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#I have a feeling this is going to be my era but we gotta figure out the aesthetic
inwhichiramble · 19 days
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Me, a writer, trying to figure out what to wear for the release on Friday: okay so I see that we’ve got black and white and typewriters but is this like a light academia/Remus Lupin sweaters/Dead Poet’s Society/hobbit hole writer type of vibe or is it like white button ups worn loose/Edgar Allen Poe/full diaries/sob your eyes out/bare feet on the beach type deal????
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boxingcleverrr · 5 months
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Popular Hades & Persephone "retellings" are, rightly, getting dunked on all over the socials right now and, as a Pagan who has an altar to the Queen, I could not be happier. But also, I feel like a lot of people miss WHY they're bad - aside from just plain bad writing and lazy tropes. Which are, yeah, also REALLY bad.
Pretty much all retellings try to wave away, or excuse, or twist the whole kidnapping bit. And I actually do have sympathy and understanding for why, when speaking from a modern perspective.
But honestly...you gotta get over it. There are other stories to play fix-it with, not this one.
The Abduction is The Thing.
Were I a little more sober I could bring up chapter and verse of the Hymn to Demeter but frankly, if you know even the middle school mythology curriculum version of the story, you SHOULD know the themes. The story of Persephone was one mothers and daughters in the ancient world held dear, because it was a reality: you will, one day, be swept away from your home to go cleave to a man you most likely know nothing about. You will miss your mother, but chances are very good that he will be a good husband, once you get to know him, certainly better than Zeus or Ares, and he will make you a queen of his home.
Leaving home to marry was often scary, and violent (look up the history of the tradition of Bridesmaids, if you don't already know it - they were originally decoys on the marriage road). Centuries later we'd have tales like Beauty & The Beast serving the same function: comfort, hope, you are leaving your safe loving home to figure life out with a (often older, powerful) stranger. Your trauma over this sudden ending of your childhood made manifest in a Beast, or a God of The Underworld.
It's wonderful that we don't NEED stories like this anymore to comfort us (here, at least, in this culture). But if you try to force them into modern vernacular it just will not work, not really, because you're gutting out the whole point just to have a more tidy romantic male hero.
I have read MANY very good ...novelizations? fanfic(? however you would frame them, but they're certainly not "retellings"), etc. that simply take advantage of the blank spaces in the myth, and there are many!
It's not explicit that sexual assault happens - "The Rape of Persephone" as a title was coined in much earlier eras, when the word was just as often used to simply refer to abduction.
"She was starving!" the gods didn't need to eat. So it's easy to read her eating the Pom seeds as a deliberate choice on her part. Like, shit, people, scholars have written whole papers on the symbolism of this moment, between marriage rites and even yeah, Seph choosing both worlds with her husband's knowing consent.
And that, I think, is the real heart of the thing. People want an utterly mundane, spelled-out story here, as opposed to what it really is, has always been, just like any other myth or religious parable: IT'S A METAPHOOOOOOR.
They don't need to be destined, or meet at a goddamned BALL and then CONSPIRE to fake her kidnapping, or shit, I once saw one where Hades got MIND CONTROLLED by Zeus?! Jesus.
Persephone was yoinked into the Underworld against her will.
That's how it went.
I don't mean this in a "stay out of my belief system!" way, shit I'm a white American chick with delusions of witchery. I mean this in a "stop stressing yourself out trying to make things palatable" way:
This is a very real, very precious myth to many people, BECAUSE for at least that one event, Persephone had no autonomy, BECAUSE for thousands of years most women had no autonomy. Erasing that, sanitizing the fact that a girl is ripped out of the spring, from her mother's arms, is erasing the thing that gave comfort to women for centuries. And people can and should still find power and healing in it now!
Fill in the blanks the story leaves in whatever manner seems fit to you, there's plenty of room, but. Come the fuck on.
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desperate-gay · 5 months
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Hey could you maybe write something about a Love story proposal??? You could write it for Leah,Steph or Frida Maanum. Reader and player are at the eras tour and reader gets a proposal
I really need a story like that cause love story proposals are all over my Tik tok
Baby Just Say Yes
Steph Catley x fem!reader
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“Stephy hurry we’re gonna be late!” You yell out to the Australian while adjusting the sash that hangs its way over your body.
You and Steph decided to dress as Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince, her wearing a crown and a button-up with little broken hearts drawn on her skin as you wear a tiara and a dress with the iconic sash around you.
Steph surprised you with eras tickets on your anniversary knowing just how much you love Taylor Swift. You were ecstatic and still are now, pinching yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming. You’ve won many trophies but seeing your favorite singer and celebrity in concert is surreal, especially because of the harsh demand for her tickets.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
You turn around and see her pink button-up shirt with a white crop top under it. You reach out, grabbing both sides of her collar, and pull her in, her hands resting on your hips as you both stare at each other with loving smiles. Pulling her in by her shirt, you press your lips to her soft ones for an affectionate kiss. Neither of you wanting to pull away, the kiss lasts longer than expected, making the time fly past the both of you.
“We really need to go.” You whisper against her but she just hums and leans right back in, letting you melt right back into her. “No, no no no no. We’ve gotta go or it’s going to be even more of a pain getting in.” You finally move away so you’re not tempted to get pulled in again.
Your hand grabs hers, dragging her groaning figure out the door much to her dismay, and begin to make your way over to the car. Double checking you have everything, you go to open your door but quickly get pushed aside by the girl.
“There you go, my love.” She opens the car door chivalrously as if she didn’t just shove you completely to do it. You shake your head with laughter, accepting her hand to help you sit down.
“Ever the gentlewoman.”
“Have you ever thought just maybe, you belong with me!” You and Steph sing to each other, hips swaying with the beat of the song, enjoying every minute of the concert so far.
Lover has already passed so now it’s Fearless, one of your absolute favorite eras. Distracted by having such a good time, you haven’t noticed the slight change in Steph’s demeanor, her being more tense than usual.
The box sitting in her pocket makes her thoughts swirl and her hands sweat. You’re the love of her life and she’s sure of it, but what if you suddenly feel like she’s not yours? You have constantly assured her that there is no one else for you than her, but maybe you’ve changed your mind suddenly. What if you don’t want to marry her?
Multiple different outcomes run through her head but seeing you smile at her, singing Love Story, all those negative thoughts disappear.
The big verse starts to approach as she reaches into her pocket to pull out the velvet box, getting down on one knee while you’re distracted singing along and looking at the platform. You turn over to sing the verse to her but when you do, there isn’t anyone. Quickly moving your head, you see your girlfriend with a ring out and a bright grin on her face. Your hand slaps onto your mouth and you kneel down next to the Australian, tears slipping down your cheeks.
Over the loud music, Steph makes a little speech, “Fearless is your favorite era and I thought there was no better way to do this than right now. I have seen the multiple proposals you’ve saved on TikTok, so I wanted to make ours one of them. Sure there are thousands of people in this stadium with us but it feels like it’s just me and you. So what do you say, marry me, Juliet?”
You quickly nod your head and extend your hand for the girl to slip the ring on. Steph hugs you while pulling you both up to stand and sway to the music. The crowd around you cheers in celebration, some most likely recording the interaction which will soon be put across the internet, seeing that two famous footballers just got engaged at one of the most selling tours ever.
Steph steps back, digging something out of her other pocket, causing your face to scrunch up in confusion. She grabs your sash and opens a red marker, crossing out the Miss and changing it to Mrs.
“Now it makes sense.” She shrugs, putting the marker away and bringing you in for a loving kiss.
The rest of the concert is filled with you two dancing, singing, kissing, and embracing each other in the moment. A few hours ago you were excited about going to a concert and now you’re even more excited to marry the love of your life. 13 is Taylor’s lucky number, 7 is yours.
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normanplusdaryl · 1 year
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You, you, you.
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Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader
Era: Season 10
Word count: 1.2k
Plot: After a long night, Daryl comes home and you decide he needs a little break.
Warnings: It's not smut but its implied? It's nothing explicit ig.
A/N: This is my second fic and I can not believe I'm actually doing this lmao, this is one of my favorite scenes on the show and I've always thought Daryl deserved someone who take care of him after a rough night. Thanks to my friend @weretheones for all the amazing help, I seriously couldnt have done it without u, muah!
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The dawn was beginning to come out when the gates of Alexandria came to Daryl’s sight, it had been a long night for him, where everything that could go wrong actually did.
The walk home was silent between the archer and his best friend, the only sound intercepting the thick tension were the grunts of the hooded whisperer trying to set himself free. This would end up really bad, he could feel it in his gut. 
Daryl’s mind was spinning around what happened, trying to understand Carol’s actions. He knew she wasn't the same after what Alpha did, but after all these months he could only hope her grief was at least healing — he was clearly wrong. There was something he couldn't identify in her eyes, more than anger or revenge, something that scared him.
Gabriel saw them coming inside and hurried once he spotted their hostage.
“You put us all at risk!” he barked at Carol.
“We need to find that horde before it shows up in our gates” Carol replied.
“So you decided for all of us? Knowing what it could mean?” Gabriel angrily answered back.
“Don’t matter anymore, we still gotta fin’ them” Daryl's voice came from behind the livid father — “We will figure it out'” he stated, ending the discussion as he started to walk home, to his home. To you. 
He opened the door slowly trying to be quiet, you were probably still asleep and he would be damned if he perturbed your very needed rest.  Daryl placed his crossbow down on the table you reserved for it.  “Come on baby!” you pouted, “This way you can always know where you left it and it’s easy for you to grab it on a run! It’s a win - win, don't you think?”  Your eyes were so wide with excitement he couldn't say anything else but to peck your lips while nodding “Alrigh’” he simply answered. 
The memory made him smile, then, it hit him. That was the reason why Carol’s intentions to stir things up scared the hell out of him: he was finally happy.  After so many years of walking on eggshells just surviving, being with you gave his life meaning, and the idea of you being in danger for her impulsive actions unsettled him, he couldn’t lose you.   Daryl sighed as he began to take his vest off, a fresh pair of clothes should be enough to remove the smell and fatigue from the night before.
“Hey, you’re back” your voice broke his thoughts. Daryl turned to you and his heart jumped.  You were together for more than 6 months now and he still couldn't believe he was lucky enough to behold you like this.
“Msorry, didn't mean to wake ya, go back to sleep angel” he softly said.
You frowned, something was wrong. “What happened? Is everything ok?” you replied with a sweet tone in your voice. 
He bit his bottom lip, staring at the window. “It’s Carol, she took one of em’ here, I, huh, helped her '' he wasn't certain why, but he felt ashamed as he spoke —“We will try to make him talk”.
Your mouth formed an “O” picking up on what troubled the archer. Alpha could take retaliation if she knew what happened. Shit.
“Come on baby” you softly said, raising your hand so he could take it. “We need to get you clean first”.
