#Also - and this one is more visual I guess - that Nightmare has gotten softer over time

[somegrumpynerd]

Do you have any hcs for the twins?

Here's two I remember that I really like! (Also these are definitely not my ideas originally but I cannot for the life of me remember where I first saw them)

For Dream it's that he's just as strong as Nightmare. Like you see Nightmare lifting his henchmen with his tentacles all the time, Dream should also be able to lift like 3 people at a time. I wanna do something silly with it in my truce au but here's Blue finding out in the meantime (he lost his phone and Dream's helping him look for it)

For Nightmare it's that he can also do the starry-eyed thing that Dream and Blue and Cross can. Dream knows he could do it when they were kids but assumes the corruption changed that, but really it just doesn't happen very often so none of them have seen it. This is how it looks

[wings-of-a-storm]

SKAMITA DIVE NO.2

Okay guys, I’m just going to dive right into this one. I’ve finally been able to indulge the feels and write up a little not actually little essay on one of the clips that still takes the breath from me whenever I watch it. Yes, if you couldn’t already tell from the lame references, that clip is: Halloween (4.4) - aka Martino’s and Niccolò’s first kiss.

I have been so desperate to talk about this clip -- or more specifically the pool scene -- because it is one of those moments where there are a thousand things happening in such a short space. I can still remember how stunned I was the first time I saw it. Their chemistry was jaw-dropping. And as an adherent to the Nicotino movement, I obviously have to take this time to pay my respects to this great scene.

I’ve left the Halloween drinks and famous St Peter's Basilica scene to the myriad other awesome discourses out there because I don’t have much to add. In this essay though, I will look at:

What the hell Martino was supposed to be dressed as

The peak of Martino’s and Niccolò’s UST

The Kiss That Changed Everything (and made Renato realise he needed to go to the gym more)

MARTINO, WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU?

I feel like before I get into the pool scene, a bit of dirty laundry needs to be taken care of first. Or at least laundry. (Okay, that was supposed to be a reference to whatever the hell Martino is dressed as for Halloween. I tried.)

What is Martino wearing for Halloween? I feel like he is a walking ink-blot -- you can interpret whatever you will from his garment. Some see fashion nightmares, some see sheets, some see invisibility, some see boring gay. I see some sort of fantastical sci-fi guardian monk, but that’s giving Martino too much credit, I’m sure.

In all seriousness though, I don’t know what Martino is supposed to be dressed as (in his text he said he’d find something at his house? That house just got sadder). Once the mask is off though, it starts to give off priestly robe vibes for me with all the white flowing folds and layers. One of the top layers hangs around most of his torso too, which evokes a sense of some restriction, unlike the free-flowing cape Niccolò has on. Symbolism at its finest, perhaps. But, brilliantly, the way they are filmed from the back, Martino’s and Niccolò’s costumes resemble a set, like they are partners in crime no matter what.

So… If Martino gives off that chaste, restricted, pure, priest vibe with his costume, then Niccolò’s evokes the opposite with his vampire get-up. Vampires of course are associated with seduction and decadence -- even if this one rides a bicycle. The vibe is carried off brilliantly by Nico, who glides ahead of Marti a lot, lures him into unsavory places, and asks him to disrobe at the end of it all. In other words, I imagine Niccolò’s choice of costume is supposed to prime us to all the temptations and seduction that we hope will be taking place soon.

We need to give Nico credit where credit is due though: can you believe he rode a bike all through the city -- transporting double the weight -- with fake fangs hanging out of his mouth? The chances of dislodgement were so high, but that didn’t stop him.

And the best part? Although he had taken the fangs out at some point prior to arriving at the pool compound, he… (guys I can’t handle this) puts them back in when he tries to scare Marti. Like a proud little kid completing his look for the full impact, as if Marti will be scared by muffled enunciation and slobbering. I love this soft vampire so much!

THE UST WAVE STARTS TO BUILD

Niccolò’s about to get softer, guys -- I know it was just a random impulse to take Marti to the pool, but it is so cute how Nico wants to share this special place with him. It clearly has a lot of nice memories for him and he wants Marti to be a part of that and for Marti to know all the little things about him (the parts that he chooses to share). It’s such a sweetly understated connection he’s building with Marti.

And then: RennAAATooOO. (I have nothing to say, I just wanted to pay homage to the masterpiece.)

