Gale has me in a chokehold, I love his nerdy ass. If you're accepting requests, can I request some angst but then fluff with him? It may just be my own insecure self, but what if his fem Tav still felt insecure and not worthy of him after he spoke to Mystra? Like she tries to smile and nod, but she's actually worried he still has feelings for Mystra?
hiii! so i wanted to actually get to this part before writing for it so i could experience full context instead of just watching a yt vid (200 hrs in the game and i *just* got there... albeit it was with durge tav in an evil playthru (one of like 4 playthrus i've started cause i have no self control), but i got there nonetheless) so sorry for taking a while!! but here you go ^^
Word count: 2k
"Back on mortal soil once more," he exhales, eyes slightly narrowed in a tense discomfort. He doesn't meet your eye, and his lips part in a doubtful smile, as if he isn't sure whether he's awake or experiencing some sort of dream. He blinks, and meets your gaze, his smile dimming – you’re not sure if it’s the result of a forced calmness, or a natural relaxation in his muscles. “I can’t believe I saw her– after all this time,” he nearly chuckles the statement out, and you suppress a cringe, desperately scanning his features for reassurance before you allow yourself to grow unreasonably anxious.
But he seems caught in a state of wonder, his eyes bearing an uncommon light in them – perhaps due to the astral scenery he just returned from, or, more likely, it could be an emotional occurrence. Either way, it stings, and you hate the way your stomach churns, hanging onto what feels like a thinning thread. He’s grown closer and closer to rejecting her, every new discovery being one more small, but necessary, push away from his faith, from any lingering feelings of affection for the goddess.
You couldn’t help but feel as though this was a setback. That, maybe, seeing her again, speaking with her again – maybe it reminded him of a time that you knew he missed. A time that, prior to your relationship with him and a few important facts he’d learned about her, he spoke so incredibly fondly of. He stays quiet, pondering the conversation, and you only feel your fearful anticipation growing more with his silence.
In an effort to break it, you muster up enough courage to speak. “A little intimidating,” you try to chuckle, but it only comes out as a painfully stressed hum, followed shortly by an intense urge to withdraw from the conversation, but you manage to override your anxiety’s desires.
Gale does manage to chuckle, again, nearly effortlessly – especially compared to your own failed attempt. “Powerful, wasn’t it? Magical, just– entirely magical,” he practically swoons, and you force a smile, tearing your gaze away from him. He continues speaking, and usually you’d be keen on listening to his every word, but you can’t help but tune him out. Even so, you can still hear the excitement in his tone, despite refusing to pick up on the words.
You’re not sure how long he continues for, though you know it ends, because you feel fingers on your chin, and he angles your head slightly back towards him, forcing your attention back to him. He’s wearing a frown now, and you blink, pulling your head away from his touch. “Sorry. Just – not feeling well.”
“Not feeling well? Damn it, I knew that meat platter was a foul idea. Tavern hardly held a shine, I’m hesitant to believe their appetizers were truly safe for consumption. We should return to camp.” He nods, lowering his hand and offering it to you, and although you feel bad for not disproving his assumptions, you take his hand and go along with the lie, walking back towards your camp.
It isn’t a very long walk, which is most fortunate; you’re hardly eager to strike up conversation, and had it been any longer of a journey, you’re sure that Gale would question your silence. Eventually, you return, and the area is empty, save for the usual occupants that never really left camp. Everyone else was out either exploring the city, settling down for food, finding entertainment, or bargaining with merchants to pawn off the unnecessary equipment they’d picked up.
Gale didn’t bother making a request or saying anything before immediately leading you to his tent, directing you to sit on one of the few cushions that littered the blue rug on the floor. You did as he asked, and he looked around the camp, focusing more on the area around Shadowheart’s tent, though his search for her was ultimately fruitless, so instead he knelt before you, the back of his hand pressing against your forehead. “Not particularly warm, certainly not alarmingly so – though I’m no medic, I do believe I’ve enough experience to deem you unafflicted by any fever. What are your symptoms?”
“Symptoms?” You repeat, and Gale squints, clicking his tongue.
“Mental fogginess,” he remarks, and you finally shake your head, looking off to the side.
“I’m not sick,” you confess, knowing that he’s bound to ask questions, but deciding you’d rather be honest than have him worry about your physical well-being.
