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whimsicallyenchantedrose · 10 months

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Season 2 Rewatch Drabbles--2x17 Welcome to Storybrooke (Bonus)

Summary: A series of 100-500 word drabbles to accompany my rewatch of season 2 of Once Upon a Time as an attempt to finally jump start the muse again. There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season. Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on the very beginnings of Captain Swan’s epic love story, as soon as a certain dashing pirate makes his appearance.

Word Count: 439

Other Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21-22) (22)

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Note: I had two ideas for this week’s rewatch drabble and I couldn’t decide which one I wanted to go with, so surprise! You get a bonus chapter this week! As I watched this week’s episode, I couldn’t shake the thought that Graham deserved better. So much better. He didn’t fully realize it until Emma showed up, but I can’t help but believe he had moments even before when he sensed that something just wasn’t quite right.

He’d dreamt of the wolf again.

The dream was incomplete, no more than a jumble of images, a feeling of freedom, but the wolf was always there, his guide and companion.

It was such an odd dream. As the sheriff of a small town in Maine, he’d seen the woods, of course, but he’d never seen a wolf, and certainly not one with a bright red eye like the one in his dream.

Graham knew in his head that he had a good life. He had a satisfying job, a girlfriend, a sleepy little town full of residents he liked.

But every now and again, he couldn’t shake the sense that he wasn’t truly happy. Something was wrong, and he didn’t know what. It was like that nagging feeling when you know there’s something you should remember–something important–just at the tip of your tongue, but you just can’t access it.

Yesterday had been one such day.

He’d been going about his normal routine, reading the paper as he sipped his morning tea, when he’d had the strongest urge to go to find the newcomer–Kurt Flynn–and detain him for drunk driving.

He’d tracked the man to Regina’s office and had just started to take the ranting and raving man into custody when suddenly the man shoved something off of Regina’s desk and Graham had felt a sudden, intense pain in his chest, a pain so strong it dropped him to his knees.

For a moment, for just one single moment, he’d been confused, suddenly wondering what he was doing. This man wasn’t drunk driving; he wasn’t even driving. Why was he so compelled to arrest him for a crime he obviously wasn’t committing? He didn’t want to do this; it wasn’t his choice. How many other times had he been compelled to do things that he didn’t truly want to do? Why was this happening? Was he losing his mind?

But then Regina had retrieved the small wooden box and returned to it some sort of red, glowing object that Graham hadn’t gotten a full glimpse of, and his mind cleared once again.

He had a job to do. He had to detain Kurt Flynn for drunk driving and keep his son Owen from leaving, no matter what it took.

He got to his feet and gave chase.

Now, this morning, he puzzled over the entire affair for another moment as he laid upon his bed trying to fully wake.

But then his mind went once again blank. He suddenly somehow knew that Regina wanted him to make a stop at her house before work. He best get to it.

NEXT CHAPTER-->

#once upon a time #once upon a time rewatch drabbles #2x17 welcome to storybrooke #graham

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darkest--light · 2 years

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I want to share this with all of you because you have no idea how much it means to me.

Yesterday I was rewatching OFMD in the kitchen and my dad came home and stood in the kitchen with me. At first I was kinda awkard because my dad is a bit closed minded (he's working on it at least) but he started asking me about the series and I had to explain him the plot and the characters and this are the best things that happened:

*He decided to watch it with me (something that I wasnt expecting at all)

*He said that lucius and Pete were cute and the gift (the wooden finger) was something really nice.

*He now knows what a nonbinary person is thanks to Jim (he had no idea about it and to my surprise was very open minded about it) he even asked me if I was a nonbinary (because I have really short hair and sometimes dress in men’s clothes) so I had to explain the difference and I think he understood.

*He noted Ed's knee brace and I almost cried when he said "He rocks it like you did with yours" (I had to use one for 3 years during highschool and believe me, it was a very difficult time for me).

*He loves Stede, like for real, he loves Stede. My dad always gave an extreme importance to fine things and manners, so you can imagine.

*He was sad during the last episode and he felt really bad for Ed when he saw how depressed he was.

*He said he wanted to abbandon Jack on a desert island XD

*"We all need a friend like Lucius in our lifes" when he saw him trying to help Stede after Ed left.

*His face during the "Have you ever been sketched?" scene was something like this: (；☉_☉) "I was expecting him to punch him or kiss him...or both"

*"let me guess, the angry chihuahua is your favorite" (while pointing at Izzy). He was not wrong.

I´m pretty sure I'm forgeting some other things he said, but you have no idea the HUGE step this was for him. The simple act of deciding to watch it with me was something I would have never expected from him and when he did it, I was honestly expecting mean comments all along, but he laughed, he asked sincere and respectful questions and he learned a lot! I can't put in words how much this meant to me and the enormous step ahead this was in the relationship with my dad.

I know he's still learning and somethings are difficult for him, but at least know he's not judging and he's trying to educate himself which is so important.

When I told my brothers about this, they couldn't believe and they were as happy as I was.

So thats all I wanted to say, I apologize if there were any mistakes (english is not my native language) but I really wanted to share this because it meant everything <3

#Sorry for the long text #OFMD #our flag means death #Stede Bonnet #Izzy Hands #Jim OFMD #Blackbeard #Edward Teach #guys this was so important to me TT #it's the 1st time I see my dad like this

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confusionism · 1 year

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TAG 9 PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW BETTER

favourite colour(s): usually greens, blues, greys

favourite flavour(s): garlic / onion for savoury; matcha or cookies and cream for sweet

favourite genre(s): i’m a sucker for historical fiction, even if the work is terribly full of anachronisms (sometimes that’s what makes it more fun). mysteries and thrillers are my bread and butter, but just between you and me— i’ll give almost anything a chance. if i were a cat, my curiosity would’ve taken me for good ages ago lol

favourite music: depends on what i’m doing! i’m that person who never takes the aux cord and shuffles the entire library bc the emotional whiplash would be too real. old school r&b one minute, hard rock the next... some orchestral score ten minutes late

favourite movie(s): i almost always say the empire strikes back (1980) as a way of signaling the general star wars nerdery. other go-to answers are jurassic park (1993) and hero (2002)

favourite series: y’know, now that i think about it, i can’t name more than five series that i’ve actually watched from start to finish. picking from that list (it doesn’t seem right to choose otherwise) i’d go with... the santa clarita diet. i wanna rewatch avatar: the last airbender, though

last song: the last thing that played on my run yesterday was... criminal - taemin

last series: i finished the first half of abbot elementary s2 and am waiting for the rest of the episodes to come out because i just know i won’t be able to resist binging them all in one sitting.

last movie: everything everywhere all at once (i shed a single manly tear)

currently reading: the firekeeper’s daughter - angeline boulley

currently watching: how’d you know my tv is on? i’m 10 mins into only murders in the building s2e2. don’t ask me when i’ll finish it, not bc i don’t like it, but bc my attention span isn’t it atm

currently working on: at this very moment, lol, i’m attempting to figure out how to answer the “favourite series” part of this questionnaire. i always get stuck on that sort of thing! outside of that, just getting by day-to-day, man

tagged by: @bourbcnchoices ; thanks for the tag! pls also take this as me liking your original post, which i couldn’t do since this is a side blog... tagging: @erstwhles (i saw that you’ve already done this so i’m actually tagging per your post’s ending blurb); @rcguereveries (bc of scd + “not-benny” + i believe you still need to show me mamma mia 2); @badiiidea (so you know why i’m still awake); @wingsandahalo (i’ve been meaning to get back on here more consistently and think of writing w/ you often); @inexorcble (it’s fun typing your url bc of that c in the middle, so here i am having fun); and in the spirit of oprah, if you just so happen to be reading this mess of a post, ‘you get a tag! you get a tag!’