It takes Martino a bit of time to start loosening up, but that nervousness makes his transition to pure delight all the more sweeter when he believes they really are alone together. What is also great about Marti’s worried-about-being-caught mood is that it set things up for Marti to already be in a heightened mood. His pulse would be rising, his brain would be taking everything in with a sharper focus, and all this biochemical stuff would be tripling as he looks at Nico. How ALIVE would he be feeling right now to be doing this with Nico? And the longer they are standing there undisturbed, the more possibilities of what they could do together would be running through his mind. That would be such a heady feeling, like an extension of the wild freedom he felt on that bike.

So they are finally alone. And there is that gorgeous moment when both are just standing there smiling at each other, taking each other in. Like they can’t believe they’ve finally found this moment together. Particularly Nico -- he looks so enraptured to have Marti standing before him.

And then Nico’s eyes drop, and he’s taking Marti’s body in. And he tells Marti to take his clothes off -- but somehow in the cutest voice! Like how does Nico manage to say “Undress!” so affectionately?! His voice is poetry! He sounds so in love, like they are actually on their honeymoon and not doing illegal shit in the middle of the night in costumes.

And I love that Marti was so distracted by his concern of getting caught, that he didn’t seem to properly register or appreciate that the guy he likes is starting to take his clothes off. He really is a priest. (I’m obviously guessing with that but the symbolism is quite strong when he is standing in front of his vampiric seducer.)

Anyway, back to the UST…

Nico tells Marti to take his clothes off, and there is this slight pause as if Nico seems to realise he actually needs a reason for making such a suggestion. So he offers up the vaguest thing: “So you’ll have a chance” but doesn’t elaborate any further. Probably because he is making shit up on the fly to keep up with all the subconscious urges he is feeling -- the need to get undressed and be physically close to the boy he likes. This urge-dictating-whimsical-idea cycle is happening so fast he probably doesn’t even realise that his subconscious is driving him now. It’s all rather like his revered giraffe story: the heart knowing things before the head realises and the head having to catch up.

Marti goes along with this vague suggestion without question, presumably because A) he is so used to just following Nico wherever, and B) following Nico’s instruction just feels right because there is an undercurrent and his subconscious is picking up on it. I mean, he’s already taken his shoes off before he even attempts to seek clarification on what he’s undressing for.

This whole moment is fascinating UST in action. It’s that remarkable undercurrent that you can feel as a viewer despite never being overtly acknowledged by the characters. And it just continues to build, with Nico starting to show off and taunt Marti about his skill: “So you have a chance of beating me.” It’s like Nico displaying his feathers to a mate, exuding dominance. And could those words feel any more layered? It feels more like Nico is saying: Just try to resist me.

Above all though, the challenge itself is just so UST-filled. A race. Fast moving bodies. Exertion. Physical proximity. There is just SO MUCH energy there and a physical challenge is the closest substitute for what they really want to do.

So wow, our wave of UST is building and it is almost about to explode as one of my favourite things happens: Niccolò finds an excuse to run his fingers through Martino’s hair.

Did that…just happen?

I mean, Nico already has the promise of physical activity with Marti (their swimming race), which you’d think would be enough for his hormones. But no, Nico is so far gone in the urge-to-whimiscal-idea cycle and so desperate to touch Marti, that he makes up the dumbest excuse to touch Marti’s hair. Seriously. The. Dumbest. Excuse.

- “Can I even beat you if you were a water polo champion?” - “Just admit you don’t want to mess up your hair.”

Um, firstly: why does the taunt require you to actually touch his hair, Nico? And secondly: Marti has already committed to your challenge! His shoes are off. His priestly robes have been pulled over his head and discarded (more symbolism). He is ready to get in the pool. Your taunt is based on absolutely nothing… Your urges have gotten way too ahead of you, sweet child.

Couldn’t the UST in that single moment blow a fuse box, though? It is so visceral, you could choke on it. How badly had Nico been wanting to run his fingers through Marti’s hair? And not just that -- his hand is in proximity of Marti’s face, which he could touch and bring towards him if he lowered his hand. But somehow Nico has enough restraint left to remove his hand from Marti’s hair and pretend it is just a simple taunt.

And this leads to my second favourite thing happening: Marti’s UST exploding right back. Their whole banter in this moment felt disguised as something else:

“You think I give a damn about my hair?” “Absolutely yes.” “Oh really?” “Yeh.” ”Oh really?” ”Yeh.”

