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#a lot of this won't make sense without context but i'm hoping you guys will enjoy it all the same!
ravens-words · 1 year
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From the Buddie Zombie AU
51:30:02 They stop to rest, Christopher blows up at Eddie.
"We should've saved her," Christopher sys. His son's whole body is shaking, but Eddie doesn't know if it's the fear or the anger causing it. He sighs. "Kid."
"You just left her to die!"
And Eddie- he's in pain, and tired, and hungry, and terrified out of his mind, so he loses his composure for a second. He steps in front of Christopher, puts his hands on both his shoulders and leans in until they're eye to eye. "I'm sorry about what happened to Maddie, okay? You will never be able to comprehend how sorry I am. But the choice was between saving you and risking her life, or saving Maddie and risking your life, and- no matter what, you always come first. Always. You can hate me all you want, but that is never going to change."
To his surprise, Christopher's eyes well up with tears, and his son all but falls into his arms. He doesn't cry but he does wrap his arms around Eddie. The embrace nearly brings him to his knees, because God, he's missed his son's hugs, missed being this close to him.
"I love you so much, Christopher," he whispers into his damp hair.
"Love you, dad." It's the best thing he's heard in his entire life. .
40:48:59
Eddie has gotten used to the nearly constant headache. So much so that now he can just ignore it. Which is why, when there's a sharp, shooting pain that starts out in his eye and then spreads in every direction, he's so surprised that he stumbles and falls.
Christopher's voice is a hollow echo. It's distant, and Eddie can't quite make out what he's saying. Another wave of excruciating pain hits him, and this time, it lingers, renders his whole face numb and on fire at the same time. Eddie gasps, clutches at his head and his hair. He rocks forward and back, as if that will sooth the hurt.
There are hands on him, small delicate hands he recognizes as his son's, and he hates himself for this, for being so weak that he's not capable of protecting him from this. He manages to ignore the pain for a few seconds, long enough to be able to uncurl his body and grabbing Christopher in his arms, holding the little boy close. He still can't hear the boy over the ringing of his ears, but he holds him that much tighter. Christopher holds him right back.
It starts to hurt just a little less. 40:04:08 The convience store appears empty. There are no cars or bikes around it, the windows and door are all broken. Still, Eddie's cautious as he goes in, keeping Christopher close behind him. The knife he has in his hand is small, but it's the only weapon he has, his gun long gone after he ran out of bullets.
There's 2 inches of dust covering every item, shelf and even the floor- except for the obviously recent footprints.
Eddie stops dead in his tracks, considers just leaving without getting anything, but knows he needs to restock on the first aid pack he has. So, heart pounding, he continues inside. Maybe if they're quiet enough, they'll be able to go in and out before anyone notices. Or maybe, luck will be on their side and whoever it is, is long gone by now. . Luck is, to Eddie's non-surprise, not on their side.
"Turn around," the voice is smooth, a little shaky, maybe. Eddie does as he's told, using one hand to push Christopher behind him, and raises the other. "Give me the bandages, and the gauze," he tells him, voice as steady as his grip on the gun.
Eddie hesitates, "listen, man, I really need this-" The gun is raised a little higher. The hands holding it are no longer shaking, but the man's voice is. "Well, so do I."
Eddie takes him in. Blonde, a little taller than him, piercing blue eyes that hold so much depth that Eddie can get lost in them. There's a bruise, or maybe a birthmark, above his eyebrow. He's beautiful. The thought takes Eddie by surprise, and apparently he takes too long, because a frustrated growl escapes the man's lips and he takes one step forward, still out of Eddie's reach, which means he can't disarm him. "Hand them over, now."
"Can't we just split them-"
"I don't have the time for this!" the other man shouts, hands so tight around the metal that his knuckles turn white, "give them to me, or I'll-" his eyes flicker down to Christopher, and he shudders, "just- don't make me do this," he pleads, looking Eddie in the eyes.
That's when Eddie notices the blood- a lot of it. It's on the man's dark blue shirt, and on his jeans. Some of it is dry on his hands too. Eddie doesn't know how he missed it.
"Do you need help?" The words are out of his mouth before he can think them through. The gun falters, lowers a little. Confused blue eyes meet his. "What?"
"I was an army medic, before all of this," he tells him steadily, "do you need help?"
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babyrdie · 1 month
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ALERT OF HADES II SPOILER
Okaaaayyy....seeing a considerable number of people act shocked at how Odysseus is in Hades II and think it's something against Odysseus, and now I'm wondering if they actually paid attention in the first game…I know everyone talks a lot about Hades' art, but I didn't think that was because it was the only thing you guys were really paying attention to.
It makes sense to be disappointed that the characters weren't treated the way a fan would have liked (for example, I'm not a fan of Hades, but I don't really like the idea of him in the game although I understand why he's the way he is), but I think it's weird to be that surprised by it or treat it like it's personal. Hades never fully followed the myths. They didn't do this because they haven't read Homer or because they don't like Penelope or hate Odysseus…it's simply because they don't follow the myths authentically. They don't specifically have anything against Odysseus or Penelope, it's just the way they do things. If this were the first game, I would understand this being unexpected… but it's the second game, we already know that they won't faithfully follow the myths because they didn't do that in Hades I.
I'll admit that I also didn't expect what was done with Penelope and Odysseus, but it's not really such a "wow! I could never imagine!" when it comes to Supergiant (I'm playing the technical test, for context). And I hoped they would already be together without relationship conflicts, because I really wasn't looking forward to a repeat of Nyx and Chaos, Patroclus and Achilles, Orpheus and Eurydice. I know most people wanted this, but I think it would be lazy to repeat this and I'm still hoping to not have this quest, whether with Odypen or other characters. And yet, even if I didn't expect it, I don't think it's as unexpected for Supergiant as some are making it seem.
Examples:
Melinoe and Zagreus are children of Persephone and Hades, and in mythology they aren't children of Hades.
Zagreus and Dionysus aren't the same person. The game makes humans believe that they're because the two played a prank on Orpheus, which made him invent a song with that story. Clearly a joke on the Orphic hymns.
Theseus is proud to be a demigod, but Poseidon denies that he's his father. Clearly a joke with the different versions of Theseus' birth, in which some he is Poseidon's demigod and others he's mortal.
Persephone is the daughter of Demeter and a mortal, not Zeus. For that reason, she and her children bleed red rather than gold.
Persephone isn't actually kidnapped by Hades. The kidnapping was an act that went wrong. Yeah, Odysseus wasn't the first character to have his non-con and dub-con aspect erased.
Achilles has a different personality than in myths. The game explains this as him maturing in the afterlife.
Patroclus is distant instead of communicative as in the myths, also explained by post-death events.
Asterius (Minotaur) is much more humanized than in the myths and he and Theseus are best friends.
There is a character heavily implied to be Medusa (Dusa) and she definitely doesn't behave like a monster.
Sisyphus is a kind and helpful guy, which is explained in the game with him having regretted his actions after his years of punishment.
Artemis and Callisto are on good terms even though they ended tragically in mythology.
Hades has a much more difficult personality to deal with than in mythology.
Thanatos, Megaera (one of the furies) and Zagreus are in a romantic relationship, which definitely doesn't exist in the myths.
The last aspects of the weapons to be unlocked do not even make reference to Greece, but to other figures. For example, the Twin Fists have the "aspect of Gilgamesh", a figure who is definitely not Greek.
Aphrodite says "You do know that I'm married, don't you love? I forgive you if you didn't. For my husband, he's always... busy with his work. I'm grateful that you are there for me to talk to" about Hephaesthus...her husband, she says. Hephaestus and Aphrodite are often divorced in mythology, including in Homer. And it's not because it wasn't yet at the time they got divorced, after all the Trojan War had already happened and they were already divorced at that time.
Also, they clearly don't use Homer as their only guide, so I don't know why you guys are saying "but Homer!" Patrochilles is there and not really canon in the Homeric tradition, but in Classical Greece they were considered a couple in certain sources (Aeschylus mainly). They use the name Asterius for the Minotaur (something Pausanias mentions, for example) although it wasn't the most common, they play with the various versions of Theseus' lineage, they reference Orphic hymns, etc. Like…it's really VERY obvious they took inspiration of more than one source.
On the Supergiant website, part of the Hades presentation is "Greek myth comes from stories of ancient gods and heroes filtered through new points of view; we’re excited to share ours." This already makes it more than evident that certain aspects were purposefully changed. It wasn't a surprise even before Hades I was released, for anyone who bothered to read it.
On Twitter, Kasavin (Creative Director) has already said that "it is a concerted effort over time, although Hesiod and Homer were very significant among the many authors we explored", which makes it clear that they don't focus on a specific source, although he recognizes that Homer and Hesiod are very influential.
In an interview available at Rock Paper Shotgun, he even said that he read more than one translation of the Odyssey and cites other sources like Diodorus Siculus.
Also, Odysseus cheating Penelope isn't even a modern invention, there were already versions of this in the Bibliotheca of Pseudo-Apollodorus (I'm talking about Callidice). And giving an unpopular opinion here: while I agree that Calypso in The Odyssey is undeniably an SA situation, Circe is more debatable than you guys like to make it out to be, it isn't undeniably. Both the interpretation that there was SA and the interpretation that there was no SA are valid, because the text itself doesn't make it explicit as it does with Calypso. In Circe's case, not necessarily not making it a relationship with SA makes it something that deviant from the myths.
Again because I don't want to be misinterpreted: what I'm taking issue with here isn't the disappointment in how Odysseus was portrayed. This is valid! I'm questioning the idea that this was done because they don't know about the myths or that it was something specific to Odysseus and Penelope. They know the myths, they just purposefully choose not to be completely authentic. They have nothing specific to Odysseus and Penelope, which is precisely why they aren't exempt from the changes they also made to other characters. They are no more special than Persephone, Hades, Zagreus, Melinoe (to name a few who had changes), that's why they receive the same treatment (that is, being changed).
I would never recommend Hades to someone who wanted complete authenticity to the myths. I wouldn't do that because I KNOW that's not the game's purpose. I thought everyone else knew too. You don't go to a vegetarian restaurant that you knew was vegetarian because you had eaten there before and be surprised because they don't have real meat dishes, be serious.
Edit (01/05): guys, you're talking about Epic, but I admit that I've never even heard that musical and I'm not part of the fandom. So I don't really know if Epic has an influence on that mindset 🤔and also my reblog develops a little more what I think based on Hades I if anyone is interested in theories for the narrative.
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pensat-i-fet · 1 year
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A not so soft launch (Pablo Gavi x Reader)
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**@dohmeti suggested I could do a part 2 for Dealing with the enemy where both of them have to be on the red carpet and I thought it was a great idea. So after some brainstorming, this is what I came up with. This can be read on its own but reading part 1 definetely adds nice context for the characters. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for the love for part 1 ❤️**
Word count: 1342
Masterlist
Wattpad
"I'm going to follow you on Instagram".
"Why?"
"To kick start our soft launch".
"Our what?"
Your boyfriend's confusion was hilarious.
"A soft launch is when you leave hints on like social media to let people know we are together. And then we do the hard launch".
"Which is?"
"Posting together, Pablo. What else?"
You keep walking around the room, phone in hand, nervous about this moment. While he just lays down in bed not understanding what a big deal this is.
"It sounds like a lot of work".
"Says the guy who spends 90 minutes running around the pitch like a headless chicken. Liking a couple of posts won't be that tiring".
"But why can't we just say we are together?"
"Because that's not how things are done nowadays. We need to do this and maybe mention something in interviews if we are asked. That type of thing".
He shakes his head and keeps scrolling on his phone while you sit on the edge of the bed, index finger hovering over your phone screen.
"Imagine it's a handbag".
"What?"
"Instead of the follow button, imagine it's the buy button for one of those handbags you love so much. You don't hesitate to press that button…at all".
"I hate you".
He reaches to you to grab you by the waist and take you closer to him.
"It'll be fine when people know about us. Stop worrying".
"But what if I lose my Madrid season ticket? Imagine the scandal".
"I'll give you one for the better team. Swapping Madrid for Barça will be an even better decision than dating me".
"Never!"
You take the phone back and press follow.
"Done!"
"So proud of you, baby", he teases, kissing your head.
"Shouldn't you be happy? You were begging me to follow you on Instagram for ages".
"Until you said yes to my offer to be my girlfriend on the first attempt. That's much better than a follow. And I know you stalk my profile anyways".
"I do not stalk your Instagram".
"And my fan accounts".
"I don't even check those. Stop lying".
"How about that time I saw you watching a video from one of them?"
"It was recommended on my explore page, Gavira".
"The explore page that recommends similar content to the one you search…makes sense".
You get up, taking the clothes you had picked before.
"I'm going to take a shower and you're not invited to join me for being an annoying idiot".
"You still love me!"
"I might change my mind about that!"
                                      **
After your follow, several media outlets posted about why you would follow a Barça player on Instagram and most just assume you had your eye on him. Well, they weren't completely wrong.
There were also comments about it on Gavi's fan pages. You know, those ones you didn't check…while he was around and could see you doing it. They have great photos of him and you liked looking at them when you missed him. 
"Maybe you can comment something on my new photo".
"Like what?"
You go to your Instagram to find the photo you posted a couple of hours ago. It was a behind-the-scenes shot of your show.
"I got it", he says. But he doesn't let you look at what he is writing. 
A notification on your phone alerts you he had sent it and so you check it to see what he came up with.
Smart. Just a comment about work. It gets people talking without being too obvious.
"You're good at this. Ok, what should I answer?"
"How about the zipper emoji?"
"Wait. You're too good at this. I think I've found you a career for when you retire".
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Throwback to when I got to celebrate my birthday on set with my absolute favourite humans!
Pablogavi: when is season 3 out?? I need it now!
Yourusername: 🤐🤐
"There are already comments from people who noticed our interaction. Perfect!", you said, pleased.
"What's next?"
“I have an interview tomorrow. I’ll suggest I might be seeing someone. And I’ll share my location too. So people can wonder why I spend so much time in Barcelona”.
He shakes his head, muttering. “So much work”.
                              **
"I've been invited to the movie premiere you are going to".
"Why?"
"I don't know", he shrugs. "I just have. I get invited to a lot of things but refuse to go. I don't want people to think I'm not focused on my career because they see me at parties".
"Makes sense", you say, cuddling to his side. "Why are you telling me about the invitation then?"
"I thought we could go together".
You think about it for a second and yes, it is a good idea. But it also feels too soon. You had only been doing the soft launch for two weeks. 
"I don't know…".
"Come on. It's perfect. We show up together on the red carpet and we don't need to do anything else".
"Can I think about it?"
He nods but you could tell he was unhappy you had refused. So you mentally proceed to do a list of pros and cons. 
"I don't think it's a good idea".
"Well", says Gavi, getting up and leaving you on the sofa alone. "I'm going anyway. The movie sounds fun".
Saying you feel bad would be an understatement but it is what feels like the right decision at the moment. 
                                 **
There had been some tension in the days prior to the premiere and Gavi uses your not wanting to be seen with him as an excuse to leave in a different car to the event. 
So when you get there, you see him already attending the press. He had gone through a couple of groups of journalists and now it is your time to be interviewed by them.
"Oh my God! You look stunning. Tell us who you are wearing tonight".
"Valentino. When I saw this dress at the fitting, I didn't need to see more".
Rehearsed answers are always a winner.
"Have you seen who's here at the premiere?"
"A lot of people, I would assume", you laugh nervously, knowing who they meant.
"Well, you see, we noticed you following Gavi on Instagram a couple of weeks ago and now he's here. Maybe you'll have a chat with him? Even if he is the enemy?"
"Maybe".
You move to the next groups of reporters and, of course, there are more questions about the footballer that was getting all the attention tonight.
Too much attention, if you were to be asked. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see a group of women surrounding him. Their flirty giggles were so annoying. Could they be more obvious?
You try not to roll your eyes while you keep talking to the press.
But then, one of them really pushes her luck, offering her arm so your boyfriend can take her to the red carpet to pose with her. And he accepts her offer. Obviously, she doesn't know he has a girlfriend but what the heck?
While you wait your turn to go to the carpet, you see her getting closer to him. And then…she kisses his cheek when the photographers asked her to do it!
"Oh no she didn't!"
You walk to where they are posing and when Gavi sees it is you approaching them, he starts to smirk. 
"Excuse me", you tell the girl who is still holding onto his arm. "That's my boyfriend so I would appreciate it if you stopped touching him".
She looks at you, shocked, and does as you told her.
“I think you scared her”.
“Good!”
"But what are you doing here? I thought you didn't want anyone seeing us together".
"Oh shut up!"
You grab his face with your hands and kiss him, causing all photographers to move to where you two are standing so they can get the best photo. 
Gavi immediately grabs your waist and deepens the kiss. His plan to make you jealous had worked perfectly.
"There is your hard launch".
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starseneyes · 1 year
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Chenford REWIND- Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 2 Ep 10, 11, & 12
This feels like a lot to put into one Meta. But, since I'm chunking these out and taking requests, it makes sense to me. Yes, "Day of Death" is a defining Chenford episode. But I feel like you need the context of what lead up to it and the fallout on the other side to fully understand its impact and discuss it.
SPOILER ALERT: If you don't want to be spoiled, you don't want to read this. While I do write these as though I'm watching the episodes for the first time and try not to let fore-knowledge come into play, I will be spoiling these episodes in their entirety and everything that came before.
All squared away? Alright, lets dive in.
The Dark Side
"The single men in LA suck. Every time I go out on a date, and they find out that I'm a cop, they just get scared off." ... "Look, those aren't men. Those are boys, okay? Real men are not afraid of strong women."
Heck, yeah, they aren't! Lucy, honey, I get that it's tough out there for you, right now. But someday there will be a single man in LA who doesn't suck and isn't afraid of strong women. You'll see.
But right now, you're looking for anyone who isn't a total dud, and I get that.
"...dating a civilian is a bad idea." "I was told dating cops was a mistake. What am I supposed to do, join a nunnery? Sister Office Lucy Chen?"
I'm so glad I wasn't drinking anything the first time I heard this line because there would have been soda everywhere. My husband heard the line over my shoulder and cracked up, too.
