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seeingivy · 10 months

Text

the ensemble cast

actor!eren x f!reader

**part of my method acting fic, masterlist here

content: eren being possessive for no reason, cherry + coke slushies, reader gets criticized online, good old teasing, reader mentions feeling anxious/having anxiety

an: lalalalalallalala lights camera action babes pls enjoy :D

previous part linked here

The set that Attack on Titan is filming on was originally from a previously scrapped project. Three weeks ago, when you and Eren first moved in, the two of you had pilfered from the leftover set dressings and props to see what you could find.

That’s where you find the tandem bike. The breaks don’t work that well, and the seat in the back is really uncomfortable, but it works well for you and Eren’s purposes, which is running away from set on lunch breaks to get slushies at the convenience store two blocks down.

As Hange said, you and Eren wouldn’t really have to do any method acting to become best friends. He’s literally the only other person on set besides Levi and Hange, who are usually too busy workshopping the set and the scripts to talk to you.

You guys eat breakfast together, go to class, and spend hours talking at night when you’re both too bored to do anything else.

You’re both leaning against the bike, two straws poked into the extra large slushie that you and Eren got. The cashier, Michael, gives you guys the slushie for free, but only one since he’s “not made of money.”

Hence, sharing. You guys always split the slushie in half - the right side is Coke for you, and the left is Cherry for Eren. It always swirls together halfway through when it starts melting, which is when you and Eren start playing with the straws - smacking yours into Eren’s and vice versa.

“Do you think it’ll be weird when everyone comes tomorrow, Eren?”

“Maybe a little bit. There’s a lot of them coming. And we’re used to having the place to ourselves.”

Tomorrow is the first official day of filming.

You and Eren have been filming scenes for the past three weeks. But tomorrow, the rest of the ensemble cast arrives, and you start really filming. And you can’t even lie - some part of the entire ordeal fills you up with anxiety.

Because the rest of the cast knows know each other already. Because they’re better actors than you. Because you’re kind of a fraud.

Eren mentioned that most of the people on the ensemble cast were great people because they were part of his class when he went to the SHWA. Meaning he already knew them. Meaning they all knew each other - that they had spent two years going to boarding school together and socializing within the same cohort.

Eren has already co-starred with Mikasa, and he and Jean used to do cameos on a different show together. He used to room with Reiner when he lived at the SHWA, and they’re all still really close.

Eren said it was kind of like a cult at times, how the industry seemed to function in that way. You just think he’s trying to make you feel better for being the sore thumb of the group.

But even beyond just meeting the cast, this entire week is a big deal. The ensemble cast is supposed to attend a panel that WIT hosts every year to answer questions and play the teaser trailer. Hange and Levi are panicking because first impressions can mean everything to a start-up show like this.

Eren tells you that there’s really big advertising company called the Elms that posts reviews of shows before they come out. They have no connections in the fields since they’re advertisers, but their opinions and reviews are basically written law once posted.

They’re the industry equivalent of a Michelin Star.

That’s why the pressure is on for this week - for the cast to get along, for us to finish filming and taking pictures for the promo, and to do great at the panel at the end of the week.

There’s so much to mess up you can’t even fixate on what to worry abo-

“Y/N. Stop it.”

You look over to find Eren glaring at you, shuffling his straw through the bottom of the ice at the cup. His lips and tongue are tinted pink from the drink, his expression annoyed.

“Stop what?”

“Thinking so hard. They’ll all like you, even if you didn’t go to SHWA.”

“I don’t know. I feel like you’ll all have inside jokes without me or something and leave me out. I don’t want to feel like a loser.”

He takes the cup from your hand, now empty, and swishes it into the trash can a few feet away from you. And then his ice-cold hand is in yours, squeezing.

You learn quickly that Eren isn’t the best with his words, but he’s always touching you in some way when a situation like this arises. He squeezed your shoulder when you forgot to bring your harness to set, delaying the entire crew for twenty minutes. And when you didn’t do so well on the French test you had last week, he put his hand in your hair but didn’t really say anything.

If it were anyone else, it wouldn’t work. But it’s Eren, and for some reason, it just does. It’s almost comforting now that you can rely on his hands to be on yours whenever you feel awkward.

“You’re not a loser, Y/N. And if someone thinks you’re a loser, I’ll just tell them they’re wrong about you.”

“Okay.”

“Plus. When they see us act, they’ll change their minds. You’re electric on the screen.”

Eren yanks the tandem bike off of the stand and pulls you up by the hand, the two of you lazily biking back to set. You try to ignore Eren’s comment and how it makes your entire body buzz.

You and Eren make ramen every morning. Because Levi said that the first time he did, it was a one-time occurrence, and he can’t feed you guys daily. He leaves out all the stuff for you, even going as far as cutting up all the vegetables that you like to put in your bowl.

“Eren.”

“Hm.”

“Try to catch the extra carrots in your mouth.”

You’re both playing the game a little bit too competitively as you start racing around the kitchen, trying to throw them so far that you both have to chase after them. And when Eren throws it all the way into the foyer, you go running.

That’s when you bump into him.

There’s a guy in the walkway who you accidentally knock into the ground from running so fast. He has short brown hair, the strands closer to his hair darker. And now that you’ve fallen on top of him, his hands are secured around your waist, both of your cheeks burning red.

You quickly scramble off, awkwardly running your hands through your hair.

“S-sorry. Me and Eren were playing a game.”

“No problem. I’m Jean.”

“Y/N.”

He smiles, his eyes glinting at you.

“Jean.”

“You said that already,” Eren grumbles from the kitchen.

You can see Jean’s cheeks burning red as the rest of them pile into the room, the quiet house suddenly bustling loud. You can’t help but get overstimulated by everyone you’re meeting, trying your best to remember names - Armin, Sasha, Bertholdt, Annie, Connie, Reiner - as they all start milling around the kitchen, sitting at the table.

“So, when are we eating?”

“Sasha shut the fuck up. All you’re worried about is eating.” Connie responds, smacking her across the forehead.

You walk over to the side of the table, tapping Sasha on the shoulder.

“They’re catering since you all flew in. They should be here in twenty minutes.”

She gives you a gleaming smile, returning to arguing with Connie. You can feel a hand tugging on your wrist, the guy from earlier yanking on your arm.

“So if they’re catering, why are you making ramen?” he asks, his cheeks pressed in his palms.

“Ah. Eren and I are kind of in the habit of making it. We kind of forgot they were supposed to cater today.”

“Well, it smells really good.”

“Did you want it, Jean? I don’t mind because Eren and I kind of ate before.”

“Oh, no. I couldn’t-”

You march over to the kitchen, where your steaming bowl of food is, much to Eren’s dismay, and return to place it in front of Jean. And when you return to the kitchen, you watch chaos ensue.

Connie and Sasha claim that Jean should share because they’re best friends. Jean says that Sasha’s asking for too much. Then Ymir says that Jean’s face is asking for too much, and now everyone’s arguing with each other.

You lean over, whispering in Eren’s ear as you talk.

“Are they always like this, Eren?”

“Unfortunately.”

He pushes his own bowl of ramen to your side, placing the chopsticks in your hand.

“Oh. It’s okay. I was the one who willingly gave my breakfast away and started World War Three, so.”

“Don’t be stupid, Y/N. Let’s just share.”

You and Eren shuffle the chopsticks in between your hands, taking turns eating from the bowl. And you’re so distracted because Eren’s asking you about Falco and Colt that you don’t realize it when it happens.

Connie taking a picture of you two.

And suddenly, they all stopped arguing with each other and started teasing Eren.

“So this is why you didn’t tell us anything about her? Trying to keep her all for yourself, huh?” Connie says first, smirking at Eren.

You can see the tips of Eren’s ears turn red as he denies it vehemently, only goading the rest of them on more.

“Eren. Do you think Y/N is pretty? Do you love her?” Ymir asks, swinging her arm around your shoulder.

“Where do you get off, you little bitch? Why would you even ask me that? Do you think Historia is pretty?”

“Yes. I do think Historia is pretty.”

You crane your neck over to Historia, whose sitting at the table, her cheeks glowing pink in her hands. Mikasa and Armin are sitting right next to her, focused on typing away on their phones, but you can see the smile pressed on both of their faces.

“You didn’t answer, Eren. Do you think Y/N is pretty? Do you guys kiss each other goodnight? ” asks Reiner, this time leaning even more forward. They’ve backed you and Eren into a corner, the six of them smiling bloody murder at Eren.

Eren hates being put into a corner like this. But he hates it even more when you’re looking over at him, your eyes boring into his, expectantly waiting for an answer.

“Yes. I think Y/N is pretty. No, we don’t kiss each other goodnight.” he murmurs, his cheeks burning red.

You can feel your own cheeks heating up as Levi comes by, dragging the rest of the new people to set with the promise of food. Sasha’s the first one to leave.

Leaving you and Eren alone in the kitchen again, the half-finished bowl of ramen between you.

“Eren.”

“They’re always like that. It’s so embarrassing. Now I’m never going to hear the end of it. Especially from Connie and Reiner, they’re so fucking annoying sometimes it’s-”

You place your hand on Eren’s shoulder, stopping his rant in his tracks.

“I think you’re cute.”

“Huh? What?”

“You told me that you think I’m pretty. Just thought you should know I think you’re cute,” you say, shrugging your hand off and grabbing your harness from the ground as you walk off to the set.

Eren joins twenty minutes later.

He needed the extra time to get his heart to stop violently thumping in his chest.

Armin is the only one brave enough to ask. He leans over, straight into Levi’s headspace, and asks.

“Levi. What are they doing?”

The eleven of them have been watching you and Eren do this for the past few minutes. You’re both…standing there, staring at each other. You’re not exactly talking, though you do whisper something to each other a few times. You’re just kind of…standing there together.

“They do this before they shoot scenes. Y/N said it’s not really a thing for her, but Eren says he needs to feel some… tingle before he can shoot.” Levi responds, yanking his headphones partially off.

“Tingle?” Armin repeats.

“Tingle.”

“That’s not a tingle. He’s just excited to see Y/N.” Reiner responds, the rest of them chuckling.

You’ve asked Eren to explain it to you maybe a hundred times. And he always says the same thing. That he needs a second before he can shoot to stop being him, Eren, and being the character, Eren. And he knows he’s thought about it hard enough when he can feel this… writhing in his chest.

Most of the time, it’s not bad. He usually just stands there for a few seconds, looking at the ground or the set, and he’s ready. But today, the entire thing is making your cheeks burn. Because not only are the rest of them watching you, but he’s staring at you - green eyes, all soft and warm. He never really looks at you like that, straight on.

“Are you nervous, Y/N?”

“A little bit. They’re all watching, and it’s kind of a hard scene.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“Why are you taking so long today? You’re literally just supposed to look all passed out in my arms.”

“For you. You’re like nervously twitching and have to stop before we can start.”

The scene isn’t too bad. You’re just supposed to get suspended in the air and then grab Eren when he comes out of his titan. Levi and Hange said it was preferable if you could try to cry, which Eren has been trying to coach you on for the past few days.

It’s supposed to be an emotional scene. You’re supposed to think Eren’s dead and that he’s returned to life. That your best friend, the only person whose been with you since you were little, will still get to be by your side.

(Hange’s really dramatic when they explain scenes).

And when you do it, you can feel your hands shaking. They’re blowing a lot of steam onto the set as you and Eren stick out of the prop titan, making your hair stick to your forehead and your skin sizzle under the lights.

You’re sure Eren feels the same way. You place your hands around Eren’s face as he starts wobbling in the air in your hold.

You’re not supposed to say anything. You’re just supposed to feel it.

That’s what Hange wrote on your script, next to the blocking for this scene. You place your hands around Eren’s face and take the sight in. The red marks streaking down the side of his face, the way his eyes are closed, and you’re not sure what makes it happen, but you really want to hug him.

Because if this were really true, if you really did think Eren was gone, you would want to hug him. You would want to hold him in your arms, press yourself into his skin to make sure that you can feel him, so that you knew he was really there.

So you do. It wasn’t in the script or what Hange and Levi wanted you to do, but it just felt right. To hold him like this. Some part of your stomach is burning because Eren isn’t really wearing a shirt and even Eren awkwardly shuffles when you do it. You whisper down into his ear.

“Sorry. Felt right.”

And when Levi yells cut and they pull you and Eren down, Annie is the first one to say something.

“I get it now.”

“Get what, Annie?” Eren asks, yanking his own harnesses off.

