#it does hurt even when you agree and you'd be even more critical of the same thing | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lucrezianoin · 2 months

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Welcome to my Wyllstarion propaganda! (text version)

This is a text version of my powerpoint Wyllstarion propaganda that you can find here. Each section is one of the slides.

The thread of wyllstarion video mentioned in the slides is here on twitter, plus the Wyll-about-Cazador-vid is here. I will post a new compilation of all their scenes soon here.

Currently if you want to watch a Wyllstarion playthrough you can check my bilibili, but I will reupload all with timestamps on youtube.

Also yes, Wyll does call his romanced player-partner "my star" and if that is not perfect for Astarion I do not know what is. And Astarion mentions "sweet" so many times (sweet = Wyll, but he also reveals he likes sweets) and Wyll deserves someone who is enamoured with his kindness.

(throws wyllstarion fanvideos at you)

Here is the text:

WYLL RAVENGARD Babe of Frontiers, heart of the gate Loves Baldur‘s Gate Hero at heart (and actual hero) Hates gods, as they never help people who are suffering Turns into a monster Has a whole thing about monsters who prey on innocent and how monsters populate BG looking like simple humans (politicians) Has to follow the orders of Mizora, who treats him like dog and calls him pup – he did what he could do to use these powers for good

ASTARION Mr Vampire Loves Baldur‘s Gate (same comment on it as Wyll, during House of Hope) Hates heroes (because no hero ever saved him) Hates gods Has a whole thing about the fear of turning into a monster Knows far too well the monstrous humans of BG (comments on some of his victims hurting him) Is Cazador‘s spawns and he is controlled by him, there is a whole dog imagery there (kennels etc.)

ASTARION ABOUT WYLL (All of these lines are directly from the game, my notes are in parenthesis. All the lines can be heard at this video thread on my twitter, the one I linked at the start of this post)

(Shadowheart asking Astarion whom he would drink from) Astarion: Ah! Wyll. No question. He's strong, fast, and righteous. I'm salivating already.

Astarion: Take Wyll, for example. A man of the people, very palatble, like a sweet cider.

Astarion: Wyll's the sort of prince-type I would have once dreamed of marrying. When I was about thirteen.

Astarion: Interesting. I always thought he'd taste a little too sweet. (keep in mind that playing as Astarion you can tell Halsin you have a sweet tooth, also Astarion will say „Wyll, get up you sweet fool!“ to a Wyll fallen in battle)

(Asking Astarion to be in OT3 with Wyll. For all the other characters but Halsin he says no, but for Wyll he says „Wyll would not want to“) Astarion: Come now, Wyll won't agree to that. He's stuck in the past, and that's coming from a vampire.

Astarion: You're looking well. It seems Grand Duking suits you.

(The next ones are Astarion about Wyll's horns:) Astarion: For what it's worth, I rather like your new look. It adds a sense of drama - a little more flair.

Astarion: Oh, you get used to them quickly enough. At this point you'd look strange without them. Besides, people care more about the good you've done than how you need your hats tailored. And you have done an awful lot of good, Wyll. During our time together and every day since then.

Astarion: Poor Wyll gave you the benefit of the doubt and it earned him a set of horns. Not that they don't look flattering on him. Almost everything does. Astarion: They do! Honestly, that man…

WYLL ABOUT ASTARION (Again my comments are in parenthesis)

(Astarion: Critical fail at charisma check to tell Wyll he is a vampire Wyll: luckily I am into that)

Wyll: A lesser man might sever that well-coiffed head from your neck. Good thing for you I'm not such a man. Besides - not even the Blade of Frontiers is immune to your not-inconsiderable charms.

Wyll: I'm half-inclined to sever it now, if only for your endless insolence. Good thing for you you're so godsdamned charming.

Wyll: Oh, the lad's quite the tease. But he's a charming sort of cad - well, most of the time.

Wyll: Astarion has a certain swagger, don't you find? An interesting fellow. Nice hair, to boot.

Wyll: The charming rapscallion that he is.

Wyll: I've missed you too. And your cunning tongue, of course. And did I mention your hair? I might have missed that most of all.

Wyll: By the stars' light and the moon's glow, it's so good to see you, Astarion.

Wyll: Oh, Astarion. I bet I'd find a touch of sweet under all that sour, if I digged deep enough.

(Wyll: Of course I should have seen Astarion was a vampire, he was so hot) Wyll: Elegant bearing, saucy voice - I should've seen it, the signs were all there.

THERE IS MORE! (For this section it is also all quotes and my comments only in parenthesis)

(Wyll about Cazador:) Wyll: Deep shadows have long haunted Baldur's Gate - and few loom so large as Cazador's. But I also know you can find light if you know where to look. And this I promise: you can always look to me.

(Astarion would love to marry a Grand Duke) Astarion: Power and prestige? Hail the Grand Duke indeed.

(The random outing they organize right in front of the others:) Astarion: Grand Duke Wyll Ravengard. Tell me, should I genuflect or merely bow? Wyll: Forget the bowing. I'd rather share a cheap brown ale and a hunk of fresh venison. You in? Astarion: I'll pass on the ale, but the company sounds delightful.

EVEN MORE Astarion‘s spawn ending is him becoming a hero adventurer – and what is Wyll‘s role, his life?? Being a hero! The Blade!

Astarion also asks Wyll twice about Cazador/killing vampires

Wyll would be the perfect target for his seductions because he is powerful (son of Grand Duke), he knows how to kill monsters, he is a hero

Wyll calls his romance partner „MY STAR“

Furthermore…. Astarion‘s fail-charm canonically works on Wyll!

EXHIBIT B Their romance scenes (the honest ones, in the case of Astarion, so skipping act 1) ALL involve hands. Wyll offering a hand (Wyll always offer, never take) and taking hands/offering hands for Astarion.

(The slides show 6 pictures from their romances: the dance where Wyll offers Astarion his hand, another one from the dance where he takes his hand; Wyll's hand offered kiss; Astarion's act 3 romance scene at the cemetery where he takes Wyll's hand; two pictures from Astarion's act 2 post-Araj scene where he takes Wyll's hands) (Not in the slides but Wyll not has another kiss where he offers the player his hand)

EXHIBIT C Think about the possibilities!!

Astarion being courted for the first time!!

Also Wyll having a thing for his nice cute monster romances and being seduced by a monster? Yes!

If Wyll is a Duke, Astarion can become one of the most powerful people in the city and he would love that

Also, Ascended Astarion and Duke Wyll have this WILD dynamic (I did not post the quotes here but check thread of videos)

Think about the comedic potential of Astarion and Ulder Ravengard interacting

And the angsty potential of Astarion becoming the husband of a Grand Duke and being finally in a position over who knows how many SCUMBAGS mistreated him

Think about Astarion‘s feralness and selfishness and how Wyll could actually benefit for being a bit more selfish

Astarion would never let Ulder forget what he did

And Wyll absolute need to BE NEEDED meeting Astarion‘s need to find a protector

There is so much more! I finished my time!

#wyllstarion #bloodpact #astarion #wyll ravenhard #mine #propaganda #meta #i guess?

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skaruresonic · 5 months

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I know that what I say will probably make little difference but for what it's worth:

You're one of the most level headed people I've seen around these parts, a trait that is rarer in fandoms than water in the desert

You always try to explain your points as best you can. Are there snide remarks here and there? Even mean ones? Maybe. But nothing too serious and honestly everybody makes them when talking about stuff that ticks you off. You've certainly never gone off to harass anyone as far as I can tell

You shouldn't feel bad about your fandom feelings because you really haven't done anything wrong

Thank you. I mean that sincerely. I know I could probably stand to be nicer, but at the same time I feel like life has beaten all the fluffiness out of me and I'm just. Done.

Incredibly sick of fandom continuing to push these one-sided narratives despite every effort to explain and clarify. We're always brushing up against this double standard and it just becomes sickening after a while.

