#the snake in episode one was a bit of a jumpscare | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

damn-stark · 10 months

Text

Chapter 12 The Siren’s trick

Chapter 12 of Moonlight

A/N- The consequences for leaving Dragonstone are going to bite her in the ass soon!

Warning- Swearing, ANGST!, suggested nfsw, fluff, talks of death and pregnancy, Larys jumpscare, and SPOILERS for future events of HOTD.

Pairing- Aemond Targaryen x Velaryon!fem-reader, Cregan Stark x Velaryon!fem-reader

Episode- After 1x09, events based off of Fire and Blood

(If you want to be tagged let me know)

————

Every bit of your intuition is telling you to just go back to your quarters, after all most of what you’ve heard about Lord Larys Strong has been very odd things.

Sure your source isn’t very reliable, but after so many of the same reports it has to be true—no it is true. So you should just leave him be and pretend the interaction didn’t happen. But your curiosity has the best of you. And you need to know how he knows about Cregan and you.

“Sit please,” he points to the wooden chair around a small wooden table holding two low candles. “Wine?” He asks.

You shake your head. “No thank you, I’m fine.” You look around and see that he brought you to some small dusty library.

“I’ve known your mother since she was a little girl,” Lord Larys interjects as he pours liquid into some teacups. “She possessed quite a rebellious spirit. Much like yours.”

You hum softly and smile for the first time since running into him. “I wish I would have known her since then,” you say. “My grandfather Viserys always had the best stories about her childhood.”

“I’m sure you would have become the best of friends,” Lord Larys says as he finally walks to the table. “Tea?” He asks and lifts the already served cup.

You nod stiffly and gently take the tea cup from his hands. When he’s taking his own seat across from you you make sure to smell the tea first. It doesn't smell like Moon tea or anything out of the ordinary, albeit if it was poison you probably wouldn’t smell it. Would he poison you?

Probably.

So instead you put the teacup down and just wait. “Prince Aemond went to a meeting with the King and other Lords, why are you not in attendance Lord Larys?” You ask the man.

Said man puts his cane aside and sips some of his wine before he answers you. “I’m not really a man of war. As you can see. My skills aren’t needed for war meetings.”

You hum in comprehension and wrap your hands around the teacup but you don’t raise it, you just keep your hands there. “My husband will return soon, so state your business Lord Larys.”

Lord Larys nods stiffly and sighs. “It seems that ever since your return your friends have disappeared. I just wish to be a friend to you princess.”

You smile and nod slowly. “A friend,” you repeat softly and glance down at your tea before you part your lips. “My friends are scarce here, it's true, but you will never be my friend.” You drag your eyes up and curl your lip to a menacing scowl. “You see, my few friends know about you, Lord Strong…”

Said man swallows thickly and blinks with discomfort.

“You may have leverage, but you don’t have my gullibility. One thing my friend Lord Stark taught me was to see through people. I see through you.” You lean forward, and he stiffens—“You’re a snake. Winter is coming Lord Larys, snakes don’t fare well in the winter. It would be sad to see you end up nothing more but a shriveled up shell.” You smile sweetly at him. “No?”

Lord Larys clears his throat and hides his discomfort with a nonchalant expression and a deadpanned answer. “Right.”

You hum and sit back. “So let’s just be allies, does that sound better?”

“Much,” he says and then leans forward. “You wish to help your mother, is that not true? That’s why you hide through these halls?

You nod as a response and he continues.

“Well ever since the death of Prince Jaehaerys Ser Otto has posted more guards, they watch the walls. They watch dusty corridors. Ever since you’ve come back they watch you too. It’s not safe for you to be wondering the halls, Princess. If you wish to help your mother by passing information you will need to be a lot smarter.”

“I will need an inside man,” you add quietly.

Lord Larys nods. “Precisely. I could help you. I could share what the lords say around their decorated table.”

You exhale and blink. “In exchange of what?” You ask knowing that this wouldn’t just be from the kindness of his heart.

“I told you already, I don’t wish to meet death so soon,” he continues saying. “When your mother and prince Daemon come to King’s Landing I want them to see me as an ally. Prince Daemon has no mercy for his enemies, he’d kill me the first chance he got, but if the Queen were to hear a good word from her only daughter, she’d calm her husband's thirst for blood.”

“That’s right,” you agree. “I could tell her to show you mercy. I’m sure she’ll be thankful to hear that you helped her cause.” You sigh and lift your chin. “But you must know that if you fail me in some way, I won’t need to wait for Daemon to kill you.”

Lord Larys scoffs softly and nods. “I don’t doubt you will.”

You offer him a stiff smile and push your seat back to get up and leave, but he reaches his hand out to touch yours, causing you to stop immediately and snap your eyes back to him.

“One more thing,” he adds and sits back. “As allies I would just like to give you a piece of advice.”

You slowly stand up and keep your eyes on him, letting him go on.

“If you wish to keep living through this game, you will need to play smarter than you already are. Death will come again, perhaps for another one of your brothers, or your mother herself…”

You grow stiff and narrow your gaze on him.

“If it does you can’t just waste away in your quarters giving your husband the cold shoulder,” Lord Larys adds almost sternly. “You’re a dragon, princess. You have Velaryon and Targaryen blood. You are married to Prince Aemond, you hold power many wish to possess. Use it.” He slowly pushes himself off his chair and doesn’t lose the serious look on his face. “Play the perfect wife, be the people’s Princess. The Realm’s Golden Girl. If not, you will not live to see your son's first name day.”

Now you grow quite uncomfortable, but you don’t show it, you just nod in comprehension before you offer him one last smile and leave the same way you came in.

As to not have Aemond arrive to an empty room, you hurry to your secret door, unable to keep yourself from thinking of what Lord Larys said at the end; he’s right of course, Aemond may have comforted you after that tragic dinner, you may have accepted his comfort, but after that night you kept trying to ignore him. He’s left you gifts like beautiful flowers, expensive jewelry, anything you liked he gifted it to you to help ease your anger and break your distance. But none of it helped, not when you dream of Lucerys often.

But Lord Larys is right, if you don’t try to mend your relationship they’ll catch you and kill you. Not Aemond, but his family and his brothers council would. And if you wish to keep helping your mother try to win her throne back, you need to…be as you were with Aemond.

You do still love him, you miss him, so…it shouldn’t be so hard. There will be hard moments perhaps, more deaths that threaten to break you apart, but you can’t lose your mother. Thus when you return to your quarters after checking that he wasn’t there already, you pick up Wolf off the couch to snuggle with him while you wait for Aemond to return.

Thankfully you don’t have to wait long.

“Where’s Aerion?” Is the first thing he asks.

You don’t try to give away your tactics, he’s no fool he’ll see right through you, so you continue to be as you were for now. Distant. “Sleeping. It’s his nap time.”

Aemond hums, and you turn around on the couch to watch him as he takes his eyepatch off and picks up his black leather one. Regardless of everything, you do like seeing him without his eyepatch.

“Where are you going?” You ask since he doesn’t sit down and seems to have a book in his other hand.

Aemond holds onto his eyepatch and slowly faces you, causing the corner of your lips to perk up just slightly at the sight of his pretty face.

“I need to talk to you,” he lets you know straight away. “Not here.”

Your interest piques. “Okay. Where then?” You probe and put the cat back on the couch.

Aemond loses the tension on his shoulders and keeps holding your gaze as he answers you. “Come with me and you’ll know.”

You let out a deep sigh and take a moment before you get off the couch and follow behind him. He doesn’t turn to any door that leads outside, and he keeps the book in his hand so it must be close and inside the castle. You would ask, but you want to be surprised.

Alas, when you round one corner you are surprised even if you know exactly where he’s leading you to; the roofs you used to sneak off to when you were kids.

“Tell me now your intentions,” you break your silence with a genuine smile decorating your features. “If you wish to push me off, let me know.”

Aemond peers back at you and scoffs just as he would when he was a boy.

You grin at him and let him grab your hand to help you out of the window and onto the tall roofs that have remained unchanged. After so much change, coming here and seeing that your one place of escape was the same, is a relief.

“The world looks smaller now,” you muse and slowly make way to the edge.

Aemond slowly trails behind you. “Hm. We’re older now.”

You smile down at the ground hundreds of feet below and nod slowly. “We’re married now. We have a son. All that was a fantasy before.” You blink and drift your eyes to the corner to watch him fall beside you. “I was so scared of being sent away to some old fat lord. I swore I would run away if I did.” You giggle softly. “I'm glad I didn’t. I don’t know what I would’ve done if…I was meant to live without you.”

Aemond swallows thickly and his eyes soften at your comment.

“Of course,” you tease him and glance away. “I think my grandfather mentioned that I could marry one of my fathers Velaryon cousins. I met them when Lady Laena died.”

“The plump one,” Aemond mentions. “I remember him talking to you.”

You smirk at him. “Were you jealous?” You probe sweetly. “I saw you watching me.”

Aemond just holds your gaze and doesn’t respond, letting you know that he was in fact jealous. However, your cockiness doesn’t last, your smirk slowly falters and a sigh leaves out of your nose. You sit down at the edge and slowly begin to swing your legs back and forth. Aemond exhales deeply before he sits down beside you.

You can hear him part his lips and close them again to swallow thickly. You can’t find what to say so you wait, but he takes a moment before he quietly speaks; reminding you of the sweet boy you once knew.

“I never meant to hurt you,” he mutters, making you meet his soft blue eye. “That was never my intention. It never has been. You know that. You…” he sighs. “Are special to me, more than anyone in this fucking world, you always have been.”

You can’t help it, hearing him express himself so kindly and vulnerably causes your heart to skip a beat and your lips to pull to a soft smile.

“I love you more than I loved anything, more than I thought possible,” he says softly. “I burn for you, you are the very air I need to breathe. You’re my tranquilly, my light in the dark.”

Your eyes fill with tears and your smile wobbles. He didn’t apologize, he won’t, but this is his way of making amends with you. And like a fool, you just slightly fall for it without the need to pretend. Sure a pang of guilt hits you after what Cregan and you did, but you brush it away, you have to.

“I love you more than anything,” you tell him sincerely. “I’ve loved you from the moment we were stupid children sneaking out of bed just to talk about nonsense,” you laugh softly and slowly take his hand to interlace your fingers together. “I’ve loved you everyday I was away. You are the very thing that keeps my world on its axis, without you—I…I can’t even imagine not having you with me.”

The corner of his lips pull to a smile and you can’t help but lean over to press your forehead against his. He cups your cheeks and presses a gentle kiss on your lips.

You grin slowly. “I missed that,” you whisper. “I missed you.”

Aemond grins softly, and this time you grab the back of his neck and pull him in for a deep lingering kiss. His fingers just gently dig into your cheeks and doesn’t hesitate to add passion to the kiss by slowly brushing his tongue over your bottom lip. Your heart skips a beat, but before you can further it pulls away.

You smile and he finally hands you the book he had been holding onto.

“Oh,” you whisper and pull back to lift it. “What is this? A book about me?” You giggle and turn it to read the cover. And the moment you do you can’t help but laugh at the irony.

Aemond scoffs softly. “What’s so funny?” He probes.

You brush your fingers over the words and whisper the title, “The tale of Daenys the Dreamer.” Your grin turns soft and before he can press you, you pull his hand closer to you to press his palm against your belly. “She’s itty bitty right now, but our Daenys is growing as we speak. She’s almost 2 months old?” You meet his gaze and see his smile soften.

It might not be his, time will only tell, but even if it isn’t his, it will be.

“Don’t jest,” Aemond warns you.

You shake your head. “I’m being serious. Maester Gerardys told me before I left. I've just held it from you just in case. It’s still so early on.”

Aemond glances down at your belly again and gently caresses it before he surprises you with a deep kiss. You should've held back, but you don’t, you kiss him back fiercely. You let the book go and cup his cheeks to only deepen your gesture, to move in sync.

After so long of just stealing glances at each others, brushing each others hands agaisnt each others while you slept, you both ached for each other more than ever before. You were both starved for each other. So much so that it doesn’t take long to start undressing each other there on the roof.

Of course you backed away from the edge, but you didn’t leave them to have sex. You did it there, then dressed sloppily and did it again in your quarters until the day ended and nightfall came. You probably would’ve gone longer, but he stopped himself.

“I’m leaving,” he lets you know as he caresses your back gently. “Aegon and I are flying to Rook's Rest to aid Ser Criston.”

So soon? Shit.

“When?” You probe quietly.

Aemond sighs. “Tonight. We leave tonight.”

Fuck. Fuck.

“If only I could go,” you mumble as you fiddle with his fingers. “I would be great help. Astraea and I.”

Aemond scoffs softly. “I don’t doubt you will, but Aegon doesn’t want you to. You go and he’d probably punish you. Or send you away.”

You nod lightly. “Yes, I imagine.” You sigh deeply and lift your head to meet his gaze. “What if you stay?” You ask knowing well what his answer will be. “Stay here with me and itty bitty?

Aemond exhales and slides his hand to your cheek. “I have to go,” you guess right. “I can’t stay back and let Aegon fight alone. He needs me. And this war won’t end unless we fight it. I want it to end so we can leave and be happy somewhere else. So we can raise our children.”

You glance away and sigh sadly. “So…you’ll live then?” You ask.

“You're not dead yet,” he mentions.

