#yeah I'm back from camping and we all had a good time mostly

[comfort-questing]

4. "obedience"

"we won't be long," she said, her eyes on the distant hills where they melted into mist and cloud.

"don't tell me it's not dangerous," they said, from under the edge of the blanket they were sharing across their shoulders. "going out beyond the fort line always is..."

"yes," she said, simply, and huddled closer, against the fine spitting rain from above. the uneven stone of the wall beside them made partial shelter from the wind, but the warmth of another body was worth far more than that, and for more reasons. "but you know, that's what we're here for, after all."

they sighed. "but come back to me," they said, into her hair, drawing her closer. "come back to me, all right?"

"I will."

-

two weeks later, the autumn rains had deepened, filling the low creekbeds among the scrublands to overflowing; the last of the leaves on the wind-twisted trees had withered or fallen, brown among the grasses.

they weren't the only one waiting, nervous and jumpy as the days went on. fourteen days, fifteen, more. but in the end the shout did go up from the folk on watch, and the trailing line of packhorses and scouts winding their way through the foggy valley drew nearer.

there'd been trouble. even before the gates opened that was clear to be seen, their pace slow on the march homewards, folk leaning on their comrades or riding with assistance on the backs of the horses, the quiet in the front courtyard turned to sudden tense activity, hurrying to help the injured, to take count of the missing, to hear reports of whatever had gone wrong.

they couldn't find her. they couldn't find her, their eyes going from place to place frantically across the chaos; and then suddenly they did, a familiar flash of auburn hair, of a faded green hood slipping back as a limp body was handed down from one of the riders.

they were there in a moment, by her side, taking over at the head of the stretcher she was laid on. her eyes were closed, the bloodless pallor of her face contrasting horribly with the red-stained bandages wrapping her arm and shoulder.

"wake up," they begged her, on the way to the infirmary. "wake up." but she didn't answer. not then.

-

not till later did she answer - hours later, in the dim hours between day and night, blinking open heavy-lidded eyes in a face drawn with pain. her eyes found their face above her, her fingers tightening on theirs atop the blankets.

"you woke up," they said, numbly, "you came back - "

"of course I did," she murmured, "you told me to, didn't you."

[aryxchse]

the calm waters / percy jackson x daughter of amphitrite! reader.

a / n : i love the trope of married gods' children falling in love. and i will shamelessly write about it!!!!

warnings : cursing, blood, fighting, stoll twins being icons!!

"y/n, we need you on the arena!" connor stoll called, rushing to you.

you were in the lake, meditating in the water to find inner peace or something, or just to be away from the camp's chaos. well, as you can see, your plan was doomed.

you sighed as you stepped outside of the waters, standing on the dock with the help of some waves. you weren't even wet, still in your dry camp tank top and blue shorts. "what happened this time, stoll?" you asked, hands resting on your hips.

"percy is beating one of my step brother so fucking bad," he panted out, and you didn't wait for him to finish for rushing to arena.

there was a big crowd, which made a big circle in the middle of the arena. you pushed away some kids to reach where percy was. and boy, the view was not good.

percy was on top of the poor kid, punching him non stop. the guy was already bleeding but percy seemed to go feral, and you wondered what could the boy have possibly done to make him this mad.

everyone was too scared to stop him, even the ares kids wasn't doing anything. and you knew you had to do something before he basically killed the boy.

"alright percy, that's enough." you yelled, grabbing percy's arm harshly to make him stand up. he stopped the minute he heard your voice, only panting now and giving death stares to the boy who fainted on the ground.

"he fucking deserved it." he growled, not looking at you. you kept him away from the boy as the apollo kids moved the kid away, immediatly to the infirmary.

"does it matter?" you held his face in your palms, expression serious. "control yourself."

the words seemed to have an affect on him, to a level of charmspeaking. his expression softed as his eyes met yours, quick breaths slowing too. "you're more than that." you spoke again, as the crowd standed far behind you.

as you both kept talking, mostly you calming percy down, and him easly melting under your touch, the stoll brothers stared at you both.

"i wonder how she can calm him down this easy." travis said, stooding beside his twin. they knew their brother were wrong, and they didn't liked the boy anyway.

"because of their parents, y/n is the daughter of amphitrite." connor explained, but from travis' expression, he knew his brother didn't understand what he meant. connor rolled his eyes before he continue to speak again.

"do you know why she's married with poseidon?" he asked, and travis shook his head as in 'no.'

"because, poseidon was a maniac back then," connor said, hitting his head. "and zeus made him marry with amphitrite to calm his temper down, which, it worked perfectly."

travis' expression changed, "oohhh," he smirked, crossing his arms like his brother. "i get it know. power of the love and all."

conner chuckled, shaking is head. "whatever this is, it's working and i'm glad. percy is no better than his dad, in fact, he's worst."

travis looked at him with his usual mischief. "well, we're glad he has his wife around him yeah?"

connor laughed. "totally."

the twins watched you go to the lake, diving in the water professionally.

[riordanness]

pick up lines - [p.jackson]

pairing: percy jackson x reader

wordcount: 1.4K

warnings: none

I hated waking up.

Not that sleeping was particularly amazing, being a demigod and all, but waking up really sucked. I'd been resting peacefully (not), when I was rudely shaken from my sleep by the breakfast bell.

Unfortunately, I had never been an early riser, so most mornings, there was a mad rush, involving a lot of mess, losing everything I needed, and desperately trying, (and failing) to clean up my cabin before inspection, which was right after breakfast.

I was generally the one who had the messiest cabin during inspection.

I finally was dressed in jeans and an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt, with my h/c hair pulled away from my face. Then, I ran to the dining pavilion.

I was a daughter of Demeter, the plant goddess. Yeah, I'm sure most of you are thinking: Oh, wow, plants... But seriously, it's kinda cool. I do have some pretty sweet powers. I can grow any plants from practically nothing, control plants and stuff, and sense things in the earth. I can even use plants to travel instantly from one place to another, by just hopping through the trees, or seeds, or flowers, or weeds, or . . . whatever.

I slipped into my seat next to Katie Gardner, my elder sister. She was the counsellor for Cabin Demeter. Katie was super nice, but she was always busy at the moment, mostly hanging out with her new boyfriend, Travis Stoll, Son of Hermes.

"You slept in again," Katie whispered to me, trying, and failing epically, to hide her laughter. "We thought it was best not to try and wake you."

That was probably smart. If someone woke me up, they'd most likely leave that situation with a black eye and seeds growing in their skin. I can be fairly lethal when I want to be.

"I stated up too late again last night," I said back, my voice also low. I didn't like when other kids were listening in on my conversations, especially those Hermes kids.

"Doing what?" Katie smirked, like she knew something I didn't.

"Um..." What was I doing? Hanging out with my best friend of course. Who also happened to be the cutest and most popular guy at camp. The only current Son of Posiedon. Percy Jackson.

"I was with Percy, at the beach. We were finding lost starfish and chucking them back in the water..." My voice faltered. I wasn't good at lying. 'At the beach' was accurate. We'd been laying on a picnic blanket, watching the stars, and just talking about everything and anything, for hours. We did that almost every night. It was the best feeling in the world, just being with him.

"Uh huh." Katie turned back to her food. "He likes you, y/n, I'm sure of it. Just as much as you like him, I bet."

"Katie!" I hissed, my face beet red, but the words pleased me. I'd had a crush on Percy Jackson since the first day he arrived at Camp Half-Blood, tired and bruised and scratched from fighting the Minotaur. He'd limped into camp, stole my heart, and became the coolest guy at camp within a month.

And yes, I was in love with him. We'd been best friends for years, and we hung out all the time. How could I possibly not fall for him, with his stupid trouble-maker grin, his dark, messy hair, his sparkling sea-green baby-seal eyes, and his voice. He was, at least in my eyes, perfect.

***

Later, I was practicing my sword-fighting in the arena, hacking arms and legs and heads off the stuffed straw dummies. I'd never been the best fighter, but I felt like I was getting the hang of my sword.

"Are you a child of Hermes?" a joking voice rang out from behind me. I spun around, and came face to face with one of the Hephestus kids. Leo Valdez, maybe?

I blew my hair out of my face, breathing hard. "Um, no? Demeter, actually. Why?"

The boy, Leo, cracked a grin. "Because you stole my heart."

I blinked, not sure what to say. I never really spoke to any of the kids from Hephestus cabin, especially not this one.

"Uh, okay... thanks, I guess?"

Leo grinned again, then ran off without saying anything else. Okay... that was pretty weird.

I decided to go for a walk, to cool down and to stretch my legs a bit, so I headed for the basketball courts, where a bunch of kids were playing a really aggressive game.

I plopped down on the grass a few meters back from the courts, and watched the game. It looked like Ares and Apollo (a strange match), against Athena, Dionysus, and a couple other kids, like Jason Grace, Nico Di Angelo, and Percy.

I found myself watching Percy more than the other players, but snapped my eyes away from him once I realised. I didn't want anyone seeing me staring at my best friend.

After a while, the players called for a break, and Jason Grace approached me. "Oh, hey (Y/N)," he smiled at me, sitting beside me and taking a swig of water from a drink bottle.

"Hey," I said back. Again, I was surprised at why Jason was talking to me. He didn't usually. Demeter kids were looked over quite a bit, and Jason was one of the big shots - a child of Zeus. Of course, Percy was a son of Posiedon, and he talked to me, but that was different. I'd known Percy for years, even before we came here at twelve years old. I'd know him since he was seven.

"Are you a child of Hades?" Jason asked suddenly.

I frowned at him. "No. Demeter, actually. Why does everyone keep-?"

I was cut off by Jason grinning and saying: "Because I'm dying to call you mine."

I swallowed. "Um..."

Jason got up and walked away, heading back to his game. I was totally confused, so I stood up, brushed off my jean shorts, and decided to go to the strawberry fields, where I usually spent most of my time, among the plants. Plants always calmed me down, and this random guys telling me pick-up lines were a little stressful. I wasn't the kind of girl who normally got guys, anyway.

After a few minutes of walking up and down the strawberry aisles, I ran into Nico di Angelo. Nico wasn't usually the sort of person you ran into in the strawberry fields, so I was surprised.

"Oh, hi, Nico," I said cheerily, waving at him. Nico and I were actually pretty good friends, so I was glad to see him. We got along surprisingly well, considering our parents' rivalry. You know, the whole Persephone getting kidnapped thing.

"Are you a child of Hephestus?" Nico stammered, blushing with embarrassment.

At this point, I was utterly confused.

"No!" I said, frowning. "I'm a daughter of Demeter, and I know you know that, Nico. And why does everyone keep trying these stupid pick-up lines on me? Besides... you like guys, don't you?"

"Well, um..." Nico shrugged and ran off, leaving me in a state of helpless confusion.

I sank to my knees in the soft grass, picking at it with my fingers. "What's happening with me today?" I wondered aloud.

"Hey, are you Aphrodite?" a familiar voice asked. "Because you're divinely gorgeous."

I glanced up, meeting the sea-green eyes of my best friend. "Percy?" I asked. "You too? What's-?"

Percy stopped me, sitting down cross-legged beside me. "Hey, I've- I've liked you for ages, but I never told you because I was scared you'd not feel the same and so we'd lose our awesome friendship, but the guys found out and so they were trying to make me jealous enough to admit me feelings today, by trying out pick-up lines on you, so, well, I- I decided that I should just tell you.”

I sucked in a breath. "Oh my gods," I managed. "You stupid son of Posiedon."

"What?" Percy chuckled nervously.

"Are you a child of the Sea God?" I asked softly. "Because I'm drowning in your beautiful eyes."

Gathering all my courage, I leaned forward and pressed my mouth against Percy's, feeling him smile against my lips, and I couldn't have wished for anything more.

[webslingingslasher]

can u tell us more ab peters first time? or is that a secret😢

how about his first kiss? :’))))

peter's first time will be in the cherry series. (described)

first kiss? yeah, i gotchu.

your fingers tap on peter's skin, his chest is slightly sticky from dried sweat. 'when did you have your first kiss?'

his thumbs graze down your arms, 'first kiss or first real kiss?' you lightly kiss his bicep, 'both?' peter takes a deep breath as he retells the story, you close your eyes and try to picture it yourself.

'i was in the fifth grade and i had this wicked crush on julie thompson. somehow her friends found out and told her and she met me at the bus stop after school, and i thought i was hot shit because her dad always picked her up- but she told me that she could 'obviously' never date me-'

julie thompson was a fifth grader and you'd beat her ass.

'but she was very flattered and said she had something for me. she told me to close my eyes and i was expecting like a note or something but nope, she kissed me.' you can hear the smile in his voice when he says it. you don't blame him, it's a mostly cute story and it's juvenile.

