#I do not care if Sasha’s the bigger star | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fanmoose12 · 3 years

Note

Hello would you mind writing vets as a music band? And that fans suspect the “normal” relationship of head vocal Levi and bassist Hange? Sorry if my english isn’t writing properly at all.

Mikasa invites him to a No Name concert.

And it's like- whatever, right? Who cares? Jean certainly doesn't.

So what if the girl of his dreams asks him out on a date? It's not like he has been daydreaming about it for the past two years. So what if she offers to see his favorite band in the whole world? He doesn't even like them much. Sure, he knows all their songs by heart but- he doesn't listen to them that often. Only twice or thrice each day. And it's not like his closet hides an insane amount of their merchandise. That is between Jean, his closet and his mother.

He isn't nervous, he doesn't care about the upcoming date. At all. Most certainly, he doesn't spend literal days, obsessing over his outfit. And he obviously doesn't pester Sasha and Connie with questions on how to style his hair.

Most importantly, he doesn't imagine how it would feel to hold Mikasa's hand or maybe even go for a hug or a kiss-

Jean tries not to think about it, his heart starts to beat to fast, when he does, but when he doesn't think about Mikasa, he starts thinking about No Name and the little, tinie tiny fact that he's going to see them in person. That he's going to meet them and maybe even shake their hand, because Mikasa being the gorgeous goddess she is, got them tickets with access to a backstage. It didn't require any kind of effort from her side, since the famed, spectacularly, dreamy Levi Ackerman is Mikasa's cousin, but- Jean doesn't remember sharing his No Name obsession with Mikasa, for obvious reasons - he doesn't want to think that he likes her just because she's Levi Ackerman's cousin, Mikasa is great not because she's an Ackerman, but because she's Mikasa, but- but Jean is so, so grateful that he'll have the chance to see No Name in all their glory.

Of course, he is not at all nervous about meeting his favorite band in person. No, no, he doesn't lose sleep over it, his palms don't turn clammy. Sometimes he feels like he'll combust from anticipation, but he's fine, completely fine.

He just can't wait until that fated day will come.

---

When that day rolls around at last, Jean is cool. He's cool, calm, serene.

His hand is greasy from all the times he touched his slicked back hair, and he can't stop tugging at the sleeves of his leather jacket, but- but he's cool.

The band that is currently playing isn't that bad - not nearly as talented and awesome, and hot as No Name, but still good. The crowd is bigger than Jean is comfortable with, but today it works in his favor because it prompts Mikasa to hold his hand. Maybe, he'll get that kiss after all. If he continues keeping his cool.

That proves to be just a little harder task when Mikasa announces that they reached the backstage.

Jean can't help it - he gawks around helplessly.

This is it, this is a place where miracles happen, where stars lounge and rest.

This is the place where he'll meet No Name.

Jean can't imagine how this meeting will transpire. Will they like him? Will they agree to make a photo? Will they give him an autograph? Will they think that he's a weirdo who is too obsessed with their music?

All of the above? None of the above?

Jean doesn't know.

There are so many things he wants to say. There are so many things he wants to ask - how can they play with those bandages on? How do they never trip during performances? What is their favorite song to play? What do they do in their free time? What is their favorite food? Are the rumors about Levi Ackerman and Hange Zoe-

Okay, no, he probably shouldn't ask that last question, no matter how much he wants to know the answer. And he wants to, so, so much.

The thing is- there are many rumors about No Name. It's not surprising, they are young, famous and extremely hot. These rumors usually exclude the drummer, Mike Zacharias, who is already engaged with a very pretty blonde lady, their stylist. Although, there are some fans who speculate that the engagement is not true, and Mike actually dates their producer, one Erwin Smith, but- Jean usually ignores that type of fans, branding them as freaks.

Now, as far as everyone is aware, nor Levi Ackerman, neither Hange Zoe are involved in any kind of romantic relationships, and that's- that's where the juicy stuff begins.

There aren't many rumors about Hange - some say she's involved with Pieck, the band's make-up artist. Or their manager, Moblit Berner. Or an indie artist, Onyakopon. But that's where the list ends.

Levi Ackerman, however, oh he has a far longer list of lovers. Petra Ral, for example, a rising pop-star - young, talented and so pretty that it hurts. Or Erwin, although on that subject rumors wary - some say that Erwin is the one who got Levi in showbiz, some say that Erwin is his sugar daddy, some say that they're already engaged and even married. The rumors are as varied as they're wrong, in Jean's opinion. Most rumors about Levi are like that. There are even talks about his involvement with Yeager brothers - with the front man of the rival band, Zeke, and Jean's and Mikasa's classmate, Eren. Jean doesn't understand where these rumors even come from, as far as he's aware, Levi hates them both. But- but rumors still exist.

As stupid as they are.

Now, Jean has a different opinion, one that he spends nights defending in chats and forums. Yes, Levi Ackerman has a lover. And no, it's not Petra Ral, Erwin Smith or any of the Yeager brothers. It's Hange Zoe, No Name's bassist.

There are many reasons why he thinks so. Firstly, they are always together. And by always, Jean means always. In photoshoots they stand side by side, during performances they lean against each other, on all kinds of photos - from after-parties to official events, they always touch each other in some way. And that's not all. They spend their vacations together, they hang out at movies, restaurants, museums, their respective instagrams are full of the other's candid photos. And it's a known fact that they share an apartment. Honestly, how much more obvious it can get? Also Jean is pretty sure that one of the songs written by Levi is about Hange, and he has an entire essay, explaining why he's right. He prays to every saint known that Mikasa will never find it. He doesn't want his almost girlfriend to find out just how invested he is in the romantic life of her famous cousin.

As they walk further and further into the magical territory of the backstage, Jean tries to think of something cool to say, something laid-back and easy like 'hey, what's up, guys? I've listened to the couple of your songs, you're not that bad...'

Yes, he decides. That's a good way to start. A cool way to start.

And Jean is cool. And calm.

And- oh my god, there they are, the three of them, already in their costumes, just without the signature bandages. They look even cooler in person. They look even hotter and-

Mikasa squeezes his hand.

"If my asshole cousin says something awful, I'll punch him in the face for you."

God, that is so sweet. So Mikasa. He wouldn't be opposed to anyone getting a punch from her except- her gorgeous cousin. His pretty face should be protected at all costs.

However, as they approach, the face that charmed millions transforms, turning into a quite nasty scowl.

"So that's him?" Levi Ackerman asks (Jean's sick brain, even in that moment, can't help but note that Hange Zoe is standing right behind her band member, a hand laying on his shoulder). "That's the guy you're going crazy about?"

"Yes," Mikasa answers, and suddenly the air grows stiff. "Do you have a problem with that?"

The lines around Levi's mouth harden, and Jean tries to focus on Hange Zoe, while his mind prepares for something not at all pretty, but- Hange is smiling - not smirking, smiling. That is a good sign, right?

"Don't mind the Ackermans," she stage whispers to Jean. "Levi was actually very excited about meeting you."

Right now it's hard to imagine that dark (and still so handsome) face in the expression of excitement, but. Hange knows him a lot more, right?

"Oh and by the way," she giggles, and at the back of his mind Jean wonders if that's how angels sound like. "I'm Hange."

He almost blurts out 'I know' but- that'd be creepy? Or not? He can't decide so settles on a simple nod.

"Jean," he says, taking the offered hand in his. With his hand that isn't holding Mikasa's (they're holding hands, wow!), he shakes Hange's. It's unexpectedly calloused. But still warm and gentle. Not as nice as Mikasa's but... somewhere very close.

"And that is the one and only Levi Ackerman," Hange continues, gesturing to the man in question. "He only looks so scary. But actually," she winks and lowers her voice. "He's the biggest softie you'll ever meet."

The biggest softie Jean has ever met, practically snarls, baring his teeth. But the hand on his shoulder tightens and he instantly relaxes, scoffing in annoyance. Oh, so that's who Hange Zoe is? The one who tames the beast?

"You're not as revolting as her other dates," Levi says. Jean is pretty sure that it was meant as a compliment. "But if you dare to-"

"Oi," Mikasa's face becomes as stormy as her cousin's. "He won't."

"And even if he does," Hange smiles, so handsome and a little scary. "Mikasa knows what to do."

Jean gulps. He has seen Mikasa train that one time. He was very impressed, and a little bit scared. Also a lot aroused.

He knows with ironclad certainty that should Mikasa kick him... his face may not survive it.

"Hange, Levi," a gruff voice behind them calls. Jean lifts his eyes, mouth opening in shock as he sees him in the flash - the third member of Non Name, Mike Zacharius himself. In person... he is even more enormous than on photos. His shoulders are twice as wide as Jean's, and next to Hange and Levi, he looks almost like a giant. "We're starting in five."

"Oh!" Hange covers her mouth with a palm. "I haven't checked my guitar yet. Let's hurry, shorty!"

Hange dashes away instantly, Levi sighs and trudges after her. Mikasa tugs at Jean's hand as well, whispering that they need to go to their places.

Jean nods, absentmindedly, because right in that moment, at the other side of the room he sees Hange and Levi exchange a playful, quick but undeniably a kiss.

Triumph courses through him, firing him up. He knew that he was right, those fuckers from twitter can eat his shit.

Hange Zoe and Levi Ackerman are truly dating.

He wants to know more, wants to ask Mikasa to spare the juicy details, but for now-

For now, Jean has to take care of his date as well.

He interlaces their fingers, and, keeping Hange's words in mind - Ackermans are not as scary as they look - he leans in to press a kiss to Mikasa's cheek and whispers,

"You look fantastic."

Ever so slightly, but Mikasa blushes. It's the best moment of the evening so far.

And, hopefully, there will be more of that.

#levihan #jeankasa #i guess???

105 notes · View notes

mothicalspoken · 3 years

Text

Out here, the bugs are bigger than they are back home. If we weren’t used to it by this point, running for our lives and keeping an eye on everything behind us, we’d be scared shitless. Camp Amphibia is not the kind of place most kids want to go- think of your average, get-away summer camp, with it’s blistering heat and the stingy smell of sunburn and prayers in the woods. Now make that maybe… three times worse, with a side of constant existential terror, and you’ve got Camp Amphibia.

We’re not sure when we’re going home- it’s more of a earn-your-way-back kind of thing. All the counselors put the pressure on solving whatever it is that got us here, but surely they can’t keep us here the whole summer. It’s been weeks. The counselors act like they’ve lived here their entire lives, and maybe they have.

After all, they’re much too comfortable making the kids (us) do their dirty work. Like gym teachers who stand on the sidelines while you do laps.

HEART: Ow!

WIT: Oh my frog- are you alright? You’ve got to be more careful, Anne- There’s potholes everywhere.

HEART: Yeah they should definitely work on that… ow.

WIT: Do you need a bandage? I’m sure I can find-

HEART: No, no, I’m fine! I’m fine- don’t worry about it!

STRENGTH: You’re bleeding. You really don’t want that wound to get dirty.

HEART: I’ve survived this far.

STRENGTH: If you get an infection, I am going to kill you.

WIT: Woah- uhm-

STRENGTH: I’m joking, Marcy.

The eyeroll she sends her way is cut off by a sudden fit of coughing.

STRENGTH: *wheeze* Either way, it’s better to get that treated than to go without. I will personally drag you down to the healer’s office myself.

HEART: You don’t need to do that! I’m fine, seriously.

HEART: … Stop giving me that look. If you can cough nonstop for minutes and refuse to got to the nurse, then I can walk off a simple head wound.

Anne’s powers of persuasion usually come in handy for her- it’s just that we’ve known her for too long not to be skeptical. She’s the definition of charisma. She’s friendly- a social butterfly that could make anyone support her in pretty much any endeavor within 5 minutes of meeting her. She’s a good person, and rubs off on others. It’s the Anne Boonchuy magic. She’s probably not even aware of the effect she has on others.

The only downside is that she puts just as much effort into supporting people as the people she’s met do for her. Which makes her think everything is her fault, and her responsibility, and she has to take on the entire world herself. Which is kind of stupid- and why she’s so convinced she needs to be the physically healthy one in our group apparently. But it’s Anne. She just wants the best for people, and the most we can do is just try and make sure she doesn’t get hurt.

Marcy watches Anne and Sasha glare at each other. The stand-off makes her tense- regardless of the topic. Maybe she’d feel better if she were involved, or maybe if everything worked like it was supposed to. Marcy feels like she’s constantly searching for a missing puzzle piece when it comes to their friendship-everything is working as it should, but there’s always something off.

Maybe it’s a little silly, but all she wants is for them to rest. No conflict, no lingering glares or hidden tussles for control.

She imagines them lying down together on the grass, hands intertwined. They’re looking up at the sky, and for once it’s clear and blue instead of perpetually cloudy. They shuffle closer, sides pressed together, in order to point out a series of faded stars unhidden by daylight.

It’s a nice thought, until she feels the sensation of a hand in her own.

She raises her hand to her ear, and snaps.

HEART: Oh no– are we gonna be late?? What time is it-

WIT: I’m sure we left at the correct time-

HEART: Maybe me and Sasha’s… thing slowed us down. We’re gonna be the last ones to the campfire aga-

STRENGTH: Not if you two keep moping.

There’s not a single warning before Sasha sprints off. We have to run as fast as we possibly can in order to even keep her in sight- despite her laid back teen rebellion, she’s ridiculously athletic. No one would even know by looking at her- it’s just the way she is. She puts on the facade she wants other people to see, and unless you’ve been around long enough to know what came before it, you’ll never know who she actually is underneath.

Anne is an actual athlete- and she could match Sasha step for step but she hangs back in the middle of the fray just to keep an eye on both of us at once.

And then she stops.

Marcy runs into her shoulder full-force, not even meaning to.

WIT: Agh! Sorry sorry sorry- I didn’t mean to- what are you looking at?

Anne is staring off into the distance, looking at… something. Her eyes don’t look like they’re supposed to.

HEART: Over there. That light. The blue one. You see it?

WIT: No?...

HEART: It’s right there!

STRENGTH: What are you guys… Anne. Blink. For god’s sake.

She does so- rapidly and forcefully, accompanied by Sasha’s hands on her shoulders. (Apparently, she had decided to run back when she realized she no longer had a chaser.) It seems to snap her out of it.

STRENGTH: The bonfire’s this way. C’mon, you guys.

She takes our hands, and pulls us to the flickering light.

#test run of the amphibia wktd au!!#if i can figure this out then i might make it into an actual thing #ii'm horrible at following the original writing style of the game bc i'm too descriptive help #amphibia #my writing #wktd #this is very pre amphibia based. sort of

19 notes · View notes

dalekofchaos · 2 years

Note

One thing I notice about current WWE, in addition to being reliant on the past (Which AEW is also guilty of but I digress) it seems that they want the company to be the star lately, not the wrestlers and that honestly makes it feel like I'm watching 1995 RAW instead of 2022 RAW

It's been like this since Cena's decade of doom ended. All it cares about is the image of the company. No one is allowed to be a star like Hogan, Austin, Rock or Cena. Now? No one is allowed to be as big as Roman Reigns The Four Two Horsewomen(I say Two Horsewomen cause Sasha is Bayley's best friend and I can't see Bayley being okay with how Sasha was treated) and no one is allowed to be bigger than the company.

The wrestlers these days are like props with catchphrases. They read scripts and their promos don’t feel authentic and organic. They are not larger than life, they are not stars and no one cares enough about wanting to be stars. The company doesn't want stars or larger than life personalities. They want to control them and every aspect. And WWE views the “superstars” as replacable and no one is valued in the WWE, they don’t care about anyone who isn’t Roman or Charlotte or D-List Celebrities.

Passion, momentum and creativity dies in WWE. No one is allowed to organically get over on their own. If it’s not a chosen one by Vince, then they are punished for having a genuine connection with the audience.

No one wants to rock the boat. No one wants to make the best possible product, they want to do what Vince wants.

Just look at Sasha Banks as an example. This woman is the very embodiment of a star. She walks and talks like a star. She works like a star. She has mainstream star appeal. Oh let's not forget. SHE WAS IN FUCKING STAR WARS!