You led him to the bathroom. Unsure of what was happening he followed every step you made with the feeling of thousands butterflies in his stomach. The way his old shirt embraced every one of your curves barely covering your bottom made his heart race. He never thought getting a shower could be this exciting.  Sitting on the sink, Daryl watched you unbutton his shirt very slowly, pecking at the skin revealed with every button that was undone. Soon, his broad chest was displayed and you smirked with satisfaction. Bringing your hands to his neck, you brushed his lips just a little and whispered “Let me take care of you, please”. 
Daryl trembled, he didn't feel tired anymore. 
Once you were satisfied with the temperature of the water, you took your robe off getting into the shower. Daryl couldn't help but stare as he got rid of his boxers, the sight of your naked body wasn't something he would ever get used to. 
The hot water splashed against his ached body, making him gasp with delight. You chuckled at the action “I thought you didn't like showers, huh?” you teased him.  “I like them with ya” Daryl sheepishly answered.
Your eyes traced his whole body searching for injuries that might need more than just some cleaning, to your relief, there wasn't anything new. Taking a sponge, you delicately started to wash his chest, paying extra attention to every one of his scars, caressing them gently, wishing they could disappear along with his pain, just like the soap with the water. Daryl’s eyes were glued to the action, feeling a warm sensation spreading over his broad frame, god, he loved you. 
“I know you’re worried” he looked into your eyes, listening to your words closely, “But I need you to understand, whatever happens, I’m here for you, we can always fight together”  You placed his hand on your left breast, “Do you feel it? My heart beating?” Daryl nodded, lost in the sensation of your soft skin against his rough hand. 
You kissed him deeply, wanting to make him forget about the troubles of the world he always felt the need to carry on his shoulders. “I love you Daryl” you whispered between kisses. Daryl felt like crying, he wasn't used to this kind of burning, unconditional love. “I love ya too” Daryl managed to answer, unable to concentrate in anything else but the feeling of your lips on his, you were the only thing in his mind. Every fiber of his body was consumed in you. You, You, You. 
Soon, the steam from the hot water wasn't the reason the bathroom was boiling, it was the way you both got lost into each other until you became one.
Daryl came out of the house with his hair dripping, Gabriel approached him as soon as he spotted him. 
“Did you take a shower?!” he said with a hint of surprise in his voice “I thought we were going to check on that whisperer guy?”
Daryl remained stoic to the father's questions but he felt himself blushing, just when he was about to brush him off Aaron caught up with them.
“Hey! We were looking for you!” he exclaimed, pointing at Daryl — “You showered?!” Aaron’s eyes widened with disbelief and Daryl left a frustrated grunt.
 “Can't take a damn shower or what?” Daryl growled as he walked away from the two men with a hidden grin on his face. 
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goodnightmemes · 5 months
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MOCKINGJAY - PART TWO (2015) SENTENCE STARTERS
❛ My family hasn't come to see me. ❜
❛ You can't trust her! She's a monster! ❜
❛ I wanna help the rebels in any way I can. ❜
❛ That's not [name]. ❜
❛ I don't stand a chance if he doesn't get better. You'll never let him go. ❜
❛ That's like kissing someone who's drunk. Doesn't count. ❜
❛ I guess there are no rules anymore about what a person can do to another person. ❜
❛ We took heavy losses. ❜
❛ You think of it like a wolf den. You're not gonna fight your way in, so you've got two choices. You trap the wolves inside, or you flush 'em out. ❜
❛ There's gotta be a better way. ❜
❛ Even if those civilians are just moppin' floors, they're helping the enemy. And if they have to die, I can live with that. ❜
❛ With that kinda thinking, you can kill whoever you want. ❜
❛ Sometimes killing isn't personal. Figured if anyone knew that, it was you. ❜
❛ I, of all people, know that it's always personal. ❜
❛ Give me one reason I shouldn't shoot you. ❜
❛ I guess that's the problem, isn't it? We each have every reason to want to kill each other. So if you wanna kill me, do it. ❜
❛ I am done being a piece in his game. ❜
❛ These people are not your enemy. ❜
❛ He corrupts everyone and everything. He turns the best of us against each other. Stop killing for him. ❜
❛ You have a habit of burying people before they're dead. ❜
❛ We toasted a glorious era coming to its bitter end. ❜
❛ Oh, that speech you gave. Oh, man, feel - I mean, I still have goosebumps. ❜
❛ What about you? You feeling totally safe? ❜
❛ So what are your injuries? ❜
❛ I mean, it's everybody's job to keep you alive. ❜
❛ Is that why you hate me? ❜
❛ Feel free to take any of this personally. ❜
❛ They messed us up pretty good, didn't they? ❜
❛ He's strapped down. He can't hurt you. ❜
❛ It doesn't matter what you want. It's for [name]. ❜
❛ I watched you die. ❜
❛ I was never the nice one. You were. ❜
❛ Why would I take a beating like that for you? ❜
❛ [name] says that everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie. ❜
❛ People said you loved me. ❜
❛ We're very familiar with each other's screams. ❜
❛ I'm going to kill [name]. Nothing good is safe while he's alive. ❜
❛ He needs to see my eyes when I kill him. ❜
❛ Anybody can kill anybody. Even a president. You just have to be willing to sacrifice yourself. ❜
❛ This isn't just adolescent, it's insubordination. ❜
❛ From what I see here, we've already made history. But history doesn't stop to celebrate. And we're facing an enemy that will not change and will never surrender.❜
❛ If we die, let it be for a cause and not a spectacle. ❜
❛ I know when you're gonna go off on your own. You gonna leave me behind, too? ❜
❛ You'll do whatever you're ordered to do, soldier. It's not your job to ask questions.❜
❛ In the event of capture, you'll be given a nightlock pill. A poison that acts immediately. ❜
❛ If it really came down to it, you think you could shoot him? ❜
❛ I'm plannin' for you to have a long life. ❜
❛ I've seen that look. You're trying to decide whether or not you should kill me. ❜
❛ I'm sorry. I just can't tell what's real and what's made up anymore. ❜
❛ This is a bad spot. We need to move now. ❜
❛ So now that we're dead, what are we gonna do? ❜
❛ It's only a matter of time before I snap again. I'm not in control. ❜
❛ If it gets to that point, I'll kill you myself. ❜
❛ Nobody knows we're alive. This is our chance. ❜
❛ Look at me. We're gonna get through this. I promise. ❜
❛ You're still trying to protect me. Real or not real? ❜
❛ That's what you and I do. Keep each other alive. ❜
❛ Stay with me. ❜
❛ Everyone that's dead is dead because of me. ❜
❛ I never meant for this to happen. I failed. I... I killed them. ❜
❛ If you end all of this, all those deaths, they mean something. ❜
❛ I have moments when I'm here. And my memories are getting better, but other times it's like I'm sleepwalking. ❜
❛ We got one shot. Let's make it count. ❜
❛ Let me come with you, okay? I can be a good distraction. ❜
❛ If I see you again, it's gonna be a different world. ❜
❛ I was hoping you'd find your way here. There are so many things we should discuss. ❜
❛ We both know I'm not above killing children. But I'm not wasteful. I take life for specific reasons. ❜
❛ I'm afraid we've both been played for fools. ❜
❛ Oh, my dear. I thought we'd agreed never to lie to each other. ❜
❛ You never came to see me. ❜
❛ All I know is that I was supposed to take care of your family. Now I'm sorry I couldn't. ❜
❛ Thirst for blood is a difficult urge to satisfy. ❜
❛ We need to stop viewing each other as enemies. ❜
❛ I'll say this for you, you don't disappoint. ❜
❛ You were exactly who I believed you were. ❜
❛ I'm sorry so much burden fell on you. I know you'll never escape it. But if I had to put you through it again for this outcome, I would. ❜
❛ I couldn't let you go without a proper goodbye. ❜
❛ We've all suffered so much. But we owe it to their memories and to our children to do our best with these lives. ❜
❛ You love me. Real or not real? ❜
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powderblueblood · 5 months
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The level of detail and thought you've put into hai is incredible!
I have a question. I love how you've described Eddie as a rizzless loverboy (my favorrite kind) so I need to know how he managed to get with an ice queen like Nicole. Not to mention some stuff with Chrissy later and even Cass but I'm most curious about Nicole, especially since she's a former friend of lacy's and he describes her as the one person who's meaner than lacy. I need details. How did it all go down? i like to imagine that she approached him. What makes me sad is that I think she probably did it just to say she lost her virginity but I also like to think that they all find him hot but they just wont say it because he's the town freak
NONNY COME THROUGH I LOVE THIS QUESTION!!!!!! hard agree on nicole approaching him because she's nasty as fuck in all the wrong era-typical ways and he's scared as hell of her (like, she really could bite and not in a cute way). but i also agree about these girls secretly being endeared to him. i mean, we saw it with chrissy-- he has a knack for making people feel safe in vulnerable little moments. but unfortunately, people (teenagers) are also diiiiiiicks
so fuck it, let's blurb it out! or
EDDIE MUNSON STAMPS NICOLE SUMMERS' V-CARD (NOT A BOARD WAXER, NOT IN MAUI)
content warning: swearing, wildly unsexy implication of sex, nicole summers sucks dude, teenagers scare the living shit out of me, me attempting to incorporate dnd terminology, GRANNY ECKER KLAXON, there's also an easter egg in this for the rest of the story if you know where to look word count: 2.6k (lol what)
part of the hellfire & ice universe (duh!)
FOREST HILLS TRAILER PARK, 1982-ISH
She's gotta be doing community service.
It's Easter, right, so this has gotta be like... a Jesus thing. But she doesn't seem like a Jesus person.
It's the only precedent that would explain what Nicole Summers, jaw jutting out in an exaggerated scowl, is doing serving Meals on Wheels to the less fortunate dwellers of Hawkins' favorite trailer park. Her red hair blazes in the sunlight, searing into his retinas--
But that could also be the weed talking.
"Ma'am, like, I don't know what to tell you, you're signed up to receive these."
"And I don't know what to tell you, little girl," Veronica Ecker Sr., affectionately and fearsomely known as Granny to him, grits from the doorway, "but I'm perfectly capable of cooking my own darn food."
Eddie's been lingering around the Ecker trailer, see, waiting for Ronnie to be freed from yet another M*A*S*H appointment with her grandmother ("Ever since she stopped going to church, it's like, all Alan Alda all the time," quoth Ronnie) and run through his latest Hellfire campaign.
"I'm not saying that you don't, I'm just saying that--"
"You're making me miss my program."
"I'll eat it." Eddie doesn't know who said that or why it sounds like his voice, until he figures out that he said it, which is why it sounds like his voice. Jesus, that shit he lifted from his dad was strong.
Granny Ecker and Nicole Summers elicit almost identical reactions of annoyance once they clock that he's there, lingering in the outfield.
"Junior, if you don't--"
"Oh my God. Ew."
Eddie plants his hands on his hips, half in the hopes that this might look authoritative, half mirroring Granny. "Well, y'know. Waste not want not."
Granny considers him, then apparently considers that this might not be such a terrible idea. Her laser focus directs back to Nicole.
"I don't give a shit. I'm not eating that tripe."
"I'm not just-- authorized to pass off meals like that. There's a system."