#a #.thank you again!#.and as per usual no pressure/obligation for anyone i bugged at the end there

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sauvechouris · 2 years

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Tagged by @demoiselledefortune, thank you ^^ I... may have started this last monday and procrastinated to the point i had to edit some of the answers, oops.

fave colour: green, blue, and purple

currently reading: Si nous étions adultes / Even though we’re adults / Otona ni natte mo by Takako Shimura. I’ve just finished volume 4 (as of today-today not last monday), in time for volume 5 this month. It’s maybe not for everyone since the premise is about adultery, but i’m enjoying the way it shows many sides of a messy situation. (One of the protagonists got married pretty much just to not be unmarried anymore because christmas cake, she’s been ignoring/repressing her attraction to women since at least high school, and when suddenly, one evening where her husband isn’t there, a pretty lady chats her up at a bar, it unlocks some stuff for her. That’s valid, it’s sympathetic, but it’s also completely unfair to her husband and the lady who’s got it bad for her, and they all know it - including all her in-laws.) Plus, as the title says, the main characters are adults (35), which is not the most common thing in yuri, so i appreciate it.

Technically i’m also 3/4th of the way into a book about H.PI and hy.persensibility (that curiously makes very little mention of a.dh.d despite titling itself with and overusing the word “hyper”) but i paused it and now can’t make myself get back to it.

...and at the same time, i’ve slowly (because it’s mostly very short chapters, so it’s easy to pick up and put down) been reading S€x Education 120%, which sounds like a po/rn title (and being published by Taifu (/Ototo) doesn’t help), but is, in fact, about sex ed for girls, and pretty modern about it? constantly amused by that :D (wlw-inclusive too, + no chapter about it yet but they’ve namedropped asexuality, so i’m hoping for something in volume 3.) And i’ve been slowly getting Les c@rnets de l’apothicaire after reading a friend’s copies, so i’m rereading these as i buy them (and having a lot of fun with them, love the protag’s mix of being observant but mostly uninterested and unimpressed with her courtly environment, very down to earth, but a bit of a gremlin for poisonous stuff - even the slow setting up of the eventual m/f romance is fun, it’d been a while since that happened for me!), and i randomly picked up the last Fitz trilogy again, by the middle to reread specific bits of it, but i’ve reread them now and i keep going back to it anyway. j’arrête quand je veux etc

So, a bit all over the place. Plus some fic. Meanwhile, my actual to-read pile is staring in judgement from its undisturbed corner.

last song: (last monday:) Shin jidai wa kono mirai da sekaijuu zenbu kaeteshimaebaaaa 🎶 (thanks to @soveryanon who shared Ado’s songs in the latest OP movie, i’ve been stuck on them since because w o w (even though i know pretty much nothing about OP, it’s not even a “real” proxy fandom that i watch pass by and wave at when it does, stop making it sound appealing when i can’t stand the artstyle...))

As of today : the Keiko and Am@Lee covers of Synchronicity, thanks to this art yesterday.

last series: ...I’m. not very good at watching series. at all. But if the question means the last one i watched in its entirety, that’s the first cour of Spy family, if it means one i’m following it’s the current Pokémon anime (loosely), and if it means the last i watched an episode of, that’s Pokémon too but a different era of it. (I do want to watch the Man me a sand show, it’s just a matter of making myself believe there are enough hours in a day to watch one (1) episode and then executing the function.)

last movie: a rewatch of PMMM Rebellion story, i think? if rewatches don’t count, that’d be... the red panda movie...? i’m not a big movie watcher either

currently working on: making a character from a friend’s rp. I’ve never done that and have spent a good few days overthinking, even though, from what i understand, what we have to do is not complex by rp standards. ^^”” Finally found a name (last monday), now i need some more setting info from her, and to decide if i want to be practical or Mustang-on-a-rainy-day level of comically inefficient when it comes to abilities. (Still the case today.)

Also trying to see if i can trick google into letting me buy the FEH sparks, which is very frustrating both because i don’t like wanting to give money to the gacha, even if at least it’s for something guaranteed, and because it’s not working. (which is for the better, but ugh, unfair practices.)

share 10 different favorite characters from ten different pieces of media in no particular order, then tag 10 people 🎥🎬📺

1. Fitz 😔 (L’Assassin royal) - disaster, life ruiner, still the best example i’ve seen so far of how real first-person pov can feel and how saying that Literature is differencied from genre fiction by ‘having something to say about human nature’ is bullshit

2. Tohru (Fruba) - I can’t not pick her, and i can’t be objective about it. But in my heart i’m also picking Yuki and an armful of others (and nodding at you for Shigure).

3. Soren (FE) - He’s a very empathetic young man a bitch, he’s gay, he has a Fruba-level backstory that ripped my heart out even though i still don’t have the confirmation that what’s going on is going on, he’s a tactician who thought that spitting racist slurs at a giant (and very sweet) tiger unprovoked was a sound idea, I love him and want to read all the fic about him but first i have to actually finish his games

4. NHS (MDZS) - a bitch too, very pretty, and characters being more clever or capable than they appear works well on me. Plus i read mdzs fresh off of Berseria and he did a brother revenge, who else was i supposed to fixate on.

5. Homura (PMMM) - /*lies down* Rebellion... episode 10 too of course but Rebellion...........

6. Velvet (Tales.of Berseria) - /*points at the mess that is her handling of her grief, trauma and revenge* she has so many problems, and the story slaps her in the face with all of them (and sometimes it makes for the best moments /*puts on True will*). single-handedly responsible for my pick of mdzs fave because she’d given me many emotions about characters out for revenge for their family, while doing character work about it that mdzs didn’t have the space (or interest) to do with a last-chapter twist reveal. also i’m gay

7. Haruko Daichi (Shimanami Tasogare / Eclat(s) d’âmes) - many emotions: happy&wlw edition. One of the emotions is that time she punched a wall hard enough that it left a mark in it and her wife framed it. Also everything else with walls, walls are good for metaphors in this manga ;v;

8. Tomoyo (CCS) - I forget who called her the cutest little lesbian who ever did lesbian, but they were right, + positive unrequited crushes are a direct ticket to my heart. May we all have it together like she does when dealing with that and may we all have a fraction of her productivity, holy shit

9. i refuse to choose between members of the original (= pre-Tokyo) TRC family

10. not going to choose between Gilbert (blorbo, direct call-out for me) and Oz (very good character writing) either (Pandora Hearts)

I never know who to tag either, but since this one mainly has questions where the answer must have changed even if one has done it before, it’s fine maybe : @autheane, @potahun, @sazandorable, @ezzoh, @runawaycarouselhorse, @littleragondin, and i already tagged Cass earlier - only if you want to, of course.

#that's not 10 but if you see this and want to do it then do it #no pokémon because treating it as one single piece of media felt wrong but picking characters was a headache when separating it #(it'd tentatively be Shigeru for the anime and Lilie for the games but how do you separate the others who exist less distinctively #across continuities.......)#i got tired of writing names to not clutter search results if anyone is using the search instead of the tags here that's on them not on me #too many words. i hope you wanted blabbering and an attempt at recs because concision is not available at the moment #that's a personal tag

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mugiwara-lucy · 8 months

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I CAN’T believe I’ve reached the final season of 90210 on my rewatch 😬

Like damn it was like yesterday when I announced my rewatch of the series! 😅

#90210 #non anime #I wonder whatever happened to Ethan 😂

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suckitsurveys · 1 year

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Who was the last person you recall dreaming about? My dream last night involved some coworkers. I hate dreaming about working, it sucks.

I see. And do your dreams ever have random people in them? Yes. What was the last spicy food you ate? Do you eat a lot of spicy food? I had a handful of Salsa Verde Doritos just a second ago lol. I don’t eat a TON of spicy food, but I do enjoy it.

When was the last time you admired some flowers? What kind/colour were they? Probably the ones in my backyard garden.

What were you doing when 4PM last came around? Yesterday...I believe I was home by then.

Do you own anything that is sparkly or has glitter on it? Oh yes. I love glittery shit.

Which streaming services do you use? How long have you been using them for? I have almost all the basic ones.

Are you in the process of watching or re-watching a series at the moment? I’ve been rewatching The Office. There’s a handful of shows coming back soon I need to get back into as well.

If so, how many seasons does it have? And what season are you currently on? 9 seasons. I’m on season 8.

To whom did you last send an email? Do you check your emails daily? I just sent a work-related email. 99.9999999999% of my job is checking emails.

