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sil-te-plait-tue-moi · 5 months

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You're killin' me!

Quick summary: Phantom and Maverick have had their fair share of head-butting – competition, ego and feelings don't mix well, apparently. Finally, however, they seem to reach a peace after a day on the beach.

Word count: 3K (getting into writing these shorter fits woo!)

Warnings: Kind of angsty but also you make out so like is it really that bad; allusions to smut; lots of swear words; yeah, not much for this, it's pretty PG.

A/N: YAYYY, I'm back, sort of but also not really but also ENJOY THIS FIC. Yes, technically it is an extract from an unfinished chapter of the mav x reader Wattpad story I'm halfway through writing (yes, I have a wattpad, it's called nonoitsnina), and maybe (BIIIIG emphasis on MAYBE) I will do a second part where y'all actually fuck and stuff but for now just take this. If anyone's still slinking around the Top Gun stuff, that is. Also, Bee is your RIO here. Just to preface. And Phantom (YOUR CALL-SIGN) shortens to Tommy or Tom from time to time but like if you read the Wattpad book (YES I KNOW I SOUND LIKE A SCARY 14 YEAR OLD) it makes more sense. OKAY ENJOY COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED HAVE A LOVELY JUBBLY DAY

***

Stupid smiles plastered bright across their faces, Bee and Goose are already dashing down the road, speed-walking like a couple of suburban mothers, one swathed in a beach towel and picnic blanket, the other lopsided with a half-empty cooler grasped in one hand.

I watch them go, brow furrowed, over my shoulder, slightly disconcerted.

“I guess they—” Mav pauses, then huffs, equally as confused, “—really wanted those ice-creams.”

Sure. That’s why they keep glancing back at us and giggling like idiots: ice-creams.

Maverick and I are strolling along the boardwalk back home – despite washing my feet at the tap, there’s still sand between my toes that tickles my skin with every step, but I could care less. He’d asked if I wanted us to take the bus—but I’d said no. Call me a loon (Bee certainly would), but, even after a full day of work—or play—nothing beats sitting outside in the quiet. Except sleep, I guess. But, when I can keep my eyes open, looking out a good view—and, boy, is this watercolour sunset some view—is perfect. After growing up in a city full of dust and cracks, I’ve embraced it: I’m gonna be one of those old ladies in a rocking chair on her porch, day and night, night and day.

Having just finished my own crêpe, I eat Maverick’s. When I ask him if he’s bothered by it, he tells me he’d bought them both for me in the first place.

Sweet. Y’know, I really thought I was a good judge of character. I had to be, to be fair, growing up, pursuing this career – you must always assume the worst until proven otherwise. That’s the safe way, and it’s served me well. Until it had me screaming and yelling at everyone. That’s not—right. It makes me absolutely nauseous.

So, all of these estimated traits, good and bad, have either been tossed or been filtered out.

It boils down to Maverick and his easy grin. He walks along the edge of the sidewalk, just looking at me with that goddamn easy grin. I’ve half a mind to slap him, just to give me a break from his attention. It makes me horribly self-conscious, forces a little thrill on me, like when you’re at the apex of a rollercoaster, just about to tip over. It feels like that, but it also feels like light streaming through a half-blinded window, so the warmth just collects there on the sill so that, when you touch it, you wish you could roll under it like a blanket. Of course, that warmth accumulates. I’m sweating. Like—a—pig.

Jesus, I want to scream into my hands with how good he looks. His dark hair is still slightly damp with seawater, stiff in some places and criminally soft in others. Every now and then, he’ll pull at the white button-up that sticks just a little to his chest, to the contours of his stomach, and fan the skin there. Jesus Christ. My hands are basically twitching to touch him there, to feel the heat of him beneath my palm, solid and beating gently with his heartbeat. I clasp my fingers very tightly around my fork, my crêpe slip, concentrating it all into one point.

I can’t tell if feeling like this is the best or the worst. Jesus, imagine if the other guys knew. They’d never shut up about it. Christ, they’d never take me seriously again. I don’t want to be the “girlfriend” – I want to be a formidable pilot. So many people just don’t think those two things can ever coexist.

Not that I want to be a girlfriend. I couldn’t say that word out loud without feeling wrong. I’m a lot of things, but I don’t know if I could be that.

A bike passes with an urgent ring of its bell, and Maverick twists his body in towards mine, hand hovering over my back, to push me out of the way from it.

I go blank, scrambling to remember where we were in the conversation, mouth dry.

“So, you’re telling me,” I begin, grinning, “going into Return of the Jedi, you hoped that Luke and Leia would end up together?”

Mav sighs and rolls his eyes, tearing off a little of what remains of the crêpe. ‘Well, at the time, I didn’t know they we’re fuckin’ siblings—”

“Maverick, that is incest.”

“Come on!” he laughs, and it’s the best sound in the world. “Goose thought so, too! Luke’s the main guy, so, like, it’s not not logical to think he’d get the main girl, right—?”

“But it’s Han Solo!” I exclaim, throwing my head back with a snort. He smiles down at me, eyes warm, in a way that I’m probably misinterpreting and will replay over and over in my head when I’m trying to sleep in bed tonight. “I thought you’d be a Han Solo kind of guy.”

“What, I remind you of him?” He tosses his head back and smoulders. I fake a gag.

“Well, he’s just—he’s just—” I trail off into laughter. “He’s really—I can’t explain it! If you ask any girl, she’ll know what I mean. Han Solo is so—” I giggle again, remembering how stunned and attracted to him I was when I first watched A New Hope in the theatre. “He’s just a lot of things.”

“Oh, yeah?—like what?”

Gosh, I can feel myself burning up – does he have to lower his voice like that? Does he have to try and catch my eye? God, it’s almost easier to hate him, to be honest – at least then I wouldn’t be acting like such a puddle.

“Like, charming and daring and, um—and clever, and—I don’t know. It’s just the way he speaks or something.”

He hums, hands in his pockets, his dad’s jacket draped over his forearm – I don’t think I’ve seen him go anywhere without that leather jacket. “And you like those things?” he pushes.

I bark out a laugh. “C’mon, Maverick, everyone like those things.” True enough – I could be blind and still fall in love with Han Solo and his smooth-talking. “And why Luke? Even if they weren’t siblings, why him? He had zero chemistry with—”

“Because he’s the chosen one!”

“—yeah, well, he—”

“He’s cool! Luke is objectively cool. He’s a pilot, he’s a Jedi, he’s a leader, he’s—”

“What-ever!” I exclaim, scrunching up my nose at him, and we giggle into quiet. “I’m not saying I didn’t like him as a character – I think he’s an amazing character. I just wouldn’t fuck ‘im.” I cackle at the absurdity of it all.

We continue walking.

Maybe all of this will fade in a couple hours. Maybe it’s the magic of Top Gun, this beach, this dusk that settles in fast around us, the lights that illuminate the darkening boardwalk. It’ll all be over in a couple more weeks, anyway. Bee ‘n’ I’ll go back to the carrier and be on with things, and Maverick will do whatever it is that he does. I know Goose says we should make plans to meet after school’s out, but who really has the time to spare? So, thank God Mav didn’t ride in on his motorcycle, ‘cause, if he’d insisted I hop on and wrap my arms around him and rest my head on his shoulder and la-la-la, I’d be in great danger of sleeping with him.

“D’you wanna head straight back?”

I look up at him. “Hmm?”

Jesus, he needs to tone down his looks or something – it’s disarming, a hazard, really. Those green eyes are givin’ me some mean butterflies, alright. Nowadays, I’ll see him fresh out of the sky, hair spiky and dishevelled with sweat – he doesn’t wear helmet hair as well as others, that’s for certain – and I’ll have to bury my face in my locker. I’ll see him absentmindedly chewing on his dog-tags, and it’ll have me air-headed for the rest of a lecture. I can’t classify it as a distraction, but it’s—certainly not intended. My head isn’t screwed on so tight, and I can’t keep tipping up in the cockpit – I know my ambition to win and these thoughts about Maverick have no correlation, but, good God, maybe if I could just focus more in classes—

“There’s—” he starts, then swallows. “We could go to the pier. Not really a view anymore, but we could see some lights. Boats, maybe.”

“Yeah,” I reply, excitement jolting through my body.

“Yeah?” I nod. He smiles. “Okay.”

When he asks me if I’m cold, he readjusts his jacket on his arm, like he’s already made his mind up to lend it to me. Of course, I shake my head – I’d probably end up stinking up the damn thing with how much I seem to be sweatin’.

We take our time to the end of the pier. When we reach the railing, we step up onto the bar and lean out to look down at the softly lapping water.

“You—erm—”

I turn to look at him, and the stutter of his words stops abruptly, his eyes wide. He looks at me dumbly, like I’m one of the seven fuckin’ wonders. Now, I’ve seen Maverick drunk, stupid, and downright embarrassing himself—just think of the time she lost that fuckin’ lovin’ feeling—but, even when he doesn’t know something, he always keeps face. He always has something to say. Now?—now, here, he looks hopeless.

“You—”

“I what, Mitchell?” I grin, shoving my hair behind my ear in light of the strong breeze that suddenly billows in from across the sea. “Watching the ships, right?” There they are: little dots on the horizon.

He flushes, snapping his attention away. “Right.”

I know what’s coming – I pick up on all of it: the fidgeting of his hands, the downcast dart of his eyes, the way he bites down on the inside of his cheek. Though it kinda perks me up to begin with, I just end up wilting again at the reminder of a certain instructor who I am evidently not.

Still, it’s nice to hear him say: “It’s just—” I tilt my head towards him, “—I think you’ve got great eyes. Great everything really. I dunno. I think—you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”

I snort. “That 4% really got to you, hey, Mav?”

He doesn’t laugh, just pauses, takes a second to think about what he’s going to say. “I—don’t know—how to say it.”

My heart drops—in the bad way. “What?"

“That I think about you—a lot.”

Oh, Christ. I let out a deep sigh, and, immediately, his face drops like a stone. “Oh, don’t do that, Maverick.”

“Do what?” he protests through a weak smile.

I recoil just a little bit: he’s a flirt, yes, but I didn’t take him for a dirtbag. “Do what?” my ass. He knows what. Blonde-hair-and-bright-eyes, who’s what. Think of how smart she is, how accomplished she is, how beautiful she is, how level and respected she is – all of these things and a man can still write Charlie of as not that big a deal? That’s fuckin’ low.

“You’re being mean,” I tell him firmly, trying to force down the disgust that pushes under my tongue and the embarrassment that burns over my cheeks.

Maybe Carole and Goose really weren’t exaggerating. Maybe he has got eight women all lined up for him, just waiting for him to call.

His hand makes to touch my shoulder but doesn’t end up making contact – it just hovers, unsure. Either way, I wasn’t going to let it happen. Either way, I find myself scurrying back, away.

Mav has the audacity to look confused. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to—”

“So, what?” I snap, hopping down from the railing and scowling unabashedly at him once more. “I’m one of those girls you string along?”

He laughs – only, it’s not cute anymore; it’s fucking annoying. “No—!”

The wind blows strongly, warm, still, but with the promise of a storm. I have to raise my voice in order to get myself across, I tell myself: “What?—you wanna challenge yourself, or something? Me and Charlie—?”

This?—this seems to piss him off. Mav’s expression crumples into indigence as he protests strongly again, “No—!"

“But—”

“Phantom,” he presses desperately, eyes pleading for me to listen – I’ve seen that expression on him before; every time I’ve ignored it, I’ve ended up regretting it, yelling myself silly over a misunderstanding. So, I pause. I listen. The urgent haze fades away within the span of three deep breaths.

“I wanted Charlie’s advice on how to speak to you. I was nervous—am nervous—and I don’t want to say the wrong thing. She’s very—to-the-point. And Goose and Bee fluff like their lives depend on it.”

Nice one. Nice going, Tommy: do what you do best and throw a fuckin’ rage, why don’t you?

“I thought you didn’t like me—” I say to him dumbly, “—after what I said to you.”

We don’t talk about that argument in the locker rom. We don’t talk about the one after volleyball either, or the one in the air. It’s no excuse – that Viper is breathing down my neck, that I know Skipper expects highly of me – to act like a dick to all the competitors that block my way to that damn trophy. I need to climb this hill.

And here Maverick is, thinking about me—a lot.

“Your opinion matters to me more than you’d think,” he admits with a snarky, little snort. “You’re—” he trails off; the gale dies down. “You’re just—I don’t know how to put it. I’m—not great at the serious-talking stuff.”

“Embarrassed?” I tease. God, I know I am.

He grins. “A little bit.”

We make our way back to the dorms, talking. He tells me he’s liked me ever since this one lecture at the beginning of Top Gun—after the induction, after the bar, after the first exercise—when he’d said something dumb in response to Charlie’s criticism. According to him: “You turned back and looked at me and—and you just smiled. God, I dunno – I just couldn’t look away from you. Even—even after you, y’know, y’turned back around, I—I was just staring at the back of your head, hoping you’d do it again. That you’d look at me again, smile at me again.”

I don’t even remember that day.

He walks me to the door of my dorm, where the windows are all dark and the blinds all flat shut.

No way to make it up to him. No time, either. Should’ve kissed him right then and there at the bar that first night when he came over to the jukebox. Bee saw it in my face – I know that now. I should’ve let him win that bet with himself.

I might be about to do him that favour now, I guess. All flushed, all pretty, all nervous—he gets nervous?—Maverick is so close to me that the heat of his body radiates onto mine, far too dangerous for my liking. This is not what I intended. This is so far off my plan of how this program was gonna go.

But his nose is brushing mine, and his hands are so warm and gentle as they press over my arms.

“Can—?”

I nod softly. “Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

The kiss, when it comes, is this soft, tentative sink into a brittle release. The gentle press of his nose into my warm cheek elicits a quiet sigh from the both of us – the break from silence must render me into this here embarrassing mess, melting like the ice-cream we shared earlier in the hot sun, because Mav gets that shit-eating grin on his face like he’s watching me lose to him at volleyball all over again. Whatever – he’s the one that probably had to take a cold shower over how I looked.

I cup my hand over the back of his neck, drawing him closer still to me.

Maverick kisses like he’s paying attention to every single detail of it – his eyes are slanted just slightly open, watching my face, and one of his hands rests kindly over my neck, his fingers pressing just a little into the pulse point which I’m sure is racing like a damn horse by now.

Of course, he’s beautiful at this. Just my fuckin’ luck. Technically, yes, it is prohibited to have sexual relations on work premises. Even a man and a woman behind a locked door is assumed to be inappropriate – I’ve heard that one too many a time by the air boss back on the carrier. I’m far from a goody-two-shoes, but rules are rules for a reason. So, of course, it’s just my luck that I meet an unfairly handsome pilot with pretty eyes and entirely too destabilising a kiss. He trails his nose down along my jaw before burying it there in my neck; I hold him tight to me, fingers curling around the thick muscle of his shoulders.

When we kiss again, it’s different: searing, crushing, slow, breathless. The chorus of crickets and cicadas and other night-things is drowned out by the roaring of blood in my ears and the soft noise that slips past Mav’s lips as he pauses for breath, to pant hotly over my cheek.

“You’re gonna have to help me out here, stud,” I mumble helplessly against him, to which he nods fiercely, reaching out blind for the door-knob and guiding me stumbling into my room.

Bee isn’t here – upon the side table, there’s a little, folded note that reads in chicken-scratch handwriting: Staying with Goose for the night. Have fun!

#pete mitchell x reader #pete maverick mitchell x reader #pete mitchell #top gun #top gun maverick #goose bradshaw #tom cruise x reader #im back on my bullshit #i feel the need for speed #i need him in me

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salt-volk · 1 year

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(to the mod who sees this, i understand if you simply delete this instead of posting it, as it got very long and i imagine you may want to cut this discussion short, particularly if you think aizlesyracuse may be troll or something?)

buuut your condescension could use some work.

i'm really sorry. i honestly wasn't trying to be condescending, but i apologise if it came across as talking down to you, please know that was never my intent! i struggle with judging tone (and sometimes wording too) because i'm autistic (which is why i mentioned specifically at the start that i was being sincere), so i apologise in advance if anything is poorly worded or comes across as hostile. nothing is intended that way!

for you to assume me ignorant, which is itself out of ignorance, is pretty hypocritical of you, especially while you are condemning the same ignorance in your post.

i genuinely didn't assume that, i simply wrote what i did in case that was what was going on, and for anyone else who might be confused as to the situation. and i'm certainly not condemning anyone! everything i said was only in an attempt to help people understand. after all, everyone is ignorant about some things, because no one can know everything. i openly admit that i'm ignorant about many subjects. i'm afraid i don't understand how it makes me a hypocrite to try and educate others about something i do know about because i may not know about other things, though. (perhaps someone in the comments can help with that?)

that being said, if you weren't ignorant of it being a dogwhistle, then i truly don't understand why you'd use it, much less why you'd get upset when others are made uncomfortable and afraid. surely you expected at some point for at least one person who came across it to be put off? perhaps i'm misunderstanding, sorry if that's the case.

“marginalized people” as if i don’t know? you don’t know my life, homie, you have no clue what kind of ‘oppression’ and 'marginalization’ i’ve experienced.

i apologise, i'll admit i did make an assumption here. i just rarely if ever see people who are oppressed using such terms belonging to the people oppressing them, particularly such dangerous groups as the alt-right. however this leaves me even more confused.

you’re not gonna agree with me on this i’m sure, but throwing around the term 'dogwhistle’ on the internet is the dumbest shit. to ASSUME someone is a crackhead extremist without any REAL evidence is MESSED UP.

i only used the term dogwhistle because that's very literally what it is - it's not meant as an accusation, it's a statement of fact. and i assure you i wasn't throwing it around lightly. i also didn't assume you were an extremist - that's actually the entire reason i wrote my previous post, because i thought perhaps you were confused as to why people had the reaction they did. unfortunately, people will consider dogwhistles counting as evidence against you until proven otherwise simply because 99.9% of the time their usage is by extremists, so it unfortunately immediately comes across as incriminating. and while yes, people didn't know for sure, no one could just ask because it's against DV rules to discuss such topics. most people also likely didn't feel safe to do so. if there's even a tiny chance you were using it because you're an extremist, that makes you far too dangerous for people to approach about the subject.

you wanna ostracize and condemn someone for making a pop-culture reference when you yourself didn’t originally know what people were upset about either? bruh. that type of shit can fuck someone up. why not… i don’t know, ASK if you’re curious???

i can't speak for the original poster, of course, but i certainly wasn't trying to ostracise you. i believe (but may be wrong ofc) the reason people brought it up to begin with is simply because, as i said, it very much is a literal dogwhistle, and it was done for safety purposes. whether or not you were using it that way, things like that immediately make people extremely cautious and most often scared, and it's very, very common to share that information with others affected by groups who use such terms so if they would wish to block/avoid a certain user for their comfort/safety, they can. (and i already mentioned why people didn't ask above.)

it is important to deal with bad people i.e. murderers, ACTUAL REAL pedos, abusers, etc. that’s the point of a justice system, but the jumping to conclusions like this is insane.

again, i can't speak for everyone, but the reason people reacted the way they did is because this is just the normal way people react to seeing things like this, it's upsetting and even scary, because the overwhelming majority of the time the person using them is an actual extremist, which is why so many jumped to that conclusion.

i didn’t accuse anyone of anything, i’m making an observation. it was poorly worded, but man. i am. tired. are you SERIOUSLY telling me that someone going behind my back and starting shit about me is a victim? dude. what. the fact that you can even entertain that thought is insane to me.

i'm glad to know it was just poor wording on your part and you didn't intend to accuse anyone of anything. thank you for clarifying that! the reason i considered it victim-blaming was only because i misunderstood what you'd said and thought you were accusing others, now i know that was a misinterpretation on my part, i better understand.

been here before, this is online bullying. i don’t care how you justify it, it is what it is AND i know i’m not the only one. that’s why i messaged you, not to “defend myself”. right now, i’m messaging you kinda hoping you might take your own advice and LISTEN. society as a whole uses cancel culture as a crutch and it’s fucked up. you gotta stop. you ARE NOT PROTECTING ANYONE. you are hurting people.

i'm sorry, but here i have to disagree. as someone who's experienced plenty of bullying, both online and off, it is just not online bullying to warn others that someone has a sign that is used 99.9% of the time to mean they are part of a genuinely dangerous group. it's a very, very common safety precaution taken by people online by people who need to look out for these things as just that, a matter of safety. (and absolutely no one was trying to "cancel" you; you can't even "cancel" someone without a platform. and you're really, really not making yourself look better by using terms like "cancel culture," as that's another term used by bigots, abusers and most commonly alt-righters as a way to criticise the idea of simply holding people accountable for their actions when they engage in harmful behaviour.) i also don't believe it is bullying to be upset by the way you reacted to it; people are allowed to express how something has made them feel. that being negative doesn't automatically mean it's bullying. i understand that you worded things poorly, i myself have worded things poorly many times in the past and will probably continue to due to being autistic, but you just have to accept that people are entitled to their reactions based on their (mis)interpretation of your words, and through the misinterpretation of yours, it appeared as though you were accusing people who were already upset of some rather nasty things. i'm not saying you shouldn't correct the situation and explain that's not what you meant, that's absolutely essential for any kind of communication, and it's normal to be upset at this, but people being upset because they thought you said something awful about them isn't bullying.