“You’re not a good actor, Eren. I was really confused when they picked you as the lead. But I get it now. You guys have really good chemistry.” she replies, milling off.

You apologize to Levi for not following the script. He, in turn, tells you to do it more often.

After four days of filming, Eren’s more pissed than ever. Because he figured that his jealousy or possessiveness would wear off by now, that it was just because he was used to it being just him and you for the past three weeks.

And he gets why everyone wants to talk to you because they’ve all known each other for years, and you’re the shiny new toy, but do they really have to talk to you all the time?

He can’t eat ramen with you in the mornings because Sasha always begs you to make her some too. Then she’s milling around in the kitchen, asking you mindless questions while you make some for her.

He can’t do homework with you in your room because Reiner always joins - and he gets that Reiner is really bad at French, but does he always have to ask for your help with the assignments?

And he can’t even talk to you at night when he’s bored anymore. Because Mikasa’s always there too - teaching you how to braid your hair, the two of you giggle about things he doesn’t understand.

He loathes it, which is why he has the outburst that he does.

He invited you to go for slushies with him on Friday before you fly out to Cannes for the panel. But when he yanks out the tandem bike and Jean asks to go along, he can’t help but get irritated at him. So he yells at him . Like bloody murder yells at him. Which is why you and Eren quietly bike, awkwardly sharing the slushie on the bench.

“So.”

“I wasn’t going to let him come, you know? Slushies are our thing, Eren.” you respond, swirling the brown and red ice together.

“Oh. Really?”

“Well, yeah. Some things should be just ours. And I can’t help it for other things - like when Sasha asks for food, or Annie wants help with the props - but I can for this.”

Relief floods through Eren’s chest, and he smiles for the first time in five days. Thank god.

“Okay. Good.”

“Were you feeling… bad about it or something? Like I wasn’t really talking to you?” you ask, Eren not meeting your gaze and instead focusing on the geese walking across the street.

“I know you’re not like supposed to talk to me or whatever, but like. I just kind of missed you, that’s all.”

You smile, leaning your head against Eren’s shoulder.

“I missed you too, Eren.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

You and Eren bike back, matching pink lips, which is just asking to get teased at this point. Ymir asks how long you and Eren were sucking your face to get lips that pink, which just pisses Eren off to no extent. Levi makes them both sit on separate sides of the plane.

“Each person answers the panel questions in sets of two or three. There are three panels, so ensure you’re with the right person for each part.”

Your first panel is with Ymir, which you lucked out on. Because the second they start asking questions, your face is burning, your throat is itching, and you can’t answer even a single one they ask you.

You’ve never really been the anxious type. You’ve acted in school plays before and performed for big crowds. But that was always low stakes in your mind. The only people in the audience were people that you grew up with, their older sisters that always compliment you on their hair, and their parents that love to take pictures with you.

This crowd is something different altogether. They’re all wildly unfamiliar, with big cameras and notepads in their hands as they scribble down every little detail they can. Before you and Ymir could even introduce yourselves, even give them something to write down or take a picture of, they were already going hard.

That’s why you feel petrified on the stage. One of the questions is literally what your name is, but for some reason, this crowd of adults with shiny cameras and notepads makes you choke. Ymir saves the day. She’s charming enough to woo them all on her own, with a few comments from you here and there throughout the panel. Every word out of your mouth feels like balmy chalk running down your throat.

Your second panel is with Mikasa and Connie, who are surprisingly a really comedic duo. They’re both so different that they complement each other really well, providing funny anecdotes from set and talking about what it’s been like to film.

Connie, much to your dismay, tells the audience that you and Eren are inseparable - so much so that he’s caught you cuddling together on set before.

That was an accident. You were just tired from shooting on set for eleven hours. You can sneak by with another comment here and there for this panel too.

But the third panel is just you and Eren. And you know you can’t choke here because you and Eren are the leads. And granted, you haven’t really been acting like a lead this entire time by squeaking once like a mouse, but it’s infinitely worse to do it now.

“What’s wrong?”

You can feel the tears welling in your eyes as Eren looks over, concern washing over his face.

“I-I can’t do this.”

“What? Why not?”

“I don’t know. I already messed it up. My entire panels I- I didn’t even say anything because I felt so weird and like- I don’t know, I just can’t be a lead role. I’m not cut out to-”

He shakes his head, yanking you forward to push you into his embrace, his arms warm. His mouth is hovering by your ear, his voice so soft that it sends shivers down your spine.

“You’re going to be fine. You’re literally everyone’s favorite person on set because you’re just the best to be around. And it’s the same thing out there, just with people you don’t know.”

“You guys…you guys have to like me. And it’s hard when they’re all looking at me.”

“Don’t look at them. Just look at me. Just pretend you and I are sitting there, and the person asking the question is me, not them.”

You shake your head, burying it deeper into his shoulder. You can feel your panic subsiding, but there’s still a bubble of anxiety right in your throat.

You and Eren walk out, Eren’s hand pressed in yours, as you sit at the table, your hands still locked together under the fabric.

He squeezes three times before starting, introducing the two of you. The first question is for you.

“Who is your favorite person on set?” asks the lady in the front.

“Um. Maybe Hange. I’ve always looked up to them for a really long time, and getting to work with them has been re-really cool.” you mumble straight into the microphone.

You look over at Eren, who feigns shock as he talks into his.

“I’m offended, Y/N. My favorite person on set is you but your favorite person on set isn’t me?” he says, the crowd laughing.

“What? You’re so full of it, Eren. If they asked you, you probably would have said Levi because he did your laundry once.”

The crowd laughs again, and Eren smiles, his eyes warm as he looks into yours.

“You’re annoying, Y/N. I’ve literally said you’re my favorite person on set on every panel. You think you’re special to someone and find out they don’t even like you that much.”

“Oh, be quiet Eren. You’re so irritating. You know I like you.”

“What was that? Say it louder for me, I didn’t really hear you.”

“I like you.”

“One more time, Y/N. Use your big girl voice.”

“I hate you, Eren. You’re not funny and you’re not cool.”

The entire crowd laughs, Eren squeezing your hand under the table as they ask him questions next. You’re doing it.

And for some reason, you’re really in awe of this side of Eren. You never figured that he was the type of guy to be really good at press since he seems so awkward and stumbly when he’s around you, but he’s…really charming when it comes to this. He’s cracking jokes, poking fun at you while answering all the questions.

“Last question. For Eren. What was your favorite scene to film?”

“There’s this scene that we filmed a few weeks ago. Y/N did some really good improv in it, and when Hange and Levi showed it to us for the first time, we were just so excited for the show to start airing. Basically, you think my character is dead, but-”

You feel your eyes widen as you clamp your hand over Eren’s mouth, stopping him from spoiling the show before it airs. And you forget that you’re on the microphone because you accidentally start berating him into the speakers.

“Eren. You’re so full of shit. Stop spoiling the show before it can even come out.”

For some reason, the entire cast finds the entire ordeal so funny that they’re clapping bloody murder for you and Eren as you deck out.

And when you get to the back of the stage, Hange’s applauding you both for doing so well and Levi’s threatening Eren with promises of masking tape on his mouth the next time he tries spoiling the show.

You’re just thankful Eren held your hand through the entire thing. You wouldn’t have been able to stomach it if he wasn’t.

The review comes out early the next day. The eleven of you huddle around the computer, you and Eren sharing a chair as you wait for Hange and Levi to return with Erwin from the airport. The man of the hour himself has finally arrived to set, meaning you can watch the review.

It’s two girls with short blonde hair on both of them as they dissect the teaser trailer Hange and Levi produced for the panels, and the individual speaks themselves.

They introduce each actor and their character, commenting on past roles, character dynamics, and how they feel about the character overall. Almost everyone gets a glowing commendation except for Armin, who they feel doesn’t look the part.

You can tell from the way Armin shifts uncomfortably in the seat that he’s a bit put off by the comment, but Jean and Marco are already coming to his defense, whispering reassurance in his ear.

“Now, onto the leads.”

You instinctively grab Eren’s hand under the table, the two of you leaning closer to the computer to listen.

“The male and female leads for Attack on Titan are Eren Jaeger and F/N L/N. Eren Jeager was in the fourteenth SHWA cohort and already has a nice plethora of credits behind him - even going as far as to have already co-starred with major parts of the ensemble. We’re sure he will be a great lead for the show, a career-defining role if he does it right.”

You squeeze Eren’s hand three times under the table, everyone patting him on the back and squeezing his shoulders in congratulations.

“We’re unsure if the same can be said for female lead F/N L/N. Upon closer inspection, head casters Hange Zoe and Levi Ackerman have chosen something a bit untraditional by not picking an SHWA-affiliated actor. We’re unsure if she can hold her own on a show with big chops like this one since she could barely handle the panels themselves. Sure, everyone has been gushing over how cute the two leads are together, but Eren can’t really carry that part of the charm for her on screen. We’re unsure how it’ll play out, but it’s feeling pretty bleak for now.”

Eren squeezes your hand under the table, but you let go altogether. And when you look back, they’re all awkwardly staring at you, Hange and Levi pinching the bridges of their nose.

��Um. I’m not in the next few scenes, actually. So I’m just going to go eat dinner if that’s okay.”

“We’ll come with you,” Mikasa responds, yanking Sasha up from her chair.

“Oh, you guys have to stay on track with filming. You shouldn’t backlog the schedule. It’s okay.”

Eren watches you walk off set alone, Hange and Levi already doing damage control on their side. Levi’s already screaming bloody murder that they have no right to say that when they have no experience in the field, and Hange’s getting ready to run off and comfort you.

“Hange. Let me come, please.”

Eren watches Hange's features contort as they shoot him down.

“Sorry, Eren. I don’t think she really wants to talk to anyone right now. And I’m just going there to sit with her till she’s ready to talk.”

“She’ll talk to me. I can sit with her, I do it all the time. We’re best friends. And I just want to come. Please, please let me go.”

“Eren. These are all your scenes. You need to stay here. I’ll let you come check on her after, okay?”

Eren watches Hange run off and angrily acts through the next seven scenes.

When he’s done on set, he basically all but sprints to your room, snatching the video camera from Levi and Hange’s office, and knocks on the door lightly. And when he sees it, he can’t tell which emotion he feels most strongly. Never mind, he’s almost positive it’s anger.

You’re lying flat under your soft blanket, Hange’s hand in your hair. He can tell that you’ve probably been crying for a better part of the day, your eyes were all swollen and pink and your nose all runny.

Eren climbs under the blanket with you, hand locking with yours under the sheets. He squeezes your hand three times, which you return as you wipe the excess liquid from your face.

“Y/N.”

“What, Hange?”

“I’m going to call your mom and tell her that you have a boy in your bed.”

You and Eren laugh, rolling your eyes at Hange as you reach up to pull on their hair. Hange hops off the bed, retreating downstairs to get make the ramen that you asked for, as you and Eren shuffle under the blanket.

“Y/N. You okay?”

And at the sound of the question, you immediately start crying again, eyes burning as you lean your head into Eren’s shoulder.

The entire thing - it’s just so fucking embarrassing above anything else. It’s already humiliating enough to get called out as one of the only bad actors in the cast. Sure, they really dug on Armin too but it wasn’t to the extent that they did it to you. And Hange said that was because you were a girl, and they’re always going to be more critical of you than him, but it sure doesn’t feel that way.

You can’t act. You can’t do press. And for some goddamn reason, you’re the one leading the show with Eren instead of someone else. Maybe it should have been Mikasa or Historia or something, they’d surely be doing a better job at this than you.

“Nothing you say is going to make me feel better, Eren. Hange’s been trying for the past few hours, but you’re all just lying to make me come back to set.”

“What do you mean?”

“You guys just feel bad that they said that about me, even if it’s true. And now that you’re stuck with me, you have to make me do it. I’ve been telling Hange - I don’t know what they saw in me even to pick me in the first place. They clearly made a mistake.”

“Hange and Levi didn’t pick you.”

“What?”

“Well, they did. But, I picked you too.”

He reaches over, grabbing the shiny black recording camera from your nightstand. He pulls his arm around yours, holding the camera a few feet away from your face as he holds the looks for the video. And when he plays it, you recognize the same soulless room you did your chemistry screening in, Eren sitting in the chair.

“So Eren. We’re picking through the last few candidates for the lead. Is there anyone you want it to be in particular?”

You can recognize Levi’s voice over the video, and you’re sure Hange has to be the one recording from how the videos wobble around so much.

