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zombaarbie · 2 years ago

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As the World Falls Down

Eddie Munson x Reader (Friends to lovers!)

Synopsis: Reader and Eddie go to see a new movie together. Reader is obsessed with the movie, and one particular song in it. Eddie learns it to impress her, fluff ensues.

A/N: This is not meant to be part of the lil miniseries I've been working on. The idea struck me when As the World Falls Down from The Labyrinth started playing while I was doing homework and I thought this was just too cute not to write. Also, I think the Labyrinth came out in June of '86 so they wouldn't have been in school because summer, but we are going to ignore that plz and thank you. As always, any feedback is welcome! Enjoy :)

*GIF is not mine, but I wish Eddie was*

"Are you busy this Friday?" You bounded up to your best friend's locker, effectively startling him.

Eddie jumped a little at your sudden appearance. "What'd you have in mind?" He shut the door and walked with you to the cafeteria. He had made plans with Henderson, but he wasn't one to turn you down when you wanted to hang out.

"You know that new David Bowie movie that just came out? I thought it looked really good. Wanna go?" You offered him a little smile. One that he soon returned. "It's got goblins and like a shit ton of other cool fantasy creatures!" He couldn't help the lovesick feeling he got in his chest at the way your face lit up when you rambled about the movie.

"Yeah, sounds cool. What time should I pick you up?" You both took your seats at the table. "Well there's a showing at 4. We could go to that and get dinner after?" He nodded at this.

He knew it wasn't a date.

You two hung out together often and considered the other to be your best friend. He knew he didn't have a chance with someone like you, and he sure as hell wasn't going to confess and risk your friendship.

So instead he settled for stolen glances, fleeting touches, and little scenarios that played out over and over again in his head. He wished for more, but he was content being in your life any way you wanted him. Even if that meant being just a friend.

Friday rolled around and it was time for you to get ready. When you got home from school you immediately began looking for an outfit. Something cute, but not trying to hard.

You knew it wasn't a date.

You and Eddie had been friends since you'd moved to Hawkins your freshman year. He was a year older than you. You two had been glued at the hip since your first week when you stood up to Jason for picking on him.

Eddie had always been sweet to you. He would always offer to give you a ride (even though you had your own perfectly good car), hold your backpack when the two of you would walk to class, and even let you sit in his throne during Hellfire meetings. Not that you would actually play; you just sat there, looked cute, and added into the conversation when you could. Occasionally you would actually participate, but your knowledge was limited and Eddie would have to hold your hand through the entire session.

You snapped out of your thoughts as you entered your room. You had about an hour to pick out an outfit and freshen up your hair and makeup before Eddie would arrive.

Even though this was just two friends hanging out you couldn't help your desire to look nice for him.

After getting changed you went to touch up your makeup and hair, slip on your shoes, and add a cute little accessory to enhance your look. You knew you looked adorable. Despite knowing he would never feel the same, you could never shake the hopefulness you'd felt when he'd give you a compliment or use one of his signature pet names. Obviously, he didn't mean anything by it but a girl could dream.

Before you were able to get too engrossed in your wishful thinking, your doorbell brought you back to reality.

As soon as you opened the door Eddie's breath caught in his throat. Of course, you got all dolled up to go out. You always did. And it caught him off guard every. single. time.

"You look beautiful, sweetheart." It was your turn to feel butterflies now as that stupid name left his lips. You had to play it cool. He didn't mean anything by it.

"You don't look too bad, yourself, Munson." You walked down the steps with him to his van, hopping in after he opened the door for you.

After the movie ended you could not stop gushing about two things.

1. Bowie in those tight ass pants.

And 2. The ballroom scene.

The movie overall was amazing, but you couldn't help how much you loved the ballroom. You loved the costumes, specifically Connelly's dress; the atmosphere in the scene; and most importantly, that song.

At the diner you talked Eddie's ear off about how beautiful you thought the song was and how you just had to buy the soundtrack on cassette. He didn't mind thought. He loved watching you talk about something you were passionate about.

Even when you went on and on about that damned song, face full of burger, he thought you were the prettiest little thing he'd ever seen.

After that night at the movie Eddie got an idea. He wasn't good at many things, but definitely knew how to shred his guitar.

His feelings for his best friend had grown every stronger, and he felt like this could be his opportunity to win her over. After all, it was their senior year and he knew she was planning on leaving for college once she graduated. This could be his only chance to confess his feelings before she's out of this shit-hole town and on to bigger and better things.

Two weeks had gone by since they had gone to see that movie. He had two weeks of practice under his belt, and was finally confident enough to execute his plan. He just hoped he wouldn't lose his nerve.

"Hey, sweetheart, wanna come over Saturday?" He hoped she hadn't notice the slight shake in his voice. "Yeah that sounds good." She nodded with that sweet little smile that he loved so much.

She assumed it would be like any other time the two of them would hang out. Watch movies, talk, share a joint, maybe order a pizza. Eddie, however, was finally ready to make his move.

When she arrived at the trailer Eddie was already waiting for her on the couch.

He took her bag for her and put it in his room while she made herself at home. When he came back out a few seconds later, guitar in hand, she didn't think much of it. It wasn't out of the ordinary for him to lazily pick at his guitar while she was there.

Initially, Eddie was going to wait a little bit before he carried out his master plan. But he grew more and more nervous as it got closer to the time was expected to come over. He knew it was now or never. He had to jump into it before he lost his nerve completely.

He took a seat on the couch next to her. He was worried his hands would be too shaky to play at this point, but he pushed on.

"Hey," He grimaced internally at how weak his voice sounded. "I, uh, l know you really liked that one song. So I learned it. For you." He hated how awkward he sounded. He had gone over what he was going to say beforehand, but forgot everything as soon as he opened his mouth.

He felt that dull ache in his heart. It hurt, feeling like he wasn't good enough for you. He was unapologetically himself, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't started to feel like he really was a freak after hearing it so often.

Your gasp brought him back to the present. "That's so sweet, Ed! Can I hear it?" His heart clenched, seeing those big doe-eyes looking up at him. Thought it made him nervous, he loved being this close to you. He adored these moments when he was able to really take in your features and envelop himself in your scent.

He was a sucker for your signature cotton candy perfume that you wore religiously. He even had a habit of waiting to wash shirts or jackets of his that you'd borrowed, wanting to keep the lovely fragrance around as long as possible.

Eddie only nodded in response. After taking in a shaky breath he began playing the guitar portion that was towards the end of the song.

You watched him with wide eyes. It was always so beautiful to see him doing something he loved. He was so talented with his guitar. You knew that one day he and his band would make it big, and you always told him so.

He looked downright heavenly when he was in his element like this. You couldn't resist staring at the way his fingers so smoothly plucked at the strings of his guitar. You'd bet he learned this song in no time. He always picked new ones up so effortlessly.

After he played the last note he set his guitar down gently, hands shaking. "Oh, Eddie, that was- that was amazing!" Before you could stop yourself you threw your arms around his neck. Instinctively, his arms wrapped around your torso. "I'm glad you liked it sweetheart."

When the two of you pulled back the energy had shifted. You could tell he was nervous about something. "Everything okay?" You put a hand on his forearm, concern growing.

Eddie let out a shaky breath. He knew that what he was about to do would change your dynamic forever, he just hoped that if things went sour you two would at least stay friends.

"Actually, I need to talk to you about something." You looked at him expectantly, letting him know you want him to go on. "(Y/n)... Sweetheart. I- fuck." He laughed dryly at his inability to form a sentence.

"What is it Eddie?" You looked up at him through your lashes, hand still on his forearm.

This had all gone so much more smoothly when he planned it out in his head. He had been confident and knew exactly what he was going to say and how he was going to see it. All of that went out the window when he looked into your eyes.

He felt like if he said the wrong thing he would lose the most important person in his life. He had allowed you to break down his walls and now he was at your mercy. He was, effectively, wrapped around your finger. Reduced to mush any time you came around.

"I'm in love with you." And it was the truth. He was truly, madly, deeply, in love with you. Unable to make eye contact, he looked to the floor. Suddenly, the carpet had become very interesting.

A hand turned his face towards the girl he had been dreaming about for the past four years. "Do you mean that?" Your voice was a whisper. It was all you could muster at this point.

Eddie's hand reached up to hold the hand still on his cheek. He was gentle, as if his touch could break her. "I do. But I won't hold it against you if you don't feel the same."

It was crazy how he had been reduced to a shy little boy in this moment. He had always been softer with you. But seeing loud, boisterous Eddie 'larger than life' Munson in this state was unnerving.

A smile spread across your face at his confirmation. You leaned in slowly, pressing your lips to his. The kiss was slow, tender, but filled with passion. Years worth of pent-up affection finally able to be released.

Your hand slid up his arm to grip his bicep, while he pulled you closer by your waist. After a moment you pulled away, letting out a soft breath. "I'm in love with you too."

At this a dope, lovesick grin spread across Eddie's face. He pulled you in for another kiss, and you obliged without hesitation. You knew you had a lot of lost time to make up for.

From here on out you two would have each other fully. Maybe it would be a challenge after graduation. You were going away for college, but you knew Eddie hated this town. Maybe he wouldn't be opposed to moving with you.

Whatever happens you knew you would always have each other, even if the world fell down.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x reader fluff #eddie munson x fem! reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie x reader #eddie x reader fluff #eddie x fem!reader #eddie x female reader #eddie x you #eddie x y/n

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j4gm · 4 years ago

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Obsidian lore thread!

Sharing this thread of lore, episode connections, and Easter eggs from Adventure Time: Distant Lands: Obsidian, originally written for my Twitter.

SPOILERS AHEAD, WATCH OBSIDIAN ON HBO MAX IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY

Keep reading for the full thread!

1) We've seen bombs scattered around the Land of Ooo before, but this is the first time we've seen the word "fission", confirming that they are nukes. Although we have seen the radiation roundel plenty of times so it's pretty obvious.

2) The "magic lightning" that created the Glass Kingdom could itself have been one of the nukes. Alternatively, it could have been the catalyst comet, although Finn has no connection to this place so that's probably not the case.

3) The subtitles for the first four minutes video suggested that Glassboy was saying "crap" here. However, the HBO Max subtitles confirm he is actually saying "crack".

4) All of Marceline's classic furniture is present, but Bubblegum's influence is very visible; a doily on the couch, a flask underneath, new barstools from the Candy Kingdom, and the pink lamp in the bedroom, just to name a few examples.

5) Lady Rainicorn slippers. That is all.

6) Chocoberry on the cover of a magazine. Looks like she's been dipped in white chocolate for this shoot.

7) This is the first time we've seen Choose Goose since he appeared as "Achoos Goose" in the Elements miniseries. Last time we saw his normal form was all the way back in season five's "Blade of Grass", nearly seven years ago. Is it weird that Choose Goose was the first thing in the episode to make me cry?

8) It appears that Princess Bubblegum has not rebuilt the Gumball Guardians since they were destroyed in the battle against GOLB.

9) There are lots of familiar candy people in and around the tavern, from a variety of seasons, including Kenneth, Dirt Beer Guy, Cherry Cream Soda, a Banana Guard 500, Lollipop Girl, and Smudge.

10) Simon is of course singing "Remember You". He is also using the omnichord that was used in that episode. Interestingly, this suggests he might remember some of his experiences as the Ice King.

11) This isn't the first time Dirt Beer Guy's tavern has hosted an open mic night. He also held one in "Son of Rap Bear", and even used the same banner, although it's looking a little tattered and worn out now.

12) Simon doesn't look any older than he did in the finale. This might mean that Betty's wish made him immortal, or it simply might not have been long enough for him to visibly age.

13) This is the oversized shirt given to Marceline by her father in the episode "Marcy & Hunson". It's looking a little faded these days.

14) Bubblegum's outfit is of a similar style to the one in "The Vault", but it's not the same. The fact she's not wearing her amulet might suggest this flashback takes place after "The Vault", but nothing is known for certain.

15) There are gravestones outside Marceline's house, but these actually aren’t new. They previously appeared in “Go With Me”. So don’t worry, these don’t belong to Jake or anything like that.

16) Simon's coping mechanism would be funny if it wasn't so sad. It's going to be a long time before he fully recovers. On a lighter note, the magnets on the fridge say "M PB" which is pretty cute.

17) This is our first time seeing the outside of Elise's van. We previously saw the interior in "Everything Stays". Also, we learned from the credits and subtitles that her name is Elise!

18) Previously, it wasn't known whether or not Elise survived the Mushroom War. Turns out she did... but not for long. It's also now unclear whether the flashback from "Everything Stays" happened before or after the war.

19) A nice little timeline detail: Marceline travelling with her mother for a while explains the awkward two year gap between the Mushroom War and the events of "Simon & Marcy".

20) Here's a comparison of the parts of Marceline's song that got corrupted into the current version. The Glass People got really obsessed with the idea of the song being about coconuts for some reason.

21) PB yelling "Scree!" to summon the Morrow is a callback all the way to the season two episode "Death in Bloom", which is when the Morrow made their debut.

22) Disease is added to the long list of things that helped wipe out humanity. I wonder if this disease is related to the one that Hugo and his crew gave to the grays in the BMO special. I also wonder if Marceline is immune thanks to her demon half.

23) The mutant puppy was able to say the word "wassup". Perhaps this is a halfway stage to the talking animals that now populate the Land of Ooo.

24) Turns out Marceline discovered her demon powers before she defeated the Fool. This is the first appearance of these kinds of soulless husks since "It Came From the Nightosphere" in season two.

25) This is the first new candy power we've seen Princess Bubblegum use since she learned how to create mints and soda in "Jelly Beans Have Power".

26) Marceline not caring about the glass people is very in line with her personality in the early seasons, such as when she was happy to let her father suck souls as long as she got her bass back.

27) No Easter egg here, just an extremely good image.

28) Here's the screenshot leaked by Adam Muto last month. Like the gas station in "Bonnibel Bubblegum", the graffiti here tells an interesting story. Seems like the Land of Ooo had a bit of a Mad Max phase while the humans were still around.

29) This is (as far as I know) only the second time an Adventure Time character has ever been shown bleeding. The first was the heart monster in "The Enchiridion", but that was a lot less realistic.

30) The fact that humans survived long enough to construct a whole Fallout-style bunker confirms that the near-extinction of humanity wasn't a quick process. It makes you wonder whether any other groups made it, besides the Islanders.

31) Apart from this being one of the darkest scenes in the entire show, I like the background detail of bank notes being used as toilet paper.

32) Marceline grew up blaming herself for her mother leaving, and says she is like her dad. It sounds like Elise has told Marceline a bit about Hunson Abadeer, and is scared and angry at him.

33) This actually isn't the first time Marceline's bass has been broken. She also snapped the handle during her fight with the Vampire King. However, it's never been completely shattered like this.

34) This might be a reference to the Hall of Egress. That's the only other time we've heard Bubblegum use that word.

35) Confirmation that Princess Bubblegum doesn't have bones. I guess that counts as lore?

36) The gag of the Banana Guards slipping over each other was also done in "The Thin Yellow Line" and probably some other episodes I'm forgetting.

37) Jake’s granddaughter Bronwyn is certainly an unexpected appearance. I wonder what affiliation she has with the main cast now?

38) And of course... FINN! I would estimate he's aged about five to ten years since the finale, but it's hard to tell with Adventure Time's style. He looks younger than he did in Puhoy's alternate future.

39) Lots of people have been theorising that the tattoo implies that something unfortunate has happened to Jake. Perhaps we'll get to know more about that in Together Again. Let's not dwell on it for now.

40) A canon origin story for the shirt, plus a Bubbline first meeting! This overrides the P.B. & Marcy comic, and re-contextualises a whole bunch of the old Bubbline episodes!

That’s all for now! Let me know if you can think of anything I missed!

#adventure time #obsidian #bubbline #lorepost

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berlinbabylon · 4 years ago

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Hi! A few weeks ago, in an answer, you made reference to Volker Bruch's role in Unsere Mütter, Unsere Väter. I've never seen it and had been wanting to (although I'm arguably less motivated now that Volker Bruch has been so ... ugh lately), but would you mind expanding upon what you meant? This whole situation is so disappointing and frustrating (but I say this as someone who only discovered BB/VB in December of last year)!

Oh boy, where to begin! The issues with Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter are so layered. I guess I'll break it down into: (1) Issues with the miniseries itself, and (2) issues with the reception of it.

1) So as to the first point, it's been a long time since I saw and I don't want to be too negative about it. It's well-made and some parts of it are better than others. I remember that I didn't think the writing was great (that's true for many German productions where the scripts tend to be the weak link), like it relied too much on coincidental meetings of characters in unlikely scenarios and so on. But okay, whatever. The actual issue with the miniseries arises from the way in which it was titled and marketed ("our mothers, our fathers" – of course Generation War sounds a bit more oblique in English and obfuscates that the people behind the miniseries wanted to do something that was supposedly representative of what "our" immediate ancestors went through during the war). From a historian's POV, the group of young people that they chose to focus on was really not in any way, shape or form representative of most young German people at the time and you can't blame the Polish for being pissed about the representation they got (which painted the Polish partisans as antisemitic and the issue with that wasn't that antisemitism didn't exist among Polish partisans but rather that the way the miniseries emphasizes their antisemitism while being way too revisionist about the German protagonists in that regard is just not a good look). A history professor put everything into words that I was thinking back then, it's in German but you can put it through DeepL and I highly recommend the read, regardless of how you feel about the miniseries: https://taz.de/Unsere-Muetter-unsere-Vaeter/!5070893/ ("Nazis are always the others" – yes there are some evil German Nazis of course, the cliché ones, the commanding officers, the Gestapo guy and so on but we are not invited to identify with them, we are not invited to consider them part of our ancestry and we are also not invited to consider that most Germans at the time were not victims of circumstance but active participants in the system, unless we're talking about resistance groups which were obviously the exception and not what the miniseries posits as the core 'generation' – one who, we might add, would've been exactly the one to have gone through the whole youth indoctrination unlike older people at the time). So yeah there's a lot to unpack there in terms of how German remembrance culture works and I'll leave it at that, it's a huge topic that would need its own essay. The miniseries is 'fine' TV but it has a certain role in cultural memory production that is, at the very least, questionable and should be considered with some critical distance from its qualities as a drama.