"Wait, you need clearance for stuff like that? In Meals on Wheels?" That'd be Ronnie's voice, head popping over her grandmother's shoulder. "Oh, hey, Eddie."
"Hey, Ron. You ready to--"
"Veronica, get back inside. I need you to hit that thing back to record when M*A*S*H comes back on. I don't want any commercials on my darn tapes."
"Oh my God, forget it!" Nicole breaks, stalking towards him with a foil-wrapped tray. She stays a safe distance away and thrusts it towards them-- something something freak cooties, some new line of bullshit that her and her dumb little clique had come up with in middle school. "Here. I don't need the whole freak council weighing in on this."
Eddie takes the tray and considers the shiny foil wrapping. His reflection is all distorted in there, a funhouse mirror but way, way worse. This makes him compelled to be unwisely honest to Nicole, who's already making tracks away from him. He jogs to catch up, foil crinkling as he moves. "Well, now I feel bad."
"Don't."
"It's like robbing from old people. Maybe you should give this to another old person. Like a super skinny one. Who might need two."
"Fuck 'em."
"Gee, Nicole, you're really buildin' that stairway to heaven, huh?"
"Ugh. What?"
"The meals-- the Meals on Wheels. It's a nice thing to... do. Fuckin'... forget it." Eddie stops dead; he might be loaded right now, but he knows which side his bread is buttered on. And he hasn't got any bread. He thinks it might be mashed potatoes, green beans and some rubbery chicken. Anyway, he turns heel-- this conversation isn't going anywhere.
"Hey, freak." The derisive nickname comes calling from Nicole's end. Ring-ring. "Are you stoned right now?"
"De-pendsssss," Eddie murmurs, the 's' sound going on for like five minutes, "Are you... a cop right now?"
Nicole busts out a giggle. It's kind of a pretty noise, if a little grating. She's kind of pretty. Eddie remembers when she had braces in middle school and whenever she'd pick on him, she'd kind of spit on him too. Gross. But still kind of pretty.
"I know how you can make it up to me."
Jump-freaking-cut and Nicole Summers is sitting with Eddie in that creepy wooded area near Forest Hills, making a miserable job of rolling a joint out of a dusting of his dad's weed and a torn-open Pall Mall. His buzz has kind of come and gone, and in its wake the knotted, deadened trees are looking extra gnarly.
"God, I suck at this."
You don't suck. You just need practice, is what Eddie would say if it were anybody else sitting with him, but all he manages is, "Eugh."
Because she does suck. And he's too nervous to further verbalize himself. He holds his hand out and she drops the comically conical attempt at a joint into it.
Deftly, Eddie re-rolls it just like that. "Practice, baby. Only way to Carnegie Hall."
"Wait, what?" Nicole murmurs, brow furrowed.
Eddie wishes he didn't phrase it like that either. "Um. Nothing. How come you're doing Meals on Wheels?"
A guttural sigh comes right from the center of her chest, which Eddie can almost see, thanks to her super low-cut tank top. Her cleavage is all freckled and hiked up, thanks to the Wonderbra that he's been painstakingly avoiding tracing the outline of with his eyes. "My fucking aunt. She's like some do-gooder Christian nutso, she runs the whole thing."
"Oh--" but Nicole's not done. She kicks a toeful of dirt up just as Eddie ignites the end of the joint and takes a harsh pull.
"I'm stuck with her this whole break because my grades were shit. I'm supposed to be in Maui, y'know."
Eddie wordlessly passes the joint on. Knew it was a Jesus thing. And like, boo-hoo, he guesses? He doesn't have any real pity for Nicole Summers right now, because overall she fucking blows. She's mean as hell, for no good reason.
Ronnie came up with a good analogy for it one time; like, put up against that chick Lacy that she hangs out with, Nicole is mean like a bad dog. She just keeps barking and barking and barking and barking and it is relentless and it's busting open your eardrums and she's snarling and you're too scared to get in her way so you just tolerate it. Even if it fucks up your whole day.
That Lacy girl, though, she's mean like a guillotine. One sharp drop and you're done. Dead. Headless horseman.
"I know which one is worse-- Nicole, obviously, because it chips away at you and it's so freakin' loud. But I know which one I'd prefer," Ronnie had said, "I feel like if Lacy comes for you, you've really earned it. Like, you possibly deserve to perish."
But ultimately, curiosity will be the death of Eddie Munson. And so will girls. And so will boring Spring break Sundays.
Nicole half-chokes on a lungful of smoke and Eddie's got to pat her on the back so he doesn't get nailed for her murder or whatever.
"God. Gross," Nicole gripes on recovery. "Ugh. My whole family is in Maui, but I'm stuck here and like-- I even told people I was going to Maui and it's like-- so fucked."
"Totally." Eddie makes pincer fingers towards the joint. "Don't bogart that."
But Nicole is holding it aloft, totally off on her own journey, and Eddie wonders if the weed has hit her that fast or if she's just completely self-involved.
"I even sent postcards to people, pretending I was in Maui. If you wanna know something really pathetic."
It takes a second for Eddie to decipher it, but it seems like she's saying that she's been sneaking around Hawkins incognito all break because she told all of her sucker friends she was in the Central Pacific.
"You completely said that sentence backwards."
He notes that down to tell Ronnie about later.
"Shuddup, freak."
"Man, it is so completely uncool of you to keep calling me a freak when you're literally smoking my weed."
"You took my Meal on Wheel."
"Meal on Wheel for a well-rolled joint does not an even trade make, Summers!"
"So why did you say okay?!" Nicole barks, and Eddie finally gets a grasp of that joint. He's up, he's off the log they were occupying. There is a buzz to be had here, a good time rolled tight up in these flammable papers and he is not about to waste it by letting Nicole Summers verbally wail on him.
"Because I am obviously a veritable moron of the highest knight's order and I had time to kill before M*A*S*H was over!"
That rhymed.
Nicole looks up at him with her green eyes narrowed, this horrible, puggy grimace wrinkling her face. And then she says something so beyond the realm of Eddie's comprehension that he's sure the weed is turning on him.
"Do you wanna, like, hook up?" Nicole says-- scratch that, Nicole snarls.
"What?!" So this level of fuckery doesn't make sense to Eddie because nobody's around. Like, if Nicole takes a shot at the freak and Hagan and Carol and Tina and Lacy and Cass aren't around to hear it, did it even happen?
"I'm serious," Nicole deadpans. "I kind of... look, so I kind of wrote to some people that I hooked up with someone on vacation and, like... I could make that not a whole lie."
"Nicole," Eddie says, in a tone about as measured as he can manage, which is not very because his balls seem to have vacuumed themselves back into his body, "Are you asking me to aid and abet your elaborate scam in which you're currently pretending you're in Maui getting, what... railed by like, a surfer?"
"Wow. That's actually kinda close to what I've been telling people."
He would later find out that she said her premiere paramour was a board waxer.
Eddie inhales a lungful of smoke so deep and so urgent that it makes him feel like Hunter S Thompson-- that is, to say, certifiably insane. Because Eddie's never been... Like, he's made out, or whatever, and grazed a boob like once, but...
In an ideal world, he would not be in the woods. In an ideal world, there might be some perfect declaration beforehand, and he might be indoors, and he might be wearing cleaner underwear. In an ideal world, it would not be Nicole Summers.
Roll Perception. Is this really how it happens? Maybe she secretly... likes me?
The D20 in his brain lands a nat one.
Yeah, maybe. But you've been wrong about that before.
Nicole gets up, and he can just about see the cogs turning in her head, trying to intimate an expression of sultriness. It's such a thin mask that he can basically see her rolling her eyes behind it.
"C'mon. You can't tell me you haven't... thought about it," she tries, dropping her voice in volume and pouting her lips.
And Christ, Eddie hates to be such a guy about it, but... you hate to look a gift horse in the formerly-braces-clad mouth.
I haven't thought about it. I think you suck. But I also think this might be my one shot at something for a long, long, long, long, long--
"God, quit thinking about it and kiss me, freak."
It's almost hot, it's like lukewarm at the very best, which is good enough for Eddie so he goes for it. Lips on lips, but Nicole apparently doesn't follow rhythm very well. There's a lot of dry macking, not a lot of... sensual action. He's almost starting to feel sorry for her.
But then-- well, let's just cut to the chase since that's the flavor du jour, then her hand is on his dick. Through the jeans, obviously, she's not a belt ninja but it's very much there. Flesh and tendons, palming at him.
In this situation, Eddie's not a hard sell. Badum-tsssss.
He uses one hand to hook around the back of her neck, tilting her head toward him-- using this opportunity to kiss her right, or what he assumes is right, while she's distracted. Nicole cannot focus on two things-bad kissing and dick handling-at once, unlike Eddie, who uses his free hand to feel her boobs.
"Siddown on the log," she breathes. Just what you want to hear in the heat of passion.
"Uh-- okay," and he does what he is told. Because she's still a pitbull, at the end of the day.
"Do you, like, have anything?"
"Like... the clap?" Eddie sorta-squeaks as Nicole positions herself over him, one knee either side of his thighs. She's got good balance. Is she in cheerleading? Or is that the other mean one?
"No, you fuckin'-- like a condom."
"Oh." His heart sinks. There's a box of Trojans that Ronnie jokingly bought him after he tried to lay a smacker on her-majorly misguided move, by the way!-but he doesn't--
Wait, shut up. They were literally having this argument the other day, he and Ronnie, about that tiny pocket on pairs of jeans. You know the one. Ronnie was trying to explain that it was for cowboys to keep their watches in, whereas Eddie was arguing that there's no way that cowboys need a watch, dude. They go by the sun in the sky. Like men, so the pocket obviously had to be for emergency prophylactics.
He'd even demonstrated, slipping a good ol' Troj into the tiny fold!
Eddie, in his over-excited state, almost knocks Nicole off the log trying to dig the rubber out. "Voilà."
"Whut," Nicole mumbles.
"Do you take Spanish?"
"No, French."
"... okay."
Here it is. This is it. He's about to get his dick out in the scary wooded part by the trailer park where he once tried to dig a hole to China. Fuck.
But all of a sudden, Nicole is fumbling. Her movements are suddenly weird and unsure and reserved and tight. Badum-- fuck off.
"Hey, y--y'alright?" Eddie murmurs, almost brushing her hair off her face. But that feels too intimate. Even considering the circumstances.
"Have you... done this before?" she says, lips pursed and small as she fiddles with his belt.
"Um." To truth, or not to truth? That is to lose any and all hope of losing one's virginity. "I--"
"I haven't."
A little moment of silence hangs between them. That's not a bark. That's a real girl in there.
Eddie swallows, despite the precipice of opportunity. He finds his throat is very dry, sandpaper going down. That feeling-- it's a distinct sensory recall. A favor someone once did him at a birthday party.
Because Nicole's a dick, but she's still a person.
Not that she'd give him the same grace.
Oh well. Building his stairway to heaven, and all that shit.
"We don't... have to." He nods, resolutely. Partially for himself. He even puts a hand over Nicole's, where it lingers on his undone fly. "Seriously."
