#this arc is everything to me (so far...I fear for if/when they announce they know it's him šŸ˜¬)
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pttucker Ā· 1 year ago
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Besides, even if she wrote such a scenario, Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn't have agreed toā€¦ "I didn't kidnap these women." His words quickly prompted the surrounding ladies to yell out. "That's right! We weren't kidnapped at all!" I studied their expressions. Not one of them looked to be under the mind-control spell. Meanwhile, Lee Gilyoung yelled out in response. "So what?! Didn't you enslave people to make lots of dumplings so you can eat them all??" Right, that's what the slave in the factory told us. However, there was one thing that I couldn't understand. Yoo Joonghyuk really liked [Murim dumplings]. It was verging on obsession, even. But, would someone like him ever touch dumplings mass-produced in a factory? āø¢"I do not eat what others have made."āø„ Yoo Joonghyuk even declared as thus, so it didn't make sense for him to use slaves just for the purpose of eating mass-produced dumplings. And as if to prove me right, Yoo Joonghyuk spoke in a slightly sorrowful tone of voice. "I haven't eaten these [Murim dumplings]."
I love that Dokja immediately assumes that not even in a play while pretending to be someone else would Joonghyuk 1) kidnap women as concubines and 2) eat dumplings he didn't make himself by hand even if they are his precious Murim dumplings.
He assumes that Sooyoung must have written the story around him because Joonghyuk is literally that stubborn.
And he's absolutely, 100% correct.
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phoenix-clan Ā· 2 months ago
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7
Slightstar begins her first official clan meeting as PhoenixClan's new leader. She hesitates, unsure of herself, but the other cats all support and encourage her. As she announces Smallpaw and Blazepaw's new relationship together, she notices Dazzlepaw has a strange look on her face. Trying to move past this, she starts to announce Daisykit's new apprentice name, but is stopped when she notices strange cats in the distance, approaching their territory. Slightstar leaps forward to protect the kits and demands to know who these cats are, her heart still full of fear from the last run-in with rogue cats. After a tense moment of silence, the pretty black molly cat speaks up, introducing herself as Dahliafade. She explains that she, her sister Sheepsong, Sheepsong's kittypet mate Archibald, and their two kits Brightpaw and Avalanchepaw, have come to this place from another clan looking for a place to stay. Slightstar is a bit taken aback, unaware that other clans existed at all, but hearing that they just want shelter and don't immediately want to fight puts her at ease. She decides to welcome them all to their group, and she appoints Dahliafade as the new deputy. Finally, she is able to give Daisykit her new name, Daisypaw, and she appoints Dahliafade as her mentor. She also officially names Archibald as Avalanchepaw's mentor, and Sheepsong as Brightpaw's mentor. Daisypaw, though initially intensely invested in her apprenticeship, now stares wide-eyed at Brightpaw.
Woo!!! 7 is finally here!!! I'm so happy it's finally complete!!! I had a lot of fun doing this one. Clip studio paint has proven itself to be a lot easier - and a lot more fun! - for me to use. I deeply appreciate Procreate for how far it got me so far, but now I feel so much more ready to create! This is officially the last part I have drawn the sketches out in Procreate for. From here on out the full workload will be through CSP, I hope it's obvious just how much fun I'm having with this! Also to be clear to you all, I consider everything from 2 to now has been in what I am tentatively referring to as "Arc 1". Arc 1 will be complete... well, I'm not sure how many parts it will take. But I do have it all mapped out at least! So cheers to that! xD
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totallyradicalmucky Ā· 1 year ago
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This is me giving you permission to talk about your SuperChargers AU!! Literally just anything about it!! I love seeing peopleā€™s different takes on what a Kaos redemption arc would look like. I still get so sad when I think about how Kaos just goes back to being evil in Imaginators. Like man cā€™mon. We couldā€™ve had it all.
The power youā€™ve given me..unreal. But I think about a Kaos redemption arc pretty often since multiple people on here have talked about Kaosā€™s childhood and stuff like that.
Which is why I think in this Superchargers AU, instead of fighting Kaos before the darkness. Youā€™d fight his mom.
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I didnā€™t bring it up in this. But I wanted to talk about how maybe after Kaosā€™s button scene with the darkness. Kaos is still not entirely faithful to him, which means that the Darkness canā€™t get entirely in his head. To get everything he wants from him, for the absolute destruction of Skylands. Without that, Kaos is practically useless, not truely a devoted Kaos Clan member. Unlike his mother. Who at this point I believe the darkness could use as a manipulative way to get Kaos to do things for him and a threat, but only now sees her as a way to progress in his own plans.
The Darkness brings Kaossandra out of her prison, her devotion to the dark is far stronger than the absolute lack of affection sheā€™d ever felt for her family. Taking away Kaosā€™s head-thing, they leave him with only the most weakest of magical powers on some random isle for him to hopefully die. You (The skylander) find him awkwardly standing there in his torn emperor robes, beaten up, and swearing to the ancients he hasnā€™t cried.
He doesnā€™t really have any other options other than to go with you, but he isnā€™t seen anywhere. Opting to stay inside the airship for a long while. Paranoid about the looming chance of the world ending at any minute, and the fact that itā€™s all his fault, missing Glumshanks. Flynn mentions him now and again, talking about how heā€™s feeling and not really eating. Cali doesnā€™t trust him, blaming him for their problems but she canā€™t help but feel a little bad. Hugo continues to assist with the next mission, fearing Kaosā€™s presence, but is curious about the lack of his usual ā€˜mark of darknessā€™.
Over the long run, which I mean Kaos being dragged along every trip and having to help Flynn and Cali unload and reload the airship with things. He warms up just a bit, standing in the overworld. Never-not next to one of the two, as the citizens still distrust him. (And heā€™s not good at being normally social on his own, not a fan of small talk) Heā€™s still strange and egotistical, but less- evil. Kaos finds it strange that he can still preform magic without the mark of darkness, frustratingly weaker than before-but still magic. He often ā€œstealsā€ spell books from the archive, much to Hugoā€™s minor inconvenience. Since he always announces when heā€™s taking one.
I donā€™t really know how the ending would go specifically. But I know that Kaos would be furious, fed up with the endless manipulation from both his mother and The Darkness. Using familiar voices and faces to try and get him back on their side, he just canā€™t take it. Trapping his own mother inside the rift engine, the Darkness laughs believing that itā€™s tricked itself into being free forever.
[que epic fight sequence for Kaos and the Skylander that Iā€™m too lazy to describe]
Being knocked out of the darknessā€™s rift thing from the very end of superchargers- the Skylander is fine. Having the portal masterā€™s power to help them. But Kaos is scarred. Once again landing on the isle below, his arms and back, inky black withā€¦whatever it is. As if to silently let him know that the darkness would be coming back. He doesnā€™t rlly care though, just staring at his hands. Taking in every decision heā€™s made this far, he almost regrets it, thinking about his mother. Until the voices of Cali and the others finally snap him out of it, with Flynnā€™s coat being draped over him. He didnā€™t even notice how destroyed he had become. Damn. Waitā€¦does this mean he has to relearn magic again?
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acaciapines Ā· 8 months ago
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obviously if youā€™re busy leave this alone but: your tag essay has made me VERY intrigued about Dess and Azzyā€™s relationship in this AU. Tell me about it?
(also, did you see they did an announcement about Starship Iris season 3? Itā€™s finally gonna happen!)
okay IM HERE TO TALK LOL i will NEVER not talk about this au <3 uhhh under a cut bc. really i should just expect these get super long.
big important note up top: all of this is in! early stages! things are not fully formed and researched yet so please keep that in mind as you read this. ideas might change and will get deeper as i do more work for this au, but since rn im focusing on owl house most of these are my ideas i've had without time to do deeper dives into them.
okay so with asriel i've always sort of written him as this guy who like...has an idea of what is 'normal' in his head, ie, what society wants from people, and what it doesnt want, and he has tried his hardest his entire life to always fit into this box. (think about i know im not well--this is why he's always seen kris as a human. being nonhuman is abnormal and gets you punished in society. to an extent this is also how he views dess being aromantic.)
i think a lot of this comes from fear--asriel IS for sure contorting himself and actively harming himself to stay inside this narrow box of 'normal' (think of this as another sort of prophecy--these are all touching on the same themes). and he applies this same mentality to other people BECAUSE of this fear, because he doesnt want his loved ones to be hurt, to be punished, ostracized, etc by society--which are i wanna be clear VERY MUCH THINGS THAT HAPPEN--but in doing this he sort of just hurts the people he loves. because instead of being someone who rejects these boxes hes like. no we gotta be good and fit into the boxes and then everything will be okay.
so when it comes to dess, dess has always very much Done Her Own Thing, consequences be damned. partly this is who she is, partly this is hashtag undiagnosed and untreated mental illness, the onset of which happens around when shes 18 and everything is going down with the bunker (which is NOT helping at ALL). and so when dess comes back from the bunker asriel does very much go 'oh. shes delusional.' and proceed to be No Help At All.
and like, the thing is dess IS very much having a psychotic break. this bit is very much still in deep research (sidenote: anybody in my audience who has experience w/ these things. feel free to hit me up/dm me lol i'd love to talk through some of my ideas as a sort of preliminary sensitivity read, but of course only do this if you are up to it, no pressure lol bc again we're in early stages) but she has schizoaffective + bipolar disorder. dark worlds dont help with this, asriel SUPER doesnt help with this (he doesnt know her actual disorder--neither of them do, this is the onset of things. but tbf even if he did he Would Not Help asriel is essentially doing everything wrong here.) and what dess needs is literally one single person in her corner but the person who is supposed to be in her corner (azzy) is basically being like 'you are making this up' and shes like im NOT, and everything is all mixed together, terrible, bad, awful, and eventually everything culminates and. we know what happens.
(side note but this is why she and chara work real well together actually--chara gets her when asriel doesnt!!)
asriel never actually like. tells anybody about this though. in his head after its assumed dess and kris have died he sort of just. is like well this proves it. i cant let anybody else i care about go that far EVER AGAIN, because if i was a better friend i would've noticed and i wouldve stopped it and made dess "normal." (yes asriel sucks here. the focus is on the kids but. he's getting an arc. i do promise he will get better but. that doesnt really fix what he's done in the past.)
and all of this is like. it fucking sucks for the people around asriel. in hurting himself he's hurting his loved ones--it pushes dess away, and that relationship is never going to be the same. even when asriel realizes how he fucked up i dont think dess really forgives him. because if asriel had just believed her, or at least even if he didnt actually took her seriously and tried to help, shes like. things wouldve gone differently. and asriel knows this too.
and then when it comes to NOELLE, well. asriel's always been very overprotective of her. terrified the world is going to hurt her. and so when noelle starts experiencing things, things she cant tell if theyre real or not...
she doesnt tell him. she doesnt tell anybody. she keeps it all to herself, and this means its a hell of a lot easier for the player/red soul to manipulate her. and nobody finds out until its too late.
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bookwyrm35 Ā· 1 year ago
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June 21:Character Arcs
At first I wanted this day to be about Quill because honestly he has one of the best character arcs in the story and I could talk about my son for hours- but I've changed my mind. Today I would like to confront Holly's character and how I my perseption of her changed as she did.
Holly started out as one of my least favorite characters. She came out of no where, swept both Lockwood and George off thier feet instantly, and in so many ways invaded the safe space that Portland Row was for Lucy. She felt strict and demanding and stuck out like a needling throne in the midst of the homely chaos of Lockwood and Co.
Another part of the reason I disliked Holly so much at this stage was that...she reminded me a lot of the parts I don't like about myself. She over-organized, picked other people apart, showed them their worst parts in contrast to her best, and had an overall aura of "I'm better than you".
My whole life I have wished to be a Lucy. To be brave and talented and confident but never vain or haughty. I've always wanted to build a place where I am the master of my fate, a place where I am surrounded by friends, a place that is entirely our own.
I've always feared that I'm more like Holly. Perceived as "perfect" and flattered to my face, but hated behind closed doors. My mind plays tricks on me and constantly tells me that I'm invading, I'm putting too much of myself into a place even if I just tidied up. Seeing a character like that so blatantly disliked in these books brought those ugly thoughts to the surface and, I'm ashamed to say it, but instead of taking comfort or solidarity in Holly I turned my hatred of myself to hatred of her.
And then... the Poltergeist of Aickmere's happened. I had to take a moment in the middle of thier argument because Lucy didn't. I know she couldn't, not really, but I had to take a step back in that moment and realize a few things. This is when I realized how enormously brave Holly Munro is. This is when I realized she and Lucy are two sides to the same coin. Holly had every reason under the stars to leave the ghost hunting industry after what happened to her and her team. But she didn't, not fully at least. She stayed at Rotwells and took a desk job even when she hated who she worked under. She suffered for who knows how long because even if she couldn't bring herself to serve in the field, she believed she was still doing the world some good. Still protecting people anyway she could.
Unlike Lucy, she did have the luxury of possessing other skills that would have gotten her as far from agencies as she ever wanted. But she chose to stay. More than that, by joining Lockwood and Co. she decided to step back into a field that killed all of her friends. She had every reason to leave, but Holly Munro chose to stay and fight.
I bet she didn't expect more resistance from teammates than ghosts.
I can't imagine how horrible she must have felt when Lucy announced her resignation. Everyone, and I am certain that includes Holly, thought Lucy was leaving because of her. I remeber feeling as if the floor had been ripped out from under me as I read that scene, but imagine what it must have been like for Holly. Maybe she'd thought they'd made up, maybe she was excited to put their past pettiness and differences aside and move forward as a united agency...but no. Lucy left, and now it was up to Holly to keep the boys together.
I wonder if they blamed her. I know she must have blamed herself, even if only a little. And yet, once again, she stayed. I can just see it, her looking at Lockwood and George as they realize Lucy is gone and not coming back. The hopelessness that must have surrounded them. I bet she took on a lot more responsibilities after that. I think she took it upon herself to keep the case book full, make sure they ate, and just did everything she could to help keep them together when they were falling apart. It's no wonder that her first words to Lucy are how much she missed her.
And then comes my favorite part. We get to see in Aldbury Castle Holly's reaction to Lockwood and Lucy 'dieing'. It's hard to explain why but it brings literal tears to my eyes to think of a wild, mad eyed, crazed hair Holly going absolutely savage on the research workers after thinking her friends had died. Like Lucy, seeing the madwoman behind the primp and proper lady made me love and admire her so much more.
I think this is when it struck me how human Holly is. How fiercely loyal she is, and how much she truly cares. It was never a bad thing to be like Holly, and this is when I started to see that.
It was a little bit after things had settled down (and promptly got stirred up again) that my next favorite part comes. It's when Penelope comes to Portland Row, using all tactics at her disposal to pressure Lockwood and Co out of business. Lucy's pretty silent through the whole thing, but the second that snake dares paint Holly as a coward- if their rapiers had been within grabbing distance you know someone would have walked out there with blood on their hands.
Holly began in my eyes like somthing of an infection, quick to run its course and needing to be taken out. But I now I see her for the true beauty and nessecity that she is. Lockwood and Co would not have survived without her. She is the constant, she is their stability, and when they need it, she is their brave, brilliant, and a bit of a madwoman of an agent.
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thesamestarlight Ā· 1 year ago
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ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATE (aka spoiler-tagging update)
we are very very close to a big big day for pjo!!!! you know what that means!!! updates on spoiler tagging!! (plus some non-pjo stuff at the end!)
from here on out:
i will tag all tv show content with 'pjotv'
once i've seen the first two episodes, i will begin tagging all references to anything that has not been in trailers with 'pjotv spoilers'. haven't decided yet how long i'll tag spoilers, but i'll definitely make an announcement before i stop.
once the first episode of the show is released, i'm thinking about tagging all pjo/hoo spoilers beyond however far the show has caught up to as 'pjo book spoilers' for people who are watching the show and haven't read the books (e.g. for posts discussing later books and whatnot). i do already and plan to continue tagging discussion of specific books with the acronym for the title (tlt, som, ttc, botl, tlo, tlh, son, moa, hoh, boo, cotg; plus pjo for the first series and hoo for the second series; toa if i ever post anything trials of apollo, but i've only read book one, so that's mostly moot), but some things are more general, like character arcs. would anyone who follows me be interested in a broader pjo book spoilers tag like this? if so, lmk--drop me a reply here, a dm, an anon ask, whatever :)
in the future, assuming more seasons, i'll probably come up with special tags for pjotv s2 and pjotv s2 spoilers and whatnot, but for now we're going to keep it more general.
in non-show-related news, i finally read cotg yesterday!! haven't gone interacting with content on that yet, but i probably will soon, so i'll be tagging that with 'cotg spoilers' (along with cotg and pjo)
for people who don't want to see any percy jackson stuff at all (though i really do encourage you to give the show a try!!), i tag everything related to the show, the books, the spin-off series, the musical ('tlt musical'), you name it, with 'riordanverse'
NON-PERCY JACKSON:
i finally finished miraculous ladybug season 5! i haven't seen the paris special or the movie yet though. when things i post/reblog come from specific episodes, i'll try to tag 'ml [name of episode]', but my memory is pretty shaky and it's easy to get things mixed up, so i'll make sure to generally tag 'ml s5 spoilers' and maybe also 'ml spoilers'.
ummm other things i've read/watched lately:
read the hunger games prequel and saw the movie! enjoyed both! haven't posted about it much but if i do i'll tag it 'tbosas' and probably also 'tbosas spoilers', along with 'thg'
read they both die at the end. don't anticipate a lot of posting on that, but if i do, i'll tag it 'tbdate'
been watching gravity falls! most of the way through season one. probably won't look at anything for fear of spoilers til i'm done done, but i'll tag it 'gf'
in general i try to be thorough in my tagging! i usually tag things with at least the acronym for the fandom/main media source. always feel free to lmk if you'd like me to tag for something specific, especially when it comes to spoilers, and stay safe out there!! <3
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anulithots Ā· 1 year ago
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#oooo there are so many excellent clip choices for these lyrics#but specifically @0:40-0:49 with the focus on Emmaā€™s reality burning to the groundā€š including her beloved mother not being all she seems#as she slowly justā€¦takes it in in that moment to play along for the sake of the planā€š even as her heart is in turmoil#the quick switching matching up with the beats#š˜ˆš˜•š˜‹ š˜›š˜š˜Œš˜• š˜›š˜š˜Œ š˜š˜“š˜ˆš˜šš˜š˜‰š˜ˆš˜Šš˜’š˜š š˜–š˜š˜Œš˜™š˜“š˜ˆš˜ š˜š˜•š˜Ž š˜›š˜š˜Œ š˜›š˜™š˜š˜– š˜š˜œš˜Ž#š˜žš˜š˜Œš˜• š˜•š˜–š˜™š˜”š˜ˆš˜•ā€™š˜š š˜ˆš˜‰š˜–š˜œš˜› š˜›š˜– š˜‰š˜Œ š˜šš˜š˜š˜—š˜—š˜Œš˜‹#RAY CRYING WHILE HE THINKS BACK TO EMMA AND NORMAN IN THE INFIRMARY; FUCKING END ME#I think thereā€™s another version of this on youtube but I like that this one focuses on the trio#Sumire Morohoshiā€™s iconicā€š heartwrenching screams overlaying the NE hug#because that same visceral fear and despair is taking over if this last-ditch effort to save Norman doesnā€™t workā€š </3 </3#@1:45-1:54 OUGH I always love when creators insert flashbacks of the first episode#before the world caved in and thereā€™s such an etherealā€š fairytale-esque aura to the setting#a lament of the innocence that can never be regained#also how ā€œworldā€ is synced with a clip of a panning shot of the Grace Field kids from the opening#because Emmaā€™s family is her whole world at that point#@1:55-2:00 the transition of Ray looking down in despair to Emma looking up in menacingā€š hauntingā€š confident resolveā€š šŸ‘ŒšŸ‘Œ#@2:03-2:08 again hearkening back to innocenceā€š with the meta bonus of it being the ending of the very first scene#so itā€™s not only how far the trio has come from those halcyon days (for everyone but Ray I mean </3)#but also how much has changed during the course of the seasonā€™s runtime for the viewer#AND THOSE TWO ENDING SHOTS OF ISABELLA AND PHIL HUGGING AND GRACE FIELD BURNING; š˜š˜œš˜Šš˜’š˜š˜•š˜Ž š˜ˆš˜ˆš˜ˆš˜ˆš˜ˆš˜ˆš˜ˆš˜ˆš˜ˆš˜ˆš˜š˜š˜š˜š˜š˜š˜š˜š˜#Very nice first shared AMV OP#Full Score Trio#Emma#Norman#Ray#TPN S1#TPN AMV#Introduction Arc#Escape Arc#the promised queueland
OHMIGOSH Thank you so much!
*announcer official voice* I live for something I create to be enjoyed and hyper analyzed by another, so this pleases my soul very much. (Especially considering that I didn't plan some of these, like the flashback to when they were younger at the end... and you made them mean a lot <3) And I'm so glad the whole 'Emma's mother not being that loving mother anymore' came through! Because that arc of Emma's added an entire other layer (this anime has so many layers and I love all of them.) to the show and the 'trying to save norman' arc had my heart in TATTERS.
And this is the first anime I've ever watched, (wanted to for so long, specifically TPN but didn't have any access to watch it or read the manga, now I've read and watched the first arc!) and EMMA'S SCREMS. HOLY HERBS HER SCREAMS. I was not used to the voice acting being that top tier.
And yayyy!! I felt *so clever* when I put the clips of the other children over the word 'world', because yes, this happy family, Emma's happy family is her entire world, and it completely 'burned down'.