Again: I am not perfect, and I do admit I say negative and mean things pretty regularly. But in that, I also strive to be level. At the bare minimum, not to stoop to the level of shit they fling at me. I feel like I'm already trying to uphold my end by drawing a boundary where I do not engage, since IDW staff have crossed that line in the past, and frankly, I don't trust them, much less IDW stans, not to cross that line for me. You wanted zero engagement from me and you got it. What else do you want from me? Now you're trying to tell me what not to say? On my own blog? Do I come onto your blog and say you can't shittalk Pontaff games? Do I imply you must be mentally ill for being frustrated at all the finger-wagging?

So someone criticizes a book on their own blog, so what? Who cares? Does it impact IDW's sales? Why are you so emotionally invested in it to the point where you have to whisper to your friends about the freaks you'd never be caught dead conversing with?

You'd think actions speak louder than words and my no-engagement rule should prove I'm not going around hurting people and twirling my mustache over it. But no, the fact that I chose to forgive someone who made a joke that I did not condone - I even unfollowed Random for a while due to it; he can attest to the conversation we had - means more than the fact that I do not ever talk to IDW staff (how can I harass people I don't talk to?) and thus this makes me a horrible person.

The irony of saying all this when fandom insists Sonic is oh-so-merciful towards his enemies despite their crimes is absolutely not lost on me.

No one honestly speaks up on our behalf, and it's enough to make me wonder if we're really that rancid or if perhaps something else is rotten in the state of Denmark. The people who do agree with our points stay silent or otherwise risk intense ostracization. No one (and I don't blame them, they'd get crucified) ever says to the other side, "It's fucked-up of you to keep wagging the finger at people who are already harangued by trolls, and your silence means you're just as culpable, especially if you're going to hypocritically lump them in with extremists."

Once again, I don't expect to be treated with kid gloves. But the fact that they can't be honest about what we say bugs me immensely.

#asks #sorry for the vent

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nalyra-dreaming · 1 year

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i grew up in an abusive home myself (not as extreme as the show tho!) and claudia taunting lestat was weird to me. obvs she's got nerves of steel, but baiting your abuser & turning your back when they're yelling goes against every instinct. she seemed v confident he wasn't going to hurt her, but why? was her cowering in fear on the train an embellishment of louis' or smth? i'm not criticizing her or saying there's a right or wrong way to handle abuse, but these scenes felt contradictory?

First off - sending you a big, big hug (if you'll have it) 🥺

In regards to your ask.

I hope it's okay that I took a moment, because this is a touchy subject.

But... I agree. And I have had comments and reblogs to this effect on other posts as well, and having also some experience with abuse as a child (not sexual... just... well. physical.) I also felt the scenes off.

There are a few contradictions. IMHO.

In. The. Tale.

(Not the implementation, or meaning behind it. I'm not touching "why" they chose to give us the tale as it is here, that's a whole different subject.)

For one, both Louis and Claudia could have moved away after Louis was well again - Louis' mother was dead, Grace was gone, Claudia was back... there was nothing holding them there, was there. (I got the hell out of dodge as soon as I could, I literally put an ocean between myself and my family, and I can tell you I cackled rather humorlessly at that phrase Lestat used in ep1, and knowing his backstory.)

And they are not afraid of Lestat, even though he shows up regularly, as the car scene makes very clear. I always found that weird, given the (by then) very clear power discrepancy and they must have been aware that Lestat could have forced them... and that he didn't. And they trusted that... goodwill? After that "fight"? Mhhh. Claudia later tells Lestat that they don't repair the mantle piece because the damage stays... but that in and by itself is already an aggravation once more, as are the rules she puts up with Louis. The demands she puts up.

Claudia is not afraid of Lestat.

She is furious at Lestat on Louis' behalf. She is furious because Lestat is the cheating, "bad" parent, and she is protecting Louis. Who has been hurt by Lestat, emotionally, and physically (no matter the extent of the fight). But she is not afraid. As you also noted, turning your back on your abuser goes against every instinct, and you'd be careful not to rile them up. Which she does. Regularly and pointedly, and on purpose. She is not afraid.

Louis on the other hand... Louis exhibits signs of trauma in regards to the abuse, imho. He very carefully tries not to rock the boat after Lestat is back, he concedes, tries to negotiate between them. Gives into Lestat's whims and demands. (He also lowers his eyes in said car scene, and has his hands in his pockets, and his whole body language is withdrawn. Totally different to Claudia there, who even goes so far as to damage the gift in front of Lestat.)

And this is especially important in regards to the train scene, imho.

Because... that was not read from a diary. It was narrated by Louis. Who, of course, colored what he either got told by her or what she let him pick from her mind by his own interpretations.

And his own compassion and feelings.

What did he think Claudia would feel when Lestat showed up? What did he think Claudia would do when Lestat showed up. Would she cry? Be desperate? What did he expect Lestat to do when he went after Claudia...

And, of course, if his tale is to be trusted there, he didn't know Lestat went after her, so he... imagined it after?! When a furious Claudia would relate the encounter? Or when she talked to him in his mind?

*sighs*

Given the statement that everything we have seen will change in meaning with season 2 I think it is somewhat fair to say that this whole thing... is likely not as it seems.

Not yet at least.

And ... totally apart from Armand being Armand and being Armand (and there, in Dubai, and obviously involved in it all) there is also the aspect that canonically... Claudia manipulated Louis into killing Lestat. And she notes that in her diaries... and that she hated them both.

And it might be that we will get a change of the tale bc of that as well.

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what-do-1000-swords-look-like · 2 years

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Sansa vs Dany Contrast: Treatment of Tyrion

How they view him as an advisor:

youtube

Sansa:

Sansa: "Tyrion is a good man. He was never anything but decent towards me."

Dany:

"I didn't ask him to be my Hand simply because he was good. I asked him to be my Hand because he was good, intelligent, and ruthless when he had to be."

Dany: "He never should have trusted Cersei."

Sansa: "You never should have either."

How they handle his wanting to fight:

Sansa:

youtube

Tyrion: "If I was out there right now--"

Sansa: "You'd die. There's nothing you can do."

Tyrion: "You might be surprised at the lengths I'd go to, to avoid joining the Army of the Dead. I can think of no organization less suited to my talents."

Sansa: "Witty remarks won't make a difference. That's why we're down here. None of us can do anything. It's the truth. It's the most heroic thing we can do now. Look the truth in the face."

(this works with Tyrion because we see him thinking it over and then him remarking that maybe they should have stayed married - Sansa is in the same position as him, she wants to help, to do something, but she knows she can't, that she would only get in the way, which is why she listens to Arya - so it makes perfect sense that later she and Tyrion step up to the plate to take on the Wights in the crypt together [I will never forgive the show for deleting that great scene but making sure Dany's out-of-nowhere sword skills were kept in, it's a lot easier for someone untrained to use a dagger compared to a big heavy sword, just sayin'])

Dany:

Tyrion: "When the time comes, Ser Davos and I will be on the walls to give you the signal to light the trench."

Dany: "Ser Davos is perfectly capable of waving a torch on his own. You'll be in the crypt."

Tyrion: "Your Grace, I have fought before. I can do it again. Alongside the men and women risking their lives."

Dany: "There are thousands of them and only one of you. You can't fight as well as they can but you can think better than any of them. You're here because of your mind. If we survive, I'll need it."

(notice how they show Jon's, Varys', and Jorah's reactions here; Jon's reaction is less than complimentary most likely due to Dany speaking against the plan they already had in place & knowing that Tyrion could be useful; Varys agrees with Dany because he and Tyrion are friends; Jorah's is more passive but these three are shown at a time they didn't need to be when this sequence is purely Dany and Tyrion so why show them? because they're showing you that this is something Dany should not have voiced in front of everyone else [it's also a play on the previous scene of her biting Tyrion's head off], the previous season and even this episode, Dany's ire has grown towards Tyrion & she made it clear to Sansa earlier why she has Tyrion as her Hand - this on the surface looks like Dany caring about him and not wanting him to get hurt but she makes it clear she's keeping him around for only one reason)

How they speak of him to others:

Sansa:

youtube

Sansa: "Tyrion's not like the other Lannisters. He was always kind to me."

