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matrixwhore · 2 years ago

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bare with me bc im fatigued but unable to sleep so i’m just here thinking and need to get my thoughts out, but i think much of louis’ passivity stems from his relationship with his mother and family. we don’t really see him become passive until claudia arrives. please correct me if i’m wrong but i believe that side of him is awakened once that traditional family structure is solidified in his home and i think the du lac family has a lot to do with why he’s like that and not just that he’s incapable of acting or choosing.

i see him and i see the child/mother that doesn’t want to repeat his mother’s failings on his own family but takes it so far to the extreme that it means he refuses to confront anything ever bc he feels he’s communicating the unconditional love he never received. he really is someone who wants the ones in his life to know they can be loved through anything. whether or not people receive it in the way he gives it i don’t think should be put on his shoulders as much it is.

he doesn’t have healthy understanding of discipline/consequences bc he was punished for things he couldn’t help like his queer identity. it doesn’t really seem like growing up he got into much trouble, again correct me if im wrong. other than paul his pimping isn’t really admonished by the du lacs bc it affords them their lifestyle. they are willing to distance themselves from it bc they get the house and the staff and the honeymoon trips etc. but they won’t overlook who he is. and it outweighs anything else. and that’s a weird thing to process being punished for bc the only thing you can do is deny yourself. but they know. so you hiding it and they know and they show you they disapprove even if you’re trying to play by their rules. it creates a complex.

then there’s paul. he’s the only one who really took it on to take care of paul and establish a relationship with him. i think florence probably didn’t push back against his institutionalization and grace seems to agree he belonged there. louis was the only one who saw how it negatively impacted paul. he loved paul that was his favorite person and then he killed himself and florence blames him for simply being there. this is where he starts to go from the favored son to the scapegoat which is a fucked transition to experience and i think its super underestimated how badly louis is impacted by it. it also happens when he starts to openly entertain lestat so it’ll never matter that his last moments with paul were expressions of love bc his all florence sees is that he’s been acting in sin and so of course he must of done and said something to kill her baby who he was raising and caring for in her place btw. when paul was upset he went to louis not florence. the last thing he ever said to paul was he loved him and he still died and florence blames him for it. he’s always punished for loving as far as he’s concerned.

then he does make “a choice” to become an immortal monster/companion/wife, which given all the circumstances is very much not much of a choice on his part, but he decides to go with what he wants and that choice is at the center of the unraveling of almost all the things he cares about and links to his human identity. and he clings to his human identity so i believe that fucks with his ability to trust his own decision making for sure. it’s the loss of his role in his family slowly but surely and everything he did he did for them. he always struggles with his decisions about how he supports his family and how he copes w the impact it has on his community. so if in choosing his own desire to love and be loved for once strips him of his family and his community what does that say about the decisions he made along the way? what was it all for? and then on top of that he didn’t even know what he was choosing in choosing immortality with lestat. he’s rocked by being faced with the reality of his choice so much so that he forgot his brother died for a moment. he’s probably developed an inability to take a step in any direction bc every step leads to a new rock bottom and he doesn’t trust himself anymore. that’s a very real thing that happens.

so how does that manifest when he has his own lil nuclear family?? well

with claudia he doesn’t ever want her to feel like she could ever lose his love for her for any reasons. like his family showed him. so bc his own punishments were correlated with who he was and not things he did really i don’t think he’s able to see disciplining claudia as guiding her towards better actions i think he sees it as punishing her for being as she is which he blames himself for and also for loving (where charlie is concerned but i’ll get to that…). it was his choice to bring her into this life so how can he trust himself beyond loving her unconditionally. that’s what he wants so that’s what he gives. claudia does what she does bc she’s a vampire and she didn’t choose that. he did. so he retreats when the consequences of that crop up and becomes passive. he doesn’t want to take a step in any direction on top of the patriarchal structure that the father is the law of the house, but then charlie happens.

claudia didnt kill charlie out of maliciousness. it was young love with all the demanding of the insatiable hunger of a vampire. even lestat recognizes that she got carried away so to louis punishing her or even makeing her feel bad for the action was too deeply entwined with punishing her for loving at all and that is a sensitive thing for him. he doesn’t handle it better than lestat that’s not what i’m saying what i’m saying is he doesn’t have the tools to guide her through this. what he has is the desperation to not repeat what harmed him growing up. it’s after this that he decides lestat cannot be the law of the household where claudia is concerned until he realizes his approach seriously blinded him to the fact that claudia ,yes is a doomed child vampire, but she’s a doomed child vampire making decisions and her actions have serious consequences for all of them and he doesn’t have the tools to guide. he can love her through anything, but how can he of all people really guide her. this isn’t as simple as no running in the house and listen to your elders. the mother is learning her daughter is her own person (and vampire) not an extension of her and with character traits like her father too. (plus the mother has to realize that she can’t heal herself through her daughter) whew. so louis decides to step back and to let lestat be the law again and then claudia LEAVES and on her way out she challenges his decision to turn her at all (with good reason. these two vampires should not be raising a baby!!) louis is literally so distraught he wants her to come home but he can’t bring himself to go after her and bring her home. he doesn’t want to take a step!! he doesn’t want to decide. it never leads to what he thinks it will. i don’t think he believes he can trust himself to make good choices. so he loves her unconditionally on broadcast for every vampire within radio earshot to hear because that’s what he can do. thennnn she’s harmed while she’s gone and i’m sure he’s feels in a way responsible. he wanted to be her protector so badly (when actually she’s his but i’ll get to that in a bit) and wasn’t able to. and of course there’s that scene™️ in ep5 with being put in a position where he was pressured to choose between lestat and claudia and because it LOOKED like he MIGHT choose claudia and because he didn’t IMMEDIATELY choose lestat disaster ensued. that’s a lot. fuck.

and when the nature of his relationship with claudia shifts more to siblings because she’s getting older, wants more agency and claudia realizes she is also a replacement for grace, this is where the passiveness that is the result of his relationship with grace developed. bc while its true claudia takes over for grace, she is the sister to louis that grace never ever was. on top of the fact that her solution for their issues was “you’re dead to me,” grace never actually accepted and supported his queer identity truly like claudia and she definitely never protected him like claudia either (defending mama du lac in regards to paul comes to mind and also her husband being the replacement son). and louis needs and wants both those things as well as someone who won’t abandon him like grace did and he let’s claudia be them but takes it to the extreme where the last two are concerned. Louis doesn’t think he can save himself from his situation and claudia believes she can save herself and him. she isn’t gonna leave him behind. he leans into that heavily. it’s not just that he can’t and won’t make choices to get them out of their situation it’s also that he’s traumatized by his past choices and also he’s also loving lestat unconditionally as well on top of that (in the way he’s able to). i don’t think louis could see a way out like at all. he was shrouded in darkness. the best he could do was compartmentalize his love for lestat to protect himself when things were at their worst that was his flashlight in that darkness. but like when it was necessary for the success of the plan that he allow himself to love lestat fully he said if i feel it there’s no way out of this fr fr. he knew he wouldn’t make good choices. choosing lestat is the decision he will always make for better or worse. but that’s at the expense of claudia on top of choking her.

like idk we joke about his inability to make decisions but that trait in him is drenched with trauma. and his family is a huge part of why imo. i just get so upset when i think about them. i really rambled on and on here. not sure how much sense this makes but i guess this ties into my feelings about this as well. but yeah not choosing as a trauma response and not just as a way to get out of confronting his problems even tho that is a symptom. if that makes sense. idk. my brain is mash potatoes right now.

#iwtv #louis de pointe du lac #ldpdl #the de pointe du lacs said he can go to hell #and he went and started a family there with his rich french white husband #who’s doing it like him #claudia #if i keep opening doors that lead be to a new level of hell im not prepared for i’d develop a fear of opening doors #thats the tldr of this long ass post i guess #i planned to mention that a lot of claudia’s kills are attempts to create a companion as well #in regards to punishing her for loving or in this case wanting love and seeking it out #the placement of the claudia tag is driving me crazy bc it reads like a response to the question before it #but actually just had the thought that i should tag her name bc it’s pretty relevant to all this #re: paul’s death - and he probably already blamed himself for not noticing #for going up there #for not stopping him #etc. all these decisions!!#we want him to make better decisions or any decision but like he doesn’t have the tools. he wasn’t prepared for what motherhood really was #no matter how much he wanted to be one

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convenientalias · 1 month ago

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I binge watched The Trunk.

On the one hand, it's got some great atmospheric scenes and I love the chemistry between In-ji and Jeong-won. Seo Hyun-jin and Gong Yoo are both really good actors, and they play their roles very quietly and subtly. Every scene they're in together is just so enjoyable to watch.

On the other hand, the way the second female lead becomes progressively more flat villain over the course of the show... at the end they do kind of try to salvage it but I swear she started out as a complex character, still caring about her ex at the same time as she hated and resented him, controlling and rejecting but also nurturing and patient. And then as the show goes on she just gets more and more Terrible and people start calling her evil and psycho. I guess that's just her slowly being revealed as the villain the show always intended her to be but it was so disappointing :(. I don't know, I can love a simple female villain sometimes but you don't have to fake me out like that! Not to mention the show is super sympathetic to Jeong-won's mental health issues but super critical of Seo-yeon for ATTEMPTING SUICIDE bc she was pregnant and everyone in the show sees this as her "killing the baby". and this is shown to be a selfish thing bc Jeong-won really wanted a baby so how could she not! Like she was literally suicidal after being pressured into a pregnancy she didn't really want and this is seen as a sign of how evil she is.

She deserved so much better :( :( :(

Also the solution to the mystery at the center of the show was immensely boring and anticlimactic. Like, I didn't care about the person who got killed and I didn't care about the person who killed them.

It's annoying because I don't hate hate the show but also I kind of do hate it. How dare it fake me out with a contemplative, complex bunch of relationships in the first couple episodes and then just get gradually worse... I did still like In-ji and Jeong-won through the end but even they became frustrating, with a slow burn turned into stupid will-they won't-they drama that never reaches a conclusion. (Literally. Not even at the end of the show. It's still unclear.) I'm curious about the book it was based on, because I'd like to know whether it is a faithful adaptation or not; if the stuff I like is in the book, if the stuff I hate is in the book, basically how much is to the show's credit/detriment and how much is in the original source material. But I don't think it's been translated into English.

I want to read/write Seo-yeon femslash fic tbh but also I don't even know who I would ship her with. In-ji is great but she's so biased against Seo-yeon from the beginning that I can't really get into it :(

#kdramas

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navree · 7 months ago

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Thoughts on HBO's Rome? Would love to hear you scream about it.