What was the last item of yours that you misplaced? Did you find it? I misplaced a couple of shirts. They ended up somehow being left at my dad’s when I did laundry there.

What was the last thing you ate, that you considered a treat/luxury? Crab legs.

I see. How often do you typically eat such things? I’d say a small handful of times a year.

Do you have any idea what you’re going to have for dinner tomorrow evening? One of our meal delivery kit dinners. Not sure which one though. I haven’t looked at the menu for this week yet.

What type of cake did you have for your last birthday, if any? We had pumpkin pie.

When was the last time you asked for someone’s advice or opinion? Today at work.

Has anyone you know got a new pet recently? Yeah.

^If so, what kind? And what name did they choose? A dog named Lily.

Who was the last person you knew that had a baby? How long ago was that? My cousin gave birth in May, but more recently a friend from high school had a baby just a month or so ago.

And is anyone you know expecting a baby anytime soon? I can’t think of anyone.

What was the last fundraising event that you took part in? Something for my nieces’ school.

How old were you 10 years ago? Who were your closest friends at that point? I was 23. My close friends were Mark, Randal, Lydia and Sarah.

^Do you still speak to any of them? All of them except Lydia.

Okay, I’ll finish with something positive. Is there anything that you’re looking forward to, in the near future? I am looking forward to the holidays!!!

#surveys #at work

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lonelier-version-of-you · 2 years

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About to rewatch No Matter Where You Go There You Are part 2, which is a relief compared to yesterday because part 2 is one of my absolute favourite episodes, I’ve watched it many times and could probably recite it by heart (okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but still), so there’s no worry about trying to follow the plot when I have a headache lol.

Also it’s one of Guy Henry’s very very best Holby performances (one of James Anderson’s too, for that matter), so there’s that.

Edit 1: I’d forgotten the first scene of this episode was an Ollie one. And that it was directed by David Innes-Edwards.

Edit 2: I love Becky. She’s a bit annoying but she’s a sweetheart really.

Edit 3: JOHNRIK

Edit 4: THE JOHNRIK FLIRTING IN THIS EPISODE IS SOOOO CUTE

Edit 5: I’ve talked about “You look exactly the same as you did the last time I saw you!” (and how that moment of flirting makes Henrik actually GRIN, something he rarely does at all, let alone so soon after Fredrik) and John practically bowing down to Henrik, but can I mention “You should walk! People need to see you.” Like... let’s be honest that wasn’t about John wanting Henrik to reestablish himself as CEO, that was about John wanting to show off his trophy husband. :’)

Edit 6: Ollie sussing out Gaskell as a fraud. I did say he’s good at reading people.

Edit 7: I love Henrik in his Black Trenchcoat of Angst.

Edit 8: Henrik recites the “what happened to Mr. Griffin can’t happen again” speech basically, like literally almost exactly word-for-word twice in quick succession - first to John and then to Essie and Fletch. Something something language issues under stress something something.

Edit 9: Morally ambiguous John my beloved.

Edit 10: My autism king stimming at his desk!

Edit 11: Ken! I still can’t believe this man was in the final ever episode of Holby, that’s so wild.

Edit 12: John clapping his hands together and shouting “TRANSPARENCY!” is inexplicably hilarious to me.

Also the way Henrik calls John “professor” in this scene has ‘I’m having a bad day but you’re hot but also I’m kinda mad that you’re hot’ vibes.

Edit 13: SEE SEE SEE HERE’S HENRIK YELLING AT JOHN FOR GIVING OLLIE FALSE HOPE. Sound familiar?!?!

Also, “there is no more Dr. Valentine!” Sorry, Henrik, but about that...

Also also, I should have a reaction gif of Henrik yelling “THIS ISN’T PROGRESS!” for whenever someone praises Holby’s terrible exploitative ‘issue storylines’.

Edit 14: I love the amount of Johnrik scenes in this ep.

Edit 15: Ooh, Ollie crashing the meeting!

Edit 16: An interesting realisation I’ve just had about this ep is that Ollie may remember more of early!Henrik than recent Henrik. Which would fit with (and re-contextualise) a lot of the things he says to him. Especially the whole ‘everyone hates you’ speech later in the ep.

Edit 17: John being weird on his gay little dictaphone. I love him.

John also seems genuinely devastated when he says the problem was the implant.

Edit 18: “Wouldn’t you love to know what he’s thinking? The Professor? How he sees things?” Mostly he’s fantasising about doing certain things in Henrik’s office, I would imagine, Meena.

Edit 19: “I was fast asleep when Mr. Levy’s face appeared on my phone. My tired, sleeping brain half thought he was in bed with me!” XD

Also, Ollie going “You see that?! *laugh* He’s TIRING!” while watching Henrik do the operation is basically me when I torment Henrik in my angst fics.

Edit 20: Parallel between Sacha pointing out that Henrik looks tired in this ep, and Henrik pointing out that John looks tired in The Three Musketeers.

Edit 21: OMG IT’S THE “THEY’RE NERVOUS AROUND YOU, HENRIK” SCENE.

Edit 22: “You don’t even know the name of the patient, and you’re telling me I’m the one who can’t do this anymore!” This episode was SO CLEAR about the CEO job being extremely harmful to Henrik’s mental health and him being miserable in it and him needing to go back to being a surgeon to be happy. Why did Holby backtrack on that by the end of this series??

Edit 23: The parallel between Henrik shouting “Mr. Copeland, get out of here now!” in Group Animal and “Mr. Copeland, stay in the room!” in this ep.

Also, copy and pasting this from my S20E03 post, because I find it really fascinating:

“Ooh. Ollie mixing up pronouns regarding a patient - “He’s… she’s waiting on an abdominal CT?”. Of course, Henrik goes on to do the same thing 10 episodes later right before his meltdown: “Right, he’s nearly… she’s… forgive me.” (And Ollie laughs at him for the mixup!)”

It feels too small to be a deliberate parallel but it’s also so similar that if it’s a coincidence it’s QUITE a coincidence.

Edit 24: The amount of impact the “You will never be a doctor again!” argument loses when they brought Ollie back as a doctor :(

Also, Fletch in his Fletchsplaining era.

Edit 25: god the complete flip between Henrik’s rage and him pinning Fletch against the wall, to him seeing Ollie and breaking down in tears... BRILLIANTLY written and Guy’s performance was utterly incredible.

Edit 26: god god GOD Henrik breaking down and leaning on Ollie for comfort I just. aaaaaaaaaaaah oh my heart. Guy’s performance, man.

Edit 27: JAMES FUCKING ANDERSON, EVERYONE.

Also, John looming up on Essie.

Edit 28: Making Ollie a doctor again really, really ruined the impact of this episode. Sigh.

Edit 29: Frieda giving Becky and Ken each other’s phone numbers is adorable.

Edit 30: Henrik leaving the CEO position after this really really should’ve been permanent.

Edit 31: Henrik reminiscing about the ice skating :’))

Ollie making Henrik give him the token is a dick move though. Let the man have his comfort object.

Edit 32: “You can’t live a lifetime of penance.” GAAAAH.

Edit 33: They should never ever have brought Ollie back as a surgeon.

#gaskell rewatch liveblog

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from-the-clouds · 3 years

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Kiss Me More (Part II) - Zemo/Reader

Masterlist || Part One

Summary: Part two, read part one if you haven’t already! Sam & Bucky put reader in charge of looking after Zemo....again. Series loosely inspired by this song.

Words: 2.5k

Warnings: Kissing, heavy petting, mentions of sex, minor TFATWS spoilers.

A/N: Wow! I was so shocked on the feedback I got on the first part of this story. It has nearly 800 notes. I’m not used to my writing getting that kind of attention so I really appreciate the love. I decided to make this into at least a 3-4 part series and there will be eventual smut, but I feel like there’s something sweet between these two that goes beyond an obvious physical attraction, so I do want to build that a bit before we get there. This weekend I rewatched TFATWS & Civil War because I’m officially obsessed with Zemo lol. Please let me know what you think, and let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist. :)

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“Keep an eye on him.”