Nicole's eyelashes flicker and she stares at him for a drawn out beat. As if she's considering him. Really considering him. Outside of the bullshit dichotomy in which they live. A crease eventually settles in her brow, looking at him like, are you serious, loser?
"No, I obviously want to."
Want to with me? he nearly chances.
"Just don't be, like... weird about this after," she instructs. "It never happened."
"I'm not gonna. It didn't." That sounds too soft, so he snorts a little at the end.
Eddie barely has time to ask her if she's okay before it's lights out for him.
The most unforgettable thirty seconds of Eddie Munson's pubescent life up to that point begins with a scoff (his) and ends in a scoff (hers).
But that dog ceases barking for at least three weeks following. No biting in the hallway, no harassment in the parking lot. Even when Hagan sniffs around him, Nicole doesn't jeer on. She averts her eyes.
It's no declaration of love, but at least he got a free dinner out of it.
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tw1l1te · 29 days
Note
Heyy you fabulous writter! You've had me hooked ever since I first found a post of yours and I don't know if you're taking writing requests but if you are...I'd like to humbly request you to write this idea?🙏
Essentially I think it'd be really cute having a small one-shot of the LU boys in twilights hyrule and them meeting his S/O. His S/O can either be a simple farmer who grew up in the same area or the idea of someone he met on his journey who also had animal turning 'abilities'/features comes to mind so they understand each other more than most. IDK if it's a silly idea or not I just thinks the boys reactions (especially time teasing twilight and such) would be Hella cute! Anyways thanks and keep the good work up! 🫡
- Anon🧋
Yesyesyesyes living out my cottage core dream with mr. cowboy teehee
~
Twilight was getting giddier by the second as he approached Ordon, and the boys could tell. He was clenching and unclenching his fists, trying the keep the nervousness at bay, but how could he do that when he was about to see you. His beloved.
"I don't think I have ever seen you this jittery before, Pup. What's wrong?"
Twilight was about to answer him when they hear a loud gasp.
Twilight turns to see you on a tree above them, clad in what seems to be.... his old tunic? You jump down, hopping down branch by branch before landing inches away from Twilight.
"Oh by three- you're home! I missed you so much-"
He shuts you up, by pulling you in for a kiss, months of love and desperation melting onto you.
You had to pull away to avoid creating awkwardness for the others, "Alright, easyyy cowboy. Now why don't you tell me about your lil' friends?"
Time raises an eyebrow at him, clearly interested in your character.
"Oh! I completely forgot t' introduce myself! I'm Y/n, mister hero's partner."
Time nods, holding out a hand to shake.
"I'm Time, a... friend of Link's. We all met on his recent adventure."
You nod, squinting a bit at him, then eyeing the rest of them. You walk around them slightly, eyeing their garb and equipment a bit before nodding back at your boyfriend.
"They're Links too, aren't they?"
Legend jumps slightly at that, "How did you-"
You smile at him, "I gotta good nose."
Twilight shakes his head, chuckling "Alright, lets go back to the village before you start figuring everyone out."
You jog up to him, animatedly waving your hands, rambling about Colin and how good with swordsmanship he's become. Before you could continue rambling, Wind asks, "How'd you two meet?"
You and Twilight pause, looking at each other before responding.
"Oh, y'know, I met him on his quest during the Twilight Era. Stinky do-wait, they know, right?"
"They're too nosy for their own good."
"Right, so. I met him while I was in my alternate form. Fell on top of me from a brittle tree-"
"-Wait, you have a wolf form too?!" Wind exclaims, running up to you.
You snort, this kid's funny.
"Nah, that's hero's spirit and all. It's better if I show ya."
You focus for a moment before you feel the shift, still uncomfortable but so much less painful than the first time it happened, oh so many years ago.
Opening your eyes, you can feel your senses sharpen, everything intensifying tenfold.
"A fucking fox???!?!! Twilight, your wife is so cool."
"Not my wife yet, but thank you."
You walk up to Wind, cooing at him. He hesitantly pets your fur on your head, earning him a soft purr from you.
You walk up to the rest of them, just looking at them. You give a few extra sniffs to the pink-haired one, him smelling like hare.
Shifting back, you walk back to Twilight, your fur coat retreating back into your skin. You give him a peck on the cheek, continuing your way back to the village.
"Y'all coming or what?"
Twilight breaks out of his lovestruck trance, following you. Time walks up to Twilight, muttering to him,
"I can tell you've got a thing for foxy personalities."
"Oh, shut up."
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maridiayachtclub · 2 days
Text
that reblog about an inhospitable dungeon sorta highlights one of the areas in which i myself feel the biggest divide with youth culture: the idea of TTRPGs primarily as a space for exploring emotionally complex stories about specific kinds of characters engaging in specific sorts of tropes. like they always had that capacity, but i feel like a lot of the people that got into the hobby in the 5E, critical role era think of TTRPGs as a storytelling medium first and a game second. which, that was kind of how things were set up, i guess. "the dice are there to tell a story" has been the line for decades and all. but now it feels like there is an expectation for personal narrative arcs, and that the campaign's primary purpose is to explore and complete those arcs; all mechanics and gameplay are in support of that goal.
i don't mind that mode of gaming, it can be fun. there's a place for it in the hobby and lots of people that enjoy it. i don't know how well-suited i am to like, facilitating it, though. it's not like i actually play a lot of games with strangers, and i'd never run a game for someone i didn't feel like i had a good fit with. but if there's "make up a guy to get mad about," there's also "make up a guy to have awkward interactions with." for me it's someone i saw making a post here that went something like this: "Oh, D&D? You mean group therapy with all my gay friends?!"
like I say "I wanna run D&D," and what I mean is "I wanna describe rooms in a dungeon and cool monsters and traps and treasure chests and have my players figure out how to defeat the Evil Wizard," and what some other people (a threatening, undefined Them) hear is "I'm gonna have all my fantasies fulfilled! I get to make up a blorbo and the GM will tell a story about them and give them a romantic sideplot and an opportunity to work through all their trauma and it'll be just like my podcasts~!"
what if someone like that shows up at my table? shit's gonna be awkward. i didn't sign up for that, but isn't that what a lot of people think is the DM's job? this isn't entirely based on speculation, either; i've had conflict with a player that felt like their storytelling expectations were not being met by the game on the table before them. it wasn't "this isn't gay enough for me," but there was a clear mismatch in expectations and it made things rough. (Thankfully, this was just a one-shot thing meant to see if a group of players got along well, so. we certainly got an answer to that!)
there's something Matt Colville said in one of his videos a few years back, about how his players characterized him as an "old school" dungeon master, and how he was trying to understand what that meant for him. i'm paraphrasing, but the answer he came up with is that, as a DM, he was only concerned with the external growth of characters. his adventures provided things for the characters to deal with and react to, and the experience and gold that allowed them to make their numbers go up and expand their worldly holdings, but it was up to the players to make a personal narrative out of their characters' experiences. i liked this interpretation; that felt like a good compromise. it is not up to the game world to provide meaning, or inspiration, or closure; you gotta find those things yourself. which you can; we gotta do that shit in the real world all the time, after all.
(disclaimer: i am just talking about -my games- that i want to and may end up running. this isn't telling anybody what they can or should do in their games. i don't feel like this sort of thing should be necessary, for a post on my blog voicing my insecurities about my relationship with the hobby at large, but i've seen the discourse! i have seen just how bad the faith can get!)
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theredengineapologist · 5 months
Note
Now that you finished the classic era, what are your top ten favorite classic era episodes?
Apologies for this ask taking so long, but I wanted to take the time to answer your question in the detail that it deserves.
Before I begin, I just want to clarify that this is a list of my top 10 favorite episodes. This is not an indicative list of which Thomas episodes I think are necessarily written the best. They are ranked purely based on how much I enjoy them.
Anyway, Top 10 Classic Era Thomas Episodes, Let's GO!
10. S6 Ep15: "James and the Red Balloon"
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Kicking off the list with a James episode (because favoritism ALWAYS wins in this house)! There's definitely a nostalgia factor to this episode, as it's one of the few episodes that I actually remember from childhood (I have the "James and the Red Balloon and Other Stories" vhs tape). But also I just love the irony of James getting jealous of another vehicle that is also red.
Also I love his sad face after he saves the balloon.
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It's like "Congratulations James! You saved the day!" and then James is just like "But I didn't want to. The balloon's gonna take my job :(". I dunno, I just think it's funny. He's so silly.
Also the ending of James dreaming about flying like the red balloon is very cute.
9. S5 Ep13: "Stepney Gets Lost"
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I gotta admit, I do have an interest in Thomas's darker episodes. I know that kids' shows aren't happy/pure/hunky-dory all the time, but it still surprises me when they aren't. Purely because even though I know that, I still don't expect it. And so it's always a pleasant surprise when kids' shows like Thomas and Friends are willing to venture into darker territory. Like, they LITERALLY showed an attempted murder on-screen. I gotta give them props for that.
8. S1 Ep9: "Troublesome Trucks" / "Foolish Freight Cars"
I adore James's whole character arc from the first season, but out of all the episodes from that arc, this one definitely takes the cake for being the best one. I feel like we really get to see all the facets of James' character at their best. Allow me to elaborate.
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First of all, for as much flack as James gets for being "the vain one", he takes his mistakes harder than everybody. Look at him here! He's literally crying in the shed! Dude has seen the error of his ways and regrets it so hard. And that's honestly one of the things I love about James's character and that I'm glad stays consistent throughout the show. Yes he has his moments of being a jackass and a showboat. But the moment he sees that he's done something wrong, he will atone for it! He's not afraid to take accountability, and that's something very admirable.
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Speaking of atoning for one's actions, I feel like being The Determinator (TvTropes lingo, means a character who never gives up in the face of hardship) is a character trait we more commonly associate with Edward or Thomas. But James sure is one too! No matter how many times the trucks make him stop, James keeps going! I love how encouraging his driver and fireman are being towards him during these moments too. Good to know he has that good support system.
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Then we get to the part where James is puffing up Gordon's hill! And he's all like "omg this is so hard. how tall is this hill" and then suddenly it gets easier and he's like "Yippee! Yippee!", not knowing he's left his tail of trucks behind. Any time the engines go about their work smiling and happy unknowing that something bad just did or is about to happen is insanely funny to me.
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Now we get to my favorite part of the episode, where James has to go back down for the rest of the trucks. Please excuse my 2x5 shipper brain coming out for this, but I love how Edward has always been a supportive figure throughout James's character arc. He offers to help James with his work. But then James just gives a polite "No thank you". And then Edward continues to support and encourage him to keep going. I love that! I love them!
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I don't think it's a coincidence that it was Edward who brought Sir Topham Hatt to see James's triumph. Edward has been with James since his first day working after the accident. And so of course it would be Edward to bring Sir Topham Hatt to see James at his best. Like, this is such a satisfying episode and it's nice to see James win (because let's be real, the majority of his focus episodes going forward is just James taking Ls).