You quickly snap your eyes up and chuckle. He smiles at his comment and at the sound of your laugh. You follow by then shifting on top of him, and he grabs a hold of your hips as he smiles up at you.

“I’ll be waiting,” you mention against his lips. “I’ll look up at the stars, if you’re not back before dawn I’ll watch the sun assuring myself with the fact that you’ll be under the same sun and stars.”

Aemond holds your gaze with a loving look and doesn’t fret to kiss you again, again, and again until someone comes to the door and reminds him of his departure.

Of course you don’t just watch him leave from the comfort of your bed, you change into a light gown as he changes into his silver and green armor that he wears incredibly well, and has you aching for him all over again, even after how sore he just left you.

“Maybe,” you coo and slowly walk to him as you sway your hips. “We can do it again with your armor on.”

Aemond peers over at you and smirks. “I have to go, my love. I'm already late as it is.”

You hum in discontent, but sit him down on the chair in front of your vanity. “Well…when you come back then. I’ll be waiting for you,” you whisper in his ear. “Don’t take it off.” You giggle and brush his hair back. “I’ll wear that silk purple gown you love, and use the lilac fragrance.”

Aemond groans, and you catch his grin through the mirror.

“Hm?” You tease him as you begin to braid his hair.

Aemond exhales deeply and tries to calm down his excitement that makes the blood rush to his crotch.

“Now,” you add on. “why don’t you stop wearing that eyepatch? You look good without it.”

Aemond licks his lips and sighs. “I don’t…like people staring. I’ll be with soldiers, that's all they do.”

You scoff. “So what? They can stare. You’re the prince, you ride Vhagar. They should be intimidated. Besides, I think it’s like looking at the stars when I look at the sapphire.” You smile and glance at him.

Aemond smiles down at his hand, and when you finish braiding half his hair you tie it with the leather band.

“Done,” you let him know. “Now it won’t get in your face when you’re flying.” You wrap your arms around his neck and sigh. “<I love you.>”

Aemond meets your gaze through the mirror and grabs your hand to press a gentle kiss on it. “<I love you.>”

“Be careful, okay? Dragon or not, you can still get hurt when you’re on Vhagar. I don’t want to see you on a pyre, Aemond.”

Said man scoffs softly. “I’ll be okay.”

You only hope.

Now even after all your pleading you follow him out, but first make sure to take a detour to grab Aerion before you walk down to the shore where Vhagar, and Aegon sat on Sunfyre, await for him.

“Remember,” you whisper to Aemond. “We’ll be waiting. Aerion, me and itty bitty.”

Aemond caresses your belly before he presses a kiss on the top of Aerion’s head, saving your lingering kiss for last.

“<I love you,>” you whisper to him in Valyrian.

“<And I love you.>” He doesn’t hold back from saying, even if his brother waits for him with annoyance. He even makes sure to caress your cheek one last time before he finally turns away and walks to Vhagar to begin mounting her.

“No goodbye kiss for your King, princess?” Aegon shouts as he leans over his saddle.

You roll your eyes over to him and shoot him a pointed glare, whilst Aemond stops beside Vhagar and glares at his brother.

“Leave her alone, Aegon,” Aemond warns his brother.

Aegon snickers and shrugs whilst he sits back and grabs his handles. “I just want some luck,” he counters smugly.

Rather than countering back with spite you sass him. “I can fetch your wife, Your Grace. No better luck than a farewell kiss from your wife.” You shoot him a smile and Aegon's smile fades away at your comment.

He leaves you alone after that, so you proceed to watch Aemond climb his enormous dragon. Once he finally sits on his saddle they don’t hesitate to ascend to the sky. You don’t leave your spot on the sand until you lose sight of them in the dark night sky.

“Come on my sweet boy, let's put you back to bed,” you tell Aerion as he rubs his eyes.

Since there’s guards following you, you can’t wait for Astraea to land by the shore. Even if she did, you don’t have the warning for your mother, so you act normal and return inside. You put Aerion back to bed and return to the security of your private quarters.

Vanessa comes and helps you prepare for bed, but you trust her so you write your short warning.

“Rook’s Rest is a trap. Aegon and Aemond will be waiting for your arrival.”

No name just in case for some reason someone that shouldn’t, reads it.

You would write to your mother a lot more, you’d write to Jacaerys too, but you have to keep it short. Perhaps later on you’ll write an apology to your mother, you’ll ask for clarification on what she knows about what really happened to your father. As for now that’s all you write. And as to not raise suspicion, you wait for Astraea to come to you.

And of course, without fault your dragon comes to you, she lands on the roof over your head and leans her head down towards the balcony whilst she groans softly.

“<Hello, my sweet girl. It’s been a long time.” You grin and caress her snout. “I need you to do something for me. Deliver this message to Dragonstone.” You raise the glass bottle you tucked the note in, to show it to her. “To my mother, Jacaerys, Baela, Rhaena or my grandmother. Either one of those.>” You tell her desprestly.

Astraea pushes herself off the roof to fly down and show you her side where the rope to mount your saddle hangs. Before she can raise suspicion or before someone can surprise you, you secure the bottle with the rope. And to make your note more noticeable you tuck a Winter rose inside the bottle before closing it with a cork.

“<Go,” you order her, knowing well her intelligence was beyond what you or anyone else can understand. “I’ll see you again soon.>”

Without waiting a second longer Astraea flies away into the night sky, leaving you wishing you could fly the skies with her.

——

It’s been ten days since Aemond left for Rook's Rest, it’s been ten days since you warned your mother about the trap. You’ve since then received letters from Aemond, only a few just updating you that it’s been quiet—or as calm as a rampage can go.

Which is good, the longer he’s out there means that your mother heeded your warning and didn’t send anyone. But the longer he’s out there means that they’re still waiting, forcing your mother and her side to react.

You can only hope that they don’t give into the pressure, regardless if a Lord has to bend the knee to Aegon. You just can’t have either Aemond or your family to get hurt.

“Congratulations Princess you are with child,” the maester breaks you from your stupor to share a fact you already knew.

Regardlessly, you offer him a smile before you look over at Helaena with a bright grin. “You hear that?” You ask her in hopes to get her out of her head.

Considering there isn’t much you can do since you aren’t officially allowed in council meetings you try to help Helaena the best way you can. But that’s proven to be hard; it's like she’s completely retracted to this shell. Before it was there, but she was also here with everyone, she interacted, but now…now she’s completely hidden. She doesn’t even interact with Jaehaera, the Dowager Queen has completely taken responsibility for her.

“How far along, maester?” Alicent asks.

She insisted on being here with you to check up on you after Aemond let her know about your condition through a letter after he left. He needed her to know so someone could keep an eye on you while he was gone. It’s sweet, it fills you with guilt and regret, but you brush those feelings aside and focus on the fact whether you should be grateful Alicent is worried about you, or concerned that she is.

Sure she worried when you were with child with Aerion, but you didn’t think she’d care now.

“Basing off her last bleeding,” the maester backs away from you and turns to face Alicent. “Almost two months.”

Yeah you only spotted that one time, when your mother came to King’s Landing, but you haven’t actually bled normally since before that. So maybe the baby is truly Aemond’s.

“I also have some news,” the maester says and gets off the chair, letting you drag your legs down and sit up on your bed—“From further examination it seems two babies are growing.”

Two…

Your smile softens and joy overtakes the guilt and regret.

“Congratulations Princess,” the maester directs at you.

“Thank you, maester.”

“That’s excellent news, the prince will be pleased,” Alicent says. “May the mother bless the twins.”

The maester nods in agreement, and then sighs and turns to you. “It seems I have also seen strain. You need to calm down princess, expecting twins is troublesome. There’s many more risks than growing one babe. I’ll talk to the prince when he returns, I’d like you to stay out of battles...”

Yeah because you were allowed to fight in them before.

“And any news that may arrive,” he adds and glances at Alicent. “Please—”

“You will not have them keep any news from me,” you cut him off in annoyance. “I will know everything. My husband and my family fight this war. I will know.”

The maester clasps his hands together and looks away from you to briefly glance at Alicent. “At least please be careful with how the news is shared then. Any stress now can cause a miscarriage, especially with how delicate it’s going along, Princess.”

You slide off your bed and walk to the edge of bed. “Yes, of course.”

“Yes, thank you maester,” Alicent interjects quietly.

The maester bows and begins to walk to the door. Yet before he can reach it, a knock raps on the door.

“Come in,” you tell the visitor.

The door comes in and a knight stands outside. He bows his head to greet the three of you before sharing what he had to say. “Your Grace, Dowager Queen, Princess, the King has returned…” he trails off and nervously swallows thickly. “It’s urgent.”

You step forward and ask about the only person you care about. “Prince Aemond?” You ask.

The knight nods. “He’s riding behind the King’s carriage. They will arrive within the gates momentarily.”

Without bothering to even wonder why the knight was panicked about Aegon, you rush out of your chambers and quickly head down and past the gates to wait in the courtyard for Aemond.

Soon thereafter, a large carriage rolls in and bannermen run behind it. Other people also run to the carriage but you pay no mind to them, you just wait and watch as a second and smaller carriage rolls in.

You don’t even wait for it to stop, you just rush over to it with worry. And the moment the carriage stops the door opens and Aemond climbs out with his face unscathed, his blond-silver hair frizzy, his face covered with smoke, and his green cloak ripped and only hanging from one side.

“Aemond,” you gasp with relief before you throw your arms around him.

Said man wraps his arms around your body and you pull him close, noticing his armor is also covered with smoke from battle.

Hopefully, he was only battling men on the ground…

“Are you unharmed?” You ask him and pull back to study him and check for any wounds.

“Yes, I’m all right,” he assures you.

You blink and try to meet his gaze, but his eyes are behind you. You follow his line of gaze and see men carrying down…Aegon—that beaten body wrapped with bandages on half of his body is Aegon.

No…

“What happened?” You ask as you watch how his mother has him rushed inside so the grand maester can help him.

Aemond stays quiet, so you look at him again and press him to know. You’re too curious. “Aemond?”

Said man slowly meets your gaze and sighs. “Aegon has broken ribs, a broken hip and half of his body was burnt in battle… so much so that the armor on his left arm melted onto his skin.”

And he’s still alive? Gods.

He can die for all you care.

“You,” you press again and slide your hands down to his arms. “Tell me the truth.”

Aemond nods. “I'm fine. Vhagar protected me.”

You smile at him in relief and sigh. “Good. Good. When you’ve been released from all those meetings I assume you’ll have now, I have to tell you something. Some happy news amongst all th…” you trail off as you spot a wagon being rolled in.

“Y/N,” Aemond mutters and takes your hand. “Let’s head inside.” He pulls you with him, but you dig your heels in the ground as you notice that what’s being brought in is the head of The Red Queen, the dragon Meleys. Your grandmothers dragon.

“No,” you mouth immediately as you feel your heart drop to your stomach at the ill feeling that hits you. “Meleys.” You snap your eyes to Aemond and look at him with worry and denial. “My grandmother was there? Did you bring her too?”

Maybe they killed her dragon and captured her?

Aemond averts his gaze and swallows thickly, giving you the answer without having to say it right away.

“No,” you mewl and let him go. “No.”

“Sunfyre managed to…”

“No,” you cry out with grief knowing exactly what he was going to say. Your grandmother, the reason why Meleys’ head is here is because she’s gone.

“No,” you mutter again and break away from him to run over to the dragon's head since that’s the closest thing you had to actually being with her. “No, no, no!”

The men make the horses stop moving as you throw yourself over the snout, as you begin to cry against it like if it’s your grandmother herself.

“I’m sorry,” you whimper. “I’m sorry.” You sniffle. “I should’ve been there. I’m sorry.”

First Lucerys, now her too. You couldn’t help her either, like you couldn’t help Lucerys. Your grandmother is gone and you couldn’t even say goodbye, you didn’t say goodbye because you were angry at a man that wasn’t even there.

“Princess, all this stress is not good for the baby’s, please,” the maester who had helped you before tries to pull you away, but you snatch your arm away and continue to cradle the dragon head.

“Please, I’m sorry,” you sob to a person you won’t even see anymore. “Please, grandmother.”

“Y/N, my love,” Aemond whispers by your ear as he wraps his arm around you and slowly pulls you back. “Let’s get inside, please.”

You don’t fight him, he was a comfort in all the pain grief returns to your already aching heart. You let him walk you inside the Red Keep, you let him and Vanessa help you back to your quarters as all you can think about is your grandmother, what Baela and Rhaena must feel, the heartbreak your grandfather must feel. You wish you could be with them now and feel their own comfort as you grieve her.

You hardly think of your pain, or what it can cause the twins, you’re numb to it all, absent from the time continuing around you. You don’t even notice when you get in your quarters, when Aemond is whisked away by the Hand, you don’t even know how you’re conscious, or just simply living.

It’s not until you feel a wet cloth get dabbed on your face that it seems like you wake up.

“I warned them,” you say hoarsely as you register Vanessa trying to wipe the tears off your face. “I told them it was going to be a trap. And they got the message…you saw it right? The dragon glass they sent back as a secret signal.” You direct at Vanessa desperately.

Your handmaiden's dark eyes meet yours and a pitiful frown tugs on her face as she nods in agreement. “Yes. I saw it.”

