#i yearn for some shippy stuff i think | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

princessamericachavez · 3 years

Text

Fjorester Talk in episode 117

also known as Sofía goes buckwild and overanalyzes 10 minutes of conversation and body language.

ready?

Ok, first of all, Fjord looks so worried from the get go as he asks Jester if Lucien/Cree was speaking to her directly.

And when she confirms it he does this little grumpy sigh

He no like it. No like it at all.

Fjord: Does it seem like he’s keying in on you in particular?

LISTEN GUYS

I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR LIKE TWO WEEKS

HOPING FJORD WOULD GET PROTECTIVE OVER JESTER CONSTANTLY GETTING SCRIED ON/MESSAGED BY LUCIEN BUT I DIDN’T THINK TRAVIS WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO DELIVER

AND HE DIIIIIID

Ok anyway he goes on about how when they see someone else scrying it’s usually just a representation of the spell and wonders if Lucien is more powerful and therefor can see the person

and then he makes a pause mid-argument

because Jester makes this face and he realizes this is upsetting her, so he quickly backtracks trying to reassure her.

Fjord: I’m sure it’s just coincidence but...

and here’s where the idea comes and god how long has he been thinking about this???

Fjord: since we’re not in the sea... would you... want to wear this?

YES HELLO DO YOU SEE THE PARALLELS TO THAT ONE TIME HE WANTED TO GIVE HER AN EXTRA POWERFUL HEALING POTION TO MAKE SURE SHE WOULD BE SAFE??? PROTECTIVE FJORD PARALLELS!!!

and then he just brushes off the fact that he’s a huge Uk’otoa beacon everytime they are on water —baby, you died once already, don’t act like it’s whatever???

Fjord: maybe it would provide some protection if we were to keep checking in on him?

Jester: I mean... it’s worth a try.

Of course, as she points out, Lucien has already met all of them and he could just as easily scry on any of the M9 if he wanted to, but that’s not really what Fjord is worried about, what is bothering him. Fjord knew Lucien was watching and it’s not the first time they are scried on, but he makes it clear that he’s concerned about how centered on Jester that’s been lately.

Jester: Maybe it’ll keep me from getting seen next time I scry on him?

Fjord: I guess we’ll find out next time we try it.

The way he chuckles softly, trying to defuse the tension, and she smiles back even though this subject clearly has her nervous??? 11/10

Jester: Thank you.

SHE SAYS IT SO SOFTLY. SHE’S CLEARY SO TOUCHED THAT HE’S WATCHING OUT FOR HER AND HAVING HER BACK JUST LIKE HE ALWAYS DOES.

LOOK AT THOSE HEART EYES THEY BOTH HAVE WTF

THEY ARE BOTH SO SOFT

Fjord: Yeah. Just in case it’s not... coincidence.

Listen there’s such a heaviness in how he says the word.

Like the possibility of anyone —especially this very dangerous stranger with the face of a friend— purposefully targeting Jester is his worst nightmare. It probably is.

Jester: It’s also creepy. He did say that he kind of knew me, right?

NOTICE HOW JESTER IS STILL PLAYING WITH THE AMULET IN HER HANDS???

Idk why but that’s getting to me. She’s so nervous with this whole thing.

Fjord: He did?

Jester: When we got there he said he hadn’t met anyone except for me.

OH FJORD DOESN’T LIKE THIS AT ALL

So of course Jester tries to defuse the tension talking about how she must look like through the scry

AND HE’S JUST SO IN LOVE

And so he plays along

LOOK AT THE WAY HE MAKE HER SMILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(same, Ashley, same)

And so, more reassured by the goofiness, Jester finally puts the necklace on.

Fjord: And of course, it’s Caleb’s...

Jester: oh

LISTEN SHE DID NOT LIKE THAT. She was clearly so excited to get a present like this from Fjord and you can see her face fall a little when it’s deviated towards someone else.

Jester: should I ask him if it’s okay?

Fjord: Well, he gave it to me to use it..

Fjord: and you seem to need it more.

AKA THE AMULET WAS FOR FJORD’S WELLBEING BUT THE WAY HE IS OK IS IF HE KNOWS JESTER IS PROTECTED

Jester, now that she knows this is something that he is personally choosing to transfer to her: Okay...

LOOK AT THE WAY SHE CLUTCHES IT TO HER HEART I’M DYING

Fjord: And just be careful.

Fjord: I don’t like the possibility of him keying in on you or using that connection between the two of you to manipulate something. His magic seems strange.

LISTEN GUYS LISTEN

THIS PART HERE IS HUGE OK?

This is the part where Fjord took 18 steps forward instead of one since Rumblecusp

Whereas before he could’ve hide his concern as something tactical, something useful that made sense and could help their mission... or could’ve hidden behind group speech to disguise his concern...

here he says “I don’t like the possibility of him keying in on you.”

here he is straight up saying “I am worried about you”

(quietly hopes Lucien does exactly that to trigger more protective fjord instincts in the future and lots of angst based shippy shenaingans)

Fjord: Alright. More adventures tomorrow.

BECAUSE THAT’S ALL OK

THAT’S IT

HE SAID HIS PIECE, HE KEPT HER SAFE, MADE SURE SHE LAUGHED A LITTLE AND THAT’S ALL HE NEEDS... THAT AND MORE ADVENTURES BY HER SIDE

But then Jester hesitates

AND LOOK AT THAT, THE WAY SHE PULLS BACK LIKE SHE’S AFRAID IF SHE SAYS THE WRONG THING HE’LL CLOSE OFF

THE WAY HIS FACE SCRUNCHES WITH WORRY OVER WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE TROUBLING HER THAT SHE’S HESITATING TO SAY

Fjord: What?

Jester: H- How are you?

FJORD MELTING IMMEDIATELY:

The way he goes from super concerned to extremely soft in 0.2 seconds.

(i am ashley and ashley is me)

Jester: *explaining all the very valid reasons she has to be worried about Fjord too and all the crazy shit that happened to him only a few days ago*

Fjord: *bursting with feelings of love*

seriously travis pls have some mercy of my poor yearning soul

Also I wanna talk about the way Jester brings up Avantika.

Jester: She tried to pull you into the water... you guys had a thing... it must have been weird to see her all kinda dead and stuff... was it weird? And then you killed her... again...

The way she calls them “a thing” and the way she checks if it was “weird” for him to see her as undead really says a lot to me. I think Jester never quite got over the heartbreak during the pirate arc and part of her probably still thought that Fjord harbored some sort of feelings or attraction towards Avantika.

I think she believes whatever they two had was far more intimate than it actually was. Or, at the very least, Jester thinks it must have meant something to Fjord.

How could she not? The whole thing had her bursting with jealousy and pain and unresolved feelings... you can tell how anxious she is around this subject but also she needs to know if he’s alright because she cares too much

Fjord: It was weird. Yeah, it was weird, for sure. I wasn’t expecting that...

HE DOESN’T EVEN REGISTER IT AS AN “EX” THING I SWEAR

Fjord: I’m alright.

And so she finally relaxes.

Fjord: It feels like I keep trying to start newer chapters in my life and leave the old stuff behind and then it just... keeps popping up.

Fjord: It feels like it’s hard to... pursue something new, when the past is not dealt with.

YOU CAN’T SEE IT IN THE SCREENSHOTS BUT JESTER STARTS NODDING VERY GENTLY WHEN HE STARTS TALKING ABOUT NEW CHAPTERS AND MOVING ON

ALSO THIS

(ashley knows what I’m talking about)

Jester: Do we need to deal with the past?

SHE SAYS WE

BECAUSE AS USUAL THEY ARE A TEAM ALWAYS FIRST AND FOREMOST

AND IF THIS IS SOMETHING HE NEEDS TO DO SHE’S GOING TO HELP HIM AND BE BY HIS SIDE WITHOUT A DOUBT NO MATTER WHAT

Fjord: I think so.

Fjord: Yeah... I want to.

THE WAY HE LOOKS AT HER WHEN HE SAYS ‘I WANT TO’. HE WANTS TO HAVE A FUTURE WITH HER. HE WANTS TO LET GO OF THE PAST SO HE CAN HAVE A FUTURE WITH HER. HE’S LETTING HIMSELF ‘WANT’ THIS AND ADMITTING IT.

Fjord: I feel like I need to close all of that before...

AND THEN HE JUST GOES THROUGH THIS BLESSED FACE JOURNEY FOR 6 ENTIRE SECONDS

LOOK AT IT

AND THE WAY SHE SLOWLY SMILES LIKE SHE MIGHT KNOW WHAT HE MEANS

LOOK AT HER OWN FACIAL JOURNEY

ASHLEYYYYYYYYYY

And so Jester jumps into action mode offering her help.

and Fjord —once again— proves that he’s able and willing to open up to Jester about things that he’s keeping close to his chest... like Sabian.

Fjord: I um... I actually... I put a bounty out for S-Sabian.

IDK WHY THIS FACIAL EXPRESSION AMUSES ME THIS MUCH

THIS IS FJORD’S ‘IM ABOUT TO CONFESS SOMETHING PERSONAL TO JESTER FACE’ AND WE’VE SEEN IT BEFORE AT THE KILN AND IN RUMBLECUSP

Jester: A bo- When? How?

SHE’S SO BEWILDERED LMFAO

and a little offended that she didn’t know

and I think Fjord can tell by the way he quickly tries to excuse it as a way to keep Kotho occupied after the whole Vokodo ordeal

But Jester quickly gets back on track and starts looking for a way to help him with this. If finding Sabian is what Fjord wants —what he needs— right now, she’ll do anything to help him.

Jester: *describing how she would be able to help Fjord*

Fjord, who never had anyone be this ride or die for him ever and who is bursting at the seems with love for this kind and wonderful woman:

Fjord: Sure.

Jester: You want me to do it?

Fjord: Yeah.

THOSE HEART EYES SHOULD BE ILEGAL

Jester: *uses a sixth level spell to send a message for Fjord because this is totally her number one priority now and it’s not like they are dealing with stuff that literally drained her today or like they are stuck up north for god knows how long... nope... she needs to find a way to help Fjord right now*

Fjord:

okay okay okay

so after the message

you can see how Jester is worried that the news she finally found for him are bad news and not going to cheer him up

Jester: Oops

Fjord: No, no, no, no! No oops! That’s great! That’s great!

I love the way he rushes to reassure her, to make sure she knows that what she just did for him is amazing and means so much and please jester do not be sad about this because this already means so much to me you have no ideaaaaaa

Fjord: That’s... totally distracting but that’s great.

Fjord: Thank you.

Jester: You’re welcome! Now you know!

Fjord, with more feeling and emotion behind it like he wants to tell her that she and everything she does for him out of love mean the entire universe to him: Thank you.

Jester, blissfully unaware that he’s in love with him but delighted that she was able to help and that he is letting her in enough to help deal with his past: You’re welcome! I’m glad I could help!

Fjord, still not over how good she is and how diametrically different her kindness is compared to everything else he’s known in life so far and still after these many months shook and surprised by how wonderful she is: That’s very nice of you, I-

Jester: It’s just a (6th level) spell. Easy to do.