And also with the ending shot with Phil and Isabella, I'm not quite sure why it felt so right, but it did feel like a sort of 'I love you, but this is the best we can do, it's really the only thing we can do.' AND I LOVE HOW IT MATCHES AND ENDS and this show is so goooodddd holy herbs.
the transition of Ray looking down in despair to Emma looking up in menacingā€š hauntingā€š confident resolveā€š šŸ‘ŒšŸ‘Œ<--- Thank you!!! this was an absolute accident because I didn't really know what to put there. But.. actually... it works with their arcs being that Isabella/Grace Feild house tore apart every one of Ray's plans, leaving him feeling defeated. After all this, after all of his planning, he still couldn't save norman. Whereas every death only served to strengthen Emma's resolve. She's the only one who received an 'out' to being shipped, yet she couldn't go through with it. This was her everything. She tried the entire time to be calculating and have a strategy like Norman and Ray, but in the end, she was able to get everyone out via trusting in her family, regardless of how 'bad of a strategy' that is. Failure made her more vicious. (I haven't read the second arc of the manga yet, but I like all of Emma's 'I will help you and save you even if you hate me for it, even if you don't want to be saved, even if I have to cause more harm to myself for attempting to save you' because this could make her not as receptive to the others. And I do hope the manga explores that aspect of her character.)
Thank you again!!
The Promised Neverland Caves In
~ The World Caves In || The Promised Neverland AMV ~
The edit audio I edited into the song:
Emma's screams>>>> everything else /j
(This is the depth of my hyperfixated frenzy, I was supposed to do schoolwork today and instead speedran this in a day)
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bartramcat Ā· 3 years ago
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CSI Vegas and the Myth of Marriage
For any number of reasons, marriage has always been considered among the least interesting subjects for fiction. Fiction loves getting to the marriage or showing a marriage in trouble or ending a marriage, but the actual day to day relationship? Nah. No drama there.
A perusal of TV sitcoms reinforces this idea. While kids are considered a great source of comedic fodder, married parents are not. Beginning in the early 1960s, Andy Griffith, Fred McMurray, Lucille Ball and Shirley Jones all played single parents. Of course, they were all widowed, since divorce was verboten.
I have never been a big fan of love stories. Most of my favorite films are about something other than love; if there is a love story within it, so be it, but love stories per se tend in film to be better shot soap opera. To tell you the truth, soaps actually did a better job with the subject. It has always seemed to me to take a long time to understand why two people love one another. It takes a novel.
One of the problems is that I think that, far too often, sex is seen as the driving force behind love. In many cases, the only force. And perhaps therein lies the problem with marriage. The standard trope is that once the initial sexual excitement fades that the dull drudgery settles in. Marriage limits everything. It is a routine. It is a trap. While characters may grow outside of a marriage, rarely do they grow within it. It is the dead end.
All of which brings me to Grissom and Sara. First of all, I suppose it should be mentioned that TIIC decided in Season 13 to follow the standard playbook. They decided, in their infinite idiocy, that they couldn't "grow" Sara while she remained tethered to her offscreen husband. So both characters began acting out of character. What the first 9 seasons of CSI made abundantly clear is that these two needed each other; they were compelled to each other like magnets, like moths to the eternally alluring flame.
So, yeah, they would go months at a time barely speaking and avoiding each other. Uh, no.
I think the greatest fear that many of us had when the reboot was announced was that the show would continue to follow the conventional playbook. That, after sailing off into the sunset, they would have found some way to break up again, and whatever lured them back to Vegas would be yet another opportunity for an angst-fest.
One of the most tired tropes in soap opera is the couple who can't live together, can't live apart, so their whole arc is a series of attenuated breakups and make-ups. It is this circle of hell that is really the dead end. They never learn; they never change; they never grow.
Instead of being presented with a couple whose relationship is stagnant or broken, we have been treated to a pair who have grown together, by virtue of being together. Grissom is still Grissom, and Sara is still Sara, and, yes, they can take different sides of an issue and bicker about it, but that in no way diminishes their connection. Rather, it is indicative of the strength of the bond between them. They are comfortable and secure with each other: they may see things differently, but they do so knowing they love and are loved.
Far from being dull, their interplay has been delightful. Beyond the banter, Billy and Jorja can literally make us see the invisible thread between them. Every word, every gesture, every glance underscores the existential bond between them. Their relationship has become as much a part of each of them as breathing.
Of course, I write this knowing full well that there are 4 episodes remaining in which the possibility looms that they can still be fucked up; that this show will bow to convention and find a way to divide them. Should they go down that path will be an unbelievable disservice to the characters and the audience, as well as fly in the face of what has been established thus far in the series.
Simply put, Gil and Sara know where they belong, on land or on sea, and that is together.
To deny that would be an indefensible assault on the truth.
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yuujism Ā· 4 years ago
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Sun and Night. (gojo satoru x reader)
Chapter 1: Hate
chapter 2 ā†’
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| PAIRINGS: gojo satoru x reader x getou suguru
| WARNINGS: āš ļø SPOILERS FOR HIDDEN INVENTORY ARC AND VOL. 0 IN THE MANGA āš ļø explicit language, nsfw (next chapter will have tags), plot, too much writing, kinda modified so it can fit the story but nothing out of canon, grammar errors
| WORD COUNT: idk lol iā€™ll count it later
| A/N: so uhhh, iā€™m back i guess ??? this came to me after re reading the manga and kinda yearned for some angst between gojo and reader because they both loved suguru so much šŸ˜½ and i love suguru a lot too and i miss him dearly anyway !! please check the post before this one to know what will go on with my other series !! right now iā€™m taking my time to write :( anyway hope you enjoy!! i hope itā€™s not kinda half asses though sorry ):
summary;
You and Satoru were in love.
You were both so deeply in love, just not with each other.
Where you and Satoru found comfort in each other after the accident happened.
Chapter 1: Hate.
You were in love.
To you, Getou Suguru was the bright moon in your dark sky.
Long and silky black hair, sly yet serious dark eyes and the soothing voice of reason, drowned your thoughts almost every day. He was really in every thought and dream you could have and you didnā€™t mind.
He always looked at you with a sweet smile adorning his features, raising his hand and waving it at you whenever you walked into the room. The sound of your name slipping through his lips made you realise you did like your name, but only when it came from him. The faint touch of his hand on your shoulder that sent shivers down your spine, face heating up reflexively as he leaned down to your ear to say some silly joke about Yaga.
Even to this day, you could still feel the ghost of his breathing in your neck.
Getou Suguru made you feel welcomed, and you loved him for that. You deeply loved him.
You knew you werenā€™t the only one who had their heart squeeze with adoration whenever Suguru came into view. He was just better at hiding it, an expert in sweeping his emotions under a rug and masking them with a cocky smile. But not for your observant eyes.
Gojo Satoru was also in love.
To Satoru, Getou Suguru was equal to him. The strongest sorcerers. He was also an annoyance.
Contrary ideals and constant bickering never failed to appear when these two were put together. They seemed so different: white and black; water and oil; the sun and the moon. Yet they always found themselves with each other.
Satoru hated the way Suguru could look through him so easily, calling him out on his bullshit whenever he was getting out of hand. Satoru didnā€™t mind as long as it was him and only him. The way they could almost read each otherā€™s minds as if they were connected, only needing one look from the other to completely understand what were they thinking. The memory of Suguru still made Satoruā€™s stomach fill with butterflies, recalling the first time he saw his best friend through the eyes of a person in love.
Getou Suguru made Satoru feel everything he didnā€™t want to feel, and he became his one and only since the beginning.
You were both in love with Getou Suguru, but never admitted it. Not to him, not to each other, not to anybody. Everyone was oblivious to the way you indirectly fought against Satoru over the black haired sorcererā€™s attention.
But then, it all came to an abrupt stop and everything shattered into a million pieces. It came as quickly as an unexpected projectile to both of your stomachā€™s guts.
ā€œGetou Suguru is now to be executed on sight as a curse user.ā€
And you tried your best to stop the tears from coming and forget. Forget his sweet smile, his soothing voice, his touch and everything he made you feel. And Satoru did too. Because Getou Suguru was now a criminal. A murderer.
You wished it was all just a bad dream, that the charges against Suguru were just a complex plan from another terrorist group. Hope was something that you didnā€™t believe in and right now it looked like the sweetest of options. Ignorance is bliss after all.
Until Satoru came one day after an apparent encounter with Suguru thanks to Shokoā€™s aid. It was all true. You still remember the tremble in Satoruā€™s voice confirming every single event that was described in the announcement. His parents, the village, the hatred against humans. It was all real and, sadly, everything was clear now.
Getou Suguru was no longer the one you both knew and loved.
You also remember the discussion you had with Satoru after everyone left the room, asking him why he didnā€™t stop him, why he didnā€™t do anything to bring Suguru back to the school just like everyone expected him to.
ā€œWould you have been able to do it?!ā€ His yelling made you jolt before you looked at him with regret as his cold blue eyes showed his true and raw emotions for once.
And you knew. You knew that question had a deeper meaning than it appeared. And you also knew Satoru was well aware of your own feelings towards Suguru when his eyes looked through all the barriers you built to hide the pain you were in. To hide your love and broken heart. You could almost see his own dispair deep within himself. It was just too much and you couldnā€™t help but look down at your own feet through your tears.
Turns out you werenā€™t the only one with observant eyes.
ā€œNo.ā€
After that day, you and Satoru never exchanged words that werenā€™t about the students or the missions you were given through those months. You also never talked about the not-so-hidden feelings you both had towards the sorcerer that was once your friend and acquaintance.
It didnā€™t get better either but, somehow, it wasnā€™t worse than those days.
The memories of his smile still haunted you and your heart still felt as broken as that damned day. But at least you hadnā€™t heard of him for a long time. None of you had.
Satoru seemed to had forgotten completely. Or that was what he wanted to show. You knew he was as brokenā€”or even moreā€”than you were. How could he deem himself the strongest when he couldnā€™t save his one true friend and love after all. However, Satoru was sperfect at everything, even hiding the pain.
And everything did look better for you and Satoru in the path of forgetting Suguru. And, just like last time, destiny just couldnā€™t leave you alone.
Getou Suguru was back.
The way your body petrified under his gaze when he was finally in front of you after a long time was pathetic. You couldnā€™t move even if you wanted to, mouth slightly parted in an attempt to call him out for the first time in what felt forever. Was it fear? Was it shock? You didnā€™t know.
What you did know is he was the same Suguru but different. His smile wasnā€™t sweet anymore and his hair was longer. But the way he said your name still made your heart flutter in adoration and yearning for him.
No. No, this canā€™t be.
No, no, no. Getou Suguru was a criminal. A curse user. You had to stop him. You had to do something, anything!
Move.
Flashes of Suguruā€™s touch came into your mind as he walked towards you, calmly and confident as you stood there, a trembling hand trying to make its way to fight. Suguru didnā€™t stop.
Move.
Satoruā€™s words during your discussion resonated in your mind over and over again. Are you able to stop him? To risk it all and kill him if needed? Your hand stopped.
Move!
But you couldnā€™t. Not when he placed his hand on your shoulder, thanking you for not putting up a fight. Not when he walked past you, his familiar scent filling your nostrils for a brief second. And certainly not when he spoke from behind you, telling you how much heā€™d missed you.
You almost felt like laughing. You were truly pathetic.
Pathetic for not forgetting him. For thinking that, maybe after all this time, you wouldā€™ve been able to stop Suguru if the chance presented in front of your eyes. Unlike Satoru who couldnā€™t do it.
Oh, how wrong you were.
You crumbled down to your knees, hands holding your aching head as tears filled your eyes and memories of Suguru came to your mind. You werenā€™t strong at all. You could hear the rumbling far from your spot now, announcing the start of a fight.
Time passed, slow or fast, you didnā€™t know. But the tingling sensation of Suguruā€™s touch on your shoulder lingered until everything was silent once again.
It wasnā€™t until Satoru was next to you, that you finally got out of your stance of shock, looking up at him and his bandage-covered face. His demeanour was different once again, even if you couldnā€™t see his eyes, you could sense something was off, something happened just like that day.
Satoru didnā€™t even make the effort to face you as you stood up, still slightly shaking for the past event. He couldnā€™t. He didnā€™t know how to break the news for you because, once again, he couldnā€™t save Suguru. And this time, forever. His heart felt heavier than ever, his hands clenched into fists as he tried his best not to show how he was also shaking.
God, how Satoru wished that everything was different.
When you finally came to his senses, Satoru finally faced you, a small smile appearing in his face. His mask, you thought. His mask was crumbling in front of your eyes and he still tried to hide it. How cynical. Your eye twitched with annoyance as you saw right through him.
ā€œLetā€™s go! The higher ups are waā€”ā€œ
ā€œHeā€™s dead.ā€ You cut him off and Satoruā€™s smile dropped, staring at you.
It wasnā€™t a question nor did you hesitate when those words came out of your mouth. You didnā€™t need him to confirm your statement as he once again faced away and the sound of the wind filled your ears.
Satoru could almost hear the sound of both of your hearts breaking even more, this time, until dust was the only thing remaining.
You didnā€™t have any more tears to cry as you grew tired of Satoruā€™s silence, taking it as the answer you werenā€™t even expecting before walking in front of him towards your next destination, leaving him behind. You disliked him more than ever right now.
Satoru limited himself to stare at your figure getting further away, jaw clenching with anger. Anger directed at you and himself. How could you look right through him? Did you even care about Suguruā€™s death as much as he cared? Did you even love him as much as he loved him?
That day, Satoru decided he hated you.
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Text
like a secret in your throat
yā€™all asked for whump. yā€™all got whump. title fromĀ ā€œVampires Will Never Hurt Youā€ by my all-time favorite band, My Chemical Romance
whump, hurt/comfort with a happy ending!
tw: manhandling the bard, vampire transformations (side character), non-sexy biting, blood mention, canon typical injuries/violence
---
Geralt looked up from his mug of ale when he realized that Jaskier had stopped playing. Instead, the bard was chatting merrily away with a tall, broad-shouldered man in a dark cloak. The hood obscured most of the strangerā€™s face but Geralt caught the reflective glint of a bead or piece of metal braided into his matted black hair. An instinct tickled at the back of the Witcherā€™s head but Geralt couldnā€™t quite place the feeling. Something was wrong about this little tableau but he couldnā€™t figure out what it was; his medallion wasnā€™t reacting to anything in particular and Jaskier seemed perfectly happy, lost in conversation with the dark-haired man.
Geralt returned his gaze to his mug and let his mind wander.
Jaskier did seem perfectly happy to be without him on nights like these, when they were back in civilization and the extroverted bard could branch out and meet new people. That was the problem, in Geraltā€™s opinion.Ā 
Lately the Witcher had found himself contemplating what life would be like on the Path if he decided to travel alone again. Winter wasnā€™t close enough for him to excuse himself and go North, but heā€™d developed a strange and uncomfortable dependence on the bard that he needed to be weaned away from. It wasnā€™t healthy for either of them.Ā 
It wasnā€™t safe.
If he grew too close to Jaskier, thenā€¦Ā 
Wouldnā€™t that be a weakness? Wouldnā€™t that be a vulnerability and a dangerous closeness? Geralt couldnā€™t risk forming a connection like that. He couldnā€™t allow himself to hope for something so organic and pure to develop between a half-monster and a youthful, bright-eyed bard; Witchers werenā€™t meant to get nice things. That was not his lot in life.
And yetā€¦
Some mornings, when he only barely cracked his eyes open and used his heightened senses to peek across their campsite, he saw Jaskier looking back at him, a curious glint in those pretty blue irises. Geralt couldnā€™t pinpoint the emotion the bardā€™s face held; he was bad at that, and the uncertainty of the younger manā€™s feelings scared him. He could handle rejection, but acceptance? If Jaskier was as loving and openminded as Geralt thought him to be, it could prove to be a problem. Jaskier was too good for a Witcher. He didnā€™t deserve to be trapped by a life on the Path, dying too young because he was foolhardy and quick to fall in love.
The Witcherā€™s introspection came to an abrupt halt when the Jaskier in question appeared beside him, flushed and grinning. ā€œGeralt, dear heart, are you ready to retire for the evening?ā€
ā€œAre you asking me to bed?ā€ the Witcher smirked, smothering the very real ache in his chest at the thought of curling up next to Jaskier like that. ā€œOr do you need to borrow our room to entertain a guest?ā€
ā€œOh, no, I have no plans of that nature.ā€ Jaskierā€™s already pink face darkened a shade and Geraltā€™s stomach flipped. ā€œIā€™m actually rather tired. I was hoping to get some decent sleep tonight before we flung ourselves back into nature tomorrow.ā€
ā€œHmm. Iā€™ll be along shortly. Donā€™t wait up.ā€
ā€œSee you in a bit then, dear heart.ā€Ā 
And Jaskier disappeared up the stairs.
Unfortunately, the Witcher didnā€™t realize he wasnā€™t the only one watching Jaskier slip into their rented room with a longing expression on his face.
---
ā€œWe need to set up camp for the evening,ā€ Geralt announced, bringing Roach to a stop and sliding gracefully down from the saddle. Jaskier loved the way his Witcher looked when he did that, like some kind of fairytale Prince or knight errant. The way his long, silver-white hair shifted and fluttered against his shoulders in the dusky light made him look more like a fantastical painting than a century-old Witcher; even with his scars and his pallid skin tone.Ā 
The unconventionally enchanting sight made ballads stir in the most romantic corners of the bardā€™s busy mind. Words pooled and shifted behind his eyes, arranging themselves into neat rhyming couplets or quatrains.Ā 
Geralt of Rivia, tall and fair,
With golden eyes and silver hair;
Whose glare could even douse the sun,
And send a Gryphon on the run.
The bard barely kept himself from sighing aloud as he removed his pack from across his shoulders and unfolded his bedroll and thin travel blanket. The material felt fragile between his calloused fingertips and he sighed forlornly,Ā  ā€œIā€™m going to need a new blanket soon.ā€
ā€œHmm.ā€
ā€œDonā€™t worry, Iā€™ll pay for it. And Iā€™ll get Roach some new reins while Iā€™m in town,ā€ the bard waved his hand nonchalantly, as if spending money was no big deal. It really wasnā€™t, all things considered. They would be able to travel far more comfortably if Geralt would allow them to stop in Novigrad and access his University accounts more often. Alas, Witchers are stubborn creatures. ā€œI see the way they chafe her poor muzzle, Geralt, so donā€™t argue. If you really insist you can pay me back by letting me write a song about the color of your eyes.ā€
ā€œMyā€¦ eyes?ā€
ā€œTheyā€™re rather pretty, dear heart, and I think the world could do with a ballad about how they glow when you turn your face toward the sun.ā€
Geralt felt the back of his neck grow hot and he glanced away, ā€œHmm.ā€
ā€œWell, let me know what you think in the morning. I donā€™t need an answer right away.ā€
Geralt finished setting up a decent pile of firewood and brought it to life with an efficient burst of Igni. He glanced across the flames to Jaskier and grunted, ā€œIā€™m going to catch us some dinner. Make tea.ā€
ā€œYes, sir,ā€ Jaskier saluted, smiling. Geralt rolled his eyes, grabbed his crossbow, and disappeared into the darkening treeline. Jaskier began to hum as he set up their tea kettle and filled it with water from the waterskin. The humming turned to quiet singing as he measured out two mugs worth of tea from the sachet of dried leaves.Ā 
Singing that was cut off with a sharp, sudden cry.
---
Geralt heard the bard scream once. Only once.
The sound punctuated the air before leaving an uncomfortable, grating silence in its wake.Ā 
The Witcher took off towards their campfire without a second thought, allowing his instincts to take over and guide him safely back, the potency of Jaskierā€™s fear hung thick and sour in the air, growing stronger the closer he came to their clearing. When he burst back into view, chest heaving from the sprint, he widened his eyes at the sight before him:
The cloaked figure from the tavern had Jaskier wrapped in his burly arms. One large, long-fingered hand had immobilized Jaskierā€™s wrists by pressing them into the dip at the base of the bardā€™s spine, forcing his elbows out and pressing his chest even tighter against the strangerā€™s.Ā 
Jaskier looked up at Geralt beseechingly through his dark, damp lashes. His mouth opened in a silent cry of confusion and pain when the man tugged at his wrists and forced his arms to bend awkwardly. The bard wriggled and strained against the strangerā€™s iron grip in an effort to escape but the man only snarled in irritation and jerked him back into place. ā€œBad bard. Stay put, little thing.ā€
Geralt took a slow step towards his swords, trying to reassure Jaskier with his expression that: Everything will be okay. I will get you out of this. I will protect you and keep you safeā€¦ somehow.Ā 
Jaskier needed Geralt to pay attention and protect him from harm.
Geralt had failed.
The Witcher watched with wide, horrified eyes as the hulking man keeping Jaskier captive shifted slowly into a far less humanoid form. The baubles braided into his hair jangled and clinked as his nose elongated and his eyes widened. His arms lengthened to form clawed bat-wings and his face thinned and covered over with a layer of grey fur. Fangs burst forth from his gums and slid over his previously humanesque canines. His voice, which had been rasping odd little sounds in the Witcherā€™s direction, faded into an terrible shriek.Ā 
A Katakan.Ā 
A Katakan that had snuck in and out of civilization without Geralt so much as smelling it; one that had Jaskier pinned against its chest, the claws of its unoccupied hand sharp and dangerous as they hovered near the bardā€™s ribcage, ready to pierce but unwilling to waste precious blood unless absolutely necessary. It screamed again, even more shrilly. ā€œWant him!ā€
Geralt dove forward and pulled his silver sword from its sheath. He swung it in an elegant arc and narrowed his eyes, ā€œLet him go and I might let you live.ā€
The Witcherā€™s words were a lie and they both knew it.