You nod slowly and let out a shaky sigh. “They got it and they still sent my grandmother. She’s dead now…after I warned them!” You cry.

Vanessa puts the cloth down on the vanity surface and crouches down to meet your gaze at the level you are. “Perhaps it was their choice to go help. They possibly didn’t want to leave their ally helpless and tried to help regardless.”

You swallow thickly and find some sense in what she tries to tell you, but so many other possibilities still form in your head.

“You warned them,” she adds and picks up the cloth again. “They received the note. That’s all that matters now, all right?”

You let out a shaky breath and nod softly. Vanessa smiles softly and continues to help you get ready for what may come now that Aegon came back injured.

“Look,” she says and puts down a ring. “The jeweler finally made the orange pearl Ser Jason gave you into a ring.”

You pick up the gold ring that holds the beautiful orange pearl, and admire the twisted band that holds the pearl in the middle of the band. “He did an amazing job. It’s beautiful,” you muse while you put the ring on your right middle finger and admire the flame-like pearl.

“Almost as beautiful as the man himself,” Vanessa tries to lift your spirits as she moves back to fix your white-silver hair.

“Vanessa,” you giggle.

Said woman laughs quietly before she shares a quiet comment. “I swear he must be part Targaryen like yourself, he’s too beautiful to be just from Westeros.”

You scoff. “Wouldn’t that be a surprise?”

She hums in agreement, and as she does the door opens slowly, making her smile die as Aemond walks in with Aerion.

“Aemond,” you greet and look at your boys through the mirror. “Aerion.”

The baby squeals as he sees you, and you also hear his little feet kick the armor his father still has on.

“The maester says that Aegon will he bedridden for a couple months, 7 or more,” Aemond announces right away. And you know exactly what that means, if the King can’t rule his kingdoms the next in line rules for him, in this instance that’s…Aemond.

Besides, the fact that he will probably stay out of battles now, you also can’t help but feel pride over the fact that he will be regent. He deserves it, sure you prefer your mother on that throne, but that can’t be done right now, and if you had to pick between Aemond and Aegon, it would be Aemond everytime.

He’s much smarter, he’s studied, he’s a warrior without having to use Vhagar, Aegon learned to use his sword but he never gave into his training like Aemond or your brothers. So by all accounts Aemond deserves the crown and the title. Plus Aemond listens to you, you can use that, so it’s good Aegon got injured.

“You’ll be regent then?” You ask even if you know the answer.

Aemond hums in agreement.

You look back at Vanessa through the mirror, and she doesn’t need to be told verbally, she leaves your hair alone and then leaves you with Aemond and Aerion.

“I'm happy for you,” you direct at Aemond with a grin. “You deserve it. Sure the circumstances as to why you received this title are grieves, but there’s no one better than you.” You get up and walk over to him to steal a small but deep kiss.

Aemond cups your cheek and slides his hand down to cup your chin as he looks at you with a loving gaze. “I want to make you the Princess regent. Grief has taken too much from my sister, leaving her unable to perform her duties as Queen, and the realm needs a queen, why not have its Golden Girl?”

Control, more than you’ve had all your life? More abilities to help your mother in the shadows?

“Me?” You ask innocently. “But your council doesn’t trust me. They’d never let me.”

“I’ll be regent now, I’ll be their commander in every aspect, you will sit beside me because that’s what I want,” he assures you confidently.

You grab his hand and beam at him. Albeit your smile falters as something comes to mind, something rather important you can’t help but share out of your own personal gain.

“You are strong Aemond, strong willed and are not easily swayed,” you swallow thickly and cup his hand with yours to press it against your chest. “But we know that's not all that matters. It’s your people, the crown is not stable if they aren’t. You either need them to love you, or fear you, there’s no in between. And I don’t want to lose you. So I ask you this now. What do you want?”

Aemond raises his chin and smirks at you. “Fear,” he says in a low and intimidating voice.

You shoot him a mischievous smirk. “All right,” you mutter smugly. “Let it be fear.”

Aemond grins at you and then leans in to kiss you, albeit the kiss doesn’t last no matter how much you currently desire one another because Aerion is still here.

“Come on,” you direct at Aerion with a happy smile. “Let’s go down to the Throne room, your father is going to be crowned.” You take Aerion and take him down with you to the Throne room where Ser Criston, the rest of the council, and other Lords and Ladies already await.

Since what needed to be done was already discussed there’s no need for arguments, the people bow and curtsy as Aemond walks down the aisle. When he reaches the bottom of the steps you give Aerion to Vanessa and go and take the conqueror's crown from Ser Criston.

When you look over and watch Aemond climb those steps, when you see him brush his fingers on the throne's armrest, you can’t help but begin to smile. The moment he sits on that throne you grin proudly, he almost looks like a king.

He’s still not the person you want on that throne, but you’re here now, you know how much he wanted this, so you’re happy for him either way. Which is why you step up the throne's mighty steps with the conqueror's crown in hand, and don’t hesitate to place it on his silver-blond head.

“It looks better on you then it ever did on him,” you whisper.

Aemond hums in agreement, and grabs your hand to place a kiss on your knuckles. “Stay here with me,” he says.

His request catches you by surprise, but you don’t argue, you keep your hand secured in his hold and turn slowly to face all the Lords, ladies and knights below.

“All hail Prince Aemond of House Targaryen!” Ser Criston announces to the hall. “Prince Regent and Protector of the Realm! And his lady wife...”

You gasp and quickly look at Aemond. He meets your gaze and smirks at you.

“…Princess Y/N of House Velaryon! Princess regent!”

Everyone bows and curtseys at the new rulers that will rule in their Queen and King’s stead. They show their respect not only to Aemond but to you too. Sure this respect is something you’re used to because of your title as Princess, but this is different, you’re Princess Regent, you hold more power than before and they respect it.

You want your mother as Queen, but this—seeing them bow to you as you stand beside the throne, you can’t help but like it.

Tagged- @namelesslosers @stargaryenx @chainsawsangel @lauftivy @winxschester @cloudroomblog @llarue @padsdarlg @sofietargaryen @gracielikegrapes @dreaming-of-the-reality @itzelpeyton @patdsinner33 @mrsdominickstark @elaena-aerrin

138 notes · View notes

sepublic · 3 years

Text

Night Drivers/Return to Wartwood!

This episode was REALLY GOOD you guys!!!

Like, this was a PHENOMENAL return to the show after a months-long hiatus, and genuinely action-packed, hilarious, and had me on the edge of my seat! It was just SSSOOOO enjoyable and I’ve got a lot to say about it!

Firstly, I LOVE all of these continuity references, to Anne reading Bessie’s manual, Wally being Walliam, as well as that off-screen reference to Hop Pop and Polly being given that wish list ahead of time! It really makes the journey feel all the more cohesive and connected, bound together… And likewise, I love Anne and Hop Pop’s dynamic as the eldest of the family who have the most common sense and have to look after everyone, it’s great! I love Hop Pop’s dream gag and how he’s fairly certain there’s something symbolic to discern, but he can’t tell what- That’s a mood, and really all of his antics and declaring himself a god within was hilarious. Anne’s mood conversely starting nice but turning dark was great, and I legit expected some nightmare fuel before the reveal that it was just licorice; And shoot, now I want to try licorice-flavored froyo! I’ve got a few yogurtland coupons, but I doubt that’s a flavor, at least as far as I remember…

The monster and background design in Amphibia remains particularly impeccable in Night Drivers, like that snake with what appears to be a decoy prey animal in its mouth to attract good Samaritans; Or even just the rocks having skeletons and bones smeared across, implying they’ve crushed and run over plenty of other passengers on their way down! That foggy bit was legitimately surreal and creepy and reminded me of Silent Hill and this one movie called The Mist, I believe- I’ve never watched it but I get the general premise, and I wonder if that scene was an homage? Also, that Frobo cameo was AMAZING and clever, how it’s grabbing for the Plantars… And that joke about Anne eating Hop Pop was hilarious, I’m sorry but like; Hop Pop is HIGHLY underrated in my opinion!

The whole chase sequence from Man Door Hook Car Door Hand, or however it goes… The entirety of Night Drivers really reminded me of those urban legends, and the twist at the end where the hitchhiker is actually a helpful ghosts; It was some nice lore and world-building, but also reminded me a LOT of this one story I heard… Which, it was probably a reference towards, but this season really makes the world of Amphibia feel so much more fleshed-out and real, perilous and kind of messed-up, etc.! I saw the twist with Zachariah being helpful, but you know what they say; It’s about the journey, not the destination! Well, actually, it IS about the destination, it’s why Sprig and Polly decided to drive at night in the first place, to get to Wartwood; Speaking of which…

Return to Wartwood! Another amazing episode, I love that bit of Ivy hiding in a disguise, I saw it and couldn’t be fooled; And I’ve MISSED Wartwood, it’s felt like a year since we’ve last seen it! Which, we technically saw it in the first episode of the summer last year… But it was such a brief passing-through, that coupled with the hiatus between Seasons 1 and 2, and it DOES feel like it’s been over a year to finally get back to good-old antics here! I actually felt the homesickness and joy of the Plantars here… And as I said before, that gag about only Hop Pop and Polly knowing, but to THEM of course they remember, and them just helplessly slapping the floor of the Fwagon was surprisingly humorous. I have to wonder how their shopping trip at Newtopia would’ve gone differently, had they remembered the wish list! And don’t be so hard on yourself Sprig, YOU didn’t know of the wish list, so you can blame it all on your sister and Hop Pop; Besides, you have those broken halves of a staff…?

I love how Anne has progressed and grown into like, the exasperated, common sense person who’s getting tired of the antics now –even if she’s not fully immune herself- and wants no part in things, her growth feels clear and impeccable here. Seeing the Chicka-lisk from the intro FINALLY debut was like seeing the Intro Worm from the Owl House in its season finale; A wonderful surprise to really tie things together! And that whole sequence where the Plantars perform a satanic ritual just to get away from their responsibilities, that Loggle jumpscare, just the realization that they’re already wearing cloaks at night with candles and a glowing red circle; The escalation had me rolling!

The Plantars were surprisingly thoughtful in their choice of monster, even if things still went wrong because the townspeople have learned to be more defiant, no thanks to Anne and Hop Pop; The gag of Toady being used as a petrified shield, only for Mayor Toadstool to realize he WAS petrified… Those two frogs looking into each other’s eyes, Maddie knowing about the whole thing, I love it! It just flowed and was done so well, the whole bit felt like a video game boss fight, especially with Hop Pop and Sylvia dodging the shockwaves… The Chicka-lisk being pretty chill was kind of adorable, and I enjoyed the callback to the town’s formations against outside monsters, with this one ACTUALLY working… But for completely unexpected reasons that had me burst in unexpected laughter. Though, for all I know, it WAS the intent to offend- But regardless, seeing Toadstool welcome Anne as part of the formation and she can just roll with it and KNOWS… It’s such a welcome development from the very first episode, the growth is real and it feels like a journey we’re looking back upon!

Also, Anne’s sword skills were freaking amazing, as was her deflecting the petrification beams; Can’t wait to see more of that in action, she’s quite the fighter and Paladin at this point, and I kind of want to see more of the townspeople in action as like, something that they can rally for in later battles and story events! I really want an action-adventure game for Amphibia now, actually… I mean, I’ve always wanted one, but now it hits harder, especially with the recent Legend of Zelda vibes from the newest trailer.

…Also, SPRIVY KISS I WAS SQUEALING LIKE ANNE THE ENTIRE TIME THEY REALLY ARE THAT ADORABLE YIIIISSSSSS!!!!!

This episode was a WONDERFUL return to the show that blew my expectations out of the swampy water with the pacing, the direction, the humor and moments, the callback and action, the surprising horror bits and chaos; And I appreciate the Plantars being called out as the chaos family, they’re like the Tooks in the Shire from the Hobbit! This episode was timed well, it does feel like a return to home after so long, and it makes my heart warm as I feel sentimental and happy… I’m honestly down to just a few episodes of getting back to Wartwood, to those good old times before the story beats return with Marcy and Sasha! Here’s looking forward to next week, F-Annes!

#amphibia #amphibia anne #anne boonchuy #amphibia hop pop #hopediah plantar #amphibia sprig #sprig plantar #amphibia polly #amphibia ivy #amphibia maddie

46 notes · View notes

alchemist-shizun · 5 years

Text

As expected, Dealing with intrusive thoughts is now one of my favorites

Here I come with almost all of my reactions on the episode, even though I tagged the spoiler warnings I put everything under the cut just in case. Enjoy the emotional rollercoaster while I'll probably go and rewatch it again.

Okay kinda expected one or two of the warnings but all of them together what is gonna happen???? (Though they make sense after reading the title)

HELLO FRESH BACK AGAIN

"I'm awesome and I can do this" there goes my boy. *said boy falls flat on the floor* ...come on

I felt that yawn bc I stayed up all night waiting for the video but it dropped at 8 am, I'm an idiot who should've gotten more sleep

"help me" why is he such a mood "everything is going wrong in my life" same but YOU SHOULDN'T SAY THAT LET ME HUG YOU

They're all sinking up so fast god I missed my bois. Also the general awkwardness of Virge and Pat, greeeeat something will go wrong

Virgil just ignoring everything and touching the railing, a mood

ALSO PLEASE LET ROMAN IN THE SITUATION

SECRET SECRETS ARE NO FUN TELL ME NOW OR ELSE WE'RE DONE

wait why does Ro want to be deeply troubled- man are you okay-

LOGAN'S HERE

"your most extreme reaction is an eyebrow raise" "FALSEHOOD" "I stand corrected" omfg

"what are you ta- what are you talking- what are you talking about?" I loved that whole take it made me feel complete

"Look I barely got any sleep" this can apply to a lot of us and I love just how we're all always like "TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF" but in the end this is where we all end up anyway

Okay I'm very curious about these troubling thoughts though

"so sushi" FUCCC I DIED RIGHT THERE

"Don't act like that was an accident" "everybody, Virgil. Let's give it up for the Purp Man" these speak for themselves. Also the purp man is my new fav nickname and I'm gonna use it.