SHE HAS NO IDEA THAT WHAT HE MEANS ISN’T THE MAGIC NOR THE SPELL NOR THE INFORMATION... IT’S HER HELP AND SUPPORT THAT HE IS SO SHAKEN WITH.

Fjord: I.... will think about that all night.

Sure you will Fjord. We know you will. But we know it’s not about Sabien but about Jester’s kindness that you’re gonna be thinking all night. We know that’s what’s keeping you up. Not the past, the future.

AND OF COURSE

THE OBLIGATORY AWKWARD ENDING

Fjord: I’ll race you to the top!

Both: UP!

THEY ARE SO ADORABLE AND GOOFY AND PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER WTF HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE MY LIFE INSTEAD OF THINKING ABOUT THEM 24/7??

ANYWAY WHO IS READY FOR PIRATE ARC PART 2 AND MORE SHENANIGANS WITH THESE TWO WHILE FJORD GETS FINALLY READY TO MOVE FORWARD TOWARDS THE FUTURE HE WANTS WITH JESTER? I AM

#fjorester #fjord stone #jester lavorre #critical role #cr spoilers #sofia's nonsense

185 notes · View notes

raksh-writes · 3 years

Note

Hi! Could you do 26, 32, and 34?

Hello, nonnie! I'd love to even! ^^

26. Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try?

Hm, I don't think so? When I started writing Voiles I was maybe a lil' bit apprehensive of getting some of those "this is problematic and you should stop" type of messages, but it's been super chill and lovely ^^ To be absolutely fair, though, since I dipped my toes into the Supernatural fandom, I am hesitant to try and contribute anything, or even reblog much content? I know the few bad apples don't reflect on the majority but still... Maybe I'm not yet immersed enough to not give any damn. I'd love to write my crossover idea with Void, probably will because I just like it too much, and even though I'm not planning much - or any - shippy stuff there, I'm still hesitant to get it out into the fandom. So yeah, I guess I'm kinda in this stage now, at least with this crossover idea.

32. Summarize a random fic of yours in 10 words or less.

A palace, a deal, an infamous lord and a stubborn town's boy yearning for more.

(I am physically incapable of making it 10 or less, I'm sorry 😂)

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

Oh goodness, how do I even choose... Okay, think I gotta go with an excerpt from my Fluffy Tails one-shot, 'cause I just love the whole thing and this part is one I'm really proud of, and fond, too, yes ^^

So here, from A simple gesture of affection:

Stiles purses his lips and scrunches his face and he's ready to get even snarkier, when Void asks:

"What is it, darling? So hard to just ask one little question?"

Curving up one brow and his voice full of mockery, and there's— There's something in Void's tone, something well hidden but different enough for Stiles to pick up on — like a note out of tune underneath the taunt. It gives Stiles a pause.

And that's when it hits him.

How very hard it must be for Void to even consider just showing his tails — as if it's nothing, as if he wasn't hiding for hundreds of years, as if they're not the highest proof and representation of his power and spirit. How intimate of a request it must truly be — and as close and intimate as they are, this— This isn't something Void is in any way used to. And if all of that didn't give Stiles enough of an idea what his petulant behavior must've felt like, the coolness under his shadow's rune would be a dead giveaway; they don't withdraw from their bond unless they have to — or not in this way, at least.

All the ugly energy goes out of Stiles like air escaping a popped balloon, instantly and with a hiss, leaving behind a strange emptiness that almost seems to ring in his ears. Stiles swallows down the bitter taste in his mouth, lamely fidgeting with Void's hand that's still in his, somehow, as his face burns even hotter. It still doesn't make him miss the moment Void's energy changes flavors, though; that barely noticeable, cold steel melting away. And Void would be ready to offer it to Stiles now, he's sure of it, but fuck that, Stiles was in the wrong here and if the only thing Void's asking of him is for Stiles to, well, ask, then that's the least he can do.

Thank you for the ask ^^ 💗

Send me an ask! | From this Questions for Fanfiction Writers

#ask #anon #Raksh answers #ask game #💗💗

5 notes · View notes

maggot-monger · 3 years

Note

Y (for the fic ask)

Y. Yearning - How do you feel about slow burns?

i feel excellent about slow burns. i love to see characters build up a relationship with each other, work through internal and external problems, try to understand each other, potentially get obsessed with or reliant on each other, and to see why all of that is happening. i have been told that when i write shippy or romantic stuff it often reads more as mutual fascination than proper romance — which tracks, due to my generally non-romantic tendencies as a person lol. the tension is delicious, and the learning that comes along with the yearning is just as important to me. i always want to be persuaded of a relationship; when i'm writing, i need to persuade myself, which can take some words and some work!

that said, i rarely write long-form fic :/ so i don't typically write slow-burns. non-fan fiction writing? yes. if i were to write longer form fic? absolutely. i have a few slowburn outlines sitting around from fandoms past and present that i'll likely never write, but that i do think about. maybe some day!

send me a fanfic writer ask!

#thank you!#lovetheirloves #ask games

5 notes · View notes

punsandfuturekingsmen-archive · 3 years

Note

(viviskull) 🌱 = a plot I want to write with you 🍄 = my opinion on crossovers 🍀 = a ship I wish to write 🌹 = my opinion on your character

Symbol Meme 🌹 = my opinion on your character

//I think she’s neat! I love Vivi a lot so I really enjoy the different versions of her I’ve seen. It’s really interesting how you’ve taken her and made her unique and developed her to be-- your character! She feels vibrant and is really interesting to see on my dash!

🍀 = a ship I wish to write

//completely honest? I’m kinda weird with ships, where I don’t really ship something until I see the characters interact and the writing style of the mun, and see what kind of chemistry the characters have. I can love a character, and Arthur will usually have a crush on a Lewis or Vivi shaped muse, but I might not ship it myself with that version of the character until I see a click. I loveeee the slow burn of yearning between characters though, so once I do and Arthur starts catching feelings, I’m just as happy for him to suffer with some pining rather than doing something shippy. It took...an irl year or two I think? For him to end up with Vivi (bluescarf) and Lewis (spectrum), and it’s been almost four years of pining for him with a different Lewis (splatter) and they’re still dancing around that. Right now I haven’t RPed with enough people that he’s clicked with yet to have a ship I want here, but I do kinda think he’s got feelings for Louise (ghxstgal) that I think at some point I should play with. Otherwise? I think I just really enjoy the bits of fluff he gets to have with the characters he’s fallen for and is dating lol

🌱 = a plot I want to write with you

//Honestly I kinda miss doing case threads! They’re hard because you or one of you has to figure out what the plot is, but they’re a lot of fun! Something like that could be cool. Or even with your Vivi knowing how to fight from what I’ve seen, her practicing with Arthur since he’s trying to pick up more skills so he can be more useful

🍄 = my opinion on crossovers

// Answered! But I’d love to do some stuff with like... Maybe some Persona rp blogs? I don’t know really much about the games, so I think it’d be really awesome to like-- learn the story and the characters through Arthur meeting them and learning stuff. And I fully blame bluescarfvivi for this want lol

#answering things #symbol meme #ooc #tristan rambles #ask meme answers #viviskull #Anonymous

5 notes · View notes

alturans · 4 years

Text

SHIPPING INFO !! ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSE SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW SHIPPING WORKS ON YOUR BLOG.

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER?

my oldest ship on this blog is ferrus / naoya (@starsinged ) ! i really love all my ships on this blog though. each one is very unique and, again, this is a multi so it’s very hard to choose a favorite. honestly, as much as i enjoy writing toxic relationships (because i find it cathartic bec of my past) none of my ships on this blog are toxic! which, i think, really is a big step for me. my characters, most of them anyways, are in love and happy :) i know this is probably a cop out but my favorite otps are the ones where my characters feel at peace.

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO WRITE WHEN IT COMES TO SHIPPING?

i am willing to write a lot of things, including SOME darker subjects. for example—ferrus’ past is rife with abuse, but that doesn’t mean i really want him in an abusive relationship, you know? i really prefer my ships to have happy endings. i’m all for angst! it’s one of my favorite things to write! but there’s a difference between writing angst and trauma porn, you feel me? i really love exploring different options too—soulmates, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, friends with benefits. ferrus also wouldn’t mind a sugar daddy wink wink. considering that a lot of my characters are gods or are incredibly powerful, i’m also a fan of writing big power imbalances. ( not like teacher and student though. that’s fuckin’ gross, my dudes. )

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?

to an extent! i have only had a couple people approach me for shipping, but i do require there at least be some chemistry between the muses. if the ship doesn’t work out on both sides, i also fucking ADORE unrequited bullshit. give me the YEARNING. give me the SADNESS. give me the LONGING. honestly, if you think our characters would vibe hit me the fuck up. shipping is one of my favorite things to do on tunglr dot hell.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NSFW?

it depends on context! for example, there’s a difference between a quick kiss on the neck and a character givin’ a big ol’ hickey. usually, to be cautious, if it’s anything more than making out i’ll mark it with cw sensual. if i’m writing ‘passionate hugging’ i’ll mark it with nsfw.

WHO ARE OTHER CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?

i’ma just go ahead and list some of the ships i have. ( not all. that’d get long. )

@mjm56 and avarion are my newest ship! they’ve literally only met and fucked but, like, we be PLOTTING my dudes. i really fucking adore older men in love. it’s soft. and a lil bit kinky because, you know, avarion likes a bit of spice in his otherwise plain life.

@destructiveglitch and scylla make my heart sing!! there’s something about an terrifyingly beautiful inconceivable horror falling for and softening for a somewhat sheltered yet big hearted woman that makes my heart sing. i usually default to writing trans men because that’s what is most comfortable to me, but writing scylla is a really fun challenge and i’m so glad to share her with a mun so lovely and fun to write with.

@empiia god i cannot fucking get enough of scylla and sorun??? our princess and knight au fucking SLAPS. i know i’m slow as fuck with replies because my attention span is garbage and i’m just a hot mess, but i’m so glad to write with such a patient, wonderful, kind mun. their dynamic is SO WHOELSOME???? scylla loves sorun so much. she’d do anything for them. she’d even kill for them, which is something very new to her.

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?

please do! i never EVER assume ships. it’s something that needs consent from both parties!

ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?

i’m a shipping fanatic lmao! it’s one of my favorite things to do. ofc i love familial dynamics too, but romance, yearning, longing...GODS i love it so much.

ARE YOU MULTISHIP?

very much so! i will not ship with duplicates, however, as far as fandom based characters go. i’d never want anyone to feel like i was simply ‘collecting’ their muse, ya feel me?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?

this is a fandomless blog so??? i can’t really answer this??? my favorite fandom based ship is hawke/fenris tho. traumatized men coming together and bettering each other with their loyalty. good shit.

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?

literally just chat with me! i’m super duper open to shippin’. i DO like to have a relationship with the mun i’m shipping with though. i wanna be able to chat about stuff, send you pictures of frogs or cats (whichever you like more), and share cute shippy headcanons.

tagged by: i stole it.

tagging: steal it and tag me so i can see your thoughts!