-which leads into your next point. yeah, you guys are attacking me. i say “you guys” because YOU did participate. i can feel the judgement from AAAALL THE WAY over here. and… then you go and ASSUME i must have 'responded’ to something in some way that warranted this? i grew up in abuse, this is too fucking familiar. don’t do this shit. what you are promoting is not self awareness, it is mob mentality and bullying.

i'm really, genuinely sorry if my previous post contributed negatively to the discussion. i wasn't at all trying to judge you or anyone else, nor do i. i've been in a similar situation of being called out in the past, when i was quite young, and it was so overwhelming and i had no idea what to do. so i just hoped to provide some insight into why things played out the way they did and why people were responding the way they did to help you, or just anyone who was confused, to better understand. i'm also sorry for my misinterpretation of what you'd said. i also grew up with a great deal of abuse, and that along with being autistic can make it very hard to judge others' intent. i most often take things very literally, so when someone else miswords something it can lead to a lot of confusion, which i believe is what happened here. (though i sincerely am not judging you for that, either! i also struggle a lot with wording, as i said.)

i like the matrix. what the fuck. i never imagined anyone would notice the little note i left for myself on my page, nevermind the drama. it’s disgusting and pathetic, do you guys not have hobbies? we could’ve had a moment of appreciating a cool movie, but instead it turned into a mini online struggle session.

the reason it didn't lead to appreciating a cool movie is because it's not just a matrix reference. it was was created specifically by incels/alt-righters as a dogwhistle. and perhaps i'm misunderstanding (apologies again if that's the case), but you said you're not ignorant of the fact it's a term overwhelming used by incels/the alt-right rather than a movie reference? so why not use the most common matrix reference that exists ("there is no spoon") instead of something that is inseparably connected to dangerous radical extremists? and please...please don't call people disgusting and pathetic at having a negative reaction to a phrase that is used primarily to signal someone believes we don't deserve human rights. even if you didn't know that at the time, you do now, and it's cruel to say such things.

tl;dr you gang up on someone, accuse them of some crazy shit, and then avoid responsibility by framing yourselves as victims in your own minds. you assume that anyone who doesn’t conform to your standards of behavior is not worth kindness. this is not what 'community’ is supposed to be like. i’m not “open to learning” about the sick ways that people justify this behavior and i do not care who i ideologically offended. please, grow a spine or better yet some real empathy.

hopefully i've already explained well enough why it's not "crazy" to think the use of something used the absolute, overwhelming majority of the time as a signal between members of the alt-right was used as just that.

and i cannot emphasise enough that this isn't "cancelling," this isn't trying to force you to conform to behaviour of some kind: this is people telling you that you're using a phrase that is used by alt-righters to signal to one another, and that seeing that is uncomfortable and frightening.

there's also a...striking amount of right-wing rhetoric in what you said here. a scary amount. if you're really, truly being genuine, i urge you to seek out information explaining in more detail what common arguments and dogwhistles are for the alt-right, because you're unknowingly in the pipeline. i hope you manage to get out, however i no longer feel comfortable discussing this with you further as a result.

i sincerely wish you the best.

#submission #anonymous #mod yoshi #reply #namedrop #mention: aizle #politics tw

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bex-la-get · 3 years

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I love the new prompt! Can I request 5 and 6 for Ethan and Natalie, thank you!

NONNY! You put together the BEST combo! Yes, I love this, let's go!

Note: This takes place in an AU where Nat and Ethan confessed their love for each other, but Nat decided to leave Edenbrook after her residency.

And fair warning: this is gonna be long.

From this ask list.

5) “...you look like you just saw a ghost.”

6) “I... I can’t believe it’s really you. I thought I’d never see you again.”

Five years. Five long years since Natalie had left Edenbrook.

In those five years, she had thrived. After taking a position in the Internal Medicine Department at LAC + USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, Natalie had revamped the medical industry. From fighting Big Pharma companies-- such as Panacea-- on overcharging for basic life-saving medicines and winning to using her experience of saving Naveen's life to revolutionize patient care and saving countless lives, Natalie had become a household name in the medical community and the world.

Ethan had watched from afar via social media and the occasional television interview she had done. He couldn't be prouder of Nat; she had far surpassed anyone's expectations and was reaching new heights every day. But as proud as he was, he couldn't help but feel a bit sad.

He still loved her. He always would. And while he was thrilled Natalie was succeeding in her career-- and he would never ask her to stop doing what she loved-- he silently hoped one day she would come home. That one day, she would come back to him.

He knew it was unlikely. Still, if there was anything Natalie had taught him, it was to never give up on the person you knew you were meant to be with. And he knew Nat was that person for him. So, until he was proven otherwise, he'd hold out hope for her. Always.

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

Ethan was walking the halls of Edenbrook, mentally checking off the to-do list for the Board Meeting he had that afternoon, when he saw a familiar head of bright red hair. He almost brushed it off until he heard that all-to-familiar laugh and his heart nearly stopped.

Natalie.

He turned to find the source and saw Nat talking to Sienna and Jackie, looking every bit the successful doctor she had become. What she was doing here, he didn't know; but he didn't very much care. She was here, she was back. But for how long?

Without realizing it, Ethan's feet carried him towards her. He had to see her in person; had to hear her voice and to see her smile.

As he got closer, Sienna spotted him first and she smiled. "Oh, hi Ethan!"

He smiled at Sienna but was quickly distracted by the blue-green eyes he'd missed so much. The moment Natalie spotted him, she grinned and his heart began to pound in his chest. If it were possible, she was more beautiful now than ever; and yet barely anything had changed. Her hair was longer, her face a little more mature and she held herself with all the confidence in the world. But she was still Natalie. She was still his Rookie.

"Ethan!" Natalie said, making her way towards him.

He outstretched his arms and relished in the hug she gave him, enjoying this brief moment where she was back in his arms. "It's good to see you, Rookie," he said, as she pulled away.

She smiled. "I don't know if I'm much of a rookie anymore."

He returned her smile. "You'll always be Rookie to me." There was such fondness in his words that Nat's eyes shined with admiration for a brief moment. His heart was pounding so hard right now, it was a miracle it hadn't burst out of his chest yet.

"What are you doing here? Just visiting?"

"Actually, I was hoping to meet with you, Chief," she replied. "I'd like to talk to you about something."

He raised his eyebrows, intrigued. "Well, you caught me at a good time. I have some time before my next meeting if right now works for you?"

She nodded and waved goodbye to Sienna and Jackie, promising to meet up with them later, and followed Ethan to his office. He closed the door behind them, ensuring their conversation would be private and turned to face her again, sucking in a breath as he met her eyes.

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I-- I just can't believe it's really you. I thought I'd never see you again."

She smiled sheepishly. "I did do a pretty bad job of staying in touch, didn't I?"

He shook his head. "You've been busy saving the world," he said. "You have no reason to be sorry for that. But, if I may, I've been following your career, Nat. And I'm very proud of the work you've accomplished. You've become quite the doctor."

She blushed. "Thank you; you know I couldn't have done it without your guidance. You taught me everything I know."

"Now that certainly can't be true; you know far more now than I could have ever taught you."

She chuckled. "Well, maybe a little."

He smiled and fought every urge he had to take her into his arms and kiss her senseless. Keep it together, Ethan. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, you said you had something you wanted to talk to me about. Please, take a seat." He sat behind his desk as she sat across from him and pulled out a black folder from her bag.

"Yes, well," she began, "I've enjoyed my time in LA and I'm proud of the work I've accomplished. But Boston will always be home to me-- though don't tell my mom that, she's still hoping I'll move back to Philly." Ethan chuckled and nodded as Nat continued. "I-- I miss home. I miss Edenbrook. I miss y-- my friends. And... I may or may not have seen that the DT has an opening for the lead position and I thought I'd throw my name in the ring. For the job."

She placed the folder on his desk. "Everything you need to know about the work I've done over the last five years is in this folder and I have several character references, including one from the Chief at LAC. I've also included my notes that I'll be referencing for my book that will be coming out early next year and--"

"Nat," Ethan cut her off. "There's no need for all this. The job is yours."

She looked at him wide-eyed. "What? Just like that? Don't you want to field questions? Ask me about how I'd handle certain situations?"

"I don't need to; I told you, I've been following your career. I know of the work you've done and I've seen first hand how good of a doctor you are. I don't need to field questions, Nat. If you want the job, it's yours."

She smiled. "Thank you, Ethan. I can't describe how grateful I am. I know the team means a lot to you; I'll do you proud."

"You already do."

She blushed. "So, what's next?"

"I'll get the paperwork filled out and sent to HR. Assuming everything goes smoothly and HR doesn't drag their feet, we can have you start as early as next week," Ethan said. "Unless you need more time to settle in?"

Nat shook her head. "No, I already have a place lined up. I'm just crashing with Sienna and Bryce for a couple nights while the movers bring everything up."

Ethan nodded. "Alright; well, I'll get the paperwork set up shortly." He extended his hand out to her. "Welcome back to Edenbrook, Dr. Cusack."

"It's good to be back," she said, shaking his hand. They smiled at each other for a long moment, neither wanting to let go of each other's hand. Natalie seemed to be searching Ethan's eyes for something before she spoke again. "Ethan-- er, I'm going to Donahue's this evening with everyone to celebrate my return to Boston. You're welcome to join us, if you'd like."

He smiled and nodded. "I might stop by for a bit."

Her face lit up. "Okay; then I'll see you there." She slowly-- almost reluctantly-- slid her hand out of Ethan's and grabbed her bag. "See you later then, boss."

He walked her to the door, smiling. "It's really good to see you, Nat," he said. "I-- I'm glad you're back."

The look she gave him nearly took his breath away. If he were mistaken-- and he rarely ever was-- he'd say she looked at him the same way he looked at her: madly in love. "Me too," she said. They looked at each other for another long moment before she looked down at her shoes and cleared her throat. "I'll see you tonight."

"Yeah, see you tonight," he said. He watched as she left and took a deep breath in an attempt to slow his pounding heart. She was back. She was home. It was as if all his hopes and dreams from the last five years were finally coming true. But there was one big question that still needed answering: Did she still want him the way he wanted her?

Only one way to find out.

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

Donahue's was packed. Ethan had forgotten it was Wednesday, which meant half-off drinks for all EB employees. It was something Reggie had implemented a few years ago in order to get more weekday business. It had worked a little too well and Reggie had to hire more people to keep up with the demand; but business was booming as a result so it wasn't like anyone could complain.

He'd found Nat and her friends easily; they had commandeered one of the biggest booths in the place and were currently taking tequila shots, courtesy of Jackie.

"Jacks, we're not in our twenties anymore," Natalie reasoned as she pushed a tequila shot away from her. "I can't do several shots in a row and still be a human being the next morning!"

"That's quitters talk!" Jackie argued but relented when Nat gave her the unwanted tequila shot. "More fun for me!"

Natalie laughed and shook her head in disbelief, when she spotted Ethan. Her smile grew and she excused herself from the table, getting up to greet him. He returned her smile and welcomed the hug she gave him, once again relishing in the feeling of having her in his arms. "I was wondering when you were going to show," she said, as she pulled away.

He chuckled. "Sorry; being Chief means I have a lot of extra paperwork that needs to be taken care of."

She shook her head. "You're here now. Come on, we're due for another round, anyway, so you came at a good time."

"Actually," he grabbed her hand, stopping her from walking away. "Could-- could we talk for a moment? Privately?"

She nodded, curiosity evident on her face, and followed him outside to the patio which was, surprisingly, empty. Not that Ethan minded; having the patio to themselves meant less prying eyes and ears. He sat at one of the tables and smiled to himself when Nat sat next to him.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah; I just... Nat, I realize this might not be very professional of me but I need to know." He turned to face her and took a deep breath. "Before you left, you told me you loved me. Do-- do you still feel that way?"

She rolled her lips together in anticipation to answer and he braced himself for rejection. Instead, she took his hand in hers and said the word he desperately needed to hear. "Yes."

"Really?" He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing.

She nodded. "If I'm being honest, Ethan, part of the reason I moved back to Boston was because I missed you, desperately. I still love you. I always will."

He fought back tears and caressed her cheek with his free hand. "I never stopped loving you, either, Nat. I always hoped you'd come home; come back to me. But I couldn't have asked that of you, especially as your career began to thrive."

She smiled. "I know you wouldn't; it's not in your nature." She scooted closer to him on the bench. "But as happy as I've been in my career, I've always been missing one thing: you." She sighed. "I wouldn't take back the success I've had over the years; I wouldn't give up the career I've built for myself because I'm extremely proud of it. But... I can't help but wonder what could've been if I hadn't left. Where would we be? Maybe running the DT together; maybe we would've gotten married, had a couple kids, maybe got a house in the suburbs. I feel like there's a whole life we could've had if I didn't leave."

"We can't sit here and wonder what could have happened, Nat," he reasoned. "You needed to leave to find your footing, spread your wings, and flourish into the incredible doctor you are today. Don't sell yourself short; the things you've accomplished are nothing to sneeze at." He looked at their joined hands and ran his thumb along her knuckles. "I would never ask you to give up your dreams or put your career on hold for me. It killed me to watch you leave but to see you thrive was more than I could have ever asked for."

"Thank you," she said, quietly. She took a deep breath. "But, since I'm home now, and I plan on staying here... maybe we can pick up where we left off? Try the whole dating thing again? And everyone knows I've made a name for myself on my own so you don't have to worry about anyone saying I slept my way to the DT position."

He chuckled and nodded. "Good point." He squeezed her hand. "I would love to pick up where we left off; if that's what you want?" She nodded and he smiled. "Good; because that's all I want too."

Moving faster than he could process, Natalie cupped his face in her hands and kissed him soundly. He melted into the kiss immediately and kissed her back feverishly, his hands gripping themselves tightly around her hips as he pulled her impossibly closer.

Though it had been years, kissing her was so familiar and natural that it was as if no time had passed between them. Her lips fit perfectly with his, full of unspoken words of love and passion. Five years had passed since he last held her in his arms or kissed her, but in an instant, those five years were gone. The only thing that was left was the two of them, making up for lost time with forever spread out ahead of them.

Tag List below the cut:

Tag List (let me know if you want to be added/removed): @genevievemd @jamespotterthefirst @paulfwesley @ethansdique @openheartfanfics @perriewinklenerdie @little-flowers-on-heaven @stateofgracious @coffeeheartaddict @liaromancewriter @potionsprefect @mm2305 @gryffindordaughterofathena @actuallybored @writer-ish @queencarb @takeharryandgo @lsvdw-blog @itsjustwinter @imaneditorthankyouverymuch-deac @chaoticchopshopheart @ohchoices @maurine07 @oldminniemcg @parisa-kh @shanzay44 @uberamsey @izzyourresidentlawyer @adiehardfan @custaroonie @mia143 @a-crepusculo @takemyopenheart @toadfrog26 @quixoticdreamer16 @barbean @headoverheelsforramsey @natureblooms24 @choicesaddict5

#bex answers #asked and answered #anonymous asks #random dialogue prompts #ethan ramsey #natalie cusack #ethan x natalie #ethan x mc #open heart mc #bexwritesstuff

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z1mmie · 3 years

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Ok... first impressions for the new lore from wilbur!!! (I really enjoy writing these!!)

(I use he/they for C!ranboo, to prevent confusion)

Ranboo is lying to Wilbur about trusting him. That much is very clear. He hasn't told Wilbur anything about himself and he's hiding how close he is to tubbo and tommy and everyone else that's been mentioned. The most they did was mention how they were a traitor in a very vague and watered down way to explain to wilbur why they were sticking with him and helping out.

And I still believe that ranboo is helping out of a sense of empathy, but... I dont think this will end well. Wilbur is gonna find out just how much ranboo is hiding and I honestly think that could blow up all of wilburs progress. Even if ranboo is doing this out of a place if kindness.

Meanwhile Wilbur himself, seems to really trust ranboo, like legitimately. From his perspective, hes finally getting a fresh start (with someone who doesnt know his history) and given some faith which will hopefully aid in his recovery. I mean personally, he looked like he was doing pretty good in this stream. (A little too impressed with himself at l'manburg but still better) I don't know his plans for the burger van but for now I'm going to assume that they aren't nefarious until proven otherwise.

He's doing better. And I dont want any of my previous opinions of him to override what I'm actually witnessing.

Now to talk about tubbo.... man I almost starting crying. Hes just, so hurt by everything and confronting wilbur of all people about it, I think that's what finally broke him to the point of sharing more of his trauma. I mean obviously he was already there mourning (singing, wearing the suit, etc) so wilbur caught him at his most vulnerable.

And the fact that he could forgive him after everything....

(Sorry I kinda can't be more analytical about this bit cuz it just hurt like a lot)

I dont like that wilbur kind of brushed aside his pain and ignored it tho. Like right when they met up around the corner, wilbur was more focused on rehashing his past impact on l'manburg instead of comforting tubbo. And yes he apologized and I believe he meant it but...

I think wilbur is kind of selfish right now. And it makes sense cuz when ur doing so much introspection and self evaluation to recover and get better, u kinda get stuck thinking only in terms of how people and events affect you and not how you and your actions affect others. This is probably why he ended up looking at his apology as a sort of task to complete and move on and tubbo's forgiveness and trust was lumped in with it.

(If anyone has more to say on wilbur's obsession with trust I'd love to hear it!! I dont think I've got enough context to really figure it out)

I also just want to mention how hard that must have been for ranboo to witness. They watched their husband break down in grief and had to pretend they didnt care as much as they do. I mean, he almost dropped the charade entirely to stay behind and help tubbo instead of working with wilbur.

Just... owwww

Overall, I'm super excited to see where the lore goes from here and I'm really impressed with all the acting and character choices!!! Its so cool!!!

(Tubbo almost killed me tho... jesus)

#tubbo #ranboo #wilbur #dream smp lore #a year later #lore analysis #I COMPELTELY FORGOT TO TALJ ABOUT YHE DREAM THING #frick l #ill just read about it ig....