4:17 Patton is adorable bye

"if you continue to push this we're going to end up in really dangerous territory" AND THAT'S WHERE THE TENSION STARTED TO BUILD UP

great flick

"am I delirious or is this the funniest video I've ever made" I felt that

YOU HIGH-JOCKED

okay but when Thomas starts disassociating I also feel really weird like as if there was something blocking my own hearing for real?? And not just the audio edited like that?? Maybe I'm just too tired

WHAT WHO WHHH first intrusive thought making its way what is gonna happen

OH MY GOD ROMAN WATCH OUT ALSO THAT'S DEFINITELY A NEW DARK SIDE OR SMTH LIKE THAT

W HO THE FUCKLKDSL IS THAT A MOUSTACHE IS THAT GLITTER WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HE WEARING WHAT IS HE DOING THERE PLEASE- okay but he looks crazy af I like that

"-evIL" "-SHOW UP"

First time I watched the scene where Ro gets knocked out I literally just screamed "ROMAN" in a high pitched sound I was shook wtf my bOY

Patton and Thomas's yells in unison plus "YOU KILLED HIM" I just I JUST

"Ah, he's the Duke" "....... boo" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Okay but his voice is so on point with his character portrayal he's so weird it's awesome?

SONG SONG SONG and oh goodness the visuals I can't fathom how much editing work must have gone through this, they're all so talented.

"aunt patty naked" A G AI N??

"IM GONNA WHIP YOUR BUTT"

a snaKE IT'S DECEIT oh my these silouhettes are so great this is my favorite scene

this is gonna be stuck in my head all day

THE COOL MIRROR EDIT.

god i hate him so much already but i'm super intrigued he's so chaotic the whole team made a wonderful job i'll never stop saying this

"i'm really stupid right now" just how much out of context relatable content are we going to get on this fine day?

omg the dark version of creativity, which can be associated with intrusive thoughts, that's very clever

THE JUICY STUFF DANCE

"Repression can be very bad indeed" I mean he's right tbh it leads to never solving the problem at all

GO LOGAN GO HAVE YOUR TIME TO SHINE FINALLY i missed him

"i can't hear youuuuuu" much like "I don't understand what you're saying I don't know anything about words" THE DARK SIDES ARE ALL SASSY LITTLE BITCHES

pattonnnn did a real good job

THE BRAVE HANDSOME UNBEATABLE ROMAN and mashed potatoes

"scary" and Virgil just gives Thomas a look idk I live on the little details (Im ten minutes into the vid and look how long this post already is)

GEE Remus (already using his name bc it's shorter) looking so offended at the label and then pointing out it should be a Virgil problem whAT DOES THIS MEAN IM SHAKING

WHY WOULD HE BE DECEIT AGAIN IM DYING. "Idk if you guys can tell but I'm a little silly"

"then why are you lying" no everybody I don't need angst

THE BLACK AND THE WHITE THEORY I SAW GOING AROUND good job to whoever thought of that

JOAN

the forbidden dance

INTO A BUTTHOLE WHAT IS IT WITH HIM AND BUTTHOLES

there u go thomas said it too

haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate FHDSLAKLFD

irresponsible parenting, Logan completing the parental unit of the sides

"maybe there's hope for you after all!" me looking at all my wips

REMUS' LAUGH IS PERFECT. also "BITCH WHAT IS *YOUR* DEAL"

"you've never been one to soften the truth" OH BOI HERE WE GO

"do we have some case of brain swap???" I legitly said "maybe" in unison with Patton the first time

Vee pls stop putting Thommy boy down he's having a bad time

Logan trying to put some sense into the situation is my only spark of hope for this to turn back good

REMUS IS SO DRAMATIC

That lick was ....... let's pretend it never happened

"you know who can help us with that???" DECEIT'S SONG COMING UP that was great, imagine the chaos that the duo would create

"THATS WHAT REPRESSION IS?"

gasp Remus trying to make Virgil angry at Logan shall not stand DON'T PUT THEM AGAINST ONE ANOTHER HE'S JUST TRYING TO HELP

"you all are not listening to Thomas" this is the development I needed

"you're just para-" and he cuts himself. You all know what I'm talking about. Foreshadowing probably? This happened too back then when Roman was almost calling him the same. And then Virge looks so hurt I- "thank you for being on guard" that made me want to cry idk

the whole speech Logan gave? Pure gold. That was perfect.

HE SAID FIGURATIVELY *CLAP CLAP CLAP*

"UH RECORD SCRATCH?"

"does this make me cool?" djslagrkglhf also the teeth thing right after what the

... the deodorant eating ...

DUKEY

The first time I watched I thought his name was spelled Remis that's how dumb my Italian ass is

Still I love his name bc I'm a nerd for ancient culture, ESPECIALLY Roman (and ancient Greek but it isn't mentioned here) and I love the little thing they did with both Creativity names, super clever and very much liked on my part.

"I would never hide anything from you" and he looks at Virgil JUST ALL THIS FORESHADOWING

LOGAN SHOWING HIS TEETH BACK UP

"how about you shut up" Roman what the hecc man

THAT THING INTO LOGANS HEAD UNSETTLED ME A BIT

what are they doing to him today let him rest

double blow

"can we logic our way out of that?" everybody nodding was so pure

"shit"

THAT FUCKING JUMPSCARE I'M SORRY WHAT THE FU

"not all thoughts are meaningful"

He's go- no he's back again

THE CALLBACK MENTION AND PATTONS REACTION... probable foreshadowing to what Joan said about there being a part two of SvS?

"When are you actually gonna jump out of a moving car I've been bringing it up for years" so it's not just me..?

"it is okay if the thought happens to cross your mind"

"everything is okay" I'm going to cry I needed that

I love how Logan touches the topic that there is no problem in seeking help from therapists. There's a lot to say on this, but I was really glad that was pointed out since the are a lot of stereotypes on the matter

why did Virgil look like he was about to cry

Patton I love you

Thomas going to rest is what everyone wanted to see

Virgil confronting Remus I'm living you're doing amazing sweetie

"you tickle me emo"

"it was just like old times" then Pat and Lo's looks in this essay I will

ROMAAAAN

VIRGILS SMILE

"YOU'RE ALIVE"

"I LOVE YOU" ME TOO!! ME TOO ME TOO

"are you good?" "are you hurt at all?" I love when the sides look out for each other

"I'm sorry Logan" right through the heart. Another development.

I need y'all to look at Virgil in this exact second because. he.

that's my point.

All those smiles while Logan's talking are making me alive

"No seriously, you're ... really ... cool" I started tearing up right here. Twice. And then Logan sinks down cause he's not at all used to this and he's feeling t h i n g s please keep on being appreciated you deserve it

Also Patton always learning from his mistakes and understanding them when he does something wrong or he thinks in the wrong direction, that's something I think a lot of people need to learn, including myself. Like, it's okay to be wrong and make mistakes, just do your best to make sure you're improving yourself afterwards, instead of dwelling on it too much

"I don't like him" makes two of us

"Soooo you have a brother?" oh boy

The m i r r o r it's making me cry

"He's gone now and he's never coming back!" "I don't think that's-" "BYEE" what was all that talk about repression for if you contiNUE TO DO THIS ROMAN please I beg of you let us hELP YOU he's making me die inside

Oh boi the big moment. I already expected a bomb to drop since Virgil was the last one remaining.

"You okay buddy?" "Huh?" op somehow was already found crying

"I'm a little disappointed in myself" istg all that foreshadowing mixed with me wanting to hug him

The music picking up tension, this is poetic cinema let me tell you

I noticed how he calls them "the others", all these tiny details is what I'm living for

"I should know better" I couldn't beLIEVE IT, also how he seemed to be so frustrated made something inside me break

the pause and then "Because I was one of them", the music stops for a second, a little second in which you can hear my distant screaming "GOSH HE SAID IT IT WAS TRUE"

Thomas is speechless and just stares at him while the music picks up again and then Virgil's sigh and expression sinking down like "there you have it. that's the truth. and you can't do anything about it" he looks so defeated I'm breaking down.

Did I already mention poetic cinema? I just love angst and this scene was perfect

First time watching I, too, barely understood anything I was listening to in the last parte because all of that was really a lot to take in.

"Those thoughts that you may have thought do not define you"

"[the thought] may simply be that we are really okay"

"Go to bed!" me

no im not in the mood for food because for some unfathomable reason I had anxiety before the video dropped yay me

WHY ARE U DRINKING RED WINE WITH THAT DISH

GAVIN BEST BOY EVER

and last but not least: are you fucking serious Remus

THERE'S A SNAKE IN MY BUTT FANDFKJL

I didn't expect this topic at all and I am so glad it was talked about, thankfully my intrusive thoughts do not bother me as much as I realized other people's do. And I never saw anyone talking about this before, which is why it makes this video so important. I saw a tweet recently about someone saying that it is okay if you think about weird things, the important is that you never act on them, that's what makes you a good person. But I think this video really explains it far better and I never realized how common something like this was? So yeah another time in which I've been educated and couldn't be happier about it. These people really are bringing light to the world gah I LOVE THEM.

oKAY guess I'm done this was a wild ride and yeah I tend to point out EVERYTHING, so here you have it, as I already mentioned if you feel the need to geek out too, I'm here for ANYBODY! (pls I have no friends)

25 notes · View notes

nolitetebastardescarborundorum · 4 years

Text

What I like and dislike about each Skam Version:

The order is when I watched them. Which is basically the same order when they came out since I watch clip for clip live with every version since the evak cuddle clip 3 years ago. I won't point out things twice if a remake did it exactly the same. For example the blackmailing of Noora. Disliked it in the og, ditto with every other version. Another disclaimer: I don't have a favorite version since no one was perfect from first to last season. Different versions have different favorite seasons for me.

What I loved about the og 🇳🇴: The complete different format of a show with the clips, social media, roughly camera work that made it look like a reality show or documentary. The actors being the age of their characters and not all being thin, beautiful models. The pov and seing the boring aspects of life too. All the casual parties. The music and the whole russbus culture. In general getting to know so much about other cultures that I didn't thought about before for even a minute. Eva standing up for herself and breaking up with Jonas. Penetrator Chris as the comic relief, he may be a fuckboy, but he is isn't sexist or homophobic, his one liners are iconic. A normal reaction to Isak being gay and Evak actually getting an happy ending and a proper love scene like any hetero couple gets. Eskilds gay pride speech, it made me rethink my own mindset, as well as Sanas line about hate doesn't come from religion, it comes from fear and her whole conversation with yousef about religion. The guys helping Isak get back his man and Magnus hilarious questions, but also his helpful advice. Everything in the scene with Eva's 18th birthday. Even singing imagine. The cuddle clip, literally my favorite clip in all the versions, the spiderman kiss and the universe talk. Yousana love shown without any touching. The girls picking up Sana with the los losers bus. The ballon squads YouTube channel. How sweet and protective Elias was about Sana. 5 fine frøkner! Kosegruppa. If I could chose I would want a season for Magnus and Penetrator Chris.

What I disliked: Jonas treating Eva like she's stupid. Everything with William pretty much, starting with his non existent personality to blackmailing Noora, dissing Vilde, not listening after the SA happening etc. Nooras completely change in attitude from feminist to falling for the fuckboy and betraying your friend, also, ik most of the fans love it, her speeches, the one at William and also the one at Nicolai, it was just too long and arrogant to me sorry, I don't thought yes queen, I more thought yeah okay we got it already. The lack of communication with literally everyone. Vilde being so judgemental. Eva 'stealing' Jonas. Even not being able to speak for himself about his MI. The hate against Sonja, yes her saying Even can't love was fucked up, but her outrage and pain was more than understandable for me. The call your gf scene, idk it just makes me uncomfortable and I just felt bad for the girls. The whole show basically revolving around Noora in every season and her amount of screen time. Chris and Emma in the end, a huge wtf that made no sense and came out of nowhere, as well as Jonas and Eva's suddenly reunion.