I've actually talked about it a bit here, but long story short is that I'm not a fan. There's some stuff I really like, I think James Purefoy as Antony was an inspired choice and he remains my favorite portrayal of him, and they seem to have done their research on how the world worked at the time, so I won't knock on people who like it. But I don't.

I'm not a super massive historical purist, one of my favorite shows is The Tudors and that took a lot of liberties with the history, but other than a few exceptions, such as the shit they did with Thomas Boleyn, they never really created a version of someone that felt antithetical to who that person likely was historically. My previous answer talked a bit about how they leaned into tropes with these people, particularly with Octavian and Cleopatra, and how they're not tropes I particularly care for (in general I'm forever craving something about Octavian that actually seems to line up with what we know about the dude and his various complexities, closest I've seen is maybe Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series but even that has some major flaws for me), but I've got a bit of a bone to pick about Atia.

For one, if she's basically going to be Fulvia (and I don't care what the show said, they absolutely didn't take shit from historical Atia, it was all Fulvia), why can't she just be Fulvia? Fulvia had a really interesting life, and her relationship to Antony through their marriage was really interesting, and I think Polly Walker could have played her exceptionally well. I would have liked to see things like her in Rome while Antony is basically an enemy of the state, and her role in the Perusine War and how that all went about.

For two, do people not realize the fucking goldmine they're sitting on when it comes to Atia and her relationship with her children? Atia appears to have been pretty close to her daughter, given that Octavia spent a lot of time traveling around with her mother, and Octavia's marital prospects were also really firmly tied to her family's political power from the getgo. Her first husband was pretty anti-Caesarian, how did Atia feel that her daughter was technically siding against her own uncle through marriage? How did that impact their relationship, or the relationship Atia had with her grandchildren. They're also the only women in their family, you could do so much with that and how misogynistic Roman society was.

And then, on the other hand, you have her relationship with Octavian, which is fascinating. Atia seems to have vacillated, historically, between incredibly distant and almost smothering when it came to her son; she sent him away to live with his grandmother rather than raise him with her new husband the way she did with Octavia, which was not the norm, but she was also so overprotective of his health that she and Caesar were the ones discussing whether Octavian was well enough to travel around with him, and she really wanted him to reject Caesar's will so that his safety wouldn't be jeopardized. And how did Atia feel about what her son was doing? That her son, her baby boy, was in essence rejecting his family to subsume himself to Caesar's and, against her wishes, is going around being his heir and getting involved in politics during such a tumultuous time? How did Octavian's adulthood, and the turmoil of it, play with his clearly complicated relationship with his mother? And Atia died in 43 BC. She died about a year after Caesar, and that's such rich ground for Octavian as a character in historical fiction. His father died when he was four, he latched onto Caesar who ended up murdered a year ago, and now his mom is dead too. You can even create good drama out of the fact that it's shortly after this that he starts working with Antony and Lepidus to eventually create the Second Triumvirate, that being a pretty firm orphan, suffering another loss during such a stressful time, kinda made him say "fuck it" and add to his aggression (this is the same year he's making fucking kill lists of people, come on). Atia and Octavian's relationship is so interesting, writing wise, the fact that nobody's jumped on it and all we got from HBO was "sociopathic kid hates his slut mom" doesn't do much for me.

Also, said it a million times and shall be saying it again, pairing Agrippa with Octavia (or really any other woman from Octavian's family) is a giant fucking cop-out. The man was heart and soul for Octavian, if you want to have Agrippa torn between his duty to Octavian as a subordinate and strong feelings of love that he can't really act on, his best friend since childhood is right there. These two were insane for each other, quit trying to het-ify it and just make them gay.

#personal #answered #anonymous #did Not expect to spend so much time talking about atia balba but here we are #yeah i am not the biggest rome fan #i think the casting was good at least they're all fabulous actors #and again james purefoy antony is just chef's kiss

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duhragonball · 2 years ago

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Dragon Ball Super 074

How do people sit like this? Without tipping over, I mean.

Are all the conversations they have only five seconds long?

Last time, Jaco let a dangerous space criminal escape to Earth. He suspects that it’s the Great Saiyaman, so he tracks him down and starts shooting. Little does Jaco know that the Great Saiyaman is actually Son Gohan. I mean, he’d find out a lot sooner, but Gohan’s having trouble getting his helmet off, because he was flying Cocoa back to her apartment, and she’s clinging to him too tightly out of fear.

But Gohan finally does unmask and Jaco explains to him just what is going on. Watagash is a “mind parasite”, harmless on his own, but capable of inserting himself within a host body and giving that body incredible strength. Watagash feeds on darker emotions, so the more evil you are, the more Watagash gets out of it.

Which proves that Great Saiyaman couldn’t be under Watagash’s influence, since he wasn’t going on a rampage or anything like that. I think Jaco just saw a new character in West City and jumped to conclusions. Or he actually believed that tall tale Bulma invented about a thief stealing the spare Great Saiyaman costume. Either way, he put two and two together and got five.

Gohan wants to contact his father to help recapture Watagash, but Jaco wants to keep this under wraps because he doesn’t want his superiors to find out Watagash escaped due to his carelessness uh... I mean, Jaco’s on a secret mission. Yeah, that’s it. In exchange, Jaco promises not to tell anyone about Gohan’s little affair with Cocoa. Gohan denies that it’s anything like that, but Jaco’s convinced. He resents that Gohan has better luck with the ladies than he does. Don’t hate the player, Jaco. Hate the game.

So with that out of the way, Gohan takes Cocoa back to her apartment where they can rehearse her scene, which was why she approached him in the first place. But why? Gohan’s playing the Great Saiyaman in the new Mr. Satan movie, but he’s only performing as the lead stuntman. Wouldn’t Cocoa need to rehearse with the actual star, Barry Kahn?

It’s like this. Barry wants revenge on Gohan and Videl, so he’s manipulated Cocoa to help him break up their marriage. Last episode, Barry made a big to-do about offering Videl his autograph, and she refused him in front of his fans. Also, Gohan’s stuntwork seems to be impressing the director more than Barry’s star power, and his ego can’t stand to be upstaged even a little.

So he told Cocoa to go approach Gohan about rehearsing her scene at her apartment, and then to kiss him. Then he called up a photographer he knows to capture the whole thing on film. Cocoa doesn’t like this very much, but she’s just a pop idol. This role as Great Saiyaman’s love interest is her chance to break into acting, but Barry threatens to torpedo her whole career if she defies him.

So she has to do this, but what Barry doesn’t know is that Cocoa discovered Gohan is the actual Great Saiyaman, the one who appeared in Satan City several years ago. Also Gohan’s the Goodest Boy, and he’s so darn nice to her that she gets upset and can’t go through with it.

And Gohan’s so darn nice that he manages to comfort her even though he doesn’t know what’s going on. He thinks this is about her struggle to balance multiple careers, and he relates this to his own struggle to be a good father, husband, son, and guy who knows aliens.

Which... really does sum up the whole character. It’s such a quick moment in a rather complex story, but it’s what makes Episodes 73 and 74 so good. His whole life, Gohan has tried to be everything for everyone. His mom wanted him to be a scholar, so he became one. Piccolo wanted him to be a warrior on the battlefield, so he became one. And I’ve often said that by the end of DBZ, he’s managed to walk that fine line and succeed in both paths, and now he’s basically done with that dilemma, right?

Wrong. With each new relationship Gohan enters into, he adds more roles for himself. That’s how he became Great Saiyaman in the first place. He needed a way to foil violent crime in Satan City without it getting in the way of his high school education. No one pressured him into it. Everyone talks about Gohan getting pushed to do this or that by Chi-Chi or Piccolo or whoever. But no one even knew he was fighting crime until he told them. And he didn’t have to invent a superhero identity. Videl was fighting crime and going to high school without a disguise, and everyone just went along with it.

And this is what can frustrate the fans, because we want to see this Gohan or that Gohan, but he never completely puts any one role back in the box. He never stopped being the badass from the Cell Games, or the reluctant Z-Fighter from the Saiyans Saga, or the nerd from Orange Star High. For my part, one of the things that’s frustrated me about this viewing of Dragon Ball Super is how he asked Piccolo to whip him back into shape, yet he keeps going on with his life like nothing has changed. We’ll eventually see him training with Piccolo, but it’s weird that it never comes up in this episode, where he’s trying to be a stuntman on top of all the other hats he’s wearing.

But that’s not a plot hole, or an oversight. It’s a feature, not a bug. The only reason it’s more noticeable in Dragon Ball Super is because Gohan has a lot more roles to juggle than he did in Dragon Ball Z. The solution is not for him to “pick one”. This is why those edgy fancomics always miss the mark. They’ll have Cell murder Videl and Pan to push Gohan into becoming a dedicated fighter, but that doesn’t “fix” the character. All you’re doing is chopping off parts of the character that made him work. It would be like making Chewbacca shave his fur.

And this is what makes Barry’s scheme such a potent trap for Gohan. He’s too naive and too gentle to suspect a trap. Cocoa tries to get him out of it by leading him up to the roof, where Barry’s photographer won’t see him flying off the roof. But she kisses him anyway, probably just because he’s such a cool guy.

But Barry was a step ahead of Cocoa, and he’s been staking out the roof this whole time, just in case the photographer missed the shot he wanted. When he sees Gohan fly away after the kiss, he’s shocked to learn that Gohan’s the real Great Saiyaman, but he figures it’s just one more secret he can use against him. Wow, Barry is a super mega dick.

So he takes the photos to Videl the next morning, and Gohan’s more worried that Barry was following him all night. As for Videl, she doesn’t buy into this. She knows Gohan’s not cheating on her, and she knows Barry’s a huge creep, so she won’t play his game. “Look, I married this big cinnamon roll. Of course girls are going to throw themselves at him. That just means they’re smart. I knew what I was in for.”

Barry can’t handle this defeat, so he pitches a bitch until Gohan finally makes him leave. But even when he’s getting tough with Barry, he’s still a sweetheart. He’s like “Barry, I still like your movies, but you’re being kind of a jerk right now, and I want you to leave before you wake up my daughter.” I’m surprised he didn’t offer Barry a soda before he goes.

And while Barry is stewing in his own juices outside... a certain creepy alien crawls up and enters his body. I forget how Watagash works exactly, so let’s just say he went up Barry’s butthole.

Inside, Gohan’s is about to explain the photo of Cocoa kissing him, although Videl seems to have forgotten the whole thing. But then Barry smashes through the wall and clobbers both of them and takes Pan. When Gohan comes to, he finds Barry carved a note in the wall, daring “Saiyaman” to meet him at the TV station.