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freedom-in-the-dark · 4 years

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James Flint Is Gay: A Meta Post

[slides into the Black Sails fandom late with Starbucks]

Hey! What’s up! Here’s a post no one asked for but I wrote mostly for me. Before we get into it, I’ve got some big notices to put on the top here.

DISCLAIMER: If you interpret James as bi, and you prefer that, I am not trying to say you can’t do that or to convince you otherwise!

You do you! If you’re not cool with seeing him as gay, please do us both a favor and keep scrolling past this post! I’m mildly aware that this fandom has a history of rough discourse surrounding this topic, but I cannot emphasize enough that I am new here, and this post is not an attack. Please do me the courtesy of not attacking me or blocking me or whatnot because I’m not trying to start drama lol. And for what it’s worth, I myself am bi (well, bi ace), so I’d like to think I’m being objective.

This post exists simply because I like to write meta out with my arguments / evidence lined up in a row; it gets things out of my head and onto a screen, and I find it satisfying. And if I’m doing it anyway, I might as well share.

So if you see James as gay, or have an open mind to that interpretation… please allow me to take you on this adventure under the cut. I’m sure it’s obvious, but this contains spoilers? Lol.

Here we go!

Compulsory Heterosexuality vs “Bi Erasure”

Firstly… to address some stuff I’ve seen in my limited Black Sails fandom travels right out of the gate: I’ve seen people imply that interpreting James as gay is “bi erasure,” or they ask “Why are you erasing that James was attracted to Miranda and had an affair with her?”

But to that I say: it’s far more complicated than that.

Gay people can have sexual relationships with people of the opposite sex, especially until / or before they identify as gay. This is how so many gay people can be married to the opposite sex and have biological kids, and then later realize their truth and come out to themselves and their families. Having those experiences or even some variation of actionable attraction to people of other sexes in the past doesn’t negate their ability to later identify as gay, once they stop burying those parts of themselves and/or experience something that “brings that part of them into the light.”

This is why the phrase compulsory heterosexuality exists. The phrase was originally coined by Adrienne Rich in a 1980 essay titled “Compulsory Heterosexuality and the Lesbian Experience.” So yes, let me make this clear: this term originated in reference to lesbians and feminist theory, and then the idea was later expanded upon to include discussions of gay men by other academics in the early 2000s. I’m not gonna dive too deeply into it here, but in essence–as the name implies–this is the idea that patriarchal and heteronormative societies are viewed as the default, so individuals are assumed (by themselves and otherwise) to be heterosexual until “proven” otherwise. Through these standards that are seen as “normal,” people are also taught from a young age–whether explicitly or subconsciously through society–that anything that deviates from those ~straight norms~ leads to negative consequences. And so, society encourages people to avoid sexual exploration, because having experiences with someone of the same sex is what can often bring their gay identity into focus.

In the case of Black Sails, this is all very much emphasized at the forefront because it’s a historical drama. Aside from racism/slavery, patriarchy and heteronormativity are what the characters are actively going to war against.

So, the point in me defining all of this? No one—or at least, not me—is saying that James didn’t have a sexual relationship with Miranda. That’s not in question. But that doesn’t necessarily make him bi, and it doesn’t mean the narrative isn’t structured in various ways that indicate otherwise.

Just keep this in the back of your brain, because I’m going to circle back around to it.

Anne, Flint, & Gay Rage

In the wise words of an old pirate captain: “Fruit, fruit. Tits, tits.” This show thrives on parallels, and gives us lines / scenes that apply to more than one character; it’s partially why the themes are so consistent, and if you ignore that, you can miss a lot of the nuance. Our resident angry gay gingers are one of the paralleled sets of characters.

This is not a meta about Anne… but talking about parts of Anne’s story can help to highlight some things about James’ story.

I tweeted this once: “Flint and Anne’s sexualities paralleled to show struggles with compulsive heterosexuality, fighting for the sake of fighting, bringing parts of themselves into the light, wrestling with being told they’re monsters and their distorted senses of self, etc.” and really, now I’m just here to elaborate.

-----

The word “monster” is a recurring theme in this show. It’s tied mostly to Flint and how he is told he is monstrous for loving a man, fears being “the villain” or “monster” in everyone’s stories, and eventually embraces that monstrous portrayal in service of his goals–even as the violence is slowly devastating to him. But the other character the word “monster” is used in reference to? Anne.

A quote by Max:

“Idelle, how would you feel if the one man you thought would never betray you did? If he purchased for himself a future through that betrayal? If you were told by a world full of men that that betrayal confirmed for them that they were right to see you as a monster to be shunned? She's not mad. She is adrift.”

In some ways, this quote is also the story of what has happened to James in his life, over and over. (Not to say this is what Jack intended to do to Anne, but the parallels inherent in Max’s line itself cannot be denied.)

James is repeatedly betrayed by those he trusts: Admiral Hennessey; Peter Ashe; Hal Gates. All of them try to get him to conform to heteronormative society–including Gates, because even if he didn’t know it, that’s what he was doing by trying to get James to take a pardon. That’s why James reacts with such instinctual panic and kills him; the idea of being forced to apologize to and assimilate back into heteronormative society puts him at a breaking point. (It can even be argued that Miranda “betrays” James in this way too by trying to get him to take a pardon and go to Boston–which is where his “and they called me a monster” speech comes in–and that also contributed to how James later panics and kills Gates for trying to force him to do the same. Miranda tried in a well-meaning way to get James to move on, because she isn’t fully understanding what James wrestles with; but I’ll go back to that.)

Again, these parallels are deliberate. Anne and Flint are the two main gay characters who wrestle with their supposed “monstrosity” in the eyes of everyone else, because they don’t fit in. They are “othered.” It’s not simply about their violence; for these characters, it’s about what their violence is in service of achieving, which is tied to their sexuality.

Anne is seen as a “monster” for slaughtering the men who abused Max, who is not only a fellow woman but also a fellow lesbian, in a way that Anne is undeniably drawn to even before she lets herself acknowledge the feeling. We as viewers are meant to see this and understand this, and we do. Anne is ostracized for violence that was motivated by her sexuality, which is partially why Max tells her that she understands her violence and will protect her–because Max is not only also a woman in a patriarchal society, but she is gay too.

Flint is seen as a “monster” first and foremost by England, for his sexuality… and then, later, by everyone else for the actions he takes because of his sexuality. Again: the violence he commits cannot be divorced from his sexuality because it is the reason for it. It’s what informs it.

I tweeted about this once too, but in many ways Anne and Flint’s kindred displays of brutality and anger and “fighting for the sake of fighting” (a quote by Miranda which applies to them both) are informed by their desire/need for gay tenderness. The world has too often denied them that tenderness and their expressions of their sexualities, or demonized them for wanting it, and their violence is the result.

Here’s a quote from Deborah Tolman with regards to how compulsory heterosexuality affects men, which she calls “hegemonic masculinity”:

"These norms demand that men deny most emotions, save for anger; be hard at all times and in all ways; engage in objectification of women and sex itself; and participate in the continuum of violence against women."

The anger and hardness is a huge part of the personas both Flint and Anne have to put on for survival. I include Anne in this because she uniquely lives her life in a “male” role to survive the male-dominated world of piracy, and she’s clearly not immune from these unspoken masculine guidelines: she refers to Max as “the whore” half the time as a defense mechanism. Flint and Anne lash out, they’re hard and angry and violent for the sake of their personas, and it’s all because... inside, they just want to be soft and gay with who they love.

Anne, Flint, & Compulsory Heterosexuality (Not Bi Erasure)

In Black Sails, we are shown the story of a gay person who has a consistent sexual relationship with someone of the opposite sex, but is running from internal truths about themselves in some ways in the process. That person is Anne.

Struggling with compulsory heterosexuality is explicitly Anne Bonny’s prime storyline in the show and that is not up for debate (and I’ve rarely seen people disagree); but I argue that it is also part of James’ storyline, and he is paralleled significantly with Anne to make that clear. It’s just overall more subtle because it’s not the prime focus of James’ story the way it is for Anne, because James’ realizations happened largely in the past and we’re seeing the aftermath of it. The parallels are there, and I’ll be breaking some of them down.

----

From episode one, we are told that Anne has a sexual relationship with Jack…. But later on, she tells Jack that she “can’t be [his] wife,” even though they’ll be partners forever. Why? What changed? The answer is that she’s been with Max and realized that she’s gay. It doesn’t mean Anne didn’t have sex with a man in the past and even enjoy it on some level, but it does mean that she knows now that she was using that sex partially to distract from things about herself that she was doing her best to ignore.

Multiple lines by Max (to Anne) tell us this:

3x03: “When you and I began you did not choose me. Something that lives inside you beyond choice made it so.”

2x01: “But perhaps there is something else underlying it. Something hiding in a place not even you can see. Perhaps… we would do well to bring it into the light.”

Before I continue, let me remind you of something: when writers decide to show viewers something on screen, that is done with intent, especially in a show like Black Sails where not a single moment is wasted. Remember this. What they show us, and what they don’t show us, are both deliberate choices.

So what are we shown about Anne’s sexual relationship with Jack? We get exactly one scene of her having sex with him. We are shown Anne riding Jack in a way where neither party was particularly enthused. Does this mean they definitely never had sex in the past that they both enjoyed on some level? No. But they showed us this one scene on purpose: to emphasize the stark difference when Anne has enjoyable sex with Max, an experience that forever changes her.

So what are we shown about James’ sexual relationship with Miranda? We get exactly one scene of him having sex with her. It is the most depressing sex scene of all time, James is just lying there to try to be helpful for her to chase her own pleasure, and he doesn’t even touch her. Does this mean they never had sex in the past that they both enjoyed, especially back during their affair in London? No. But we are never shown any of that. We never see them have sex in London before James’ relationship with Thomas; we never see them having good sex with each other after it all goes to hell. And that is a deliberate choice.

Why? Because all of the above info about Anne and her compulsory heterosexuality journey also applies to James McGraw, and his relationships with Miranda and Thomas.

“They paint the world full of shadows... and then tell their children to stay close to the light. Their light. Their reasons, their judgments. Because in the darkness, there be dragons. But it isn't true. We can prove that it isn't true. In the dark, there is discovery, there is possibility, there is freedom in the dark once someone has illuminated it.”

The realizations James came to about his sexuality (just like Anne did) inform much of his tangled story with the Hamiltons, and much of the tragedy of Miranda and James’ situation after the loss of Thomas. We are shown the way James and Miranda are no longer perfectly aligned after that loss, and grief is undeniably a part of it… but it goes beyond that. It’s more complicated than that.

That sad sex scene is not solely about grief; remember, that scene takes place ten years after they lose Thomas. It takes place during a time where Miranda is already thinking about and will soon actively try to tell James that they need to move on, without understanding why the loss of Thomas affects him in a profoundly different way than it affects her. I am not minimizing her loss or her grief whatsoever; but it is undeniably more complicated for James, and it’s why he can’t move on.

In episode 1x07:

James: “Have you no memory of how we got here? What they took from us?”

Miranda: “What does it matter now? What does it matter? What does it matter what happened then if we have no life now?”

James is, of course, appalled by this. I’ll talk about why momentarily.

The next time James is in Nassau (2x03), he goes to see Miranda and tries to apologize that night, but she’s otherwise engaged. So he stands outside of her window looking in, surrounded by darkness, while she’s playing the clavichord with children in the light. It is symbolically the domestic version of a heterosexual ideal. He is “othered” by the camera angles / framing, and the dark / light aspects. James is relegated to being an outsider literally because as Flint he’s a pirate, but metaphorically because he’s gay; the reason we as viewers are given that scene is to underscore that he feels he has no place in that display.

Ultimately, James is misaligned with Miranda after the loss of Thomas (shown in both the sad sex scene and arguments) in a way that goes beyond grief. The implication is that things cannot ever be the same for him again since the loss of “his truest love” and the truths he learned about himself.

If James and Miranda were simply at odds with one another because of grief, it would be far less of a “tragedy” in some ways. But James cannot heal the way Miranda slowly finds the way to over ten years, because Thomas signifies things for James that Miranda cannot relate to. In London, when Thomas is taken from them, Miranda even yells to James, “He is my husband!” Her grief and rage are shown as equal to James at the start and have extreme validity; the two of them are partners in the plan to kill Alfred Hamilton for revenge; but then she is able to somewhat move on, whereas James is not.

Why? Because, for James, Thomas was not just his (truest) love; Thomas was the awakening of his fullest self as a gay man.

In the same way that Anne can’t be Jack’s “wife” after she’s been with Max and realizes she’s gay, James cannot content himself with fulfilling the role of Miranda’s “husband” after he’s been with Thomas and realizes he’s gay. Neither of these facts minimize Anne’s love and devotion to Jack, or James’ love and devotion to Miranda; they are undeniably two sets of partners. But Anne and James are forever altered by their experiences with same sex lovers, and the truths about themselves that were brought into the light as a result.

----

Another part of the tragedy of James and Miranda is what happens right when we see Miranda grasp the significance of all of the above. Whether or not she grasped it before in the past, we are shown it only once on screen, and that’s in Charlestown.

Peter Ashe says this in 2x09:

“You will tell them about the affair with Thomas. You will tell them how it ended. You will explain to them what it drove you to do. You will reveal everything. And when you do, Captain Flint will be unmasked, the monster slain. And in his place will stand before all the world a flawed man, a man that England can relate to and offer its forgiveness.”

This is James’ worst nightmare; we know as such from what he told Miranda back in 1x07, and from when he killed Gates. And yet, here and now in 2x09, he is exhausted from pushing back against heteronormative society, all he wants is to retire the mantle of Flint born of gay rage, and he actually contemplates playing by their rules and giving into their judgements of his sexuality... until Miranda comes to his defense.

In season 1, Miranda didn’t seem to fully understand James’ thoughts on this, but here–in combination with her realizations about Peter Ashe’s betrayals–she finally does. And she’s not having it.

“What forgiveness are you entitled to while you stand back in the shadows pushing James out in front of the world to be laid bear for the sake of the truth? Tell me, sir, when does the truth about your sins come to light?”

And the moment she is yelling in rage on behalf of James, and their combined loss, and how Peter would dare to force James to experience shame about his sexuality again–she is instantly shot for it. A woman who’s yelling on behalf of a gay man? In a patriarchal heteronormative society? It has no place. England makes that clear.

It all further underlines James’ sense of “otherness”... and now he decides to embrace it, even at his own emotional detriment. He will no longer try to fit in or reason with them; he will no longer accept their halfway measures of pardons. He can’t, because in the eyes of England, all that he is as a gay man is abhorrent.

2x10: “Everyone is a monster to someone. Since you are so convinced that I am yours, I will be it.”

3x05, to the Maroon Queen: “...England takes whatever, whenever, however it wants. Lives. Loves. Labor. Spirits. Homes. It has taken them from me. I imagine that it has taken it from you.”

The Way James Views Miranda

And here is where I simply give you more food for thought–or further “evidence” of James being gay, if you will.

All of Flint’s lines about how he views Miranda are worded very, very deliberately.

Here’s a minor one, from 1x05:

“So you can probably guess it isn't as much fun to tell stories about how your captain makes a home with a nice Puritan woman who shares his love of books.”

There is nothing overtly romantic or sexual about this. It’s said in a one-on-one conversation with Billy, where Flint neither has to make the relationship sound like something it isn’t nor refuse to give any info whatsoever. So he goes with what is the seemingly-mild truth.

But 3x01, convincing the men to forego pardons:

“But what price surrender? To beg forgiveness from a thing that took my woman from me? My friend?”

“My woman” is what Flint says for the benefit of the men… these men who are part of the heteronormative world they all live in, and still value sexual relationships with women above all else. It’s about hegemonic masculinity, remember? (“Objectification of women and sex itself.”) He’s doing his best to speak their language.

But “my friend” is a secondary line that was not needed for the purposes of this speech, but James could not keep himself from adding it in a quieter tone–because that’s who Miranda was to him. His friend. Not his woman, which drips sexism and sexual undertones. Not his wife. Not even his “love,” which he could’ve used if he wanted to be ambiguous and sneak a Thomas reference in; he said “my woman” to appeal to the men, and then he added “my friend” because in the face of her memory he couldn’t help it.

And lastly, in 3x03, we begin to hear from “ghost Miranda.”

But what is ghost Miranda? She’s a voice from James’ traumatized mind. Everything she says to him is about truths he already knows and/or things he is hiding from himself. So what “she” says here is a voice from James’ mind; it’s about how James sees her, and subtly elaborates on his sexuality in the process.

“When I first met you, you were so... Unformed. And then I spoke and bade you cast aside your shame, and Captain Flint was born into the world... the part of you that always existed yet never were you willing to allow into the light of day. I was mistress to you when you needed love. I was wife to you when you needed understanding. But first and before all... I was mother. I have known you like no other. So I love you like no other. I will guide you through it, but at its end is where you must leave me. At its end is where you will find the peace that eludes you, and at its end lies the answer you refuse to see.”

This does not diminish Miranda’s importance to James in the least! In fact, it emphasizes it, and it is all part of why he is so ruined over her! But it is also, in the oddest way, an elaboration upon how he isn’t bi: Miranda was his partner in many things, including shared grief and revenge and some semblance of life for ten long years; and she was also was instrumental to his formation of himself as a person (“mother”), and his acceptance of himself as a gay man (“love” and “understanding”). This is how he sees her. Mistress and wife were roles she filled in his life, but above all, she contributed to the birth of Captain Flint–the personification of James’ gay rage.

Of course, the “answer” that ghost Miranda (the depths of James’ brain) alludes to here as well as her later words of “you are not alone” are all about James needing to recognize that Silver is a newfound partner and love for him… but that’s a whole other meta entirely.

Closing Thoughts

Look, did I consult a couple of specific scenes and look up transcripts to put quotes in this? Yes. But have I still only seen the show in its entirety once? Also yes. My point in mentioning this is that, if I did a full rewatch, there might even be more evidence I haven’t mentioned here. This isn’t meant to be comprehensive, but I do feel that it... certainly conveys the gist of the mood.

You may still agree to disagree if you prefer to see James Flint as bi; I’m not here to fight you on it and what queer characters mean to you personally.

But for me, when surveying all available evidence, the narrative screams that he’s gay. In that sense, my thoughts on this matter are similar to my thoughts on the ending; sure, you can interpret it one way if you look at certain details, but if you take in all the evidence and the big picture as a whole… there’s a specific conclusion to be drawn.

Last thing I’ll say is this: Steinberg himself has said that Flint is gay, which I found out way after watching the show and forming this interpretation. And like... not that if I wanted to hardcore argue he was bi I wouldn’t disregard Steinberg’s words, because in my experience the narrative speaking for itself is always more important than than creators’ words, but... in this instance (as in all Black Sails instances I’ve come across), his words just underscore what the well-crafted narrative is already telling us, because the creators wrote this show with intent. They knew what they were doing.

And thus, I will quote him (from these GIFs) below.

“When we were trying to build the story, we wanted whatever this thing was that made [Flint] feel alienated to be so deeply tied into who he was that there was no way he was every going to dismiss this thing that happened to him. We wanted to make sure we understood what the reality was in England in terms of how homosexuality was perceived. In some ways it was more tolerated, in some ways it was significantly less tolerated. I think in terms of Flint being gay, it’s about the fact that it is a tool that is used politically when convenient to make somebody be a monster… and it isn’t even really about the relationship.”

(If you buy the series on iTunes, you get an “inside” look at every episode, including this one from 2x05.)

EDIT: I had no idea Toby Stephens basically confirmed my thoughts that James' relationship with Thomas was his actualization as a gay man, so excuse me as I lose my mind for a moment:

“I think his relationship to Thomas Hamilton, the initial friendship and then becoming lovers is sort of like the realization of himself. I think he became himself with Thomas Hamilton. His potential was unleashed with Hamilton.”