“You’re going to let me pick, Levi?” Eren from the video asks, eyes wide from shock.

“We’re in between three and we can’t pick one. And this person is your co-star, you’re probably going to spend a better part of the next five to six years with them if things go well. Should be someone you like.”

“Y/N.”

Hange comes into the frame on the video, pinching Eren’s cheeks as they ask.

“That was fast. Any particular reason?”

“I don’t even remember the names of the other ones. That’s how lame they were in comparison.”

“You sure, Eren? You really want it to be her?”

“Positive. I’d even bet on it.” Eren responds, looking over to Hange.

Hange smiles, circling a name on the clipboard, turning to the camera as they speak.

“F/N L/N it is.”

The video ends, the white screen glowing back on you and Eren’s faces.

“You… you picked me?”

“Yeah. And I’m not lying to you when I’m trying to make you feel better or tell you that you’re great. Maybe Hange and Levi are, but I’m not. I’ve always thought you were great.”

You and Eren lean back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. His hand is still in yours under the blanket, warm and sweaty, but you don’t really want to let go. Eren doesn’t say much after that, but when Hange comes with dinner and he has to go back, he says one thing which such confidence that you can’t help but believe him too. That you want it to be true.

“You’re going to prove them wrong, Y/N."

next part here

taglist: @platrom @k0z3me @kayleegomez @yihona-san06 @bsenpai @sweetenertea @mykyoon @violetmatcha @daisynik7 @rebeccawinters @cutiejg @bokutosthings @bookwrmm @mblrrr @wheredidmycrowngo @somethinginyoureyes7 @bsenpai @chilichopsticks @okaystopwhore @you-always-made-me-blush @itzmeme @firelordazulaaaa @whoami-72 @g-ghostly @intimacywithceline @erensmoodygf @cocomellxn @squirrelspoetry

pls comment on this post or any of the chapters if you want to be added to the taglist <3

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gddmgttsu · 1 month

Text

Hello!

(I have a nasty habit of wanting to write only about bad things so let's talk about something else)

I've somehow read all of Dungeon Meshi within the last two days or so. Time well spent I'd say...

The first time I've even heard of Dungeon Meshi was seeing all the Twitter clips from the first episode of the anime. I thought the premise was cute so I decided to take a peek at the anime with a friend.

The first two episodes were alright but at the time it didn't quite grip me as much as I thought it would. While I loved all the characters doing their thing, it was missing something that would really hook me in you know what I mean?

=======SPOILERS I SUPPOSE======

If you haven't seen any of it yet, please go and check it out it's pretty good. I wouldn't want to ruin anything about it for the blind.

After the second episode I just put it off for a bit but a month to so later, I saw a twitter clip or maybe it was a teaser that was about Falin's resurrection. I was astonished to see not a digested corpse coming out of the dragon but a goddamn skeleton of what's left. That was what I was missing in order to get hooked so my interest was fully piqued.

So now I've gotten around to reading the whole thing and MAN was I surprised. The world is so interesting, the characters are all loveable and it gets surprisingly dark every now and then. It touches on alot of themes that I like involving death and the stains of time.

My favorite manga of all time is Berserk so the moment the manga started getting into that stuff I was fully invested.

One of scenes that really stood out to me were Marcille's nightmare and how it sets up that bit near the end. I don't really know much about elf lore and I just beat Baldur's Gate 3 so it was interesting to learn more about how an increased lifespan is just sadness for the elf in question.

Seeing Laois get touched by her nightmare and immediately starts aging and freaking Marcille out just made me go "OH NO IS THAT WHY SHE'S AFRAID" and it makes me sad to think about life without your loved ones.

Another one is Senshi's backstory with the Griffin and how he had to live a long time with that gnawing thought at the back of his head. It thoroughly explains why he's so adamant about eating a balanced meal and how living as healthy as can be is so important to him. I honestly teared up pretty bad seeing those final panels of him eating the hippogriff stew.

I suppose my only nitpicks is that we never really got to hang out with Falin enough. I would have loved to see more of the gang interact with her since from the flashbacks and what little time we do get with her, she's a sweetheart too.

There's also Itsuzumi and how I personally don't think her arc was fully done but at least she had her moment with the succubis.

These are very minor and there are even more minor ones and honestly I don't mind them very much because the story is already like a 10/10.

=========SPOILERS END=========

The volumes kept ending at cliffhangers so I couldn't stop wanting to read more and more so I ended up binging the whole thing.

I'm glad I did though because the manga went into detail a couple of things I've been thinking about recently too. It just nice to see and read thoughts about the little things that bother me right now. Even if it is through a silly manga about eating monsters.

Honestly, the manga influenced me maybe like 10-30% as to doing a bit better with how I treat myself and my health.

To close it off, I gotta say I really loved it and I'm excited to go through it again with the anime. Hopefully my friend won't mind if I drag them with me since I left them at ep2 hehehe.

TLDR: FARCILLE IS REAL DON'T LET THEM TELL YOU OTHERISE

#dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #how is this now one of my favorite things ever #please watch it or read it #it's good #dungeon meshi spoilers #dunmesh spoilers

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little-peril-stories · 3 months

Text

The Queen of Lies: The Mark of Thieves

Story Intro | Content Warnings | Mood Board | Vibey Song Lyrics | Ao3

Contents: blood/injury leftover from the previous chapter, angst bc I just can't help myself

Previous | Masterlist | Next

Word count: 3350 || Approx reading time: 14 mins

The Mark of Thieves

Teaser: As the rest of her body awakened, Bree turned over to face the man who had come to her rescue the night before. Who had bandaged her arm with shaking, unconfident, but staunchly determined fingers. Who she had kissed, and who had kissed her back. A man who had fallen asleep with his limbs draped over her, holding on with a tightness both impossibly gentle and impossibly fierce.

Honeycomb sunlight gushed through a warped glass window framed by haphazardly pulled curtains. The lacy panels must have been pristinely white at one time, but now they hung yellow in the morning sun, dust coating the finely woven, delicately patterned mesh. A pillow lay beneath Bree’s head, faintly musty but soft and downy nonetheless.

Throbbing pain pulsed up her arm beneath a clumsily tied bandage that, against all odds, had remained in place and unsoaked with new blood through the night.

For a moment, Bree could not recall why her arm hurt.

But there was another arm curled around her, someone else’s, warm and soft and solid.

As the rest of her body awakened, Bree turned over to face the man who had come to her rescue the night before. Who had bandaged her arm with shaking, unconfident, but staunchly determined fingers. Who she had kissed, and who had kissed her back. A man who had fallen asleep with his limbs draped over her, holding on with a tightness both impossibly gentle and impossibly fierce.

He roused slightly when she moved, letting loose a quiet “Hmm?” Although he still seemed asleep, or at least just barely awake, the sound made her heart flutter with its near-childlike vulnerability.

Will.

Her fingertips tingled in memory of drawing over the table’s rough surface, of each clumsy, scrawling movement that had revealed the letters of his name. Will. He was Will, and she was Bree, and the story they were writing together seemed infinitely more remarkable than the separate, lonely ones through which they’d staggered before the threads of their lives entwined.

Perhaps she said something; perhaps she whispered his name or pressed closer against him than she intended. He opened his eyes.

In greeting, she said softly, “I feel like Alice, waking up in the looking glass world.”

Those sleep-misted eyes misted just a little more with confusion. “What’s that mean?” After a moment, he mumbled, “Your…friend…Alice?”

“No—no. Not Alice Wright.” Reluctant to giggle at his endearing literary ignorance, she merely said, “It means everything is different today than it was yesterday.”

“Yeah?” A smile, slow and still-sleepy, crossed his face. “How so?”

“Well,” she said, unable to resist smoothing down a shock of his hair that was nearly standing on end, “I had the strangest dream.”

“Mmm hmm?” For a moment, his eyes closed again, as if she could lull him back to sleep with the sound of her voice and the brush of her fingers through his hair. “What was it about?”

She pretended to think back. “I dreamt… I dreamt that a wicked man with lovely eyes and a bad attitude gave me a kiss.”

This description, into which she prided herself on having imbued both great hyperbole and great understatement, seemed to wake him up. “Wicked? Bad attitude?” He huffed. “I don’t know anyone like that.”

“What a pity,” said Bree. “It was rather nice, actually.”

He choked. “‘Rather nice’?”

“A shame it was only a dream.”

He sat up a little, leaned closer. “Want me to give you a kiss?”

“Well,” she said, “I suppose you could try.”

“You might like it.”

“Perhaps.”

Will brushed his lips against hers, hardly close enough to bring with it a hint of warmth.

“Hmm,” she said. “That was nice, but not as nice as…”

Closer he pressed against her, one hand coming to rest on her collarbone, his lips parting hers.

“Better,” she murmured. “But…”

He kissed her again, but did not stop at her lips, rather trailing down her neck, teasing as he went, the stubble along his jaw pricking into her skin and making her shiver.

She knew her face was deeply flushed when he looked up again. “Well?” he asked. “Was that rather nice?”

Unable to keep up the facade of apathy, she told him mock-sternly, “You’re far too good at that,” and he smirked.

“What? You don’t like it?”

“Hush,” she said. “I like it very much.”

For a moment, Bree imagined living the rest of her days like this—warm and safe, cocooned in the arms of someone whose kisses felt like more than chaste obligation.

“This isn’t a dream, though, is it?” Her voice drifted out breathier and quieter than she meant it to. “It’s real?”

His answer made her laugh. “It better be. If it’s not, who the hell have I been kissing?”

“You have no excuse for not knowing,” she chided. “You’ve known my name for weeks.” As she spoke, however, she faltered, wondering if she shouldn’t have made such a joke. Hadn’t she hidden her name from him once, too?

But he just shrugged his shoulders and grinned. “Who are you, again?”

“Will!” She reached out to flick him on his arm, only to wince as the cut stretched and pain flared over her skin. With a grimace, she drew back.

Just like that, the spell was broken. The vivid colours of the realm beyond the looking glass faded around them, dimming to the muted hues of the real world, and to the pains and fears that came with it.

The light in his eyes dulled, too, as his gaze fell upon her arm. “That hurt a lot?”

“No,” she said. “I just moved too quickly, that’s all. I…I forgot.”

But his worry didn’t dissipate. “If I ever see that bastard again, I’ll kill him.”

“No, you won’t.” She reached for his hand. “You’re not that kind of person.”

“He hurt you.”

“And I’m fine.”

He was quiet. Thinking, perhaps, or recalling the night before, his gaze distant now. “You know…” He spoke again quite suddenly. “I wouldn’t blame you. If you…if you wished you hadn’t.”

Bree blinked. “Hadn’t done what?”

“Helped me.” He swallowed. “I wouldn’t blame you. If you…if you regretted it. Wished you didn’t do it.”

“I am in the looking glass world,” she said incredulously. “You’re talking utter nonsense. Why on earth would I regret it?”

He glared pointedly at her bandaged arm. “Uh, everything?”

For a moment, impatience and a touch of hurt flared inside her, for how could he earnestly believe she might regret liberating him from Baden’s clutches? It guttered out, however, as quickly as it had come. Didn’t she, too, know the weight of constant fear, of splintering self-doubt? Hadn’t she spent far longer than a mere four years in the company of men, first her father and then Baden, who’d reminded her again and again that she was not good enough no matter what she did? Could she really blame him for feeling guilty the day after their mission to find his friends had landed her with a sliced-up arm?

“Do you think I’m doing this for a lark?” she asked, trying to keep her voice soft. “For a laugh? Why would I have stayed here if I didn’t want to?”

“You don’t want this kind of life.” He ran his fingers down the bandage, the pressure light enough that it did not sting. “You could have died last night.”

“I know.” She caught his hand again, lacing their fingers. This time, she would not let go. “As I could have the night we ran away. Or I could have been burned. Or hurt. Or arrested. But I did it anyway.” Her fingers wrapped more tightly around his. “I did it anyway. Because I wanted to. And I’m still here because I want to be. And I don’t regret it.”

He was silent. Bree watched his chest rise and fall, perhaps just a touch too fast, as if those cruel voices inside his head were still feeding him some wicked falsehood, insisting that the single cut on her arm, an injury which in the grand scheme of her entire life hurt far less than the ones inflicted by people who were supposed to have loved and protected her, must mean that she regretted ever laying eyes on him.

“Will.”

He looked at her, still worried—but listening.