I want to remind you that this isn’t like when Baby from GT possesses a character and basically wears their form like a suit. It’s also not like when Baby lays eggs in victims and changes their personalities to make them loyal to him. Barry still thinks of himself as Barry and this is all his idea. I think it’s reasonable to assume Watagash is pulling some strings, but Barry doesn’t even know Watagash is in his body right now. He has no idea how he got so strong, but he’s enjoying it too much to care. Maybe Watagash is just influencing Barry more indirectly. Whispering suggestions into his subconscious, or tweaking his hormones to make him more aggressive. But the point is that this “Kidnap Pan” business is all Barry’s idea.

Anyway, Pan’s having the time of her life up here, and she made a poopy.

When Gohan shows up, Barry transforms into some sort of ape-like creature. Is this Super Saiyan 4?

While Gohan fights Barry, Videl flies up to the top of the building to fetch Pan. So you know, a pretty typical day for Videl. No wonder Pan’s so happy to be on top of the TV station. She probably goes here every other day.

“Did you go back to the TV station again?”

“Heee glklfhsjsgdshj! :D”

“Babies aren’t supposed to be up here!”

“Babboosfhjweeeeee dada”

So Gohan makes short work of SSJ4 Barry, and then Watagash does a second transformation, which makes Barry look like a Shadow Dragon. Look, Watagash, kidnapping and blackmail are one thing, but I draw the line at making callbacks to Dragon Ball GT. That show sucked.

I just want to point out here that this giant monster form is only possible because of how truly evil Barry Kahn is here. Like, I’m sure Watagash could get even more powerful if he took over someone like Frieza, but it’s pretty telling that a civilian could get Watagash to this level. Barry is just that big of a dick.

Meanwhile, the crew from the studio find out about this fight and they haul ass to the TV station to film it for the movie. The director thinks he can use all of this, which I’m pretty sure is a standard trope for fantasy adventure cartoons that do a “goin’ to the movies” episode like this. I’m pretty sure real life directors can’t just call an audible and film random stuff that would change the entire story. I mean, for one thing the lighting out here isn’t great.

Soon enough, Jaco shows up to help, but his giant space gun would kill Barry along with Watagash. Gohan tells him not to do that, even though Jaco says Barry is too far gone to be saved. I’m not sure Jaco would know that for certain. Also, if killing Watagash were an option, why was Jaco bringing him in alive before this mess started?

But all Gohan cares about is Pan. If they have to kill Barry to stop Watagash, then Pan will see it, and he refuses to let that happen. Gohan knows what he’s talking about, because he’s seen lots and lots of death as a child. His dad died in front of him twice. He won’t let that happen with his own kid.

But Barry won’t make that easy, because he has giant eye lasers now. Gohan eats a hit and it tastes like pain. With a side of agony. On a sesame seed bun of hurting. I’ll stop now.

Cocoa’s horrified by all of this, but Videl’s steady as a rock. It’s not that she isn’t worried about her man, but she has to be brave for Pan’s sake, and Gohan helps her be brave, which is what makes their marriage work. Gohan Fights Frieza Dot MP3.

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Somehow, Gohan hears them cheering for him from up in the sky, and I can’t help but wonder why no one else from this show is sensing this all-out super battle going on right now. I mean, several powerful warriors actually live nearby. But then again, I guess they figure Gohan’s got this.

Hell yeah he does. Super Great Saiyaman!

I’d like to think Gohan’s rocking Super Saiyan 2 under the costume, but I’m pretty sure he’s not. It’s just that this is such a good Gohan story that the only thing missing is some sweet SSJ2, the form he invented. But he probably doesn’t like using that one for a lot of reasons, so I get it. Also Barry’s a chump who doesn’t deserve the honor.

Bokutachi wa Tenshi dot MP3... in Spanish!

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So that takes care of that. Gohan is reunited with his family, Watagash is heading back to space jail...

And Jaco drops Barry Kahn’s naked, unconscious, decontaminated body somewhere. He’ll be fine.

We then flash forward to the opening weekend of the movie, and... holy shit that promotional art looks amazing! I never had much interest in the movie itself, since it was just a plot device. I mean, this was around the time Batman vs. Superman was all over the place, so I just assumed they came up with “Great Saiyaman vs. Mr. Satan” as a way to spoof that idea.

But look at that flier! This totally looks like a badass movie where a sentai hero is squaring off with a world-famous lucha libre star. Great Saiyaman is doing all his cool poses and high kicks, and Mr. Satan’s ready to get his big huge mitts on him and just twist him into a pretzel, just like he did to Cell.

Wait, I just realized. Do you think Cell is in this movie? I mean, he’s gotta be, right? There has to be a flashback to how Mr. Satan saved the world from Cell, like some two minute scene of them going at it in the middle of nowhere. You’d need a scene like that to make it clear that Great Saiyaman’s got his work cut out for him.

Wait, I just remembered. Doesn’t everyone already know Gohan is the Great Saiyaman? I mean, he unmasked at the 25th Budokai. I was trying to think of cool stuff they could work into this movie to set up his backstory, and that led me to the tournament. Oh well. The point is that now I want to see this movie!

Anyway, Barry’s been thoroughly humiliated through all of this, and now he has to do promotional tours for a movie containing actual footage of Gohan kicking his ass, except everyone thinks he played the hero. He knows Great Saiyaman’s secret identity, but he can’t do anything with it because if he tells anyone, Cocoa will reveal that he was the monster. Wait, how does she know that? Anyway, I think Barry just wants to get through this and move on with his career.

Anyway, Chi-Chi and Goten loved the movie, but Goku fell asleep in the theater. I always kind of got angry at Goku about this, but as a fellow forty-somehting, I recognize the siren song of naps.

Chi-Chi is livid, however. “How much did Marvel pay you to say you hated this movie, you shill!”

So yeah, what makes Episodes 73-74 so much better than Episodes 71-72 is that the focus is squarely on Gohan’s character. What I mean is that he’s thoroughly Gohan the whole time. The plot is kind of cliche, what with Barry’s over-the-top villainy and Cocoa’s infatuation with Gohan, and the whole “My wife saw me kiss another girl what will I do?” thing. That, and the whole “We’re making a movie about (x) is pretty tropey. Hell, this isn’t even the first time Gohan was a stuntman in a Great Saiyaman movie.

But it works because Gohan is the guiding light for the story. He’s too caring for his fellow man to allow the stuntmen to be hurt, so he ends up becoming the lead stuntman. He falls for Barry’s trap because he’s too nice to suspect treachery, but he’s also too kind and too loyal for Barry’s trap to work. He fights Watagash/Barry because he’s too worried about his daughter’s safety, and he keeps fighting because he’s too worried for Barry’s life to let Jaco handle it.

And hell, in the end, he probably doesn’t mind Goku sleeping through the movie. I mean, he knows what his dad is about, maybe better than anyone.

Compare this to Episodes 71 and 72, where Goku is so bored he hires Hit to murder him just so they can fight. That’s dumb. It’s meant to showcase Goku’s character, but it gets the whole thing wrong. Most of Goku’s rivals were trying to kill him in the beginning, and he won them over as friends who don’t try to kill him. The Goku/Hit rivalry is all backwards, where Goku sees how hard it is for Hit to fight under tournament rules, so he tries to arrange a situation where they can fight on Hit’s terms. No, that’s dumb. If Hit wants to join the fun then he needs to learn how to fight on Goku’s terms. The solution is for Hit to get good, not wait for Goku to pay for a suicide pact. And don’t even get me started on Vegeta trying to wimp out of training drills.

Anyway, “Great Saiyaman vs. Mr. Satan”, five stars, no notes.

Meanwhile, on his way back to headquarters, Jaco stops off at the same ramen booth he ate at in Episode 73 and.... wait, is this story starting over? Let’s get out of here.

#dragon ball super #dragon ball #2023dbapocryphaliveblog #gohan #videl #pan #son pan #mr satan #amaguri cocoa #barry kahn #watagash #jaco teirimentenpibosshi #goku #chi chi

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annyankers · 2 years ago

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hi train! you're sucking me back into your lore too (it's soooo good and i'm invested) so tell me more about your version of darla?

dkfghkls Sorry this took a bit to get to I've been in the Pit with some other stuff that kept making me forget this was in my inbox rip

LET'S TALK DARLAAAAAAAAAAA [AIR HORNS]

Darla My Beloved, My One, My Only. My changes to Darla are honestly super minimal on like, a base level. I love Julie in the role and I think she builds a truly Iconic Character.

Mainly my thing is that it's Fucking Dumb And Stupid that she dies. In one s6 btvs/ats crossover/combination fanfic I swear to the GODS I'll finish plotting and writing I use an oc to help make sure she survives the pregnancy but honestly I don't care how you do it. She Just Does.

I like to keep Connor and her pregnancy because I think it creates a really interesting and unique conflict for Darla that plays well with her utterly heartless and self-centered character. Sharing Connor's soul is the second brush she's had having with one in under a year after 400 years without one. That's super duper fun and interesting to work with. It's fun to have her be conflicted about still being a heartless bitch and maybe caring for at least 1 (one) person just on the principle that they're helpless and cannot survive without someone who cares.

I don't really like the idea of "motherhood makes her better" because that's uhhhhh.... that can be ummm....... but I think there's something to be said for "jerkoff takes some responsibility for her actions and the lives of others". At the end of the day, Darla is still a vampire and still soulless but now she's got some Complex Feelings about stuff and also things. She's more in the Spike Zone of soullessness and how to deal with it in the face of doing shit like giving a fuck about people compared to Angel's whole vibe about the topic or the Master's -- which is her previous stance.

Connor is Her Baby, he's an extension of Her which is important to the douchey narcissist in her. Even after some brushes with having a soul I don't think she'd even CONSIDER a change of heart or just an adjustment to her lifestyle for anyone who's not somehow "Hers". Darla is about Darla before she's about anyone or anything else. Connor being From Her forcibly extends her circle of Self Interest and cracks open the Padora's Box of Possibly Giving A Shit About Others.

The things she felt while she shared his soul also have a big impact on her, she does care about him and his well being. Her stance on the rest of humanity's wellbeing? Less concerned lol. She's not interested necessarily in ~becoming a better person~ but she DOES realize she has to make some change, some life choices, and get better at covering some shit up because Connor WILL look to her as a role model as he grows up and she'd like to minimize the damage she does to him lol. Also recognizes she needs to make some lifestyle changes so that she's got more than just Drusilla helping her raise and protect Connor or WORST SCENARIO IF SHE DOESN'T-- have that asshole Angel STEAL HER SON FROM HER AND DENY HER ACCESS because she's "A Psychotic Heartless Murderer" or whatever dumb shit he's wanking about now. Loser.