7. S7 Ep7: "James and the Queen of Sodor"
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Look I'm gonna be honest, this one's just a really fun watch in my opinion. I love to see James try so hard to be important. Gordon really tried to trick him but James was like, "Nah, fuck you guys! I'm gonna stay ✨shiny and clean✨!" And he did! Up until the very end when Percy sneezed on him. But you know what, a win is a win (and that comes rarely for James as the series goes on).
Also I love this face Gordon makes when he asks if collecting the Queen of Sodor is important. Dude knows what he's doing and he's trying SO HARD not to be smug about it it's hilarious. XD
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6. S1 Ep15: "Tenders and Turntables"
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What can I say? I enjoy watching the Big Engines struggle. It's really funny XD I love how James makes fun of Gordon for getting stuck on the turntable only to immediately get spun round and round. The Island of Sodor really does have laser-guided karma, huh? XD
Also as a continuity thing, I like that we get to see how Thomas getting his branchline effects the other engines around him. It makes the events of each episode feel like they have a greater impact, something that I believe gets lost in later seasons.
5. S5 Ep10: "Toby and the Flood"
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I don't think I ever mentioned it, but Toby is one of my top five favorite characters in the entire series. Right up there with James, Edward, and Thomas! Any time Toby gets a highlight episode, I know it's gonna be the highlight of the season. But this one, BY FAR, takes the cake as the BEST classic Toby episode.
For me, "Toby and the Flood" was the first episode that really made me think "Oh my god! The trains are in PERIL!" Like, this is a legit scary situation they put Toby in this time around. Not that past incidents like The Flying Kipper crash or James' multiple derailments weren't scary from the engine's perspectives. But train crashes kinda feel par for the course in the silly talking train show. Something about a natural disaster just hits different.
Like when Toby was floating in the water about to go over the waterfall, I was legitimately worried for him. Going into this blind, I had no clue how Toby was gonna get out of this. Logically, I knew they couldn't just kill Toby off. But at the same time, when Harold dropped the rope, I thought they were just gonna pull the driver up and leave Toby there. I was not sure how they were gonna save him but I'm so glad they did.
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The Toby-Harold-Percy dynamic is ✨P E A K✨ here by the way. I loved seeing them work together and it's a shame we don't get to see more of it.
Aside from the story itself, the score is amazing as well. Really does a great job of setting the tone for this story.
Oh, and one more thing.
THE SETS ARE GORGEOUS!
Seriously, I think this is one of the best examples of just how GOOD the model series can look. The sets look so realistic. And when the dam broke and the water came spilling out? That was spectacular! I'd give this episode a 10/10 just for the visuals alone.
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4. S3 Ep18: "All At Sea"
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"All At Sea", in my opinion, is by far the most thought provoking episode in the entire classic series. After watching it for the first time, I was still thinking about it and contemplating its meaning for weeks afterwards. Even to this day, I still find myself going back to think about it from time to time.
For a while I remember I was going back and forth about whether I actually liked this episode or not. The lesson at the end is "sometimes, the best travels are the ones you can only dream about", and I wasn't sure what that meant. Growing up American, we were always taught to go out and chase our dreams, no matter the risk or the cost. But in Duck's case, not only is he not encouraged to go travel and see what's beyond the horizon. He is, in fact, actively discouraged from doing so. From a logical standpoint, it makes sense. What reason would an engine have to go sailing or travel the world. But it still got me thinking. Was it really so wrong for Duck to dream about greater things?
But after talking about it with my sibling (bless their heart for dealing with my incessant prattling on a daily basis), we came to the conclusion that it's not that it was wrong for Duck to have dreams. But instead, "All at Sea" is a story about why it's important to be content with where you are right now. Every one of us is going to have dreams. But the unfortunate reality is that not everyone is going to be able to achieve those dreams. Many of us, in fact, will not even have the opportunity to chase our dreams. And in such cases, perhaps it's best to simply be content with where we are right now. Understand that we still have a purpose in life at the place we are currently.
Dreaming is all fine and good. But understand that where you are right now is just as important and just as worthwhile.
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3. S2 Ep13: "Dirty Work" / "Diesel's Devious Deed"
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I love Duck's whole arc against Diesel. I think it's great. But if I'm being honest, the reason why the middle episode is my favorite out of the three-parter is because the Big Engines are absolutely ✨ICONIC✨ in this!
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We get our very first utterance of "DISGRACEFUL! DISGUSTING! DESPICABLE!" in this episode. Not to mention this iconic roast:
"Duck called me a Galloping Sausage!" "Rusty Red Scrap Iron!" "I'm Old Square Wheels!" "Well Duck?" "I only wish sir, that I had thought of those names myself. If the dome fits!"
I just LOVE the drama of watching the engines be absolute Mean Girls to each other. You can't tell me that in an AU where Thomas and Friends is a high school show catered to young girls, that Gordon, James, and Henry wouldn't be the equivalent of The Plastics. I nicknamed them "The Railway Heathers" for a reason. XD
2. S1 Ep2: "Edward and Gordon" / "Edward Helps Out"
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This was the episode that made me instantly like Edward. He wasn't someone that I really remembered liking or disliking as kid. But after re-watching this episode, he immediately skyrocketed to being my second favorite character.
The story does a great job of establishing exactly who Edward is with only about four minutes and thirty seconds. He's smaller than the others (though surprisingly, I noticed they don't actually mention that he's old until season 2), and is very kind. But he often doesn't get appreciated for all the hard work he does. It makes you really feel for the guy.
Thankfully, Edward gets many more wins later in the series, so it's all good!
1. S2 Ep5: "Old Iron"
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Is it really a surprise to literally anyone that this is my favorite classic series episode? Of course not! It's literally the EPITOME Jameward episode.
My shipping preferences aside, I would also like to say that "Old Iron" is a fantastic James episode AND a fantastic Edward episode as well. Both characters are at their best here, and let me tell you why.
Starting with James first (because, say it with me now, favoritism rules in this house!). We all love James being a dumbass. And while he didn't directly cause his own karma this time around, we still get to see him be a little dumb of ass. Like, when he becomes a runaway at first he doesn't even realize there's anything wrong.
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He just puffs along, laughing to himself going "What a lark! What a lark!"
Then of course, we gotta have the "Regretti Spaghetti" moment, in which he realizes "Oh shit! I don't have a driver! I can't stop!"
This is James's second time being a runaway. The first time, he was pushed by cars and derailed into a field. Those memories are probably still fresh at this point, except I'd argue this time is even worse because he's completely alone. No driver or fireman to check him over like last time. James is all by himself.
But who comes to save him? It's Edward!
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Edward doesn't even hesitates. He's puffing and chuffing as fast as his wheels can carry him because he HAS to save James. He has to!
The chase scene is very intense. Even if you know how it ends, there's still this feeling of tension there that I'd say is palpable.
At last, Edward catches up to James! He's got him! And they're puffing along together.
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"So, the Old Iron caught you after all."
Edward isn't even mad about James's insult to him. He just takes it in stride.
Still, we all know that James, for all of his faults, knows when to take accountability. When he knows he's in the wrong, he apologizes for it and makes up for it, no hesitation.
"I'm sorry. Thank you for saving me. You were splendid Edward."
Splendid is a word James usually reserves only for himself. The fact that he's giving it to Edward really means something special.
I love "Old Iron" because it shows James and Edward, my two favorite characters, at their absolute best. All their greatest characteristics are put on display right here. I would say, not only is "Old Iron" my favorite episode in the Classic Era, but it's also one of my favorite episodes of the entire series period. There's only one episode I like in the entire show more than "Old Iron", but we can talk about that another day (though feel free to place your guesses in the Ask Box).
That just about wraps up the countdown! Thank you Anon for this ask! It was so fun getting to go through my favorite episodes and talk about what makes them so great! I hope y'all enjoyed getting to hear my commentary. ❤ Until next time...
CHOO CHOO BITCHES! 🚂💨💨💨
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wordstome · 5 months
Note
YOUR König thoughts are some xgame shit oh em goodness “Aside from the fact he’s hung like a horse” YOU DID NOT. That’s disgusting. You should be ashamed. (I agree wholeheartedly)
But it got me thinking about König meeting a sniper!Reader? Cannot be a healthy dynamic but I’m a sucker for emotionally dysfunctional men.
Imagine you show up one day, butt unceremoniously into his life and introduce yourself in a way that drums up an uncomfortable tightness in his chest. He’s all too smitten and then your introduction has to go and end with ‘-and I’ll be joining the team as a resident sniper’. Those butterflies in his stomach turn into a weight on his heart.
Why you of all people? He was rejected and reassigned. His long-term aspirations snuffed out like nothing. Meanwhile, you complain about the bruising below your clavicle? Ridiculous, stupid thing you are to be so ungrateful.
Doesn’t matter if you actually aren’t whining as much as he thinks you are. From the minute he finds out what position you’re taking, everything he says and does is vindictive and downright rude. He doesn’t do it consciously and afterwards his internal monologue is just a running cycle of ‘why did I say/do that?’ Not to mention the dent in his wall from banging his head against it lmaoo
His regret doesn’t stop the impulse to make snide comments that fray your nerves. More than they already are just by being proximal to the huge man, that is. What you were experiencing at his hand was unnervingly like how he was treated was back in school. Or going through basic training with COs screaming up at him and degrading him.
It takes you finally sitting him down, the built-up exasperation at his behaviour driving you to be a lot more imposing to him that someone of your size should’ve been, for him to sort out his feelings. After acknowledging that he really had nothing against you (besides jealousy) that initial feeling of fixation returns.
A couple months of annoyance too late, if your huff of irritation was any indicator. It’ll take him awhile to get over that built-up resentment, none of which is technically your fault, but you can figure out some kind of union fwb situation? Right?