'then she told me that i would always be her first kiss but i could never tell anybody. i never did. well, until right now. and my first real kiss was in high school, her name was lauren gravy- yes, i said gravy- and she was in the marching band. she asked if i wanted to see something she learned at bandcamp over the summer and i said sure and she fucking stuck her tongue down my throat. i was so scared.'

'you were scared?' you can't help the small fit of laughter. peter clicks his tongue, 'no, c'mere.' peter not so nicely cups your face and tugs it to his, 'wanna see something i learned at band camp?' he's reenacting it.

'sure.' you make a muffled scream and smack his shoulder, he's not exaggerating, it is scary. 'yeah, not so funny now, is it?'

'was she at least hot?'

peter nods confidently. 'fucking smoke show. but i never went around her again. i hope she got better at it.' well, if all he had to go off of was a pity kiss and a slobbery one he became pretty damn good at it.

'how'd you get so good at kissing?'

peter snorts, 'cause i had a girlfr-' peter catches himself, 'cause i had a girl teach me. some other girl from high school, nothing important.'

'my first kiss was brad allen and he was missing a front tooth. he ditched me on our first date for a pig farmers daughter.'

'that's so bold of you to share. you wouldn't be able to boil that information out of me.'

'he lost it playing lacrosse but his dad was a dentist so i don't know why he never got it fixed.' peter pushes your head back down to his chest. 'i think we should take a nap.'

'if you lost a front tooth i'd still kiss you.'

'can't hear you. i'm sleeping.' 

[livesworthlivingau]

Lives Worth Living Chapter 21-23

Spoilers for ISAT/Two Hats below!

"You sure you're good Sif?" (You give a nod and a slight, genuine smile. With plenty of rest and soft food you were mostly feeling back to normal. Your throat was still pretty sore, but Odile let you keep the journal for the time being incase you needed to give more long winded answers.)

"Alright, if you're sure then. How about you Bon? You sure this is the right way?"

"I have never been more sure of anything in my entire life." (They say with a very neutral expression, causing Isa to laugh heavily.)

"Well I can't really argue with that, now can I?"

"This didn't happen last time, did it Siffrin?" (Mira asks you curiously, you just shake your head, looking as confused as everyone else.)

"I wonder what would have caused such a difference? Have there been any significant changes that you think might be to blame?" (Odile asks you, that investigative glint in her eyes. You shake your head at first, but then think some more, your expression dropping some.)

"Well... Loop..." (You mumble with a sadder tone. Odile raising a brow.)

"... It is a star... Maybe they're still out there somewhere, somehow? Helping guide you along one more time?" (You know Odile was just trying to make you feel better, but there may have been some truth to it. Nothing like this had happened before...)

(You feel Isa's hand on your shoulder suddenly, snapping you out of your own head and looking up at him. He smiles brightly down at you, giving a comforting squeeze with his grip. You smile back happily, leaning against him.)

"Nille, here we come!" (Bonbon cheers, leading the charge down the trail towards where they last saw the bright star guiding them.)

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

"Why isn't Frin coming?" <You ask, looking around as you notice he didn't leave with everyone.>

"Sif's just tired after the hike yesterday, still kinda recovering, but he's fine! Besides, between you and me I think he liked breakfast so much he went into a little food coma." <Za leans down to tell you that last part, you give a giggle in response.>

"My cooking IS pretty amazing... I guess it's only fair he couldn't handle it all!" <You grin wide, proud of yourself. Za just chuckles and pats your head.>

"Be careful Isabeau, we don't want their head to get too big for their hat." <Dile teases, you just stick your tongue out at her.>

<You all keep walking along to the center of the town, looking at all the fancy ingredients and foods at every stall you pass.>

"Does everyone have their shopping lists and coin?" <Dile asks everyone like the responsible grandma as usual.>

"Yup! Got mine! Camping supply duty!"

"A-And mine! Bonnie and I are food duty!"

"Yeah! I gotta find everything to make Nille's favorite!!" <You cheer, taking Belle's hand and heading off towards more of the food stalls.>

<You look around at what's available, looking for all the ingredients for a shrimp alfredo dish that Nille adored. You only get a little bit to browse before you suddenly hear her.>

"BONNIE!!" <You jump up, recognizing the voice instantly, looking around like mad to find where it came from. You finally spot her, Nille, running towards you with tears in her eyes.>

"NIIIIIILLE!!!" <You practically scream, sprinting towards her and tackling into her, wrapping your arms around her middle, her covering you with her own arms too as she kneels down to your height.>

"Oh Bonnie I've missed you so Crabbing much!!! I'm so glad you're okay!!! I can't believe you helped save the whole dang country!!!" <Your eyes were already pouring with tears, just so happy to finally see her again after so long. Her hug felt the same as it used to, you were so happy to feel it again.>

"I tried so hard Nille! I ran and ran and ran just like you told me to!" <You shout through your tears, sucking at keeping your emotions down even a little.>

"I know you did, I'm so proud of you Bon!" <She shouts back through her own tears. You were both kinda losing it, but it didn't matter, you finally had each other again.>

<After change knows how long of a hug, Nille finally sets you down and stands back up, wiping her tears with a shaky breath.>

"O-Oh! You gotta meet everyone!!" <You shout again, grabbing her hand and dragging her over to the others, they were already together behind you, having been watching.>

"Nille, this is Belle, Za, and Dile!" <Nille goes one at a time, shaking their hands.>

"Thank you all for taking care of Bonnie, and for saving me and the rest of the country of course!" <She cheered, like she was getting a little star struck. I guess we are kinda famous now, hehe.>

"Of course! We couldn't just leave the poor kid alone!"

"Y-Yes! It was our duty to take care of them, but they were a lot of help to have around too! I don't know if we would have made it without their amazing cooking, it really kept us going!"

"They're a real talent, aren't they? I can barely boil water without ruining it, they probably learned out of necessity." <Nille chuckles as you grin proudly.>

"I apologize for the interruption, but did you happen to see a bright star in the sky recently? Perhaps one that led you this direction?" <Dile pokes in, you turn to Nille with bright, wide eyes, wanting to hear the answer too.>

"Oh yeah! That's how we found you!! I saw a star and I just knew it was you!!" <You shout to help explain.>

"Yeah actually! Pretty sure that was my friend's doing, they made a little wish for us to find you and we noticed it a little bit later!" <Dile looks very shocked by that, you tilt your head some too since that was a weird thing to just have happen.>

"A wish? As in... Wish Craft?" <Dile asks after a second.>

"Oh, yeah! Hold on, this'll make more sense if they explain it I think." <Nille turns around, looking through the crowd and spotting someone, waving them over. Someone with a very pretty outfit walks over, darkless hair just like Frin, and... starry lightless skin on their arms?>

"Everyone, this is Vale, we've been travelling together for a little while. They saved me from a sadness that got the jump on me, about a week after y'all unfroze everyone." <The strange person waves a little, smiling really wide. Something about them feels familiar...>

"LOOP?!"

...

"Lead the way!"

<Nille whispers something into their ear before turning back to you. You smile so big, holding her hand tightly. You start to tell her about all your wild adventures as the saviors. Mirabelle coming along and holding your other hand as you all walked together.>

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

(You sit at the dining table, working on a little sewing project. You were never the best at it, but you still wanted to surprise Isa with a little gift. Besides, He'd probably cry over any gift you give him, even if it's complete garbage. The thought makes you chuckle to yourself as you work on the little bird plushie for him.)

(You suddenly hear a knock at the door. You perk up at that, wondering who that could be. If it were the others they would just walk in, the door was unlocked, it's Vaugarde after all, people don't do a lot of knocking. You get up from the table and walk to the door, peeking it open, met with the sight of a rather beautiful individual.)

"Uhm... Can I help yo-" (You start to ask, examining this stranger up and down, your words stop and you freeze as you notice the gradient shade of their arms, speckled with stars, looking to their face to see the slightly discolored eyes.)

"L... Loop?..."

[parentsday]

Hiii! Since you asked about headcanons/analysis stuff:

There's a common interpretation on the fandom about Max's treatment of David in the early episodes coming, at least partially, from trust issues regarding adults/authority figures. And I've seen push back against it, too. People who say it's just because David is annoyingly positive. Nothing else.

And sure, I can see that. But Nikki also acts in a cheerful manner and mostly enjoys camp, and Max doesn't treat her with the level of rudeness he treated David in season one. This could be due to her being his little partner in crime, but idk. I always interpreted it as him thinking that David is some fake nice adult who will just let him down if he allows it.

And, while I was thinking about this, I realized how this interpretation of Max's behaviour towards David adds another heartbreaking layer to Parents day.

Max's perception of David started changing after Order of the sparrow, specifically after the "Somebody fucking has to" moment. For just a moment, the annoying, overly positive persona drops, and Max is able to see a nuanced human being. And it's clear that he starts understanding David a little more, because in Cult camp (literally the next episode), he allows himself to be brainwashed and trusts that David will save the camp (btw, we as a fandom don’t talk about this aspect of this episode enough).

So yeah, his perception of David changes for the better.

But then, parents day happens.

And David spends most of the episode being an absolute jerk, even if he doesn't realize it.

He pushes SO HARD to try and make the day perfect, basically ignores Max when he states that his parents aren't coming, gets way too serious about playing the role of Max's dad for the day, forces Max into the activities and then, at the end of a day that was already shitty for Max, he yells at him.

I think the context of Max's opinion on David finnaly becoming more positive makes this episode so much sadder.

Because it ceases to be just about Max's neglectful parents.

Now it's also about the closest thing he has to a trustworthy adult making him uncomfortable, ignoring his feelings and then yelling at him and telling him that he "has a bad attitude" and "brings everyone else down instead of trying just a little bit to have fun".

(Which are things he must have heard from adults before, if he behaves the way he does at camp in school and other places)

Remember in Friends like these when he said "Life's just one dissapointment after another. I can't belive I let myself forget it"? I think he might have had the same train of thought here: "I can't believe I let myself forget David is an asshole that only cares about impressing Campbell and making this stupid camp look good". Or: "I can't believe I let myself forget that every single adult thinks I'm a bad kid and a lost cause."

And I know it gets fixed quickly, with David apologizing shortly after, but still. I think the idea of Max being dissapointed at David in Parents day, even if it was just for some moments, is so good.

I also think this is the episode that comfirms to Max that David is genuinely a good person trying his best. He spent the entire day having to think about the fact that his parents suck, and then there's David, who is kind, apologizes for upsetting him and takes him to eat pizza and have a little heartfelt talk.

When was the last time his parents apologized to him, or cared about what he wanted/needed, or talked to him so gently?

The contrast between his parents and David is so big, and I think that's what makes Max finnaly go "Yeah, this guy isn't actually that bad."

(Sorry for rambling, omg.)

hi first of all thank u for an ask and such insightful one at it too !! this was an incredibly pleasant read and a lot of the stuff you say i personally find very good analysis of the show and agree with, however i do have some stuff to say abt it soo here we go ^-^ (this will be a long one so sorry about this in advance)

as i said in some previous reply, max is an incredibly peculiar guy when it comes to the way this show treats his trauma and the way he himself behaves as a result of it, and that’s by design! a lot of the thing he says and does in the first two seasons when it comes to david are there for reasons of narrative set up, and are later masterfully recontextualized by parents day later, leaving very little room for interpretation when it comes to how and why he operates. im gonna go out on a limb and say that i don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that most of his actions towards david in the early show stem from the childish born-from-trauma need for attention and also from his need for societal reinforcement of his own ego’s right to exist. when it comes to the first one i see most people agree (bc it’s a basic child psychology fact), but turn their noses in reference to the second one.

contrary to popular belief, max being in need of constant affirmation that he, as a person with little self value, deserves to exist next to other people is something that we see examples of constantly and is not a terrible part of his character that needs to be ignored. max is a neglect victim who from our knowledge is given very little attention by his parents, as a result of it he is a pessimistic asshole kid whose ego suffers from the very thing that made it this way. its in his strained relationship with nikki and neil, its in him arguing with david to put himself in the position of an adult, its him putting himself above others when it’s not needed and its in him putting his own egos safety first when time comes to accept that things are moving forward (two final episodes from both s3 and s4 are good examples of this). its not an inherently positive trait, but it is one okay for him to have by the virtue of being a young abused child with no support system, and denying it will leave him devoid of this characterization. in freudian (ugh) terms, we cannot separate his character’s superego from his id in a way that won’t harm the way he was intentionally written. Id, ego and superego are all influenced by our relationship with our parents, the amount of nurturing of a child's emotional and psychological needs parents does will result in the child’s psychological state forming a certain way, max as a character who is heavily reliant of his lackluster relationship with his parents is not devoid of this and it affects his relationship with david too. and the reason i’m saying all of this is exactly due to this.