WWE never treated Sasha like the star she was born to me. Charlotte won at Wrestlemania 32, when the entire crowd was behind Sasha. Sasha had piss poor title reigns and shitty booking throughout her career. Only when the Golden Role Models era did it feel like they finally treated her right.

Sasha Banks has had a terribly booked run as Smackdown Women’s Champion, a botched feud with Bayley and Bianca but only good matches. WWE NEVER ONCE capitalized on Sasha Banks being IN FUCKING STAR WARS when she was Women’s Champion. Her feud with CHarlotte was dropped and she went out of her way to bring life back to the Women’s Tag Titles. Sasha Banks walked out of WWE twice, and both times it was because they broke their promise to let her build a midcard for the women’s division. This time she gave up a main event title match with Ronda Rousey for it. That’s not selfish, that’s what a leader does.

WWE should build around Sasha Banks the way they have built around Roman Reigns. She is demonstrably excellent at every aspect of her job, is amongst the company's biggest ratings draws, and has crossover appeal. Yet they never capitalize on her mainstream appeal and instead thinks Ronnie Lousey is worth more, OH AND THE FACT THEY NEVER ADVERTISED THAT ONE OF THEIR BIGGEST FUCKING STARS WAS IN FUCKING STAR WARS(NO I WILL NEVER LET THIS FUCKING GO, YOU FUCKING IDIOTS)

Another Example is what happened to NXT. Because Vince is petty and because HHH lost the Wednesday night wars, NXT was killed and replaced with NXT 2.0. I feel like NXT 2.0 is the modern day Black Saturday. Black Saturday refers to Saturday, July 14, 1984, the day when Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation (WWF) took over the time slot on Superstation WTBS that had been home to Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) and its flagship weekly program, World Championship Wrestling, for 12 years. McMahon’s purchase led to a longstanding rivalry between himself and WTBS owner Ted Turner, who later bought GCW’s successor Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) and formed his own company under the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) name. A lot of fans of GCW did NOT like this. This took away their more serious southern, athletic and serious wrestling or as they dubbed it “Gordon Solie” wrestling and replaced it with McMahon’s cartoonish, gimmicky and silly alternative. I feel the same has happened with NXT. HHH’s NXT was like the old days of NWA wrestling, it had a more focus on wrestling, a dark and gritty feel and it felt like what the WWE needed to evolve into. When NXT 2.0 came around. It made everything more bright and colorful(quite literally lol) more gimmicks, cartoony, phony and fake and it just feels like Vince taking NXT in the back of the barn and shooting it and replacing a prized horse with a jackass. And as Bronson Reed said recently “NXT was the professional wrestling show, now it’s just another entertainment show.”

And honestly? Modern WWE is like WCW 2000. Terrible booking, bad comedy, legends forced down our throat at the expense of the young hungry talent, 3 hours of television and a product no one, not even the people in charge care about.

#WWE #Anti WWE #Anti Vince McMahon #Sasha Banks

8 notes · View notes

intotherumiverse · 3 years

Note

ship your moots !!

I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE!! TURN IT UP

I got everyone of my mooties in clutch <3 p = platonic

Edit = this is so long I can’t. I have everyone that are my mooties (or I think that are my mooties) and I hope y’all like ‘em. They took so MF long

@katsumiiii + aomine daiki — cocky girlfriend with even cockier boyfriend. They’re playful banter is god-teir and for what? Daiki tries so hard for mira and she just plays it off. @katsukissy + bakugou katsuki — it’s >:) + >:/ moxie is such a menace to society and Bakugou is just taking it. plus they’d be such a power couple I can’t @koishiguro / @lvrgrlkoi + kise ryota — but like whipped boyfriend + “I don’t give two shits ‘bout your little fan club” girlfriend. kise tries so fucking hard for koi’s attention it’s funny. and she’s just 🤨 you done the entire time. @artof-apollo + p! denki kamanari — they the 2 pretty best friend. They are also crackhead x crackhea, with rare smart boy moments <3 @spike-this-ass + gojo satoru — dumb himbo boyfriend with secret smart partner <3. They’re the 🙄 +🤨. Gojo getting into the dumbest shit ever and Sunni’s just like “okayyyy? Tf you want me to do about it?” @myhoodacademia + power — cocky gf + cocky gf. Dee’s just like “I know you love me and power refuses to acknowledge the hint of the fact. But anyone else look at dee, she’s drop kicking someone

@lilsparkyswife + armin arlert — himbo + bf who tries to keep himbo safe. Von’s getting into the dumbest shit ever and armin’s just there like “ 🤨 didn’t I tell you fighting eren is never a good idea?” @katsuflossy + shiggy — I mean I guess he loves her. With them puppy dog eyes he makes everytime he want sum it has to be love. Ni on the other hand is just like 😐 tf you want now?

@noirstoxin + p! itadori — “yo ita. Try feeding sukuna hot sauce and see what happens” enough said.

@solar3lunar + megumi — quiet kids in the library vibes (even though nova isn’t really quiet per say) but megumi loves he and her antics. Would take on cafe date

@minruko + mirio togata — them nigh as would be so loud together I can hear it from here. Mini’s just daring Mirio the stupidest shit and Mirio’s like “okay!! I’ll do it for you <3”

@combat-wombatus + kirishima ejiro — soft gf + even softer bf <3. They are so sweet to everyone around them it’s crazy. Also parent couple me thinks!

@yuujisbby + itadori yuuji — dumb bf + smart gf. Ita’s doing the dumbest shit to impress Sasha and sash is trying to not let himself get himself killed by not letting him do the dumb shit

@bubblime + sukuna — it’s just overexcited gf + tired bf. Bubs is always down for anything and sukuna is the tried boyfriend telling her to come take a nap with him

@silkylious + shoto todoroki — analyst couple ; y’all can’t do anything around them unless you want to be roasted in the most blunt way. Just “is that why you make your daddy issues your whole personality? 😐”

@mypimpademia + taiga kagami — OKAY HEAR ME OUT BUT juice and taiga would make sense. Over excited bf with bf who’s seen it all. Will hit him if he over worked himself. also matching necklaces??? Yes.

@kunikida-kun + keigo tamaki — show off bf + ion care gf. He tries soooo mf hard just for rei to give him a blank stare and continue on with her day. @whipped-cream-writings + bokuto. Softest couple ever. Matching jersey hoodie and cafe dates before practice. @dragonsdreamoffire + shinra (fire force) — himbo + soft girl <3. Shinra loves dream with his soul and never leaves a mission without giving her a kiss @fatgumshoneybun + joker (fire force) — cocky bf with confused/shy partner. He tries so hard with princess and they’re either too confused or sleepy to make head or tails about it. They have the most amazing cuddle seshs though.

@tobi-momo + kageyama tobio — they’d be perfect together. Do doubt. kags always a stuttering mess when momo is in a 5 mile radius of him and it’s so cute I can’t

@angiebug101 + kirishima ejiro — himbo +even bigger himbo. They sound like they‘re on drugs half the time but they love each other. Always taking photos together.

@xetou + aki (chainsaw man) — she broke through him and now he’s stuck with her for life. He doesn’t even know how or when they got together in the first place. Xetou just popped up

@vilbabywritess + bakugou — angry boy with angrier girl. Vil will not hesitate to fuck Bakugou up but they in love I guess.

@lvvrboy + denji (chainsaw man) — seven will fuck over Denji so much he has to fall in love with him. The himbo is so clingy for him is terrifying

@sanemiya + sanemi — angry boy + soft girl. They are legit the “I hate everyone but you” trope and it’s so cute. Miya the only one he listens too with no doubt

@moonlit-xio + p! Denki — it’s the way he’d bully her with love for me. But they would scrap in the streets for some griot no doubt

@kazescartier + genos (opm) — confused bf with chaotic gf. With kaze’s high paced energy she needs someone to mellow her tf out. Genos <3 @myamuraaa + Shindou (Bnha) —flustered sim is the only way to go and shindou has no restraints with that. Also they would come through with the matching fits . @sassi-sunflower + p! Mina — the most chaotic pair ever and I’d love it so much <3

@mads-fairy + kenma — loud gf + quiet bf. Kenma is always so confused on how Maddie has so much energy while after talking to one person he’s drained. But he knows how to settle maddie down

@oikawaplssteponme + hanta sero — they are so flirty and lovey to each other it’s disgusting. They’re are always touching in some way shape or form and kisses are frequent with them

@sobaluvr / @katsupremacy + hitoshi Shinsou — :| + >:) Shinsou is so tired of theo’s antics it hilarious. But like the banter and funny quips? Hand them over to me now!

@fuckasslesbian + p! Bakugou — they’re are menaces to societ when put together. Enough said

@reject-human-return-to-elefante + tenya iida — >:) + :^). They’re a really good match, the right mix of chaos and sameness?? Tenya is so calming for Bat it’s insane. @tododekukisses / @tomiokariceballs + Metal bat — angy couple. They fits? Immaculate ✨✨✨. Will fuck up anyone and everyone. @hvnlymha + shoto todoroki — soft couple ever. They are so cute with each other. Soft kisses and rain shower dates

@miashimaa + denki — the most chaotic, off the hinge, high as fuck couple ever. It‘s a walking dumpster fire and they love it. @vodrea + Reo Mikage — Drea is a clingy mess and Reo loves it. They are so cute together and it’s full of loving looks and kisses @cloudytamaki + tamaki (Bnha) — soft nervous couple. Picnic dates, and late night star watching for them <3 @izukulus + izuku midoriya — match made in heaven. the cottagecore vibes in this are amazing, and they’re so MF cute I can’t @kozumeslove / @kozu-zumi + kenma — soft gf and soft boy >:3. Cat cafe and roller skating dates galore <3 @morosis-haze + neito monoma — asshole + snarky gf. They’d be at each others throat’s 25/8 and it’s so funny to watch it @cubbluv + Mirio — he’s so softtt??? And for what??? Sorry but they’d be a top tier couple @r0manz + yui (Bnha ; class 1b) — it’s legit 😩 + 😐. Roman simps so hard and yui doesn’t know how to react to it. She’s really soft and hate when Roman flirts with anyone else @izukxnnie + Tamaki amajiki — they’d be so cute together. Love letter in lockers and holding pinkies in the hallways omg @rosetheshapeshifter + Bakugou — rose is drop kicking this MF ever, punting him across the fields and having a smaller the entire time @ickyjiki + dabi — the “I hate everyone but you“ trope on clutch with them two. His gaze is softer around Juno and she loves it <3 @ryuvanaka + denki — friends to lovers trope? Denki is so whipped for yves I can’t. Denki just fizzled out whenever they’re near it’s crazy. @shotos-noodles / @kuroos-ramen + kuroo — the science flirt jokes he would use to try and bag zay. And she’s laughing at his nerdy self. Best couple I say @asaincy + Shoji — Shoji is so nervous around quincy it’s insane. He tries to flirt but it’s so funny. But quincy is so head over heels for him it doesn’t matter. @dollops-of-delusion + Izuku — Analyst power couple. Delusion knows so much it’s insane and paired with Izu? Off the walls

#Anonymous #—rumitalks #this took a lot longer than i thought it would

98 notes · View notes

janekfan · 3 years

Text

Duress

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30665933

As ever, Jon’s timing was impeccable.

Impeccably awful.

Barely a month into his new “promotion” and already he could feel a toll. If he was completely honest with himself he hadn’t expected quite this level of work despite not being a stranger to long hours. To put it bluntly, the archives were a mess. Gertrude hadn’t left any clues as to how filing was done and it all seemed so haphazard he had to wonder if it wasn’t on purpose. He was up to his elbows in files he’d found in a water stained cardboard box when Tim sauntered up, looking down his nose at the papers in disgust. Jon wished he would help and didn’t know how to ask for it with their relationship as strained as it currently was. Tim had silently allied with Sasha when Elias made the announcement and they were all navigating the current situation gingerly. Jon didn’t blame him. She needed support. The statements and recordings and organization could wait until they were ready.

“Hey there, boss. Was wondering if you wanted to come out with us tonight.”

Oh, of course. It was Friday, wasn’t it.

Jon looked around his office, strewn with papers and post-its and worse off than it was this morning. Guilt welled up in him like blood from a wound. Tim was losing his already limited patience with him.

“Uh, yes, that would be nice. It has been a while.” He leaned back and wiped his dusty hands off on his trousers adding to the light streaks already there.

“Yeah, I’ll say. Too important to hang out with us now, ey Jon? Now that you’re a corporate bigwig?”

“I am not!” Tim held his hands up in supplication.

“Just kidding, yeah?” It didn’t sound like it was just anything; certainly not the jokes Tim used to tell. This just felt cruel, probably because Tim thought it was the truth. Jon could admit he was prickly and difficult and knew he never won over many. If he lost Tim and Sasha over this he didn’t know what he would do. “Usual place.”

That exchange happened hours ago and Jon didn’t feel well. He couldn’t go out like this, pulse pounding, head throbbing, vision swimming. He’d have to cancel. But he’d canceled at the last minute on them so many times before and he could tell their patience was wearing thin. How was he supposed to choose between his new job and his old friends? Why couldn’t he just be normal for once?

Why did Tim choose now to forget this sometimes happened?

Any moment they’d be by to collect him and Jon was so dizzy he wasn’t altogether sure if he could stand. He hadn’t felt like this since Uni when he and Georgie spent many a late night studying for exams. He’d crashed shortly after, struck down with some illness or another, and barely remembered more than a glimpse of her face staring down at him with concern. Surely they would understand?

“Ready, boss?” Casual with his jacket over one shoulder, Tim leaned into the office, scowling when he laid eyes on him, exasperated. “Really, Jon?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Tim scoffed. “S’sorry. I know it’s rude, I’m just. Tired.” That was a part of it anyway.

“You know, Jon, you say you still want to be friends and then never hang out with us.”

“I know, I’m--”

“You’ve cancelled so many times at this point I don’t know if it’s even worth inviting you.” Jon’s heart nearly stopped, a painful lurch that all but choked him.

“...Please.” Bare more than a whisper, Tim raised an eyebrow in question.

“What?”

“P’please keep inviting me.” If Jon wasn’t so sure he’d pass out upon standing he’d be springing to his feet. “I, I, I’m there. Next Friday, bells on, I swear.”

“And tonight?” Cold sweat slipped down his spine. But if he rested this weekend, took it easy next week, maybe asked them for a bit more help-- “Sure, boss.”

The weekend came and went and Jon tried every trick in the small volume of self-care tips he actually paid attention to. He wanted to show them what they meant to him, even Martin, new and bungling as he was. If they were to be a team, he needed to get to know him. And besides, Sash and Tim enjoyed his company. Had been inviting him out the whole while. Unfortunately, Jon was still exhausted from not sleeping well for bad dreams and restlessness, not eating enough because anxiety turned his stomach. But he’d made a promise and he vowed to make good on it.

Monday saw a fresh pile of work stacked neatly in the center of his desk blotter, old assignments shoved off to the side and a note in Elias’ neat scrawl informing him that this was the priority. Jon spent the next hour putting together the things he’d been in the process of collating and jotting down a list of instructions that even Martin could follow before dragging it out to where his assistants were working.

“Hullo, Jon.” Bright and cheery, Martin chirped a greeting and Jon forced a small smile.

“Morning.” Tim and Sasha nodded back, expectant looks on their faces. “I, um. Well, Elias brought in some more documents for me to take a look at.”

“Promotion came with some extra obligations, did it?” Tim laughed, elbowing Sasha good naturedly.

“Yes, I suppose it, it did.” Jon shifted nervously, anticipating the answer even before he’d asked. “I was hoping you would be able to help me with these ones?” He lifted the stack and Tim made a show of whistling.

“Wow, I mean. I would, boss, but I’m in the middle of this other thing you gave me last week.”

“Oh. I was. Well I was rather hoping you’d have wrapped that up by now.” The room began to tunnel and Jon staggered just a step even though he was standing still. He hadn’t been able to use his cane and handle this veritable mountain.