#ooc;;#long post cw

2 notes · View notes

morinokunikara · 5 years

Text

Harajuku Fashions

Read on AO3

Ship: Shuyuu

Word count: 1587

Summary: Yuuki Mishima has always had a fashion taste people might find unfitting for a boy, which is why he always kept it under wraps. But what happens when he runs into a friend while shopping?

Author's note: I finally wrote a fic based on my GNC Mishima headcanon!! Not the most shippy but I sprinkled a bit of Yearning into it for the gays. Also I haven't slept in 23 hours because my brain would not let me know peace until this was done. Also it's fanfic writer appreciation day so please give me clout. Enjoy.

[[MORE]]

It had been awhile since Yuuki had made a shopping trip to Harajuku. He had been so busy running the Phansite, he never really gave himself a break to even think about new clothes. Not only that, but he always felt a bit of hesitance and embarrassment over his fashion sense. When he shopped, he found himself worrying about others staring or judging and him having to find a way to justify his taste in clothing. He had yet to even wear the clothes he bought in public. Sure they were cute clothes, but they weren’t what guys should wear. Guys didn’t wear cute shirts or fluffy skirts, they weren’t supposed to. He had to defend his identity to people as it was, it’d probably get even worse if he started wearing “girl” clothes.

For the time being, however, his mind was focused on shopping. He found a dress he was rather fond of, a rainbow one with a fun tulle skirt. He actually had a necklace that would match this perfectly! Oh, and there were those platforms he loved! This outfit would be perfect! He would have to try it as soon as he got-

Wait.

Is that.

Yuuki quickly ducked behind a rack, his eyes focused on the person looking at accessories across the way. Kurusu. No. That was the last person he wanted to see him here. The last person he wanted to think he was weird or anything...maybe he could sneak off without being noticed if he just moved into the nearest crowd slowly...

No such luck. As soon as he began to walk away, closing watching the other boy, their eyes locked. Please please please just look away, don’t come here... Still no luck. Kurusu walked towards him with a welcoming smile, and Yuuki felt his stomach drop. He couldn’t let it show though. He had to act natural. Keep his cool, and maybe he could avoid any embarrassment.

“Mishima. Didn’t think I’d see you here,” Kurusu said, keeping as cool and collected as ever. How does he do that?

Yuuki waved, hoping his shaking wasn’t too obvious. “I could say the same to you...”

“Well, I was looking for some good accessories. I was actually looking at a pretty cool necklace of you want to see. I think I have something that would match it perfectly...” Kurusu nodded towards the accessories table he was looking at previously

Yuuki blinked, trying to process what Kurusu had said. He had something that would match it perfectly? Did that mean... “Wait...are you shopping...for yourself...?”

“For myself.” Kurusu seemed unfazed. He stated this as if it were just some simple known fact. Yuuki could never see himself admitting so easily to shopping for “girl’s” clothes or accessories. Kurusu was always so cool and confident...so much more than Yuuki could ever hope to be. “Are you here for someone else?”

Yuuki looked around anxiously, making sure no one else he might know was around, and no one was close enough “No I’m...I’m here for myself. Just...please don’t tell anyone.” His voice went quiet as he looked down in shame.

There was a bit of silence that felt much more painfully long than it truly was, and for a second, Yuuki worried that he had said something wrong, that Kurusu was judging him, laughing at him, mocking him... until he spoke. “There's nothing wrong with that. They're just clothes. If you think they're cute or that you'd look good in them, then who's to stop you?”

"A lot of people probably would," Yuuki said quietly. "I mean, a lot of people think I'm a girl as it is, they'd probably think it even more if I wore those clothes..." Yuuki couldn't bring himself to say exactly what he was thinking, and he wasn't sure if he wanted his point to get across or not. Would Kurusu accept his identity? Outside of his family, most people that found out Yuuki was trans had treated him poorly... Kurusu didn't seem like a bad person but there was just no way to truly tell...

"Mishima...look at me." Yuuki hesitantly looked up, and his gaze was met with one of familiarity and knowing. "I know exactly how you feel, okay?" Yuuki understood completely, and the knowledge filled him with a joy he previously found impossible. "It's okay if you aren't comfortable with wearing these clothes out yet but...why don't we buy an outfit or two each and try them on for each other? Would that be fun?"

And just like that, all of Yuuki’s nerves faded. He never got the chance to share this hobby with someone. Hell, up until today, no one but himself even knew about it! And now, one of his only friends in the world not only accepted it, but was actively interested in it! He couldn't hold back his excitement. His whole face lit up in a thousand watt smile, and he hurried back over to the racks of clothes, talking . "There's actually this super cute dress I was looking at! I have a lot of stuff that matches it at home, but I don't think we have time to go back, so maybe we can work with some of your stuff? If that's alright, of course." The two helped each other find fitting outfits and accessories, then got a lunch together and headed back to the cafe to try on their new clothes.

They managed to find some good accessories in Kurusu's collection that matched Yuuki's new dress. Kurusu himself went with a high-waist black patchwork maxi skirt, and a white shirt that said "Lover" in bright red letters. He wore the shirt tucked into the skirt, and flashy accessories to match. The two joyfully showed off their new outfits to each other, and ultimately decided to hang out in the attic still wearing them while playing video games together.

"Oh hey," Kurusu said after a couple hours of gaming. "There's something I want to show you. He got up and went to one of the shelves in the room, pulling a small, nearly flat box from it and sitting back down with it in his lap. He opened the box slowly, Yuuki peeking at it like a child looking in a gift box.

"Whoa..." Yuuki muttered, mesmerized by the contents. Inside the box was a collection of colorful chest binders with different designs on them. Some of them were simple stripes, others were more flashy, some even had shiny metallic patterns on them! "Where did you get all these...?"

"Online," Kurusu replied, pulling out a couple to show them off. "A lot of different stores. I can send you the links if you want."

"Please do!" Yuuki said. His overeagerness was getting the best of yet again. He would have to treat himself to at least a couple of these when he got home. Speaking of home, it was starting to get late... "I should probably get home now, huh?"

"Unfortunately, you're probably right," Kurusu sighed. "I can walk you to the station if you'd like."

"Only if it won't be too much trouble." Yuuki got up and stretched a bit. "Don't go out of your way for me."

"It's not out of the way," Kurusu insisted. "I want to spend more time with you, anyways."

The comment through Yuuki off guard. Did he mean that...? Did he really want to spend more time with him...? He tried to brush it off as nothing, but he was clearly a bit flustered. "Oh! Well uh, I don't mind spending more time with you either."

The two changed into their more "acceptable" outfits and headed down to the station. The walk there was filled with idle talk about school, video games, movies...before long, they found themselves at the gate.

"I had fun today," Yuuki said. He wanted to stall for as long as possible before leaving. Just a few more minutes, please... "Thank you, Kurusu."

"Akira."

Yuuki tilted his head, unsure of what exactly his friend meant.

"I mean, you can call me Akira," Kurusu explained. "Afterall, we're friends aren't we?"

"Are we...?" Yuuki didn't really get how anyone could want to be friends with him. He was a zero, afterall. "I-I mean, of course we are. Thanks for having me today...Akira." The name felt so nice to say. It felt like saying a magic spell that cured any sadness or doubt. It was... beautiful.

"See you around, Yuuki."

But not nearly as beautiful as Akira saying his name. His heart must have stopped, the world must have stopped, everything just froze in that moment. Had Akira always been so handsome...? Yuuki didn't have time to dwell on those thoughts. He needed to get home. He could think all about Akira on the train ride home...wait, what? Why did he want to think about him so much? Still, sure enough, all he could think about on the train and as he got home was how wonderful the day was. How a chance encounter turned into confessions and support Yuuki never thought he'd experience. How kind and handsome and amazing Akira was...no matter how hard he tried, Yuuki's only thoughts were about Akira. It was a bit confusing but not totally unwelcome.

The day was a success. He found an outfit, and someone he could trust with his secrets as well as shop with and show new outfits. Nothing could possibly be better than that one day.

#persona 5 #persona #p5 #shuyuu #my writing

33 notes · View notes

imaginaryelle · 4 years

Text

Author Interview

Thanks to @dafan7711 for the tag!

Name: Alex (they/them)

Fandoms: MDZS & The Untamed, Marvel Avengers (comics), Good Omens, Dragon Age & Mass Effect, Star Wars & SWTOR, Star Trek, Sherlock Holmes; the list goes on but these are the main ones.

Where You Post: Tumblr and AO3.

Complete: 72 works on AO3; a few (less than 10?) oneshots are only on tumblr.

Incomplete: Posted? I think the closest is these two snippets from my Wangxian Modern Musician AU (1 | 2). Unposted? The well is bottomless.

Coming (hopefully) Soon:

1. Wangxian Modern Musician AU: Wei Wuxian has been out of the live music scene for more than a decade and just happens to land a traveling show with his ex as his first get-back-in-gear gig (thank you, Nie Huaisang). Features include hand massages, yearning in taxis, getting-back-together uncertainties, publicity angst and comfort softness alongside traveling show hi-jinks.

2. MDZS/Abhorsen Fusion: What if. Just stay with me for a second. What if. Lan Wangji was the Clayr-raised Abhorsen who was chosen for the role over any of the Lotus Pier disciples and Wei Wuxian was an Abhorsen-raised free magic necromancer who became more of a free magic creature instead of falling properly into Death? Possibly he can also turn into a rabbit I’m still working on details here but I am. Excite! Thank you for your time; @suspiciouspopsicle and I have a lot of ideas we like to play with for this AU.

3. So Many Wangxian Things Okay, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Canon Divergent A-Yuan!kidfic, Everything; Also Some Juniors Friendship Things; Possibly Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian Reconciliation While Night Hunting.

Do You Accept Prompts?

Absolutely, though I tend to be focused on one fandom at a time for actually answering them (I try to note what fandom’s at the top of my mind in my tumblr sidebar). Currently, that’s MDZS & The Untamed (shippy stuff-not just wangxian, sibling or family relationships, hurt/comfort, whatever). Also, kissing, hurt/comfort and domestic moment prompts are always likely to be answered fastest. I cannot resist them and am unlikely to build an entire world and accompanying plot and thus get lost for weeks on end.

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write:

Wangxian Modern Musician AU! Which is, as a point, from an anon prompt that I got a bit carried away with.

Favorite Story You Wrote:

What, ever? Hm. I’m going to go with Practical Exercises in Free Will (Good Omens, Aziraphale/Crowley) today. It’s a choose-your-path fic, which was both challenging and enjoyable to put together. I should definitely do more of those.

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story:

If You Want a Life of Action (SteveTony, Marvel 616, 72k) This was my first Cap-IM BB, and remains my only actual multi-chaptered work of the last … decade or so. May try that format again soon, we shall see.

Story You Were Nervous to Post:

the face and the mask are mirrors, baby (SteveTony, Marvel 616, 16k, mind the tags). This fic is… really really personal for me, and I’d never read anything in fandom that explored gender identity the way I was trying to so I was, in fact, a complete wreck over posting it (I’d also never before written a remix so that compounded things). But the fandom reaction to it has been truly lovely <3.