And you might be thinking, "Why is she going into all this? Tim and Lucy are nowhere near ready for romance". Welp, I want to show Lucy's mentality in this episode and will explain once we get to 2x11 how it feeds into the situation and the mis-read from Tim.
"Look, no, I'm saying that right now end of shift means leaving the job behind when you go home. But in success, each one of you is gonna catch cases that kick your ass, that consume your every waking thought. And non-cops won't be able to identify. Worse, they're gonna resent you for caring more about the dead than the living."
It's an interesting thought, and for those of us in Season 5, there's a lot to consider, here. I mean, Lucy was cautioned against dating cops, but Isabel and Tim were Rookies and nobody gave him crap about it, from what we know.
Look, I'm not sorry Lucy and Nolan broke up. But, I do think Lucy should consider dating another cop down the line. *cough* Tim *cough*
"Caleb." "Lucy."
It's a chance meeting at the right time. Lucy is on the hunt for a non-mutant man in Los Angeles, and she ends up at the bar with someone who seems semi-safe.
After the conversation she just had with her friends, we can see she really wants to be with someone.
"I was in college when they found the first victims. It was all anyone talked about. That, and how could a woman be so barbaric." "I worked one of the scenes, fourth victim, Lisa Cruz. Homicide detectives warned me not to look at the body. Should've listened."
I love how they're speaking to one another so openly about the whole thing. There's an ease to how they're walking side-by-side that feels lived-in. Yes, he's still her TO, but this is a glimpse at the other side of him—the one that knows how to have a conversation without screaming or scheming.
"Caleb, from the bar last night... I hope this isn't weird, but you left with your perp before I had a chance to ask for your number."
Tim is giving this guy the side-eye. Look, we are nowhere near romance for this pair, but Tim has come to care about Lucy. He wouldn't call her a friend, yet, but they're definitely on their way.
And Lucy's picking up on Tim's hovering, but I don't think either of them could pick up on the why. My husband swooped in to offer his opinion that Tim picked up bad vibes, but wrote it off because it made him look jealous. I don't think he's far off.
I think Tim was being a little protective. Not necessarily because of romance (everything with Isabelle is very fresh at this point). But, while Lucy is still his "Boot", she is crossing that line more and more towards "friend". Tim cares about what happens with Lucy.
He's trying to watch out for her, but she doesn't want a chaperone. For goodness sake, she's a grown woman, right?
"We don't call them perps." "Right, sorry. Anyway, this is my number. If you ever feel like waiting in vain for a drink, give me a call."
Tim Bradford with the save!! He snatches that tiny piece of paper so fast the camera barely catches it. That's a super hero, my friends.
"You got a last name, Caleb?" "Yes sir. Wright with a W." "What do you do? If you say screenwriter, you're going in a cell."
Lucy's horrified. This might be the worst thing Tim has ever done, in her mind.
Remember, at this point everything with Tim is a test. Everything could be used as subterfuge, and she can't trust what's he's going to do with the information he's gathering.
"I manage a medical supply company downtown." "I'm sorry about him. Things are a little crazy right now." "No problem. It was nice meeting you. Officer."
Tim gives her a "can you believe that guy" look, but she has that same energy directed at him. Tim's surprised by that. He really thought she'd appreciate him looking out for her.
She holds out her hand for her piece of paper, and Tim hands it over as she mouths, "Oh my god".
"Ten bucks that isn't even his dog." "It's been an awful day. Can't I just enjoy a cute puppy?"
Tim's getting a look into how Lucy unwinds and relaxes. All day, she's been sneaking glimpses at Caleb's socials to get a feel for him, and it's helping distract her from the no-good day.
Tim of this era hasn't yet learned how to help Lucy talk through things. But he has learned that Lucy and distractions work well for moderating her panic.
Think of the episode with the nuclear bomb and how they spent the whole episode talking about how to sabotage her ex's wedding. Distraction helps her.
"If I can be wheels up in the next 10 minutes, I might beat the afternoon traffic which means I will be in bed in the next hour."
I love how conversational they're being here. You can already tell the lines of TO and friend are starting to blur.
"That's a mistake." "What? Why?" "Look, after working a hardcore assignment like this, you need to go blow off some steam after shift. You know, give your brain a different focus. It's the only way you have a fighting chance of actually sleeping."
This isn't a Tim Test. He's trying to give her advice. Keep this in mind, my friends. It'll come back.
"As my Training Officer, are you saying that I should go get a drink?" "A strong one. Maybe even with another human."
Tim is really trying to do the right thing, here. He snatched away Caleb's phone number earlier, but Lucy's been cyber-stalking him all day and she looks interested.
"Well, I am here to distract you."
I swear I didn't remember that line when I wrote the part above about Lucy needing a distraction.
And we all know that what started as a distracting night led to a nightmare for Lucy.
Before we move on, I want to talk a little bit about Season 2 Tim and Lucy. I know a lot of people love what DOD does for Chenford in terms of progression. But I argue it doesn't cause the shift, but only expedites it.
Look at Tim in this episode, for example. He's downright conversational and friendly with Lucy. Yes, he tells her to get her head in the game instead of looking at Caleb. Yes, he teases her about her first Decomp, but that's the extent of it.
He talks with her openly and honestly about Rosalind. He tries to protect her from Caleb when he thinks the guy's just an unworthy suitor. He tries to give her advice at the end that isn't attached to any "lesson" but simply sharing what he's learned.
Frankly, I think that's what Lucy expected in a TO—someone to talk her through and give her sage advice. And then she got Tim.
Tim doesn't hand out advice willy-nilly. He's a "show" guy, right? Same thing with how he teaches. He's not much of a "talker" with Lucy when it comes to her training. He's trying to get her to think for herself by putting her through her paces.
But this whole episode, he's talking to her. Heck, he's talking with her. Tim doesn't make friends with his Boots, but Lucy is becoming the exception. They aren't there, yet, but they're on their way.
If we look at this episode separated from DOD (if we can), you can see that Tim and Lucy are already moving towards friends. The events of DOD expedites it, I argue, but they would have eventually gotten there on their own. Tim and Lucy are inevitable.
Day of Death
"My day of death."
The pain of a tattoo. The hangover of whatever drugs he gave her. The inability to move her limbs or fight back. Trying to take note of her surroundings, of anything that might be helpful if she can get away.
And that horrible fear that she won't.
"Sergeant."
It takes Harper two seconds to clock the conversation between the men, and she's the first to jump on it. Why? We'll get to that next episode.
"Lucy did not come home last night. She's not responding to texts or calls." "Did she go out with that guy? The one she met at the bar. Caleb Wright with a W."
He remembers it clearly, but he's trying not to panic. After all, his first date with Rachel was *ahem* memorable. Maybe Lucy moves at that same pace?
"Lucy doesn't do one-night stands." "And she's never late."
Her friends know her well, and Grey's smart enough to run with it. Let's be real, there are scenarios where a Sergeant might not listen, might not take it seriously, might not actually do anything.
This is television, and we're not going to let Lucy Chen go quietly into that good night. But it hits me so hard that there are so many cases where alarm bells are rung and left unanswered.
"Why are you doing this?"
Lucy's trying to keep her head in the game. That's what Tim told her to do last episode, right? Keep your head in the game.
"It's for you. To force you to face the truth of your death. It's the gift of something we rarely get in life—clarity."
Fuck you. I'm sorry. Lucy's thinking it and it needed to be said.
"... we believe Caleb is Rosalind's protege, and he took Officer Chen."
The news slams into Tim. And nobody else in the room sees it or knows why. He doesn't even wait to be dismissed. He rushes out of the room, phone dialing before he makes it through the door.
Because this is too much for him to handle. Tim has tried to handle a lot of things on his own. He's famous for isolating himself and trying to pretend he's fine. But this time he calls his best friend. Because he can't do this alone.
"Lucy's been taken. I need you." "On my way."
"Lucy". Not "Chen". Because in his mind, Lucy is already becoming more than a Boot. No, we're not talking romance, here. We're talking friendship. Kinship. Someone he cares about.
Tim Bradford has a very short list, so the fact that his Rookie is close to making the list is significant. But I'm not one who thinks Tim's romantically interested in her all the way back in Season 2. This thing's grown organically over time, though I'd argue DOD gave it a push, as did certain other episodes covered in Future Metas.
"Look, I know I haven't known Lucy as long as the rest of you, but I do know that she's a fighter."
Hell, yeah, our queen is!
"She's gonna do everything she can to stay alive until we save her."
And she does. She fights like hell and does everything she can to survive. But she's weak. She's lethargic. She's drugged. And she's isolated. Utterly alone.
Imagine that moment of fighting your way out, hoping that there'll be someone to hear your voice, to come to your aid, to get the help you so desperately need... and there's no one.
How much of the fight can you keep alive when you realize how little chance you have of surviving?
"... I can't just sit here."
Here's more of a "show" guy. And there's nobody to show.
"I'm fine. Just blowing off steam."
What he told Lucy to do. What he thought would be safe. What he thought would be relaxing. What he thought would be distracting. What he thought would be fun.
He's not blowing off steam. He's a pressurized gasket ready to explode.
"I get it, but you gotta get your head in the game." "I don't need a pep talk." "Then why'd you call me? Clearly you need to get something off your chest."
Tim forgets the power of words, sometimes. We see it a lot through the season. Maybe it's because he never learned how to use them growing up.
FAST FORWARD: We're a ways away from Season 4 and Tim's backstory episodes that help illuminate just how bad it was for him. Tim's father didn't use words. He used his fists. His mother likely didn't use words, either. They didn't talk about what he went through. He never learned to express himself that way. It takes someone coaxing it out of him, and right now that's his best friend.
"She wanted to go home. Okay? Go to bed. I told her that she should focus on something else. She went out with Caleb because I told her to."
And he's carrying the weight of that guilt. It's too heavy for him to bear. Tim Bradford has carried too many weights, and this one is too much. Did he doom his Rookie to die?
"You couldn't have known."
Angela's whole attitude shifts (how could it not?) because Tim Bradford is expressing emotions with his best friend. And that is huge and this whole thing is horrible.
"But I should have. I'm a cop. I was standing this close to the guy, okay? Right across from him and I never saw him coming. But she did, though. She... Some part of her didn't feel right about this whole thing. She hesitated. And I pushed her right at him."
He's wrong. It has to be said that Lucy might not have gone out with Caleb that night, but it could have been another night. Tim only thinks this because of his own guilt, his own pain, his own frustrations with himself for not being Super Cop.
Lucy wanted to go out with this guy. Maybe she wouldn't have gone out that night without the push. But Caleb was a serial killer, and would've put her on his list sooner or later... and more women would have died in the meantime. It's not Tim's fault any more than it's Lucy's.
He thinks he failed Lucy, but this isn't a situation where you can predict every move. We're not going to victim-blame here. We're not going to point fingers.
Because minus the serial killer plot, this shit happens every day. Around the world, there are people whose drinks are spiked, people who are abducted, people who have their choice and consent ripped from them.
And it's not the victim's fault in any way. And it's not the fault of a friend who suggested they have a fun night out. It's no one's fault but the asshole who perpetrated the crime.
Getting off my soap box, here, now, to get back to the Meta. But watching Tim go through this reminds me of how I still struggle with blaming myself for a friend of mine OD'ing because I didn't reach out to them that night.
What if I'd reached out? What if I hadn't ignored their vague Facebook post thinking that I'd only be adding to their frustrations and that they needed the night to cool off? Would they still be here if I'd commented? Or sent them a message? I'm a state away, so I couldn't reasonably drive... but could I have done something that would have meant they'd still be here?
I know I can't blame myself. But there are some days I still struggle with it. Because she's gone. And I'll never ever know if I could have helped. Cognitively, I know it's not my fault. I couldn't have done anything, but there's that part of you that still thinks... you made the wrong call, and if you'd called it the other way, it might be different, now.
"If I get that away from you, it's going right in your brain."
She kept her head in the game. She's up against life and death, here, and she's at the disadvantage. But she's a fucking fighter. Look, we know that Lucy is tough. This is something else entirely. She's staring down the murderer who wants to hear her scream, who wants to soak up her agony, who wants to get her to crumble.
And Lucy Chen's standing up to that asshole with the ultimate, "Fuck You" by not giving in.
She must want to cry. She must want to scream. But Lucy Chen is a fighter, and she's not going down easy.
Lucy Leaves a Clue
It's a long shot. It's such a bloody long shot. But she has to try. Lucy truly believes that she will be found, long shot as it is.
And that hope can be a powerful thing. Caleb tried to wield it against her, but he's no match for her.
"Any last words?" "Yeah. You're gonna be dead long before I am."
Damn right, Lucy Chen. Damn right.
"Now, I am responsible for a life that is in jeopardy, and I will do whatever I have to to save her."
And he means it. Watch Jackson's surprise to see Tim Bradford slam a guy's head against the horn. Because Tim's unhinged, here. Someone he cares about has been taken, and he doesn't give a damn what happens to him or his career.
He'll let it all fall if it means Lucy survives.
FAST FORWARD: We talk a lot about how Tim makes sacrifices for Lucy where his career is concerned. And while in later seasons it becomes their thing, I think in this case he'd have done it for any of his few friends. We later see him risk it all for Angela when she's kidnapped, too. Tim has a separate code for his friends. And Lucy's falling more under it over time. Again not romantic... yet.
"There can be charges in here that lead us to Caleb."
Did you clock that brief smile? Before Jackson walks up, Tim thinks they're at a dead end. Lucy's lost. She's gone. And he'll never get to atone for his mistake.
Jackson brings a sliver of light and hope, and it's enough that Tim actually briefly grins. It's not over, yet.
"Stars shining bright above you..."
The song. Lucy's song to keep herself calm and regulate her breathing. Yes, not talking would have been better, but she needs this. She needs light and life and love. Something bright to pierce the darkness.
Her oxygen is running low, and she's having more trouble breathing, more trouble seeing a way out. The last thing she's going to give that bastard is the satisfaction of watching her scream.
And Melissa O'Neil is breaking my heart. Acting-wise, she is literally in a barrel. There's no one to react off of. There's no one feeding her lines.
It's just Lucy in a barrel, and it's up to the actress to make us feel. No cool camera angles. No sweeping score. Melissa O'Neil had to carry us through this and she did it masterfully.
Yes, the Writers decided to have her singing this song. The script, or a Director or Editor decided to strip the rest of the sound from the overlapping visuals (there's a lot of playing with sound and its impact in this episode that's jaw-droppingly beautiful).
But Melissa O'Neil is the one who has to make us believe it. And we do.
A Glint of Light
Tim's eyes scan the miles of land, looking for some sign of disturbance to clue him in on Lucy's location. But it's something that doesn't belong that grabs his attention—something that literally catches the light of the sun and draws Tim in. Her ring.
He picks it up, still uncertain, but following the clue. A few kicks and... a thunk.
"I've got her! I've got her!"
Tim starts digging in the ground with his bare hands, the grit getting under his fingernails, the dust getting into his lungs. He registers the others, but only barely. He has to get to Lucy.
The ground gives way enough to reach the lid. Tim's hands are all over it, Nyla on one side and Jackson on the other. When they can finally see her, Tim asks for help as they pull her out. But he hovers, staying close, being certain he is the one to make sure she's alive.
Because if she's dead, it's on him.
Look, we know Tim didn't do anything wrong. But Tim Bradford carries a lot of scars and blames himself for a lot of things he shouldn't. And if he can't get to her in time, if he pulls her out and she's truly gone... he can never atone for this.
She's not breathing. Tim blows into her mouth and starts pumping on her chest. The sound drains from the world... just the discordant notes sounding off and echoing like the dying hope of Lucy surviving.
Lucy gasps, and the sound returns to the world. Each person takes a breath of relief. But then the sound zeroes in only on two people—Lucy and Tim.
"You're so strong," he murmurs, soft enough for her to hear, but no one else. But she doesn't hear anything. It's too much. It's all too fucking much. The sobs she'd held in before finally spill out as Tim pulls her close, holding her tight.
He thought he'd lost her. And, again, there's no romance here. But she matters, damnit. She matters to Tim more than he thought she would when they first met. He presses a hand to her hair, pushing his face next to hers.
It screams "I'm here. I'm here." Because in his mind, he is the one who failed her and it had to be him to save her. He owed it to her. He was responsible for her. He fucked up.
And it almost cost her her life.
Again, I don't think that. But Tim does. He truly believes he's the one who failed her. And when you have very few people in your life who care about you (and Lucy has demonstrated many times that she does care about Tim), you don't want to do anything to lose that.
But Tim believes he almost lost Lucy because he wasn't good enough. It plays so much into his childhood trauma, his trauma with his ex-wife, and everything else. Tim thinks he failed.
She doesn't cling to him, no. Her hands shake and her body convulses from the pain. But she lets him hold her there, back in the air, out of her barrel.
Tim isn't her person, yet. But she cares about him, and she knows deep down that he cares about her. She even told Rachel about his good heart.
But her not holding him is completely appropriate to the moment. It's not about him. This is about her. Her trauma. Her survival. Lucy's breaking in this moment. She spent so much time keeping her head in the game, and now she's finally releasing all the anguish she refused to show Caleb.
And she is safe in Tim's arms to fall apart.
I knew from the Pilot that Eric Winter was a tour-de-force. But in this episode we see so many damn layers. And Tim's relief at holding her in his arms at the end instead of cradling her corpse is palpable.
The way this scene is shot and performed and the sound... it all puts us in the moment. We are right there with them, and it's one of my favorite scenes of the entire series.
Here in the barren waste of sand and silence... there's life.
"Hmm. What are you reading, Teen Rebel?"
She wakes up to see Tim there, waiting. He hasn't slept. He hasn't left. We know that. He's spent the past 24 hours feeling completely responsible for Lucy, and it's not easy to leave the side of the person who you pushed yourself to save.
And the first thing she says to him isn't about what she's survived, or even about him finding her. It's about the damn magazine. And it's perfect.
After what she's survived, Lucy needs something familiar. And Tim is pretty damn familiar in her life.
Before we get too much further... I want to call out the lengths Tim went to save Lucy.
FAST FORWARD: We haven't yet reached, "Some things matter more". But Tim's already showing that in action. He's a "show" guy, remember?