The Katakan twitched its long ears in annoyance and hauled Jaskier even closer. It wrenched his arms painfully and the bard whimpered, blue eyes filling steadily with tears. Geraltā€™s heart seized wretchedly in his chest and he tried his best to ignore it; he couldnā€™t let his feelings distract him until Jaskier was safe.Ā 
ā€œI want him,ā€ the monster rasped, readjusting the bard in its grip. It turned Jaskier around until he was facing the Witcher, releasing his wrists just long enough to pull his hands around to the front before capturing them again. It grazed its two long fangs against the column of Jaskierā€™s throat and trilled happily. ā€œHe sings so pretty. Talks so sweet. Bet he tastes sweet like he talks.ā€
ā€œHmm,ā€ Geralt agreed. ā€œHe does have a rather pretty singing voice. I suppose thatā€™s why I canā€™t have you killing him.ā€
ā€œBut he will sing for me,ā€ the vampire shrugged. It shook Jaskier like a toy and the bardā€™s tears finally fell. He whimpered again when the vampire leaned close and told him: ā€œSing, little thing. Let me pull lovely music from your veins.ā€
Jaskier shivered visibly. He gave a few panting, strangled sobs as he slipped into panic, too frightened to move with the vampireā€™s fangs so close to his neck. He wanted Geralt to finally swing that stupid sword and get this over with. He wanted to curl up in Geraltā€™s arms and never leave for the rest of his life. He wanted to be taken to Kaer Morhen and hidden away in safety, fuck his music career and the rest of the world. He wanted Geralt to stay in his presence forever, never letting him out of sight again. He wantedā€¦
Before he could finish his thought there was a sharp, piercing, all-encompassing pain at the juncture where his neck met his shoulder.
A keening wail filled the air once.Ā 
The vampire bit down harder, its tongue sliding against the skin of the bardā€™s neck in an effort to urge the blood to exit faster.Ā 
There was another high, piteous cry for help and then...Ā 
The world went black.
---
When Jaskier opened his eyes again, the world was even darker than it had been before; mostly because the light from both the moon and their campfire was being blocked out by the broad plane of Geraltā€™s chest, which Jaskier found himself cradled against almostā€¦ lovingly. Above him, he heard the Witcher murmuring: ā€œJaskier, please. Please wake up, Julek. Come on, bard, I kn-ļæ½ļæ½ļæ½
ā€œG-Geralt?ā€ he managed to croak. He followed it with a very eloquent, ā€œHunh?ā€
ā€œJaskier,ā€ the Witcher sagged with relief, pressing his forehead against the bardā€™s and breathing in deeply. He tightened his arms around Jaskier, pulling him even closer as his frown disappeared, ā€œMelitele be blessed, youā€™re alive!ā€
ā€œShould I not be?ā€ Jaskier asked. He tried to sit up on his own and winced when a bright burst of pain flared out from his shoulder.
ā€œThe Katakan- You were bleeding so much and I-ā€ Geralt was, as always, at a loss for words. Jaskier waited patiently, still feeling drowsy and half-alive, and allowed the Witcher to gather his thoughts. His neck ached and his left arm tingled fiercely every time he tried to flex his hand on that side.Ā 
ā€œDid itā€¦ Am I a vampire now?ā€ he asked. The absurdity of the question broke Geralt from his confusion.
ā€œNo,ā€ the Witcher answered swiftly. ā€œYouā€™re still very mortal-ā€ a hand swept through Jaskierā€™s hair, calming him further ā€œ-And unfortunately still very fragile.ā€
ā€œAre you going to beat yourself up over this for the next week and somehow twist it around until itā€™s all your fault?ā€
ā€œHmm,ā€ Geralt looked away. Jaskier was still being held so very tenderly in his arms, laid across the Witcherā€™s lap like some kind of swooning maiden. He rather liked how close he was to Geralt and hoped to stay that way for just a little longer. The Witcher surprised them both by letting a full sentence slip into the air between them, ā€œI donā€™t like seeing you hurt, Jaskier, especially not whenā€¦ when I was close enough that I could have prevented it from happening at all.ā€
ā€œYour medallion didnā€™t give you any hints about this thing back at the inn when I was talking to him? He seemed completely normal, if a little monosyllabic. Iā€™m used to monosyllabic, anyway,ā€ the bard joked, trying to lighten the mood somewhat. It didnā€™t work; Geralt lifted his head and stared into the fire, his brow already furrowed as he slipped into his private realm of self-loathing. Jaskier was still laying across his lap, his neck and shoulder giving off pulsing aches with every beat of his heart.Ā 
Eventually the Witcher spoke again, his voice low and full of frustration. ā€œKatakans are different, they donā€™t- they donā€™t set off my medallion the way other creatures do, and they can disguise themselves as people. They can move and talk like people; you saw it transform.ā€
ā€œI did,ā€ Jaskier grimaced. ā€œAnd it wanted me to sing while it drank my blood.ā€
ā€œYou didnā€™t do very much singing,ā€ the Witcher grumbled. ā€œYou screamed twice and fainted. It nearly dropped you.ā€
ā€œIf I remember correctly,ā€ the bard smiled playfully, ā€œSomeone said my singing was too pretty for me to die.ā€
ā€œHmm.ā€
ā€œIt was you, Geralt. You said that.ā€
ā€œHmm.ā€
Jaskier tried to sit up again and nearly passed out from the pain that screamed through the entire left side of his body. ā€œI- Geralt, I-ā€
ā€œWhatā€™s wrong, Julek?ā€ the Witcher asked, adjusting the bard until he was more comfortably enclosed in Geraltā€™s arms, his back leaning against one of Geraltā€™s bent legs for support. Geraltā€™s other leg was straightened out before him and Jaskier let his calves fall atop the Witcherā€™s thick thighs. They looked like a painting, with Jaskier reclined as he was and Geralt looking at him like that.Ā Ā 
ā€œEverything hurts, dear heart. My whole left side feels aflame.ā€
ā€œItā€™ll burn like that for a day or so,ā€ Geralt shushed him. ā€œYou bled quite a lot, you were bitten, and you hit the ground pretty hard.ā€
ā€œYou didnā€™t catch me?ā€
ā€œI was a little busy beheading your attacker and keeping you from becoming a member of the undead,ā€ Geralt scoffed. ā€œPardon me for not carrying you to safety first.ā€
ā€œWell since you let me get injured, you have to kiss it better to gain your pardon,ā€ the bard insisted. Geraltā€™s eyes widened comically and his hand clenched where it was resting on Jaskierā€™s lower back.Ā 
ā€œItā€™ll- It would hurt if I kissed your wound,ā€ Geralt replied shakily, trying to escape while he still could. Jaskier wasnā€™t about to let him. Not again.
ā€œThen youā€™ll just have to kiss my lips instead.ā€
ā€œJaskier?ā€
ā€œHush, Geralt. I know how you feel about me, and I feel much the same about you. Letā€™s skip the words bit, because I know thatā€™s not your favorite, and get right to the kissing.ā€
ā€œOh, uh...ā€ The Witcher allowed himself to smile. It was a soft, nervous thing but it made his eyes crinkle at the corners and Jaskier felt himself fall even further in love with his darling Geralt.Ā ā€œAlright.ā€
Geralt cupped the back of Jaskierā€™s head carefully, tilting his own chin down, and brought their lips together slowly. The bardā€™s lips were soft and plush and warm beneath his own, giving just slightly but not wilting beneath his touch. It was better than anything he could have imagined. When they pulled apart, Jaskier frowned.Ā 
ā€œWas it bad?ā€ Geralt asked automatically, more nervous than he had ever been with another lover.Ā 
ā€œNo,ā€ Jaskier shook his head.Ā ā€œI just donā€™t think Iā€™m healed yet. I may require another. Or several more.ā€
ā€œWell, if the patient thinks itā€™s necessary,ā€ Geralt grinned, leaning forward again. Jaskier pulled himself up a little to meet him, ignoring the lances of hurt in his arm.Ā ā€œI suppose...ā€
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dogbearinggifts Ā· 4 years ago
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What are your thoughts on tua S2? Did you feel like the characters grew? What did you like? What did you not? Iā€™m interested in your perspective. Your analysis are super thoughtful and interesting!
Aw, thanks, Anon!
Overall, I really enjoyed S2 and thought it was a solid follow-up to S1. I do have my quibbles about it, so I think (for ease of reference and because my thoughts are a little scattered today) Iā€™ll list some of my personal highlights (in no particular order) before getting into what I didnā€™t like as much.
Big spoilers ahead.
Allison. I thought they handled her storyline especially well. Of all the siblings, I think she had the most difficult obstacles placed in her way (not only is she a Black woman landing in 1961 Dallas, but sheā€™s a Black woman landing in 1961 Dallas who canā€™t even speak in her own defense for a year) and they sugarcoated exactly none of it. The writers pulled no punches when showing what civil rights protesters went through, which just made their nonviolent response all the more breathtaking. Allisonā€™s fear and anger during those scenes were palpable even as she kept them hidden. But along with that horror, we see the kindness and warmth of the Dallas Black community, the women who take her in simply because she needs their help, and her love for Ray, perhaps heretofore THE most thoughtful husband ever portrayed on screen. I loved him, and I loved him and Allison together. While I understand and respect his choice to stay in 1963, I wish theyā€™d gotten more time together. They both deserved it.
Vanya. We got to see how much the baggage from her past affected her by glimpsing what she might be like if it were taken away. Itā€™s an interesting philosophical question, and it was explored well, in my opinion. She finds it easier to love and be loved, and she stands up for herself more readilyā€”but she also doesnā€™t hesitate to use powers she canā€™t quite control and threatens Five without fully realizing how dire her threat is (or how it might dredge up traumatic memories she doesnā€™t know exist). The moment where Ben finds her curled up, fully convinced sheā€™s a monster, was heartbreaking. I loved watching her find happiness with Sissy, even if that was fleeting (and dear god, Sissy deserved her happy ending with Vanya, dammit, I donā€™t care if it would fuck up the timeline). Her patience and sweetness with Harlan were just beautiful. And the way she used the confidence she gained during her amnesia to fully come into her own not to exact revenge on her siblings, but to save them, was fucking phenomenal.
The humor. There was a lot more humor this season, and it was awesome. So many iconic scenesā€”Olga Foroga, Luther babysitting two homicidal Fives, Elliot awkwardly lecturing his guests on the history of Jello, ā€œNEW TIMELINE NEW ME,ā€ ā€œYour vagina needs glasses,ā€ AJ the fish gobbling up the cigarette bubbles, Five getting to say ā€œfuckā€ā€¦.this season was a lot funnier than the previous one, and I think that was one of its strengths.
Klausā€™ cult. It was played for laughs, which I both expected and thought was the best way to handle it. He didnā€™t want to start a new religion with himself at the center; he just wanted to not get thrown out of any more diners, but Destinyā€™s Children had other ideas. The ā€œI too am a fraud!ā€ scene was hilarious and tickled the question of whether or not a religion founded on false pretenses can still help those within it find meaning.
Luther. Getting him away from his dad, his siblings, and the Academy was exactly what he needed to become the pure of heart and dumb of ass genius we always knew he was, but his first major step in that direction was heartbreaking. We all knew heā€™d be rejected once he got to the Academy. We all knew Reginald would rip his heart out and stomp on it in his admittedly fashionable shoes. It gets Luther out on his own and forces him to become his own person apart from his dad, but that doesnā€™t make it any easier to watch. He got the positive character development he needed, but the catalyst was tragic.
Diego. We see, for the first time, exactly how Reginald kept him in lineā€”not with meds or with PTSD-inducing torture, but with words. Even when he knows Diego as little more than a stranger, Reginald is able to rip off his skin and fling it in his face with a single diatribe; and even at 30, with years away from his dad, Diego is left unable to speak, feeling as if all of his accomplishments up to that point were the work of a dumb kid who thought he was smarter and more capable than he actually was.
Luther and Diego sharing a braincell. Luther has bad ideas. Diego has bad ideas. When they put their bad ideas together, they get terrible ideas. I loved watching them work together as a team, rather than being at each othersā€™ throats for most of the season, even if Iā€™m left hoping Olga Foroga had a pleasant and quiet day after that phone call.
Reginald. At first glance, it may look like the writers were trying to make him likable so they could parade him around as your average abusive-parent-with-a-soft-side. But itā€™s more nuanced than that. Abusive parents (and abusers in general) often fly under the radar because they fool outsiders into thinking theyā€™re good people. Theyā€™re active in their communities. They give to charity. They have friends who attest to their virtue, significant others who think theyā€™re the greatest. And thatā€™s what we see with Reginald. We see him as the rest of the world did: an intelligent, eccentric man with a sharp sense of humor who cared deeply about scientific advancement. Thatā€™s how he evaded suspicionā€”because there were stories from years past of lively parties at his mansion, of what a gentleman he was to Grace and of how he did everything he could to save little Pogo. But those stories would all have come from people he considered his equals. When heā€™s with people he considers his inferiorsā€”aka, the Umbrella kidsā€”heā€™s openly condescending and demeaning. We get to see how he fooled the world, and it is chilling.
Elliot. He deserved better, and you can ship him with any one of the Hargreeves kids and get the cutest thing ever.Ā 
The Swedes. They said so much while speaking very little.
Ben. He got more personality and screen time, and it was glorious. His love of his family and resentment toward Klaus practically leapt off the screen. The way he says ā€œIā€™ve missed you allā€¦so muchā€ once theyā€™ve all left was one of those right-in-the-feels moments; and watching him get so much of what heā€™s wanted for years when he possesses Klaus was beautiful.
Now, as for things I took issue withā€¦.
Ben. I understand why they ended his arc the way they did. I get that they were probably afraid the Klaus/Ben dynamic would grow stale if they didnā€™t change it somehow and wanted to give him a larger role in S3. His death(???) was heartbreaking and extremely well-done. But it also wasnā€™t foreshadowed. We never got any sense of what ghosts in the TUA ā€˜verse are, so the fact they can be destroyed by a ton of sound-turned-energy or by going too far into someoneā€™s psyche or whatever happenedā€¦.itā€™s not that it doesnā€™t make sense so much as thereā€™s not enough evidence to determine whether or not it makes sense. It feels like the writers just kinda made that up so theyā€™d have a reason to change Benā€™s relationship dynamics, but if thatā€™s the case, couldnā€™t they have done it another way? Couldnā€™t they have made it so the immense energy or psychic woo-woo or whatever gave him a power-up instead of destroying him? Vanya transferred some of her energy into Harlan and brought him back to life. Couldnā€™t something similar have happened with Ben? And if it tied him to Vanya as well as to Klaus, great! More fodder for angst and humor! (ā€Vannyyyyyyyy, stop hogging Ben!ā€ ā€œYou got him for 17 years, Klaus, you can part with him for 20 minutes.ā€ ā€œGuys, donā€™t I get a say in this?ā€) Iā€™m glad they didnā€™t write him out of the series entirely, but I still wish theyā€™d kept him and all the character development heā€™d gotten throughout S2.
Episode 10. It looks like they tried to cram half a seasonā€™s worth of developments into 45 minutes. Twenty minutes in, Iā€™d already said ā€œWait what the fuckā€ half a dozen times. A lot of those moments were explained later on, and I was able to make enough inferences to fill in any lingering plot holes, butā€¦still. Too much stuff, too little time. E9 was a perfectly satisfying ending to the season. Yes, it leaves the siblings stranded in 1963, but they couldā€™ve tied up those loose ends in the S3 premiere.
Lila. Sheā€™s an incredibly fun character, but her arc is kind of a mess. Most of that is due to E10, and I do feel that more time to let her arc breathe wouldā€™ve worked wonders, but Iā€™m left feeling like her turn from ā€œHandler is the best mom ever and I lurve Diego tooā€ to ā€œKILL DIEGO AND HIS EVIL FAMILYā€ to ā€œHandler is a bad mom and Diego is rightā€ happened too quickly.
The Commission. Okay, so, the Handler announces the entire Board has been killed, and sheā€™s stepping in as director even though everyone appears to know sheā€™s been demoted (and demoted pretty severelyā€”she went from having an office bigger than some apartments to being a case management drone). Thereā€™s suspicion and lots of it. But then, La Resistance isā€¦.ten or so people in a single room? And when she calls the temps agents to her side, thousands of them show up ready and willing to fight and die? I dunno. Just seems like there shouldā€™ve been more splintering going on there. Again, I think they needed more time to tie everything up.
Aside from those complaints, I loved the season. I set aside most of a day to binge it, and I do not regret that decision at all.
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booksweet Ā· 4 years ago
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Heaven and Earth
starring: Gojo Satoru x fem!reader
Synopsis: what If your favorite character became real the moment you needed the most?
Warnings: if you squish you can see angst at the beginning, fluffy, implied major shibuya incident arc spoilers, grammar mistakes, both reader and Gojo are +18
word count: +3.4k
A/N: hello! I present you "real" series season finale and I hope you all enjoyed the adventure so far there. Also, I want to say thank you for reaching 100 followers, I couldn't be happier! Thank you, thank you šŸ’› Hope y'all enjoy!
part 1 | part 2 | part 3
tagging: @noritoshiikamo
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ā€œSatoru?ā€ You mumble after several minutes. Hours have seemed to pass away since you told him what happened with his friends, his students, the ones he loved and cared about. Itā€™s awful to say heā€™s speechless, thereā€™s more sorrow in his body than shock. You feel silence deepening crave in him. ā€œPlease, talk to me.ā€
You both are at home again. He brought you back teleporting, using his powers. And he felt cold. Thereā€™s no more warm within him, not that one the made your heart rush. He is on the other side of your dinner table, dropped body on the wooden chair. Thereā€™s no light, no warm, no soul.
You could not help but to thing about your new realization. You have your own powers.Cursed energy runs through your body, shivers running down your skin feels like your own jujutsu powers, even though you donā€™t know how to manipulate it. Yet.
You had a long night, so long with so many secrets revealed for a night. Unveiled feelings, unveiled meeting, unveiled secrets.
But now, you know everything is gone. He will go back to his world. With you or without, he would go as fast as he could. How could he not? If he knows about Nanami, Yaga, Yuuji, Makiā€¦ What does bond him here? Nothing.
ā€œThey allā€¦ā€ He stars saying, voice breaking through the silence. That ominous silence. You hate that. His voice is lifeless and just want to hold him tight in your arms, however you stay in your place. He has the right to cop what you revealed, he has the right to mourn them. ā€œNo. This is impossible.ā€ His voice full of violence, you canā€™t see his eyes behind his blindfolds, but heā€™s clenching his fists roughly his knuckles are white. His lips pursed.
ā€œItā€™s true.ā€ Your answer slips from your mouth slowly, trying to remain calm ā€“ even when you just wished you could scream as loud as your throat could endure. Words heavier on your shoulders. He stayed here while he could have saved his friends, he stayed here with meā€¦
These thoughts running wild through your mind, regret, pain andā€¦ Love. You eyed at him again, sure he would lose his composure. Yet that moment never came, you spent hours staring him in his numb state and it felt wrong to find him so beautiful amidst such grief. White locks, tall body, the pain, the loveā€¦ He looked divine as a romantic masterpiece you could find on a museum.
And, after being with him for the past weeks, you knew you loved him. You loved him beyond your first relationship with his character, you loved him now as a person. As person you wished to have by your side, a person who could be your pillar. Gojo Satoru is the one and only you loved and longed the most. And the only one you long for is now ready to leave you behind and tore your heart apart. Not that you cared, not at all.
ā€œSatoru,ā€ You say louder, and your voice almost weakens, but you donā€™t allow it to reveal your true feelings, never. ā€œTeach me how to master my cursed energy and Iā€™ll get you back to your world at the right time, the right moment. And you willsave every single one of them.ā€
Heā€™s close to you, bare eyes craving your soul, his tall form now smaller than you thought he could ever be. ā€œPlease,ā€ his voice is barely audible, your heart seems louder than him. He kneeled in front of you, hands cold on your knees. ā€œI need to get back. Only you can do this.ā€ Teary eyes mirror your own expression as you move your head up and down in agreement, your hands on his as you close your eyes a place your forehead on his one. Heā€™s cold, so cold you wish you could warm him up again.
His scent all over your nostrils, youā€™re face to face now. And you feel guilty you want to kiss him, thereā€™s so much more you shouldā€™ve cared about. He leans on you as you lean on him, desiring to be together but your cursed reality screaming on your brains.
You release a sight, and you get away from him, he eyes you again, that broken eyes and you canā€™t help but to touch your lips on his forehead. ā€œLetā€™s go, thereā€™s a lot we have to doā€.
When you move away, sudden his hands are lying carefully on your shoulders, thumbs caressing your shoulder blades and his face is near yours once more, his breath is yours and yours are his. Lips ghosting over one another, his nose hovering in your own and when you closer your eyes you feel guilty squish your heart again. ā€œy/nā€¦ā€ he says softly and your grip on his hands tighter. ā€œlook at meā€¦ā€
And when your eyes meet his, you donā€™t mind any guilty you could have ever felt. Not this moment. The last thing you remember is your hands on his white locks, your lips and his lips connected, tongues fighting over control and his warm on your body. His hands on your waist, on your back, all over your body. Tears on your cheeks, tears on his. Your warmth and his warmth.