How You Choose Your Titles:

It depends on how long and complex the story is, I guess. I try to think about what the core concept is, or about phrases/concepts that will tie the beginning and end together, but sometimes I just look up song lyrics and poetry that feel right.

Do You Outline?

This really depends. I do outline for bigger fics (over 15k), and especially for fusions that are bigger because I need to keep track of so many elements at once. Sometimes I will do a pseudo outline of interior vs exterior plots while brainstorming, just to get themes and main plot points recorded. In general I need to just write a certain amount of a story before I can even start an outline though. The act of writing itself helps me figure out more of how I want the story to flow. I am trying to get better at outlining overall, because I’m pretty confident that if I can develop it as a more readily-accessed skill I’ll be able to finish more stories much faster.

I’ll tag (if you want to, no pressure): @somanyjacks-writes, @theflowergirl, @suspiciouspopsicle, @roamingjaguar, and anyone else who’s a writer who wants to join in; please tag me if you do!

Find an easy copy/paste version of these questions here.

#about alex #tag games

6 notes · View notes

thelawyerthatwaspromised · 6 years

Note

Hi! I'm a jonerys shipper but I find your theories very interesting. I wonder though, how will you feel about the show/Asoiaf if Political!Jon is debunked with season 8? Do you think it will change your opinion on Jon? And will you still ship Jonsa if he truly bent the knee because he is in love with Dany? I suppose I'm wondering how a post S8 Jonsa faction will look.

Hello! I really appreciate the question because it’s not a bad one: what if political!Jon isn’t a thing? First, I guess I’ll explain what I think has to be true for political!Jon to not be true.

Jon has to have total faith in Dany’s ruling ability; not just her capacity as a conqueror. Jon has to have thought it was acceptable to give away the Stark ancestral home without consulting anyone about it. Jon has to have actually been unable to lie to Cersei at the Dragonpit. Jon has to actually believe that the stuff he warned Dany about earlier in the season (about northerners not wanting to follow a southern ruler) is either not true anymore - or - at least not as important as the urgency to give away his crown before he could even talk to them about it.

All of these have terrible, terrible implications on Jon’s character.

Because it will mean a number of things…

1) It would mean that Jon really didn’t learn anything from Robb and Ned and their respective downfalls. That’s tragic in itself. When it comes to Robb, sure he made mistakes that cost him his life - but he was also way too young and thrust into a position he should never have been forced to undertake. The same is somewhat true for Jon, except he’s now been in leadership and he knows his family’s mistakes.

I don’t want “aww shucks” stupid heroes. I don’t enjoy that type of storytelling. I don’t think it’s something I can suspend my disbelief while I’m watching if I actively think “he is a complete and total idiot” and he’s supposed to be un-ironically a hero of the story. Beyond that, I think that’s the opposite of the point of Jon’s arc, most especially in the books but also on the show.

Robb and Ned are there to be cautionary tales for good people who are struggling with the intricacies of dangerous political games. Jon being as dopey as not learning anything from their decisions cheapens Robb’s story, it cheapens Ned’s story, and it makes Jon simply a lucky idiot if he somehow survives.

Jon is also taking a gigantic risk throwing all his eggs in Dany’s basket even if he thinks she’s the most wonderful person. He has no idea what she’s like as a ruler. He didn’t know anything about her other than she’s come to Westeros and has three dragons. He doesn’t know anything about her tenure in Essos - or that it concluded with her very responsibly have Daario Naharis overlooking the biggest political transition in thousands of years over there. No big deal.

In the best case scenario, Jon would have been detained on the island, been “asked” to bend the knee to Dany on multiple occasions, and agreed to go on a mission that he otherwise wouldn’t have gone on (since he asked Dany multiple times to come North without regard to Cersei’s intentions) and almost died on that mission only to have seen Dany take another big risk by flying her dragons up North to try to save him.

That’s not even close to enough information for Jon to know whether Dany is in any way a good ruler. Flying dragons and ruling are two different things. He took a huge gamble whether it’s political!Jon or not; but at least with political!Jon it was because he felt he HAD to do it to ensure her commitment. The alternative is Jon handing that over without any clue as to whether she can do the mundane things like administer land dispute decisions or responsibly manage the treasuries of Westeros.

2) It would mean that Jon governs and makes decisions based solely on his own emotional impulses which would really suck. It’s practically inexcusable for Jon to behave this way. It’s irresponsible as a ruler for him to just hand Dany power like he did at face value without talking to anyone from the North about it first. You could have made an argument to me that Jon could legitimately think Dany should rule the North and it might be a plausible explanation without making Jon a terrible rule IF Jon had actually waited until he returned North to tell the lords in person that he planned to give away the crown for her.

By not doing so, it tells me that either Jon is inconsiderate and impulsive enough to give away something as sacred as an entire country (on the macro) and his childhood home (on the micro level) - OR - there’s something else in play for why he felt it absolutely necessary to “bend the knee” with the timing as it occurred. If there’s some 3rd explanation that I haven’t thought of - I’d actually be willing to read it first before I decided whether it’s an idea willing to entertain.

I don’t talk politics thaaaat much on here, but the analogy really would be that, after being elected, Donald Trump literally believed he had the authority and moral high ground to hand his presidency over to Putin. Not only would everyone hate him, but he literally does not have the authority to act like that and would be removed from his position before it happened.

[to be clear Jon =/= Trump and Dany =/= Putin. It’s an analogy on political leaders behaving in another context. If you want, you can imagine the PM of Canada and the the King of Wakanda as substitutes behaving the same way.]

By going solo in that process - Jon almost guaranteed at the very least a gigantic amount of political turmoil in the North…but it’s something I think he’s aware of and has anticipated. If he hasn’t - he has no business ruling anything ever.

There is no reasonable explanation for the timing of Jon bending the knee (before consulting with anyone in the North let alone his very own travel companion Davos) other than political!Jon and realizing the exact moment was right because Dany had just promised to help fight the Night King and Jon wanted to cement her commitment as much as he could.

3) It would mean that Jon genuinely valued everyone knowing openly that he planned to fight Cersei in the war after the Night King over actually getting the truce to allow them to fight the NK. If Jon did what he did at the Dragonpit - then he proved himself a liar when he said just before that “there is only one war that matters” because he immediately (again, in the absence of political!Jon) affirmed his position in the war for the Iron Throne at the expense of the war to save the Realm.

Beyond the silliness of the idea that Jon Snow is incapable of lying to Cersei - it really is highlighted perfectly in Jon’s scene with Theon:

“You risked everything just to tell an enemy the truth.”

I mean…is telling the truth generally good? Yes.

Is telling the truth still good if….

SCENARIO: Bad Guy has their finger on the button to launch a nuclear weapon on a Sunday and they say, “oh wait, these nuclear codes were only good until Sunday and now it’s after midnight so it’s Monday!”

Bad Guy is momentarily confused. “Or is it still Sunday? Say! You, Honest Fellow! If it’s really after 12:00 AM, I’ll have to leave here and try to grab more launch codes, is it really after midnight? I don’t have my watch.”

Honest Fellow: “I’d like to tell you it’s 12:04….but alas, I cannot. It is 11:58-…”

*KABOOM*

Well…you’d rightfully be displeased with Honest Fellow. But, then again, I think Jon Snow would hate this honest fellow as well. How stupid is that if it’s the same story we heard at face value?

“I just can’t lie!”

That’s irredeemably stupid. It KNOWINGLY put everyone at risk and actually is LUCKY that Cersei planned all along to accept a truce so she could have time to replenish her forces with the Golden Company.

I’d recommend that the Honest Fellow version of Jon Snow climb up that 700 foot Wall he’s supposedly been working so hard to protect and fling himself off. They could call it Lord Commander’s Landing.

4) It would completely upend the part of Jon’s story where he has yearned to truly be a part of House Stark, his residual guilt about not being there to help Robb when the fighting began, and his close relationship with Sansa after their reunion.

I could say plenty of shippy things about how the absence of political!Jon would completely ruin the relationship with Sansa that Jon’s built since they reunited but I don’t even have to go there. Simply as a close companion and trusted adviser and family member, Jon would have spat right in her face.

People seem to misinterpret Jon feeling like an outsider with the rest of the Starks with Jon never feeling welcome and never wanting to be a member of House Stark. The exact opposite is true. Jon’s detachment was due specifically to his wanting very much to be Jon Stark but feeling like it was an impossibility because of his birth. Jon loved the Starks. He wanted to be known as Ned’s son. He craved acceptance from Catelyn but never received it. It’s caused him to feel unworthy of that.

When they found the direwolf pups, Jon wanted each Stark to have a wolf first. It was essentially a gift of the gods that Jon “heard” Ghost (who is famously silent) after his noble self-denial in favor of the trueborn Starks.

Immediately after winning the BotB, Jon makes sure Sansa takes up residence in the Lord’s chambers. He didn’t do that because he doesn’t care. He cares very deeply. He wanted Sansa to know that she is House Stark’s true representative. He doesn’t feel like he deserves that, hence the sadness in his voice as he says “I’m not a Stark.” He reiterates that Sansa is the Lady of Winterfell. Being the Lord or Lady (as opposed to “acting” Lord or Lady) means that Sansa has hereditary rights over Winterfell - something they both fought like hell to re-take.

Now I’m supposed to believe that the guy who didn’t even want a simple puppy before the other Starks, who fought like hell to re-take Winterfell, who tried to desert the Night’s Watch once and arguably did a second time to fight for the Starks, who very intentionally placed Sansa as the head of House Stark rather than himself, who then passed to her specifically ruling authority over the North while he was away - THAT GUY - is now supposed to think it’s fine and necessary and RIGHT to give ruling authority and his crown over to a woman before she ever even stepped foot in the North. (The Gift, which is the territory along the Wall is owned by the Night’s Watch independent of the North. Even if you count the top of Eastwatch as Dany stepping foot up there, she’s still not in the political North)

All of this, too, without ever talking to a single person about the decision beforehand.

That’s a Jon Snow I cannot root for or reconcile with the rest of his story. In my mind, it’s character assassination.

It would make me wonder what the point was of Jon Snow even coming back from the dead.

Thank you for the ask. Hope this answers your question sufficiently. You’re welcome to ask more anytime.

#Political Jon theory #political jon meta #political!jon #polite ask #jonsa

430 notes · View notes

professortennant · 6 years

Text

Sam/Jack Rec List, Pt. 1

This is mostly for me in case my bookmarks are lost but yeah! I’ve gone through like 90% of AO3, a good chunk of ff.net, and I just dived into LJ. But since I have 103 fics already bookmarked, I’m just gonna put this list up first and then add to it later.

Plz read the tags of each fic to avoid stuff you don’t wanna read. If you read something and love it, GO TELL THE AUTHOR SO THEY WRITE MORE.

Absolute Fucking Favorites (aka I have read these more times than I feel comfortable admitting)

We Made It Series: A series of connected episode tags beginning with Forever in a Day. Sam shows up on Jack's doorstep with a six pack of beer, a bottle of cheap wine and a package of chicken breasts. Jack's confused. They cook dinner.