Pretty sure they were actually saying:

“You just touched my hair and I want you to do so much more.” “I do.” “Oh really?” “Yeh.” “Oh really?” “Yeh.”

Because Marti loses it. He literally grabs Nico’s body and manhandles him in a burst of testosterone onto a mattress -- I mean pool. (And it is so clever that they kept the camera on that large splash because it felt like a visual metaphor for the explosion of hormones that have consumed them both.)

But the shock of cold water temporarily snaps Marti out of it and he’s back to being paranoid about  Renato catching them after they made such a loud noise. His head darts around, making sure they are still alone.

Meanwhile, the ungracious toss into the pool has also temporarily snapped Nico out of the UST and back into his quintessential child-like playfulness: the guy who thinks it is fun to put tabasco and honey in pasta, thinks it is fun to pretend to drown. This guy… I love him so much. His mind is a marvel.

Martino seems to find this whole act incredibly endearing -- because as if he would ever think the water polo champion had actually drowned. But to add the cherry on top: OH MY GOD, that tiny spout of spit/water that flies out of Nico’s mouth when he reemerges looking like a drowned rat, talking himself up, is the funniest fucking thing in the world. His own bodily functions were like: ‘Nah bro, you’re definitely shit at this.’ Let’s just take a moment to appreciate how charmed Marti is by that bag of idiocy in front of him. Look at his face!

Naturally this intense rush of affection leads to some seriously adorable banter from Marti: apparently Marti was a child protégé too but at breath-holding! One cannot help but assume he is taking the piss out of Nico, the alleged child protégé of water polo.

Nico plays along with this melodramatic account of Marti’s and you can see it is his turn to be helplessly charmed by the idiot in front of him. So much so, I think he genuinely said “Okay let’s see it then” with no ulterior motives or UST-brain. That’s the thing with these two: they are so in sync with each other’s rhythms, they just follow each other’s vibe and match it, no matter where it takes them.

And Marti is just so cute when he accepts Nico’s challenge -- that dramatic nod after Nico suggests a countdown, like ‘fuck yes, we’re doing this!’ He is totally in serious business mode, like we’ve seen him be in with all the challengers the Smugglers set. Nico chose the wrong guy to challenge -- Marti’s not going to lose this for anything.

Nico on the other hand is more amused than anything. I never tire of watching him as he watches Marti’s dramatic resolve. There is just so much affection in his eyes and in his smile. This boy in front of him makes him forget all the shitty things in the world and just makes him feel so happy and so present.

Ensconced in these feelings of warm affection, is it any wonder that Nico’s first move under water is to tickle Marti? Oh the softness. But I’m getting ahead of myself!

THE KISS THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING

1, 2, 3.

Nico and Marti drift down below the surface together, leaving the world behind. And even with chlorine in their eyes, they seem to maintain eye-contact. What energy.

And everything is so soft because friggen Candles starts playing. It feels like we’re in a world where everything is so gentle and peaceful and magical.

Nico breaks that eye-contact briefly as he smiles to himself -- clearly the moment he realises it would be hilarious to poke and tickle Marti -- and the smile grows to a grin. I absolutely adore that even underwater Niccolò can’t stop smiling. Marti’s all clenched up tight, trying not to ingest water but Nico can’t help himself from smiling because he is so happy and feeling so much affection for Marti and I can’t take it!

And that’s not the only thing that feels so in character for Nico: out of all the tactics he could think to employ to disrupt Marti’s focus (we, er, won’t mention Even trying to strangle Isak in og…), Nico elects to TICKLE his opponent. Just like the softness of their pinky touch, it feels like quintessential Niccolò with his sweet, child-like urges. And he’s absolutely loving teasing the crap out of Martino -- look how he tries to gauge Marti’s reaction the whole time, as you do when you want to get a rise out of someone and have their full attention (the UST is back, guys). And it does work because you see Marti trying not to laugh.

Here’s a piece of art: two boys infatuated with each other:

Poor Martino though, guys. He has such a tough job right now -- even without the tickling/pawing. Imagine floating in this peaceful bubble with a beautiful boy smiling at you like that. And so close by. All you’d be able to see would be that beautiful smile… Wouldn’t it make your heart race?

But this cheater needs to be stopped. So Marti reaches out to move Nico’s hands away from his person, and their hands touch.