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ā€œTry again,ā€ His voice rash, earnest on your ears and you release a frustrated sight. Your sore muscles screaming from your efforts. Itā€™s been weeks since you decided youā€™d control your own cursed energy, yet you managed no progress at all. ā€œCā€™mon, y/n, I know you can do this.ā€
You were endeavour training since then. Your body, your mind. You tried so hard to acquire control over all your abilities and all your efforts were not enough. Itā€™s not enough, not enoughā€¦
ā€œIt must be.ā€ He comes closer to you, your breath heavier and heavier from your physical effort. Your hands on your knees as you curve your spine panting, you just want it to stop. You canā€™t feel your power at its fullness, not even the hint Satoru showed you that painful day. And, oh, you vocalized your thoughts and here he is leaning closer to you. ā€œy/n, donā€™t give up, I believe in youā€¦ā€
ā€œItā€™s not about believing in me, Satoru,ā€ You answer as you catch your breath, your body aching and your muscles begging for you some rest. ā€œItā€™s been weeks, weeks. And I couldnā€™t summon nothingā€¦ ā€œ
ā€œBut that dayā€¦ā€
ā€œYes, Satoru,ā€ You pry his words, and you feel miserable as your bitter voice cuts him off. ā€œThat day I saw cursed energy there and there, that day I managed to control a wisp of my power and then nothing more, nothing.ā€
He stays silent, contemplating your angry expression. ā€œLetā€™s call a day off.ā€ Thatā€™s all he states.
ā€œYes,ā€ You agree, and you recompose your body and stars walking. He follows you. ā€œI need some time aloneā€ You stop to take a look at him, and you swear you see a hint of pained expression, but you need time to yourself. You need to think about everything, you need to think about you and him.
ā€œOk,ā€ He frons his lips as he seemed to be about saying something to you, yet he just moves his hands together. ā€œIf you need anything, just call me, Iā€™ll be around.ā€ And then he teleports leaving you all alone. As you wished.
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By yourself at room, staring at the ceiling you sight again. Satoru is out for hours in a row and you wished he were by your side, even though you wish he werenā€™t due to the fact you couldnā€™t bear his faithful eyes at you. No, you could not.
You shrugged on your bed, what was wrong with you? Why could you not summon your powers?
And then you contemplated, where had this all begun? That day you were crying over his prison and you wished so hard you could be by his side to, at least, give him a hug. But you donā€™t remember if you felt some wave of power, he just appeared on your room and everything started. And then he was all by your side, his smile, his jokesā€¦ His mouth on yours.
ā€œNo, youā€™re not thinking about it, Y/N,ā€ You shake your head to dismiss your mind. ā€œYouā€™re not.ā€
Palms up to the ceiling you stare profoundly your hands as if it would make cursed energy through them. Nothing.
Arms around your body, you stroke your side arms like you were cold, even thought your room was on suitable temperature. You fret when your mind starts wander one more time. But now, you just let it go.
His kiss so passionate. His hands on your waist, on your hips so warm, so lovely. Your hands on his hair deepening the kiss, you were closer as ever. And there you felt something you know you shouldnā€™t, you felt love.
You fell for him. Not for his character, but for the man in flesh and bone kissing you. And at the sudden realization his hands are on your cheeks as tears run over your skin. ā€œDonā€™t cry,ā€ He breathed ā€œDonā€™t cryā€ a kiss on a fallen tear, your face warm. ā€œDonā€™t cry.ā€
But you couldnā€™t stop. You loved him, but you were never meant to be together. You didnā€™t want to let him go. Your heart grieved the fact that one day he would let you all alone again.
ā€œOhā€¦ā€ You run out of breath and you knew what was restraining you, no, who. The person was yourself, you alone for your selfish reasons was suffocating your powers.
You scratch your throat as you announce out loud. ā€œSatoru,ā€ You shiver and fear whatā€™s coming next, but you know somehow, he will come to you. ā€œCome here.ā€
After several minutes, you take that odd manga from your desk. Hands sweating, lips dried at the moment he arrives. Heā€™s beautiful as always, but you see a hint of sorrow and grief. Painful beauty in his bare eyes. His voice hoarse when he says, ā€œAre you feeling better, Y/N?ā€ Heā€™s too far from you, and you wished you could give him one last kiss. He stares at the manga youā€™re holding on your chest and furrows his eyebrows in confusion. ā€œWhat is this?ā€ He starts to move closer to you, but you stop him.
ā€œDonā€™t- donā€™t come close, please.ā€ You breathed heavy and he froze, questioning eyes craving you. ā€œDonā€™t make it harder than it isā€
ā€œWha-ā€œ
ā€œYou know,ā€ You began, holding tight the manga. ā€œI have loved you since the first time I met you on the story, you were my comfort character,ā€ You swallow as you fight the words to keep coming out. ā€œBut that day, after you were sealed, I wished so hard for you to be real so I could hug you, say everything was to be okay again.ā€ You shrugged as you felt your eyes watering, he stayed in silence waiting for you to continue.
ā€œAnd, for some reason, the next moment you were here. Somehow, my wish came true, and I met you personally. And then you became more than a well-known character for me, you became someone I could count for, andā€¦ā€ You gulp in guilty. ā€œAnd true loved, I met you and I found real love in this lonely existence.ā€
ā€œY/Nā€¦ā€ He stepped forward, but you showed your right palm to him, a signal for him to be where he was.
ā€œNo, stay there and let me finish this,ā€ You took a deep breath, eyes no longer with tears. Just acceptance. ā€œI felt guilty this whole time because I wanted so bad to be with you, and then we kissed and, in my heart, I wish you could never go back to your world.ā€ You laugh bitterly. ā€œItā€™s selfish I know, but there it is, the naked truth about me. I forbid myself to let you go. Thatā€™s why our training wasnā€™t working. And Iā€™m sorry for that.ā€
You place the manga on your tights, it feels heavier than it should be. One hand on the cover, and the other palm aiming at him. His eyes widened. ā€œBut now itā€™s your time to go. You have to go back to them and save all the ones you love, okay?ā€ You feel something inside you, wavering through your body. Itā€™s your dormant power, now awakening. Youā€™re sense it everywhere, every breath you release. Itā€™s you. Itā€™s overwhelming.
ā€œY/N, NO,ā€ He tries to run after you, but your wave of power surrounds him and heā€™s locked in some kind of bubble, you donā€™t know what that was, yet you knew it would take him back. He slammed the surface in despair screaming for you not to do this. Tears on his eyes meeting your own.
ā€œGoodbye, Satoru,ā€ You close your hands and then everything is gone. Youā€™re alone at your bedroom, silence heavy above your shoulders. And when you stare at the manga on your legs, you finally allow yourself to cry. ā€œIt was nice to meet you.ā€
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Two years later
You were walking down your street back home after work. The weather was cold enough for you to use your winter garments, and your breath turning into steam. You pass in front of a bookstore, the wind full of books and other stuff.
You tensed your shoulders as your eyes find that one piece you havenā€™t read the past two years. You couldnā€™t bare take a look at it. Two years ago, you sent Gojo Satoru away, back to his world and you remained in yours.
You wrapped a finger around a lock of your hair, and you could sense your cursed energy flowing under you skin. After he left, you had a hard time training on your own, but, after all, you managed to control it. Even though now it is barely useless since heā€™s gone.
ā€œI shouldnā€™t do thisā€¦ā€ You mutter as your body moves through the bookstoreā€™s door. ā€œI really shouldnā€™t.ā€
Your heart races as you come close to the manga area and thereā€™s a few people there. Jujutsu Kaisen seemed to grow higher and higher through the years, and you were not going to lie, sometimes you missed reading it. But the pain you felt made you cry each time you tried it. Then you gave up.
You slapped her foreheard softly. ā€œDonā€™t lose control now, itā€™s been two years, Y/N!ā€ And you finally reach upon the latest manga release. You free your breath you didnā€™t even know you were holding as your fingers walk through the cover, through the pages. All the memories sudden coming back to you. ā€œI miss youā€ you mewled.
You stiff and shut your mouth as you hear voices on the other side of shelves, two young girls talking about the latest chapter. ā€œDid you see what he made? With Gojo?ā€ Her voice loud on your ears, and you pinch your nose as you lean your body on the shelf pretending to read the manga on your hands just to hear more of their conversation. ā€œI donā€™t get it, Gojo came back out of nowhere, out of the blue. I expected that everyone, repeat, everyone would be dead by now and Gojo still on Prison Realm.ā€ The girls stop to check something and you almost yell at her. He did it. He did it. He did it.
ā€œAnd he keeps talking aboutā€¦ā€ The girl drums her fingers on the wooden shelf while thinking. ā€œAbout that character we never metā€¦ That one, you remember?ā€
ā€œOh, wait. I guess he said her name on this chapter.ā€ The other one picks up a volume on her backpack and opens it. ā€œHer name is Y/Nā€¦ā€
ā€œWHAT?ā€ You scream and the girls are suddenly silent. You curse yourself ā€“ not vocalizing it, of course ā€“ for that and fake a hurt on yourself. ā€œOuch, I really hit my finger on this?ā€
ā€œSoā€¦ Okay. I didnā€™t understand, he talked about this Y/N and what he said seemed like a confession to me? And the chapters after he kind of mention that the one he loves isnā€™t from his world? I got so confused.ā€
You are trembling as you head to them. You know youā€™ll look like a crazy person spawning out of the blue in front of two teenagers, but you canā€™t help doing it. Your heartbeat is in rush, a buzz in your ears and you felt you could faint anytime. ā€œUh, girls?ā€ You approach them and they look at you curiously. ā€Can-can I read these chapters? Please?ā€
They stare at you and you are sure they would call the security guards or whatever. Instead of it, the first girl holds the manga and give it to you. Her eyes fierce on yours. You bow your head in acknowledgment and your legs take you to a place you can sit down and read. You place the manga on the table in front of you, the bookstoreā€™s cafĆ© is empty, lacking people, so itā€™s your safe place by now. ā€œOkay, if Iā€™m to do it, then Iā€™ll do it now.ā€
The first thing you see is him. Heā€™s beautiful, breathless and divine. You always found his beauty unique, even in sorrow, he still would be beautiful like a God. But now thereā€™s pain and age on his eyes, and when you start to read what heā€™s saying, you felt him looking at you.
ā€œOnce I said that upon heaven and earth, I alone was the honoured one.ā€ He laughs achingly, a bitter sound out of his throat. ā€œHow presumptuous of me, huh? Iā€™m not the honoured one, not me. I proudly carried the heigh of being the strongest, yet itā€™s not me. Iā€™m..ā€ He swallows. ā€œIā€™m nothing closer to her. She isā€¦ How can I say?ā€
ā€œThereā€™s no words I could describe her properly. Sheā€™s fierce, beautiful, clever, lovely. Sheā€™s powerful. The best place in the universe is in between her arms, her lipsā€¦ Her lips, I will never forget them. I will never forget how she kissed me that last time and her eyes when we said goodbye.ā€
ā€œBut you know? Sheā€™s the true strongest, the honoured one above earth, heaven. She holds the power of galaxies and worlds in her veins. And I wish I could see her one more time.ā€
He eyes out of the pages at your teared globes. Youā€™re sobbing alone, stains on the pages. You missed him so much, so much and now all your pain came back. And what was he saying? All those words were for you?
ā€œY/N, you didnā€™t allow me to say goodbye, and I wonā€™t ever say goodbye to you. Iā€™ll keep talking to the walls, to the stones, to anything if it means youā€™ll see this and come back to me. You have the powers of Gods, Goddess, deities. You can do anything you want, you can go anywhere you want, to any world. I love you, Y/N,ā€ Heā€™s crying now, the panels focusing on his watery blue eyes. ā€œI love you, please, come back to me. I love you.ā€
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The last thing you remember is your power uncontrolled, overwhelming your senses and the light. You got blind by that light and when everything went dark you felt nothing.
ā€œY/N?ā€ A male voice distant on your ears, you know that sound. Whoā€™s him? Am I at my room? Thereā€™s a man on my room?Your heart starts racing, someone might have trespassed you house andā€¦
ā€œY/N, itā€™s me,ā€ He lifts you up, his voice weeping in joy as he hugs you. ā€œItā€™s me, Satoru. I didnā€™t burst into your house this timeā€ He laughs and holds you even closer.
Youā€™re out of words when your eyes open and you cross your arms on his back, embracing him tight. Iā€™ve missed itā€¦
ā€œI thought you broke into my room again!ā€ You answer him crying and laughing. When you move apart to look at his face, his tears meet yours as you kiss passionately.
ā€œI,ā€ a kiss on your lips. ā€œmissedā€ on your right cheek ā€œyouā€ on your left cheek. ā€œI thoughtā€ a peck on your chin ā€œI couldā€ his warm lips pressed on your forehead ā€œdieā€ again you connected your mouths, smiling during the kiss.
ā€œIā€™m here nowā€ You hold him tight. ā€œAnd for your luck, or notĀø I plan to stay and fight some curses.ā€ Heā€™s laughing out loud as he places his head on the crook of your neck. ā€œUh, the honoured one? Me?ā€
ā€œYes, Y/Nā€ His muffled voice on your ears as he hugs you tighter than ever. ā€œThroughout heaven and earth, you are the honoured one.ā€
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itsclydebitches Ā· 3 years ago
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RWBY Roman Holiday: A Review
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Hello, everyone, and welcome to my review of RWBY: Roman Holiday by E.C. Myers! Given my tendency to discuss this franchise at great length, I thought I'd start with a tl;dr section for those who might just want my general takeaway, not a deep dive into some of the novel's specific flaws and strengths. So with that in mind...Ā 
Did you like the book?
I did! Let me put it like this. I'm incredibly critical of any RWBY material nowadays, I haven't had the energy to read #realbooks for a while, and I still managed to finish this in five days, even while stopping every few pages to take notes. So it was entertaining enough to hold my attention, unlike Before the Dawn. Is it a perfect novel worthy of nothing but endless praise? No and I'll delve into the many problems below. But is it also one of the better RWBY installments I've engaged with lately, including recent Volumes of the webseries? Yeah. If you're still emotionally attached to the show or these characters, I recommend giving it a try for the sake of nostalgia.Ā 
But isn't there a bunch of creepy stuff in it? Didn't Myers turn Roman into a pedophile?Ā 
No, he didn't. As I suspected, the rumors that we've been hearing lately probably came about from taking certain moments out of context, or by blowing up some pretty minor implications, or by straight up reading interactions between an adult and a minor in very bad faith. Purity culture and a desire to drag RWBY combining to create an argument that, frankly, isn't supported by the text. Are there jokes and interactions that some readers might find uncomfortable? Yes, but itā€™s no worse than what RWBY has already established as a canonical part of their world and writing style. See: Yang's interactions with Junior in her Yellow Trailer. If you're a fan of Roman and have held off only because you're convinced the novel ruined his character, I personally don't think that's the case. Breathe easy.Ā 
I'm still worried about how the novel treats disability though. Specifically Neo's muteness.Ā 
I was too, but I'm happy to report it's a pretty tame portrayal. If anything, I have more to say about the intersection between Neo's semblance and her sense of identity. Suffice to say though, Neo never speaks in the novel, there's no ridiculous reason why she can't speak (no reason is given at all, itā€™s simply a part of her), and only the bad guys pressure her into talking. Meaning, the bad guys from her and Romanā€™s perspective. Obviously she and Roman are both villains in the RWBY world, but when it comes to respecting each other's needs they're definitely, comparatively better than the rest of the cast.Ā 
So there were no problems?Ā 
Oh no, there are definitely problems lol. Let's just say they're not offensive enough to bother the average RWBY fan. At least, most of them (probably) aren't. If you're not neck deep in the franchise's struggles and actively thinking about how this novel does (or does not) fit into the larger RWBY-mythos, there's a very good chance you'll like the book, passing over everything Iā€™m about to mention without a backwards glance. Hell, even if you're looking for problems there's a good chance you'll enjoy a lot of other aspects, just like I did. So I recommend taking a chance on the book far more than I recommend steering clear on principal alone.Ā 
Okay, with that out of the way it's time to dive into the nitty-gritty! Ā 
FYI I'm pulling my quotations from the paperback edition and, as is probably already obvious, this is not a spoiler free review. So tread carefully!Ā Ā 
Part One: An Imbalance of Protagonists
Would you like RWBY: Roman Holiday? Well, that might depend largely on which of its main characters you're most interested in. If it's Roman, you may be disappointed, despite the fact that the book is evenly divided between his and Neo's perspectives. This is, fundamentally, a book about Neo. She is the one undergoing all the character development. She is the one who is driving the plot. Roman just sort of exists within a criminal status quo until he bumps into her ā€” almost exactly halfway through the novel's 308 pages ā€” and then becomes caught up in her training, her desire to concoct new schemes, and eventually her family's problems. I don't want to make it sound like Roman is unimportant to the book, he's obviously there and he does things, but we're not given the same level of insight into him like we are Neo.Ā  Frankly, I can think of only two significant revelations, both of which we might have easily guessed based on Roman's established characteristics: his mother abandoned him when he was a kid and he once worked for one of the main crime bosses in Mistrial, specifically Lil' Miss Malachite. Otherwise, everything Roman does and experiences is precisely the sort of stuff we saw him do and experience in the webseries. He commits petty crimes, fights people with his cane, and does it all with a dramatic flare which, notably, Myers writes quite well.Ā 
This lack of impact on the story seems to stem from two decisions. First, Myers never jumps forward or backwards in time (with the exception of two small scenes that explain how characters got to a point we saw in the last scene/chapter). Though this definitely helps to keep things from getting confusing, it means that we never go farther back than Neo at 8 years of age and we're always looking at what both characters are up to at the same point in time. Given that Roman is a decade older than Neo, this means that, unlike her, we never get peek into his childhood. When she's 8 he's 18, already an adult and committing crimes in Mistral. A lot of Neo's development is inevitable, just by virtue of starting her story so young. She has to mature, develop her semblance, go to school, try various ways of being independent for the first time... Roman gets none of that. He's an adult when we meet him, his character fully formed and, since we already know that character from the webseries, we're given no new insight into him or how he developed that identity, just a reconfirmation that it exists.Ā 
More of an issue though is that Roman isn't allowed an arc over the course of the novel. The man we meet on page 9 is precisely the same man we end with on page 308 ā€” with the minor exception that he now has a partner in Neo and that, sadly, is a lesson he learns instantaneously. For the first half of the book, Myers sets up the expectation that learning to trust and, specifically, learning to trust someone like Neo is the great conflict that Roman will have to work though. He's very cynical in his own head, as we might expect: ā€œOn the streets, on your own. You only watched out for yourself. Anything else was a weakness. Anyone else was a liabilityā€ (14). No sooner is this perspective established than Roman is meeting people who challenge it. While babysitting the Malachite girls, they provide advice on how to improve his chances of pulling off heists:Ā 
Melanie and Miltia, simultaneously:Ā ā€œYou just need the right partner.ā€Ā 
Roman:Ā ā€œMaybe. I just donā€™t believe anyone is going to watch out for me as much as I willā€ (41).Ā 
After betraying Lil' Miss and fending off his peer Chameleon, she sadly announcesĀ that "you might have gotten what you wanted after all if you hadnā€™t been in it only for yourself. If you had allowed yourself to trust someoneā€ (87). Myers isn't subtle about the theme here.Ā 
Yet when Roman meets Neo, that trust is immediate, despite spending his entire life rejecting the idea of a partner, despite the viewer having just read about numerous other people who Roman spent years fighting beside and still didn't come to trust, Neo forms an instant, powerful connection with him ā€” one that can't be explained by her saving his life when they first meet. Even Roman himself acknowledges that it's just another debt to repay. They simply click, with no explanation as to how that occurred, or even a serious acknowledgement that this is out of character for them both (what with Neo never having had a friend). Neo gives him the name "Neopolitan," knowing it's her true name now and, thus, a more personal offering than her birth name "Trivia." Roman gives her his entire life story during their first meal together. Roman also spends all of his money on Neo's modified parasol and at the novel's end continually offers to sacrifice himself so that Neo can escape. Neo thinks a lot about how Roman is the only one who can understand her through body language alone which, kudos to Myers again, he does describe her movements with enough clarity to sell that understanding (even if Roman does sometimes make leaps in logic that feel a little unlikely).Ā ā€œShe really missed Roman. Most of the time she didnā€™t need to say anything and he knew exactly what she was thinkingā€ (249). It's heartwarming. As someone who enjoyed their relationship in the webseires, this is likewise a joy to read. It's just that it... kinda came out of nowhere.Ā 
Far from this just being an issue of Roman trusting when he's never trusted before, Myers sets up a conflict of loyalties in Neo that is then immediately dropped. She finds herself surprised by Lady Beat ā€” the headmistress of the academy Neo attends ā€” unexpectedly liking her insights and, in exchange for privacy and a more in-depth curriculum, agrees to help her capture Roman. Prior to this agreement, Neo considers helping the Malachite twins take Roman out when they corner him because then they might be Neo's friends instead of her bullies. That motivation makes perfect sense to me. Of course Neo would be more interested in assisting the two girls who attend school with her and improving her daily life over helping the random guy on the street, even if Roman's vulnerability (that's what Neo latches onto: a moment where his mask slips and he shows true fear) sways her towards helping him in the end. When she reunites with Roman later, he requests that she help him spy on Lady Beat... and Neo turns him down. So there's a very clear precedent here of Neo being out for herself, looking to improve her relationship with the other high society ladies she's spending most of her time with. The road to favoring Roman over them will be a long one. What will convince Neo to switch sides?Ā 
Nothing. Soon after Neo thinks about how she's duping both Lady Beat and Roman (the reasoning there is never really explained) and from then on her focus is entirely on Roman, with likewise no explanation as to why she chose him in the end. ā€œRoman clearly had some trust issues to work out, but Neo was going to prove to him that he could count on herā€ (219). Why this sudden desire to prove herself to Roman? No idea. The novel skips over the majority of their bonding. Yes, there are a few key scenes ā€” Neo saving him, Roman giving her the parasol, etc. ā€” but a single sentence reveals that Neo has been training with him for months now, bypassing the slow development of trust and Neo's changing thought process about what side she should choose.Ā 