Taking Christmas Off: How Sam and Jack end up spending Christmas alone together every single year, accidentally at first, and then very much on purpose. A fluffy/shippy Christmas fic in eight parts, with spoilers through season 8.

The Dreams We Left Behind: The day Sam Carter marries Pete Shanahan is not the worst day of Jack’s life; he’s already lived that day. But that doesn't make it easy.

Like Kissing a Stranger: There is not one day he spends on this planet, or any other, that his mouth doesn't get him into trouble.(An episode tag for Point Of View.)

Retrospective: Sam doesn’t give it a name, this feeling. She doesn’t even think about it much, preferring to glimpse it obliquely from the corner of her eye. It’s a secret delight that she shares with no one, scarcely even herself.One story in eight parts charting Sam and Jack’s relationship from the start of S1 to the end of S8.

The Short Straw: She hadn't set out to cheat, certainly, but had thought that she'd at least be able to interpret her own work in a way that would lead to victory. (Tag for Shades of Grey)

Post-Eps/Episode Tags (except for Threads, which is its own category)

The Price of Edora: Sam suffers the consequences of pushing herself too hard in order to bring Jack back from Edora.

For Just One Taste of This: After that, though, things got tricky and dangerous because they pushed a little more and went a little (a lot) further off that deep end, and soon it was the two of them alone in the empty barracks and this wasn’t wrong, was it, just sitting side by side in the darkness? (Post Divide and Conquer)

Let Your Demons Run: (here can't be that many eyes in the building that haven't noticed her. Post-ep for Entity.

Midnight at the Oasis: What if Abydos wasn't destroyed, and Jack and Sam really did go to Skaara's wedding? A short AU based on the wonderful (!) exchange among the three at the beginning of Full Circle.

Thyself, Unknown: And then they were strangers again and their world was brand new with signs of aging. Beneath the Surface

Unlearn your Stars: Thera turned her eyes toward the ceiling, as if she could see through the miles of earth and snow to the sky beyond. Something about her seemed to yearn, and for reasons he could not fathom Jonah felt like Thera belonged there. Among the stars. (Beneath the Surface)

Transcendental: Alternate Sam and Jack who got stranded in the alternate timeline in Moebius.

The Fundamental Theorem of Samantha Carter: Samantha Carter knew precisely what she wanted. And then she didn’t. S.8 Full Alert through Threads with references to Gemini.

The Rainy Season: Tag for The Light. Their arguing was beginning to grate on her nerves.

Icarus Ascending: What if Jack and Sam didn't keep it in the room after all? A/U tag to Divide and Conquer.

The Space Between: There's a little space between them on the bed. Small enough to be close, but enough space to remind them where the line should be. (tag for Death Knell.)

Mimesis: Jack tries to help Carter deal with her time spent with Fifth and the Replicators.

A Rush of Blood to the Head: "You volunteering to come with me, Carter?" Sam and Jack deal (or don't) with the creation of mini!Jack.

The Breaking Point: Daniel’s ‘death’ in Meridian forces Sam Carter to reevaluate her life and what really matters to her.

Window on a Room: The first time around, Sam had found that face the Colonel was making to be endearing, in the increasingly problematic way she found pretty much everything he did to be endearing. The second time, she had found it alarming - not the Colonel specifically, of course, just the fact that she’d already experienced that exact moment not ten hours earlier. She went from being alarmed on the second loop to being frustrated, baffled and discouraged in subsequent loops as their attempts to stop the looping had all failed. And now that they had settled into this routine, with Sam and Teal’c, loop after loop, learning to translate the altar text themselves, well now she was just tired. Not even the Colonel’s problematically endearing face was helping.Another loop, she thought to herself. Here we go again.

black holes and revelations: It’s late and dark and as far as she’s concerned, the world has stopped for them (they’d done the Earth a few favors, it's time one was returned).

Lifelines: Everyone expects her to be so resilient--but beneath her calm exterior seethe emotions beyond her control and understanding. Months post "Beneath the Surface", Sam finally has to face it all, and find a way to accept the way things have to be.

Reflections on a Broken Surface: Episode tag to Beneath the Surface. How Sam and Jack became a couple in the ep.

Tilting at Windmills: Jack's struggling to deal with the events of Euronda and Alar's people. Angry, depressed, and alone, he needs Sam's help to find his way home, literally, and figuratively.

untitled: Sam/Jack, word prompt- 'never' Episode tag to Death Knell

the art of reincarnation: Detoxing in a Goa’uld palace, Jack struggles with something he can't let go, and Sam struggles with everything.

Cracks in the Glass: Doctor Carter has stepped through the mirror-seeking refuge from her ravaged world. Her presence forces Sam and Jack to question their own decisions. Sam and Jack focused episode enhancement to "Point of View".

Before the Invitation: A chance meeting in the commissary leads to some unintended revelations. (Set just prior to 'Nemesis')

Threads

Full Disclosure: She looks at him with that complex expression that’s punctuated their relationship ever since Pete barged onto the scene. The one that looks like a question, or a plea – the one he’s never really understood and has never dared pursue.

Down to the Bone: She knows now, what’s essential.

Sooner: Some bonus scenes for "Threads," because a lot went on in and around that episode that we just didn't get to see.

an angel came down: The first Christmas after her father dies is rough. The second Christmas after her father dies is better.

Breathe In: It wasn’t an immediate thing, despite what people thought. They didn’t jump each other the second SG1 was on vacation, with her emotionally vulnerable after her father’s death and no longer engaged, or him now free of SG Command and DC-bound.

Sam or Jack are Tortured/Abused (but it ends happily)

Primary Emotion: After seventeen weeks of torture in a Goa'uld prison, Samantha Carter is rescued by SG-1. In the time that follows she must relearn how to relate to her team, reassess her relationships with both herself and others, and decide whether or not she'll continue to step through the Stargate. Luckily she's got the benefit of a good psychologist and the love of a great man.

Character: SG1 is kidnapped by an alien king who needs Sam to perpetuate his bloodline & will do anything to possess her. The team must find a way to escape before she pays the ultimate price for her defiance.

Compos Mentis: After Colonel O'Neill is stranded on a seemingly friendly planet, it's up to his team to rescue him. Who they find, though, isn't the man they left behind.

Crawl from the Chasm: After Jack's experiences in Ba'al's Abyss, he struggles to find peace. Angsty Jack/Sam Ship.

After All: They’d been trapped for a month. He’d been tortured within an inch of her life. And then their roles had been reversed.

All We Need of Hell: Jack is captured and tortured and when he returns, he just doesn’t see the point in following the regs anymore--Sam is essential. And he convinces her to forget the regs, too. (Dark fic). (chap 2)

Aliens Made Them Do It

Auctions and Consequences: Slavery has been abolished for good reason, but apparently not everyone got the memo… landing Sam and Jack in hot water.

Auction and Reaction (sequel to the above): Jack manages to get himself captured and Sam is sent to negotiate for his freedom. Unfortunately, the matriarch in charge of the male slaves is unconvinced of her claim and threatens to keep Jack as her personal slave.

Relief: How they'd managed to gate to a planet right in the middle of their annual fertility festival was beyond him.

in doorways and dreams i run to you: They had stepped through the gate together. They were looking for something.Light.There had been a blinding light and then nothing. Nothing but the heat and the taste of his skin on her lips. And now he was on his knees and she wasn't stopping him from sliding a hand underneath her.

Beautiful Far Away: While on a routine exploratory mission, Colonel Jack O'Neill and Captain Samantha Carter get caught up in a children's game that turns out to be the beginning of Rorilian marriage rites. When seismic activity starts to rock the village, the local leaders demand the ritual be seen through to its natural conclusion to avoid further angering their gods. Sam's equipment suggests the tremors are caused by an unidentifiable metal, but her science seems to be a point of contention amongst the leaders. She's convinced she needs just a little more time to figure out what is happening on the planet. Unfortunately, that means she's jumping into a ritual marriage with her new commanding officer. What could possibly go wrong?

Xanadu: The team travels offworld to take care of some mining negotiations, only to meet with an unanticipated challenge on P3X-427.

5 Times Fic

Five Times Jack Sees Sam Out of Uniform

The Nature We Leave Behind Us: 5 Times Daniel (and Teal’c) find out or suspect about Sam and Jack

Five Times Jack Came Close to Breaking the Frat Regs with Sam

Desperation: 5 times Jack kisses Sam

Ambient: 3 morning-afters that they miss and 1 they don’t.

5 missing ship scenes from s9/s10

5 times jack asked sam out and 1 time he didn’t have to

Stranded/Retired/Moved Off-World

My Scars Healed (aka the Cottage AU): Abandoned off-world, living is about more than just survival.

In Media Res: When Sam and Jack are taken captive and put to work in a mining camp, that turns out to be the least of their troubles. Forced by circumstance to live in close proximity, their time as captives has consequences neither one foresees.

Compliance: The end comes fast. One moment it’s a normal day with paperwork and bad coffee and the next it’s a scramble for the event horizon as the Mountain comes down around them. The base empties out with surprising efficiency, and by the time Jack hangs up the red phone on the last conversation he’ll ever have with the President, only Carter and Daniel and a couple techs are still in the gate room, the last of the supplies being sent through to their fall back site.

I Love It When a Plan Comes Together: Dear Airline, I was marooned on an alien planet…

And then I dreamt of yes: The universe has really bad timing, but neither Sam or Jack is ready to give it the last word.

The Final Straw: Sam's injured and trapped off-world.

Twilight: General O'Neill gets ansty to do some Gate travel, but a natural phenomenon on another world causes problems and changes things

Bird Stealing Bread: Jack had actually imagined being stranded off-world quite a few times. But he really, really, really hadn't counted on being stranded off-world with Sam. And Pete.

Under the Sun: ABANDONED FIC BUT IT’S SO GOOD. When lightning strikes the DHD and strands Sam and Jack alone on a planet, they must rely on one another to get through until help can arrive. Soon, though, they discover they're not alone on the planet and things change. Suddenly they're thrust into local politics and Sam is drafted to help save the locals' lives. Perhaps, if they play their cards right, all of it can help them get home.

Total AU

String Theory: Dr. Samantha Carter joins the SGC and discovers a life she never expected.

Imprimatura: Even in a completely different reality, where a strictly enforced color-based caste system stands between them, some things remain the same.

How to Start a Fire: She denies it's physical attraction. He denies it's anything but. Sam/Jack. Changeling Universe.

Convergence Series: Jack O’Neill is a man waiting to die, and she’s the only one brave enough not to look away.

Right as rain: Jack never went on the Abydos mission. Charlie never died. But when Jack accidentally activates a device that Kawalsky brings by the Academy, he catches the interest of a certain Major Carter. Soon he finds himself in for one hell of a ride, and if aliens and space travel and weird DNA weren't crazy enough, he might actually be falling in love with a theoretical astrophysicist...