And just for fun, since I’m here anyway, here’s a piece of a Steinberg quote about Anne from the Fathoms Deep podcast.

“In terms of Rackham and Bonny, I think that was another thing that I assumed for a long time could never go away. That they were essentially, you know, that they were married. You know not legally, but they were functionally married. And then this story happened in Season 2 with Bonny, that I think with like with a gun to my head of things that I’m proud of with the show, probably at the top is this story of this woman coming out and understanding that she’s gay. . . And so when we got to a point where it was like, I think she’s gay? Like I don’t think this is something we want to be wishy-washy about. It required getting over that hump with Rackham of, ‘Well like what am I going to do with this relationship? I don’t want to split them up?’ And I think it became something way more interesting.”

Thanks for coming to my TED talk. I love James Flint and his gay rage, I love you if you read all of this, and I love my friend @sunbardy who dealt with me yelling about this in DMs and then proofread the doc.

Hit me up on Twitter @gaypiracy if you want, where I do most of my Black Sails related yelling. And shitposting. Because I contain multitudes.

Know No Shame, my friends.

#black sails #james flint #know no shame #flinthamilton #captain flint #anne bonny #meta #black sails meta #miranda hamilton #jackanne #maxanne #legit have no idea what else to tag #my meta

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morganas-pendragons · 4 years

Text

When You’re Gone | Cody

I was blasting Queen last night and the line, “How do you think we’re gonna get along without you when you’re gone?” hit me like a ton of bricks and BEHOLD that where this angst train came from. This deals with an OLDER padawan reader - Obi-Wan’s padawan reader - who is the one to help the 212th cope with the loss of their General circa the Rako Hardeen arc.

I read a fic in which Cody had to do it alone and um... no. We’re gonna change that. And if any of you believe that

if you’d like to be tagged in all clone fic please let me know

Numb.

Irrevocably numb.

It had taken a remarkable amount of composure on your part to keep a facade of peace whenever The Jedi Council had told you that Master Obi-Wan had been murdered in the lower sections of Coruscant. Ahsoka Tano had been the one to hold his body after he’d fallen from the roof with a blaster shot burned into his torso.

Anakin Skywalker has not said one word since you stood with him and his Padawan at the funeral. You have no desire to speak either. You just want to sink into the darkness of loss and despair and never bring yourself out of it. You want to hide.

Master Obi-Wan would’ve told you to be strong. He would’ve told you to release your emotions, your anger and your guilt and your shame, into The Force. Because that’s what good Jedi were supposed to do.

Too bad Master Obi-Wan isn’t here to tell you otherwise.

So instead of being a good Jedi, you are swathed in shadow and perched on your meditation mat, unable to sink deep into The Force because of your anger at the fact that it had let one of its most devout be slaughtered. That it had let Obi-Wan Kenobi die.

So hiding you were. From The Jedi, from Anakin and Ahsoka, from yourself - or at least that’s exactly what you were planning on doing until your communicator went off.

“I don’t know who this is, but I’d really prefer to not be bothered right now-” You cut in sharply, brow furrowed in irritation as you adjusted your position on the meditation mat.

“Commander.”

Your will crumbles at the sound of the familiar voice. That was Rex. Rex was calling you.

Why?

“Rex.”

Captain Rex shuffled awkwardly on his feet as he stood flanked by Wooley and Boil outside the door that lead into the 212th barracks. The 212th had only just gotten back from a mission off-planet, their first one without General Kenobi at the head of the Battalion. It hadn’t gone.. well, to say the least.

“Commander,” Rex said quietly. “I know you’re not wanting to talk, at the moment. I understand that. However-”

“C’mon Captain.” You muse lightly, trying to keep your tone light to hide the very obvious anger and grief that was plaguing you. “You’ve never been one to hide from words before. What’s going on?”

“The 212th has just made planet-fall back from their first mission without-” Your entire body stiffens at the very obvious pause. “And without you. Alot of the men are beside themselves because they didn’t hear the news first, and they weren’t able to come to the funeral The Jedi held in the Temple. They don’t feel safe there.”

Boil and Wooley nod their agreement.

“We were going about our normal business whenever the 212th got back to the barracks, but Cody locked himself in his Commander’s quarters.” Wooley interjected. “We can’t get him to come out, Commander. We need-” All three clones looked at one another. “We need you.”

The clones would’ve been oblivious if they hadn’t noticed their vode and his very obvious affection for their young Jedi Commander of the 212th Attack Battalion. You had been assigned to Obi-Wan Kenobi at the same time that Ahsoka had been assigned to Anakin Skywalker, which meant that you often spent alot of time with the young Togruta. She had been the one initially to notice how much Cody paid attention to you, how he valued your opinion despite your age and how you embraced his brothers instead of turning them away.

Cody was fond of you. He was very fond of you, and what he needs right now is someone familiar. Someone he knows cares about his feelings and his heart, someone who could guide him through his grief.

You hesitate with your arm still poised towards your mouth. You really didn’t want to leave your quarters, but the clones were your family - Cody was your.. something - and if he needs you, you’d be there. You’d be there to do what Obi-Wan couldn’t.

“I’ll be there in half an hour.” Rex breathes a sigh of relief. “And Rex?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

***

Half an hour later, as promised, you are breezing through the barracks of the GAR until you find Wooley and Crys sitting outside what you assumed was the door to Cody’s quarters.

You opened your mouth to call out to them but found yourself stunned as a wave of pure suffering hits you so hard that you’re forced to double over, hands braced against your knees.

“It’s okay, Commander.” A gentle voice quietly encouraged you as hands hesitate to rest on your own. You’d seen in previous experiences how much the clones thrived on touch as they had been bred in individual growth tanks since birth. “It’s okay, we feel it too. It’s suffocating.”

You lift your eyes to meet Crys’ across from you. There was a point in time where the clones had not known how to grieve, how to embrace the feelings that made them human. That had changed for most of the 212th when Obi-Wan had become High General and you’d taken Command. The two of you had worked closely together to give the clones closure and security in a time where they really had none.

“Crys-” You gasp between ragged breaths. “Where-Where is that coming from?”

He points in the direction of Cody’s quarters. You quietly thank the clone and murmur your condolence in Mando’a - Kenobi had basically forced you to learn the language of the Clones as he was fluent in everything - and move towards the door. Wooley and Crys watch you kneel before it and place your palm against the durasteel.

How you’re going to get through to the grieving man on the other side, you have no idea. That didn’t mean you weren’t going to try.

You’d do anything. You’d try anything because Cody was worth it.

“Cody.” Silence. “I can feel it, y’know. I can feel your guilt and your suffering even through this door. I can feel it.. and it hurts me.” You rest your head against the doorway. “I wasn’t going to come. I wasn’t going to come because I didn’t feel like I was going to be enough for you. I don’t feel like I’m enough for anybody. I can’t-” You bite your lower lip so hard that you taste blood, and that’s when the tears build in your eyes, tears that have you curling your fingers against the door and turning your head away. “I can’t even protect my own Master, Cody. If I can’t protect Obi-Wan-”

I can’t protect you.

The other clones must have felt it necessary for you to be alone during this one sided conversation, which left you alone in the barracks hallway. Most of them who were planetfall were engrossed in their side hobbies they took part in whenever they weren’t on the battlefield. They kept themselves busy. That mean less prying eyes for what you were about to do next.

“I’m coming in, cyare.” You murmur the endearment low enough for only yourself to hear, fearful of the inevitable rejection on his part as the GAR had strict regulations about long standing relationships within the army itself. It was strictly prohibited. And you are a Jedi, you can’t just.. fall in love.

You curl your fingers and slowly twist your wrist to the right until you hear the click of the lock and slowly step inside.

Your stomach drops at the sight in front of you. All the blood drains from your face and you freeze because this is so not Cody.. this is a Cody who is angry and shameful because he hadn’t been there to do his job - protecting his General - and he hadn’t even been allowed to mourn the man who’d taught him to be human.

The man who’d told him to embrace the desires of his heart that he was terrified to admit. Because clones - people bred for war - were so rarely privileged to be happy.

What you were currently looking at was not happiness. It was suffering.

The majority of the room is in shambles. The bed that the GAR had been gracious enough to give to their Commanders was tossed against the wall. The blacks that he keeps in stock are scattered across the floor, and his armor which is usually meticulously polished by now is in ruins. The paint is chipped and you wonder if he purposefully scrubbed off the clear adhesive they use to keep it fresh throughout battle so that way he didn’t have to look at the names he had on the pauldrons and his forearms. The names of his fallen vode. Of his fallen General.

Your usually stoic commander is sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by pieces of his livelihood, arms wound around his knees and head buried in his chest. He looks.. well.. small. Your heart aches at the sight because for all the things that Cody has proven himself to be, you often overlook his brokenness for the things that make him more beautiful.

Heartbreak kills, as does bitterness, as does suffering. That’s the only part of the Jedi Code you’d ever agreed with.

“Cody,” His name comes on a choked gasp as you slowly move into the center of the room, afraid to touch him for fear he’ll lash out. You have to talk though. If you bask in the silence you’ll start thinking about your Master and his funeral and how Cody hadn’t been there. “It’s me. It’s me.” Cyar’ika lingers on your tongue, but you bite it back. “Look at me, Cody.”

Nothing. You say it a little more firmly, pouring more Force into your words for a minor Force suggestion to break through his impenetrable mental shields.

“Look at me, Cody.”

You are stunned whenever he lifts his eyes to meet yours. He looks so defeated - red rimmed eyes and stuttering breaths - as he looks back at you. Cody looks like a ghost, and the thought of losing him so soon after Obi-Wan is absolutely terrifying. “C-Commander.” He speaks roughly, running his hands over his face which shifts right back into the professional mask you so often see him wearing on The Negotiator. “Did you need something?”

Kneeling to the ground, you slowly move forward until you’re touching each other, and you unwind his arms from around his legs to settle yourself between them. He looks up at you - eyes vulnerable and wide - as you exhale slowly through your nose and lift your hands to cup his face. His breath catches because he’s dreamt about this so many times and never in his wildest fantasies did he think he’d be able to have it.

Your thumb runs back and forth across the taut muscle in his jaw until it loosens beneath your touch. You gently push on his mind, careful not to scare him, whispering let me in until he succumbs and throws all his shields down. You’re met with a flurry of images. Most of them are the veterans of the 212th being given the news by a non-Jedi General, Cody and Wooley and Boil reeling back at the words because no, that is not true - not after they’d just endured Umbara and lost so many brothers. You see him on the last mission he’d just come back from. He’s careless and cold and their casualty rates are astronomical, and you see his return and the way he shoves everything back as far as it’ll go because if he does that, he doesn’t have to deal with it.

“Cody.” You whisper. Your hands have not left his face, and you’re close enough now that you can look down and see the specks of color in the depths of onyx eyes that look back up at you. He’s hurting, you’re hurting, and this is not the time to allow your heart to rule your actions.

He tries to say your name, and he fails. He fails and it comes out on a gasp and the minute you murmur i’m here for you everything within him that he’s tried so hard to keep together comes crumbling down and he pulls you into his arms, and Cody cries.

It’s not the first time you’ve seen him cry. You’d been there that night on Umbara when Waxer had died and you’d been there to comfort him in the midst of mourning his brothers who had been turned against one another. That night had somehow ended up with the two of you in the same bunk with the best sleep you’d had since the war had started. Warm and safe in the arms of your Commander, who when you woke up the next morning was so close to you that you could’ve kissed him awake.

You’d also never spoke about it again.

Gentle hands run up and down his back over his blacks as you wind your legs around his waist, ignorant of the lack of space between both your bodies as he fists your robes in his hands and buries his face in your neck. The Force resounds with the pain you’re both in, but it also hums with pleasure at drawing two people who desperately need each other together.

The Jedi may not agree with attachment, but that doesn’t mean The Force disagrees.

“Ner jetiise.” His voice is hot against your ear as the Mando’a rolls easily off his tongue, and you try to the best of your ability not to let the fact he said my startle you. Cody’s face is hot and stained in tears, but his hands curl around your hips and you very slowly pull yourself away to meet his gaze. There’s something deeper there. Something you’d been looking for that was now on the surface. Wanting.

“Cyar’ika.” You murmur. “We’re both-We’re both hurting-”

His hands travel up your sides until they’re tangled in your hair. “But-” Cody pleads quietly. “Your soul makes my hurt turn into.. into..” He struggles for a word, it’s right there on the tip of his tongue- “Joy. You make me happy. The happiest I think I’ve ever been, honestly.” Cody pauses. “The General would want this-He’d want us to be happy, right?”

With Anakin being married to Padme (Obi-Wan liked to act like he didn't know this, which made the entire thing ten times funnier) you didn’t think he’d mind if you were in a relationship with the Commander. He’d want you to be happy, to grieve and to heal and to get stronger together, so that’s what you were gonna do.

“Cody.” Your voice is warmer, lighter. Cody thinks it has something to do with the fact that you’ve just accepted the very thing you’ve been denying since you were taken in as a Jedi. “I have a question.”

“Yes-”

“Do you want me?”

He nods without hesitation. “I have never wanted anything more, but-” Cody pauses and closes his eyes to control his breathing - in and out, in and out - before turning gaze back to you. “I don’t want to mess this up. Not this, not you.”

“If we’re going to mess up, we’ll do it together. We’ll be messes together.” Your fingers grip his cheeks lightly enough that you know you have his attention. “We’ll take back planets held by The Seppies together, we’ll make The Republic better together with your other vode in the 212th. We’ll do it for Obi-Wan. Yeah?

You sound so confident about it that he can’t find it in him to disagree.

“Good. Now do me a favor, al’verde, and kiss me.” His eyes follow the way your tongue darts out to wet your lips, and before he can stop himself, Marshal Commander CC-2224 - Cody - is kissing a Jedi. His Jedi. The one who makes him embrace his humanity, the one who shows him the love he desires and the one who’d follow him to the ends of every planet, every battlefield, every galaxy.

By the time you force yourself away from Cody, the two of you are beaming and in a fit of breathless laughter whenever Jesse and Rex come to a stop right in front of the door which is now wide open, and his vode start shrieking like children and Jesse takes off down the hall yelling, “Kix, you owe me 100 credits!”

You don’t have the heart to scold him for allowing the 501st to join with the 212th on the endless amount of bets they'd made concerning the two of you. You have a breathless, beaming clone in your arms who is shining so brightly with joy through The Force that you don’t think you’ve ever seen a more beautiful sight. You may hurt, and you may bleed, but Cody wants you. You with all your broken pieces and your heartbreak and your insecurity about the kind of Jedi you’ll be.

He wants you.

And you don’t think you’ve ever wanted anything more then him in your twenty some years of life.

When Obi-Wan magically appears less then two weeks later, hell is unleashed. The 212th is furious, your Commander even more furious, and you’re not sure you’ll ever be able to look him in the eye again because he lied to you. That’s a story for another time. It’s just one chapter in the endless book of The Clone Wars.

#commander cody x reader #cody x reader #star wars imagines #star wars oneshots #cc-2224 x reader #Marshal Commander Cody x Reader

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notasdriedapricots · 3 years

Note

Also, living room and attic for Liz x I’m really enjoying reading your answers.

Oh, thank you! I’m really enjoying thinking about these, there’re many I had never considered before!

Thank you, Iris! (Part 4 lol) 💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗 (Yes, I’m committing to this)

Living Room:

How does the character spend weekends?

Liz already spends a lot of time at home during the week practicing, so on weekends she likes to go around town. Usually with Simon (her best friend), and they pack as many things as they can in a single day, even if they’ve already done everything and been everywhere a thousand times before.

What kind of movies does the character watch?

Liz is a cinephile, so she watches everything. She has her periods of watching a lot of the same movement or director before switching to a different one. Still, she always comes back to her favourites. She likes watching movies many times to find new things in them. So yeah pretty much, everything.

What do they do with friends?

Given that her BFF is also a musician, a lot of it is related to music. They play together, talk about it, go see live music, share new artists... They let each other know if they can’t make it, otherwise they just assume they have plans together, even if those plans are yet to be determined.

They get together every Friday night to drink wine and play cards or board games while they have deep chats because they’re cool like that. They die laughing every time.

With her other friends she goes out for coffee or pints. Sometimes she has picnics with some of her friends from the orchestra, if the stars align and they can all make it.

She likes cooking for her friends, even if it’s something very simple, the ritual of inviting them over and have them stay until late just chatting and having a laugh is the best time she can have.

What’s their favorite pastime?

Learning new pieces on the cello. And I mean new as in cutting-edge stuff. She’s in contact with several people that are modernizing the instrument and is always eager to do something new and experiment with it. She is technically very talented, but a great part of why she’s gotten so far so early is because she’s on top of her shit. And she loves it. She doesn’t consider it an extension of her job, though, at all.

What’s their favorite TV show/film?

TV would probably be something like Fargo. Funny, but also not funny.

Film, she would tell you she has two or three for every genre, but I’ll say three: 1. Singin’ in the Rain: I mean, she’s kinda the embodimen of that movie; sweet, and funny, but oh so sassy and self-aware; also music. 2. Memento: Innovative, rewatchable, unique, fast, complex. 3. Clue: Just brilliantly comical, meta, original, an absolute classic.

Attic:

What is the character afraid of?

Mundane? Snakes. Deeper? Liz is terrified of losing the people closest to her, which is a big problem given her personality. Her nature is to let people get close, but she’s had to learn to put up a barrier just in case. The only people she lets get that close are those who have proven to her that they won’t hurt her, that they won’t decide to just one day walk away without explanation. This is why she usually seems like she cares way more than she actually does; she looks like she cares as much as she wants to let herself care, but she knows she shouldn’t so she rarely does (I hope that sentence made sense lol)

How do they deal with bad memories?

She tries to work through bad experiences so they don’t weigh on her. So unless something specific brings something to the surface, she usually doesn’t think about the bad parts of her past. She took them as a lesson, learnt what she deemed valuable, and let them go (as much as she could).

What is this character’s role in a horror movie?

She’s the final girl for sure. She’s resourceful, and even though she will be pretty sceptic at first, she will go “okay so this is happening” instead of fighting the evidence. She won’t chicken out, and won’t be the asshole that lets the others behind.

How do they hide their secrets?

She’s a bit like Lucas in the way that you probably won’t even know she’s keeping a secret in the first place because she’s usually very private regarding her personal life. So she won't show it, and if you say something she'll just deny she's hiding something. But she’s a great liar if she needs to be, and won’t hesitate to even gaslight you if you insist on snooping around. She’ll feel bad, though.

Which of the Seven Deadly Sins does the character relate to most?

This one was pretty hard but... surprisingly even for me, I’ll have to say wrath. She’s very, veeeeery hard to piss off, but when you do... it brings out the worst side of her. If you manage to get her actually mad, it’s gonna get ugly, because she will go right where it hurts the most. She’ll use everything she knows about you, and she’ll turn cruel. Luckly it hardly ever happens.

Send me a character and a room and I’ll tell you my HC for them!

#Liz #thank you!

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megashadowdragon · 4 years

Text

tyrian will kill nora but nora will kill him as well (mutual kill )

while tyrian was caught in mistral it was by a joint operation by both atlas and mistral what if the reason why atlas got involved is because he killed important people from atlas and its been stated that we will get some nora backstory in v7 and its long been thought that nora is from mantle but she ended up orphaned in mistral

maybe noras parents went to mistral for a trip and tyrian ended up killing them with the kidnapping part being a separate crime or since he is wanted for kidnapping he could have kidnapped nora (which solves the hole that some people pointed out in the nora is from mantle theory of how would such a little kid get that far from home all alone? ) but nora didn’t see his face or was so traumatized that she blocked it out which is why she didn’t recognize tyrian when they met in v4 or she was just too young

and I believe that fria is noras grandmother fria has been stated that she doesnt really have any family left if she is noras grandma it would fit given that noras parents were killed and she was kidnapped ( and likely assumed dead )

so what if nora is in frias last thoughts and nora gains the winter maiden powers

greekgeekgoddess . tumblr . com/post/189399396548/winter-wont-become-the-winter-maiden/embed

Okay time for the theory goggles to get back on. And yes I am aware this theory will be seen as a stretch. But as a writer. There is a possibility. And this latest episode added another piece for me.