Y/N watched Bucky and Sam split off again. That was now at least the third time she’d heard that phrase since she arrived in Riga. Little did they know, she was probably the worst person to be put in charge of Zemo. Truthfully, it was starting to be a little insulting.

It was unclear why she’d been brought along on this mission, when half the time Sam and Bucky were talking in hushed tones just out of her earshot. There was always more to the story than they told her, but this time, it felt like she was more out of the loop than ever.

She adjusted the neckline of the sweater she wore out of an abundance of caution, checking subconsciously to make sure it hadn’t exposed the mark Zemo had left on her from the day before. It was a discovery she’d made that morning, and persisted despite her efforts to cover it up with makeup.

“According to those two, I must be the best at babysitting you,” she muttered under her breath. It was petty, so she wasn’t even sure if she wanted him to hear. But he did.

“Babysitting?” Zemo lifted an eyebrow.

“You know, a nanny, a governess….whatever a Baron’s equivalent is,” she said, looking him in the eye for the first time that day, which was a mistake. He looked so handsome in that long, fur-lined coat, tall and refined, hair styled perfectly. There had to be warrants out for his arrest since escaping prison, and in his current getup, he was hard to miss.

It wasn’t easy to ignore the stifling tension between them. The Baron hadn’t left her thoughts since she’d closed the door on him the evening before. Now they were alone again. She couldn’t decide if that was thrilling or terrifying, so she decided on both.

“It’s nice of them to give us some alone time,” Zemo stepped close to her, one gloved hand pressing between her shoulder blades. Despite the cool temperature outside, it was the first thing today that had her shivering.

“Walk with me,” he commanded sternly. She saw no opportunity to refuse as they started in the direction opposite of where Bucky and Sam had disappeared.

“Zemo-”

“Helmut,” he corrected her. “But go on…”

“We have to focus on figuring out where Donya’s funeral will be,” she said, feeling his hand slide down to settle on the small of her back, trying to inch away, but he just pulled her closer. “We can’t waste time.”

“I know Riga inside and out, that won’t be as difficult as you and your friends think,” he murmured. His proximity was already suffocating. Or maybe comforting. It was hard to tell. “Tell me, what is your business with them? You aren’t an Avenger. This was my first time hearing your name.”

She snorted, finally finding the strength to pull away, and he dropped his hand. That was one thing that had confounded her. He was confident, took liberties with what others would allow, but knew when to stop pushing. There was something alluring to his nature.

“I’m not,” she responded, wondering how much she was willing to share. When she stole a glance out of the corner of her eyes, his head was lowered, leaning in, listening intently for her response. She wondered if he really cared, or if he was good at pretending. It was easy to believe that he did.

“Bucky and I aren’t that different,” she continued. “That’s why we’re friends. I’m not a super soldier, but I was taught how to fight, how to kill. I followed orders for too long without questioning whether or not I was doing the right thing. And at least now, I think I am.”

“You think,” he repeated, and corrected her again like he had the day before. As much as she wanted some kind of clever or quick quip back, she wore her heart on her sleeve for the moment and shrugged. There was nothing to defend when she still wasn’t sure what responsibilities she had in this world.

Zemo halted, and she paused too, turning back to look at him. “So you were an assassin,” he murmured, reaching out. Nodding slightly, she lowered her eyes when his gloved thumb brushed across her face. The buttery, overpowering smell of leather took her over as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I would’ve never guessed. Du bist so süß.”

Her knowledge of German was limited, but she could see a flash of what looked like affection in his eyes. He couldn’t be lying, could he? She wondered. She wanted to trust that he wasn’t, wanted to identify every good part of him she could, so she could justify the overwhelming attraction she felt towards him. Something in her just kept pulling forward against her will, like a magnet.

“You’d be surprised,” she answered, but didn’t pull away. The intensity of his gaze made her feel weak, but there was something strangely reassuring in his eyes. It was just the two of them, standing on a crowded sidewalk.

She rose her hand to clasp around his, frowning when she felt the hard loop of a ring on one of his gloved fingers. It had gone unnoticed by her, until now. He still wore a wedding band.

It would have been easy to vocalize the observation, gauge his reaction, try to regain some upper hand and remind him who exactly he was dealing with. But, it would’ve been pointlessly cruel, as she knew what that felt like to answer that question. Those days were behind her, now.

As if the universe was scolding her, a loud car horn broke through the perceived silence. His hand dropped from her face, and they began to walk again.

“I had lots of time to think in prison,” he said after a heady pause in conversation. “About the things I’d done. Whatever intentions you have, to someone, you’re always the enemy. What I thought was important, trying to serve the greater good, it isn’t always worth the trouble. I was trying to protect what I had already lost, the places and people I’d taken for granted.”

Deciphering his words, she took a moment before responding. “That’s actually...very insightful,” she said, partly surprised by what he’d shared, appreciating that he felt her vulnerability, and matched it in his response.

“I know you’re stunned I’m not a brute,” he answered, increasing his pace to a determined strut rather than a lazy stroll. She was forced to keep up with him. “You’ve been told what to think about me by Sam and Bucky.”

She scoffed. “Not just them. The entire world. All the people you’ve hur-”

He halted and turned to face her so quickly, she collided with his chest and her breath caught in her throat.

“I’m not that man anymore,” his voice was nearly a growl, disgust laced in his features as he looked down at her.

But as soon as she recognized it, he became expressionless again, backing away. Falling back into step beside him, they continued to walk, a bit faster than they had been before. She followed him, at this point convinced that she might get lost without his guidance, but a little startled by his sudden change in behavior.

“What do you think of Riga?” he asked her as they cut through an alleyway. His voice held none of the venom that it had a few moments ago, so she wondered if she’d just hit a sore nerve.

“It’s beautiful,” she answered, admiring the old brick buildings and fine architecture. “But I think I haven’t had much of a chance to appreciate it.”

“Have you been thinking about me?”

They ducked under an alcove, and she realized he’d carefully led her off the crowded streets. It was much quieter here. She suddenly didn’t feel as protected as she had been with him in the open. The temperature in the shaded space was much lower than expected. And he was standing over her, waiting for some response she didn’t know if she could give.

“I haven’t forgotten about last night, liebling,” he continued.

Of course she had been thinking of him. Nearly nonstop. What they’d shared, what it meant. She hadn’t been able to sleep until she relieved herself, fingers rubbing her clit and delving into her warmth, whimpering his name when she finally came. Still, it had done little to quell the ache inside her.

It was a horrible thing, she’d decided. Objectively horrible, and unprofessional. There was the consideration of accessibility. What did he see in her beyond a means to an end? Was she really going to throw everything she’d worked for away to a man who was going to use her to scratch an itch?

Too much was at stake, Sam and Bucky’s trust, her reputation, her job, and she couldn’t allow it to go on.

But oh, how much she wanted it to.

“Yesterday was nice,” she straightened up, holding her own. “I won’t lie to you.”

The corner of his mouth tugged up slightly in a self-satisfied smirk.

“But I’m not foolish,” she continued. “Coming on to the first woman you see after you get out of jail? Seems pretty convenient.”

At first, the Baron tilted his head to the side, his brows pulled together at her words. But after a moment, the smile returned, and he chuckled. “Is that what you think this is about?”

“Don’t insult me, Helmut,” she said sternly, trying her best not to feel embarrassed. She was only being honest.

“Are you always so severe to yourself?” he asked, tutting lightly.

It would have been better to say nothing. Why give him anything at all?

She didn’t answer his question, just backed away from him and began walking in no particular direction, wanting only to increase the space between them and regain her common sense. That was impossible however, as she was jolted backwards before she even knew what was happening, a firm hand on her upper arm, and she was chest to chest with Zemo once more.

“We were in Madripoor together. I could’ve had my way with many women there if I wanted. But I didn’t.”

“Please-” she rolled her eyes.

“If all I wanted to do was fuck someone, I could have done it by now,” he stalked forward, the air pressure around them dropping, weighed by the tension hanging thick between them. “But that’s not what I want. I want you.”

His words, spoken in a soft, low purr rattled away every bit of resolve she had left in her. Some last ditch effort found her stepping backwards, but her body met the brick wall behind them and she realized he had her cornered.