I can only imagine, in their state, how many biochemical reactions that incidental touch set off. It seems to unlock everything, like some important barrier has been broken, because Nico, as if he can’t hold back anymore, springs forward to kiss Marti.

This time the kiss did feel like an ulterior motive, not an orchestrated tactic. It felt like above anything, Nico just really needed to kiss Marti. He felt safe to do so because just like with the pinky touch, it could be disguised as something innocent if it was taken badly.

(Of course it was just a bonus that Nico would probably win the game with such effective interference. I imagine his total grin from ear to ear after he finished the kiss was from that mixture of ‘Oh my god, I finally kissed him!’ and ‘teasing him is so much fun; he’s gonna be so maaaaad’.)

Taking a step back from Nico’s POV and into the pure cinematic aspect of it though, when Marti starts rising to the surface, it feels like I am watching Marti being blessed by Nico, like Nico is helping free him. It’s that gentle slow motion of the shot and the way Nico’s arm floats up beside Marti like he is guiding him upwards to a better world. Like you’ll be a new person, this is your baptism. And it’s the way Nico smiles at Marti the whole time he watches him rise, like he’s proud of him and so happy for him to now be free. I know all that is just an illusion, but I love it none-the-less.

Now for Marti’s POV. When they submerged, Marti’s mind was fully focused on ‘I’m gonna win this challenge, muthafucka’. With that steely focus, I don’t think he was thinking anything sensual in their bubble away from the world, or saw any special opportunity the way Nico had. He was amused by Nico but still taking things seriously enough to try and fend off Nico’s interference. But then he gets kissed -- and he’s shocked -- and just as he breaks through the surface, it hits him that he was actually kissed by Nico. He hadn’t even suspected it -- he hadn’t been ready to appreciate it! And he’s grinning like a son of a bee while processing everything, probably replaying it in his mind a bunch of times.

The most refreshing swim of Martino’s life - aka his pores have been cleared:

Nico then gets to do his ‘Sucked in, you lost!’ taunts (such layered meaning again) to keep things light until he figures out Martino’s reaction to the kiss; Marti gets to fake protest while his mind races to come up with a way they can do it again; and all through their ‘You cheated!’ / ‘No I didn’t’ banter (so very convincing, Nico), they are dancing around how good it was, how much it actually meant, and how that one kiss won the whole game for both of them.

Of course, now that they’ve kissed and broken that barrier, Marti is just in heaven and all competition flies out the window because now his goal is just to get another kiss. So he makes a big deal about needing another round of the competition for fairness and Nico totally sees through it -- how could he not when the air is so charged and they are both grinning so much. Nico’s whole: ‘You think there are rules here? Ahh. Okay~’ is so smooth and seductive and flirtatious and damn!

It is here that my third favourite thing happens: Nico’s game face emerges. It is what will become a very familiar Niccolò mood transition: becoming very serious and focused and determined at the precipice of something sexual while Marti just grins away (every time, I swear). Nico’s ‘game face’ is hard to capture in screenshots because it is such a micro expression, but if you compare his face from before their first submerge to before their second submerge, you can see how it is less playful-amused and more serious-amused. And I can’t tell you how much it jolts me every time I see it.

I just…really love Nico so much here. He is having this really private moment that Marti doesn’t notice in his eagerness to get back under (Marti’s completely chomping at the bit, all ‘let’s-go-go-go!’). But in this private moment, you really get a glimpse of Nico with all the layers of the night’s flirtation stripped away. He is taking this second submerge so seriously because it isn’t a game to him (not that it is to Marti either, but you know). You can see that Nico is so aware of how important this moment is; what a big deal it is for Marti to step out of his comfort zone like this. Nico knows exactly what Marti is trying to do, he knows exactly what will soon be happening, and he is preparing for it, ready to savour it.

Look at this face, guys. It hits like a bullet:

And the two of them drift down under the water again, and we get a wide shot of this dark but comforting bubble -- wide because this time they are both on the same page, thinking and feeling the same things and no one else exists. And there is ZERO preamble -- Marti doesn’t even pretend that he’s only there to hold his breath, he just goes straight for it.

And Nico surrenders to Marti. Yes, it is a reference to his promise not to touch Marti, but it is so much more than that -- Nico knows what Marti wants to do and is going to let him do it on his own terms, with all the pressure taken off. Plus, he probably loves the idea of being able to just anticipate it.