2) There's another issue though and that's more what I was referring to. Basically Volker Bruch playing a Wehrmacht soldier in that miniseries gained him quite a following of wehraboos and in some cases straight up Neonazis. For the longest time, whenever you were searching for posts about him here on Tumblr, they came from accounts that... man, how do I say this. Okay first of all wehraboos are Wehrmacht stans and I came across a big number of them in this context (and in the context of Volker Bruch fandom specifically) where their tumblrs were all about the aesthetic~ of German Wehrmacht soldiers and I just... to say that I found these blogs disturbing is putting it mildly. Often these were run by young women from countries like the Netherlands, Italy or wherever else in the world and my only explanation for this phenomenon is that they grew up with a very stereotypical view of Germans during WWII = evil, so when they discovered that some of them were young (sometimes handsome) men who were also just regular guys, they took this to mean that everyone had been terribly mistaken to lump in 'regular' soldiers with the SS and so they ran in the other direction. I mean, obviously there are distinctions to be made. But the Wehrmacht was also heavily involved in war crimes, so. All that teenage fawning over black and white pictures of real people who may have been involved in real atrocities... well. But that was still comparatively mild. When I first made Babylon Berlin gifs (before it was shown in the US on Netflix, before I made this sideblog, before there was a sizeable interest in these gifs aside from Volker Bruch stans), the accounts that reblogged them... I mean, there were actual Neonazi accounts among those. One I will never forget. Back then I still looked at reblogs to see if people had some commentary in the tags and so I opened this one blog and it was dedicated to Reinhard Heydrich, the "Butcher of Prague". On the front page, there were reblogs of Hitler gifs. Hitler greeting some kids, people doing the Nazi salute. The rest I've blocked from my memory. I had accidentally stumbled across a corner of Tumblr that was entirely sinister. I felt so sick. I ended up blocking and reporting it but this hellsite never gave me a reply so who even knows if anything happened.

So long story short: Ever since then I've resented the fact that Volker Bruch being in Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter gained him Neonazi followers (also tells you something about the miniseries, doesn't it) and I also resented that me just wanting to make Babylon Berlin gifs meant I had to see this stuff. So I stopped making any BB gifs (or at least any containing him) for a while and it's also the reason I never made many gifs of Gereon unless requested. I don't want to say that I feel vindicated after finding out that Volker Bruch is a complete idiot because I never paid much attention to him personally but I was also never his biggest fan, I find his acting range limited, he has a certain vibe and look that goes well with certain period dramas (actually only 20th century ones because he looked rough in the Goethe movie... I actually much prefer Alexander Fehling as an actor but that's neither here nor there). Anyway, there you go.

#ask #reply #anonymous #volker bruch's wife miriam stein is also in the miniseries #(and in the goethe movie)#honestly they both always gave me a vibe #now that i think about it #but i just thought they were hipsters #(also welcome to the babylon berlin fandom!)#(it's actually been a much better place since it's not just volker bruch fans anymore lol)#(also: normal volker bruch fans exist and i mean no offense to them at all)#(this is just about a certain kind of following he acquired through unsere mütter unsere väter)

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emmy-writes-sometimes · 5 years ago

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Don’t Kill My Vibe

Someone says something about your dad that you don’t like, and of course you end up in a fight…

“So,” your dad said as the two of you cross the street back to your house. You’d both gone on a jog, the dog included, and the sun was setting outside. “You excited for school tomorrow?”

“When have I ever been excited for school?” You asked. He shrugged, wiping his hiatus beard with his shirt. It was your first day of your senior year, and you’d be lying if you said you actually wanted to go. Your dad was nice enough to pay for an amazing private school, a car to get you there, and for whatever sports or activity you wanted to do. But you hated the other girls that went there. Not that you weren’t also a rich white girl, but some of them just got on your nerves because of what they said about you and your dad. Would you ever do anything about it? Probably not. But did you want to? Yes. You wanted to deck them right in the face and speed up the nose jobs their mommies and daddies would have to pay for anyway.

“It’s your senior year!” He reminded you as he shoved the key through the front door. “You can do off campus lunch, you get to get away from me in a year, you get to actually do cool things…” You sighed.

“A summer away from bitches wasn’t enough,” you grumbled.

“Language!” Your dad shouted one of his more famous lines as he went to the kitchen. “I’m going to check everything in your car and make sure it’s good. I want you in bed soon, I don’t want any complaining tomorrow when I wake you up early for breakfast.” You rolled your eyes. He was sweet to make you breakfast, really, but if he made you late you wouldn’t be happy.

Wear a skirt with me tomorrow? Your phone chimed with a text from your best friend, Bella, and you scoffed.

Plaid or plaid? You responded, thinking of which of your uniform skirts to roll up three times until it was almost too short. Do you still need a ride?

Please. The Pilot is big boy broken down. That would at least give you the chance to skip out on breakfast with your dad, so you went with it. The next morning you were up and ready to go before your dad had even finished the pancakes, mostly just eager to get to Bella’s house.

“You’re going to sit here and eat at least one of everything before you leave,” your dad said to you when you tried to grab a piece of bacon and go. “Or I’m taking the car keys.”

“Dad,” you insisted.

“Just tell Bella to walk over.” You rolled your eyes, but texted Bella that she would have to walk to your house from down the street because your dad was making you sit and eat breakfast with him.

“When are you leaving again?” You joked with narrowed eyes. He just laughed and started making himself a cup of coffee. “Carly doesn’t make me sit and eat breakfast in the mornings.”

“Carly also lets you go to Starbucks four times a week,” Chris replied. Chris almost always called her to come over and stay with you when he had to leave, and in a few days he was supposed to go to D.C. to talk about his political website with some senators. You secretly hated it when he left, but he was always much nicer to you when he came back out of pure guilt.

“Incoming!” Your front door opened a few minutes later as you were staring at your dad, just blinking at him as he forced you to finish a pancake. You turned, thanking God she was there.

“Can I please leave now?” You asked your dad. Bella walked into the kitchen that was kind of hers too because she was always at the house.

“Nope. Bella, you want anything to eat?”

“No thanks, I had a pop tart,” Bella responded with a shrug. “Thanks, though.”

“Okay. I need to take a shower, so I’ll see you after school, babe, okay?” Your dad walked over to where you were sitting on a bar stool and hugged you tightly. “Be good.”

“You skipped half your senior year to smoke weed in the parking lot, so anything is better than that.” You put your plate in the sink and then unlocked your car, walking to it with Bella and starting the half an hour drive over.

“Freshman,” Bella said grimly, crossing her arms over her chest as you drove into the parking lot. A group of them were standing in front of your friend Cara’s car, and barely moved as you pulled into the parking space beside her. You’d been able to go decorate a parking space the week before, and of course yours was decorated with your name and the Hollywood sign since you were hoping to go to UCLA. Unfortunately for you, it had your last name on it, too. And you were the absolute spitting image of your dad, right down to the light brown hair and blue eyes. People usually just didn’t care about who he was, but you’d had a few experiences where people would try and say things about him to you. If there was one thing you knew, it was that your dad was talented and worked harder than anyone you knew and you wouldn’t let anyone get away with thinking otherwise.

“If I end up beating someone up today,” you told Bella as you reached into the back seat to grab your backpack, “don’t tell my dad.”

“Got it,” she responded. The two of you put your sunglasses in the car’s console and started getting out.

“You can’t park there unless you’re her,” the freshman girl said when she saw you get out of the car.

“Yeah, too bad I am,” you responded with a shrug. You looked just like your dad on every single level except for the fact that you had your mom’s nose, so it was extremely dumb for her not to notice. You shut and locked the door to your car, getting ready to walk inside the building. The little blonde girl who had spoken to you before went back to talking to her friends.

“I would’ve thought she would be uglier,” the girl said. You gritted your teeth together, looked at Bella, and started walking into the building.

Throughout the day, the same set of girls was there to annoy you. At every turn it seemed like they were there, whispering something about you. And you kept asking, you even asked them at one point, why they were so obsessed with you. If nobody else was, they shouldn’t be. Most people seemed to have your back – you’d been going to that school every year except for the one year your dad decided to move you to the house in L.A. because he was shooting a miniseries out there, and everyone knew you and almost everyone knew that it was the opposite of a big deal. Everyone had dads and everyone’s dad did something. Yours just did it publicly. No one treated the mayor’s daughter that way, and she was a sophomore at your school.

“Literally why are you so obsessed with me?” You finally asked the girl when you heard her at lunch. “Unless you have some severe Daddy issues, maybe you should leave me alone.”

“Maybe I just have issues with your Daddy,” she responded. You stood up, pulling up your skirt slightly, and debated on whether to take out your earrings.

“Hello?” Chris asked later that day, flopping onto the couch in his office. He’d just bought his ticket out to D.C. in three days – enough of a day’s work for someone who didn’t have to go anywhere.

“Yeah, is this Mr. Evans?” Chris thought nothing of it at first.

“Yep. What can I do for you?”

“You’re Y/n’s father, correct?”

“Why?” His eyebrows furrowed. It had been a long time since anyone at your school had called him for anything besides the occasional confirmation that you wouldn’t be there for a week or so for vacation. “I mean, yes, I am, is everything okay?”

“Your daughter was involved in a, um, disagreement earlier in the lunch room. Would it be possible for you to come down to the school and take her home?”

“Yeah, of course, is everything okay? Is she okay?”

“We discussed it and found she’s not at fault, but she is upset.” Chris thought about it for a minute before putting his phone on speaker to call a car to come get him.

“I’ll be there in around twenty minutes,” Chris said. He quickly called a car and changed into school-appropriate clothes, took the extra set of keys to your car, and went to wait.

He tried texting you, but he also knew you turned your phone off during school. He wasn’t surprised when he walked into the office and saw you sitting there, but he also wasn’t surprised when he saw another girl sitting next to you. You looked up when you saw him and the look on your face was so apologetic that he couldn’t help but feel bad. You weren’t at fault, he remembered, but he was going to get to the bottom of it.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said to you. You could see the concern in his face, not disappointment, and that made it worse. Why wasn’t he mad at you? “Come on. Let’s go home.” He glanced at the other girl as you got up, noticing that nobody seemed like they were there to pick her up. His arm went around your back as he walked you out to the parking lot, taking the car keys out and walking you to your spot.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what happened?” You asked softly as he climbed into the driver’s seat. He started up the car.

“I was going to ask you if you wanted food first, but yeah,” he responded. You turned your head away from him, more ashamed than anything. You were so damn hard-headed and everyone knew that, including you. But it had never caused any issues before. Especially not issues that led to a massive fight on school grounds your senior year.

“Yes, please.” He smiled and took your hand, squeezing it tightly before putting the car in gear with the same hand. “What did they tell you?”

“Not much,” he replied, “just that you got into it with someone and they aren’t punishing you for it because it wasn’t your fault.” You sniffled. You didn’t want to cry in front of him, but you were just so damn mad. You didn’t think you’d ever been angrier in your entire life.

“This freshman girl just started acting really weird when I pulled in this morning,” you started. “And just kept saying stuff about you. Stupid stuff, and it started mostly about me. And then she just kept saying stuff like you were washed up, useless, bad at what you do. And then she said at lunch that you have no right being political about things and I just… I lost it. And I shouldn’t have, but I lost it.” You were crying again, and you really didn’t want to, but it happened. He didn’t say anything at first – he just pulled into the drive-thru at Chick-Fil-A and ordered the both of you lunch. Then he drove back to the house, and after eating in silence, told you to change out of your uniform.

You came back downstairs later, having both eaten your feelings and cried it out in the shower, and saw him sitting on the couch. He motioned for you to come sit with him, so you did. You two were ridiculously close – closer than most families were, and the invitation to cuddle under a large blanket wasn’t a rare one. So you curled up in the corner of the couch and let him sit beside you, throwing your favorite blanket over the two of you.

“You shouldn’t have gone insane over that,” he started to say to you. You leaned your head on his shoulder as Dodger came to sit on the other side of the couch.

“I know.”

“I always appreciate you defending my honor, honey, but I’m a big boy. You should be worried about you, not me. Okay?” He wrapped an arm around you and hugged you tightly.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“But you did show her who’s boss.” You laughed. “I guess I really can’t be mad when I was gone by this point of my first day senior year.” You laughed again.

“I learned from the best.”

“Yeah, thank God you’re not into drugs. And you’re still grounded, by the way. I must’ve missed the lesson when you were a kid about hitting others.”

I hope the person who requests loves it! I had fun writing this one, it reminded me so much of the irritating people I met in high school!

#chris evans x teen!reader #chris evans x daughter!reader #chris evans fluff #chris evans x reader

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aaronmaurer · 4 years ago

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TV I Liked in 2020

Every year I reflect on the pop culture I enjoyed and put it in some sort of order.

Was there ever a year more unpredictably tailor-made for peak TV than 2020? Lockdowns/quarantines/stay-at-home orders meant a lot more time at home and the occasion to check out new and old favorites. (I recognize that if you’re lucky enough to have kids or roommates or a S.O., your amount of actual downtime may have been wildly different). While the pandemic resulted in production delays and truncated seasons for many shows, the continued streaming-era trends of limited series and 8-13 episode seasons mean that a lot of great and satisfying storytelling still made its way to the screen. As always, I in no way lay any claims to “best-ness” or completeness – this is just a list of the shows that brought me the most joy and escapism in a tough year and therefore might be worth putting on your radar.

10 Favorites

10. The Right Stuff: Season 1 (Disney+)

As a space program enthusiast, even I had to wonder, does the world really need another retelling of NASA’s early days? Especially since Tom Wolfe’s book has already been adapted as the riveting and iconoclastic Philip Kaufman film of the same name? While some may disagree, I find that this Disney+ series does justify its existence by focusing more on the relationships of the astronauts and their personal lives than the technical science (which may be partially attributable to budget limitations?). The series is kind of like Mad Men but with NASA instead of advertising (and real people, of course), so if that sounds intriguing, I encourage you to give it a whirl.

9. Fargo: Season 4 (FX)

As a big fan of Noah Hawley’s Coen Brothers pastiche/crime anthology series, I was somewhat let down by this latest season. Drawing its influence primarily from the likes of gangster drama Miller’s Crossing – one of the Coens’ least comedic/idiosyncratic efforts – this season is more straightforward than its predecessors and includes a lot of characters and plot-threads that never quite cohere. That said, it is still amongst the year’s most ambitious television with another stacked cast, and the (more-or-less) standalone episode “East/West” is enough to make the season worthwhile.

8. The Last Dance (ESPN)

Ostensibly a 10-episode documentary about the 1990s Chicago Bulls’ sixth and final NBA Championship run, The Last Dance actually broadens that scope to survey the entire history of Michael Jordan and coach Phil Jackson’s careers with the team. Cleverly structured with twin narratives that chart that final season as well as an earlier timeframe, each episode also shifts the spotlight to a different person, which provides focus and variety throughout the series. And frankly, it’s also just an incredible ride to relive the Jordan era and bask in his immeasurable talent and charisma – while also getting a snapshot of his outsized ego and vices (though he had sign-off on everything, so it’s not exactly a warts-and-all telling).

7. The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)

This miniseries adaptation of the Walter Tevis coming-of-age novel about a chess prodigy and her various addictions is compulsively watchable and avoids the bloat of many other streaming series (both in running time and number of episodes). The 1960s production design is stunning and the performances, including Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role, are convincing and compelling.

6. The Great: Season 1 (hulu)

Much like his screenplay for The Favourite, Tony McNamara’s series about Catherine the Great rewrites history with a thoroughly modern and irreverent sensibility (see also: Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette). Elle Fanning brings a winning charm and strength to the title role and Nicholas Hoult is riotously entertaining as her absurdly clueless and ribald husband, Emperor Peter III. Its 10-episodes occasionally tilt into repetitiveness, but when the ride is this fun, why complain? Huzzah!

5. Dispatches From Elsewhere (AMC)

A limited (but possibly anthology-to-be?) series from creator/writer/director/actor Jason Segal, Dispatches From Elsewhere is a beautiful and creative affirmation of life and celebration of humanity. The first 9 episodes form a fulfilling and complete arc, while the tenth branches into fourth wall-breaking meta territory, which may be a bridge too far for some (but is certainly ambitious if nothing else). Either way, it’s a movingly realized portrait of honesty, vulnerability and empathy, and I highly recommend visiting whenever it inevitably makes its way to Netflix, or elsewhere…

4. What We Do in the Shadows: Season 2 (FX)

The second season of WWDITS is more self-assured and expansive than the first, extending a premise I loved from its antecedent film – but was skeptical could be sustained – to new and reinvigorated (after)life. Each episode packs plenty of laughs, but for my money, there is no better encapsulation of the series’ potential and Matt Berry’s comic genius than “On The Run,” which guest-stars Mark Hamill and features Laszlo’s alter ego Jackie Daytona, regular human bartender.