Or rather, there are explanations for Neo's decision, but they all occur after Neo has already chosen Roman. There are two major revelations that we're only told about much later in the novel: that Neo is suddenly dissatisfied with her life at school ā€” ā€œNeopolitan was having second thoughts. As much as life at the school had improved, more and more it felt like it wasnā€™t giving her what she neededā€ ā€” and that Lady Beat is the head of a major spying conspiracy across all of Remnant (more on that later). Either one of these could have been the catalyst for Neo giving more attention to Roman and, eventually, growing quite close to him. A general dissatisfaction with her life, the revelation that Lady Beat isn't the kind of criminal Neo wants to support...either would work. As it is, her devotion to Roman seems to immerge randomly, fully formed and unshakable, with these ā€˜I guess the school and Lady Beat weren't that great after allā€™ justifications tacked on much later and, thus, presented as incidental to Neo's devotion.Ā ā€œ[Roman] was basically the only thing that mattered to her in the world right now" is the conclusion Neo comes to without a lot of work put in to explain how he reached that point in her life (248).Ā 
And I can see how this happened. We already know that Neo and Roman are a tight-knit duo from the webseries ā€” Neo's love in particular has been emphasized since Volume Six ā€” and so Myers banked on the reader applying that knowledge to the novel. He wrote the story of what Neo and Roman did prior to meeting, he wrote the story of their friendship prior to the webseries... but he didn't really write how that friendship came about. It's treated as a given, despite the huge number of reasons why that friendship should be rocky (or even non-existent) at the start, to say nothing of many fans' interest in getting an answer to the question, "How does an established villain who trusts no one wind up partnering with a girl a decade his junior?" The novel tells us that this unexpected outcome does, in fact, occur, rather than taking us through the journey of how such an outcome is possible. This is by no means a new problem in RWBY and, admittedly, Myers' depiction of the relationship isn't as noticeably a problem as some others in the webseries, simply by virtue of Neo and Roman being the focus of the novel and the reader knowing that they do, in fact, end up as partners. It's a lot easier to buy a shaky journey when you already know the inevitable conclusion, but that doesn't mean we couldn't have done a better job of showing it.Ā 
Which, to get back to the original point of this section, means that Roman never has that arc about learning to trust someone. He just does trust, the moment Neo comes on the scene. Personally, I think this rapid-fire growth is particularly egregious given everything else we learn about Neo and Romanā€™s histories. Meaning, just like Roman's cynicism about trust is introduced early on, so is his hatred for the rich elite. In fact, Roman's poverty and the disdain that has bred are arguably the most prominent aspects that Myers added to his characterization. As seen in the novel's excerpt release, Roman's introduction is robbing a rich man coming out of a club where he shows more interest in humiliating and harming the man than just getting his stuff and running. Which, to be fair, isn't solely due to the man's status as a member of the elite. The novel develops both characters' sadist tendencies ā€” ā€œHeā€™s vicious. He brutally beat a man just for his coat. He was having funā€ (21) ā€” but the manā€™s status isn't a non-factor either. Roman's internal thoughts say a lot about how stupid, rude, gullible, pathetic, and inept he thinks the rich are. At the start he's not just taking the man's coat because he likes it, but because heā€™ll need it to survive the Mistral winter, what with living in a shelter under a bridge and all. We learn that his obsession with survival is born of poverty ā€” ā€œMaā€™am, when you donā€™t have anything, surviving is more. Youā€™ve gotta start somewhereā€ (20) ā€” and that Roman will go to any lengths just to meet his basic needs, potentially with a side of some comfort. For example, he knowingly risks his life by pissing off Lil' Miss just to get two days of food, baths, and a bed. As Roman puts it, those two days are worth it, even if it means the rest of his life is potentially forfeit.Ā 
So this is a man driven by a desire to live in comfort, manifesting in a hatred of the rich that is so powerful Roman breaks the man's knee just for the hell of it. He's touchy about any comment on his upbringing too: "Roman froze. 'So thatā€™s it. You think youā€™re better than me. Because you went to school? Learned a trade?'" (80). And, to be clear, this is a hatred of the high society rich. The kind of wealth that's never earned. Roman has a healthy respect for the well-fed crime bosses who have pushed their way to the top, just as he plans to. Not those living cushy lives at the expense of him and others.Ā 
And wouldn't you know it, his partner to-be is a pampered little rich girl.Ā 
"There's the conflict," I thought. "Roman doesn't just need to learn to trust, he's got to trust someone born into extreme luxury. How is that going to happen?" Well, again, it didn't. Neo and Roman's class difference is ignored for 99% of the novel, with the other 1% used for casual banter between them. It's not that Roman isn't aware of Neo's pedigree, so to speak. He finds her through the uniform she wears, the symbol of an academy that rich girls attend. When they share their first tea together, he notes how daintily she eats the sandwiches, more evidence that Neo has had manners drilled into her at a young age. When he finally gets confirmation that she's not just rich, but really rich ā€” flying to her parents' mansion ā€” Roman is just kinda moderately surprised, throwing in a comment about how someday that money will be hers and isn't that nice. Roman's hatred of the elite disappeared for Neo's sake, just like his trust issues did. There's no working through these differences, just an erasure of them so the novel can jump straight to them being the perfectly in synch duo we know from the webseries.Ā 
As a side detail that I think demonstrates this imbalance rather well, hair is used as a marker of identity throughout the novel. Neo moves from being jealous that other girls are allowed to style their hair how they please, to making her hair entirely pink with her semblance, changing that to half brown instead, buying pink dye so she no longer needs to waste energy on something she wants to be permanent, and ending with her getting some white streaks even as she chooses to leave the name Vanille behind. Each change coincides with an aspect of her development and it works quite well. In contrast though, Roman has only setup, no follow through. Unlike the short cut we're used to in the series, Roman starts the novel with a long ponytail that characters frequently comment on. The twins steal his hat and beg to braid his hair when they're bored. Neo seems iffy about the style choice. A couple other side characters make vague references to imply that he should get rid of it ā€” something, something it doesn't actually suit him. So surely we'll see Roman cut his hair sometime before the novel's end, visually representing his growth, just like Neo's changing color has represented hers (ending with a color mix that reflects neapolitan ice cream)? Nope. Not unless I missed it. The foundation for that change is there, but Myers never capitalizes on it, despite obviously knowing what he's doing with Neo.Ā 
So if you want more Roman content, the kind of content we saw in the webseries, great. You'll love the novel. If you want to read about Roman undergoing any significant change, including a dive into how he came to trust Neo of all people, large chunks of that story are missing. In true RWBY fashion, there are plenty of details that allow readers to fill in the blanks for themselves, but the canon itself is, sadly, lacking.Ā 
Part Two: Neo's Magical IdentityĀ 
We've established then that Neo gets the lion's share of the development and, frankly, most of it is good. Knowing she's set to become a villain, I loved reading the gradual move from understandably lashing out ā€” Neo throws an umbrella at her father's face when he's being an emotionally abusive dick ā€” to becoming just as stoically cruel as Roman ā€” she launches a woman out of the back of a plane. Did she have a parachute? Who cares. There's a lot here to like about Neo's characterization, with Myers finding a nice balance between keeping her playful and not making her feel like a caricature (helped immensely by spending so much time in Neo's head). However, the one part that arguably fails is the development of Neo's semblance and, consequentially, her identity.Ā 
To be clear, I absolutely get what Myers was going for and it's basically what I assumed was going on when I read the excerpt: Trivia (Neo's birth name) has an imaginary friend she calls Neopolitan and, over time, she realizes she is Neopolitan. The imaginary friend is who she wanted to be all along, not just the person she wanted to spend time with. I like it! Who among us hasn't imagined a badass, smooth-talking, beloved version of ourselves that impresses everyone with a Mary Sue-esque ease? (Or, if you haven't, guess I'm outing myself here lol.) It's a pretty relatable idea. Trivia imagines a girl with the power to dress how she wants, style her hair how she wants, with amazing acrobatic skills, a take-no-shit attitude, fun ideas to implement... but she also has Trivia's heterochromia and muteness. It's the perfect combination of Trivia's unique traits and the confidence/freedom she longs to have. Of course when given the chance she grows up to be Neo, even going so far as to take that name. It's what she always wanted.Ā 
The only problem here is that in the RWBY world, Neo can't just be an imaginary friend. She's a manifestation of Trivia's semblance. As we learn later, the things Trivia creates are as real as real can be, provided she keeps up their existence. You can touch the wall. You can count the money. You can wear the clothes. They're less illusions than short-term creations ā€” as Team RWBY realizes whenever they wind up attacking a Neo duplicate instead of the "real" thing ā€” and that puts an odd spin on just how imaginary Neopolitan actually is. She's not imaginary at all. She's a real person that exists in the real world, it's just that this existence is temporary and dependent on Trivia's aura.Ā 
The novel supports this by constantly writing Neopolitan as a distinct personality from Trivia. Not just the polished version of who she is slowly becoming, but an individual in her own right. Neo makes decisions that are fully her own, contrary to or even entirely unknown to Trivia. To highlight just a few examples:Ā 
Trivia is unsure about sneaking out of the house so Neo "shoved her into the hall" (25).Ā 
Neo "looked on jealouslyā€ as Trivia drinks a milkshake, implying a desire to have one and the knowledge that her current physicality doesn't allow for that. If she is Trivia, shouldn't she likewise be enjoying the shake?Ā 
ā€œShe shot Neo a questioning look... before she realized what Neo had in mindā€ (92). Their thoughts are presented as separate and there's no instant mind-reading.Ā 
Neo catches Trivia when she leaps out of a window, surprising her with the save. Trivia never planned for Neo to do that, Neo did it entirely on her own.Ā 
There are lots of other instances like this, details that establish Neo has a person separate from Trivia (this confusion regarding their names should make that clear enough), no matter the fact that she's made out of aura. I mean, we've got Ozpin existing only as a soul in other's bodies. RWBY isn't exactly in a position to get nit-picky about personhood. More specifically though, Neo is presented as a bad influence on Trivia, an outside force enacting on her in harmful ways. Neo's introduction establishes her as the troublemaker to Trivia's more obedient personality: ā€œBut those were her parentsā€™ rules, and Neopolitan never cared about those.... She bounced up and down on the cushions the way she wasnā€™t supposed toā€ with a ā€œtaunting smileā€ (2). Her father comments on this multiple times, saying that Trivia can't hide behind an imaginary friend. She's responsible for her decisions. And while yes, that's true, that level of responsibility changes when Trivia summons Neo into the world. During a fight with some other teens, they can suddenly see Neo and Neo, independent of Trivia, punches one in the face, making her nose bleed. That seems like a real person making her own, real decisions to me. So it was never Trivia doing things and then trying to foster responsibility off on an imagined cohort, it's a child bringing another, magically-based person into existence and being influenced by her since before the age of 8 (considering that Trivia and Neo have clearly been playing with each other for a long time when the novel starts). There's even a moment where Trivia seems to realize all this, acknowledging that sneaking out, breaking up her parents' party, causing a scene... all of it was Neo's idea. ā€œThat had to be Neoā€™s influence again. Trivia had to stay in control."Ā 
But the idea of control is never actually explored. Despite establishing Neo's individuality and having Trivia comment on her influence, the second half of the novel abandons that for the expected, 'Trivia was Neo all along' reveal. There's a very strange moment where Trivia's mom slaps Neo, causing her to shatter and... that's it. ā€œNeo had been so much more to Trivia. Now she was goneā€ (98). Neo is, apparently, gone for good, despite the fact that she should return the moment Trivia's aura does. Neo has been with Trivia since she was a small child, nearly her entire life and at least 7 years by this point in the novel, so why did a single slap send her away? That's not explained and, much like the ā€˜Why has Neo chosen Roman?ā€™ question, the fact that Trivia did try to bring her back several times and failed is mentioned chapters after Neo's absence is presented as an inevitability. The order of events needs some reshuffling.Ā 
Despite this confusion regarding why this change happened now, the explanation seems to be that Neo isn't really gone, Trivia has just realized for the first time that she is Neo. No need to summon up a separate person when you are that person and the novel, from then on, is peppered with constant reminders of this.Ā 
ā€œTrivia was on the verge of exhaustion, but she kept burning the last of her Aura to hold Neo together. To hold herself togetherā€ (96).Ā 
Realizing she is Neo:Ā ā€œTrivia smiled. She took in a deep breath. She felt complete for the first time. She felt like herselfā€ (99).Ā 
ā€œYou must be Trivia,ā€ the tall woman said. If I must, I must, Trivia thought (126).
ā€œShe wrinkled her nose. Her name still felt like a coat that didnā€™t fit right. She would need to tailor that, tooā€ (153).
ā€œLosing her friend was Triviaā€™s first step towards putting herself back together and embracing her true, best selfā€ (152).Ā 
ā€œWearing this [outfit], she almost, not quite, knew (or remembered?) who she wasā€”not as a student or a daughter, but as Trivia Vanille," except the clothes are ā€œthe kind of thing Neopolitan would wearā€ (152-3).Ā 
On not being able to summon Neo anymore: ā€œShe had realized that Neo was really just another aspect of herselfā€ (175).
Though thereā€™s also the occasional implication that she's not actually Neo, just someone highly influenced by her:Ā ā€œNo, [fully pink hair was] too much of the other girl [Neopolitan]," so she settles on that half pink (Neo), half brown (Trivia) combo (153).Ā 
As said at the start, it's a "twist" that works perfectly well... provided you ignore the magical elements and the amount of work done to establish Neopolitan as her own person, not just Trivia in a shiny, future glamour. Far from the empowering victory I expected to feel in watching Neo become who she always wanted to be, I found the whole situation to be somewhat tragic. Magic created a fully realized person who egged Trivia towards bad behavior since she was a young child, until Trivia comes to the decision that she should just embrace their personality 24/7. It felt less like the growth of a character into who they were meant to be and more like a manipulated kid taking the place of the person who used to exist alongside her ā€” the only friend she ever had before Roman. Given that Neo is a villain, that's a pretty interesting idea for how the good girl goes bad... but it doesn't feel like Myers meant it that way. Rather, we're supposed to accept the simplest reading, that Neo was just a projection of Trivia's internal self, never-mind her individuality, her pressuring influence, her existence as something real in the world provided Trivia has aura. It's a much messier depiction of Neo's identity than that ā€˜She had an imaginary friend who she admired and eventually took her nameā€™ setup. When magic is involved and a character's mind is creating fully realized people to stave off loneliness... that's a whole other kettle of fish. I don't actually want to delve into a psychological reading here ā€” I simply don't have the expertise for that ā€” but suffice to say, Neo's muteness might have been handled well, but there's a lot more to interrogate regarding her mental state and how much leeway we give to, ā€˜It's a fantasy series, just run with it.ā€™Ā 
Part Three: You're Dodging Those Rumors, ClydeĀ 
I admittedly am. Let's take a break from deep dives into characterization to instead tackle Roman Holiday's ā€” undeserved ā€” reputation. I get it. At this point the RWBY franchise is, frankly, a poster child for offensive content and workplace problems. In the last two years alone we've dealt with horrific crunch culture, sexual harassment allegations, an arguably glorified assisted suicide, bad comparisons to real life politics and dictatorships, a huge reversal on the show's disability stance, one subreddit banning another over criticism, a collective YouTube response to the fandom's behavior, iffy choices regarding Mother's Day merch, accusations of queerbaiting, a resurgence of using Monty's death to forward or dismiss arguments, continued worry over whether the bees will be made canonical next Volume... and honestly, that's just some of the big ticket subjects. RWBY's story, workplace, and fandom have a lot going on, much of it bad, so it's no surprise to me that people are primed to see the worst at every turn. Why wouldn't we be? At this point it's a pretty justified response.Ā 
However, in this case it's unwarranted. Let's tackle Neo and Roman first. Yes, they're a decade apart in age and yes, there are some details that could, potentially, imply romantic interest on both sides. But they really are tiny and the novel confirms nothing. Indeed, the back of the book's summary says, "Just like every story, every friendship has a beginning..." So that's the focus here and all the ambiguous hints, importantly, happen after Neo is confirmed to be 18 years old. Roman takes her to a fancy tea shop only because he owes her. ā€œIt certainly wasnā€™t because he wanted to impress her or anythingā€ (189). Neo blushes when he compliments her semblance. Twice Roman jokes ā€œDonā€™t worry, it isnā€™t flowersā€ when Neo is opening up her parasol present (212). Neo also acknowledges Roman's looks at one point: ā€œWith his tousled orange hair, dressed like a street punk, he didnā€™t look much older than her. In fact, he was kind of cuteā€ (184). The most intimate they get though is at the novel's end:Ā ā€œShe leaned over and kissed Roman on the cheek. His face went red," though this is immediately followed by "It was fun to mess with him sometimesā€ (307). Honestly, the most overt "hint" towards a relationship is probably the title itself, a play on the 1953 romantic comedyĀ Roman Holiday. But upon reading the novel, I think it's clear Myers chose that title only because Roman's name is, you know, Roman and the plot somewhat mirrors the idea of a reporter getting involved with a princess. Only in this case it's a criminal getting involved with a high society girl and "involved" just means a crime spree, not a romance.Ā 
So is there something there? Maybe the start of something, if you're willing to read into it, but to me it comes across more like the two of them poking fun at social expectations ā€” he's the guy so he "must" be getting the girl flowers; she's the girl so she "has" to kiss him on the cheek ā€” rather than anything serious. Even if Myers had developed a relationship, Neo is both an adult and at least Ruby's current age, if not a year older, so if some fans want her to start a relationship with the 14-year-old farm boy housing her ancient headmaster, is a ten year age gap really where we're going to draw the line? I know that makes a lot of people uncomfortable ā€” frankly it makes me a bit uncomfortable too, more-so because of the difference in their life experiences (Neo is still a student, Roman a long-established criminal) than the actual gap itself ā€” but we should be wary about when personal squicks turn into unfounded, "This is a sin!" purity culture. And for the purposes of this conversation, the point is that there is no relationship. If anything, Roman is just as aware of Neo's age as the reader is. He initially thinks he's looking at a ā€œlittle girlā€ only to quickly realize ā€œShe was also older than her diminutive height suggested, maybe about the same age as the Malachite twinsā€ (168). But, as we'll get to in just a sec, Roman very much treats the twins as the kids they are too. Roman even refers to Neo as a "kid" until she makes it known she dislikes it (183-4). He drops the term, but that doesn't mean the mindset disappeared.Ā 
As for the twins, they're the only other minors that Roman spends time with. Lil' Miss instructs him to act as their body guard while in hiding, which means he spends over a week living with them. Frankly? I think it's a really wholesome part of the novel ā€” or as wholesome as the villains can ever get. That's when the girls get bored enough to steal Roman's hat, toss it around a bit, and beg to braid his hair. Myers does a good job of balancing Roman's bad boy attitude with a clear indulgence for them. He doesn't actively like the twins (who does Roman like besides Neo?) and ends up orchestrating a ridiculous plot to get out of "babysitting" them (another indication that he's well aware that they're kids), but he doesn't wish them any real harm. He even cares about them in his own twisted, villainous way. We get to see a moment where Roman tries to convince the girls to escape from a grimm, leaving him behind. We might have been able to write that off as Roman just saving his own skin in the long run ā€” Lil' Miss would kill him if any harm comes to her girls ā€” but there's no need to fake comfort: ā€œRoman squeezed Melanieā€™s hand reassuringly. He needed her and her sister to remain calmā€ (52). As one of the other goons observes, ā€œYouā€™re bluffing. Itā€™s obvious that you care about [Miltia], which means youā€™re up to somethingā€ (51). Much later, Roman's thoughts confirm this when the girls are older, more powerful, and trying to kill him: ā€œHeā€™d had to endure their dance recitals when they were little. Heā€™d clapped for them at gymnastic competitions. Now they were trying to do a number on him... He didnā€™t want to hurt the lil' brats, despite everything, but he couldnā€™t let them take him downā€ (166-7). Really, I like everything about this. I enjoy how this humanizes and complicates Roman without undermining his status as a villain. I like the loyalty to their mother it shows in the twins that they'd turn on a man who was so involved in their childhoods. It's just fun to read about a badass bad guy trying to manage bored pre-teens with superpowers and a crime boss mom. Their relationship isn't something I expected from the novel, but I'm glad we got it. There's nothing here to imply the twins are uncomfortable with Roman, or that Roman is inappropriate with them. Anyone who balks merely at the idea of a grown man, quote, "babysitting" two young girls is working from bias and bias alone.Ā 
There is, however, one inappropriate comment made by a goon and an assumption made byĀ Miltia, both of which Roman refutes. First, the goon asks if Melanie is Torchwickā€™s ā€œnew girlfriendā€ to which Roman responds, ā€œYou know who it is... Sheā€™s just a kid, big manā€ (47-48). Later on, we get
ā€œCute,ā€ [Roman] said.Ā 
ā€œFlatteryā€™s not going to work on me anymore,ā€ Miltia said.Ā 
ā€œI was referring to your moves, not youā€ (158).