What I loved about 🇮🇹: Be aware that I'm biased since Italy is my favorite country since childhood. I love everything about it. Landscapes, food, clothes, cars, the men^^ and ofc the language and names. First and foremost the cinematography. Also the music. All the girls being pretty as fuck. I feel like they where more mature too, but that goes for the boys and Eduardo too. Elia being there since season 1. The skating shenanigans. Martino and Eva being the closest version of this friendship (which is why I hope they continue this in the next season and make them close again, not going for the best buds). Their parents being more involved. Edoardo not insulting Silvia. Giovanni constantly cursing and gesturing like the true Italian that he is. Ofc the bromance in s2, that was what the season was all about for me more than the romance (reason in the dislikes), how they all cared for each other, had actual conversations, were with marti everywhere and always supported him. Gio being the best friend ever and constantly checking in on marti. How all the boys and edos rich gang stood up for marti against the homophobes, I never cheered so loud during a clip istg. The man, the myth, the legends Chico roddi :D. Eduardos soft side, when he played creep or cried when Eleonora could tell him herself what happend. The way they merged the squads together and all hang out boys and girls and also Filippo. Filippo and Eleonora being siblings and literally everything that fillipo does, his sassyness is unmatched. Cute Short king luca, carefree elia. Seriously I could write novels about this boy squad. Their parties and how they do them at 9pm during business days. Guardami Martino! 😂 If I could chose I would want a Gio and Fillipo season.

What I disliked: The darkness, especially s2 although it looked romantic a lot of times. The way Gio kisses, listen I love him with all my heart but he looks like he wants to eat faces or lick them like a dog 😂. I couldn't get into Niccolò, he never grew on me, came of kinda cold and the chemistry between the actors compared to the other versions isn't that great imo. It also has the only Sana I don't like and don't care for her season. It's not bc of the controversy about the actress. She just comes of rude in the show and also has way too less scenes to get excited for her pov, Her relationship with Marti is also non existent. The lack of social media and texts. Some of the actors looking way too old.

What I loved about 🇫🇷: The many changes of season 3. The piano scene with literally heart eyes. Eliott being the biggest dork. Eliott being able to express his feelings about his MI. Eliott saying it's not a girl. The rain kiss. Lucas being a major cutie. His relationship with the girls and Manon in particular. How they helped Daphne with the room. That we get an Arthur season, he's my favorite Madhi. How happy they were when Lucas came out and how they cheered everytime they saw Eliott. The elu social media content. Yann apologizing for his behavior and comments in the past. The hedgehog and racoon personas. Imans dad. Alexia and Arthur becoming a thing. The bts and Interviews, especially the attentive Maxel friendship.

What I disliked: The first two seasons being 1:1 copy from the og, I only watched them bc I had a close french friend when it aired. The whole Charles shit in s3&4. The acoustic music often being a bit to on the nose, like the music before a jumpscare in horror movies, for example the common room meeting, it was so obvious they would fall in love. S3 of France is probably my favorite version of this season, but it is like a dramatic romcom movie and felt less realistic compared to the others and the og. Emma is super bland and kinda dumb. Mika being super rude to Lucas. The disrespect against iman. Sofiane actually dating Manon.

What I loved about Druck 🇩🇪: (Also biased since I am german) Jonas sweetness. Hans is hilarious. Jonas and Hannah reunion. Kiki turning into the sweetest. The girl squad being really close. The boy squad being dumbasses. The change of Alex and showing his anxiety. Kiki and Carlos being a wholesome couple. The changes and extra content. Amira and Mohammeds softness. Their sm game.

What I disliked: The dialogue sounds very cringey to me and super scripted. The Mia actress looks like she doesn't like to kiss Alex at all, no chemistry and no love to be seen for me. Mia being arrogant in general. That Amira had only 7 episodes and Mia extra concent for her boring relationship. I never could get into Matteo much, he was to much of a sloth to me, let everything just happen and while that may be realistic, it's for the viewer pretty boring. I also couldn't get into David much, we knew barely nothing about him for most of the time and then he was absent for like 3 weeks straight. Davenzi also came of as more like best friends to me as an couple in love, they were cuter in s4. Unrelated to the plot or show, but the druck stans that feel super entitled and superior.

What I loved about 🇪🇸: The made subtle changes from the start. Lucas coming out to Eva and not being a snake. Jorge being the softest Jonas and not lying about weed. The girl squad being the closest and cutest with another, as well as the boys and them being a mega squad since s1, way less inner group drama and the friendships in this versions are just super wholesome to me and my favorite girl squad. Also my favorite amira, she wants to adopt everyone and they all care and respect her religion and I have high hopes for her season. Their parties. Also the remake with the most sm content and texts. The only P Chris version that comes nearly close to the og, being sassy, charismatic and having hella sexual chemistry with eva. The fact that also my favorite chris got her own season, that they changed it to a wlw plot that was displayed tastefully and not overly sexualized. The portray of having borderline, being shown how it really is. Lucas having an Youtube channel and how supportive his boys reacted and how tender him and Jorge are, I can't stretched enough how much I love and stan attentive, genuine male friendships without toxic masculinity. Hugo being an absolute sweat heart since his first appearance, not being petty or mad with Cris and just being a true friend. If I could chose I would want a season about Lucas and Amira.

What I disliked: Alejandro looks like 14 to me and I'm not keen on seeing this plot for the 8th time. Viri and Cris clothes a lot of times, Ik they dress like teenagers these days do, but it just looks horrendous to me sry. Them stretching out the story between Cris and Joana so much and breaking them up like 5 times.

What I loved about wtfock 🇧🇪: I just started with season 3 live, because I couldn't get into the characters when the first clips of s1 dropped. I later binged s2 and watched some key clips of s1.

They changed many things for the better. First and foremost Senne, him being supportive of Zoë, a good flat mate and encouraging dad friend. Zoë giving him way more of a hard time and making him work for it. Robbe moving into the flatshare and becoming bff with Zoë. Not breaking up Zoenne and making Senne an important character in s3 as not only Zoës boyfriend. Sander! I love his whole art hoe - e boy brand, his music taste, his clothes, hair, how reckless he is, his blant flirting. Robbe being an absolute baby ™ and clingy af. The Willems chemistry is unmatched in the skam universe. Yasmina is so fucking pretty and intelligent. Rosanders date. Milan being sooo cute and Robbe having confidence in him and them being genuinely friends. I could swoon over the found family in the flatshare 24/7 and wish I could live with them. Robbes dad asking if Sander is a vegetarian. Luca & Noor shading Moyo. Noor having a personality besides being naïve and a beard for the Isak. Robbe caring about his mom.

What I disliked: Senne starting of as the worst William with his bracelets and showing around Ambers nudes. Ambers rudeness in general. The boys talking only about girls and totally ignoring Robbe for 6 weeks straight, especially Jens. Moyos sexist and homophobic comments and behavior. Clips and drama with no explanation or follow ups, brushed off or rushed scenes. The gay bashing and robbes slurs, them turning everything into drama for drama sake. For multiple weeks only clips that were either total drama or happy clips with no normal daily life. Exaggerating the robbe and noor make outs. No Sander the first 2 weeks. The lack of answeres from Sander and questions from Robbe, brushed of with one liners. Barely any texts.

#Skam #skam remakes #skam france #skam og #skam italia #Druck #skam espana #wtfock

2 notes · View notes

carrollstreetstation · 5 years

Text

blood: a level-by-level breakdown

episode 1: the way of all flesh

the first episode, and the one included in the shareware version. like a lot of shareware episodes, it's generally a sort of mishmash of themes and ideas to provide a reasonable cross section of what a potential buyer could expect from the full game, introducing a small selection of enemies (zombies, the basic cultist and his tommygun counterpart, gargoyles, as well as minor menaces such as rats, the zombie fish, bats and a single grasping hand) as well as about half of the arsenal (up to and including the napalm launcher.) the name is a euphemism (actually a mistranslation from hebrew) for dying.

E1M1: cradle to grave (james wilson) almost every classic FPS game's first level is iconic and the subject of many remakes in other games. let's face it, there's few things a mapper covets more than the E1M1 slot. so here we are with caleb RISING FROM HIS GRAVE. the level is a cemetary and associated funeral home, rather short compared to the immediate next level, but twisting nicely in on itself. the opening room is surprisingly non-descript, just a simple, small crypt. duke nukem 3D in contrast might have dumped you on a fairly blank rooftop but it was a much more dynamic introduction to the game.

after a short couple of encounters in a cemetary you enter the funeral home proper. the chapel is where you get your first taste of the game's tendency to have enemies ambush you from above. up the stairs, past the organ, and through the mortuary, eventually winding up in a small crypt behind the building that leads to the exit. short and simple, but introducing some of the basics -- combat, enemies, secrets, while also showcasing a bit of the game's blackly morbid humor. by 1997 standards it's a gorgeously realized opener, with excellent use of texturing to create a gloomy, creepy setting to shoot zombies in.

E1M2: wrong side of the tracks (craig hubbard) this is where the game really starts to pick up. flowing smartly from the first level -- you start in the same spot you ended the last level, only now the way you came in is sealed off -- you start the level working your way down some train tracks; zombies and cultists stand in your way, and they've been offloading barrels with corpses in them, visible through the glass pane in the side (a reference to the classic zombie film "return of the living dead.") eventually you wind your way around to the front of 'miskatonic station' (heh) and it's lousy with tchernobog troops. they're not just gunning for you either, the zombies are swarming the nameless sadsack innocents that the cult has enslaved.

shoot your way through the station to the incoherent sound of announcements over the PA speaker, answer obscene calls on the public phones, check out pickman's bookshop and stop in for a bit at cask of amontillado. some really good moments here, such as the swarm of zombies breaking through the walls in the foreman's office and the bats flying out of the access tunnel leading off the tracks. it's also one of the best examples of the build engine era's attempts at creating realistic, every-day places to shoot things in.

E1M3: phantom express (james wilson) you've boarded a train and now you have to find a way to get into the engine car. a great opener as the train runs over some hapless folk stuck on the tracks. while the level is literally linear by necessity, it's still a rip-roaring good time as you clear out the cars one by one, culminating in an all-out shootout in the dining car in the back. for 1997 this level was extremely technically impressive; using a conveyor belt effect, they've created the impressive illusion that you're on a fast-moving train across the country. if you fall off, you die, so don't fall off. the conclusion of the level is quite dynamic, as you overload the engine and it explodes, ending the level.

E1M4: dark carnival (kevin kilstrom with revisions by james wilson) blood's pitch black sense of humor is on full display here. after the train derails you pick your way through the ruins until you reach a dark carnival full of wonders. a ghastly ticket collector sics zombies on you after you jump the line, and more zombies and cultists (and mimes) crowd the carnival from end to end. the midway has games of chance -- a shooting gallery, or the opportunity to field goal some severed heads for a prize. in the big tent is the tightrope over a pit of snakes, the big act of everyone's favorite circus freak, jojo the idiot boy. this is also where you meet your first gargoyles, when the carousel comes to life -- a good scare, there. on the way out, you have your options of where to go, even though the bridge collapsed: take a dive and swim to the exit, or cross the remains of the bridge to the secret level, provided you've found and remember the passcode. also: a delightfully vicious secret duke nukem cameo.

E1M8: house of horrors (james wilson) in case you weren't done with the carnival theme, E1M8 provides you with the ultimate carnival ride. the opener is pretty great, with a big horrible clown mouth you have to climb through; the walls are fleshy and gross, giving you the sense that maybe this might be more than just a carnival ride... it's an extremely linear affair as the water ride ferries you down a long winding tunnel, complete with ambushes and a few hilariously ineffectual jumpscares. the finale has you jumping out a window into a back lot for a big showdown before finding your way back to the regular ending of E1M4.

E1M5: hallowed grounds (nick newhard, craig hubbard, terry hamel) a major thematic change, one taking more after doom or quake than the usual "duke nukem for goths" that this game is. on rare occasion (well, half of episode four does it) the game decides music isn't necessary and turns it off for a level. deep, gutteral chanting, wind and thunder are your only soundtrack as you blast your way through a creepy temple. the cult's armies are out in full force here, lurking around every corner and coming at you in packs, with lots of ambushes from above and below. it's a long, winding nightmare that repeatedly loops in on itself. there are a few hints on how to complete the level, and you'd better heed them, because choosing the wrong door at the finale means fiery death. it's all burning torches and glowing candles, making this level a dark, moody affair, and one of the best-looking in the game.

E1M6: the great temple (terry hamel with revisions by james wilson) the climax of the episode is a big quake-style temple in the mountain, initially a linear affair as you work your way through some caverns up into the temple proper, only to switch back on itself several times. zombies, cultists and gargoyles are absolutely freaking everywhere. the level is highly reminiscent of quake in both layout and aesthetic, though as you near the upper areas and get a good look at just how high up you are it takes on a different vibe. plenty of traps, indiana jones style; plenty of firefights too, the best one being a huge shitshow in a room with a ramp that lines the walls, every inch of it covered in assholes to blow up -- and there's a dual akimbo powerup right there for you to grab.