She's TRULY the Vegeta or the Hiei she IS the Regina George and you DO have to bribe her into helping. She's a barely domesticated villain she's only here because all these numb nut goody two shoes can't muster up the spine to say no when she asks them to babysit. She and Spike actually end up having much more familial relationship because they're both working through all this Weird Shit about being vampires with no soul who're also grappling with doing weak ass pansy nice guy shit like losers but also it's weirdly fulfilling??? tf???? Since when tf did they like kids-- and not just as dinner??? what happened here???

She's fond of Cordelia because she's Mean, they bully Angel for sport. She and Buffy probably end up with a weird chilled out vibe eventually as two very sexy narrative foils of each other. Shadow selves Baybee. Darla and Anya would be ride or die let's just be real about that they're both unhinged. Illyria is the only person Darla is afraid of lol. Darla and Angel have the most CURSED on and off again sex relationship that torments everyone around them.

Basically Darla is the Cassandra Truth in a lot of ways for ATS. She's the Greek Chorus pointing out all the flaws and issues with Angel's dumbass plans and how X is a trap and OBVIOUSLY So-And-So is upset you ninny. She doesn't listen any of them she's the oldest person in the room she's not taking orders from CHILDREN. Angel is 100000x more competent with her around, it's almost like she was always the brains of the operation lol. Basically she and Drusilla are the muppet critics who're also raising a baby and sometimes help fight crime but only because if they don't they'll have to pay rent.

#answered #darla (train's version)#btvs #ats #meta

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topnumerologist · 25 days ago

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#Top Numerologist in India

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denimbex1986 · 10 months ago

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'ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with Ripley star Dakota Fanning about the Netflix adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel. The actress spoke about acting alongside Andrew Scott and being the next person to take on the role of Marge Sherwood. The series is set to debut on the streaming platform on April 4.

“In the series, Tom Ripley, a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York, is hired by a wealthy man to travel to Italy to try to convince his vagabond son Dickie Greenleaf to return home,” reads the show‘s synopsis. “Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud, and murder. Meanwhile, Marge Sherwood, an American living in Italy, suspects darker motives underlie Tom’s affability.”

Tyler Treese: I wanted to ask you about working with Andrew Scott because — and I mean this in the biggest compliment — you both have a sort of “anti-chemistry” in your scenes. They’re so tense and awkward, there’s all this fake pleasantry. How was it finding that back-and-forth with him? Because those scenes are such a standout.

Dakota Fanning: I like that! “Anti-chemistry.” That’s a good way to put it. Well, we could only create the anti-chemistry because we had real chemistry as friends, you know? So it made it fun to do. I was super excited by getting to do those scenes with Andrew and to get to play a character that kind of sees Tom Ripley for who he really is and doesn’t trust him and is able to explore that dynamic.

I was very excited not to have to play somebody who was totally duped by him the whole time, to actually be able to kind of go toe-to-toe and, like you said, have all of that tension and the pleasantries where you’re saying something with a smile, but the intention behind it is like, “I hope I never see you again, and you leave forever.” That’s sort of how … they have a very “frenemy” relationship, I think. I loved it. And I love Andrew and I loved working with him. We went down this road together, and it was a long journey, and it was challenging and fun and hard and all the things. It was everything. I just couldn’t have asked for a better person to get to work with.

What I love about Ripley being a series is you get a lot of time with this character. It’s not just one or two scenes like with a movie. What did you like most about having so much meat and it being this eight-hour series?

I loved it. I mean, I think that’s the best part about this medium, that you have more time to go deeper with the characters and you get to really see details that you sometimes can’t fit into a two-hour film. So I know that was really important to Steve [Zaillian, director] and a big draw for him. He wanted all of that time to be able to tell this story and to adapt Patricia Highsmith’s novel, and I certainly can’t imagine our interpretation any other way than how it is. It’s so special to get to have so much time to explore the motives and the intentions and each character pretty fully.

There’s been such a great history of Marge Sherwood on screen with Marie Laforêt and Gwyneth Paltrow. What does it mean for you to add your own take and add to that history?

Oh, I haven’t even thought about it like that, but that’s a nice way of putting it. Yeah, I got to add my own, I got to do just that. I got to add my Marge to the list, and it’s an incredible list to be a part of. Everyone’s done something very different and been a part of a different vibe with these characters. I’m thrilled to join that group with my Marge. [Laughs].'

#Dakota Fanning #Ripley #Netflix #Marge Sherwood #Gwyneth Paltrow #Andrew Scott #Patricia Highsmith

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call-sign-shark · 1 year ago

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Alright I’m super late and my head is still in a recovery process for three days of partying so, I’m sorry if my comment is chaotic but gosh I couldn’t wait more and HAD to read this second chapter asap.

I am awe-struck by your talent at building a sense of tension each time Aurora and Luca are together. The whole scene with Luca being soft with her, softly stroking her hair but also applying a balm on her bruise he did while she is zoning out, terrified, is claustrophobic. Each time she touches is a source of anxiety you perfectly describe. In truth, I am glad she did not fall for his words about changing when the Vendetta is over. That man loves to listen to himself talk tho 🙄 However IAM delighted to know where the title of the story comes from. The jewel is magnificent, and I love the meaning of each stone for a child they wanted to have together. It could have been a wonderful gift if Luca hadn’t been such a bastard. The following scene when Luca suspects something about being tricked got me shivering. I must say that Enzo is the real mvp and I really like him. He immediately jumped in a lie to help poor Aurora even if he was terrified. Moreover, the relationship you’ve built between her and her bodyguard is heartwarming. When he asked her to forgive her… 🥺🥺 At least she had someone who remained loyal to her in this hellish place and hellish wedding.

In truth, the anxiety you’ve instilled in her escape was not only efficient but literally made my heart rate increased. From the moment she’s waiting to board, pestering at the elderly in front of her, to the one she takes advantage of the distraction to run away your prose flows wonderfully well. I could see it in front of me, Aurora running, weaving between people, until the final bang. You really got me worried, at first I thought maybe a Peaky Blinders shot her, unknowing of Tommy’s desire to protect her, but God… Knowing her own “side” attempted to murder her is awful. Also I screamed when Luca found her, and played the role of the caring and loving husband, only embodying the quiet before the storm. My favorite quote is “She feared his sweetness more than the beating that came after”. This is poorly quotes because I’m on my phone but … What a powerful sentence. It made me think of what bombs survivors said about the silence before a bomb explode and before the screams echo are the real traumatizing moments.

Regarding the role of Rose and Alfie in this, I think you nailed both characters. Whether it is Alfie in his manners and his speech about his glasses, or Rose being a fierce women immediately looking for explanations when Tommy arrives… it was perfect. I particularly appreciated when Alfie looked at Tommy and told him that his wife would prolly “got his balls” if something happened to Aurora. Her concern for the girl is so accurate and adorable at the same time. 🖤 also about Tommy… I must admit that not only your portrayal of him is absolutely gold (and it’s a really complex character to master) but also… The scene when he holds dear Aurora against his chest and feels a slight soft spot made me weak. This scene was rendered even more beautiful by the references to her bandages being at the same place in which Grace got shot, this is such a poetic and sad parallel you’re drawing here. Just insanely clever. Now I can only hope for Aurora to be protected by the Peaky Blinders properly because if Luca finds her it’s over. He’s gonna murder her… 😭

Finally the last scene was hilarious as well as intriguing despite its short length. In fact, I particularly enjoyed your portrayal of Arthur. Not only it is true to the character, but it was deeply entertaining to imagine him panicking when he tries to handle Aurora, whose awakening had been troublesome. Probably due to a combination of anxiety, confusion and vanishing effect of her painkillers. The lines “speaking in bloody tongues” got me chuckling and, trust me, I had such a bad day that I really needed that.

As the length of my comment can indicate, I genuinely loved this brilliant second chapter. In truth, I have been hooked to your series since day one and cannot wait for the rest of the ride. Thank you so much for sharing this masterpiece with us, Lee.

My Sun, My Moon and All My Stars-Part 2

Luca Changretta x OC (Aurora Changretta) x Tommy Shelby

Summary: Aurora and Tommy put their plan into motion. When things go wrong in Artillery Square, she’s the one who must deal with Luca.

Author’s Note: Rose Solomons is an OC belonging to @raincoffeeandfandoms.

Warnings: language, drinking, ethnic slurs, mention of death, fighting, injury, blood, mention of domestic abuse

☀️🌙✨MASTERLIST

Part 1

The last of the letters sat addressed and ready to mail home in the morning, It was important to Aurora that she tell the families about their brave sons and husbands who had given their lives for her family. She pledged continued income and protection on behalf of the Sabini family for their sacrifice, but the promise felt as weightless as the cheap hotel stationary she held in her hand. Rubbing an ink stain from her finger, she hadn’t noticed Luca enter, furrowing his brow at her.

“You’re still awake?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe.

“I couldn’t sleep until I finished my condolence letters,” she said, motioning toward the neat stack at the corner of the desk.

“Come to bed,” he said, extending a hand for her and she rose to meet him without resistance. “You’re a good woman, Aurora,” he commented, urging her to lean into him.

“Is that what we should tell their children?” she asked into the darkness of the hallway, limbs feeling heavy with exhaustion.

“The Shelbys will answer for this, hmm? They did this,” he stressed, rubbing his palm along her upper back. She winced slightly from her healing injuries, murmuring about the nightly regimen she needed to complete and he guided her into the bedroom.

Aurora sat at the edge of the bed, dark hair cascading over one shoulder as Luca’s long fingers massaged a soothing balm into her bruised shoulder. The moonlight reflected against her glossy locks, drawing Luca forward to kiss the top of her head. Breathing in the hint of spice in her perfume, he mused, “You remember the first Christmas we were married? All the promises we made?”

Aurora nodded as she glanced down at the bauble on her right hand, a gift from their first holiday together as a married couple. The large princess cut emerald nestled amongst smaller brilliant diamonds, one for every child they hoped to be blessed with in the future. “My sun, my moon and all my stars,” she whispered. It was true they’d made plans for a dynasty of their own in the early days, but this was no longer the dream as all her hopes had turned to fear, joy drowning in sorrow and every kiss from Luca sinking her deeper into death.

Luca rested his cheek against her momentarily as he continued, “This vendetta has made me realize how short life is. When we get back home a new life begins for us. Things are gonna be different.”

Aurora’s breath caught in her chest as she listened to his words, eyes slipping closed at the memory of Tommy Shelby’s icy stare as she agreed to the unthinkable.

“When all this is done, I think it’s time to talk about having a family,” he said, caressing her arm. “We have to find a way to move on after Angel and Papa,” he said, a sadness tinging his voice that made her whole body ache even more as guilt permeated her soul.

After a few moments of silence, she looked up to find her husband staring at her in the mirror and she could hardly meet his gaze.