It would make such a good slow burn sobbing and rolling but that was completely unnecessary no idea where that came from. I’m so glad my cod interest and my fanfiction writing era didn’t overlap because I would be working like a dog on full-length novels about these men omg
-Dented and Recruited anon 🫡
MY FAVORITE ANON GRACES MY INBOX AGAIN...look, it's not my fault, they literally gave him a bulge. Is it just protective equipment? Probably! But you can't tell me a 6'5"-10" man doesn't have a dick to match. Come ONNNNN
*ahem* wow. Anyway . you GET IT. you GET IT! ! ! ! angel of small death was the first König drabble I ever did, and I still plan on returning to it!!! This is exactly the sort of dynamic I wanted to put in AAAAAAAAA I'm in love!! König sabotaging his damn self...yea we gotta make this man squirm. I will write these ideas for you babe but if you ever do feel a little bit of that writing era overlap coming on I will be the first in line to read what you've got stored in that brilliant brain 👀
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variousqueerthings · 5 months
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I've just been spending the last few hours thinking about this ending that I haven't even thought about the whole rest of the episode, I've gotta. I've gotta just
oh boy I've gotta just fuckn
nothing about donna or fourteen or fifteen here just all the rest
1- at first I was thinking that the toymaker was defeated in kind of a simple way, but then on the other hand it's more a setup for some of the things we know is coming in ncuti gatwa's era, with classic!who gods. so the toymaker, yes, gives the opportunity to wrap up this past era and for DT to do those big sad wet eyes of his, but is far more for the next story's benefit in the long run from the sounds of things. also the behind-the-scenes for the game of catch is hilarious. NPH was so good, would be cool to see the toymaker make a reprise just with gatwa
2- ohhhhhhhhhh the Puppetry in this episode! PUPPETS! I am soooo into puppets, I could have spent a million episodes with these creepy fucking puppets, I hope we get more puppets
3- AND speaking of the toymaker, the master in the toymaker's tooth???? I haven't seen dhawan yet, so idk how that all ends, but I did not expect master setup, and I am very happy we did because the master is my favourite (derogatory, what a bitch)
4- RTD talking about the puppet that was broadcast on TV, I knew about that puppet (from getting a quiz answer wrong relatively recently lol), but giving that little historical Moment, now we all know a bit more, I just think it's neat
5- I am still not a fan of UNIT. every time we meet them they're a military force with weaponry that has the potential to do so much harm and... then they lose control of that weaponry. and also do weapons-related stuff that often makes the situation worse. I feel similarly of classic!UNIT who do manage to help out more on the whole, but still are fundamentally military and several times have people who do Bad Shit. dunno, still trying to figure out their place in this narrative other than convenient guns when we need guns. I want them to be more complicated if they come back for the next era, I'd be interested if shirley-ann bingham became a liz shaw type and really questions the limitations and biases that exist within UNIT
6- wait no, going back to point the first I'm soooo excited for the things they've hinted at, stories about gods are my whole damn jam, it's going to be amazing!
7- them playing the prime minister saying he doesn't care about anybody and donna goes "same as always" (or however she says it), listen, it's low-hanging fruit and I am eating it, anything dragging the british government and right wing sentiment is good and necessary for my soul personally
8- one really big Thing is no martha. will never get that closure RIP. argh though freema agyeman and ncuti gatwa could do great things together I think, cmon. one day
I'm sure more things will come up as I think about it, but off the top of my head
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treppthroat · 2 months
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I Want It All
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Hello! This is the first time I have written anything like this…I really do not know how this is gonna go. I was a STEM major in college so don’t expect much lol. Let me know if a part 2 is wanted. I might go full smut, who knows? It's kinda predictable haha.
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The day was finally here. 
“Y/N! Let’s go! We gotta be first in line for the VIP experience.” 
This was the first time you had seen them perform. It was more than you could ever dream of. You and Sarah had saved hundreds of dollars to be squashed in the pit, but it was worth it. The only thing separating you from the love of your life was a metal barricade…and 8 security guards. You couldn’t get enough of every sigh and gasp he made on stage. It filled your heart (and other places) with the warmth of a heated, luxury car seat. Your gazing expression fixated on those long, strong fingers producing the most satisfying riffs—his voice, so commanding and full, yet so trembly at times. 
His calm demeanor always made you feel so at ease. You figured he was a good actor since you’d heard he was a very shy and private person. You’d never know that by watching him perform (especially the performances from 2013 on). He seemed larger than life but there were certain interview moments where he just seemed so relatable. He’s just a guy, like any other. He’s had love, heartbreak, and any other normal human experience. You’d seen photos of him around your age and he just looked like the cute kid at school, but nothing extraordinary. You wondered that if he wasn’t a famous musician, would you be as obsessed with him? Would you still be into him if he had a normal job and just did music as a hobby? After all, you were never into musicians. You were used to dating engineering majors, without a fraction of the emotional intelligence and creativity that he had. You always thought that guys in the arts were pompous pricks. Nothing was worse than a guy who had the same boring take on Pulp Fiction. All the guys you knew that were in a band were in it for the girls, especially the lead singers. They were the worst of all— bonus points if they also played guitar. Yet, your celebrity crush was indeed the lead singer/guitarist of a band. You were convinced that he was a sweetheart, he just seemed too goofy and down to earth to be a dickhead. Was he the exception? Did you just think that because you couldn’t see beyond your obsession? 
I mean, he is a very famous lead singer/guitarist in a well-known band. He was used to having girls throw themselves at him. Did he enjoy it? You always thought he seemed uncomfortable by the attention. He sulked in interviews, scanning his surroundings, or saying something cheeky enough to garner a laugh, but not seem like an asshole. He loved to shout “Ladies!” right before that famous riff to get a few screams out of the crowd. In his AM and EYCTE eras, he always placed his arms around his female fans in photos. He was trying to keep up a certain image. You were sure he wasn’t the type of guy to touch a girl without their consent. He seemed too proper, too polite. Could it have all been a farce to make him seem more appealing?
Regardless of his public persona, he was just a human being, who sang and played an instrument or two. He was just a guy. 
He was just a guy.
Sarah gripped your wrist and pulled you out of the pit. Even though you paid extra for this meet and greet, you needed to be the first few people at the gate. You could barely grapple with the fact that you were right in front of the stage, let alone that you would speak to the band. 
It was all too much. 
Well, you weren’t the first ones at the gate but you weren’t too far back in the line either. The line was bustling with screams and whispers. “Oh my god, here they come!”, you heard behind you. Your 5’2 body attempted to peer over the gate. A couple of security guards carefully opened the gates and out came a group of PR people, directing us to form a single file line. 
And then you saw him.
The whole band, standing against the hedges that lined the VIP area, was a sight to behold. Jaime, Nick, Matt, and of course, Alex. They stood with their hands behind their backs, giggling and conversing with each other. One by one, fans came up to each of them for pictures and autographs. You clutched onto the AM poster you bought before the show so tightly that you thought it might rip in half. Sarah put a hand on your shoulder to calm you down, but she was just as nervous as you.
“Y/N, it’s okay, we got this.”
There were three people in front of you, then two, then one. Then-
“Next!”, the PR lady screamed. You gulped and stepped forward. This was happening.
“Hi, how are you, what’s your name?”, Jaime asked.
“Hi, it’s Y/N”, you trembled, your whole body visibly shaking. You handed over the poster for him to sign. He was so sweet and genuine. He reassured you with a smile, and you went down the line, repeating the same process with Nick and Matt. They were equally as polite and inviting. Whatever idea you had of band members being rude and disgusting left your mind immediately. These guys were so humble, honestly. 
And then you got to Alex.
“Hi, how are you? I’m Alex, what your name?”, he asked with a grin in a deep, Sheffield accent. 
You paused for what felt like an eternity. You simply could not fathom your celebrity crush asking you for your name. 
“Hi, I’m great. I mean— my name isn’t great. My name is Y/N” you fumbled. Nice one, now he thinks you’re some inarticulate fangirl. Oh wait—
He chuckled as you gave him your poster to sign. “Well, it is very nice to meet you, Y/N. Did you enjoy the show?”
You could just die right there. His crisp blue suit, with his gold chains draping his bare chest void of any tie, was enough to put you into a coma. His hair was so fluffy and perfectly quaffed in the front. He was a vision of heaven. 
“Yeah, it was amazing!” you replied with enthusiasm. 
“I’m glad to hear that”, he said with a grin as he handed you back the poster. The PR lady took your phone as you posed for a picture with the whole band. You knew you looked like a complete goober but you didn’t care. You met your favorite band, finally. You asked Alex and the lady for a separate picture with just the two of you. He obliged and posed next to you, standing with his hands behind his back and sporting a smolder. You wondered how it was legal to be that devastatingly handsome. 
“Thank you! It was great meeting you guys!”
You waved goodbye at all of them while you waited on the side for Sarah to take her turn. Your heart was racing and you had to pinch yourself to make sure you weren’t dreaming, as dreaming of Alex was a common occurrence. But this was real. 
“Sarah, we met them, we spoke to all four of them”, you said in shock.
“Y/N, I still cannot believe it. And it just happened.”
You both exchanged photos and giggled over the whole ordeal. You made your way to the parking lot while fangirling over the fact that you both have spoken to and have pictures with the Arctic Monkeys. 
It was all too surreal. You went home that night with a smile and your new favorite memory.
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As the weeks passed, you looked back on that moment fondly. The moment your eyes met Alex’s deep brown oceans, you were hooked. You felt relieved that he was so polite. The whole interaction was not rushed one bit, even though there were about 150 people behind you. You felt as if he really took his time with you, to make you feel special. Or was that just a part of his facade? After all, why else would he have taken his time with you when there were so many other desperate people waiting to have the same experience?
It was a crisp Saturday in Autumn. After working your 9-5 that week, you were much in need of an outdoor stroll. Work had just been kicking your ass lately. Demanding clients, more responsibility, and bad management. You needed to get away from it all, even though you never had to actually speak to anyone in person. Still, it felt good to walk away from your laptop and out of your apartment. 
As you stepped outside, you felt a gust of wind knock you off your stoop. It was finally getting chilly in the city, and you could not wait for what the season had in store.
You were never much of a coffee drinker, but you couldn’t resist a good chai latte. You strolled down the street to your favorite coffee shop to get your sweet treat. 
Something about the season felt different this year. More excitement, more possibilities, maybe something was waiting just around the corner. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking. You had too many negative thoughts swirling around your head constantly so it felt nice to be positive and dreamy for once, even if it was unrealistic. 
You turned right onto the street with the coffee shop on the corner. Right before you opened the big glass doors, you halted. Your heart sank as you saw a familiar side profile. You thought you were just seeing what you wanted to see, as your delusions have tricked you before. You blinked as you gripped the handle of the store. People pass you by staring as they use the opposite door to enter the building. They must think I’m a nut. 
You are a nut, that’s not him, it can’t be.
You compose yourself and enter the establishment like any other sane person would. You get in the usual long line to order. As you survey the room of the place you frequent at least once a week, you glance behind you to see that your delusion has unfortunately persisted. You shake your head and blink three times—this usually does the trick. 
You feel a sense of relief, and you turn back around to confirm that there is nothing to see. 
You were dead wrong. Or you had finally lost it. Either way, the frontman of the Arctic Monkeys was sitting behind you at a small table, sipping on a cappuccino and reading a novel. 
Shit. What the hell is he doing here?
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monsieuroverlord · 4 months
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BECAUSE I'M STILL UPSET BY RECENT EVENTS...
Warning: my convoluted conspiracy theories and ranting lol
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We're only on part one of the Sabretooth War arc, and while I'm deeply unhappy with how that issue turned out, there's technically still plenty of time to introduce a twist that fixes everything (or at least provides a glimmer of solace from that clusterfuckery.)
I've thought on it, slept on it, and came up with a few theories that COULD dampen the blow of last issue.
In no particular order:
Twist Option 1: It's a fake-out and Akihiro is technically not dead. How, you may ask?
The Sabretooth crew's first target was Quentin Quire -- who is supposedly an omega-level telepath. Now, Logan's got telepathic resistance, but he's never been completely immune.