In more ways than one, she thought.

Taking in a shaky breath, she looked up at his eyes, clouded with lust. “I know you want me,” he said, not a shred of doubt in his voice. But why should there have been? He was right.

Her eyes darted around, like someone or something around them was going to jump out and save her from herself. It didn’t go unnoticed. “There’s no need to be scared, liebling. I feel it, too.”

With that, he closed the gap between their lips. He tasted sweet, like the candies he’d been eating back at his flat. Turkish delight. She was drowning in him again, his scent, his touch, everything about him enveloped and beguiled her. Her shirt had bunched up slightly somewhere along their walk and his gloved hands explored the exposed skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

She surrendered, letting him tease open her mouth and claim her wholly. It was still bad, she knew. But there wasn’t any last bit of self-control left in her.

The layers of clothing between them didn’t allow for the same proximity she’d had to him the evening before. Groaning in delight and frustration, she reached up to tangle and rake her fingers through his hair, as his fingers curled around the top of her sweater, revealing the sensitive skin of her neck.

“Don’t hide this,” his lips left hers as his eyes focused on the stamp of affection he’d left behind the day before. “Let them see.”

“You know I can’t,” she responded, sheepishly pulling it back into place. Studying her with amiable consideration, his hand rose to brush tenderly across her cheekbone.

“I thought you’d come to me last night,” she confessed, drawing away slightly, shocked by her own admission. But right now, she didn’t feel the need to put up as much of a facade. He looked positively virile; panting, his cheeks flushed and hair mussed, pupils blown out as he focused on her. To know she was the cause of his current state of disarray gave her an immense amount of satisfaction. A buried, salacious part of her wondered what else she could do to make him look even more unkempt.

“I considered it,” he said, sounding almost timid. “But I want to do this right.” He leaned in, pressed a kiss beneath her ear. “In private, so no one can disturb us,” he continued, lips moving down her neck. “We can take our time, you can be as loud as you’d like.”

The mental image he was currently painting for her was doing very little to strengthen her convictions, whatever those had been. The thought of her legs wrapped around his torso, naked bodies pressed together sent a bolt of electricity through the pit of her stomach, radiating outwards. She wanted his lips on every inch of her skin. Aching at the possibility, the present tease of his teeth nibbling on her collarbone wasn’t helping.

“You know we can’t,” she didn’t try to stop the thought as it came out of her mouth.

“What is there to lose?”

Everything, she thought, but didn’t answer. She couldn’t really, as his gloved hand was trailing slowly under her jacket and sweater, against her bare skin, and cupping her breast through her bra. Whimpering, she couldn’t control the way her body arched against his.

Hooking her knee on his hip, she let him press forward, feeling the warmth of his excitement through his trousers and her jeans. He ground against her once, teasingly, and she moaned softly into his mouth.

He was the one to pull away, and she was thankful he did. “Think about it, liebling,” he said softly, pressing a tender kiss to her temple. “Du hast die Kontrolle.”

“We can’t,” she answered again, but even she didn’t believe herself. Raking her hands through her hair and adjusting her rumpled sweater, she straightened up. “We have a job to do.”

Brushing past him out of the alcove, each step she took away from him gave her the self control she desperately needed. She glanced over her shoulder to see him reluctantly trudging behind. At this point, she wasn’t foolish. There were only two ways this could end.

----

Part III

Series Taglist: @juice-1981 @sapphiredreamer26 @tatooineisdry @marvelsvision @spookycereal-s @trelaney @fireghost-x @booksarekindaneat @thunderingbats @felicityofbakerstreet @takacsgram @mischiefmanaged71 @fanfictionedagain @merelyhooper @gyllord @mundaytuesday @friday18eo @lovegood7553 @adara-wolfhart @a-djarin @farawaywasteland @sky-writes-stuff @fuckinglittlekitten @katyasrussianaccent @agent-jbarnes @neoarchipelago @pattispunk @kpopnena @purebloodwitch @spookyconsultingcriminal @msmarvelwrites @professorrw @lazyradeecal @captainrexstan @notyourfuckingbusinesss

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged, or if I forgot to tag you for some reason! :)

#tfatws #tfatws spoilers #helmut zemo x reader #helmut zemo x you #helmut zemo #helmut zemo fanfiction #marvel #marvel fanfiction #zemo x reader #zemo x you #zemo #baron zemo #bucky barnes #sam wilson #daniel bruhl #helmet zemo fanfiction #tfatws imagine #mcu #mcu imagine

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philhoffman · 2 years

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The much-anticipated (by me) return of Monday Philm night is kicking off with a month-long rewatch of The Hunger Games movies! These films were the first time I noticed PSH so they have a special place in my heart💕

Watched the first movie in the series yesterday to prepare for tonight’s watch of Catching Fire (2013). You know the gif that’s like “Shrek is a sophisticated film, I’m not even going to call it a movie”? That’s me with THG and I’ll die on this hill. Aside from Phil, the supporting cast is stacked — Donald Sutherland is elite and I am afraid of him, Jeffrey Wright is phenomenal (and underrated), Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks... legends everywhere you turn!!

This is the first time I’ve watched the movies since 1. becoming a real fan of Phil’s and 2. reading the books, which made it all the more fun! Obviously very glad there are scenes in the movies not from Katniss’s perspective, which means we get the conversations between Snow and Heavensbee (among others). I definitely understand the camp of fans who complain about Plutarch’s watch not being in the films — it’s such a fantastic scene in the book and would’ve looked so cool on screen, too. I guess it makes sense they didn’t include it for the tension and ambiguity surrounding Plutarch’s loyalties but... I want to see it.

(Also when Plutarch tells Katniss, “Maybe it was you who inspired me to come back,” what does that mean? Where was he? Was he retired from gamemaking lmao? That’s not in the book I need canon answers! But I digress—)

PSH plays that ambiguity so well, too. Phil’s Plutarch is a bit more... subdued, serious, self-aware than book Plutarch (though those differences are probably more clear in Mockingjay than CF). It’s so easy to believe him as the evil baddie running the Games, and then you watch it back and clearly see what Plutarch’s trying to do for the revolution the whole time. “A chance to make the Games mean something.” He’s just got the best face for it, those microexpressions — charming and smiling with Snow one moment and in a blink his face drops, the twinkle leaves his eyes, he’s cold. “Sow fear. More fear.” There’s a similar moment in Montana (and the director even commented on his ability to do that). And then there’s the little things he does that are pure PSH, a gesture with his hands or raising an eyebrow or a soft look that makes you think... oh there’s Phil :) And his voice is so, so low in this role...

Also I can’t believe I was ever Team Gale!! Idk what I was thinking at age 13!

#monday philm #ik it's only been a month but i missed that tag <333 #for new followers hi. these long rambling reviews will happen every monday. just go with it.#the hunger games #philip seymour hoffman #psh #*#oh this will sound corny but. that dance scene especially. it's like seeing your first love again :)#plutarch was first and it took about two days to run through all the thg content on tumblr before i googled his actor #and after that oh it was over for me #so i've loved plutarch maybe about two days longer than i've loved phil #funny the way things just. happen!

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pluviophile-bookworm · 3 years

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High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Rewatch pt.3

Ok, full disclosure: I should not be doing this right now. But I've been thinking about it since yesterday and, well, I reckon I can go over 1x4 and 5, and then move on to my actual work. So here we are. I'm really, really excited for these two, so without further ado, I'll dive right into:

1x4: It's hard to believe that I couldn't see... the majority of what happens in this episode when I first watched it

Why is Nini such a pro at making a scene with whoever her current boyfriend is in the middle of a public place? I mean, I get it that she's upset about EJ going through her phone — who wouldn't be — but maybe - and this is just a friendly suggestion — she could try and discuss that in private, not start a shouting match within view of all their classmates. Just saying.

'Ricky would never steal my phone' — well, perhaps not, but he's not quite above deleting stuff from it, either... I wonder if whoever is writing this show knows that there are many other ways to make a relationship unhealthy... it's not funny anymore. Just repetitive.

Ahhh Natalie and her emotional support hamster! At least there's one good thing about this scene.