3. Ted Lasso: Season 1 (AppleTV+)

Much more than your average fish-out-of-water comedy, Jason Sudeikis’ Ted Lasso is a brilliant tribute to humaneness, decency, emotional intelligence and good coaching – not just on the field. The fact that its backdrop is English Premier League Soccer is just gravy (even if that’s not necessarily represented 100% proficiently). A true surprise and gem of the year.

2. Mrs. America (hulu)

This FX miniseries explores the women’s liberation movement and fight for the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and its opposition by conservative women including Phyllis Schlafly. One of the most ingenious aspects of the series is centering each episode on a different character, which rotates the point of view and helps things from getting same-y. With a slate of directors including Ryan Bowden and Anna Fleck (Half-Nelson, Sugar, Captain Marvel) and an A-List cast including Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Uzo Aduba, Sarah Paulson, Margo Martindale, Tracey Ulman and Elizabeth Banks, its quality is right up there with anything on the big screen. And its message remains (sadly) relevant as ever in our current era.

1. The Good Place: Season 4 (NBC)

It was tempting to omit The Good Place this year or shunt it to a side category since only the final 4 episodes aired in 2020, but that would have been disingenuous. This show is one of my all-time favorites and it ended perfectly. The series finale is a representative mix of absurdist humor and tear-jerking emotion, built on themes of morality, self-improvement, community and humanity. (And this last run of eps also includes a pretty fantastic Timothy Olyphant/Justified quasi-crossover.) Now that the entire series is available to stream on Netflix (or purchase in a nice Blu-ray set), it’s a perfect time to revisit the Good Place, or check it out for the first time if you’ve never had the pleasure.

5 of the Best Things I Caught Up With

Anne With An E (Netflix/CBC)

Another example of classic literature I had no prior knowledge of (see also Little Women and Emma), this Netflix/CBC adaptation of Anne of Green Gables was strongly recommended by several friends so I finally gave it a shot. While this is apparently slightly more grown-up than the source material, it’s not overly grimdark or self-serious but rather humane and heartfelt, expanding the story’s scope to include Black and First Nations peoples in early 1800s Canada, among other identities and themes. It has sadly been canceled, but the three seasons that exist are heart-warming and life-affirming storytelling. Fingers crossed that someday we’ll be gifted with a follow-up movie or two to tie up some of the dangling threads.

Better Call Saul (AMC)

I liked Breaking Bad, but I didn’t have much interest in an extended “Breaking Bad Universe,” as much as I appreciate star Bob Odenkirk’s multitalents. Multiple recommendations and lockdown finally provided me the opportunity to catch up on this prequel series and I’m glad I did. Just as expertly plotted and acted as its predecessor, the series follows Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman on his own journey to disrepute but really makes it hard not to root for his redemption (even as you know that’s not where this story ends).

Joe Pera Talks With You (Adult Swim)

It’s hard to really describe the deadpan and oddly soothing humor of comedian Joe Pera whose persona, in the series at least, combines something like the earnestness of Mr. Rogers with the calm enthusiasm of Bob Ross. Sharing his knowledge on the likes of how to get the best bite out of your breakfast combo, growing a bean arch and this amazing song “Baba O’Reilly” by the Who – have you heard it?!? – Pera provides arch comfort that remains solidly on the side of sincerity. The surprise special he released during lockdown, “Relaxing Old Footage with Joe Pera,” was a true gift in the middle of a strange and isolated year.

The Mandalorian (Disney+)

One of the few recent Star Wars properties that lives up to its potential, the adventures of Mando and Grogu is a real thrill-ride of a series with outstanding production values (you definitely want to check out the behind-the-scenes documentary series if you haven’t). I personally prefer the first season, appreciating its Western-influenced vibes and somewhat-more-siloed story. The back half of the second season veers a little too much into fan service and video game-y plotting IMHO but still has several excellent episodes on offer, especially the Timothy Olyphant-infused energy of premiere “The Marshall” and stunning cinematography of “The Jedi.” And, you know, Grogu.

The Tick (Amazon Prime)

I’ve been a fan of the Tick since the character’s Fox cartoon and indie comic book days and also loved the short-lived Patrick Warburton series from 2001. I was skeptical about this Amazon Prime reboot, especially upon seeing the pilot episode’s off-putting costumes. Finally gaining access to Prime this year, I decided to catch up and it gets quite good!, especially in Season 2. First, the costumes are upgraded; second, Peter Serafinowicz’s initially shaky characterization improves; and third, it begins to come into its own identity. The only real issue is yet another premature cancellation for the property, meaning Season 2’s tease of interdimensional alien Thrakkorzog will never be fulfilled. 😢

Bonus! 5 More Honorable Mentions:

City So Real (National Geographic)

The Good Lord Bird (Showtime)

How To with John Wilson: Season 1 (HBO)

Kidding: Season 2 (Showtime)

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy Vs The Reverend (Netflix)

#tv #television

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eponymous-rose · 5 years ago

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Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E80 (October 15, 2019)

Tonight’s guests are Matt Mercer and Taliesin Jaffe!

Announcements: The collected edition of the first six-issue run of Vox Machina: Origins is available in trade paperback format at your local comic and retail shops! (The standard, hardcover edition is also now available in both the US and UK Critical Role online shops.) Pub Draw is back on Wednesday at 5 PM Pacific, featuring special guest Mica Burton! Undeadwood, the four-part supernatural miniseries featuring Brian as Game Marshal, premieres this Friday at 7 PM Pacific (VOD available immediately for Twitch subscribers, then up on YouTube on Sundays)!

Episode 80: The Folding Halls

Stats for episode 80: Caduceus received the campaign’s 40th whisper to insight check Allura. Taliesin has received the most whispers this campaign, with 17. Caduceus rolled his 10th Natural 1, disregarded thanks to Warcaster. (There’s a brief digression into the Brave Little Toaster-esque adventures the Golden Snitch must be having.) It’s been 90 days since the Mighty Nein were last in the Heirloom Sphere. Nott called Allura four misnomers (Beau chimed in with one). Matt sighs heavily. “Yeah.”

Allura’s reintroduction was mainly related to the logical development of how Yussa’s circumstances would’ve evolved, and Matt figured it would be fun to have the connection to the Arcana Pansophical... and bringing Allura in just followed naturally, of course. Of course. (Also because it was fun.)

“The minute the description kicked in, it was definitely some candy. Okay, this is nice, this is everything I needed right now.” Taliesin points out that Caduceus just loves meeting new people anyway, especially if they seem chill. He’s hoping this might be something that mellows the group a little.

Taliesin’s expression during the insight check on Allura? “I was entirely fucking with everyone at the table. I was just trying to make some weird faces to try to mess with Travis.”

Matt found it “pretty strange” to bring Allura back, particularly since 20 years have passed. “It was wild to step into her again, especially with an entirely new surrounding.” It was also a bit harder than he expected given the players’ particularly rambunctious reactions. But in the end it was like putting on a favorite coat and finding it still fit.

Taliesin: “Caduceus is like my version of Grog at this point. I can get away with a lot of things I couldn’t get away with otherwise.”

Best/worst nicknames the players have come up with for Matt’s cool shit? It’s more the NPC names that get him. Jamedi Cosko, auditors, Purvan (”but I should’ve known better; it’s my fault for not saying it out loud”).

It’s strongly implied that Taliesin may have stabbed Julius Caesar. As you do.

Cosplay of the Week: an amazing Raven Queen (sacook03, photo by emi_d_123)!

Caduceus genuinely hasn’t thought about how the Happy Fun Ball is completely artificial and hence might be outside the purview of the Wildmother. “I don’t think he understands what the Ball is enough to be really disturbed by it yet.” As far as he knows, they just got teleported to a forest somewhere. The “M.C. Escher nightmare in front of us” might be enough to clue him in next episode. Caduceus typically gets his reactions from everyone else, depending on whether he thinks they might be on-base or off-base.

Brian: “You don’t have to say it so much sexier than I did!” Matt: “Of course I do!”

Caduceus feels pretty justified in all his previous assertions that the Nein should be more honest now that it’s been confirmed that the Bright Queen is spying on them. “Let’s just put everything on the table. Put stuff out there, see what happens. It sounds good in theory, I’m well aware.” Matt wasn’t expecting the reveal of the spying to happen as soon as it did.

Taliesin: “You gotta save your mistruths for the moments when it’s going to help make somebody a better person.”

Matt mentioned on a previous Talks that the Heirloom Sphere was just supposed to be a fun one-off adventure, and he wasn’t expecting the group to hold onto it and then hand it off to a more powerful mage. He realized that Yussa would immediately have been interested in it, and as time went on, he thought about what would have developed, and realized Yussa would’ve been a bit too curious and arrogant not to try wandering in. “A lot of it was just rationalizing those possibilities, and then tying in the elements of the Laughing Hand.” Matt noticed that Laura brought it up as a possibility in an earlier episode after a subtle hint.

Caduceus is hoping that this is “finally going to be the moment where everyone starts working together the way they do in his head”, which is part of why he keeps checking in on the others right now. He’s aware that there are a lot of temptations in this place.

Allura saw some similar elements between the M9 and VM (mainly that they were so quick to offer up information about themselves to help out). She’s honestly mostly fine with guiding them because it means she doesn’t have to go in the Happy Fun Ball.

Caduceus basically considers all interactions with flora and fauna a success. “Never hurts to be polite. But, honestly, it’s not about cooperation, it’s just about being polite and respectful of your environment. If the local flora and fauna are being irritable, it honestly probably has very little to do with him.”

“The frog hurt. I will admit, the frog hurt.”

Fave piece of lore Matt’s gotten to drop? “The recent episode was really fun to help Beau connect the dots between the Laughing Hand and the Halls.” He’s also really enjoyed giving information about some of the more “vague inconsistencies” with the Angel of Irons. Also anything with the Kryn Dynasty and the Luxon; he likes getting to move out of the usual lore of D&D to surprise the players.

Fan Art of the Week: Essek, Frumpkin, Caleb, and the dodecahedron (by bumblefly02)!

Caduceus sees himself as a bit of a spiritual guide to Fjord. “He’s looking for moments to have some conversation and reward some behavior.” Right now, he wants to talk to Fjord about how this is an ongoing process, not an immediate “cure”. Taliesin and Travis didn’t talk about this development ahead of time.

Matt notes that the group had a lot of options to develop closer relationships with allies, but when they said they were stopping by to see Yussa, he knew they might be “going the Allura path”, and he was secretly excited that’s the way it went.

Taliesin: “We are the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of Exandria. We’re just hoping that we’re nobody’s nemesis at this point.”

#critical role #critical role spoilers #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #long text post

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mikrocosmonaut · 5 years ago

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dessert wine pt. 1 ♡│ pjm

pairing: jimin x reader

[ part of the ‘Galentine’s Day’ miniseries ]

summary: Setting up for Galentine’s Day at Jimin’s house was going great until he raided his parents’ alcohol cabinet. Drunk on ice cream and dessert wine, it becomes harder and harder for you to ignore the new, intrusive thoughts you’ve been having about your best friend. And to make matters worse - the party hasn’t even started yet!

word count: 4-5k

warnings: very light smut, bad language, slight voyeurism if u squint, y/n and jimin are oblivious dumbasses, part 2 will contain actual smut so beware~

genre: mutual pining, f2l, jealousy, lots of fluff, eventual smut

a/n: hey lovelies, sorry for the slight delay due to internet problems. sorry in advance for any errors, this is the first piece of writing I’ve done in months so I’m probably rusty as hell lol. hope you enjoy and keep an eye out for part 2 of Jimin’s story. I’ll be posting the other members’ parts throughout the month so stay tuned for updates :) happy reading~

It’s February 14th. Life is great. And you have the cutest best friend in the whole world who has kindly invited the whole group to a ‘small gathering’ to celebrate the occasion.

Jimin told you to turn up at his house a few hours early to help him set up. His mom and dad are currently on a cruise somewhere in the Mediterranean -romantic, right?- so your gang has the run of their modern, spacious barn-conversion for the entire night. You’ve been to Jimin’s house several times before, often staying over to avoid your shitty roommate back at the dorms.

Jimin has no shitty roommate of his own, because Jimin commutes to university. He says there’d be no point paying for the overpriced student dorms when he only lives about forty minutes train-journey away. And also, because his mom does his laundry for him.

By now, you’re no stranger to the grandeur of Jimin’s house -or ‘The Chateau’, as you like to teasingly call it. There’s a kind of fancy atmosphere about the place: the minimalistic décor, the huge dining table and even the trophy cabinet in the hall. Yet for all the luxury he lives in, your friend remains annoyingly humble and down to earth.

When you rock up at Jimin’s that afternoon, he opens the front door to find you a little pissed off and a whole lot soaked. It’s raining heavily, and you stand on his porch like a lost, soggy puppy, big eyes pleading for sympathy and arms huddled around your denim-jacket-clad torso.

Your friend simply raises his eyebrows, stepping aside to let you past. You can’t help but sigh in relief as the warm, vanilla-scented air of Jimin’s house greets your shivering form. The house feels like your second home.

“Really?” Jimin says out of nowhere after a few seconds of silence. He’s trying to sound scolding, but you can see a smile pulling at the corners of his plump lips, “A denim jacket? In February?!”

You grumpily flinch away from his reproach, “Jeez, sorry, Mom.” Shooting him a mournful glare, you begin to peel off the offending denim article, dripping water everywhere, “Okay- first of all, it’s not my fault! I couldn’t find my actual waterproof coat anywhere, I think my klepto roommate must have stolen it or something.”

You finish removing the drenched jacket and fling it towards Jimin’s face. Impeccable reflexes as ever, he catches it seamlessly before it hits him, though his eyebrows climb higher up when he catches sight of your baggy t shirt. You grunt as you kick off your shoes, then continue your rant,

“Secondly…It was like, really sunny earlier, dude! I was tricked! It looked warm out, okay?”

Jimin lets out an exasperated sigh and drapes your jacket over the coat rack to dry off, “Y/n. I repeat: it’s February!” He rolls his eyes at you and walks towards the stairs.

After a second you follow, thudding up the staircase after him, “Whatever! Oh – and what’s your issue with my t-shirt, by the way? You looked at it just then was like I’d killed your dog or something.”

You reach the top of the stairs, by now struggling to keep up with Jimin’s long strides. Curse his beautiful, graceful gazelle legs.

Jimin looks back at you, face still unimpressed, “I don’t have a dog.” His tone is flat, intentionally missing the point and he disappears from view through the doorway into his bedroom. His voice echoes out onto the landing, “Nah, the t-shirt itself is fine. I just thought you’d have a more festive outfit for tonight, is all.”

“Huh?” You frown, “But it’s just a Galentine’s Day gathering at yours, you said! We’re not going out, just hanging here, so what’s the-”

You immediately trail off as you enter Jimin’s room and are greeted by the sight of a dozen or so balloons in various shades of red scattered around every available surface. Jimin has already flopped onto his bed in the middle of it all, arm raised and shielding both eyes wearily. His hoodie has come up a bit, exposing his stomach and you try not to let your gaze linger on the sliver of soft, peach skin. Weird. It’s really been too long since you last got laid if you’re being horny for Jimin. Just the thought makes your face screw up like you’ve tasted something sour.

Tearing your eyes from his sprawled form, you only then begin to notice multiple carrier bags stuffed full of tacky decorations amongst the balloons. You even catch a peek of what look like the most garish fake roses you’ve ever seen.

You take a second to process this scene. All the red and pink is making your head swim. You breathe out a quiet, ‘what the fuck’, shaking your head in bewilderment. Maybe Jimin has finally lost it. Carefully, you pick a path through the assembled obstacle course of crap on the floor and plop down beside Jimin, pushing balloons aside as you do so.

“Yo, Jimin,” You nudge his leg with your elbow, “You planning on starting up the world’s most nauseating home décor shop or something?”

Your best friend rolls over to face you, mouth settling into his signature mochi pout, “Noooo. It’s for Gal’entine’s Day. I wanted to make an effort with decorations, y’know. Seeing as we’re all losers who’d otherwise be spending the day alone.”

You snort and reach out to ruffle the boy’s warm, gray hair, “Aw, Jiminie, you’re too much! That’s so cute, but you don’t need to do all that for a gathering, especially when it’s just the guys! I guarantee over half of them will be tipsy before they even arrive.”

On past Galentine’s Days you’ve usually all just gone out for pizza or bowling: something casual with plenty of drinking involved. And while Jimin had always gone out of his way to make the whole event as cheesy and cute as possible (one year he even gave handmade cards to each of you), this was a whole new level of extra you’d not been prepared for.

The tips of Jimin’s ears are turning pink and he buries his face into the duvet in embarrassment, “Don’t tease me! I just didn’t want people to feel lonely today.”

For a minute, you’re struggling to make out the muffled words but when you do, they hit you with a jolt. Personally, never gone in for Valentine’s Day and all the lovey-dovey bullshit that it stands for. Even on Valentine’s Days where you weren’t single, you barely made an effort. You’d maybe order a pizza and have sex, but that was it.

It was only when you met Jimin and he started hosting these ‘Galentine’s’ events that you started to take notice of and even begin to look forward the date. Because Jimin’s version was all about celebrating the gals -or boys, as most of your friends have turned out to be- and how much you all meant to each other. So, you suppose you never considered the possibility that Jimin was lonely, when he had his whole Galentine’s thing. Heck, now that you think about it, maybe that’s the whole reason he started doing it in the first place?

You stare as Jimin’s ears flush even more, wondering if you are a terrible friend for never even considering this realm of possibility before. Maybe. But Jimin’s never seemed to mind, at least.

It’s no real secret that you’re oblivious enough to your own feelings most of the time: you’ve had your fair share of hook-ups and casual things during your time at college, but you’ve never gotten caught up in anything serious. Never had the time to even think properly about relationships, let alone wonder about the state of your friends’ own romantic lives.