“Did you hear what I said, Aurora?” he asked, pulling her into him.

“Mmm-hm,” she acknowledged numbly.

Satisfied he had her attention, Luca continued, brushing her hair with his fingers absently as he spoke. “You can stop working for your father and let go of all the worry. Have my children and let me spoil you for the rest of your life, vita mia,” he promised with a squeeze. “God, you’ll make the most beautiful mother,” he praised, kissing the side of her face. When she remained still, Luca pulled away to look at her, finding a tear in the corner of her eye. “You alright?” he asked tenderly.

Aurora’s hand came to rest at his cheek as her mind whirred, unable to answer him until she finally heard herself say, “Luca, I’m so tired. Can we go to sleep?”

“Of course,” he replied with another peck to her shoulder, moving backward on the bed and tossing the covers aside. She slipped beneath the duvet, silk night gown sliding against the smooth cotton and sighed at the relief of the cool material against her face. She watched intently as Luca turned out the light, hoping he hadn’t noticed the turmoil behind her eyes.

————————————-

Two days later, Aurora entered the dining room to find Luca with his head in his hands.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, taking a seat beside him at the table.

Luca tossed a telegram before her and she grasped it between her fingers, eyes flying across the page. She tried to hide the small intake of breath as she realized it came from Camden Town, realizing the plan was in motion.

“The jew says he can lead me to Shelby,” Luca said, leaning back in his chair as he drummed his fingers on the tabletop.

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Aurora asked encouragingly, reaching for his hand.

Luca pulled back with a shake of his head. “Something isn’t right. I can feel it,” he said stroking his cheek thoughtfully.

“Wh-why do you say that? I thought you had a productive meeting at the distillery. You promised him distribution for his rum in New York in exchange for Tommy Shelby’s whereabouts,” she said, reiterating the terms of the agreement.

Luca stood and crossed to the window looking down to the street. “I don’t trust him, baby,” he eventually replied.

“I admit he’s a bit eccentric, but Darby said we can trust him. Papa said,” Aurora stressed, attempting not to raise her voice and show her hand.

“It’s not just him. It’s that wife of his. She’s got opinions on everything, always in his ear,” he said with a disapproving sneer. Luca spun around to look at Aurora as he asked intently, “What was it she said to you that day when you were alone? You never told me.”

Aurora’s eyes dropped to the patterned tablecloth, tracing it slowly as she thought of a believable lie. The clock in the corner ticked away the seconds forcefully, urging her on until she landed on the telegram once more. Placing a manicured finger over a few words she pronounced, “Look, the Solomons mention Artillery Square.”

“And?” Luca asked with clenched jaw.

“Tommy Shelby hides his youngest brother there. Goes to visit him one day a week to give him his orders in person and check on him,” she said confidently.

Luca was listening intently now, studying his wife with suspicion. “And how do you know this, principessa?” he asked.

“You asked what Rose said. She told me they’ve had a girl from the bakery who was sweet on him. She tried to warn her off and couldn’t. She said she followed her there a few times,” Aurora continued as naturally as possible.

“And why wouldn’t you have told me this before?” Luca asked with raised eyebrow, pacing back to the breakfast table with a dangerous look in his eye.

Aurora went to him, stroking a hand down his shirt front to calm him. “I had to be sure,” she said, faltering slightly in her delivery before dipping her head under his chin. When Luca accepted her, lacing an arm around her waist, her body relaxed against his. However, she quickly noticed the tension did not leave his grip as he tightened his hold on her.

“Sure of what, amore?” he whispered in a low growl, fingers pressing against her flesh painfully. One hand slipped away to find her chin, pulling her eyes up to meet his in a challenging stare.

Aurora eyes darted momentarily as she forced the lump back down her throat with the note of panic desperate to escape. “I couldn’t risk her giving us false information. Putting you in danger,” she purred.

Luca’s head tilted slightly as his brow softened, “So how do you know she’s not lying?” he implored, wanting to believe.

At that moment, Enzo entered the room and Aurora turned to him with a desperate look in her eye. With her back to her husband she silently pleaded through her gaze as she spoke. “Enzo followed him there,” she said, heart thundering in her chest as she waited for her father’s man to give confirmation.

“Have you been watching Artillery Square?” Luca asked the young man before him.

Aurora gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head toward Enzo and his eyes went wide for a moment, glancing between husband and wife. He knew what needed to be done though fear coursed through his veins. “Yes, boss,” he quickly replied.

“And Tommy Shelby’s brother lives there? You’re certain of it?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Enzo confirmed, feeling a trickle of sweat run down his back.

Luca sighed heavily, running his tongue along the inside of his cheek as he thought.

“You see, Luca, we can trust the intelligence,” Aurora spoke up. Seeing his resolve was weakening at the thought of a victory over the Shelbys, Aurora delivered one last impassioned speech. “Let’s end this so we can go home. You take him today, Luca. You must,” she urged her husband, stroking his cheek gently.

She could see from the glint in his eye that he was ready, having waited too long for vengeance for his family. “Today,” he repeated with a firm nod, assured in his decision.

———————————————

Tommy waited patiently from a second story balcony late into the afternoon with a machine gun covered by a thick swath of muslin. Residents had been evacuated from the buildings in Artillery Square, though he suspected some still remained as noises could be heard occasionally with the rustle of the breeze. If it were rats or curious tenants, he couldn’t quite be sure. It was of no concern now though, the only thought on his mind was waiting for Luca and his men.

Tommy closed his eyes, taking in one last deep breath and exhaling into the heavens. This would be the end to it all, the black hand and the blood in the kitchen had been nothing compared to this moment when he would finally be victorious. And if he wasn't, that would be the end of everything extra and he could be at peace with Grace. “In the bleak midwinter…” he began before the roar of a car engine could be heard in the distance.

Readying himself for battle, Tommy withdrew the cloth from his weapon and hid beyond the shadows, listening to the distant footsteps of at least four men, recalling all the places he’d stored guns and ammunition around the compound. He steadied his breathing as he’d done years ago in the war, taking in the stream of oxygen as he might the opium or whisky afterward to stop the shakes. He took one last look at his pocket watch, the soldier's minute had begun.

—————————————-

Aurora watched the last of the vehicles Darby provided pull away from the curb and she felt a rush of adrenaline course through her whole body. She packed quickly knowing time was not a luxury today and gathered the tickets Rose had left for her under an assumed name. Everything was falling into place almost too well when she felt a hand on her shoulder as she waited for a taxi.

She startled at the touch, dropping her case to the pavement as she glanced over her shoulder nervously. This was the moment she was found out. She was certain of it and she nearly fainted as she glimpsed the fedora in her peripheral vision.

In a blessed moment of relief, the voice that issued forth was not that of her husband, but a warm, soothing tone of her bodyguard. Shoulders slumping forward in instant relief she managed, “Enzo! It’s only you.”

“Yes, Mr. Changretta said I should stay behind and watch over you,” he explained, a note of apology in his voice.

“I won't be needing you today. Go back to the hotel,” Aurora instructed.

Enzo looked confused as Aurora straightened her dress and picked her case up from where it had fallen at her feet. He dipped quickly to pick it up for her, but she grabbed the handle first with a shake of her head. Her hazel eyes turned dark with warning, the same look she’d given him that morning in the dining room and he understood she was fleeing.

“I’m sorry, I can’t stay,” she said as a taxi pulled up to the curb.

“No, it’s I who must apologize, Mrs. Changretta,” he replied as he opened the door for her. "Potrai mai perdonarmi?"

She paused as her hand fell upon the door. “Why do you say that?” she asked, eyes snapping up to meet his.

Enzo looked away as he fixed his eyes on something across the road answering honestly, “I never protected you from him. It was my one job and I failed you,” he confessed.

Aurora’s swallowed harshly as she was confronted by the truth no one had dared speak into existence in her presence. She placed a gloved hand over his and gave a gentle squeeze as she tried to fortify him with a look of reassurance. “You've done enough. Be satisfied with that and don't worry. I'm my father's daughter. No one strikes a Sabini without bearing a scar of their own.” Then she ducked inside the cab without looking back.

——————————-

“Dear Lord, vengeance is yours. My father, look upon me. Vengeance is yours too.” Luca whispered before making the sign of the cross and kissing the St. Christopher medal that hung from his neck. As Matteo drove a bread truck deep into Shelby territory, he searched for signs of life in the smoggy streets. However, the neighborhood appeared cold and desolate, gray clouds hanging like a burial shroud over the decaying buildings.

Luca leaned forward to give his final instructions to his men. “He may try to surrender, but remember, I’ll fire the final shot,” he warned them, flexing his gloved hands until the leather cracked breaking the tension in the air. They nodded in silent understanding, exchanging glances as they all recognized the blood lust in Luca’s eyes. He wouldn’t be contained a moment longer.

As soon as the car stopped, Luca jumped from the back, surveying the empty car left by the alley. By all accounts this was Shelby’s car and he smirked with pleasure knowing his enemy was nearby.

In the distance Tommy watched through the iron bars of the balcony railing as Luca marched through the courtyard, a lion prowling unfamiliar territory with his nose high in the air. He had an unsettling sense of superiority Tommy found nauseating, a reminder of the cavalry who rode past him without a single glance. That was the secret to his plan, however. Hiding in plain sight where Luca would never think to look. Taking one last view through the sights, Tommy’s finger curled over the trigger in anticipation of just the right moment.

No sooner had Luca begun thinking of his plans to ambush Tommy, gunfire reigned down from above. The sharp echoes around him bit at his nerves and the wind opened his coat, exposing him to the elements in a sudden reversal of fortune he hadn’t been expecting. His men poured from the back doors of the bread truck, machine guns in hand, but two were struck down instantly by his side, blood pooling at his feet. “Fuck!” he shouted, returning fire to the balcony above, grimacing as he held his gun against his shoulder tightly and fired several rounds in quick succession.

As the specter of a man in a flat cap disappeared beyond undulating waves of hanging bed sheets, Luca motioned the others forward. “Come on!” he said with a wave of his arm, unwilling to give up the chance now that it had begun. His earlier certainty had been robbed, however, and he now stood motionless despite his command, flattening himself against a wall as he collected his thoughts. His face twisted with rage as he hissed, “I was lied to.”

———————————

Aurora fidgeted with the buttons on her gloves anxiously, willing the couple in front of her to move more quickly. She'd already waited at the docks for hours for her boat and the churning in her stomach was worsening with every passing second. Her nerves were not helped by the elderly pair before her having a lengthy discussion about securing their dog on board, along with endless questions about their voyage. She attempted to take long, slow breaths through her nose, but nothing seemed to calm her.