“Now, there’s no reason to hide it. I’m sure that even a divine being would have gotten some strand of illness from that – what was it? A space hamster? And a mighty undercooked one, at that. I’m merely glad you’re still conscious,” he teases, leaning forward and holding your chin, giving you a quick kiss on the forehead.
You pull back, shaking your head once more. “I’m serious. I’m not sick. I just – I don’t know,” you sigh, scooting back and frowning. “It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it? All that stuff with Mystra?”
Gale eases back, reading your expression a second time to ensure you weren’t trying to deceive him. Once he’s sure, he lowers himself fully to his knees, and then grabs another cushion for himself to sit on. He thinks over your words, and ultimately nods. “Indeed. Rather unsettling. To now know that the weave I’ve had inside of me for so long is nothing more – and always has been nothing more – than a mystery to me, it’s… unsettling,” he repeats, bending a knee and placing his elbow on it, his thumb running over the hairs on his jaw.
“She’s been lying to you,” you murmur, and Gale eyes you, his expression that of some internal conflict. A conflict you fear you may be losing, even if he’d never admit it to you.
“As sadistic as it may appear, she had her reasons. Reasons we may never grasp or understand, but reasons, I’m sure. It’s no matter. Granting my disease a name does little to change said disease – or the expectations that come along with it. If I please her, if I fulfill her request of me, I will be rid of it. Free. At last. Though her actions may seem tyrannical to most, you must understand that it is quite a generous offer she is granting me,” he explains, his head tilting as he watches your reaction, though you’re putting too much effort into disguising your true concerns for him to pick up on them.
“Are you going to give it to her?” You ask, silently pleading for a denial -- for a firm and unwavering ‘No.’
“Of course. I have to,” he chuckles nervously, and whatever hope may have been contained in your expression quickly fades, and you have to break eye contact with him. “My love, this may be my only means of safety. Of securing a future. Should I refuse her, my very life would be on the line. And the miracles that have kept this orb from rupturing thus far – Mystra’s miracles, might I add – I would be left completely without.” He reaches forward, taking a hold of your hands, and you begrudgingly look back at him. “How could I possibly deny the chance at a future with you? I would be a madman.”
His words ease you, even if the effect is incredibly slight. You squeeze his hands, and he squeezes back, his small smile brimming with hope. It’s a pleasant emotion to see him with – one that you haven’t truly seen before. The closest has been eagerness, such as the kind he displayed when you learned of, and eventually obtained, the very book that caused this meeting with his goddess. “What if she forgives you?” You whisper, your insecurity underlining every syllable, and if you weren’t so afraid, your shame would have surely manifested in the color on your cheeks.
Gale pauses, his eyebrows pushing inward as he processes your words a few times over. “If she forgives me?”
“If she calls on you to be her chosen. If you give her the crown, and she excuses your disputes. I want a future with you too, I do. I just… fear a future haunted by her. I want you, exactly as you are.” You inhale, and it’s shaky, but it’s too late to turn back now. “If she forgives you, will you be at her beck and call?”
He smiles again, but it’s nearly a smile of pity. A smile that instills you with a pinch in your throat, daring you to cry. One of his hands slips out of yours, and for a moment, you believe that this is it – that he’ll confess his plans to return to her side, to embrace his faith once more, to leave you behind at the assurance of greener, holier, pastures. But instead, his hand tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, and then holds the right side of your face, his hold warm and comforting. “Once I am cured, once all of this is over – the only person I wish to be ‘chosen’ by is you. I confess that, had I not met you, the outcome may be different.”
Despite the small, mildly reassured smile on your face, and your leaning into his palm, you still contain some worry for the future. And so, against the understanding that you should know better than to wonder, you ask “Different how?”
He sighs, squeezing your hand again. “Before the tadpoles, before you, before any of this – I had always believed that I’d never be free of her influence. She occupied my mind much like our little larva pilots do now. To control the weave – to channel and embrace the weave is to embrace Mystra. Pieces of her, at least. Though it’s hard to feel a piece of her and not reflect on a time when I could feel all of her. Had I any choice in the matter, I would remove her completely from my life. But I am no man without my past, and even less of one without the magic that I have been so consistently entwined with. And yet, it’s with you that I feel unburdened by her expectations, by her authority and judgment.” Gale leans forward, and you do too, your forehead against his. His eyes close, and yours do as well, merely enjoying the closeness, and the gentleness in his tone, the comfort that his words bring. “With you I forget my goddess. I forget my past, I forget my flaws, I forget my mistakes. I have a purpose now. One beyond being a vessel. One beyond being a subservient lapdog for the will of a deity.”