Now that you think about it, Jimin has never really clicked romantically with anyone, that you can think of. He doesn’t generally like talking about that kind of stuff, he finds it hard to discuss deeper topics without getting embarrassed.

Unless he’s drunk. Then he’ll cling onto anyone he can find and fully dive into his whole romantic psyche without shame.

Jimin rolls over to glare at you, the colour of his cheeks now matching his ears, whether that’s from embarrassment or being smushed against the quilt is unclear. You shake off your confused thoughts of romance and loneliness and Park Jimin’s love life and nudge him again whilst you try and think of something to say.

He shies away from your elbow, still sulking, “Why’d you think I asked you to come help me set up today in the first place? Obviously, that means preparing for tonight.”

You roll your eyes, “Oh, I dunno, maybe because ‘preparing for the tonight’ to us usually means doing facemasks and trading gossip before the others get here?”

Jimin narrows his eyes, “Not today.”

For a minute, neither of you say anything. Jimin is looking oddly conflicted, like he’s debating whether to speak or not. Finally, he blurts out, “-but did you bring some? Face masks, I mean. Just if you have any on you. My skin would thank you for it.”

He taps his cheek. His fucking flawless, smooth cheek, that is so clear it practically glows. The sheer audacity of the lies has you cackling.

A moment later and Jimin’s laughing too: airy, indulgent giggles whilst you reach for your day-bag that you’d dumped beside the bed.

You produce two thin packets triumphantly, like some kind of skincare magician, grinning at your friend, “Park Jimin-ssi, my precious facemasks are wasted on your already perfect skin. But fine. Let’s put up the decorations first, though. Then we can properly have a pamper date until the boys arrive.”

Jimin’s face lights up and he gives you a strange half-hug as he tries to avoid bursting any of the balloons. “You’re the best, Y/n!”

You sigh sympathetically and pat his head, “I know, doll.

By the time you’ve finished putting up all the decorations, you feel as though you’ve run a marathon. What a workout. You could sleep for about ten years. Your arm muscles especially ache, but you still manage to expertly affix Jimin’s sheet-mask for him after putting on your own.

In return for the pain suffered on your behalf though, you’ve demanded compensation in the form of ice cream. Like the obedient mochi he is, a sheet-masked, bouncy Jimin returns from the kitchen after a few minutes bearing two generous bowls of ice cream and a bottle of something wedged under his arm.

You’d been sprawled on the cream couch in the living room flipping through one of his mom’s many interior décor magazines, but you crane your neck nosily as he hands you your bowl, “What’s that?” You nod to the bottle after unsuccessfully trying to read the label upside down.

Jimin takes a seat and holds out the bottle to you. You turn it over once in your hands, feeling the liquid inside splash around. You frown, “’Dessert wine’?! The fuck is that?”

Jimin shrugs, “Found it in my parents’ drinks cabinet. I thought we could try it with our ice cream. Seems pretty self-explanatory, right?”

“Woah, Jimin-ssi is really going for it with his pre-game today!” You tease, though you decide to humour him, twisting off the cork with a small ‘pop’. You take a cautious sniff, “Fuck!” Your eyes are watering at the sudden sweet scent and for some reason you almost feel like you have to sneeze.

Jimin watches while digging into his ice cream, “Does it smell strong?”

You pull a face and eye the dark-coloured bottle with caution, “I don’t even know. Just smells really, really sweet. Oh well, guess there’s only one way to find out if it’s any good.”

With the go-ahead from you, Jimin hops up and walks to a tall, glass-fronted cabinet on the far side of the room. He opens the door and retrieves two small-ish wine glasses before heading back to stand in front of you. You pour the wine while he holds the glasses. The wine splashes out of the bottle in a warm, tempting crimson. You really hope you don’t accidentally spill any on the expensive cream couch.

Jimin returns to his spot beside you and holds up his glass, “Cheers! To having the best Galentine’s Day yet.”

You bring your glass to meet his with a pleasant clink and the two of you simultaneously knock the stuff back. If the smell of the wine had your eyes watering, the taste almost makes you splutter. Instead, though, you swallow it down quickly, thinking once again of the sofa.

Jimin’s face is screwed up beneath his sheet mask, “You weren’t kidding about it being sweet,” he says in a strained voice and you can’t help but laugh.

“Maybe if we alternate between eating ice cream and taking sips it won’t be so bad?” You can’t help but shudder in spite of your suggestion, “Even though it tastes pretty nasty. We shouldn’t waste it, though,”

Jimin hums in agreement, and sure enough, you both eventually find a more bearable system of dessert/dessert wine intake.

Shit. Jimin’s portions of ice cream had been so generous that you’d already finished your glass of wine before you’d made it a third of the way through your serving. It’s weird, the more you drink, the nicer the wine tastes. So nice that you’re pouring yourself another glass without even blinking and topping up Jimin’s while you’re at it.

And that’s basically how you ended up here, thirty minutes later, laid flat out on the floor like a starfish while Jimin laughs manically from the couch. Your empty bowls and glasses are stacked on the coffee table and Jimin drains the remaining dregs of the wine straight from the bottle. Although you had at least remembered to take off your sheet-masks on time, any further preparations for the night were forgotten.

You brush the carpet under your palms appreciatively, “God, Jiminie, your floor is soooo comfy,”

Jimin does this thing when he laughs where he flings himself in any given direction, deflating in a fit of spluttered giggles like if you undid the knot of a balloon. You love his laugh.

“You’re welcome,” he garbles, already drunk as all hell. He raises his head to look at you, “Hey, watch you don’t make it all dirty with your gross ass t shirt,”

Oof. You’d forgotten about the shirt.

You glare up at Jimin and that only makes him laugh more, “Hey! It’s not-”

You falter. Even in your state, after a quick visual confirmation, you have to admit that your tatty, now ice-cream-stained top is looking worse for wear.

Jimin glances at the clock and gets to his feet, holding a hand out to you, “Come on, mucky pup. Only got about fifteen minutes until the guys begin to turn up and I still need to get dressed.” His nose wrinkles in disapproval, “And we need to do something about your outfit.”

Upstairs, you sit with your back to Jimin on his desk chair, decidedly not even breathing in his direction while he flips through the hangers in his closet. You hug your legs to your chest and rest your chin on your knees. Your face feels hot. Curse that fucking wine. You’re gonna have to pace yourself with the rest of your drinks tonight.

You hear the rustle of fabric followed by a muffled thump of what you assume is Jimin discarding his worn clothes onto the floor. You wonder whether he’s just changing his hoodie or putting on fresh pants too. Fuck. Why is your brain even going there? You need a distraction.

You unlock your phone and open Spotify to look for a suitable playlist for the gathering; anything to try and squash thoughts about the ambiguous state of undress your best friend is currently in.

You’re startled, however, by the sudden tap on your shoulder. You jump, locking your phone on reflex as if you’d been caught looking at porn and not a Spotify playlist and turn to look at Jimin over your shoulder.

Your lungs feel like they’re being squeezed. A shirtless Jimin stands behind you, so close that you can smell his familiar vanilla scent, practically feel the heat radiating off his bare skin. Oh my God. You’ve seen him in various stages of undress plenty of times: he’s your best friend. And he’s not exactly shy. Hell, one time you and Taehyung had to strip him and put him in the bath after he puked all over himself at a party. You think that yourself and Taehyung are more embarrassed by the memory than Jimin himself.

None of the other times you’ve seen Jimin without clothes have ever come close to invoking the fucking primal reaction your body is currently having. Your stomach actually flips. You struggle to pull air back into your lungs but oh God. Jimin is so soft and slender yet at the same time his muscles swell beneath his beautiful, peach skin that’s as clear as his face.

And speaking of his face, when you eventually manage to meet his gaze, his dark eyes look just as dazed as you feel and -. Fuck, fuck, fuuuuck. His delicate, plump lips are stained a deep cherry from the wine. You swallow.

“Yo?”

You reluctantly drag your brain back down to earth as Jimin waves his hand in front of your face. You finally focus and realise he’s been holding a jumper out to you this whole time.

You blink stupidly at the article of clothing, “Huh?”

Jimin huffs in exasperation and drops the jumper down onto your head, turning away to slip into the shirt he’d finally decided on, “You should try this on. I’ll lend it to you for the night. I feel like it could look cute with those jeans.” He chuckles and the low sound of it sends blood rushing to your face. You’re so thankful that he’s not looking at you anymore. “Better than what you’re currently wearing, anyway.”

You open your mouth, searching for some kind of cohesive response before managing a mumbled “thanks”.

You stand up, holding the sweater out in front of you. You recognise it as one of Jimin’s favourites. You always say how nice it looks on him.

His voice sounds from the other side of the room, “It was in my laundry hamper but I did a sniff-check and I think it’s okay. I only wore it for a couple hours the other day so it should be fine.”

You don’t even attempt a reply. Your head’s still swimming. Partly from the booze and partly from these new, weirdly horny thoughts you’re having about your closest friend. Whatever. The guys will be here soon. Better hurry and get dressed.

By now, Jimin has finished buttoning his shirt and stands in front of his mirror, smoothing down the fabric and checking his reflection. Still caught up in your inner conflicting emotions, you grab at the hem of your shirt. You’re about to pull it up over your head when your eyes meet his in the mirror.

You freeze, top halfway off. He waits. Neither of you look away. In the reflection, Jimin’s eyes are large and dark. Almost hungry. You feel your heart pounding against your ribs, hear the blood in your eardrums tear through the sudden silence of the room.

You’ve never cared about changing in front of him, not bothering to kick him out or anything. You’ve done this thousands of times. So, what the fuck is actually going on with you today? You mentally scold yourself. Today is no different from any day, you’re just overthinking it because it’s Valentine’s Day and it’s been so long since you’ve gotten any action. You are here with your platonic friend of several years, literally just changing your outfit. No big deal.

So that’s that. To prove the point to yourself, you grit your teeth and tug your shirt the rest of the way off in one quick motion before you chicken out and make things even weirder. You can’t, however, fight the blush off your face as Jimin very audibly takes a shaky breath, still transfixed as he watches your reflection.

Why isn’t he looking away?! Why aren’t you looking away?!

Goosebumps prickle over your bare collarbones as you let the discarded top fall to the floor. It’s not cold but you’re shivering. You absently thank the gods that you’re wearing a presentable bra today by chance and not one of your usual comfy-but-ugly nude coloured numbers.

The white bralette you’re currently wearing is still comfy (do you own anything that isn’t?) but it’s super cute, all lace and little ribbons on the straps. You know for a fact that it looks good on you, and that Jimin is lucky to even be blessed with this view but that doesn’t stop the wave of self-consciousness that washes over you. You fight the urge to run and hide yourself away from him forever.

You’re about to put on Jimin’s sweater when you are once again stopped in your tracks. Scratch that. You’re completely floored.

It’s the smallest action, and an unconscious one at that. But even so, Jimin’s subtle swipe of his tongue over his bottom lip, wetting it, has heat pooling between your legs. Your hands go completely slack and the sweater you were previously clutching falls to the floor.

“Y/n,” The husky edge to his voice and the sound of your own name somehow catch you off guard. You almost can’t believe it when you find yourself walking closer to him on autopilot, coming to a stop right behind him, all the while never looking away from his reflection. He follows your movements in the mirror, at one point allowing his gaze to not so subtly shift down from your face. His eyes linger on your chest.

You’re inches from him now. All it would take is a step forwards and you’d be pressing your breasts against his back. You could wrap your arms around him from behind, capture his earlobe between your lips. You shiver again. You’re both acting incredibly calm considering the fact that what you’re doing is essentially stomping all over your friendship.

You can feel it though: this whole time, a new, unfamiliar energy has been building between the two of you and by now it’s almost palpable. The air tastes like lightning.

“Jiminie,” You breathe.

And just like that, Jimin whips round and clasps your face in his delicate hands, fingers brushing your temples. He’s not tall, a fact you frequently like to tease him about, but right now you feel tiny as he looms over you, face finger lengths from your own.

His thumb moves to stroke your cheek, trailing down to your mouth and his gaze follows. Jimin’s own mouth parts slightly as he runs his thumb over your lips. You’re searching his expression but it’s unreadable. The lust in his gaze, however, is undeniable.

This feels like a joke. Your best friend, Park Jimin, is softly caressing your features and looking at you in such a way that is practically sinful, and you don’t mind it. Moreover, you are so turned on that you wonder if you have ever been this horny before in your entire life.

Jimin’s sweater is forgotten on the floor. Your breathing is shallow and quick and your chest heaves, covered only by the lace bralette. This doesn’t go unnoticed by Jimin, his thumb leaving your mouth to cup your jaw while he unabashedly traces the contours of your chest with his eyes.

He goes to dip his head but stops himself, now eye-level with you. You’ve never seen Jimin so serious, without even the trace of a smile on his face. He looks at you with such a mix of emotions you can’t pick just one out.

Carefully, you slip an arm up and over his shoulder, burying your hand in his thick hair. Your movements are slow and gentle, as if any sudden action would break the spell you both seem to have fallen under.

You can feel his breathe on your lips, still sweet from the wine as he lets out a barely audible groan, “Fuck…Y/n, I-”

And then you’re really crossing the point of no return. Because you’re leaning in to taste your best friend’s beautiful, wine-stained lips.

Before you can even feel them on your own, a loud chiming echoes throughout the house, scaring the crap out of you. The two of you spring apart, spell broken. And shit. You can’t even look at him.

He grabs his phone, lighting up the time: 7:10pm. Ten minutes past the time he gave for the others to turn up. The room is spinning once more. You’d lost track of the time completely. If the others had been on time none of this would have even happened.

Would that have been good or bad? You don’t know.

Jimin begins to stutter out something: an apology, an explanation maybe – you can’t tell – but he’s interrupted by the same obnoxious chime before, this time prolonged and insistent. Someone’s obviously holding the button down. Your money’s on Yoongi.

Jimin looks defeated, mouth still working to form words but no sound’s coming out. He casts one last, mournful look at you before he scampers out of the room without saying anything.

You’re still frozen.

What the fuck just happened?

You hear the sound of the front door opening downstairs followed by multiple scolding voices, unhappy at being made to wait out in the cold and Jimin’s good-natured apologies. As your friends begin to file on into the house, letting out boisterous whoops at all the decorations around the rooms, you force yourself to move.

You can already hear Namjoon asking where you are. You’d told him you were arriving early, and sooner or later you just know that one of them will come upstairs looking for you.

For the sake of whatever dignity you have left, you need to put some clothes on. You can’t let the others find you standing topless and flushed in the middle of Jimin’s bedroom.

You pick up the sweater and pull it on. It smells of soap and vanilla and warmth. Jimin’s smell.

You wrap your arms round yourself and are surprised to find that you’re blinking back tears. A dread settles deep within you. You’ve possibly just ruined probably the best thing you have in your life right now. Yours and Jimin’s friendship means the world to you. So how could you be so stupid?!

You sniff. There’s no time to think about that stuff now. You just need to get through tonight. Enjoy yourself. You can talk about it with Jimin tomorrow. It’s Galentine’s Day, after all.

You hear someone thudding up the stairs, followed closely by shouts of, “Y/n, where you at?”

You smile and turn towards the door, “Coming, Hobi!”

Before you leave, you take one last look in the mirror, definitely not thinking about the way Jimin’s eyes gleamed at you in his reflection mere moments ago. You quickly wipe away any remaining tears gathered on your eyelashes and you’re good to go.

It’s going to be some night. You blame the dessert wine.

#bts fanfic #bts fic #jimin x reader #jimin fic #bts smut #bts fluff #bangtan x reader #bangtan fic #bts x reader

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sayu-is-a-sass-queen · 4 years ago

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Redemption and Identity - Death Note: New Generation

One thing I really appreciated from the third and final episode of “Death Note: New Generation” was Taichi Amazawa’s arc and his main conflict with Yuki Shien. Those themes of redemption and identity really stuck with me!

I’m gonna be sharing some thoughts and personal opinions under the cut below! Spoilers for “Chapter 3: Fanaticism” (Shien’s chapter) of “Death Note: New Generation”! You can find a brief summary of the episode here (I will be diving into a summary myself, though).

My personal arguement: Taichi’s surname (formerly Kunugida, now Amazawa) represents his identity - how he sees himself and how he is seen by others. Consequently, the act of changing one’s name represents the decision of moving on from his [criminal] past and yearning for at least partial redemption. The episode thus expores the question whether one’s identity should be defined by their past actions (Taichi Kunugida) or by who they are working towards becoming in the future (Taichi Amazawa).

Let’s start with a brief elaboration on the two opposing viewpoints presented in this episode!

On one hand, we have Taichi’s girlfriend Hayaka, who sees him as Taichi Amazawa - she judges him based on his current actions and not based on the act of killing a young girl as Taichi Kunugida. According to her, he is “no longer Kunugida”.

On the other hand, all other major characters in this episode judge him based on the killing that took place. This includes Taichi himself, who does not feel like he deserves to live a happy life as a possible husband and future father. Of course, this is certainly a valid viewpoint, especially in the case of the older woman related to Taichi’s victim, who simply cannot forgive Taichi for what he has done.

Yet, Shien takes this a step further by planning to write down the names of Taichi and Namaki, his former partner in crime, in his Death Note. As the victim of a similar crime and as a Kira supporter, Shien judges both Taichi and Namaki based on their past actions and does not believe that they should get the chance to redeem themselves.

Now, how does this conflict further explore themes of regret and (partial) redemption?

