that reward viewers for sticking with them through some mediocre early episodes and arcs. When Black Clover began airing, I was excited. Manga readers had been hyping the series up, and it sounded like the next big shounen fighting anime that would take anime fandom by storm. Then I started watching it, and I was immensely disappointed. I found Asta’s constant screaming almost unbearable (to the point that I started muting the tv when it looked like he was about to open his mouth). The early episodes were totally predictable and cliche. The animation was, at times, embarrassingly bad. But I stuck with it because there were a few elements that kept me interested. One was the absolute bangers of opening and ending themes (at one point the thought crossed my mind that they were entirely too good for this show). Another was Yuno, whom I liked from the start. Then there’s the fact that Asta’s magic, or lack of magic, was the one element I didn’t predict a mile away. I honestly expected him to awaken to some super powerful magic early on. Almost 200 episodes later, he is still magic-free. I really did not see that coming. Still yet, I came close to dropping the series several times during those first thirteen episodes or so.

Somewhere around the time they went to the undersea village (I don’t remember the name of the arc), I began to notice that I was actually looking forward to each new episode. It was a gradual change from being at the bottom of my watch list to being near the top. So gradual it took me a while to realize it. The show still had some problems, sure, but it stopped being predictable. Asta talked more and screamed less. More interesting characters were introduced. The fight scenes were exciting. By the time this arc was over, Black Clover had become a favorite. So, if you tried the series and found it boring and annoying, consider giving it another shot. Like I said, it rewards you for sticking with it.

One of the best things about Black Clover, for me, is how it treats its female characters, especially when compared to other popular shounen fighting anime. It is by no means perfect, and I’ll talk about the show’s minor failings in regards to its ladies a little further down. But overall, it does a phenomenal job.

The first thing that struck me about Black Clover’s women is just how varied they are. There’s a surprising range in their appearances, personalities, and skills. And there are lots of them. Far more than a lot of other shounen fighting anime allow. There are five women in the main squad, the Black Bulls, alone. And we see that each squad has several women as well. Then there’s the all-women squad the Blue Roses. This extends to the villains, as well as the non-combatant supporting cast as well.

Speaking of skills, the women of Black Clover are unusually powerful. The two male leads, Asta and Yuno, eventually get “power-ups”, some kind of new form or transformation or whatever. This is super common in shounen fighting anime. What’s not so common, however, is the female lead getting her own cool power-up/transformation. This is what happens for Noelle, and it was such a great surprise. A little side note here: I’ve been watching the series on a streaming site that allows comments, and I was so amazed by the comments on the episode in which Noelle gets her power-up. The (mostly male, judging by their names) commenters were genuinely happy for her! They were proud of her for getting stronger and cheering her on! I didn’t spot a single comment about her looks or how great of a waifu she is (at the time anyway).

But it wasn’t just Noelle that got stronger. Another Black Bulls member, Vanessa, got an interesting power-up of her own, in the form a cat familiar that basically makes her and her teammates completely impervious to harm for as long as her mana holds out (which has saved their lives countless times). Another lady, Grey, has recently (in the anime) demonstrated some shockingly powerful magic that none of her teammates, or even she herself, realized she was capable of. Then there’s Charmy, who was already quite powerful but gained her own powered up transformation that made her strong enough to defeat an elf-possessed Magic Knight captain. If anything, the ladies have received MORE power-ups than the men.

And while we’re talking about powerful women, I have to talk about Mereoleona. If you’ve watched the show, you know exactly what I mean. If you haven’t, just imagine a character who can curb-stomp a powerful villain who is on a higher level than villains that the main characters were struggling to team up against just a few episodes before, who can then take on a whole group of these powered up villains and remain standing, even after losing consciousness, because they’re just that badass. Now imagine that character is a woman. And she’s so terrifying that one of the elf-possessed enemies (her comrades who had their bodies taken over by elves) remarks that his body froze up because, even though he’s controlling it, the BODY ITSELF was afraid of her. Mereoleona is an absolute beast, the kind of character that is almost always male in these types of shows. And the best part? The icing on this badass cake? The only person who was stronger than her, who could defeat her one-on-one, was ANOTHER WOMAN. Noelle’s mother. And a huge part of Noelle’s motivation as a character is becoming strong like her mother.

On the subject of Noelle’s motivation, I really appreciate that it has nothing to do with her crush on Asta. Sure, she likes him, but it’s not a motivating factor in her life and it’s not even really that important to her story arc. Her arc has always been about HER, about becoming stronger, living up to her powerful family’s expectations, discovering the truth about her mother’s death and then about avenging her, about becoming more empathetic to the common people despite being royalty. Noelle’s story is ABOUT HER. And it’s really sad that this is something remarkable, but we’ve all seen the “heroines” with no real arcs of their own, or worse, their arcs revolve almost entirely around their love for a male character (Sakura from Naruto is the most obvious example here but anyone who watches a lot of shounen can no doubt name many more). And Noelle isn’t an exception in Black Clover. Almost all of the women have interesting back stories and character arcs that have little to do with men (or if men are involved, they’re in supporting roles to these stories and very rarely the main subject).

An exception to this is possibly Charlotte, who is in love with Yami and this plays a big role in her story. However, even this is framed in a way that puts the emphasis on her own growth. It’s really about her learning to be honest with her feelings and getting over her own awkwardness around Yami. A big moment for her is when she admits to her squad that she’s in love with Yami, and they’re all eager and excited to help and support her, like the wonderful ladies they are.

Now, as I said before, Black Clover’s depictions of women are not perfect. There are a few issues I consider minor that I need to address. The first is the tendency the show has of making almost all the ladies be in love with someone. A large portion of the women are sporting crushes, though some of them are quite subtle or mainly used for comic relief, it’s still a little annoying that so many of them are in love. Of course, many of the male characters are in love with someone too (including the protagonist, Asta) and there are several female characters who are totally disinterested in romance, so I can overlook this. Another small issue is that, even though there’s more variety than usual in the body types (one female character is fat and another, Charmy, often gets quite pudgy for extended periods of time, plus a few ladies have more muscular builds), a significant portion of them have very large breasts, including two teenage characters (Noelle and Mimosa). It feels a little unnecessary, to be honest. Though to be fair, it’s rare that any of these characters are used for fan service and the camera never really seems to linger on their bodies. Most of them dress fairly modestly and among those who don’t, the more sexy clothes fit their characters and make sense for their personalities.

The last minor issue I have is that we often get the “designated girl fights”. If there’s a female villain, it’s likely that a female hero will be the one to fight her. This isn’t a rule set in stone, because there are plenty of male/female battles, but it happens enough to be very noticeable. Of course, these lady villains are demonstrated to be just as powerful and dangerous as the villainous men, but it’s still mildly irritating.

Those little nitpicks aside, Black Clover is still a shining example of a shounen fighting anime getting its ladies right. The women in the series are well-written, interesting characters with compelling stories. They’re powerful, have wildly varying personalities and motivations, and never feel like window dressing. They’re not just there to be pretty romantic interests. The show does all this very well, and I think it deserves a lot of praise and credit for it.

#Black Clover #Female characters #noelle silva #mereoleona vermillion #text #long post

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beyscape · 4 years ago

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The Intern - 5

Andy Barber x Reader

Summary: Being Andy’s intern meant you got to spend more time by his side more than anyone. This was fine, however, until feelings got in the way and made things complicated

Word Count: 1700

Warnings: technically cheating, mentions of sex, teeny bit of sexual content

A/N Contains spoilers from episodes 1-7. Here’s a short little thing to keep you going until Friday. I wanna watch the last episode before writing more, I really like to stay close to the story with this fic.

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5

Leaving was never easy for Andy Barber. The warmth of your touch, the softness of your kisses, the hooded look of your eyes… These and some other moments he held dear in his heart came together and made a combination so sinfully sweet that he never managed to get enough of. Every little moment left him yearning for more, desperate for the next time he would get to feel you. The next time he would get to hold you.

He never expected this, never expected to fall so hard. The feelings he nurtured in the most private part of his chest were awakened fully, stronger than he ever felt them. They swirled and came alive in him, a buzz of emotions in his veins, constantly travelling him whole. So powerful, so overwhelming at times that Andy felt he would burst with this newfound affection. So unexpected, something he never knew he needed until after he found it. Your smile, the one that came out only in those intimate hours, flashed in hind, Andy’s heart thudded in response.

It wasn’t long before he found himself in front of the red door that seemed too bright, too glaring, and he was back at the house. Back to pretending and lying. It was a ticking bomb, with Jacob’s trial so close, and the inevitable conversation loomed over him in the forms of dark clouds.

He had to tell Laurie.

He was well aware of it, he precited what he would say and how he would say it. He was supposed to be good at delivering uncomfortable news and speeches, he was a lawyer for God’s sake, yet he couldn’t muster the courage. The words escaped him both times he tried, the conversation ended before it could even begin, and he was running out of time. He closed the door behind him, even the soft clicking sounding too loud in the silence of the morning.

“Where were you?” He stopped as the question hit his ears, asked by a soft but a firm voice, he turned. Laurie sat in the living room, stone-faced as she looked at her husband standing steps away from the stairs. Andy’s first instinct was to lie, like he had done many times before in the long years of his marriage, but he was tired of it. So, the time was now. He sat down across her.

“I…” He took a deep breath, not finding it in himself to look at her cold, accusing face. He no longer felt the kind of love he once thought he did, but that didn’t mean Andy didn’t care about her. Of course he did, she still was the person who spent so long by him. She still was the mother of his son. He wanted to be as gentle as he could. “I was with someone.” He looked up to her face then, the face that didn’t reveal a single thought crossing her mind.

“Who is she?” Her voice hoarse, barely audible as the question fell out of her mouth.

Andy gulped once. “Y/N.”

A bitter laugh escaped Laurie then, her eyes remaining icy. “I should have known.”

A silence fell over them, both wondering how they ended up being two strangers living in the same house. The clock ticked and ticked, the time they had before Jacob woke up slipping away. Andy sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. What could he say? What was there to explain?

Laurie broke the quiet. “How long?”

“Almost four months now.”

“So, since this whole thing started? Jesus, Andy, I can’t believe you. Out of all the times, you had to have an affair now.” She hissed, getting up from her seat.

“I know. But she… she means a lot to me.” He couldn’t help it, couldn’t sit there and play down what he had with you.

“I don’t care.” She scoffed; her arms wrapped around herself. “I don’t care what you feel or who you’re screwing, but if this hurts our son’s trial, Andy, I swear—”

“It won’t.” He stopped her. “It won’t. Neal can’t do shit about it.” Andy insisted.

“So, Neal knows?” Laurie threw her hand in the air, “You are unbelievable.” She walked away, into the kitchen, not wanting to look at him. Andy followed her quietly, leaning on the counter.