(the 8x02 library scene from above is another example, she defends Tyrion when Dany blames him for Cersei's deception)

Dany:

youtube

Dany: "He's made mistakes. Serious mistakes."

Jorah: "As have we all. He learns from them."

Dany: "You're advising me to forgive the man who stole your position?"

Jorah: "I am."

Dressing him down in front of others:

Sansa:

youtube

Sansa: "Cersei told you her army was coming North to fight for you?"

Tyrion: "She did."

Sansa: "And you believed her?"

Tyrion: "She has something to live for now. I believe she wants to survive."

Sansa: "I used to think you were the cleverest man alive."

(Sansa does not say anything critical of him in front of others, she waits until they're alone)

Dany:

youtube

Davos: "You'll want to discuss this amongst yourselves."

Dany: "You will stay."

Tyrion: "Commit to the blockade of King's Landing. We have a plan. It's still the right plan."

Dany: "The right plan? Your strategy has cost us Dorne, the Iron Islands, and the Reach."

Tyrion: "If I have underestimated our enemies--"

Dany: "Our enemies? Your family, you mean. Perhaps you don't want to hurt them after all."

(not to mention the 8x02 scene where she dresses Tyrion down in front of Jorah and Varys)

#sansa vs daenerys #got #game of thrones #gotposts #metaposts #sansa stark #sansaposts #Youtube

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apple-but-sour · 3 years

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Do you have any thoughts on the whole Techno killing Tubbo at the festival shebang?

I don't fully know all the details, and I know that you're very much one of the sources or die type people, so I was interested to hear what you'd say about it.

Obviously Techno says that he did it due to peer pressure, which, well, a dictator telling you to do something plus a load of voices screaming for blood in your head constitutes some pretty damn strong peer pressure, but for me just brushing it off as peer pressure always felt as though it was downplaying it. It *was* peer pressure, but at the same time did Techno ever go as far as to explain to say Tubbo or anyone else fully about it? It felt a lot like just a welp, it was peer pressure, yup. Nothing more to say about it. Not gonna acknowledge those long term after effects.

Because it's something that I see c!Tommy bringing up a *lot*, especially in the doomsday vod, about the whole "don't forget about the past now" thing, but... it always felt a little unfair of him to blame Techno for Tubbo's death fully there. Yes of course, he pulled the trigger, but Schlatt was the one ordering it.

So that's essentially what my ask is about - was there any other option for c!Techno there? I've seen arguments before saying that he could have chosen not to, but are they valid? Because it feels as though it's more of c!Tommy steering away from addressing Techno's points and tunnel visioning on it.

I suppose I wonder if it's similar to the Techno spawning the original withers situation. The way that I see that event was that Techno really didn't do that much damage by spawning the two withers? Wilbur did a lot of the damage, but since Wilbur was dead Quackity tunneled on blaming Techno and making him pay, a price that I think he would have made Wilbur pay had Wilbur not died. I can't help but wonder if Schlatt was alive he would be the one being blamed for Tubbo's death, or if Tommy would still completely blame Techno for the situation.

TLDR; was it Techno's fault? Does Tommy have a leg to stand on in regards to that?

And a side note: I generally believe that Techno has been justified in his actions, but the one thing that I do think he could do is acknowledge the after effects of his actions on Tubbo. Not necessarily apologise for killing him, but the one thing I don't like is that Techno can sometimes brush off consequences of actions. Like in prison expecting, albeit perhaps jokingly, for Quackity to have just moved on after he killed him. In this specific situation I feel like Techno never acknowledged that Quackity was the one pulling a lot of the strings in L'manburg. I feel it's a little unfair for him to only tar Tubbo with the "government" brush and view him as nothing more than the government, but I suppose that that is just because Tubbo was the president; one would expect that he'd be in charge of making his executive decisions, not letting other people make them for him.

Anywho, sorry this dragged on, it's just something that I've been thinking about lately.

I am so exhausted of talking about the Red Festival so I am not gonna answer this one in detail. My stance on the Red Festival is that the only one to blame for Tubbo's death is Schlatt and by blaming anyone from Pogtopia people kind of give Schlatt what he wanted, which was to saw dissent in the ranks of his enemies. Technoblade felt like he couldn't escape the situation with him and Tubbo alive due to his limited knowledge of the server and his unfamiliarity with his own weapons, and so he didn't attempt to. End of story. Whether his perception of the situation was accurate or not doesn't matter here.

I must say I don't like the "a load of voices screaming for blood in your head constitutes some pretty damn strong peer pressure" argument of it because 1) the voices weren't introduced into the story at that point 2) the violence-inducing aspect of Techno's voices is an ableist trope that I prefer not to bring into analysis unless it's explicitly stated to affect canon. The peer pressure came from the crowd the majority of whom seemed to agree with Schlatt (that's what it seemed like to Techno, at least), not from Schlatt himself or the voices.

However, you bring up some interesting ideas, especially how Technoblade downplays the way he hurt others sometimes. I think that's an actual issue he has. And I do think that part of the reason the Butchers went after Technoblade is that Wilbur, the bigger culprit of November 16, was out of their reach. Although there are a lot of other motives that go into the execution which I won't get into here.

But you also mention some things I strongly disagree with.

"...I feel like Techno never acknowledged that Quackity was the one pulling a lot of the strings in L'manburg" it was impossible for Techno to know that. Even Philza, who was a resident of L'Manburg, wasn't aware of it because he wasn't part of the cabinet. Technoblade was a complete outsider unaware of the cabinet's inner workings, so I don't think it's unfair of him to not consider the possibility that Tubbo's decisions weren't entirely his own. You can't acknowledge something you're unaware of.

I don't think c!Techno "viewed c!Tubbo as nothing more than the government" either. Look at this quote for example:

I’m not saying everyone in L’manburg's a bad person. Tubbo? He might be a nice guy. The problem is that government, power corrupts. You see what Tubbo’s done? Ever since he became president? He’s cast you aside. He’s abandoned his friends. Just to protect his own power.

He didn't view Tubbo as government, it's just that he only disliked Tubbo for his role of president. So of course when he criticizes the guy who executed him, he's going to focus on the fact that he's the head of state, because Techno doesn't think Tubbo executed him out of inherent evilness or something, but because it's what his power made him do.

And that's my piece.

#apple answers #anon #c!technoblade critical #long post

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hamliet · 3 years

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Hey Hamliet! Love your metas! In an earlier meta, you'd called Mikasa "the thematic core" of the series. Could you please elaborate on what you meant by that?

Hi!

So, all decent stories have themes, but some stories have a thesis stated at the beginning and some state it at the end; some are interested in answers and some in questions.

Sometimes, there’s a specific character who embodies the main theme in everything they do. Not all stories have a thematic core character, and frankly many stories should not, because it can be very, very hard to challenge this character if they embody the story’s core principle. This character tends to be either a protagonist or the wise mentor archetype, also. I’ll talk about two characters whom I think embody this well, and one character whom I think does not: Tenma (Monster), Mikasa (SnK), and Deku (BNHA).

Now, to be clear, Monster, BNHA, SnK are extremely different stories: Monster is a seinen crime drama, SnK is pessimistic and deeply psychological and philosophical; BNHA is optimistic and about superheroes. But stories don’t have to be deeply psychological nor pessimistic to unpack their main themes in well-done ways: Harry Potter is a great example of this. The closest a character comes to embodying the themes of the story (grief and love and choice) is Dumbledore, and he’s unpacked in the final story to the extent a hopeful children’s story should.

What is Monster’s thesis? All lives have value.

What is SnK’s thesis? The world is cruel, but the world is also beautiful.

What is BNHA’s? A hero saves.

I think it’s impossible to argue that Tenma, Mikasa, and Deku don’t embody these messages in every moment of their arcs. The thing is, while most stories aren’t deconstructions, you still have to explore and unpack and challenge the character to make the theme stand out, to convince the reader of your theme.