This is when the episode presents us with a comparison between Taichi and Namaki. Clearly, Namaki is very much the foil to Taichi’s character - they share the same past but, in the present, choose to define themselves differently. While Taichi is living a quiet life and performing hard but honest work, Namaki is planing to commit further crimes and does not regret his past at all. Thus, he threatens Taichi in order to make him join his criminal ways once more.

However, when Namaki dies because of the effects of Death Note, Taichi finally feels like there might be a chance to partly move on from his past. After all, the person mainly tying him to those events is now gone. Additionally, that meeting with Namaki has reminded Taichi of how he is aiming to improve himself and choosing live with the consequences of his actions, instead of taking the “easy” route.

This results in Taichi not having nightmares about his past for once (something he shares with Shien btw - both have frequent nightmares about family killings but from constrasting perspectives). In my interpretation, he realizes that he has the chance to improve himself and thus accepts Hayaka’s wedding proposal.

Now, whether that would redeem his character or not is up to personal debate. I personally think redemption is a matter based on personal relationships and values - you can be redeemed in the eyes some but not be forgiven by others. It would be unrealistic for somebody to be “completely” redeemed, as there will always be someone who won’t be able to forgive you (often for justified reasons). In a way, I do believe that Taichi has become aware of this notion as well. He might never be able to completely move on from his past but, to some people, he can bring positive change. I’d like to think that this is what lead to his change of mind.

Now, how exactly does that moral conflict conclude with Shien writing down Taichi’s name in the Death Note?

Ironically, this one night without any nightmares (and thus to Shien’s eyes, without regrets) is the reason why Shien chooses to write down Taichi’s name after all (although I do personally think that Shien might have written down Taichi’s name anyway and was merely looking for ways to justify his decision).

Interestingly, Shien confronts Taichi upfront about his actions - which is something he did not do before killing Namaki! Shien once more makes his moral standpoint clear by referring to Taichi as “Taichi Kunugida” and states the following: “Even if you change your name, your sin will not go away.”

And Shien is right about that. Taichi will never be able to completely erase his past. However, Shien refuses to even acknowledge Taichi’s new identity, his regret, and how he is aiming to become a better person.

In the end, Shien does write down Taichi’s name at home, observing Taichi through live security footage. (Of course he cannot be seen at the crime scene during the crime itself, but I do find that sudden distance after such a direct confrontation interesting as well.)

Shien writes down Tiachi’s name: Taichi Kunugida - his old surname. It’s the identity that represents his crimes and that Shien sees him through.

And so he waits for Taichi to die - but nothing happens.

Shien stops....and he is forced to acknowledge that Taichi’s birthname is not the name that can be used to kill him. Thus, when Shien now writes down the name “Taichi Amazawa”, he is forced to admit to himself that he was wrong about what Taichi’s real identity truly was.

In the end, the name used to kill Taichi represents the identity that he chose himself - the identity that he is striving towards in the present, not the identity defined by his past.

Once again, whether this prooves that Taichi is a redeemed character is not entirely possible to answer. It goes without saying that this is a tricky subject to discuss. Yet, what this episode does state (in my personal opinion!!) is the following:

While our past actions can not be entirely ignored, they are not the sole thing defining our identity. Rather, our identity also depends on how we react to our past actions and how we are willing to improve ourselves towards a future goal.

Of course this statement is a fairly popular one that’s explored in all sorts of different media - but I simply liked the execution in this particular episode and how (given the nature of the Death Note universe), names were used to drive this point further.

Moreover, I am aware that the universe that this miniseries takes place in is not the canon manga universe. From what I’m aware (pls correct me if I’m wrong!), we don’t know how name changes affect the Death Note in the manga. It was really just fun to explore this idea further (bc I feel like this moral conflict is something the manga did not elaborate on to the same degree) and to give these lesser-known Death Note characters some more attention. New content! We love to see it!

To conclude this spiral of Death Note thoughts, I thought it would be fun to end this with some translations of Taichi’s name(s)! Thank you so much for the translations and your general help regarding this post, @misora-massacre!

To directly quote Blue’s messages:

[02:19, 1.6.2020] Blue: Amazawa is written 雨澤, those are the kanji for "rain" and "swamp" [02:23, 1.6.2020] Blue: Kunugida is 椚田, those are "oak" and "rice field" [02:24, 1.6.2020] Blue: Taichi is written with the kanji for "thick"/"fat" and "one" [02:24, 1.6.2020] Blue: ....... He shares two kanji with [Touta] Matsuda's [02:25, 1.6.2020] Blue: The da at the end of Kunigida "rice field" is also the da at the end of Matsuda [02:25, 1.6.2020] Blue: And the Ta at the beginning of Taichi "fat" is also the Ta at the end of Touta

Some things that stand out in my opinion (but that could very much be coincidental): The common kanji with Matsuda’s name, as well the possible translation of “one” for Taichi’s first name in contrast his two surnames/identities.

Anyways, thank you very much for reading this! If you have anything to add or if you disagree with one of or several of the points that I have made, feel free to reblog this post with your reply or make your own post and (if you want to) tag me in it. Always looking forward to different opinions or corrections in case I accidentally got something wrong!

#taichi amazawa #taichi kunugida #yuki shien #death note new generation #death note: new generation #death note*#dn #dn ng #dn lutnw #death note light up the new world #dnlutnw #my meta #my writing #mine #deathnote #death note #dn thoughts

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thanksjro · 5 years ago

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Last Stand of the Wreckers, Issue #4: This Series is Awash With Lippy Sons of Guns

Issue #4 starts off with an uncomfortably handsome Prowl. I mean honestly, look at this asshole, he’s simply too pretty.

I don’t think Roche has ever drawn the guy ugly, but this is on another level.

We’re in a flashback sequence here, as we start to gain an understanding of just why exactly Ironfist got put on the Wreckers in the first place. Back when he was working at Kimia, Ironfist got a call from Prowl. Seems Prowl’s read his work, and is impressed by the sheer amount of effort he’s put into it. They chat a bit about it, but no call with Prowl is ever casual, and he asks Ironfist if he’s ever been interested in actually being a Wrecker. Which, of course he has, but he’d never exactly been cut out for that kind of work, especially after his Accident™. Prowl has a little push in that area, because he’s Prowl, and makes a deal; Ironfist joins the Wreckers as a weapon expert, and in exchange he does something for Prowl.

We won’t find out what exactly Ironfist’s agreed to do until later, as we jump back to the present, where the Guzzle and Kup are about to lay the smackdown on some unsuspecting Decepticons.

With how many cameras are currently trained on you guys, I can’t say you really have the time for wisecracks, old-timer.

That big vault door behind them leads to the cell of one of the most notorious Autobots ever to grace the galaxy- Grimlock. This is the “help” Springer requested they find, meaning that he’s a sort of last resort, which tells you just how much of a powerhouse the guy is. Volatile, sure, but a powerhouse regardless.

Too bad the cell’s empty.

Snare steps in to explain just why that is, having snuck up on our Big Gulp duo.

Well I’m sure that won’t be a plot point later on.

Of course, Guzzle doesn’t really feel inclined to believe a word of what this Getaway kitbash says, and starts threatening to shoot him. Snare however, has even more secrets to tell.

Perceptor and pals have finally discovered just what the hell it is that they’ve been looking for all this time. Aequitas is a supercomputer, and a massive one at that. They’re here to download its memory files. Topspin is less than pleased with this whole thing.

Ironfist agrees- there’s no way they’re going to be able to get all the data in Aequitas downloaded before the Decepticons get through to them and tear them to pieces. Verity, however, is more concerned about the size of the computer itself.

A large part of Aequitas is made up of something called a culpability drive, which breaks down factors like motivation and accountability into a streamlined equation so it can do something completely ridiculous: calculate guilt. Yes, someone had the bright idea to break down guilt into a binary system, without any “human” element involved. Because that couldn’t possibly backfire.

Then the narrative catches up to Topspin, and Ironfist and Verity get put on babysitting duty while he deals with his phantom pain. Pyro’s made to help Perceptor with booting up the computer.

Over with Springer, he and Impactor have a little heart-to-heart, while Twin Twist is passed out with a shadow over his face, probably waiting for the horrific reveal of what the dentist’s done to him. Springer feels really bad about Impactor having been sent to Garrus-9; he’d figured that after the trial, Impactor had been sent to rehab, or at least a prison that wasn’t quite as torturey.

Impactor points out that Springer’s testimony at Aequitas was pretty damning, and I’m starting to wonder why Springer didn’t see this coming. Unless they somehow managed to move that massive friggin’ supercomputer in the last few years, Impactor’s trial happened on Garrus-9. Kind of seems like a foregone conclusion that anyone who got put through the Aequitas wringer would end up staying if found guilty.

Impactor still doesn’t think that what he did was wrong, and the only reason they stop verbally duking it out is because Twin Twist does his dramatic face reveal and the dentist comes back in to finish off those fillings.

Funny, they had a similar setup at my old orthodontist’s.

As the dentist prepares to turn what’s left of Twin Twist’s face into the “Lust” scene from Se7en, we get back to the real point of this whole miniseries: fanwanking. Ironfist is telling Verity about the Decepticon’s answer to the Wreckers- Squadron X.

This group is made up entirely of characters who only existed in the Marvel UK comics, and even then only barely. This is convenient on multiple levels; it allows the Wreckers to have an antithesis to their own group that won’t disrupt any of the ongoing storylines outside of Last Stand of the Wreckers. Nobody’s really vying to use the guy who beat up a piano and then got thrown out of a bar, now are they?

It also allows you to use an already-established character that still has plenty of wiggle room for story application. No point in trying to make a new set of characters when we’ve got a bin full of nobodies off in the corner. Especially when we’re only going to have these guys around for a few minutes.

But we’ll get to that later.

Back to Ironfist’s story…

Oh hey Whirl.

Springer’s in a bit of a pickle- his lower half is trapped under a busted barricade, and Squadron X is closing in. Impactor has no intention of leaving Springer behind, so it’s time to get crazy. Springer tells Impactor to blast a hole through his TORSO so he can surprise-attack the approaching enemy. Impactor does so, reluctantly.

Please note that the emphasis is not mine, but the narrative’s.

That’s just a cool panel.

Once all that’s over and done with, Squadron X are all put into inhibitor harnesses to keep them from trying anything funny while in custody. But oh ho, what’s this? They’ve escaped! And they’ve ripped Sandstorm’s arm off! Surely, this must be dealt with, and who better suited for the job than the dude who’s been obsessed with taking these guys out for years now? Impactor gets to work.

And thus the day is saved, thanks to the Wreckers! Yaaay!

With Ironfist’s story concluded, Perceptor takes the time to mention that they’ve got a problem. Turns out Aequitas has some state-of-the-art security measures going on- in order to even turn the thing on, someone’s got to feed the thing their spark. You know, a robot soul. This thing runs on souls, and the donator has to be a willing participant otherwise it won’t work.

Well that’s awful convenient for you, now ain’t it, Percy?

I’m assuming they just never turned the thing off during the trials, otherwise they would have run out of juice very quickly.

So it’s slim pickings in terms of sparks. Perceptor’s playing IT, Topspin’s whole spark situation is a consent minefield, and Verity’s soul is the normal, human, intangible kind. And now we get to the part of our story that’s a little sad.

Pyro and Ironfist aren’t popular. They’ve never been in the spotlight. They aren’t important. They were brought on the Wreckers to die, plain and simple, because it’s a game of numbers, and their numbers are miles below the likes of Springer and Kup.

Pyro isn’t on-board with this at all, saying that this isn’t how it’s supposed to go down for him.

Say what you will about his delusions of grandeur, but this is a guy who knows what he wants.

While Pyro’s dreaming big, Topspin’s having a really bad time in the background. That vicarious perception’s hitting real hard right now.

Ironfist plays the child in a bitter divorce between Pyro and Verity as they argue over who the hell should die so the plot can keep moving. Ironfist has a lot to say, a lot that he really should say, but he doesn’t. He’s not proud of himself, or the things he’s done as a weapons’ expert. After reflecting on his life- a life that hasn’t been profoundly wondrous or meaningful- he concedes to being the one to die.

But that doesn’t happen, because Topspin takes matters into his own hands and puts the goddamn dog to sleep. The dog in this case being himself and Twin Twist. Aequitas thanks him for his donation, sucks out his spark, and over in the torture chamber Twin Twist explodes.

With the twins(?) dead, Aequitas is online, and not a moment too soon, because those Decepticons are starting to bring the door down. Perceptor hands a headphone jack to Ironfist, tells him to plug it into his brain, and to get ready for the hurt, because they’re about to download the entirety of this supercomputer into his head.

Back with Impactor, he’s about to get his cornea scratched, when Guzzle and Kup come to save the day, following Snare’s guidance.

I just want to say, Guzzle wins the Worst Crotch award. It’s simply awful.

So Kup and Guzzle free Springer and Impactor, just in time for Springer to revenge-stab the dentist with the torture stick. Too bad he’s already shot Snare.

Play… makes you free... in the prison that’s been turned into basically a death camp. Is… are we really doing the Holocaust parallels again? God, I hope I’m reading too much into that, I really do.

We finally find out what the prize for winning the Pit fights is: you can either fight Overlord, or kill yourself. Not much of a prize, if you ask me.

Speaking of the Blue Terror, he’s on his way over. Snare asks that Impactor just kill him, because there’s no way he’s going to risk being found out by Overlord that he was being sneaky. Impactor obliges, crushing his brain module between his fingers.

Then Overlord quite literally explodes into the room.

Back over in the Aequitas chamber, Ironfist’s just finished with his upload, and he’s shaken by what he now knows. The Decepticons have nearly broken down the door at this point, and there’s only one way to save themselves- they have to detonate the prisoners’ deterrence chips. This, of course, includes Impactor. Perceptor’s all for it, but Pyro’s wholly against the idea. Verity tries to put in her vote, but humans don’t have rights in the eyes of Wrecker law, so it all comes down to Ironfist.

You heard the man, let’s kill the purple guy.

#transformers #jro #last stand of the wreckers #issue 4 #maccadam #Hannzreads #text post #long post #comic script writing #wreckers trilogy

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youreverycolor · 5 years ago

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An Unlikely Love: Post Script (Rafael Barba x Anna Stein)

AN: Prompt #186 from 200 Prompts from @drink-it-write-it (“I’m eating because I’m very uncomfortable.”). I will probably be using Anna Stein’s character in a lot of the oneshots I write, so perhaps they’ll get their own miniseries. :)

Also should add that I wrote this while on Percocet after surgery so I apologize for typos or weirdness.

Written for @madpanda75; if you would like to be tagged on future Barba oneshots/fic, please reply and let me know! :)

Song: “My Shot” from the Hamilton soundtrack

~*~*~*~

“Mr. Barba? Anna Stein is here.”

Rafael Barba, the boy-wonder assistant district attorney, was not known for getting tongue-tied. In fact, he was usually the one doing the tying. But when his assistant opened his door and announced Anna’s arrival, he didn’t know what to say. After cases were over, he would nod in the victim’s direction, acknowledge their thank-you, and head back to his office to start all over again with someone else’s nightmare. He couldn’t remember a time when a victim had come to visit him after the case was over—and Anna’s case had been over for a year.

Last time Rafael had seen her, Anna was talking to Olivia in the hallway outside the courtroom where her rapist had just been sentenced to fifteen years in prison. Despite the victory, Anna had looked frail and somewhat dazed. After his years working with SVU, he knew this was understandable; sometimes a victim became so consumed with the trial that they didn’t quite know what to do after it was over. But he also knew Olivia had told her what she told all victims: that people who go through horrific experiences can survive and thrive when they get the support they need.

“Send her in,” he replied, but Carmen was already one step ahead of him—before he could even stand up, Anna was walking through his door. His breath caught in his chest; if he didn’t know better, he would never have been able to imagine this was the same woman who cried on a witness stand as John Buchanan tried to rip her apart. This woman walked tall, her blonde hair cascading down her back, pale skin glowing under the slightest coat of makeup. She looked like life had been breathed back into her.

She smiled at him as Carmen closed the door behind her. “Mr. Barba,” she said, walking toward his desk. “Thank you for taking a minute to see me.”

He extended his hand and she took it, giving him a confident shake. He remembered that about her; no matter how traumatized she had been, her handshake was always strong. “Of course,” he said. “How are you, Ms. Stein?”

“Please, call me Anna.”

“Okay, Anna. Have a seat.” She sank into of the chairs on the other side of his desk and, instead of sitting behind his desk, he sat next to her. “What can I do for you?”

“This is going to be a little—I mean, it’s going to sound—” She took a deep breath. “Ever since the trial, I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to do next. As you can imagine, I didn’t really feel I could go back to work there.”

“I can imagine. Your company wasn’t exactly helpful in the investigation.”

“No, of course not. They were more interested in protecting him. The CEO is more valuable than an executive assistant, and I’ve basically been blackballed in the financial industry.”

He nodded sadly, knowing how these things usually went. “Well, if it’s legal assistance you need, I can certainly recommend—”

She held up a hand. “Oh, no, no, that’s not it. But it’s kind of related, I guess. Like I said, I’ve been thinking about what I want to do now. And I talked a little to Detective Benson—Olivia—about it, and she’s the one who suggested I talk to you.”

He was intrigued. “Go on.”

She looked upwards and then let out a loud sigh. “I think I want to go to law school,” she finally said. “I know that that’s going to sound really—I mean, who just ‘decides’ to go to law school, right? And I know that most people go right after undergrad, and I have a biology degree, not political science or English, and—why are you smiling?”