“You and me both.”

“Jon?” Martin’s worry was more embarrassing than anything else and he forced himself to focus despite the trembling in his hands. “I can take some of them.” But the messy heap on the corner of his desk in danger of toppling hardly seemed smaller than it had the week before. It wouldn’t do to add even more to what the other man couldn’t seem to handle but...

“Th’thank you for the offer.” He selected a few slim folders and handed them off and somehow the work in his arms became heavier.

“No problem!” Martin was beaming so he must have done something right and it sparked a bit of warmth in him. “I’ll make an exchange for another, soon as I finish this up.”

Tuesday went much the same, though Jon’s insomnia and sore joints forced him out of bed and he decided to use the gift of time to come in early to get a bigger start on the old mess so he had more time for the new mess and while Martin was slow it helped to have someone else tackling it with him. He suspected that Tim and Sasha were making a statement in their being shiftless and Jon couldn’t find it in himself to address it instead hoping that once he proved himself they could move past it. Using the stairs proved foolish as Jon nearly took a header from vertigo and he thanked the stars he was early and alone so he could sit down and wait for the episode to pass. Lord, he hurt. Joints on fire, white-hot fire pokers of pressure needling his hips. He hung his head when tears of frustration began to fall.

Wednesday found Jon buried alive and struggling. He had to stay late in order to finish out the day and by the time he made it home he could barely stand, falling into bed and waking the next morning still dressed in his wingtips and work clothes. Marginally better for the rest, Jon used the boon to plow through the rest of Elias’ assignment, skipping lunch he knew he wouldn’t eat anyway to finish.

“Oh, Tim!” He called out his door as he passed, relieved that he wasn’t ignored. “When you have a moment could you take these up to Rosie?”

“Sure thing, boss.”

Jon pushed away the disappointment when the end of day came, his assistants left, and the box still sat on the corner of his desk.

No bother, Tim probably forgot and Jon searched the stacks for the department’s hand truck with its one sticky wheel and found it loaded up with more of Gertrude’s chaos. He didn’t have much choice than to shove at it unceremoniously until it toppled over, papers fluttering out of their folders and under shelves. He’d just have to deal with it later. What’s one more thing? When he tugged, his shoulder very nearly came loose and his yelp of pain was swallowed up in the dark and the dust. Noone around to hear him anyway.

More tears.

He was a mess.

He went along more carefully, cursing the squeak of the blasted wheel, cursing Tim for his forgetfulness, cursing Elias for letting him even steal the job from Sasha to begin with. Cursing time itself because he wanted to go home and it was already an hour past.

“Rosie, I’m so glad I caught you.” She was just starting to collect her bag. “Can I leave this for Elias to collect when he gets in?”

“Of course, Jon!” She helped him lift it to her desk and disguised his taking a rest with interest in her writing a note of explanation.

“Thank you, you really are a lifesaver.” Jon chuffed a weak and humourless laugh. “I don’t know what I would have done.”

“Of course, dear. Just take that along with you so I don’t have to hear about it from the night staff.” The dolly. Yes. It would have to go back down with him wouldn’t it?

Thursday Jon could barely lift his arms. The debacle from the day before had taken whatever they had left and he was scared that at any moment, his arm would drop from its socket. That happened sometimes. So far, no doctor had figured out why.

“Ready for tomorrow?” Tim jolted him out of staring at his pen cup and the surprise set his heart to racing. Jon didn’t know how many minutes he’d lost.

“Ah, uh.” Absently, he rubbed at his chest, willing the battering tempo to slow before it shook him apart.

“Boss.” It sounded too much like a warning and felt too much like his last chance to prove he had what it took to be their friend.

“I’m not backing out!” Quick to cover up his fumble. “Don’t forget to collect me.”

“Never!” Jon couldn’t help but hope he did.

It was a short walk to their usual pub and Jon pushed himself to keep up, breaking out in cold sweat as the nausea from his laboring heart rocked his stomach. He couldn’t wait to sit down. They were regulars enough that the first round appeared before them as if by magic. Jon sank into the conversation around him, sipping from his pint, wishing it was water, and interjecting when he felt up to it. Martin kept staring at him. Jon didn’t have the energy to pretend.

“Oh come on, boss! Our company can’t be that boring!” Tim was three drinks in and clapped Jon hard enough on the shoulder to rattle his bones. Jon bit his tongue so hard he tasted iron.

“Ah, no, just a long week.” His voice was papery as a wasp nest, thin and drawn. “Looking forward to a lie in.”

“Aren’t we all?” Tim drained his glass and Jon looked down at the worn scratched surface of the table to hide his irrational irritability with the statement. He didn’t corner the market on sleeping in. The others deserved a restful weekend just as much as he did.

“I’m surprised you managed to make it through Elias’ busy work.” Sasha murmured, selecting a chip and using it as a means for sauce delivery.

“Martin helped a great deal.”

“That’s kind of you to say, Jon, but we know who worked his way through the majority.” They exchanged a warm smile.

“Yes, well. Any you did, I didn’t have to. It was very much appreciated.” Martin was bright red and Jon’s cheeks were warm, from alcohol or otherwise, and Tim’s cawing laughter rang bright as a bell over the cacophony around them.

“You’ve broken him, Jon!” They caroused well into the evening until Martin mercifully faked a yawn and explained he had an early morning. Jon almost hugged him and if it weren’t for the state of his shoddy joints he may well have. Holding up a very drunk and very affectionate Tim, Sasha nodded to him.

“This was lovely.” Her grin beamed. “We’ll have to do this again.”

Jon dreaded it.

That month they dragged Jon out to the shops for lunch a few times each week. Catching dinner after work became a regular occurance. Sasha hosted a movie night one weekend. Friday nights at the pub continued.

Jon wasn’t sure which was worse; the exhaustion or the steadily increasing pain, but it felt worth it when the frosty attitude began to thaw. They were still friends. That’s what counted even though the littlest tasks had become huge when faced with choosing which ones to do at the cost of himself. He knew better and still he was overspending, going into the red just to collect more and more debt with no way to catch up other than lose his friends. Something was going to break. Jon hoped it wouldn’t be him.

Groggy, slow, Jon came to with his cheek mashed into the statement he’d been skimming. Something was...wrong. His heart. Racing, pounding against his breastbone, trying to hammer its way to freedom or jump straight out his throat. He blinked hard, trying to bring anything into focus and failing. The first attempt to stand had him face down on the desk again, the next he took in steps.

Sit up. Let the room stop moving.

Breathe. In. Out. Count them.

Ignore the agonized beating. Ignore the fear that came with it.

Stand. Slow. Wait. Patient.

Let the world fall still.

Jon didn’t bother picking up his bag. His phone, wallet, keys, all in his trouser pockets.

“Sorry all. I. I think.” He paused, gulping for air, swallowing none. “Need to go, go home.” If what made it out of him were even close to words he’d consider himself lucky. His tongue was thick and clumsy in his mouth, tripping up the syllables fighting their way past the rabbit-quick hammering,

hammering,

hammering.

“What’s wrong?” Sasha was at his elbow, Tim halfway out of his seat.

“Not feeling well.”

“You sure you can get home, boss?” Nodding absently Jon made his way carefully to the lift before Martin could offer to call him a cab or something equally ridiculous.

Muscle memory got him back to his flat and it wasn’t until he collapsed into bed that he remembered it was Friday and he’d again ducked out on drinks again. Tears collected on his lashes, slipping down his temples when his trembling got the better of them. They. This. All his hard work and he’d undone it. Before the encroaching black overtook him he fumbled with his phone, tapping out an apology to the group chat and barely managing to hit send.

He slipped in and out. Lucid one moment, hallucinating the next, burning away to nothing and ending up on the floor more than once after passing out attempting to, to…didn’t matter. There wasn’t enough in him to attempt it again, opting to lay flat on his back in the sweat soaked sheets trying not to move for the pain. For a wild, hysterical moment Jon was sure he would die here, alone, phone just out of reach, melting in wretched heat and so uncomfortably hot it was difficult to remember a time when he wasn’t.

Jon hurt.

Everything was darkness and agony. Each tremor an earthquake threatening to tear him apart. He was trapped in treacle, done up in bits of twine, strung together with razor wire and unable to move. It was a familiar voice that clawed its way down to him. Lifted him up, low and soft, a stone tumbling down a mountain and catching Jon up in the landslide. He thought he answered, made some attempt at a response, drawn out of him like water from a well. Hurting and disoriented Jon drifted. Consciousness slipping in and out through his fingers like the surf, breath like coals banked beneath his ribs. Jon’s body wouldn’t cooperate as it should and time seemed to skip from one moment to the next between long bouts of nothing.

A heavy palm, cool and comforting, came to rest over his forehead and Tim materialized out of nowhere, startling Jon enough that he keened when each joint shrieked and protested at his moving.

“Sh, sh, shh.” Tim. That’s right...he wasn’t sure it was true, but he was wiping down his over sensitive skin with a damp flannel to quell the coals for a handful of moments.

“Wha’s..?”

“When you didn’t come in yesterday or this morning, we figured we should check on you.” So many words. Too many to parse more than a few but the flood came anyway, streaking into his greasy hair because he’d been sure no one would come and Tim kept applying the cold compress; wrung, applied, repeated, and Jon sobbed with the simple relief of it, tears cool against the incandescence of his skin.

“Are you...l’leaving?” He winced at the raw scrape of his voice against his vocal cords. “Been. You’been s’so angry with m’me.” Tim’s face fell and Jon wanted to apologize. It was the illness, that’s all, lowering his defenses and simmering his many insecurities just below a fractured awareness that refused to keep them in where they belonged. Instead his breath hitched and he choked on a whimper of defeat. “Tri’tried so hard ‘nd still. M’sorry.”

“It’s alright.” So unbelievably soft. Jon thought he’d ruined this long ago and the tears came somehow faster. “I think we need to call an ambulance, bud.”

“No...nonono…” Jon didn’t want to be poked and prodded by strangers and stuck full of needles alone in a cold sterile room. Even in his ragged state Jon could see Tim was torn. “Pl’please.”

“Okay, okay,” he soothed, gentling him with a touch. “But if you can’t keep this down we have to go.” Medicine. Lucozade. Fed to him mouthful by mouthful in the intervals he was awake.

Quiet sounds he recognized, Martin. Sasha. Hushed. Martin tipped the next sip into him and Jon wasn’t aware of much, but he was aware enough to know he was disgusting after having slept and sweated in the same bedclothes for days. Martin wouldn’t hear of it and Jon didn’t know where to put all the feelings and he was so tired of crying and couldn’t seem to stop.

Sasha, they told him, has gone out for supplies and they asked if he’d like help getting out of his uncomfortable trousers and button down, now missing several buttons no doubt from his restlessness. Jon didn’t trust his voice, only nodded, trying and failing to sit up, losing consciousness entirely when one of them levered him up with an arm behind his shoulders. Tim was explaining it to Martin when he came around, peering up at them through fluttering lashes.

“S’al’...” Clumsy, the words wouldn’t come to him.

Together, they shift his limbs, passing him back and forth between, one moment resting against Martin’s chest, another tucked into the hollow where Tim’s shoulder and neck meet. He should be helping but he can barely stay with them, just concentrating on the pulse currently beneath his ear to ground him. Carefully, as though he is some precious thing, they rid him of the awful, disagreeable stickiness and their low murmuring seems such an intimate thing. He isn’t worth it. This. And then soft, clean clothes, well worn and familiar and when Jon surfaces again he’s with Tim on the sofa, bundled up and more comfortable than he’d been in months.

Martin is changing his sheets.

“I’m sorry, Jon.” He didn’t know what for and shook his head, or tried anyway. “Made you think you had to push yourself like that. Ignored how exhausted you were and guilt tripped you into not telling us ‘no’.” Lord, so many words, Jon dizzied himself trying to catch them, hold them, decipher them. “You should be able to trust us, and I.” A suspicious sniff. “I’m sorry.” Jon relaxed into him with a hum he hoped conveyed something.

“I think I remembered which meds he tolerated best.” Sasha elbowed her way into the flat, face lighting up when she saw he was awake. Kind of. “Jon! Thank god. You were in such a bad way.” Whispery and rushed, the same feeling in it as with Tim. “Let's get you dosed up and back to bed, okay?”

It was late evening judging by the window. The reading lamp was on. Martin sat beside him with a book he couldn’t recognize by cover alone.

“Mah’in..?” So it hadn’t all been a hallucination after all.

“There you are.”

“Miss’d work.” He nodded, uncapping a bottle of sports drink and holding it to his chapped lips. Jon drank what he could.

“Not important right now, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Gave us a scare.” Easy, like it was nothing in the world to do it, Martin laid the back of his fingers against his neck, against his throat. “That’s a relief. Tim called us in a panic.” By way of explanation. “But I think you’re past the worst of it now.”

“Don’, don’ remember.”

“Probably for the best. We’ve decided, if you’re alright with the arrangement, that one of us should stay with you.” That sounded okay even if normally Jon would fight it tooth and nail. He did remember being alone and scared. “Tim and Sash are talking. I get the feeling we missed something very important.”

“Mm.” Jon tried to sit up and swooned, came around with a pillow behind his back.

“Dunno if I’ll get used to that any time soon though, I’ll be honest.”

“Happens sometimes. Th’that’s why…” Martin picked up the thread.

“You cancelled on us. I understand. And I hope, I hope you know you can always tell me, us, I hope, when you need to. There’s no shame in it. I’ll admit, I’m upset with Tim.” He fussed with the quilts, smoothing out imaginary creases. “He knew this was something to look out for and he didn’t tell me.”

“No, it’s--”

“Nothing to be embarrassed about.” Martin spoke with conviction. “Ever. I don’t want you to, to push yourself like this for a blasted game night. We can do other things as a department. Things that don’t jeopardize your health like this again.”

“Martin’s right.” Sasha sat at his feet, draping a hand over his ankle, and Tim stood at the foot of the bed. He looked proper chastised, eyes rimmed in red and swollen from crying.

“I’m so sorry, Jon. So sorry. I should never--I was angry and frustrated and used it to. To hurt you. Make you think we’d stop being friends over a stupid night out. Not like I lifted a hand to help you! When I knew you wouldn’t ask a second time!”

“S’okay.”

“It’s not!” Tim was a staunch friend. The type who got to know you so well and sometimes aimed too precisely at your soft parts. He didn’t need another telling off. Exhaustion lapping at his limbs, Jon curled his fingers in poor imitation of a come hither gesture. Willingly, Tim allowed himself to be pulled along by it, slotting himself beside Jon on the mattress to hide his own tears in his chest. Graceless, Jon managed to tug a hand over the back of his head, tangling fingers in Tim's hair, surrounded by friends and not alone.

“Will be, then.”

#TMA #the magnus archives #season one #jon sims #martin blackwood #sasha james #tim stoker #insecurity #lack of communication #sickfic #sick jon #fever #chronic illness #ehlers danlos syndrome #postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome #EDS #Pots #undiagnosed chronic illness

117 notes · View notes

arashikitten · 3 years

Text

They Don’t Matter (Until they Do)

Anne had always been a creature of the heart. She cared too much, too easily, for people and things that didn’t really matter. When Anne loved someone, she loved them with her entire being, would put her life on the line for them at a moment's notice. When she cared about someone, she made sure the whole world knew it. When Anne loved someone, she would fight tooth and nail for them.

But that sort of devotion could be a double edged sword.

When someone rejected Anne or worse, betrayed her, it would shatter the girl. It would break her, hurt her in a way that Sasha had no idea how to fix. It would leave deep wounds, and although she would always be quick to forgive, the scars would linger, hidden beneath fake smiles and tight reassurances.

It scared Sasha a little bit, if she was to be honest. It scared her, because she knew firsthand how cruel the world could really be. How easily it would take Anne’s heart and tear it to shreds, how easily it would snuff out that bright smile and joyous laughter, how quickly it would take Anne’s kindness and warp it until there was nothing of the girl she loved her best friend left.