Monster story opens with Tenma literally being challenged on this very principle. The hospital’s top neurosurgeon, Tenma chooses to save a famous singer over a poor immigrant despite the immigrant coming to the hospital first and is confronted by the immigrant’s devastated family. Tenma then makes the opposite choice and saves a little boy over a mayor because the boy arrived first, even though the hospital orders him to prioritize the mayor. Thus, the very first chapter gives Tenma a consequence for not following his theme, and he corrects it--but this doesn’t result in a simple “everyone matters, duh.” Because that boy he saves grows up to be a serial killer, and Tenma becomes determined to stop him--even if it costs him his life and morality. Tenma himself wonders and even at times throws away his belief that all lives have value, wondering if Johan has forfeited his right to live because if they don’t execute Johan, will he ever stop?

However, by the end of the story, Tenma goes through such a journey to understand Johan that he does indeed come to believe Johan’s life has equal value despite his crimes, and proves it by saving Johan’s life yet again in order to also save the person who tried to kill Johan (and who would then potentially lose his life in punishment). The story truly unpacks what this theme means, and why people believe it or don’t, and does so without condemning those who don’t agree.

Mikasa is also challenged constantly. She finds moments of beauty in the middle of cruelty, like Eren wrapping the scarf around her. That moment motivates her because it showed her there was still connection, humanity, warmth, and kindness. Even when she’s relegated to the background, Mikasa is constantly challenged on her belief in cruelty and beauty and even loses sight of it at times because she puts too much of her hope/belief in beauty on one person. In the end she expands it to absolutely everyone, the entire world, including Eren. She refuses to deny her love for him, refuses to forget him as he requests, but also refuses to sacrifice the world for him.

Do you notice a common thread between Tenma and Mikasa? It’s that your convictions matter so much as you are able to hold yourself to them, even when it costs you. Even to go back to Harry Potter, Dumbledore loses a lot of respect for his past actions, and Harry has to die. The themes are unpacked because their statements, the themes they embody, are not magical elixirs that fix their worlds.

So, Deku. He embodies heroes save, and I don’t doubt he will succeed. But... he’s had this perspective from the first chapter and it’s not really been unpacked--the closest it came is during the War Arc, when Deku vowed to never forgive Shigaraki after he almost killed Gran Torino. But then Gran Torino is... fine. So it would be far more compelling writing if Shigaraki had actually killed Gran Torino or kills All Might because then Deku has actually something to lose; he would have something personal that he’d have to surrender to stand for this theme, to reinforce the theme. It’s easy to spout about saving everyone, but what about when that person is a murderer not just of randos, but of someone you adored? This would unlock layers of complexity in Deku that we just have never seen. Now, it's possible BNHA will unpack this more towards the end (I think it will, and I do think Deku will feel like he can’t save at some point) but it's honestly too little too late to save Deku’s writing on the whole for me.

This is also for me why I find the Dabi/Shouto conflict more compelling even if Shigaraki is by far the best written character in the manga: because there are direct personal stakes not just for the characters but for the audience (since we know the characters affected), whereas Deku and Shigaraki’s conflict is currently symbolic and hypothetical. Shigaraki is a mass murderer, but not of anyone Deku knows. He hurt Gran Torino, but GT seems to be recovering just fine. He endangered the lives of Deku’s friends, sure, but they’re all fine. There are no long-lasting consequences to anything Shigaraki has done that actually affect Deku’s daily life, nor our perception.

Also think of the criticism of villain stans in BNHA--that they don’t care about the randos who have been killed and who we’ve like, never seen a panel of. If the characters experience the pain of that loss, it makes the manga’s message that much more resonant and empathetic, rather than preachy. Monster did this with Tenma: he lost so much along his journey, and SnK did this with Mikasa: she lost Eren. It’s just more like... cold preaching in BNHA. That said, the good thing about BNHA, and the reason I follow and like it, is that it does seem to know what it wants to say even if it is messy about it. When a story has no idea what it wants to say, woof.

#ask hamliet #writing #mikasa ackerman #snk #bnha #tenma kenzo #monster #ai-manre

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ambivalent-anarchy · 4 years

Text

Star Wars 101

Masterlist

Gender: Female

Pairing: Peter Parker x reader

Warning: None

Reader has never seen a single one of Peter's favorite movies.

A/N- I really need to stop making new series lol, I swear this is the last new one for a while, at least until I finish some other ones.

Hope you like it!!!

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"In case I don't see you... good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight!"

Peter watched you intently as you stared, wide eyes glued to each and every movement on the screen, even sniffling a bit when the credits began to roll. Really? The Truman Show was making you tear up?

"[Y/N], really?," he snickered lightly, wiping one of your cheeks and then showing you the wetness on his finger. He gave a teasing smile as he moved to take the DVD out. "I understood when you cried during the Titanic, but this is just The Truman Show."

"Don't judge me!," you scolded, cheeks quickly becoming red with embarrassment. "It was frickin' sad! The dude's been stuck in a tv show his whole life and he didn't even know it! That's freaky!"

"It's a Jim Carrey movie," Peter laughed. "How can you cry at a Jim Carrey movie?"

You rolled your eyes and turned away, trying to hide your growing grin. Who was Peter Parker to judge you on how you react to movies anyway? At least this was just a movie. Peter got flustered with everything in real life!

"-And a movie as crappy as this particular Jim Carrey movie too!," he smirked.

You turned around with a loud, overdramatic gasp. "What was that, Parker? Did you just call one of my favorite movies CRAPPY?!"

Peter turned from the DVD player with a small, innocent smile and nodded his head vigorously before sprinting away as he predicted that you would chase after him.

He was right.

"How dare you!," you yelled, quickly jumping into action. "Jim Carrey may be a bit of an overacter, but he's still AWESOME!!"

You were high on adrenaline, running after him with all you had, but it didn't take you long for you to realize that chasing Peter in his own house was a bad idea. It was his home. He knew it like the back of his hand. And you, however, did not.

You bumped into every other corner. The more you ran the more bruises you were probably getting. Until finally after hitting your hip on the kitchen counter, frustrated, you squeezed your eyes shut tight and yelled out, "YOU DON'T HEAR ME JUDGING YOUR CRAPPY STAR WARS MOVIES!!!"

You hadn't seen where he came from or how he got you, but in an instant, Peter was smack dab in your face. "What did you just say?"

Quickly coming to a stop, the corners of your mouth twitched upwards, knowing you'd just hit a nerve. "I said, you don't hear me judging your crappy star wars movies."

He stared, stunned, for a second. ".. you did not just say that," he whispered, more to himself than to you. He turned towards you. "You did not just call one of the best franchises in the universe crappy."

You turned away with a smirk before he gently grabbed you by your arm and whirled you back around. "[Y/N]. Star Wars is ICONIC!"

You rolled your eyes with a light giggle and turned to walk away before you were whirled around again. His eyes looked right into yours, his face holding an extremely serious expression, which of course was nothing but hilarious to you. "Dude, I'm NOT letting you leave this kitchen before you give me a valid reason why Star Wars is bad to you."

You sighed loudly. So he's holding you hostage now, is he? Well, two could play at that game. "Not until you tell me why The Truman Show was so bad," you shot back.

Unfortunately for you, Peter was ready with his reasons.

You stared, dumbfounded as he read them off. "Predictable. Took too long to get where it was trying to go. When it finally got there, it didn't give an actual satisfying ending! Did Sylvia find him after that or not?! And what point was the movie trying to make about the world anyway? That really wasn't clear. Also, I couldn't tell whether some parts were funny or them just trying too hard to be serious. Should I go on?"

"N-no no, you're good," you chirped, your voice cracking a bit. "Didn't know you were such a harsh critic, Pete."

"And your reasons?," Peter asked with a shit-eating grin. He knew you didn't have any.

You scrunched your eyebrows together and stared up to the ceiling. "Umm," you mumbled before you blurted out. "It just seems like classic NERD crap, honestly okay?!?!?!"