Finally it seemed she would be next and she readied her papers in hand with a warm smile. As she stretched her hand out to offer them, a clerk approached her. “Ma’am, a word please,” he said in a stern voice.

With a dry throat, Aurora attempted to swallow and hesitantly turned to face him. “Yes, can I help you?” She was certain it was a mistake. Women traveling alone were often questioned and she was confident she could talk her way out of it.

“I need you to follow me, please,” he said with a wave of his hand. "There's been a problem with your paperwork, ma'am."

"Surely you'll find everything in order if you take a look," she demurred, offering her papers. They shook in her hand as she pleaded, "Please, I’ll miss the boat and my family is waiting in America."

“Now, ma’am, or I'll be forced to call a policeman,” he commanded.

Seeing no other option, Aurora complied, gathering the small case at her side. The row of waiting travelers parted for her, pointing and staring at the elegant woman being led away. Although she kept her head held high, her legs nearly collapsed when she made it to the end of the dock to see Luca towering above her. He smiled at her with a predatory glimmer in his dark brown eyes. “Amore, I was so worried when you weren’t at the hotel,” he greeted her with open arms, pulling her into him like a long lost lover.

Aurora’s heart raced, beating wildly against her chest. She knew each and every one of his moods. This was his best impression of a loving husband, an act he would discard later in favor of the cruelest forms of punishment. The soft, even tone of his voice terrified her more than the beatings that followed.

She tried not to react as he pushed the scarf from her head and stroked her hair, fingers tracing along the column of her neck. A prickle of goosebumps developed beneath the wake of his touch as he whispered in her ear, “We could have had everything.” His nose nudged the shell of her ear tenderly as he did when they made love, but his next words came out even more breathlessly as he struggled to temper his emotions. “Mi hai spezzato il cuore…now I’m gonna break you, sweetheart.” Then he placed a rough kiss to her temple, hand clutching at the back of her neck possessively as though he might crush her skull and she whimpered involuntarily.

As he attempted to drag her from view of the remaining passengers waiting to board, Aurora began to feel nauseous. If she went with him, she wouldn’t return home. He had warned her once. Spotting the waiting car at the curb, she began to kick against his hold.

She wrenched herself from him in a moment of panic, his hand clutching at her necklace. It stopped her for a brief moment, a small choking sound emitting from her throat as it held her to him. Then the clasp gave way and she stumbled, watching a shimmering row of pearls fall to the walkway. Her hand flew to her throat as she saw Luca’s eyes widen in shock at the shower of jewels bounce along the ground at their feet.

Seeing her moment to flee, Aurora ran in the opposite direction as quickly as her legs would carry her. The shouted curses began as the sound of Aurora’s heels beat against the pavement, sounding a war drum in Luca’s ears as the blood pumped through his veins provoking him to chase after her.

She cut a path back through the crowd, weaving between bodies to disguise herself. The murmurs from the crowd intensified as she ducked low to avoid the men in dark coats and her position was given away when a woman screamed out in surprise. “Over there!” Luca called to Matteo who rushed to find her, pushing a man out of his way as he reached for the handle of his pistol.

In an instant Aurora’s brown curls had disppeared once more and the men stopped to watch and listen. They hadn’t seen her remove her shoes and scamper down a ramp, concealing herself beneath a set of stairs. Although soon one of the men discovered the passageway and motioned for Luca. “Here, boss!” he called out.

The men stalked through the shadowed area slowly, weapons drawn now that they were out of sight of any bystanders. Aurora closed her eyes tightly as she heard the sound of a gun cock, chest heaving and silently praying they wouldn’t discover her position. When she heard their footsteps move on, she took one last gulp of air and ran toward freedom, but the sound of a single shot echoing along the corridor immobilized her with a shock of lightning through her entire body. She dropped to the ground as the sound of police whistles rang out and her vision blurred.

———————————-

**The Changretta Calls-3 happens here **

Margate, One week later…

As the heavy front door swung open, Tommy’s voice rumbled lowly, “Is she still alive?” Expression unreadable below his flat cap, only his tightly clasped hands and rigid posture gave away his anxiety.

“And good morning to you, Tom,” Alfie said, stepping aside to allow his business associate inside. “Would like some tea, I think Edna’s got some brewing.” Observing Tommy’s pacing, he stroked his beard, adding, “bit of something stronger?”

Removing his cap swiftly, Tommy’s bloodshot eyes came into view and he stepped closer to Alfie as he hissed, “I need answers, Alfie. Right fucking now.”

“Yeah, suppose you do, mate. Come on, then,” he said, shuffling toward the back of the house to find Rose.

As they came into view of the sitting room, Rose’s head shot up. “Mr. Shelby, there are a few things we need to discuss,” she said with arms crossed against her chest. “First, I’d like to know why you left Mrs. Changretta to die when we agreed it was her husband you wanted.”

“Now wait a minute,” Tommy interjected. “I’ve already told your husband, I had nothing to do with that.”

“Of course you’d deny it,” she huffed. “She delivered him to you on a silver platter and it still wasn’t enough for your ego,” she let out a bitter laugh as she marched toward him. Pointing a finger at Tommy accusingly she continued, “If that bullet had been three inches to the left, she’d be dead. She risked her life to save yours, you arrogant prick!” Her words were pitched with emotion, a bit high for her usual register as the emotional distress from watching Aurora suffer spilled forth all at once.

“It was only Luca and his men in Artillery Square,” Tommy said with conviction.

“Then how did she end up in hospital?” Rose asked.

As the waves crashed outside the open balcony door, Aurora’s words echoed in Tommy’s ear, “I just want out.” She’d been desperate that afternoon in the basement room, clawing her way out of the pit Luca had dug for them. Tommy recognized it in her, the will to live despite being buried. Then all the pieces clicked into place. His throat felt dry and the room far too warm suddenly. Alfie had been right about one thing, the unexpected guilt that arose. He hadn’t meant for any of this to happen when he arranged the meeting in Artillery Square. It was his battle to fight, not Aurora Changretta’s.

The harsh cry of a lone seagull dipping low in the sky brought Tommy back to himself as he choked out, “I proposed an alliance in good faith and I haven’t broken it. The only other person in this country who wants her dead is her own husband. Have you asked her about him?”

The tightness in his jaw and the strained look in his eye told Rose Tommy was concerned for Aurora. Perhaps he even cared what happened to her after this, but he was definitely telling the truth about the events of the past days. Even if she wanted to hold a grudge, she had no choice but to work with him because a war was still raging outside her doorstep.

“She lost a great deal of blood and fell unconsciousness before I could speak with her further,” Rose admitted. “I just know she needed protection and asked to come here.”

“Well let’s settle this, shall we? I’d like to know where the fuck Luca is for a start, wouldn’t you?” Tommy asked with raised eyebrows.

“I told you, she needs rest,” Rose cautioned, still feeling protective over her guest.

“We don’t have time, Rose,” Tommy countered. Rose opened her mouth to argue, fury ready to fly from her until he added more gently, “I can’t protect her or any of us if I don’t have information.”

She couldn’t deny his logic and closed her mouth. Pursing her lips for a moment before beginning, “I’ll check on her, but I don’t want that woman upset. If you speak, you’ll watch your bloody tone with her. She’s been through enough, do you understand?” Rose gave him a stern look and without waiting for a reply, she whisked away to Aurora’s room to see if she might be able to speak.

Alfie let out a low whistle. “Ready for that drink now?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Tommy agreed with a quick nod, watching Alfie push himself up from his chair with a low grunt.

Alfie lumbered to the bar cart in the corner, pouring two fingers of Irish whisky and passed it to his friend with a grumble. As he stood considering the bright morning sun over the water, he reached for the chain around his neck and produced a pair of half moon shaped glasses. Their size was unremarkable in comparison to their owner who held them in his enormous hand with great awe and wonder.

“The man who made this pair of spectacles for me is a fucking magician, Tommy. You wouldn’t believe it,” he said with a satisfied nod. “A fucking magician!” his voice boomed. “Ain’t they lovely though?” he asked, pulling the chain out from his body and offering them toward Tommy for inspection.

Tommy took a swig of his drink, tilting his chin to the ceiling as he allowed the burn of the alcohol to reach his brain. It was too early for Alfie’s theatrics, especially with the weight on his mind. He licked his lips and nodded thoughtfully. “They’re quite nice, Alfie.”

“They tell me things as well. All that’s about to happen," he gestured with an open palm. "I’ve seen into the future with these,” he said in a hushed voice full of reverence.

“Is that right? Perhaps I need a pair then,” Tommy dead panned, reaching into his coat pocket for a badly needed cigarette.

“Ah, but you already know, dontcha?” Alfie hummed, pacing toward the balcony once more. “It was you who said they was coming for us all one day. That was you, weren’t it?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder as Tommy lit his smoke, looking more interested than before.

Nodding to himself, Alfie clutched the spectacles in his large fingers and turned his back to Tommy saying, “Hmm, didn’t need a pair of these after all, did ya?” Tugging at the hem of his shirt to polish a spot, he held them to the light for inspection as he continued, “The way I see it, the wops know she’s a traitor.” Alfie stopped, one ringed hand resting over his mouth, stroking his beard momentarily, before he dared speak the rest. “Worse they’ll know by now my Rosie’s one cause they’ve been seen together.”

“What would you have me do, Alfie?” Tommy asked, taking a long drag as he awaited an answer.

“I can’t keep the Changretta woman here another day, mate,” Alfie proclaimed, a veiled request rolled into his statement.

“Rose won’t agree to it,” Tommy warned.

“She might not like it, but she knows what’s best for everyone, don’t she?” Alfie countered.

“Aurora can’t possibly travel,” Tommy argued, pointing his cigarette at Alfie for emphasis.

“She got here,” Alfie reasoned, tucking the glasses back into his shirt front. "She can make it to yours," he said decisively.

Tommy bit the inside of his cheek before slamming his glass on the nearest table, accepting his inevitable defeat in this argument. “I’ll need blankets and a medical kit, plus two cars to accompany us on the drive.”

Alfie nodded thoughtfully to accept the proposal, but his pacing continued as though some other issue still plagued his mind. “You do realize my wife will have your balls if you don’t do right by this woman,” Alfie proclaimed, chewing his bottom lip with worry.

Tommy looked down the hall where Rose had disappeared as he nodded, “Yes, I do.”

—————————————

Rose helped Tommy bundle Aurora into warm blankets, carrying her down to the car as gingerly as possible. Aurora was still quite delirious from the pain medicine, making a proper goodbye difficult, but she managed to thank Rose, giving her hand a weak squeeze. Rose wiped a tear away as she placed a basket on the bench seat by Tommy. “Be sure she eats the bread I sent,” she instructed. It was the only bit of care she could give now that they would be separated.