Now, we could drag Myers for including such "jokes" and misunderstandings to begin with, but that's why I mentioned the Yellow Trailer at the start of this review. It doesn't feel right to single Myers out for something Rooster Teeth has already embraced, especially when he's the one working to mirror their original product. Yang deliberately toys with Junior and Junior willingly goes in for the kiss. Jaune blushes at older moms eyeing him up at the crosswalk. Nora tells Ren not to look up her skirt in the middle of a deadly fight. Neo and Cinder both go to Atlas in scantily clad outfits because it's more important for the women to look sexy than it is for the show to stay consistent about the dangers of the tundra. Much of RWBY has that frat boy energy about it. I'd be shocked if nothing snuck its way into Myers' work too. But Roman the pedophile who ogles the twins and manipulates a kid Neo? That just doesn't exist.Ā 
Part Four: DĆ©jĆ  Vu, Anyone?Ā 
I dithered about whether to include this section, simply because I don't want anyone to misunderstand what I'm trying to say... yet at the same time, I'm not entirely sure how to articulate the problem I have here. Or if I'd even consider it a problem at all. In the end, "dĆ©jĆ  vu" is the best term I can come up with. I'm not saying that Myers is lazy in regards to plot and choreography. I'm definitely not saying he's plagiarized. What I am saying ā€” the only thing I'm saying ā€” is that there were a lot of times during the novel where I went, "Okay, we've seen this before." Whether or not that's bad I'm... not sure.Ā 
Let's start broad. When the excerpt dropped I mentioned that Neo's situation sounded pretty very to Weiss' and I stand by that claim. Actually, having read the novel now, I'd say it's a LOT like Weiss' story. Neo is the daughter of an incredibly wealthy family, suffering from an abusive father, a more loving but absent mother, whose only freedom stems from her semblance and combat abilities. Alright, let's dig deeper. Like Jacques, Jimmy's abuse is on full display for the viewer/reader. I could give you a laundry list of examples, but here are just a few:Ā 
Jimmy is frequently described as barely controlling his anger around Neo, ā€œthere was rage behind his shadowed eyes,ā€ etc. (4)
There are times when she is "suddenly afraid" of what her Papa will do to her (35).
When Neo is taken home by the cops, they reveal that they didn't even know that Jimmy Vanille had a daughter. That's how sequestered she's been.
He and his wife lock Neo in her room when they go out, which means that when she starts a fire she had no way to escape, no one to open the door for her, no way to call for help (her scroll is engulfed in the flames). Neo ends up chancing a fall from the window.Ā 
He comes very near to hitting Neo at one point before backing down.Ā 
Later he drugs her and, again, locks her in her room.Ā 
As said, I could go on. There are a few inconstancies across the novel that, frankly, I've come to expect of Myers' work and RWBY in general, which I bring up now because it messes with the abuse plotline a bit. There's supposed to be a shocking moment when Jimmy grabs Neo tightly by the arms: "Trivia stepped back, appalled. Papa had yelled at her, punished her, even ignored her over the years, but he had never hurt her beforeā€ (97). Except sheā€™s forgetting that, at the very start of the novel, Jimmy grabs her by the ankles, pulls her out from under the couch, and proceeds to shake her upside down while her hand bleeds. I'd say that's a pretty intense, physical interaction, making squeezing Neo's arms fail to have the impact Myers was looking for. Similarly, when Neo finally snaps and throws her parasol at her father's face, it's becauseĀ ā€œThe things she had claimed for herself were just more stuff her parents had paid for," meaning, everything she stole on a shopping spree her father made sure to pay for twice over. It's not the ableism, abuse, isolation, and the like that Neo reacts to, even though she clearly struggles with those throughout the novel as a whole. So there are disconnects at times, but the point is this man is an abusive asshole to his daughter until she learns to literally fight back. Sound familiar?Ā 
What particularly struck me was that both men have built their abuse around how the family is perceived. Both are obsessed with their image and how their daughter does or does not serve it. Jacques yelling at Weiss for speaking out about Beacon could be swapped with Jimmy yelling at Neo for not speaking at all. Jacques has maintained his wealth by exploiting the faunus in dust mines and getting in deep with criminals like Watts. Jimmy maintains his wealth by getting involved in illegal dust trades and getting in deep with criminals like the Xiongs. Both try to justify their actions in the name of perpetuating both that image and that wealth:Ā ā€œthe things I have to do for that moneyā€ (5). Both lock their daughters in their room when they can't control them anymore. Both keep portraits in the hall thatĀ ā€œshowed her and her parents posing together as if they were a happy family,ā€ a symbol of this familial deception (271).* Both have more compassionate, terrified, but ultimately enabling wives that, the story reveals, have secretly been spying on their husbands this whole time. Just as Willow set up all those cameras and gave the footage to Weiss, Carmel is using the camera in her pin to acquire information on Jimmy, with plans to use it to help Neo. By the time Neo's solution to the "What now?" question was to fly Roman back to her mansion and drink tea for a while Volume 8 style, complete with a Sun-Blake style shock that this is her house ā€” sure you don't mean the tiny one behind it? ā€” I was honestly wondering just how far we were going to stretch these parallels. I don't want to make it sound like these characters areĀ identical (Carmel isn't an alcoholic for one thing)... but they share enough characteristics and distinct details to feel, well, a little weird. It also feeds the fandom's question, "Doesn't RWBY know any villain backstories except abuse?"Ā 
*(As a side note, I initially thought the book's cover, showing a young Neo with two brown eyes, was a mistake. Turns out her parents had the painter get rid of her pink eye because they were ashamed of it, so kudos to the cover artist for keeping that consistent!)Ā 
The similarities between Neo's backstory and Weiss' are absolutely the most obvious example here, but there were two other, smaller dĆ©jĆ  vu moments I wanted to toss out, both involving combat. Myers has, at times, repeated fights almost exactly in order to cover two character's perspectives. I get the need to rehash plot in that manner, but he tends to focus on the exact same details back to back, making for a boring read. That incredibly nit-picky criticism aside, it means that I was already aware of combat moments that I'd seen before, not just in Roman Holiday, but RWBY in general. Does this description sound familiar to anyone?Ā 
Neo hopped up lightly onto the broad blade. Rin tried to shake her off. Neo vaulted away just as the Huntress activated the flames, somersaulting over the Huntress. She planned to land behind her and whack her with her sword, but Rin turned and kicked high while Neo was still in the air. The Huntressā€™s foot connected with Neoā€™s stomach, knocking the wind out of her and knocking her clear across the room (199).Ā 
If it'sĀ notĀ familiar don't beat yourself up because it really is a minor similarity (and, in fairness, there's only so many ways you can write combat...). But take away the swords, replace them with a parasol and scythe, and you've basically got Ruby and Neo's interaction in Volume 8. Ruby tries to land a hit on Neo, she turns, kicks high while Ruby is still in the air, and she flies across the platform, knocking the wind out of her. We've also seen the 'Landing on a broadsword to get close to an enemy' bit with Tyrian and Qrow. But again: minor. What's a farĀ less minor repeat of combat techniques is seen between Roman and Chameleon. Basically, ChameleonĀ is Ilia, minus being a faunus and thus framing her abilities as a difference she's shunned for. Her semblance allows her to camouflage at will, giving her a major stealth advantage in a fight. Which means that when she goes after Roman, things get exponentially harder when the lights go out. But then it's better for Roman when a fire starts. He beats ChameleonĀ and she helps him in the end because she's always been in love with him, even though Roman didn't love her back. If you're going, "Hey, that's the basic plot of Blake and Ilia's fight!" then yeah, me too.
It's not the whole novel. I don't want to make it sound like Roman Holiday is just a stitched together version of previous RWBY content because it's absolutely not. At the same time though, there were enough major similarities ā€” and enough smaller ones that started standing out as a result ā€” for me to raise an eyebrow. As said, I'm not entirely sure what to make of this eyebrow raising, or even if I want to label it a criticism at all. You all can decide what you think.Ā 
Part Five: Wait, Now There's Not Enough RWBY?Ā 
Yes, I contain multitudes and contradictions. As does this book. Even while Roman Holiday repeated some pretty familiar RWBY elements, there were times when the novel didn't feel very RWBY-ish at all. Part of the problem is that it lacks what's arguably the most crucial part of RWBYā€™s world building: battling grimm. Safe behind the walls of Mistral and Vale, we only see one grimm in the whole story, a captured Capivara that one of the crime lords uses to dispose of people who have displeased him. Roman and the twins barely get more than a few hits in before it escapes upstairs, leaving the kill to happen off screen (and why the grimm ran is another problem entirely. Again: we'll get to that). So although there are plenty of battles between people throughout the story, it doesn't feel quite like RWBY to me without the show's first and most significant antagonist.Ā 
More than that though, Myers goes back and forth between emphasizing RWBY's unique, cultural elements and putting them aside entirely. When he's including them, it's great. We learn that there's an old sayingĀ ā€œYou canā€™t put the moon back togetherā€ which yeah, of course idioms would develop around the shattered moon (151). Honey Wine, a night club singer, paints her face with red dust as a symbol of both wealth and her dare-devil nature ā€” one stray spark and the dust would ignite, blowing her and potentially the club up too. Yeah, of course people would come up with foolish, ridiculous ways to use this resource if they had it. During one of Neo's lessons, a passage for diction practice goes like this:Ā 
The gruesome Grimm grew greedy. Get that greedy gruesome Grimm, Gregory. Go, Gregory, go. The greedy gruesome Grimme gorged Gregory. Good-bye, Gregory, Good-bye. The gory, greedy Grimm gave a gruesome grin (175).
Yeah, of course the elite would develop silly lessons using grimm as examples! We've got math problems about Johnny and his dish soap (yes, I'm quoting the Vine), so why wouldn't this world use grimm in the same way? Especially those who are rich and privileged enough to never encounter one.Ā 
When it's good, it's good. When it's not... I don't want to take Myers to task for this because, in his defense, much of what makes the book feel generically modern has been seen in the show. Like computers. Or video games. Still, when these things are mentioned frequently it undermines the fantasy/sci-fi core, especially when Myers keeps the standard terminology. Why is a phone called a scroll, but a TV is still called a TV? Why are cops patrolling normal sounding malls with normal sounding guns? Neo sneaks out at one point and it struck me that, up until she uses her semblance against a bunch of bullies, there's nothing to distinguish this outing from a realistic portrayal of an average girl getting a milkshake. None of this is helped by the times when Myers slips on the terminology that is unique. Roman describes what he steals as "cash" rather than "lien" (105). One moment we're getting phrases likeĀ ā€œShe wasnā€™t the brightest crayon in the box," the next it's "or rob a convenience store for a six-pack of Dr. Piperā€ (44, 239). So is RWBY a world that has all the same products we do ā€” crayons and TVs ā€” a world that's different, but only because the author is making it different in a humorous way ā€” Dr. Piper ā€” or a place with a unique culture and history ā€” scrolls, lien, shattered moon idioms? It's a challenge every fantasy writer has to face. Can you have a French braid in a world without France? Some will say no, others will bank on the reader's understanding that you can't change up every aspect of our language. You'll drive yourself nuts if you try. So I'm sympathetic, but it's nevertheless noticeable when Myers seems to remember that he's writing a fantasy world, tossing in "bullhead," "oh my Gods," and "thank the brothers" in a single scene, as if heā€™s making up for the whole chapters where that work is missing. Take out the grimm, take out semblances for a good chunk of the plot (since Roman doesn't have one), get iffy about the details... and you're left with a story that sometimes feels more generic Young Adult than it does RWBY. Enjoyable Young Adult, but a little lackluster in the world building all the same. This isn't a book where girls turn into rose pedals, lamps grant wishes, and teenagers fight giant mechs. This is a story where a guy uses a cane to beat people up, a girl uses illusions to shoplift, and the final confrontation is basically a shoot-out. Not bad by any means, just not the level of insane "The gun is also a gun!" nonsense that has become RWBY's brand.Ā 
Part Six: Stupid Plots (and Strange Details)Ā 
If Roman Holiday lacks a lot of that RWBY insanity, then that means nothing stupid and ridiculous happened, right? Lol of course not. The novel suffers from what I think of as the, "Well that's convenient" problem. In its immense defense though, it's nowhere near the level of, say, Amity suddenly being ready to go. The world's rules do not bend for Neo and Roman... they just wind up experiencing things that can test the reader's sense of disbelief at times. For example, how likely is it that two huntsmen will waltz into a bank in the middle of Roman robbing it? Very likely, apparently. Why not just have them respond to a silent alarm? Well, because of reasons we'll tackle in Part Seven, so we're left with the iffy coincidence of two trained professionals being at the right place at the right time to show the reader a fight. It's a fun fight though ā€” love the use of dust in it ā€” so we'll let that pass. After all, if coincidence serves the reader's entertainment, aren't they ultimately a good thing?Ā 
Far more frustrating in my opinion is when disaster is illogically postponed and characters are written as incredibly stupid in order for a protagonist to get by. In this case, Neo. One of the major reveals of the novel is that her father has been stealing dust from the Xiongs and hiding it beneath Neo's bed. We're supposed to believe that a moment of Lil' Miss shooting into her room sets this volatile dust off, resulting in an explosion that kills both of Neo's parents (side note: she intended this), but the dust didn't blow up when Neo started a fire in said bedroom, a fire that then proceeded to consume the entire top floor? ...right.Ā 
When Neo isn't conveniently surviving non-explosions, she's duping people left and right with her semblance, despite the fact that she, of course, can't speak. This trick becomes less and less convincing as the novel goes on. First, Neo drugs her tutor (that poor woman) and pretends to be her to escape the house, holding a one-sided conversation with her father as he walks her to the door. He finds nothing strange in this. Later, Neo sneaks back in by pretending to be her mother and though this time her father catches her, it's becauseĀ ā€œIf you want to know whether someone is lying to you, itā€™s all in their eyesā€ (70). Not because, you know, his "wife" inexplicably won't respond to him verbally. Finally, Neo takes the place of Xiong, traveling with his assistant for over thirty minutes, and never once do any of the goons question what's going on with their suddenly mute boss. This includes interactions like Neo holding out her scroll and just staring until the assistant gets that she should follow the GPS, and the need to ignore the fact that Xiong, characterized as quite talkative throughout the novel, is suddenly quiet as a mouse. Neo's muteness should have been a severe limitation on her ability to masquerade as others, not something the story outright ignores in an effort to move the plot along.Ā 
The novel is peppered with such coincidences, small inconsistencies, and just downright strange details. Roman notes that the police haven't arrived to his robbery yet, only for the next sentence to say they were swarming in. Later he "pulled on his bonds, testing whether he could slide one of his hands free, but heā€™d been tied up real goodā€ but then again, a few sentences later, ā€œHe craned his neck to try to look out the front window. He managed to unbuckle his seat and hop to the frontā€ (259). Like forgetting how rough her father has been in the past, Trivia bemoans the fact that she can't wear anything that Neo would, something in pink and white, for example, forgetting that her former "adventuring outfit" consisted of a white tank-top and white sneakers with pink hearts (26).* She also claims that the Roman illusion she sends running from the twins is her first long-distance use of her semblance, even though she just got done recalling the time she created a butterfly and watched it fly until it was "out of sight" (170). The novel writes out Neo's texting as dialogue even when someone else isn't speaking it aloud ā€” something I initially made a note to praise it for. This is her version of "talking" after all ā€” only for the texts to suddenly become bolded halfway through the book.Ā As for strange details, Myers seems to like giving his antagonists a lumpy food to indulge in ā€” Lil' Miss forces Roman to eat her cottage cheese, Xiong oatmeal with the consistency of cement ā€” and Roman, quite oddly, decides to cover his spider tattoo with a grinning pumpkin. (Were they a thing in A Clockwork Orange? It's been years since I read it...) Neo learns to fly a plan by watching Xiong's assistant start it up and then, I kid you not, pulling up a How To article. Perhaps my favorite bit though is when Roman reveals his master plan to gain a monopoly on Vale's coffee industry and successfully does so by attacking one (1) warehouse. This is treated with the utmost seriousness.Ā 
*(Second side note: the color brown is tied closely to Neo's backstory; to the person her parents wanted Trivia to be. She has her brown hair, only one brown eye, is introduced in a brown dress, wears a brown blazer and pants that her parents bought, and attendsĀ Lady Browningā€™s Preparatory Academy for Girls, the school meant to turn her into a 'real' lady.)Ā 
That last bit though, the coffee heist, feeds into my biggest problem with the book's plot. @superzerokarasuā€‹ and I have been talking about this the last two days, acknowledging it as one of the book's bigger flaws. (And, Superzerokarasu, if tumblr actually tags you, feel free to ignore this absolutely massive wall of text. I just wanted to give credit for the conversations šŸ‘). Basically, towards the end of the novel it is, quite randomly, revealed that there is an important Room at the academy. Important enough that the story capitalizes it ā€” that's not my doing. We haven't heard at thing about this Room before but Neo, apparently, has been trying to sneak into it for weeks. She knows Lady Beat is hiding something in there. Did we know this, especially since we've spent half the novel in Neo's head? Nope! No sooner has this mystery been introduced than Neo is solving it, much like how the group solves the problem of using Ambrosius moments after his rules are explained. Neo throws up an illusion of an empty hallway, picks the lock on the door, and discovers that Lady Beat has been spying on everyone who ever attended her school through the small pins students and graduates wear. This means she has access to private information about important people all over Remnant. Shocking! Neo reacts to this discovery by tearing the hard drive loose, there are some confusing suggestions about how this information will save them from Lil' Miss and Xiong, and then Roman sends the information to a news station, revealing all. Thus ends the world-wide conspiracy we just found out about.Ā 
It's muddied. It's ridiculous. It, most importantly, comes out of nowhere. There's absolutely no buildup to this mystery, just a sudden announcement that it exists and, wouldn't you know, here's the conclusion. Superzerokarasu is correct that this problem could be solved by increasing the academy sections and fleshing this mystery out. I'm of the opinion that it could also be solved by eliminating it entirely. Why in the world do Roman and Neo need to grapple with a world-changing reveal, especially when the rest of the novel is so tame? Roman shakes money down from other small-time crooks. Neo learns diction and combat at school. Roman leaves the Kingdom to avoid Lil' Miss. Neo sneaks out of the house and goes on shopping sprees. She saves him from a street fight, he takes her out to tea, they proceed to rob convenience stores. Their conflicts take place on such a small scale that this conspiracy plot feels ridiculous compared to the rest of the novel, even if it did have better setup. In contrast, their big coffee heist likewise feels ridiculous for how small it is. As a duo (not Neo as an individual, now that she's involved with the Relics and such), they operate in a pretty specific niche of small crimes conducted for villains with large plans. Given the number of times the novel brought up that Roman should start stealing dust, I foolishly thought that the novel would conclude with them stealing dust. Why coffee? Why conspiracies? Why shootouts between two crime bosses on Neo's front lawn? Let them pull off an epic dust heist together, tying it back to Neo's family since her father is already neck-deep in the illegal dust trade, all of it setting up the characters we'll meet in the webseries: street crooks now stealing dust for Cinder. That's their specialty. Why not start that specialty here?Ā 
Instead we get a bunch of hurried plot points that, of course, will have no bearing on the first eight volumes of the webseries. Which brings us to...Ā 
Part Seven: Roman Holiday's Impact on RWBY
Quite obviously, this isn't a novel that exists in a vacuum. Roman Holiday, given that it is presented as an official Rooster Teeth product, is likewise meant to fit into the already established canon. This has been a challenge for Rooster Teeth in the past ā€” important lore winding up in card games, mischaracterization in other novels, worry about how the upcoming game will re-tell events we've already seen ā€” but has Roman Holiday perpetuated that trend?Ā Ā 
Well, yes and no. Which is never a particularly satisfying answer, but in this case there are both aspects that are working and aspects that aren't. Let's tackle the good first.Ā 
Myers includes a lot of details throughout the story that help fill in RWBY's gaps. In this case, it's not information the viewer should have gotten in the webseries in order to have a complete understanding of the situation, but rather things that simply help connect the two works together, adding depth to what we already know. For example, there are those before mentioned times when characters suggest that Roman start stealing dust. ā€œYou arenā€™t the first person to suggest that. Maybe I should look into that...ā€ (216). I do think it's a missed opportunity not to make a dust heist the climax of the story, but that doesn't erase the fact that this still functions as excellent setup for the webseries' premiere. We know RWBY opens on Roman robbing a dust shop. Now we have a better sense of how and why he got into that line of criminal work.Ā 
We likewise get to see the origins of Neo's parasol, not just how she got it (Roman), but also what led her to wanting that kind of weapon in the first place (struggling with the heaviness of swords, getting attached to a parasol she stole, impulsively using it to attack her father, escaping the fire with it and realizing that the ability to float from high places is an asset). Something else I particularly like is that Myers was careful to explain how Neo became so adept at fighting. According to the webseries, there are only three paths you can take: go to combat school like Ruby, live on the streets like Roman, or live outside the Kingdoms like Blake. Neo, as a rich girl kept within high society, doesn't fit any of those models, so Myers introduces an Academy that seeks to train young women for any eventuality, even an attack. Neo learns how to smile, sew, cook, courtesy... while also taking classes in acrobatics, combat, ballet, and fencing. All the girls train with a combat instructor ā€” ā€œI know this isnā€™t a combat school, but by the time weā€™re done, you will be as skilled as any Huntress in Remnantā€ (201) ā€” and, not only that, but she undergoes some pretty intense testing. Balance is taught by ā€œbalancing on a tightrope twenty feet in the air, with no net below you. Lady Beat believed in ā€˜though loveā€™ā€”without the love partā€ (146). It's a teaching method that makes Ozpin's cliff test seem a little less insane and it highlights one of those fantasy elements of RWBY. When your students possess aura that can save them from a twenty foot fall, it's slightly more reasonable to include that as a challenge. So when Neo starts following Roman around, it doesn't feel off that she can keep up with him. She's been trained, has practiced her semblance alone, and gets additional tutoring from Roman himself. Myers neatly dodges the question of how a non-Huntress andĀ such a privileged girl ā€” unlike Nora or Cinder ā€” became to be as talented as Neo is. Privilege actually bought her that knowledge, which Neo then combines with Roman's street smarts, making her the formidable fighter we know and love.Ā Ā 
However, for every nice tether there is between Roman Holiday and RWBY there's a moment of worldbuilding that messes with our sense of the webseries. Or at least raises some pretty big concerns.Ā 
Given that we just came off of Volume 8, it's no surprise that I read the novel with an eye for hints about how these future events ā€” the destruction of Atlas, evacuees in Vacuo ā€” might impact the rest of Remnant. What Myers gave us... doesn't look good for RWBYJNOR's decision, or the theme Rooster Teeth was going for in Volume 8. Meaning, the show took on a very black and white view by the end of the Atlas arc. Ironwood is an irredeemable bad guy, Atlas is full of racist trash and deserves to sink, the heroes made the best decision possible given the circumstances. Myers' novel introduces some nuance that, sadly, doesn't serve that black and white view well. He describes Mistral as, frankly, suffering the exact same problems as Atlas.Ā ā€œThe city elevator didnā€™t come down this far, to keep more of a buffer between the haves and the have nots... people at the base of the mountain had no business topsideā€ (10-11). Sounds like the sort of divide between Mantle and Atlas, huh? With the exception that one elite is stationed on top of a mountain instead of a floating city. It's a class issue Neo confirms as a kid when she sneaks out to the lower districts, thinking that,Ā "she was never, ever allowed out alone. ā€˜For your own safety,ā€™ they saidā€ (25). Rich, racist elites who think themselves better than everyone else isn't an Atlas problem, it's a Remnant problem. RWBYJNOR solved nothing by leaving the place behind (and having one citizen hold hands with a faunus) and the fact that the story acts as if things are better now that Atlesians canā€™t have picnics on a floating city is... a problem. We already knew RWBY struggles with its racism and classism themes, but moments like this continue to add fuel to the wildfire.Ā 
Similarly, the novel spends a not insignificant amount of time referencing Atlas as the technological capital of their world. We knew that already too, but hammering it home now, post-Volume 8, emphasizes the damage the group has done. No Atlas, no technology. Pretty much any technology, given how often itā€™s said to come directly from Atlas, or cloned from Atlas originals.Ā 
Regarding the evacuation, Myers gives us a moment where Roman outright rejects Vacuo as a place to escape to:Ā ā€œVacuo was a good place to hide, but the desert was probably one of the few fates worse than Lilā€™ Miss. And while there was a thriving criminal element, it wouldnā€™t be particularly welcoming to a newcomer. There was no future for Roman thereā€ (88). So the desert is a fate worse than a crime boss and Vacuans are so unwelcoming one individual won't risk going there... and now our heroes have dumped an undetermined number of evacuees in that desert, heading towards a Kingdom that doesn't want them. Obviously Myers needs to come up with a reason for why Roman ends up in Vale where Neo is, but doing it this way just highlights so many of Volume 8's problems. Specifically, that the group made such a world-altering decision when it arguably was no longer necessary and, more importantly, did so without once considering the consequences that seem obvious to everyone else in Remnant. Vacuo is the last place anyone wants to escape to... so why was that the heroes' first choice? "Because the show hasn't gone there yet" isn't an answer.Ā 
There are a couple smaller problems throughout ā€” muddying the waters between semblances and magic again; emphasizing how many people unlock their semblances as kid and rely on their aura to get by, bringing up the question (again) of how Jaune was so ignorant ā€” but I just want to cover two more issues here.Ā 
The first is what I mentioned above about the one grimm the novel has. Suffice to say, the grimm ignores the three fighters in front of it (Roman and the twins) and runs off because... well...