Peter dramatically threw his hand to his chest, as if he'd been stabbed. "Ah, you hurt me, babe. How could you?"

You rolled your eyes. "Can we just go back to watching movies, Pete?! My hip frickin' hurts." You shifted slightly while rubbing the your hip with your hand, trying to relieve the pain. Peter noticed and immediately the previous topic of conversation was dropped.

"A-are you okay?! C'mon, let's go sit down.."

You breathed a breath of relief. Thankfully, a dumbass situation stopped due to Peter's relentless helpfulness and need to be a gentleman.

An hour later and you were watching Mean Girls now, something both you and Peter could agree on, especially after he'd told you he'd never seen it before.

And how could he have never seen Mean Girls? It was ICONIC!

"Gretchen, stop trying to make fetch happen. It's NOT going to happen..."

"I don't like this Regina character," Peter mumbled as he reached for more popcorn.

"You wouldn't," you chuckled softly.

Peter Parker was a sap and an overall nice guy. Regina George was probably not a character that he would be caught fanboying over.

"I mean," he started again, squinting his eyes at the character on the screen. "Villain characters are supposed to be BADASS. She's just rude."

You threw your head back and laughed, ruffling his hair. "Only you would think that way, Pete."

"And this Cady character," he continued. "She can't honestly think she's doing all of this and is still a good person. How is she a proper protagonist?"

You rolled your eyes and smiled. You hadn't noticed until actually watching a few movies with Peter how much of a movie critic he was. And he took it seriously. "Okay, that's enough rotten tomatoes for one movie, Pete."

Peter shrugged, rolled his eyes, and laid back on the couch. "I'm just calling it like I see it."

He kept quiet after that, just giving grunts, hums, and muttering things at choice times.

When your favorite part came along, Regina getting hit by the bus, you bit your lip with a smile. "Oooh, wait for it," you said lightly slapping Peter's shoulder excitedly. "She's gonna get it."

"So don't act all innocent! You can take that fake apology and shove it right up your hairy-"

Just as the part you were waiting for came, Peter paused the tv.

Quickly, you turned to him, eyes wide. "What'd you do that for?!?! She was gonna get smashed!"

He turned towards you, narrowing his eyes slightly. "So you've never watched Star Wars before?"

You turned to face him. "What?"

"What you said earlier... You said that it seems like nerdy crap," he explained, piecing it all together. " Seems! Meaning that you don't know for a fact meaning that you haven't watched it!"

"Are we seriously still on that,?!" you teased, your smile widening. This whole thing was beyond frivolous to you.

"Well yeah, because it's one of the greatest series ever!"

"It's predictable!"

"It is known for one of the biggest reveals in cinematic HISTORY!"

"What, the 'I-am-your-father' scene? Yeah, totally predictable."

Peter's jaw completely dropped. "Wha- how?!"

"Y'know Vader in German means father, right?," you snickered. "His name is literally Darth father." You picked up a soda, shaking your head slightly. "But yeah, if you must know... I haven't seen Star Wars."

Peter stopped responding. He just stood up and stepped away silently.

"Are you seriously mad over this?," you yelled out, watching him with a frown. "It's just a movie..."

Was he brooding right now? Over something as dumb as Star Wars? Well, you certainly weren't gonna be the person to go after him.

You whipped your head back to the screen in front of you and unpaused the movie, waiting for your friend to come back to sit next to you. It was official, Peter Parker was a nerd bitch.

As the movie went on, eventually you'd forgotten that Peter was even gone.

"The limit does not exist!"

It sucked that he left, but still though, you wouldn't rather be anywhere else. Surrounded by popcorn, pretzels, fruit, fruit roll ups, and practically any snack you could think of. Endlessly watching movies on a Saturday morning. Well, technically it was the afternoon now. But you'd lost track of time by about the sixth movie.

However, there was only so much movies could do for you. As time passed on, it started to weigh on you. You'd come there to see Peter, not Mean Girls. But if there was one thing to get on a nerd's nerves, it would be Star Wars wouldn't it?

Ugghhhhh.

After much anticipation, you finally decided to go up to his room and talk to him.

You turned to walk up the stairs and was immediately collided with a big wall.

Well not a wall, Peter.

And not just Peter. Peter with a gigantic box in his arms.

"Sorry it took me so long, didn't mean to leave you waiting. I was just just trying to find this," he said, tapping the cardboard box with his fingers. "So did you finish the movie?"

"Yeah," you said, looking at the box. "What's in it?"

"Guess I'll finish it myself later then..." He pushed past you and sat the box on the couch.

"What's in the box, Peter?," you repeated, trying to get a good look at it.

"Oh nothing," he said dramatically, taking the Mean Girls DVD out of the DVD player. "Just what will soon be the best 25 hours of your life.."

"25 hours?"

Peter smiled. "That's how long the entire Star Wars trilogy is." He picked up the box cutter. "24 hours and 52 mintues actually, if you're doing the original editions of the original trilogy instead of the special edition." He turned back towards you. "You need a movie-cation and I'm gonna give it to you."

"A movie-cation?"

"Movie education, [Y/N]."

You held your head back and laughed. "Oh my God, Pete.."

He was on his knees in front of you in a second. "C'mon!! Please, it's the best. I promise you won't regret it!"

Ugh. This was it. You were gonna do this. Force yourself through 25 (24: 52, but who's counting?) hours of boredom just to please some guy that wasn't even your boyfriend. I mean, he was practically begging you. God help you.

"Fine! Fine.. I'll watch your lame nerd movie."

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@underoosjae @spn-assemble-seven @of-your-eyes-begonia-skies @parkerpeter24, @audreylovespidey706

#avengers #marvel #peter parker x yn #marvel fanfiction #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker fic #peter parker x reader #peter parker x y/n #peter parker #peter parker fluff #peter parker imagine #peter parker oneshot #marvel fandom #marvel x you #marvel x reader

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lbat1901 · 4 years

Text

Rantception S1•E1 - princeofmints exposed | ft. TatSquirp

(I am about a month late on posting this here)

Welcome to the first episode of my brand new series titled Rantception where I talk about a topic or some unfortunate soul who became a total jerk as of recently. I am starting this series off by talking about the user by the name of princeofmints.

princeofmints is apart of the Eddsworld community and they are apart of the official EW Amino, Tumblr, and Instagram. Unfortunately princeofmints is in some hot water right now.

Oh and before I get to that, I just want to make this clear, the princeofmints that I am referring to isn't the one who made tomtord p*rn. This princeofmints is actually accused of tracing and being a total d*ck.

Also they got banned from Amino, but they are still going strong on both Tumblr and Instagram.

One more thing: don't harass them. Instead I want you to stop supporting them. Don't not praise them.

With that out the way, let's get into the news.

I unfortunately didn't know any of this drama that happened till seeing callout posts about it. But I used to like princeofmints's posts until what happened recently.

I decided to to take a look at their wall after seeing a few callout posts on them before they got taken down.

Annnnnd yeah.....they are such an arsehole. Just...just look at these screenshots....

(the third one is my favorite in terms of arsehole energy that's being radiated from it)

I'll be honest with you, the third is the one that show the bitterness of princeofmints. Trying to guilt trip you. I'm sorry to say this, but it's not working. Nice try.

Now I'll handing the rest of this over to the one and only Squirp/TatSquirp who've agreed to be on the show and I certainly didn't kidnap them.

Squirp: ...Why am I here? Why am I tied u-

Lbat1901(me): Shhhh! Just give the audience your side on this

Squirp: Ok, fine...*clears throat*....so a week ago, I've made a callout post exposing princeofmints titled "Dethroning a Prince". It took me awhile to everything and not too soon after posting it on Animo, I've also posted it on Instagram.

Oh boy...it got taken down. No actually I got told by a model on Animo to take it down which I did while on Instagram it got flagged for harassment. I eventually reposted it.

princeofmints (or what I like to call her, Prince) is a 15 year old artist who mostly draws Tom, Tord, and the ship TomTord. She was on the EW Amino since January 13th of this year before getting banned. S

Alright with that out of the way, I'll try to make this brief

She also has been known to cause quite the trouble.