david, when put in most simple terms, is a character who’s an adult figure present and mature enough in max’s current social position that it allows him to treat max as a child, something max is not used to. not used to to such an extent that it puts a strain on his ego in the process. david feeds his need for any form of attention, positive or not, just as much as he clips away at max’s need to be seen as socially important and in a position of an adult. it’s arguable if both of these are good or not but the main thing they are in relation to is obvious: max feels that being an adult who meets both of his psychological needs in ways that are unfamiliar to him makes david an untrustworthy person, thats exactly where you interpretation comes in clutch.

max and his behavior towards david cannot be separated from david being an adult, that is made clear with the way he treats nikki as an equal just because she is a person his age, despite her sharing a lot of david’s traits. going through the episodes you mentioned, order of the sparrow episode lets max see david perspective for the very first time. max is allowed to peek into the reason why david acts the way he does, however it alone doesn’t make him see david in a good light, if anything it makes him appear genuine in his actions. it also lets max have something for david that he didn’t have before: trust. it ends up being used in cult camp as a confirmation of it being something david can live up to (you are absolutely right, we really don’t talk abt this episode and it’s narrative weight enough). all of this has been adding onto the way max himself perceives david, parents day, however, lets both of them internalize the sentiment of mutual understanding towards each other together. parents day does this by lampshading max and david parallelism, making this whole episode consist of max seeing his parents in david just as much as david sees himself in max through the whole show and putting them in each others shoes by the end of it. the episode ends with david choosing max as a priority, he is still acting selfishly (once again david is an asshole) but choosing to do so towards max because the situation allows him to understand max the way s1 finale let max understand him. and with the final turning point in their dynamic, max understands that both his ego and need for attention can exist without them being reinforced by an adult treating him like he is an adult too. max was chosen as a priority for the very first time and that alone made him feel of more value than the treatment he initially yearned for would have. above all else parents day makes max see david as someone he can look up to as a person in emotional way, not only in a life or death situations, the shot of david from his perspective in the end making sure that we don’t miss it.

most of this is not me disagreeing with you, on the opposite i think a lot of the arguments you make are nice and are mindful interaction with the media. gold star for enjoying meta analysis to both of us i guess ⭐️. my main problem is, however, the fact that using all of this to basically say ‘maxs parents suck so he has a distain for david because of it’ is a heavy oversimplification that you somehow go against in your initial statement too and that i, personally, just don’t enjoy. this alone does not make your interpretation wrong though, if anything just reinforces your general idea into a more concrete argument rather than a collection of bits and pieces of evidence pointing to it. hope all of this made sense

tldr; man idk no summing up this one as to not take away from the overall statement im making with this. read the post 🫶

[somewhereincairparavel]

"Jason." Piper said, startling him with her awfully serious expression, she looked beautiful, with her choppy hair and iridescent gaze directed at him. But that moment only lasted for a second, before the world collapsed at his feet. "Let's break up"

Piper may as well have just stabbed him at the heart with a blade. The effect would've been exactly the same. Being a Roman, he tried keeping his face as neutral as possible. What if it was a prank or something? But deep down, Jason knew it was wishful thinking. Piper had been acting very repulsive around him, stiffening at his bear hugs, pulling away from his kisses rather quickly with an uncomfortable wry sort of smile. He had mostly been initiating their usual displays of affection. Now that he thought back on it, those were huge alarm bells. He waited for Piper to continue, who was trying to gauge his reaction. He stubbornly appeared as aloof as possible, even though his heart had already shattered.

"I-I'm sorry.. i just.. don't think we both belong together. Our relationship started out fake. And it's obvious we aren't as in love as we thought we were. we simply feel obligated to stay together to appease Hera and Aphrodite" Piper managed to choke out, tears already streaming in her face. A surge of anger filled through Jason as his mind reeled, focusing on the sentences which had fragmented his already shattered heart. "dont belong together" "fake" "aren't in love"

"Stop saying "we" piper." Jason said in a slightly strangled voice. "I AM in love with you and i dont feel obligated to anything. Yeah, our relationship started out "fake" as you put it" Jason spat out the word "fake" with intentional bitterness. He was usually so calm, but no. Even the ever so calm son of Jupiter has his limits. "But don't you remember our fresh start? Our first kiss under the stars after Gaea's defeat? We've been together for a year, with no bumps in our relationship. Did that mean nothing to you at all? You still think we're playing pretend for Hera? Were all those hugs and "i love you's" simply us putting on a show that i wasn't aware of?" Jason's eyes stung as he said this.

Piper looked at him sadly, her tears had dried out and her eyes turned steely cold. he thought she was a little too nonchalant about this. She was his world. His whole universe. And yet, she too, had decided, that the ever so golden Grace, was not good enough anymore. Just like every other fucking person.

"I am sorry. But i don't feel that way about you anymore... It was just Hera's mist playing tricks on me..." Piper said a little callously. That was all she said, before she shouldered her bag, and looked at him one last time, her eyes slightly misty. Jason couldn't and wouldn't understand why this had all gone terribly wrong.

"Well. i guess that's just it then...." Jason whispered brokenly, staring at Piper's figure slowly walking away from him. He dropped to his knees and just sobbed. He felt used, and so fucking crushed. Jason Grace was once again, the unwanted, disposable machine. The unwanted machine that Camp Jupiter had been so eager to have gotten rid of. And now, So had the one whom he loved more than anyone else, the one whom he envisioned having his grandchildren with. He could almost hear Cupid's cold, hollow laughter echo through the corridors, watching his half sister leave the son of Jupiter in shambles, elated at his misery.

The supposedly rebellious daughter of Aphrodite had broken a heart after all.

[lilysbookshelf987]

New camper: Percy Jackson x reader (daughter of apollo)

A/n: thank you so much for giving this a read! This is my first time writing for the PJO universe so let me know if you like it! Requests are open! No NSFW or Smut! Enjoy

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

"Good morning" Percy said tiredly, greeting his best friend Grover at the dining pavilion, taking a seat next to him.

"Morning" Grover replied, "hey did you see Annabeth on your way here? She's usually the first one here and I haven't seen her yet"

As if almost on cue she was walking towards the boys, an excited smirk painted across her face.

"Camp Half-Blood has a new camper!"

"What?!" replied Percy

"She showed up late last night, all alone. Chiron told me she had been hurt pretty badly but he took her into the infirmary and gave her some Ambrosia"

"She took it? So, she's definitely a half-blood?" Percy asked

"Yep! We should be meeting her later today" Annabeth was ecstatic, she loved new campers!

--time skip--

As the day went on there was still no sight of the new camper. Word had made its way around camp and people began to take their guesses as to who was her parent.

"I hope she's in our cabin!" A child of Aphrodite had said

"No! I bet she HAS to be in ours! Showing up without a Satyr by her side means she's a warrior"an Ares kid chimed

"As long as she's not in ours I dont care" a tired looking Hermes kid said.

It was almost dinner time when Chiron had found Percy, sparring with someone from the Ares cabin.

"Percy can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Yeah sure" he said, removing his helmet and recapping his sword.

"Im sure you've heard we've had a new camper join us."

"Yeah it's all over camp" he replied

"Ah yes. Well let's say she hasn't been thrilled to learn about her new family. Reminds me a lot of you when you first came here"

Percy thought back to his first few days at camp. He was confused, scared, angry, and very much overwhelmed.

"I was wondering if you could help ease her mind by speaking to her. You understand what she's feeling better than I can."

"And im not half horse" Percy smiled

"Yes there is that" Chiron chuckled

"Alright I want to meet her!" Percy agreed. He really did want to help, but he also knew how jealous Annabeth would be that he met her first. The two walked into the big house and there she was, staring down at her feet.

"Y/N, this is Percy, son of Poseidon. Percy this is Y/N. I'm sure you two will get long swimmingly" Chiron chuckled at his own joke, "I will give you two some privacy" with that, he left the room. Leaving the two teenagers alone.

An awkward silence filled the room, when finally Y/N broke the silence.

"Son of Poseidon, huh?" she asked

"That's me" he smiled, proud of the title he held.

"That's crazy, the gods don't exist!"

"They do exist. I know it all feels a bit insane at first but-"

"A bit?! My whole life i've had these things coming after me and I didn't understand why. I thought I was insane and seeing things, but apparently that's normal?! And my dad? The reason he's neglected me my whole life was because he was a god?! There's just no way"

"Hey, it's gonna be ok. I know how you feel. I felt like that when I first got here. All my life my dad wasn't someone I had thought about much because I had my mom, and thats all I needed. Then I find out that he's now the most important thing in my life? I had so many emotions, but if you just give this place a chance? I promise everything gets a lot less scary"

This seem to get to the girl. She started to tear up.

"Ok, i'll try." she whispered

"I'll show you around and it'll all be ok, I promise."

The two made their way around camp, Y/N was mostly silent. "The sun is so warm here, it's not like that where I'm from"

"Everything is a little bit stronger here."

"I can tell" she smiled

"So, do you have any idea who your dad might be?" Percy asked, careful not to poke at the sensitive subject.

"I think but I'm not sure. My mom used to talk about Apollo, a way she never did about other Gods"

"Ok then...then we have to find a way for him to see you! If he see's you, he'll claim you!"

"Yeah but how?"

"Gods dont claim you because they feel like it, you have to work for it" Annabeth said, inviting herself to the conversation.

"Y/N this is Annabeth, daughter of Athena"

"Hey" Y/n said

"Percy have you taken her to the archery field? Apollo kids thrive there"

"No I didn't"

"Seaweed brain c'mon!" Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Lets go" she led the two there and put a bow and arrow in Y/N's hands. The girl had fired it easily and hit the bullseye.

"Beginners luck?" y/n asked

"Go again" Chiron said, but before she could something came flying down at her, she shot it down easily.

"That could've killed us" Percy said, mouth agape, "and you shot it down with ease!" he said

"Look!" One of the campers said

Y/N was becoming engulfed in a bright light and a sun appeared over her head. She was now an official resident of cabin 7

[arthenaa]

Hey bro I like your writing and I was wondering if you could give us some Mizu x Filipino!Reader hcs🥺👉👈 ̶(̶t̶o̶t̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶g̶o̶n̶n̶a̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶j̶e̶c̶t̶ ̶m̶y̶s̶e̶l̶f̶)̶

I have to make this poetic I'm so sorry but also making it modern!au and canon setting teehee (ALSO DOUBLE UPDATE?) slight nsfw ig!! mdni.

canon divergent, just think of this is as that scene from Goyo where Remedios and Gregorio Pilar do a wholeass pining scene idk

Absolutely met you at some fancy ass noble party

You're a child of a wealthy Senor who's in great partnership with the Lords from the Commonwealth

Mizu's camping in and disguising herself in the party to find more intel on her next target and then she bumps into you

at first you're like very inquisitive of where she came from (considering that you view her as a man at this point), how she enjoys the party and what not

then you're suddenly like ik what you're doing. you're not from here.

Mizu's thrown off bc haha this is an international gathering of sorts and like ppl here are mostly foreign

you're like well its bc you're so obvious when it comes to occasions like this that I've already spotted you from a while back

and so youre like dancing and all and Mizu has no choice but to extract info from you

she reveals that shes looking for a white man, and that he may have connections here in the ph

and coincidence cuz you, who's also a part of the resistance, have been tracing the weapons provider of the spanish army.

so you guys work together. you give her intel, she helps you hunt down the provider and their little goons

it kind of starts like an enemies to lovers .... kind of a forced situation where Mizu has to deal with the resistance in order to get to what she wants but rlly theres no other way around

falls in love w your love for your country

despite your privileged upbringing, you're deeply interconnected with your roots, and have been fighting for the filipino people

you guys fight over the simplest of things, like how she doesnt wear things right or holds weapons correctly

you definitely bond over weaponry though and its history. the first time you've seen her katana, you were so amazed. in return, you showed her a kampilan—a sword carved and forged by your grandfather. she had so many questions.

yeahh overall i think what pulled you together was your shared anger and desperation for justice. No matter the situation, whether it be a resistance against oppression or looking for the man that caused a hellscape within your life, y'all resonated with the emotions and trauma that came with that.