“What do we say to Jacob? I don’t want him to find out about it in court.” Laurie muttered after a second, brows furrowed in thought.

“The truth. He’s a smart kid, I’m sure he already knows things aren’t what they used to be.” That was what worried Andy the most, telling Jacob. All he could do was to hope that, in time, Jacob would understand. And maybe forgive him.

“Cause you know so much about telling the truth, right?”

Andy actually chuckled at her remark, he nodded. “I deserved that.”

The pair looked at each other, the distance between them feeling greater than the few feet it actually was. Laurie’s palms rested on the counter at the center of the room. The unspoken words floated between them, years of lies and pretending making up a mountain. She had always wanted to try, to change things and mend them, but in that moment, she knew they were at the point of no return. Laurie took a deep breath, let go of the illusion that things could have been different, and felt just a little bit lighter.

------------

The warmth of August was really setting in, leaving you a sticky mess had it not been for the fan you were positioned in front of. Your eyes desperately scanned over the e-mails that had cumulated in your inbox, very little of them were about Jacob’s trial and those were trivial. Too vague to let you know of real details. Neal kept his word, and did his best to keep you away from the case now that he knew of your relationship, he also kept his word on not telling anyone. You were sure Lynn would talk to you if she knew. The knock at the door finally made you look away from the screen of your laptop.

Seeing Andy in front of your door on a weekend afternoon was not at all usual, added with the expression on his face, you knew something was going on. You let him in quietly, he sat down on the spot you were occupying moments ago. A rueful smile appeared on his face as he noted the content on your laptop’s screen. You sat next to him, knees touching, your hand came to rest on top of his.

“Laurie knows. Jacob too.” He eventually said, there was a hint of air on his voice. Like he was happy to say those words after keeping them in for long. Your mouth fell open , you knew it would happen soon, given how the trial was approaching, but it almost felt too soon.

Andy took in your expression, his eyes intently searching your face, and he spoke again. “This morning, when I went back, she was up. We talked, honestly it went better than I thought it would.” He sighed. “We told Jacob too. He… didn’t say much. He needs time, but I think he already knew things weren’t as good as they seemed between us.” His shoulders slumped.

“So they know.” A selfish type of relief washed over you but you didn’t care, another step was over on the way of you and Andy finally stopping the whole sneaking around thing. Just a little bit more, and you would be free.

“Now the only thing left is the trial.” He looked back at you. His eyes were filled with many emotions, they swirled around in his beautiful blue eyes: relief, worry, affection, anxiety…

“Andy, Neal seems sure that he’ll win. Too sure.” Your eyebrows creased as you felt the worry Andy carried around in him. “Our relationship shouldn’t matter much in court, but everything else…” You groaned, “if only I knew what he was doing.”

“It’s alright,” his hand sneaked its way onto your knee, giving a reassuring squeeze, “he’s got nothing, the case will drop. And then, we will take a nice and long road trip.”

A smile curled at the corners of your lips. When he talked so confidently, despite his own fears, it was hard not to believe him. “I would like that very much.” Your arms wrapped around his shoulders, feeling his strong muscles underneath the thin shirt.

He pulled you on his lap, your legs on either side of his thighs, a soft moan escaped your lips as you felt him under you. You looked down at him, his eyes now hooded with lust, never getting enough of you. You kissed him, almost like it was the first time you ever felt his lips move on yours, yet the familiarity anchoring you. Safe, homely, but never losing the excitement.

“God, Y/N,” he grunted after a while as he pulled back to breathe, drinking you in, “what the hell are you doing to me?”

You kissed him once again, a slow smirk emerging, “I could ask you the same, Mr. Barber.” His head fell back at that, eyes closed. Your kisses trailed down his neck, sending him twitching in all the right places. Andy’s eyes snapped open as your weight lifted from on top of him, leaving a frustrating emptiness, but it quickly dissolved as he saw your next movement.

Sinking on your knees, feeling the soft carper under them, you looked up at Andy through your lashes. Your hands worked with ease, thanks to all the practice in the last couple of months.

“You are so tense,” your fingers ran over him, teasing, “would you like me to help you relieve some of that?” All he could do was nod. You smiled.

-------------

A/N: Friday can’t come quick enough! Still depends on the episode, but it is very likely next update will be the final (or at least the season finale!) of The Intern... we’ll see how it goes I guess.

CHRIS EVANS TAGLIST @marvelouspottering @kelbabyblue @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall @may-machin @little-dark-empress @retro-babez @patzammit @turtoix @rororo06 @thedevilinablackdress @evansgirl7

THE INTERN TAGLIST: @moonlightimagination @bellaireland1981 @buckysteveloki-me @peaceinourtime82 @shaddixlife @sodonutnutnut

#the intern #defending jacob #andy barber x reader #andy barber #andy barber x you #andy barber x y/n #andy barber fanfiction #chris evans x reader #Chris Evans #defending jacob fanfiction

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rqgnarok · 4 years ago

Text

in the face of death - derek hale

fandom: teen wolf

words: 1765

warnings: talk of blood and violence, death, teen wolf spoilers, if you haven’t finished the series? werewolf!female!reader

summary: derek faces the anuk-ite and the confrontations opens up old wounds that never really healed.

author’s note below.

“Derek?”

Derek turns around, a feeling not quite like panic but awareness of the danger he’s in making goosebumps erupt through his skin and the hairs at the back of his neck to stand, his eyes closing quickly when Lydia’s warning from earlier echoes in his head: shut your eyes!

“Derek,” he frowns, because he knows it’s not her, is completely aware that (Y/N) left for Gerard’s armory with Lydia and Stiles, but it is her voice. He spent years familiarizing himself with the tone and pitch, tattooing it to his memory at first unwillingly, but then welcoming the knowledge of how (Y/N) sounded like when she was in danger, when she was frustrated or angry at him, when she was in mourning or in love.

It was only a part of what it meant to fall for someone like (Y/F/N), and now he knows her well enough to understand that it's not her, talking to him and walking from the end of the hallway, nearing him with careful, calculated steps.

Still, he tightens his jaw and draws his claws out because knowing isn’t enough. Derek’s been away from home for too long, not as long as he expected but definitely long enough for him to miss her terribly. Their lousy goodbye in the middle of the fucking desert left a lot to desire; if he could turn back time he would’ve kissed her straight on the mouth instead of dodging her sad eyes and closing his own to press a rough, long kiss to the crown of her head.

“Derek, it’s okay,” the voice calls for him, he can hear it closerclosercloser, but he can’t move, can’t turn around, he’s not sure that if he does he’ll fight the shapeshifter off of him or fall straight into its game. He panics, for a moment, wonders if the reason why the Anuk-Ite is so good at pretending to be (Y/N) is because he’s already got to her before Scott could fix any of this, even before Gerard’s hunters had a chance to fight her first.

A shiver, his fingers tremble at how bad he’s tensing them, his jaw and shoulders ache.

“It’s over,” it tries to win him over, and the soft fingers clutching his right shoulder catch him off guard even if they shouldn’t. And, damn it, it has got (Y/N)’s touch down to a T, too, skin perfect despite the fights and battles she’s gotten into, a werewolf’s healing nature erasing any physical scar she might’ve acquired during their suicidal-like stunts to save the town from the supernatural and vice versa.

But Derek knows none of them have gotten out of them truly intact, is more than aware of those wounds hidden deep inside their minds and not so easy to notice, impossible to really truly heal from them completely.

It takes Derek a moment too long to shift away from the hold and he knows, he knows he’s trapped, done for, as good as dead as Peter, who was waiting for him, Scott and Malia at the entrance of the school, features forever caught off guard and set in stone if they don’t fix this soon. “It’s okay, you can look now.”

“You’re not real,” he bites back, turning around suddenly and throwing a punch so blind not because his eyes are closed but because Derek’s always been weak when it comes to her, and since he came back they’ve barely shared a couple of stolen looks before Scott sent them all on different ways. As he faces Death right now Derek can only think I hope she knows how I feel. He hopes that those looks conveyed everything he was trying to say, the I’m sorry I left, I still love you, I don’t think I ever stopped missing you-

“I’m right here,” there’s a smile in those words, Derek’s been away for a while but he remembers what it looks like and how it tastes, and the memory of (Y/N) grinning sleepily back at him as the sun rises through the windows of his loft, eyes soft and happy and Derek’s sure hand on the small of her back as if that simple touch could protect her of every evil in Gerard Argent’s bestiary. is the only thing keeping him from opening his eyes and surrendering.The moment he does the memory fades, left behind on the back of his eyelids and forgotten as he’s turned into stone. “I’m here, Derek, and so are you, you came home. I didn’t think you would.”

His tightly shut eyes soften almost involuntarily, there’s nostalgia and residual hurt from when he drove away and left her standing outside the abandoned church, and this is the kind of reprimand he expected to be thrown at him when he came back, yet it still feels like a sucker punch to the stomach. He momentarily forgets this isn’t the girl he left behind and lets himself be swallowed by the guilt of his actions.

When he first came back to Beacon Hills after the fire he realized that he wasn’t the best at running away, and the second time he left he expected to be better at it, except now he’s got something to run to rather than away from, and that’s how he realizes, he was always meant to end up here: in the middle of a war he’s been fighting his entire life for just being what he was born as, but willing to give his life to it if it means (Y/N) won’t have to live with the repercussions of their kind.

“But you did, you’re here,” she coos, soft and somehow incredibly personal. It’s not everybody (Y/F/N) doesn’t acknowledge with an almost harsh sarcasm Derek’s sure she got from hanging out with Stiles too much. There’s a hand reaching for one of his own and it's amazing how quickly the claws draw back, he lets it be held despite knowing better. “You came back, that’s all that matters to me. Derek, please, open your eyes.”

He shakes his head almost imperceptibly, even when she guides his hand to rest on top of her heart, feeling it beat underneath his fingertips and being too unfocused, blindsided to realize that he can’t actually hear it, a sound he’s learned to identify as easily as her voice.

No, for now, he trusts his touch, his fingers as they follow the path to her face through her collarbones and the slope of her neck, sighing out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in since he decided to drive back to Beacon Hills as (Y/N) leans into his touch, the weight familiar against his palm.

“We can skip town,” she suggests, light and hopeful with an underlining of satisfaction as he remains putty in her grip. Derek’s too enamoured to notice, resolve weakened by the presence of the shapeshifter that’s been haunting his hometown and his traitorous heart, which insists on focusing on literally anything but the matter at hand. “Get in your car, drive to wherever the hell we want. You always wanted a home away from the city, we can do that. I wanna go with you, Derek, please let me go with you.”