So, when she and Anne and Marcy had entered middle school, Sasha made a promise to herself. She would help Anne build walls around her heart, fortify that light and kindness so that the world couldn’t stomp it out. She would help her build shields, so that nothing good that entered could leave and take the girl’s heart with it, so that the horrors of the outside world couldn’t reach.

Sasha knew it would be difficult. She knew it would be painful, that Anne might not like some of what she did to ensure this outcome. But Sasha knew Anne would come around eventually, like she always did (she had to come around, because now that Sasha had that light in her life she couldn’t bear to go back to the darkness).

So she got to work.

It started off with some small things: convincing Anne to keep walking when someone dropped their book, getting her to brush off a rude remark, little things like that.

And Anne did it, even if she did seem to be slightly guilty afterwards. But that was fine. Of course, there would be some growing pains.

Anne would grow out of them soon enough (Anne’s light was dimming a little bit more every day).

Then, they started moving on to bigger things: spitballs, harmless little pranks, rejecting a confession. That was when Sasha started running into some issues.

Anne resisted these little attempts, reared back like a spooked horse. She was more unsure, less willing to comply, and Sasha was starting to get frustrated. Didn’t Anne see that this was for her own good? Didn’t she understand that this was necessary, that Sasha was doing her a favor? Why couldn’t she understand?

It came to a head one day during lunch. The three of them were sitting in their usual spot, Marcy was rambling about some new book while Anne listened, and Sasha scrolled through Instagram.

There was a sudden clatter on the other side of the cafeteria, followed by loud, obnoxious laughter.

Sasha, Marcy, and Anne all looked up.

One of the older jocks on the football team had smacked some kid’s lunch tray to the ground, along with the kid, and was laughing like he’d just made the best joke on the planet. The kid, one of the smaller sixth graders, looked absolutely mortified, freckled face a bright shade of red as the day’s lunch-meatloaf- dripped down his shirt.

Nothing too unusual, then.

Sasha was about to go back to scrolling through her phone when she heard the sound of a chair scraping across linoleum floors.

Anne had stood up, whole body tense as she watched the scene unfolding. Her mouth was set in a thin frown, and there was a low, simmering anger in her eyes, like she was five seconds from punching the jock in the face.

Panic began to settle in Sasha’s stomach. Since the beginning of the school year, she’d been fighting tooth and nail for a top spot in the social hierarchy. Being an underclassman made this task even more difficult than it already was, but she’d made some fairly decent headway. She’d even managed to bring Anne and Marcy with her, to an extent.

But if Anne got in a fight with that jock…

It was right down to the bottom. They weren’t high enough yet, they didn’t have enough standing to get away with something like that, and Sasha would not let all her hard work go to waste.

But she also couldn’t be too harsh with Anne: she was her best friend after all (and Sasha hated seeing Anne get upset, hated how it made something in her chest ache fiercely, like someone had reached into her chest and tore out her heart and lungs), and although Sasha had been making some progress with putting up Anne’s walls, the girl was still very sensitive when it came to her and Marcy. One wrong word, one lapse of control, and Anne would close up to her.

And Sasha could not, would not, allow that.

Anne was moving, and she didn’t have time to think of what to say, so she just did the first thing that came to mind.

She grabbed Anne’s arm (she tried desperately to ignore the warmth that bloomed in her chest at the contact, or the way electricity seemed to spark where her skin touched Anne’s).

“Anne, wait. Think about this.” The brunette stopped in her tracks, looking down with confusion (Sasha shoved down the warm fluttering sensation in her chest when she looked at her), her head cocked ever-so-slightly to the left. Sasha had her full attention.

“We don’t want to get in trouble, right? What if a teacher comes along and sees you getting in a fight with the star quarterback?” Anne paused, looking even more confused.

“Uhmm… we… both?... get in trouble?”

“No, YOU get in trouble. The quarterback gets off scot-free, because he’s the star of the team and the school doesn’t want to look bad. You, on the other hand, are an underclassman, and aren’t involved in any extracurriculars. If you get into a fight with that guy, it will do nothing. Besides, we don’t even know either of them. They don’t matter.”

Sasha knew she’d said something wrong when Anne’s face scrunched up, looking borderline offended. Crap.

“So-so what? We just… ignore them? Let this shit go down? Just because we don’t know them doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do something!”

Anne was getting really worked up now, and it was starting to draw attention. Shit.

“I don’t care if I get in trouble. I have to do something.” To Sasha’s alarm, Anne started to walk away. Toward the jock.

“Anne Boonchuy, don’t you dare!”

“Look, just because you don’t care about anyone besides yourself-“

Something inside her snapped. Anger, burning hot, filled her like lava from a volcano.

How dare she? How dare Anne say she didn’t care? Of course she cared, she wouldn’t be doing any of this if she didn’t. And yet Anne had the gall to take her kindness and call it nothing (a nasty little voice whispered that she was right, that Sasha was selfish and mean and Anne was right, because if she really cared about Anne, then she would’ve stopped when Anne asked her to).

“Anne. Boonchuy. You will sit down right. Now.”

“But-“

“END. OF. DISCUSSION.”

Anne flinched, eyes going wide. She was frozen, staring at Sasha with something that looked uncomfortably like fear.

Her eyes darted to the floor, all the fight leaving her, and to Sasha’s alarm Anne started to shake. When the girl finally spoke, it came as a whisper.

“...ok.” She sat down next to Sasha, but refused to look at her. Her shoulders were slumped, hunched over as if trying to look smaller. She was silent for the rest of lunch, unresponsive to Sasha’s attempts at conversation or even Marcy’s rants about some new show. When the bell rang for class, Anne stood up and left quietly, refusing to look at her. (It made her feel sick, that she’d been the one to do that. That she’d hurt Anne, that she’d done the one thing she promised she would prevent, because Anne fell in love easily, and that made it all to easy to break her heart)

It took three days for Anne to start talking to her again.

It took five days for her to smile at her again (even if it wasn’t a real smile, even if there was still that glimmer of fear in those dark brown eyes, it was better than nothing).

That’s what Sasha told herself

But something had changed. Anne didn’t smile as much anymore. She didn’t argue when Sasha made her do something. She didn’t speak up anymore, didn’t laugh as much.

She flinched whenever Sasha hugged her.

It’s for the best, Sasha told herself, even as that little blue light started to go out.

But is it really?

—————————————————————

They were upperclassmen now. 7th grade, at the top of the school, all thanks to Sasha’s hard work. The whole place was under her thumb, not even the teachers were willing to go up against her.

Best of all, she had Anne and Marcy by her side. They were together, they ruled the school, they watched out for each other.

And Anne…

Sasha watched as the curly-haired girl laughed at some dumb video Marcy was showing her.

It had taken a year or two, more than a few fights and tears and quiet apologies whispered in the dark night of a sleepover, but Sasha had managed to put up some walls around her friend's heart. People still came in, of course, and sometimes they were the wrong ones and when those ones left…

Well, Sasha had always been good at picking up the broken pieces.

But it didn’t happen as often anymore. Anne didn’t give many people the key to herself, and Sasha was careful to “test” the ones she did allow in.

If they failed that little test….

Well. It meant that Anne had more time for her.

And really, that was all Sasha wanted. She was at the top of the school, she had Marcy and Anne with her, and the three of them were happy.

Even if Marcy looked hurt every time Sasha brushed her off, even if Anne no longer smiled as much or as brightly as she did before, even if her only real friends were scared of her.

It didn’t matter.

They were safe, they were together, they were happy, and that was all that mattered to Sasha. They listened to her, they didn’t argue, they stayed with her, and she protected them, stayed with them, taught them who to like and what to wear and when to stand up for other people.

They were hers and she was theirs.

“Hey Sash, Check this out! Isn’t it the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?” Anne was shoving Marcy’s phone toward her, smiling like she was trying to outshine the sun. A video of a cat chittering like a dolphin was playing, not that Sasha really cared.

Still, she cooed over it for a moment to keep up appearances (Anne was watching her with the most adorable expression and it took everything in her not to burst into flames at the attention). The cat was fairly cute, and kinda reminded her of Domino, so it didn’t take too much effort to make her response believable.

After a moment or so, Anne turned back to Marcy, and Sasha could breathe for a moment, fight back the blush that was threatening to appear.

It wasn’t the first time she’d felt like this. Like her legs were turning to putty, like her heart was going to burst through her chest, like her face was about to burst into flame.

It wasn’t the first time Anne made her feel that way.

Sasha knew how to tell if someone had a crush: most of the kids here had all the subtlety of a brick to the face when it came to things like that, and Sasha had always been good at reading people. And this, this strange reaction to Anne, this desire to snap at anyone who got too close or God forbid, tried to flirt with her girl…

Sasha was falling, and she was falling fast.

And it scared her.

It scared her because somehow, Anne had gotten past all her defenses, had managed to find the most vulnerable and heavily guarded part of her and that was dangerous. It meant that she was vulnerable, that Anne could take control and even though she knew the brunette would never intentionally hurt someone, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t do so unintentionally.

And Sasha couldn’t let that happen.

She had to be strong, had to be on guard at all times because if she wasn’t, they’d be eaten alive, and Sasha might be able to make it out to the other side but Marcy and Anne would get torn apart. And if Anne broke her heart, even accidentally…

The consequences would be dire.

The school bell rang, loud and shrill in her ears, followed by the sounds of her girls getting up to go to class.

“See you in Math class!”

“I’ll see you too.”

Sasha watched as Anne disappeared from view, bright pink backpack slung halfway over her left shoulder.

She needed to fix this. Needed to seal up those little cracks, add more defenses, make it so that the fortress that surrounded her heart became completely impenetrable. She couldn’t afford to let anyone in.

But… could she afford to lose the closest friend she had? Could she afford to shove away the only bright spot in her life?

Could she afford to hurt the person she spent so long trying to protect? Would she have to break the one person she really cared about? Would she have to watch as Anne cried, would she even be able to bring herself to extinguish that light and watch Anne’s smile go out?

It wouldn’t be the first time you hurt her. That’s all you ever do, after all.

But if Anne left, or god forbid, turned against her, then there’d be nothing of herself left. All those walls, those defenses that she’d spent years building up, they would be little more than paper in the face of such betrayal. Sasha would break, would finally buckle under the weight of the lonely sky.

Anne had attached herself to Sasha’s heart, and for once, she didn’t have any control. The blonde was spiraling, even as she made her way to class and sat down, too lost in her own thoughts to hear the teacher give a lecture. Anne was too close, tied too strongly to all her defenses for Sasha to be able to remove her without some serious damage. Anne had wormed her way into the older girl’s heart, and had made a home for herself there.

Sasha couldn’t make her leave.

But….

Suddenly, a smile curled it’s way onto her lips.

Maybe Sasha couldn’t make her leave. Maybe she couldn’t force her out.

Maybe, she needed to do the opposite.

Something in her chest lightened at the idea. Warmth, a burning flame licked through her veins, a roaring wildfire that sang in her blood all it’s joy, it’s pleasure.

Anne was already in her heart, right? So maybe, all Sasha needed to do was make sure she couldn’t leave.

After all, as long as Anne was by her side….

Nothing else mattered.

————————————————

Sasha had never been a creature of the heart. Back home, back on earth, Sasha had always been the trio’s main line of defense: she’d been the muscle, the one who shielded them from rumors and bullies, who’d climbed to the top of the social ladder to ensure they didn’t have to. In order to accomplish this, she’d had to give up a great many things: she couldn’t afford to sympathize with every kid who got pushed around, couldn’t stop and help every time she saw someone in trouble. If she wanted to be on top, then it meant cutting certain people off, it meant being cruel when necessary.

Sasha couldn’t afford to be a creature of the heart.

Not back in school, and certainly not in this strange new world, where gigantic monsters were waiting to eat you at every corner.

When Sasha had first arrived in Amphibia, she’d been scared. She’d called out to Marcy, to Anne, and even though she considered herself atheist she found herself praying to whatever god would listen that her girls were alright.

Of course, all her shouting had drawn the attention of the local army of bipedal talking toads (because those were apparently a thing here), and she’d been taken prisoner and interrogated.

The toad who was currently doing the interrogating was a big, intimidating beast of a thing, with bumpy green-brown skin, and a scar over his right eye that went all the way from his brow (did toads even have eyebrows?) down to just a little past his mouth. That eye was glassy, a pale blue-white color that indicated blindness, while the other glowed a bright, acidic green. His wide mouth was set in a permanent grimace, and each of his fingers ended in a sharp, stubby claw.

Honestly, he reminded her a bit too much of a Disney villain for her to take him too seriously.

“I will not ask you a second time, creature. Who. Is. Your. Master?”

It took everything she had not to let her eyes roll out of her head.

“What am I supposed to say? Jesus? Look buddy, I don’t have a master. All I want is to find my friends and go home. That’s it. I really don’t get why that’s so hard to understand.”

Sasha waited for him to slam his fist against the table, to roar at her that she was lying, to show any of the usual anger.

She was very surprised when she heard the guy chuckle.

That couldn’t be good.

Grime (she was pretty sure that was what she heard the other toads call him) was smirking at her, all sharp edges and teeth, and her heart dropped into her gut.

Shit.

“So, the creature has accomplices. Tell me, were you planning on waiting for them to bail you out? Did you really think that would work?”

Sasha didn’t answer. She couldn’t answer, because that would set a dangerous precedent and run the risk of her accidentally revealing something this Grime character could use to hurt her girls.

And she couldn’t, wouldn’t let that happen.

Even though she’d hurt them plenty of times before, she’d hurt Anne plenty of times before this, and it was her fault they were even in danger in the first place, because she’d made Anne steal that stupid music box even though she clearly hadn’t wanted to, and at the time Sasha had told herself that she was doing the other girl a favor but looking back she was starting to realize that hadn’t really been the case at all

She’d make it up to them. She’d get them out of here, no matter what.

Nothing else mattered.

“I’ll give you one chance, beast. Tell me where your little friends are, and I’ll let you go no harm no foul. Refuse, well…” Grime grinned, although it came off as more of a threat display than an actual smile, “... Most toads can go for three weeks without food. I wonder if it’s the same for you?”

Oh, hell no.

“Go. To. Hell. Even if I knew where they were, which I don’t, I would never tell you. I know how assholes like you operate: besides, I will not put my girls in danger again.” Sasha snarled, putting on her best “you are nothing but the mud beneath my feet” glare she could muster.

Instead of the intended affect (Grime backing off), it only seemed to piss the old toad off. His good eye narrowed, and he growled (as in, actually growled. Like a dog).

“You say that now, beast, but I doubt that’ll be the case after a few days. PERCY!” A smaller, more yellowish toad stepped shakily out of the shadows with a squeak. The toad- what had Grime called him? Percy? Yeah, that was it- was shaking as he raised one hand in salute, sweating profusely. Grime turned to him, every step betraying anger.

“Watch over the prisoner, but do not engage. If it… says anything of note, report to me immediately. Bring it water, but not food. Make sure it does not escape. If I discover you have failed to do any one of these tasks…” The air went cold, oppressive as Grime trailed off. The Guard- Percy- was shaking like a leaf, eyes bulging as he stared at a spot on the wall over Grime’s shoulder. Honestly, Sasha couldn’t blame him: Grime might look and sound like a Disney villain, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t absolutely terrifying to everyone else. In fact, she almost found herself feeling bad for Percy. Sure, he might be on the opposite side, but Sasha could very easily see that this wasn’t the yellow toad’s thing.

“Do not fail me again, Percy. This is your last chance. Understood?”

“Y-Y-Yes, sir.”

“Good. And as for you, creature,” He turned to her, and despite all her bravado, Sasha felt a shiver of fear go down her spine, “You might act high and mighty now, but even the strongest of beasts can be broken. You will be no different. You will yield. No matter how long it takes. I will make you yield.”

The door slammed shut behind him.

It sounded like the blade of a guillotine.

Great. Now she was stuck here, with no friends and no way home, being threatened/tortured by a creepy anthropomorphic toad who also may be a warlord.