“And Tommy…this time you must succeed. This man has to be killed,” Rose implored with fierce determination.

“There's no other option,” Tommy replied before driving off.

It was close to midnight before they reached Arrow House, rows of men welcoming them back to what had become a heavily guarded fortress. Frances swept from the house the moment the car arrived with questions about room preparations which Tommy answered in short, half sentences, too tired to address properly. He was thinking of the calls still to be made that evening to a doctor, his brothers and Pol. There would be a lot of explaining to do and he could only hope they would trust him.

As he carried Aurora to her room, the full moon broke through the parting clouds and Tommy looked down at her sleeping form, wondering when he’d gone soft. Hadn’t she been the same woman who tried to have him killed mere weeks ago? Now she rested against his chest, the weight of her in his arms a promise to be fulfilled. He couldn't say if it was Rose's influence or the bandages that lay in the same place against her chest as the red stain upon Grace's dress the night of her murder, but something was driving him to protect her.

————————-

The next day…

“Thanks be to Mary and Joseph," Johnny Dogs exhaled at the sight of Tommy entering the foyer of Arrow House. With Arthur in tow, they followed at Tommy's heels until they'd reached the office. With a heavy sigh, Johnny closed the office door behind him. “You didn't say she was gonna wake up, Tom! We had to barricade the fucking door,” he huffed, shoving his hands into his pockets angrily.

“What’s happened?” Tommy asked, quickly removing his jacket and placing it on the closest chair.

“I don’t know. She’s up there smashing up the room, speaking in bloody tongues,” Arthur said in disgust, pouring himself a whisky as he shook his head, ears still ringing.

“It’s Italian, Arthur,” Tommy retorted. “And I didn’t tell you to fucking lock her in. She’s not a prisoner, she’s a guest in my home. This is a delicate business which must be conducted accordingly, you understand?” he scolded.

“Yeah, well you’d think she’d act a little more grateful for what you did for her, eh?” he said, tossing back his drink as another loud crash came from the upstairs bedroom. “See what I mean?” he gestured above his head. “Fucking madwoman!”

“Alright, you get Polly for the family meeting later and I’ll deal with this,” Tommy replied with a sigh. Rubbing a hand over his face, he climbed the grand staircase. Despite the lack of sleep and the obvious displeasure of his guest, it was time to discuss strategy.

Potrai mai perdonarmi?=Can you ever forgive me?

Mi hai spezzato il cuore=You broke my heart

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

Tag List:

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#Tommy Shelby #tommy Shelby x oc #Luca Changretta #Aurora Changretta #Lovely Lee

122 notes · View notes

wardensantoineandevka · 2 years ago

Note

5, 10, 15, and 20 for the CR ask meme

;Weirdly specific and overly long Critical Role Ask Meme

I like this multiples of five thing you've got going on here!

5. Meta you would write if you did not fear people would be SUPER weird about it. This is also an invitation to write that meta and block the haters.

God, so many. Currently? Yes, Caleb was in love with Jester, and that is incredibly important. Was. Past tense. There is a point in the campaign where he processes his feelings, processes where everyone is, and then eventually moves on. At this point in the narrative, he is no longer in love with her, and it is a massive disservice to the relationship between Caleb and Jester and especially a disservice to Caleb's personal arc and growth to cling to "Caleb is canonically in love with her" as a complete statement because he was canonically in love with her and is canonically no longer because he has moved on.

It's important to his feelings and to his growth because his love for Jester is rooted in feeling that he was treated by her as the person he would have been if not for all that happened, and that does help him heal. But, by processing his feelings, processing that he cannot and will not say anything to her, and processing that a romance between them cannot be, he also processes that he IS a different person and that the person he thinks he may have been otherwise cannot ever be. By letting go of his love for her, he is able to continue healing. These feelings moving into the past tense functions exactly the same as Caleb destroying the T-Dock and allowing his murder of his parents to solidify into a past event that cannot be changed—letting go of his feelings is, in its way, a stepping block toward these bigger ticket items. It is about understanding what can and cannot be, it is about letting go, it is about accepting who you are not and finding a way to live with that and work with that and heal with that.

He was once in love with her, and now he is not. It is a massive disservice to Caleb and to his relationship with Jester to pretend that his love for her is present tense, to pretend that it is a static block that never changes, to pretend that he continues to be in love with her when an entire point of his growth has been that he has understood that this cannot be and moved on.

10. Favorite and least favorite Matt Mercer Original Subclass.

I am predictable, but I do think that Oath of the Open Sea is a really great homebrew because of how successfully it considers its goals as a subclass for a very specific multiclassed character in a very specific party played by a very specific player. I think it accounts for Travis' playstyle well and skillfully considers what Fjord tends toward as a build. It has a meh capstone ability, but it is what it is. I do think giving a paladin subclass Call Lightning is a baller move, and I love that so fucking much.

Runechild is like. I generally love runework as a vibe, but like, this just isn't doing it for me. I just don't feel like the mechanics match the flavoring at all. I also think the mechanics of this make the class resource pool overly complex, especially considering that sorcerers already manage sorcery points. I also think the core mechanic of gaining runes when you spend sorcery points fundamentally changes the resource balance. But, mostly, I just don't think the flavoring / mechanics harmonizes well enough.

15. Favorite one-on-one conversation (can be between two PCs, or a PC and NPC).

Caleb and Fjord in 2.98. It has everything, and it feels like a culmination of their relationship relationship thus far. I really love it is the resolution of Fjord holding Caleb at swordpoint in 2.12 and of Caleb telling Fjord that he is not yet ready to answer why he is so nervous about fire in 2.10.

I think the conversation was very important for them both, particularly in Caleb being able to tell someone voluntarily about his past and be met with steady trust and empathy and for Fjord to be reminded that he is selfless and honorable and trusted.

The conversation is also just so fun for the cadence and rhythm and some interesting tonal mirroring and turns of phrase.

20. What non-D&D TTRPG would you most like to see Critical Role run a one shot in?

Blades in the Dark!

#Critical Role thing #CR

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cobaltsapphire · 3 years ago

Text

The Quarry: First Playthrough After Thoughts (Spoilers!!)

I finished my first playthrough of the Quarry last night and I'm glad to say that I kept all the counselors and Travis alive. However, the rest of the Hackett family bit the dust. Also no one got infected!!! Unfortunately, I did not get all the evidence, but that’s okay, because I got enough for the North Kill Gazette to conclude that there were indeed unidentified animals in those woods. It is also important to note that I watched a playthrough of the game before I did my first playthrough, so I definitely had prior knowledge, especially because I was scared that Jacksepticeye was gonna get a character killed and so I scoured the wiki to make sure the choices he was making weren’t gonna kill a character... So, yeah, I may have only kept some characters alive because I knew which choices to make and which not to make, but that’s beside the point.

First off, the ending. I can see how people really don't like it, and how it kind of resolves nothing, but I personally don't have a problem with it. In fact, I kinda like it. (I'm specifically talking about the showdown with Silas, I agree that maybe it should've been police interviews like in Until Dawn instead of a podcast and newspaper.) I was expecting more from the Silas showdown, don't get me wrong, but what we got was its own special kind of ending. It wasn't the action packed ending that most of us were expecting, I get it, but I like that. What happens is you go in expecting a fight, and instead you walk in on an injured animal whining in its home. It's designed to make you stop and question whether or not you actually want to take the shot and end Silas and the curse. Granted, it doesn't work for everyone, especially when you forget that there is a human inside the werewolf or are one of those who are dead set on ending the curse. For others, though, they definitely see this downed animal and pity him and decide not to kill him (which I believe leads to Silas getting up and attacking any of the people who are there). And I think that was the point of the somewhat anticlimactic ending: To make you question whether or not you actually wanted to kill Silas.

Then, thinking about the fact that we never see any of the characters reunited, it kinda makes sense, too. I don’t mean that in a story telling sense, but rather in the sense that the game has 186 different endings, and the best someone could do with that without a super complex reunion scene having to be written for each ending would be to just have all the counselor’s standing outside the lodge as the police show up. But, granted, everyone’s scattered all over the place, and none of them exactly agreed on the lodge being the place they should go if they get separated.

One of my first thoughts about the game after the ending was that it could've used some more werewolf fights... but then I remembered that I didn't get anyone infected, and if I had, there would've been more werewolves to have fights with. So that one's really on me. And that made me realize that if a person feels like their game or playthrough was missing something, it could just be because of the route they took. That just goes to show how your choices not only effect what happens to the characters, but also how you experience the game.

Might I add that even though I watched a playthrough before I did mine, I made one choice early on that was different and it definitely changed up the game. I know that the choices regarding character relationship didn’t really seem to have much of a role toward the end, but the choices overall definitely effect how the game goes and what scenes you unlock. It’s just very interesting to me that you can make one choice that’s different, and it can drastically change the whole story of the game. And this is something that you can notice just from watching different playthroughs, because different people are obviously going to make different choices, no matter how miniscule, and it really does change how everything plays out.

The scariest revelation after the game though was that I didn’t have the 3-life-save system like I thought I had. I spent the entire game thinking I had that already and that if a character died I could undo it, but it turns out that I only just unlocked it by finishing my first playthrough. I’m just glad no one died and I had to find out the hard way. Seriously, I spent the entire game believing I had a fallback in case I got a character I adore killed, only to find out I was holding onto a lie.

Speaking of characters, I’m gonna rate them on a scale of 1 to 10 and then explain my thought process a little bit.

Laura Kearney - 8/10: She’s not my favorite of the girls, but she is definitely up there. She’s cool, and is definitely an essential part of the story, and there probably wouldn’t be one without her. Of course, she had her moments where I couldn’t really stand her, but overall, she’s pretty cool. Definitely a ride-or-die, if that wasn’t obvious in the fact that she was willing to kill to save her boyfriend. Ridiculously loyal, but also ridiculously independent, and will do what she wants, when she wants. Also, even though she’s willing to kill to save Max, it doesn’t mean she’s lacking the moral guide or the emotional care. She obviously still cares, and understands that she’s talking and actively thinking about killing someone, she’s just putting aside her emotions and sense of what’s right to save Max. She’s not killing Chris because she wants to, she’s killing him because she feels it is the only way to ever go back to a normal life. I feel that if she could find a way that didn’t involve killing him, she’d take it. Although, she mentioned wanting to be a vet, so she’s probably more of an animal person than people person anyway (if my sister, who also want’s to be a vet, is any indicator of that). In my eyes, she lacked empathy at times, but I definitely think she tried to be understanding, specifically when it came to her and Max’s plans that were all messed up because he didn’t get into the college.