“All my life,” she said quietly, “everyone else has told me what to wear and say and think and believe and do. And always, always, I did what I thought I was supposed to. I knew what Baden was like before I married him—” Will flinched, more darkness pouring into his stare at this confession. “I knew, and I married him anyway. Because my father had promised I would, and even though he was dead, I felt like I had to, and because…and also because I was so afraid that if I ran away, my life would be even worse.” She wiped away her burgeoning tears and wondered if she didn’t see an unexpected sheen in his eyes, too. “So I married a man I didn’t love, and I knew—no, I know he doesn’t love me, because if he did, he wouldn’t—he wouldn’t be how he is. And I’ll never know what would have happened if I had run away, and maybe—I guess it doesn’t even matter, because I didn’t. I stayed.”

“Bree…” His voice, too, was quiet. “I’m…”

Now that she had begun, however, it seemed she could not stop. “But then there was you.” The ache to be, somehow, even closer to him, to melt her body into his even more, burned—an impossible fancy upon which she could not act yet desperately wished she could. “And for the first time in my life, I did something that I wanted to do and that I thought was right. And even though last night was—it was so frightening, and I was—and well, my arm hurts, yes, but—I still don’t regret anything. Anything.” She leaned closer. The sunlight danced off his eyes, turning the green hue almost gold. “Every choice led me here. To you. And every one was my choice. I did it for myself—and I also did it for you, because I—because I—”

She stopped, and in wordless answer, Will laid his hand on her cheek, brushing away her tears that had fallen.

“So don’t you dare,” she whispered, “tell me what I do or don’t want. I want to be here. With all my heart. I’m where I’m supposed to be.”

He laughed, short and a little breathless, as she fell silent, the outpouring of emotion ceasing as quickly as it had begun. He pressed his lips against her hair.

When he pulled away, he was grinning.

“Well,” he murmured, “I don’t know what to say other than…uh… Yes, ma’am.” He kissed her again. “You’re the boss, princess. If you say it, then it’s true.”

***

How wonderfully absurd it was to be in Will’s home—the headquarters of Iustitia aecum. Oh, what Baden would give to know what she knew.

Bree found she no longer cared.

The house was small, only a touch larger, really, than the apartment where she’d been living when her father died in poverty and disgrace. Yet there was a coziness to each tiny room, a sense of home in each well-worn floorboard, hole-ridden curtain, and scratched-up surface, that had never pervaded any of the places she had lived before, save perhaps the fleeting and far-between moments when she was very young, nestled in her mother’s arms and far from the red-faced wrath of her father.

She thanked Will when he inspected and re-bandaged her arm with her with gentle, calloused fingers. Thanked him for how fastidiously he tried to care for the wound, even when he was not sure what to do. Told him about her parents, and the life she’d known before she was Mrs. Breanna Hatchett, the constable’s wife. About her mother and the awful way she’d died, from a cut on her finger even smaller than this one, and how by the time they’d realized what was making her so sick, it had been too late.

“You’re not going to die like that,” he told her firmly.

“How do you know?”

“Because. I won’t let you.” He ran his fingers over her palm. “I’m sorry about your ma.”

“It was years ago now,” she said, though her heart twinged in memory of the old grief.

“Your dad?” he asked. “Dead, too?”

“A few years later,” she said bitterly. “Not soon enough.” Will gritted his teeth at this; she needed to say no more about the man Silas Cooper had been.

He drifted toward the oven, where the fire had fallen and was close to burning out. “I was fourteen when my ma died. It was… Yeah. It was awful. She got sick.”

“I’m sorry,” said Bree softly. What an awful thing for the two of them to share.

With a shrug, he merely said, “Life’s hard. Always has been.” Through the distant sadness the topic had brought to his features, a lightness broke through. “When you got good people around you, it ends up not so bad.”

At these words, Bree’s gaze fell to the tattoo on his arm. It was beautiful, captivating in a way she would have never believed a gang’s sigil could be. When he was done adding to the fire and had settled by the window, gazing through the glass at the cloudy sky above, she joined him, unable to resist running her fingers over the ink. “What does it mean?”

He glanced down, catching her eye for a moment before she went back to inspecting the tattoo. “Iustitia aecum? I don’t know. Spider suggested it.”

“Spider?” Bree blinked, wondering who would name themselves after a creature with eight legs. “And…you have friends who can speak Latin?”

He burst into a laugh. “Well, one, I guess. She—Spider—learned some. Must’ve. We just trusted her, that she was giving us the right translation or whatever. Something about justice, I think.”

“Yes, justice, I knew,” Bree murmured. “Justice for…um…for men? I think. Something like that.”

Snorting, he said, “Men? I doubt she meant that. I hope I get to bust her balls about getting it wrong.”

Will’s words sank in belatedly, drawing her attention to one in particular. “She? You’ve got a woman in your group?”

“Yeah, and don’t tell her I said this, but we’d all be fucking lost without her.”

Once again, Bree found her idea of what his life had been like before they met being challenged to its core. “Really?”

“Mmm hmm. But I’ll be real mad if you tell her that.”

“I promise I won’t,” she said, laughing, though something shuddered a little inside her at the awe and esteem in his voice, behind the teasing quality to it. “If I ever get the chance to meet her.”

This other girl, this “Spider,” had he… Had they…

“But I really meant the picture,” she said quickly, pushing the question from her mind. “Does it mean anything?”

Will shifted his arm to peer down at the image inked onto his skin. “I mean…I’m sure the others could probably say it better.”

“I want to hear it from you.”

He took her hand, guiding her fingers to the letters I.A., tracing over them as he had when he revealed his name. “Justice for everyone. All folks, rich or poor.” He moved her hand to the tree and its swirling roots. Beneath Bree’s fingertips, the leaves seemed to come alive, unfurling in full health and bright colour through some magic born of their clasped hands. “Life and, uh, people, and the world we’re in. Growth and new beginnings.” Finally, he let her fingers trace the ring around the roots. “Everything, everyone, we’re all connected.”

Bree blinked back sudden tears. “It’s even more beautiful now that I know that.”

Studying her for a few long moments, Will smiled, and he pulled away without a word. Crossing over to the desk that had been tidy when they arrived and was now strewn with detritus, he rummaged around until he’d retrieved a pen.

When he turned to her again, he said simply, “Want one?”

“One…one what?”

He held up his arm, and Bree gaped at the tattoo he was showing off and suggesting she don.

“Not for real,” he said, laughing. “It’s just a pen. I don’t know how to do the real thing. All I know is that it hurts like a bitch.”

It seemed so absurd, so infantile, so downright silly to consider letting him draw in her arm. Like playing pretend. Like a little girl dressing up in her mother’s wedding dress. “Um…”

Something lifted its head inside her, a creature newly roused from dormancy that she had not known was there. It suddenly burned, more than she was, perhaps, comfortable admitting, with the desire to wear the Iustitia aecum tattoo.

“Yes,” she said, beaming, and she followed him across the room.

“Oh, by the way,” he said, snickering as he brandished the pen. “You’ve made a terrible mistake.”

“Why?”

“I’m an awful artist.”

Indeed, his skill at wielding the pen to draw a tree on her arm seemed at least about the same as his skill at handwriting, and yet she couldn’t bring herself to resent the crooked, hesitant lines. “It’s not that bad,” she said, deciding as he made it to the roots of the tree that it wasn’t as hideous as he had foretold. “I like it.”

“You’re too nice,” he said, but he was laughing, apparently unembarrassed. “The others made the picture. I did the coins, though.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh. Carved them.” He stuck his tongue out and fell silent as he concentrated on drawing the circle around the roots. Bree held back a giggle.

“There,” he said, blowing lightly on the drying ink, the coolness of his breath sending gooseflesh up Bree’s arm. “That’s as good as it’s gonna get.”

Bree felt inexplicably warm as she peered down at her tattoo, and no matter what he said, it was the most beautiful mark anyone had made on her skin in her entire life. “I think it’s perfect.” The lopsided circle, the few spots of smeared ink, the roots that ran into one another, the slightly distorted I. and A. She wouldn’t have wanted anything else. “Thank you.”

Looking down at her arms made Bree feel as if they belonged to someone else. On the one, a bandage, hiding a war wound dealt by a rival gang member while she was out at night doing IA business. In the other, the sign of criminals, of Iustitia aecum—as if she really were part of them now.

“It’s perfect,” she said again, touching her fingertips to the ink to see if it had dried. It had.

When she looked up, there he was, watching her with something that seemed almost like awe. “What?”

“Oh, you know,” he said, going red, “just thinking of how I was so fucking wrong about you at the start.”

She shrugged. “Well. You know better now.” Glancing sideways at him, she asked, “Do you remember calling me a whore? That was the first thing you ever said to me.”

Instead of looking guilty, Will burst into a laugh. “I did, didn’t I? I’m sorry.”

“You had better be.”

“Oh, yeah? What you gonna do about it if I’m not?”

Well. Now she was stuck, and he was giving her a look that was full of challenge—not just challenge but open flirtation, and what was she supposed to say back? “I’m going to…”

Higher went that obnoxious eyebrow. “Yeah?”

Laughing, knowing she had to be blushing, she gave him a playful push. “Stop teasing me.”

“Why?”

“Because…”

She couldn’t think of anything to say that, because she didn’t want him to stop teasing her, ever—didn’t want to envision a future where he wasn’t next to her to rib her and run his fingers over her skin and bandage her wounds and give her play-pretend tattoos and press his lips to hers.

So she kissed him instead, and he kissed her back, and although that wasn’t quite an answer to the question he had asked, it was answer enough.

Optionally, this scene continues on ao3 (this links to ao3). if you know what I mean (this links to a video).

Previous | Masterlist | Next

Taglist (please let me know if you’d like to be added/removed!)

@starlit-hopes-and-dreams

@clairelsonao3

@gala1981

@pleasestaywithmedarling

@kixngiggles

✨

#lps the queen of lies #whump #whump story #whump writing #original writing #original story #original content #lady whump #guy whump #romance #angst

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garebearandnan · 2 months

Text

Love Island: EP16 Aftersun 2

At the VIP table is Gary's Nan, Helen.

Gary's nan, Helen: I’m pretty sure if any of us had a camera on us 24/7 at 20-23, there’d be some pretty damning footage.

Helen: I reckon when he gets home, I'll send him to the freezer for a bit.

SUMMARY: Love Island: Aftersun is filmed at BT Studios in Stratford, East London with a live audience. It airs live every Sunday at 10pm for an hour and five minutes, straight after the main show. The show consists of interviews with dumped Islanders, friends and family members and also features celebrity guests.

HOST: O.M.G. with an extra-G. What a week our Islanders have had! There’s been some spicy drama, from Operation Nope to secrets revealed, dumpings, dates, a recoupling, and new bombshells. But before we get into all of that, tonight we have a S1 Love Island legend behind the bar. Give it up for Talia, everyone! And keeping those barstools warm, we’ve got Henrik and Rocco, who will be giving their first interview since leaving the villa. And at our VIP table, we have Gary’s nan, Helen, and his best mate, Dickie.

New Bonue Chapter on A03 and wattpad

TEASER SCRIPT- read full script on A03 or Wattpad. Links above.

The camera pans to Talia, behind the bar and the two ex-Islanders sitting at the bar, who all smile and wave. And at our VIP table, we have Gary’s nan, Helen, and his best mate, Dickie.

Audience: CHEERING and APPLAUSE

Caroline: While 3 may be a crowd as far as Hope is concerned, but for us, it’s the magic number. Please welcome my naughty trio; it’s our panel: Superfans AJ Odudu, HRVY, and Mollie King.

CLIP PLAYS:

Chelsea: Oh my goodness! I’m on my way to the Villa. I can’t believe I’m actually going in there. I’m just so excited to see the villa and meet everyone. Gosh, they all seem so lush.

Jakub: I’m buzzing to get into the villa. These guys have been here for like ten days. Obviously, they’re a bit comfortable, but you know, hopefully when I come in, they’ll get a bit of me stepping on a few toes, which I am used to. I got really big feet. (He laughs.)

CLIP ENDS.

Caroline: Well, he did say, HRVY, that he’s willing to step on toes. Whose toes do you think he'll step on?

HRVY: Yeah! I’m going to curveball. I think he’s gonna step on Noahs.

AJ: Let’s just be honest. I mean Jakub makes the rest of the guys look like preschoolers.

Caroline: AJ, what were your first impressions of Chelsea?

AJ: I like her and her high-energy! She’s bubbly and sweet. I think she’s gonna do really well.