I’d take you anywhere he admits to himself, a fact he wasn’t ready to acknowledge a year and a half ago. It had taken him less than an hour into his drive to realize how true it was, but at the time he was convinced that it was the right thing to do, letting her go and trusting she’d be safer with a pack that had people like Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski in it. However blind their optimism and suicidal their plans could be they were good kids, and were certainly better at protecting the people they cared about than Derek had been his whole life.

“Please, don’t leave me behind again.”

“I wouldn’t-”

“Then look at me,” she insists, and the air reeks of something Derek can’t recognize, at least nothing he relates to (Y/N) at all, and that should be one of the many warning signs he should’ve taken into consideration to realize that he’s letting his guard down so quickly it’s so fucking stupid. There’s a hand in his hair, slowing down to settle at the back of his neck. “Please, Derek, don’t leave me, look at me-”

“I-”

“Why won’t you look at me?” she covers his hand with her own, and the intensity of her grip along with the fire in her voice is what makes him pull away, too out of character and out of place for the Anuk-Ite to keep the charade any longer, to pretend it’s something, someone it’s not. Derek takes his hand back with a harshness to his movements, his claws back in display and fangs ready to fight his way out of it.

Its voice, shaky with a fury that does not belong to (Y/N) and never has in the years Derek has known her, breaks the spell, and if he weren’t in so much fucking trouble, the born werewolf would laugh. The Anuk-Ite’s greatest advantage in a fight has just become its downfall, unable to perfectly recreate the only person Derek knows better than he knows himself.

After all these years sometimes he fears he’s forgotten the voices of those he lost in the fire, their mannerisms and their familiar expressions. If it weren’t for his mother’s visits in his dreams, his family’s eyes and manners alive in Cora’s and Peter’s faces, he would’ve.

But there’s no way he’d forget her, he knew it the first time after he spent the whole afternoon with her in a injured daze with a wolfsbane bullet deep inside his arm, he knew it when he left her behind in that desert with the taste of salty, bloody skin imprinted on his mouth, still tingling as he drove away and watched her through the rearview mirror until (Y/N) became nothing more than something else he’d left behind in Beacon Hills.

And he knows it now, as he opens his eyes, helpless, aware that the last thing he is going to see is the one monster he couldn’t save his hometown from. His thoughts blur together into a senseless babble inside his head, I hope they make it out, Scott, does he have enough time, please, take care of her for me, tell her I’m sorry, tell (Y/N) I love-

He gives into the darkness.

i wrote this like seven months ago and just wrote a quick ending so i could upload something, mostly cause its been over a year since i have written anything, let alone completed it and i’m still working on the requests you have been sending out.

its been a long year with a horrible writers block but i kinda do like this, so here it is, for you. i hope you like it. i also have a vague idea for a scott piece i wanna write but im not sure i will, lmao, tho writing for teen wolf is really, really easy for me, idk why. anyways, whatever.

stay home and stay safe.

- e.

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arigatouiris · 5 years ago

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bereft // tomioka giyuu

Author’s Note: I absolutely adore Tomioka Giyuu. Especially with the way he’s written, the insecurities play out so well, it’s just beautiful. And I like writing angst because he’s just so easy to hurt (oh my god). There are spoilers for the manga in this one, so watch out!

Word count: 4680

Pairing: Tomioka Giyuu x Reader

Warnings: angst, pining, one-sided love, hurt/comfort, spoilers for the manga

❝

It wasn’t as if Tomioka Giyuu didn’t believe in love.

There were many reasons as to why his childhood was so important to him. He had left behind parts of him that he didn’t have the strength to carry ahead in life: the warmth that reminded him of his sister, the playfulness he felt with Sabito, the sibling care he felt with Makomo, or the love he felt for (y/n).

As a child, people often brushed off the thoughts of love or attachment, saying that it wasn’t exactly too serious or it wasn’t actually ‘love’. But, with Giyuu, things were different.

Even as a child, Tomioka Giyuu felt things too intensely. It was perhaps a trait he had inherited because it was the same with his sister as well. His sister taught him not to hide from love, that love was the only thing binding them all together. Love worked in mysterious and fascinating ways, teaching you to constantly better your best and improve in ways one never thought possible. Giyuu was always fascinated with the way his sister spoke about love, on its various forms, on how the idea was contorted with time and age.

It was with (y/n), a fellow orphan who was living with Urokodaki, did Giyuu feel it for the first time. Ever since losing his sister, he held on to the idea of love that she left behind—it was all he had.

But, it felt like destiny with Giyuu; to love people he could never have.

(y/n) (s/n) was evidently infatuated with Sabito, and it was something not only Giyuu or Makomo noticed, but Sabito had as well. As tough as he was with people he would train with, with (y/n), he would show his softer sides, offering her more of his calm smiles, and sweet touches. Giyuu often found them talking to each other in a private space, with Sabito’s eyes firmly fixed on her shy form. All Giyuu could do was watch from a distance, swallowing stones, easing his tumultuous soul. He wondered what his sister would tell him then, about what he was feeling and why loving (y/n) made him feel so alone.

Perhaps, because he felt so lonely, Giyuu had his own theories as to why this love felt so painful. Maybe he was destined to forever fall in love with people he couldn’t have. Maybe there’s a whole assortment of impossible people waiting for him to find them. Waiting to make him feel the same impossibility over and over again.

“Tomioka-kun!” (y/n) looked excited that morning.

Giyuu blinked before turning to her, butterflies in his stomach as he noticed her shiny eyes and warm smile. He instantly looked around for Sabito, wondering where he was. Makomo was inside, helping Urokodaki with breakfast.

“(s/n),” Giyuu responded, his voice breaking out of embarrassment. He wasn’t used to speaking to her, despite knowing her for almost a year. “Good morning.”

(y/n) plopped herself beside Giyuu, who was taking a break from practicing his swordsmanship. His face reddened as she sat down, before trying to look away. But, he couldn’t. She was far too gorgeous to turn away from.

“Good morning. Were you practicing?”

Giyuu nodded, his blush intensifying. “Where’s Sabito?”

“He said he’s foraging for some vegetables. I wanted to join him, but he brushed me off.” (y/n) pouted as she said this.

Giyuu felt his heart ache at the sight of her blushing, pouting face. All these expressions would never be directed toward him, and it wasn’t as if he was jealous of Sabito—that wasn’t the case at all, Giyuu adored and respected Sabito more than anyone else. However, these emotions he had for (y/n) were conflicting. Just as his name was mentioned, the peach haired boy walked toward them, Giyuu’s eyes widened at Sabito’s calm smile.

“Giyuu,” He turned to (y/n), “(y/n), let’s go eat.”

(y/n) stood up instantly before frowning at Sabito, who merely chuckled and patted her head. Giyuu couldn’t admit it, but the two of them together made so much sense. Sabito’s kindness and (y/n)’s gentle nature fit together perfectly, it was as if they were sent to Urokodaki just so that they could meet. Even though they were both set on becoming demon slayers, their togetherness was a fact set on stone.

“You look pale, did you sleep well?” Sabito’s voice was soft, and Giyuu turned away.

(y/n) giggled, “Of course! You worry so much, Sabito-kun.”

Sabito smiled. His smiles always felt like home.

That evening, Sabito and Giyuu were training together. Makomo and (y/n) were off practicing their breathing techniques, and while the two boys were training, Sabito found it a tad bit easier to beat Giyuu to the ground when compared to other days. Cocking an eyebrow, the peach-haired boy knew something was occupying his friend’s mind.

“Is something wrong?” He didn’t bother hiding the concern in his voice.

Giyuu couldn’t meet his eye. What would he say? That he was in love with the same girl Sabito was in love with? After how kind Sabito was, there was no way Giyuu could even hope for such selfishness. Sabito stepped closer to Giyuu, before offering him a hand. Giyuu looked up at Sabito, who was smiling softly at his friend. Giyuu’s hesitance confirmed his suspicions.

Sabito pulled his friend to a standing position before leading him to the waterfall nearby. Turning to his friend, he sent him a mocking smile before rushing away from Giyuu, who blinked in retaliation.

“Are you going to take all day to reach the top?” Sabito mocked.

Giyuu grinned before following after his friend, and the two of them engaged in a playful race—which, Sabito had won easily.

“Is it about (y/n)?” Sabito asked, his voice low.

Giyuu didn’t answer. He couldn’t even meet his friend’s eye.

“Do you love her, Giyuu?” Sabito asked, no anger or hurt in his voice.

Giyuu shut his eyes, unhappy with the circumstance he was in.

“I’m sorry—”

“Every time you reveal your feelings, you apologize,” Sabito sounded a bit irritated at this now. “Have you never had an emotion in your life that you weren’t ashamed of?”

Giyuu’s eyes widened and he looked up at his friend’s scowl. Sabito’s anger wasn’t raging hot; it was a warm winter fire, comforting and honest. Giyuu felt his eyes tear up at the presence of his friend’s radiance. Sabito’s scowl vanished a second later, and a soft smile replaced his features. A sad smile, which revealed nothing in words yet the truth had been spoken.

“We don’t choose who we love, Giyuu,” Sabito said, looking at his friend in the eye. “I’m truly very sorry—”

“You have nothing to apologize for!” Giyuu fought back, brushing off Sabito’s hands.

Sabito chuckled before leading him away from the falls, the conversation was enough to let Giyuu know to accept his feelings rather than run from them. For as long as Sabito was around, there was nothing Giyuu had to feel ashamed of. Even if he was in love with the same girl his best friend was in love with.

There was nothing but distraught in Giyuu’s eyes as he watched Makomo being eaten. Sabito stared in horror at the sight, (y/n) and Giyuu closely behind him. The other children were a bit away, not having had the misfortune of facing the hand demon, at whose hands (y/n) was sure they would face their death.

“Sabito, we can’t... We can’t save her—”

“Giyuu,” Sabito said, his voice low. The rage of a calm man was often terrifying and right then, Sabito’s rage was no winter fire.

Sabito’s rage right then was of an angry lion, hungry and devoid of shelter, in pursuit of blood.

“Giyuu,” He repeated again, ignoring (y/n)’s shaking form, “Take (y/n) and run.”

“N-No!” (y/n) responded first, grabbing onto Sabito’s hand, while he simply pushed her away.

Giyuu couldn’t believe what his friend was even suggesting. His eyes traveled to (y/n)’s form, shaking and afraid, her eyes displaying the terror that had unfolded on them at the moment.

“This is the only way, Giyuu. Please,” Sabito turned to his friend before offering him the same smile, “Protect her for me.”

(y/n) and Giyuu’s eyes widened at his words. She turned to look at Giyuu who didn’t meet her gaze before tears filled her eyes. She jumped at Sabito, who stood there like a log and held on to him for dear life.