It’s gonna be Nora Valkyrie everyone.

And I already here you all scrunching your faces and saying.

“Kai, how would that even happen…”

And here’s some points.

Winter outright states that Ironwood plans to make her the next Winter Maiden. They even show us the current one.

And while I can see how people would believe Winter has a shot, I’m not so sure.

Granted she has been visiting the Winter Maiden for a year. Exchanging pleasantries and stuff. And yes being the only person for Fria to talk to does give more of a chance. But this isnt textbook.

It has been stated clearly. That whoever is in the maiden’s final thoughts gains the power.

What does that have to do with Nora? Well I’ll tell you.

So at RTX 2019, Miles and Kerry shared some things to look forward to. One of which being more Nora story. And to be fair we have been getting some. Romance angst with Ren, her intense care and insight on Mantle. (Which makes me think she is from this kingdom).

But I feel we can do better.

And why? Why am I so convinced that Nora is the one who will get it in the end?

RWBY CHIBI surprisingly.

*Looks directly to CRWBY like off of The Office* “That’s right you sly dogs. I caught that!”

SO HERE WE ARE YOU READY?!

We know that in Volume 4, Nora was already orphaned before Ren.

And yes the local kids were teasing her. But they said things to the effect that she looked like she was dressed weird.

Like they weren’t used to seeing her type of clothes.

What is it similar to.

MANTLE CLOTHING

Who is her family you ask?

Her grandmother. Her possibly last relative. I do believe Nora’s mother and father had died. Making Fria her sole relative. Who probably raised her.

LOVED HER

NEVER FORGOT HER

THINKS OF HER CONSTANTLY

What I mean is. “IF”, and I could be wrong. But I’m throwing my hat in. IF THEY ARE A GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDDAUGHTER. Then there is a chance that Fria never let Nora be erased from her heart. Even if she thinks Nora died in whatever happened that separated them. She would think of her granddaughter as she died. Not Winter.

Dont get me wrong Winter is wonderful. But knowing how crafty the CRWBY can be at times… my money is on Nora until proven otherwise.

(Update)

I would also like to add two more points.

Fria’s eyes are the same color as Nora’s, though hopefully we can get a better look at them later on.

Also. Fria’s name. Is a different spelling of the name Freya based off of.

The old Norse goddess Freya.

And we all know Nora is based on Thor.

Little fun fact. Thor = Thursday

Freya = Friday” plus in norse mythology thor disguised himself as freya to get his hammer back and nora is based on that story ( the theme of jnpr is that they are all based off of characters/person ( in jaunes case ) who crossdressed in their stories and are of the opposite sex (or in other words you could say they are chosen ) and that story is why thor was chosen as her inspiration which is why it would be a fitting reference for thor to take up frias mantle as winter maiden in a twist to the myth rather than disguising herself as fria nora takes up her position

and of course nora becoming the winter maiden will put a target on her back and tyrian kidnapping nora and killing her parents is a perfect set up to a confrontation between the two possibly with nora if/when she finds out deciding to go after him.

in a sense like ren she goes against the monster who killed her parents

and I think it will end with the two of them causing each others deaths tyrian has a poisonous scorpion tail and noras inspiration thor died via poison killing the midgard serpent and then dying due to poison afterwards in a mutual kill and tyrians inspiration is the scorpion from scorpion and the frog who was willing to sting the frog killing it even if it meant his own death and there are alot of parallels between v7 and v3 )

shattering-the-mirror . tumblr . com/post/189545999830/i-think-we-have-a-problem-volume-7-and-volume-3 “it will be just like beacon again

and nora vs tyrian will be a maiden powered member of team jnpr vs a member of salems circle a bit of a flip on cinder vs pyrrha ( a maiden powered member of salems circle ) vs a member of team jnpr

so both of their inspirations end up dying after doing something which causes someone elses death though while with noras inspiration it was in a fight in the villain tyrians it was due to the scorpions nature so I think nora and tyrian will cause each others deaths like tyrian killing nora but dying due to the injuries he sustained ( he couldnt resist continuing after her ) or nora landing mortal blow but dying due to tyrians poison etc

plus ren had to face the grimm who killed his parents nora will have to face the person who killed hers

@lil-red-reaper

@redwhiteblakeyellow

@thehtg-therealone @darksaiyangoku @greekgeekgoddess @littlemisssquiggles

@pyrrrhashes

@majoringinsarcasm

@the-heart-alchemist

#rwby #rwby theory #rwby theories #rwby theorys #rwby volume 7 #rwby meta #tyrian callows #rwby tyrian #tyrian rwby #nora valkyrie #nora rwby #rwby nora #rwby volume 7 spoilers

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the-hiraeth-system · 4 years

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Just told our therapist that I think I might have DID aaahh I’m shaking. She seemed to be kinda sceptical but she made me do a couple of tests and said “we’ll have to explore this further” so idk? I mean I guess ‘innocent until proven guilty’ sorta? Like I think a lot of mental health professionals are likely to assume you don’t have something until evidence suggests otherwise. It still kinda hurt to see her acting like we probably don’t have DID and like she doesn’t believe us, but she does seem to be kinda taking us seriously so. Yeah. At least seriously enough that she’s getting us to do some tests and is actually asking a few questions regarding our experiences and stuff.

I mentioned that I first heard about DID on youtube and that I went and asked some questions on reddit but I didn’t tell her that I’ve done a ton of other research from more official/ reliable sources as well. At the end of the session she said ‘stop going on youtube’ so I think she thinks I just heard about Tr*sh* P*yt*s or something and made a bunch of assumptions without doing any real research, which is kinda hurtful tbh. I research the shit out of anything and everything and would never claim to even think I might have something before knowing all the symptoms, crossing off any ‘similar to’ diagnoses, etc. Then again it’s probably my fault for choosing to tell her and not tell her what I did.

She said she’s gonna call my mum and mention it to her and asked if that was okay and I said yes but really it’s NOT. I don’t want our mum to know that we’re a system yet. She’s gonna do that manipulation thing where she makes it all about her and tries to make me feel bad for having problems and I really can’t deal with that rn but I mean it’s my fault for telling her it was okay so like. I guess I really can’t be that upset about it

#tw manipulation #manipulation tw #emotional abuse tw #tw emotional abuse #getting dxed #hopefully #mild swearing #swearing tw #did #osdd #actually did #actuallydid #actually osdd #actuallyosdd #did system #osdd system

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itsclydebitches · 4 years

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RWBY Recap: “Cordially Invited”

Only a week late, folks! Can’t say I’m surprised, what with the holidays underway and my normal schedule all topsy-turvy. Still, at least now there’s a little something to fill the RWBY-less hole this Saturday. Always a silver lining.

We begin the episode with our group discussing their upcoming dinner---Oscar included! We’re off to a great start. We learn that Jacques supposedly just wants to “break bread and hash things out,” but anyone with two brain cells to function together know that’s a load of BS. What frustrates me is Ruby’s attempts to spin this as a good thing because they supposedly want Ironwood to start “opening up” to “these people.” Yeah... there’s so much wrong with that. Normally Ruby’s optimism is one of the personality traits I love most about her, but lately that optimism has been twisted into naivety at best, that pro-protagonist perspective at worst. We saw this in Volume Six where the optimistic “We’ll find some way into Atlas!” became an attack on Argus. Now, Ruby’s “Maybe this won’t be so bad!” is functionally an attack on Ironwood. The responsibility lies with him to achieve that good outcome: he needs to open up to the horrendously corrupt abuser that Weiss at least suspects might be involved with Salem. Note that Ruby doesn’t extend those same expectations to herself and her team. She doesn’t claim that they all should “open up” to Jacques in the name of crafting better relations. No, she immediately jumps to having Weiss spy on him in order to get ahead in the game. For the record, I don’t give a damn if the group commits “bad” actions against Jacques (more on that below) because again, Jacques is an evil, corrupt abuser. Rather, it’s just that continuing issue of hypocrisy. Ruby expects Ironwood to “open up” to him and make peace over dinner, but only expects herself and her friends to give him what’s for. Insert [Ozpin and Ironwood must never keep secrets or tell lies, but we’re allowed to] here. Same song, different tune.

Oscar at least points out how idiotic that perspective is from a practical perspective. He doesn’t call Ruby out on the expectation that Ironwood make nice with the man they want to keep Weiss five billion feet away from, but he does acknowledge that such expectations can’t be fulfilled at this time in this place. Jacques has tailored this dinner to benefit him and him alone. He will control the conversation, so good luck getting around that.

Weiss: “I think my dad would do whatever it takes to win.”

Ruby: “And we should do the same.”

Granted, “whatever it takes” comes to mean spilling some food which obviously is in no way comparable to Jacques’ entire existence. The viewer doesn’t know that’s coming though. When we first hear them, these lines are another nod to the closing gap between the “heroes” and the “villains”---whether we’re defining a “villain” as someone like Jacques or someone like Ozpin. The theme is there. The group is willfully adopting the same choices as those they oppose. If Ozpin is going to lie to us then we’ll lie to Ironwood. If Jacques is going to do whatever it takes then so will we. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As I’ve mentioned in non-recap metas, RWBY has now created a harsh world where by-the-book heroics will only hurt you in the end. If Ozpin had never kept secrets I don’t believe he would have achieved that extraordinary time of peace. If Blake and Yang hadn’t killed Adam they still would have a murderous abuser stalking them. We clearly have a story where the concept of a lesser evil exists...it’s just that we’re continually turning around to insist that the group is somehow better than everyone else for also doing what they have to to survive.

Which brings me to the fact that if Blake and Yang told everyone else about Robyn, we get not indication of that here. The only nod to last episode’s huge decision was Robyn’s shock that Jacques doesn’t already know what the Amity tower is for, but she’s cut off before she can reveal anything in front of Ironwood. So until proven otherwise... here’s another secret. Not just from an adult in a position of authority, but from the rest of the team as well. Given that Blake hid her faunus status and time in the White Fang, Yang continues to hide her knowledge of the Spring Maiden, both of them are helping to keep at least three major secrets from Ironwood, and are now keeping the Robyn secret from everyone else... no leg to stand on. Not to be dramatic on main, but if either of them ever pulls another, “How dare you keep secrets?!” I’m gonna go absolutely feral lol.

Anyway, back to the plot.

There are no new models of the group in fancy dinner clothes. I in no way had my hopes up for that, but it was fun seeing the posts theorizing about it and I can understand others’ disappointment. That definitely would have been a nice surprise, if an insane amount of work for what amounts to ten minutes of screen time.

Instead everyone just shows up in their normal gear and we get a telling exchange between Ironwood and Winter where she informs him he’d have to pay her to smile. I’m really glad she got a lot of attention this episode, both because we expect as much with her returning to the Schnee manor and because, if she’s going to become the next Winter Maiden, we really need to develop her character some. Even just setting up that she might become a Maiden demands that Winter be more than just Ironwood’s second hand and Wiess’ big sis. Who is she on her own? We start getting a glimpse of that here.

Before her outburst though, the group arrives en masse looking like a small army knocking on Jacques’ door. They’re greeted by Whitley who comments on that, asking Ironwood how large he thinks their dining room table is. Absolutely humongous, obviously. Not really the point though. This is clearly Rooster Teeth poking fun at their own massive cast, which would be more enjoyable if the number of characters didn’t constantly hinder the story. Personally, I’d prefer that they actually tackle underdeveloped or mostly dropped characters (like Maria) rather than just joking about it, but anyone keeping up with these recaps already knows that. If we’re not going to get a better structured story I’ll take some jokes here and there. Laugh about it when you can.

Although, I will say that Rooster Teeth does a good job with a minor character here, namely Klein. Whitley makes a dig at Weiss over how he was let go. Wonder how that could have happened. Klein, to my mind at least, was always meant to be a one shot sort of deal. He was introduced to help Weiss escape and once he’d achieved that was no longer useful to the story. It makes sense that we left him behind, but it’s nevertheless wonderful to get a bit of closure. Sad closure, but closure nonetheless. Now, if Rooster Teeth wants to keep him out of the picture we technically have a complete story. We know who Klein was, what he did, and what happened to him in the aftermath. Yet by keeping him alive and away from the Schnees, there’s always the potential that we’ll run into him again someday. I’m quite satisfied with that balance. It’s much better than what I was expecting, namely for Weiss to return home and conveniently not run into him because that would complicate things. Here we’re given an in-character explanation for his absence. Of course Jacques would fire him.

Finally, in the realm of massive casts and character development, I’ve got to admit that I’m disappointing with Penny being there. Simply because it once and for all shatters the hope that this well-executed frame job will amount to anything. If she’s attending a dinner with Jacques Schnee then things are fine. I said that I wasn’t convinced of this “Penny might be deactivated!” consequence before and I’m definitely not convinced of it now. Theoretically another consequence could have been Ironwood losing his council position, but we don’t see that either. Jacques references Ironwood’s inability to catch whoever hacked them at Beacon and his inability to catch whoever attacked Robyn’s supporters as reasons for being untrustworthy, both of which stand without the frame job. It’s incidental. Tyrian could have just killed everyone as Tyrian and it would have had the exact same effect. All the framing has done is make Penny sad (which hasn’t led to any development yet) and get Pietro to spill the beans about her aura (which could have happened in a thousand other ways). I was so pleased at this setup and the ingenuity of the villains, wondering what sort of impact this framing would have, but now we see the impact is minimal at best. If you frame a character for murder but have no other major character questioning their guilt and they’re out in public two episodes later... what was the point of the framing? Penny’s presence here is disappointing. Not because I don’t love Penny, but simply because of more missed opportunities. At this point I’m wondering why they bothered to bring her back at all. We’re not going to have Ruby grapple with the resurrection of her friend. We’re not going to deal with Penny taking the heat for Tyrian’s murders... Why is she here?

Also, not to distract from these important questions but... that.

That.

Friends, I cannot quite convey how confused I was at first. This is obviously supposed to be akin to the Jaguar ornament but... that’s a raptor, right? Have we seen raptor-type grimm? Am I missing something?? Yes, yes I am. Turns out RWBY Rex is a thing I never knew about and I can now only assume this is another Easter egg. Either that or I’m still missing something. Which is always possible. Either way it made me laugh.

The group heads inside and then splits, Ironwood, Clover, Winter, and Penny going into the dining area. Clover makes a quip about needing luck and Qrow points out that he’s already been invited. I can easily see why so many people are shipping them, but as a hardcore ozqrow shipper myself I’m already biased to view this as friendship. Maybe if we see more of Clover and he doesn’t die like everyone thinks he will I’ll find space in my heart for a dual ship. Either way it’s sweet. As much as I’d like Qrow to acknowledge the best friend he already has two feet away in the body of a kid he hasn’t treated particularly well, I’m nevertheless here for Qrow having healthy and supportive relationships.

We also get to see him refusing a glass of wine. Thank you! Again, it’s pretty late in the game to introduce this and we’re still given no insight into why Qrow is willing to battle his addiction now when he’s succumbed to it for most of his life, but at least they’re maintaining the work needed to stay sober. Qrow politely refuses the offer (from a faunus waiter. No surprise there given Jacques’ racism) and removes himself from temptation by offering to patrol the grounds. Very nicely done. The other Ace Ops join him, warning the newbie huntsmen not to wander off, not to break anything, and make sure you’re available if Ironwood needs you.

To which Yang provides the counter point that they should wander off, they should break things, and all the rest. Jaune later says, “What was that about breaking things?” Admittedly, these lines originally rankled. Because as much as Jacques deserves all the snooping and breaking our team can dish out, I maintain the position that they need to act more responsibly, especially now that they’re officially on the job. We’ve already got Blake and Yang deciding to go behind their bosses’ back. We don’t need them aggravating a situation when they’re the ones who want Ironwood to do that “opening up.” Jacques controlling the situation aside, Ironwood is even less likely to make headway if his guests are off causing trouble.

Which is why I’m so thrilled they didn’t. I’ll be blunt and say straight out that this was a fantastic way to do things. They’re allowed to get food. Nothing wrong with that. We already know Nora is a big eater and tends to be impulsive. If she just happens to pile a plate crazy high, it just happens to hit another guest, and she just happens to douse Whitley in wine? Well... who could have seen that coming? It’s a way of causing mayhem without endangering others or their mission. It achieves the one very specific thing they need: give Weiss an opening to sneak off. No one went overboard. No one else actually snuck off to break things. It was an all around smart plan. Unlike the group attacking Cordovin or Weiss dumping a racist in the trash when they’re supposed to keep a low profile, this is the kind of decision making I can get behind. Something that demonstrates the maturity the group continues to insist they have alongside keeping their playful personalities.

Also, just look at Ren’s smile. That might be the first smile we’ve gotten from him all season. That’s a blessed image, right up there with Oscar stealing hors d'oeuvres the second he walks through the door. Our farm boy is hungry and he’s going to milk Jacques’ wealth for all it’s worth.

The other thing this scene gives us---besides the joyous image of Whitley drenched in wine and Weiss’ amusement over it---is the split screen technique. On the whole I think Rooster Teeth chucks this in too often. There have been many times since the beginning of Volume Six, especially during fight scenes, where the split screen doesn’t feel necessary to me and is even at times quite distracting. Here though? I think it works. The split screen montage used to show the many people involved in, say, a heist is a pretty common technique and it adds another spot of humor to this situation. They’re plotting and executing their food spill with all the sincerity of a bank robbery. I’m here for that.

As Weiss heads upstairs we turn our attention to the meeting with Jacques. It goes about as well as anyone expects. A lot happens in that short span of time though. Robyn sarcastically points out that she should just be happy to have been “invited to the table” and though there’s another black woman across from her, it stands out to me that Robyn, a comparatively dark skinned woman to the rest of the group, says this while the shot poises her between two very white, powerful men. Even the phrase “invited to the table” has gender and racial implications for the audience watching, outside of Robyn’s in-world characterization as a Robin Hood type focused on class. Going off of these themes, we also hear Ironwood reassuring Jacques of their safety by claiming that “Penny is completely under my control.” This, hands down, is the worst thing I’ve seen Ironwood do this volume. Sure, things like the embargo and the supplies have objectively worse consequences, but the story has done a lot to demonstrate the “greater good” justifications behind those choices. We might not agree with Ironwood, but we’re supposed to understand that (until proven otherwise) he has good motivations. Here? That comment is pretty horrible. Ironwood refers to Penny as if she’s a weapon or a tool, a young woman who he believes he literally has control over. It’s a fascinating look into his perspective and a pretty logical one as well. Here’s a man who has put so much faith in his technology, from amassing an army to protect his kingdom to relying on prosthetics to get around. He asked his team to create a new security measure and they did... they just happened to create a person along with it. I’m not sure Ironwood fully understands that yet. He trusts Penny enough to bring her into his own inner circle, but he likewise thinks he can manage her like he would a gun or a vehicle, dictating whether she has friends and announcing that she is under his control. I hope that this is something the writing explores and helps Ironwood work through, rather than just letting it sit as generic evidence that he’s a bad (as opposed to flawed) person. I think Ironwood would realize his mistake and work to correct it if someone pointed out the issue, in the same way we’ve seen him considering, settling, and agreeing with the issues the group has seen fit to yell at him lately.