He didn’t even realize he was. But listening to Anna talk reminded him of how excited he had been when he got his acceptance letter to Harvard Law. It shouldn’t even have been a surprise to him, considering he was poised to graduate from Harvard College. But it was still one of the most joyous days of his life, the beginning of the future.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s not that I’m not taking this seriously. But I’m not sure what I can do to help you.”

Her eyes lifted to his. “I guess it’s just that seeing how hard you fought for me…I don’t really know any other lawyers, Mr. Barba. And I want to talk to someone who’s done this. I know you’re really busy, and I understand if—”

He shook his head. “No, no, I’d be happy to talk. Right now, I have to finish prepping this case”—he gestured to the open file on his desk—“but if you have some time later this week, I’d be happy to make some time.”

“Of course. If you’re sure it’s not too much trouble, that is.”

“First lesson about being a lawyer. Never turn down the opportunity to influence new lawyers.”

She grinned and stood up. “I’ll make a note.”

He whipped out his phone and checked his calendar. “Does Thursday night work for you? I could be free after seven.”

“That’s perfect. I hear Forlini’s is popular with the legal crowd.”

“Usually when I’m there, I’m eating because I’m very uncomfortable.” She raised an eyebrow. “Tends to be where the squad and I go after we lose a case,” he explained. “The food’s a comfort when justice isn’t.”

“Got it. So, where then?”

He thought for a second. “How do you feel about Latin food?”

***

The summer evening threatened a storm. Between when Anna left her apartment and her arrival at Coppelia, the Latin American diner in Greenwich Village where she was meeting with Rafael Barba, the wind had picked up and nearly blew the cab door off when she opened it. Thankfully, Rafael hadn’t arrived yet, so she had time to escape to the restroom. Once she secured the door behind her, she set to fixing herself up. She pulled her hair into an approximation of a bun on top of her head, opting to work with the windblown look rather than fight against it. She took her leather jacket off and disentangled her double-layered necklaces. After picking a piece of lint off of her black t-shirt and smoothing the lines of her jeans, she was satisfied that she looked like a decently put-together woman. But just before she opened the door to head back into the diner, she dropped her coat and went back to the mirror.

Before the rape, she’d never worn perfume or makeup. But she decided, once she started to rebuild her life, that it was time to take risks and try new things. She knew this wasn’t a date. She didn’t intend it that way when she’d asked to meet him. She didn’t expect he thought anything different, either. And yet, she still coated her lips with watermelon gloss and gave herself an extra spritz of Chanel Mademoiselle from the travel bottle she carried with her.

When she made her way to the front of the restaurant again, Rafael was just entering the restaurant. She tried to look unassuming; the last thing she wanted was to seem overeager, especially next to the confident and collected ADA.

“Ms. Stein,” he said. “Glad to see you found the place.”

“First of all, it wasn’t easy—this place is a hole in the wall, literally—and second, Counselor, I told you to call me Anna.”

He took off his overcoat, and Anna was surprised to see that he wasn’t wearing a suit. Instead, he had on a dark blue Henley and slim-cut jeans; somehow, she had never pictured him wearing anything other than suspenders and ties. “Well, if you want me to call you Anna, then you’re going to need to call me Rafael.”

The waiter sat them at a booth toward the back of the restaurant, where, thankfully, the noise was much quieter. Rafael ordered a scotch, and Anna ordered a glass of sangria. “Thanks again for agreeing to meet with me,” she said.

“No need to thank me,” he replied. “That said, I’m not sure what I can offer you. I went to law school ten years ago. It’s probably an entirely different process now.”

“It’s not really school I want to know about so much as…well…your life.”

“My life? What do you mean?”

The waiter brought their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. Neither of them had looked at the menu yet, so they tabled the discussion in order to do so. “What’s good here?” she asked.

“Everything. But at the risk of sounding unbelievably boring, the Cubano is the best in the city.”

“Sold.”

“Wow, that was easy. Next, you’re going to let me talk you into applying to Harvard.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “What makes you think you talked me into anything? Maybe I already wanted to get that, and you just confirmed my choice.”

He smirked. “You’ve got a good poker face.”

“After what I’ve been through, I needed to get one.” When she saw his face fall slightly, her blue eyes flashed. “That was a joke. A bad one.”

He relaxed and took a sip of scotch. “I get it. We all cope differently.” Before she could ask what “we” meant, the waiter returned for their orders. Once he disappeared again, Anna pulled a notepad from her bag. Rafael laughed. “You do know that you have to trade your handwriting in for your law license, right?”

“You used notepads during the trial.”

He was taken aback. “You noticed that?”

“I had to focus my attention somewhere, I guess,” she said. “It was either that or be constantly aware of the assault on my life choices.”

She was referring, of course, to John Buchanan. He was the guy every rich white man accused of rape hired to get them acquitted and was also the perfect caricature of a defense attorney. His usual M.O. was to call the victim a slut or accuse her of lying or, Rafael’s personal favorite, claim it was consensual, rough sex. Listening to Buchanan, one would think that every woman on the planet enjoyed being dominated and sodomized.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t do more to protect you from that,” Rafael said sadly, casting his eyes downward.

Anna’s eyes softened and she leaned across the table. “You did your job. I know that. Why do you think I’m here?”

He looked up at her again, and then at her notebook. It was one of those old-school composition books, the kind he used in high school. “Okay, first question. Why do you want to go to law school?”

She took another sip of sangria. “You promise not to laugh?”

“Of course.”

“You.” His eyebrows shot up, nearly off his forehead. She smiled behind her glass; she knew he’d have that reaction. “I know it sounds like I’m just kissing your ass, but it’s true.”

“No, that’s not why I’m—it’s just—I’ve prosecuted hundreds of these cases, and—well, truth be told…”

Anna cocked her head. “What? What is it?”

“Well, it’s just that I’ve never even had a victim visit me after the case was closed, and now I’ve got you telling me that I made you want to go to law school. It’s a bit…”

“Overwhelming?”

He shook his head. “Not overwhelming. Just…unexpected.”

As their food arrived, she said, “If I’ve learned anything from the last two years, it’s that sometimes, the things we expect least change our lives the most.”

It would be years before Anna and Rafael realized how right she was; for the moment, he was content to tell her all about the law, and she was content to listen to him talk.

#rafael barba #rafael barba fanfiction #rafael barba fan fiction #rafael barba fanfic #rafael barba fan fic #rafael barba imagine #rafael barba x oc #ada rafael barba #law and order svu #law and order special victims unit #l&o:svu #raul esparza #svu #an unlikely love #my fic #svu fanfiction

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superman86to99 · 5 years ago

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Superman #82 (October 1993)

REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN! The climax of this 19-part storyline, the entire "Death and Return of Superman" saga, and seven years of long-ass plotlines. And it only took this blog a mere six years and six months to get here! PREVIOUSLY: After Superman’s death, five different Supermen popped up to reclaim the mantle, some more convincingly than others. The front-runner, the Cyborg Superman, kinda ruled himself out of the competition when he nuked out a whole city and replaced it with a giant engine. Now the other would-be Supermen converge in that place...

The Last Son of Krypton/Eradicator finally arrives on Engine City, having set off from the Fortress of Solitude two weeks ago. We noted back then that he suddenly looked like an old man, but he's back to Superman's age now. If this storyline had gone on any longer, he would ended up Benjamin Buttoning himself into a grumpy, ultra-violent baby.

Superboy also flies in from Metropolis. It's the fourth time he makes the Metropolis-Coast City trip in a few days (not counting the time he got a ride on a missile), so he's gotta be pretty bored of it by now.

Steel, last seen getting crushed by some giant cogs, emerges from the bowels of Engine City with his armor in tatters but his body intact. Dude’s a tough nut to crack.

Supergirl and the powerless Man in Black continue making their way through Engine City. Supergirl's like "Wanna step out and let those of us with powers handle this one, chief?" but the Man in Black ain't having it. Wow, that's pretty heroic. Maybe... maybe he's actually the real Superman?! Nah, that's crazy.

And Green Lantern Hal Jordan is also there, because this whole issue takes place on top of the ashes of his old city and childhood memories and all. We see the end of his fight with Mongul from Green Lantern #46.

The Cyborg watches as the Super-People invade his fortress from his control room, but he's a glass half full kind of guy, so he's choosing to focus on the fact that he (apparently) gets to kill Superman again.

After the Eradicator joins the party and the Cyborg reveals his true identity, the Man in Black finds himself in the awkward position of having to team up with one of Superman’s worst villains (the one who wanted to turn Earth into Krypton) to fight a good guy driven crazy by space travel (and who once looked like Johnny-5). It's only after the Eradicator goes on a two-page exposition dump about how he brought Superman back to life that the Man in Black goes "alright, guess you're cool".

The Man in Black and the Eradicator follow the Cyborg to the center of Engine City, where a giant chunk of kryptonite powers the entire fortress. The combined powers of the Eradicator's Eradicator-ness and the Man in Black's punching (OK, mostly the first thing) seem to be winning -- but then, in a desperate move, the Cyborg shoots a blast of concentrated kryptonite at the Man in Black. The Eradicator, however, heroically jumps in front of the blast...

...which has the unexpected side effect of restoring the Man in Black's Superman powers, allowing him to dispatch the Cyborg with a swift "broosh". What's a "broosh"? You know, a "broosh":

After Supergirl uses her convenient clothes-shifting powers on the Man in Black's costume, it only takes one second of him in the classic red and blue tights to convince everyone that HOLY CRAP HE'S THE REAL SUPERMAN AND HE'S BACK FROM THE DEAD! (Side note: I like how Green Lantern goes "We'll mop up here! Not like I have anything better to do, what with all my friends being dead and stuff. Haha. I-I’m okay, seriously.")

It's him! It really is him. I knew it all along. Never doubted it.

Character-Watch:

The Eradicator is this issue's real MVP. His whole arc has been about slowly turning him from an emotionless robot into a sentient being through his interactions with people (Lois, Steel, even Loose Cannon and Guy Gardner), and it pays off when he jumps in front of that kryptonite blast yelling "I WON'T LET YOU DIE [AGAIN]!".

Also, when he tells Superman "We have always been linked, you and I", that's true. While their psychic connection influenced Superman negatively for a while (the Day of the Krypton Man saga), it looks like it also worked in the other direction and some of Superman's goodness rubbed off on him. By the way, it might be a stretch but the climactic shot of the kryptonite blast always reminded me of the Day of the Krypton Man's climactic shot, with Superman finally overcoming the Eradicator’s influence with Pa Kent's help.

Anyway, sorry, Superboy and Steel. The Eradicator had the best sacrifice scene in this storyline, hands down. Of course, they eventually brought him back again and turned him into a lapdog for the Cyborg and then Zod, but let's enjoy his dignified retirement while it lasts.

Plotline-Watch:

I'm not kidding when I say that this issue represents the convergence of seven freaking years of storylines. Let's recap (strap on, this is gonna be long):

John Byrne's Man of Steel #1 (1986) introduced Superman's birth matrix, the flying artificial womb that took him from Krypton to Earth. When young Clark sees the matrix for the first time he feels weak, because there's some kryptonite lodged into it. In Superman #1, a few months later, we find out that a crazy scientist stole the matrix and used it to build Metallo, so Superman decides to leave it suspended in orbit to prevent it from being used against him again. Three years later, the distraught mind of a disembodied astronaut called Hank Henshaw jumped into the matrix, and he made himself a tiny little spaceship from its technology, then sped off into deep space. Eventually, he went mad, hooked up with Mongul, and used the DNA information he got from the birth matrix to make himself a half-Kryptonian body. Hence: the Cyborg Superman. (As for that kryptonite rock, it ended up in Lex Luthor's hands... soon to be "hand".)

Also during Byrne's run, Superman briefly visited a "pocket" universe inhabited by a Silver Age-type Superboy, who died by the end of that storyline. Months later, the pocket Earth had turned into a hellhole thanks to three Kryptonian criminals. They too died by the end of that storyline... by Superman's hand. Feeling guilty over killing those killers, Superman exiled himself in space, was captured by Mongul's Warworld, and found an ancient egg-shaped relic created by his ancestors: the Eradicator. Superman brought the Eradicator back to Earth and it built him a nice Fortress of Solitude, but it also took over his mind and turned him into the emotionless Krypton Man -- who became an entity of its own after Superman overcame it. After Superman's death, the Fortress' robots rebooted the Eradicator so he could follow his “preserve Kryptonian life” directive and restore Superman back to life, but he got a little confused and thought HE was Superman. Hence: the Last Son of Krypton.

Another concept introduced by Byrne was the idea that Kryptonian DNA is too complex to be duplicated by Earth scientists, which led to the creation of Bizarro. Byrne's World of Krypton miniseries also established that Kryptonians used clones as spare parts to extend their lifetimes, and the conflict over clone rights literally tore the planet apart. So when Superman learned of a cloning facility near Metropolis called Project Cadmus, he immediately felt uneasy about it. After his death, Cadmus got hold of his body so they could create a replacement, but, again, you can't clone a Kryptonian... so they simply created an approximation of Superman's powers and features using human DNA. Hence: Superboy.

As for Steel, he's just Steel. Hence: Steel. Incidentally, if you’re wondering why his armor has been reduced to just some metal shorts by the end of the issue, here’s the answer. Pretty self-explanatory.

The only major plotline left dangling after this issue (aside from Dr. Stratos, of course) is Lex's own death/return/cloning misadventure, but the Super-Squad will deal with that in a big way pretty soon. Oh, and then there's the mess they left for Green Lantern, but that's another creative team's problem. (SHAMELESS PLUG: Follow my new Green Lantern '94 to '04 blog to see how that mess turned out.)

Believe it or not, there's even MORE stuff to talk about in this issue, so don’t miss the great Don Sparrow's section after the jump:

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

In the first place I have to say that this issue is an all-time favourite of mine, probably in my top three of this era of comics we’ve been so dutifully covering. The excitement at my local comic shop for this issue was incredible, and already being the Superman fan that I was, I felt like I was on the ground floor. [Max: I also remember the excitement when I first saw this issue in my cousin’s hands after he showed it to me the day he bought it... then didn’t let me touch it, so I read it years later.]

We start with the cover, and I got the deluxe edition, with the chromium cover. Back when this issue came out, I had a love/hate relationship with Image comics. I wasn’t interested in the dark & gritty characters like Spawn and the like, and generally thought the Image books favoured flash over substance and storytelling. BUT, man, did the colouring and paper they used at Image ever look cool! So I was a bit torn about DC using a “gimmicky” feature like this—it looked amazing, but I also felt it was leaning a little far in the direction of sizzle over steak. But I didn’t mind that much, since this had been such a great story to this point. Aside from the metallic 3D look of the cover, the drawing is great, too. It was the first look at the returned Superman in the full suit, and also with the long hair present. DC must have thought that the long hair was a gamble on some level (even though we’d seen it for months in the actual issues) because they hid it from the covers for so long. [Max: This was also the cover they used in both the Spanish and Mexican editions I have, so that’s what I went with for the top of this post. The “normal” cover looks like a historic oddity to me.]

Inside the issue, we jump in with another splash page—there are a lot of these, and it really calls back Superman #75, as most of the pages have one main image, with a few small panels laid overtop. This one features another interpretation of the Eradicator, with short, non-spiky hair—it’s interesting to see these characters reinterpreted week to week. This opening page also commits the unpardonable sin of demanding that we stop reading the issue until AFTER we read Green Lantern #46. Being a naïve 13 year old when I read this issue, I of course complied with the demands of DC editorial, and read Green Lantern first, not realizing it has a near identical plot (albeit from a different point of view), right down to the “broosh” at the end, very much spoiling what is about to come in Superman #82. I remember being pretty steamed that my first glimpse of a returned Superman didn’t come in a Superman book. While I appreciate the coordination, I do find the caption misleading.

Also similar to Superman #75—it’s very hard for me not to talk about every panel or page, because this whole book is just gorgeous. The badassery from the last issue continues into this one, as Superman with his tough-guy attitude and giant gun is pretty cool. One quibble I have with this team is that when they bury Superman’s eye’s in shadow, it can have a sinister or tired look, which I don’t think is the intention. Some panels it’s more prominent than others, but in one panel on page 6 where it makes Superman look pretty rough, and a lot less handsome. We get more big gun Superman later when he starts taking it to Engine City in general, knowing it is connected to the Cyborg.

The Cyborg taking different shapes is done pretty effectively here, particularly when he forms himself out of what must be a lead-like metal to accuse Superman of a bunch of nutty stuff. The reveal of the Kryptonite heart of engine city is very well done, in part because of Eradicator’s bulging red eyes. It is a bit weird to imagine a lipless robot saying “mmm, hmm” though.

We get another great full-page splash as the Eradicator goes all-out in his effort to defeat the Cyborg. The captions here always confused me though, where it says “(The Eradicator) was built to kill…the other (the rocket that brought Superman to Earth, which the Cyborg used to create his new body) to bear new life. The victor would be obvious.” But to me, it’s not obvious. I would think that in a Superman comic, a vessel of LIFE would be the big winner over ancient weaponry, but I think the caption intends the inverse. I guess it’s saying a gun would beat a baby crib? It’s one of those passages that sounds cool, until you think about it. Or think about it excessively, as I clearly have. [Max: To be fair, a gun WOULD beat a baby crib. It would kick that baby crib’s ass.]

Superman’s haymaker knocking off the Cyborg’s jaw is an incredible visual, and there’s a subtle set-up for the great cape visual call-back that comes later.

The entire sequence of the Eradicator taking the blast of Kryptonite is well done, in particular the panel when we see Superman through the vanishing Eradicator. I’m a bit confused as to just how the Kryptonite suction thing works here—the Kryptonite meteor is shrinking and shrinking, but nothing is attached to it except for that one hose.