“S-Sabito-kun, I can’t... Please, I don’t know what I’d do without you—”

Turning to her, he placed a calm hand on her cheek before saying, “You will live. You will pass this test and become a demon slayer. You will avenge your family. You will make another. (y/n), if loving you has taught me anything, then it is that you are stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

She shook her head. There was no way she would leave him. If it meant getting eaten, then she would be eaten alongside him. She couldn’t—

Sabito turned to Giyuu one last time and nodded. Giyuu knew what he had to do. He jabbed at the nape of her neck and she instantly fell to the ground, Giyuu catching her on time. Sabito smiled one last time at his best friend; a sad smile, a relieved smile—a smile that said ‘thank you’.

When Giyuu took (y/n) out of the forest, he had let go of his sister’s ideology of love back there as well. He turned to the unconscious girl in his arms, who’s consciousness would only give her more grief. Sabito was gone, there was no going back from there. Placing the girl on the ground, Giyuu tapped her cheek a couple of times, his eyes devoid of emotion, the light in his face gone, the warmth in his heart, lost.

When she came to, the first thing she whispered was Sabito’s name. Giyuu felt a monstrous sort of grief wrap around him, a grief he couldn’t show. He blamed himself, he blamed how weak he was, he grieved over how Sabito chose the lives of everyone else before his own, he grieved over how bereft he felt now that his best friend was gone, and he grieved over giving (y/n) the same grief. In a way, Giyuu felt, he had stolen Sabito’s life from her, leaving her devoid of a life Sabito would have been more than happy to give her. He would take it if she was angry at him, even if she would push him away, even if she would never talk to him again.

Loving her meant letting her go, and he had understood that way before Sabito had sacrificed himself.

“Tomioka-kun?”

It had once pained his heart that he was always ‘Tomioka’ while Sabito was just ‘Sabito’. But now, he felt a wicked sort of relief. He stared at her with no emotion in his face, and the mere expression he bore repeated the truth to her once again. Tears filled her eyes and she cried, loudly and as if her heart was breaking one more time.

He watched her cry, not having the heart to do the same. Perhaps, it was shock that didn’t let Giyuu cry that night. Urokodaki even wondered if the boy would ever let himself feel again.

Two days later, (y/n) approached him as he trained. Their swords were yet to arrive, and in those two days, Giyuu hadn’t spoken a word to either (y/n) or Urokodaki. The old man told (y/n) to leave him to his own; people grieved differently. Urokodaki knew of (y/n)’s relationship with Sabito and knew that both children were facing a different sort of pain that he knew nothing about.

“Tomioka... No,” Giyuu paused his training but didn’t look at her, “Giyuu,”

He looked at her now, still feeling a hum of the same heartache she would always make him feel. She looked worried, a worried expression he was not used to seeing on her, which gave him more grief than satisfaction.

“C-Can we talk?”

Giyuu didn’t want to. If it was about Sabito, he had said everything he had to say. But, he couldn’t push her away. If there was anyone in the world who understood his grief, then it was (y/n). Sabito had slapped him long ago, a slap Giyuu had now forgotten with Sabito’s death.

Suddenly, his eyes widened. (y/n)’s hand was placed firmly against his cheek, the same cheek Sabito had slapped, and he saw tears in her eyes.

“You’re grieving,” She said, her voice breaking. “And I’m so sorry—”

He pulled away, his eyes narrowing at her approach, “What are you even sorry for? I should be the one—”

He stopped himself before he said too much. He winced at his own words that had slipped without his command and went back to training as if nothing had happened. (y/n) stood there, in shock, meeting his grief face to face but not having the power to drive it away. She was not Sabito, only he knew how to approach Giyuu.

“I’m sorry I never saw it.” She whispered as she walked away, not saying another word to him.

As Giyuu clenched his jaw, he wondered if he would ever see her again. He wondered each day after that, if (y/n) would remember who he was, if (y/n) would ever get over the death of his best friend. He wondered day in and day out over random things—about what she was doing, if she was still a demon slayer, if she was married.

Six years passed. And then another two. And not a day went by when Giyuu didn’t think of (y/n).

He thought of the way she held his cheek that day, and he thought of the thousand different ways he had hoped he responded. But, he had pushed her away, albeit harshly, over a grief both of them shared.

The next time (y/n) saw Giyuu Tomioka was in between a mission. (y/n) had just completed it, and was returning to the butterfly estate. She noticed the haori and her heart’s pace quickened. The person was walking away from her, and she rushed toward them, grabbing the male by the shoulder and turning them around.

Her wide (e/c) eyes met his ocean blue ones. Upon seeing her, Giyuu’s eyes widened as well, before her name flew out of his lips like a charm.

“G-Giyuu... Is... Is that really you?” (y/n)’s voice was different from before, it was more refined, womanlike.

Giyuu’s heart rate was escalating at a very rapid pace, but he was a master of breathing now; he calmed himself down as if nothing had occurred and greeted her casually.

“Yes. It’s been very long, (y/n).” He could now speak her name without being torn in half.

She smiled at him before taking a good long look at his features. Giyuu had always been a cute boy, but now he was grown up—handsome and elegant, he reminded her nothing of the boy he used to be.

“You look well.” She said, gleefully.

He nodded, “So do you.”

And then it got awkward. She could sense it, he was still grieving—having had no outlet to let out his emotions. Sabito’s death, at one point, destroyed her life but it was because of the love she had for him did she keep going on. She fought hard and became a demon slayer, reaching the rank of Kinoto. Meeting Giyuu again, relieved her—knowing he was safe, and it gave her a sense of home.

Without thinking, she stepped forward and embraced him, tears streaming from her face at the thought of everything they had been through, as Giyuu stood there, unmoving. He didn’t even need her coming to him for him to realize he still had feelings for her. He knew it all along. He had never stopped loving her. However, there was no way he could ever allow himself to tell her what he was feeling. No one could know because it didn’t matter.

“Will you eat lunch with me?” She asked, tilting her head and smiling the same smile Giyuu had fallen so strongly in love with all those years ago.

He couldn’t help but return half of her smile. She was warm, like the sun, and somehow—Giyuu knew he had missed everything about her. The two of them headed to a small stall that sold noodles, and the two demon slayers sat down before (y/n) turned to the owner of the stall.

“Sir, by any chance, do you have daikon?”

Giyuu’s eyes widened as he turned to face her.

“We have them fresh, ma’am! Would you like some?” The owner of the stall replied, courteously.

(y/n) smiled back before saying, “Could you please serve fresh daikon with some simmered salmon?”

Giyuu’s face reddened, and he found fighting the smile that was threatening to embrace his features was harder than fighting demons. (y/n) turned to him and grinned, before sitting back down beside him.

“You still like it, don’t you?”

Giyuu didn’t say anything.

“You used to love a fresh plate. You would always—”

“You remembered.” Giyuu said, now looking directly at her.

She nodded, “Of course I did. Why wouldn’t I?”

She had no reason to. She was in love with Sabito. He was nothing but a friend. He was—

“You were family.” She whispered.

“I’m sorry,” (y/n) turned to look at him, “For Sabito. For everything—”

“You did the right thing, Giyuu,” she said, her eyes warm. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

The two of them ate, exchanging pleasantries, (y/n) laughing and being shy over things she now revealed she liked. She told him of some of her adventures and was shocked in hearing he was now a Hashira.

“You’re a Hashira? Should I bow to you?”

Giyuu merely stared at her face, unimpressed.

“Such a cold stare...” She said, backing away.

He wouldn’t admit it, but everything about her now made him feel lightheaded. He found himself opening up little by little, and perhaps the fact that he knew her well long before helped him in shedding off the formalities with her now. (y/n), as she claimed, was like family. They trained together, used the same techniques, knew each other’s weaknesses and strengths and even favorite foods.

They were walking back to the butterfly estate together after that, and their conversations still didn’t end. He found himself telling her about Kamada Tanjiro and his sister, knowing she would keep it a secret. She was impressed that Giyuu had placed his life on the line for someone else, a hidden kindness only she knew he had possessed.

“You truly impress me,” She said, looking at him. Giyuu blinked in confusion, “You really do.”

“How?”

“You are so kind, Giyuu, you don’t even see it.”

Giyuu didn’t agree. He turned away and looked at the ground, not willing to accept what she had said. If anyone was kind it was her—talking to him despite everything that had happened. If anyone was kind, it was Sabito—who had sacrificed his own life to save everyone else.

“I’m not kind.” He responded, coldly.

A warm hand wrapped itself around his wrist, and Giyuu paused. He turned to look at her hand and then looked at her, unaware of what to say. She shook her head before her hand reached downwards, encircling around his hand now, grabbing his fingers. Giyuu resisted the urge to hold her hand, but she somehow sensed his hesitance. She forced herself inside and held his hand tighter until she felt him hold her back.

“(y/n)—”

“You always would give yourself such less credit,” She said, her voice a mere whisper. “Even Sabito-kun found it strangely depressing.”

He felt his heart clench at her words. Guilt washed over him. There was nothing he could say to that. However, his hand was now firmly holding hers, and he liked the contact. He didn’t know what he was missing until she had shown him.

When the two of them reached the butterfly estate, Giyuu was glad Shinobu Kochou was not around. Not that he disliked her, it was, in fact, the opposite, but he was afraid if his resurfacing feelings for (y/n) were evident. He didn’t want her smug face rubbing it in any further than it had already sunk in.

They were to stay there until further notice—demons were plaguing the land, and a mission was not far. Giyuu enjoyed this time with (y/n), speaking to her every day, even going as far as training with her.

“Your form is still incorrect.” He scolded her, a soft smirk on his features.

“This will do.” She said, ambitiously, before Giyuu toppled her to the ground.

He moved away from her and let out a chuckle, before earning a smack on the head. He turned to see her pout at him and his eyes widened; he turned away instantly before being reminded of an image he had almost forgotten. She would pout at Sabito a lot, and now, here was one directed at him.

“Giyuu?”

He cleared his throat before looking at her, a pained expression landed on his face. She noticed everything that was on his face and let out a sigh.

“I knew,” She said.

Giyuu didn’t say anything.

“I always knew. With the way you looked at me and spoke to me sometimes, I knew what you were feeling. I wanted you to come and tell me so that I could turn you down, but what hurt me was that you never accepted those feelings for yourself.”

“(y/n), you were with Sabito—”

“Yes, but there’s something called being honest with yourself. Giyuu, if you end up thinking you don’t deserve any sort of kindness in your life, any sort of happiness, just because you lost everything, you’re only punishing yourself!”

He stared at her face. He had never seen her so emotionally charged.

“I was never... Sabito was the one who saved everyone. Sabito was the one you had your eyes on. Sabito—”

“Sabito-kun is dead, Giyuu, and you have to accept that.” She was crying now.

“I’m sorry, (y/n).”

She shook her head, “I’m sorry, too. You deserve so much more. You don’t even know it.”