BEST BELIEVE THE SEX WAS GOOD and rough and yes hbejawhejehe mhm

anys thats all. you're like PARA SA PILIPINAS and shes on her knees.

modern au hehe

met through int sch program. mizu is a transferee from japan who joined their uni's international program and got linked w ur sch

she was in one of ur classes and like yeah, she was nearest to u so she had no choice but to ask u for sch stuff

YOU THOUGHT SHE WAS PRETTY CUTE but like u wanted a good impression so u tried to help her as much as u could

even gave her a tour of the campus

showed her a few iconic eating places that she could go to jic her budget was on a limit or wanted good filo food

you wanted to expose her to the culture as slowly as u could just so that she could adapt and pace herself

definitely stuck by your side since then

you learned that she's going to study here for 3 years before going back to japan for her masters, and you're like wow thats so cool and shes like thanks

definitely a gamer

you guys hang out at one of the comp shops nearby (IF NAGAARAL KAYO SA TAFT .... guys suki ako don HAHAHA)

loves learning abt history, esp filipino craftsmanship

you definitely treat her to various street foods

mizu : what's this

you : we call it kwek kwek, but u can call it neon balls

mizu: neon balls????

showed and taught her how public transpo works once, and she gets a hang of it a week later

knows her way around manila than you do (author is projecting mb)

knows basic filo words when navigating. you teach her the slang.

basically friends to lovers guys omg, ayon sana all eme

you do that lips thing where you point w ur lips and at first, she was so confused (this is during your relationship)

she thought you were asking for a kiss and she kissed u and you were like ?!@!?@??$?

mizu: ha

you: I WAS ASKING FOR THE,ASd MUGWTF

mizu: ahhh my bad haha

walks u to class teehee

hangs around in empty class rooms esp comp labs and you guys watch movies there

momol sa dorm, momol sa clasroom na madilim, momol sa may agno charot

MOMOL = MAKE OUT MAKE OUT LANG

revels in simple pda like linking ur pinkies together, thigh against thigh when seating, and just yk so landi. landi niyo.

you have her id pic on the back of ur id and she yours on her clear phonecase

EWWWW GAY PPL (affectionate)

unintentionally matching

loves gifting u jewelry esp necklaces (likes to see it when u guys are in the bedroom, splayed on your chest and just yk decorating your collarbones so nicely)

holds your hand and helps you cross the street omf

pays for ur commute fee when riding the jeepney

memorizes ur kwek kwek and fishball sauce combination

loves exchanging one shoe w u for funsies

loves taking pics w u w the cats on campus

OVERALL A CUTIE TEEHEE!

A/N: DEDICATED KAY DELULU RECEIVER!! eto para sayo sorry ginutom keta ng sobra huhu @ianiralvs may isa pa kong utang sayo na req mo hihi gagawen ko pa yon to muna HHAHHAHA

[canirove]

In The Name of Love | Chapter 6

Author's note: Since next Monday is Christmas day, I will be posting the chapter that should be up that day on Wednesday, which means that next week you will have new chapters on Wednesday and Thursday 😊 Also sorry about this chapter being a bit meh and on the short side, but I think I am making up for it on the next one 😁 Also, to those of you who are just reading this and don't follow me, happy holidays and merry christmas to those of you who celebrate! 💜

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

Good luck tonight! Hopefully it won't rain, because those clouds look so bad… (📸) Also look at the sea. Back home it doesn't get like this  (📸) The food here is just 🤤 (📸) You have fans who aren't teenagers 😱 (📸) I wonder if they'll think I'm one too (📸)

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"And?"

"Nothing yet" I sigh. "This was a good idea, right?"

"It was" Emma says, giving my hand an encouraging squeeze. "Traveling to the other side of the country to watch him play is so romantic!"

"I don't care if it is romantic or not. I just want to explain everything to him and for things to go back to the way they were."

"Who would have thought you would end up missing a teenager's dick, uh?" she laughs.

"I should have brought Silvia with me" I reply, rolling my eyes.

"But sadly, she's too busy with Pau finally being back, so you'll have to deal with me" she smiles.

It's been a month since that stupid engagement party, since Pedri and I had that argument, since I last saw him in person. And I've felt like shit every single day.

I should have been honest with him. I should have opened myself to him, share all my fears. But I couldn't. I was too much of a coward, and because of it, I may have lost the person who managed to finally make me close a chapter of my life. The person that gave me what I needed to finally let go. 

But I'm ready now. I'm ready to tell him everything. And that's why Emma and I are here, though her first plan was a bit stalkery.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"I just sent him a good luck message before the game and he has left me as read. Again" I sigh. 

"At least you know he hasn't blocked you."

"Yeah, I guess. But I can't keep living this, I have to do something."

"Why don't you just show up at his house and don't leave until he listens to you?"

"I can't do that, Emma. He'll end up calling the police."

"Then why don't you go watch him play at the Camp Nou? Maybe his friends can help you corner him somewhere so you can talk."

"That isn't such a bad idea, you know… Though they are going on international break after tonight's game." 

"Then let's go watch him play with Spain! You could even wear his shirt, I'm sure he would like that. You aren't allergic to that one, are you?"

"I'm not, no" I laugh. "But I don't know where they are playing and when. And there may not be tickets left."

"Then let's find out" she says, taking out her phone and starting to type.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

A couple of hours after that conversation, and mostly thanks to Ferran, we had it all ready. We would be spending the weekend in La Coruña, a city in the West of Spain where the national team is playing, and where, hopefully, I will find a way to convince Pedri to let me explain myself. 

"Is it him?" Emma asks when my phone buzzes.

"Oh my God" I gasp. "It's him, he has replied!" I say, my hand shaking.

"What does he say?"

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Val, what is all that? 

Are those photos real?

Yep

Are you here? 

In La Coruña? 

And wearing my shirt? 😳

I am

Wait a second

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Emma, he's facetiming me."

"Then pick up!"

"How do I look?"

"For the love of God, Valeria. Who cares? Pick up!"

"Ok" I say, taking a deep breath. "Hello" I smile.

"Show me around."

"What?"

"Show me around, Valeria."

"Don't need to be so rude, Pedro" I say, moving so he can see where I am. Emma and I had sat down on a bench not too far away from the stadium to kill time until we can go inside.

"You are here. You… Why?"

"Well, Emma and I had a free weekend and wanted to disconnect from the kids, we saw an ad about the game, we had never been to La Coruña, and we said, why not?" I shrug.

"Let's go disconnect from the kids by watching other kids play" Pedri chuckles.

"Asensio isn't a kid."

"Then why are you wearing my shirt?" he asks, arching an eyebrow.

"It was the only one left in the shop" I shrug again.

"Sure" he laughs.

"It was yours or Morata's, and you know how I feel about him."

"I do, yes" he laughs again. God, I had missed hearing him laugh. "Anyway, I gotta go, we are leaving the hotel now."

"Ok."

"Thank you for coming to the game."

"Of course" I smile. But he doesn't. He's gone serious again.

"Bye, Valeria."

"Bye" I say before he hangs up.

"That went well, didn't it?" Emma says.

"Did it?" I sigh.

"It did! You had a little moment there, so there still is hope."

"I guess, but he kept calling me Valeria and… Wait" I say when my phone buzzes again.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Don't forget to send me your good luck text. 

It is the last thing I always read before warm up

I won't. I promise 😊

❤️

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"See? There still is hope!" Emma says, grabbing my arm and squeezing it. She's actually hurting me, but I don't care.

Because there still is hope.

[ephedrathirsts]

Treehouses and Car Seats

Synopsis: Childhood best friends reunite. Cigarettes, pot and unaddressed mutual pining- would could possible go wrong?

Contains: friends to lovers trope, smut, handjobs, sub!Hunter x dom! OC, praise kink, weed and cigarette use, fluff at the end, anxious Hunter

Pairing: Hunter Sylvester x Female OC!

Word Count: 3900

It was about a week after the battle of the bands- a glorious moment in time for Skullflower. Thanks to their stellar performance and Hunter's accident they transformed into micro-celebrities, the talk of the town. People were lining up to talk to Emily, Kevin, and Hunter, asking for autographs, acting like they were always friendly with the metalists, as if the entire school wasn't treating them like a bunch of nobodies a minute ago.

They had a lot of attention thrown their way, especially from the female side of the students, and mostly directed at the vocalist and only bachelor of the group, Hunter himself. So it came as little to no surprise when he got stopped in the hallways, getting offers from girls to sign his cast. He was flattered by the newfound popularity even though he knew it wasn't going to be long-lasting, but a good time was a good time right?

One day, just before first bell an unfamiliar face showed up at Hunter's locker while he was talking to Kevin. "No, I'm telling you, ever since the psych ward I'm a changed man- no outbursts, no-nonsense." Hunter was waving his hands around theatrically, slouching, back against the locker door.

"I will believe this once you actually start seeing a therapist. It wouldn't do you any harm, ya know." Kevin replied with a friendly smile and patted him on the shoulder.

"I don't think a shrink that isn't into metal would get my passion. It would be a hard time finding one on the same wavelength as me..." He started before getting cut off by a person that seemingly appeared out of thin air.

"Killer performance in the battle of the bands. It definitely made picking a new school all the easier! Mind if I sign your cast?" Animatedly uttered a girl that looked vaguely familiar while holding up a sharpie and pointing at Hunter's leg with it, asking for permission.

"Thanks... sure, go ahead." He replied distractedly, looking at her with a quizzical expression. She had wild, long hair, frizzy, sticking in many different directions. She was wearing a lot of rings and dangly necklaces, one of which he could have sworn he had seen before. She had a nose piercing and a very striking tattoo of a feather on her collarbone."Do I know you from somewhere?" He asked a bit rushedly, trying to process what he was seeing.

The girl bent down and quickly scribbled something on his leg. "Is that supposed to be a pick-up line, Hunter? Come on, you can do better!" She answered while standing up and straightening out her skirt. "We are classmates after all!" She playfully retorted, winked at him, and disappeared into the crowded hallway.

"What does it say? I can't bend down to look." Hunter looked at his friend for help.

"It's very weird... It says 'i know you were doing it just to look cool' and a kiss emoji thingy... wait... No way! There is absolutely no way!" Kevin paced around in a little circle, massaging his chin, his eyes moving as fast as his thoughts when the puzzle pieces finally came together.

"She looked familiar, didn't she?" Kevin whisper-shouted at Hunter while moving his eyesight from left to right and backward.

"Yeah? So what? She obviously goes to school here. I've seen her around, that's that." Hunter chirped a bit annoyed at his friend, picking at his cuticles to soothe the new bundle of nerves.

"Dude... choosing a new school..." Kevin supplied slowly, moving his eyebrows in a playful motion.

"Yeah..?" Hunter asked, still visibly confused by his friend's display.

"Summer camp... year eight... the treehouse..." Kevin teased, wanting to give a hint instead of spelling out what was already obvious.

"No way...! It can't be... Raven? Is that Raven?" Hunter screamed in shock, bumping his head on the locker door as he did a little jump in place. "Fuck, ouch!" He squeaked through gritted teeth.

The bell rang, making the boys put an end to the conversation, both of them going in opposite directions. Until Hunter screamed again "Corn-pickle!"

A golden rule upheld through the years- one does not evoke corn-pickle unless in great danger, confusion or inner turmoil. It was the safe word, the friends' version of an SOS, and it was reserved for emergencies only.

"You called Emily?" Hunter spat out, irritation written on his face.

"She is my girlfriend, a band mate, and also your friend, even though you like to deny it. She deserves to be here for a corn-pickle situation as much as I do!" Kevin defended while lacing his fingers with Emily's. She gave him a loving look in return.

''Plus getting my perspective would be of help. You, as much as i love and appreciate both of you, are clueless doofuses. You need another point of view. Especially when it comes to something as serious as Hunter's first love returning!" Emily explained in a brisk and knowing manner.

Hunter's face fell, disapproval radiating from him. He fidgeted with his hands and nervously pushed his hair backward. "What?! First love? What do you mean? It's just... It's just... Raven..." He was out of breath, flushed red with both embarrassment and anger.

"Hunter, please, don't lie to yourself. You were head over hills for her. Just because you don't feel comfortable expressing other emotions than your anger doesn't mean I didn't catch you sobbing into your pillow the day she moved" Kevin whispered reassuringly, placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, and gave him a sympathetic look. Hunter quickly shook it off and started drumming on the sinks' countertop with his fingers.

"You weren't supposed to say this out loud, ever! It was a million years ago anyway... It doesn't matter anymore!" The long-haired boy was pouting like a child, avoiding all eye contact and focusing on the tile floor instead.

"Then it wouldn't be a problem for you to... I don't know... Maybe talk to her. She is here after all. It would be just two old friends catching up." Emily suggested

"Look guys, corn-pickle was a fluke, ok. I'm sorry, everything is fine, I'm alright. Plus standing in a triangle formation talking about life in the men's restroom is stressing me out!" Hunter pleaded to be spared from all of the questioning and smug looks.