Sure, Ricky, blame Big Red for the fact that you misplace your stuff... a very nice best friend he's got, indeed.

Gosh, everything is so awkward and there is just so much tension all over the place — Ricky's parents, then EJ and Nini, and then Carlos just being oblivious to the fact that they just broke up... you know, that last part just made me laugh. And then Ricky's reaction to his parents legally separating just broke my heart. That boy's been through too much.

Big Red being completely clueless about theatre terms is super funny and endearing, but let me just put myself in his shoes for a sec. He's followed his best friend into a badly thought-out scheme to get back together with his ex, got dragged into joining the crew, and is now expected to know what everything is. I would not put up with that... ok, who are we kidding, I'm a massive pushover and would put up with anything, but my point is... he shouldn't have to. At least people are doing the bare minimum to help him learn and nobody's laughed at him for not knowing. That's the good thing about this crew.

Ok, so I have posted about my thoughts of their take on What I've Been Looking For before, back when the episode was brand new, so I won't go into detail about that. In short, I think they've got the arrangement all wrong considering that it is a plot point in the original movie, but... the execution is funny. The scene is about Nini and EJ's post-breakup tension and it shows. I just kind of wish now Miss Jenn had pulled Nini out and put Gina in, even just for this rehearsal — and I might or might not be saying this as a Portwell shipper.

Miss Jenn is done with the students' personal drama and honestly, I'm right behind her. These kids are being completely unprofessional — and well, I realise that we can't expect them to be professional at this stage, but... they could at least try to concentrate on rehearsal and not their personal lives for a second.

Ricky hugging a cushion is my spirit animal. That's it, that's the comment.

Ahhh the tension between EJ and Gina though... 'around here seniors don't follow sophomores' — well, we'll see how it goes, Mr. Senior.

What gives Nini the right to shout at strangers about their relationship? I am honestly so frustrated with her these days. Wonder why I never was during season 1. The reasons are all there.

'He loves you' — yeah, like a little sister, he does. Also, Ash is so precious, always trying to see the good in other people. EJ 1.0 is so lucky he had her as an example.

Ok, I'm not going to go into what an amazing best friend Big Red is because we all know that (plus I'm saving it for a certain scene in 1x5), but this must be so hard for him. I mean, he's trying his absolute best to help Ricky feel better and distract him from his problems, and Ricky is turning everything down. I mean, I guess I understand where he's coming from too, but I'm unable to look at things through the lead-centric lens alone anymore. I'm more aware of non-lead characters now (some more so than others) and this is putting a whole new spin on my perception of everything that happens.

I've got no idea how Big Red can sleep with all this noise, though. I could never. But to each their own.

'perfect on paper' — that's EJ 1.0 to a T. I've got to give Nini that.

Ricky wearing the pride t-shirt... we love to see it.

See, this is why I keep forgetting why I ever shipped Rini and then remembering again... their chemistry is just so on-again-off-again, and here it's definitely present, but I just need a couple with consistent chemistry, you know. Hey, isn't that kind of what All I Want is about? Kind of. I don't know. I've been unable to listen to that song ever since it got big irl. I have this... problem with media that becomes popular and mainstream... I mean, I never hold a grudge against things just for being popular, but I just... relate to underrated stuff much easier. Not because it's underrated, but it just so happens that nearly everything I like and relate to is underrated in some capacity. Even HSMTMTS itself — it's practically unheard of here in Bulgaria, so I would not have found it if I hadn't been looking for it specifically. Ok, this comment got derailed several times. I guess I'll just stop here and move right on to 1x5 at this point.

1x5: A bedazzled tablecloth, a perfectly balanced unicycle and bad reception at the barn... not the perfect ingredients, but they can still... Work This Out

'Miss Jenn says that's a life in the arts... well, that and almost constant unemployment' — alright, I know this line is not supposed to be funny, and that it's a painful reality for a lot of people, but... maybe it's the delivery. I just laugh every time.

See, this is what I mean when I say I want to see consistent chemistry — Seblos have it. I mean, I really don't want to jinx things, but... they do.

Big Red seems to be in a more... outspoken mood today, I guess you could say. Too bad Ricky is still shutting everything he says down. Seriously, Big Red and Seb should start a club for people who try their best to be there for their loved ones and still keep being shushed.

I might be super frustrated with nearly everything Nini says and does (can somebody please tell me why that is?), but... flushing her dress down the toilet? Major mood.

Listen, I love Miss Jenn and that she's close to her students, but... emerging from a toilet cubicle and inviting herself to Kourtney and Nini's girls' night was... Will Shuester level of questionable.

Ricky being the mature one about his parents separation is... I mean, it's admirable, but how did he move past the impending depression of last episode and towards being the one who tells his dad to get up and move on? Well, I mean, good for him. But I think the issue is far from buried yet.

'Friend of the year'? Ricky? I don't think so. First of all, if he were, he'd know that Big Red does not have two left feet. Wasn't it you, Ricky, who was stumbling over the steps in HSM a couple of weeks ago? You're one to talk. Plus Big Red's been listening and trying to help while you've just been spouting off about your personal problems for... how long has it been now? I get it, Ricky has issues that he needs to work through, but he's almost legally blind in both eyes when it comes to Big Red.

Ok, but Ricky is the epitome of 'cannot solve his own problems but has a suggestion on how everybody else should solve theirs' in this episode. Maybe take a step back and listen to your own advice?

'My parents think I'm bonding with the livestock' — I've got no idea why I find this line so funny, but I do. And I've got so much love for this entire scene. Carlos' reaction to Seb's response to his invitation is just... the most adorable thing ever! My heart might just burst. Especially given what we're about to go through tomorrow in 2x10... I am. Not. Ready.

The entire karaoke scene just reminds me of... pretty much every extended family reunion on my mum's side. Her cousins love karaoke and are also completely tone-deaf. I love it that they're able to have fun with it, but my ears are still recovering from my great aunt's birthday party two years ago.

'When did you become Nini?' — Why does Mr. Mazzara know so much about his students' dating lives? I mean, Miss Jenn does, too, but he doesn't strike me as someone as invested in them as her. Idk, it just struck me as kind of weird.

'I didn't agree to photos' — please, EJ, I'm sure you'll want memories from your first fake-dating gig with Gina... once you're no longer fake-dating, you know. Boy, these two are going to have stories to tell to their grandchildren.

I've said some stuff about Nini, but... 'a bedazzled tablecloth' is the funniest description I've heard for Gina's homecoming dress.

'Maybe it's not actually about you at all.' Yeah, you tell him, Reddy! Ricky needs to get over himself.

The way Big Red sniffs out the drama, though... I was not-so-randomly reminded of that moment in 2x9 where Seb was like Carlos. and Big Red was like, 'Are you guys fighting?'...

Big Red doing a comedic lip-reading of Gina and EJ's dramatic scene is absolutely hilarious. I might or might not have sold my heart and soul to him after seeing that scene for the first time. But I just remembered how he said earlier that maybe he can't read lips and that just makes this 100% funnier — he was basically like a child who can't read yet making up a story based on the pictures in a book, and I mean it in the best way possible. He's a theatre dark horse, this one, and they should all be intimidated — or inspired, whatever they choose — by his hidden talents. Gosh, I love this guy. But can you blame me?

'You think I'm actually going to confide in you?' — Absolutely. You can't bully someone from your position of authority over them and then act like you're their friend. I do know now that Mr. Mazzara has hidden depths, but he had no right to be as rude to Carlos as he was in 1x3. He was right about one thing, though — Carlos doesn't need a dance partner to dance.