The Dating Game: Catherine Langford had been instrumental in getting AU Sam/Jack together in There But For The Grace of God

Defining Family: Set after "Ripple Effect". What happens to Janet and the rest of the alternate SG-1 team after the episode? How does it affect our reality?

Worlds Apart: An Ancient device sends Jack and Sam to a world where everything is just a little bit... wrong. Why? Can they cope with the differences? And, most importantly, can they find their way back?

I don’t know what to categorize these as but they’re amazing

Deep City Lights: He picks her up in a blue convertible. (Road trip fic where they say ‘fuck the regs’ and then remember the regs)

we build then we break (and build up again): Sam’s last mission on SG-1, and the life that follows.

the slow revelation of self: In the beginning there was sex. And it was good.

untitled: on a mission, sam and jack are painting their mark on a wall.

things not dreamed: Daniel doesn't understand their need to fly.

Cultural Drift: Six days before the shit hit the fan and nothing was ever the same again, Daniel fell over a tablet on P3X-324. That was two years ago.

Concentric Unto Thee: Her attempts at normality have never worked before, and Jack won't stand for any attempts to apply the logic of command to their relationship.

the lesson: Jack and Sam haven’t wasted the three years they’ve been cut off from Earth…and though the price is high, they manage to teach that lesson to another couple who badly needed to learn it.

Escape Pod: "I just need," shift, "to move," shift, "a little." (Accidental Stimulation fic) Tonight: It's been too many years of it, the death, the resurrection, the sheer and aching loneliness, the hurt that comes from walking away.

Rocket Fuel: Sam and Jack get together after Heroes but also AU + Christmas.

Home Economics: He would never have imagined that the biggest problem Sam Carter would have with his house would be his toaster.

Atlantis/Continuum

Gravity Always Wins in the End: After Sam is held hostage, Jack takes an impromptu trip to Atlantis.

Backlit: Carter turns 43 years old on day 6 of a 14-day run to P98-007 aboard the General Hammond. The only events that mark the occasion are the little note Daniel must have stuffed into her pack before she left, a cheerful "Happy Birthday, Ma'am" from her second over a morning cup of coffee, and a long stare at herself in the mirror after she washes her face before bed. It's not like she expected more.

Yesterday’s Life: She feels frayed and faded, like a scrap of fabric accidentally discarded and forced to weather the elements. S/J, spoilers for Stargate: Continuum.

Distance: Sam contemplates the difficulties of a long distance relationship with Jack on Valentine's Day...

Post-Series

Look Again Into Your Heart: It's not that cold, not by the standard of some of the places she's been in the last decade or so of her life, but then again, she's not used to braving the weather in heels and an evening dress.

Follow the Star of the North: When Jack talked about losing himself in Minnesota, Sam never really understood the appeal.

Radio Silence: “It’s Mitchell.”He grabbed the phone out of her hand, smiling at the horrified expression on her face when he flicked it open and held it to his ear.“This is General O’Neill. Is the world ending?”

Rainy Days: Sam and Jack spend a rainy day at the cabin

The Lies You Feed Yourself: They simply aren’t part of each other’s worlds anymore. They haven’t been for years. Jack and Sam three years after they leave the SGC.

Bygones: He's a man of few words. Sam, however, wants to hear a couple of specific ones - at least once. It takes another woman to help her understand just how her husband communicates.

Twelve Years Two Weeks: She had finally 'switched off'. It had taken her a few days to rid herself of the itch that she was neglecting a to-do list the size of her arm.

DC Series: SG-1 is moving on, but Sam is standing still.

Interlude: Jack turns up unexpectedly, and he and Sam make an important decision.

fly me to the moon: Jack is baffled. What do you do for a woman's 40th birthday when she routinely explores alien planets, has blown up a sun, and raced in the Loop of Kon Garat? Give her the moon of course.

Folding a Map: Distance makes Jack an unhappy camper.

Taur’i Whispers: "He likes her throaty laugh. He likes that her voice has dropped and softened in the years he's known her." - Sam/Jack, romance and a bit of angst and hurt/comfort

Blue Dark: The sun’s barely peeking above the horizon and already she’s up, perched on a stool at the breakfast bar in his kitchen, her index finger circling the rim of her coffee cup.“And we have to go to this?” she asks, taking a sip of the hot beverage.

Un-fish: “Caught any un-fish?” she asked softly.Their lives would never be normal because of little things like fish that were or were not there and sometimes he wondered who had done what exactly to his pond to drive the fish away. He knew better than to ask, unwilling to listen to her explain to him the various possibilities of… whatever.

Real Life: This was what she'd been waiting for, held out for all those years. Someone -- him -- to come home with every night, to sink into after saving the world or spending three days dug in on an alien planet with fifty-odd Jaffa between her team and the 'gate, someone who knew just how she liked to be touched... She rolled onto her back, offering sleepy kisses when his lips crossed hers, sighing when his wandering hands brushed across her belly...

#sam x jack #sg1 fic #stargate sg1 #stargate #fic rec #rec list #jack x sam

227 notes · View notes

theonceoverthinker · 5 years

Text

OUAT 3X15 - Quiet Minds

What did the doctor diagnose Zelena with when she came complaining about knee pain?

Oz-teoperosis! XD

I wish I could get you to a doctor! I’m actually pretty sad to watch this episode and I’m sure you know why. So let’s get to it. Under the cut is where you want to be.

Press Release

Neal finds himself back in Storybrooke and yearns for a way to reconnect with his son Henry, whose memories of his father are gone, while also trying to find his own father, Rumplestiltskin, whom he has just learned is alive but missing, and Regina discovers a possible connection with Robin Hood. Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tale Land that was over the past year, agonizing over the death of his father, Neal - with the help of Belle and enchanted candelabra Lumiere - attempts to find a magical solution to bring back Rumplestiltskin from the dead.

Main Thoughts - Characters/Stories/Themes and Their Effectiveness

Past

I like how Belle and Neal’s past conversation is almost meta like in their discussion of the nature of Rumple’s sacrifice (Ex. Belle debates that Rumple saved everyone whereas Neal debates that he saved just his family). I like this discussion so much and wish that we had more Neal and Belle moments because these kind of discussions about Rumple’s morality are so interesting! Neal is much more critical of Rumple’s every act, be in kind in nature or not while Belle is more lenient, choosing to believe in him. I can’t help but wonder how these two would’ve worked together going forward had Neal not died. Would they have been able to get along because of those differences? Probably, but I could see the occasional fight break out between them. And it’s interesting to see how in the end, Neal is right. While undoubtedly the thing anyone would do -- save their child over the dagger -- it was selfish for everyone who now had to deal with the consequences of that decision. Rumple saved his family -- not the grander scheme of things. BUT that’s not framed as a terribly bad thing either, and rightfully so, as evidenced by neal calling it a “true sacrifice” during his death scene. It’s still legit.

I like how Neal’s lack of magical understanding -- one of his biggest character flaws -- is what gets him into this mess, as well as his impatience to get back to his family. I some ways, it reminds me of a reverse version of “The Crocodile.” There, Rumple’s need for vengeance, over-reliance on magic, and impatience costs his best chance at getting back to his family and the same happens here.

The dialogue between Zelena and Rumple has much more meat to it in hindsight than during the first go-around. There’s this whole other layer to the conversation that’s completely missed without the context that Rumple was Zelena’s tutor and taught her basically how to be evil and powerful!

Present

The story in the present section is definitely one of those “all come together moments” where the plot is more of the driving force than a story and it works fine enough here.

Because of that...well, let’s talk about Neal’s death, why don’t we?

I feel like when talking about Neal’s death, we have to do it in two parts: The first is how the death worked on its own (I.E. the staging, how it fits into the story of the episode, etc.). The second is how it worked as the death of a character (I.E. what this character’s death left people desiring, was it an appropriate death, why this death happened, last impressions of the character). I’m going to focus on the first part here and the second part over where I talk about the cultural elements of the show.

So within a vacuum, how was Neal’s death handled in the confines of this episode? Eh. Neal is so adamant about getting back to his family and making things right and just leaps at his death without looking for another option. I just can’t help but feel like Neal would be a bit more stubborn with that. He’s giving up his chance to be alive with him family. If this was the only way and alternatives were explored a bit more, that would’ve been one thing, but they’re not. Belle reads exactly one book and they don’t even try to consult Blue or Regina before going to this final resort. It’s not impossible to believe, but it is hard.

But that’s not all there is to a death. Some of it can come down to his goodbyes to other characters and Neal had the benefit of dying beside the two people he was closest to: Rumple and Emma. And while Henry is absent during the scene, and understandably so given the story, his absence of presence and memories creates an extra layer of underlying tragedy to this death that thankfully is brought up in the next episode. But let’s keep our focus on Emma and Rumple. Now, I like talking about shippy stuff at the bottom of my review and I will further elaborate on my points there, but to sum it up, it was honestly so beautiful and touched upon every point it needed to. I genuinely loved it. As for Rumple, it’s perfect. I love the sharp denial Rumple has for Neal’s passing, jumping between every stage of grief and being left so emotional as he finally passes. Every touch is so important and emphasized and I think the staging of Emma holding Neal so those touches would stick out more was a masterful choice.

Insights - Stream of Consciousness

-Zelena, I don’t recommend wearing that Wicked Witch cosplay while trying to blend in!

-”Beautiful one.” Not really selling me on adoring your monkeys when you sound like you’re about to butcher a puppy, Zelena!

-FUCK! Rumple can run! Does Storybrooke have a track team because if so, put him on that track team!

-Oh jeez. While funny (And I do believe that’s what they were going for, and it works), I am so glad Killian gave Belle a better apology later on in the series.

-”What the hell?” What the hell’s right! Lumiere is more than a touch creepy!

-Yay! We’re finally starting to really touch upon the Captain Beauty friendship!

-”I got you breakfast because I am supermom.” I love the way Emma says that line and sinks into that big armchair as she says it like, “Yeah, I’m a boss.”

-”That’s a bagel?” Emma, I am so proud of you for instilling such a good taste in bagels into your son. *Tear falls*

-In case there was ever a doubt to Henry being noble as all hell, he’d rather go back to SCHOOL than be lied to!

-Not gonna lie: Neal looks REALLY hot in that t-shirt!

-Watching Neal hear about how Henry not only doesn’t remember the bond they’ve formed, but how he does remember him as a jerk is so harsh and heartbreaking!

-I love how Zelena just concots this whole fucking story for Lumiere that is so typically Rumple! XD

-So I’m looking at the cover to the book that Belle’s reading about The Dark One and it says “IN A AKY ACAZ CA KAWO.” Does anyone know what this means?

-”Born out of -- well -- darkness.” More like vengeance, but sure, whatevs.

-Neal! Why did you blow Lumiere out?! And without a warning?! That was just rude!

-”Says more about them than it does about you.” I don’t know about that, Zelena. Your story was pretty convincing, tbh.

-For all of Zelena’s strengths as a villain, the woman is as subtle as a brick to the face! XD

-REGINA CAUGHT A FUCKING ARROW! WHAT A BADASS!

-Not to get into shippy stuff, but that’s 2 couples so far that have explored this farmhouse!