Tim was willing to do whatever it took to save her. He would put it all on the line, and that's because he cares about her. No, they're not ripping one another's clothes off. It's Season 2, she's his Boot, and he doesn't even acknowledge friendship with her, yet.
But she is becoming his friend. She's becoming one of the very few people that Tim Bradford will upend the world for.
"They actually have some really insightful political articles."
Watch how fast that man wheeled his little chair over to her side. It makes me giggle with glee.
"Oh, which BTS member is your soulmate. Gotta be Suga, right?" "Totally. What's a BTS?"
Lucy laughs. Probably her first good laugh in days. And it's with Tim. Hardass, Tim Test, never-lets-up Tim.
"Have you been here all night?" "No. Mmhm. No." "Mmhmm."
Because TO Tim can't show that he cares. Not yet. I mean, he's never felt this friendly toward a Boot, and he can't go soft on her when she still has so far to go before crossing the finish line.
Remember, Tim likes rules and staying within them—whether they're the rules set out for him by a superior or the ones he's created for himself. Counting Lucy a friend is outside the lines. But much as he might try to deny it, he's showing it.
He's used to giving his Rookies what he thinks they need, and with Lucy, it's most often tough love and some manipulative tests. For him to break through his own wall of separating personal life from professional life is too much. So, he lies.
But Lucy can see right through him. Strangely, she's always had that power.
"How did you find me?"
Nolan interrupts the moment. Damnit, Nolan! But we'll all get to that later... next episode.
There's a reason I wanted to do these three together. Look, this show is still basically a Procedural at its heart with some continuous story lines. But these three episodes feel more serial than a lot of the show, and because of that, I think the whole picture is required to ascertain its meaning.
"He is a she and she is going to sleep in my bed since I am clearly never going on a date, again."
We started this whole trilogy with Lucy considering a nunnery. And, again, I think this calls attention to what it's like to be a single woman in the world. Yes, assaults can happen to anyone.
But as a woman, I can tell you I never get anything to drink but water when I'm out with my friends. I never leave my drink unattended. And a male friend always walks me to my car. Theater kids go out a lot to bars (like, after every rehearsal), so there was a season in my life where this was a nightly ritual. Trying to stay safe out there.
So, if Lucy doesn't want to ever date again after her ordeal, I don't bloody blame her, and neither do her best friend, past fling, and future husband.
"You hungry?"
Sometimes I swear this man is part Jewish mother. If you Fast Forward in the series, you see he's always trying to feed this woman.
And, yes, I'm saying this from experience. There was an old saying that if you wanted a lot more food from my Great-Aunt Mary, you said you wanted a little. If you wanted a little, you said you wanted none. And if you wanted none, you hid your plate.
"Yeah. I'm starving. You know what I really wanna eat right now?" "Veggie burger and fries. Extra pickles."
Awwwww! Remember in 2x01 when she sent him food? "You shouldn't have done that." "Well, I wanted to. And eating well is crucial to a fast recovery."
He's using the lessons he learned from her as an act of love. Again, not romantic love. But love, nonetheless.
"You know me so well." "Too well."
Look at those smiles. Alright, y'all, I'll admit those smiles put butterflies in my stomach, too.
And the fact that the director chose to take us off of the wide shot so we only saw Tim and Lucy for these last few lines. Because this is about them.
Tim is caring about Lucy far more than he should. And he's growing aware of that. But the nature of this episode makes it impossible for him to shove it down entirely. He writes it off as concern and guilt, and doesn't realize he's been slowly letting Lucy into his circle of friends.
But if we talk about who really knows Lucy in this scene? It's Tim.
Jackson brought pretty flowers, which are nice, but will die. Nolan brought the most giant, pink bear. She's cute, but eventually she'll disappear from Lucy's life because her next boyfriend's not going to want to share the bed with a pink stuffy (unless he's into that... no judgment).
Tim. Brought. Her. Food. Yes, it'll be gone pretty quickly. But I can tell you after not being allowed to eat for both my deliveries of my three kids, I was famished. Lucy hasn't eaten in days, and she wants something filling and comforting. Tim brought her the exact order she wanted without her having to ask.
As much as he tries to separate professional and personal, Lucy's blurring those lines. To me, the Season 1 finale was really the start of that. And Tim bites back against that as much as he can in Season 2 (even treating Lucy like shit because she didn't report him for suicidal ideation).
But this trilogy of episodes breaks down that wall further. Yes, he's still her TO and he's still not going to think of her as a friend. But S2-3 is where that really comes together. They were already on their way, but with these events, he softens towards her in a way he never anticipated.
We get to see him soft throughout the series with "his people". But at this point, he's not yet ready to admit Lucy is one of them. It's outside his standard operating procedure for Rookies.
But, despite his protests, he's making a friend. The kind of friend that sticks. The kind of friend that doesn't leave. The kind of friend that loves with abandon.
And someday, someday, she might become more than that. But right now, he's not even ready to admit she's a friend... but, damn, our "show" guy really showed it.
I really want to call out the coloration and choices of this episode. When Lucy first wakes up on the table (with no establishing shot, so we're as clueless to how isolated she is, just as she is), everything i s tripped back. Melissa O'Neil's makeup is stripped down and we can see her pores.
The first time I watched that scene I thought, "Wow, they really stripped out all the color". There's something about the harshness of yellows, beiges, and browns on their own that evoke old Westerns. That sense of isolation, famine, and drought.
Lucy's world is often so vibrant that the stark shift helps us feel the anxiety with her. There's nothing bright or beautiful about this world. Only de-saturated hopelessness.
Now and Then
Lucy In The Mirror
Lucy's wounds have healed. Her wrists are free of the tie marks. Her face is free of the cuts and bruises. But the tattoo remains. She can hear the sound of the tattoo gun in her mind.
Yes, Lucy has many tattoos, but those were of her choosing. This was another violation—something inflicted upon her. Lucy tries covering up, but the foundation sticks to her shirt.
And, yes, there are makeups out there that can cover up tattoos. Being the daughter of a makeup artist, I know way too much about it and have seen mother in action covering an entire chest full of tattoos for a shoot. That's not the point.
The point of this scene is to remind us (and Lucy) that this can't be covered up. It's on her. It's permanent unless she has it burned off.
"When can she have it removed?" "Four weeks. Two days. Nine hours."
Her mind is on it all the time. She knows it down to the hour. Doesn't sound like someone who's healed to me. But, duh. That's the whole point of the episode.
"Hey, so what's your plan?" "For what?" "Officer Chen. I'm sure you've got some Alpha strategy to get her back on the horse, so, what is it?"
Let's be real. Tim would be Tim, but he wasn't going to be his harshest self on her first day back. He wouldn't be capable of it. But Nyla doesn't know that.
"So basically get her into as many fights as possible." "I'm gonna remind her that she's a cop, not a victim." "She knows that she's not a victim. Look, Chen doesn't need to fight. She needs to make peace with the voice inside of her head telling her she's never gonna be safe again."
I wish someone had asked Lucy. Looking at this situation, they're both coming at it from the wrong angle for Lucy. Tim's going for how he processes and Nyla's going for how she does. Neither of them asks Lucy what she needs.
Look, these are characters who are going to do what's in-character. For the scene and the arc, this has to go this way. But as a person who has had a lifetime of people thinking they know what I need and making it a thousand times worse, I have a personal response to this.
But in character? Both Tim and Nyla want what's best for Lucy and think they're the one to give it to her.
"Okay, I've been training Rookies a lot longer than you. I know what she needs." "That's ego talking. What happened to Chen is every woman's worst fear." "I'm aware of that." But you have never lived that fear."
That stops Tim. Because she's right. Part of Tim's arc in Season 1 and 2 with Lucy by his side is discovering his subconscious biases. She forces him to think beyond what he thinks he knows.
And here, he's facing that even without Lucy present. Because she's opening up his mind to seeing past his own limited perspective.
"It's clear that you have her best interests at heart. I am just asking you to consider whether she might be better served by someone who has been through what she has been through."
This is a lot for Nyla to offer. A woman's experiences are not owed to anyone. But she chooses to give him this insight into why she really believes she's the best person to help Lucy through.
And Tim's listening. He's really listening to what she's saying.
"And that someone's you." *nods* "Okay. I'll tell Grey to make the switch."
I love Eric Winter's choices on this. He's reacting not only to the information that Nyla just shared, knowing that she doesn't want apologies or empty words from him. He didn't do it. But he's sorry it happened. He's face to face with someone in uniform who, like Lucy, thought they were safe with someone when they weren't.
And he's thinking of Lucy. The last thing he wants to do is hurt her, to make this harder, to set her back.
Lucy At Roll Call
She pauses outside the room. Much as she wants to get back at it, this is a point-of-no-return morning. She doesn't want special treatment. She doesn't want weird glances. She doesn't want whispered words.
She doesn't want the damn applause.
"Congratulations you survived but you're branded by a serial killer and still processing the emotional trauma and we want you know that we are all talking about you, and looking at you, and thinking about you."
Damn it.
"Welcome back, Officer Chen. How're you feeling? Can't wait to get on the streets, sir, just get back to normal." "We're going to mix things up a bit. You're going to be riding with Harper this week."
What. The. Fuck!? Lucy just said that she wants to go back to normal. Riding with Nyla is not normal.
Lucy looks back to Tim for confirmation and he nods. But she's still confused. She's on-edge. She didn't expect to come back to work straight into a Tim Test, and that's what this feels like.
Everything that she wanted for transitioning back to work is going wrong.
"I'm not interested in chasing tame calls today."
Because Tim needs to process his way. Look, he in no way went through what Lucy did. Not at all. But he's still carrying his guilt and frustrating, and he needs to channel that into something he can do.
Tim is a man of action, and since he can't take action to help Lucy through her re-acclimation, he's going to do what he needs to do to distract him from worrying about her—his job.
"So why the switch?" "Tim felt you'd be better served riding with me." "Yeah, right. This has to be some kind of elaborate Tim Test that he roped you into." "Do I strike you as someone who could get roped into anything? Especially by Bradford?"
Note the switch from "Tim" to "Bradford". Nyla was trying to keep it conversational at the beginning, but the second Lucy calls out perceived pliability, Nyla snaps back to put Lucy in her place.
"Fair enough. So, I'll ask you again, why the switch?" "I convinced him that I would have more insight into what you were going through and could therefore be more helpful to your re-integration onto the streets."
Look how Lucy recoils. Much as Lucy loves talking things out, she doesn't want to talk about this. She doesn't want to have to think about what she's been through while she's out here. She wants normal.
"Did you go on a date with a serial killer, too?" "Uh, no." "Well, then I'm not sure how much help you'd be. But it's fine, 'cause I don't need any help. I've already worked through the trauma using both cognitive and exposure therapy combined with mindful breathing and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. So, it's, it's fine."
Of course, we know Lucy's far from fine. But this isn't what she wanted. She didn't want to have special treatment. She didn't want to be pulled from working with Tim. Frustrating as he is, he's familiar. That's normal.
And Lucy's gone through all the Psychological steps she thinks will help her be fine. It's her blind spot, truly. Because she seems to think there's a point where you're just "fine" and don't need to process anymore.
No, that trauma will come up, again, we know. But right now she doesn't want to face it. She's trying to pretend her way to being fine.
"Need backup for a felony car stop." "You sure?" "Hell, yeah."
Everyone's surprised to hear her voice. But she wants to get back at it. She doesn't want to feel different. It's bad enough what she has to deal with in her head. At the Station, she's a Rookie, yeah, but she's a cop.
And the more I look at this episode the more it feels like Lucy and Tim have traded spots for a day. Normally, Tim's the one who doesn't want to talk and would rather bury himself in the job. And Lucy's usually the one second-guessing.
But Tim second-guessed himself this morning and let Nyla have Lucy. And everyone wants Lucy to talk, but she'd rather get in the action.
"You want me to do the paperwork?" "Oh, nope."
Tim always has Lucy do the paperwork. She wants to do what's familiar, what's natural, what's practiced. "Please let me be normal".
"That was a nice job out there." "Thanks." "So you're just not gonna let me help you at all." "I don't need any help."
Look, we all know that she does, but not like this. Nyla wants so badly to help Lucy, but if Lucy isn't ready, trying to push her like this isn't going to change anything. It's going to push her further inward.
"Did you get the flowers we sent?" "And the basket. Thank you."
Lucy really has some lovely people in her life. And look at her genuine appreciation for Abigail, here. Baskets are one of Lucy's love languages, and she nailed it.
"What the hell is this? I let you run around with Harper for half the day and you start hugging people on duty?" "Don't listen to him. He's all bark."
Tim is being his grumpy-ass self and Lucy's smiling like the sunshine that she is. This is what she thought she'd have today. This rhythm to which she's already grown accustomed.
Yes, Tim gets under her skin and pisses her off. But she knows him. She's used to him. The Tim Tests come when she least expects it, but she knows to expect that.
While there are many mysteries left to this man, he's been her biggest constant during her Rookie year. And it's nice to get to talk to him.
"All bark? She is not buying what you're selling." "Because I don't hold her fate in my hands."
They're teasing. We're to the point in their relationship where they can tease one another, and you can see how comfortable Lucy is in this.
Apart from the action, this is the most comfortable we've seen her all episode.
"Heard you dodged some bullets." "Yeah, a few. What, are you keeping tabs on me?"
The discomfort is back. Because even Tim Fucking Bradford is acting different around her. There's a softness to him that she's never seen before directed at her. Yes, she's seen it... but not with those eyes directed her way.
"Look, if you need anything, you let me know."
Finally, someone asks what she needs. All day, people (including Tim) have been making assumptions about what she needs. But here Tim is truly putting her first and trying to see if there's anything he can really do.
"You got a time machine?" "I wish I did."
Because he'd go back and take back the decision that fed her to the lion. Yes, we all know it's not Tim's fault. But he still feels like it is. And this is what Lucy really wishes she had—not some remedy or quick fix... that it never happened.
"You're not gonna shower?" "Uh, I'm gonna do it a home."
Because she doesn't want the stares. She doesn't want the questions. She doesn't want the reminder.
She's wearing concealer under her shirt because she doesn't want to see the thing. And she's tired of the comments and special treatment. Lucy wants to go back to normal.
Now, we can already see from this episode that "normal" isn't really possible. Relationships have shifted. Lucy is not the same woman she was before. Yes, she'll open up parts of her that shut down over time, but she'll never be who she was before that night of carefree drinks gone wrong.
But that's what Lucy wants in this moment. Normalcy.
"Oh, but you're not going home."
The hell?! She was just abducted and now you won't let her go home? Sorry, but that was my gut reaction watching this.
"We have plans. Girls' Night." "Oh, I get it. You've seen that I'm find on the job, but you're still not convinced." "We just thought it would be fun." ... "It's... you guys have just never asked me out before."
Think of how happy Lucy was that she was getting invited to something normal!? And with these two bad-ass women!
Lucy spends so much of her time in the first two seasons with Jackson and Nolan that we rarely get to see her with the other women of the Station.
She was going to get to have a night out with two women she trusts—something safe. And she had just relaxed into that when they pulled this shit.
Look, I'm salty at these two. I love Nyla and Angela's my number three on the show. But this was a terrible idea. Nyla was critical of Tim throwing her into work, but she's throwing her into the dating pool.
And it's no wonder Lucy was triggered. She isn't ready to date, again. And that's fine. She should be able to get out there when she is ready.
But we all experience the world through out unique lenses and experiences. And a very real mistake we make is assuming because I need it this way, you do, too.
I have twin sons. When they were 9 months old, a friend handed down a toy to us. You throw a ball into the toy and it makes a noise. Ta-da! One child giggled uncontrollable. They other screamed and broke down in sobs.
Different people react differently. They need different coping mechanisms. They need different healing paths. When we try too hard to homogenize treatment, we miss the opportunity for true healing.
And part of the problem here is the utter lack of communication. Nyla has hinted to Tim what she went through, but she hasn't given Lucy any indication.
Now, Nyla doesn't owe Lucy her story. But she has chosen to help Lucy, and it would be a helluva lot easier to get through to Lucy if she communicated with her.
"Hey, Lucy had a bit of a moment last night when we were out."
Tim. Is. Pissed. Angela can tell that's all it took for him to be ready to go into Tim-Mode on someone's ass.
"It's not a big deal. She's fine." "What the hell is Harper doing?" "Helping. Don't get all 'Tim' on me. I just thought you should know." "Lucy's okay?" "She will be." "Alright. Thanks for letting me know."
Angela is the only one who knows about Tim's guilt. She's the only one who knows the weight he's been carrying, blaming himself for what happened to Lucy. She's the only one to know he has a growing soft spot for her.
So she does the right thing and gives him a heads-up.
And note how it's always "Lucy" when he's talking with Angela in these episodes. With Nolan, it's "Chen" because Nolan is not Tim's friend. But Angela's his best friend, and he can let his guard down a little when it comes to her.
Nyla Shares Her Tale
We already said that Nyla doesn't owe anyone her story. But by keeping it from Lucy, Lucy was pushing her away. She truly thought it was another outsider with outside opinions trying to force her to be okay.
Hearing Nyla's story, she is finally able to see her differently. There's a beat right after Lucy says, "I'm so sorry," where Melissa O'Neil shifts her gaze from cynical to sisterly—Lucy sees herself in Nyla.
For the first time since she's gotten out of that barrel, there's someone who isn't an outsider who truly wants to help.
"I shut down. I didn't even tell my husband. I kept telling myself that I would deal with it when I was ready." "But with every passing week it just got worse." "Maybe I pushed you too hard last night. But I know what it is like when you do not face things head-on."
Look how Lucy has shifted. Because Nyla can relate. Lucy was pushing so hard against her from the get-go that she missed the signs on this.
She was so focused on pushing everyone away and keeping everyone out that she missed that Nyla wasn't another outsider looking in with "expert" opinions on something they know nothing about. Nyla really does know.
"You and Chen are close, right?"
"I used to be inside her on the regular, so, yeah." I'm sorry. I had to. It was the first thing that popped into my head when I watched the scene.
"How's she doing? I mean, really doing?"
Because Tim is in his phase of needing to know how Lucy is, but not being the one "in the know". He's still her TO, and going directly to her for information is outside his code. But he can't help worrying. Lucy matters to him.