Caroline: Just when one drama calms down, along comes Chelsea dropping the news about a secret kiss. Let’s remind everyone of that moment when she dropped the truth bomb.

CLIP PLAYS:

Chelsea: Lottie, I thought you were supposed to be the loyal one?

Lottie: I am!

Chelsea: Then how did you end up snogging Gary when you knew that Grace had something going on with him?

Grace: What the hell! So, that night, when Gary had to choose between Marisol and Hannah at the recoupling, Lottie cracked on with him!

Marisol: Wait, you kissed Gary when we’d only just couple up?

CLIP ENDS.

Caroline: Well, tonight we have two people who know Gary very well indeed. Please welcome his nan, Helen, and best friend, Dickie.

Caroline: I got to ask: What’s on everyone’s lips. Helen, is your Sunday roast as good as Gary says?

Helen: I am a good cook. My roasties are up there. I think Gordon Ramsay-

~~~~~

Caroline: Do you feel there is any hope for Bobby and Lottie in the romance section? The girls keep saying he’s a nice, sweet guy, he’s certainly attractive.

AJ: I like Bobby. He has such a playful and boyish energy. I think he still has a crush on Grace. Maybe Priya too.

HRVY: I think Bobby has good chemistry with several of the girls, and after a night in the hideaway, maybe something a little bit more than that with Lottie. He’s still trying to figure it all out.

~~~~~

S1 Talia at the Bar

Caroline: Talia, You know what it's like to be in there at the start. Especially if you haven’t found the right person. Is it important to lay it on thick and pick one person quite quickly or should you be holding back and waiting?

Talia: I think, early doors for many Islanders still, it’s good to keep your options open. If you put all your eggs in one basket, it can be very difficult and it can end up shooting you in the foot.

Caroline: What are your thoughts on Bobby and Lottie?

Talia: I think now it’s very much a friendship vibe. He does seem to care about her well-being. I like seeing that fun side of her when she’s just chilling with him.

~~~~~

In The Beach Hut

Caroline: Live from the Beach Hut, it’s Gary, everyone!

Gary appears on the big screen sitting in the wicker chair in the Beach Hut.

Caroline: How is life in the villa treating you?

Gary: Oh, amazing. I can’t moan can I? I’m in paradise. It’s probably gonna be one of the best summer’s of my life, to be honest.

Caroline: So, we thought we’d play a quick game of Rate Your Mate, since there seems to be a lot of bromances this year. Are you ready to spill the tea?

Gary: Yeah, I’m up for it. Let’s do it.

Caroline: Who is the messiest?

Gary: Me.

LAUGHTER

Caroline: Gary, who has the best banter out of the boys?

Gary: Er, the best banter has got to be Bobby. I feel like he’s been my favourite on ‘ere.

Caroline: Who has the best gym bod?

Gary: Erm… Jakub, the lad’s a beast.

Caroline: Moving on. Tell me, who takes the longest to get ready?

Gary: Oh. (he groans) Aw, mate! I’d say probably Lucas. All the hair gel.

~~~~~

Caroline: What do you think about Marisol and Lucas?

AJ: I think they make an attractive couple. They're both attractive and intelligent, but I think that’s it for commonality. I don’t see any chemistry between them. I think they're both place holders for each other.

Caroline: Ouch!

~~~~~

Caroline: It’s Henrik and Rocco!

Rocco: I didn’t think I’d be going today, to be honest. I was meant to be making Marisol breakfast tomorrow morning.

Henrik: I think I was supposed to be having a bubble bath with Lucas tomorrow.

Caroline: I know, it's not even been a week, but as you said, it feels like a long time. People already have connections. You’ve kinda got to be Mr. Steal Your Girl.

Henrik: Mm-hm. Some were pretty closed off, so it was definitely hard. It’s tough to come in and try to make an impact. You know, a few started to crack a little bit towards the end. But nonetheless, I had a lot of fun and still did what a bombshell should do.

Caroline: All right. Rocco, you were getting to know Marisol. Are you disappointed that you didn’t have more time to explore that further?

Rocco: Yeah, definitely. Time is always so fleeting when you don’t want it to be. Hopefully, I’ve given her something to remember me by. Our spirits are really aligned, like, cosmically.

~~~~~

Caroline: Alright, let’s get back to our couples. Obviously, tonight we’ve seen things kick off between Hope and Noah. But let’s go back a couple of days and talk about ‘Operation Nope.’ AJ, you want to start?

AJ: It's Love Island. You don't have to make excuses to graft! Just admit you’re into Noah and own your shit.

HRVY: And poor Ibrahim! He's just sitting there, like, "okay.”

AJ: I was truly baffled by Bobby's underlying motivation for doing this. He seems to be close with every girl, so it could be that he is simply showing his support for her.

~~~~~

Caroline: Just wondering, does anyone fancy another quick trip to Mallorca? We have a special treat now. Welcome to Aftersun, Chelsea and Grace!

Both girls wave both hands excitedly and smile brightly.

Caroline: Chelsea, you’ve settled in really, really well. How have the Islanders made you feel welcome?

Chelsea: Yeah. Oh, my God, they’re all diamonds. Honestly, straight away, I feel like I’m just part of the weird family.

Caroline: Let’s find out how well you know your fellow Islanders. Are you ready?

Caroline: Jakub’s worst habit is biting his nails. Is that true or false?

Caroline: Lottie… had a Justin Bieber poster under her bed. Is that true or false?

Caroline: Hope’s secret talent is playing the guitar. Is that true or false?

~~~~~

Caroline: it’s time for another week of quickie with our islanders.

Chelsea: What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

Lucas: That’s top secret! We have to maintain some mystery.

Bobby: What superpower would you choose?

Chelsea: I’d wanna read minds, so totes. Think of the gossip you’d hear! I’d love to know what goes through peoples heads.

Bobby: Invisibility—imagine all the cool pranks you could do with this, like pretending to be a poltergeist.

~~~~~

Caroline: There seems to be another love triangle forming between Noah, Hope, and Priya. The latest challenge led to some saucy revelations. Priya revealed Noah is considering choosing her at the next recouple, leaving Hope and Noah questioning their relationship. Hope and Noah are on the rocks at the moment.

AJ: Yeah, it’s the moment Priya goes, “Your relationship is falling apart. Noah and I would be a better couple, and she’s gonna fight for that to happen." War declared. The moment those words come out, savage.

Caroline: It’s like the Battle of Noah, isn’t it?

HRVY: It’s great telly, innit it?

Caroline: Talia, what is it like in there when tensions are running high? Can you escape it?

Talia: You can’t escape it. You can’t get out. Literally. But, me, personally, I would just go to the daybed. Get my favourite snack and just ignore people.

Caroline: Unbothered queen. That’s why we love you.

~~~~~

Caroline: Our Islanders are having the summer of a lifetime in their very own sun-kissed paradise, and no two days are ever the same. This season, a separate villa called Casa Amor will be introduced. Existing couples will be temporarily separated, and the Islanders will have the opportunity to form connections with the new arrivals.

The screen flashes to six new attractive boys and six new beautiful girls.

Audience: CHEERING and APPLAUSE

Caroline: After a few days, there will be a recoupling ceremony where they will decide whether to stay loyal to their original partners or switch to a new Casa Amor connection. Will the Islanders stay loyal, or will their heads turn?

HRVY: I think it’s gonna be an issue for a few people.

Caroline: Do you think our Islanders haven’t really been tested enough, Talia?

Talia: I think this type of separation will test all their loyalties and might dredge up prior relationship baggage and trust issues.

#litg #loveislandgame #loveislandthegame #loveisland #litgs2 #litg s2 #love island game #love island the game #abitofme #litg 2 #litg season 2 #garysnan #garyandhisnan

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kitkatt0430 · 6 days

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So having only watched the mess that was Armageddon from Flash S8, I've mostly gotten my info about that season second hand and none of it really puts me in a rush to see the season despite the return of Ronnie (expect not really) and a heroic version of Eobard showing up.

And I admit, I'm still trying to piece together an alt take on the season that would have enticed me to watch after Armageddon. Just as a thought exercise for now, but it could easily be for fanfic purposes later.

Setting aside the first five episodes of the season, the only four things I hear about when people talk about S8 is that the episode focused on Nora & Bart is cute, the Ronnie psych-out plot was rushed, nothing really happens with the Iris time sickness plot until the end of the season, and the heroic Eobard plot (where Eobard gets one of Barry's love interests from the comics and also the face-ripping off thing that comics!Eobard did to comics!Barry) was also rushed. And it seems like the biggest problem the season had was pacing.

I am... not surprised.

So according the Arrow wiki, S8 was broken up into three main arcs. Armageddon, Death Revisited, and It's All Negative. There's a two episode interlude between the first two arcs, and a three episode interlude between the second and third arcs.

I'd have to say, looking over the plot summaries for Death Revisited, they spent too much time foreshadowing and not enough time focused on Ronnie & Caitlin & Frost. If the heart of the story line is supposed to be Caitlin's grief over Ronnie being dug back up and the sisterly love that's grown between Caitlin and Frost, then they needed to commit to it and build those two aspects of the storyline up first.

If the interlude were cut down to just one episode, then we keep Impulsive Excessive Disorder as the post-Armageddon breather but end it with a teaser about Eobard Thawne (Matt edition) showing up in present day Central City, found by Meena. With the third arc foreshadowed as being a result of XS and Impulse's time travel, the second arc starts. It also takes the second arc from six episodes to seven.

Cutting out Marcus, Caitlin's quickly forgotten about boyfriend would probably help with the pacing a lot more too. Instead Caitlin's issues with Frost/Mark become the very valid point that Mark hasn't actually done anything to earn Caitlin's trust, but also jealousy because she's reminded of what she had with Ronnie. Underscored by Caitlin having started dreaming about Ronnie lately and flashbacks to her relationship with him when she sees Frost out with Mark. The three of them wind up looking into a recent death of one of Caitlin's colleagues - and friends - who'd recently been on the same panel as Caitlin at the science & tech conference from the Armageddon arc. This winds up being their first encounter with the Black Flame, which Frost notes rather uncomfortably seems drawn to Caitlin.

By the end of the episode Mark would have demonstrated that he really is trying to be a better person, not just to earn Caitlin's trust but because it's what he wants for himself. And Caitlin having a heart to heart with Frost about how their relationship as sisters is what helped Caitlin overcome her heartache over losing Ronnie and move on with her life, though she's not sure she'll ever truly stop grieving him entirely - the episode stinger would have the black flame appearing in somewhere in Central City with Ronnie stepping out of it.

The next episode, Caitlin's seeing Ronnie everywhere while the Black Flame goes after more people. Frost is concerned about Caitlin's mental well being and when the episode culminates in Ronnie showing up 'for real' and asking for Caitlin's help in stabilizing him without Martin, Frost is very suspicious. But the entire team helps Caitlin reprogram the quantum splicer to help him return to normal. Afterwards all his scans show Ronnie as being a perfectly normal human. Caitlin is elated and kisses him, but Frost is worried that's still not Ronnie, which she confides in Mark.

The third episode has Ronnie creating a rift between Caitlin and Frost as he needs Caitlin's entire focus to be on him. Her love for Frost and her friends is a problem but Frost in particular is holding Caitlin back. As far as he's concerned, anyway.

Frost would probably be the one to figure out that Ronnie was actually the source of the Black Flame in the fourth episode but by the time she figures it out, Caitlin's already left to spend time alone with "Ronnie" forcing the team to look for her frantically. Episode five would have Caitlin learn the truth but by then she's been 'poisoned' by her proximity to 'Ronnie' and her rekindled love for him having given Deathstorm the in he needed to start transforming her into another of his kind. By the time the team finds them, Caitlin has accidentally manifested black flames herself.

Episode 6 would focus on Ronnie and Frost's fight over Caitlin with Caitlin ultimately choosing Frost but in doing so the transformation she's going through begins to kill her. If Deathstorm can't have Caitlin, no one will.

Episode 7, Frost knowingly risks dying to save Caitlin. As she puts it to Mark, she was created from to protect Caitlin but has become so much more. Because Caitlin loved her, Frost became her own person and has learned to live for herself. She no longer sees protecting Caitlin as an obligation to run from, but a choice she makes out of love. When Frost dies after absorbing the hellfrost powers as well as Deathstorm's powers, she's seemingly absorbed back into Caitlin. Which would make Caitlin's certainty that Frost is alive within her later on make more sense.

The next interlude is the funeral for Frost but from there I'm not sure where to go. Iris' time sickness never totally made sense and I still think it should have been wrapped up as part of Armageddon.