"See, I told you this is a bad place to hold an intervention." Emily pointed her finger at Kevin's chest.

"Intervention~"

"It's in the name, alright? 'Rest- room'. He was supposed to be... calmer in here." Kevin struck back.

"How does that make any sense?"

"You don't know the intricacies of a corn-pickle situation!"

"This is my first corn-pickle situation!"

The couple screamed at each other, giving Hunter the perfect excuse to run out of the room... Or more so steadily jump out, supporting himself with his crutches.

"Se ya later, losers" he waved at them with a shit-eating grin while they were still arguing heatedly and screaming, too distracted to notice him go.

"And that's why we should have done this at the cafeteria or the football field, but no! It had to be the smelly restroom. Three people used the urinals as we were speaking! Three people..!" Emily stopped, seeing her boyfriend's puzzled grimace.

"What? I'm sorry, are you mad at me? What happened? She asked hushdly, a bit more aware of her previous tone.

"He is gone... he just dipped..."

Hunter was close to furious. He couldn't bare being around people anymore, so naturally, he headed for the parking lot. Driving around with the windows down would help him clear his head, returning to a semi-peaceful place. While he we digging in his pockets, desperately searching for his car keys, he noticed a figure pressed up against the brick wall through his peripheral vision.

He turned around and saw her, listening to music on her headphones, one foot planted on the wall, the other on the ground, with a cigarette between her lips. "Of course It's you" he mumbled to himself, looking around nervously. It didn't seem like she had seen him. There was still time to hide but he decided against it and marched up to her.

Hunter tapped her shoulder so she removes her headphones and pressed his back next to hers. "Are you doing it just to look cool, you little hypocrite!" He coed with an inviting smile.

"I learned from the coolest. Do you want a drag?" She held up the cigarette to him in proposition.

"Yeah... Of course..." He took it from her, grazing her fingers lightly, and put the cancer stick up to his lips, inhaling slowly, dragging smoke out of his mouth...

...And then he started coughing profusely. The girl couldn't contain her laughter. "Still a poser, huh? You should have just said no. This is fine tobacco, you know! My uncle grinded it himself!" She explained accusatorially.

Hunter scratched the back of his neck, looking down at his shoes. "Oh, wow, really? I'm sorry... I just.. I don't know what came over me..."

To the boy's dismay, Raven began giggling to herself yet again. She was shaking and gagging with laughter. All of a sudden Hunter became more alert and entered first stage of panic mode. She punched his shoulder in a teasing manner and took another drag, exhaling the smoke in his face. "I'm messing with you. These babies are store-bought. And you are a singer anyway- I don't want you messing up that beautiful voice of yours."

He felt more at ease now... maybe enough to do something stupid."How did you know about me singing? About the battle of the bands? "

Raven got lost in thought for a moment, trying to get all of the right words out. She knew about Skullflower (previously named Skullfucker) for some time now. She had seen a Facebook page of the group on one of her many Hunter Sylvester online deep dives. But she needed to keep it cool, calm, and collected, so she did:

"I remember this scrawny little boy from a couple of years ago. He had a terrible fringe and he used to lash out at people. He lived on Gatorade and Sour Patch Kids, but he always saved me the red ones. He used to go on and on about making music, about his idols, about metal! He barely paid attention to anything else..." Raven's cheeks became rosier all the more as she revealed her obsession with him. That wasn't her idea of 'cool, calm, and collected' at all, but there was no stopping now.

"...Then one day I was looking through high schools in the area with my parents and I saw this video, the name of this kid written on top. He wasn't a kid anymore, and he definitely wasn't scrawny. He looked like a real rockstar! So I decided this is definitely the school I wanted to attend.. " She felt exposed but continued nonetheless.

"...Until i met him in person and saw he was kind of a poser... Never meet your heroes, I guess." Her shoulders fell down. She put out her cigarette and gave him a cocky smirk.

Hunter was flabbergasted. His heart was beating out of his chest, his palms sweaty and his vision blurry. Raven came there for HIM. She was talking with such passion about HIM. If he weren't none the wiser he would have kissed her right then and there.

"Is this your first day in this shit hole?" He asked instead

"Yeah, it is. Why?" Raven looked a tad confused at his excited expression.

"Wanna skip class?" He suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Fuck, shit, I thought you'd never ask!"

Change of plans- no solitary ride, it's a joined ride now, with Raven getting cozy in the passenger seat, lighting cigarette after cigarette and dusting them off out the window. The wind was playing with her hair, humming in tune with her. She was lazily observing the city she once used to call home. She looked like a cat- playful, blissful, and relaxed.

A new song started playing. Hunter reached out to change it and she grabbed his hand in response. "Please don't, I really like this one." She asked softly.

He obeyed, trying hard not to think of her skin touching his. She had taken off her shoes and put her feet up on the front bar of the car, her skirt rising up to reveal more of her thighs. Hunter was finding it particularly hard not to gauge, but he tried his best. They drove together through narrow, hole-filled roads, leading to the woods and put the car in park.

"Do you want to have the best nap of your life?" Raven asked and reached for her bag, fishing something out of it

"What? What do you.." then he saw it, a blunt rolled up in brown, musky paper.

"It's ok if you don't want to, I know this isn't everyone's idea of a good time. But you seemed tense today. I think you need a bit of a break." She explained caringly.

Come to think of it, it wasn't an unreasonable idea. He was amazed by her noting his nervous ticks like he was good at hiding them. He sifted the thought in his mind- laying back on the car seat, next to Raven, touching her fingers in-between puffs, smelling her shampoo, drifting off next to her... It sounded exquisite!

He was ready for a lazy, calm noon with his old hide-and-seek partner. "Sure, what the hell?!" Hunter smiled expectantly.

"That's my boy!" Raven caressed his chin as declaring.

Hunter felt himself lose vision for a minute.

The air was thick with rain, the smell of pine trees and cones. There was the occasional sound of a bird chirping or a squirrel climbing up a tree. The sun had hidden behind a curtain of cottony clouds. It was peaceful, as if time had stopped.

Hunter had forgotten all about the anxiety he once harbored. He was laughing wholeheartedly, talking freely, making jokes, and even throwing a flirty line or two. There was nothing to worry about- no school, no interventions, no people staring at him in the restroom.

He started remembering his childhood, a time he didn't particularly cherish, but what he did cherish were the shared memories, being able to look back and recognize that he has grown somehow, managed to become better.

He returned to the last summer camp he attended, waking up early in the morning, swimming in the lake with his friends, sneaking off to Raven's cabin after curfew, unbeknownst to the councilors. They used to talk for hours and come up with elaborate schemes to make the stay of everyone else a dreadful nightmare.

They were both childish in nature, little menaces, that's why they used to get along so well. Two slightly insecure, slightly douchy kids that spoke the same language, trying to seem more rebellious than they actually were.

"Do you remember the wishing ceremony?" Raven brought up.

"Yeah, it is probably the most wholesome thing i have ever participated in.." He replied lazily.

"Yeah... But you didn't. You were a cheater!" She stuck her tongue out at him and scrunched her nose. "There's nothing wholesome about being a cheater!" Raven demanded.

"What do you mean cheater? You can't cheat at making a wish!" He tried defending himself after the unforeseen attack

"The wishes only come true on one condition though- not denying or failing to complete a dare!" Raven struck again "What did you carve out in the tree trunk? Did it come true?" She was genuinely interested.

He searched around in his mind. The truth was much too revealing to say aloud so he offered the best next thing he could muster."I wrote that i wanted to be the leader of a successful band.. i guess it's happening... Maybe..." He pushed himself back into the seat and distractedly played with the ends of the girl's hair.

"You know you're gonna jinx yourself if you don't complete the dare soon. You're gonna jinx your dream!" Raven pointed at his chest with her finger

"You are right! Fuck... What was the dare... I don't remember anymore..." Hunter yawned.

"You have to pick up where you left off at the treehouse. We already established you aren't a smoker. No excuses now...no reason to try to impress me with silly antics..."

It came back to him in a flash. The story was charming if not a little embarrassing. All of the preteens had gathered in a circle, playing truth or dare, but nobody was picking truth because it was for 'wusses'. When it came to Hunter's turn, his friend tried to do him the ultimate favor- Kevin dared him to kiss Raven.

He got very agitated and nervous. He explained he didn't want to kiss his 'bro', he didn't want to catch cooties and everything. To alleviate his distress, Raven suggested they go up into the treehouse, so there wasn't any added pressure from the others.

When they climbed up, Hunter began fidgeting with his fingers, trying to find a distraction. He told Raven he wasn't anxious at all. He told her he was only experiencing nicotine withdrawal.

The girl dug in her pocket and gave him a curious-looking stick. "My dare was to steal something from Sandy's room." She offered the cigarette to her friend.

Hunter sighed, thanked her, and lit up the cancer stick with shaking hands. It tasted atrocious and the smoke made his chest heavy, but he had committed to his bit.

"I never realized you were this cool nicotine addict. Smoke your cigarette, then we can climb back down and tell everyone we did it. I don't want to kiss a person that tastes like an ashtray!" Raven proposed, knowing the boy was struggling.

"I'm not doing this to be cool, I have a problem alright!" Hunter screeched, voice cracking in the process. He was relieved. He looked to Raven with gratitude and put out the cigarette the minute she wasn't looking.

Hunter became painfully aware of his body, his hands shaking, his stomach tying in knots... And his member twitching.

Raven had gotten out of her seat and positioned herself on his lap, her chest pressed up against his, her thighs fully exposed to him. He was engulfed in her scent. He could see all of the little freckles on her face, how close her glossy lips were to his.

She grabbed his chin, making him look directly into her eyes, and whispered into his mouth. "I won't tell anyone you're a cheater, I just don't want this weighing on your conscience."

He put his hands on her hips timidly and pulled her closer. "Should i... Do you want me to..?" He whispered back.

Raven grazed Hunter's bottom lip with her thumb and nodded in response. Their lips came together quickly, a peck. Hunter opened his eyes and cursed a little "ah, fuck it!", pulled the girl close in again and kissed her for real.

Raven's lips parted slowly and Hunter's tongue delved in. They were making patterns in each other's mouths, kissing hungrily, gripping on clothes, exploring each other's bodies. Raven began rocking her hips on top of him ferociously. Hunter returned the favor by bucking his hips upward, hitting her sweet spot with his member.

He was as hard as a rock and horny beyond comprehension. They pulled apart for air, chests heaving. It was sticky in the car, hot and sweaty. Hormones were drifting around into the night air.

Hunter bent down again to go in for another kiss but Raven stopped him. "You did it, pretty boy, no need to do any more work now, let me take care of it," she said and pulled on the roots of his hair. He whimpered in response.

Raven licked a strip down Hunter's neck and blew on it. She began sucking on his jaw, on his neck and collarbones, while humping him at a rapid pace. Hunter was dumbfounded, his underwear already drenched with precum. His dick was twitching hard beneath Raven's core and she relished every little moment of it.

She hovered her hand over Hunter's bulge. "Mind if I help you?"

He huffed and groaned a throathy "please".

The girl palmed his cock, feeling it out in her hand through the fabric of his jeans. She brushed it with her fingers and slowly unzipped him.

"Do you want me to make you come, pretty boy? Do you want my hand on your cock?" Raven asked not even trying to cover her lust for him

"Mhm" he moaned.

"Use your words, handsome! Otherwise, I won't know what you want." She teased again

"It's embarrassing" he turned his ruby face away

"How could it be embarrassing when you're so hot, writhing under me? Be a good boy, good boys always get rewarded" she purred into his ear.

He couldn't pretend anymore. He wanted her to drain him dry. "Please, fuck me with your hand!" He groaned and faced her again.

"Such a sinful little boy..." Raven spat on her hand and started pumping him fast. She bit on his neck, sloppily leaving marks along the way. Hunter was moaning hard, surrendering all control to his master. He could feel her cold rings stroking his shaft, her fingers toying with him.

Raven smeared the precum leaking out of his dick over his tip with her thumb, and cupped his balls with her other hand.

"Do you want to kiss me still, pretty boy?" she breathed into his mouth.

Hunter lowered his head and collided with the girl, his groans stifling in the kiss. He was sucking on her tongue passionately, bucking his hips upward yet again to fuck her fist, expecting the incoming irruption.

Raven broke away from the kiss. She knew he needed one last push. "If you are so needy for my hand, I can only imagine how fast you'd come when you're balls deep in my pussy." She giggled

That was the nail in the coffin- Hunter was thrusting into her hand, bursting all over her fingers, riding out the best high of his life. Raven was still pumping him hard, milking out each and every drop.

"Wasn't so hard now, was it? Good boys get to come, scared ones just smoke a pocketed cigarette in a treehouse." She smirked and stroked Hunter's hair, putting the strands sticking to his forehead back in place.