ā€œGrimm are drawn by emotion. You never controlled it. It killed your enemies because most people you drop in here are going to be afraid. They wonā€™t be able to fight back. But as far as I can tell, these girls donā€™t feel anything. And Iā€™m not afraid to die... Anger can be a more powerful emotion than fearā€ (54-5).ā€
Let's tally up the problems with this speech:Ā 
The idea that Roman experiences no fear despite being cornered by a massive grimm, in a tiny room, in enemy territoryĀ 
The idea that an ability to fight back increases the chance of the grimm running off to pick other targets (if that were the case, the group would never finish any fights)Ā 
Claiming that they're also left alone because the twins "don't feel anything" which is obviously ridiculousĀ Ā 
Reframing Roman's lack of fear into, specifically, not fearing death. Again, a grimm doesn't care whether you fear death or no
Saying that the anger of the boss all the way up in his office is a stronger draw than the three people currently attacking the grimm
It's just a lot of nonsense, bending one of RWBY's most basic rules to give Roman a cool-sounding speech. Cool provided you ignore what the speech is actually implying, that is. Why bother with this? Just let the grimm break down the door halfway through the fight, moving the fight into a new space with new people causes chaos, Roman either escapes then, or he kills the grimm first and escapes afterwards. Better, in my opinion, to give the story a single grimm kill than introduce a bunch of philosophical complications about how much these characters definitelyĀ don't feel fear and one man's anger is suddenly a grimm magnet. It's just a strange scene and, looking back, the only scene where I really went, "What?" As evidenced by this entire review, I have problems with certain aspects of the novel, but none actively made me question what in the world Myers was trying to accomplish. This moment is the exception.Ā 
Finally, I'd like to briefly mention the ways in which Roman Holiday messes with our understanding of the huntsmen profession. Again, this is nothing new. From Blake and Yang shrugging off Adam's death, to Weiss asking if she can arrest her father, the true purpose of the job seems vague, especially when you toss in what they're legally allowed to get away with. At first, the novel seems to support the idea that huntsmen are responsible for defending the people from both grimm and criminals, especially in the cities where walls do most of the work of keeping grimm out. Roman worries that huntsmen will show up to put a stop to his robbery, there's a bounty for him ā€œposted on all the Huntsmen job boards," and then, later, two huntsmen do show up to his bank heist and try to stop him ā€” that coincidental timing (176). "Itā€™s kind of refreshing to fight a bad guy instead of a Grimm for a change," says one, implying that their primary focus will always be grimm, but they're also not going to ignore criminal activity. I get that. I buy that. It fits with what else we've learned about the job from the webseries: students attend school specifically to learn how to fight grimm, but they're capable ā€” and expected ā€” to use those skills for the people's benefit, no matter what form that comes in. Hence, jobs like Jaune acting as a crossing guard. It works.
....Aaaand then Myers blows that understanding right out of the water.Ā 
ā€œ[The huntsmen are] being fined for destruction of public property and reckless endangerment. This isnā€™t the first time theyā€™ve been reprimanded for using excessive force and gross misconduct. The Vale Huntsmen Guild reportedly is considering suspending their licenses (118).ā€Ā 
So wait, never mind, apparently huntsmen aren't supposed to stop bank robberies that they walk in on. Or at least, they're not supposed to stop them using "excessive force" and resulting in the "destruction of public property." Problem is, there's no way to battle another fighter of Roman's skill without doing property damage and, potentially, putting civilians in danger. The strength of Yang's punch blows small craters into the floor. Weiss uses dust that causes minor explosions. Ruby swings her scythe in such large arcs she could easily hit someone if she's not paying attention. Within the context of RWBY's powers, the huntsmen here didn't use "excessive force" because aura, semblances, dust, and insane weaponry are all staples of combat. So... what are they meant to do instead? Find out if Roman is just a normal dude and, if he's not, back out like, "Oh sorry. We can't fight someone our equal because that would require, you know, fighting. We'll wait for the police to capture you. They'll have a much better time without training, semblances, or any other combat resources, I'm sure..."Ā 
This single excerpt sends us right back into the "Huh?" territory. What are a huntsmen's responsibilities then? What are they legally allowed to do? And why are these expectations so inconsistent across the franchise? I know the answer here is that the group was pardoned by Ironwood, but it still seems absurd that we watched them steal military property, attack an official, cause a major grimm attack, and actively hide from the authorities... and all that's presented as fine. But trying to stop the guy currently robbing a bank? Well, thatā€™s a suspendable offense. And we know this was taken seriously because Roman runs into one of the huntsmen later, aĀ Roch Szalt, and we learn that his license wasn't just suspended, he lost it entirely. These side characters are out of their livelihood for defending the people while RWBYJNOR gained licenses for endangering them. There's something fundamentally wrong with your world building when your protagonists primarily get by on such massive inconsistencies.Ā 
Part Eight: The Last Section, I Swear
This is another aspect of the novel that I really hesitated over including, just because I do think there's a line between legit criticism and unkind nit-picking. In the end though, enough of a trend emerged that I thought I'd toss it out, especially since I've recently been pondering the question, "How does RWBY treat its women?" The answer should be obvious, right? This is a show about four girls fighting evil! Yet as the webseries continues, fans are noticing more and more divergences from that initial premise. Like creating a world where women are almost never in the primary positions of power. Like giving Jaune and Oscar the active, plot-forwarding scenes that should belong to Ruby and her team. Like that frat boy mentality I mentioned earlier on. The purpose here isn't to analyze that aspect of the webseries, I simply wanted to lay out where my thoughts were while reading Roman Holiday.Ā 
The disclaimer? Neo is great. The strange intersection between her identity and her semblance aside, I think she's entertaining, well-rounded, and the fact that she is given not just half the book's chapters, but that focus mentioned in Part One, resulted in a well-developed character. However, outside of Neo the women are frustratingly built around the same thing: sex appeal. Honey Wine is the club singer whose semblance lowers customers' inhabitations, acting like a Remnant version of a siren. The twins ā€” despite those pedophilia rumors about Roman proving unfounded ā€” are the butt of girlfriend/"You're cute" jokes, drawing attention to their developing looks more than their combat skills, strategies, etc. Both Lady Beat and Carmel, Neo's mom, possess that older woman charm expected of high society ladies. They're dangerous because they can acquire information and they acquire that information by looking the part: pretty smiles, fine clothes, figures that catch the eye. Even Lil' Miss, an established character with a lot of power at her fingertips, isn't exempt from this. When Roman first meets her he observes that fashion is clearly a part of her strategic mind,Ā ā€œa plunging neckline and purple corset distracted Roman even moreā€ (19). Distracted, meaning, that Lil' Miss deliberately makes herself look hot so all the straight guys will lose their heads.Ā 
It's a bit more heavy-handed than just some over-used archetypes though, particularly when it comes to making Roman the guy that every girl wants ā€” even when that's just him assuming they want him. Lil' Miss, again, suffers that treatment. ā€œ'Is she flirting?' he suddenly wondered. He hadnā€™t ever considered that she might like him, but if that was the case, he could use that toā€”ā€ (57). In a similar situation played straight Chameleon, Roman's peer, is introduced with the statement thatĀ ā€œShe considered him a friend, and plainly wanted more than that" so Roman "continued to string her alongā€ (45). It's that Ilia/Blake dynamic, just with added cruelty and a gender setup that carries completely different implications. Even the minor characters aren't safe from Roman's charms. Lisa Lavender ā€” you know, Remnant's reporter? ā€” receives flowers from Roman after she labels his robberyĀ ā€œone of the most brazen displays of lawlessnessā€ she's ever seen (117). It's not presented as the villain being creepy though. When Roman contacts Lisa directly, we're given a verbal joke about her maybe interest. She loves... the ratings he brings in. Just the ratings. Of course.Ā 
It's worth noting that Chameleon isn't just reduced to a silly crush whose love allows Roman to escape, she's also the character who "has" to be naked in order to make the most of her semblance. Despite writing in an Atlas cape that blends into various backgrounds, Myers still emphasizes the absolute necessity of this woman fighting naked:Ā 
ā€œShe didnā€™t wear much clothing these days, both because it thwarted her natural camouflaging abilities, and because when she chose to show herself, it could be quite distracting... she stripped for added stealthā€”it wouldnā€™t be the first timeā€ (81, 85).Ā 
It's a writing choice that I personally despise. And make no mistake, it is a choice. In a world with magical abilities and futuristic tech, there's no reason to make the presumably young woman ā€” we're never given an age, but Chameleon is written to be particularly naĆÆve ā€” getting naked in front of others, especially a man that is stringing her along. Clothes only "thwart" a magical ability when the author says it does. Why can't semblances make outfits camouflage too? Because then there wouldn't be an excuse for the hot women to strip.Ā 
Particularly for more important characters like Lil' Miss or Lady Beat, these aspects are not the sum total of their characters... but there's enough there to be wince-worthy if you're already sick of such trends; already keeping an eye out for what RWBY writes in regards to gender. I think a good way to summarize Roman Holiday's idea of feminism is when Neo is staking out a coffee shop and Roman asks her to bring him a coffee when she comes back. She returns with an empty cup reading, "Get your own coffee." It's clearly meant to be this empowering moment ā€” how dare the man ask for food like she's some servant! ā€” except it's ruined by the context of the situation. Namely, that Neo is already at a coffee shop. And Roman isn't rude about asking for one. And they've already traded presents in the form of a crazy expensive parasol for her and a new hat for him. Asking your crime partner, who just happens to be a women, to pick up a coffee on her way home when itā€™s clearly not a hassle, is not the outdated insult Myers seems to think it is. And that's what a lot of these choices are: details that don't break the novel by any means, but come across as out of touch none-the-less.Ā 
Part Nine: The End (Okay, This is the Final Section)Ā 
The novel concludes with Roman and Neo flying off together, avoiding the authorities, nothing they have to do except "set the world on fire" (208). It's a rather bittersweet ending given Neo's certainty that no one will ever catch them because we know, eventually, Roman will die and Neo will be left alone. I quite like ending things on that optimistic note, both because it fits their current mindsets and because it adds that extra, emotional punch for the reader. Their story isn't done... but it will be soon.Ā 
And thus ends my review as well! Review? Analysis? Little mix of both, I suppose. Hardly the most succinct thing I've ever written, but what did anyone expect. Final thoughts? I still liked the novel. Despite everything above ā€” despite re-wading through eight major problems I had with the text, ranging from minor preferences to arguably massive mistakes ā€” my overall takeaway remains, "I'm glad I read it." It's been a long time since I actively enjoyed a RWBY story; where my entertainment and appreciation of the writing outweighed the problems I had with it. I know I'm far from the only one currently dissatisfied with the canon, so if you're looking to re-ignite some of that old, RWBY spark? Give Roman Holiday a try.Ā 
And, of course, thank you for reading!Ā šŸ’œ
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hotchley Ā· 3 years ago
Text
where he's been
I did it!
I wrote the happy ending/second part, in which he makes the deliberate choice to show her and there is healing and there is joy and there is love <3
Everyone say thank you to the anon on tumblr that asked me about this when I did the WIP game, because without them we wouldn't have gotten here...
But we did! I finished a multi-chapter thing!
Trigger Warnings: scars, intrusive thoughts, trauma, references to the events of the Foyet and Doyle arcs, mild sexual content, surgery, medical things (Route 66 references mostly)
read on ao3!
previously: part one
Part Two: He Shows
The first time Aaron shows Emily his scars, she smiles.
He shows her deliberately. Because he wants to. Because he loves her, and he loves himself. Because he trusts her. He wants to be vulnerable with her in a way he could only ever be with Haley. He wants to do this, for her, and for himself. He knows they are not beautiful, that she may flinch at the sight of his humanity as everyone seems to do, but he needs her to see them. Properly. In a way that is right.
His body feels more like his with every day that passes now. He will never forget the pain his fathers emotions brought, or how he felt completely paralysed and pinned in place by George Foyet and his knife. His mind may never recover. But he's been making progress, and despite the emergency surgery, his body is recovering and he's proud of it. He's proud of himself.
And he's proud of Emily too. When she was in Paris, and he was too consumed by grief to do much more than look through the files they had on Doyle, he would feel a sense of pride in her, and all she had overcome. In all she had accomplished. In all she had survived, and continued to survive. But most of all, he was proud that she never let Doyle win.
Even when he tried to scar her body forever as a punishment for everything she had done, even though she had been right, she had always been right, she didn't let him win. She wore that scar with the same pride everyone on the team did. Because those scars made them human. They reminded him they weren't untouchable, but they were stronger than anyone gave them credit for.
It took a while for her to get there. There were still days where she would scrub the area till the skin went red, as though enough force would remove it. There were days where she would think of how far plastic surgery had come, and wonder- if she was given the chance- whether she would keep the marks. But there are other days, where she doesn't even hesitate before wearing shorts. Before wearing something with a lower neckline.
It's different for Aaron. Not for any real reason, he's just a different person. The scars that cover his torso, the scars that match the killer of his first love, of the first woman to teach him that when the poets said love hurt, they did not mean like the pain that came with smashed glass or belt marks, they meant a pleasant hurt, were almost impossible for him to accept.
The ones on his back became easier with time. Because they healed, and they faded to silver lines. He can still feel it, and can still tell when someone has touched him there. He no longer flinches, as the touches placed there are warm and gentle. Neutral. And he was a child, who deserved to be safe. A child, who shouldn't have known how to fight.
The ones left by Foyet were harder to come to terms with. He cannot feel there properly. The few times Emily has touched him- over his shirt, only ever over his shirt- he has either winced at a phantom twinge of pain or stared at her blankly because the area was numb.
He used to feel like he should've fought back. Properly. His gun was on the table, he could've grabbed it. He knows he could've because he dreams of that night more times than he doesn't. Being exhausted wasn't an excuse. Elle told him it was, but he remembers how she was- so unforgiving of herself. He wouldn't extend himself the courtesy she hadn't.
Foyetā€™s scars were just different. He hated having the same marks as a killer. He hated how, every time he walked into his apartment, he would remember. Vividly. The moments from his childhood still haunted him, but some of them were starting to blur together. But the feeling of the knife plunging in- he would always remember each and every single one.
The stitches tore during his thirty-four days off. He had sent everyone away, not wanting them to see just how much he needed them, because he needed to convince himself they still believed in his invincibility. The irony of his situation, especially as Derek held his hand from the bed to the wheelchair, was not lost on him. But then he regained his independence.
Then the damage done almost became irreversible. Collapsing in the conference room had been terrifying for everyone, but waking up had been the hardest thing he'd ever made himself do. During one of his brief moments of consciousness, he realised it was the damage Foyet had done when he scarred him that had led him to the abyss he'd visited once, and only once before.
When he finally gained the courage to look in the mirror, he broke. The scars were never going to heal properly, he'd realised that right before the pain became overwhelming. Foyet's hadn't. No matter how careful he may have been the second time round, the scars were never going to fade. They were still red, just less angry.
Seeing them after the surgery, in the same apartment, with the same mirror, sent him back in time. They were too red. They were too deep, too much and he couldn't look at himself, couldn't go through the pain of realising just how strong one man's hold on him was. Not for a second time.
Emily found him like that. She didn't walk in, knowing he would never recover if she did. But when he emerged thirty minutes later, wearing Haley's college hoodie that had always fit him perfectly, she took his hand. She kissed his forehead, and played with his hair as they watched one of Jack's cartoons. A part of her felt guilty for not saying something, but he felt more grateful for that than she would ever know.
They had sat on the couch until they fell asleep then. They were sitting on the couch when she touched the biggest scar, causing him to wince and run out, leading to her seeing them for the first time.
Because sometimes, the world is cyclical, they're sitting on the couch when he shows her.
This time, Jack is at a sleepover. There had been a gala, and he had looked so happy as he accepted his reward. Shocked beyond belief when Strauss announced her retirement. But so incredibly happy when she named him her successor, especially when he realised there was no reason he had to become a paper-pusher. There was no reason for him to change.
He looks so perfect, cheeks glowing and genuine smile overpowering everything else about him that she can't help but kiss him the moment they get in the car. If they seemed like love-struck teenagers to everyone that drove past then so be it. He looked handsome in his suit, but happiness suited him even more and she wouldn't let anyone dampen it.
So they're sitting on the couch, and his hands are running up and down her arms like he still can't quite believe she wants him. Her dress matches his tie- of course it does, because Aaron pouted and stared at her till she told him the colour- and she looks so beautiful that all he wants to do is watch her. She doesn't even have to do anything, so long as he can admire her.
Just like before, she touches his torso. Before he looks down, she pulls her hand away like he burnt it. A silent apology starts to pass her lips, but he kisses it away before it gets the chance to escape. Tonight, there will be no apologies. There will be no sadness.
Only them and the love they fought so hard for.
"Aaron," she says. "What's going on?"
He cannot tell her, his heart suddenly racing. He knows that he's ready to do this. He knows he wants to. He knows that there will be no shame or judgement if he suddenly stops halfway through. He knows all of that, but the traitorous, self-sabotaging part of his brain wants nothing more than to throw her out.
Before she sees his humanity. Before she gets too close and gets hurt. Before she decides that he is too damaged, and too messy, and too ruined for her to love.
But there is a piece of his brain that is stronger than that. A piece that knows she has seen his humanity every moment since she met him, all those years ago. That knows she has already gotten too close, but with her eyes wide open to all the danger that could come. She loves him. She loves him knowingly and deliberately.
He isn't ruined. He never has been. And yes, he is messy, but everyone is. She knows him. Perhaps better than he does. So she won't leave. Not this time.