Obviously Eobard would get introduced a lot sooner and take part in several episodes proving himself as a hero, only to make it more tragic when EoWells either intentionally or unintentionally utilizes his more heroic self to facilitate his return for the season finale.

#fic ideas #the flash #fanfiction #the mess that is season 8

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48787 · 3 months

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I AM LOSING MY MIND OVER THE ENERGON UNIVERSE SPOILERS FOR TRANSFORMERS 1-4, DUKE 1, VOID RIVALS 1-6, AND THE TEASER FOR COBRA COMMANDER

I DONT THINK THERE WASN'T JUST A TIME SKIP I THINK THERE WERE A COUPLE SUBSTANTIAL TIME SKIPS AND THAT I WAS A FOOL FOR NOT NOTICING IT WASN'T JUST THE 6 MONTHS IN DUKE (Not even counting how long it's been AFTER the fight with Starscream pre-6 month skip) I THINK THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A TIME SKIP IN TF ISSUE 4 I'M LOSING MY MIND, MY WIFE THINKS I'M CRAZY, BUT BEFORE I JUST ACCEPTED CERTAIN THINGS BECAUSE I WAS LIKE "Oh, huh, I wonder when Megatron's gun got ripped off.." (and she was like, now alternating,) "Most likely before he got frozen over??? Obviously it had to have been before the crash, otherwise how would Optimus have it in his trailer??" "Yeah, you're right, I just thought it was neat that it feels a little ambiguous, like maybe it was ripped off after he was frozen over," "Well, it's clearly supposed to be a mystery," "Well yeah, obviously, I'm just on the look out for red herrings and stuff especially because we never actually see what's in the trailer and there's a bit of a time skip between Sparkplug's idea and him putting on the arm, but you're probably right..." "Not much of a time skip, they're just at the hospital." "Okay sure I guess" BUT GOING BACK UP TO THE PANEL (after making a joke about how it's funny that the fusion cannon is the scope of the gun, so Prime has the scope [doubly meaning ambition hee hoo i'm so clever] of Megatron which funnily feels more powerful than Cobra's gun [which I THINK doesn't have the scope on it but I CANT TELL and MIGHT BE STUPID] and going back up to the panel where OP has the arm in the middle of making it) THERE'S TOO MUCH RUBBLE!!! THE HOSPITAL WASN'T THAT DESTROYED!! MAYBE CLIFFJUMPER AND CARLY WENT BACK TO THE POWER PLANT WHERE HER DAD DIED??? I DON'T KNOW!!! I DIDN'T THINK SO BUT I FEEL LIKE I'M MISSING OR FORGETTING A LOT OF DETAILS RN!! DID SPARKPLUG GIVE HER THAT GUN SHE HAS NEXT TO HER WHEN SHE'S TALKING TO CLIFFJUMPER?? WHY CANT I REMEMBER!! PRIME'S DAMAGE IS THE SAME, SO IT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN THAT BIG OF A JUMP.... I THINK?? IM TRYING TO COMPARE THE LITTLE WE SEE OF THE PLACES BUT IT FEELS LIKE MY BRAIN IS FRIED BECAUSE I BECAME TOO BUSY THINKING ABOUT: WHEN DOES VOID RIVALS TAKE PLACE??? JETFIRE SAYS HE NEEDS TO GO HOME, BUT WE SEE HIM ON EARTH INSTEAD NEXT IN TF, LOW ON ENERGON. MAYBE HE WAS SEARCHING FOR STARSCREAM SINCE PERHAPS HIS PARTNER WAS LOST AS WELL... "I have not seen you... for centuries" IS A LITTLE WEIRD, BUT THEN I GOTTA WONDER... HOW CLOSE IS EARTH?? HOW FAST CAN HE TRAVEL??? HOW MUCH ENERGON DOES THAT COST?? HE CLEARLY MUST'VE BEEN ON EARTH FOR A LITTLE WHILE TO GET NEW ALT MODES RIGHT?? MAYBE THIS IS A SEMANTIC THING BUT IT GOES FROM "I've been stranded here for... millions of..." (IMPLIED YEARS I THINK?? I DONT KNOW ANYTHING ANYMORE) AND THEN IT CHANGES TO "I have been away for centuries" JUST LIKE HOW STARSCREAM SAYS THE WAR HAS GONE ON FOR "the past hundred years" THERES A WEIRD FOCUS ON 100s OF YEARS... WHICH DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT IF YOU'VE TRULY BEEN AWAY FOR MILLIONS??? (Starscream has no clue how long the war has been going on for considering he just woke up now, so we have no clue when the war started or how long it's actually been going on for...) BACK TO VOID RIVALS WHY IS SHOCKWAVE THE NEXT CYBERTRONIAN (i think?) WE SEE IN VOID RIVALS??? WHY ON CYBERTRON??? OBVIOUSLY HE'S THERE BECAUSE MEGATRON PROBABLY LEFT HIM THERE TO RUN IT, BUT WHEN IS THIS??? THE PLACE LOOKS FINE (though... perhaps depopulated?? We do only see Shockwave) AND IT PROBABLY IS EITHER DURING OR POST WAR CONSIDERING HE HAS THE DECEPTION SYMBOL BUT... WHEN??? SHOCKWAVE'S WHOLE CHARACTER IS USUALLY "I'M YOUR CYBERTRONIAN HOST, SHOCKWAVE, AND I'VE BEEN HERE THE WHOLE TIME" SO THE FACT THAT HE'S THE ONE WHO WE SEE AFTER JETFIRE IS WEIRD, RIGHT?? LIKE MAYBE VOID RIVALS IS EARLIER THAN WE THOUGHT??? ALSO, DOES SKUXXOID BEAT JETFIRE TO CYBERTRON?? DID JETFIRE EVEN GO TOWARDS CYBERTRON AT ALL IN THE FIRST PLACE?? MAYBE SKUXXOID'S SHIP IS JUST BETTER???

SPEAKING OF WHICH, WHY IS JETFIRE ALL DOOM AND GLOOM ABOUT FAILING HIS MISSION AND HOW "Everything will die..." LIKE SURE MAYBE HE WAS EXPLORING TO FIND NEW RESOURCES FOR HIS DYING PLANET BUT... EVERYTHING?? LIKE I GET CARING ABOUT YOUR PLANET MORE THAN ANYTHING BUT... "EVERYTHING???" SURELY THAT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE VOID RIVALS STUFF WITH THE DYING SUN, UNENDING WAR, DWINDLING RESOURCES, AND SACRED RING IMAGE LOOKING EERILY SIMILAR TO AN OPENED MATRIX??? RIGHT??? WHEN IS COBRA COMMANDER 1 GONNA TAKE PLACE??? WHEN IS HE GOING TO TAKE MEGATRON?? DID THE GOVERNMENT MANAGE TO COVER ALL THE STRAIGHT UP OUT-THERE CYBERTRONIAN FIGHTING??? ITS SO LATE, AND IM LOSING MY MIND OVER THIS, I KEEP TRYING TO PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER IN MY HEAD BUT IT FEELS LIKE I'VE SOMEHOW FORGOTTEN KEY DETAILS ABOUT EVERYTHING... okay... Rant mostly done... I think I'll try to reread some of the comics soon and form a more coherent post later that's not just SCREAMING into the void about random points that could probably be easily or obviously explained if I were able to hold more than a single thought in my head at a time. You'd think I'm exaggerating but it's been such a weirdly long day that I feel like I'm doing that one fight in jojo part 6 where I open one tab to cross reference with another tab, and as soon as I open up tumblr to write anything one of them is like evaporated from my head. It was nice getting it all out of me though! Got me to reread Prime talking about the last thing he remembers more closely and how before the crash there were only two hundred years of fighting apparently. I think I made a note of that when I first read it but clearly I forgot! But who knows how many years of fighting there have been since! Also, in the crash scene that Prime remembers Megatron still has his arm, so the most obvious solution to the original question is that Megatron fell out of the ship during the crash, but somehow lost his arm in the process, and when Ratchet was loading everyone into Prime's trailer he just so happened to pick up Megatron's arm, just for safe keeping! Further shown by the amount of damage done to Megatron's body compared to Prime's shiny new arm. Pretty much everything probably makes sense within the comic, I obviously am just jumpy to make wild ass claims because one or two details seemed weird to me and I like to playfully think all the media I consume is carefully lying to me and throwing in red herrings in the dialog to build to some massive twist that was always visible from the start. I really really like how the energon universe is going so far! Once I can get my thoughts in order, expect a more coherent post about how Sparkplug would be a perfect decepticon or something stupid like that, I don't quite know yet!

#actually incoherent post #rambling about shit I literally only half remember with blatant disregard for accuracy #It's not that I don't believe in the crux of it though... I think there's something funky with time...#but i need to sleep so I can actually organize thoughts into something real

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beevean · 1 year

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Sonic in issue 50: "I don't know your (Surge's) story so I can't judge." / Sonic in issue 55: "[Starline] made them... I've heard enough." bruh. you have every opportunity to learn about Surge's story, and at every turn you choose to ignore it. muh compassion.

I can throw Sonic a bone and say that the mere concept of Surge and Kit's creation should be viscerally disgusting to him. Even without knowing the details, just hearing that these were two kidnapped, brainwashed children would make the hairs on his body rise and fill him with pure righteous fury, a powerless one now that Starline is dead. No need to hear anything else.

However. Nothing in the panels or the script conveys that fury. We don't get a panel where Sonic silently contemplates their tubes with disgust, while Tails and Eggman are discussing in the background. His expression when he says "let's get this over with" looks... affected? Not realistic at all. I genuinely cannot tell what

is supposed to mean.

When he sees Surge and Kit, he offers no emotional response, just the usual "I don't want to fight you". Not even a single acknowledgement of their situation, something like "I understand now that you can't help the way you are...". And of course, in the epic teaser for the Final Final Showdown, Sonic is grinning at Surge like usual.

I literally do not see the horror that fans are seeing. I'm trying, I really am, but my eyes aren't helping me!

#sonic the hedgehog #fans don't look

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kyzveryown · 2 years

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Although Sonic Frontiers looks pretty good (traversal looks fun), there are some issues I want to address. For one, there's too much automation for what's supposed to be an open zone game. The dash panels, dash rings, and some of the rail sections kill the exploration. They need to be removed. There are areas in the world, specifically the tower section in the beginning, where the dash panels were unnecessary. Also, his walking animation looks weird.

There aren't any enemies populating the world though I suppose we'll see more of them in the coming weeks. There's cliping and asset pop-in which will hopefully be fixed before the game drops. A lot people seem to have an issue with the Forces' Sonic model being reused along with some of the animations (jump, stomp, air boost). Personally, I don't care. It looks his movement has slightly improved but given how garbage Forces' movement and gameplay was, the bar is on the ground.

I hope that there's more to do in the world aside from puzzles though. From what I saw in the teaser yesterday, the combat looks average. There's also the rumored cybespace levels we haven't seen yet. Hopefully those levels take inspiration from Generations rather than Forces. So far, it looks all right. We need to see more though.

#thoughts #opinion #critique #sonic frontiers #gaming

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kurt-wagner-official · 1 month

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Post #110: NM issues 65-66

The other kids, and especially Max, are unconvinced that Forge deserves to die. Illyana ports off to Scotland, hoping her beloved Kitty will agree with her, but she doesn't, leaving Illyana more hurt and angry than before. But when she returns to the mansion, the other kids jump on her before she can port again, and they all find themselves in Limbo. It's worse than ever before, reflecting Illyana's hatred and rage. The team decides to go with Illyana to protect her; none of them are convinced she's right, but the most important thing to all of them is staying together right now. Illyana takes the soulsword from its place in Limbo and ports the team to Forge. In the absence of both Illyana and the sword, S'ym plots some evil plans, while on Earth, Destiny has foreseen this attack and has brought Freedom Force to protect Forge. There's a big fight that lasts most of the issue. It's not bad action, and I suppose the book needed it after a few months of sad conversations, but it's not terribly interesting to me. There are some good moments, like when Rahne leaps into danger to protect Illyana and when Sam knocks Illyana down to stop her from getting to Forge. Eventually, Dani projects Destiny's greatest fear- an invasion of demons that she says will stem from Illyana's actions this issue, unless the other New Mutants heed her warnings. Illyana isn't fazed, motivated by nothing but hatred, and she grabs Forge and prepares to strike him down.