She needed to get out, that much Sasha knew. She had always been the defender of the three, the one to protect them from danger, except this time she wasn’t protecting them from rumors and bullies but massive, man-eating monstrosities that would tear her friends apart in a heartbeat.

She needed to escape.

“Okay, okay Percy, you can do this. You got an easy job, all things considered. This is fine. This is fine. You can do this. You can’t fail. You can’t.”

Sasha felt a small smile growing on her face. She might not be able to get through to Grime, but if she could get through to his soldiers….

“Hey, what did you say your name was again? Percy right?”

In the end, Sasha was able to learn a lot from lil’ ole Percy. She learned that the place she was at was called Toad tower. She learned that there was a small town of frogs maybe three miles from here (maybe that was where Anne and Marcy were?). She learned that Grime was the captain, that he and his army here at the tower ruled over the local frogs.

She learned little things too: Percy liked playing instruments, Bog was really good at some game called Flipwort (which seemed to be this world’s equivalent to chess), Grime really liked fruit flies, Braddock liked gardening, things like that.

Things that Sasha could use.

Really, her path ahead was simple. All she had to do was think of this like she had school: make people like you, say the right things at the right times, and soon enough, she’d rule this little army.

And once she ruled this place…

She could find Anne.

That was all that mattered, really. Not these toads, not this world.

Her girls were all that mattered.

Anne was all that mattered to her.

But Sasha wasn’t all that mattered to Anne.

Sasha wasn’t a creature of the heart.

But she could definitely pretend to be.

———————————————————-

Stupid. How had she been so stupid?

She knew, always knew, that Anne was soft. That she cared too much, too easily. That she got attached to things that shouldn’t matter, that wouldn’t matter to most people.

But then again, Anne wasn’t most people.

The night had started out well enough. She had gone to the neighboring town of Wartwood to catch the rebel Hopediah Plantar, and had been pleasantly surprised to see Anne was there as well (her heart had almost ripped itself from her chest at the sight of familiar bushy brown hair, covered in sticks and leaves and Sasha still wanted to run her fingers through it-).

Anne had been so excited to see her, and Sasha had felt the same way. Anne had come running to her, and Sasha had been ready and waiting. It had felt like fireworks had gone off in her head, like Anne’s laughter ringing in her ears for the first time in months was a victory song. Her warmth had felt like a blessing.

For a moment, nothing else mattered.

And then those little frogs showed up, and it all came crashing down.

Of course. Of course, Anne had gotten attached to the one frog that needed to die. Of course, Hopediah had been the one Anne had been adopted by, because the universe just seemed to hate her.

It made things… difficult. Sasha knew that Anne never wanted to hurt people. That she HATED hurting anyone, even if they didn’t matter in the slightest.

That she would never condone this, even if it was their ticket home.

So Sasha had attempted to be sneaky. She’d managed to separate Anne from the frogs, had gotten her up into her own little room (the thought made her blush. Focus, Waybright.), and they’d started talking, eating, enjoying themselves. Just like back home.

But Sasha knew it wouldn’t last. Eventually, Anne would find out. Eventually, there’d be a confrontation, an argument, and the truth would break Anne’s heart but better that than lose her to some monster or illness in this world far from home.

So, she had figured it would be better if she just. Told her the truth. Ripped the band-aid off, so to speak, because at least if she did it now she’d only have to deal with the shock and a little bit of horror, a little bit of resistance that she could easily snuff out even if a part of her hated the way Anne would shrink back, how that little fire in her eyes would sputter out in the face of those three words, how she always looked so scared of her and hurt and Sasha knew Anne’s heart was easily broken but this was a special kind of pain-. Much easier to deal with than the possible heartbreak of betrayal, than losing Anne forever.

Of course, she hadn’t taken into account just how much she’d changed.

Anne had freaked. Sasha had seen it in her eyes, even as she tried to put up that happy little mask of hers (Everyone thought Anne wore her heart on her sleeve, but Sasha knew better. She knew how good Anne was at hiding her hurt behind a false smile, how she hid her insecurities behind a joke or a laugh. Everyone thought Anne was one of the happiest people on earth. No one knew she was one of the loneliest too) and assure her that she was fine. She’d had the feeling that the brunette would try to warn the frogs, that she may try to help them escape, and lo and behold, she’d been right. They’d caught her and the frogs as they popped out of one of the sewer entrances.

But that was fine. Even if Anne had messed up a little bit, had made a misjudgment. Anne had always been compassionate, had always let her heart cloud her head a little. Besides, Sasha knew how her bestie worked. Hop-Pop had probably shown her some small kindness (He’d allowed Anne to stay at his house, if she remembered correctly), and Anne, in true fashion, had immediately latched on. It probably hadn’t helped that the girl had been pretty much alone in this strange new world, or that it had been a couple of months since they’d seen each other. That sort of attachment was to be expected.

As long as Anne realized who really mattered in the end, it would be fine.

But… that wasn’t what happened.

She’d miscalculated. She hadn’t realized how much Anne had changed, how much these… frogs had changed her only, they didn’t really change her, did they? They saw the real Anne, the Anne you shoved down.

You changed her, not them.

Not that it mattered.

Anne had never stood up to her before. She’d never looked her in the eye and said no, never turned her back on her, never turned that fire on her, and the few times she did, all it had taken were those three words she hated those words, hated hated hated them, and she would back down.

But it didn’t work this time. It didn’t work.

Sasha’s cheek stung, and she could feel the warm trickle of blood. Anne stood over her, sword three inches from her face and Sasha could feel her heart ache, could feel that numb disbelief and horror and realization because she’d lost. Lost the fight, their chance to go home, the respect of Grime and his troops-

But none of those things mattered.

None of them mattered.

Because she’d lost Anne too.

She could see it in how the other girl looked down at her, like she didn’t recognize one of her oldest friends, like she didn’t recognize the girl who had spent weeks making herself a shield to bullies and rumors and the cruelty of the outside world, like she didn’t recognize Sasha at all.

“It’s over, Sash. You don’t get to push me around anymore.” The nickname burned like a brand, emblazoned itself into her memories where it had once sent warm flutters in her chest. It hurt, sucked the air from her lungs in it’s strange familiarity twisted by months of pent up hurt and anger and regret.

She’d heard the frogs cheering, heard the pink one Anne had rushed to defend (she’d almost killed someone she’d almost killed him-) cheering her on as well, and then…

Then the ground starting to crumble away as the world exploded. She felt the stone below her give way, felt that brief moment of terror and looked up and saw-

Anne looked scared, eyes wide and worried as she pieced together what was about to happen-

Sasha called out as the floor vanished beneath her, and she saw horror in those brown eyes as gravity took it’s hold-

A warm, human hand gripped hers, and she was suspended in the air. Anne was hanging halfway over the edge, a panicked look in her eyes even as she tried to give her a reassuring smile, and even though they were about to fall to what would be their deaths, a small part of the blonde lifted because Anne caught her, Anne caught her and that meant she still cared-

Anne was slipping, their weight was too much. The tower was crumbling and they’d fall soon, there was no way Anne could lift them both up, and there was a rush of terror not for herself, but for the girl who still cared even after years of hurt and abuse on Sasha’s part because Anne deserved to go home, deserved to be happy, deserved to love someone better than Sasha could ever hope to be-

The frogs were there, pulling Anne from the edge. The polywog, the little pink one, Hop-pop - all of them were there, pulling Anne up and risking their lives -

They cared for her.

They cared for Anne.

They loved her enough to risk their lives, to pull her back -

“We’ve got you Anne! No matter what!!”

They were just frogs. They weren’t supposed to matter. They weren’t supposed to care.

But they did. They loved Anne enough to grab hold and refuse to let go, loved her enough that she was willing to risk her life for them, and they….

They treated her right. They allowed her to exist as herself, and they loved her for it. Anne was happy with them.

Anne…. was better with them than with her.

“Hey, Anne? Maybe you’re…. better off without me.”

Sasha wasn’t a creature of the heart.

But maybe, just this once, she could try.

After all, it didn’t matter in the end.

She didn’t matter.

But she did. Even if it was only to one person, one girl, who cried and broke under the weight of her disappearance as a family of frogs who weren’t meant to matter surrounded her in a hug, she still mattered.

They weren’t supposed to matter.

But they did

God this took wayyy too long. Anyways, here’s my Sasha character study because there aren‘t enough Amphibia fics and I am a fast reader.

#Amphibia #sasha waybright #anne boonchuy #hopediah plantar #sprig plantar #polly plantar #marcy wu #tfw you’re a fast reader and you finish the ao3 tag in 2 and a half days #Like if no one else will make content THEN I WILL #ESPECIALLY character study stuff #Like yes give me Sasha dealing with the realization that she’s been treating Anne like shit #Give me Anne coping with the events of reunion #GIVE ME THE PLANTARS ADOPTING ANNE AND WORRYING IF THEY’RE TAKING CARE OF THEIR HUMAN RIGHT #GIVE ME MARCY WORRYING ABOUT ANNE #I CRAVE IT #On that note: Sasha totes had/has a crush on Anne #she just doesn’t know how to express it in a healthy manner

46 notes · View notes

polar534 · 4 years

Text

Jersey Stealing Pt. 3

This one is loooooong. I mean it. Probably longer then part one, but it's worth it. If you all were waiting for the bullies comeuppance, this part is for you.

Amity. Is. Pissed.

***

Amity leaned against the cold steel of the flagpole, her eyes peeled. Normally the witch hated using the internet to look up people. The human world's connected network was so filled with obnoxious jerks that it was no wonder Luz had one of them as a grom fear.

This was different though. She had to find what this girl looked like. As she stared into the endless amount of students milling out of the school her mind began to drift back to the night before.

As expected, her conversation with Luz didn't exactly lead anywhere.

***

"Hey Luz? Can we... can we talk?" Amity asked hesitantly, watching as Luz got ready for bed. The witch had been patiently waiting for the right time to approach her about this, and now was as good of time as any.

Luz blinked in the mirror, before turning around and facing Amity, her toothbrush still hanging out the corner of her mouth.

"Mhmm?" Came the muffled reply as Luz adjusted the brush in her mouth to scrub at the other side.

"I can wait until you're done you know." Amity rolled her eyes with a smile.

Luz made a face behind the toothbrush.

"Mhhhm. Mhmm hhmmmm!" She argued fiercely as she turned to face the sink again.

Grabbing the water nearby, Luz cleaned her mouth and spit out what was left of the toothpaste, turning to Amity with a grin.

"No no!! See! All done!" Luz beamed, flashing her minty smile and making Amity laugh. She leapt from the bathroom to the bed and sat cross-legged facing Amity.

"Whatcha wanna talk about?"

"I want to talk about what happened a couple of nights ago."

Luz's eyes widened before she waved her hand in front of her face.

"Oh that? It just caught me off guard. I'm fine now-"

"No you're not!" Amity said quickly, before Luz could try denying it all again. "You haven't been acting like yourself lately and I'm not the only one who noticed."

"Amity. I'm fine. It's all in the past anyways." Luz assured her, her smile fading to a small sliver. "Like I said, I just wasn't expecting to see them ther-"

"I know what happened. At the game. What they said to you." Amity interrupted her again, her voice coldly serious.

Shock registered on Luz's face before her hands found the blanket underneath them and gripped it tightly. She looked down at it as her face hardened, her expression guarded.

But Amity wasn't done.

"Lokte asked their brother if he heard anything and their brother told me." She continued a little more softly, reaching out to put a hand on Luz's knee.

"I asked your mother about Sasha. I think I have an idea of what she meant to you."

"Amity..."

The blanket twisted harder, Luz's fists balling it into a small knot.

"It's ok to be upset. But you've got to let me in on these things, how else am I supposed to help?"

Luz finally looked up to her. Brown eyes met amber ones and Amity realized with a shock just how watery they both had become.

"Can we... can we please not talk about it? It's in the past. Anything she might have meant to me is all gone now, right? So why bother?" She practically mumbled, defeat dripping from her voice.

"Well it's not in the past to me! I'm still learning about all of this. And they can't keep treating you like that!" Amity argued.

"They don't matter to me. I've got Willow and Gus, and Eda and Lilith." Luz said quietly, slowly unwrapping her hand from the blanket to grab Amity's, a slow grin reappearing on her face.

"Annnnnnd I've got you." Luz waggled her eyebrows playfully causing Amity to choke out a laugh past the knot in her throat.

"Luuuuuzzz." The witch groaned as her girlfriend's grin grew bigger.

"I'll be fine, perfectly fine, so long as I've got someone as wonderful as you taking care of me." Luz teased further.

Amity groaned again and gave her a light shove.

"You're such a cheese."

"You're right, I am a cheese. A big cheese to everyone who counts!" Luz shot back, straightening up and leaning dramatically on Amity's shoulder, crushing her into the bed.

"And you loooooovvveeeee me." Luz sing-songed as she flipped over and laid on Amity's chest, looking her in the eyes.

Amity stared back into those big, dopey brown eyes and obnoxious grin and felt her heart flutter. Her face went red as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. I do." She chuckled, leaning forward to kiss Luz on the forehead and making her girlfriend squeak in delight.

"Which is why I'm letting this go for tonight. But this isn't over Noceda!"

Luz merely grinned.

"I'd expect nothing less from you, Blight."

***

A sharp whistle jolted Amity out of the memory. She sneered at the guy responsible as he winked at her and disappeared inside the school.

The sooner she found Sasha, the better.

Another wolf whistle had her moving up and into the school. Navigating the hallways of the human school was a lot like finding her way around Hexside. The only problem was, she had no idea where Sasha could be. A thought crossed her mind as she made her way to the back of the school. If there was anyone who knew where Sasha could be, it was Bryce.

And Bryce was the star player of the football team.

Amity pulled plenty of attention with her wherever she went. If she wasn't recognized for Hockey, her hair caught enough attention. Even though the dye job had faded just to the very ends of her hair, the bright green attracted many eyes.

Despite all of this, she thankfully wasn't stopped as she made her way through the school and past the bleachers to the team currently practicing out on the field. She found Bryce fairly quickly.

Or rather. He found her.

"Oh would you look at that boys! This is the babe I was telling you about!"

Amity growled in her throat as a bunch of sweaty football players started running towards her. Their leader, the person she assumed was Bryce, had his helmet off and was walking calmly over to her, a disgusting grin plastered on his face.

"Is it true you checked Ricky Gormley so hard that he cried?"

"I heard that you're the best shot on the team, why are you only on defense?"

The questions swarmed her ears as the boys surrounded her. Instead of addressing any of them, she glared at the player without the helmet.

"I assume you're Bryce."

Bryce's grin grew as smugness flashed in his eyes.

"Why, have you heard of me?" Bryce acknowledged her with a wink that made Amity's skin crawl.

She pushed through the unease and disgust.

"I've heard... some things." Amity admitted, keeping her face blank.

Bryce nudged his friend in the ribs. The known bully leaned against the other player as he waggled his eyebrows at Amity.

"So whatcha doing round here?" Bryce teased.

"I heard you might know where I could find Sasha. I've got a few questions for her."

The football player deflated for a moment before quickly recovering and sliding off his friends shoulder with a smile.

"Yeah. I know where she is. But it's going to cost ya" He grinned wickedly. "How about a date with me. Next Friday after the game. I'll even let you wear my jersey." He winked as his friends loudly gasped and laughed.

Amity smiled and used her finger to draw Bryce is close. As he leaned in, he moved his head so she could whisper in his ear.

"I have a different proposition. How about you tell me where Sasha is, and I won't embarrass you in front of your entire team." Amity growled lowly, making sure only Bryce could hear her.

To her annoyance he simply straightened and flashed her another insufferable grin.

"Ohh. That sounds like fun. I accept your terms hockey girl." He taunted loudly, getting into a ready stance.

His posse seemed to get even more rowdy at this, not having heard what Amity said and jumping to their own conclusions.

Amity rolled her eyes. Turning as if she was going to leave (a chorus of boos sounded behind her) she quickly whipped around and caught Bryce off guard. Using her shoulder to send him sprawling backwards while sticking her foot behind his own, he crashed to the ground in an instant. Amity took a step forward and stood above him, arms crossed.