-JELLO! I still mourn for the jello scene that never canonically was, but fuck, I love this one!

-I love the shot of the clearing by The Dark One’s Vault! The snow and wintery atmosphere makes it so gorgeous!

-Once again, Robert Carlyle is creepy and awesome as hell for it!

-Seriously! Someone get Rumple on a track team!

-I can’t help but feel like it may have been a better idea for the candle to not be revealed as a villain until Belle discovers it. Like I get that he’s supposed to be redeemed, making this a double twist of sorts, but I wasn’t feeling it.

-”The Wicked Witch?” Belle’s tone to me implies that Belle has either seen or read “The Wizard of Oz.” Thoughts and HC’s?

-Like father, like son with that impatience!

-Neal, when things start to glow, we take our hands off of them!

-He loves pizza! I like how just like with the underlying softness between Robin and Regina, there’s that underlying memory of Henry and having pizza with his dad.

-The special effects team must’ve had a fucking FIELD DAY with that transformation in the woods! The actual hell?!

-I love how Lumiere calls his bit of goodness a flash of conscience because damnit -- that’s what it is!

-”I’ll be watching over you guys from somewhere.” Good HEAVENS! I have one HELL of a theory about the nature of the Underworld for Neal and Rumple. Remind me to tell you about it some time!

-”Let go.” NO! Rumple, save him!

-I feel bad laughing given that we just lost Neal, but WHY do the Charmings have two doors to their bathroom! Even the architects in Storybrooke are so fucking extra! XD

-”That was rather ill-timed.” Zelena, you fucking bitch!

-Okay, when Zelena stepped over Neal’s head, I was terrified she was gonna crush him.

-We get a nice bit of Golden Swan in this episode! Not only are they mutually grieving Neal’s loss as he dies and for a few moments afterwards, BUT we see how Rumple has faith that Emma will rally everyone to defeat Zelena!

-I’m not gonna lie: I’m kind of loving this Rumple whump. Having the dagger shoved quite literally in his face -- I don’t know how to describe it, but it does stuff to me, okay!

-I don’t know if Zelena makes him walk back to his cafe instead of poofing to torture him or if he voluntarily does that so he gets some time to himself to mourn, but either way is so sad!

-GOING FROM A FATHER MOURNING HIS SON TO A FATHER PLAYING WITH HIS SON IS NOT OKAY FOR MY PSYCHE, WRITERS! *Cries*

-That having been said, seeing Robin and Roland play together is fucking precious!

-Take that, people who say no one cares about Belle! Snow goes over there and checks on her! :D

-Oh sweet! The lake is back, which will henceforth be known as The Mirror Lake! Like seriously, the entire crew was having a fucking field day with this half season. These shots! These effects!

-THE TEARS ARE BACK AGAIN FOR THIS EMMA/HENRY TALK!

Arcs - How Are These Storylines Progressing?

The Wicked Witch - Once again, Zelena gets to show off how intimidating she truly is! In the present, she continues to manipulate everyone into thinking she’s a good person and even when she’s exposed, she still manages to kill Neal in the process. And in the past, her plan is straight up devious and so cleverly put together. Even as she’s now exposed, getting there only took four episode and didn’t lag too much at all. Also, there’s still so much to get into that there’s enough fresh ideas to keep the arc chugging along. Also also, I REALLY get how so many people wouldn’t want a redeemed Zelena after this moment. Hell, I don’t think I want it anymore either! Like, Zelena is fucking wicked and just as much as wicked always wins, seeing her laud Neal’s death -- a death that she cause -- over Rumple fucking hurts to watch!

Emma Accepting Home - I think that Neal’s death was an important thing to depict to show Emma the dangers of being in Storybrooke and to reinforce her desires to leave with Henry for a life in New York.

Favorite Dynamic

Neal and Killian. Look, we had a bunch of good dynamics here, but this was a sad episode and I need something lighthearted to fangirl over. This is about as good of closure as we were ever going to get between Neal and Killian and I utterly LOVED it. The jello Killian offers Neal is funny as all hell, I love their conversation concerning the nature of the good and evil deeds they’re doing and...THAT HUG! It’s sweet and and awkward and a little uncomfortable, but is also so earnest. And fuck me gently with a spoon, Neal calls Killian...well, Killian! There aren’t a lot of characters who do that and the implication of them doing so is that on some level, they get who he is, so to see Neal join those ranks is just beautiful.

Writer

Kalinda Vazquez is our writer today, and boy was she stuck with a difficult episode. Killing a major character is NEVER easy, especially such a big one. Until the the end of Season 5, this was a burden left solely on her shoulders alone (Unless you thought Rumple did die during “Coming Home,” I didn’t). And with that difficult situation, I think she made something very solid. Neal’s death, while not ideally set up in some ways, IS a tragic scene that allows for Neal to get a degree of closure with the three most important people in his life. I can talk about the rest of the episode, but that was where the writing needed to work, and thankfully, it did.

Culture

I feel like I should preface the discussion about Neal’s death as an overall factor on the series as a whole by talking about my original experiences with the character. I binged Seasons 2 and 3 a few months apart, so a lot of Neal’s time on the show passed for me in a blur. I didn’t hate him by any means, but he didn’t leave a big impression on me.

This rewatch changed things. I started to pay more attention to him as a character. That happened mostly I think because there’s always been such a controversy surrounding him and because I didn’t pay much attention to him last time in favor of some of the flashier characters, I wanted more than anything to form my own opinion on him. Much to my pleasure, that opinion was positive, and as I closed in on his death, I began to get sad at the thought of it -- so much so that I put off the start of this review basically all day.

Anyways, let’s talk about the larger factors of the death (I.E. what this character’s death left people desiring, was it an appropriate death, why this death happened, last impressions of the character). I talked about my last impressions of him, so we’ll get into everything else.

Now, I can’t speak for anyone else here, but I can speak for me when I say that I was left desiring a lot more development with Neal’s relationships with both Rumple and Henry. While I like the resolution Neal and Rumple got, i can’t help but feel like it had to zip dash to the finish line when Neal’s introduction back into the series implied that this was going to be a harder road. We only got a few episodes of them being at odds and while those moments were mostly great, they’re so little compared to all of the baggage they had. There’s no point where Neal sees the scale of what Rumple did cursing this land and reacting to it and he barely gets to spend time with Belle.

As for his time with Henry, yeah. I would’ve liked to see more of them. After Neal’s death, Henry carries so much grief over him throughout the other seasons, mentioning him at least once a season until we hit 7, but in terms of the time they spend together and how that time is spent, we come up really short. They play games and have pizza and that’s all well and good, but I feel like it would’ve been great had Neal occasionally given Henry some advice or left him with a phrase or something that would’ve equaled out to all the love that Henry has for him. Like, where Neal’s “with great power comes great responsibility” Uncle Ben moment? What we got was fine enough, but I would’ve liked to honestly have seen a bit more meat to it.

Was the death appropriate, or rather, was it warranted? Certainly more so than Robin’s (I’ll get to that one), but to tell you the truth, I’m not sure. I think that it opened up story possibilities that were taken good advantage of and Neal’s death was given the dignity he deserved, making the death more than just something done for shock, but as a story point that would follow Henry, Rumple, and Emma for a while. I think the broad strokes with Neal’s character were taken care of prior to the death and while I have my issues with it in regards to the finer details of some of his dynamics, Neal was pretty complete. That having been said, the issue of if a death needed to happen is a valid one and it opens a lot of points that, to be honest, I just don’t know if can delve as deeply into it as the topic deserves. There are so many factors that go into this conversation, up to and including the magical world of OUAT and the resurrections that take place afterwards. So my answer is a light yes, but there is so much room for nuance in this conversation that it’s nothing I’d give a ride-or-die answer to.

Now here comes the “fun” question: Why did Neal die? A lot of people attribute it to Captain Swan and bringing an end to the love triangle, and that is not a line of thinking I agree with. And I know, it makes sense that I’d say that as a CS shipper, but I beg you to follow my line of thinking here.

Neal was killed because of the choice to make Rumple a baddie again. When you look at Season 4, Rumple plays a gambit on everyone. If Neal were alive and in character, he would not have been able to do that without getting caught by someone other than Killian. I’ve mentioned before, but what makes Neal a great character and a great contrast to Belle is that while Belle is willing to often give him the benefit of the doubt, Neal isn’t. Neal would’ve been on Rumple’s ass the second he heard something shady and Rumple’s so shady, he makes the space underneath a pine tree look like the Sahara on a cloudless day. And look, that’s not Rumple’s fault, or even the writers necessarily, but I’m gonna say that they had some idea of what they wanted from Season 4 by this point and they understood that there had to be a trade off for Rumple’s development of an evil plan and his returned love for his power. And Neal, just as he was in this episode, was the price. I’m not happy about it -- I hope that’s something I’ve made clear -- but that’s my thought process.

Rating

9/10. Everything about this episode was going to come down to how well Neal’s death was handled. Fortunately, it was done well -- not flawlessly, but well. The story was solid and it delivers on giving the audience a level of closure for the character, closure that will continue for the rest of the season. Even the past segment offered something unique in that regard, making for a weird kind of love letter to Neal. It’s an episode that really does encompass his character and a send off that is divisive, but for me, more satisfying than not.

Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness”

Swan Fire - You really see just how determined Neal and Emma are to get back together here and it works so much! Even Belle ships it, explicitly reasoning the safety of Emma’s necklace was a result of it originating from their “True Love.” No matter what you get from that line, I think the role that that necklace took on for both of them as well as its presence throughout the series shows how special Neal and Emma were to each other. Also, I love seeing Emma and Neal bonding over their evil significant others. Watching them laugh together in the forest just shows how in-tune they are with each other. Seeing Neal remorseful for how things with Walsh turned out is so sweet. Finally, let’s talk about Neal’s death. Neal’s attention to making sure Emma knows that she can find love and happiness is so important here. Neal cares so much about Emma and you see it as he shakily holds that necklace up to her, begging her to continue on her story. And seeing Emma barely able to hold herself together while watching Neal die guts me. The acting from both of these guys is amazing! And that hug as she cradles him to her chest choked me up and got some tears welling!

Rumbelle - “I love him -- all of him -- even the parts that belong to the darkness.” I really like this line and it leaves a lot to be discussed when it comes to the nature of Rumple and Belle’s love. It’s important not only to see as a point about the depths of Belle’s love for Rumple, but also as a point about that love’s limitations. As I said in my “Skin Deep” review last summer, Belle is one of the only characters who gets to show amusement at some of Rumple’s antics. But I like this line because it gels well with the breakup we see in Season 4, Belle likes the darkness, but has clear limits on what how much Rumple can let that darkness effect him. It makes Belle a good character with human-like limits, but showing that there is something attractive to even a good person about the darkness. ANYWAY, let’s just look at Rumple and Belle’s reactions to Rumple coming out of the vault. Belle’s got freakin’ tears welled up and Rumple’s first word is her name! It’s -- to quote a sexy narrator -- straight out of a telenovela!