We also saw the Sabretoothes (Sabreteeth?) use a device to knock out Sage and Black Tom, one that distinctly has Quire's Pink Power Signature:
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They haven't explained exactly WHAT this device is, but it wouldn't surprise me if they took Quire's brain and made a telepathic brain scrambler device. (wouldn't be the first time Marvel did something similar AND we don't see Quire's head in the final page). Creed's a savage, but also a clever bastard. He wouldn't be opposed to strats like that.
Who knows what that device is? Maybe its some bullshit like "projecting Logan's fears" and that's what he THINKS happened.
Though in this case, it is likely that Akihiro WAS at least captured and greatly injured (but still has his healing factor and is alive). Perhaps will come up later when Creed feels like fucking with Logan some more. (Cue badass sibling rescue mission when Laura finds out)
Not great, but perfectly in character for an extra-savage Sabretooth to draw out the Logan Birthday Bash. (And I'm sorry, but at the barest of minimums, Akihiro wouldn't go down that easy -- he's younger, faster, and much more conniving than his father. Logan has significant training, but he tends to drop it in favor of charging headfirst every time. Aki's always been more disciplined than that. Same with Laura, but that's another rant.)
Now this means Quire is definitely dead, but he also has a bunch of body doubles from X-Force, and he recently self-resurrected after that Cerebrax thing and a back-up body. If a character was going to self-resurrect, it'd be him. (Not to mention, if Betsy Braddock can restore her entire body via telepathy/telekinetics, he should be able to as well)
Twist Option 2: Akihiro IS dead, but there is a secret back-up resurrection (maybe limited use or something)
In the description-preview thing of X-Force #49, they're indicating they're gonna bring back Avengers-era Beast to take down current Beast. Now maybe they just happen to find a Beast clone to upload it to, but there's gotta be at least the groundwork for secret cloning somewhere (I mean, he cloned Wolverine too, so I don't see why not). Avengers-era Beast and Sage (Or just Sage alone honestly) could figure it out.
Then we just need a back-up database of Cerebro to upload memories and all is well. (I'm pretty sure X-Force already had a complete secret back-up database, or if not in canon yet, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out they did.).
Twist Option 3: Whatever is going on in ROTPOX comes to at least a partial fruition.
Either Xavier somehow succeeds (I don't think that'll be the case, tbh) and Krakoa is no more but everyone killed is reset or there's some partial success that resets Krakoa and resurrection can resume.
Either way, it'll reset the progress Akihiro and Logan have made and bleh.
(This would be such a fucking cop-out, in my opinion, but I digress)
Twist Option 4: Secret Weapon From the Exiles Crew.
Now called The Maroons, Nekra and crew still have that weird Krakoa seed. We don't know what it does yet. Implied to be really bad for Sabretooth, but maybe it also has secret powers like "restoring life to Creed's recent kills via draining his corpse" or some bullshit.
idk Krakoa science-magic.
Twist Option 5: There's another goddamn Muramasa blade/weapon out there.
What ever happened to Laura's Muramasa Armor? And the shield? How many weapons does Muramasa still have out there?
a. that armor will come up, and Laura will reclaim it. Since it also has a piece of Akihiro's soul, they'll extract that (probably breaking the armor in the process) and restore him via dope sword magic.
b. There's conveniently ANOTHER Muramasa weapon, one that can kill Sabretooth but ALSO has life restoring abilities (a weapon created for the perfect balance between life and death)
c. Solem lost his sword via general debauchery. And now Logan is gonna go get it. But also there's secret sword magic (which has life restoring powers) that Muramasa conveniently didn't tell Logan because he didn't feel like it
d. Logan's gonna go get his Muramasa blade (or one of them -- I'm pretty there's at least a couple at this point. wouldn't be surprised if there's secretly more) and there's the same secret sword magic as point c.
e. Percy and LaValle shock us all by giving Itsu some actual character -- where she knew Muramasa herself and gave up a bit of her soul for a secret weapon cuz it turns out she was a badass in her own right, which now can be used in the present day to both kill Sabretooth AND restore her beloved son. (And Logan never knew because he's a dense SOB and has a tendency to put his deceased love interests on a pedestal)
Twist Option 6: No twist at all. Akihiro is dead, gonna be dead for a bit, and everything is pain and suffering :(
At bare minimum, I wanna see Aurora pull her brother's moves from X-Men #163:
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Just full speedster mode and kick his ass. She'd probably be more ruthless and I'd like to see that.
Or speedster sibling tag-team mode with said ruthless ass-kicking.
(I crave vengeance)
That's all I got. If you've made it this far, thanks for reading lol
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artistic-mathematics · 9 months
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I love how people are arguing over who possesses Glamrock Freddy (if anyone possesses him at all) and if Charlie Emily and Elizabeth Afton are still around or not when everyone is just missing the point, which is that we need to re-examine Sister Location.
all of SL's lore looks like it's laid out perfectly for all of us, but that's incredibly deceiving in a series of convoluted storylines and chaos. there's many things I think everyone has just overlooked in favor of the simple, straightforward plot of the game.
first, what exactly is the card that Michael Afton takes from Circus Baby at the end of Sister Location? because I think we've all figured out by now that Sister Location is very crucial to the modern FNAF era, so like. what is this thing. I think it's going to be important moving forwards.
and secondly, why is it that Elizabeth is the only character in the entire series to not fully possess an animatronic despite her soul inhabiting it? Circus Baby never speaks in Elizabeth's voice, and I think that is a conscious decision that we need to look into again. even in the fake ending in SL, when the desperation creeps in and Circus Baby drops her lie and begs Michael to help them, she's still referring to Elizabeth in third-person. I think it's supposed to show that Elizabeth isn't in control -- and that she's never been in control since her death. also, the line "I still hear her sometimes" feels incredibly important as well -- it implies that Elizabeth is still there. so why is it that Baby just overrides Elizabeth entirely?
I think this both of these things are especially crucial in understanding the Mimic, considering the amount of parallels people have found between Circus Baby and the Mimic (pretending to be someone they're not, mimicking voices, misleading the protagonist to free them, etc.) and how there are still plenty of loose ends to be tied up from Baby. I think we need to stop trying to slot Elizabeth and Charlie into the modern FNAF timeline because while yes, The Silver Eyes trilogy does help solve a lot of things since Security Breach and the Ruin DLC do clearly have parallels with it, I sincerely doubt that they're both still around because it kinda undermines the entire point of FFPS.
(also look, Elizabeth Afton is one of my favorite characters in the entire series, but unless the card from Baby secretly held Elizabeth's consciousness or some shit I think we gotta just accept that her only plot relevance was showing that William Afton consciously designed and made the Funtime animatronics to nab and kill children for his twisted experiments.)
Sister Location was trying to tell us something, something that wasn't Elizabeth Afton's death and Michael Afton getting scooped, and now that we know more about what occurred afterwards I think we need to figure out what exactly this all means in order to understand everything else.
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veryace-ficrecs · 9 months
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Academy era star trek fic rec
This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! :)
A Star To Light The Way (In which Jim never thought he’d live past 22, anyway) by AlyssiaInWonderland - Not Rated
“So, captain,” she began, eyeing him mischievously. “Where would you be if you hadn’t joined up?”
Jim shrugged nonchalantly, pursing his lips for a moment in thought. “Dead probably,” he finally replied, lightly but absolutely serious– oblivious to the shocked expressions of his crew around him. “Or halfway to it in a bar in Iowa somewhere.”
Or, Nyota's journey from first meeting Kirk, to loving Jim, through three, increasingly angsty, incidents spanning Academy Era to post 2009 film.
Touch Me, Tell Me All Is Forgiven by BeautyGraceOuterSpace - Not Rated
He stops trying, after everything. Frank. Tarsus. Years of conditioning against contact. He never initiates touch, and is wary of receiving it. He’s had his flinch response well in hand for years by the time a couple of Starfleet cadets go head to head with him in the bar in Riverside. Hell, a fist to the face feels like home. He almost craves the touch. Almost.
put yourself in my suitcase by weird_bird (2weird4) - Rated G
When the flash on the antique camera goes, neither of them is looking straight into the lens.
A Non-Comprehensive List of What (Not) to Do Plebe Year by sppacecowboyy - Not Rated
Neither Leonard McCoy nor James Kirk knew what they were doing when they signed up for Starfleet Academy, which makes these two overqualified but underprepared plebes perfect (or maybe not) roommates. Aside from the stress of their classes, Jim and Leonard will have to face pranks, drama, computer malfunctions, relationship issues, and--perhaps worst of all--living with each other. But hey, if they wanna be able to survive five year missions in deep, unknown space, first they've gotta figure out how to survive freshman year at Starfleet Academy (and also maybe each other's company).
And We Will Find Each Other in the Stars of Our Hearts by CC99trialanderrorgirl - Rated T
A rather romantic look at the relationship between James T. Kirk and Leonard "Bones" McCoy, from the academy years to the start of the five-year mission.
Inappropriate Comments (Or, How To Get Leonard McCoy to Punch You in the Face) by faithfulpenelope - Rated T
It takes a lot to get McCoy to actually hit you.
Hymns with the Devil in Confessional by InsaneSociopath - Rated T
Jim mutters that he's fine. Jim is not fine. Not at all. For the anon Prompt: Academy adoption fic because that's my jam: Jim hides an illness from Pike, until it becomes too late
Wear this on my heart by Areiton - Not Rated
It’s about three months into their first year at the Academy, when they both have a rare night off and decide to hit a local bar, that Jim realizes it. Leonard McCoy’s got shit taste in clothes.
Theory and Practice by Writer_at_the_Table - Rated T
He's sitting stiffly, back straight and face utterly blank. There is no laughter twinkling in his eyes. She feels wary at the sight of him, this cadet who only superficially resembles the one she thought she knew. Starfleet Academy professor Anita Cornerstone calls Cadet Jim Kirk to her office to discuss his response on an essay assignment. The conversation they have is not the one she was expecting.
I Took the Stars from My Eyes (and Then I Made a Map) by canistakahari - Rated E
At the end of their first year at the Academy, Jim decides he's taking Bones for a beach vacation.
A Toast to Your Success by BeautyGraceOuterSpace - Not Rated
In which Chris just wants to celebrate Jim getting through his first year at the academy, and instead winds up more than a bit sloshed. Based on a prompt from insane-sociopath.
Leonard H. McCoy's Guide to Keeping a Friend by highschool-facelesshellion (mutalune) - Rated T
Leonard came to Starfleet with nothing except a half-finished degree and an empty bottle of cheap booze. It took him months to realize he had a best friend waiting in the wings for him to get his act together. Or: How Leonard made a best friend by being an unobservant but decent person and how his conscience wouldn't let him be undeserving of the kid's freak affection.
5 times Jim Kirk showed everyone he was not just a pretty face. by TryingNotToCry - Rated T
The thing about Jim Kirk is that he never takes anything seriously, that's why everyone thinks he's just a pretty blond.
Hidden love by lokilenchen - Rated G
Jim and Leonard have been hiding their relationship from all the people around them. This is how they reveal that they have been secretly dating for quite a while now.