"Tell me what I want to know or it's going to be more then just the wind getting knocked out of you." She snarled, stepping back and allowing him to get up.

Bryce blinked from his grounded position on the field.

"Hot." He breathed out, a little dazed.

Amity growled as Bryce leapt to his feet, showing no signs of any injury or slowing.

"Alright. You got me. Sasha is usually in the art classroom after school talking with the teacher. Don't know why, but I also don't care."

Amity rolled her eyes and turned to walk away, fighting the urge to make another comment or throw another punch. If Luz could keep her composure around him, then so could Amity.

That was, until the brute grabbed her arm. She reluctantly let him swing her around and to her surprise Bryce looked almost... shy.

"Wait. So about that date..."

"You've already been told I'm taken. I doubt it takes long for even an oaf like you to figure out I don't like guys." She snarled back at him, taking his hand off her arm and twisting it painfully until he crumpled forward in pain.

"You're going to leave my girlfriend alone from now on, or I will come back." Amity threatened lowly, releasing his wrist and pushing the football player back as he stared blankly wide-eyed and nursed his hurt wrist. "And next time you touch me, I'll break your wrist."

Amity turned around and started walking back up to the bleachers, the stunned silence of the team following her. Despite how good it felt to put Bryce in his place, to wipe the grin off his face, she immediately began to worry that she crossed a line. What if he came after Luz for the things she said?

Taking a quick glance over her shoulder the witch saw the injured player grinning at her once again. He cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled back up at her.

"Playing hard to get eh? I'll see you again hockey girl. I know you can't wait!" He yelled up at her before turning to his teammates.

His voice was faint but it carried up to Amity's ears nonetheless.

"She must've heard about that creep Luz hitting on her. Honestly had me going for a second. Good to see she's got a sense of humor though!" He laughed to his team.

Amity wished, not for the first time that the human world had just a little magic.

She would give anything to be able to burn the bully to ash.

***

Luckily doodles and posters adorned the 'art' hallway like signs pointing Amity where to go. It was far more quiet here then any of the other sections of the school and Amity almost felt like a ghost, hearing her footsteps echo loudly around her as she walked swiftly through the hall.

Her ears twitched from under the bandanna she wore like a sweatband. Following the faint sound of laughter, Amity found the girl she was looking for standing at the front of a large classroom with double doors.

Peering into the room Amity could see that Sasha was talking with an older woman with graying hair and kind eyes. They were both laughing at something the younger girl had pulled up on her phone, neither of them noticing the intruder.

Amity took the time to analyze her target. Sasha seemed to be a much different person now then how she appeared in her photos. Instead of the flowery and airy style she carried and wore in all of her pictures, she was dressed casually, wearing sweatpants and a bulky sweatshirt that almost threatened to consume her thin frame. It wasn't the wardrobe that drew Amity's eye however, it was the small almost barely visible strip of pink that waved in her otherwise blonde hair.

Unconsciously, Amity's hand went to the remainder of her own dye job.

The movement was enough to garner attention as both teacher and student turned to face the doorway. As Sasha's green eyes met her amber ones, Amity remembered why she was here. Her blood began to boil. Here she was, so calm and collected, so... confident, while Luz had been quiet and withdrawn for days now. It wasn't fair.

Not waiting to be addressed, she strolled straight into the room.

"Can I help you miss?" The teacher asked kindly, freezing Amity in her advance. The witch stiffened. Collecting herself quickly, Amity turned around with a wide smile.

"No it's quite alright. I'm sorry I was in such a rush! I must've forgotten my manners. I just really would like to talk to my friend over here."

"Is that alright Sasha?" The lady turned to the blonde haired girl with a raised eyebrow.

Sasha looked between the two people in front of her before shrugging casually.

"I'll be right back Ms. Reinard. Me and... uh, Amity, right?" Sasha looked over at the witch for reassurance and got a stiff nod as a response.

"Me and Amity are just going to step out into the hallway real quick." Sasha finished politely as she stuck her hands in the pocket of her sweatshirt and walked Amity out into the hallway.

"So... um. Why is the lead star of the hockey team wanting to talk to me?" Sasha asked quite shyly when they were far enough out of earshot. Not knowing where to stand, she settled with leaning against a locker.

Amity did not follow her lead. Instead she tore off the jersey she had on, leaving her standing in the hallway in just a white tank top and blue jeans. Sasha stared at her curiously as the witch began to fidget with the jersey.

"I wanted to ask you about something that happened at my last game." Amity said coolly, her tone level.

"Oh. You must've heard about Luz..."

Amity's heartrate spiked at the name of her girlfriend but she kept her face straight. Eyes half lidded. Don't show any emotion. Gain as much information as you can. That was the way of the Blight.

"One could say that." Amity replied casually. "What do you think of her?"

Sasha's eyes widened almost guiltily as Amity continued turning her jersey over in her hands.

"She's... she's nothing you should worry about. Luz is mostly harmless." The girl sighed, looking down at the ground and avoiding the witch's intense stare.

Amity's hands gripped tighter into the fabric of her jersey.

"That didn't answer my question." The witch ever so subtly growled.

"I don't understand what you mean?"

"My question was what you thought about her. Though in all fairness, I guess it doesn't matter. Luz never really cared about what everyone else seemed to think about her. Everyone except you."

Sasha stared at her with wide eyes as Amity's face twisted into a frown. Amber eyes drifted down at the jersey.

"Are you... ok?" Sasha asked after a moment. When Amity didn't answer right away, the girl took a step forward.

Reacting quickly, Amity side stepped the hand that was coming down to rest on her shoulder and instead tossed her jersey up in the air.

"Yeah. Hold that for a second would you?"

Sasha lunged forward to catch the jersey just in time as the fabric unraveled in her hands. Suddenly, the tag attached to the back was sticking out. Sasha eyes locked onto it immediately just as Amity knew they would. After all, the colors Luz chose were hard to miss.

"What is this?"

"First you don't answer my question, now you're you saying you can't read either?" Amity snapped.

The witch knew what was on the tag. Knew that Sasha would've understood it. Should've understood it.

When Amity had first gotten her jersey she had been a little nervous. A new jersey meant a new team. A new chance for her to get her teammates injured again.

Luz didn't see it like that however. She was ecstatic, making sure it fit Amity well and making sure that she was plenty excited about her new jersey. When her girlfriend still had some reservations about it, Luz claimed it was simply because she hadn't made it *hers* yet. Taking some markers and dashing out the door with the shirt, Luz emerged from wherever she had been hiding a few minutes later with a very bright and colorful tag that read:

'Property of Amity.' With a small drawing of a hockey stick and puck.

A couple of weeks and jersey stealing incidents later and there appeared another line on the tag.

'Property of Amity. And Luz! (her amazing wonderful girlfriend).'

The understanding quiet that swarmed the hallway was deafening.

"So she was telling the truth..." Sasha spoke quietly, thumbing the tag gently.

Amity leaned forward and plucked the jersey out of Sasha's hands. With her arms exposed, she cut an intimidating figure, the muscles she had gained from training and practice obvious. The movement seemed to startle the blonde-haired girl as she looked up in alarm.

"Look. I'm sorry, but you don't understand. You couldn't. The situations she's caused and problems... You haven't known her as long as we-"

"I don't need to." Amity interrupted calmly, gently sliding the jersey back over her head. "In the amount of time I've known Luz she's nearly gotten me killed in a library, almost got my siblings eaten alive, nearly set us both on fire-"

"What kind of camp did you go to?!"

"-and almost terrorized an entire town with their worst fears." Amity finished, ignoring Sasha's question entirely. She held up a lazy hand gesturing to nothing. "And that's just the short list."

"Then... why?" Sasha asked after a short pause, her eyes lingering to a specific spot behind Amity's head where the jersey's tag would've been.

Amity laughed, a sharp and cold sound in the mostly quiet room. Sasha flinched, her back hitting the locker she was leaning against with a loud and hollow bang.

"You know the thing about you bullies, is that the one thing you never did was give Luz a chance. I almost didn't either. That was a mistake."

Sasha looked up curiously, a large range of emotions flashing through her eyes. The girl's submissive stance was familiar to Amity. Uncomfortably familiar. Flashbacks from her days of sullenly stalking around Hexside flashed in her head.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Luz was always the one who got us out of each and every situation. She's always willing to help fix her mistakes." Amity stared at Sasha pointedly. "Always willing to look for the best in people."

The blonde haired girl in front of her hung her head.

"You threatened to call the cops on my girlfriend." Amity told her plainly.

Sasha didn't say anything, but instead sighed heavily and nodded. Her silence only irritated Amity more.

"You know I asked around. I've seen Luz deal with bullies before. I know it usually doesn't ever get to her. I know about Bryce, about the brute he is. But you were 'different'. You meant something else to Luz."

"I..." Sasha blinked, genuinely confused, "... what?"

"Tell me, since you've known her for sooo long. Have you ever seen Luz quiet?"

"Quiet?"

"Yeah. Quiet. Withdrawn. Sad." Amity listed, annoyed.

"No, she's... she's always been really out-going and kinda loud if I'm being honest. Even when everyone was so clearly annoyed with it, she didn't stop." Sasha admitted. Her face grew with a sad smile. "Nothing really got her down."

"Well it has now. You have." Amity said coldly.

The blonde girl's eyes widened, but the witch didn't let her say anything.

"Luz has faced a lot of things, none of them pretty, and still come out the same person as before. I've seen her do it. But the idea she had of you, the hope she had... you were different in her eyes." Amity explained shoving her hands deep into her pockets to prevent them from clenching into fists. A lump formed in her throat, the anger and empathy she felt balling tightly there and making it difficult to speak or breathe.

"But I see now you're just the same as the rest of them." Amity growled.

The sentence clearly had an immediate effect on Sasha who's eyes flashed in anger, she rose up to defend herself but Amity was already done. Her anger was quickly fading, leaving her body cold and numb. All she wanted was to go home. To go home to Luz. With a short decisive wave she cut off anything the other girl could've possibly said and took a step closer, purposefully drawing herself up to look as intimidating as possible.

Even if it couldn't stick with Bryce, she would make sure it stuck here. The last thing Luz needed was more of a reminder of just how badly the human world failed her.

"Leave my girlfriend alone. Tell all your friends that if they come near Luz again, they'll get to experience exactly why I'm the best defensive hockey player in the division."

Amity turned sharply, her footsteps filling in the silence left behind from the threat. She heard the door of the art class room open again after a pause and the teacher's kind voice drifted through the hallway.

"Sasha... you're crying. All you alright? Did something happen?"

Amity didn't stop as Sasha hesitantly answered. She refused to hear her excuses, her mind stuck in the past. Stuck to the night Amity found her girlfriend nearly freezing to death, staring up at nothing. The night she saw Luz's hope for something die.

#toh #toh au #hockey au #the owl house #lumity #the owl house au

54 notes · View notes

popculturebuffet · 3 years

Text

Amphibia Weekly Reviews: Bessie and Mircroangelo/The Third Temple “The Things We’ve Set into Motion Cannot Be Stopped”

Hello all you happy people. It’s been a long road, with an even longer road trip, but the season’s almost over: just two more weeks of Amphibia.. and with all the build up weighing down on our heroes two things are clear: this cannot end well for Anne or anyone involved, and this is going to hurt. It’s going to hurt a LOT. it’s going to be some...

... how have I not used more MST3K gifs. Questions for later. Point is with emotional pain immient, a revolution on the way this episode only ratchets up the tension.. while also sparing some time for makeover jokes and a breather episode about snail mentorships, fashion montages and giant crabs. I do love me some giant crabs. And i’ll tell you allllll about it under the cut.

Bessie and MicroAngelo:

This episode finds our heroes preparing for the third and final temple, loading up the wagon and preparing weapons, maps, potions, all that good stuff.

We end up getting two plots out of this. The first is the titular one: so Polly can help prepare, Hop Pop gives Bessie the task of watchin gher snail and certified cutie MicroAngelo, that tiny Snail who I assumed would disappear forever after his intitial apperance because that’s usually what cartoons does. But much like One Piece, Al Ewing and that owl what watches me while I sleeps, Amphibia never forgets.

It’s some Looney Tunes style shenanigans.. not the bugs or daffy, more on him later today, kind more the “Bigger more responsible party protects the smaller more vunerable or reckless one” kind you’d see eveyr so often. Tom and Jerry also really loved this. And Amphibia wears it well, with some good gags and really cute bonding and some really excellent animation on Bessie, giving the old girl plenty of life and animation. The only part I genuinely do not like is Hop Pop blaming Bessie for.. running after micro angelo afte rhe ran off. Aka doing the job you assigned her.

Someone i’m looking at. Regardless otherwise it’s just some fun, adorable slapstick with a downright precious ending. And hop pop DOES apologize.. and wish he was a cute snail. I do not have time to unpack all the implications there nor ponder what Hop Pop would look like in a snail costume. This week’s given my brain enough nightmares.

So anyway, our subplot has Marcy trying to give Anne a Makeover... and her past attempts with Sasha have been objectively horrifying so Anne is rightly scared, though the armorer who comes to help with it has a blue crab so tha’ts where all my attention. I fucking love crabs.. they just look so neat. Some see the fact a spider crab being out and about in animal crossing as horrifying. I see it as oh look at my cool terrifying crab friend. About the only crab I don’t like is this asshole.

And even then he can be VERY funny. .he’s just also an exploitative douchebag and having worked in food service, let me tell you I.. I get why Squidward is the way he is. That said Krabbyland is a masterpiece entirely because he’s such a terrible person, so it ballances out when the show’s doing it’s best.

Point is I like crabs and I like this subplot.. though mostly because it says a LOT about who Anne and Marcy are and where there at. Part of why Marcy is so gung ho about helping Anne is she figures this is her last shot to be whoever she wants to be. But really she’s just projecting: it’s been obvious since we properly met her that Marcy.. likes living HERE more than earth. On earth she’s an outcast: her hyperfixations, her tendency to babble about things she likes, her smartness... alll things that just make people turn away from her or pick on her on earth, with only two people relaly understanding and appricating her.. maybe more but we don’t know the situation with her parents yet. As someone who is a lot of those things, I get where she’s coming from.

So ending up in a world straight out of an rpg... she florished. Everything that made her life difficult at home suddenly made her florish: her skill with RPG’s meant she could blend in easily with the courtly high class of Newtopia, gave her a love of taking on missions, and allowed her to put her hyperfixation, knowledge and enthusasim to real world use, creating massive improvments in an already ritzy city. Everything that made her an outcast in our world made her a hero there. It’s why I worry about what’s to come: to both Grime and Andrias.. she’s the perfectly made pawn: too desperate to have Sasha back to see the kinfe he wants her to plant in Marcy’s, and too happy to be accepted to see the rpg convention, the benevolent ruler turning out ot be a puppet for the big bad, starring her in the face. Amphibia’s given her her freedom.. but it’s also left her very vunerable and may leave her alone.

As for Anne.. she realizes how far she’s come: from selfish and kind of distructive to selfless and self reliant.. and still kind of destructive but hey, you can’t cahnge eveyrthing about yourself. It’s why when given heavy armor.. all she needs is the core of it.. something simple to guard her but nothing too complex. She’s fine with who she is.. and it’s why she’s in the best place of the three girls. And why she’s left smack in the middle of the war to come. A war she can’t stop and that will leave her having to choose one... or do the right , hard thing and choose neither and try and free them from the bad influences they’ve embded themselves in. Either way this is going to hurt both her and the audience.

Final Thoughts: Bessie and Mircoangelo is good classic cartoon fun with a suprisingly deep subplot. Simple, but a nice pallete clensar, especially since the next episode is pretty tense and given it’s ending and eveyrthing that’s been building this season, it’s likely only going to get worse from here, so it’s nice to have a quick and breezy break before hell comes to frogtown.