"She's good. Really. I think she'll be better once she gets that tattoo removed. Can you imagine that? Walking around every day branding by the worst thing that's ever happened to you? " "You think because it's physical, it's worse? Tragedies always leave scars. Only some of them you can see."
Again, this is about perspective. Some people are visual learners. Some are auditory. Some learn by doing.
I have a weird quirk of my brain that a memory is stronger for me if I can see a photo of it. Yes, I have other memories, but I can almost transport back to the moments in my photo albums since I've had decent memory. Visuals are important for me.
To Tim, it doesn't matter if it's visual or not. But Lucy might be different. Seeing that every day might mean more to her than it does to him. He's not considering that.
Seriously, as a former Communications student (two degrees in it), this episode is a masterclass in personal bias and intrapersonal vs interpersonal communication. In the moments of actual connection there's communication that's clear and concise.
Throughout the episode, everyone is making choices that are complicating matters. They're trying to do what's right, but they're doing it without clarity.
Nyla gets through to Lucy best when she talks to the woman in an open and honest manner. Same with Tim, later.
But, I'm skipping ahead...
A Punching Bag
Remember how I said Tim and Lucy have switched places this episode? In the same place where Lucy once offered Tim perspective (on his learning disability) and a gift (the book on tape), Tim will have his moment.
Lucy wipes her face without thinking, and Tim gets a glimpse of the tattoo. It flusters Lucy as she turns. She doesn't want to talk about it.
He's come down here for a reason. After spending all day asking others about her, he needs to see her for himself.
He wants to say something, too, but he's second-guessing. Ever since he pushed her toward a serial killer, he's been second-guessing where she's concerned.
"You got no quit in you, do you, Boot?" "No, sir. I get that from you." "I don't think so. You walked in the door this way. It's what makes you so aggravating."
He's teasing her. This is their rhythm. They've found it and they've earned it, and she's been stripped from it when she really wanted something familiar.
"I'm taking that as a compliment." "It was meant to be. You have a good night." "Yeah, you, too."
Tim turns to go, shoving his hands in his pockets. As he does, his fingers graze the ring... her ring. The ring he's been carrying around because it's tangible. It's something he can hold onto and remind himself that it's true—Lucy lived.
He turns around, no longer second-guessing. He has something to say, and he can only hope she hears him.
"You know, I got half a dozen scars. Bullet wounds, knife wounds, broken bottle. Then there's the ones you can't see, Isabel's addiction, a dad who would tune me up on the regular. And whether I like it or not, they're a part of me."
I can't remember him talking this openly about the trauma of Isabel's addiction before. But, he's in the Lucy role, today. He's talking things out while she's taking it out on a punching bag.
"I know what you're trying to do. And I appreciate it, but this is different. I was tattooed by a sadist who etched my day of death into my skin." "Okay, but you didn't die. Okay? You lived. And now he's the one in the ground."
Lucy sighs, because here's another outsider telling her what to do and how to feel.
"I'm not trying to tell you what to do with it. Okay? Burn it off, keep it, whatever gives you peace."
That's a little better. Lucy starts listening at that. Because, everyone's trying to push her in a direction, and he makes it clear that that's not his intention. He's not trying to push her to do or be anything.
"All I'm trying to do is give you some hard-won perspective."
If this was Pee Wee's Playhouse, we'd all have to scream because "Perspective" is the word of the day. Because each person's perspective has been an obstacle, today. Each person's perspective has been a roadblock.
But Tim's being very clear that he's offering only that—his Perspective. And, remember, Lucy cares very much what Tim thinks of her. She cares how he sees her. She doesn't want to let him down.
"You can choose to see that tattoo as your greatest failure. But I see it as proof that you're a survivor."
"You're so strong," he'd whispered when she started breathing, again. She might have been too overwhelmed at the moment to ever remember that, but we do. He recognized her strength and ability to survive right then.
This isn't lip-service. This is Tim Bradford being completely honest about how he sees Lucy.
"It wasn't your day of death, Officer Chen. It was the first day of the rest of your life. And no one can take that away from you."
There it is. No, this isn't going to "fix" the pain that Lucy's feeling. It's not going to make the trauma disappear. It's not going to erase the memories. But this mind-flip of that tattoo is powerful.
Because Caleb made her say aloud what that tattoo meant. He told her that it was for her, for her perspective, for her to own up to what he said it meant.
And here's Tim Bradford, a man who Lucy respects and trusts, helping her look at it from a different angle.
And isn't that what Tim does so well? Lucy even calls him out on it later in the show... He's the king at coming at things sideways and seeing another angle.
What he's saying is, "YOU, Lucy, get to decide how you look at that tattoo." She's spent so much time looking at it from Caleb's perspective that she didn't consider there was an alternative.
"Thanks." "Yeah. You're welcome."
Tim shoves his hands back in his pocket, and they both let the moment pass, easily. He said what he needed to say, and she heard him. Now, they can move forward.
"You riding with me tomorrow?" "Yes sir." "Good. Get in early. War bags need restocking." "Okay."
Tim pulls the ring from his pocket and tosses it to Lucy before she can register what it is. As she opens her hands, she sees it—her ring.
The ring she tossed off her hand in hopes that someone would find it. And Tim did. He found it. He found her.
"How did you find me?" Lucy asked from her hospital bed. Now, she has the answer.
Lucy looks up at Tim in awe and surprise. He smiles at the ring at her hand, and then back at her. He'd been carrying it around for a while because he didn't yet have Lucy back. Yes, she was at work, but not riding with him.
Tim once talked to Lucy about finding something tangible to focus on instead of the intangibility of nuclear disaster. Yes, he was being figurative, but I don't put it past him to take it literal. Lucy is back, but not back with him, yet.
Tomorrow, she'll be in his Shop. And now he doesn't need something tangible to hold onto to remind him that she is coming back, because she'll be there. By his side.
This is theirs. Tim told no one how he found her. She told no one that she'd dropped the ring. Only Tim and Lucy know this part of her story... of their story.
*phew* this one was emotionally exhausting. It took a week of work. But, I hope you enjoy it. It's heavier than most, but I think it's earned.
I would argue that Tim and Lucy are already on their way to friendship at the beginning of this trilogy, but the events that happen expedite it, and also solidify their trust of one another.
Tim respects the hell out of her. He knows what she's capable of, and now he's seen it for himself. Yes, he's going to be tough on her, again, when he's ready. And, yes, she's going to be pissed at him, when she's ready.
But only Tim and Lucy know who they are in the in-betweens. When the cameras aren't rolling on their chests and nobody else is listening in—like this ending scene. This is theirs.
And as they move forward in their relationship, there are all these touchstones, these pillars that shifted things that they can look back on as guide posts or stepping stones that at the time seemed small, but proved essential to their journey.
And, oh, I can't wait to see where it takes them next.
As always, thanks for reading.
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Aww!!! I love your new Ayato story. To be honest, when I read the tags and the description, it was very hard for me to imagine a combination between Ayato and drugs, but I was very wrong, because now I started to get addicted to this story as well as Ayato. The idea feels so real and doable. I'm even now convinced that if Ayato was human in the canon universe, without those supernatural powers and vampiric sadism, he'd handle the situation in a similar way, since there's no way he'd be the asocial loser in class (-: However, his super beauty as a vampire doesn't work here, and it wouldn't be realistic just to exist to have friends :-*
hey anon! thank you so much! i'm excited to continue it, hoping i get another chapter in before christmas. here's the fic for anyone wondering, it's called the basketball diaries and i'll ramble a lil bit here, don't mind me.
putting it under a cut for discussions of drugs
so i've been writing drug addict fics for a real long time now and i generally consider myself able to make any character into an addict, primarily due to my wide scope of knowing and under the pretext of "it can happen to anyone", and in dialovers, i've now written shu, reiji, laito, subaru, ruki, kou, yuma and azusa. hence i moved to ayato.
ayato has gone up a lot in my heart since i first found dialovers in 2017 and especially since my re-obsession era in 2021. the more i read him, esp LE, the more i learn about his strengths and weaknesses. he's vulnerable, he's got academic trauma. he wants to do well, he does, but he's scared of trying because he doesn't want to make himself look stupid.
and contrary to the ayato can't read joke on my DL server, ayato can read and i think he's pretty smart if he really wants to do something. i.e. his MB after story he DOES get a degree but it's for yui's sake. he has to have a reason. and without said reason, he's void of motivation and frankly doesn't really know HOW to try.
you're right, ayato acts like a silly goofy big strong vampire because he's convincing himself he's The Shit. he bigs himself up as Yours Truly, pretends he's the best, because his entire self-worth growing up was based on the assumption he was going to be The Best. and if he's not The Best, then he's a failure.
when you combine that mindset with a situation where he obviously isn't going to be the best, you have a perfect recipe to write a drug fic i think.
he can't possibly be that guy with no friends, he wants to be liked and the best. but most importantly, he has a deep intrinsic desire to be the best academically too. but he never learnt to study, he has zero self-worth, and starting uni away from his closest brothers (laito n subaru in this case) in a difficult degree is challenging. couple this with the fact i gave him ADHD bc ADHD ayato has my heart, he's lost. and because being the best in his mind is more important than his own health and sense of self, he'd be willing to do anything to maintain that. and if he found a drug which does that for him, why wouldn't he use it, yknow?
i won't spoil too much about the fic there by mentioning yui's role in this (bc yui doesn't appear until ch11 unfortunately), but this is an overview of why i'm so excited to write an ayato addict fic finally.
on a similar note, next up Might be shin, actually. shin has potential, mostly from stuff in his LE. because of endzeit, shin very much has this mindset where he needs to prove he's sick in order to get validation. like he needs to be sick to prove something about himself. obviously if this weren't canon then endzeit can't be a thing, but i could talk for hours and hours and HOURS about the "needs to be ill to get validation of health" trauma (mainly due to personal experience) and it'd be really interesting to write in the context of drug addiction!
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goonmaxxed · 14 days
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⠀⠀annyeong! ━━━★ it would seem you have found @pervcoded's ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀sideblog!
welcome to goonmaxxed! this is my handy dandy before you follow post. before you read it tho, you might wanna check out my dni first.
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hello! i'm luka, dog, blair, what have you- and it's nice to meet you 👋🏾! i'm a college student from america, painfully scatterbrained and puppy eager to talk to you guys. sorry in advance if i come off as strange in my interactions- you can rest assured i am trying my best to be normal LOL!! i adore a lot of things! i'm big into music, dungeons and dragons, critical media analysis, cats! sanrio! fashion! philosophy! art! and more- but let's get into the fun stuff first!
i'm (surprise!) a writer and roleplayer and have been doing both for many many years. this isn't my first run around the tumblr block, but i decided it was time for something a little different; my writing is majorly comprised of dark content starring fictional characters. i have a largely animanga focus, but some of my interests (and favs) at the moment are: fallout new vegas arcade, veronica jujutsu kaisen gojo, geto, yuuji alien stage dewey, isaac, ivan, luka chainsaw man denji, kishibe, quanxi, aki gokurakugai alma... kimetsu no yaiba sanemi... my hero academia izuku! slashers (horror villains)... games like boyfriend to death, price of flesh, and dol
and i'm likely to add more in the future. beyond that however, i'm a huge writing nerd! very obsessed with the craft, though i've only (extremely) recently became interested in reading and growing my technical knowledge on what it means to be a good writer. i'm most interested in gaining a sense of community, making friends, and bonding through writing - over egregiously horny anime characters, of course.
there are not many topics my blog won't touch on, though certain kinks: scat kink definitely/certain kinds of emetophilia/throwing necro in there too, why not, will not be explored on my page. i'm not interested in writing loli/shota/underage content on my page, and it can be assumed characters are 18+ unless otherwise states. i also will not be exploring real-world racial discrimination/raceplay in a sexual/pornographic context, this isn't the place for that. if any more no no's come to mind, this blurb will get updated.
as for what i am willing to write:
gn! and male! readers, trans readers, afab/amab readers, non-con, feral/unhinged/yandere tropes, a/b/o + hybrids (feral and humanoid traits, love body hair and fur), size difference. scent kinks/musk/marking/scenting, hands, feet, general body worship (sigh....<3), dub-con, incest (step or blood relatives), dom top characters, bottom reader, uppity readers, powerful readers, bimbos..., fantasy plots, action plots, porn with plot and porn without, feminine men, feminization + force fem, masculinization, masculine women. drug paraphernalia/drugging/aphrodisiacs, etc. and more to be added in the future. you can also just ask- if i don't want to, i'll let you know.
i hope it was fun getting to know me! i'll be seeing you over at @pervcoded!
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magnetarbeam · 1 year
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Frames of Reference (WIP 1)
[I feel like I'm almost at a chapter break, but there is a lot more to do here.]
When Ahsoka woke up, the first thing that registered was that she didn't know where she was. 
She stood bolt upright, instantly assessing the situation and ready to run or fight as needed. 
The two others in the room with her turned away from whatever they were doing and fixed their attention on her. Ahsoka quickly realized she sensed no hostility from them, and only then did she decide to let herself relax a little. 
"You're not in danger," one of them - human, male-presenting, red hair and blue eyes - reassured her. "You're in the Jedi Temple on Shedu Maad. You chose to be here." 
"Oh." Ahsoka blinked, trying to recall everything that had happened as she took in her surroundings: A room more than large enough for three people to live in - by her standards, anyway - featuring two other beds, a computer, and various other features that suggested that the place had been lived in and used for some academic purpose for some time.
On the small table next to the bed Ahsoka had slept in rested a pair of WESTAR-35 blaster pistols and a DC-15S carbine, the weapons she had carried with her in the Siege of Mandalore. This observation further relaxed her. 
"I remember now," she said truthfully. Discovering that the Jedi of this era had learned from their mistakes, were no longer under the command of politicians that knew nothing of the needs of the oppressed or compassion for innocent beings, had motivated her to give it a chance. 
That, and there was just no place for her anywhere else. 
"I'm Ben Skywalker, by the way," the one who had spoken before introduced himself nonchalantly. "Jedi Knight." 
"I'm Padawan Vestara Khai," the third person said. Ahsoka took a look at her, light brown hair hanging loose, brown eyes that spoke of trauma at least as profound as Ahsoka's own in a comparable number of years, a scar on the side of her mouth that curved to evoke the shape of a smile, and- oh.
Blast it, Ahsoka.
"It's okay," Vestara said with a self-assured smirk. "It happens to everyone." 
"She's not wrong," Ben said, with a certain satisfaction in his voice that obviously meant I was first. Then he thankfully changed the subject. 
"So what happened to you," he asked Ahsoka, "at the end?" 
"Hyperdrive malfunction," Ahsoka said shortly. 
"Oh," Ben almost looked disappointed. "Yeah, that can happen." 
"What were you expecting?" Vestara asked him. 
Ben shrugged. "I hoped it would be a little more dramatic." 
"I had just killed a Sith Lord without my sabers, if that helps." For all that she had grown out of thinking herself invincible, Ahsoka couldn't help the pride that colored her voice at that accomplishment. 
As Ben and Vestara gaped, Ahsoka remembered her quarry's track record. 
"Unless - wait. Maul didn't come back from that, did he?" 
"No," replied Vestara. 
"Not yet," replied Ben. 
Vestara rolled her eyes. "Really?" 
"Hey," Ben defended, "we know better than anyone about bad guys who won't stay dead."
"It's been sixty-five years," she said dryly. "I think if he was somehow still alive, we would have heard of it." 
Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "That's what they said about all the Sith."
"And that was just the Banites," Vestara said, as if to agree with her.
As Ahsoka realized the implications of that statement, Ben and Vestara exchanged a concerned glance, and something passed between them in the Force. Ahsoka didn't have the context to guess what they were thinking. 
With a hesitation that Ahsoka didn't appreciate being on the receiving end of, Vestara started explaining. 
"There's a planet out in Wild Space called Kesh." Vestara's voice took on  a more reserved tone that Ahsoka wasn't sure what to make of. "Five thousand years ago, during the Great Hyperspace War, a Sith dreadnought named Omen was knocked off course from a hyperspace jump and crashed there. The crew didn't have the resources to repair the ship, so they conquered the primitive natives and made the planet theirs." 
Ahsoka considered that. "I assume they aren't still stuck there." 
"Yeah," Vestara said awkwardly. "That's where I was born." 
There was a beat of silence. 
"What?" Ahsoka asked, her complete bewilderment causing her voice to rise to a pitch she knew some humans couldn't hear at all. 
"When you're from," Ben spoke up, "the Jedi believed that you could never come back from the Dark."
At a loss for words, Ahsoka simply nodded. 
"Before my dad even founded the New Jedi Order," Ben continued, "he had turned Darth Vader back to the light side using the love of a father for his son, and it was Anakin Skywalker who killed Palpatine."
Ahsoka wasn't ready to examine every emotion that sprung up in her upon learning that. Which was just as well, because Ben was still talking. 
"When Palpatine came back from the dead," he said, while Vestara rolled her eyes at that, "my dad turned to the dark side, and Aunt Leia pulled him back from it.
"My mom was raised by Palpatine and trained in the dark side," Ben continued, "and Dad brought her into the light." 
"Okay, I think I get it," Ahsoka said. "Since that misjump, my life has become a perpetual existential crisis, but…" She arrived at her conclusion on the matter in barely a second. "I think this change is for the better."
[As I've mentioned, there's not going to be actual romance between Ves and Ahsoka, but it is probably going to be queerplatonic.]
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thinkatoryprocess · 1 year
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hey so um. sorry if this is weird and you hate it but. as a queer female snowflake with complex (in my mind, nuanced) political views, it's really refreshing to see a fan author who does not portray all characters who are not alt-left as irredeemable and disgusting. i have reasons for believing what i believe and my issues with the left (as well as my issues with the right) are legitimate. IDK. I think my corner of the internet is so steeped in antis and stalinists and death threats that my faith in balanced conversation divorced from extremism has started to fizzle out haha. Just- thanks for writing beautiful, human stories, you know? you might disagree with me politically, but i'm still a person, and it really fucking sucks when people forget that.
This ask has been sitting in my inbox for a hot minute as I figured out if or how to answer it. I think I've got it though.