He's not said anything for a while, and she's starting to worry. Then he takes her hand, as he has done a thousand times before, and the weight of it grounds her. She trusts him. Whatever he is going to do, he will do because they both want it.
"Close your eyes. Please? I'm not going to touch you, but I can't- if I say it, I'll back out," he whispers.
She realises suddenly, randomly, that the lights are still on. "Okay," she whispers, and complies. Talking feels too loud.
"You can open them now," he says, a few minutes later.
She does. And for a moment, she has no idea what's happening.
And then she sees. Properly. He's taken his shirt off, and his scars are completely visible to her. All of them. She's never loved him more. For trusting her enough to show her who he is. For loving her enough to be so vulnerable without fear. For being so brave that she no longer feels afraid of anything.
"My darling," she says, because Aaron feels too casual. But she has no words.
He takes her hand again, and presses it against his chest. She can feel his heart racing underneath it.
"This belongs to you. Whatever is left of it, however long it may beat for, it all belongs to you. Because I love you. And I trust you. So break it if you must, but carry the pieces with you because they are yours, now and forever."
Emily can't help the tears that start pooling in her eyes. She understands where this is coming from. He thought that this would be the thing that made her hesitate. One day, he will realise that this is the thing that convinced her that it was right. She had known for a while that she was going to spend whatever portion of her life that he wanted her for with him, but now she was so sure that the thought didn't fill her with dread.
There are no words in a language she speaks to tell him how much this means to her. So she settles for the ones that will do. "It won't be the pieces that I carry. It will be the whole thing. For as long as you will allow me to. I love you, Aaron Hotchner. I love you, I love you, I love you." She smiles as she says the words, not once moving away from him.
He smiles, as he always does, before he kisses her. He smiles through the kiss.
It is perfect. It is beautiful. Standing there, with him so vulnerable and her so irreversibly in love, it is hard to believe that the place they are creating their happy ending, is the same space where he was once stabbed in. The place where she set off that chain of events not so long ago.
They go to sleep, in the same bed, wrapped in each others' warmth. It feels perfect. The photo of Haley they keep on the dresser seems to glow even brighter, like she too is so proud of who they have become.
The first time Aaron shows Emily his scars, she smiles.
And Aaron does too. Because now he's shown her. Properly. And he saw her face, full of love and admiration and pride in how far he has come. She's seen them. But it was his decision. And that, more than anything, heals the final piece of his soul that Foyet destroyed.
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teletraan-meets-jarvis Ā· 3 years ago
Text
Monster - Part 1
AO3 Link
Characters: Commander Fox (Main), Captain Rex, Commander Thorn, Corrie Medic Triage (OC), Anakin Skywalker, Fives.
Summary: Fives' death through the eyes of Commander Fox.
Warnings: 16+, swearing, mentions of death.
Word Count: 1.6k
Click here for Part 2
Authorā€™s Notes: First trip on the angst train folks. I've had this in my head for ages because I wanted to try something that wasn't relationship focused and I'm still not over this whole storyline with the chips, they were so darn close to exposing ol' sheev. Fox deserves some spotlight but i'm very sorry it had to be on this. I have got a part 2 practically written up already but wanted to test the waters with this bit first. Let me know what you think!! Fic below the cutoff :).
The title is from the song Monster by Starset. If you're after some good sci-fi related songs for the feels, Startset is where it's at.
Under the knife I surrendered The innocence yours to consume You cut it away And you filled me up with hate Into the silence you sent me Into the fire consumed You thought I'd forget But it's always in my head
Each step was quiet, calculated as CC-1010 moved into the storage bay. His men following his lead as they prepared to surround their target. General Skywalker was verbally defending the Chancellor from where he was captured in a ray shield. The target was unaware of their presence, time to move in.
Set to stun.
ā€œStand down, soldier! Get on your knees!ā€ CC-1010 commanded, surrounded by his Shock Troopers. The target looked over at the unattended pistols. ā€œDonā€™t do it solider.ā€
ā€œGET AWAY FROM ME!ā€
ā€œFIVES NO!ā€
Threat. Eliminate the threat.
Good soldiers, follow orders.
Set to Kill. CC-1010 never missed.
No.
Rex was screaming.
General Skywalker was ordering the Guard to lower the ray shields, not that CC-1010 could hear him over the ringing in his ears.
No.
The Captain was at his ARC-Trooperā€™s side, cradling his head. The blaster wound a disgusting contrast to the pure, shiny, white plastoid of his armour. The blaster wound that CC- no, that Fox inflicted.
No no no no no no.
The pistol fell from his hands and clattered to the ground as Fox came back to himself, the only sound which could be heard among the silence apart from Rexā€™s begging to Fives to stay with him.
Fox tore off his helmet. He couldnā€™t breathe. Fuck. The weight of what he just did crashed into him like a tsunami, threatening to take him down, tear him apart.
He stared at his gloved hands which shook uncontrollably. He tried to stop them but his brain didnā€™t have control of his body anymore. His men were looking at him, he could feel their gaze tearing into him like a jury to a defendant. Watching as their Commander fell apart.
He fell to his knees. No longer able to support his own body weight alongside the weight of his actions. Heā€™d just killed another clone. One of his own vode. His own flesh and blood. Thatā€™d never happened before. Sure there had been traitors before among the clone ranks, but theyā€™d never been executed on site. Theyā€™d never been pursued by Fox. Lucky them.
The chancellorsā€™ orders echoed in his ears. ā€œEliminate the threat, Commander.ā€
Not bring him in for questioning. Eliminate him. No court hearing, no hearing Fivesā€™ side like Slick and others before him. Just execution. And Fox was his executioner. Fuck he was going to vomit.
ā€œRexā€ Fox didnā€™t realise he was speaking until Rexā€™s eyes met his over Fivesā€™ lifeless body, which he continued to cradle like his last hopes in this war.
Rexā€™s eyes were cold as ice, the power behind them attempting to freeze Fox to his very core. He didnā€™t blame him.
The heartbreak at losing another member of Torrent Company cracking the Captainā€™s usually unshakeable composure. As it fell apart piece by piece in front of Foxā€™s eyes, he was left staring at his little brother. His Rexā€™ika. Distraught, heartbroken, empty. He wanted nothing more than to protect him like back on Kamino, when Rex was a young cadet who feared the thunderstorms of their home planet. But Fox couldnā€™t protect Rex from this, Fox was the reason behind his brotherā€™s agony, his loss. Fox was the monster.
ā€œI-ā€¦ā€ he couldnā€™t get the words out. He couldnā€™t explain himself. What could he say? I didnā€™t have a choice, I had to follow orders? That wasnā€™t going to fix the hole left in Rexā€™s heart. For losing Fives and for losing Fox too, because the Commander was sure he was dead to him.
Rex finally pulled his eyes away and it broke Foxā€™s heart. The Captain looked back down at his friend in his arms, his brother. He brought his forehead forward as he raised Fivesā€™s, meeting him in one final Keldabe as he recited the Mandoā€™a that had become far too familiar for them all. Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la. He cradled Fives close to his chest and hooked a hand under his legs as he got to his feet.
Rexā€™s face was stony, emotionless as he carried his fallen brother out of the storage bay. He held himself together as he brushed past the helmet-less Shock Troopers who stood stock still around their shaken Commander. He didnā€™t even spare Fox a glance. General Skywalker was hot on his Captainā€™s heels, going to offer support where he could. Just like that they were gone.
ā€œSir-ā€œ one of the troopers went to place a hand on his Commanderā€™s shoulder.
ā€œTell the Chancellor itā€™s doneā€ Fox snapped out, the words tasting like bitter bile in his mouth. He did his best to regain himself as he grabbed his bucket, re-securing it and his emotions behind as strong a wall as he could fortify in his current state. Still shaking hands clasped around the dropped blaster and Fox finally returned to his feet, slightly unsteady.
ā€œReturn to baseā€ his orders were flat as they came through the helmet. His soldiers didnā€™t react for a moment. He looked each of his men over, their shock at watching what happened bared to the world on their faces. He couldnā€™t take it. ā€œNow.ā€ Finally they nodded and made the move to leave the Gods-forsaken place.
Everything was a blur; people, places, all fading into nothingness behind Fox as he paced back to his office. His safe space. His feet carried him while his mind drifted, almost leaving his body in an attempt to protect himself from the internal horrors that threatened his grasp on reality.
Next he knew he was back in his office, no idea what route heā€™d taken to get there. The door had barely shut behind him before he stumbled to the small refresher attached and vomited. Choked sobs wracked his body as he emptied his stomach, tears creating salty tracks down his cheeks.
Once his body stopped torturing him, he finally backed away from the toilet and crawled to lean against the ā€˜fresher wall. His legs sprawled out in front of him as he threw his head back against the cool tiles. The sharp pain from the action doing nothing to bring him back, to distract him from the agony in his mind.
ā€”ā€”ā€”ā€”
ā€œFox, Fox!! Itā€™s Thorn, are you there?ā€ The heavy gunner shouted from outside, his fists banging on the door demanding entry.
Nothing.
Thorn had heard what had happened, half the Guard already knew by now. Fox had been ordered to execute another clone by the Chancellor. As soon as the confirmation reached his ears, the Commander dropped everything to find his superior. Heā€™d been friends with Fox long enough to know when he was nearing his breaking point, and he knew that this would throw him off the edge of his sanity.
ā€œKriff, Fox. Iā€™m coming in!ā€ He announced before punching the code in and rushing in to find his friend.
What Thorn found wasnā€™t pretty. Fox was propped up against the fresher wall, his head covered in a thin sheen of sweat, his amber eyes glassed over as he sobbed. He looked absolutely wrecked.
Thorn dropped to his side and took hold of his hands in an attempt to ground his friend. ā€œFox, hey Fox, can you hear me?ā€
Nothing.
ā€œI heard what happened. I need you to come back to us, yeah. Maker, we need you Fox.ā€ That got his attention, Foxā€™s watery eyes met his, but the Commander wasnā€™t fully present behind them yet.
ā€œIt wasnā€™t meā€ Fox choked out in barely a whisper, tears flowing freely again. Thorn moved forward and pulled the Commander into his arms, their armour fitting awkwardly against one another but it was enough. The broken man clung to his brother as he continued to repeat his words in a tear filled mantra against Thornā€™s armour.
After what felt like forever, the shudders that tore through Foxā€™s body eventually died down to something more manageable. Thorn took that as his moment to try and get his Commander sat up again, maybe even get some water in him. He began to pull away slightly so he could look him in the eyes but as soon as he did, Fox started babbling again. At least it was a few more words than before.
ā€œI set the gun to stun, I swear. I donā€™t know what happened. Once I saw Fives, everything went dark.ā€ He tried to explain with as much coherence as he could. ā€œTheyā€™ll never forgive me for this.ā€ Thorn knew who he was talking about, his batch mates. Cody, Wolffe, Bly, Ponds and Gree. Fox had felt that their relationship was strained ever since he joined the Guard and his brothers went out to fight on the front lines. Heā€™d become the cold leader of the Coruscant Elite Guard, he had the ā€˜cushy desk jobā€™ while they had to watch their men die day in and day out on the battlefield. The sad truth was that theyā€™d never understand the things the Guard had to go through each day. One night after a particularly tough day, heā€™d listened as Fox admitted that he wished he could provide his men with honourable deaths in battle to save them from their fates within the Guard.
Thornā€™s chest felt like a vice as he cradled his friend, trying to absorb some of his pain as if it would help make things a bit easier on him. Heā€™d never seen Fox like this and it was killing him. Why did the Chancellor always place the worst jobs on the Commander, why did he have to keep him so close, right under his thumb ready to make him do the dirty work. Never thinking about the aftermath, because the clones didnā€™t matter. So long as Fox kept showing up and performing admirably on the surface, the day to day pain and suffering wasnā€™t of concern to the Republic, least of all to the Grand Chancellor.
ā€œFox, Iā€™m going to call Triage alright? Heā€™ll know what to do.ā€ Thorn announced softly, not getting much of an acknowledgment for his words as Fox started to drift off in his arms, his bodyā€™s exhaustion overtaking him for a blissful moment.
Continue to Part 2
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firelxdykatara Ā· 4 years ago
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kitty i can't wait for your thoughts of Shadow and Bone asdfasfaw
Ok well I just finished and I have so many fucking thoughts. Most good! Some, less so. Part of it may just be my bias because Iā€™ve only read the Six of Crows duology and have little interest in actually reading the original trilogy, because I know how it ends and Leigh clearly hates me personally and doesnā€™t want me to be happy (/j), so I was already predisposed to be far more invested in the Crows and Darkling/Darklina segments (genuinely, the Mal/Malina scenes/storyline bored me to tears, and while I appreciate that the show went out of its way to change Malā€™s character to make him much less of a toxic douchebag [Iā€™ve read enough excerpts and explanations of his actions in the books to really loathe book!Malina], it isnā€™t enough to make me ship them when Darklina is right there), but I also donā€™t think itā€™s a stretch to say that the Crows absolutely stole the show.
Itā€™s actually kind of funny, because Iā€™d assumed they were only being so heavily marketed to hype the show up even more, since while thereā€™s a lot of TGT/SoC fandom overlap they are also two fundamentally different genres and Iā€™d wager there are a lot of people who are massive fans of one but not so enthused with the other, while remaining fairly insignificant to the overall plot. Turns out, they make up fully half of the showā€™s runtime (much to my delight). Which is part of what I think will help this series stand on its own, both as a book adaptation and simply as a fantasy TV series.
Iā€™ll put more of my story-specific thoughts under a cut, so thereā€™s lots of show spoilers to follow!
I know that a lot of early reviewers were saying that Alinaā€™s motivations and storyline revolved too much around Mal, and that really held true for me. It made sense in the beginning--he was the only constant in her life, she was thrust into something new, terrifying, and completely unfamiliar, and theyā€™d developed an unhealthy codependence as a coping mechanism for their childhoods and the traumas they faced, the lives they lead growing up in a war-torn country. But she started coming into her power, falling for the General--not just his power and charisma, but what she felt when she was with him. The way he helped her summon the sun, the way she felt free in a way she never had before.
Until it all went to shit--but the Darklina make-out scene in episode 5? Fucking iconic. Poetic fucking cinema. The way they were quite literally about to have sex on that wartable (and someone better write fic of that moment, what if they hadnā€™t gotten interrupted), and the General left, but then he ran back just to kiss her one more time... this is what OTPs are made of ok.
I think what really bothers me overall is that Alina ultimately lacked agency in her one storyline, pretty much the entire way through. She did make a few choices, but they were mostly incidental, and a lot of it was Alina desperately trying to get back to Mal rather than seizing her own power and destiny and running with it. The most prominent example is the end of episode 5--Alina is having happy make-outs and almost bones the General in his own war room, and then he leaves, and Baghra comes in and infodumps to her about how evil he is and how heā€™s only using her and she needs to escape.
I recognize that a lot of this is probably because thatā€™s essentially what happened in the book and Leigh is an executive producer for the show so she has a lot of shot-calling power. However, I really think that even in the book this plotline wouldā€™ve been better-served by having Alina make these discoveries on her own.
For example, imagine that the letters which were used as framing devices for episodes 2 and 3 were vitally important to the plot, rather than being one-offs that are mentioned a few times but not really affecting much of anything. Alina begins to get suspicious when she doesnā€™t receive word from Mal, and she starts wondering if her letters are even reaching him--so she starts snooping. She finds ashes in the war room hearth, late at night,, and recognizes a fragment of Malā€™s signature and larger piece of her own. She now knows that someone--possibly the General, but maybe that creepy priest guy, or someone else in the palace--is keeping her and Mal from contacting one another. So she starts snooping around even more. She asks the General leading questions, trying to figure out what the truth is of his intentions. She still feels this pull--this connection to him, and she hopes sheā€™s wrong, but sheā€™s not willing to just sit around and wait for the other shoe to drop.
The Winter Fete still happens, she still gets the hot make-out session with the General, and then when heā€™s called away, she snoops through his papers, looking for anything that can tell her the truth. She finds a hidden compartment filled with journals.
She reads about Aleksanderā€™s past (and, incidentally, wasnā€™t that supposed to be a huge moment in the books, him revealing his true name to her in private? kinda wish it had been kept that way in the show but who knows where theyā€™ll go with it in the future)--that leads to the flashbacks in episode 6. She feels for him, but she also reads further--she gets a firsthand look at his desire for power, something that began as a noble desire to save his people, but was twisted by a lust for vengeance (for his lost love and all the Grisha who were killed) and shot through with greed, the realization that if he found the Sun Summoner he could control the Fold, rather than just destroy it. He could create a new world where Grisha could live without fear--where Grisha could rule.
Alina is terrified. Whoever the General used to be--whatever humanity she saw flickering in his eyes, the way his heart fluttered when they kissed--she canā€™t trust that itā€™ll be enough to save her from plans centuries in the making. So she goes to Baghra, the woman who helped her discover her power, learn to channel it--the woman who always seemed to know much more than she ever let on. Baghra gives her side of the story--Alina got it from the Generalā€™s perspective first, now Baghra is telling her something framed much differently. She isnā€™t sure what or who to trust, but she knows that Baghra seems willing to help her escape--but rather than trusting her ā€˜loyal Grishaā€™, she makes the choice she made in the show, to choose the other path, and winds up with the Crows.
Idk how Mal and the Stag thing would fit into this (if it isnā€™t obvious by now, Mal just... doesnā€™t interest me), but Alinaā€™s story and her character arc would be so much stronger for it. And sheā€™s supposed to be the central character, so her story being weak and her agency so frequently being compromised ultimately hurts the show as a whole.
I know Iā€™ve gone on and on about Alina and the Darkling (look, Iā€™m a slut for enemies-to-lovers, and also lovers-to-enemies-and-back, so Darklina and Helnik are where so much of my investment is rooted--plus Kanej, but that almost goes without saying), but the true standouts of the series were the Crows. Inej, Kaz, and Jesper, and Nina and Matthias in their episodes, stole the show (along with the Darkling, Ben is far and away the best actor in the cast and I love that for him, but Freddy, Amita, and Kit are also amazing, and Danielle&Calahan were fucking phenomenal as Nina and Matthias--I do have to say, though, that the whole cast is really solid and has amazing chemistry).
They worked together so perfectly--Freddy and Amita communicated so much with their eyes alone, especially together, and a whole lot of their relationship dynamic is rooted in how they exist together, which really came through. The show altered the Crows timeline considerably (Iā€™m pretty sure Kaz wouldā€™ve been 14 during the original trilogy lol), so Inej is still at the Menagerie, but things like Kaz putting up the Crow Club for Inejā€™s freedom, the way Kaz needed her but could never bring himself to say it (until the end of the season dklhfgdkjfgh i SCREAMED)--the way Jesper played off the both of them, and itā€™s so obvious they all love each other even though theyā€™re criminals and thieves and murderers, and Kaz would never admit it (out loud--which actually feeds into my theory that his love language is acts of service; Kaz does things for the people he cares about, he never announces it and he will almost always try to downplay it, but the way you know he cares is if, for example, he puts his entire life, everything he built, up as collateral for your freedom), but theyā€™re a family.
One thing that I was kind of iffy about was Inejā€™s refusal to kill--but I thought it might be something they were planning to work into her overall character arc, and they did. It was the one line she hadnā€™t crossed--in the books, Iā€™d imagine that it took a while for Inej to wind up at that point, being willing to kill on top of everything else. So I actually like that they worked that into the Crows plotline, and Inej killing for the first time was to save Kazā€™s life.
Just like Kazā€™s first selfless act was to save her.
(Heā€™d deny it, of course. He protects his investments. He needed her for the job. But the truth is, he did it for her. And heā€™d do it again. Even if heā€™d never admit it.)
Meanwhile, Nina and Matthiasā€™ storyline was pretty much note-for-note according to their backstory as it was revealed in Six of Crows, and I loved every second of it. Their chemistry was perfect, their journey from enemies to begrudging allies to friends to maybe something more (Matthiasā€™ stomach cockblocking them when they were about to kiss had me fucking SCREAMING AT THE TV, and then of course the whole ā€˜betraying him to save himā€™ thing happened and I sobbed), and then suddenly right back to enemies.
Because from Matthiasā€™ perspective, he trusted a witch--believed in her, liked her, wanted her--and she turned on him. He has no idea that she wasnā€™t the one who knocked him out in the first place, and no reason to believe her, because as far as he knows, she just confirmed everything heā€™d ever been told about Grisha. That they are deceitful and treacherous, would turn on you as soon as look at you, that they are dangerous and not to be trusted. It wasnā€™t revealed in-show but I imagine Matthiasā€™ backstory is largely the same, which means that his entire family was slaughtered by Grisha when he was a young boy, and then he was turned into a brainwashed child soldier by the witch hunters and never knew anything else.
They are perfectly primed for their SoC arc next season and I, for one, am so stoked to see the rest of their journey. And if I slip Netflix a couple twenties, maybe theyā€™ll let Helnik have a happy ending please please please.
Anyway, yeah! I have a lot of thoughts but things are still percolating in my head so Iā€™ll probably float around the tags for a bit and let things settle. This is just a preliminary overview of my thoughts in the immediate aftermath of bingeing the entire show in one night kldfjghdkjfhgkjgf
EDIT TO ADD: I CANā€™T BELIEVE I FORGOT ABOUT THE TRUE STAR OF THE SHOW, M I L O
MILO BEST BOY. MILO THE MVP. MILO DESERVES ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THE WORLD AND I HOPE HE LIVES A HAPPY AND HEALTHY AND FULL LITTLE GOAT LIFE.
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