What also affects me is Nico reverting back to a smile as he waits. Yes, he’s over the moon that Marti is going to try and kiss him, but it feels bigger than that. We saw that before they submerged he was actually in a very focused mood, so this smile feels like a shield put back in place to keep things light for Marti even if inside he is actually a raging storm of emotion.

And sweet Marti, who needed the help of Nico and this underwater sanctuary to coax his true self free, kisses him.

I’ve already seen people describe what happens next as ‘Nico melting’, but truly, what other word is there for it? He melts into the kiss and his hand instinctively cups the back of Marti’s neck and slides into his hair. And he is so engrossed in the kiss and all the feelings that come with it, he can’t stop his hand from roaming all over Marti’s head to feel every part of him. (And we know how much he had been wanting to touch Marti’s hair earlier, too.)

The best part is that Marti is cupping Nico’s neck right back because Marti is as overwhelmed by Nico as Nico is by him. He too had been wanting to touch Nico for so long. And then Nico’s free hand comes to rest on Marti’s forearm (the same arm that is cupping Nico’s neck). They are so sweetly connected.

And yes, while forces underwater make it rather a necessity to hold onto another person if you want to stay close to them and not float away, we all know that that necessity is completely secondary to them just wanting to hold each other. ;)

So Nico’s arm then slips beneath Marti’s to gently hold his torso (the sensuality!) to guide them up for air. (And may I just say that Nico moves with such elegance -- those legs pushing up, wow.) This means that both of them come up for air still practically attached to one another, almost chest-to-chest. There’s no way they will let themselves move any further apart. And better than even that: Nico is still cupping Marti’s face when they break the surface, like even the natural forces of buoyancy and gravity couldn’t stop him from holding Martino.

They then clear the water from their eyes and take a moment to just stare at each other in wonder. Marti’s gaping mouth (possibly the biggest smile of his life) just hits you with all the feels. You figure from this that Marti has zero chill while Nico is more composed… Until Nico’s hand bursts out of the water again to grab the back of Marti’s head and pull him closer for more kisses -- then you realise that nope, Nico has zero chill as well. He even jolts up higher for a better angle.

Marti can’t stop grinning the whole time, while Nico is just so focused on kissing him -- their first of many versions of this. And then they touch foreheads -- also the beginning of a very familiar pattern between them. And Marti starts giving back those kisses as good as he is getting them, all while cupping Nico’s neck in return. I felt every bit of that intensity!

And let’s not forget the way Nico is so overcome by their chemistry and Marti’s mutual enthusiasm, he mouths “Well!” at two different points (I think that was what he was saying, right?). It’s like their kisses and energy are even better than he had imagined; that Marti is so much more into it than he’d ever dreamed possible. Perhaps even he had forgotten how good it feels to kiss someone with that much passion after his stale relationship with Maddalena.

It must have felt so good for them to finally be able to show each other how they feel. Marti in particular must have been so amazed that he could even feel this amount of yearning for someone after all his lacklustre experiences with girls. His friends’ incessant talking about sex would finally make sense; he now understands that obsession and yearning because holy shit it feels amazing with the right person!

It is a shame that at such a pivotal moment, Renato interrupts them. I wonder what would have happened if he hadn’t. Perhaps some underwater body grinding…

And there we have it. Their first kiss(es) that was going to change everything for them. The fact that this essay is 4000+ words shows how much this clip affected me and why I think Martino’s and Niccolò’s chemistry is ah-may-zing. I used to feel so bemused whenever I saw people say that Nicotino felt like just friends in this ep. I mean, even the hair touch before they fell into the pool felt so charged. Even just the way they gaze at one another… Damn son. I am a subscriber for life.

Thank you to all involved for giving us this beautiful moment.

ONE LAST THING…

Unfortunately, there is one downside to this glorious scene, and I’d feel too guilty if I were to just skirt over it. I couldn’t write all of this gushing without acknowledging that life is messy and sometimes forces very much meant to be together (such as Nicotino, and dare I say Gio/Eva), can be destructive to others in the process. I do need to acknowledge Maddalena and Emma, who were cheated on and stood up in order for this huge moment to occur. I am sorry for their humiliation and pain. The girls might never understand it, but those two boys needed each other in ways they couldn’t have known or understood. Your pain, girls, might have saved two lives.

Well, that got dark. Let’s end this on a leftover piece of art of two boys falling in love, shall we?