"If I knew you were going to do this, I would have begged you a long time ago." He chuckled and cleaned her hand with a tissue. She was staring down at him, still on his lap, a victorious expression adorning her features.

"Thank you for helping my dream come true," he said timidly

"That was just an excuse, I already know you'll be incredibly successful, you are an amazing player!" She caressed his cheek.

"That wasn't what I carved into the tree trunk. I just wanted you..." Hunter confessed

"I'm here now, here to stay" she answered reassuringly and kissed his temple.

[lowkeyrobin]

Hey! So if you're writing ghostbusters things right now (apologies if you arent, my Tumblr is acting up and it's not letting me see some of the fonts its just squares 😑) anyway I would love to request a podcast x reader of you're up for that because the dude does not get enough love 😔😔

I was thinking like the reader was childhood friends (mayyybeee first crushes?) but the reader moved to NYC and is now a regular at rays occult and now meets the reader again? What do we think?

Anyway hope you write this and have a GREAT day/night 😊

it's okay!! my requests r open as long as my mailbox is available haha, can't rlly stop ppl from requesting if it's still up so yeah dw ; but yeah of course! this actually sounds rlly fun to write lol ; have a good day/night to you too! ; thanks for requesting, hope you enjoy :) ; also since we don't know much about podcast I kinda made some stuff up, I've watched both afterlife and frozen empire at least 3 times each so... hopefully I gathered all the canon podcast lore idk ; also reqs back open! gonna post the rest of the queue then work on anything yall send

PODCAST ; i think we're alone now

summary ; a little childhood best friends/first crushes reunite at rays occult books

warnings ; language

disclaimers ; we don't know a whole lot about podcast so I made some a lot stuff up lol ; also I'm just using Logan's name as podcasts legal name bc idk what else to call him + I just use actor names to fill in names in other movies/shows

track ; i think we're alone now ; tiffany

word count ; 1k

masterlist

Your first crush was silly and dumb, being on your at-the-time best friend, Logan, or Podcast, as he was now mostly known. He always had a fascination for film and commentary, no wonder he had his own podcast.

You'd recently moved to New York, surprisingly, where Podcast also lived these days. You reconnected over social media and found out you'd be living near each other again like the good old days, and decided to meet up once you got comfortable in the new environment. And that's what had happened. You now await his arrival at Ray's Occult Books, where you skim through the bookshelves, reading each spine to see if any title jumped out at you.

The bell above the door jingles, causing you to look up to see who it is again. Him, thankfully.

He scans the store, looking for you. Ray nods his head toward you, leading him right to you.

He smiles as he approaches, stuffing his phone in his jorts pocket. "Hey"

"Hey," you reply, a soft smile pulling on the corners of your lips.

"Uh, how are you?" He asks, clearly struggling to make conversation.

"Good, I like your outfit," you reply, pointing out his colorful collared shirt. Even now, it reflected his curious and extroverted personality.

He glances down at his shirt, having forgotten what he was even wearing, "Oh, thanks! Uh, do you wanna go walk around or something?" He asks, glancing over at Ray, staring you two down at the counter.

"Sure"

You end up strolling around the city, catching up and talking about life until you retrieve to the basement of Ray's Occult Books, where Podcast was currently living for the summer. He already told you how he was supposed to be at summer camp and how he'd been consecutively lying to his mom. You already knew that was pretty in character for him. He wasn't great at fitting in and would've rather stayed with people he knew and his other actual friend, Phoebe.

You let some of the mini marshmallow pufts climb all over you, using you like a giant stool. A few use your arms as little slides. Logan takes a picture, framing your goofy smile while another mini puft jumps off your head and onto your shoulder.

A few slide down your left arm back onto the desk, then use your right hand as an elevator to go again. As you hoist a little group back up to your shoulder, Logan is now recording on his phone, laughing behind the camera.

"They're so cute," You happy-pout, looking at him for a moment.

Oh, how he wanted to pull the Uno reverse card on you with that, but he couldn't. He thought about it far too long, then backed out because he was too scared, but told himself it was just to late.

You look around his room, two of the little pufts sitting on your head like Remy in Ratatouille. You note all the posters and little trinkets and things around the room, making a weak assumption that he just liked collecting little random things.

You notice the orange lava lamp sitting on his bedside table, turned on, and providing an orange glow throughout that corner of the room. It shines off the side of Logan's face, creating an omniscient kind of glow that you can't look away from.

Denying you still had a crush on him would just make this even worse.

He looks back at you after saving the video to his photos and putting it in his Friends and Shenanigans folders, catching you quickly looking away. He raises an eyebrow, seeing your slightly jittery movements as you use your hand as an elevator for the mini pufts again. They don't keep it a secret though, 'oo'ing and 'ah'ing and bouncing on your shoulders and head.

You can feel your face flushing, attempting to hide it by not looking back at him.

The mini pufts land back on the desk, skattering behind the array of glass jars. You look back at him, seeing he's already looking at you. He's close, closer than you remembered, you felt closer to him, really.

You look down at the mini pufts at your feet, wondering if you'd zoned out as they slid you across the floor. You look back up at Logan, giving you that same soft look you were giving him.

Look, what a funny, simple word. There was no other word for that almost hypnotizing gaze shared between the two of you. There was so much tension. So much so that it was killing the mini pufts. They wanted to shove you into each other to just kiss already.

"I think we're alone now," He quietly speaks, glancing down at the desk where the mini pufts had flee'd from.

The beating of your hearts was the only sound as you pressed your hands against his jawline, his hands slinking down to your waist. You press your lips to his for a moment, then again and again before properly pulling away.

He opens his eyes, a grin painting his face. He pecks your lips once more before he knows you'll say that you have to leave.

"I have to go, I think my mom's waiting outside"

"Okay"

He watches as you stumble up the basement stairs, your face flushed. A smile still tugs at his lips, cheeks a light shade of pink.

The mini pufts come out from hiding and cheer him on, then flick the lights off to reveal colorful LED lights and a disco ball. He sighs with a pout, unable to hide the joy behind it.

"Okay, okay, party's over. We have an episode to record"

[supernaturallyginger]

One Piece Live Action Review

Now that I've had time to watch and digest all the episodes it's time to discuss how I feel about the adaptation. This break down will be full of spoilers, so read at your own risk.

One Piece Live Action is good, actually.

Live action anime adaptations have a tendency to be soulless cash grabs that either don't give a shit about the source material or bank too much on just showing things the fans recognizes in place of an actual story.

OPLA loves the source material. It is clear that this production is a celebration of the manga series. The easter eggs and small nods to the series are not just there to make you point at the screen and say "There's the Thing!" They are apart of the world. Taking a note from Oda's writing to make the world of OPLA fill just as rich as the manga.

However, it is not a one for one recreation of the East Blue saga. How could it be? It would be impossible to take ~100 chapters of story and cram it into an 8 hour tv show season without it being a powerpoint of Luffy's Greatest Hits.

The story had to be changed to fit the medium and the pacing. Overall, I think the pacing is good and the changes made are for the better. But it's not perfect.

Episode 1 (aka mostly Zoro's intro):

Of the entire season, this was the weakest episode in my opinion. It had the most to introduce which is quite a challenge and it does so fairly well, but there are changes made here that I'm just not a fan of and I believe make the story weaker.

Zoro's introduction being changed to his face off with Mr. 7 is fine. It shows us him praying for Kuina, him being sassy to a bad guy, and ultimately him killing Mr. 7. Awesome start!

Unfortunately, we suffer when we cut to Zoro at Shells Town. He's only tied and imprisoned for a day, if that. And that's not even where Luffy first sees him. Instead, Luffy first sees Zoro at a bar starting a fight. Taking away the impact of him seeing Zoro's strong will after being tied up for days.

And it gets worse... Luffy just let's Zoro out, no strings attached and Zoro fetches his own swords. It takes away from the charm of the original scene where Luffy (a little bastard) blackmails Zoro into joining his crew to get his swords back. This change takes away two things: a showcase that Luffy is willing to be a stubborn shit to get what he wants and Zoro's willingness to give up his resolve because Luffy kept his word and brought him his swords.

While we're here, time for a Zoro tangent;

I'm really not a fan of how the character was adapted. This is not Zoro, this is some smug, emotionless samurai. All the beats were there. There were references to him being lost and a few jokey moments, but they are all delivered in the same monotone. Rarely is this Zoro shown to emote. Nor does he ever get to be goofy because YES! Roronoa Zoro can goofy. He's just a teenager in the East Blue saga, and yet OPLA plays him like he's alcoholic Batman.

Episode 2:

Oooh boy, give it up for episode 2! And Buggy, my little meow meow Buggy! I love him <3

As for the episode, the change from having Buggy being some shitty pirate just camped nearby and annoying the village to being a pirate who enslaved the village into being his audience was excellent! It's so fucked up and campy and even more fucked up.

Buggy's desires are for attention and fame. He wants what Shanks has and yet he's still stuck in the East Blue, desperate for a map that he can't get his own greedy hands on.

Buggy was such a stand out character in OPLA. I love Buggy in general and this version is a bit different than the pathetic Buggy we love from the manga, but he is like a evil cartoon villain chewing the scenery! I'm so glad they roped him into the plot to keep him throughout the season.

Episodes 3 & 4:

These are fine. Some people aren't fans of the changes and yeah, I agree taking away a lot of Usopp's agency sucks. It really doesn't feel like this is Usopp's arc, more like that he's just some guy who happens to be there.

But I was never a huge fan of the Syrup Village arc. I felt like it was poorly paced in the anime and the changes made at least kept the story condensed and Kuro's plan seemed more well thought out.

Biggest highlight of these episodes was Usopp! Jacob Romero does an amazing job at bringing the character to screen. He has so much charisma that it's hard not to smile when he's in a scene.

Episodes 5 & 6:

Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE the Baratie arc! And this adaptation... is fine. Much like how Usopp is an after thought in his arc, Sanji is sidelined here to make room for PLOT.

Changing the Big Bad who threatens Baratie from Don Krieg to Arlong is a great choice. Don Krieg was always a lame, forgettable villain, so having Arlong show up to help push the plot towards the next arc is smart.

Much like Zoro's introduction, I'm not happy with Sanji's either. Specifically with how he meet Luffy. The scene where Sanji is the crew's waiter and has to fight some rowdy pirates is charming. But then Luffy say, "He's a great fighter." and UGGGHHHHHH

Luffy does NOT recruit Sanji for his strength. Nor does he recruit him for his cooking abilities. He recruits him because he is KIND. This is the same gripe I have with the Zoro intro. Luffy sees Zoro fight before recruiting him. When really he's supposed to want Zoro after seeing him tied up and learning that Zoro was captured because he saved a little girl from Helmeppo's dog. While Zoro and Sanji are the two strongest fighters on Luffy's crew, he never recruited them because they could fight.

ANYWAY

Luffy does see Sanji's kindness, only after seeing him fight and trying his food, and the two actors have great chemistry on screen. It's easy to believe that they are becoming fast friends and you can see in Taz Skylar's acting how much Sanji admires Luffy right off the bat. It's cute!

Unfortunately while Sanji is sidelined in his own arc, so two are the reveal of his backstory and the famous All Blue dream talk. His backstory is revealed in a random trauma dump to the crew which is only used to further the Zoro losing to Mihawk story. And the All Blue talk is just dropped randomly and has nothing to do with Sanji learning to pursue his own dreams. That's just done with a short shouting match between him and Zeff. Whatever.

Episodes 7 & 8:

Arlong Park was a good place to end the season. And the adaption of the arc is once again fine. Nami's backstory is rushed and the change to having no one in the town knowing her true intentions is a weird one.

BUT! Something I hadn't mentioned before, the sets are really fun! Arlong Park is a good example of this because it takes the design from the manga/anime and adds its own twist. The twist? Making Arlong Park look like a fairway at an amusement park. Which is a fun (horribly depressing) nod to something fans of the series can pick up on.

Other notable sets are Buggy's circus tent, Kaya's Tim Burton themed mansion, and the Baratie. God the Baratie is an amazing set! The detail of the lighthouse on top is *chefs kiss*

Something else I didn't mention before, is that there is a B plot throughout all 8 episodes following Garp in pursuit of Luffy while training Koby and Helmeppo. It's loosely based on a cover story the manga ran early on and it's fine.

The characterization of Garp is a little odd, as he seems more strict and book smart than his manga counterpart. (I cheered when we saw him finally throw some canon balls!!) But it all lead up to a moment of him meeting Zeff. Two men of the older generation. A former pirate and a marine sitting down over a glass of wine and steaks. And they discuss having to accept the changing world when really the conversation is about accepting their boys moving on follow their dreams. It's a simple scene, but it's one of my favorites.