(y/n) wrote Giyuu a lot of letters in the next few weeks. Giyuu rarely responded to letters, but it was (y/n), and he had almost admitted that he was in love with her. She would write to him about her days, about things she saw, people she met and Giyuu would respond curtly. He enjoyed the attention, and she was a part of his past that he held on to fondly.

He met her once again, by chance, when she was eating dinner. She was by a stall again and a soft smile sat on Giyuu’s face as he approached her. (y/n)’s eyes fell on his approaching form and widened before she got up and rushed to greet him.

“You didn’t have to run to me, I was coming there.” Giyuu said, amused.

“I was happy to see you.”

In the time she spent writing letters to him, she realized she was helping him heal. And the thing about healing was that when you helped another heal, you heal yourself as well. The first few letters she wrote to Giyuu, she wrote for him. The several letters that came after, she could not stop writing. And now, seeing him in flesh again, confirmed her suspicions.

She was falling in love again. With Tomioka Giyuu.

“Do you want me to buy you dinner?” She asked, cheekily.

Giyuu frowned a bit, “I can buy dinner myself, (y/n).”

“You two are a cute couple. What will you be having?” The stall owner said, shocking both of them.

(y/n)’s face turned red instantly and Giyuu’s eyes remained stoic. He turned to her before turning away, ordering what he wanted and waiting patiently.

“Giyuu—”

“It’s nothing.”

She frowned a tad bit before feeling dejected. After eating, the two of them walked over to the house with the wisteria symbol and were given rooms to rest in. Since they were man and woman, the kind old lady ensured each had their own rooms.

After changing into more comfortable clothing, (y/n) and Giyuu sat beside one another, at the side of the house. No words were spoken, just two people enjoying each other’s company in silence. She turned to look at him, noticing features from his face she had never noticed before. His hair was longer, his eyes were colder, and his features—oh, they were handsome indeed. Just the mere thought sent blood rushing to her face, and she turned away, quickly shutting her eyes.

Giyuu turned to look at her this time, after having felt her eyes on him for several seconds. She was just as he remembered, beautiful and gentle, yet so strong.

“Why...” She whispered, “Why won’t you try to tell me how you feel?”

Giyuu almost gasped, his eyes widening slowly.

“What...”

She turned to look at him now, distressed eyes. Her hand flew to his cheek, bringing him closer to her. Their faces were inches away, and Giyuu could feel her breath on his face. Her grip on him was strong but so soft at the same time.

“Why won’t you ever try?” She asked, staring into his eyes.

Giyuu’s eyes were stuck to hers, but for some reason, the air around them changed. His eyes quickly darted to her lips and then back at her eyes. It was as if he was scolding himself for even looking at her lips. The close contact didn’t help. He felt warm all of a sudden, and he was sure he was sweating.

She leaned in closer before pressing her lips to his, stunning him in the process. Giyuu didn’t move, he remained frozen as if this was something he shouldn’t even be doing.

A second later, she pulled away, quickly getting up from there and excusing herself. Giyuu was shocked, his eyes wide, his mouth ajar, his fingers traveled to his lips and felt them—warm and a bit of (y/n) left behind.

(y/n) gulped before heading into her room for the night, but there was something there. Something had changed between them, something permanent. She shut herself in her room and stayed there, knowing that either Giyuu would leave her a letter or not in the morning, but would go away before she could see him.

Her words stung him. Why won’t you try? Was she talking about all those times when he could have said something to her and didn’t? All those times he was pulling himself away from her because Sabito was there? Did she deserve to know about his feelings simply because he had them?

Of course, he had them for her, after all.

Giyuu stood up. He walked over to her room and stood there, unmoving. He didn’t know what made him move, but whatever it was, he didn’t want it to stop.

“(y/n),” His eyes were wide. “Can I come insid—”

The door opened before he could even finish. There she stood, wide-eyed and red-faced, looking at him earnestly. Giyuu walked in, his hands reaching her face, cupping her cheeks before pressing his lips on to hers firmly. Tears fell down from her eyes as her hands flew to his, clutching into him for dear life. Giyuu kissed her as passionately as for all those times he could have said something and didn’t.

And when he pulled away, he took a breath before kissing her once more. His hands flung themselves around her and pulled her close, gripping on to her like she was the only living memory that mattered.

After he pulled away, “I love you, (y/n). I have always loved you.”

(y/n) was crying, but there was a smile on her face. She nodded before cupping his face, kissing his nose, placing her forehead on his.

“I love you, Tomioka Giyuu.”

It wasn’t as if Giyuu didn’t believe in love. How could he not when he basically lived for it?

❞

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popculturebuffet · 4 years ago

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Wonder Woman 1984 Review “The Monkey’s Paw Wish of Superhero Movies”

Before we dig in, I just want to properly frame how much of a fucking disapointment this film was to me. It was thanks to the first film that I became the massive Wonder Woman fan I am today. Thanks to that movie and it’s accompanying sale, as Comixology likes to put sales on to tie into things as you’d expect, I tried Greg Rucka’s run on the title.. and quickly bought the second volume and will buy the third which didn’t exist yet at some point, as it’s easily one of my faviorite comics of all time, one i’ll undoubtly cover, and one that throughly sold me on the amazon princess, and throughly defined what she is to me: a compasionate warrior. Someone who WILL fight, who will take on the bad guys without hesitation, and who WILL kill if she has to.. but also someone whose compationate. Who will genuinely try to reform foes, who only kills as a last resort and not as a first option like some adaptations and the new 52 seem to think. She’s someone who in said run went out of her way to help her old friend and currently brainwashed foe Vanessa Kapetlis get cured of being the silver swan. She’s someone whose wholhe purpose for writing a book wasn’t money but simply to spread her people and her gods teachings. Someone whose , kind, noble, badass, smart and easily every bit the pure soul superman is. The run sold me on the character throughly and made me a fan to this day, one currently pouring thorugh both Rucka’s second run, and George Perez’ equally good run and one who hopes the upcoming dc relaunch means she’ll stop swapping writers every few months and get the run she deserves. I just wanted to sell how much I treasured the character now thanks to the first movie and thus how hyped beyond hype I was for this movie. It had a great cast, a great setting, cool trailers.. sure they didn’t show off the plot but it had to be good right? This couldn’t be say.. a giant, overly long mess of tangled plots, padding, terrible pacing, unfortunate implications and pedro pascal devouring the scenery in a manner galactus would be proud of right?

Well that’s what we got. After a year of hoping it’d come out some way this year, after having it delayed and after a year where MANY projects I loved were necessarily delayed due to covid... I got what I wanted. I got the movie i’d been hoping to see for months and months and months... and just like the wishes in the movie itself... it went horribly, horribly wrong. What I expected was something great as the other recent DC Movies.. what I got was a huge disapointing mess capping off a huge disapointing mess of a year. So while i’m a bit late due to contracting Covid and all the “FUN” that comes with that, I still felt like tearing into this film to figure out why I didn’t like it, what good parts it did have, and what the hell went wrong here. Spoilers and full review after the cut.

The Plot: Unlike my usual summaries I do, i’m keeping this one short and susicnt for those who haven’t seen the film: After a cold open flashback to diana’s childhood that was an omen of the boring padding to come, we get our main plot: It’s 1984 and Diana is acting in semi secret and helping out where she can. After some artifact thefts she takes a job at a museum and meets meek nerdy nerdy and office punching bag Barbra Minerva. The two strike up a kind of friendship, with Barbra wishing she could be as cool as diana especially after Diana saves her from being assaulted by a creepy random asshole.

Diana hasn’t moved on from Steve Trevor’s death in the previous film, and thus when encountering a mysterious stone wishes for him to come back. Barbra likewise wishes fto be just like diana. Meanwhile Maxwell Lord, a conman who has sold a bunch of bogus oil plots, plots to steal the stone himself and does so by seducing Barbra, and instead of wishing for more wishes, wishes to GRANT THEM instead, thus overnight making his buisness a sucess and using the inevitible monkey’s paw consequences of said wishes to benifit himself. Meanwhile Diana is reunited with Steve who for some reason has hyjacked someone elses body, and even has sex with Diana in it which is all kinds of creepy and wrong that we’ll get into soon enough. Meanwhile everyone now notices Barbara.. and she’s also gaining Diana’s powers but slowly loosing her empathy. Diana eventually finds out with Barba’s help that the stone is dangerous and it’s wishes backfire horribly, while Max continues to gain power with his as Diana chases after him, slowly loosing her own power as her consequence for the wish. You know instead of the fact her lover took someone elses body and life and they have to live with that. Eventually Max gets the power of a soverign nation and the satilte codes off the president, and plans to broadcast himslef the the world to offset his own wish consequence, his body slowly failing, by taking other people’s health. Steve urges Diana to renounce her wish and give him up to get her power back, she reluctnantly and painfully does so, and then goes after Max. Barbra however has sided with max and has him give her even more power turning her into a cat person as you’d expect. Wonder woman and the now fully cat Cheetah battle, it’s really cool looking, but Diana barely wins. We do get a decent climax with Diana not fighting max, not that she can with how powerful she’s become, but using the lasso of truth to get him to see the damage he’s done, give up and go back to his son. The world is saved Diana is moving on and also Linda Carter is there for some reason.

So now you have general idea of what happens, I can dig into the films faults, and it’s one or two strengths, one at a time, ONE AT A TIME. First off the film’s biggest issue by far and one that wouldn’t come through in the recap Padding and Pacing: THIS FILM DID NOT NEED TO BE 2 hrs 41 min

I said it once before but it bears repeating now:

THIS FILM DID NOT NEED TO BE 2 HOURS AND 41 MINUTES LONG

I am a firm belivier a film should be as long or short as it needs to be. If it’s under the standard 90 minutes, that’s cool, if it’s say three hours like avengers endgame that’s cool too. After the theater it’s easy enough to watch it in chunks, and sometimes a film just NEEDS that space and scope.

This film.. did not need that. This is not the cumilation of 10 years of storytelling, as slapdashidly planned as it was till phase 3, this is a film that feels painfully long to watch due to how padded it is. You could’ve cut those 40 mintues from this film EASILY and while you wouldn’t of had a good film, sadly, you would’ve had a way more enjoyable cheesy superhero movie. I”m tackling this one first because it just.. oozes all over the film. For every great and memorable bit in the movie and every questionable one we’ll get to, for every gloriously so bad it’s good moment... there’s about 10 minutes of scene that did not need to be there. It slows down the film to a crawl and given the original had pitch perfect pacing I do not get how Patty Jenkins screwed this up.

I do think Patty Jenkins is a good director. I did like the first movie, I do think a lions share of the credit goes to her writing and direction for that one. And a LOT of the sequences in this film are utterly goregously shot and fun to watch. I also, even if I don’t like this film, am extastic she forced the stuido to pay her more money to work on the film, as she deserves as much as any male director, it’s bullshit they tried to short change her, and again she was the reason the first film was so good. She deserved equal fucking pay for making Warner money hand over fist.