First of all, thank you <3 <3 One of the things some people don't take away from YKW just looking at the tag cloud is that it is a redemption story and that Roman's love is born from falling in love with a sincere and genuine person whose beliefs happen to be pretty terrible. The thing it's easy to forget, I think, is that there are two types of people within any kind of political belief: there are those who sincerely believe in what they say because they think it's for the betterment of just about everyone, and there are those who say what they say because they want a system that will benefit them and they want the clout around being in the group of that belief. Those people are everywhere.
Now, I balked in saying this, but I am usually pretty good at telling the difference between the two - mainly because being loudly trans and disabled and a communist will usually make the second type of person be outright mean at some level. What I tend to do when I run across people further to the right of me who seem genuine and not gleeful in any kind of hatred or bias is... I don't know. I work with them until they push back on me. It's not always a blast, but they're always startled, because they're used to people spitting in their faces, and they're also very intrigued at the prospect of a real conversation with the opposition. I'm not saying make friends with awful racists, I'm saying that if there's a genuine human factor to someone's political beliefs, there's hope to bring them to a place where they won't do something harmful or they'll have a twinge of doubt the next time something biased crosses their mind.
So what I guess I'm saying is that, be safe, but if you're okay with the risk, there is a chance for dialogue with the right kind of person. Because there are definitely people getting off on the power of their political theory of choice, but there are also people whose main interest is in helping others - some of whom believe that increasing the speed of the gears of capitalism actually betters the world as a whole, or (without bothering with the context of racial police violence) that BLM protests are causing the very division that they're protesting and just want everything to be okay. And personally I think they're wrong, but the very fact that their approach isn't "I'mma get mine" means that there is a human with feelings in there, you guys. There are a lot of reasons people are conservative, a lot of it has to do with upbringing, sometimes with pipelines, sometimes with religions. Often the structure of politics doesn't make sense without conservatism to people. I get that. I grew up tradcath and I can't view religion without a Catholic lens, so I don't even bother (ugh).
My personal political view is this: while I prefer to work with people who totally get what the hell I'm talking about, my social media is absolutely batshit sometimes because I've got the opposite of an echo chamber going and the wrong post can set off a firestorm of discussion. Sometimes it's not great, but sometimes it can be really interesting. And, best of all, sometimes I can get a selection of different groups to help me on things I'm doing on an activist front, because it's not "I'm a communist, donate to this project", it's "this project is important because of X, Y, Z, please donate" and the charitable impulse from the further right and the mutual aid impulse from the further left can kick in.
I don't know. All that colored my writing of Mencken. This might be a stupid thing to post, but it also feels like necessary context. OP, thank you again for being willing to send me something like this. It means a lot and I know that people are vicious out there. In general, even if it comes to conflict, I prefer a sincere and good faith opponent to a disingenuous one 100%. Keep that spirit.
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crankynewt · 2 years
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What did you think of aunt may dying
hey! waited a long time to respond to this one because i wanted to give everyone the chance to go see no way home before i did (then forgot it was in my inbox haha) but now i think it's safe to answer!
as sad as it was and as much as i sobbed my eyes out, it was perfect. the issue with uncle ben is that you see so little of him before he dies and it's immensely well known that he does in fact die so don't get attached to his character. may, on the other hand, audiences have the chance to get to know and love without that looming knowledge that her time with peter is immensely limited. she is also given the screentime to establish her meaning of "with great power comes great responsibility," because ever since peter became spiderman she clearly took the power that he held very seriously. not powers in a literal sense, but spiderman's status as a public figure and what good can be done with it, and used that for charity work and helping the little guys that the being a "friendly neighbourhood spiderman" includes in its jurisdiction. not only does it ground peter whose adventures are taking him far outside of the neighbourhood and ensuring that spiderman (even if indirectly) is still helping them, but it reminds me of a line in tasm where ben says that peter's father believed that if you had the power to help somebody then it is your moral obligation to do so.
also the way she died was kinda perfect, the fact that it was dafoe's green goblin who is such an iconic character in the spiderman comics. it made the death so much more meaningful from an audience member's standpoint that it was such an iconic interpretation of the character that a lot of us grew up seeing who took her life. peter needed to go through that same struggle that peter 2 and peter 3 underwent when they lost ben since as much as he loved tony and saw him as a father figure, only knew him for two years compared to the aunts and uncles who literally raised him. in order to justify the presence of andrew and tobey and to make it more meaningful than a money grab there needed to be a struggle larger than "my identity was revealed to the world," and that death and having to forgive norman osborne enough to save him gave them that.
looking at the larger context of the film, there was definitely a theme of rebirth towards the end and closing up ties with the interpretations of characters that we have grown to love. this was both in the case of bringing closure to the two cancelled franchises and the characters from those, but also the characters that peter has known so far. not to say that mj, ned, and happy won't all eventually come back because i'm sure they will, but it creates a fresh start to introduce other iconic characters. we'll probably get to see new versions of gwen, miles, harry, and eddie, which when past characters return will bring a more interesting dynamic to the screen. peter may have to choose between mj and gwen, fight a ned who doesn't remember him, and help miles the same way tony helped him. we'll actually see tom's peter become more true to the spiderman we see in the comics since, as much as i love tom's version, was far too reliant on stark tech and tony, so much so that he was almost more 'iron boy' than 'spiderman' at times. may, unfortunately, wouldn't have fit into this transition as there is no doubt that peter would have no choice but to seek her out for his own survival (the cost of living is so expensive rip), and because of this her death was inevitable.
hope this answered your question!! 💖
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acciocriativity · 3 years
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You and Me II || Harry Potter
Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Slytherin/Reader
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Summary: After years at Hogwarts, your life would really begin and nothing could be better than to start this new phase with your official birthday party, but the next day does not turn out quite as expected.
Warnings: For those who haven't read the first part yet, Tom Riddle is not Voldemort in this fic. The first wizard war was against another wizard but its consequences are still valid! Just pure fluff and an implied bit of smut.
Word Count: 3,0k
A/N: This is obviously the part two of You and Me, but it’s not necessarily related, so you can just read this one as a one shot but the first part gives you a lot of context for this, ok? ok then. (Happy really early Birthday Katie! I'd like to post this on your bday but I was too anxious for this. Hope you like it!)
Part I
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04/27/1997
"You're really not well, how can a person be in this state when their birthday is so close? I've tried to understand and still can't", the brunette's bored voice made itself present in the room for the 4th time in the day and as I prepared my answer, she held up her hand and delivered her own hypothesis first. "You can't be sad that we're finishing seventh year, I swear for Merlin's sake, if that's the case, I'll...", the words slipped slowly from her mouth, as did the calmness remaining in her.  
"Even though anything you have to say sounds like a lot of fun, it's not the case. I really want to start my own life, have my own job and all that. I'm just thinking a lot lately, too many things have happened, we've all changed so much", I didn't bother to look at her, still focused on the ceiling painted like a blue summer sky and she didn't mind asking permission to lie next to me on the bed. 
"We had to grow up eventually, although some took too long, in fact, I can point out for sure that half the boys still act like kids", we both laughed until our bellies ached.
"Well, good for us then because Draco and Blaise are not on that list and don't even dare look at me like that, you know he's changed a lot", I heard her amused giggles and already imagined what was coming. 
"I wasn't even going to say anything this time, it's really impressive how you just stick up for him, I hope it's the same with me", I frowned and looked at her as if she was out of her mind, and there were chances she really was. "Since when do you need protection from someone?". 
"I never said I needed it, but it's nice to know I have it", she shrugged without looking me in the eye and I decided it would be better to change the subject, because nothing good ever comes out of a Pansy, who is unseasy in any sense. 
"So, about your...," she started. "Pansy, what do you…”, I said at the same time, but I just smiled and waited in silence for what she had to say. 
"I was going to ask about your parents, you're going to have to live with them in a month, so how are you feeling about that?", she just glanced at me. 
"That's been going through my mind, I have no idea what it's going to be like but it's going to be better than anything that's happened in the past, that's enough for now", I sighed. 
"You know you can come to my house, right? You can hide there", I agreed with a smile and we continued in a comfortable silence. 
04/29/1997
7:30 A.M.
 On the morning of my birthday, I woke up in the best possible way. The warmth emanating from Draco's body and the thick blanket kept me unfazed by the freezing wind coming in through the window. I didn't want to move and I didn't need to. 
I sighed satisfied with the position I was in, curled up under the blanket hugging the blond's bare torso, with no responsibility or obligation other than to enjoy my day. 
"Morning, love", his arms pressed me tighter against him, I could feel his calm breathing and somehow, I felt calmer too.
I left a few kisses on his bare skin and the goosebumps they caused on him made me break out into a little smile. "Good morning, love", I whispered leaning back against him.  
"Come here, let me give you a proper happy birthday", he gave my hair a quick pat and lifted my chin to look at him. 
 As soon as I crawled closer to him, his arms entwined around my waist and pulled me even closer. 
"Happy birthday my love", he left several little kisses on my face and neck before moving to my lips, but our moment was interrupted by a noise on the window.
 A gray owl incessantly beat its beak on the window pane, we looked at each other, neither of us wanted to get up, but it would be too cruel to leave the poor thing waiting there. 
"It's my birthday, I have the right to ask you to go", I gave a brief kiss on his lips before letting him go to the war field. 
 I stayed warm while he opened the window further so that the owl could get through, as well as the icy wind. 
He rushed back to my side in time to see me tear the seal off the letter I received. 
"It's from my parents, they are really working hard this year. I have to admit that", I told him as I scanned the paper. 
"At least they realized what a great daughter they have, she's a little mean but still great", I was too busy reading the letter to notice his cunning and more icy than usual hands pass around me.  
 I jumped out of bed as I felt the shock of our skin contact and he had the audacity to laugh, I had to control myself too much not to grab my wand. 
"Draco Lucius Malfoy, you are dead now", I climbed into bed with my pillow, ready to fight. 
20:00 P.M.
 A few hours later, I was getting ready for the party in the Slytherin common room, everyone was invited since after this stressful year, a party would be nice and I couldn't physically kick anyone out. 
I was barely concentrating in my makeup, Nala was running back and forth between my feet wanting attention and I couldn't give it to her or for the next few hours, no matter how much it broke my heart. 
"For Merlin's sake... Nala! Sit!", it saddened me to see that she obeyed but still wanted to come running to me, that deserved a good reward.
 I fed her one of her favorite cookies and petted her shiny fur before going back in front of the mirror. I checked several times to make sure I was ready. 
"See you later my love, mma will be back soon", I waved to her and went downstairs before I gave in. 
 There were already a lot of people when I arrived, the new song by The Weird Sisters was so loud that Pansy didn't hear me, even though I called out 2 times as she passed by on the other side of the room. 
As I made my way through, many friends stopped to congratulate me and also to chat a bit, by the time I realized what I was supposed to do, more than 10 minutes had passed. 
"Have you guys seen Pansy? I was looking for her", I said before turning my own glass of buttered beer over and leaving it in Tom's hand. "See you guys later", my eyes were glued on the blond guy standing in the corner and in less than a second, I was walking towards him. 
"What the hell am I supposed to do with that?!", I heard his indignant voice but ignored it along with all the other people, who tried to talk to me on my way to him. 
"You know, the delay is only elegant because it doesn't last more than 5 minutes", he was smiling even though he hated tardiness. 
"Maybe for most people, a queen is never late love, the others were too early. Especially when it's her birthday", I stopped in front of him. "You haven't given me my present yet, I'm waiting", I pointed to my own lips.  
 He chuckled and looked at me for a few seconds before he said  something, even with the lights flashing I could still see the twinkle in his eyes, which still reflected mine equally. 
"Are you asking this as a gift around too?", his smile widened as did mine, he took a step closer. 
"Does that mean you're not going to give it to me? I had high expectations for this one in particular", something in his gaze changed, I could clearly tell but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. 
"That particular one can wait, right now, I have my main gift", he took his hands off his back and in them was a green velvet median box with silver details. 
 I was almost breathless just admiring the package once it was in my hands. To top it off, a green silk bow and I had the impression that he had made it himself. 
When I opened it, my jaw dropped. A silver necklace with an emerald heart carefully displayed in the box. 
"Draco, you really didn't have to give me something expensive", he didn't answer me, instead took the necklace and helped me put it on. 
"It seemed like an appropriate gift, now that we will no longer be living by Slytherin rules, it’s a nice way to say goodbye", I didn't think twice before I kissed him. 
"I love you, I'll never get tired of saying that", I whispered between kisses. "You won't forget that, right?", I sighed as he brushed his lips across the skin of my neck. 
"I have no reason to forget love, I...", we were interrupted by a forced cough behind me. 
"Why don't you two just go into a room? No one has to see this scene", Blaise's unmistakable voice sounded and I felt my boyfriend giggle, not moving out of position. 
"You can go after your girlfriend instead of getting in our way, wouldn't that be a brilliant idea?", I didn't see what happened, but a nice answer wouldn't be."So where were we honey?", he raised his eyes to meet mine. 
"We better save that for the end of the party love, wasn't that your idea?", I pulled away from him and took his hand. "You have a whole party to enjoy." 
"I already regret that decision, thanks for reminding me", he mumbled that and a few other things I couldn't hear. 
07/01/1997
7:00 A.M.
"I still can't believe this is our last breakfast at Hogwarts", Astoria commented amidst the silence that had formed at our table. 
"I still can't believe it's really over, it seems like any minute now I'm going to wake up and be back in third year", Pansy added. 
"Well, I hope you'll make better decisions if you go back there tonight. No one forgot the hair Pan", my remark made everyone laugh for the first time in the day, a bit of pride grew inside me. 
"Just because Hogwarts is over doesn't mean we're going to split up. None of you have any right to be this down today", Theo said and I was forced to smile as was everyone else. 
"I was glad to be rid of you, at no point I was sad," Blaise muttered but we could all hear him and we all laughed once again. 
8:00 A.M. 
"What are you thinking?" he was with his eyes closed leaning against the train window, but I knew he wasn't asleep. 
"How familiar everything here is, the worn leather of the seat, the smell of candy in the hallway and of trees coming in through the window. Other things will be familiar 7 years from now, it's just weird to think about it," he continued in the same position but held out his hand to me. 
"That's true but I feel better knowing that we will continue to be each other's constant," I intertwined our fingers and we continued like that until we arrived.  
11:00 A.M. 
"It's time for the gifts, we prefer to give you personally. I believe you will like it", my mother said as soon as we sat down on the couch in our living room. 
 I smiled not knowing how to respond, since I usually got the same thing every year, money or more paint, and I was pretty sure they didn't choose in person. 
"Go ahead, open it. We decided to give two separate presents this year, the pink wrapping is mine and the purple one is your father's", the two boxes were right next to me on the couch, so why was I hesitating so much to pick them up? 
 A lot was going on in my head, they have changed a lot in the last year but why? I could be dreaming of the ideal day, but no dream was as vivid as this one.
I took a deep breath and opened the pink first, I expected to find anything but my stuffed bunny, he was washed and clean, different from how I remembered, but still the same. 
"I thought I lost or tore it a long time ago", I managed to say as I hugged him like one who finds an old friend, but he was beyond that. 
"He was really in a rough state, but I was able to fix him. It was in one of the boxes in the basement, remember how you got it?", I agreed again, a wave of memories washed over me. 
My parents had just arrived home from a business trip, it was the first time I had been alone at home without them. 
"Mommy, Daddy!", I ran down the stairs as fast as my little legs would allow and threw myself into my father's arms, not caring about his wet coat, which soon became even wetter. "You promi-promised that you would be back soon”. 
"Oh my love, something unexpected has happened. We were never going to leave you alone for so long," her hands wiped away my tears and took me in her lap. "So, for you never have to be alone again, we brought a little friend, he will always keep you company when we have to leave." 
That wasn't enough to calm me down but it made me curious enough to stop crying, I didn't have any friends before that. 
 I hurried to open the other package but there was only an empty picture frame with no photo inside. 
Before I could open my mouth to ask for an explanation, shapes began to appear from the black background. 
I recognized the picture, me still a baby in my mother's arms and my father behind her, hugging us both but as soon as I blinked, it was gone. 
Another picture formed in its place, I was older, about two or three years old, this one I had never seen. I was on my mother's lap holding a drawing that I had made and possibly looked terrible. 
More pictures appeared and disappeared but I didn't wait to see them all at that moment. 
"I loved these gifts...thank you Mom and Dad," I made a great effort to hold back the tears as I hugged them both. "They are the best presents I have ever gotten." 
23:00 P.M. 
"What are you two doing out there at this time of night?! Draco, have you been drinking now?", Narcisa gave us another stern look before opening the door and shoving us inside. 
 We walked in almost tripping over the living room rug, laughing at each other, to the point where tears formed in our eyes.  
"Shhhhhh, my dad must be working... uhhhhhh, he's not going to like this, u-um," his hand covered my mouth. 
I pushed his hand away from my face. “Me?Shut up? You're practically screaming you idiot!".
 "You two, I don't want another peep out of you. Come up quietly. Your father doesn't like to be interrupted," she whispered, but it was enough for us to agree without hesitation. 
"Yes, Captain, I mean, ma'am," he pulled me up the stairs before her patience ran out. 
07/02/1997
14:00 P.M. 
"What do you mean, you don't remember what happened?", the blond was clearly trying hard not to laugh and I sighed, still under the blanket. 
"I don't remember Draco, did your mother really not hate me? I can't believe we came here...", even though no one was watching me, I started to blush, or was it just the fever? There's no way to be sure now. 
"That could never happen, she made sure to request your favorite tea. Now get out of there before it gets cold", he tried to pull on my blanket but I used all the rest of my strength not to let him.  
"Noooo, out there that's too cold. Come here, it's too cold for you too", I took one of my hands from the comfortable warmth to pull him to me. "You didn't have to get up so early to get this", I whispered but soon after started coughing. 
"There must be a potion to help you, I'll just get it and then...", he was ready to get up from the bed but I didn't let go of his arm. 
"I just want you, please stay here? The elf will bring it anyway", before he could protest, I covered him with the blanket. "You're not well either, let's just lay down for now". 