When you open your eyes, you find Gale’s open as well, and he watches your lips, debating something. You grant him a moment to think, and he decides to act, pulling you a little closer for a chaste kiss, allowing it to linger before he pulls back once more, the curl of his lips more assured now.
“I would suffer at the hands of her fate a thousand times over if it meant finding you again in just one life. You, dearest, are the one who my heart worships. Even if I speak the tongue of the weave or spin her spells, I know what love truly is – unparalleled, earnest, generous love – because of you, and only you. Should Mystra find herself munificent enough to shell out a fragment of forgiveness for me, she will, quite quickly, understand I have no interest in being her compliant plaything anew. If Elminster is a case that instills any flavor of wariness, I do believe I’d be better off without such an expansive lifespan, and… intense enthrallment in cheese,” he chuckles, pulling a laugh from you as well. When that laugh trails off, he cuts it short with a kiss, this one lasting a little longer than the one prior.
“Just us two, then? After all of this?” You ask when the kiss is broken, and he smirks, shrugging.
“Us two and my Tressym, of course. I promise that she’s much better company than a goddess.”
“Of course. I can certainly live with that."
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DS9 S1 E20 - In The Hands Of The Prophets
Soooooooooooo.... I finished S1. And I officially hate Space Karen.
I want to get this out of the way so I hopefully never have to say it again because praising this character hurts me deep in my religiously traumatized soul (lol), but she is *really* good. I mean, of course she was going to be well played given the actress who plays her (RIP Louise Fletcher), but she's so fucking good at how evil she actually is. We're meant to hate her, I get that. But the writing and acting is phenomenal when it comes to this level of religious bigotry and scheming.
I have seen actual people IRL that were just a couple steps down the ladder from being pure fanatics to this dangerous level and the shit they've said in some cases were almost word for word how she spun in.
We started out the episode though with a fun note on Keiko joking with Miles and clearly hinting at something that is probably just supposed to be her playing at being jealous but definitely reads as swinger language to me. Which, from what I've gathered DS9 is one big polyam fam so I may be picking up on those vibes.
Which, I'm kinda sad Neela was the traitor here. I called it when the tool was discovered missing though "it" hadn't been revealed to be secret traitor levels yet and I just assumed she used the tool for some reason. I still knew it was her and when the episode went on and murder turned into potential terrorism I was just... bummed. She seemed to truly be getting alone with Miles and the scene in the shuttle def added to my polyam/swinger thoughts, but she really seemed to actually care for him. This didn't take away from my... enjoyment, can one really call it that when one is also seething? Anyway, it didn't take anything away from the episode from me, if fact it kinda made it feel a bit more realistic cause I have absolutely lost people I cared about because of religion. It just sucked.
Then Winn shows up at the school to talk religious nonsense and the "real" trouble starts. Oh I hate that woman.
And then Kira backing Winn? I know she's also got her own spiritual beliefs and journey but that felt... a bit much? Not aligned with who she had been up to this point? Not the teaching the kids part but the "lets separate everyone" idea. It definitely threw me out of the scene for a bit. I accept it, though, based on the very end of the episode where she explained that she hoped her beliefs were as strong as Winn's, but this was the one bit of writing that I disagreed with. If something has to wait to the end to be explained like this, it could use some fixing.
Quark and Odo meeting in secret to talk about a case seems to me like the writers were trying make up an excuse to get them alone together....
Watching Winn turn all the parents and kids against Keiko was frustrating. The Bajorian food seller not selling to them because of this wasn't so much upsetting as it just made me roll my eyes, but I adore Miles for wanting to jump the counter for his wifes honor lol
When the school blew and Miles ran towards it? And then Odo had to hold him back so he didn't jump into the fire? My heart. It was such a good scene.