E1M7: altar of stone (james wilson) the grand finale is just a simple boss level, though it'd make a good bloodbath level with its round shape, height variations and small dimensions. other than a couple of trash mobs nothing much happens until you step onto the central platform, at which point the biggest enemy you've seen yet, the huge stone gargoyle cheogh, comes after you. he doesn't have much in the way of attacks -- mostly just flies around and shoots electric blasts out of his eyes -- but he takes an enormous amount of punishment, shrugging off even your napalm launcher. upon prevailing, you're treated to a CGI cutscene that's far darker than its goofy early-90s models give it credit for.

final thoughts: for a shareware episode this is a fairly eclectic offering. the cemetary level sets the tone for the rest of the episode, but it's the train station that most ties in with the game's roots as a horror-themed response to duke3D. the train level is a technical marvel by 1997 standards, but it's probably the carnival levels (which are a clear reference to "something wicked this way comes") that give the episode its most iconic images, as carnival themes keep popping up. the back half of the episode with its sprawling temples really drive home the gothic horror vibe that the game goes for, as well as showcasing some of the more creative level design. if you're in 1997 and you're trying to decide if this game is right for you, this grab bag of a shareware episode should give you a good idea of what you're in for.

episode two: even death may die

while E1M1 is iconic, the entirety of episode 2 is equally so. set in the frigid north, with whole-level references to some of the most iconic horror tales ever written ("frankenstein," "the shining,") it's a departure from the first episode in that the theming is consistent throughout. even the haunted house level is surrounded by snow and cold. it also introduces several new enemies: the bloated zombie, the giant fish monsters, spiders, and most notably, the phantasm, a terrifying ghost that's only able to be hurt when it's about to attack you. the arsenal gets filled out a bit as well -- you now can use the special dynamite types as well as the ever-popular aerosol can flamethrower, plus the voodoo doll.

E2M1: shipwrecked (craig hubbard) the frozen north theme hits you like cold wind in the face, starting you out on a tiny boat heading towards a big wooden ship, locked in the ice (and named the HMS victor, in keeping with the obvious frankenstein ref.) while there's a few treats in the water, most of the level is spent exploring the relatively small ship, moving from fore to aft and back again as you collect keys and open up new rooms. your first encounter with gillbeasts will probably be in the small, flooded room at the fore, a nasty place to meet such a dangerous enemy. the finale is nonsensical, but kinda cool, and a quick swim later you're at the entrance to the next level.

E2M2: the lumber mill (craig hubbard) a quick little romp around a lumber mill, as the title suggests. mostly a small compound of small buildings, you'll be working your way around and through them, visiting each one in turn and clearing them out. first introduction of "bloated butchers" -- fat zombies with toxic puke and big cleavers that they throw at you. these guys can take a hell of a beating before going down. fun, short little level that exemplifies the exploratory focus a lot of these older FPS games had. good bit of humor to be had by the outhouses.

E2M3: rest for the wicked (kevin kilstrom and craig hubbard) it took me a long time to figure out what the hell this was supposed to be. essentially it's a prelude to the next level, a small hedge maze and resort complete with pool, hot tub, and the like -- all frozen over, of course. it's very restful with between 43 to 105 enemies running around. the hedge maze makes up most of the first part of the level, before switching over to the resort area, and then looping back around, finally sending you back to the start of the level, where you unlock a gate that leads to the exit. looming in the distance is a big old house, with one light on upstairs, and something in the window watching you...

E2M4: the overlooked hotel (kevin kilstrom with revisions by craig hubbard) zero points for guessing what this level is a reference to -- especially with that frozen guy in the hedge maze. the hedges aren't all that interesting otherwise, but once you get into the hotel proper the level really opens up, with an extremely non-linear layout for you to explore. not only that, but a series of very obvious secret passages basically connect the entire hotel, making it possible to duck in and out of rooms at will. this is also another example of the game making secret exits require a little bit of thought -- you need to find five tomes hidden around the hotel to unlock a portal. some good scares and creepy moments in this level, mostly based on "the shining," but my favorite is the library, the stacks illuminated by suspended lanterns, except for one in the far back, the chain swinging uselessly, with phantasms lurking in the shadow.

E2M9: thin ice (james wilson) if you liked the frozen sea from E2M1, you'll like this level, a big twisting network of caverns and cliffs overlooking a frozen lake. not much in the way of civilization here, but plenty of goons to shoot through. not a very visually interesting level, but it's fun to throw a dynamite plunger and watch chunks of ice break off and float to the other side of the lake. towards the end things get treacherous as you have to make some daring jumps from one jagged ice peak to the next.

E2M5: the haunting (james wilson and kevin kilstrom) while blood is primarily an action game, the developers did not at all forget that this is a loving pastiche of the horror genre, and as such have crafted one of the creepiest levels in the game, and my personal favorite of this episode. a sprawling old manor with a detached guest house, the enemy count is surprisingly low for the most part, allowing for a slow buildup of tension as you first work your way through a creepy hedgemaze, past the guest house (the same house you saw at the end of E2M3 in fact) and eventually into the mansion proper. it's all dark tunnels and cobwebs everywhere, most of the windows boarded up. phantasms lurk about upstairs, you can hear what sounds like hundreds of rats in the walls of the basement, and when you finally access that mysterious guest house...

if there's a level that most exemplifies what a creative mapper can do to scare people with the limited technology of the mid-90s, this is it.

E2M6: the cold rush (james wilson) after the open-ended nightmare that was E2M5, E2M6's little mining compound nestled in the cliffs is a refreshingly short little jaunt that's somewhat reminiscent of E2M9. at first the camp building (the sole structure) is inaccessible, requiring an extended detour of hopping from ledge to ledge around some perilously steep cliffs, eventually finding the key in a cave, which allows you to access the building proper. lots of gargoyles flying about to irritate you, along with the usual zombie/cultist trash. fun little surprise flamethrower trap when you go to look in a mirror, complete with crawling hands coming out of the walls to choke the life out of you. opening up the locked gate to the mine proper offers a real sense of forboding for such a simple effect -- but we're nearing the end, now.

E2M7: bowels of the earth (james wilson) the penultimate level of the episode is appropriately epic in scope: a long, mostly linear journey through a dark, seemingly abandoned mine that's already partially collapsed. while abandoned mining equipment has been left lying around here and there, for the most part this is a generally featureless series of tunnels and chambers, though towards the end it starts taking on a more concrete identity with a big underground waterfall as a major setpiece and some long-abandoned temple ruins. trash mobs are everywhere, including a great ambush early on where the tunnel collapses and zombies break out of the walls to surround you. at the end of your journey you're rewarded with what looks like a huge temple, with a swarm of spiders (and a stone gargoyle) crawling out of the darkened entryway. the lair of shial is near...

E2M8: the lair of shial (james wilson) like E1M7, the final level of the episode is just a small arena, though in this case it's a much more convoluted knot of twisting tunnels and chambers, with a huge spider nest in a small chamber that overlooks the bigger starting room. in that nest is shial, mother of spiders, and your boss for this episode. compared to cheogh she's much easier to deal with -- she moves slower and mostly sends swarms of spiders after you. and unlike cheogh, it's much easier to send her bouncing around with napalm launcher fire, thanks to her much smaller size. once she's been squashed, you're treated to another CGI cutscene, caleb cracking wise with an andrew dice clay reference of all things.

final thoughts: episode 2 is probably my favorite of the four original episodes. it's a gorgeously realized trek through varied settings that fit very well into the far north/winter theme. while craig and kevin's early levels are all great, it's james' later levels where the episode truly shines. hinting at the guest house of E2M5 as far back as E2M3 with two, if not three levels in between, was a great touch, and the way it teases you throughout E2M5 until you finally find the house key adds a little bit of power to a scene that otherwise might have been just another grisly moment in a game full of them.

episode 3: farewell to arms

episode 2 might have been cold and dark, but episode 3, in contrast, is positively explosive. this is probably where the game comes closest to its roots as a horror take on duke nukem 3D. set predominantly in a town somewhere in france, you'll spend a lot of time fighting in and around the streets, working your way through commercial businesses and other things you would expect to find in a small city. the cabal have come for war, and with them they've brought a dangerous new enemy: hellhounds, whose flaming breath can sap your health in seconds. fortunately, you also get to use the tesla cannon for the first time, and it puts them down right quick.

E3M1: ghost town (james wilson) right off the bat you know this isn't the typical blood level. you're dumped unceremoniously in a small section of the city, with a number of the shirtless innocents running away from you in the distance. tall buildings surround you, and the streets seem clear of cabal. this all changes once you start poking around in buildings, as cultists and zombies start coming out of the woodwork and stuff starts blowing up. in true duke3D style, after surviving a shootout in a small office room, you get to watch from the window as the building across the street is reduced to rubble in an impressive explosion. the biggest challenge, however, is clearing the hotel lobby, which is just lousy with armed cultists, who've put up couches as barricades. if you're savvy and quick, a reflecting shots powerup will make this encounter a breeze. some other neat moments are the elevator that collapses with a super secret at the top of the shaft if you can climb to it, and the secret room modeled after the sloth murder scene from the film se7en, complete with air fresheners.

E3M2: the seige (craig hubbard with additional work by terry hamel) craig hubbard has pulled out all the stops for what's one of the most creative and brilliant levels ever devised. judging by the development notes, craig really enjoyed himself with this level, and it shows. right off the bat you get to watch as literal actual airplanes bomb the streets below (using some cool design tricks to make it look good,) followed by room-to-room fighting, shooting your way through the city as air raid sirens scream non-stop and explosions and gunfire ring out in the distance. it's a brilliant piece of work, atmospheric as hell and fitting right in with blood's overall theme as caleb's all-out war on the cabal escalates into full-scale mayhem. probably my single favorite level in the whole game.

E3M3: raw sewage (james wilson) obligatory sewer level. seems like almost every early FPS game had to have one, going at least as far back as doom 2's second level in 1994. in any case, this is a fairly linear but twisting shootout through a rather modern sewer system. the usual trash mobs are here, including plenty of zombies, but little in the way of higher-level enemies save a few bloated butchers and a poorly placed mother spider. not a lot to really write home about, though some neat build engine tricks like opening the machine that protects the eye key provide some nice visuals to an otherwise non-descript series of tunnels.

E3M4: the sick ward (craig hubbard and james wilson) probably the very first use of a hospital in an FPS game (or second, if you count system shock's medical deck) and it continues with episode 3's rip-roaring urban warfare setting. it's a sprawling, thoroughly modern (and anachronistic) medical facility, filled with the usual goons and ghouls for you to gun down. most encounters aren't too tough, though a surprise pair of hellhounds can catch you off guard as you round a corner. some good laughs with the "assisted suicide ward" being a torture room and some good creepy moments with zombies rising from their beds to come after you, among others. eagle-eyed players (or just anyone who played duke nukem 3D) can spot the button in the chapel that opens up the secret exit. all in all, a solid, well-rounded level that offers a decent challenge and takes a setting that's already kind of creepy and ramps it up.

E3M8: catacombs (james wilson and craig hubbard) normally you would expect a secret level to have some kind of gimmick or whatever, but unfortunately E3M8 offers very little of interest save for a few cool encounters (mostly tons of zombies crowding some of the back corridors, and a prominently-placed guns akimbo powerup to mow them down with.) it doesn't even really look like much of a catacomb, just a series of poorly-lit, underground corridors filled with enemies to mow down. feeling more like a doom level, it's the kind of abstract nowhere that games like duke 3D were intended to move away from with their focus on realism. a fairly weak outing, all the more annoying that it's a secret level. the end has some neat rotating sector tricks to lead into the far more industrial E3M5.

E3M5: spare parts (james wilson and craig hubbard) and now for something completely different. wilson and hubbard have crafted a convincing industrial nightmare here, some sort of foundry perhaps -- it's hard to tell as it seems to be generally a series of big rooms full of molten material, and most of your time will be spent traversing the catwalks and side passages surrounding it. good use of textures enforces a consistent theme, and there's a subtle style to the architectural detailing that makes it more than just a series of boxes. some fun encounters here, especially the security scanner which detects you as an intruder and first sets flamethrowers on you, then some zombies.

E3M6: monster bait (james wilson and terry hamel) continuing in the industrial theme of E3M5 we have a sprawling dam complex reminiscent of duke 3D's water treatment plant level. it's a little anachronistic, but it works within the context of the episode. like E3M3 and E3M5 it's a mostly linear affair with you blasting your way through a horde of trash mobs (including a ton of cultists) and the occasional hellhound or butcher. the turbine room isn't the most intense encounter, but it's certainly the most visually arresting. though you do get a cool vista from the dam.

E3M7: the pit of cerberus (james wilson and craig hubbard) it's fitting that an episode so focused on fire and explosions should end in an underground temple crumbling under lava flows. it's a bit less interesting, design-wise, than shial's lair; first you have to find four switches to start the battle against cerberus, who announces his arrival with cool collapsing walls and explosions. cerby is dangerous when his AI works, spitting fireballs at you that do incredible damage (and set you on fire.) when he gets stuck on architecture is when he's most vulnerable. other than that, it's a pretty straightforward fight, especially since he's relatively slow, so it's easy to lure him down one of the side paths for a breather.

final thoughts: episode three is, if nothing else, a showcase for the build engine. all kinds of little tricks are at work here to give the episode its look and feel; take a look at how the airstrike in E3M2 works sometime. while it's a bit more varied in its theming -- moving from urban warfare to industrial carnage, with a decidedly out-of-place secret level -- it's still a generally coherent trip, moving away from the grotesqueries of the first episode and the frigid nightmares of the second towards a modernist city setting. with a little creativity one could run with this theme for some interesting horror-noir stuff, but the all-out action we get for this outing is perfectly fine too.

episode 4: dead reckoning

the final episode of the original retail version, "dead reckoning" is like episode 1 in that it's a bit of a grab bag of themes, feeling overall like where the leftover levels and dregs of the design team's ideas went. the first half is a weird mix of mad science and a few whole-level references to classic slasher flicks, only to switch to a hellish setting out of doom for the back half. the hellstaff makes its appearance at last in this episode, proving itself a devastating top-tier weapon.