But I also say this because i’m disapointed in HER. She CAN do better, she already did the first time and the only real down spot, the spotty cgi climax, was not her fault. And hell here she did get the climax she wanted, and wrote one hell of one. I”ll go into it more later but the finale of this movie from the pitch perfect fight with cheetah, dodgy face work nonwithstanding, to the final speech to the world is just gorgeous to watch. Even in this mess of a film there are some really good really tightly shot sequences that i’ll get to.. but their broken up by padding and padding nad more padding. This film is bloated, it needed to be edited down but she clearly REFUSED TO, gunshy after the whole Ares thing last time... and thus shot herself in the foot repeadtly. I sitll have some hope for the next movie and Rogue Squadron, but Jenkins rightfully lost any blind faith I had in her this film would be good just as the directors of it chapter 2 lost it by.. making a terrible sequel to a great movie. Given this happened in the span of a year you’d THINK i’d of prepared myself for that.. but no. Sadly.. no.

But back to the point of this section: the film is just really padded. A lot of it is just scenes going on longer than they need to but there are some specific bits, some recurring others all in one go, that just really get tedious and pad things out. Let’s rattle em off shall we? The Opening: Now the opening is gorgeously shot, and it is nice to see Thymesicra again.. but the sequence is twiece as long as it needed to be, often just devolves into frantic shots of running.. and really dosen’t need to be here. I love Thymesicra, I love Hipolita, I love this damn beautiful island.. but we did not need it for this one. I THOUGHT it was there because the climax would be Max and Barbra invading the island or something.. but no. It has nothing to do with the main plot other than selling the film’s message “Nothing good comes from lies and shortcuts” which is a good message.. but the film already conveys that well. For all it’s flaws it well conveys the fact that the easy way to get what you want ALWAYS comes with a cost. That you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need. So we didn’t need 10 minutes of amazons running around just to make a point that the film already makes and it wreaks of Warner wanting to put the amazons in the film because “that’s what people expect.”

Steve Trevor Dinking Around for 20 Minutes: I will admit as dumb as it was.. I really loved the Steve Trevor 80′s fashion show. Oh it was dumb.. beyond belieif.. but it’s REALLY hard to hate a good 5 minutes of chris pine putting on stupid 80′s outfits. I do think like a lot of this film it was longer than it needed to be and it defintely needed a good catchy 80′s tune alongside it, just go full bollocks if your doing this, but otherwise it’s just hard not to joy, even if in a so bad it’s good kind of way, this kind of lunacy in a major stuido film

That goodwill died quckily as the next 15 goddamn minutes, 5 for the fashion show which while i liked it did not need to be in the film as long as it was, were just steve getting used to the new world of the 80′s. While I like the idea of Steve now in Diana’s roll as stranger in a strange land, instead of using it cleverly or having him ruminate over all his friends being dead Captain America style or .. a billion other things we could’ve used this time for if you really needed it, we instead just get Steve and Diana farting around for 20 minutes and Chris Pine making stupid faces. Chris Pine deserved better than this. He seems to be a steerling person in his personal life and I seriously doubt he’s done any movie bad enough to have earned this.. I mean he did do Star Trek: Into Darkness but NONE of those films problems were his fault. It’s just really, REALLY terrible, and even more boring in padded in places than this film but without the good bits or the haminess of pedro pascal to make it even remotely watchable. Point is i’m doing a blind look, and this is blind I just came up with tihs bit while I was writing and have not looked at chris pine’s filmography before, to see if there’s anything really bad enough to justify him being put through this buffonery.

Turns out .. yeah yeah he did. Two films in fact are just bad enough that he did in fact sign on to something bad enough to justify this. There were one or two other contenders but Princess Diaries 2 was earlier in his career, Into The Woods much like Into Darkness was not his fault and honestly if I were offered a part in a glitzy hollywood adaptation of a beloved musical i’d sign on too without heistation, and while Wrinke in Time is kind of a mess, Chris Pine is easily one of the best parts of it. No the two films that make him DESERVE the goofy terrible fish out of water stuff are this means war, a film I saw throughly savaged by Matthew “Film Brain” Buck, which is about two douchey cia agents competing over a woman without thinking that MAYBE the choice is hers, and also setting up CONSTNAT SURVILENCE over her and basically stalking her to sabatoge each others dates. And while I did mention that review, because it did give context.. even from the trailer I could tell this was sexist, bro douchey, and stupid and wanted no part of it. So yeah signing on this this, post star trek’s success where he had his pick of projects and was at the hight of his fame.. is inexcusable. The other is just... the kind of embarassing dtv film a person does before they get famous but is so horrendously premised that I still can’t give it to him. Like I get needing work, I do comissions 10 for movies now and 5 for tv show episodes and issues of comics if you were curious, so I understand that.. but even at his most desperate... why would you possibly take... this?

.. wait is that Stephen Tobowsky in the credits? Good god his career is depressing some time.. but at least unlike chris I GET him being in this as he needs money and despite his long and storied career, has to take what he can get. Wheras Chris was a promsing young star who while needing a break, CAN’T of thought this would be remotely sucessful and can’t of paid that well. But since the poster might not convey the premise.. the premise is Chris is a Blind Man looking for love set up on BLIND DATES.

It sounds like a fucking Adam Sandler film premise. I’m honestly suprised he hasn’t remade this film with himself, david spade, or rob schinder, whose apparently on good terms with him again, god help us all. And DON’T. TELL. HIM. He still hasn’t made that worst film imaginable he promised for getting Snubbed for Uncut Gems. Yes I know, Hubie Halloween came out but that was in production long before the promise and not that bad. Not great, pretty average, but not terrible. Point is do not tempt Adam Sandler to remake this film. He still owes us the worst film he can muster INTENTIONALLY, as Pixels, Rediculous Six, That’s My Boy? That was all him trying to make GOOD movie. Be afraid be VERY afraid. The other point is this premise is just really bad, REALLY offensive to blind people to make being blind into a stupid punchline, and I.. will probably watch this at some point because i’m bafflingly curious about this terrible terrible thing Chris Pine probably wanted us all to forget about, but will now never have that luxury as long as I live. The Fireworks Scene: This one is just..really dumb. Like really dumb. Every bit of this scene was dumb and we could’ve just.. had them get on a plane to egypt like normal people or steal a jet off screen. So to get to Egypt, Diana and Steve steal a jet which Steve can somehow fly despite decades of progress in how planes work at this point and him not knowing what radar is. He also gets shot ot at because Diana FORGOT, somehow, that radar exists and didn’t tell him. They also steal a jet instead of just taking an airliner or her calling in a favor since while it’s been a good few decades and Etta is sadly long dead, the candy family probably knows and loves her well enough and probably still has some military personal who could pull some strings and bring a jet over from london. It’s a stretch.. but not much more than “let’s steal a plane and hope we don’t die. “

Why this is in the padding section is because we then get a way too long bit of the two flying through a field of fireworks.. which also apparently existed LONG before steve was even born, so I donn’t quite get why he’s so shocked. And while i’ts not a bad CONCEPT for a scene the fact the two are being persued by the military for stealing a jet AND have to get to egypt so urgently they had to steal the jet in the first place lest Max do something horrible, which he ends up doing anyway... to take 10 minutes to gaze at the pretty fireworks. It’s just.. a waste of time in a movie that wasted already too much time.

Some of the barbra scenes: We’ll dive more into Barbra in a bit, and this is easily the least offesnive on this list, but a lot of the scnees of her discovering her new power could’ve been compressed. There are seperate scenes of her discovering she dosen’t need glasses anymore and picking up a ton of weight at the gym, while in 80′s workout clothes because of course she is. Both of those could’ve been one, either having her pick up something heavy like nothing casually or just having her glasses fall and break at the gym, have some cute guy help her up to help sell the wish making her feel noticed, and realize she don’t need em. It’s minor in comparison, but a good chunk of her plot badly needed to be streamlined.

And those are just the main offenders. The film’s pacing in general is just attrocious. It takes half an hour for the plot to move along most of the time.. there’ ssome good character stufff but they could’ve better weaved it into the plot and in some Barbra scenes and most of Max’s they DID. It’s just for the most part there’s a lot of repttition of stuff we already knew and figured out and it takes forever for the plot to move to the next phase until the last half hour. And by then my niece was already in the kitchen playing with her new slime having enitrely checked out, my mom was asleep and my brother just wanted this film over already and both of us were only hanging in out of obligation. This film blows most of what little potetial it has taking too damn long to get to the point. As I said it’s fine for a film to be long.. but while Endgame had laggy sections and some of it’s own problems.. it USED the huge runtime effectivey, using the first hour to both show our heroes had truly lost, then to set up the post-time skip world and just what had become of our heroes and their arcs for the movies. The second hour is mostly the time heist, a fun tour through the mcu’s history that also helps progress arcs and the final act is basically one MASSIVE glorious battle featuring every single hero who hadn’t suffered a non-snap related death in one of the best big action scnenes i’ve ever seen. It was well crafted and it’s slower moments were for character stuff and not because they felt the film needed to feel as long as the rest of the year had felt. But while it was the film’s main flaw and the main reason i’ts bad instead of mediocre..there’s one other massive flaw that utterly sinks the damn film and robs of it of a lot of it’s emotional weight The Character Assassination of Diana Prince:

Now we get to the part that really pisses me off one that was already kinda bad while watching but just got worse the more I thought about it: Diana’s Charcterization here. Despite being flawless in the first film.. here it’s just bad. It’s bad and it should feel bad. I can’t fathom how Jenkins lost touch so badly with the character, and I don’t think the Co-Writer Remotley helped. The Co-Writer for this film was Geoff Johns, a dc wunderkind whose reinvented the flash, green lantern, the justice society of america and aquaman, all brilliantly. The last one was even largely the basis for his damn fun movie. I have a lot of respect for the man... but like a lot of creators he’s not immune to screwing up and has made a LOT of mistakes, the biggest being forcing Cyborg away from the titans and into the justice league not for diversity’s sake like he probably claims.. but really because he didn’t want to use John Stewart instead of Hal Jordan, who he has an odd obession with i’ve never gotten, something the incoming writer of Green Lantern, Geoffry Throne, turns out to have complained about for years, as well as apparnetly giving out about Jordan SO MANY TIMES, that an entire artcle was made revealing this... and I’m perfectly fine with that as it should be clear I don’t like Hal Jordan all that much and while he’s been in some good runs, the other earth lanterns are FAR more intersting than him and far more unique. Thankfully the new series seems to be focusing on multiple of them and while hal seems to be getting some focus, Simon and Jessica are the main stars of modern day. So hell yeah to that. Let’s get back to the actual point.