I think my favorite part of this episode was Siskos speech. The "You've just made your first mistake" speech. I'm being a bit egotistical for this bit, though. I love it cause these are the same exact speeches I like to make in my ttrpgs. The "You think you've won but really you've severally underestimated us and we're going to ruin you now" speeches are my fucking favorite and I live for them. Sisko wins the gold star for this one.
8.75/10 cause I couldn't decide if I wanted to rate this one a 9 or an 8.5 so split the difference lmao
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The Leemon Theory
Okay, I think you all deserve a proper explanation for the things I keep saying about Lee Kanker. Now, don’t get me wrong, she is a horrible person. Not even just a bully, she’s a straight up sexual assaulting creep.
But…what if there’s more to her that others aren’t seeing? Things people just tend to brush off. Well, I’ve seen these moments and I think it all adds up to something. (even if it’s not what was intended for the show)
Lee Kanker is a demon.
A cruel, manipulating, heartless demon who takes the up most pleasure in making other people, including her sisters, suffer her wrath. This might sound like stretch, but I have evidence that support my theory. So I’ll go through them one at a time and try to prove my point to you all.
Point 1: Lee has three eyes.
This is probably the first thing people would point to when hearing the words “Lee Kanker” and “demon” in the same sentence. And rightfully so. Plenty of demon like creatures in media are portrayed with a third eye. And this third eye is often a symbol of knowledge or knowing more than others do. Along with having some sort of magic or power. Or in a more proper term, “The locus of occult power and wisdom”.
For those who don’t know, “occult” is another word for “supernatural”. And with what I’m getting at, this definitely fits in with that sort of thing.
Also, the reason I think her third eye is only shown once is because a supernatural being can be portrayed with the ability to retract body parts. There’s been times where her hair has been lifted up and we’ve only seen one or two eyes. My favorite example of this is when Double D accidentally dropped the book about egg hatchery on Lee’s foot.
Notice how Lee doesn’t instantly react with that shrill of a scream. She hesitated. Now, I’m not gonna say she’s immune to physical harm, because she isn’t. This is just one example of that. But since it DID hurt, she knew that her shocking reaction would cause her hair to spring up and reveal her third eye. So she used this brief hesitation to quickly retract said third eye before letting the pain sink in.
And even when she’s under no threat of being hurt, there are times where she’s still very protective over her hair. For example:
”Don’t touch my hair, squirt!”
“Does my hair look okay?”
Cleary she’s determined to keep it a secret. Big Picture Show was that one rare time she slipped up.
And there are times where I believe she actually USES that power and wisdom. Here’s the one that really sticks out:
When Lee notices Eddy’s sweat, she knows exactly what is going on. Not just the fact that he’s nervous, but the ENTIRE plan. She realizes it’s reverse psychology when non of the Eds even brought it up in front of them. And just look at what happens when she places her hands on top of Marie and May’s heads. She gives them both a little tug upwards, and they smirk evilly. It’s like Lee is sending her knew found discovery into her sisters’ minds through her demonic spirituality. Without uttering a single word, Marie and May now know what’s going on as well. Just when it all seemed to be going well, when it looked like the Eds were going to win, when Lee finally had a taste of her own terrifying medicine. She turns it around and sends that command to her sisters to take action.
Point 2: The Lipstick
Notice how when Nazz kisses Double D and Eddy on the cheek, they aren’t at all frighten or grossed out?
(I know out of context Eddy looks scared but he’s actually just confused)
Well compare that to how them and Ed react to the Kankers’ kisses
Notice the specific appearance of their lipstick. That bright shade of red. How wet and glossy it looks. How HUGE it makes their lips.
Even when it’s a different color like pink:
It’s still pretty big and significant compared to Nazz’s lips.
I believe that this has something to do with Lee’s demonic powers. She’s most likely responsible for the creation of these god awful dispensers of hellish torment.
And look at how it stains the Eds poor faces:
And it’s not even just the lipstick.
The perfume they use sends an aroma that causes everyone to react with disgust.
The “wedding decorations” look way too uncanny and out of the norm.
And the crayons and bugs shown in their box:
Lee refers to them as “weapons” and tells May to chose. Weapons. Like, seriously?
Also, just look at what they do to Ed here:
What am I looking at.
What in the actual hell am I even looking at right now.
This isn’t even a joke. It’s honestly disgusting.