Jurgens and Breeding do a great job of showing the physical cost of Green Lantern going toe to toe with Mongul. It also sets up for my all-time favourite Superboy quote, one I think might be seen on this site from time to time in meme form, “Check it out! The Lantern looks so totaled it makes me want to hurl!”. This entire saga has been worth it, to get to that line. Just magnificent. [Max: I think Hal went evil because of that one comment.]

The glimpse of the burnt-out husk of the Eradicator is also incredibly well drawn—and painful looking—but even by the end of this story he seems a lot more recovered.

The scene of the returned-to-full-power Superman decking the Cyborg is a stand-up-and-cheer moment, and I love the detail that Superman is holding the cape for this whole scene. It’s interesting that as the Cyborg starts to get damaged in the fight, we see how little organic material there is. Metal seems to poke through the skin on his face, as if only a thin sheet were laid over the metal. and when Superman punches right through him, there’s really no blood or anything, just a dry, cracked crater. I had thought, up until this issue that the cybernetic parts were beside real skin and bones (as if to replace the damaged parts of Superman’s body from his fight with Doomsday), but this issue seems to posit that he’s all robot, with only a veneer of Kryptonian flesh overtop.

The normally merciful Superman is pretty blood-thirsty here, vibrating his arm fully in the knowledge it might kill Henshaw (who helpfully reminds us, he’s survived before). [Max: That moment kind of rubbed me the wrong way, and I think Jurgens himself felt uneasy with it too. One of the highlights of his recent “Rebirth” run was that Superman deliberately decides to jail Hank instead of killing him to at least give him a chance to be rehabilitated, which would be cool to see happen one day.] I love the little glimpse we get of the restored, and re-costumed Superman before the full reveal, and as a character moment, I love that he would think to show gratitude for the heroes who filled in when Superman was dead.

The next few pages are pure joy, as it’s such a treat to see our Superman soaring around in the sunshine, even with the new Tarzan haircut. It’s such a show of restraint that they didn’t pack a reunion with Lois into this issue, instead allowing a different superteam to tell that story, which very much deserves its own issue. Overall, though, I just remember feeling such a sense of joy, and relief that Superman was back, and back to full power. [Max: SPOILERS: And then some...]

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

I do love this era of comics before swearing (or even censored swearing) was a thing, because they have the weirdest phrases. John Byrne would always have characters saying “blast” instead of “damn” to an absolutely ridiculous degree. In this issue, I don’t know for sure if “crud” is a stand-in for another word, but it does strike me as downright odd for Green Lantern to use it as a noun against Mongul. The concept of “a crud” just amuses me, though I suppose it could be meant in the same vein as “scum” or something.

Is it me, or does Jeb look like Ricardo Montalbon here? [Max: Oh crud, I forgot Jeb was in this issue! Jeb was in this issue, everyone.]

I love they don’t even give the Cyborg a moment to be cool. Just as he’s about to reveal his true identity in a villainous speech he gets clocked by Superboy, in one of my favourite moments with the character (but not my very favourite, as we’ve seen.) I also like the low-level burn that Henshaw assumes that Superman must already know who he is, but Superman’s like, nope.

I do like that this issue goes to great lengths to explain that Superman can’t just keep returning from the dead, even going so far as to say it would never work again. My pet theory is that the Eradicator’s Resurrection Matrix only worked because Pa Kent’s spiritual journey in Adventures of Superman #500 really did happen. [Max: I might be misremembering, but I think the upcoming issue of Action pretty much confirms that.]

I’m glad to see him recovered, but I kinda think Eradicator spoiled the moment a little with his observation about Green Lantern.

[Max: Blast it, Sparrow! You’ve done it again!]

#superman #dan jurgens #brett breeding #eradicator #superboy #coast city #green lantern #hal jordan #mongul #steel #supergirl #hank henshaw #jeb friedman #metal shorts #dc give me baby eradicator you cowards #reign of the supermen

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katehuntington · 6 years ago

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Title: All I Want - part two Fandom: Supernatural Characters: Reader, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester Pairing: Dean x Reader Series summary: Sam and Dean come across an object that could be the solution to Michael. The Pearl of Baozhu grants the beholder’s deepest desire. Once Dean focuses on his wish, the archangel remains caged in his mind however. Instead his former girlfriend Y/N shows up, who was killed in 2010 in Detroit, by no other than Lucifer himself. Summary part two: After another horrific nightmare, Dean joins his brother in search for an answer to take down Michael. They strike gold when they find the Baozhu, but Dean’s wish doesn’t ban the Archangel from his mind. Instead he reunites with the one person he never thought he’d see again. Warnings part two: NSFW, 18+ only. Spoilers season 14 episode 13. Angst, fluff-ish. Nightmares, descriptions of flashbacks, mentions of major character death, anxiety, grieving over lost loved one, swearing, alcohol consumption. All the tears. Word Count: 4019 words Author’s note: Part two of a multi part miniseries, based on the 300th episode “Lebanon”. Prepare for major angst, heartwarming reunions and heartbreaking goodbyes. Beta’d by the lovely @kittenofdoomage and @coffee-obsessed-writer, thank you so much for your feedback!

All I Want Masterlist

February 7th, 2019 Lebanon, Kansas

A rigid gasp for air ends Dean’s tormenting dream. He bolts up in bed, sheets and yesterday’s clothes clinging to the cold sweat that covers every square inch of his skin. His heart is racing as if he just ran up ten flights of stairs, shivers wrecking his body. Eyes wide open he stares at the opposite wall, trying to calm himself by focusing on his breathing. It’s not real, Dean. Not yet. Not now.

The splitting headache that has haunted him ever since he locked Michael in that coolcell far in the back of his mind, pushes itself to the front, pounding behind his eyes in the rhythm of the archangel’s fists on the door. The hunter breathes in deeply and exhales, letting the air flow from his lips. He’s not in the box, he’s not drowning like he was a second ago, and although he knows it is written in Billie’s book that this will be how he will meet his end, he has to hold on to the present. Dean sighs and closes his eyes. I’m in control.

A knock on furnished wood draws his gaze towards his bedroom door, finding the tall silhouet of his brother, carefully pushing it open. Faint yellow light from the hallway reaches into room number eleven, illuminating only one side of Sam’s face, but it’s enough for Dean to make out the worried expression in his features. “Did I wake you?” Sam asks hesitantly. But the oldest of the Winchester brothers shakes his head, rubs his eyes and glances aside at his alarm clock. Not even 3 ‘o clock, so that gives him… two and a half hours of sleep? If you can call back to back nightmares sleep, anyway. Then Dean notices the scratches on the wall next to his bed, traces of crimson in the concrete. When he checks his right hand, he finds his fingertips bloody, his nails scraped away to the flesh.

The hunter shifts his gaze back to Sam, who honestly doesn’t look like his night was any better. “What are you doing up?”, he wonders. “Cataloging Bart Kemp’s stuff. Thought I might find something that could help us out. He owned a ton of occult objects,” Sam asserts. “Need a hand?” Dean shifts, flopping his legs over the side. Sam frowns at that. Dean who wants to catalog hundreds of ancient items? That’s a new one. “Sure you don’t wanna get some rest?” Sam returns doubtfully, watching how his brother straps on his boots. “Nah, I’m good. Can’t sleep anyway.” He gets up and runs his fingers through his hair, smoothening it out.

Avoiding his little brother’s concern, he pushes himself past Sam in the doorway, awkward unspoken words hovering between then. He can feel the tall hunter’s eyes, fixed to unravel what Dean is desperately trying to hide. Endless nights of terror as Michael wreaks havoc in his mind. Reliving the worst moments of his life and experiencing the new definition of hell that is yet to come. Trapped in the Ma’lak Box, screaming for help, for his brother, for Y/N, as he tries to crawl his way out while the water seeps in.

As Dean enters the library with Sam on his tail, he grabs yesterday’s half a bottle of Jack Daniels from the table, unscrews the cap and takes a swig. His eyes roam over the collection of curse boxes, books and scattered notes, again ignoring the look his brother is throwing him. He has never shied away from liquor, but these days he fills more whiskey tumblers than coffee mugs. Self-medicating, he keeps telling himself. Anything to shut the tremors down. “So, what we got?” he wonders, trying to steer the attention away. “Dean...” “Don’t.”

With an agitated sigh the oldest of the two sits down, dismissing his brother’s attempt to start the conversation that he’s been trying to avoid for weeks. But for a short second, his mask wears thin. It confirms the worries that keep Sam up at night as well. Suddenly his brother seems older than forty, the age that the hunter miraculously reached last month. He’s much older when you count the decades he spent in Hell. Add the losses he suffered, the pain he’s been through, sleepless nights and tainted dreams; he’s an old soul, tired and worn. Keeping the Archangel on lock down is becoming more difficult with each day. Especially now that Michael is trying to break him by using the woman Dean lost his heart to. “I heard you,” Sam admits. “I’m pretty sure the entire bunker did.” Dean rolls his eyes slightly before looking away, opening his mouth to fire a second warning. But then Sam drops the bomb. “I heard you call out for Y/N, too.”

Y/N. The name of the woman Dean loved more than he ever thought he would be capable of, especially after all the horror he bared witness to. The name that’s never mentioned, not because she’s not worth to remember, but because even after all those years, he’s still afraid that touching that subject will wreck him the same way her death did.

His heart starts to physically hurt as pressure on his chest builds. Struggling to hide the discomfort from showing, Dean has another swig of whiskey. He can’t prevent his jaw from clenching as he swallows down the alcohol, allowing the strong after burn to distract him. He could blow up on Sam, remind him of the fact that last time when he brought her up, Dean threatened to break his little brother’s nose if he ever would speak of her again. But Dean doesn’t counter. He’s too tired to fight Sammy, too. “What do you want me to say, Sam?” Sam spreads out his arms and lets them fall against his side, despondency in his stance. “Anything!” he exclaims, his voice a little higher and a little louder than he anticipated. “Dean, I know nightmares come with the job, but this isn’t normal. Not even for us.”

“Of course it’s not normal, Sam! Having a fucking Archangel trapped in my head ain’t a typical day at the office either! Who do you think is causing these dreams, huh?” Dean snaps, looking Sam in the eye for the first time that night. Then he takes a breath and collects himself. Stop being an ass, Dean. Sammy’s just worried. “Michael is pulling out all the stops to crush me before we pin him down. Keeping me quiet by giving me what I wanted didn’t work, so now he’s doing the opposite,” he continues, much calmer now. “During the day I can handle him, but at night…”

Mixed feelings cause the hunter to pause. He doesn’t want to burden his little brother with the weight that comes with the knowledge. He’s troubled enough as it is, frantically trying to find another way to expel Michael and lock him away where he can’t hurt anyone else. Another option, a scenario that doesn’t include his big brother on the bottom of the ocean in the Malak’ Box. But God, Dean needs an outlet. “So this is his new approach? He shows you your darkest days?” Sam assumes, frowning empathetically. Dean averts his eyes back to the bottle, his fingers around the glass body. “On the big screen,” he confesses. “I’m not just watching, though.” “What you mean?” The younger Winchester has taken a seat, leaning his elbows on the rosewood surface as he leans over the table. “I’m not a witness,” Dean begins to explain. “Sometimes I’m under water, like I’m in the Box already. Other times I experience memories I wish I could forget, exactly the way it went down. It… It feels real. I’m there, in the moment, but I can’t stop it. I can’t change what I did or didn’t do.”

Sam runs his hand through his dark hair, feeling terrible that his big brother is forced to endure this every time he closes his eyes. His mind floats back to the moment earlier tonight, when Dean’s screams reached his hearing. His own name echoed through the hallways, but the chilling cry when he called out for her, will stay with him for a much longer time. “Dean, Y/N’s death was not your fault,” Sam tries to assure him. But Dean disagrees, shaking his head as he leans back in his seat. “I was supposed to protect her. She shouldn’t have been there with me, Sam.” “She was our back up.” “Yeah, and it got her killed.”

Dean swallows down another slug of Jack Daniels and sniffs when he lowers the bottle, having downed almost a quarter of it’s content already. He bites his bottom lip hard, tempted to draw blood as he thinks about that day in Detroit. He remembers the argument they had before entering the apartment building where Lucifer held up. She refused to let the brothers go in by themselves, claiming that they needed a third man in case the plan went south and there was no one to finalize the mission. She didn’t just wanted to be there for them, she wanted to be there for him. He was about to lose his little brother forever, and she wanted to catch him before he fell to his knees. Dean allowed it reluctantly, and minutes later her skull was crushed against the concrete, bringing her short but meaningful life to a screeching halt.

He was supposed to have her back that night. She was his girl. His girl he failed to save. And it’s not just Y/N who haunts him, because the son of God was right. His father, the Harvelles, Ash, Bobby, Pamela, Charlie, Kevin… The list goes on. All perished either because they gave their life for the Winchesters, or because they got caught in the crossfire. That’s on him. Every loved one he ever lost lost, they are all casualties he blames himself for. He doesn’t need an Archangel to remind him of his wrongs.

Dean rises to his feet and pushes his chair back, its legs drawing such a loud screech from the smooth furnished floor, that Sam startles. Both were lost in thought for a moment, until the oldest of the two snaps out of it and decides that it’s time to get to work. “Let’s not dwell on the fact that Michael is making my time in Hell look like Disney World. As long as I’m still sane, I much rather spend my night finding a way to end him.” He frowns at his little brother, his mask back on. “What do we got?” The younger Winchester gathers his thoughts and shifts some notes aside. “Well, uh - amongst all this there are a few artifacts that could be interesting. One of them is called the Pearl of Baozhu. It’s one of the eight ancient Chinese treasures.” “What does it do?” Dean wonders. “It grants wishes. Technically it’s supposed to give you ‘what your truly heart desires’.” Hopeful Sam looks up to the hunter at the head of the table, who shrugs and seems to consider it. “That would be Michael out of my head,” he concludes. “Exactly.” Dean takes a look around at the stack of boxes. “So you’re telling me that the answer to our problems is sittin’ somewhere in this pile of shit?” “Better start digging,” Sam suggests, pushing a box in his direction.

Serenity lingers in the bunker in the early hours of a new day. The table lamps spread their light over the surface underneath, their rays warm and gentle for tired eyes. Dean is surrounded by several boxes and books, going through a journal while leaning back in his chair and with his ankles crossed, somewhat more relaxed now that he contributes to something useful. He’s nursing his whiskey, kept busy in search for a clue in order to find the Pearl. It’s a few minutes past five in the morning, when Sam opens his third box of the night and reveals a small bag, the silk fabric tied together with a yellow cord. Curiously Sam takes it out and loosens the tie, unfolding a little red cushion, on which a perfect round shape rests. “Dean.” “Hm?” His brother doesn’t look up immediately, biting the end of pen as he scans through Bart Kemp’s notes. “I think this is it,” Sam states, looking down at the tiny object that could be the solution to everything. Now he does captures Dean’s attention, his green eyes darting up from sloppy handwriting to the little white ball. “That’s the Pearl?” he checks, for some reason expecting something so powerful to be bigger. Sam nods, hope pulling at the corner of his mouth. Intrigued Dean rises to his feet and circles the table, his eyes fixed on the powerful artifact. “Let’s do it.” “Are you sure you don’t want to call Mom, or wait for Cas?”, his brother suggests, somewhat anxiously. “No,” Dean dismisses, taking the unfolded red cushion in both hands gingerly. ‘If this mojo works like you say; great. If not; why get their hopes up?”

Sam holds his brother’s gaze for a moment, wondering if that’s all there is to Dean’s eagerness, or that the real reason why he’s jumping the gun, is his desperation for expelling the Archangel from the Alcatraz that is his mind. Deciding that this is not the time to test that theory, he agrees. “Okay, so…” Dean reaches for the Baozhu, not sure if he can touch it without consequence. “What do I do?” “I don’t know.” The younger brother shrugs hesitantly. “I… I guess you hold the pearl and concentrates on what your heart desires?” “Michael out of my head.” The man holding the Pearl imprints the sentence into his brain, while Sam shoots his sibling a short glare, as if just stated the obvious. “Got it,” Dean reassures, just a little too quickly.

To Sammy it might seem cut and dry, but the man who is about to make a wish isn’t so sure. He could think of a list of things he would want differently. What would the world look like if the Yellow Eyed Demon hadn’t come after his family? If all evil would disappear from the face of the earth, just like that? Would Mom have raised her sons to have a normal childhood? Would his father still be around? Would Cas have descended from Heaven? Would Dean’s path crossed Y/N’s? Would she be alive?

Dean regains his focus, picks up the little white ball from the cushion and holds it between his thumb and his index finger. Michael out of my head. That’s all he needs to keep in mind. Right now, that is all he wants. Before he rolls the Baozhu into the palm of his hand, the brothers exchange one last look, but then Dean encloses his fingers around the tiny treasure with such great power, and shuts his eyes. With furrowed brow Dean concentrates.

It only takes a few seconds before an eerie electric static reaches his hearing, triggering him to look up. The wall lamps in the library flicker violently, until the power shortage causes the back up generators to start running. All secondary equipment is switched off and the emergency lights come on, draping the Winchesters in a red gleam. Sam observes his surroundings allerted, his eyes adjusting to the sudden darkness. Cautiously the men try to pick up on even the slightest movement or sound, their senses heightened, driven by instinct.

Then they hear footsteps. Sam pulls his gun from behind his waistband in a split second, aiming at the central War room. His brother isn’t as quick on the draw, though, a hint of familiarity in the way the boots sound on the marble floors slowing him down. “Dean? Sam?”