 He opened his mouth to deny it again but all that came out was a sneeze, after this he just gave up and lied down too. We were both screwed but at least we were together, right? I tried to think positive.
[ @x-dratie-x @fa-me]
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Harry Potter Masterlist
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Neon Nostrade ABC NS/FW Headcanons
Okay. I’m gonna do this for our baby girl because well, she has a different set of kinks altogether. 
By the way, I will be referring to KuroNeon and KuroNeon when I’m doing this headcanon. 
Rated R Warning: Lots of vulgar terms. Don't like don't read. Don't go inside a cave and complain it's dark. I will block anyone who complains.
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Let’s go for the ABC Headcanons of this brat: 
A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)
She’s two moods: either really drowsy after a good fuck or talkative. If she’s worn out good, she will be very sleepy and just want to lie on her partner’s chest. 
If she still has energy left, she likes to have a pillow talk with her partner. 
B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)
Girlie is proud of her curves and face. She knows she’s cute and she has the curves. She’s not afraid to dress up for her man and drive them absolutely crazy. 
She likes her partner’s biceps and back. She likes to scratch and caress them when they are in a missionary position. 
If she's with Kurapika and knows his Kurta identity, she worships his eyes (kinda fucked up but yes!). She likes how it turns scarlet because of his deep intense lust (and maybe hatred) while they’re having sex. She finds it alluring, like a moth to a flame. For Chrollo, it's his spider tattoo.
C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)
This girl swallows. Nuff’ said. She likes to be milked too. She's submissive and breedable.
She also likes having her partner's fingers stuffed into her mouth after they finger her. A little taste on how wet she is. 
D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)
She has a bunch of lingerie shoots that doesn’t show her face. She then post it on OnlyFans to gain extra income. Just lingerie pics because she enjoys modelling for it. However, she won't show her pussy or boobs. Those are VIP access only.
She also fucks her new head bodyguard aka Kurapika and had a one time fling with Chrollo. Papa must never know this.
Good girls are just bad girls who haven't been caught.
E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)
Not so much. She isn't a virgin per se (really think one of her clients or Chrollo took her virginity), but she also hasn't gotten around much due to her father having people to guard her 24/7. She usually doesn’t take the lead so most of the time she just goes with the flow. 
F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)
Anything to do with her partner dominating her. Girlie likes to get dicked down hard. So think of missionary, doggy and all sorts of variations that goes deep.
G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)
She is very childish and teasing alright. She's not serious about it. To her, sex is for fun. She wants to enjoy it. She giggles a lot whenever she gets a pleasant reaction from her partner.
H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)
Yeah. She goes to those high-end bikini waxing services to get her pussy groomed once ever three months. She may show her lingerie to others but she only shows her lady parts to someone special and she has to make herself look presentable.
I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)
Uhhh... she is playful. She usually relies on the non-sexual dating part that her partner does for the romance.
J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)
This girl likes to read smuts or listen to audios to get herself wet. If she really wants to get down on it, she uses a good ol' vibrator to buzz herself. She has to do it in a room though, where no one is around.
K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)
*clears throat* This girl makes the best porn to write LMAO. I can think of a few kinks when it comes to her (and her r/s with Chrollo or Kurapika).
With Kurapika:
Discipline and Bondage: Her bratty attitude pisses off his stern no-bullshit personality. Sometimes she does it on purpose to egg him to punish and fuck her. She secretly enjoys it when he spanks her, be it using his hand or his belt. She realises that he might be into bondage based on the chains on his hand so she suggested tying her up. They used ropes, clothes, handcuffs and of course (actual, not his Nen) chains. He sometimes chains her up Shibari style and likes to see her pussy drool over the chains. This starts whenever she acts up, throws a tantrum and Kurapika has to deal with her bs. It's not easy disciplining this naughty brat but he likes the challenge until she's an obedient brat begging to be his cumslut. When she's being a good girl, he'll reward her with a good fucking and another present (e.g. jewellery or handbag or whatever she wants).
Degrading and Humiliation: This comes with the disciplining part. Whenever he disciplines her, it comes with degrading her. Neon loves to be called all sorts of degrading terms: slut, whore, brat. He's usually very uptight so it turns her on when he gets vulgar during sex. It gets even more intense when it's hate-fucking. He's supposed to dislike flesh collectors but here he is enjoying the flesh of a pretty collector, and so they engage in hate-sex filled with degrading her and Neon loves every filthy second of it.
Breeding: Yes, I know I said Kurapika ain't gonna want kids, based on my analysis of him and it makes sense. Only after he accidentally knocks her up, then he'll realise "hey, this ain't bad". So when Kurapika realises that perhaps repopulating the clan isn't that bad, Neon is more than happy to produce kids with him and be the freakin Kurta baby factory. The whole baby-making process is fun, they will make sure they won't waste a single cum drop. Neon also loves to address Kurapika as "Daddy" because she knows it makes him feel powerful and it represents fathering her children. Sorry Light Nostrade, Neon has another daddy now.
With Chrollo:
DD/LG: Their age gap and height difference screams sugar dating. He loves to indulge in her materialism and spoils her like a brat she is (he just steals those items and gives it to her). Chrollo is one freaky mf who calls her princess, kitten, baby girl and all sorts of really cute nicknames. Chrollo isn't like Kurapika who would degrade her. He likes to praise his little sex bunny because positive reinforcement works. He wants her to dress up in all those frizzy lingerie costumes and roleplay in DD/LG.
Toys: [See the T for Toys for this one]
M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)
One word: power. 
That is in the form of money and dominance in her partner. She loves it when they give her what she wants materially, be it that nice taxidermy butterfly necklace or that designer brand clothes and accessories. She doesn't care how you get it, but if you give it to her, she's sure to reward you.
Another thing that for sure turns them on is being dominated. Be it with Kurapika, Chrollo or anyone else, Neon loves to be dominated and fucked. Hold her by the neck. Let her know who is in charge. Make her beg to be fucked. A little possessive dirty talk will get her wet. Anything to do with establishing ownership of her.
L = Location (favorite places to do the do)
Neon likes having sex in the bedroom or in the guy's office. She likes to disturb her partner while he's working so they end up doing it in the office. Or some luxurious hotel. A bathtub will be good too.
There's a very specific location I want to write her having sex with Kurapika. A location so messed up yet so angsty but I will keep quiet about it for now. You would need to be one creative sicko like me to guess this one. Heh. 😶😶
N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)
A big no is her being 100% dom. Neon is kinda lazy in that aspect. She doesn't like to do all the work and wants the pleasure/pain handed to her. At most, she'll ride the guy while she's on top but she's going to be a real tease about it, hoping that they would get impatient and flip her over. When they do, she'll be more excited because that's what baby girl wants.
Stuff like pee or anything to do with that is something that she'll never do.
O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)
She likes to have her pussy eaten out of course. And how they make her come through oral sex. However, she prefers to give SLIGHTLY more. Just slightly. She likes to get her hair grabbed and face-fucked. Sometimes she engages in cock worship.
P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)
Usually, she says things like "fuck me harder", "don't stop" etc. to encourage getting fucked at a faster and rougher pace. Especially when they hit her G-spot. That sends her crazy. She does appreciate the slow and sensual but only at the beginning or near the end. Depending on the context of the sex session.
Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)
Yeah. She likes quickies. This has something to do with disturbing and teasing her partner while he's at work. Yes, I'm talking about Kurapika. So a little quickie just for him to relax and catch a break is Neon's favour for him for working so hard.
R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)
Yes. She's game on taking risks. She's actually the one who will initiate and explore with kinks she finds on the net. Heck, she once proposed getting fucked against the window and in the balcony, risking the fact that someone might see them (Papa absolutely must never know what his daughter has been doing). The fear and thrill of getting caught arouses her.
S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)
I think at most two rounds. The sex can be really intense and this girl lacks stamina. She didn't go through formal Nen training (remember that she got hers without training), and her partners are Nen users and physically fit so they wear her out.
T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)
She owns them alright. She uses a vibe to pleasure herself. It comes in handy when she gets horny during ovulation and there's no one to dick her down.
As for using them with a partner, she uses a lot of toys with Chrollo. Whether it's the anal beads when Chrollo wants to get her ass fucked while he rams the front or making her wear vibrating panties in public, she's sure down for it. She also will wear a tail butt plug to complement her kitty outfit that Chrollo instructed her to wear. She'd gladly follow whatever freaky fantasy he wants.
With Kurapika, they don't use toys except for bondage items. If Neon were to sleep with a woman, she'll prefer to get fucked with a strap on.
U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)
Neon is the queen of teases. Especially if her lover seems uptight. (Yes, Pika boy, that's you).
She'll randomly sends him nudes while he's working. She'll touch his lap/balls lightly when they're eating side by side. She'll say stuff that sounds suggestive in inappropriate timings. She'll wink. She'll roll her tongue while eating and making eye contact. Just to initiate sex.
V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)
Neon has a high-pitched voice. She's very vocal during sex. She can't help it. Honestly, she sounds like those girls in hentai porn but more genuine lmaoo. She'll moan, squeal, whine, squeak and pant with the occasional "yes", "fuck me", "harder" and all the short needy dirty talk to push them to do her rougher.
W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)
She likes to shop for her outfits. It excites her thinking what type of kinky outfit she should buy to make her partner horny. Be it another lacy lingerie, bunny outfit, kitty outfit, she'll be sure to look delectable in her man's eyes.
She looks REAL good in pink or white. Most of her outfits are in that colour. 💖💖
X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)
Neon has a B cup. She doesn't have those giant breasticles like Pakunoda or Shizuku. But that's understandable. I once estimated her height based on Chrollo's height and the manga panel where her head is at his shoulder. She's about 150cm, maybe even shorter. She's a petite girl. She has curves in proportion (she's not a loli, she's just small in height). But that's her charm. She's cute. Easily carried to be fucked.
Side note: The height difference between her and Kurapika (171cm)/Chrollo (177cm) is so good in this aspect (if you guys know what I mean) hehehe kekekek.
Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)
Hmm... I think Neon is mid. She does likes sex but she isn't a sex addict. She gets in the mood easily, especially when she's horny during ovulation. She won't be in the mood when she's angry or upset at not getting what she wants.
Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)
She's exhausted after it happens. Definitely be sleeping like a baby. She'll lay on her partner's chest and doze off comfortably. If she still has the energy, she'll demand for round two or just pillow talk. Chatter her way until she falls asleep.
To end it off, I would like to give you guys some links to fanart where Neon is being hot, art by @anotherworldash :
Cat Outfit
Cat Outfit with Buttplug
Bunny Outfit Regina George reference
Neon in Shibari ropes
Chrollo and Neon
Kurapika and Neon
Neon sucking Kurapika off [Yes, you read this right]
Neon in pink lingerie
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rpg-elf-girl · 3 years
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Shadows House
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I have a lot of thoughts surrounding this particular show, both good & bad.
Allow me to give a quick summary for anyone who hasn't seen/read it!
Shadows House is about 'a faceless family of nobles who all live within this giant manor, the Shadows House.
When a Shadow comes of age they receive a 'Living Doll' to both serve as their face and to clean the soot they emit from their bodies.
The most important rule of the living dolls is "don't fret over trivial matters"
A task which is difficult for the ever curious doll Emiliko.
Watch this tale unfold as Emiliko & her mistress Kate navigate this ever mysterious Manor together.'
For a fan of slow burn thrillers, horror, slice of life, supernatural & mystery series' this has been an absolute blast!
It's not quite the combination of genres you'd expect from a show, but it works really well here!
In fact I was so into the anime that this is actually the first show where I broke down and read the manga!
Unfortunately there's no official English release, but at least there are some people translating the series!
As much as I'd like to go on about the manga, this post is meant to be more so about the anime so I'll (try to) leave it at that.
Though i feel obligated to warn anime onlys I'll likely refer the manga a lot in a spoiler section latter in this post I'll try to be vague but I can't guarantee anything. For anyone worried about that I'll lable it do you can read on until then.
Everything from the animation to the music was amazing & completely fit the mood of the story! I remember a couple scenes where I actually teared up because of this!
The Ending theme is an absolute banger! I've listened to that on repeat ever since I first heard it! And the Opening is also great! It's cool for it to be an instrumental, stuff like that is pretty rare! I also heard the song in the op as a motif in the music throughout the show! It really sets the right mood in each scene it's in! It's amazing for getting into each episode!
In terms of adaptation almost everything from the beginning to the end of the Debut arc was done amazingly well!
Even with the stuff they cut it still holds true to the spirit of its source.
The main important part that was cut is something that could easily be introduced latter if they decide to go for a second season, so I'm not too mad about that.
However! Everything after the debut is a bit of a different story.
There was a lot I liked about the last couple episodes but there were some parts that were immersion breaking for me.
I've been being vague up until this point l, but I'm planning on going into spoiler territory for both the anime and manga after this. So I'll make a quick spoiler free summary of my thoughts before moving onto that.
I really really loved this show but in my opinion the last 3 episodes were the weakest of them all. They went anime only for the ending. I don't mind that on it's own, but it was rushed and the writing was sloppy at times.
Now I'm not telling you to not watch the show! Most of It's really really good, and I can still see people enjoying the parts I'm talking about if they want to give the anime a try. Overall I've fallen in love with this series and I could never recommend it enough.
If what I'm saying is giving you bad vibes the manga is available and doesn't have the issues I've mentioned. You can look for a translation online, it didn't take me long to find one so don't worry too much about that.
Also! if you're an anime only who's finished the series and want to know where to pick up the Manga I'd recommend at least skiming through the beginning. I know it might not be what you're looking for but there were a bunch of small scenes that either got cut or were merged for adaptation purposes that I think are super cute & give more context to different aspects of the setting. However! Pay close attention during the "night watchers part" something important got cut .
~~~Now for spoilers!!!!~~~
I don't want to make it sound like I'm some manga purist who hates the very thought of the slightest change from the source. I'm anime only for a lot of different shows and I've always despised it when that type of manga reader reared it's ugly head.
While I'll admit some changes did bother me I won't make a fuss about the smaller stuff.
With that said!
I hinted earlier in this post that I didn't have a big problem with Robe-same being cut. That was because without them there it does make for a more complete story if they only get one season to work with.
If there is another season they can easily be introduced latter on. Like maybe Emiliko & Shaun can meet them when the Debutant class reunion is going on before they talk on the roof (or right after that) I actually think that would be the perfect time to introduce them (other than the time they were supposed to appear, but I digress)
Louise teaming up & being friendly with Kate can be explained with some dialogue changes at the first Debutant Class Reunion. Louise can say she was just trying to show off or that she just wanted to get back at Edward and that she isn't interested in helping Kate with her problems. Things can then go on as they did in the manga.
Kates being reckless & telling everything to John can be explained by her being extremely panicked when Emiliko went missing, as long as there are some lines of dialogue adressing this it's fine. Though I do wish she tried to keep some stuff a secret but couldn't because Shaun tries to interfer because he's still brainwashed, or something along those lines. It felt a bit weird after she just told Emiliko to keep that stuff between them. Still that could be explained by how panicked she was.
There are other things, but I don't want to drag the post on too long. Most of the issues can be fixed with little changes here & there.
I never had a problem with the idea of them going in an anime only direction. I just want to have a good time with the show.
Unfortunately I can't 100% vouche for the direction the show went in. There were elements that I can't excuse, even viewing it as it's own entity instead of an adaptation.
My main complaint with it is how they handled the brainwashing of Ricky & Lou. They didn't say a word when the Debutants were talking badly about Edward & even went along with a plan to go against him. It makes absolutely no sense!
Shaun freaked out when John only suggested that he didn't have to be loyal to the house. These guys were flat out rebelling against an adult! It felt like Ricky & Lou didn't have a purpose & were just there to be there.
The whole point of the coffee is to influence shadows against doing stuff like this. It makes the coffee seem pointless and the adults seem dumb for relying on it to control the kids.
I haven't even brought up the fact that both of their brainwashings were broken by something as simple as a few kind words. It straight up contradicts the rules established by both the Anime and Manga.
This becomes very apparent when you consider all the trouble John & Kate went through to free Shaun & Emiliko.
This was my biggest complaint, but I have some other issues as well.
The next big one is how they handled Edward.
1. Why on earth would he even consider kidnapping Emiliko when he had complete control of the childrens wing? Before this point he was depicted as being a lot more crafty than this. He could easily have Kate monitored or something.
2. Why didn't he use his powers to stop them like what he did to Maryrose & Rosemary when they fought back being taken to the adults wing? He's already shown off his power at this point, why not?
3. Why did he reveal his soot powers at all!? Especially while using his face in front of the kids! The whole unification thing is one of the biggest secrets of the house for good reason! There's no way he wouldn't get in huge trouble for exposing it to children!
Here are some other related questions.
Why didn't Kate, Emiliko, & John react to Edward using soot powers? They shouldn't know about unification yet so why didn't they act shocked, or say anything about it?
Is Edward being banished even an option in the Shadows House? Wouldn't the third floor lords just dispose of him rather than risk letting him leave?
How did John even get a veiled dolls outfit? Louise had to use her powers to get Kate one & she left a long time ago.
I can't think of much else at the moment, but I think you get my point.
Please don't take this as me saying that I hate the show because of these episodes. Even if I consider them the weakest of the series I still found a lot of parts to be very enjoyable!
Like I thought it was adorable When Edward was attempting to interrogate Emiliko & she kept being her sunshine self pretending to eat & falling asleep.
Barbara getting to tell off Edward for breaking the rules was great!
I loved seeing Shaun hatch the plan to get Kate into the adults wing to save Emiliko.
Seeing John (attempt to) sneak around the adults wing had me rolling!
The ending scene of Shaun, Ricky, & Lou singing gave me the chills.
(Though I wonder how they'd handle Shaun & Emiliko being brainwashed again since they already used the scenes where they're freed)
Kate & Emilico being propelled by John back to the children's wing was absolutely amazing! I found Shaun & Ricky running over to catch them to be super sweet! (Not to mention the way that scene was animated was absolutely gorgeous!)
Getting hints to what was supposed to come after the debut was nice, at least the groundwork is there in case this gets a season 2!
To (try to) wrap this all up while there were a lot of things I loved and disliked about this show I still had a really fun time watching it!