I have been caught up to speed on what Prince has done even learning th as t she had actually scammed someone.

I believe that Lbat told you this already, but Prince's name was stolen by someone who has the same name, but let's dwell on this.

Part 1 - Tracing:

Squirp: Ok so, a few days ago some of my friends and I looked at one of Prince's art and discovered that it was traced from an already existing drawing made by P-Nim. Of course Prince denied this and claimed that it was her own art.

Ok I'll make this clear, Prince didn't draw it for a DTIYS. If Prince didn't trace it then she shouldn't be claiming it as her own.

Also if you want to compare posts or have a look for yourself, you can't cause she deleted it. So much for being reasonable which goes into this next part....

Part 2 - Blocking those who've cornered you for being unreasonable:

Squirp: Oh yes, just like TBATF, Prince also blocks people for calling her out. Unlike TBATF who only block people for giving them criticism and calling them out on their behavior, Prince blocks people for many reasons.

One of them being totally unreasonable. She blocked one of my friends who called her out for tracing. Prince even deleted several comments when trying to defend herself for being called out before deciding to hit the block button.

She even blocked me after I tried to call her out on her wall. I did PM her a few days later about and guess what her response was. The reason why she blocked me was because she didn't like me.

My god....that has to be most stupidest as all hell reason to block someone and folks, we're on the second part on this and things are already getting heated.

Part 3 - Being a b*ch isn't all that cool:

Squirp: Hold on a minute, why is b*ch censored?

(Editor: that's because it's Lbat's show and I am meant to help with anything that Lbat puts out for everyone to see)

Squirp: Yeah, but why? Who cares anyway?

(Editor: well you're probably have a point, but it's my job. Now are you going to continue to argue or are you going to keep going with your side of the story?)

Squirp: I am...geez! I've never meant an editor that's who picky. This isn't YouTube with the whole COPPA thing you know.

Anyway..... pt 3....Prince has to be one of the biggest d*cks that I have ever talked to and- oh my god, why would you censor the word- forget it. Forget it...

Erm...yeah....she cursed at some many people that it's just mindboggling. She's not the most pleasant person to talk to on Amino or anywhere else.

Before you say that she probably has some mental health issues, don't even bother. Well I know she does has some issues, but it doesn't give her the excuse to not be a total d*ck. People who do have issues are at least well spoken and are respectful to others.

But Prince on the other hand, not a freaking single chance.

Part 4 - Stop acting sad:

Squirp: You're probably thinking to yourself, "Wow, Prince is a jerk" and you'd be right. But to make matters worse, she likes to guilt trip people.

How? Well she tries to make you feel sorry for her by giving you a sad sad tale before deciding to cuss you out.

That's right, it's pretty low for her. I don't need to explain why this is bad just because it is. It's really scummy especially when she's in the wrong here. Next!

Part 5 - Don't let Prince do commissions. EVER:

Oh yeah, she actually did this. I did found the person who got scammed and they are a person known as BadBoy.

You see BadBoy commissioned Prince to do a drawing for 92 coins. Unfortunately for BadBoy, Prince said that the price was actually lower than that. But it gets much much worse than that.

Prince got wicked with them and refused to give other pieces of art to BadBoy. Eventually BadBoy had enough and asked for a refund. That's when things started to escalate really fast.

Prince told BadBoy to piss off. After a long battle, Prince gave BadBoy 72 coins back when BadBoy asked for a full refund.

Squirp: I have been saving this part for last and it gave me a reason to make a callout on Prince in the first place. She literally scammed someone over 72 coins.

In summary, Prince just stole BadBoy's money and was a total d*ck towards them.

And that should do it for now, but I one final message to Prince. If you're reading this now while getting harassed for being callout for your crap: none of this, and I stress this a lot, none of this wouldn't have happened if you were to just act a tad bit kinder and a whole bit wiser.

Oh and maybe if you would've just listened. Also running away from your problems, lying, and pretending that they didn't happen makes you look like the bad guy here.

You know, I wouldn't mind you being on Animo at all if you just shallow your pride and try to do better by apologizing to everyone.

I didn't mean to make my callout post to hurt you in a way. In fact, I still believe that you can change. But atlas, your problems need to be addressed to make that happen.

All you need to do is try. That's it. That's all I ask for.

Lbat1901(me): *claps* Nicely done, Squirp. Nicely done.

Squirp: Thanks Lbat. It's been a pleasure being on here. Now can I go home now?

Lbat1901(me): Uhh.....*walks away from Squirp and walks out of the room before shutting the door*

Squirp: Lbat? Uh Lbat? Lbat? This isn't funny! Untie me! Hey cameraman, you're still here. Untie me, please

Camraman: *shrugs before shaking their head*

Squirp: What do you mean no? Ugh!

{screen cuts to Lbat sitting in a chair}

Lbat1901(me): Well that's the end of the first episode of Rantception. I want to thank TatSquirp for coming on and helping me out. Please check them out on the EW Amino and possibly their Instagram as well while you're at it.

#lbat rambles #lbat rants #rantception #rantception season 1 #rantception episode 1 #princeofmints #princeofmints exposed #callout #callout post #tatsquirp #lbat1901's channel 7 lucky hour

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phil-g-writes · 4 years

Text

Andy's Dinosaur Adventure: Hattie's Goodbye

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*Disclaimer: Between the last series of Andy's Dinosaur Adventure and the first series of Andy's Prehistoric Adventure, shown on Cbeebies, the character of Hattie didn't return. I always wondered what happened to her, so while sitting with my toddler as he watched Andy and his adventures (he absolutely loves anything Andy Day does) I decided to write what I think happened. It's just for fun and for a way for me to improve my writing skills. All feedback and constructive criticism welcome.

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Andy had been working with Hattie for a couple of years now. He hoped to one day replace her as head of the Dinosaur Gallery when it's her time to move on. But she was so experienced and knowledgeable that he didn't see that happening any time soon.

Today was like any other day. Hattie was busy creating a new display in the main exhibition area. She had asked him to fetch a new fern for the Diplodocus model as the last one he had got her had strangely wilted, almost as if it was real.

He'd done as he always does. Hat, check. Gizmo, check. Waistcoat, check. Hattie's backpack, check. Jumping into the glowing clock he was transported in a haze of blue light and ticking clockwork, arriving exactly where he needed to be.

Humming a content tune Andy searched for a fresh fern as he stepped out of the way of the humongous Diplodocus stomping around him heading to the edge of the forest for the larger ferns.

Thankfully Diplodocus are messy eaters and so drop large ferns all the time. Picking one of a good size, Andy retraced his steps just in time for the clock to make its familiar warning sound of a loud bong, that told him his time here was up.

Flying through time back to the museum, he was almost getting bored of this part. Hiding his secret was becoming too easy. He had wanted to tell Hattie so many times. But she's so much smarter than him, she probably wouldn't believe him or have him locked up for being insane. No, it was best she didn't know.

Thrown from the clock back into the grand hall of the museum, Andy adjusted his shirt and glanced up to see what looked like visitors coming through the main doors, thankfully too far away to see his time traveling activities. He quickly threw off Hattie's backpack, hat, waistcoat and gizmo, tucking them down the side of the clock as best he could.

The visitors got closer just as he stood to attention. It was then he noticed one of the people coming towards him was the curator of the museum, Mr Hammond. Next to him was a small lady. She wore a light coloured pants suit, with a short bob of dark brown hair.

"Ah Andy, perfect timing. This is Mrs Pickles." Mr Hammond motioned to the lady next to him. Andy automatically reached out and shook Mrs Pickles' hand. Keeping his other hand holding the large fern behind his back. "Lovely to meet you" Andy said with a grin.

"As you know I'm due to leave the museum soon and I am very pleased to tell you Mrs Pickles will be my replacement" Mr Hammond said in an upbeat tone. Andy's eyebrows raised with surprise. He knew Me Hammond was leaving but he hadn't even considered who would replace him.