The Third Temple:

Before we get to the final temple we get a flashback showing how Sasha met Anne and Marcy. The other two were playing on the swings when two big dillholes pushed them off and Sasha selflessly and fearlessly stood up to them. And promptly beat herself up more than the bullies who dodged her and eventually got so freaked out by whatever the hell this was they ran and a friendship was born. But noticably she’s a lot diffrent 7 years ago, aproximately, than she is at 13: she’s every bit as fearless and willfull.. but the compassion she once had got buried under a need for control. It’s easy to see now WHY Marcy and Anne loved her so much: she was their friend, their protector, she cared about them.. and while she never STOPPED somewhere along the way it became less about doing the right thing for the women she loves and more about getting her way.

And now the two have had time to heal from what their friend girlfriend became.. it’s time to rip that wound wide open as finally, after almost a season of waiting, Sasha reunites with Marcy for the first time and Anne for the second.

Naturally her return is in time for her gem to be charged, though our heroes unware of that didn’t seek her out before going in. This time Frobo’s riding claw though weirdly dosen’t come inside. Which is a problem with Frobo’s addition to the cast as the whole: they’ve kept him out of any episode since his induction into the family and only properly explained it once. It just dosen’t make a lot of sense to me; Yes he is massively powerful but his childlike thought process counters that. He’s easy enough to write in but is left out becasue the writers don’t want to deal with an extra character. And I had more than enough of that shit when watching Ducktales. I don’t need it when your main cast isn’t NEARLY as large or hard to juggle. It’s just galling to have spent an entire season showing he was following them, give him a whole episode.. and then just forget about him because i’ts convient. Hopefully he’ll play a bigger role as things progress and we find out where he came from because his misuse is a dark spot on an otherwise great second half of the season.

Frobo does get to prove himself useful though and open s the temple door he just weirdly dosen’t come along. But this does leave the door open for Sasha to come in as our heroes struggle with the first puzzle: Turns out this dungeon was built by a bro, seriously the temple languge is very broey and VERY hilarious contrasted with how normal for a fantasy setting the others were, as is fitting the strength gem, so our heroes have to compete feats of strength. Unfortunately this does not mean wrestling the ghost of Jerry Stiller to the ground but instead fighting some Lava Worms, and fighting just ONE of them and lifting the provided warhammers is a challenge for Anne.. and she��s the only one who can with Marcy not having enough upper body stregnth and the plantars all de-hydrated spongebob style.

So naturally Sasha ends up being their savor, easily dispatching them and getting some help from grime who while also dehydrated, is still phsycially strong enough to be of some help. Marcy is overjoyed to see her.. and is the only one. Given Marcy hasn’t been on the wrong end of Sasha and Grime like they have, it’s understandable: while Marcy’s grappled with Sasha’s actions and grip on her and Anne, it’s been clear it hasn’t hit her as hard as it has for Anne and she likely dosen’t get the full scope of it like Anne does. To her Sasha just made a mistake and she’s back now and tha’ts what matters. To Anne and the Plantars... sasha and grime tried to kill them and Sasha then tried commiting suciide to save them. The scars of that haven’t really healed for them, nor should they.

And given Sasha has spent the season clearly blamiing everything on Anne defying her and has been raising an army based on her resentment, and given she flew into a jealous blinding rage at finding her exes were fine and dandy without her she.. wholheartdly apologizes.

Yeah she apologizes.. but tellingly while she talks about her and Grime being left homeless following the battle.. she leaves out everything after: The fight with Yuan, the growing rebellion, driving her friends away, the horrifying army Grime now commands. Something’s off.

Anne naturally dosen’t trust her to do this herself and insists on coming along sitll. The next task is juts.. asking how much you lift bro, which Sasha easily passes by lifting, bro.

The final test in Jim Crunch’s Temple of Fitness, I mean who else could’ve wrote this, is of course a big fight with a giant statue of a toad, fitting how each temple so far was built by one of the civlizations: there were frog statues and symbols in the first temple, the second was guarded by a newt and the last now has a toad guard.Though curiously.. the test itself is wholly designed for a human. Before it wasn’t 100% clear even with the hyroglyps if the chosen ones had to be human or not.. but now it’s impossible to argue otherwise. There were hints : The fact the guardian pegged her as a possible chosen one on sight , the ruins in the background of the title cards which also depict the watcher with a thousand eyes (which is what i’ll be calling him till we get his, her , they or it’s actually name. ).. but here the chamber includes a gravity increase dbz style, meaning our heroines are the only ones who can stand as the Plantars and Grimes frog and toad bodies respectively aren’t strong enough to stand anymore. And while Marcy tries it ends up falling on Anne and Sasha with Sasha being Angry Anne doesn’t trust her.. and Anne not refuting it, pointing out she has EVERY REASON not to. As she puts it “it’s not just toad tower”. For most of their lives Sasha has been controlling, caring about what she wants and not what the people she loves wants. It wasn’t just the fight there... it was simply the wakeup call to how bad a person Sasha had been.

And for the first time in the episode.. Sasha is geniune, apologizing for what she did, and genuinely admitting how she treated Anne wasn’t wrong. it was something she coudln’t admit to herself episodes ago.. but faced with both loosing two more people due to her behavior, and having plenty of time to reflect on said behavhior.. she finally relaizes it’s her. Fuck man.. what else is there to say.

Oh right the giant monster thing, which Anne trusts Sasha to finish.. and we get anothe rDBZ homage as Sasha removes part of her armor, which creates a CRATER, which lowers her weight enough to fight the thing. She gets a thumbs up and the honor of recharging it.

Anne suggests opening the box.. but Marcy is VERY quick to shoot that down and suggest talking to the king. And while her reason SOUNDS good,, they don’t want to get warped somewhere ELSE at random.. it’s very clear from her actions and how quick she tried to stop it that she needs them to get to Andrias for whatever he’s talked her into. And I emphasis talked her into: Marcy trusts the king, and was in a very emotional place when he was about to talk to her at the end of season 2a... and he knew it. He knew she was at her most vunerable, most malable and trusted him completely.. and knew right then and there was his shot at getting vengance.. for him and his master. Whatever he has planned.. it’s not good. The mechancial lovecraftian horror he keeps in his creepy basement full of lost souls is a dead giveaway from that. But I don’t.. fault Marcy for it. It’s not just because I sympahtize.. to her Andrias is a good noble king trying to help her. He’s the kindly mentor she always wanted, a person who enjoys her skills dosen’t care how much she talks and has complete faith in her, something even Anne struggles with.

But it’s VERY clear, to me at least he’s been likely using her from the moment they met: to her sh’es just an optomistic pawn, someone gullible enough to do whatever he says. I’ve always felt that her “missions” probably had some darker purpose she wasn’t aware of: getting Andrias things he needs for his army, an army she has no idea is opressing people. She’s insulated from that and instead surronded by adoring people who accept her for once. Even going to wartwood, she hasn’t yet made the connection between the toad towers and what their purpose is. I think deep down she might suspect this stuff.. but she can’t ACCEPT that the one person who every had nothing but faith in her.. is a horrible person who opresses others and somehow has even WORSE plans in store.

Sasha likewise is facing the pressure of her parental figure.. while her patching it up with Anne was legitmate... her and Grime’s own plans rely on getting in there and Grime simply sees the other two as pawns , and just like the king he wants he wants to overthrow, their use expires once his plans in motion.

But the thing is.. it’s clear despite assuring Grime she’s still all in.. her face in the last shot, as seen above.. says otherwise. Her apology was legitmate, not just an attempt to get close to the one thing in her way of power, but what she’s come to realize: she’s gone from blaming Anne for it.. to realizing it was her. But she’s also stuck: while Marcy is unaware of the strings her pupeteer is pulling her towards.. Sasha is all too aware of what her mentor is planning. And the thing was she was all too willing to go for it. She blamed Anne for what happened at the tower, blamed Anne for turning marcy against her and blamed the plantars and co for turning anne against her. But in the harsh light of day... none of that’s true. Marcy dosen’t hate her, neither does anne, they didn’t turn against her.. they were just tired of her shitty behavior and wanted the friend they found that day on the playground back, the woman they loved who’d go to hell and back for someone and not the bitter, manipultive person she became. She’s once again realized it was her fault.. the question is if that’s enough for her to do the right thing or not. And the hardest question of all is IF not reblling isn’t the right thing. Wfhile the Toad’s probably shoudln’t be in charge either, Andrias REALLY shouldn’t. There’s NO easy answers here, no happy outcome that makes everyone live’s better. There’s no easy way out, no shortcut home.. just the louder and louder drumbeats of war and one girl’s decision of whose side she’s going to take.

Final Thoughts on the Third Temple: As with the other four sasha episodes thus far, this was frogging brilliant. Shoudln’t be a suprise and it makes me both look forward and dread the war to come

Next Week: The plantars try to bury the hatchet with Sasha and Grime, the girls enter a battle of the bands, and the finale comes ever closer.

If you liked this review follow me for more, and join my patreon. At just 2 dollars a month you get acess to my discord, exclusive reviews, and get me closer to my stretch goals. See you at the next rainbow

#amphibia #the third temple #bessie and microangelo #anne boonchuy #sasha waybright #marcy wu #bessie amphibia #microangelo #hopidiah plantar #sprig plantar #polly plantar #bro

21 notes · View notes

acaciapines · 3 years

Text

@mallowstep

woulda sent this as an ask but uh. moth ghost au wont leave my head and this got. long. hope ya dont mind i think about hawkfrost and mothwing A Lot.

under a cut bc. again. long.

bc see the thing is. if i were to do a moth ghost au. the kids are all young when she dies (at least, i think? idk their timeline, i’m assuming they’re like, 3-4 months, so, youngish), so it’s like...ghost sister? ghost sister. sasha cant see her because it’s no fun if she can, so we get hawk and tadpole, both who feel like they’ve killed their sister, both who are kids and cant deal with that grief. but like...moth is right there! she’s right there! she’s still their sister even if shes a ghost and as they get bigger and lose their kit-fluff she stays the same. she’s their sister.

but sasha....sasha just lost one of her kittens, nearly lost the other two, and now the remaining ones are talking to moth as though she’s still there? cats dont leave ghosts behind--cats aren’t trapped like that. humans are, sasha was a housecat and she’s seen how humans pace around their houses, but cats are sneaky lil guys. cats arent trapped to the earth like people are. cats die and leap into the sky and become the world.

moth isn’t stuck, moth is the world. so sasha tells her sons that their sister isn’t a ghost with them, but she’s the world around them--the prey and wind and sky.

hawk and tadpole look at each other, at their very-much-there ghost sister, and are like....yeah sure mom.

so we get a hawk and tadpole who refuse to let moth go. it’s hawk who clings to her the most, i think--he acts as though nothing happened, as though nobody drowned. tadpole is...starting to listen to their mom, a bit. he knows moth is there, but...should she be? nobody should be trapped like this. her spirit deserves to move on.

“we should help her,” tadpole says.

“she’s fine,” hawk says, “she’s right here, and she’s fine, and i’m not going to let you kill her again just because you have something against ghosts.”

and tadpole doesn’t ask again. he was the first one out out that basement.

eventually the kits end up in riverclan, and tadpole doesnt really talk about moth to anybody. like, he still acknowledges her, but only when they’re alone or it’s just hawk. hawk, on the other hand, doesn’t care! sure he’s like, 6 moons old, and moth is still stuck at 4, but! who! cares! and so while the clan teaches them their clan ways, teaches them about starclan, tadpole listens and he’s able to find some comfort in the idea. that theres a place his sister can go, can move on to. he’s always liked the stars. moth will, too.

but hawk...

well, the thing is, hawk’s not a clan cat. he’s got a clan name, now, he’s down a mother and he’s a very young kid staring up at these riverclan cats, but he’s nothing if not stubborn, and he’s clung to his sister thus far and he’s not about to give her up.

the clans dont think much of other religions. they tell hawk and tadpole that there’s no such thing as ghosts. dead cats go to starclan, and only clan cats, at that--your sister isn’t there, why would she be? she died a loner. but dont worry, now you’re here, in the clans, and when you die, you’ll be together in starclan.

“it’s stupid,” hawk says, to moth, alone in their den, “who cares about starclan? thats not mine, and its not yours. if you’re going anywhere it’s the wind, not the stars.”

“did you see that one thunderclan med cat apprentice at the gathering?” asks moth. “i thought she was pretty.”

“never change,” hawk says, fondly.

but he starts to think. as he starts to spend more and more time alone, with only moth for company. and moth is moth but she is...a ghost. she’s trapped. she doesn’t grow and change like a living cat does--at this point she doesnt even know why she’s still around. something about...drowning, maybe? it happened so long ago. she’s just happy to have her brother with her.

tadpole worries. hawk pushes him away. tadpole tells him they have to let their sister go. that they have to move on--that he loves moth too, and he misses her every day, but they’re clan cats, now. they have to be the best they can be, so nobody else is ever hurt again.

so i dont hurt anyone again, he doesnt say.

because tadpole doesn’t think moth’s ghost is around, either. he’s stopped seeing her. maybe he never did. maybe he was just a kid who lost his sister, who killed his sister, even if on accident. maybe he never was able to cope with that.

he wont see his sister in starclan. he probably wont see his mother, either. he doenst know what happens to loners. sasha told them, once. the wind and the sky and the leaves. becoming a part of the world, again. energy that can never truly die, just change shape.

but that was so long ago. he’s nearly a warrior, now. who remembers the stories they were told as kids?

anyways.

hawkpaw becomes the medicine cat.

he’s got two sets of beliefs rattling around in his head--starclan, everything the clans are telling him, and half-remembered stories from his mother, that moth remembers best of them all, forever trapped as a 4 moon old kit. and somewhere along the line these have been mashed together, into one big: starclan isnt letting moth in, because she died a loner. starclan wont ever let moth in but they’re going to take me when i die and i wont let them. i wont let them tear us apart.

it’s not easy. riverclan says he’d need a sign to become a medicine cat, but since when have the dead done that? they’re dead. moth is a ghost at his side, and she watches the flowers, and the bees, and remarks about thunderclan medicine cats that hawk can’t help but be begrudgingly fond of, if only for her.

but he can do this. he has to.

hawkpaw fakes a sign. hawkpaw becomes medicine cat.

hawkpaw goes to the moonpool, and the stars tell him the same thing the clans do: there is no place for your sister here. our heavens are for worthy clan cats only.

hawk is still the villain here, just...in a different way. if this were a warriors book he’d be a villain flat-out, a med cat turning his back on starclan, who lied and cheated his way into this role, who never cared about anybody but his dead sister. but this isn’t a warriors book.

tadpole is the hero. hawk looks at the stars and tells them to their faces if you wont let my sister in, then i’ll make you regret it. i’ll show everyone that you’re nothing. that they worship cats that arent even ghosts. cats that are trapped. maybe youre wrong. maybe moth isnt the one youre keeping out. maybe shes the free one.

hawk plays the long game, though. gets his full name. learns medicines, how to heal.

how to harm.

moth watches him from the shadows. tells him kit-stories about rebirth.

the clans dont believe in that. hawk doesnt know what he is. he doesnt either.

theyre all trapped. thats what he believes.

he sets a trap for mudfur. a fox-trap down by the lake. then he, hawkfrost, will be the only link riverclan has to the stars, and he won’t listen to a word they say.

tadpole is the one to find out, to intervene before mudfur dies. to say hawk, you betrayed us all!

you betrayed me first, says hawk. me and moth both.

moth is dead! says tadpole. you can’t let her go!

you follow the words of the dead, says hawk in return, thats all the clans do. all mudfur did. he didnt want me to be his apprentice. he needed the dead to tell him what to do. what kind of life is that? and if you agree with what he did, how is it any different than me and moth? at least i know she’s real. that she’s our sister. the clans would let her die.

and so tadpole kills his brother with a stake through the heart.

he thinks he can see moth for a second. a flash against the blood.

hawk dies. he doesnt die a clan cat.

was it worth it? tadpole asks.

im going to be with moth, hawk says. youre going to go to starclan.

why dont you answer that question?