The point being that one of his weaknesses as a writer.. is he really dosen’t get Wonder Woman. He just dosen’t. During Justice League he wrote her as a violent warrior and during Infinite Crisis, as expertly pointed out by LInkara during his review of it a few years back, he had her “not understand what being human is” .. despite this being at the SAME TIME as that Greg Rucka run I mentioned, meaning at the time of Inifnite Crisis, she had her own embassy for her people set up, had written a book, and had just spent a good chunk of that run trying to free an old friend who’d been brainwashed into a psychotic killing machine from her mechanical inhancments killing her and driving her insane. She willingly blinded herself with fucking snake venom to save the world from Medusa’s gaze and avenge a child THEN went on a long and arduous quest for the gods simiply to ressurect said child, with no intent of getting her sight back and only getting it back because Athena willingly gave hers up for being so noble. She is someone who is compatsionate, empathetic and noble. Not a kill happy warrior who loves fighting and blood. She fights because she has to, she does not hesitate and she does kill when needed.. but she is not some weird enigma to humanity. She’s throughly human despite being made of clay and not raised among regular humans. She’s a person, and Geoff just dosen’t get that. He get Superman, the flash, batman, other heroes just fine. He redefined aquaman well like I said. But for some damn reason he just dosen’t get Diana and can’t get a good grasp on her and while a good choice of co writer for practically any other dc movie and a good choice to right the ship for the dceu, he was the second possible worst choice to handle this character and likely is at least partially responsible for her character taking such a nosedive. By the way just in case you think better of him for only being second worst.. this is the worst.

Yes that actually happened.. thankfully not in the main canon and likely because Frank Miller really REALLY needs to get some help.

Point is he was a bad choice and while I still give Patty Jenkins some discredit for helping with this, I do feel Geoff easily could’ve agreed with or came up with some of the worse ideas here without really thinking them through because this simply isn’t a character he cares about what happens to her or knows that well. Things START fine: in present day we get a pretty fun action sequence in a mall with what my brother called Dollar Store Micheal Keaton.. but because Max was already perfectly cast, there wasn’t room for this screen legend. Plus he was probably busy shooting Morbius for.. whatever his role is there. I hope it’s the vulture. My point is DSMK is delightfully hammy and weird and helps kick up an already fun mall sequence.. while I was apparnetly the ONLY one who enjoyed this cheesy but awesome sequence in my family aside from my niece, she hadn’t rightfully checked out at this point, I still love it. It does bring up the slight problem of Diana being active years before... but given The Suicide Squad with it’s vast colorful cast of supervillians and the fact the freaking Justice Society are getting introdcued and given their gimmick even if WWII isn’t involed this time they had to have been active for some time before they presumibly vanished. My point is the whole Zack Snyder thing of “Metahumans are new and you should fear them” has been quitely retconned out and this will all likely be explained with the whole flashpoint thing... (Shudders).. not the retcon the DCEU needs a good coat of paint and unlike the XCU I dont think their going to waste a second chance, I just want a flash film that’s actually about barry and not another adaptation of a storyline few people liked ot start with. Point is that’s not really a huge issue and I prefer DIana being active than the implication she did nothing and her doing small bits of heroisim, like saving a woman from getting hit by a car or resucing pets and bigger ones like the mall just .. fell like Diana. It’s all downhill from there though. For starters there’s Barbra. It starts well: Diana is the only person to not only notice Barbra but treat her nice, and the two strike up a friendship.. which I honeslty wish was more as there was a lot of potetial there and both have great chemistry, not to mention showing Diana’s bisexuality on screen would be a really damn good move forward for representation, but that’s more on me and given how homophobic big companies can be, i’m unsuprised Warner wouldn’t let Patty take that route.

Point is it starts well enough.. but instead of the two actually having a deep freindship and possible relationship that is heartbreaking when it’s broken.. Diana just sort of forgets about her except when she needs her for the plot, and thus what should’ve been an emotionally breaking subplot leading to an utterly heartbreaking fight at the climax.. was just Diana being a dick, taking advantage of someone, and then getting a bit self righteous when the person you basically abandoned and didn’t notice made a wish till it was too late wants to keep the one thing that’s ever made her feel special.

It dosen’t help the comics did this whole thing better and is likely where Jenkins got the inspiration: During Rebirth Barbara Minvera was converted from a vicious ruthless bitch and a half, if still a brilliant character, to a tragic figure: one who while a bit cold and standofish, was genuinely diana’s friend, tricked into thinking she was abandoned, then became the bride of a horrifying god who punsiheed her for the “crime”.. of not being a virgin. While removing the whole cat god thing is understandable.. they removed pretty much everything that made that intresting and Rucka worked hard to make for a cliche “Nerd becomes evil” plot that’s been done a milion times nad makes dsiana look horrible. But while this is bad.. it PALES in comparisoin to the elephant in the room here.

No no elephant sweetie not wild pig. No.. it’s once Diana makes her wish on the magical wishing stone form the trickster god.. and brings steve back. See her bringing him back only for her to have to give him up to save the world.. that’s not bad. It’s a great way to bring chris pine back, ratchet up tension and ultimately give her proper closure for steve so she can move on. The problem.. is HOW steve comes back and how the movie handles that. Steve comes back.. by possesing some random guy. That itself is not a bad idea, as while it’s weird, A) I’m a weirdo and proud of it so i’mf ine with weird and B) it gives us a price to the wish like the other wishes: steve comes back.. but he has to take someone else’s life to do so. Diana has to sacrifice an innocent man she dosen’t know anything about in order to get her happy ending. That could’ve lead to some great drama, with Diana realizing how wrong this is and forcing herself to give him up with Steve’s blessing, as Steve would likewise not feel right about this. He could’ve had family or a girlfriend or something that were jeaporadzied if Diana kept Steve. The problem.. is they handled it horribly. really horribly. Diana and Steve.. almost NEVER mention the fact that he’s basically taken a life. They don’t ask if the guy is dead, they don’t ask who he was and they don’t try to find a way to get him a new body or a dying one or some other ghost can’t do it style shenanigan. And the fact i’m comparing this subplot to ghost can’t do it should tell you this is very bad. And it gets worse as the two have sex.. and whiel I dind’t think about it while watching the movie... afterwords? Yeah.. that’s.. that’s rape. The guy didn’t consent to letting them use his body. Now granted if Steve could leave the body at willand the guy was like “Sure why not” then that’d be fine.. but he has no way of consenting. Sure STEVE did.. but this ain’t his property. This isn’t his body to decide who he fucks. It’s random guy whose body he stole. Hell they didn’t even stop to consider if this guy might be gay which given Diana is bisexual makes no goddamn sense. So that’s another possible layer of wrong on this sundae of what the actual hell. I mean.. how do you bungle writing so bad your main character ends up as a rapist? That’s a special kind of incompetence in 2020 I tell you.

It just turns Diana from a kind noble woman who looks out for everyone.. into a creepy asshole who willingly sacrifices some guy she dosen’t know, something a well written Diana would NEVER do, to get what she wants. This is not diana prince. This is “out of the way sperm bank” levels of charactera assasination” and the fact steve has to talk her into letting him go just makes it worst. Diana here is selifhs, unsympathetic and terrible and it brings the whole film down despite Gal Godot’s best efforts to try and make this work. She fails.. but it’s not on her as an actress, she’s terrific, but on the writing for Diana being so bad. She just comes off as selfish and irredemible and i’ts horrifying to see. As one last note Steve is reduced to more of a cutout this time, so any possible emotinal weight not already destroyed by the rape is entirley missing. Just good god they did Diana dirty for this one. And it dosen’t help her villians.. are done much better. Speaking of..

Barbra: A Mixed Cat Out of a Mixed Bag As the title should make clear Barbra is kind of a mixed bag. On the one hand.. Kristin Wiig is fantastic. Like holy crap I had some small doubts about her being cast in the role but she nailed both the sweet put upon nerd at the start and the ruthless individual desperate to stay special at the end really well and the reason her scenes aren’t as draggy despite a lot being padding are Wiig just really sells the transformation, going from being giddy at a sudden influx of attention to feeling powerful.. to feeling dangerous and being deseprate to do whatever it takes to hold onto her power and being furious when she looses it. The problem is.. it’s all in the acting. Writing wise the story is horribly cliche. It’s why her having feelings for Diana was a suggestion that popped into my head: that’s actually intresting. A put upon nerd who envy’s a hero but ends up instead resenting them and wanting to kill them isn’t new. Amazing Spider-Man 2, which I thankfully haven’t seen but has that plot, Incredibles, and the one that the movie steals from the most.. Batman Returns. While wanting to kill the hero wasn’t part of that one, the whole “blonde whose still attractive even before the makeover has some supernatural thing happen to her and turns into an extrovert with a cat motif who is determined to take what she wants despite the cost.” While i’ts not 1 for 1, mostly becasue Catwoman actually had a romantic relationship with the hero, it’s REALLY hard to ignore just how much it seems to curb from Returns. And I haven’t even seen the movie the whole way through, just about half, really need to, not the point. Point is, it just feels like a rehash of a better done version of the plot. And the sad part is the comics GAVE Patty and Geoff two much better versions that could’ve followed the same path. Pre-Rebirth/Flashpoint, she was a ruthless woman from the getgo and simply could’ve been that, being friends with Diana.. but being too selfish and envious to truly let her in and thus relishing in her new power and showing off who she really was. The other, and better option for the narrative is the previously mentioned rebirth one: A sarcastic and hard but likeable woman who has had to scrape and claw to do what she loves, which is archelogy, despite her father being vastly against it because he’s a dick. Someone who through tragic misunderstanding becomes a tragic monster. That latter version would’ve fit in perfectly, having her like diana and just want to be her.. but a combination of her own inseucrites and the stone strip away her empathy and increase her jealousy and Diana neglecting her could’ve been a concious choice: Diana being too busy with steve and stopping max to see what was happening and thus be heartbroken to fight her true friend. Instead we just get.. catwoman but less good. Wiig tries her best and often succeeds but even she can’t really fix this. It also dosen’t help that selfishness aside.. Barbra is far more sympathetic. She’s contantly put upon and ignored by her cowowkres nad even her boss, who oftne forgets she works there, and finally meets someone who seems to care.. onlyf or that person to ignore her and go off and have adventures and really horribly implicated sex. So she wishes to be like this person, to be confident and loved and able to walk in heels and strong and gets it and slowly looses who she was to it. Hell the moment where she apparently CROSSES THE LINE by possibly killing some guy.. is entirely ruined by picking the wrong target. Instead of it being her boss or one of her co workers who mockeda nd humilated her.. i’ts the same guy who tried to assault her out for revenge. She’s beating up.. a bad person. She’s doing what Diana would do in a good way..