Max Brinly - 9/10: He’s adorable, and definitely deserved more screen time. Fantastic boyfriend, and among the first to put together that something supernatural was happening. Being the first character in a supernatural story to figure out that something supernatural is happening is just a win in my book. He’s someone I would want with me in a supernatural scenario, because he’s willing to put the idea out there. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much else to his character, other than the fact that he obviously didn’t get into the college that he wanted to get into, and so he’s unsure as to what he’s going to do with his life anyway. He mentioned that he was embarrassed that he didn’t get in, but he really didn’t need to be. There’s always other schools that’ll take him, especially if he’s got good grades and can write a great admissions essay (can’t relate to that last part, my college didn’t have me write an essay to get in), but of course, it’s understandable, especially since it’s probably the one he wanted to get into. Honestly a little surprised they didn’t leave him dead after the first attack, because him and Laura definitely seem like that first couple in the movie that get killed off in ten minutes, but I’m glad they didn’t.

Jacob Custos - 7.5/10: I liked him at first, than hated him, than realized that I don’t genuinely despise him, especially after I took a moment to look past the first glance. At first, he’s nice and adorable, but then he turns into a tantrum-throwing-teenager over a girl because she doesn’t want to be with him. He was also the reason they ended up in the situation at all, and he’s definitely who the story tries to pin it on at first. But actually taking a moment to examine the character, he’s not that bad of a person. Sure, he got them all stuck there, but he didn’t know there were gonna be werewolves trying to kill them all. He just wanted one more night with the girl he liked, because he hoped that maybe they could actually be more than a summer fling. All that tantrum throwing was understandable when you realize that he just couldn’t understand the mixed signals he was getting from Emma. In the end, he just needed a hug and someone to tell him that everything’s gonna be okay, because he really needs a reliable friend that won’t pick on him.

Dylan Lenivy - 1000/10: I actually really did not like him at first. He was kind of annoying, and seemed somewhat insensitive at times, specifically when it came to truth or dare and he asked Abi about whether or not she’s slept with anyone. That part, especially when you interrupt the question, can really make it look like he’s not the best person ever, but finding out that he changes the question without prompting from Ryan makes that scene so much better. He definitely grew on me, and I love characters that I hate at first but then grow to love, because I never realize I’ve stopped hating them until it’s too late. I have no idea when Dylan became my favorite, he just did, but I imagine it was about halfway through the game when I realized that a lot of what I’d seen so far had been a front that he’s hiding behind. He definitely comes off as dumb at first, but as you play, you realize that he’s perhaps one of the smartest people here, simply because he’s so casual with his brilliance, it’s stunning. Hearing him say he wants to go into quantum physics at first is surprising cuz you’re pretty sure he’s not that smart, but as time goes on it’s like, “Oh, yeah, he’s got this. He’s the smartest one here, he can go into whatever major he feels like.” He’s both smart and socially aware, mostly because he seems to be really observant and analytical almost, and I really like that. Plus, he’s got some of the best dialogue and scenes in the whole game. The radio call for help? Comedic genius. Herd of bears? Yeah, I’ve heard of bears! Operating the crane in the scrapyard? Coolest scene in the whole game, 10/10 would recommend taking Dylan anywhere because he’ll be able to keep us alive. Personally, he’s the best character in the whole game, and I’m saying this as a fellow science nerd who’s decided chemistry is her life dream. Also, I found out it was his birthday just the other day, and I didn’t know??? So happy late birthday to him!!!

Ryan Erzahaler - 6/10: I actually really don’t have much to say about Ryan, because I am genuinely unsure as to how I feel about him. Like, he seems like a pretty chill dude who’s just trying to figure his life out as well as how to take care of his sister, but past that, I really don’t know. I would have to say that I perhaps like him the least out of all the male counselors, but that’s by a very small margin. He seems kind of bland at first, but I think it’s possible that I’m just not as dedicated to his character as I am others, even though I panicked when I missed a QTE and thought I got him killed for a moment there. There was something he said while talking to Laura that made me understand and like him more, but I honestly can’t remember what it was, so I’ll have to look back at that. Overall, he’s not my favorite, but I don’t hate him. At times, it’s just hard to understand his thought process behind his actions, but I think it’s mostly because he’s just having a hard time accepting that the situation he’s in is more supernatural than he would like it to be. Like, okay, Scully, I get there’s most likely a scientific/rational explanation for this, but we don’t have time to find one because we’re about to die. Also, him and Laura were not flirting, they were acting like siblings, and I really like their dynamic. In fact, I really like a lot of Ryan’s dynamics with other characters. Those kept him interesting, but it does feel like there wasn’t much else to him.

Nick Furcillo - 7/10: I actually went in thinking he was going to be my favorite, because he seemed really nice and awkward and whatnot. He seems like an innocent child in need of constant protecting, but there is definitely more to him than meets the eye, and he’s certainly not as innocent as he seems, if truth or dare served any purpose other than drama and to progress the story. Him and Abi were cute, but it does seem that there wasn’t much else to him, especially because he ended up spending most of the story either injured or as a werewolf. Also, he’s definitely not toxic, he just had the unfortunate luck of having his insecurity in romance be the feeling that got enhanced and aggressive with due to his werewolf infection. He definitely seems unsure of himself and his abilities, and it seems like he’s trying to figure his life out, which Abi seemed to help him feel better about, which is probably why a lot of his aggression as he’s turning is toward her. He’s among the characters that should’ve got more screen time, if not for more character development.

Abigail Blyg - 6.5/10: Great artist, and definitely among those most in need of a hug after the game. I personally don’t feel very strongly toward her, but I definitely lean more toward like than hate when it comes to her. Her dynamic and relationships with Emma and Nick made up most of her screen time, and it hardly feels like she got anytime to be herself by herself. She’s definitely among the more innocent of the group, but I think that it’s more in the “I know about it, I just wish I didn’t/don’t act like I do” way than the “I don’t know what you’re talking about” way. She’s shy and awkward, but more open and comfortable with the people she knows. However, it does feel like there’s not much to her character outside of her relationships and artistic skills, but I could just be failing to read into her character more. We also don’t know much about her outside of the game, which could’ve contributed to the lack of character. Although, from what we’ve seen, if I had to pick a character and say that I’m most like them, it would be her. Plus, we share a name... I’m just irritated we don’t spell Abi/Abby the same way.

Kaitlyn Ka - 9/10: Personally my favorite of the girls. She gets along well with everyone, and I really love her dynamic with Dylan and Jacob. She is most definitely the most responsible one at camp, which might be why she ended up in the least amount of life threatening situations. When Jacob and Nick were getting competitive/argumentative over the peanut butter butter pops, she stepped in to make sure that no one would get themselves hurt in the process. Best one with a gun, and I’m surprised she let anyone else handle it unless absolutely needed. When she showed Jacob and Nick who’s boss at the shooting range? Yes, Queen, you show them who’s in charge! If I had to list anyone as the leader, it would be her, simply because she’s most qualified for the role. Sure, Laura’s qualified too, but Kaitlyn’s more likely to take everyone’s interests and concerns into account, and she’s more likely to consider the consequences and how that might affect the group. It did feel like we didn’t get much backstory for her, and that we don’t know a lot about her outside of what happened in the game, but her personality I think makes up for it.

Emma Mountebank - 5.5/10: She really annoys me, and I can’t believe she’d kiss Nick when she knows that Abi, her best friend, likes him. I can’t bring myself to like characters who are bad friends, because they just flat out bother me. Like, how could you do that? But I think the thing about Emma is she doesn’t necessarily realize she’s being that way. I think she wants to be nice, but she doesn’t realize that everything she’s doing is, in a way, mean. Everything she does seems to be for her benefit, but I don’t think she realizes that. She can be quite selfish at times, especially when it came to truth or dare, and she chose to kiss her friend’s crush over her ex (which, obviously, neither one was a good choice in the end). She accidentally hurts the others around her when she does that, but that’s definitely not her intention. If she was intentionally selfish, I would hate her more than I do. Plus, I don’t think she realizes just how mixed the signals she’s giving Jacob are. To her, they’re straightforward and get her point across, but she’s unintentionally giving mixed signals because she still likes him. Overall, I think she just needs someone to give her a proper slap to the face and remind her that not everything is about her and then to explain her behavior to her. Aside from that, she’s actually a pretty good character. She’s resourceful, and is able to keep herself alive pretty well. I’m just glad she’s not your typical influencer character, who genuinely feels like everything is about them, and put others down because they want to.

The Vorez’s - 5/10: They were more likable than the Hackett’s, but they still had they’re flaws. It’s interesting to me that Eliza tries to influence the outcome of the game, and genuinely tries to get the player to trust her so that they’ll do her bidding. She’s putting in our head that we can make our own choices, while also deliberately trying to influence the choices we make. It’s also very interesting to me that she starts out nice, like she’s there to help us keep everyone alive, but then she turns more and more aggressive that farther you go, especially if you haven’t got all the Hackett’s killed. As for her mothering skills? Questionable at best. Since Silas is said to be feral, it is likely that she found him one day and decided to keep him, but never bothered to attempt socialization. Maybe she understood that he was a werewolf, and there was no changing that? I don’t know, her lack of abilities as a mother scare me, despite the fact that she cares for him a whole bunch. As for Silas, I can’t help but feel bad for him. He’s made out to be a sort of villain, when in reality everyone who was involved in the fire and keeping Silas locked up was at fault. He’s probably just a kid who doesn’t understand what is happening to him, and has often been exploited for it. He’s not nearly as much to blame for what happened as Eliza is.

The Hackett’s - 5/10: Chris and Travis were perhaps the most redeemable out of all of them, but they definitely came with their mistakes. I don’t hate either of them, and I can’t necessarily blame them for their actions, but there were definitely better ways to handle the situation. Constance was annoying, and I knew what I was doing when I fought for that shotgun. Jedidiah is just meh, and obviously both him and Constance could’ve been better parents. Bobby’s got some weird child-like mannerisms to him, which I think actually really speaks into the way the Hackett’s were being raised following the werewolf drama, if not before that. He’s perhaps one of the most instantly eye opening into what exactly is happening in they’re family. Then, Kaylee and Caleb are obviously two kids who got caught up in something bad just trying to help Silas, and unfortunately paid the price. Deserved better, these two, even if they technically were the ones who started the drama. Everyone in the Hackett family is in some way at fault for what happened at Hackett’s Quarry.

Overall, I really enjoyed the game, and can’t wait to play it again. I'm probably gonna start a new playthrough with friends tonight, so we'll see what happens!

#the quarry #the quarry game #dylan lenivy #ryan erzahler #emma mountebank #abigail blyg #nick furcillo #jacob custos #laura kearney #max brinly #travis hackett #chris hackett #the hacketts #supermassive games #kaitlyn ka #eliza vorez #silas vorez

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