What interests me most about this whole interaction is (shocking) this continued debate regarding secrets and trust. Overall Rooster Teeth has actually succeeded in creating a decently complex situation here. We know that (again, until proven otherwise) Ironwood has only good intentions and we likewise know that Jacques is now connected to Salem. The information the audience has makes us biased. We know who is supposedly good and supposedly bad. At the same time though, the actual issue appears to be removed from that. Jacques’ side---notably expressed through a new character who acts as a more neutral party---points out that from where they stand there’s no reason for this embargo. We know there’s a reason. Ironwood knows there’s a reason. Because we all know about Salem. But the other council members are making entirely reasonable demands given the information they have: why are you continuing to hurt both the people and our relationship with others? What’s the justification? You can’t give us one? Then why in the world would we let you keep doing this? It puts us in the discomforting position of knowing Jacques is an evil slim ball manipulating the conversation while likewise having to admit that his side has a point. You can’t just announce Salem’s existence because that would make things exponentially worse, but keeping her secret has its definite downsides.

Where Jacques’ party doesn’t have a good position is in his insistence that because Ironwood hasn’t caught these various perpetrators he can’t be trusted, equating trust with results. There’s only so many ideas, resources, and luck that can lead you to catching someone like Tyrian. I understand that knee-jerk reaction, the idea that because someone hasn’t succeeded you should replace them with someone you assume will, but in situations like this you only have so much control over the probability of success. Claiming that Ironwood not catching criminals is indicative of an inability to lead is flimsy, but as we’ve seen, Jacques is a manipulator. He tosses these assertions out as if they’re facts. He and the others continually cut Ironwood off, refusing to let him defend himself. It’s not at all surprising that Winter, someone who suffered under his abuse, eventually explodes with, “You can’t just buy trust like everything else! You have to earn it.” Winter is someone I’m particularly interested in seeing react to the group’s secret keeping because from her perspective, she and Ironwood have earned the group’s trust a hundred times over. Again, provided the story isn’t hiding something from us and Winter is secretly in on some plot with Ironwood, we’re seeing this volume how she’s done the work her father couldn’t and it still wasn’t enough. Her peers, including her baby sister, still decided they weren’t going to trust her with secrets that are intimately tied up in their current work and choices.

Frustrating moral questions aside, something I really loved about this scene was the character setup and the cinematography. Having Jacques with his two allies on one side, Ironwood mirroring that on the opposite end of the table, and Robyn sitting poised between the two, the audience still unsure whose side she’ll fall on. That aerial shot showing off the distance between them all? Excellent visual storytelling.

We get a quick conversation between Winter and Penny which I don’t have too much to say about. Merely that I love Penny for checking up on Winter and I love Winter for correcting her assumption: I’m not saying you wouldn’t understand because you’re a robot, I’m just saying these problems are very specific to me and being in this place. That was particularly reassuring after Ironwood’s comments. Penny ends the scene by saying she doesn’t understand why Winter wouldn’t want to follow her heart. Perhaps an odd comment coming from someone who almost blindly obeys the orders she’s given even when she doesn’t agree---such as not making more friends---but then, it may well be a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ situation. Just because Penny isn’t sure how to always follow her own heart doesn’t mean she can’t encourage others to do the same.

We return to Weiss who, after getting past a curious server, makes it to her father’s office. I feel like this is the scene people are most invested in, considering that I’ve seen a LOT of posts lately trying to demonize Willow for her comment about Whitley. Here’s what people need to remember about Willow moving forward: she’s as much a victim of abuse as Weiss is. She is, presumably, Jacques’ first victim, fully entrenched in his abuse by the time her kids started coming along. As a mother does she have a responsibility to her children? Absolutely, but that doesn’t erase the fact that she’s simultaneously a woman attempting to survive domestic abuse.

(That’s another stunning shot hell yes.)

Initially Weiss takes the side of the posts I’ve seen, painting her mother as someone who made a conscious decision to let the abuse happen---another abuser herself, one out of passiveness. “Some of us are trying to do something about it,” Weiss says, emphasizing that she’s better because she’s doing what her mother never could: fighting back. Ignoring for a moment the highly dubious insistence that abuse victims must simply ‘do something’ about that abuse (it’s not that simple at all), Weiss quickly realizes that she was wrong. Her mother has been doing something, namely setting up hidden cameras around the house for some spying of her own. Why? “For our safety.” To make sure that if Jacques ever goes farther than he already has, Willow will know about it and can take appropriate steps. Is taking precautions against something worse better than leaving a situation that’s already horrific? Of course not, but as said, abuse isn’t just something you can fix. Even if you know it’s happening. This is a woman doing all she can and what someone is capable of in an abusive relationship is based on them and that context, not what others believe is fighting back “enough.”

Willow then reassures everyone, Weiss and the audience alike, that she doesn’t expect Weiss to be the family savior.

Willow: “You haven’t come back to stay, have you?” Weiss: “No.” Willow: “Good.”

That first line potentially reads as a plea. We might have gotten a scene where Willow is disappointed that Weiss isn’t coming back because she doesn’t want to face this family alone. While a very human and understandable desire, it’s likewise not okay to expect another abuse survivor to return to their abuser after they’ve gotten out. In that hypothetical scene the fandom would have a basis for going, “No. That’s... not okay.” But we don’t get that. Willow is thrilled that Weiss both got out and has no intention to return. She wants her daughter safe. That parental instinct outweighs any selfish, human desire to not suffer this situation alone.

Keep the above point in mind when we read the line, “No matter what happens, Weiss, please don’t forget about your brother.” Willow isn’t telling Weiss to return to the house and save him. She’s not even telling her to forgive him. Just don’t forget him. Remember that he’s not a mini Jacques. He’s another young abuse victim. He’s just like you. When we look at the family dynamic it’s clear that in some ways Weiss had a leg up from her brother that helped her get out. Namely, she had Winter. They’re the ones who are close among the siblings and thus Weiss had a role model to follow. Winter, however she managed it, got out and forged her own path. We then see throughout the series how closely Weiss emulates that, from going into combat herself and having Winter train her. The two actions---fighting and escape---are connected in Weiss’ Volume 5 short. Winter tells her that if she wants to get out she has to get better. That’s your route.

In contrast, Whitley has shown no interest in combat and thus doesn’t have that path to emulate. He’s not a girl and is thus automatically treated as the next Jacques, not the next Winter or even Willow. Most importantly, Whitley doesn’t have a close relationship with an older sibling to guide him.

That’s all Willow is asking of Weiss: be for Whitley what Winter was to you. Don’t forget about him. Don’t pretend he doesn’t exist. Don’t fall into the lie Whitley himself believes, that he’s set to be the next Jacques. He’s really an abused 14-15 year old who has suffered through everything we have. So if there ever comes a time where Whitley falters in this belief or you’re given an opening... please treat him like your brother, not your father.

I think that’s a perfectly reasonable thing for a mother to ask and we can easily see via Weiss’ expression that she’s coming to all these realizations too.

“Of course [Whitley doesn’t want anything to do with you.] You left him alone. With us.” That’s not an accusation, it’s a fact. As established, Willow is happy that Weiss got out, but like with so much in RWBY the best decision doesn’t mean it’s a consequence-free decision. In this case the consequence is that Weiss and Winter left their little brother alone with their abuser. They had to for their own mental health and their safety, but they nevertheless did it. So if there ever comes a time when they can help alleviate that consequence, please do.

It likewise doesn’t escape my notice that, again, Whitley is a guy. Just like the fandom was unwilling to accept Ozpin as an abuse victim, people seem hesitant to accept Whitley as an abuse victim either. From what I’ve seen (and there are admittedly always exceptions) Whitley’s shitty behavior hasn’t gotten an a fraction of the sympathy Weiss’ shitty Volume 1-3 behavior got. They’re three years apart at most. If Weiss is a victim then so is her little brother. Don’t let the Jacques’ genetics and learned behavior fool you.

Finally, we end on Watts. The man who continues to be THE most dramatic bitch in this entire series.

We watch as he shuts down the system keeping Mantle warm. Rather than rain, snow starts to fall. Whether this will be just another generic thing going wrong to make the people angry and Ironwood seem incompetent, or whether there’s a more dangerous downside here (we did hear from Weiss about the deadly temperatures...) remains to be seen.

And that’s it. You know, I think that’s the first time in nearly two volumes where I ultimately had more good things to say about an episode than bad. It’s a holiday miracle!

Until next Saturday ;)

#rwby #rwby volume 7 #rwby volume 7 spoilers #mymetas #rwby recaps

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amarabliss · 4 years

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Oaths and Hearts - 5(Ignis Scientia/Reader)

You fell through a rift into the fade fighting the demons you swore to protect your world from. When you popped out you were no longer in the lands of Ferelden instead trapped in Insomnia. The gracious king allowed you to say recognizing power when he saw it. One thing led to another and now you were part of the procession of the prince to his wedding years later. Before the final battle, after years of fighting, losses, and love…your friend…your king…Noctis has asked you to change it all…

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

You walked behind the boys watching them. They were so jovial, and it made your heart swell. Watching them drift apart after Noctis disappeared, it hurt more then you admitted.

Of course, they stayed in touch…they had gone through too much to not care about one another. You sided with Ignis when Gladio and Prompto began to suggest different paths. Soon, Prompto stayed with Cindy and Gladio took off to Lestallum. Ignis…ever the learned man that he was dove into research.

You stopped near a bench when a newspaper caught your eye. The headline read 'Insomnia Falls: Refugees Seek Safety in Accordo.’ You sighed trying to remember faces of the people you knew from Insomnia as your eyes scanned the article.

“Something catch your eye?” You looked at Ignis who approached you like a cat.

“I was just…” You stopped yourself before you said too much. One thing you had struggled to get a grasp on was the written language of Eos. You always called everyone…never texted. Everyone had tried their best to help you, but for some reason it just never clicked. It wasn’t until you began helping Ignis with his research in the future it finally clicked, but right now you were still supposed to be struggling, “just seeing what I recognize…”

Ignis tilted his head a little as you turned the paper over as if you were still looking at it, “Y/N, what’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?” You barely met his gaze as he analyzed you, “I’m fine…”

“You are not.” He stepped closer to making you tense throwing up a barrier. You knew he was good at reading people, and you knew from all your time together he could read you almost like Andraste herself, “You haven’t been yourself for a while now. Please…tell me why you don’t feel safe with us?”

Your eyes widened finally meeting his, “Ignis…I...”

“Don’t say otherwise.” He whispered reaching for your hand as his eyes softened some, “You’re wearing your hair up the way you used to.”

“You…you remember that?” You felt flushed as his thumb caressed the top of your hand.

“Of course, I do.” Ignis frowned a little as you thought back to that day.

“Your hair is different.” You smiled at Ignis as he set two small boxes on the table. He was correct, you normally wore it in a tight braid that kept your hair away from your face. Today it was relaxed and down around your face, “It looks quite nice.”

“Thank you.” You nodded as you walked over into his office taking a seat at the table, “I feel safe enough to wear it down.”

“Safe?” He tilted his head green eyes flashing with curiosity.

“Back home, you only let your hair down in the presence of those you feel safe with. Long hair styles are prevalent and make you vulnerable in sticky situations.” You explained watching a pleasant smile appear on his face, “I can only count on two hands who I feel that way with back home, and you are among them.”

“That’s all I …we…wanted, is for you to feel safe here.” Ignis sat down passing a box to you.

“I do…you all have proven that you mean me no harm. Though, your commanders do thrust me into some interesting scenarios at the training fields.” You feel the corners of your mouth curl up hearing his breathy chuckle as you looked at the box, “What is this?”

“Ah yes… I figured you might want a home cooked meal. I can only imagine what you’ve eaten from the cafeteria here these past few weeks. While they feed the guards and glaives well…it’s often repetitive.” He reached over lifting the lid revealing something that looked most heavenly, “So, I made you lunch.”

Your eyes widened as you looked at him, “You made this yourself?”

“I did. I hope it’s to your liking.” His eyes twinkled as he held out a fork to you, “Cheers, on feeling safe. I hope it endures.”

You lifted your own fork and clinked against his, “Cheers.”

“Y/N…what we shared yesterday…” Oh gods…he thought you were having second thoughts, “I don’t want you to feel…”

“Stop it…” You pressed your fingers against his lips, “I regret nothing that happened yesterday…far, far from it.”

“Then what is wrong?” You wanted to cry as he took your hand holding it to his face. You and Noct had talked about the possibility of your companions noticing differences. You never really found a solution.

“Ignis, if I could tell you…I would…but I can’t.” He began to protest with assurance, but you shook your head feeling overwhelmed suddenly, “I can’t…I swore an oath to the King…I will not break it.”

“…Regis?” Ignis questioned as he watched you shook your head, “Noctis…”

“Do not ask him anything about it!” You hissed moving in front of him when he turned from you with purpose to find Noct, “He will not tell you anything. I promise, everything will be fine.”

“It is not fine! You do not feel safe!” He snapped at you protectively.

“I feel safe with you.” You interrupted the beginning of his tirade. You stepped closer to him taking his hands in your again as you repeated pleadingly, “I feel safe with you.”

He let out a frustrated sigh when you stepped closer once more closing any distance that may have been between them. He rested his forehead against yours, “I do not like this…I feel uneasy not knowing what’s happening…”

“Do you trust me?” You whispered shutting your eyes feeling nauseated from the whiplash of emotions that you were going through.

“Of course, I do…” He took his hands from you placing them on your face.

You opened your eyes looking into his longingly before you spoke again, “Then believe in me…believe in me and I know everything will turn out fine.”

“...” He nodded slowly before whispering again, “I wish I could help you.”

You smiled at him before taking his hands kissing his palms, “You have. More than you know.”

He watched you as you laced his fingers with yours taking your place at his side. You smiled at him again trying to reassure him as you began walking with him. It wasn’t long before Gladio was looking back at you both yelling, “Come on love birds! You’re gonna miss the boat!”

“We’re going to hear that all day, aren’t we?” You looked toward the boys getting into the gondola. Noct was pointing at fish, Gladio was waving you over, and Prompto was snapping away with his camera. It was wonderful. It would be better if the man next to you would relax a little and actually believe you.

“I would assume yes…He is happy for us and would like everyone to know.” Ignis said dryly.

“Are you going to be upset all day?” You stopped him a little.

He looked away from you, frustration still evident, “No…I just…we have never kept anything from each other. Ever…It’s hard to hear that you have a secret you’re unwilling…unable to tell me.”

“I’ll hopefully be able to tell you soon.” You squeezed his hand frowning a little, “When I can, I will tell you everything.”

You saw the glimmer in his eyes of acceptance. Knowing you would tell him and reveal your strange behavior was reassuring him. You just hoped he would be just as accepting of you afterwards.

Ignis helped you onto the boat. As you were taking your seat you overheard Gladio to Ignis, “Everything okay…”

Ignis let out a soft sigh, “I am…trusting…that it is.”

Later you were lagging behind everyone again as they headed for Maagho’s. You looked over at a passing gondola, where some couple sat close whispering to each other. You imagined it was you and Ignis for a moment. Your hand moved over your belly feeling the absence before turning back to your group.

You jumped a little seeing Gladio in front of you, “Andraste’s tits, Gladio…”

You pressed your hand to your chest trying to calm down as the Shield began to talk, “Sorry, I just wanted to catch you away from the group.”

“Oh?” You raised an eyebrow staring at him curiously, “Is something wrong?”

“No…not yet.” He crossed his arms imposingly, “I didn’t think I’d have to worry about you. You’ve always been so level with everyone.”

“Gladio…what are you talking about?” You matched his stance readying yourself for anything.

“You and Ignis…” He took a deep breath in before letting it out, “I have to know where you stand.”

“Stand…” You looked down, “You mean if it’s between Ignis and Noct…”

“Yes. If you’re compromised…I mean I wouldn’t blame you…I’m happy for you both…but…” He trailed off frowning.

You looked up to him smiling a little, “You have nothing to worry about. I swore an oath before I came here. I will uphold it.”

“Good to hear…” He scratched the back of his head little before smiling, “I really am happy that you and Iggy finally got together.”

“You do know that we have been dating for almost a year, right? This wasn’t our first date…” You smirked a little.

“Yeah I know…but…” He shrugged before leaning down to you whispering, “It’s obvious that it’s become a lot more intense. What changed?”

You froze a little looking away as you blushed, “Uh…well…you know…things…and stuff…”

“He loves you; you know?” He told you when you didn’t speak further.

You looked up to this hulking figure of a man, “I know he does. I love him too.”

“No…it’s different…” Gladio’s smile was a little sad as he explained, “Maybe it’s you not being from Eos…maybe you do things differently when it comes to royal retainers? Ignis can’t just choose just anyone to love. It has to be approved. It’s the same for me, because of our relationship with the King. So, if Ignis says he loves you…it means his family has accepted you as well.”

You didn’t know that…it had never been brought up with the whole fall of civilization and darkness covering the lands. It would be two years before Ignis found out that any of his family survived the attack on Insomnia. He made sure they were safe, but after that you didn’t hear much from them.

“So, just remember that…it’s not just Iggy that fell in love with you.” Gladio smiled at you again before putting a hand on your shoulder proudly, “He made them fall in love with you too.”

“Thank you Gladio, I…” You felt your heart beating against your chest as you remembered meeting his Uncle for the first-time months ago.

“This is the young lady you spoke of?” His uncle smiled staring at you as Ignis stepped next to you. You felt like you were on trial in Orlais from how this man looked you up and down.

“Yes…Uncle Alaric, this is Lady Y/N Trevelyan.” Ignis introduced you, “Y/N, this is Alaric Scientia, my uncle.”

You remembered enough of your courtly ways from home, so you curtsied in the black dress Crowe insisted that you wear. It was so tight you were sure it was inappropriate, but Ignis had put you at ease when he struggled to find words when he picked you up. You bowed your head slightly before you spoke, “It is a pleasure to meet you sir.”

“A true lady then?” Alaric smiled as you stood up again, “I am pleased to make your acquaintance as well, come make yourself at home. Dinner will be ready momentarily. Ignis…please help me in the kitchen.”

“Of course.” They left you to wander as they stepped into the kitchen. The Scientia residents was practical and stylish. Several bookcases lined the walls along with artwork that you thought beautiful and unique. You could see bits and pieces of Ignis all over as you walked further in. Pictures of him as a child all the way to his graduation at the Crowns Guard.

You smiled staring at him in his uniform picture and jumped a little when his uncle came up behind you, “That was a proud day.”

He handed you a glass of wine and you smiled nodding toward the picture, “He looks very happy.”

“You can tell? He’s not smiling.” He tilted his head watching you with great interest.

“I can see that; he doesn’t need to. It’s in his eyes.” You smiled looking at the photo bringing your finger up pointing just at his eyes, “There’s this…spark…it’s conveyed there. He’s happy and proud to have made it that far to serve his King and country.”

He chuckled as you brought the glass to your lips, “I see why Ignis likes you, your quite intuitive.”

The rest of the evening was dinner and wine with casual talk. They went back and forth with each other on topics of state. His uncle would ask you your opinion to which you would answer as gracefully and concisely as you could. Finally, you they reached a topic of true interest and you inquired to know more.

“Why, I can let you borrow this wonderful book on the subject. The author goes into great detail.” He smiled at you watching as you glanced over to Ignis uncomfortably.

Ignis smiled at you reassuringly, “He does know your situation…King Regis has informed several retainers of your arrival, just in case you needed assistance in different aspects of life here.”

You smiled briefly at him before looking at Alaric, “As wonderful as that would be…I’m afraid I haven’t mastered your written language. The content seems to be just out of reach.”