Ricky saying he was going to apologise to Gina and counting that as an apology is giving me major TJ/ Buffy flashbacks. I wonder why that is... * sarcasm *

Nini feeling like a fraud makes me actually sympathise with her for a second. But I feel like Nini's flaw of defining herself through boys and Ricky in particular has been addressed one time too many now, since it was first addressed here in this episode. If they make her and Ricky get back together again in season 2, I will riot. [side note: I feel like the Born to Be Brave scene says a lot about both Rini and Seblos as couples. Nini and Carlos both feel, in the moments leading up to the song, like they are incomplete without their partners. Ricky, too, has built his personality entirely around Nini at that time (and is still not completely over that in s2). And then the song comes in to remind them that they don't need a partner to be happy. I'm just thinking of Big Red's 'perfectly balanced unicycle' comment from the promotional materials, and of how he and Ashlyn, even when they're dating in s2, are never portrayed as being incomplete without each other. I guess there's a reason why they're the Beta Couple of the show — their relationship drama is nearly non-existent, and when it does exist, it's just caused by them caring too much about each other. Every other couple on the show should learn from them.]

Everybody supporting Carlos during the Born to Be Brave number just warms my heart so much... I am actually crying real tears. And then the end, when Seb finally shows up, right in time for the slow dance... I have a lot of feelings about this scene.

Seblos' dialogue here still kind of makes me cringe a little... but like, in a good way.

Yikes... Miss Jenn's getting into trouble... I mean, it was bound to happen sooner or later. But she's lucky she's had enough time with her students for them to love her enough to fight for her. Still, this is a topic for another episode, and so I won't expand on it in this post.

Well, that's it. That was 1x4 and 5. Those were pretty much my favourite episodes when season 1 was airing. And I can definitely see why, even if my views on some things have changed due to stuff that happens later. But, as I constantly say, that's what rewatches are for. In other words, 'once more, with feeling this time' as my choir director used to say.

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts: the rewatch #nini salazar-roberts #ricky bowen #gina porter #ej caswell #ashlyn caswell #ashlyn moon caswell #big red redonovich #carlos rodriguez #seb matthew smith #kourtney greene #hsmtmts miss jenn #hsmtmts mr mazzara #rini #seblos #redlyn #portwell #jnk

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kirbyspits · 3 years

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A lot of Makorra shippers only moved on because they’re afraid of being called homophobic for not shipping korrasami. I LITERALLY saw someone on Instagram yesterday call a makorra shipper homophobic just for saying korrasami came out of nowhere. Also, Korrasami shippers LOVE to bring up the "popping bottles" backlash to make fun of makorra shippers. I left the tlok fandom in 2014 bc it was so toxic as a teenager, but now i’m 23. I’m no longer afraid of shipping something i always loved.

Ah, yes, I realized I didn’t address the fandom's toxicity in the last ask, but I’ve spoken about it before. I don't talk too much about the past because I was at the edge of the fandom back in 2014/2015. I was aware of fights, but the discussions I saw were moreso on bi-erasure. I saw one post saying it was wrong to ship Makorra. I remember being really confused about why Makorra was actually problematic, but I didn’t appreciate being told who I can ship the only dark-skinned woman protagonist on a major television network with. Why are you forcing me to ignore Mako and Korra’s relationship? Book 1 is practically about Mako and Korra, all other characters be damned. Me preferring the story of one pairing and a popular romance trope, second chances, is not wrong, and no one would know how I view the LGBT+ community based on who I ship in one show.

I ended up leaving the community because I was disappointed with season 4 in general. When Korra was released on Netflix, I figured it was time to rewatch the series again (plus, I’ve been binging all my favorite romance anime). So imagine my shock when I created a new Tumblr and Twitter account to rant and rave about TLOK, and I saw nothing but hate and name-calling in the Makorra tags. I saw people casually throwing around the word “homophobic,” and one person said people who don’t like Korrasami are just misogynistic.

I just wanted pretty pictures, and people are out here psychoanalyzing shippers! So, I dug through some blogs and to feel more grounded with this fandom I didn’t recognize. After reading through their commentaries and experiences, I actually became more upset at Bryke than the teenagers/children who comment on Makorra posts saying how much better Korrasami is or accuse Makorra shippers of being homophobic.

Yes, I truly believe these comments are mostly coming from people in their late teens and younger, at least in 2020. I can’t speak on 2014/2015, but since we were younger, the early 20s/late teens, I wonder if our age group was also the loudest. Don’t get me wrong, adults can be horrible people and can get really nasty. However, every time I look up the rudest commenters' profiles, they were teens. When one Korrasami shipper wrote “screw Makorra” on my AMV, I figured I’d have some fun trolling them until I clicked on their profile and saw a child. Needless to say, I ignored them and reflected on how parents are allowing their babies on TikTok while my parents freaked out at the idea of showing my picture on FB growing up.

*I’m not still mad about that*

Also, while it doesn’t give anyone an excuse to make such a strong accusation, part of me, as a straight person, feels like I can’t get too upset because I also become very aware of my privilege. The space I’m in is a majority of young LGBT+ fans (at least on Twitter where I’ve seen the most toxicity). Some people see TLOK as their safe space and imply why should there be Makorra shippers when they have all these other cis/het shows they can engage with. It doesn’t work like that, of course. TLOK doesn’t only feature Bi characters. They’re POC/Indigenous, women, and Korra has dark skin. That’s a lot of marginalized communities. Makorra/TLOK is my comfort show, not because she’s with a man, but because of the reasons I just listed. Also shipping Korra with Mako doesn’t mean she’s no longer bi. She’d still be attracted to women.

Here’s who I am upset with tho, Bryke. Mostly Bryan. While Makorra shippers called out Korrasami shippers for cyberbullying, the focus seemed to be on Bryan for making it seem like there was something wrong with them for not finding Korrasami’s narrative satisfying. It was especially sad to read bloggers who identified as being part of the LGTB+ community saying Bryan’s hetero-lens dismissed their experience and then having to defend/proving themselves to anonymous messengers.

Fans saw it as a betrayal. They saw it as the go-head for the rude Korrasami shippers to harass Makorra artists because they “didn’t watch the show correctly.” When the creator, the person you admire, also puts the blame on you, that kind of pain is on another level.

Korrasami shippers played a huge role in kicking Makorra shippers out of the fandom, but we can’t underestimate how much Bryan’s statement is a slap in the face. He used his characters and social justice as a shield for reasonable criticism. Just because we say a story is bad and Asami is grossly underwritten doesn’t mean that we’re against the idea of Korra and Asami being a couple.

Of course, I’ve seen some very problematic statements from Makorra shippers. After all, homophobia is real. However, aside from the actual bigots, people have no issue with Korrasami. They just wanted a stronger connection between the girls. Many people seem to think Makorra shippers were looking for more romance, but we know we couldn't expect that. We can expect more screentime, musical cues, and more emotional support, which most people can see as platonic, but be romantic if you really want to. Mako’s interactions in book 4 can be seen as platonic, but all of us Makorra shippers saw it to be romantic.

Popping bottles! I completely missed that joke in 2014 and I discovered it this year. I agree it’s pretty annoying, but I become a troll and say I’m popping bottles for my Makorra moments. I don’t get any engagement, but I don’t seem to lose followers for it. Maybe popping bottles represents “straight-baiting?” I don’t get it why it’s so funny after all this time, but we’re Makorra shippers. We’re the joke 🙄

Anyways, to wrap up, lately, there seems to be a bit of a shift on Twitter. When I first created an account. I stayed in my little corner live-tweeting about TLOK and Makorra. I had to stop looking at the Makorra tag because it was so negative. Now, I’m seeing people admit they’re cute, and then saying they’re platonic soulmates. I’ll take it, although, as one commenter said, “that’s boring!”

Someone led a Makorra Week back in October, and it was really nice! I have feeling people speaking up on the name-calling and reminding people that we’re talking about 2D characters helped. We just want to be left alone and enjoy the scenes we have in the show, art, and fanfiction.

Keep shipping who you want! Don’t let any stranger shame you for your shipping preferences, especially in fiction! I’m so happy you feel more comfortable shipping these two dorks! You’re not alone! I’ve been a Makorra shipper since 2012, and while I find Korrasami cute (I love Korra, and I love Asami), Makorra is my OTP. I really like them, and I think they were meant for each other.

#kirbyspits answers #come back makorra stans #anti bryke #makorra #tlok fandom

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enerimess · 3 years

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OHH I DIDN'T KNOW YOU LIKED EVANGELION just saw your reblog on my Kaworu post and went "!!!!". Have you watched the last movie? :D

Hiiii!