Sure she does take a turn for the evil, after hearing about the wishing stone destroying civilizations.. she sides with max.. but she’s still more sympathetic. Her resintment of Diana which should just be the meta commentary Jenkins intended on relationships between women where it becomes competitive due to societal bullshit, instead comes off justifed. Diana abandoned her, Diana is also being selfish with her wish, diana raped a man, Diana wants Max to stop.. but has to be TALKED into letting her wish go. While Diana is trying to save the world you can’t fault Barbra for not trusting her. For someone who preaches honesty, all Diana is to Barbra is a liar. While she does side with Max who earlier manipualted her by seducing her and stealing the stone... she KNOWS he’s not a great person, and this time instead of being the used, she’s the user. She knows he can make her even STRONGER, knows he can let her keep being who she wants to be if not BETTER, and knows he needs someone on his side.. and knows he won’t screw her over with her wish since he needs Diana off his back to become powerful enough to face her. Barbra comes off as cunning, manipulative and way more likeable than the hero, instead of the tragic villian she was inteded as. If nothing else, if she shows up in the sequel I will watch it even after this one was pretty damn bad and hopefully sh’ell be better written next time to match Wiig’s hard work. Now.. i’ve saved the best for last as while i’ve compalined a lot.. there is ONE aspect of the film that is genuinely good and while I get not everyone liked it.. Is urea s hell did

Maxwell Lord: Perdo Pascal Saves this film by eating the set whole like galactus.

Maxwell Lord.. is the best part of this movie. Easily. Unlike the other main characters, he’s written well, acted well if hammy as all hell, and is true to the comics. Part of this I freely admit is that when I heard Max was a villian here I expected none of his JLI version to survivie. I should explain.. in the comics Max is defined by two diffrent phases of how he was written; The first was in Giffen and Demattis run on justice league, which was more of an action comedy with emphasis on the comedy> There was still serious stuff and villians to face, it’s just our heroes were a bunch of likeable misfits and b-list heroes doing their best while cracking jokes and disfunctionally clashing with one another. It’s good stuff. Max was the heart of that: a selfish manipulative buisness man who grew to like the league and rebelled against the robot intellegence that got him that far, earning him a fair spot on the team. Sure he was a sleazy, shady 80′s buisness man, but he has a good heart underneath the opprotunsitic nature.

Come the run up to infinite crisis despite being a metahuman, he started irationally hating metahumans, claimed to have always hated them, and set up a vast conspriacty to kill em all. He also hyjacked superman, which lead to Wonder Woman being forced to snap his neck and being booed for it by superman despite the fact you know.. she was trying to stop him from killing batman and had no other cohice. The rest of the world got the clip out of context.. but even then she’d already killed months ago for the medusa thing I mentioned before, and despite Medusa only speeking ancient greek, the world, which tihs was broadcast too hence the danger of medusa killing trillions of viewers watching at home, they got the context that Wonder Woman was the good guy and was killing for good reason. It was just.. kind of stupid even if Rucka did his best with it is what i’m saying.

Point is there were two maxes: the sleazy and manipulative but well meaning buisness man and semi-con man and the manipulative but well intentioned master mind. So the movie.. combined both beautifully. He’s a manipulator as always, having set up a ponzi scheme and getitng called out on it by what turned out to be Simon Stagg.. who for some reason is the virtious if assholish buisness man here despite in the comcis being an utterly corrupt asshole constnatly ttrying to prevent his daughter from marrying this guy

This is Metamorpho, the element man, archelogist Rex Mason who thanks to the orb of Ra turned into this guy, an embodiment of the elments who can transmute his body into anything on the perodic table. Why HE hasn’t been in a movie yet his nemisis now has been is beyond me and there are better dc businessmen to have used.

Point is this Max is shady, ambitious and sleazy.. and badly failing his scheme falling around him. But his reason for wanting to be a rich, powerful man after growing up a poor immigrant.. is utterly symapthetic. He has a son in this adaptation and wants to make him proud. I’ts CLEARLY not his only motivation, he also just wants to be proud and the finale reveals hsi father was abusive, and his classmmates alienated him for being an immigrant. He has a chip on his shoulder due to having a rough life and just wanting his moment in the sun. It makes Max relatable: His actions are NOT okay but we get why he merges with the wishing stone: because this is his shot. And most of the people he fucks over with his wishes.. are bad people. he cons some good people sure but Stagg is an asshole and the prince he cons wants to kick foreigners out of his homeland. Max, like Barbra, while not a GOOD person still is more likeable than diana. He just.. feels like Max. He’s what Max could’ve been if he gave into the power instead of fighting against it. If he'd teamed up with the alien robot thing to take over the world instead of resiting it. So while he’s a bad guy like he’s been sadly turned into in the comics.. he feels like a CONVINCING version of Max as a bad guy. Like he genuinely turned evil of his own will and his own ambition.

It also helps he’s written compitently. Unlike Diana, whose entirely miswritten to a point NO amount of good acting and no amount of Gal Godot’s talents could save, and Barbra, whose great but only because her character had too little to be great but just enough to give Kristin Wiig room to work with Gal simply did not have. Seriously I feel terrible for Gal Godot, she’s a genuinely talented actress and a genuinely kind and great person whose a LOT like Diana herself when written properly. But Pedro Pascal? Since his character isn’t too badly written, and he has room to work.. he’s allowed to just be awesome. Since I haven’t watched the Mandolorian yet, I know, I KNOW, trust me.. I KNOWWW. But since I hadn’t this was my first proper exposure to Pedro Pascal..and his talent speaks for himself. In a weak movie, he is the shining star. He’s also hammy as shit, but it WORKS because the film is redicouls. The Wishin Rock plot line and Max merging with it.. it’s bonkers. But he has just the right mix of bonkers hammy acting that’s fun to watch, and actual character work in the ham. He’s eating the scenery hand over fist, utterly devouring it.. but it fits the character as while Max was more of a subtle ham, a guy who just radiated smug and who more got into histornics when things went tits up like the time Blue Beetle and Booster Gold took the JLU’s funds to build an island resort on an island that turned out to be sentient and didn’t like that much and yes, all of that happened and it was as funny as it sounds. Point is being a showman whose always on, always talking and always got a plan.. that’s Maxwell Fucking Lord, and Pascal’s over the top acting fits that kind of character like a glove.

It also fits the film well: the film comes off more like a 2000′s superhero film, one that takes itself super seriously.. but is really, REALLY goofy in places. It honest to god feels like one of the Sam rami spider-man films, ones I REALLY need to revisit and the results of that you’ll likely see, but without the self awarness rami had.. for the first two I mean by the third with the whole saturday night fever sequence, he’d really lost it. Love the guy though, still need to watch Army of Darkness and yes you may boo me. Point is the film is bonkers and cheesy and dosne’t realize it but Pascal does so he just.. has fun with it. His haminess when asking someone for a wish, his great ways of reversing those wishes so he benifits from the consequences, taking them off the board while furthring his own goals. Max is just.. awesome, and so is pascal. He got a life long fan in me from this performance. And of all people he took his inspriation from Nick Cage which is a perfect fit as Cage is fucking great at acting absolutely batshit while still acting his ass off. Pascal really deserves full credit for this film for more than just being lovingly over the top. He’s genuinely good.

And that shines through greatly in the climax. First off the final fight between Cheetah and Wonder Woman is awesome.. just one of the best superhero fights i’ve seen on film and i’ve seen some whoppers. Great back and forth, great coreography and brutal intensitiy the whole way through with Diana being forced to possibly kill Barbra despite not wanting to hurt her. Just a hell of one. But the real centerpice is the wish vortex. Pascal just drops all pretense and goes ultra instinct ham, just letting it all hang out as he ascneds to god hood... but how he’s beaten.. is easily the most brilliant part of the film and one of the few times Gal Godot genuinely gets to show off her talent in this one: Wonder Woman defeats the bad guy not with brute force, not that she can, or some cool fight.. though we did get the cool fight too so that’s nice.. she simply uses her head and her heart. She uses her head by taking advantage of the fact max is broadcasting to the world, as villians tend to, and giving his bogus offers to whoevers listneting. So Diana counters this.. by simply speakking from the heart, enrouging those watching not to give in and to renounce the wish.. so the consequences can be renounced too. Even if it’s hard, even if it costs you.. what your doing will cost others so much more. And she finsihses this by using the Lasso of Truth on max, making him tear down his delusions about himself and see that his actions, which have caused world war III by the way as he maniupated the president.. who for some reason was not Regan. While Regan was a bastard.. that’s exactly the reason I wanted hi mthere as this film would’ve been better had one of the parts of the climax been Diana fighting a 50 foot tall rouge ronald regan. Admit it you’d see that in theaters if it was safe to go.

POint is max sees he’s only HURTING his son, that this is for HIM not for his boy.. and that if he dosen’t let this power go, if he dosen’t just accept a peaceful life and let the world spin the way it’s supposed to and not emplode jus tso he can be a god... his son will be gone. So he gives it up and goes back to his boy in a touching moment. Though for some reason his son somehow got from Max’s office to the middle of a fucking highway. How is he not dead? I dunno we’re almost done here. Point is max is easily the highlight of the film and the reason it’s not ALL horrible along with Barbra. Final Thoughts: Wonder Woman 1984.. is a disapointment. What I thought would be an easy film of the year contender.. instead ended up being an ungodly mess with unfortunate implications, a messy slapped together plot and WAYYYYY too much filler. As I said it had it’ sbright spots especially max and barbra.. but hte ultimate product is WAYYYY less than Patty Jenkins is capable of and since a third film is apparently inevitible, I can only hope next time she learns from this and does better. Also get Pedro Pascal his own Justice League international series as Max’s grandson or something YESTERDAY. Seriously even people who didn’t like this film would love it and it’s not like he can’t do this between seasons of Mando. He did We Can Be Heroes for god’s sake.. which was somehow a better film than this one. I guess 2020 had to disapoint me one last time huh? Well we’re in a new year now... and hopefully the Suicide Squad won’t also be a huge diapointment. If you enjoyed this lnog rant on a movie from a week or two ago, follow me for more. I’m currently doing retrospectives on the life and times of scrooge mcduck, scott pilgrim, grant morrisons new x-men, and i’m soon going to finish up a Darkwing Duck one focusing on Just us Justice ducks. And once they come back this year I plan on reguarlly covering Ducktales, Loud House, Owl House, Amphibia, and Final Space. So keep an eye out for that and until then, Goodbye Goodbye Goodbye.

#wonder woman #wonder woman 1984 #pedro pascal #gal godot #kristin wiig #chris pine #diana prince #cheetah #barbra minerva #maxwell lord #justice league international #dc comics #dc extended universe #hbo max #patty jenkins #steve trevor

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