E4M1: butchery loves company (james wilson) starting episode 4 off right with a classic frankenstein-style mad scientist's castle. based on development notes this was one of the very earliest maps to be created, and it shows, as it's very small and doesn't really come up to the standards of, say, E2M5. at best we can see a few sights like what might be frankenstein's main lab, brain storage (no zombies allowed), a ritual and/or book club meeting in the front hall, and a lot of timing-based secrets that reveal themselves without the player even trying. despite its short length, you'll have to manage your ammo carefully, as the level is a bit stingy with weaponry while throwing a few high-level enemies at you like hellhounds. eventually you find your way into a back room and the exit, all too soon.

E4M2: breeding grounds (james wilson, craig hubbard, terry hamel) but wait! there's more! apparently not satisfied with the tiny mad scientist level, wilson et al. went on to create a much larger level that, thanks to the level transition, is very clearly part of the castle proper, despite its much more modern look. oriented around a pair of huge flooded fish tanks full of angry gillbeasts and bone eels, the level is a mostly linear affair that loops in on itself, with locked gates and doors eventually being reached from the other side. it's a visually striking level at times, with scenes such as the curved observation hallway with a view into the big round tank, or the forboding gate to the spider habitat that you must clear. combat is a steady drip with occasional hellhound encounters as well as a mother spider and stone gargoyle to block your way.

E4M3: charnel house (craig hubbard and james wilson) of course, if you're running an evil mad scientist lab and you're going through a lot of bodies you're going to need a place to deal with the leftover cadavers, right? the actual corpse-disposal facility is but a small part of the overall level, and much of your time is spent blasting your way through the tunnels and corridors of an aqueduct system the charnel house sits atop. fairly low-key for the most part, save for a few intense moments where gillbeasts come after you when you're in the water, though there is a moment where part of the map is repopulated by a troop of zombies. a decent little maze but nothing to write home about.

E4M4: crystal lake (kevin kilstrom and james wilson) ki ki ki ma ma ma

i mean, what else do you want me to say about an obvious friday the 13th reference? you can even find jason's mask and knife in a barn. in any case, this is one of those build-cute type levels that's mostly a series of tunnels and corridors where all the walls are plastered with a forest texture to give the impression that you're in an actual forest, punctuated by a disjointed collection of buildings to give the impression of camp grounds. it's largely very linear, your path through the woods eventually terminating at an outhouse, beneath which is a flooded tunnel that leads to the exit as well as to the infamous crystal lake, which is home to a school of gillbeasts. the lake itself has very little to distinguish itself from any big water-filled hole, though there's a hellstaff on a raft if you need it. also, though the secret exits of the first two episodes required a little thinking to work out, in this case they don't even make you look for a button. you basically have to know exactly what wall to blow up, because the classic cracked-wall sprite that indicates a destructable wall is almost invisible against the cave texture it's on, and the chamber is dark anyway. it's worth it, though...

E4M9: mall of the dead (craig hubbard) craig's solo act returns for a level that's easily as memorable as E3M2, if only for that goofy-ass mall music. no prize for guessing what movie *this* is based on... though there's curiously not as many zombies as you'd expect. it's not super huge, but there's some good encounters (including a twofer stone gargoyle bout in the fountain room) and there's a few laughs with the store names. a sudden swarm of zombies as you turn a corner reminds you of this level's inspiration, and to escape the mall you climb up onto the roof. it's anachronistic, but who cares?

E4M5: fire and brimstone (james wilson) the back half of the episode begins in earnest with james wilson offering a taste of hell in this jarring thematic departure from the early levels. (there's a possibility the regular ending of E4M4 naturally leads to this level, but it's not the cleanest transition.) essentially a big volcanic pit honeycombed by cavern tunnels and ancient ruins, your path winds through the caves, hopping over lava flows, through the upper rooms of a central tower and finally on to an underground temple of sorts. pretty steady drip of combat, though lots of hellhounds and an inordinate amount of gargoyles to blow up. not a long level, nor particularly intense, but thematically stands out a bit from the other ancient ruins of evil this game features.

E4M6: the ganglion depths (james wilson and terry hamel) while it's not the penultimate level before the final boss, it very much feels like one, reminiscent of E1M6 with its mostly linear traversal, high-above-the-clouds setting and sinister ancient ruins set into steep cliffs. lots of tough encounters here, including several spider mommas (notably a twofer in a tomb) and a nasty fight right at the start with gargoyles (including a stone one) and some goons with only a bridge and some ledges to fight on. lots of generic evil chambers as sinister chanting fills the air, but some creative encounters and setpieces help salvage what's largely a lot of narrow corridors.

E4M7: in the flesh (craig hubbard and james wilson) the penultimate level is by far the weirdest one, thematically. no ancient temples, no crumbling cities. just a huge cavern of flesh, filled with the sound of slow breathing. a shockingly low enemy count for the final non-boss level, but devoid of the usual trash mobs, instead throwing gargoyles and gillbeasts and hellhounds at you. a few distinct areas evoke actual internal organs, such as the heart, lungs, and, amusingly enough, the stomach. combat is either trivial or a pain, the latter especially when dealing with the stone gargoyle in the stomach area.

E4M8: the hall of the epiphany (kevin kilstrom) the game's finale, and the place you've been trying to get back to since E1M1. after a brief cutscene, you're treated to a tiny map that opens up in sections as you first have to fight another stone gargoyle, another mother spider, and another cerberus, in order, before finally confronting tchernobog himself. the battle is not as straightforward as you'd expect; aside from a hitscan attack that sets you on fire, he also shoots out devastating fireballs akin to a cyberdemon rocket in doom. it's largely down to who kills who first, though utilizing the high-level weaponry such as the hellstaff will help. a bit of a disappointing fight altogether.

final thoughts: for what's essentially the finale of the game, episode four is dissapointingly the weakest part of the game. while the final few levels have a coherent theme and transition among them, the first half feels like the design team had too many ideas they really wanted to put into the game and had nowhere else to put them. it's not to say they're bad, but E4M1 especially feels like a wasted opportunity and probably deserved to have been cut, or at the very least merged with E4M2. the mall level is truly great, though. the final boss was also disappointing, with a poorly-designed arena making matters worse. as a whole it's simply not as memorable as the rest of the game.

h/t to the blood wiki for the screenscreamshots

#i rarely post on tumblr anymore but my usual go-to these days wouldn't have worked for this #blood #classic gaming #classic fps #1997

5 notes · View notes

incorrectdanganronpaquotes · 6 years

Text

“Ultimates Play” (a.k.a. Let’s Player AU)

Hey, Mod Snake here! So I realize that I’ve been sort of lax on my part in the 2K celebration. This has been mostly to the fact that I’ve been working on my senior thesis, and it’s been absolute hell trying to motivate myself to do anything with that nightmare hanging over my head. But now the thesis is officially over and I can finally get around to posting something I’ve been meaning to post for a while: an AU concept called “Ultimates Play!” The idea of this AU is similar to the Talent Development Plan ‘verse, except that the DR1, SDR2, and NDRV3 characters share a gaming channel on YouTube called ‘Ultimates Play’. Over the years since it started, the channel has evolved into sort of a Rooster Teeth-style project, with dozens of different series done by many different hosts. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s just jump right in!

General Concepts:

As you can imagine, Chiaki was the one to set up the channel; in fact, the channel was originally called “Chiaki’s Gaming Corner”, and the channel URL still reflects this. Hajime quickly became involved in the editing process, since Chiaki would frequently fall asleep before uploading the videos. Chiaki then gradually began introducing her fellow classmates, who had become interested in the games during Class 77’s meet-up times (everyone involved refuses to call them “classes”), as hosts of their own series; before long, this spread to other classes entirely. And thus, Ultimates Play was born.

Junko in this AU is still technically in despair, but the passion for video games she developed after spending some time with Chiaki helps keep her Ultimate Analyst abilities occupied, preventing her from becoming bored enough to lash out at the world. She is still extremely competitive and aggressive, particularly towards Mukuro, but in general it is typically safe to be in the same building as her.

This AU uses the “Class 79” canon for the V3 kids, similar to the Ultimate Talent Development Plan, since the Tragedy doesn’t happen in this AU.

As the channel started to get big, the group decides they need a headquarters in which to stay; they end up building it a few blocks away from Hope’s Peak. Very few of them live in the building full-time, but the building is equipped with dozens of beds anyway just in case they all happen to crash there overnight at the same time. There are also multiple TVs, so that different students can record series at the same time.

The channel is one of the top 10 most subscribed channels on YouTube, due in part to the variety of content. Of the series, Chiaki’s and Ibuki’s typically have the most views, while Celeste’s and Hajime’s have the least views.

Even though Komaru isn’t technically an Ultimate, Makoto and Toko both begged Chiaki until she was allowed to join the channel.

Individual Series:

Makoto and Kyoko have “Detective Training,” in which they play mystery games together; typically these consist of point-and-click adventure games, although sometimes they’ll do other genres if there is a sufficient mystery element. Kyoko almost always figures out the entire mystery from the start, so she basically spends the whole time trying not to spoil the twists and puzzles for Makoto. Shuichi occasionally guest stars, but he’s too self-conscious around Kyoko to make regular appearances.

Sakaya and Kaede share a series where they play rhythm games like DDR, as well as general music-themed games like Rockband; they alternate off randomly between which one is the host, never appearing in the same episode.

Toko’s primary series is “Toko’s Shovelware Spectacular”, in which she plays the worst of the worst games on the iPhone and Android app stores. Komaru makes an appearance every time there’s a multiplayer game, or whenever Toko is so genuinely shocked by a game’s shittiness that she needs a second person to confirm she’s not imagining things.

Neither Togami nor the Ultimate Imposter have a consistent theme for their series (although they tend towards real-time strategy games); however, there is something of a running joke between them. Every time Togami uploads a video on a game, Twogami will then upload a video on the same game, starting off from the same place Togami left off and claiming to be the next installment. Togami is consistently infuriated by this, but he can’t figure out how to stop it. There’s a running debate in the comments about whether the ‘second Togami’ is actually a distinct entity or just Togami playing an elaborate practical joke; this, for Togami, is the worst part of the whole thing.

Ishimaru has a series called “Upholders of Justice”, in which he plays crime-themed games (GTA, Saint’s Row, etc.) while breaking as few laws as the game will allow him to. If you’ve ever seen the Saints Row the Third episode of Monster Factory, it’s sort of like that.

Hifumi and Kazuichi have a shared series called “Love Quest 3000”, in which they play dating sims together; this is ostensibly for the purpose of figuring out how to get better at real romance, but they have yet to achieve any success in this field.

Celeste has a recurring series on gambling games, such as video poker and virtual slot machines. To her eternal fury, they are by far the least-viewed videos on the entire channel; this may be because she always wins, or because her commentary consists almost entirely of A) ‘advice’ on how to win at gambling (which boils down to “be lucky and don’t panic”), and B) reiterations of how successful she is.

While Junko doesn’t actually have a standalone series, there is a playlist named “With Junko” on the channel. This is because, rather than star in her own series, Junko will occasionally crash episodes of other series and serve as a guest commentator for the episode, typically without the approval or knowledge of the players in question. HOWEVER, Junko does co-star in a regular series called “Rose and Thorns”, in which she and Mukuro play co-op games like Portal 2 and New Super Mario Bros. You can probably imagine how well their interactions go.

Hajime did an Undertale LP.

In her continuing effort to be the most meta human being in the universe, Ibuki has only a single ongoing series: “Ibuki Plays Danganronpa”. At no point in the series does she comment on the fact that her fellow Ultimates- and indeed herself- appear in the games; the closest she comes is her DR2 LP, in which she off-handedly remarks on the similarities between herself and Ibuki in the game. There is only one exception: every time game-Ibuki’s corpse is on-screen in Chapter 3, real-Ibuki goes absolutely silent until the scene changes or she turns away. None of the other Ultimates can figure out where the hell she got these games, and she refuses to provide a straight answer.

Hiyoko and Mikan, of all people, have a shared series entitled “Super Bestest Friends Play!”; it consists pretty much entirely of Hiyoko forcing Mikan to play the weird Flash games you find on various “gaming” websites (i.e. bootleg Frozen games and the like). Hiyoko uploaded the first episode without permission from the others, and promptly found herself being threatened with stabbing by Maki, who is always on watch to make sure things don’t get too upsetting for Mikan; every once in a while you’ll hear a soft click in the background of the episodes, at which point Hiyoko will immediately and urgently apologize to Mikan and suggest a tamer game. Also, every once in a while the situation gets shaken up a bit: on at least a couple of occasions Mikan very visibly starts getting aroused by the games in question, which freaks Hiyoko out more than anything else the other Ultimates have ever seen (this is the main reason they allow the series to persist).

Gundham and Sonia have an ongoing series in which they play horror games together. Gundham constantly pretends not to be freaked out by the jumpscares, even though he is. Sonia constantly pretends to be freaked out by the atmosphere, even though she’s not. They are exactly as adorable together as you can imagine.

Gundham also has a recurring Pokémon series, covering at least one game from every Generation. He makes a dedicated effort to capture one of every Pokémon, and at the end of each playthrough he hacks in any that he can’t obtain legitimately that Gen. His videos are each at least an hour long because he can’t make himself stop playing with his Pokémon. He also cites Pokémon-Amie as the single greatest innovation in the history of the franchise.