I can’t stop listening to One Last Kiss and Beautiful World right now. Yesterday I rewatched the movie and cried because it’s really the last and… oh my god, I love it so much TwT

First time I saw Evangelion was in 2000 on MTV (“Anime Night”). 21 years ago… my my my god. I was too young to understand Eva, so I didn’t pay much attention to it. But… I knew it was something I couldn’t find everywhere.

I rewatched the series years later and again when Netflix uploaded it.

We had a lot of problems with the adaptation, but we did it!

So now, Thrice Upon A Time… ahah I can’t believe it. I’m so proud of Anno and all the people who work on Eva. I’m so full of feelings and emotions.

I love how Anno made it ended (and The End of Evangelion to LOL XD), I think it’s the right ending, the mature one, the best with hope.

Your words on Kaworu and Shinji warmed my feels T_T Thank you!

#evangelion #evangelion 3.0+1.0 #evangelion spoilers

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twdmusicboxmystery · 3 years

Text

Connections Between Nebraska, the CRM , and TWB

Morning Everyone! I wrote this last week and it jumps around a bit, referencing some old TWD episodes, a TWB episode, an a few other things. The biggest thing here is just making connections and showing that the symbolism is the same across all shows in the franchise. That all of them are connected. And that the writers are telling one, huge story, and have been since very early on.

So, while speaking with a follower last week, I ended up making some interesting connections. Nothing groundbreaking. Bit of a rabbit hole, but not too deep. ;D

But someone sent me something yesterday that said on the walking dead wiki page for the CRM, it says they’re based out of Omaha, NE. Now, they definitely talk about the Omaha location in TWB, but I didn’t remember it saying the CRM is actually based there.

So I went and looked at the wiki page. What it says is that it’s part of the Alliance of the Three, and Omaha is one of their locations. The actual base of the CRM is still unknown.

But I started thinking about TWD 2x08, Nebraska, and decided to go back and watch that episode again. It’s honestly been years since I sat down and watched it beginning to end. I did, and I’ll come back to that in a minute.

(CRM Page HERE.)

A/B Theme

But further down on the page, it also defines the A and B symbolism. It says A = a strong leader who is spirited and willing to fight back. And B = someone who either can’t fight back or won’t.

But it also has a note under the A that says 1x04 of TWB confirmed that A also = Bitten. That seemed a little weird to me. I didn’t remember them confirming that for sure in the episode (we would have talked about it a LOT more). And Jadis called Rick a B, which suggests he’s not bitten. So I was like, Hmm. What’s this about?

Well, I went and rewatched 1x04. I really need only have watched the after-the-credits coda, since I’m fairly certain that’s where they’re getting this. (And of course let’s remember that anyone who is a member can update wiki pages; so this isn’t exactly a confirmation from tptb.)

In the coda, as you will remember, the woman is eating a sandwich and talking into a recorder about test subjects. All of them have an A before their numbers. And the camera pans over all of them, clearly showing bite marks. So, I’m thinking that’s where they’re getting that A = bite from. But to me, that’s not exhaustive evidence. I still think Rick was bitten, and I still think we don’t entirely understand the definition.

I COULD get behind there being two definitions going on here. One that they’ll acknowledge in the show as the actual way the CRM uses the numbers, and one that’s more symbolic that tptb will never confirm or deny. I mean, they did this with the A on Daryl’s shirt at the Sanctuary. And then there’s the A Sam had in 6a, and the A painted on FG’s church. Are we supposed to believe they’ll all be directly linked to the CRM in the show?

So, I’m wondering if the strong fighter vs weak fighter is how the CRM actually uses it. But symbolically, that’s where the bitten/not bitten comes in.

And you may ask, even if that’s the case, why would Jadis call Rick a B? I mean, he’s clearly one who will fight back.

But here’s the thing. When she had him prisoner in his blue skivvies in the yellow storage container, she wrote an A on the outside. So clearly, whatever it means to the CRM, she thinks he’s an A. And obviously he wasn’t bitten then. So either B does mean bitten, or else she’s just lying about him being a strong leader and fighter. Why would she do that?

I’m thinking about Grady. They saved Noah but left his father behind. And I’m thinking that given what we know of Noah’s weakness, his father was probably the stronger fighter. You could also argue that they saw Beth as weak and took her, but when they saw Daryl in their review mirror, they sped off. I think they only take vanilla people they believe they can control. So maybe Jadis said it because otherwise they wouldn’t have taken Rick, and she wanted to save his life. And because he was hurt and weak, his rebelliousness really wouldn’t have come across to the guys in the helicopter.

Boy are they in for a rude awakening!

So yeah, basically it confirmed nothing for me, lol. The symbolism is still clear as mud, no?

Nebraska

As for Nebraska, when I watched, I mostly saw more connections to what we’ve learned recently, about the CRM and the Great Britain theme (Revolutionary War) and such.

So, I wanted to specifically listen to what the guy says about Nebraska. I wondered if he could have ties to the CRM at all. I didn’t see any evidence of that, but there was still kind of an interesting hint. He was talking about how they’d met lots of people, who all had stories about where some community might still be functioning. And one of the things he said was that they met someone who was sending supplies via RAILWAY toward Omaha, NE. And that was it. They went on about Nebraska in a few other lines, so we’re clearly supposed to take note of it.

But what we CAN now confirm via TWB is that one of three communities in the Alliance of Three is in Omaha. So, to me, this was definitely a very early, very subtle CRM clue.

(Clearly from the above pic, which is not mine, other people in the fandom are also putting these things together.)

I’ll give you one more small thing and then the part that gets kinda wild. His shark t-shirt. Um…Stafford Sharks, I think? And I know we’ve talked about this before in the sense of it being a water clue. But the Stafford Sharks thing is a real place that’s based out of the UK. Their website even ends in the “.co.uk” suffix. And of course there’s an 11 on the back of the shirt, which we’ve talked about for a long time and, as has recently been pointed out, MIGHT among other things point to S11.

So for me, we have the 11, a hint at the UK (Julia Ormond’s character is British and represents Cornwallis in the Revolutionary War template), and a subtle reference to where the CRM is, all in one person/conversation. And if this guy, at a broad level, represents the threat of the CRM, I think it’s important that Rick kills him. Yeah, Rick’s totally gonna knock the CRM on it’s butt by the end of the series. (Yay!)

But here’s the other thing I thought about. This episode is THE next episode after Sophia comes out of the barn.

Think about that. 1. Missing girl 2. Girl found 3. Hint at CRM

Just saying.

TWB 1x04

As I said, I rewatched the entire episode and probably didn’t need to, but I was actually glad I did. If I had more time, I do rewatches of literally EVERYTHING right now. Unfortunately, that’s probably not going to happen just yet.

I didn’t nail down the TWB template until the final episode of season 1, so rewatching it, I’m just seeing things I didn’t pick up on before.

This was the episode where they went into the high school to get out of the rain, Silas and Iris dance in the auditorium, etc. And mostly I was focusing on the pairings. We picked up the idea of Iris and Silas being Bethyl proxies when we first watched it. That much was clear. But now that I know Felix = Daryl and Huck = Carol, I saw more.

They divide into 3 groups and what really jumped out at me is that in this scenario, Huck and Faith are together. If anything, because she goes into the CRM at the end, Faith = Beth, right? Which we talked about. So I was thinking about what I’ve said that Daryl and Carol will split up and Carol and Beth might have the first reunion, and kind of watching it through that lens. Nothing huge jumped out at him until…

…the wolf.

Remember the wolf that was building a nest and protecting it’s young and dragging walkers through the halls? I don’t even know how to interpret it in a forecasting way, but since TWD ep 21, where we saw Daryl fixing the bike and hear the wolf howl, it really jumped out at me. The idea that the wolf symbolism will return with Beth and be an important part of the story.

Beyond that, I think we MIGHT be able to take some clues about Daryl’s future arc from this little sequence with Felix and Elton, but nothing huge jumped out at me. So, I’ll probably have to go back again later, maybe during or after S11 as we learn more.

So yeah. As I said, very meandering thoughts and connections today.

Thoughts?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

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