I kinda hope there's a season two just to see if they can tidy up the mess that the last few episodes created.
Regardless of whether that happens or not I came out of this with a series I absolutely adore.
Heck I could make a whole other post about the manga. (Hopefully one that's less ranty)
Anyway! I won't take any more of your time.
I hope you all have a wonderful day/night! And I hope to see you in my next post!
(Sorry if this one was a bit of a mess!)
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rpmemesbyarat · 3 years
Conversation
RP meme from Scream Queens Ep 6 "Seven Minutes in Hell" (Note: Offensive content, use at own discretion)
Everyone would immediately assume the killer is me.
Are you one of those idiot savants who's heavy on the idiot, light on the savant?
I am simply a victim of my times.
Are you aware your pants are on backwards?
Then whose fault is it?
I am never talking about anything ever again!
Yeah, super sorry about what happened down there.
Why are you laughing?
What about that fit you threw down there?
You're not mad at me?
Oh, I meant everything I said about you.
I still think you're useless. I'm just not sad about it.
You never, ever want to be the boss in a time of extreme crisis.
As soon as you become the boss, you get a target on your back, from the feds, the other families, ambitious underlings.
Sure, seems like you have all the power, but you also take on the most risk.
Oh, don't judge me for trying to stay alive.
Do not give an inch.
What's your game here?
I trust you about as far as I can throw you.
I know we don't know who the killer is, but we know it traces back to this house.
There are two things that always happen at a slumber party; someone experiments with lesbianism and secrets are revealed.
We can create situations and scenarios to really prime the pump.
We'll lock everybody up overnight, and we're bound to find out something.
A slumber party sounds fun.
Let's play spin the bottle.
Someone always goes lesbian.
We're playing spin the damn bottle.
Why spin the bottle?
That is not a nasty rumor. That is a true rumor.
So I propose a panty raid.
You taste like wax.
I guess we have to kiss.
You're a great kisser.
Was I interrupting you?
I was just practicing looking disinterested.
I'm pretty sure I was born without that part of the brain that actually feels stuff.
We have so much in common.
I'm starting to think we have something very important and specific in common.
My sex life up until this point is what you'd call unusual.
I think the only way to be sure of your feelings is if you let me gently rub your uterus right now.
When I love someone, it drives them insane.
Believe me when I say that if it was possible for me to feel anything I would totally be crying right now.
That doesn't seem healthy.
All the doors are locked solid. Windows, too. Upstairs and down.
I decided to have the whole house turned into a panic room.
But wait, doesn't that mean that there's some sort of switch somewhere to deactivate it?
I hate being trapped in small places.
There's only one reason why the killer would do something like this-- to pick us off one by one.
Guess it's just a matter of time before one of us or all of us ends up dead.
You have to help us.
Look, I'm prepared to say I'm sorry I did that.
What I'm not prepared to do is say the sex was bad.
Yeah. I'm not gonna apologize for that one.
I'm about to get murdered, so can you please just hang up and get over here?
How on earth are we supposed to get in if all the doors and windows are locked?
Dude, we climb up the ladder, break the windows upstairs, save all the girls, climb back down, then it's vagina city for all of us.
Why would you bomb-proof upstairs windows? For what, like, a flying bomb?
Don't be an idiot.
It's hero time.
Save me and I'm yours forever.
I'm not really sure I'm ready for that level of commitment.
Break the glass!
Stand back, fair maiden.
Give him the dignity of watching him die.
Someone in this house definitely knows who the killer is.
It's truth or dare time.
Whatever it takes to stop the douche that's trying to kill everybody.
I mean, do you ever just stop and ask yourself if we can actually pull this off?
Maybe we all just need to get out of here.
The best way to avoid a shark attack is to not go in the water.
We all have a crisis of faith sometimes.
Maybe you're hiding something.
I'd pick truth and then just lie.
If you want to lie, you can just pick dare.
That's the whole point of truth or dare. You can't lie.
Does your vagina have teeth?
I'm not lying.
My vagina doesn't have teeth.
Does your vagina still have teeth?
So it used to have teeth, but you got them removed?
So your vagina still has teeth.
Sounds like you're trapped in a web of lies.
You're forfeiting your turn, bitch.
Okay, I guess it's my turn, then.
You promised you wouldn't tell.
Sorry. I had to tell the truth.
Of course you're the killer.
I propose we take a little break, You know, take a whiz, get a refill.
You know what? I'm sorry. I'm sorry I ever trusted you.
I wanted to talk about the other thing you said, about how you thought you had feelings for me.
The only feelings I have for you now are rage and pissed offedness.
Now go sit in that bathtub and think about what you've done. And try not to rub one out, okay?
Come on! I said I was sorry!
If anybody's down here, please don't jump out at me.
Is that blood?
Wait. If you're gonna kill me, at least show me who you are first.
I knew it. I knew it was you.
Please. You don't have to do this. I could help you.
There's never any food in there. Just laxatives.
I got the impression that you and I are on the verge of being the next "it" couple.
See, this is the problem with texting, you know? You can't hear the context.
Even though I decided to not wear a bra, you haven't been staring at my shirt raisins once.
Okay, look, I was waiting to talk to you about this 'cause secretly I was hoping you'd be killed and I wouldn't have to hurt your feelings.
I just don't think it would work out with us.
You're nuts, and not like a typical crazy-eyes co-ed, but wake-up-with-my penis-in-a-jar lunatic.
I love space mountain. Best ride at Disneyland. But I love my penis more.
Number one-- I never take second place. And number two-- I don't stop till I get what I want.
Was that salad spinner hitting on you?
I am super turned on from her, and I need some sweet release.
Is there any, like, Crisco or cooking oil here? Just, like, dry handies bum me out.
I propose we treat ourselves to a little heaven. Seven minutes in heaven.
Whatever your plan was, it isn't working.
Would you like to pat the little man in the canoe?
I want to take our relationship to the next level.
I want us to be together, but I want it to mean something.
I love boning girls all over this great land. But really, at the end of the day, I just kind of want to bone one girl. Like, that one special girl.
I just didn't think that girl was you. Because, obviously, there's so much wrong with you.
Will you get back together with me?
I would consider taking you back under one condition.
You have to pinky-pledge that you will be monogamous to me.
You will not have sex with anyone else. Do you understand me?
Dude, she looks like prepackaged meat from the supermarket.
Oh, god, has someone checked on the kids?
Pretty convenient that you're the one who found the body.
You're the darkest bitch of them all.
Those are some serious accusations, and they make no sense.
I would be opening myself up to a lot of trouble if I were to turn you in to the authorities.
It doesn't do any of us any good to start accusing each other with no evidence.
I suggest that we just have someone stand guard and watch me for the rest of the night, or until someone else dies, therefore proving that I am not the killer.
This feels so good.
I tried to scream, but nothing came out!
Interesting. That's all I'm gonna say. Interesting.
There is a trapdoor with, like, a tunnel system.
But wait, there are secret tunnels in this house perfect for a killer to use, and you neglected to tell us?
That's a little suspicious.
We are losing sight of the big picture here.
I'm not going down there. I do not dig on cobwebs, and I'm guessing there are loads of cobwebs down there.
If you get murdered in those tunnels, I promise I will never bang anyone harder than I banged you.
You're so rich and hot.
These are the nicest secret tunnels I've ever seen.
Wow. What amazing legacies they all have. What do you think ours will be?
If we can get through this year without everyone getting killed, I think we'll go down as the greatest of them all.
You came back for me.
Purely selfish.
You are probably the worst cop ever.
Wait, where are we going?
I won't go!
In three seconds, I'm gonna pick you up and carry you out of here.
I just kind of came over here because I farted over there and it smelled bad.
Wait, you're a lesbian?
Basically, I'm in love with love.
The next time I feel love for someone, I'm going to tell them. Right away. Just in case they're murdered before I can.
I just feel like I'm never gonna find a guy who likes me.
I'm a freak.
Nobody actually likes me.
You are totally gonna find another guy.
They're custom-made pink nunchaku.
Thank you for making that announcement that no one cared about.
No slumber party is finished without a kickass dance party.
This is so wonderfully random.
What a great way to pretend all these people we know weren't brutally murdered.
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bai-zewarrior · 4 years
Text
So I finally nailed down my designs for the black heart characters (except colossus, perry/predator and Madusa I'm still massing with them) along with some head canons! The characters might look a bit weird next to each other, I didn't draw them all on the same canvas. I know I'm suppose to but I was lazy and didn't want to re draw the refs on one canvas. I also appologize for this being so long.
I'm hoping to start a comic with these guys. I always end up saying no to projects like this because I don't think my art is good enough but I think I'm going to put my foot down this time!
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Hal:
Can talk(unlike my version of Cyan)
Pretty laid back but knows when he needs to be serious
Will curse you out
Thinks Aura and Nautilus are cute together
His cape works as his "soul meter"(idk what to call it). It has 3 squares on the back that represent Hal's souls. The cape becomes tattered and ripped when souls are taken.
He just wants 5 minutes of peace without someone trying to take his souls, please give him his 5 minutes of peace.
Really hates colossus
In the context of black heart I don't consider him a nano bot. He can bleed and stuff like that.
When he sleeps his body starts to heal any wounds and mend his cloths. This leaves him defenseless as he will remain unconscious until it's finished. He tries not to sleep out in the open and often uses caves and trees as temporary shelters when he needs to sleep. This can also activate when he is knocked unconscious but in cases like with Colossus the healing part is stopped.
He can change colors but he prefers red. His cloths don't change colors with him. Just his skin and his cape.
Again, in he context of black heart, I imagine Hal just kinda woke up somewhere with a bit of knowlage about himself and that's about it. Shortly after works he ran into Aura and Nautilus for the first time. He considered the battle a joke.
Nautilus:
Has glowing markings all over his body. He can cause them to glow at will
Can only breath air for around 10 minutes( this time can decrease with some conditions such as heat or cold. This is because his gills need to be wet for him to breath air, so if it's really hot out his gills will dry out faster)
Has a stutter due to the N.A.T.U thing, among other things. Like trust issues when Xero is around
Is euryhalinr(this just means he can breath any kind of water)
His suit adds about 100lbs to him (material, water, and special boots to help with balance when moving around in the suit)
Likes to make jewlary with shells and stuff
Loves Aura to death. Would litterally die for her.
His teeth work like a shark's. One falls out? You've got plenty more to fill the gap! He has given pretty much all his friends breif heart attacks when he casually spits one out after they hear the loud bone cracking noise of a tooth braking. He keeps all the teeth.
Runs on all fours for some reason. No one knows why, including Aura.
Aura:
Learned all her magic from her parents
Her parents lived like hermits because they believed people still hold witch hunts. Aura hated this because she snuck out a lot and knew that this wasn't the case.
Can be a bit forgetful with spells so she always keeps her book with her at all times
Love Nautilus to death, would die for him too.
Can't swim, her body it denser then water so she just sinks. Nautilus is almost always with her when she's near water for this reason.
Aura's wand is broken but she just keeps fixing it with tape because she doesn't know how to make a new one. She also doesn't want to ask her parents because they wouldn't let her live it down.
Made the headphones Puffer wears so he doesn't have to worry about Siren trying to mind control him, again.
Aura has a secret garden. She uses it to grow her magic plants. It has a defense system that even Jestar can't get past. Only those she has given permission can enter, but those people can give temporary permission to others. Only Nautilus, Puffer and Solario have permission to go into the garden.
Has gotten use to the weird things Natalie can do.
Puffer:
A bit of a hermit, but will open up when he trusts someone
Always has his eyes closed because he thinks his eyes look scary. He can still see for some reason? (Like Brock from pokemon, idk how he could see but he traveled like 3-4 regions like that)
Changes colors depending on emotions. Blue is calm and happy, purple is upset and sad and red is anger and frustration.
Puffer can create lots of spikes all over his body if needed as well as a set of claws. He doesn't do this often.
Likes to cook but keeps it a secret from everyone. (Aura and Nautilus found out though, they just kept the secret)
He really doesn't like Siren after what she did to him, but he will talk to her and hang out with her if someone else he trusts is around.
Really wants to apologize to Hal but he hasn't gotten the chance to yet.
Is really self conscious.
He's not very good at swimming but Nautilus teaches him when Siren isn't around or in Aura's secret garden.
Siren:
Likes to sing for no reason
Has a not so small army of skeleton fish
Is litterally heartless (she doesn't like to talk about it)
Has a crush on Puffer but she doesn't know how to fix the bridge she burned with him
Plays chess with Myst a lot(and wins a lot, much to Myst's dismay)
She can shape shift her tail into a pair of legs. This was a "gift" from Jestar to help her be a better assassin for him
Thinks Xero is a prick
Likes to steal Xero's alcohol sometimes
Can water bend. She can't blood bend though. She's tried.
Likes rock and country music for some reason
Nautilus likes to play with her fish some times.
Knows a bit about necromancy. She doesn't like to talk about it though. She never does it in front of anyone besides her fish army
Myst:
Doesn't like to talk about his life outside work
Is well over 100 years old( he lost count)
Is very protective when it comes to Shade
Doesn't really understand Shade but will support her regardless
Likes to smoke when he thinks no one is around
Can create an umbrella to protect himself if he is caught outside when the sun comes up
Likes to play chess
Is basically a dad to the other assassins
Rarely opens his third eye. This usually only happens when he gets frantic, scared or extreamly angry
Does not have any remorse over killing Parry
He doesn't eat in front of others if it can be helped
Myst told Nautilus about Shade once. He had a bad feeling and asked that if anything happened to him Nautilus would take care of her. Only problem was no one thought about the address of Myst and Shade's mansion. He found her though, don't worry.
When he is exposed to sunlight it will immediately cause him to get sunburned. If he doesn't leave after about 30 seconds- 1 minute he will start to die slowly and painfully. He has taken a lot of tea baths because of the sun
Solario:
A big dork
Very loud and bubbly
Is a prince from a kingdom galaxies away from where black heart takes place in
Was suppose to marry the moon from the moon is getting away level (haven't given her a name yet) but she unknowingly broke Sol's heart so he left. He wanted her to be happy and he clearly couldn't give her that happiness.
Doesn't understand "mortal" things but wants to learn.
Nautilus taught him the word yeet and now he won't stop using it
I headcanon that his voice actor would Gary LeVox(lead singer of Rascal Flatts)(don't ask why, I can't change what has happened in my brain)
Will stop at nothing to see his friends happy
Likes hanging out with Aura, Nautilus and Puffer
Can make himself hotter or colder at will. He tends to stay at a heat that won't hurt others when the go near him, but not cold enough to cause himself harm.
If he gets to cold he can die. He also starts to become extreamly cold or extremely hot before death. The direction his tempature goes in is dependent on what he was doing before hand. (Example: reading a book, gets shot, starts to get colder and colder. Attacking Hal trying to get his soul, shapeshifts so much he almost blows himself up, gets hotter and hotter)
Can be a bit over dramatic sometimes
He is incredibly strong. He can lift both Puffer(who whieghs roughly 230 lbs) and Nautilus when he's in his suit(so about 250 lbs) with no trouble. He forgets about his stranghth some times and has accidentally thrown a few things before quickly trying to fix it.
His shapeshifting isn't limited to just objects, he can shape shift small things about him self like his cloths or his entire body into something like a dinosaur. He doesn't do it often though. Mostly just the cloths thing.
Jestar:
Yells a lot
Thinks everyone is incompetent except Xero, for some reason
Accidentally took Puffer when Siren joined do to a confusion about Sirens powers. He refused to send Puffer home.
Colossus is basically just his pet
Xero is the only one who can get away with yelling at Jestar. No one really knows why but they hold really long arguments about all sorts of stupid stuff
Did I mention he yells a lot? I did? Well I’m saying it again. He yells A LOT.
Can shapeshift in to anything
Does not know how to handle baby Madusa. He doesn't know how to handle people in general, and he thought creating a baby was a good idea.
Xero:
Smokes and drinks a lot
Has a German accent(I can’t un heard it, I’m sorry)
Has a wrapped sense of humor
Calls Natilus “shark boy” after natilus bit him(this is related to what happened before N.A.T.U)
Calls everyone a nicknames besides Jestar.
Makes more robots then he needs and holds robot death battles at night.
Wants to dissect Siran after he found out she’s litterally heartless.
Is drunk 90% of the time but that's when he works best. He doesn't care that he has a problem either
Dressed Madusa up is costumes a lot during the 2 weeks it took him to grow up. He created a scrap book with photos of them too.
Can actually be a really nice dude when he wants to be. He doesn't normally want to be nice
90% of his robots are idiots
He's left handed
Colossus:
Is basically Jestar’s pet
Doesn’t speak a language anyone knows
Is basically a king without a kingdom
Starts out really tiny but gets really big for a short period of time once he has infected someone
Shade:
Has trust issues
Is only like 16 years old
Has normal(ish) ghost powers because she was born a ghost
Drives Myst nuts with her edgy stuff
Likes talking to Perry(she meets him after the Funk Hole level)
Can bounce between having a ghost tail to having normal legs.
Her flower is technically apart of her but she doesn't consider it part of her.
Perry:
Kinda skittish around people who look scary to him(so 90% of the black heart cast)
Has a crush on Shade but won't admit it out loud because he's scared of getting bitten in half by Myst, again.
Around 18 years old
Left home because his mom and brother suck and he wanted to be a ghost hunter like the ones he saw on tv. He got his wish for like 2 hours?
Transforms into Predator during the full moons and special moons. Special moons can have different effects on his transformation and mental state. Like a blood moon causes him to become more blood thirsty but a blue moon causes him to actually retain his normal mental state.
He has a habit of spiraling about everything
Predator:
Can't say anything understandable
Each part of his head has a brain so they agrue sometimes
Around 5X the size of Parry
Acts like a dog sometimes
Would have probably just ate Hal instead of taking the souls.
Madusa:
Can breath underwater and air without issue
Doesn't like the fact that he looks like Nautilus
Hasn't figured out how to swim fast like nautilus yet but won't admit it
Calls Jestar dad
Actually gets along well with Xero
Xero calls him Moccasin
Has markings like Nautilus but they only glow in the dark and they aren't as bright
He's allergic to shell fish
Actually had about a 2 week period where he was a kid. Xero and Jestar just gave him a special serum that caused I'm to grow up faster.