Imposter's Insignia by calderaNightOwl - Rated T
“Hey, if we got married, we could put in a request for family housing – get a whole apartment with a kitchen and a living room.” Jim laughed, swallowing back the memories of the sixth months following Tarsus that he’d lived on base in just such an apartment. Jim meant it as a joke, but when he didn’t hear Bones laughing, he looked up and caught Bones staring at him seriously, considering. “What, no, seriously?” Jim squawked. OR The one in which Jim and Bones get married the day they meet in order to skirt Starfleet housing regulations. There’s one problem with the plan: Jim isn’t actually enlisted, and no one knows – not even Bones.
Step 1: Enlist in Starfleet. Step 2: ????? Step 3: Profit. by hellostarling - Rated T
Jim spends three years at the Academy, and he totally manages it all by himself. Well, Bones helps a little. Or a lot. Maybe. This is Jim's Starfleet education and all that entails: the ups, the downs, the prank wars, the winter vacations, and the awkward boners.
This is Your Fault by Catchclaw - Rated T
Sharing a dorm room with James Kirk is a challenge. Sharing an apartment? That's more complicated.
Pavlov's Cuddles by InsaneSociopath - Rated T
Chris decides the absolute best way to get Jim to behave is to classically condition him using candy. Because. Um. That's perfectly normal and acceptable right?
Little Bones by Joules Mer (joulesmer) - Rated G
Jim learns the hard way to never answer another man’s comm. Not even by accident. In retrospect, however, it might be the best mistake he’s ever made.
Change my Name by InsaneSociopath - Rated T
Jim won't join the Academy as a Kirk. He refuses to deal with people accusing him of nepotism. Problem is, Pike won't let him use his name either.
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aprillikesthings · 1 month
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can I finish this before I gotta get ready and leave for the Maundy Thursday service let's find out lol
(Edit: Nope.)
THREE MORE EPISODES LEFT
*cries*
s5 ep11 Failsafe
someone hold me
I have to actively suppress the urge to read the synopses of the episodes at this point
oh also lol this is just funny to me, I saw a post Elsewhere Online where someone watched all of spop the first time and they HATED the dumb names everyone has, and I think they mentioned Castaspella specifically.
And like FIFTY PEOPLE responded with "dude they had to use the original names from the 1980's series" and I was the only one there old enough to have watched the original series and I had to point out: the original series was made to sell toys. The vast majority of cartoons in 1985 were only made to sell toys. They gave everyone those dumbass names because it was easy for kids to remember and beg for the toys."
That's also why all the female characters in the original series have the exact same body type. Yeah the body shape itself was due to 1980's-era sexism, but also? It was so much cheaper to animate the show AND make the toys that way!
But also, it's hella ironic to me that the 2018 show has so little official merch!
And now, back to crying over cartoon lesbians:
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good question
ugh I hate her
Shadow Weaver: "While you were traipsing around in space,"
OH MY GOD they were saving a few people's LIVES and it was kind of IMPORTANT but WHATEVER
"--some of us have been working to stop the Heart of Etheria from falling into Prime's hands. And we discovered the same thing you did. Rumors of a Failsafe that will break the restraints the First Ones built and set the stolen magic free." Glimmer: "Are you kidding? After everything that happened last time, you're still going after the Heart of Etheria? And you're helping her?" Castaspella: "We're trying to free the magic for all of Etheria so we can be strong enough to fight Prime. I'm doing this for your father and for you. Shadow Weaver is the lesser of two evils."
I love that she says this right in front of Shadow Weaver. Like "girl I hate her too"
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nice
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okay ngl I have mixed feelings about this one because unfortunately she's not entirely wrong here but also, shut the fuck up
(something something people are responsible for their own actions but also she wouldn't have done all that godawful shit if Shadow Weaver hadn't been such a shitty parent)
but yeah Catra gets up like she's about to fucking throw some hands and Adora's like It's okay bb
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;_;
but also they do need the information Shadow Weaver and Castaspella have
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so it turns out Mystacor was built on top of a First Ones' citadel? huh
Castaspella: "Beneath Mystacor, there are many secret tunnels and rooms, forgotten and sealed off. No one has been able to access them in centuries, but there are whispers of what they contain." Shadow Weaver: "An artifact known as the Crystal of Arxia, hidden there by a group of traitorous First Ones." Castaspella: "You said I could do it!"
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lol they bicker like old marrieds
Adora: "If you figured it out on your own, why come back here? Why do you need us at all?" Shadow Weaver: "Because Mystacor is controlled by Micah, who, you may recall, is controlled by Horde Prime."
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they've been TRYING
"If he seizes the Heart, it will all be over."
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Stop toUCHING HER
oh god Adora turns around to ask Catra to help out--and she's gone
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YOU'RE THE REASON SHE'S FUCKING "SULKING" and you fucking know it, why are abusers always so god damned surprised to find out their kids don't want to be anywhere near them
(I mean I know why, they think they should be able to control you forever)
aaahahaha Adora's just like Nah I'mma go look for her tho
anyway roll intro!
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omg look at Netossa and Spinny on the bottom left awwwww
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she looks so sad
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well okay sad and angry
their conversation here is so good, because Catra's fully aware of why Adora's doing this, but is really struggling to push past how much she (justifiably!) hates Shadow Weaver and hates being around her
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I actually do kinda wish I'd kept a list of all the times Adora does the self-sacrificial thing, separated into "someone asked her to do it" vs "nobody asked her to do it" lol
BUT ADORA EXPRESSES A NEED oh nice that's progress
Adora: "Hey, she can't do anything to us anymore. Please, come. We--I-could really use your help."
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two things I really love about this: One, she doesn't say that she doesn't like Adora, just that it's not the reason she's going. Two, I feel like Adora knows damn well Catra's not being 100% honest here.
Like, to some extent Catra's saying this as a way of attempting to protect herself a little. She's taking baby steps towards vulnerability, and it's terrifying! And I think Adora can see that and is fine with it--not JUST because she's like "any crumbs are better than nothing" but ALSO because she doesn't want to push Catra.
Because yeah, if there was any actual doubt that Catra does like Adora--
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WELL.
Entrapta was able to get Spinerella's chip out but says it had started fusing with her nervous system and they're running out of time to safely un-chip everyone.
But she's been digging around the network that connects all the chips to Prime, hoping to figure out how to disconnect everyone at once, and Bow gives her a little encouragement, it's really sweet.
OKAY so everyone who can, teleports to Mystacor with Melog making them invisible. (Apparently Catra doesn't get motion sick from it anymore which is nice lol)
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I love the way they animated them being invisible
oh GOD okay
Catra turns around and says "looks like there's no sorcerers here" while, unfortunately, a sorcerer walks into the room. Shadow Weaver grabs Catra and puts her hand over her mouth to keep her quiet, and Catra (understandably!! but unfortunately!!) jerks away in fury and yells
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And her fury causes Melog to drop the invisibility
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And now the chipped sorcerer knows they're all there
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they manage to duck the attack but Adora goes to transform into She-Ra--and can't do it
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she had this issue last episode aaaugh it's not from being near Shadow Weaver she wasn't there
okay but also Adora runs behind a pillar to hide from an attack with Catra and it's cute
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girl help why is this giving me so many emotions
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y'know it's funny how often I've bumped into posts of people who are confused as to why Adora starts trusting Catra again so quickly, and I frequently wonder if they forget all the childhood flashback scenes of these two. To varying extents they both spent their entire childhoods seeing the other as their only consistent source of comfort and (something resembling) safety, and with some notable exceptions Adora's spent the last four seasons (which was like three or four years) visibly holding out hope that one day she could trust Catra again. This despite the fact that she now has other sources of safety and comfort and love!!! Being with Glimmer and Bow and everyone else was healing, sure; but it never erased her grief over losing Catra. She always, always held out the tiniest flame of hope that Catra would change sides.
And Catra basically tried lighting her own grief on fire (metaphorically and kinda literally) over and over and it just didn't go away, and I feel like when she saved Glimmer and apologized to Adora she had sort of come to terms with the fact that her grief over losing Adora couldn't be burned away, but of course by then she figured she'd fucked up so bad Adora would never forgive her or trust her again. And rather than take it out on other people or suffer any longer she was willing to just die, instead. She really did think that sending Glimmer to Adora was going to be her last act, and she wanted Adora to know she was sorry before she fucking DIED. And I don't think her saving Glimmer was consciously meant to be proof that she meant her apology, but it was. And that's part of why Adora trusts her again.
The fact is, even after everything that happened, both of them had a hole in their hearts shaped like the other. ;_;
And that's why Adora runs and hides behind the same pillar as Catra. (I mean yes, it was also closer, but that's not tHE POINT)
Anyway, this is all why, as I previously noted, Adora's not being pushy. That failed on her, spectacularly; the couple of times she tried it. Asking Catra to come along on this mission is the closest she's come. And even then, it wasn't "you're a good person deep down and you should change sides because I think I know you better than you know yourself," It was "please do this for me, because I need your help." And Catra is fully aware of how hard that is for Adora.
And these two still have a lot to work out post-canon (like, Catra has still got to deal with her need to not just be seen as Adora's sidekick/shadow, and lbh right now some of the rebellion is like "we're only putting up with you for Adora's sake" as if Catra was Yoko Ono) but that's part of why I'm writing a fic lolol
I have so many feelingssss on a related note I spent like fifteen solid minutes last night in bed having taken an edible and listening to my playlist and staring at this gifset lolol
ANYWAY Castaspella knocks out the chipped dude and they run for it
AAAND lol I gotta get ready to go to church. There's still 17:30 left on this episode. Pfft.
BACK FROM CHURCH I washed someone's feet, they washed mine, they stripped the altar, I go back at one or two in the morning for the overnight vigil
In the meantime: gonna finish this episode
(what is my life sometimes)
Entrapta plans to find a bunch of clones so she can figure out how their signals to Horde Prime work. Swift Wind is like Ugh, fine, I'll go with you, someone's gotta save your ass
Entrapta: "Thanks, bird horse!"
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lol how many times have they had that convo
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A family can be a sorcerer and her evil ex, a girl and a boy, two traumatized lesbians, and a cat
But also it looks like something out of an episode of Scooby Doo
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Shadow Weaver opens a magic door
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ngl that's PRETTY. like it's obviously about the Heart of Etheria but wow!
(and there's a dinosaur???)
Adora notices how stressed out Catra is and says "It'll be okay...Trust me." ;_;
Shadow Weaver: "There's no time to waste!"
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"...disturbance."
The disturbance was your fault, dumbass. I am reminded of all the times my dad got angry at us for being afraid of him. And would hit us. For being. Afraid of him. Because y'know. That's how you stop a kid from being afraid of you. By hitting them.
In any case Shadow Weaver is still trying to get between them and separate them and I just really need this bitch to stop.
(Yes yes I remember she dies later)
Castaspella: "We're on the right path. The Crystal of Arxia was rumored to be the key to reaching deep magic within Etheria."
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"But those who hungered for more power have long sought other ways to obtain the deep magic...with disastrous results."
HIT THE IMAGE LIMIT lemme reblog
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