Alaric smiled at you admirably, “You admit your weakness…that’s not an easy thing to do, and with careful decision to not to betray the trust of the King.”

“Your King Regis has been exceptionally kind to me. As much as it pains me to lie to anyone, to ensure his safety I would do so with a smile.” You gave him a small sad smile before guiding the topic back to literature, “The topic off the written word is especially painful one for me. I loved reading back home. It allowed me some peace from time to time in a busy world of war. I hope one day in the future I can take you up on your offer.”

“My library is open to you my dear. You only have to convince my nephew to return with you for another dinner.” He looked to Ignis who flushed with embarrassment.

“Uncle, you know how busy I am.” Ignis started to explain.

“But we’ll certainly find the time.” You smiled at Ignis from across the table.

“I think you may have met your match Ignis!” He laughed as you both smiled at one another.

“Yes, I believe I have.” You smiled as his eyes lingered on you with a spark.

You looked at Gladio again, “I didn’t know that…it certainly explains a few things.”

“I figured it would.” He smirked at you, “Come on, I could eat a whole herd of Chocobos.”

You walked with him to Maagho's seeing the crew at table in the corner. Your eyes met with the familiar viridian ones and you smiled. Gladio rushed over to the table as Ignis made his way to you.

When he was close enough you reached up to his face letting you fingers trace against his skin up into his hair as you leaned up on your toes giving him a kiss. You knew you had surprised him by how he tensed briefly before melting into your lips.

You pulled away blushing and staring into his eyes, “I swear to you…upon my heart and soul…I will tell you everything and more.”

He let his forehead drop against yours letting out a soft sigh of content, “Of that I have no doubt, and I promise to try my best to not worry.”

You smiled feeling your eyes crinkle as he turned taking you hand in his. It dropped slowly as you saw the familiar blue dress suit of the first secretary of Accordo, Camelia Claustra. Your heart sank as she approached Noctis. It was in that moment you knew you had twenty-four hours before you would directly disobey Noctis and leave your sector unprotected to save Luna…

…and kill Ardyn.

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bronzeflower · 4 years

Text

The Opposite of a Fake Relationship

Also on ao3

Chapter 1: The “Introduction”

-----

“The Flying Pigs commissioned me for a few major renovations to their headquarters. Looks like I’m gonna be seeing a lot more of you at work,” Victor informed. “Which means you’re gonna be all serious and authority-like.”

“I have a reputation to keep,” Arlo insisted, and Victor giggled and squished Arlo’s cheeks.

“Yeah, but the moment you look at me, you go all soft and adorable,” Victor’s point was proven immediately by Arlo looking at him with utter adoration. “Everyone’s gonna know we’re married the moment they see us together in any capacity.”

“They have more important things to worry about than my marital status.”

“Sure they do.” Victor gave Arlo a quick kiss. “I’ll see you later today if everything goes well. Make sure the kids get to school safe and on time.”

“Like they’d allow for us to be late by even a minute,” Arlo joked. “Remi has started to a big stickler about what time they actually arrive at school. She said, and I quote, ‘They have to be there at 7:40 at the latest otherwise they’ll die.’”

“She’s always been dramatic.”

“Dad! We’re going to be late!” Remi yelled. “Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!”

“I’m coming!” Arlo responded. “Bye, darling.”

“Bye, bye,” Victor kissed Arlo again, and he smiled as he heard Sam complain about how school started at 8:00, so there was no way they were going to be late, with Remi reminding him that death would imminent if they were, so it was always best to be early to avoid even the possibility.

Victor didn’t know where Remi got the idea that she and her brother would die if they were even a minute late to school, but it got them out of bed in the morning, so he supposed it was an improvement on Remi and Sam refusing to even acknowledge the world when it was early.

After waving off his husband and kids, it was time for Victor to get to work. This was a big commission, and there were a lot of materials to gather.

Of course, the Flying Pigs would never dumb down on defense, so Victor ended up feeling like he was gathering materials for making reinforcements rather than an entire expansion to the building.

It took about a week for Victor to gather and craft all the materials he needed, even with the materials he already had, but he had finally done it, and, for that, he was glad.

Now, all that was left was bringing the materials over to the Flying Pigs to get started on the expansion.

Victor was giddy, excited to build and excited to see his husband at his workplace.

But, of course, Victor had to get through security first, which was stringent for good reason. Regardless, Victor managed to get in, and someone showed up to bring him to where he was building the expansion.

His name was Barin, and he was weirdly nervous, but he was generally friendly and pointed out things and people they came across.

“Th-that over there is Arlo,” Barin pointed towards where Arlo was training with other Flying Pigs members. “You’ve probably he-heard of him. He’s one of the strongest folks over, over here.”

“So are you going to introduce me?” Victor asked kind of as a joke, but Barin frantically nodded and awkwardly tried to get Arlo’s attention.

“Arlo, e-excuse me,” Barin had his arms out slightly, as if warding off anything that would try and hurt him.

A girl with long black hair that was set in a ponytail looked up from her stretches to glare towards Barin before turning her head towards Arlo.

“Arlo!” She barked. “There’s some new kid in here!”

Arlo looked over, and Victor grinned at him, waving hello.

“Y-yes, this is the builder who’s g-going to be working on the new expansion,” Barin explained. “So-sorry, I forgot your name. What was it again?”

“Victor! Victor of the Victory Workshop. It’s good to meet you,” Victor threw Arlo a wink, and he didn’t miss the way Arlo’s mouth turned up slightly.

“Arlo, member of the Flying Pigs.”

Victor and Arlo shook hands, and Victor gave Arlo a challenging grin.

“Barin over here was telling me how you were one of the strongest folks in this joint. Care to demonstrate?”

Barin looked absolutely mortified while the girl with the long ponytail let out a loud laugh.

“I like this kid! Name’s Aureall. Good to meet you.”

“I’ve got a least a decade on you, Aureall,” Victor pointed out, but Aureall didn’t really seem to care, so he focused his attention back on Arlo. “So, what do you say? How’s a sparring match between men?”

“Don’t you have an expansion to build?” Arlo said in what probably sounded like his usual serious voice to others, but Victor could detect the hint of amusement in there.

“Just one sparring match. One minute. No weapons,” Victor laid out their typical sparring rules. “I’ve got the time.”

“Are you sure? I don’t hold back, and I wouldn’t want to leave you incapable of doing your job,” Arlo teased, and Victor found himself laughing.

“Lucky for you, I don’t hold back either,” Victor got into a subtle fighting stance. “I’d be offended if you did.”

“A-Arlo! Pl-please don’t spar him!” Barin begged. “He’s just a builder-I-I doubt he can go up against you without getting hurt!”

“If you’re worried, I can spar you first,” Victor suggested. “I think you’re a lot stronger than you let on.”

“No sparring!” Barin demanded, and Aureall protested.

“I wanna see Arlo kick some nobody’s butt.”

“Don’t assume someone’s strength before you fight them,” Arlo advised. “That’s a good way to lose.”

“Does that mean you’ll accept?”

“Don’t hold back,” Arlo got into a fighting stance, and Victor’s grin turned manic.

“Like I’d ever.”

Victor was very familiar with Arlo’s moveset, and he wondered if it was obvious from watching them spar that he knew exactly when to move to avoid getting hit and where exactly to aim for to do the most damage.

Of course, the same could be said for Arlo, and it was a hard battle full of blocking and dodging and landing hits. Victor was pretty sure Arlo was trying even harder than usual in an attempt to look good in front of his coworkers.

However, in the end, Victor was merciless and managed to be victorious.

“Thanks for the sparring match!” Victor declared. “Maybe we could do a rematch sometime, but I’ve got work to do now. Hey, Barin, show me the rest of the way.”

Victor left, and Arlo couldn’t help but watch him as he left the area. It felt a little weird to say goodbye without exchanging at least one kiss, if not more, but, then again, this place wasn’t exactly the most appropriate area for PDA.

“Wow, in love already?” Aureall teased. “Didn’t strike you as a man who believed in love at first sight.”

“I don’t,” Arlo shook his head.

“That was an impressive battle,” Helene spoke up. “I kind of want to spar him myself now…”

“Me too!” Aureall agreed. “Next time he rears his head around here, I’m gonna beat him up so hard!”

“You sound like a school bully,” Helene said. “And besides, what makes you think that you can beat him? Even Arlo lost against him.”

“He only sparred Arlo!” Aureall claimed. “And weren’t you considering sparring him too? Why get into a fight that you’re so sure you’ll lose?”

“He had an interesting fighting style. I want to see it up close.”

“Why don’t you stop talking about him and get back to training?” Arlo interrupted, back to being serious.

“What, jealous?” Aureall joked, but she and Helene got back to work after a glare from Arlo.

Arlo and Victor talked about what happened that day when Arlo got back from work.

“We should probably tell them that we’re married,” Arlo suggested.

“But, consider this, it’s hilarious to make them think we’ve never met before,” Victor countered with a grin. “And it’s not like it’s interfering with anything.”

“I won’t deny that it’s amusing, but it is a little on the unethical side.”

“We can always just say that we wanted to stay professional in the workplace,” Victor pointed out. “You know, for when people do find out. But I wanna see how long it takes people to do so in the first place.”

“I guess it would be a good lesson in observation,” Arlo reasoned. “Alright. So what’s the plan?”

“We interact with each other relatively normally, with the exception that we will be keeping everything workplace appropriate.”

“Sparring me wasn’t exactly workplace appropriate.”

“Of course it is! It’s the Flying Pigs!”

“Aureall and Helene really want to spar you now,” Arlo mentioned, and Victor smiled.

“Tell them I’ll spar with them next time I see them. It’ll be on sight.”

“You should give them more warning than that.”

“Maybe, especially if we wanna keep up the idea that we don’t know each other outside of work.”

“Aureall already thinks that it was love at first sight.”

“Oh my god, that’s so funny,” Victor laughed. “But not that too far off. We pretty much got married as soon as we had the downtime. And now we’ve been married for, what? Almost ten years?”

“I think I lost count after the fifth year.”

“Honestly, me too,” Victor nodded. “But I don’t think I’ll ever forget how I fell for you.”

“Yeah, and how did you fall for me?” Arlo asked even though he almost certainly knew.

“When you asked me to join you in training for the Flying Pigs and had me run all around Portia for a week,” Victor started. “And you told me about your dream of joining the Flying Pigs, and that’s when I fell for you.”

“Liar,” Arlo poked Victor, and he laughed.

“You’re right, I fell for you when we were eating at the Round Table, and I made you laugh so hard that milk came out of your nose.”

“Maybe it’s a good thing we’re keeping our relationship from the Flying Pigs. You have to avoid telling that story to everyone you meet.”

“Oh my god, you’re right. Now I can’t decide what’s better - fooling everyone into thinking we’ve never met before or embarrassing the hell out of you with terrible stories. Whatever shall I do?”

“You can wait until people figure out we’re married.”

“You’re a genius, and I love you.”

“Love you too, darling.”

“Dad! I’m hungry!” Sam came clamoring in just as Arlo was leaning down for a kiss. “Ew. You’re being gross.”

Sam stuck his tongue out, and Victor let out a soft laugh as he pulled away from Arlo.

“Well, my dear and beloved child, what would you like for dinner?” Victor asked. “We’ve got the ingredients for seafood noodles or for bamboo papaya and seafood with rice.”

“Hmm,” Sam thought very seriously. “Noodles. Oh! And can we have some stewed mushrooms?”

“Of course!” Victor responded. “Would you like to help me prepare our meal? And ask your sister if she’d like to help as well.”

Sam nodded and left to go inform Remi of how it was time to start making dinner.

“Alright, babe, the children demand sacrifice, so I’ve got to go.”

“When are you gonna stop calling dinner sacrifice?”

“Never.”

Victor swept at Arlo’s leg to knock him slightly off balance and kissed him once Arlo was low enough.

“I regret you becoming friends with Sam and Remington,” Arlo stated when the kiss was over.

“They’re your friends too,” Victor responded. “But, anyway, the children are hungry, and they’ve got to eat, and so do we.”

“I’ll join you in cooking this time,” Arlo offered, and Victor smiled.

“Sure, we’ll have the whole family cooking together. Make sure Remi uses the knife safely. I’m gonna put Sam on stewing duty.”

Cooking dinner was generally chaotic, with Sam getting impatient often with waiting for the food to cook, Remi generally not have a great idea of knife safety, and Arlo simply not being all that great of a cook, but, in the end, they made something delicious, and they had a lovely dinner together.

#mtap #my time at portia #mtap arlo #mtap builder #builder victor #ocs #original character #the flying pigs #mtap flying pigs

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postmodernmulticoloredcloak · 4 years

Text

Aaand now it’s time for episode 6 of The Witcher! Rare Species is the title and it’s intriguing, are we going to learn more about witchers?

Anyway, let’s do this. F.lux off, luminosity on, earbuds, clean glasses, and we’re ready. Nobody cares about that but whatever.

We start directly with Jaskier which is always welcome.

Geralt’s employers for the case think he’s dead by now and take Geralt’s stuff... but some strangers just show up and help out. Stranger dude introduces himself and I immediately forget his name and don’t try to learn it. Now he’s Suspiciously Helpful Guy, for short Beard Guy. The ladies with him are gorgeous.

This is about a dragon!!! That’s super exciting. Hope the dragon looks cool.

Jaskier also thinks the ladies are gorgeous. He probably thinks everyone is gorgeous but still, mood.

The reward for killing the dragon is huge, because it’s about the reputation of a king. Makes sense. Suspiciously Helpful Guy isn’t suspicious after all, he just wants the lord title and whatnot and wants Geralt on his team because Geralt is like the Cristiano Ronaldo of monster hunters, and that makes sense.

Beard Guy doesn’t want the reward for itself, but wants a last adventure before he gets too old to do anything exciting, apparently. He tries to appeal to Geralt emotionally, but Geralt is still unconvinced. Aaaand now we get what convinces him to join. The world is small :)

So welcome to Deadly Gishwhes.

Yennefer is there as a fancy escort to Pompous Knight. I think they haven’t started yet and she is already Done with him.

Meanwhile-not-meanwhile Ciri is walking right into Fake Mousesack’s trap...

Deadly Gishwhes for now is a camping trip. Isn’t this fun! Geralt is convinced that the most dangerous thing on the mountain isn’t the dragon, but Yennefer... we’ll see. I mean, definitely.

Dinner is an awkward affair until it gets a more intimate affair, then it’s cute. I’m afraid these nice people won’t survive this.

Dara suspects Fake Mousesack, but Ciri doesn’t...

Meanwhile Yennefer has been sleeping and has lost her escort. Oops.

Oh, he’s been found. Double oops.

The dwarves suggest a shortcut, our team accepts, but we’re gonna have some Yennefer-Geralt drama first.

And of course Yennefer is meaning to use the dragon to get her uterus back.

Geralt says she’d definitely made a bad mother and, well, is he wrong. Apparently it’s customary to make witches and witchers sterile, and he acknowledges that their lifestyle isn’t suited for children. Which I can’t really disagree with... if you really want a child, you can adopt one after deliberation, and not risk to produce a child accidentally that will be thrown into a very unstable environment. I get where Yennefer is coming from, though--it’s not really about a child, it’s about reclaiming the possibility of a choice that was taken from her. I think it’s more about having a part of herself taken away, and maybe she’s been rationalizing her feelings as wanting to be able to have a child, but I think it’s about the integrity and wholeness of her body, of getting back something of herself she got robbed of (even if she chose it at the moment--but it was a choice dictated by the desperation of fixing what had caused her a lifetime of abuse, suffering and self-loathing).

I love how this thing is all leading to Geralt becoming a mama duck.

(Yeah, I don’t know how this story will progress exactly, but I am assuming the plot is going to be about Geralt becoming a mama duck until proven otherwise. I mean, this episode is yelling at us that Ciri is going to become his adopted daughter, we just got hammered with a reminder that she’s tied to him by destiny and Geralt is now babbling about the fact that it’s not a good idea for him to have a child. But for some reason I expect Geralt to go through the story being imprinted on by every orphan or lost soul he meets, like baby ducklings with mama duck.)

(I can’t really think of Geralt as a father but I can only think of him as a mother, does that make sense? I’ve watched too much Supernatural.)

AAAAAAH he’s “thought about this--often”. He’s thought about children and parenthood. Excuse me, I needed that heart, who gave you the right.

Oh my god, he’s been avoiding the surprise because he knows he’s supposed to parent the child, and does not want to subject the child to the life he leads!! I am having feelings!! He does not want a child to go through what he goes through!! He’s literally been tormented by the idea that destiny wants to give him a child but he doesn’t want the child to suffer through the horror and pain of his life!! Wasn’t one (1) show with these themes enough, did I have to add another??

Well, now Yennefer is going to be bitter that she’s been trying to get a child for decades and this dude stumbled into magical adoption just like that.

Also love how Geralt is like “why do I start babbling like an idiot when I’m near you”. It’s called being neurodivergent Geralt. I know this isn’t the take I was supposed to get from the scene but I’ll go with it. It makes sense okay?

Ciri catches Fake Mousesack, and They(TM) get fed up with the whole thing... Ciri is savage af.

The shortcut is terrifying and Jaskier is being perfectly reasonable thank you very much.

Nooo Beard Guy!!! Goergous Ladies!!!! I mean, I expected it, but still. :’(

Oh bby he’s trying to console Geralt and also working out his own pain.

The directors have a favorite angle to shoot Geralt, uh.

Yennefer has made a Tardis Tent. And they have an emotional (emotionally mature, at least for they standards?) moments. They suffer a bit from a-man-and-a-woman-share-a-pencil-syndrome, but that’s just how the show has been working so far, it’s a lot about negative space, so I’m giving them a pass.

Me the other day, as a joke: the horse is the fantasyland equivalent of the Impala. This episode: if he wasn’t a hunter witcher he’d work with cars horses. *deep inhale* Okay.

Ah. Her dream is to be important to someone, yes. A child of her own would be a sure way of achieving that.

Alright, this scene was sweet. They lil stupid faces when they wake up together. They’re dumbasses but cute.

And Ciri is caught. This guy is either feeding her some fat lies or not, let’s see. He speaks destiny stuff so he probably believes what he’s saying. The camping party was talking about the religious zealotry of Nifgaard peeps. He’s probably the religious righteous type, which is the most dangerous type.

OH! Now this is intriguing! It’s Them(TM). And yes, he believes the prophecy stuff, and the shapeshifter thinks he’s insane. Yep.

Yennefer cheats at track and field.

I have a theory about the dragon, let’s see.

Ho ho ho! This is great, the ladies are alive, Suspicious Guy was not what he appeared uh.

I was right, the dragon was a she and had a baby. That was my theory. Yennefer was after it for motherhood reasons... but the real motherhood was the dragon she was after all along.

Suspicious Guy was indeed a gold dragon, the rarest, the ones with the very peculiar mutation... of course. I should have expected it. He hired the only person who’d empathize with dragons and could protect the baby dragon.

Mama Duck Geralt Foreshadowing Abounds!!

Sorry guys, Team Protect Baby Dragon are the most badass people around.

Dracarys.

Ah, I’m so happy about how this episode went. Sorry for poor dragon mama, but the rest was 👌🏼

Dara is done with white people bullshit, which we can’t blame him for.

And now it’s time for draa~ama! They break up. I mean, I knew I’d happen because they’re dumbasses and just at the beginning of their character development arc. I want them to be each other’s weird ex that somehow is always involved accidentally in everything the other does.

Dragon Dude is like, forget heterosexuality, embrace your true nature as a Mama Duck.

Well, dumping your frustrations on Jaskier doesn’t seem fair. Aw, that’s so sad. Yennefer and Geralt speak the same emotional language, but Jaskier is a lil dumpling.