Most of his teeth ended up like Aura's but his canines are significantly sharper then they would be. Xero also found an extra set of teeth under Madusa's adult teeth.
Doesn't like the idea that his whole life rests on a tiny, easy to brake, stone on his head but just rolls with it.
Scared Jestar and Xero a lot during his first few days of life. He not only descovered his allergy to shell fish but almost got himself caught by the others a bunch of times.
All these guys belong to OL666 except Hal, he belongs to vitamin games
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sillyrabbit81 · 3 years
Text
Her Heavy Cross
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Summary: Three years after tragedy hits, Lana she decides to start dating again. She meets Will through a dating app and they begin an online romance. After months of constant requests, Lana relents and agrees to meet and go on an irl date with Will. But is Will who he says he is? Lana is quickly pulled into an intense relationship forcing her to confront her tragic past. Will Lana face it or will she close her heart forever?
Pairing: OMC x OFC
Word Count: approx 3k
Warnings: swearing, angst, implied smut
Authors Note: The story started as a Henry Cavill fanfiction but I changed it to be an original character, but shades of Henry are still there. Hope you enjoy the story and thanks for reading.
Part 10 Part 12
Part 11
The next few days were monotonous. Most mornings, I would go to the gym. Then I'd head off to work. After work, I'd take Perrin for a walk. We stopped at the dog park a few times to throw the ball. Then I'd go home and read or watch tv. After dinner, I would FaceTime Liam before falling asleep.
Although I missed him terribly, it had been good to have some space. I was able to think about us a bit. Liam was always great on the phone, a gentleman even. Yes, he flirted with me and made inappropriate comments, but they were always in context. I'd be lying if I said I didn't flirt with him back. But it was nice to get to know him better, and I decided I definitely liked him as a person and a lover. He was sweet, sincere, funny and warm, the same as he was when he was Will. He seemed to accept who I was. There were no digs at me, maybe some friendly ribbing, but it seemed he liked me too. We spent a lot of time laughing. We had a similar sense of humour.
He opened up about some of his past relationships, how he felt about them and what went wrong. A lot of the times, he admitted to fault, especially in the early ones. I talked a bit about Andy but kept a lot back. No doubt, he noticed.
Thursday afternoon changed everything.
Liam called me when I was driving home from work at about four-thirty. It broke with our routine. We usually spoke around nine o'clock. I answered the phone, and Liam's voice came through the speakers.
"Hello, Sweetheart. How was your day?"
I smiled at this now familiar greeting. "Really good, Liam. How was yours? Have you finished work already?"
"Yeah, good. I'm supposed to stay for another hour, but I wasn't needed, so I left." Liam paused and said, "Listen, Lana, I have to tell you something."
"Oh, no."
"Yesterday, a parent from your school saw the pictures of us." I went cold. I was 10 minutes from my house, but I pulled over. "She left a message on one of the pictures that you look like a teacher from her kid's school." Oh shit. "Anyway, this morning, you were on duty at the "kiss and drop", whatever that is."
Robotically I said, "it's where the parents drop the kids off at school without getting out of the car." I could see where this is as going.
"Right." He sounded strange but continued. "Well, they took a picture of you, put that side by side with the others. Long story short, Sarah was called to confirm your name."
"Oh, for fucks sake." I was pissed off. "What did she tell them?"
"She said she couldn't confirm or deny."
"In other words, yes, but my boss said, don't say anything."
"That's a bit unfair, Lana. She can't lie to them, or they won't bother calling her when they get a story. They will just run it because they can't trust what she says."
"Fuck this," I said and hung up on Liam.
I slammed my foot down on the accelerator and spun the tires. I had a Toyota Camry SX. It's sort of sporty, but it's not meant to be driven like that, but I was fuming. Liam rang again, but I ignored it. I backed off and slightly and rounded a corner, tires chirping as I went. I fumbled in my bag, driving one-handed until I found and lit a cigarette. As stupid as it was, I drove the rest of the way home like that.
When I got home, I quickly changed into my Draggin jeans, leather jacket and riding boots. I grabbed my helmet, gloves and went for a ride.
I loved being on the bike. Andy was the first guy I'd been with who rode. I remembered the first time he got me on the bike. He hadn't even let the clutch out, and I screamed and jumped off. The second time was better, and I went around the block before I got off. The third time, I was hooked. I loved holding onto his waist as we rode, my chest pressed against his back, my thighs touching his, my hands under his t-shirt. I loved the heavy thrumming of the bike, the wind whistling past. It was exciting, erotic, but also calming. Calming is what I needed.
I was so angry. Not at Liam or Sarah. Or even the bitch who outed me or the others who put my photo out there in the first place. I didn't know who I was angry with. Hollywood? Gossip? Social media? Myself? Maybe I was mad at myself. I deserved it. I'd turned my back on Andy, fucked another guy, and now I'm in a relationship with him, according to public record. Every time someone googles my name, his will come up.
The parents at school will give me looks, and I won't know what they are thinking. Will they be laughing at me? And if it didn't work out, everyone would know. I would have to go through a break up while everyone watched, picked at it, chose sides and commented.
I rode for about an hour up through the Blue Mountains. When I stopped for petrol at Wentworth Falls, my thoughts had settled, and I was thinking clearer. I stopped at a cafe, got a coffee and checked my phone. Liam had called twice more and sent a few messages. Riza had called and texted me.
I checked Riza's first. It was a link to an article, Liam Cross's Secret Aussie Lover. Her text simply said, "Jen just found this. Call me if you need me." I didn't click the link.
I checked Liam's. He said he wants to make sure I'm ok. Then he said he wants to come over and talk to me.
I called Liam. He seemed to answer before it even rang. "Sweetheart. Are you ok?" He sounded a bit frantic.
I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I snapped at you."
"I knew you'd be upset."
"Upset is one thing. I snapped at you and blamed Sarah. You're right. It's not her fault."
"Lana, don't worry about that. Did you read the article?"
"No."
Liam was quiet a while. Then he said, "Are you ok now?"
"Yeah, I'm ok. I just needed some time to calm down." I let out a short laugh. "I am a redhead after all. I have a temper."
Liam laughed, "Do I have to be worried about being stabbed in my sleep?"
"Nah, being a redhead wouldn't make me do that. I get that part of me from being a Scorpio."
"I don't know whether to be scared or turned on right now."
I smirked, "Why not be both?"
Liam laughed and then got serious. "You sure you're ok? Do you want me to come over? I almost did get in my car when you wouldn't answer."
"Stalker," I teased.
"And that's why I didn't."
"I'm not at home anyway."
"Where are you?"
"I took off on the bike to clear my head. I'm in the mountains right now."
"The mountains?"
"Yeah, the Blue Mountains. Look west tomorrow, and you'll see them."
"I'll do that." Liam paused. "I'm really looking forward to seeing you tomorrow."
"I'm looking forward to seeing you too. Bye, Liam."
"Bye, Sweetheart."
I finished my coffee and rode home.
I texted Riza to let her know I was ok. I played with Perrin. I texted my brother to remind him to pick Perrin up tomorrow afternoon. I ate some dinner before packing my bag for tomorrow and went to bed. It was a long time before I finally fell into a restless sleep.
Liam Cross's Secret Aussie Lover
"Pictures of Liam Cross, 38, with an unknown female were circulating on social media earlier this week, and tongues were set wagging.
"Users were quick to put their detective hats on and tracked down Cross's new flame late yesterday. The woman was identified as Mrs Alana Walker, 30, Sydneysider, and special education teacher. Not much else is known about Mrs Walker other than she was widowed in 2017.  Her husband, Andrew Walker, and father Brian Kelly were killed in a horrific Boxing Day crash when his car was destroyed by a truck driver who had a medical incident behind the wheel.
"Sources close to Cross say that he has been elated the past couple of months, and now they know why. They hope for his sake that this relationship will not be plagued by scandal like his previous relationships.
"For now, Cross's camp is remaining tight-lipped on the situation. While they don't deny a relationship, they will not confirm it.
"Cross is currently in Sydney for an adaptation of the widely popular and romantic fantasy epic Beyond the Stones series by C. W. Taylor. He will co-star alongside Australian Myra Roberts with an expected release in the northern hemisphere winter of 2022."
I woke on Friday morning and laid in bed for a while. I should have gone to the gym, but I just couldn't get my body to move. I wanted to chuck a sickie, blow off the whole day, maybe go for a swim, or just watch movies all day. I had an urge to watch Kill Bill for some reason. But I couldn't do that to the kids.
I knew I was just trying to avoid the parents at school. I'm sure most of them know by now. Gossip runs rampant at the school gate. We've all seen Big Little Lies. Probably all the staff knew too. It was one of those days where I wish I could just press fast forward and get to the part where I see Liam again. I didn't want to miss out on that.
In the end, I got up, showered and got ready for work. I tamed my hair, put on my war paint and dressed in black work pants, ballet flats and a pink knitted cardigan.
I started to pack my bag for the weekend, trying to work out what outfits I needed. I had decided what I wanted to wear for dinner tonight, but I didn't know what to wear to bed. Would I even need anything to wear? I blushed at the thought. I packed a basic set of pyjamas. I added jeans and a couple of t-shirts, a hoodie and my Dr Martens. I put some pretty underwear in there too. I didn't have much, just a white lace set which Liam had already seen and two black lace sets. I packed them all.
My phone beeped, and I got a message from Liam. It was a picture of his face all sweaty from working out. He had his tongue sticking out. He had written, I was going to send you a picture of my cock but thought that was a bit vulgar. So I decided to send you a picture of another part of my body that's going to fuck you tonight. Can't wait x.
My whole body grew hot, my stomach filled with butterflies, and I giggled. I started to reply with 'cheeky bastard', but then I had an idea. I sent him a picture of my face with my mouth open in an O shape, and I rested a finger on the corner of my lower lip. I wrote, I was going to send you a picture of my pussy but thought it was a bit obvious. So I sent you a picture of another part of my body that's going to get fucked tonight. X
Within a minute, I got a reply of: Game on, Sweetheart.
Well, if Liam wants to play a game, I can play a game.
I pulled my pyjamas out of my bag and put in a satin shift, pretty much my only sexy bedclothes. I thought about what other sexy photos I could take and packed a few other things. Then I made my lunch and headed off to work.
I rang Riza on the way to work. She asked me about how I was feeling. I told her I was dealing with it, but I said no more about it. I asked Riza about how she and Jen were going, and she said we would meet up soon.
"I miss you," she said.
"Yeah, I miss you too. Talk soon, ok?"
"Yeah, have a good weekend slut! Tell Liam I said hi."
"Suck a dick Riz."
We hung up, and almost immediately, Dave calls.
He doesn't say hello or anything, just launches in with, "Are you dating Liam Cross?" Fuck. "One of Lucy's friends just sent her an article about you and him."
No use denying it then. "Yeah, I am. He's the one I'm spending the weekend with." I braced for his reply.
"Fuck me dead. My fucking little sister is rooting Liam fucking Cross." His voice didn't sound angry. He sounded impressed.
I rolled my eyes. "It's not a big deal. Just don't forget to get Perrin and don't tell Mum."
"Not a big deal? The kids will go crazy when they meet him."
"Dave, we are hardly at the point where we are meeting families."
"Yeah, alright, keep your shirt on."
"I'll come by Sunday arvo to pick Perrin up?"
"Wanna stay for dinner?"
"Yeah, ok. See you then."
I ended the call and got to work not long after that. I went straight to my classroom, trying to avoid everyone. There was one person I couldn't avoid, and that was Marla, my teacher's aide. She was in her late 50s, though, so I thought she would be pretty safe. She didn't mention anything all morning, which was a relief.
At lunchtime, I stayed in the classroom. I told Marla I had some work to do, so she left me alone. I checked my phone and found a message from Liam.
It was a picture of Liam drinking from a bottle of pineapple juice, and it said, Me hydrating for tonight x.
His innuendo made me chuckle, but I had planned for something like this. I took a selfie of myself with a banana in my mouth and sent it with the caption: Presumptive much? Me carbo-loading for tonight.
Liam replied a little later with, I can't decide if I'm winning because my pics are better or if I'm still winning because yours are better.
Marla came back into the classroom about halfway through lunch. She pottered around the room, trying to look busy. She kept looking over at me. I felt myself start to panic. She wasn't acting like that this morning. She must know now. They all must know. I started wondering what everyone was saying about me in the staff room. They had probably sent Marla back to the classroom to see what information they could get out of me. The panic receded, and anger filled the void.
Eventually, I lost my temper. "Have you got something to say, Marla?"
Marla had the good grace to look ashamed. "No. Nothing."
I crossed my arms. "What are they saying?"
Marla sighed, "honestly? They're mostly pretty stoked about it. Happy for you."
I let my arms fall. My vision went a bit blurry. "Really?"
Marla came over and leaned against the table, and rubbed my back. "Oh, Darl, yeah, most of us remember what it was like for you. We just want you to be happy."
I smiled at her, but the tears still came. Marla gave me a tissue. "Thanks, Marla." I sniffed, "ugh, the parents, though. I'm not looking forward to that."
Marla smiled and said, "don't worry about it, Darl. I'll fill in for ya this arvo, and you can do my Wednesday lunch duty. How's that?" I thanked her. Relieved, I hugged her and cleaned myself up.
When school had finished, I made a mad dash to the car park. I knew I was just putting off the inevitable. I'd have to show my face in front of the parents sooner or later, but I decided it was Monday's problem.
I checked my phone before I headed off to Liam's place. He had sent me a shirtless picture of himself with some rope curled up around his shoulder and written, One of my costumes has a rope. It made me think of you. I'm about to leave. See you soon.
Dammit, I couldn't think of a response to that one! I sat and thought about it for ages. I was not about to give in easily. Then it came to me. I got my water bottle and one of my spare undies from my overnight bag. I wet them a bit, put the underwear and water bottle on the bag and took a picture of them both. I wrote. My water bottle leaked in my bag, and my panties got wet. It made me think of you. I'm on my way.
The three circles came up within seconds, and Liam sent, You are in so much trouble, Sweetheart. Park around the back.
And because I can't control my tongue in real life or texts, I wrote back, That's what she said.
I didn't wait for a reply. I just put an audiobook on and drove.
Part 12
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elsafowl · 4 years
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Spoilers for Las Chicas del Cable season 5!!!
I love how the civil war is depicted. I thought they would tone it down a bit or protect the main characters, but they absolutely didn't. I was shocked by the violence in the first episode, with each character not being on the same side of the war, with both sides doing atrocities to civilians and soldiers alike.
The main story (Lidia going back to Espagna to find Sofía) is a little weak at first, but it allows a lot of secondary (and more interesting) intrigues to be put into place.
Carlos: there is so much to say about him. I am a Carlos fan since the beginning, I liked Lidia/Carlos more than Lidia/Francisco. After the first episode of season 5, I knew there was no way they would go back together, and I was waiting for a redemption arc, but I still didn't expect his death. It's realistic, he was a spy and he double-crossed his side... but still, I couldn't believe it at first. I don't know how to feel or think about his death yet: knowing the context, it makes sense some people would die. But also, Carlos was really played dirty by Lidia, leaving him behind and basically stealing his daughter away from him. But then, he could have tried to contact his daughter during the seven years, instead of becoming a freaking Franco supporter.
Carlota: what the f*ck are you doing, Carlota??? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of her being a journalist and wanting to take pictures and information directly on the front, but her behavior with Óscar?? Shitty, really shitty. For once, we have a lgbt couple, with great representation (they're both bi, with Carlota being a ciswoman and Óscar being a transgender man), and they want to fuck it up? This is really shitty, so I hope they won't make them break up in the second part (if they're not already broken up already). Then, James seems like a nice guy and I liked his little talk with Oscár while developing the photos, but I don't want a new and completely out of the blue stupid and useless couple!
Oscár: well, it wasn't a good half of season for him, for sure. I think I felt the most heartbreak for him: the scene with the Franco general in the room was so frightening and humiliating. I think the actress did a great job portraying her inner heartbreak. She's losing Carlota and her identity, and no one seems to notice.
Marga: SHE WAS SO AWESOME!!! Omg, she was so badass when she tried to oppose the Franco soldiers! A little crazy too, but this season really shows how she changed and became even stronger after these three years of conflict. Also, I loved how she was helping selflessly her neighbours and strangers, I think she was the only character to help others without some sort of secondary purpose or goal behing her actions. And her friendship with her boss (I don't remember his name tho) is cute, I'm glad there wasn't any ambiguity between the two, even when Pablo left to go to the front. Very happy Pablito and Julio managed to survive too!! I don't know how they made it back, but I'm glad!
Sofía & co: I quite liked the new team. They were cute, the romance with Felipe was predictable for a mile away, but I also liked Rosero and Marina (I think? the one who was hurt), they're representing the youth fighting for their ideals, even three years after the beginning of the war. And Sofía and Lidia's relationship was very well developed too: I wasn't expecting them to be so close, but I like it. It's a good homage to Angéles I believe: Sofía is her own character and person, she's new enough to be separated from her mother, but she's also similar to her mother in many ways.
The rest: I didn't mind Francisco being almost non present in the first part. He will probably be more present in the second part, and it made more sense story-wise to have him with Eva in New-York. Plus, it let the space to have Lidia and Carlos share a few scenes together before killing him. Same with Eva: she's 7 or 8 years old in 1939, so she wouldn't be easily inserted in a civil war context. Doña Carmen being the head of the camp was like O.o for me, she is so evil it's not even surprising anymore, actually I even laughed a little because WHAT ARE THE ODDS?? I bet she won't even care that her son died. Also, where is Eliza? I liked to see Cuaves too (is it his name? the police inspector), even if it was for a very short time.
That's it for the moment!! Overall, I truly enjoyed this first part of season 5, I was surprised by some events, shocked by others. If we forget about the state of Carlota love life, I don't think there is an element I totally didn't like - and there is still the second part of the season to repair that. The casting is stellar, the old members like the new ones, and I love the Espagna of the 30s, the architecture and the cars and just the vibe is beautiful, it must have been hard and fascinating to design each decor.
Now we just have to wait for the second part, but I guess it won't be on Netflix for another few months...
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