"Ah brilliant! That's great news!" Andy said cheerily. "Well, not that you're leaving sir, just that it will be Mrs Pickles who is to be, what I mean to say is…" "Yes I think we understand what you're trying to say" Mr Hammond interrupted to save Andy any more embarrassment.

"Well we best get moving. Lots of the museum to see!" And with that Andy nodded his head and looked at the floor as the pair walked up the large stairs. Once they had left Andy remembered the large fern behind his back. "Oh no, Hattie!" he said out loud as he ran as fast as he could back towards the dinosaur exhibit.

Just as Andy disappeared from view Hattie came trotting down the grand staircase and into the main hall. "Andy! Andy where are you?" she called out into the echoing hall.

She reached the bottom of the stairs, looking left to right just as the clock clicked and bonged in a sort of half hearted way, not quite a full bong but enough to get your attention.

Hattie looked over and noticed her backpack peeking out from around the corner of the clock. "What is that doing out here?" she said out loud to herself. Walking over and immediately picking up her backpack, the waistcoat, hat and gizmo fell from their hiding place and onto the floor.

She immediately thought of Andy. He's always acted suspiciously since he started. Friendly enough but sneaks off regularly and comes back with sudden knowledge of the dinosaur or fossil they're talking about. Things he definitely wouldn't have known before.

Hattie always thought he had been secretly searching the internet for information so not to appear dumb in front of her, but sometimes he comes out with the strangest theories, some even proven to be correct more recently.

Just as she was about to turn back to the dinosaur exhibit the clock lightly bonged once again. Standing right next to it she could hear the inner workings ticking, clunking and winding. So much activity inside for just an old grandfather clock she thought.

Looking at the clock face for the first time she only now realised it had a specific display for the year, this year in fact, and under it a picture of a man, well a human, as you would see sketched in an old history book.

She leaned in for a closer look just as two small doors in the front of the clock burst open and out shot a toy terrorsaur, as if it was a Cuckoo clock. Hattie screamed at the sudden shock and jumped back, dropping her backpack on the floor.

Andy was busy in the dinosaur exhibit when he heard Hattie's scream and the familiar noise of the clock. He dropped the fern he was carefully placing on the display and ran for the grand hall.

Zooming into the hall, his feet screeching across the perfectly waxed flooring he stopped just as the blue light emanating from the clock wrapped itself around Hattie who was watching it swirl around her arms and legs. She looked up and locked eyes with Andy. "I knew it!" she shouted at him, pointing her finger as the light enveloped her completely.

Andy launched himself at the clock, reaching it just as Hattie disappeared into mist. Her backpack, his hat, waistcoat and crucially his gizmo were still on the floor. Realising Hattie must have found them he scooped the items up and into the backpack.

Andy walked closer to the clock to check the dial which read 152 million years, with a sketch of a Diplodocus underneath. Andy sighed with some relief. It had taken Hattie to exactly the same time he had just been to. Maybe it could only do one time and location a day he thought. It wasn't something he'd ever tested.

Putting the backpack away carefully in his secret cupboard, Andy then headed back to the Dinosaur exhibit. All he could do now was wait. But what would he say to her? How do you explain that of course he knew about the time travelling clock but he never thought to mention it.

Now his mind moved to Hattie messing with time. Andy knows enough about time travel to know that meddling with it is risky business. He believes in his heart of hearts that he's very careful when he time travels. Though in reality he's risked changing history many times, such as giving a kazoo to a caveman for example.

Though when you think about it, who invented kazoos?

Andy had retreated back to the dinosaur exhibit and was half heartedly working when the clock sprang back into action. The museum was closed and empty now apart from Andy.

He ran back onto the now dark grand hall to see the blue light illuminating the corner of the hall next to the staircase. Andy stood about ten feet away, arms folded as Hattie reappeared with a jump into the here and now. She immediately collapsed to her knees, out of breath and shocked to her core.

Hattie looked up to see Andy standing nearby. "So, now you know" he said as a matter of fact.

"Diplodocus." she took a breath staring at the floor again. "Huge, real, Diplodocus" another breath. "Baby's hatch in the forest." another gulp of air. "Just as we thought" By this point Hattie was starting to catch her breath and looking up at him.

"Andy, this, this is incredible. Wonderful. Stupendous!" She exclaimed as she rose to her feet. "This can change everything about what we understand of dinosaurs, of human evolution!" She announces with grandiose. "We need to tell somebody!"

"Absolutely not." Andy states with a firm tone, his arms still crossed. "What do you mean?" Hattie says exasperated. "This will advance science! It will explain so many mysteries of why we're here! We can actually go and see it for ourselves!" She cheered.

Andy stands firm still with his arms crossed. "Exactly. And what sort of people will want to go see it? Scientists, historians?" he asks.

Hattie nods "Well, yes probably" she agrees. Andy continues "Or will it be billionaires looking for oil, millionaires looking for pet dinosaurs, despicable people looking for a place to hide. Never mind the people who'd want to change history to suit themselves" Andy says with a calm but firm teacher-like tone.

Hattie takes a moment to consider what Andy had said. It's obvious he has had plenty of time to think up that little speech so she moves on. "So how long have you known about this?"

Andy's bravado suddenly disappears, feeling like he's been caught out he unfolds his arms and buries his hands into his pockets "Since about 6 months after I started" he mumbles looking at the ground.

"What?!" Hattie exclaims, stepping closer to him in disbelief, making Andy take a step back in defence. "And you didn't think to tell me?" Hattie shouts obviously feeling quite hurt now. "I, I didn't think you'd believe me" he whispers.

"Well, I believe you now!" she shouts again, motioning back at the clock manically waving her arm. Andy looks up at her and smiles, he can't help but find that last sentence a little funny and he knows Hattie can't resist his silly sense of humour. A smile cracks in the corner of her mouth.

Hattie breaks eye contact with him, sighing as she turns to the side and folds her arms, a smirk still showing in the corner of her mouth. "How many times have you used it?" She asks, still not looking at him.

"Pretty much every day" he admits. "Usually when something goes wrong in the dinosaur exhibit…" "which is pretty much every day" they both say together and at that they both crack up laughing.

Fighting through the giggles Hattie attempts to say "So where have you been, or should I say when?" still chuckling to herself. "Oh you know, lots of different places and times. T-Rex to get that pumice stone I broke, Eustreptospondylus to get a replacement ammonite…" he realises now Hattie is staring at him with her mouth wide open.

"How many of my things have you broken?" she exclaims. "Ah…" he begins before Hattie bursts into laughter again, still a little delirious from her first adventure through time.

As the giggles subside she looks at him again. "So what do we do now?" Andy shrugs "I'd prefer it if you didn't tell anyone. It's just too dangerous." "Yes agreed" Hattie says in her forthright way and yet still to Andy's surprise. "Let's get some sleep and we can discuss this tomorrow" she offers. "Great idea Hattie" Andy brightens.

They walk away from the clock, gather their things to head home and exit through the staff door out onto the street as Andy locks up. Just before they part ways Hattie pipes up "Oh Andy?" she says holding a finger up. "How do you program in where you want to go?" Andy turns to face Hattie. "You just ask it. Only seems to activate when I need it though, like it knows" he shrugs again. "Hmmm" Hattie now thinking deeply "Interesting." Andy breaks the moment of thought "Anyway, see you tomorrow, and please don't tell anyone" he pleads. "I promise" Hattie beams with a big smile.

********

Though the weight of his secret is now feeling lighter, Andy struggles to sleep that night and gets to work early the next day, rather than lie awake in bed thinking. Coming through the main doors Andy decides he's going to be positive about Hattie knowing. Now he has someone to share this with. Someone he can talk to about it.

Feeling cheered up he skips through the doors, past Dippy the Diplodocus and towards the staircase. He looks up to see Hattie in front of the clock. The familiar sound of winding clockwork and swirling blue light surrounds Hattie as she turns to face him. Her face is a picture of regret.