Fringilla boosts Creepy Religious Dude’s self-esteem. They have a Mission!

And we’ll see how it goes in the next installment...

This episode was really good. Yep.

#the witcher #blabbering me

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armsdealing · 4 years

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TAGGED: i think it was @overlourdes so thank you! TAGGING: @undones (your pick) @apearlwrites (luisa) @neotropical (ivy) @starrdew (christie or anyone u’d like) @isolctions (veda) @streetsofsecrets (louis) + im tired, tag urself.

LAYER ONE : THE OUTSIDE

NAME - isla meredith blackwell EYE COLOUR - brown HAIR STYLE / COLOUR - isla usually opts for protective hairstyles, wigs and hairpieces. she’s got a preference long dark blonde locks and wearing it in loose waves. (see here), but she’s got a nice collection of various shades and lengths and she always enjoys looking for new ones. HEIGHT - 5′9″. 6′0 with when wearing her four inch heels. CLOTHING STYLE - i mean... when she isn’t rocking that medical couture? she likes a bit of variety. outside of her scrubs and comfortable shoes and lab coats, she likes to dress to the occasion, but always stylish. often it’s down to a nice pairs of jeans and a blouse. peplum tops, halter tops, sweaters (and turtlenecks), coats... i wouldn’t say they’re normally expensive clothes, but they look well cared for and quality. and she does have a few pieces that she’s proud of... like a pink satin duster. and now that we mention pink, she’s into a lot of colors, and that includes pastels. and while she does like to wear dresses, she doesn’t get many chances to. much like the wigs, she’s got a diverse wardrobe. clothes and dressing up is something she enjoys doing, when she’s got the time for it. since she often doesn’t, it’s not uncommon for her to just throw on sweatpants and a hoodie when she’s got to run to the grocery store. but like, nobody actually ever sees her doing that, so they just assume she’s got two moods: the scrubs, or really well dressed, until proven otherwise. BEST PHYSICAL FEATURE - she’s long legs with very strong thighs, and she likes her lips too. the former, coupled with her posture, makes her look statuesque.

LAYER TWO : THE INSIDE

FEARS - losing the clinic, either due to money troubles or just the general mayhem that goes on in the neighborhood. losing patients is always a fear, and she gathers it’s a healthy one; it keeps her attentive. GUILTY PLEASURE - sugar in general. she likes to bake. and it’s perfectly fine to eat cookies at 2 am if you’ve been awake since 4 am from the previous day, in her opinion. BIGGEST PET PEEVE - people who rip out their iv drips thinking that they’re in a movie and nothing will happen. that thing isn’t just in some random part of your body. it’s directly pinching a blood vessel. you’re gonna bleed. sometimes a lot. if you don’t care about yourself, at least mind the nurse’s time cleaning up after you. in general, people that hate hospitals and take it out on her + the med staff in general really get on her nerves, even if she’s trained to remain civil and calm. AMBITIONS FOR THE FUTURE - making the clinic grow and for the neighborhood to thrive. maybe to the degree that she can take a little break... she’s been working nonstop for quite some time. that being said, only god can tell if she’ll actually take the break once she’s able to. she’s addicted to the job. feels useless when she’s not there. in 2020 she’d also like to get into the dating scene again.... but you didn’t hear that from me.

LAYER THREE : THOUGHTS

FIRST THOUGHTS UPON WAKING UP: "coffee.” WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT MOST: the patients currently under her care. money. the weird individuals occasionally standing in the street looking at her come in and out of the clinic. books. the various administrative errands she’s got to tend to. WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT BEFORE BED: if she did everything she could. WHAT YOUR BEST QUALITY IS: the determination, the kindness, the dedication. she really embodies the hippocratic oath. especially the 2019 update.

LAYER FOUR : WHAT’S BETTER ?

SINGLE OR GROUP DATES - single. TO BE LOVED OR RESPECTED - to be loved properly. respect just so happens to be a requirement, in that case. BEAUTY OR BRAINS - she prefers values. DOGS OR CATS - dogs.

LAYER FIVE : DO YOU…

LIE - not often. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF - on most days. BELIEVE IN LOVE - sure. WANT SOMEONE - in the general sense? sure.

LAYER SIX : EVER BEEN …

BEEN ON STAGE: she’s been on podiums and has had to make speeches at fundraisers. DONE DRUGS: yes, when she was younger. weed for the most part. CHANGED WHO YOU WERE TO FIT IN: not so much because she wanted to fit in, but because she wanted to be safe. following nasty responses from peers when she was a tween, she stuck to looking and acting like people wanted her to look and act up. this lasted for several years and it was around the time she was 27 that she began to present how she wanted to, which was more femininely. from that point to now it was a gradual process.

LAYER SEVEN : FAVORITES

FAVOURITE COLOR - purple FAVOURITE ANIMAL - rabbits FAVOURITE MOVIE - probably something dumb like 1993′s homeward bound. FAVOURITE GAME - words with friends.

LAYER EIGHT : AGE

DAY YOUR NEXT BIRTHDAY WILL BE - august 28. #she’s a virgo. HOW OLD WILL YOU BE - i’m not answering that. AGE YOU LOST YOUR VIRGINITY - 17. DOES AGE MATTER - yes.

LAYER NINE : IN A PERSON

BEST PERSONALITY - kind, patient, resourceful, loyal. BEST EYE COLOUR - brown BEST HAIR COLOUR - brown or black. BEST THING TO DO WITH A PARTNER - just being around each other works. talking, reading in silence together, cooking, cuddling in bed, sex, etc.

LAYER TEN : FINISH THE SENTENCE

I LOVE - “abed.” that’s a friend of hers and colleague. I FEEL - “tired.” I HIDE - “nothing.” I MISS - “my mother.” I WISH - “things will get better.”

#this one had me looking up many pics of l*verne and saying 'wow' every 2 min #style. ICON.#me when im studying: but am i making isla proud #* isla.#misc.

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kideraxpride · 5 years

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Platinum Relics Mini Guide

Platinum Relics are the lowest times on a track, and often the hardest, requiring precise driving and skills, along with knowledge of the game and it's mechanics. Think you have what it takes? Well, even if you don't, I'm here to try to help you out just a little bit with a small mini guide through each of the 18 tracks, so you too can flex online in style with that sweet Platinum Paint Job.

This guide assumes you know the inner mechanics of the game, such as power sliding, boosting, Sacred Fire, Blue Fire and course shortcuts. If you need explanations of those, you may not ready to tackle these just yet. I don't mind answering questions about them if you need something cleared up, however.

Collecting all the Boxes takes 10 seconds off your final time. What I mean by 'yes' or 'no' here is if it's recommended or not, or whether or not I think it's worth it or the effort. If it says 'no', then it's still possible to get the relic without them, if it says 'yes', it's because it's easy enough to do without driving you nuts or because it's absolutely necessary (looking at you N.Gin Labs and Papu's Pyramid).

Recommended Character Type is a suggestion based on the track selected. You don't have to follow it, I just chose what I believed was easiest (as you see I did all of my with Accel and Beginner characters, Advanced isn't necessary at all). Pick what feels comfortable to you!

Anyways, let's get started! Good luck, and drive fast!

Crash Cove Platinum Time to Beat: 52:00 Collect All Boxes?: No Recommended Character Type: Advanced

Not gonna lie, the first one can be a bit of a doozy to Plat. There's not a lot of room for error here, and the only thing I can tell you to do is get Sacred Fire and floor it. If you lose Sacred Fire, you might as well kiss the Platinum goodbye. While I achieved my Plat with Coco, I recommend Advanced characters as Crash Cove is pretty basic and the extra speed can help. While you can collect all the boxes, I don't recommend it, since some are in pretty awkward spots that are off the course pretty hard.

My Time: 51:75 - Coco

Roo's Tubes Platinum Time to Beat: 55:00 Collect All Boxes?: No Recommended Character Type: Advanced

Just as tough as Crash Cove, but with a little bit more of error room. You don't have to get all the boxes here to get the Platinum, but if you can keep a good race line, you could, so it's an option. Even if you have to take a few seconds more to grab all the boxes after the final Turbo Pad to grab them all (if that's your way of doing it), do it. 10 seconds off is a lot. Other than that, you know the deal. Sacred Fire and floor it. If you can consistently keep it and take the shortcut, this should be cake.

My Time: 54:49 - Pinstripe

Mystery Caves Platinum Time to Beat: 1:32:00 Collect All Boxes?: No Recommended Character Type: Accel

Mystery Cave is full of ways to ruin your day. The turtles are a big one. They are so inconsistent when bouncing, it will drive you up a wall (sometimes LITERALLY). The corners are a bit tight to navigate at times. You can easily collect all the boxes in a 3 lap go if you plan your driving lanes beforehand, so if you want to go that route, go for it. I don't think this one is too bad as long as you can keep a good line of driving, and of course, Sacred Fire. If I can do it as I just woke up and started writing this guide on the first try, then you can, too.

My Time: 1:31:38 - Pinstripe 1:28:14 - Coco

Sewer Speedway Platinum Time to Beat: 0:37:00 Collect All Boxes?: Yes Recommend Character Type: Accel

Ah, here it is, the biggest bastard of Hub 1. Sewer Speedway is a pain to drive on in Nitro Fueled, combined with one of the lowest Platinum Times ever and a shortcut that's inconsistent, you're in for a bad time. I believe I got all the box for my Platinum Relic, which is why I'm recommending it, but heed this warning: for that, you need to take the shortcut (the full thing) at least once. Heed this advice though: Take it first lap and get it out the way. If you fail it, you've lost nothing. If you succeed, continue with the run and see what happens. My recommended path says go right twice at the beginning, then left, then right, left to get all the boxes. How you get the rest of the boxes in the track after that is up to your driving lines and your choice. Also, if you get crushed, you fail instantly. Just restart.

My Time: 34:47 - Pinstripe

Hub 1 Complete! Getting tired yet? Come on! We've just barely started!

Coco Park Platinum Time to Beat: 0:49:00 Collect All Boxes?: Yes Recommended Character Type: Advanced

Do yourself a favor and just collect all the boxes here. I've no god given clue how Komodo Joe burned around this course in 49 seconds, but I can tell you it's not possible by a human, and until proven otherwise, that's my opinion and I'm sticking with it. Keep a good racing line, get the outside (wide lane) boxes on the first lap and work your way inwards. There's a 2 box right before the beginning of the tunnel on the left in the grass, and a 3(?) right as you leave on the right. There's also two boxes a piece you have to jump for at the end from the grassy hills, so make sure you get Sacred Fire to get them. The 10 seconds off is well worth getting all the boxes for.

My Time: 46:89 - Pinstripe

Papu's Pyramid Platinum Time to Beat: 0:42:00 Collect All Boxes?: YES Recommended Character Type: Beginner

Whereas this Platinum was probably a joke in OG, it's NO joke in NF. There's no massive unfair skip in this game, which means you gotta play this by the book. As long as you can keep your driving lane good and collect a box per lap, you should be okay. I recommend getting the drop off for the 4 3 boxes first lap, that way you don't need to worry about it. Likewise, try to go to the outside turn down the stairs and get the 2 boxes on them (and the 1 hanging over the void), plus the 2 by the plants. The final turn you'll have to take twice to keep a good time, I grabbed the box in the grass first lap, along with the 2 closest to the inside of the turn and also the box leading to the 3 hanging over the gap (even if you have to fall off to get it). If you want a tentative picture of how I feel about this relic, here you go.

My Time: 37:69 - Pura

Tiger Temple Platinum Time to Beat: 0:43:00 Collect All Boxes?: Yes Recommended Character Type: Advanced

Not difficult at all. Collecting all the boxes is easy once you know where they all are, and they aren't in difficult places, either. You just need to keep your speed up to make sure you make it to the ones that require jumps. How you go from everything from there is up to you. As always, Sacred Fire and blaze it. Do watch how you land on the hills though, they can eat your speed. As someone that played this track a ton on the demo, this Relic took me 3 tries, tops.

My Time: 42:06 - Pinstripe

Dingo Canyon Platinum Time to Beat: 0:53:00 Collect All Boxes?: Yes Recommended Character Type: Accel

Not hard. Collect all the boxes, it's simple and even helps keep your driving line focused. Collect outside lane boxes first, it just helps later on when you're trying to save more time. Even though it's easy, you still need to have a good handle on driving correctly.

My Time: 52:11 - Pinstripe

Hub World 2 down! Wasn't too bad, right? Not with all the boxes collected in every map. Let's move on. Good news and bad news. Good news is, half this next hub is easy as hell. The bad news is, the other half isn't.

Blizzard Bluff Platinum Time to Beat: 0:45:00 Collect All Boxes?: No Recommended Character Type: Advanced

Believe me when I say this is HARD. I don't know how Pura burned around this track in 45 seconds, but good god. I couldn't find a good way to get all the boxes either, so that's out (the 2 in the ditch after the rolling boulder basically make you come to grinding halt to get them and not jump over them, which just isn't worth 1 frozen second a piece, even if you managed to get all the boxes). Worst yet, without getting all the boxes, you're going to have to take the infamous fence shortcut on the final turn ALL THREE LAPS, a shortcut so hard that not even Oxide's ghost takes it on this track anymore. I barely made this one, so my only real advice is to not get discouraged, keep trying and practicing until you get your ideal driving line for the win.

My Time: 44:01 - Pinstripe

Dragon Mines Platinum Time to Beat: 0:54:00 Collect All Boxes?: Yes Recommended Character Type: All-Around, Accel

This one is just as bad as Blizzard Bluff. It has the infamous "spiral" turn that no one likes taking in this game, and just lots of sections that slow you down for absolutely no reason at all. Fortunately, the boxes are in places that aren't terrible, outside of the three 3 boxes on the minecart tracks in the tunnel. You basically have to turn into that tunnel right after the minecart goes in so you don't get crushed by the next one after it. Get the three 3 boxes by jumping off the spiral in that same lap. Finally, after the spiral, there's a bunch of boxes in between the pillars. If you start on the left side of them, you can weave through them all and end up on the right side at the end so you can get on the turbo pad. Get these problematic boxes in the first lap and then take your best driving into the next 2 laps to get this Platinum. Also, don't ask me how Pura did this in 43 seconds or Crash did it in 49:70. I don't know.

My Time: 51:83 - Coco

Polar Pass Platinum Time to Beat: 2:05:00 Collect All Boxes?: No Recommended Character Type: Beginner, Accel

I did this one without even trying. It's rare that you'll get a Platinum Relic on your first try (unless you're that good at the game), but this one seriously is super easy, so long as you understand the mechanics of Blue Fire. If you can keep that (and it's possible, which is why I recommended a Beginner character class), you can obliterate this Platinum by a good 10 seconds. As the guy that has made the infamous Polar Pass 2 lap Blue Fire video on YouTube from the Demo, trust me when I say this is easy. I've had lots of practice on this map, but once you get the hang of it, it's simple. As I'm writing this, I achieved the Platinum again, even.

My Time: 1:53:29 - Coco 2:02:90 - Coco

Tiny Arena Platinum Time to Beat: 2:58:00 Collect All Boxes?: No Recommended Character Type: Accel

I did this one without trying, too. This is another one where if you understand the basic mechanics of the game, you'll mop the floor with the times. 2:58 is generous enough to even make a few mistakes as long as you're getting enough boxes. Sacred Fire the parts you can, round corners well enough, collect the boxes in your path, stay out of the mud, jump off the hills and this Platinum is yours. I even just beat my old time playing through it again. You got this.

My Time: 2:41:21 - Coco 2:45:68 - Coco

Hub 3 is done. I told you half were easy and the other half were hard. Unfortunately, that trend continues with 2 more hard courses going into Hub 4. However, after those, you're sitting on easy street as long as you keep up your good driving.

N. Gin Labs Platinum Time to Beat: 0:53:00 Collect All Boxes?: Yes Recommended Character Type: Accel, Beginner

Hold it right there! Don't even think about turboing off this start line. Reverse and get all 12 of the 3 boxes at the beginning. You can get 3 of them just by holding reverse, then get the rest in a timely fashion by driving carefully. After that, Lap 1 needs to be spent getting boxes that you deem problematic for speed later on. Such boxes for me are the 2 in the alcove right before the barrel drop, and the ones hovering over the edges of the platforms of the 90 degree angle turns right after the barrel drops. This stage also requires you to at least understand Blue Fire and maintain it while keeping the best line possible, grabbing the boxes at high speed. I spent a good 2 hours here, and still barely made it. This one's tough.

My Time: 50:30 - Coco

Cortex Castle Platinum Time to Beat: 1:32:00 Collect All Boxes?: No Recommended Character Type: Accel

This one is annoyingly difficult, as well. 1:32 is not a comfortable enough time to mess around with, so you've got to floor your speed. Sacred Fire the places you can. This stage also mandates what I like to call "Jetshotting", which is rounding a corner sharply, then continuing your momentum in the new direction. It's done by jumping from a hill, releasing the Acceleration button, braking and choosing your new direction, and before landing, releasing brake and Accelerating again. It's not hard to do, in fact, you may have even done it before on accident. But this stage mandates it because of the courtyard hill into the castle. There's no other way to take that corner effectively without losing speed. Other than that, I'd save the shortcut for the final lap, and get the boxes on the normal path on the first two laps. In that same vein, keep the box in the air after the Super Turbo Pad there for the final lap so you have some cushion while you fall and bend that last corner before the finish line. Good luck, this is the last hard one!

My Time: 1:27:78 - Coco

Hot Air Skyway Platinum Time to Beat: 2:02:00 Collect All Boxes?: No Recommended Character Type: Beginner

I'll be completely honest with you: the minute I saw this track, I was already fearing the Relic. But I didn't realize how easy it would've been if one could just keep Blue Fire. Once I put that idea into my mind, this track instantly became easier. Explaining it is hard, but I have a video of it because I thought it was cool, so just use that.

My Time: 1:57:64 - Pura

Oxide Station Platinum Time to Beat: 2:34:00 Collect All Boxes?: Yes Recommended Character Type: Accel

This one isn't too bad. All the boxes are in a pretty easy place, and they all can be gotten within 3 laps. As long as you drive correctly and boost right, this should be a breeze, especially after N. Gin Labs and Cortex Castle (not to mention Blizzard Bluff). If you can do those 3 tracks, this one shouldn't bother you any. In fact, I would've done this one on my first try if I hadn't missed one box. Go figure. Beat it the 2nd try, though!

My Time: 2:27:83 - Coco

Slide Coliseum Platinum Time to Beat: 1:40:00 Collect All Boxes?: No Recommended Character Type: Accel, Advanced

This one is a freaking cake walk. I don't know who set this Platinum Time, but it's a joke. You can easily beat this time without breaking all the time crates, but if you do, it's just adding insult to injury, and it's not like it's hard anyways. As long as you know how to drift, this isn't anything special. I even just beat it again playing through it for this guide.

My Time: 1:12:05 - Coco 1:14:48 - Coco (this is my time WITHOUT all the crates)

Turbo Track Platinum Time to Beat: 1:19:00 Collect All Boxes?: No Recommended Character Type: Accel, All-Around

This final one is easy too. You don't need to get all the boxes, but if you want, it makes it even easier. The Super Turbo Pads here just give you so much speed that it makes it hard to not get this Platinum on the first try. The only thing this stage mandates is that you know how to Brake Slide for hairpin turns, but other than that, this is simple!

My Time: 52:94 - Coco (with all time crates) 1:13:17 - Coco (without all time crates)

And that's everything! Just relax and practice and you'll be able to pull this off. I believe in you! If you have any questions, feel free to bother me over at my Twitter @JetspeedGaming, and check out my YouTube channel over at KuroJet!

#Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled #CTRNF #Crash Bandicoot #Crash Team Racing #CTR #memo.

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