Right there and then, Dean’s heart stops. He knows that voice, he’d recognize it anywhere. Soft and clear, just like he remembers, just like he dreamed. Shell shocked he stares down at the other room, where a silhouette appears from around the corner. Now he inhales sharply, wide eyes fixed on the figure approaching. No way… It can’t be.

The power switches back on, the ominous red emergency rays replaced with warm bright light. It reveals Dean’s careful suspicion and it knocks the air out of his lungs. He must be dreaming again. That, or he’s having a hallucination. It wouldn’t be far fetched, sleep deprivation and alcohol consumption considered. But when he steals a glance at Sam, he sees the same shocked expression while his brother slowly lowers his gun. “Y/N?” he stammers.

She walks up the steps and halts under the arched entrance to the library, a little out of breath after her run down the hallways of this immense place. She glances from one Winchester brother to the other, her wild eyes leaving Dean for a second as she looks around at the impressive library. She doesn’t recognize the place, but despite the brick walls and lack of windows, it feels welcoming and safe. Wait, is that a telescope? “What in the Hell? Where the fuck are we?” she wonders, returning her gaze to Sam. “And what happened to you guys? You both look like you aged a decade overnight.”

Sam lets the air flow from his lips with a short huff, not sure if she’s trying to be funny or doesn’t have a clue what is going on. It’s so unmistakably her, though. The wit, the way she lights the room, a carelessness in her stroll as she enters the library. This is, without a shadow of a doubt, his friend, the closest he ever had to a sister. He can’t take his eyes off her, and he’s not the only one. It doesn’t go unnoticed, because Y/N bounces her focus between the boys, frowning at the evident shock on their faces.

“W- why are you looking at me like that?” Uncomfortably she rubs her arm, her gaze now fixed on Dean.

Unable to answer, he dumbfoundedly stares, his mouth agape. A mix of disbelief and astonishment has the hunter frozen on the spot, something that rarely ever happens to him. In his nightmares the Ma’lek Box would slowly fill up, until he drowned. In reality it’s his emotions that overflow the walls of his mind, the waterline rising until it reaches his eyes. Mystic green shimmers, his vision fogging, but he still sees her. He still sees the woman he lost, yet never stopped loving.

Finally he’s able to move, stepping forward tentatively. With each step, Dean gets a little braver and closes the gap between them. When she’s at arm’s length, he stops, frantic eyes darting to take in every feature he never wants to forget. Afraid to burst the bubble, he slowly lifts his hand to her face. What if he touches her and she turns out to be nothing more than a mirage? An apparition of his hopes and dreams, crumbling to dust once he gets too close? Michael has played these kind of mind games before and it wrecked the broken hunter every time his fairytale world fell apart. But like he has done all those times, he reaches for her anyway, because what if this time, it is real?

His fingertips brush her soft skin, sending a shiver down her spine. Overcome by both love and fear that speak from his watering eyes, she returns a worried gaze. Not daring to speak, she keeps looking at Dean as he cups her face, brushing a messy strand away with his thumb. It’s clear as day that the connection moves the person who has such an important part in her life.

Feeling her under his touch, being able to connect with her when he thought he would never be able to again, it’s too much. He swallows down the lump that creeps up his throat, tears threatening to breach the walls. She’s here. Fuck, she’s really here.

Dean takes a final step towards the woman of his dreams while he pulls her in and, without wasting another second, he does what he has been longing for ever since her shattering death. He presses his lips to hers, kissing her with everything he has. For a short second he feels her tense against him, but then she slips her hands around his forearms and she answers him, melting into the kiss. The man who regained what he had lost can’t help the tremble in his breath, can’t stop the teardrops from rolling down his cheek. He doesn’t care about showing vulnerability, because finally… finally he got her back.

They part and she opens her beautiful eyes, confounded by his actions. A small yet genuine smile forms, breaking the shimmering paths of sorrow that came down his cheeks. Then the hunter pulls her in a tight hug, burying his face in her hair. Her heart beats against his chest rapidly and he can smell the shampoo she always used, feel the warmth she’s radiating. Memories roll into shore and the tough hunter holds back a sob. Noticing his distress, Y/N folds her arms around his back, giving him a squeeze that calms him down like only she could. God, does this feel good. She came back to him. It’s then and there that me makes himself a promise. I’m never gonna let this go.

“Dean, you’re scaring me,” Y/N whimpers after a while. The older Winchester brother snaps out of it and loosens his grip on her, distancing himself from her slightly, now that he realizes he lost track of time for a moment. He struggles to man up and shoots her another reassuring smile, not wanting to upset her. “I’m sorry,” he utters, his voice raw and on the verge of breaking. “It’s just… It’s really good to see you after all this time.” Puzzled she looks at him, not sure what he means by that. “What are you talking about? I saw you last night.”

Dean narrows his eyes at her in confusion. She saw him last night? How is that even possible? She’s been gone for nine years! “What day is it?” It’s Sam who asks, drawing both their attention. Y/N looks aside, then averts her eyes as she thinks. Monday, or is it Tuesday? As a hunter, there is no routine. Nights last long and days fly by, blending together endlessly. She forgets what part of the week it is all the time, nothing new there. Home Depot was closed when she went out to pick up a few errands yesterday; that makes it Sunday. Which makes today... “Monday,” she decides. Sam motions her to continue. “Monday, October 20th,” she adds. “2008.”

Stunned both boys look at her, the youngest of the brothers letting out a sigh now that his suspicion has been confirmed. “Y/N, it’s 2019,” Dean informs, his voice soft to cushion the blow. She cocks her head back at him, staring into his green eyes. Then she chuckles, shaking her head. She scoffs. “No, c’mon, guys. That’s… that’s insane.” But when both men keep a straight face that doesn’t in the slightest suggest that this is a joke, the grin on her lips fades. Unable to grasp what is happening, she takes a step back.

“How?” She questions firmly after a long silence, an uneasiness oozing through her veins. “I think we - uh…” Sam stammers, not sure if he believes it himself. “I think we summoned you.” Large eyes bore into him, then shift back to Dean, who watches empathetically how she struggles to process the information. Her gaze drifts off to nothing in particular, going over their words. This isn’t happening. This is fucking insane. Last week they wrapped up a hunt in Pennsylvania during Oktoberfest that involved a shapeshifter with a fetish for old school monster movies. That was enough crazy for one week, if you ask her. And now they are telling her that she was fast forwarded eleven years in time? “You boys better tell me what the fuck is going on,” she demands. “Right now.”

Holy shit! That was a ride, wasn’t it? Stay tuned for part 3, I hope to finish it soon. Meanwhile, don’t hesitate to let me know what you think so far!

Read part three here

‘All I Want’ tags:

@awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce @justkending @the-is13 @wildsageleon

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mobius-prime · 5 years ago

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144. Sonic the Hedgehog #79

The Discovery

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: FRY Colors: Frank Gagliardo

Welcome to the beginning of the Sonic Adventure adaption! Now, as you know, the world of the comics is very different from that of the games, which means right away we're faced with the task of finding a way to fit the story of the game into the world of the comic. We have three stories ahead, two of which do just that, and the third of which is the conclusion to the long-standing Tales of the Great War arc. Time to dive in!

Sonic awakens from his sleep early in the night to find Nate tapping away at his computer, explaining that he's trying to hack into Robotnik's computer network to spy on his current doings. At that moment he's successful, and finds a worrying message about invading the Mystic Ruins, prompting Sonic to immediately take Nate to warn the king about this situation. Apparently Nate is even more familiar with what's going on than he let on, telling the king that Robotnik appears to be invading the Hidden City of the Ancients.

Despite Sonic's worry, the king insists he's fine and merely tired, walking off to get some rest, which Sonic does as well. The next morning he awakens to find his house full of his friends, all working together to cook a huge breakfast, as they've all been chosen by the king to go to this city and act as official liaisons from the Kingdom of Knothole. Amy, being part of the group helping to cook breakfast, has a fairly reasonable request given the situation.

Now, can we just recall that Tails joined the Freedom Fighters at its inception when he was like, four? I get that the others tried to shelter him from dangerous missions and whatnot even back then, up until the events of his miniseries, but now Amy is asking, based on a precedent set by someone her age, if she can be allowed to prove herself as well, and immediately finds herself getting shot down. Honestly, I'm with her that they're being totally unreasonable here.

While everyone packs up for their trip, the king and Elias watch from a high up walkway among the trees, noting how happy and carefree Sally seems at this moment. The king is happy for her, wanting her to have a little bit more time to feel happy before he tells her about her mother's worsening illness, and is surprised when Elias already knows due to overhearing him and Dr. Quack talking about it previously. Elias then suddenly gets an epiphany, realizing there may be something he can do to help cure the illness, and rushes off as a suspiciously Overlander-looking group of girls fawn over him from the sidelines. (I know they're not Overlanders, but damn, they could have at least added extra fur or something to make it more obvious.)

Oh, boy…

The Chaos Factor

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Frank Gagliardo

Knuckles has found himself plagued with dreams lately - nightmares, more like - of a strange, watery being absorbing the Master Emerald, the Floating Island falling into the sea, and everyone he cares about on the island perishing because he failed in his duties to protect them. He wakes up with a jolt, still perturbed by what he saw in his sleep.

Well, that's probably not good. Man, Knuckles must be the heaviest sleeper of all time if he somehow slept through his entire island the size of Delaware plunging violently into the ocean from eight miles up. Back in his HQ, Robotnik is ecstatic at how well his plan has gone so far, conveniently recalling it all in detail for the benefit of us readers. Apparently, he found all his information on an obscure data file that his previous self overlooked, about a mystical being with immense power made of living water, locked within… yeah, you thought I was gonna say the Master Emerald, right? Nah, man, this is the comics! No one's in the Master Emerald except ol' Mammoth Mogul. The being is locked instead within a black emerald hidden in the Mysterious Cat Country, which if you'll recall all the way back to the map in Sonic Super Special #2 is located at the equivalent of South America's east coast. Robotnik had his roboticized slaves excavate the emerald for him and smashed it to let the being out…

Well, he let something out all right. He decided that looking for seven Power Emeralds was totally lame, and instead decided to fly to the Floating Island, where he found himself briefly surprised to see Echidnaopolis filled with, well, echidnas, since his data files indicated Knuckles was the only echidna on that island. Yeah, your files are a liiiiiittle outta date, buddy. He broke through the force field erected to keep intruders out of the Chaos Chamber with ease, and shattered the Master Emerald before anyone could retaliate, flying off with the pieces as the island fell from the sky. But remember who we just said was in the Master Emerald in this universe?

Once again, with feeling: oh, boy…

Tales of the Great War (The Conclusion): Life Under-Ground

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Chris Allan Colors: Frank Gagliardo

It's time to finally finish up this story, still being told by Jules and Bernie around the campfire to their eager listeners. When Uncle Chuck left to start up his chili dog stand, Bernie still tried to reason with him that he should try to find a cure for her husband's robotic state, but he was firm in his feelings of failure and refused to try anything for fear of making it even worse. Frustrated, Bernie tried to take matters into her own hands by heading to the lab, only to see Julian using her husband as a lab rat. She yelled at him for being so disrespectful, but Julian, true to form, had other plans.

That's honestly horrific. Chuck went looking for Bernie when she went missing, and found her as a robot within the lab, where Julian "helpfully" informed him that she tried to mess with the roboticizer but foolishly set it off while inside. Of course, this only ensured he was even more guilt-ridden than before, and now he faced the daunting task of trying to raise Jules and Bernie's infant son, trying to figure out how to explain to him when he was older what had happened to his parents. In the end, we already know that his explanation of them being "lost in the war" stuck with Sonic throughout his life, and that his uncle was roboticized as well before he got any real answers. When Chuck regained his free will, however, the first thing he did was take a power ring to a handful of other roboticized individuals within Robotnik's factories, including Jules, to help them regain their free will as well. He built a small secure base within the sewers of the city for his new spies, and soon freed Bernie's mind as well, leading to a tearful-in-spirit (because they're robots, remember) reunion between the two. They both told Chuck not to tell Sonic of their state, wanting him to remember them as they had been when he was young until the war was over, which as we know kind of ended up being a bad idea given how betrayed Sonic felt as a result. But hey, everything is all right now - well, I suppose not everything, since Chuck is a slave once more…

Two problems - first of all, y'all had months to dig into this zip disk when Chuck was still a free man, during the period of peace in between the two Robotniks. Why the hell didn't he help you decode it then? Second of all, this disk is never mentioned again in the comic. They just completely forgot about it and never brought it back. I suppose it was full of nothing but him talking about random goings-on within Robotropolis while he was a spy or something, since it ended up not being important at all. Ah well!

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 79 #writer: karl bollers #writer: ken penders #pencils: james fry #pencils: steven butler #pencils: chris allan #colors: frank gagliardo

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onlyvirginsarc · 5 years ago

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LUX’S THOUGHTS ON IT CHAPTER 2.

* heavy spoilers, lots of annoyance. don’t read if you don’t want the spoilers.

THE BAD:

while i’m all for the exploration of sexuality within characters, i’d personally just like to state from my own understanding of not only the novel but the miniseries and the 20+ times (literally) that I’ve seen chapter 1 - the blatant fanservice for r*ddie shippers was very forced and uncomfortable. i know damn well that people are going to look into every action of richie’s in part too and read into it as something more than what it truly is. with the death of eddie, naturally richie feels grief. richie tozier cares so deeply for each of his friends despite his comedic remarks and attitude, he truly loves his friends to death. allowing richie to feel that grief and cry isn’t a sign that he’s in love with eddie - it’s a moment that finally allows richie to be vulnerable and express emotion in a world / reality that often shames men for having feelings. so no. i’m sorry to you reddie shippers. richie is not gay and certainly is not in love with eddie. the scene in the arcade during the flashback with richie and bowers’ cousin, is meant to be a nudge towards richie’s feelings for boys - i don’t feel that at all. he’s a teenage boy in an arcade, playing a game that he loves and naturally wants to play another round with someone.

pennywise vc: i know you’re dirty little secret, richie. yup. you read that. correct. the insinuation that being gay is something to be ashamed of or something to be considered dirty. mind you, like i said above - i personally don’t consider richie to be gay but at the very least, the suggestion towards homophobic things like that isn’t cool and didn’t sit well with me. especially since the dude sitting behind me said “ew disgusting” at the adrian mellon kiss scene and i turned around and told him to fuck off.

i got annoyed because the blood oath was a huge deal in the book and first movie and the theme of their bond through this ordeal and growing together and then when they come back as adults in the film, it seems like they don’t give a fuck, thus building into the mentality of trying to portray mike as a madman.

the graphics and CGI effects surrounding Mrs Kersh and even the weird shit they did to Richie was just...a mess. Mrs. Saggy Troll Tit Kersh wasn’t even scary so much as it was comical.

the ritual of chüd was a whole ass fucking mess. the scenes with the totems seemed to drag on forever. also the fact that the losers simply verbally attacked pennywise to the size of a doll to defeat it was literally comical because it holds no sense or value to me. if you’ve read the book you’d see why.

hollywood continues to be racist and shitty by stereotyping and portraying mike hanlon as a madman and also stating that his parents were crackheads. so that entire thing can get thrown out the window because i was not having it.

the entire thing felt very jumbled and all over the place. felt so obvious to me that perhaps the screenwriters didn’t bother to read the book or source materials at all.

why was eddie such an asshole this time? as a child at least. he seemed so out of character and was doing things that really didn’t feel like they fit him entirely. it nearly felt as if richie and eddie swapped roles.

why the hell was bill denbrough constantly yelling at children? that was a time.

the implication that richie tozier never wrote his own jokes and the fact that they only had him portrayed as a stand up comedian annoyed me too because richie 100% writes his own material. no kid that funny grows up and suddenly sucks at being comical. also the erasure of richie’s radio / dj career is a piss off because yet again, we’re amounting him to more than oneliners and comedic remarks. don’t get me wrong - bill hader did a great job with richie and what material he was given but again, richie holds more depth than the stand up comedian routine.

the entire movie read like a fucking anti-bullying campaign. uwu penn vc: people make fun of me for how i look. flash forward to the losers calling him clown repeatedly.

they did a whole scene on bill saying that he was faking being sick and just didn’t want to hangout with georgie. and on one hand like i can understand the play on his guilt but in the book - bill was actually sick so i’m conflicted on my feelings regarding that.

a whole lot more that i’m probably forgetting.

gary dauberman is a fucking terrible screenwriter. i hate him with a passion and he destroyed this film.

pennywise was shrunk down to nothing but a joke essentially which is a piss off for such an eater of worlds.

THE GOOD:

the stan uris suicide scene was handled tastefully - as tastefully as a suicide scene could be. it wasn’t overly graphic and the flashback bits during it were actually very telling and i appreciated them.

the losers clubhouse flashback scene with stan’s shower caps was actually one of my favourite scenes. why? it was just so pure. minus eddie’s idiot behaviour. i just enjoyed stan’s bit.

the ending of the film with stan’s letter to the losers was also one of my favourites.

richie did provide some more good zingers which was cool.

stan’s bar mitzvah speech was good, i would have liked to see some bits added to it from the deleted scene of course but (:

the casting was decent.

the altered reality bit was kinda neat.

IN SUMMARY:

i don’t take anything from this film as full canon content nor will it heavily influence any part of my portrayal. i’m going to update and restructure my rules once again regarding it. if you haven’t actually bothered to read the book then a lot of these things would be overlooked but frankly i’m just annoyed and i wasn’t a fan.

#* ◇ * ◝ ᴍᴜɴ┋lux talks a lot #anyways (: buckle on up.#homophobia /#racism /#it spoilers /#it 2 spoilers /#spoilers /

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