I don't think I've mentioned Bret Blevins, the penciller who's been working with Simonson. He's not my favorite or least favorite, although he does draw a truly terrifying angry Illyana. I mention him because the layouts are different this issue, big and blocky instead of the organic panels he usually uses. I don't know why. It doesn't look bad, just a little jarring, like suddenly I'm reading something from the 2000s. Anyway, the New Mutants try to stop the battle between the two sorcerers unsuccessfully. Forge has the upper hand on Earth, so Illyana drags them all to Limbo, where she reigns supreme. The land comes alive and traps the New Mutants while Illyana and Forge battle. Forge tells Illyana she's what he was like at her age; how through magic, they should both have had foresight, but got drunk on their own power. Forge summoned the Adversary in the first place, and Illyana took Peter to Dallas. Forge is tired of other people suffering for mistakes he didn't think through, so he lets Illyana stab him, disrupting his magic. But before she can kill him, Dani shows her her own fear- herself as a full demon. It shakes Illyana out of her rage, and despite the demons of Limbo encouraging her to finish her enemy, she instead saves her friends from the vines that are suffocating them. Rahne begs her not to lose her own soul, and Illyana throws Forge back to Dallas and takes her friends home. She tells them she's too dangerous to stay on Earth, but can't go back to Limbo full time. Cut to space for a teaser; an spider alien named...Spyder...is telling her minion Gosamyr that she's gonna go kidnap and enslave Lila Cheney.

After a few issues for character stuff, this was a solid two parter that continued those themes while having the action a superhero book is technically supposed to have, pushing the plot forward and setting up Inferno. I have mixed feelings about Forge, because I know he didn't want any of this but it is pretty much all his fault. Rahne's love for Illyana, born out of the fear she used to have of her, is very sweet and will be crucial in saving the world soon. I'm glad Inferno is being set up slowly, but honestly this story had a little to much Illyana focus for me. In X-Factor, the big Right and Apocalypse stories were centered on Warren, but the ensemble felt very balanced. Maybe it's because the cast was smaller in that book, but Illyana always feels like she's hogging the page rather than sharing it while moving the plot. Oh well. It's good stuff, and I do love Illyana, so I'm not too upset about it.

#wes reads xmen

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alunclewe · 7 months

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I want to get back into posting other things (such as things that are drawn in more than a few minutes), but I've still got a lot to deal with at the moment... but in the meantime, I did attend the @sequentialartistsworkshop Friday Night Comics workshop again this week. The host this time was Amy Kurzweil (@amykurzweil on Instagram), and there were two main parts to today's workshop (not counting a bit about stream-of-consciousness writing to generate ideas). First, we were supposed to take one minute to draw ourselves as a robot. (One minute is, of course, not much time, hence the sketchiness of the drawing.) Second, we were to take twelve minutes to draw a four-panel comic about a robot. (There was a little more to it than that, but that was the gist.)

Anyway, I haven't been posting much lately, but I'll definitely have something to post next week, since this weekend is 24-Hour Comics Day, and I'm participating in that, as I have been every year since 2006. Not sure I'll get around to posting the entire comic right away, but I should be able to at least get the title page up on Monday as a teaser. I may also get some in-progress shots up tomorrow or Sunday, but no promises.

#Sequential Artists Worshop #sequentialartistsworkshop #SAWcomics #robot #comic #robots #Friday Night Comics #FridayNightComics #Comics Workshop #comicsworkshop

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gadgetsboy · 10 months

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Pixel 8 Pro: What we Know so Far

While it's still far from reality, Google's Pixel 8 Pro is undoubtedly one of the most-anticipated smartphones among Android enthusiasts, building on the foundation and legacy that Google kickstarted with the early Nexus and Pixel handsets. And while we're months away from any sort of official announcement or teaser from Google, that hasn't stopped the internet from finding out what it can about the next Pixel flagship. With that in mind, there's still a ton of hardware and software features that we don't know about, but here are some tidbits that we've seen so far - let's take a look! A Somewhat Familiar Design It's not surprising that Google chose to maintain the general Pixel hardware design that we've seen since the arrival of the Pixel 6 series, which was further refined with the Pixel 7 handsets. Early renders from OnLeaks show that the Pixel 8 Pro will come with many of the visual elements seen on the Pixel 7 series, albeit with some slight changes. For one, the phone will come with a flat display, a big change from the curved screens seen on the Pixel 6 Pro and 7 Pro. The corners of the phone are a bit more rounded this time, at least according to the renders spotted online. Finally, the camera window on the rear panel merges all three lenses into one large opening, as opposed to the separate camera openings on the older Pro models. A New Hardware Feature One of the more interesting features that have been leaked about the Pixel 8 Pro is the inclusion of supposed thermal scanning hardware. Initially spotted by tech site 91mobiles, a now-deleted YouTube video shows a demo of a Pixel 8 Pro being used as a thermometer on a user's forehead, something that's not usually seen on smartphones. The thermal scanning function supposedly works by holding the device close to one's forehead, and moving it gently across to the temple to take a reading. Based on the video, the thermometer is placed in the Pixel 8’s camera bar, next to the lenses and LED flash. Granted, this is the only mention of the feature since, although given Google's track record for bringing over unconventional hardware features (and subsequently killing them off) like Soli sensors, squeeze-for-assistant and other hardware functions, it wouldn't be exactly far-fetched to see something like this from the company. Slightly Better Batteries Another speculation with regards to the Pixel 8 Pro's hardware is the inclusion of slight improvements in terms of battery. New leaks online predict that the Pixel 8 Pro will come with a small bump in charging speeds, going up from 23W to 27W. Should this be true, it is still admittedly slower compared to most other Android phones on the market, which come with much faster 45 and 66W fast-charging support. Additionally, there's word that Google might increase the battery ever so slightly, going from 4,926 mAh (as seen on the Pixel 7 Pro) to 4,950 mAh. As with the charging speeds, it's a very small upgrade, that is of course should it be confirmed once the device launches. Hands-on Photos Perhaps the most intriguing of all the Pixel 8 Pro leaks we've seen so far are the on-hand images posted online. Originally sourced from Reddit, the photos show the front and back of the Pixel 8 Pro, the latter of which features several labels indicating that the handset in the images is a test unit. The screen meanwhile displays a boot screen with some specs listed for good measure, although it doesn't appear that the device is usable. On the other hand, these new images seem to confirm the earlier design renders that were leaked, especially with the rear camera window. Another aspect of the phone's design is the matte rear panel, which would be a nice change from the glossy back glass that was previously used on the Pixel 6 and 7 Pro models. With all that being said though, all of these are unconfirmed at the moment, and Google might have yet to surprise us with some unexpected twists once it finally launches the Pixel 8 series phones later this year. Nevertheless, Google Pixel fans have a lot to look forward to in the meantime. Read the full article

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tixersdotcom · 1 year

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When DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn announced the new DCU slate with ten projects on January 31, 2023, fans were convinced that Zack Snyder's time with the DC universe had finally come to an end. After directing "Man of Steel," "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice," and "Zack Snyder's Justice League," it looked like no matter how much Snyderverse fans tried to bring back their favorite director in the superhero franchise, his era was over. The departure of Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck, as well as the rumored exits of Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, and Jason Momoa from their respective DC roles, hammered home the point that Snyder's reign was over. However, is it really over? Recently, Snyder posted a video on Twitter that mentioned the character of Darkseid and the dates April 28–30. This one tweet reinvigorated fans of the director's DC movies and made them wonder if "Justice League 2" was in the works. Zack Snyder Tweets Cryptic DC Video When "Zack Snyder's Justice League" was released on HBO Max, it was supposed to act as a closure for fans of the Snyderverse. Instead, it did the opposite. It reinvigorated Snyder's fanbase, and they began earnestly campaigning for "Justice League" sequels as well as other projects like "Man of Steel 2" and "Green Lantern." Even James Gunn and Peter Safran's appointment as the CEOs of DC Studios and the subsequent release of the 10-project-strong first chapter of the DCU did nothing to deter the ambitions of Snyderverse fans. Instead, they began petitioning Netflix to continue the Snyderverse. The idea was that since Gunn already planned on making projects under the Elseworlds label and was also planning on selling their DC shows to other streamers, it made sense that the Snyderverse could continue as an alternate version of DC canon. However, many industry insiders clarified that it isn't as simple since projects in the Snyderverse involve three of the biggest DC characters: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Also, it involves the premier DC team, the Justice League, with other A-list characters like Flash, Aquaman, and more. As a result, continuing the Snyderverse on a competitor's streaming service would have been a loss for WB. Also, it would be detrimental to their plans to build a cohesive, streamlined universe if they continued the previous one anyway, not to mention the fact that Netflix hasn't shown any interest in buying the Snyderverse. However, recently, Zack Snyder posted a video that said, "Transmission incoming." The words "Lord Darkseid," referring to the DC villain, were also written with the dates of April 28 to 30. This made the fanbase believe that there was a chance that their dreams of Snyder returning to DC were finally coming true. What Does The Video Mean? The teaser clip shared by Zack Snyder on Twitter could very well mean that there's a collaboration happening with WB and DC Studios. After all, the mention of "Lord Darkseid" in the video has riled up the fanbase and made many predict that their dreams of watching "Justice League 2" are coming true. However, the reality is probably different. It's possible that the clip was a hint for Snydercon. On March 22–24, 2019, Zack Snyder held a convention at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. During the two days, attendees got to watch the director's cuts of "Batman v Superman" (2016), "Dawn of the Dead" (2004), and "Watchmen" (2009) with Snyder himself. Also, there were panels, Q&A sessions, signings, and more. There were attempts to get another such convention in the subsequent years, but due to the pandemic and Snyder's work commitments, it wasn't possible. However, it might finally happen this year. As for the reference to Darkseid, it just might be a screening of "Zack Snyder's Justice League" that the fans will get to watch with the titular director himself. Noted scooper Grace Randolph backed up the rumors and claimed that the announcement was for Snydercon. She also said that the convention would signal his departure from the DC universe.

The insider also noted that WB could be involved with the convention to facilitate him moving on to the next phase of his career. If this is indeed true, then it's good news for everyone involved. After all, Zack Snyder's collaboration with Netflix is going well, and he has already made projects like "Army of the Dead" for the streaming service. There's also the upcoming highly hyped film, "Rebel Moon," which he is directing for Netflix. As for the Snyderverse, there's not much hope that fans will be able to see any live-action continuation of that universe. However, maybe the universe will find its eventual conclusion through books, comics, or even animation. However, even if that happens, it won't be in the near future. But then again, it's possible that Snyder and WB will surprise us with some DC news from April 28 to 30. See more: At Least 11 More DCU Projects Are Left To Be Announced By James Gunn For Chapter 1: ‘Gods And Monsters’

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hawkinsschoolcounselor · 2 years

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Has anyone noticed that El doesn’t look at, or even seem to acknowledge Will in every shot we’ve seen so far of ST4? I wonder if she’s purposely ignoring him. Weird. Although even before, she’s never been shown actively trying to engage with him. 🤔

I didn't notice it before, but, yeah, you're right.

She doesn't look at him in anything we've seen, yet. This isn't particularly egregious, as we also don't see her looking at Jonathan, as far as I remember. It is conspicuous, though, since we do see them at school together.

I don't know that she's ignoring him. Will seems concerned for her when she gets treated badly at school. I don't see him doing that if she's acting like he isn't there. There's also little reason for her to treat him like that. The only moment that looks particularly odd is from the teaser when they're getting in the van. It looks like Will opens the panel door, but then El gets in without even looking his way. I suppose it's possible that she picks up some bad habits that make her seem a bit stuck up, especially if she's trying to emulate the popular girls. Still, I don't think she'd even walk with Will if that were the case. If anything, it's as if Will is invisible.

It could just be careful editing when making the teasers, trailer, and promotional stills. Mike isn't seen looking at Will at all, either, nor do we see Will interacting with Jonathan. It's enough to make me wonder if they're trying to accentuate Will's perceived isolation.