Outlaw Queen - Once again, I like their banter a lot! I also like the gentleness that’s formed between them because of their adventures in the Enchanted Forest. While they don’t remember it, there’s an underlying feeling of trust that you can just tell is there and watching it is really fun. Like, they’re really cute and despite later seasons really taking me out of OQ, I do sincerely love their origins here. Also, I want to talk about this line: ”From where I’m standing the ‘Evil’ moniker seems to be something of an overstatement.” I know this line gets a bit of criticism, but I actually think it works. For me, part of what works about Outlaw Queen is that Robin, from his perspective, is a redeemed villain and he’s hanging with and will come to court a redeemed villain. From his current perspective, he sees her in her current more redeemed form and thinks that she’s on his level, but currently has no idea what he’s getting into. That’s what makes the Marian twist at the end of Season 3 so big and why I’m so annoyed that that nuance isn’t brought up later! ...Sorry I got a bit off topic back there. Finally, I love their chemistry! Sean and Lana have some sexy chemistry in 3B! I love the way Robin and Regina are basically flirting over drinks! It’s cute as all hell!

-----

Wow. That was… a lot. This episode left me with a lot to think about in terms of fictional deaths. Please don’t take anything I say here as ultra definitive because I promise you, I could see my mind being swayed by a good enough argument.

Anyways, thank you all for reading that and to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales! Love you all and see you all soon!

Season 3 Total (145/220)

Writer’s Scores: Adam and Eddy (39/60) Kalinda Vazquez (26/40) Andrew Chambliss (27/50) Jane Espenson (20/30) David Goodman (20/40) Robert Hull (30/40) Christine Boylan (20/20)* Daniel Thomsen (20/30)

* Indicates that their work for the season is complete

Links to the rest of my rewatch will no longer be provided. Tumblr now take posts with links outside of searches and I spend way too much time on these reviews to not give them that kind of exposure. Sorry for the inconvenience, but they still can be found on my page under Operation Rewatch.

#ouat #once upon a time #watching fairytales #ouat 3x15 #ouat rewatch #jenna watches ouat #whoo boy #that was a long ass review #you better enjoy it!

13 notes · View notes

kohiu · 5 years

Note

DO YOU STILL READ BIRDMEN?? incidentally did you read the latest translation bc holy moly Eishii is one cutie like I can't *That fecking line* Do you also want to- (save him?) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa Sorry for clogging up your ask I just want to talk with someone about this since the community seems to be as big as the space between my pinkie and ring finger and bc I have been crushing on your fanart for some time

OKAY I haven’t kept up with the raws release but I think I know which part you’re talking about!!! That arc was my favorite too bc I could feel the suspense and the yearning... from Eishi’s side at least... the whole thing inspired me to do more self indulged shippy fan arts and (currently wip) fanfics LOL

I’m so happy you like my takaeishi stuffs, it seems like I dont do anything involved with other characters but I can only spare my energy for those two (and it’s already quite taxing bc Yellow Tanabe’s style is so painful to emulate in fan arts).

Join the Birdmen discord!! Though I haven’t read or participate at all for like half a year or something lol. go to here -> https://discord.gg/3BWUD7z

#Anonymous

6 notes · View notes

unassumingvenusaur · 7 years

Text

Faye x Catria “””C-S”””

Hey, remember that ultra crack-shippy rarepair I kept promoting before Echoes’s release? Well guess what I played the game and still love them. So I whipped up a little something for the two!! This is a long exercise in “no homo,” these gals don’t realize they’re in love with each other. Hell, they would live together and pool their earnings and share a bed and all sorts of other stuff for 3 years and still not realize they were dating. Palla’s gonna have to step in. Anyway, hope you all enjoy~

Oh yeah btw I haven’t played Fe11/FE12 so sorry if i got anything wrong

C Support

Catria: Excuse me… Faye, was it?

Faye: Huh? Oh, you’re…Catria. Is there something you needed?

Catria: Well, I—You talk about a man named Alm quite a bit, don’t you?

Faye: Yeah. Why, you know him? I hope this is important…

Catria: O-oh, I suppose it’s not. It’s just, the way you talk about him… It reminds me of a man I know.

Faye: …I’m listening.

Catria: He’s the kind of man who through just one conversation you can tell is extraordinary.

Catria: Dedicated to his convictions, with the strength to back them up.

Catria: Yet with the kindness to not abuse the strength he possesses.

Faye: Wow, that does sound a lot like Alm, actually. Everyone just knows he’s gonna do great things.

Faye: This guy…did you grow up with him?

Catria: No, he… He’s actually a prince, of a kingdom called Atlea.

Faye: W-what?! A prince?!

Faye: Well, Alm may not be a prince, but he…he certainly has a regal bearing!

Catria: I-I’m not trying to be competitive, sorry.

Catria: Marth isn’t perfect. He’s far too trusting. In others, and in the way he does things.

Catria: …I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like that about him, too, though.

Faye: So this…Prince Marth…is special to you, isn’t he?

Catria: W-what? Oh, um… Well, yes, but please don’t tell anyone! Especially my sisters.

Faye: Hm… I’m not sure why you’d want to keep that a secret, but okay. I promise not to tell.

Faye: You know…Alm is really special to me, too, in that same sort of way.

Catria: Trust me… I could tell.

Faye: This is actually one of the only times I’ve ever enjoyed…what would you call it…small talk? Yeah!

Faye: We should do it again some time. I’d like to hear more about this Marth.

Catria: Well, certainly, if you’d like—

Faye: But right now, we have something more important to do: wipe out Celica’s enemies!

Catria: Yes, I suppose we—

Faye: C’mon, Catria. Just point me a direction. Any direction. I’ll charge ‘em!

Catria: Um… That way, maybe?

Faye: RAAAAH!

*faye leaves*

Catria: …That girl doesn’t mess around.

B Support

Faye: Catria, I’ve been wondering some things. About you and Marth.

Catria: Oh, really? That’s… What is it?

Faye: Have you, you know…dropped any hints? Told him how you feel?

Catria: …Ah. N-no, I haven’t.

Faye: What?! Then when you return to Archanea, you need to fix that!

Faye: You’re not gonna get the guy if you sit around and wait for him to fall for you!

Faye: You’re this amazing, beautiful warrior, right? I mean, just look at you! There’s a good chance he feels the same!

Catria: …

Faye: Catria? What’s wrong?

Catria: …Prince Marth is a married man, Faye.

Faye: Oh…

Faye …

Faye: I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know…

Catria: It’s alright. I never mentioned it.

Catria: I… I shouldn’t let myself feel this way. I know. It’s wrong.

Catria: His wife seems perfectly lovely, and he’s happy…

Catria: I guess I just got excited when I heard you talking about Alm. There was…an affinity, there.

Catria: …N-not to say that your feelings will end up the same as mine!

Faye: They will, though. I’m very aware Alm’s never thought of me like that.

Faye: It’s a nice dream, isn’t it? Marrying such an extraordinary man. Every girl wants that, don’t they?

Faye: I won’t just give up. I don’t want him to slip away. But I think that destiny was set the moment I met him.

Catria: Faye… That’s…

Faye: Sorry, I didn’t mean to bum you out. This is why I don’t have many friends, huh? I’ll go now.

*faye leaves*

Catria: Wait!

Catria: …

A Support

Catria: Faye, we need to talk. …Please?

Faye: …Yes, Catria?

Catria: We…

Catria: We don’t have to let these feelings rule us.

Catria: In fact, I don’t think we can afford to.

Faye: What do you mean by that?

Catria: Our hearts are bound to these…these men, who we know will never feel the same. And that hurts.

Catria: If we don’t start to untangle ourselves from them… We’ll just be sad all our lives.

Catria: I… I think I’m already at the beginning of working through it…

Catria: I’m more worried about you, honestly. You…you have to let go of him, Faye.

Faye: …I know you’re right. But I’m just not strong enough to do that.

Catria: Huh? B-but you’re plenty strong, Faye! One of the strongest women—no, people, I know.

Faye: You’re kidding, right? You don’t really mean that.

Catria: I do! You’re fierce, girl. Once you set your mind on something, you go at it at full force.

Catria: It’s really admirable. …And kind of scary. But mostly admirable!

Catria: Honestly, all you really need to do is shift your focus a bit.

Faye: Heehee… Maybe…

Catria: I don’t want to imagine a future where you’re hung up on Alm, alone and unhappy.

Catria: I won’t let that happen to a friend.

Catria: Please… Promise me you’ll move on.

Faye: …I’m so glad you consider me your friend…

Catria: Of course I do, Faye.

Faye: Heehee… Alright. I… I’ll try. I promise. Just so you don’t you don’t have to worry.

Faye: It… It’s a lot easier with you guiding me…

Catria: I’m just glad I can help.

Faye: Can I give you a hug?

Catria: Certainly.

Faye: Thank you so much, Catria…

Faye: Oh! And some hugs for your pegasus, too!

Faye: Awww, she’s so soft… Who’s a pretty girl? Whooooo’s a pretty girl?

S Support

Catria: …

Catria: *ahem* Faye…

Faye: Hello, Catria!

Faye: …Um, are you okay? You look totally stressed…

Catria: I do? No, I-I’m fine! Completely!

Catria: I’m just… Er…

Faye: Catria?

Catria: I-I have an idea! To help with our…situations.

Faye: Ooooooh. THOSE situations. What’s the idea?

Catria: Well… You said that I make your feelings easier to sort through, right?

Faye: Yep! You definitely do.

Catria: And I said that I thought you just needed a shift in focus…

Faye: Riiiiiight…

Catria: So…

Catria: So when it’s time for me to return to Archanea, I could… I could take you back with me?

Faye: ...Huh…?

Faye: Y-you want me to…with you…

Catria: I know it’s a big ask! It’s just… Well, Archanea would definetly provide a change in focus!

Catria: And more importantly, I could… I could keep helping you. We could keep helping each other.

Catria: Honestly, the more I think about it, the more I think we’re each other’s best chance to save ourselves.

Catria: Instead of being stuck yearning for a man’s support, we can toss that away and support each other, instead.

Faye: Th-this isn’t…this isn’t just pity, right?! Do YOU actually want this, Catria?

Catria: Wha--?! N-no, it’s not pity at all! I just care about your future, Faye!

Catria: …Well. Not just about yours. I… I do think I need you with me, too…

Catria: With you there, I’d be strong enough to just keep carrying on, whatever happens.

Faye: You need me…

Faye: Oh, Catria, then I’d… I’d love to go with you. I need you, too.

Catria: You… Really? A-are you sure?

Faye: Absolutely. Sure, I’d miss a lot of people around here… But it’s not like I couldn’t ever come back.

Faye: A new purpose, with you always there, helping me get by… That’s a real future to look forward to.

Catria: Faye, that… That makes me so happy to hear!

Catria: Looks like I’ll have to tell my sisters to make travel arrangements for four.

Faye: I honestly don’t know a thing about Archanea… But if that place made YOU, Catria…

Faye: I think I’ll fall in love pretty quickly!

#faye #catria #fe15 #fire emblem #fire emblem echoes #fe15 spoilers #also comp het faye was 100% on my mind while writing this

144 notes · View notes