"I'm so sorry Andy. I had to know" and with that Hattie is taken. Andy runs over to the clock to see where and when Hattie has gone. He looks at the familiar dial but there's a symbol he's never seen before. It looks like a ball flying through the air with bits coming off it and a tail trailing behind. Looking at the numbers above it reads: 65 million years.

"Extinction event" Andy whispers looking away from the clock. "Why would she go there?" With a sudden burst of speed he runs to his secret cupboard. Hat, backpack, waistcoat, gizmo, check. He runs back to the clock through the twisting corridors and double doors of the museum, finally reaching the clock. Making sure he's alone he then announces "to the time the dinosaurs died out".

The clock bursts into life and the blue light immediately pulls him in. In what feels like a shorter time than usual he's spat out into the environmental equivalent of a war zone.

Hot lava is erupting from the ground all around him. Searing hot rocks and debris is falling from the sky in every direction, dinosaurs and animals of all shapes and sizes flee past him and around the clock, the unfortunate ones falling into the lava or are trampled by larger creatures.

The air is thick, extremely hot and choking. The noise of destruction and stampeding animals is deafening. Andy coughs hard as his eyes begin to sting with the chemicals in the air. He takes a moment where he's not coughing to shout "Hattie! Hattie where are you?"

Andy takes another breath of poisonous air and immediately coughs so hard he thinks he's going to be sick.

Over the noise of the world ending around him he hears a distant voice "Andy! Wait! Please wait!" Andy looks through the dust and smog of poisonous gases to see Hattie running as fast as she can between the fleeing creatures who are also seeking sanctuary.

"Hattie, quick! We haven't got much time!" Andy shouts motioning her towards him, making sure to stay very close to the clock, using one hand to hold on to the wooden box behind him.

Hattie, now getting closer and running like hell, gently barges some of the smaller fleeing creatures out of her way as the ground beneath them cracks and crumbles under foot.

With about fifteen feet to go the integrity of the ground beneath Hattie and the creatures around her completely gives up to the chaos and collapses. Hattie, using a falling velociraptor as a leg up, leaps towards Andy who is standing on the only part of the ground not yet crumbling away.

He reaches out as far as he can while still having one hand on the clock. Hattie reaches out as she pushes the raptor to the crumbling floor, flying through the air towards him. Their arms cross paths and Andy grips tightly onto her forearm as she does to his.

Andy swings Hattie towards him and they both shout at the same time to the clock "time to head back!" "take me back home!" both exchanging looks of confusion as the blue light blurs their vision.

**********

Andy has traveled in the clock more times than he can remember. But something feels different now. It's quiet, silent in fact, and he realises he's got his eyes closed tight.

"Andy" says an echoing voice. He opens his eyes to almost pitch black. Streaks of blue light zip past him in silent fork lightning as he floats suspended in whatever space he finds himself in.

"Andy" says the echoing voice again. He turns in the space as best he can to see a circular portal about 50 yards away, framed in the familiar blue light which is crackling and giving off noiseless sparks. Through the portal he can see old fashion buildings and cars from many years ago. A figure floating near the portal comes into view. "Andy" says Hattie again, who is now visible in glimpses as the streaks of blue light illuminate her face.

"What's happening?" the echoing voice of Hattie asks, her tone quivering with worry. "I don't know Hattie. This has never happened before" he answers. "Normally I just say it's time to head back and it takes me to the museum, like it knows."

He thinks for a moment. "What did you say when you got back to the clock?" Hattie thinks before answering "I said take me back home" "And what did you mean by that, I mean what were you thinking at the time?" asks Andy.

This time Hattie pauses for a long moment. Andy broke the silence "Hattie, what were you thinking?" "I guess I was thinking of home. Of my parents. I didn't think I was going to make it back there and I just wanted to see them again" she says with a sigh.

Making sense of it Andy realises "I think the clock is pulling us between two destinations. It wants to send me back to the museum and you back to your parents." He says as he looks behind him to see his portal and an image of the grand hall where the clock is kept.

"All we've got to do is follow our portals and we'll be fine" he says with a smile. "But Andy" Hattie hesitates "My parents passed away when I was ten. If I go through that portal...it won't be the same time as your portal." Andy's face drops with realisation.

"I'm so sorry Andy" Hattie begins to cry. "Oh don't be daft" Andy dismisses. "You have been amazing. You've done nothing wrong." He nods and grins hoping Hattie will see. Hattie smiles through her tears. "You're always so kind."

"So I guess this is goodbye" Andy says solemnly. "I guess it is. Be good, and don't break any more of my stuff!" she mockingly tells him off wagging a finger in the darkness. Andy chuckles "I'll try my best" he answers honestly.

They both take a deep breath and in their suspended state push themselves towards their portals. The further they move the more out of focus they become to each other until a flash of blue light surrounds them and the familiar feel of time travel takes over.

Andy is thrown from the clock which is mechanically whining and groaning as he hits the floor of the museum. He looks up to see the clock spit sparks of blue embers. "Well you didn't like that did you?" he says to the clock as he stands up brushing himself down.

His gear safely stored away Andy returns to the dinosaur exhibit and checks the date and time on the laptop. He's been gone barely an hour, the museum will be opening soon. "Huh" he says to himself out loud, sitting down on the edge of the exhibit display.

"Ah there you are Andy!" a Scottish voice announces, shattering the silence and making Andy jump out of his skin. He shoots round to see who it is. "Are you OK Andy?" says Mrs Pickles who is rather startled by his reaction. "Sorry Mrs Pickles, you just surprised me" he says attempting a smile as he stands up to approach her.

"Well, I have been told I have that effect on people" jokes Mrs Pickles. Andy again attempts a smile, failing miserably. Mrs Pickles, noticing the strange atmosphere in the room, remembers why she needed to find him. "Oh yes, this letter came for you. It's wax sealed so must be official" she says with a nod.

Frowning as he takes the letter he thanks Mrs Pickles who disappears back into the corridors of the museum. Andy sits back down on the edge of the exhibit display and turns the letter over in his hands. He eventually decides to open it.

"Dear Andy,

It's Hattie. If my calculations are correct you should receive this letter just after you arrive back at the museum.

I wanted to write to you to let you know I'm safe and well. The landing was a little bumpy but you were right. I found my parents and they're still alive. Oh Andy it's the greatest gift I have ever been given. I have introduced myself, I know I shouldn't have, but I just had to speak to them. It took some convincing I can tell you! But they eventually accepted it was me.

I have had so many wonderful years with them. Being careful to avoid their young daughter of course!

Don't worry about explaining any of this to the museum. I've arranged for my resignation to arrive by post just after this letter. All I ask is you pretend to be shocked. I've recommended you as my replacement and included examples that will help your case. Good luck!

Look after my museum Andy. And no more breaking my things you noodle!

Love always,

Hattie"

"Andy?" It was Mrs Pickles again. "Yes Mrs Pickles?" Andy croaks, fighting back the tears. "We've just received Hattie's resignation by post! Something about going abroad on a fact finding mission. Did you know anything about this?"

Andy sniffs back his upset and turns to face Mrs Pickles. "No nothing Mrs Pickles. That's quite a shock." Andy says very unconvincingly while dabbing his eyes and looking at the floor.

Mrs Pickles narrows her eyes at him which goes unnoticed by Andy. "Well, she speaks very highly of you in her letter and recommends you take her position running the Dinosaur Gallery!" she says to him expectantly. "That's very kind of her" he manages to say while still looking at the ground. "Yes well, we'd still have to go through an interview process you understand" "Of course Mrs Pickles" Andy says quietly.

"But I have to say, she makes a very good case for you" she says with a smirk and a wink which Andy catches just as he looks up. Mrs Pickles turns to leave while flicking through the pages of Hattie's resignation.

Andy looks back at the letter in his hands and smiles as his tears tap on to the paper. "Thanks Hattie" he says to himself.

END.

#Andy's Dinosaur Adventure #Andy Day #cbeebies #fan fic #fan fiction #not for kids #amature writer #writer #fiction #time travel

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