As more and more shows started appearing on the channel, Chiaki started putting out less and less content- which suits her just fine, since it gives her more chances to play games with herself and her friends, without having to worry about making entertaining commentary. Her only ongoing series at the time of the AU is a gaming news show, where she reports on announcements about games she’s interested in, as well as discussions about what she’d like out of future games. Hajime is a recurring guest star on the series.

Komaru has a series where she plays whatever games she happens to like at the time; most of these are Nintendo games, and almost all of them are on the casual end of the spectrum. Toko regularly drops in without warning.

Mitarai has an ongoing visual novel review series, which frequently devolves into tips about drawing and commentary on anime he likes or dislikes.

Himiko has a series of RPG playthroughs, many of them unfinished. The only playthroughs she will consistently finish are Final Fantasy games, since they’re Tenko’s favorites. She also did exactly three episodes of a Kingdom Hearts LP before abandoning it, citing the story being too confusing.

Maki has a recurring series in which she plays first-person shooters in order to test their accuracy. To the hastily-suppressed delight of Kokichi (and the well-disguised amusement of everyone else in the building), Maki usually turns out to be absolutely terrible at these games, being so used to real combat situations that she can’t adapt to the artistic license of most FPS’s.

Kokichi Oma has only one series, which is entitled “Kokichi Plays Minecraft”. The series is well over a hundred episodes long, and not a single damn second of that is from Minecraft. Instead, every episode is taken from a different game, with no apparent pattern; each episode has Kokichi acting as if he’s been playing this game for several episodes, as well as alluding to various incidents that happened previously in the game (which, of course, the audience doesn’t get to see).

Tsumugi’s series is literally just makeup tutorials for cosplayers. She doesn’t seem to realize that it’s otherwise pretty much exclusively a gaming channel, and no one else has bothered to tell her.

There are plenty of other series not listed here, including some that pop up without warning and only air one or two episodes before ending. In general, every character from the games has at least one recurring series, each with wildly different schedules.

One series in particular doesn’t have a single consistent host; it’s called “Ultimate Date Night”, and the commentary role shifts between various couples within the group- Akane and Nekomaru, Himiko and Tenko, Sonia and Gundham, Kokichi and Shuichi- as they play various cooperative and competitive games together. There is also a spin-off series called “Double Date”, in which two such couples square off in team-based competitive games.

Other Headcanons:

At one point, Hifumi and Kazuichi definitely played Doki Doki Literature Club, and spent the second half of the series alternately screaming and crying. They were not ready.

For one April Fools’ Day, everyone on the channel traded series for the day; Makoto and Kyoko hosted “Love Quest 3000”, Celeste and Ishimaru hosted “Super Bestest Friends Play!”, Hiyoko and Mikan hosted the horror game series, Maki hosted “Detective Training” (with special guests Kaito and Maki), and so on. The only exception to this was Kokichi; the thumbnail for his video showed Mukuro as the host, but Kokichi introduces himself as usual at the start of the video and does his usual thing. Also, Junko cameoed on multiple series that day.

Makoto and Kyoko definitely played through Ghost Trick together, and Makoto cried multiple times throughout the game, particularly near the ending.

The only time anyone in the group has ever seen Junko legitimately cry is that one time when Mukuro beat her at Mario Kart 8. Mukuro has never let her forget that day.

Maki was banned from “Double Date” after her first and only appearance ended with extensive property damage and Fuyuhiko (who was on the other team with Peko) being rushed to the hospital with multiple broken bones.

Games Komaru has played include Super Mario Galaxy (finished, though not 100%), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (unfinished), Thomas Was Alone, and Miitopia.

Chisa regularly visits the Ultimates Play headquarters, bringing snacks and encouragement. Everyone is happy to see her, even Togami and Kokichi.

Himiko was the first non-Class 77 member of the channel; no one is quite sure how she ended up joining, least of all Himiko.

Let us know if you like this idea, and if you have other headcanons regarding this AU! Maybe you’ll get featured in a follow-up post or something; who knows? Anyway, hope you enjoyed whatever this was!

- Mod Snake

#not quotes #au ideas #mod snake #ultimates play #let's play au #let's player au #danganronpa au #lots and lots of characters #chiaki nanami #that's probably the main one

373 notes · View notes

sweetwatersound-blog1 · 6 years

Text

Riverdale S2E7 Review

So sorry this is late. And for the length. And for the way I flip out near the end.

CHAPTER TWENTY: TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE

Well, well. Look who’s trying something new. Riverdale experimented with tone and style in the seventh episode of this season. As a storyteller in my own right, I appreciate the effort for variety. Of course, there were things about it that worked for me and things that didn’t, but let’s get to that in a minute.

What exactly were we all watching Wednesday night? A young adult anthology penned by Stephen King? Or was the dark, tingling quality in the show’s atmosphere a byproduct of fanfiction fumed with Queen hits?

Huh, you say? Let’s break down that observation, in order.

Bert and Ernie Archie and Jughead

Lawyers in general earn a mixed reputation for their practice. I grew up hearing of comparisons to sharks and parasites. But Penny Peabody has carved herself a special box of awfulness here. After all, every snake is a serpent but not all of Riverdale’s Serpents are snakes.

After Riverdale received a message from the Black Hood (his basic blah, “sin and die” stuff) the whole town reacts by…ahem, business as usual?

Betty, evidently distressed by her failure to keep Jughead’s drug-dealing English teacher alive, spent the night in her boyfriend’s arms. He did his best to console, and I could have gone for more than that, but then his phone sang the song of eternal damnation, and he had to run off to appease the Snakecharmer.

Penny, using Jughead’s concern for his father’s welfare in prison to her advantage, promised she can get FP out if Jughead did one little job for her.

Which led to him making a midnight drug run, with Archie as his co-pilot, his conscience torn between his determination to support Jughead and his passive desire to stop him.

Overall, the night was full-moon freak worthy. Jughead and Archie met a man on the road whose interest in the Black Hood suggests that the masked killer has been sending fan mail in the wrong direction. The boys also randomly encountered a set of deer, one bloody and the other bloody-dead. Poor Jug had so many jumpscares, I was surprised that it didn’t end with Archie checking him into a mental health clinic.

But they were in a hurry, after all, and like the song Headlong says

It ain’t no time to figure wrong from right, cause reason’s out the window, better hold on tight – you’re rushin’

Josie

Oh, good, a character who deserves more attention has finally got some! I always loved Josie’s friendship with Cheryl before, and now there are layers to go with that slice of cake. Granted, when you go a’ explorin’ the foundations of friendship, you might not always like what turns up from the dirt. But even if I don’t have quite the same love for Josie/Cheryl anymore, I am definitely more intrigued by them.

So, this is the (long overdue) spotlight on Josie McCoy. Pussycat by day, the next Whitney Houston by night. Might I add Ashleigh Murray’s pipes are fabulous, and I could fall asleep listening to Josie play the piano. No one knew she was composing alone except for her bff Cheryl, who is paying for studio time. Because the beginning of their story intersects with Jughead and Archie’s, we get the pleasure of hearing Cheryl snap at them as “Bert and Ernie” TWICE while chatting with Josie. Then Josie opened her locker to find a stuffed animal with a stalker-note attached. She rolled her eyes and tossed it, assuming it was from a secret admirer. Because it wasn’t like there was a Ra’s al Ghul wannabe ready to waste a town that day. At least Cheryl was wary, but her devotion to Josie seemed more intense here than it had been in previous episodes.

Then Josie encountered Chuck Clayton. Instead of skirt-chasing for the sake of humiliating his dates, Chuck goes to church. Chuck takes art classes. Chuck is ready to start going by Charles now.

There was in fact something softer about him in this episode, enough to leave both me and Josie hoping he’d changed. That dance between them at the diner was so cute.

But whether this was a one-shot tale or a to-be-continued setup, we’ll have to wait and see. Because while Josie did have a stalker in this episode, it wasn’t the Black Hood. It wasn’t Chuck.

Cheryl, you break my heart.

In honor of Josie’s rollercoaster of a trip, I give you The Invisible Man.

When you hear a sound that you just can’t place, feel somethin’ move that you just can’t trace, when something sits on the end of your bed. Don’t turn around when you hear me tread/

I’m your meanest thought, I’m your darkest fear

But I’ll never get caught, you can’t shake me, shake me dear

Veronica & Betty

The last story goes back to what Betty did after saying goodbye to Jughead. While talking to him about the teacher murdered in Sheriff Keller’s station, a lightbulb sparked in her brain – who could find it easier to get into the cell than Keller himself? Not one of her better ideas, I feel, but she ran ahead with it. She told Veronica, who insisted the Sheriff was just exhibiting the signs of practicing infidelity. Still, the girls agreed for Kevin’s sake they would have to be careful. While Betty worked her Veronica Mars magic at the department, Veronica invited herself to a sleepover at Kevin’s house. Being the warm treasured heart he is, he taught her how to dominate his favorite fantasy board game. Taking a break, Veronica took a call from Betty. (virtually the only time I’ve ever been truly disappointed in my girl – more on that later.)

Betty learned from V that a bunch of doors were locked at the Keller house. She bobby-pinned them open until she found Sheriff Keller’s evidence office. Crime scene pictures here, letters from the Black Hood there. Betty was just picking up the black mask that Keller had confiscated from Archie earlier this season, when the Sheriff showed up.

However, when the scene bounced to Betty and her father sitting, facing Keller, he wasn’t enraged. He seemed quite understanding of her suspicions, and downright sad she had them. He promised her he wouldn’t tell Kevin, because she and his son were so important to one another, and knowledge of this incident would break his heart.

But for relentless Betty, it wasn’t over. She wanted to know where Keller was sneaking off to at night. Tailing him alongside a reluctant Veronica led them to a motel. Keller knocked on one of the doors, and out stepped Mayor McCoy – Josie’s mom – into his arms.

The girls swore a pact they’d never reveal the truth to Kevin. I felt like they also should have promised each other to never investigate with Veronica’s Cheat-Buster’s intuition. This was one secret that would have been better left uncovered.

Because Kevin remarked upon “the pressure” his dad was facing so much, here’s Under Pressure.

Pressure pushing down on you, no man ask for

Under pressure that burns a building down

Splits a family in two

Puts people on the streets

Odds and Ends

These are a few of my other Darkside observations, pros and cons:

We had a break from Toni. Yes I know some still like her, and yes I know she’s not a bug mucking up Bughead’s windshield. For the record, though? I wanted to like Toni Topaz. Really. I was so hoping she’d be the Toni from my South Side Story fic. That Toni took a stand, had integrity, and had a kind-of-crush on Betty. She was interesting, and I was hoping Vanessa Morgan’s version would at least have some interesting lines. Sadly, something fell flat for me along the way, and with this absence I hope the writers have thought of a new way to make her more appealing as a person.

Bert and Ernie. BERT AND ERNIE. Though I see Jughead as more the cynical-ish Bert, and Archie is more the rubber ducky type methinks. Still, never getting old.

But unfortunately, I have some nitpicks now.

Archie owes Jughead? You know, I’m not entirely certain Jughead would have won that race with the Ghoulies. And if it had been a clear loss...Jughead clearly needs glasses if he’s that shortsighted. Archie bailed him out of a high-risk situation. If it had been me in that fix I daresay I would be treating Archie Andrews to burgers and milkshakes for a month.

Even worse friends are the Pussycats. Setup or no, I just wanted someone to point out to High and Mighty Valerie that cutting Josie out for working on songs by herself when just a few months ago she was crushed for writing songs with Archie seems either very petty (if revenge) or hypocritical.

I hate to bring up hypocrisy now, but let’s examine Betty’s actions when her boyfriend’s father was under suspicion for murder. She. Would. Not. Have. It. Everyone, from Archie and Veronica to her own damn mother wanted her to look a bit more closely beyond Jughead’s words that FP was innocent.

Cut to today, when she doggedly pursued the father of one of her closest friends, and someone she’s been quite frankly more familiar with over the years than FP Jones, for his potential ability to walk into a jail cell and shoot someone. And for Veronica to remind Betty that investigating Kevin’s dad would hurt their friend, only for Betty to keep gunning for him like the Kellers meant so little to her.

*I’d like to think I know what this is about. Betty has been traumatized by the Black Hood. She’s so freaked Dark Betty has had to come out of the woodwork. Dark Betty is colder, a bit more obsessive than the Girl Next Door version. She’s probably determined not to rest until the culprit can’t hurt her or her friends anymore.

I see this possibility. Of course, I could be dead wrong.

But now that I’ve mentioned the Black Hood, I’m going to say what I should have said the last time:

Where tf is the FBI?

I mean, there’s a psychopath in a mask that has declared war on an entire town. When he starts sending encrypted messages vowing to erase all sin from Riverdale, Jesus sorry but that’s when you send in the Feds.

Riverdale has forty-eight hours to stop sinning or he’ll kill again. Doesn’t anyone take this threat seriously?

Obviously not, including the very people he’s threatening. WTF kind of a test is that anyways? A town without sin, wow, really? He might as well come for all of us.

With this theme song: Innuendo

show yourself, destroy our fears – release your masks

#riverdale #tales from the darkside #spoilers #riverdale blog #sweetwatersound #bughead

9 notes · View notes