NOW the Arlong Park battle is good, if not a little short because they have to make time for the Garp stuff. There is one line in particular that really bothers me. There is a moment where Luffy agrees with Arlong and says something like, "Maybe I can't defeat you." and... that's not Luffy.

Arlong Park has one of Luffy's most iconic moments. A moment that defines his character and the entire series.

And I think that's how I feel about the OPLA as a whole.

It's good, but it's not One Piece. Well- it's not the One Piece we already know.

This Luffy is different. OPLA Luffy has a moral compass. He has snappy lines and has maybe even read a book in his life time. He's not the same Luffy from the manga, and that's okay. Inaki Godoy is a joy to watch on screen and his version of Luffy is just as wonderful in his own way.

One Piece Live Action is witty and very charming. Filled with great action scenes, lively sets & costumes, and actors who are giving it their all in every scene.

Despite some changes I disagree with, this was an amazing adaption that is a celebration of the fans and an introduction to the wacky world of One Piece to new viewers.

[bakerstreetdoctor]

First of all, Leibniz was so real for speaking against Grand Tours. I don't agree that an education is complete without experiencing foreign countries, but yeah in reality the tax payer was mostly just paying so that young men could have "fun" and ruin themselves

(rest under read more)

>Fabrice's dad hires a private teacher so his sons don't get the wrong ideas

>teacher: "yeah so I have this crazy theory"

>fails to prove theory

>kills himself

>sons get sent to university where they definitely get the wrong ideas

>??????

"instead of studying I wasted my time with ball games, affairs and *grits teeth* [worst of all] going for walks"

Like sure the first two are stupid shit, he should've kept his dick where it belongs (for the rest of his life. God I wish I could castrate this rapist). BUT GOING FOR WALKS

I'm diagnosing one of his younger brothers with something

"[guy died in battle] He was a hopeful young man, whose liveliness didn't allow him to get comfortable enough to study. But he loved geometry, fortification science, and other sciences in connection with that, so much that he was capable of working 24 hours sitting on the same chair without food or drink."

Karl was apparently super tan and, quote, "had the most beautiful blue eyes in the world"

Also another L for camp gay Karl, because apparently he wanted Fabrice to tell him about the ladies in Vienna

"The old Electress (mother of the Hanoverian Elector, later king of England) tirelessly asked me a thousand question about the personality, disposition and looks of the king of Sweden"

That's where my cougar hunter comment from yesterday stems from.

Max anecdote! (Besides the one that he was fucking around -_-)

"on the journey we pretended in a little Silesian town that von Görtz with his lively looks was a prince, the little prince of Württemberg his page and we were noble men. When the prince wanted to insert himself into a conversation with a beautiful Miss, who had just been asked by Stralenheim when he had heard a child screaming "Does one also make children here?" [?????], Stralenheim harshly snapped at him "When the Cavaliers are talking, the pages have to shut their mouths!" [It's definitely harsher in German] This provoked the prince to such a degree that we had trouble to pass it off as a joke and calm him down.

Finally not something where he's getting gassed by everyone lmao

Fabrice apparently left his coach parked (at a rate of 1 Gulden per week) in Vienna like 2 decades ago with a chest of money as security, and doesn't plan to fetch it because he doesn't wanna pay the whole sum. I wonder what came of it....

After General Lagercrona had some serious beef with Grothusen which the king had to break up, the following day this happened

Lagercrona: "I think your majesty were a little angry at me yesterday 🥺👉👈"

Karl: "No, not at all, but you conducted yourself in such a way, that if Grothusen didn't have had more respect than you, it might've gone very badly for me, and at several times my fingers itched to answer your impertinence with 5 fingers [meaning to slap him], but I believed it would be more foolish of me than you to do that, but now I wanna declare that you should go and never come under my eyes again. 😤👉"

Lagercrona: *begs on his knees and lists all his prior merits and accomplishments*

Karl: "That's why I've already forgiven a thousand mistakes you've made. But this was the straw that broke the camels back, that's why the only thing left for you to do is leave."

After that Lagercrona developed such a fear of being seen by the king that when he heard he was a few miles (1 mile ≈ 8 km) he rushed home and locked himself in.

Idk why but I keep thinking of the "I'm not calling you a good boy"-meme 😭😭😭

[desultory-novice]

Also. I kinda wanna know what you think Kirby's dynamic with Meta Knight is.

Personally, I'm of the Camp that while Meta Knight isn't really Kirby's father figure, Meta Knight is Kirby's for lack of a better word, anime sensei. Their relationship is mostly Meta Knight teaching Kirby things that Kirby didn't learn in their travels. Their relationship is mostly friends outside of this though. They don't REALLY see each other as family, because... Their species doesn't DO family. However, as time passes on planet Popstar, as Kirby considers different types of relationship they didn't think of before,,they do at least start seeing Meta Knight as an older brother figure, even if Meta Knight doesn't see Kirby as a little brother (quite yet).

Gah, I asked people to send me dynamics in November and then failed to answer any of them in good time... ; _ ;

Ahem! Let's answer them now!

"Anime sensei!" Yes! That's probably pretty close to how I see them too!

Dess confession - I haven't finished the Star Allies novel where Kirby supposedly has that huge crisis seeing how similar Void looks to him. (Although there are definitely issues with taking those novels at face value, sometimes there is the suggestion that they may be written with an eye/ear to lore that the games can't express.) All this is to say, I don't think of Kirby as being one to hung up on encountering someone who looks like him for that to be the crux of their relationship. ("I finally found another of my species" thing.)

Maybe in their first (?) encounter in Kirby's Adventure. But I can easily see Kirby combining the information of "looks like me" and "gave me candy" with "friend!" Such that from Kirby's point of view, Meta Knight instantly became someone who was, like, ma~ybe at risk of causing problems, like that troublesome King Dedede (Meta DID attack Kirby after all) but otherwise wasn't someone Kirby had t go out of his way to stop. Then comes Meta Knight's Revenge and, okay, I WILL go back to the novels for this to pull in Kirby's explanation to Magolor that, yeah they're friends. If Magolor did something bad, Kirby would beat him but otherwise!

And I think that's what was going on in RoMK. Kirby saw that Meta Knight was causing trouble in his newly adopted home of Dream Land and said "Nope. We're not doing this." (He does seem to be kinda on the warpath in that mode XD )

But Meta Knight's ambition is sunk and Kirby drives off (Perhaps he stayed to make sure everyone got away safely?) and the next day, things are back to normal. For Kirby, at least.

I do think that was definitely the moment Meta Knight's view of Kirby changed. That in Adventure, he was very wary/worried about Kirby. If Meta IS of the same species and has some... let's say knowledge of their or maybe just Kirby's potential, he very well could have been guiding/testing him. "Can he stop Nightmare?" Maybe he even...underestimated him in their first duel? Not completely - not that he would have gone easy on him, not with Dream Land at stake - but say he was surprised by what the puff pulled out!

He doesn't make that mistake in Revenge and I think he's EXCITED to face Kirby at something closer to his full power! And Kirby matches and exceeds his expectations! Meta Knight is still not ready to see Kirby as an equal until after the events of the Amazing Mirror, where after besting MK twice in the past, Kirby now rescues Meta Knight from something MK thought he had to handle on his own.

From that point on, I think the "sensei" begins to realize there's things HE can learn from Kirby! Perhaps he'd been too confident? Too content in being the strongest force on Popstar. But now that he's willing to see Kirby as an equal and learn from him, we see him join the adventuring party and even perform the victory dance with the others! (Despite the fact that it can't look THAT cool to do.)

Past that point, I imagine Meta sees Kirby as a reason to continue to grow and challenge himself. But not just with training. Because Kirby teaches that life doesn't all have to be about getting stronger through trials. You need naps and food and fun time as well. And I think Kirby's softer side is slowly rubbing off on Meta Knight as well. (Maybe that's why he stayed to protect Waddle Dee Town?)

Back to Kirby's side of things, I think Kirby trusts Meta Knight a lot. He doesn't come running to him whenever there's a problem or seek him out for advice all that often, but I think if Meta makes his presence known TO Kirby, that's a sort of signal MK has something worth listening to and Kirby will listen.

I imagine that just like Kirby has begun to rub off on Meta, Meta has begun to rub off on Kirby a little too. I imagine early on, Kirby saw those fights with Meta Knight as an annoyance or a hassle or as MK "getting in the way." But in the modern games, I think Kirby kinda looks forward to them? FL is the first game with a "canon" arena and in order to get the True Ending, Kirby has to go there to fight. A lot! So I think it's not a stretch that Kirby is enjoying testing his growth and control over his powers against Meta Knight's experience!

In summary, I think Meta Knight "thinks" about Kirby more than Kirby thinks of Meta Knight. But their bond has grown closer over time: from wary overseer to interested challenger to sometimes ally to something more like...a friend? Albeit, an ever-mysterious one!

[blues-valentine]

HSMTMTS: Ricky’s story arc as told by his songs. From I Think I Kinda You Know to Love You Forever (Part 2).

I’ve been thinking about how every song Ricky has performed on the show (my focus will be mostly on the original songs) tell us what his journey has been in the course of the show.

Ricky’s journey has been about changes and the future, leaving his childhood behind, how his parents relationship affects his own as well as the ability to be emotionally open. How he viewed love at the start of the show vs how he views love now. About new starts. About how happiness is a process and something he also needs to create for himself. And his songs reflect this journey very well. For this post. I'll focus on Season 1 and Season 2 for Part 1.

Read Part 1

As a continuation to my analysis on Ricky and the songs narrating his journey on the series. I mentioned how Season 2 closes part of Ricky’s arc with Second Chance. A song that in Ricky’s side talks about moving on after a relationship ends (Nini) and finding new beginnings. He also finishes the season saying he isn’t sure of who he is yet but it’s getting towards happiness. He had understood to an extent a lot of things and how he reacted to them wasn’t healthy for himself and those people in his life. Season 3 opens a new chapter for Ricky to start again but as an improved version of himself. It is his “second chance” in all capacities, which is why I said (x) Season 3 feels like a new start and by putting Ricky in similar situations but having him deal with it differently will show how much he has grown from his past mistakes and fears.

And before we start we have to mention the Lily story line. I think it was clearly a plot device to get to some realization. Ricky thought Lily was a good person that just needed some friends. And he saw an opportunity for something new. But the storyline simply fell flat and it made it seem like an useless rebound instead of giving Ricky (and the audience) a satisfactory arc. She was a copy of Gina 1.0 and I believe Ricky was trying to see Gina in her, and a lot of their parallels (x) feel intentional. And we know by now nothing about Rina is done carelessly. I remember Tim Federle’s interview for the finale saying Ricky is sometimes too naive for his own good. And I am sure the story line was going to make sense but as confirmed by Tim himself a lot of the things in Season 2 were rushed and the finale was rewritten (it was originally going to feature a lot of flashbacks) but the safety precautions due to covid changed those plans. Regardless, I am glad that arc got removed. Lily wasn’t an interesting character and I didn’t want her to take space from other characters. Now, with that out of the way, let’s move on.

Ricky opens this season as well as being given the first song of the season: Finally Free. This song really expands on Second Chance and tell us where Ricky’s mindset is before going to camp: embracing new starts, not going back to the old ways he used to handle all his feelings.

Some important parts: “Give me empty pages, just give me something new” Season 1 Ricky would’ve never wished for something like this. “Breakin' away from the broken hearts (Nini). No more mistakes, no more empty starts (Lily). I'm finally, finally free, finally, finally”. He follows with “Buildin' out from the bottom. Now there's no way to go but up” meaning he has to rebuild himself again. And another one that is important is: “And I'm going down a road that I don’t know. Yeah, I let it take me anywhere but home”. This takes us back to him calling Nini home (at his childhood home) on Season 2 in a matter that felt like attachment to his childhood (and old times) so this references him not going back to that unhealthy mindset.

In a way, all the events that happened lead for Ricky to have this realization. This is the Ricky that could’ve been ready to be with Gina. But Season 1 and Season 2 Ricky wasn’t ready for that and was denying it, when he allows himself to not be afraid of changes, his feelings take a whole new perspective. This is why he is able to understand his feelings for Gina were always deeper than he allowed himself to admit before. And very fitting with the theme, Ricky and Gina vow to just “start over” with their relationship. This season is not just about Ricky rebuilding himself but his relationship with Gina as well.