#stranger things 4 #will byers #eleven

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class1akids · 3 years

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It seems from the last chapter another one of the vol 32 promo sketches' context has been answered ( https://twitter.com/Color_Division/status/1447776112415846404?s=19 ). I had initially thought that the sketches were a mix of stuff that happens soon after vol 32 and things that will happen in endgame but with so many of them happening now maybe the Shouto-rage moment is rapidly approaching? I can't imagine any other situation outside of the next Touya encounter where he pushes past his limits, but at the same time it would be strange to me if Touya is just dealt with so quickly and then gets what - taken into police custody? Joins to help in the final fight against the remains of the PLF? (The latter seems pretty ooc for him, to bother with that since I can only imagine him being at best a neutral party who may chip in to save those he cares about from dying) for us to then focus on Shigaraki and Izuku (and perhaps Ochaco and Toga?) I would have thought before it may be used to have Shigaraki's location leaked by Touya, but given the already tiny window left and Shigaraki already attacking Stars and Stripes...I don't know.

Oh you are psychic; I was just thinking about how another thing is done from the teasers (which were also supposed to be Vol 32, showing how much Hori underestimated how long it will take to wrap everything up). We got Dark Deku, Nagant, Uraraka, Bakugou, the PLA advisors, Iida leading Deku home, international heroes (though I don't think that particular hero - could be someone from Star's past).

The things we are still missing are Hatsume and Rage Shouto. Deku's gear is unusable (Iida's is broken too, but I think he'll get Tensei's stuff), so obviously the plot will have to switch back to UA after the Star/Shiggy confrontation to give Deku his final suit before the endgame fight.

Which leaves us with Shouto - which I think is either part of the closing moments of this arc or is the transition into the endgame battle.

I've been trying to think of what he's expression looks like, and to me, it definitely feels like anger/rage/pain mix.

I don't think Touya necessarily has to be there for him to break his limits, though. His first time was facing Deku, the second time it was Tetsu.

With Shouto, his past trauma is always bubbling pretty close to the surface, so it can come out in any kind of emotional situation.

It definitely feels like the story is building towards his next "the person I want to be" moment.

The narrative also pretty much neglected all the emotional stuff Shouto has been dealing with since the war - the Dabi reveal, being tainted with both Endeavor's and Touya's sins, his family being dragged in the media, the anti-hero movement honing in on Endeavor and by extension his family, Shouto himself personally causing unease for others, wanting to go after his brother, etc.

It seems like that he's been focused to get Deku back for now, so he supressed everything else. I honestly still think it would be cathartic to give him a moment where it all hits him (a la DvK2 Bakugou), because it is a lot... and let him cry or have a meltdown or a rage moment.

It could be still tied to Dabi threatening something or someone he wants to protect (be it his family, his friends or the civilians - I'm still waiting for the kindergarten kids making a cameo, because why make that panel if you won't deliver on it).

Shouto so far never smashed a limit during a big battle - it was usually before. He unlocked his fire in Sport Festival -> became important during the Stain fight. He unlocked Flash Fire in JTA -> became a life saver in the war.

Both Bakugou and Deku got an upgrade during/post-war, something Shouto hasn't had yet. So I wouldn't be surprised if now Shouto got another upgrade before going into the endgame battle (maybe in a situation where there is an attack on UA or he's helping out in Shiketsu or something). The ability being some kind of extreme only he's capable of - according to the teaser. And then whatever ability he unlocks will be used in the final battle facing Touya.

By the way, I'm totally expecting Touya to switch sides in the endgame and help out at the very end of the fight and get a Touya-Shouto combo. I agree that he's not going to be suddenly the altruistic type, but Shouto will have to reach him, together with the family, and when that happens, I think Touya will remember his love for them and he will want to protect them too.

The narrative is steadily building towards "an everyone should be saved, everyone can become a hero" type of conclusion (if the Stain chapters didn't make that clear). So I think all the three main villains at least will have key roles in the final victory.

#bnha speculation #bnha meta #todoroki shouto #todoroki touya #bnha volume 31 extras #teaser panels #c1a asks

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river-bottom-nightmare · 3 years

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Nightwing 79 Review

i said i would and i will. i did like this issue! not as striking and attention grabbing as 78, but i think this issue was meant to be a foundation one, laying out the groundwork for the future. overall, pretty good. also there wasn't enough bitewing. as promised, overly extensive metaphors and me reading too much into things under the cut

i know i've talked about this cover before, but this particular thing is oddly important to me, so i'll talk about it again

this is me, once again screaming about how artists put nightwing in traditionally feminine poses and how every time i see it i just get whiplash. i mean, true, the main reason why is because nightwing is a so often sexualized character, and putting him in these poses just increases the objectification, which is a goal that dc producers have. but there are very few popular male characters that do this. the only one i can think of off the top of my head is deadpool, but that was so obviously a critique and a way to make fun of the media industry. when they draw dick like this, they’re being serious. they’re putting him in appealing poses meant to show him off, and that’s something that’s traditionally only been done to women.

it's a very direct and very loud breaking of traditional gender roles in media, especially for a character as high-profile and historic as dick grayson. colour also plays a factor in this. the entire background is pink. i was absolutely shocked when i first saw it, when the teaser came out, because i cannot think of any comic book covers of male comic heroes this high-profile where pink is even just prevalent in the cover, let alone the majority of the cover. the pink does look beautiful: it offsets and highlights the black and blue of dick's suit gorgeously, but does it with more finesse than orange or red. but the fact that the stylistic choice was made to accent and draw this cover with aesthetic and beauty in mind, completely ignoring traditional hard-set gender rules in art, was a conscious choice and one i wholeheartedly support.

just another example of the sexualization i was talking about. i remember seeing harley quinn in this exact pose in suicide squad.

so far, taylor's been pretty dead-set on bringing alfred to the forefront of importance in this series. he wants people to know how much he loves alfred's character, and how much the butler meant to dick growing up. he was dick's father too. but what i adore is how taylor managed to stress alfred's importance in a way that didn't insult or belittle bruce.

this is one of the best bruce and dick interactions i've seen, and it's done in one simple interaction. in this, bruce is tough and harsh. he knocked dick down hard, but then he reached a hand down and helped pull dick back up. let me analyze their dialogue for a minute

on your feet: this is bruce telling dick to get up. he's trained dick, he knows what the younger boy is capable of, he knows his limits, and he knows what dick can do. this is bruce telling dick i know you're strong enough to get up, so get up and prove me right

are you just going to knock me down again?: surface-level, it looks like dick's complaining. he doesn't like bruce's rough training, and he's tired of bruce knocking him down. but look at his face in this. he's smiling up at bruce, knowledgeable and a little hopeful. he knows that bruce is doing this to help dick better himself, he's completely on board with the rough training, because they both know the rewards are incredible. also, he's teasing. he's bantering with bruce. there's an ease in that joking statement, one that belies affection and intimacy. they've only known each other for a little bit, but they're already slipping into a close familial relationship.

it depends on how fast you learn: this is bruce bantering back. this is bruce not being a stoic, unfeeling asshole. instead, he's shown with the dry humor that a good batman writer knows is a staple of the character. he's teasing dick, telling him he'll basically whoop his ass if dick doesn't learn fast enough. it's incentive for dick to train harder, while also being lighthearted enough to tell dick that believes in dick and doesn't want him to push himself too hard.

gosh i love the titans. also it looks like wally's staring at dick's ass.

this was cute. a prod at dick's silly and playful sense of humor, while not dumbing him down for the sake of a laugh. instead, he's joking about food, which is stuff everyone jokes about. this is the kind of stuff that'll actually make me laugh, instead of just making me vaguely uncomfortable.

bludhaven's almost always portrayed as a cesspool of a city. and to be honest, it really is. but this panel gives the city a meaningful history, while also giving us a reason for why dick moved there.

it talks of a time when people still thought they could beat the monsters. that if they fought hard enough, they could win the fight. it was a tentative hope that you could always overcome hardship.

dick's little "i like that it's still standing" shows how he still believes that, despite what the rest of the world thinks. despite everything that he's been through, dick is still tentatively an optimist, and believes he can fight the monsters of the world and win. it's a beautiful testament to his character, and i'm like that they added his signature element of hope back in. it used to be what he symbolized as robin, and despite his growth and character arc from robin to nightwing, this is one aspect of robin that i'm glad nightwing still has.

remember when i said "things that make me vaguely uncomfortable??" yeahhhh,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Shooketh Dick: A Sequel

(the expressions in this series are just,,,,on point)

this was an incredibly sweet and kindhearted thing for dick to do, but i found it kind of,,,,,,,,desperate? maybe that's just me, but let me explain.

dick's suddenly a billionaire, and he has entirely too much money that he knows what to do with. it's also alfred's money, what the man left to him, so dick forever links it with alfred. in addition to that, he's back and bludhaven and looking at it with "fresh" eyes. (at least, from a different point of view since he got shot in the head. then mind controlled.) he's desperate to do something with the money and he's desperate to help the people around him that so obviously needs up, so he comes up with an on-the-fly solution that's a little impractical and a little crazy, but it still helps and still does some good.

to me, dick seems a little lost. he hasn't completely found his balance yet, and he's trying to do things that will. he tries charity, because that's what bruce did and it's what he knows, even though he admitted that he always thought bruce could have done more as bruce wayne than batman.

they have a family group chat guys yall were right.

also, do i think that dick would ever actually get his wallet stolen?? no way in hell, he’d notice someone getting ready to pickpocket him a mile away. but i suppose it’s important to the Plot.

okay this is getting interesting. first blockbuster, now maroni (+ the weird heart stealer guy). i can officially say that i am intruiged

this particular artistic quirk is shown a lot in this issue, and from this art team in general, but i feel like this panel is one of the best examples of it. it was stunning enough to take up a full page, and it’s well deserved.

the way they show dick moving is absolutely brilliant. as a reader, i like seeing these smaller versions of dick getting clearer and in more detail as they come closer to the screen. not only do they show depth in the picture beyond what a simple 3 dimensional piece of art does, it also shows the passage of time.

in addition, it showcases dick’s skill. dick spots these mobsters running after a group of petty thieves. he then, and follow me here, leaps off the roof of one building feet first, springboards backwards off the side of the adjacent building with his feet, gracefully continues his backflip, rights himself, shoots a line with perfect timing: just in time to soften his landing but not slow him down, execute said landing on top of a moving bus, keep running on the moving bus without missing a beat, shoot his grapple, use the grapple to swing, use the swing to build up momentum, then use the momentum to deliver a powerful blow to the mobsters. and he did all that fast enough to catch up with the mobsters, even though he was a ROOFTOP OVER.

d a m n s o n

this panel, the very first in the issue, is also another example of that art style, but a little more distinctive. i love the way they showed dick’s different costumes through the ages, along with him simply growing up. it’s a little heartbreaking, but a lot uplifting to see how far he’s come. thank god he got rid of the red. now all we need is the fingerstripes, and we’ll be golden

discowing my beloved. also i can’t clearly see discowing’s hair but it definitely looks like it’s pulled back. it looks like he put it in a ponytail. guys. guys. dick had a ponytail omg.

he’s having a Hero Moment

are you talking about the city, dick, or are you talking about you? the kgbeast, the court, the joker. dick fell to each one of them, no matter how hard he fought. he won in the end, eventually and with his family’s help. but i think he’s feeling a little low, a little defeated right now. it’s almost like he needs a win, he needs to feel victorious, he needs to feel like he helped someone (hence the food and the hotel room), just because he needs to remember what it feels like.

these lines were supposed to resonate with you, and goddamn they did.

i looked at it from two ways. first, it’s the girl asking, begging nightwing not to hurt them. bludhaven doesn’t know dick the way gotham does, they’re still a little frightened of him. this child was brave enough to step in front of all of the other hurt and homeless kids and ask, to a strange man in a mask, if he was going to hurt them like the other men had. it’s heartbreaking, but commendable, and an echo of the city itself that dick’s decided to protect. they’re bloody and broken and terrified, but still gritty and brave enough to stare what they fear in the eye and ask it not to hurt them.

second, it’s dick seeing the question reflected in himself. recently, he got shot in the head and lost all his memories. while i think that the way ric reacted was a perfectly valid and human response to the situation, i think dick still regrets how callously and rudely he treated his family. then, he was manipulated by the court of owls, then he was brainwashed with a magic crystal by the joker. dick does have a guilt complex. it’s not a big as bruce’s, but it’s there. and right now, with this girl begging her not to hurt them, dick is probably thinking about all the times he hurt people, in control of his own actions or not, bc he “didn’t have a heart.”

little ambitious don’t you think, dick?

also just look at the sunset colours loOK at the they could not make this any more obvious oh my godddddddddddddddddddddddd

in conclusion, i need more of her

#dick grayson #nightwing #nightwing 79 #nightwing 79 spoilers #dc #dick grayson meta #nightwing meta #nightwing 79 meta #dc meta #river thinks too hard

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