And notice what each girl is doing? May is doing the kissing, Marie is pulling the rope, and Lee is just… watching. Watching it all unfold.
And we saw that Marie was recording this with a movie camera before:
She could’ve kept recording and Lee could’ve been pulling the rope, but no. Lee peers down like a hawk and watches her victims suffer. While getting her “minions” to do the work. Truly evil.
Heck, she probably even planned for May to become upset after that horrible makeover she received. And knew that this would be the only way to cheer her up. This wasn’t improv. She planned for Ed to receive this.
And even after the smooching is finished, the affects are still present.
As the Eds are running away from that Kankers after Eddy was brutally kissed. He can be heard screaming “HELP ME!” at the top of his lungs. Even though he’s already done receiving the torment. They’re not even chasing after them. And yet Eddy is still cleary in pain. Do the kisses… burn…? Do they sting? Does it suck on their faces like a leech?
Just how powerful is Lee with her creations?
Point 3: She’s way too cruel.
Sometimes, the way Lee and her sisters torment the Eds isn’t even the slightest bit “romantic”. And doesn’t even involve kissing. The best example of this is in Over Your Ed:
Allow me to remind you that there was absolutely NO KISSING to be found here. The Kankers literally bust in, embarrass and frighten Ed, sabotage his performance, and ruin the whole plan.
THIS WASN’T EVEN A SCAM. Nobody was getting hurt, nothing was getting damaged. All Eddy and Double D were trying to do was give Ed a better reputation. And all the cul de sac kids were enjoying it, even Sarah was happy to see her brother in this way! Sure, they had pay a quarter, but none of them had a problem with that. They were willing to pay. But no. We can’t have good things. The day is ruined. This was just straight up bullying. Nothing about this screamed “It’s our boyfriends!” It was all just for complete and utter degradation.
And look at this:
After May tells Lee and Marie to quit fighting, Marie goes up to hug her. But Lee? Absolutely not. There’s plenty of moments where Marie and May seem to act like actual sisters. Sure, they fight, because of course they do. They’re sisters. But Lee always seems to finish it and get them to stop instantly. And not in a nice way. She just uses more violence or tells them to shut up. She might call them “family”, but she doesn’t love her sisters. And she doesn’t deserve them.
Final Point 4: Apocalyptic destruction.
The entirety of Run For Your Ed takes up this whole part of the theory.
I don’t even need to say anything. Just look at this crap. The concrete road has turned into a canyon. The houses are caved in and destroyed. Cars are flipped over. There’s smoke, implying that fires were started. There are somehow geysers of water. And most interestingly of them all, the sky. It starts off pink with red clouds, but as the Kankers hissy fit goes on and on, the sky turns dark red and the clouds become black. All of this over a stupid ship in a bottle. And this was all Lee’s idea mind you. Marie and May wanted to call the cops. They wanted to do the logical thing for when your home gets robbed.
But Lee stands over them, with this devilish, evil, heartless glare. And says that they’re gonna do this “Kanker style”.
Well obviously it’s not Kanker style if two out of the three Kankers wanted to go about this in a completely different direction.
This was Lee style.
And one more thing I wanna point out before I wrap this up:
In Jingle Jingle Jangle. Her and her sisters are literally mocking the story of the three kings bringing gifts to baby Jesus, and in a comedy show, that doesn’t sound too far off for a demon to do at all.
(I’d show a picture but I’ve already used up all 30)
Final thoughts.
Even if none of this is true, even if I’m just spouting a bunch of nonsense, there’s one thing that I know is true:
Lee Kanker, you are a sick, disgusting, sad excuse of a sister and an unbelievably horrible creature. The torment and pain you inflict on others is unforgivable. And I cannot believe that you have the audacity to refer to Nazz as a “hussy” at the school dance after everything you’ve put the Eds through. Anything and everything bad that happened to you in the show isn’t even close to what you deserve. And if you truly are a heartless demon as I’ve stated, then I’m not at all surprised. And I’m willing to bet that the middle school bullies that Antonucci based you off of are saints compared to you. So take your lipstick, your lust, and your forever misguided sisters, and go choke and die on holy water you TRAILER TRASH TRAMP.
(oh btw is a semi a joke post please don’t take it too seriously)
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