This season doesn’t have as many solo songs due to the limited episodes, but did a good job in paralleling the overall arc with the roles they were playing for the musical, especially with the “love triangle” (x). Gina represents Anna’s naive perspective on love due to EJ being her first relationship so a lot of her interactions with him felt very rose colored and passive (x). I did said before EJ isn’t exactly Hans but they drew a lot of intentional parallels between them, such as Gina not knowing EJ’s real name (and that line being in the WDYKAL duet about Hans). Ricky representing Kristoff in a way that he is also learning a new way to love someone. Plus, them having Gina and EJ dress like the actual characters in a dream like sequence was very much in the nose about those references.

In this season, Ricky is starting to discover the intensity of his feelings for Gina but he handles it very differently from Season 1. He isn’t trying to cross lines but remaining respectful of her relationship with EJ. I already spoke about how this is an intentional contrast to showcase Ricky’s growth (x). From trying to help both of them, from apologizing to Gina when he feels like his feelings might’ve been too obvious. To selflessly be there for Gina, because he is now discovering love isn’t selfish or has some gain. Love is about sacrifice, sometimes putting the person you love first despite what might come.

Now, here it comes Ricky and Gina’s first duet: What Do You Know About Love. It seems fitting for them because in a way, it reflects how they perceive love at that moment. In the song Anna has a very rose colored perception of love. She thinks it’s worth it even when they clearly aren’t on the same page and she’s idealizing it, and for Kristoff, love isn’t easy, and it requieres a lot of commitment. Ricky and Gina’s version is a lot more flirtier than the Broadway version, but the question “what do you know about love?” is what they ultimately learn from each other.

In the following episodes, Ricky helps Gina plan her promposal to EJ, despite his own feelings. I saw someone saying that a lot of Gina’s season 2 heartbreak was about thinking it was never going to be between her and Ricky. And a lot of Ricky’s heartbreak on Season 3 comes from regret, from letting Gina walk away, from letting something great slip through his fingers. At this point, he can’t turn back time but it’s willing to be there for her in any capacity Gina allows him to be. In the 60’s prom episode, Ricky could’ve told her what he feels for her but realized that it would be selfish to do this to Gina when she’s harboring her own heartbreak. His own growth has been great to watch throughout Season 3.

I also love how Ricky’s sub-plot involving the bucket list he wrote when he was a child of things to do before turning 18 is a metaphor to leaving his childhood and entering adulthood. I already spoke (x) how Nini being the person to help him complete his very last item represents how Nini was his childhood and him only ever getting with Gina when that transition has been done is very important for him as a character.

And this isn’t a Ricky solo, but I just love how this moment and this lyrics are used exactly for this scene because this is the moment Gina realizes it’s always going to be Ricky and what also makes her realize that she isn’t getting the love she deserves or wants for herself with EJ.

As all of us theorized, with WDYKAL, Ricky was going to sing “Kristoff’s Lullaby” because is a direct response to the duet. And he did. This is probably his most important solo song from the season because it puts into words what he feels for Gina and how much she has changed what he thinks about love. I’ve explained this before. (x) Gina has represented change from the very moment she came in (and she was described as such multiple times). She was new, different, and represented the changes Ricky was afraid of. But what they didn’t know is that they are able to give each other what the other needs. Gina made him put into perceptive the idea that he can move forward, that he can deal with his life falling into different directions. Gina has made him understand that he can and will be ready for when changes knock at his door because loving her isn’t about holding back.

Important parts from the song are: “You light the world for me. You live life fearlessly, braver than the bravest of us do. You trust, you hope, you dare. You choose to feel and care. I thought that I was strong 'til I bumped into you” I think this is the perfect way to describe Gina’s effect on Ricky’s life and how brave Gina has been about her feelings for Ricky despite her fear about forming attachments. And I’ve always said “Everything I thought I did. You've gone and changed it, kid. You're what I know about love.” is really the climax of the song and by Ricky singing this directly to Gina (while Nini is also on the audience) is makes a full circle. (x)

This season, Ricky learned to love theater and commit to it, not just because he enjoys it but because he wanted Gina to shine. He created a good friendship with the group, as opposed to Season 2, where he was disconnected to the drama club he now has his own space within. He called himself “a theater guy” and was able to guide Jet towards it. He knew Jet had to find a place to help him cope with his home life and Ricky’s arc comes to a sweet full circle for this.

Ricky ends the season in such a good place. He has grown a lot and allowed things to just be. I like the fact he remained respectful of Gina, even when his feelings were quiet obvious. And I spoke about how important it is that their relationship started by Gina setting her own boundaries. She needed to set the lines and be like “I have feelings for you but I am also okay if it doesn’t happen between us” because a lot of Gina’s journey on Season 3 was about coming into herself and discovering her expectations in a relationship. Her telling him what she feels for him but not allowing it to weight her down and it being a parallel to 206 was also intentional. It was also important for Ricky. He needed that reassurance and initiative to finally give it his all. As he proves on Season 4, he knows and now learned his lesson. He is committed to not mess things up with her. He is committed to improve.

Season 3 ends with Ricky and Gina’s right time. Both on the same page. It was important for them to experience all of that individual journey to get together in a romantic relationship that can be fulfilling and healthy for them both.

Season 4 starts the season with Ricky and Gina in a very happy relationship. You can see that Ricky is motivated to share things with her and do things for them as a couple. A lot of Ricky and Gina’s relationship works because they embrace each other’s personalities and love languages. Gina encourages and reciprocates Ricky’s dorky behavior. As I said, she doesn’t feel suffocated by it like Nini (x) but she wants that level of commitemment and gestures.

At the start of the season, Ricky and Gina are keeping their relationship a secret because Gina is worried about the negative comments from people (mostly her mom) and she doesn’t want the bubble they’ve built together to crash. It’s understandable that we know how controlling her mom is. Ricky agrees despite his own fears. In the first episodes, we can see that a lot is changing for Gina in a way that might take her away from Ricky. This is an opportunity for him to be tested by old insecurities but make it right and not going back to his old tendencies. So, instead of trying to hold Gina back and wishing for the opportunities to disappear, he is happy, encouraging and supportive despite the odds. This thing is reflected in their very first original duet and song of the season: Maybe This Time.

It’s a song about hoping this is the right time for them to get it right after all of the missed opportunities between them and their old relationships. They’re finally in a place where they can be together but as foreshadowing for the season a lot of things are going to change and threaten the stable place they’ve created. But not matter what the future holds they promise to be together and enjoy the ride instead of trying to control the uncertain future.

Part of the lyrics: “Maybe this time is all that we get but we've still got lots to figure out. I’d love to control what happens next I'll give you my all right now. Don't look back, just pull me closer. Hands up on this rollercoaster”. I explained (x) but having Ricky and Gina deal with similar experiences in their past relationships is to not just show how much they’ve grown and learned but also to show how committed they are to be together and be with each other as a team.

In 403, Ricky experiences a bit of insecurities over Mack but despite that he prepares a date with Gina and also apologizes for the comment he made where he sort of dismissed the impact Mack’s show had on Gina’s childhood. It might have been silly but I think it shows Ricky’s self awareness and that he takes seriously all of the things that make Gina happy. In the following episodes, Ricky tries to be supportive of Gina’s life changing opportunities and trying to find a way to make it easier for her to handle both the musical and the movie, but it starts getting a bit too overwhelming and when he finds out Gina hasn’t told her mom about them, it awakens his insecurities. This is where Speak Out comes. Although it is supposed to be for EJ to also speak about his fears, it’s about how Ricky hasn’t said some things out loud, how his mom abandonment issues have created a lot of fears into his life and has made him feel like he isn’t enough of a reason for someone to stay.

Part of the lyrics are: “I'm so sick of my past breakin' me like glass shackled by my emotion.” (…) “Don't wanna walk away from this. Don't wanna be a sinkin' ship. The anchor on my tongue won't let me swim. Don't wanna waste a moment more. Don't know what I've been waitin' for. I'll never get a chance like this again.”

I think this moment was an outlet for Ricky to speak about things that are the root of his insecurities. How his mom decided she wanted a new life in a new city and left Ricky. How Nini didn’t think Ricky was enough for her and even how emotionally difficult it must’ve been for him to hear The Rose song and how Ricky’s entire attempts makes her feel trapped. The reason Ricky was running away is because he thought Gina was also going to leave him for bigger and better things and didn’t want to anticipate it. He never thought he is enough of a reason to stay because frankly, no one had really taken Ricky seriously or believed in his potential, except for Miss Jenn and Gina.

After that much needed conversation with EJ, Ricky goes to see Gina only to see her with Mack. I feel like in Ricky’s mind, he feels like she decided and he’s nothing compared to him. Luckily, Gina sees him and runs after him and tells him she has told his mom about them. I feel like people don’t understand that since a lot of Ricky’s fears have to do with him feeling like he isn’t good enough to be a secure option he doesn’t except people to actually chose him. In his relationship with Gina, he puts efforts but so does Gina for him. She wants him in her life and in her dreams. He isn’t an obstacle or stops her from achieving those dreams, he’s always been a motivation for Gina to pursue them.

In the last episodes, there’s still so many things Ricky has to address, not just about Gina but his college plans and their future. At this point, he has convinced himself that Gina most likely will go to chase her dreams and that it doesn’t involve him. He learned his lesson before, he told Nini he wanted her to stay only for that to be reasonably met with distaste. But the thing is, all of Ricky’s gestures where always meant to be received by Gina, who wants to be asked to stay. I explained this before. Had Ricky asked Gina to stay, she would have done it. But I love how she didn’t have to chose between her need for stability and her wants to be successful.

407 is great at paralleling Troy and Gabriela’s dilemma with Ricky and Gina’s very own issues. “Scream” comes at the moment Ricky is torn between letting Gina go and his unclear future. He feels time is running out. Later, we have them singing Right Here Right Now, a song about how the future is coming soon and they should make every second last. In a way, it also parallels Maybe This Time but less hopeful.

And as an expectacular full circle moment, Ricky says in his speech how thankful he is about the drama club changing his life and getting him through a hard situation. As of Season 1, Ricky came in being a cynical skate rat that didn’t seem to have many friends and was pessimist about love. It didn’t seem like he had hobbies or prospects outside of skating. He had a very troubling home life and dealing with a lot of anxiety. His relationship with Nini was in the verge of ending like his parents relationship and so were his last remainders of childhood. He had to let go of things that were holding him back and accepting of changes and by the end of Season 4 we have seen Ricky become a man in so many ways. He basically let his childhood go by the end of Season 3. And this final season was about him asking questions about his own future and how that would look like for him.

And we are finally here with “Love You, Forever”. The last song Ricky Bowen ever sings on the show and how perfect of a full circle moment it is for his growth. It starts and it ends in the same place: the auditorium. Just in very different situations and a whole new Ricky.

He starts Season 1 singing “I Think I Kinda You Know” to Nini but being unable to say I love you to her face or in front of people. Mostly because his own insecurities involving his parents and how he wasn’t secure enough. I also said that when he finally did say I love you, it was still swimming in his fears of attachment and his parents divorce. It was a confession that felt like desperation to hold onto something steady and safe. And he does say this with “not net, not fear, right here in this moment”. But now, Ricky sings Love You Forever to Gina, and this time very clearly saying the words “I am in love” and “I love you” to her face and in front of his friends (and the world). He say it because he not longer associates love with something scary and that’s also thanks to Gina. He isn’t saying it to Gina to make her stay either. He is saying it because he feels it. He doesn’t know what the future holds (at that point he didn’t even know Gina changed the movie location to SLC) but he loves her and he isn’t afraid of saying it despite the unknown circumstances.

The lyrics says it all: “I been wishin' on a fallin' star for too long. I been runnin', I don't know what from but you and I've become a sacred kinda home. I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love and I know it. No net, no fear right here in this moment. I've never been more sure of what I got, yeah. Cause this is so much more than puppy love, so. I'll say it first, no matter what the cost. Here I am, full heart, full stop. I love you” and one important lyric that didn’t make it to the show but is in the full version: “I never knew that I could feel so sure and so strong how can three old words feel so brand new? Ooh, I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love and I know it. Mm, so rare, so real right here in this moment. I've never been more sure of what I got. And I'm starin' at the only thing I want, so” because as I said, it’s not just about him saying I love you to Gina and being sure about it but to tell his parents and his friends. Gina’s love has made Ricky so much more emotionally open.

I would describe Ricky’s journey like this:

Season 1: Attachement, fear of changes and sticking to the status quo. Season 2: Denial, isolation, reconning and letting go. Season 3: embracing new beginnings, self improvement and passage to adulthood. Season 4: Growing, learning and embracing the future.

Ricky’s arc has always been incredible because it’s something that took time and effort. Ricky’s arc wasn’t a 180 of one season, it came with ups and downs until he finally managed to do it right not just for himself but for those he loves.