...

yeah thats my moth ghost au. is this anything? who knows! its certainly not in any way fleshed out, just the barest bones of an idea. i want leafpool to still get her ‘blood will spill blood’ prophecy--maybe she and hawk become friends, somewhere in there. who knows.

ghost moth man. fun to think about.

#warrior cats #mothwing #hawkfrost #tadpole #i write #anyways time to go to bed its fully one thirty am #i have to wake up early tommorow #i have plans #this is what warrior cats does to you

15 notes · View notes

athingthatwantsvirginia · 4 years

Text

All Norman Bates

PART FORTY-TWO OF THE DO YOU SEE HER FACE? SERIES

Pairing: Jess Mariano x Original Character (Ella Stevens)

Warnings: mentions of estranged parents, therapy, plentiful pop culture references

Word Count: 2.8K

Summary: Jess and Ella experience a bump in the road on the way to California.

A/N: Just so everyone is aware, there are only two chapters left after this, including the epilogue :)

Sighing, Jess glanced over at Ella, who sat in the passenger seat with a crinkled brow and the cap of a red pen between her teeth. They were halfway to California, and Jess didn’t think he’d seen her without that same pensive look on her face for the entirety of the trip thus far. But, he couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed at her insistence on working over the spring break. Her cheeks were lively with rosy color, and her eyes looked clearer.

They weren’t all good days. Sometimes, she would come home from work or school and fall asleep on the couch almost immediately, lethargic and unable to articulate any of the thoughts which were jumbled in a confusing, depressed mess within her head. Then, when she awoke, she would often find herself needing to cry. Whether she knew what her feelings were about or not, she would let herself cry, like her new therapist was urging her to. Jess would rub circles on her back and make green tea and listen. And eventually, she would feel better. They were working it out together, just like he promised. Most of the time, there was a gnawing guilt sitting in her stomach. He shouldn’t have to take care of her, she would think. She was holding him back. She was weighing him down. Each time she brought it up though, he would patiently remind her of how much she had helped him, how this thing of theirs was a two-way street, and that he didn’t mind.

She would smile, in spite of herself. Slowly, it was getting easier, and she was regaining her passion for things. She was drawing again, even painting, finally making use of the easel Jess had gotten her for Christmas. Jess often made jokes about how big of a role their therapists played in their lives, but they only made Ella laugh, instead of making her angry. It was true, but she was becoming less ashamed of it by the day. It would probably always feel a bit like her and Jess against the world, but their world could be bigger. Help didn’t need to be an evil. She didn’t need to make survival her ultimate goal. Instead, she was working on happiness. And, of course, the antidepressants were playing a part no one could understate.

“You’re gonna make yourself carsick,” Jess warned begrudgingly, turning down the Killers song which played on the radio.

Ella rolled her eyes but didn’t look up from the essay. “You’re the one who gets carsick, Jess. I’ll be fine.”

Again, he gave a slight sigh. Sometimes, the silence could get to even him. When she was working, it was like she was on a different planet. “Whatever, Daria. Just call me the invisible man.”

“You are so clingy,” she teased off-handedly, chuckling.

He scoffed, though a blush rose hotly up his neck and to the tips of his ears. “Am not.”

“Sure, tough guy,” she quipped, then finally looked up from the midterm papers she was grading.

The current one was a pretty decent account of how Van Gogh made the most of his madness through his art. She was pretty engrossed in it, and it was almost free of her annotations. Her harsh grading style had become almost notorious with the T.A. circle at the University. But, sometimes, people really did turn in perfect work. Besides, she knew it was better to bite the bullet and give the advice. It was what the students were there for, after all. And subtlety had never been her strong suit.

For what it was worth, she was working on the drive in an attempt to have less to do once they actually reached California. The plans were to spend the week on the beach, reading and drawing, and popping into Jess’s father’s house every now and again. The visit was partially for vacation, partially an obligatory gesture. Jess hadn’t visited in so long, the guilt was starting to get to him. His father was a douchebag, but he had still welcomed Jess into his home when he didn’t have to. The gesture certainly counted for something.

Watching the darkness of the road ahead, Jess tried to keep his anxiety at bay. He had to remind himself that Ella was with him, they were older, and even more stable than they had been the last time they visited. He didn’t need to feel nervous about the trip, but the memories of his lonely months in Venice were itching at the back of his mind. Sometimes, he would give in and scratch, even if it only made things worse. He bit at his bottom lip, eyes occasionally wandering to the sky. There were stars, lots out in the heartland of America with no light pollution. And there were hardly any other cars, as the night went from evening to late. There were no concrete plans about where to stay the night, just the next decent motel they happened upon. Each time Ella suggested stopping, Jess insisted he was fine to keep driving. He wanted to get as much done as he could manage. Truthfully, he was not looking forward to the silence of the nighttime, when Ella went to sleep and he had to be alone with thoughts of his father turning over and over in his head.

“Do you hear that?” she asked after a moment, brows furrowing. With her attention away from her work, she had begun to pick up on a faint clicking sound.

“Hear what?” Jess said, broken from his anxious reverie.

“Listen,” she said, then gave a hesitant pause. Then added: “It’s getting louder.”

Jess did as she told him, turning the quiet music on the radio all the way down. Sure enough, beneath the rushing of the tires and the occasional screech they had come to tune out after years of riding in the death trap, there was a clicking. And it was getting louder, faster and faster. Then, Jess began to feel a drag in his speed and a resistance in his brakes.

. . .

Too tired even to work, Ella laid with her hands behind her head and stared up at the ceiling. They were somewhere in Kansas, with shitty cell reception and even shittier motels. No auto repair shop would be open until the morning, the man with the tow truck had said, but he suspected it was the engine, based on the sound they had described to him. Luckily, the man had been kind enough to drive them to the nearest 24-hour lodging. The Ambassador would sit solitary in the tow yard until the morning, when they came to bring it to whatever repair shop had the lowest prices. In all honesty, Ella was just glad they hadn’t been forced to spend the night on the side of the highway. It had taken them almost a half an hour before finally getting Ella’s cell in the right position to handle a call to information, to get the name of a towing company. The whole ordeal had been nerve-wracking, but she was feeling marginally better behind the safety of their closed motel room door. At the front desk there sat a disinterested woman with thick glasses which magnified her light eyes and a magazine open on the desk in front of her. She had told them a lost key was a $50 fee before sending them on their way with little more than a glance.

It wasn’t a shock. Jess’s car had been living on borrowed time for quite a while, anyway. Rusty and creaky and dying. Ella almost felt vindicated. Finally, her predictions had come true. She had expressed doubt when Jess had said he would be the one driving, to give her time to work and relax. He’d been encouraging her to relax more often recently, and she appreciated it. But riding passenger in the Ambassador was anything but relaxing. Ella still couldn’t believe how flabbergasted Jess had looked when he had to pull over on the side of the road, unable to drive safely with the way the gas pedal wasn’t cooperating. Ella felt a bit of foolish nostalgia at the thought of the vehicle. Another site of their youth bites the dust.

“I don’t know,” Jess sighed into his phone, running a hand down his tired face.

He’d been talking to Sasha for the last twenty minutes. It was past ten, but not the middle of the night. Jimmy, however, wasn’t available to talk apparently. Sasha had been suggesting alternative plans for them to get to California, though both Jess and Ella knew there was no way they were getting down there anytime soon if the car was as broken as they suspected. Even if it wasn’t completely dead (which it was), they’d have to wait for parts to come in. Who knew how long that would take for such an old make and model.

Eventually, Jess pushed Sasha off the phone with some muttered excuses and forced goodbyes. His head was swimming with fatigue, and he didn’t think he could deal with another second of his stepmother. Not considering how chatty and cheery she was. Putting his cell phone on the rickety nightstand next to him, he flopped down onto his back. The comforter had a faded floral pattern, but was surprisingly soft. He blew out a long breath and shut his eyes for a moment.

“So she took it well?” Ella asked flatly. She had heard Sasha’s good-natured badgering as she lay silently next to Jess.

“Oh yeah,” Jess replied. “Very understanding.”

Ella snorted a laugh and sat up again, looking down at him. She raked her fingers through his hair affectionately. He sighed again, eyes still closed. Biting at the inside of her cheek, Ella fought back a small smirk at the sight of him in the low glow of the singular bedside lamp. The night certainly hadn’t gone according to plan, but she couldn’t bring herself to feel too upset about not making it to California. She still wasn’t the biggest fan of Jimmy or the Pacific Ocean. She kept stroking his hair, eyeing his long lashes and exhausted pallor. She could tell how sleepy he was, even if he wouldn’t exactly admit the effects of driving so long.

She looked around the small room, big enough only for a queen bed, a small TV, some nightstands, and a bathroom off to the side. The rosebud wallpaper was yellowed with age and there were a few precarious stains on the beige carpet. But the air had a homey smell of dust and she decided it wasn’t the worst place they could have ended up. Fortunately, they didn’t need to find dinner, having already grabbed some takeout about an hour before the end of the Ambassador’s long, strange life.

“At least we won’t have to reconnect with that weird guy who works on the boardwalk,” Ella said, breaking the comfortable silence.

“The guy who sells the hemp hats?” Jess asked, then cracked his eyes open again. “You think he still works there?”

“I bet he’ll still be standing out there long after you and I are dead,” Ella replied.

Jess laughed. “You’re probably right.”

“Maybe I should grade more,” she said distractedly, speaking mostly to herself as her idle hands made uneasiness creep up in her stomach.

Rolling his eyes, Jess grabbed her gently around the waist and pulled her down onto the bed, guiding her head to his chest. “This is an addiction, Stevens. I’m cutting you off.”

“Yeah, well, the first step to healing is acceptance,” she quipped, placing a kiss on his t-shirt and settling in against him. For once, she decided to oblige him and sleep instead of stay up into the early hours of the morning with her red pen. Her therapist had also suggested doing work in moderation.

Jess chuckled breathily. “It’s true.” Then, after a moment: “I think I’m honestly more upset about the car than not getting to go visit daddy dearest.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured.”

“Oh, am I that transparent?” he deadpanned.

“Like a glass house, Mariano,” she teased. “I guess it is the end of an era.”

He nodded. “Yeah. No more weird cigarette burns on the ceiling.”

She laughed. One of the only nights in high school she had ever gotten stoned, Jess had picked her up from her house by surprise, throwing pebbles at her window. He found her eyes red-rimmed and glassy, her cheeks flushed, and her mind spacey. All she’d wanted to do was drive around and smoke cigarettes and listen to Joy Division. At the time, she hadn’t told him about the blowout fight with her father and Fiona. Not until the next morning over breakfast in the diner. When she’d accidentally burned the ceiling of the car with her cigarette, leaving a dark circle, she’d started tearing up. In response, Jess lit a cigarette of his own and pressed it to the ceiling without hesitation, unphased.

Smiling at the memory, she threw an arm over his waist. “And no more barrette stuck in the window crank that won’t come out no matter how fucking hard I try.”

Jess snorted a laugh. After the Arctic Monkeys concert they’d attended the previous summer, they’d had sex in the backseat. One of her barrettes had somehow ended up eternally wedged in the window crank. The next day, she’d taken a pair of pliers to it fruitlessly. Jess had teased her, the woman who prided herself on being able to fix anything, mercilessly, ever since.

“And about a million other ‘no mores.’ Who knows what’ll happen in our next car,” he said.

“Only time will tell,” she muttered through a yawn. “I love you, James Dean.”

“Love you back,” he replied.

A gentle click sounded in the cozy quiet as Jess shut off the lamp. Getting comfortable again, he ran a hand up and down over her back and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. Then, he bit at his bottom lip, and his mind flashed to the small red box in this duffel. With the thin gold ring, a tiny amethyst in the middle. He’d bought it months ago, on a random trip to some antique shop with Chris, and he had a few ideas in mind. He hadn’t nailed down a real proposal plan yet, but took it with to California just in case. It had been wishful thinking, of course, since California was neither of their favorite places. And they weren’t going to make it there anyway. Still, it was there. It was happening. He just didn’t know when. It made his insides feel fluttery and excited and almost sick with nerves. But, for now, he decided getting the fuck out of Kansas would be the first step.

Dozing, Ella let her mind wander again to their teenage years. She felt her heart ache with sentimentality, and then brushed it off. Not because she wanted to ignore the feeling, but because all of a sudden she didn’t feel it. She didn’t need to miss Jess when he was right next to her. She didn’t need to worry about the past. Let yourself have a middle. Lorelai’s words reappeared in her mind, soft and comforting.

“Jess?” she asked, voice beginning to grow rough with sleep.

“Hmmm?” he hummed, and she felt the word vibrating in her ear against his chest.

“Do you think that lady at the front desk is gonna go all Normal Bates on us?” she asked.

He sighed, but then it turned into a laugh. “No, Daria, I don’t think so.”

“I bet that’s what Jant Leigh thought too,” she replied, all too serious.

Jess kept his smirk. “Just call me Marion Crane, then.”

She giggled, then was quiet for another moment. Jess slipped his hand beneath her t-shirt and began rubbing small circles on her skin. Usually, she fell asleep within a couple minutes of laying down. Apparently, something was eating at her.

“I think I’m gonna take that job at the University for next year,” she spoke again suddenly.

“Really?” he asked, smirk turning to a small, genuine smile.

“Yeah,” she said, almost shyly. “I’ll have time for actually making some damn art, but I’ll still have a steady income, good benefits...ugh do I sound like a middle-aged tragedy?”

“No,” he said, reassurance in his tone. “I think it’s gonna be great, Eleanor. Seriously.”

“I just...I think I’ll be happy doing it.”

“I do too,” he said, kissing her hair once more. “Congratulations, Stevens.”

“Thanks,” she said with a nervous chuckle, blushing a bit. “And I’ll have that whole sexy professor thing going for me, which is a plus.”

#jess mariano #gilmore girls #gilmore girls jess #gilmore girls au #gilmore girls oc #gilmore girls fanfiction #fanfiction #jess mariano fanfiction #jess mariano oc fanfiction #jess x oc

24 notes · View notes

ronninoir · 4 years

Text

Can I Steal You For A Second? Chapter 24

Summary: Adrien is forced to participate in a new dating show, but becomes more excited when Ladybug says she’ll participate as her civilian self.

AKA: AU where Adrien doesn’t know Marinette, the superheroes are 22 and Gabriel is mean and ruthless but not Hawkmoth.

Read on AO3

Start from the beginning Chp 1 on AO3

Chapter 24

That night, Marinette locked herself, Juliette, and Hanna in the closet and gave them the low down of what happened to Lila on the group date, only leaving out what Lila had hanging over Marinette’s head all week.

“Oh my gosh, how is she still in the mansion?!” Hanna asked, crossing her arms against her chest, as Juliette nodded. Marinette had never seen Hanna this angry before. “If it’s proven that she purposely tried to sabotage you, then send her home.”

“He’s trying to give her a second chance, because that’s the kind of person he is,” Marinette explained, trying very hard to keep her frustration with the situation out of her voice. Marinette agreed with Hanna and Juliette, but she had to stand with her partner, no matter how stupid of a decision this was.

“Just because it’s ‘in his nature’ doesn’t mean he has to let her walk all over him,” Juliette pointed out. She opened her mouth like she was going to continue, but then let out a gasp. “Does this mean I have to be nice to her from now on?” The disgust in her voice matched the look on her face enough to make both Hanna and Marinette burst out laughing.

“Don’t worry,” Marinette reassured her, gently resting a hand on Juliette’s arm. “You only have to be nice to her if she’s nice to you first, and I can’t imagine that going over well at all.” The girls laughed once more, and exited the bathroom, their spirits high despite the devastating news.

Those high spirits didn’t last, at least for Juliette, as it quickly became apparent that Lila really was trying to change her ways. They observed her for the rest of the week, and by Saturday morning, Lila was quiet, yes, but kind to everyone in the house, including the staff coming in to set-up. It was clear, however, that she was still uncomfortable with her newfound niceness, as when one of the crew members said something to her, she jumped and ran away without responding.

After that embarrassing moment, Lila didn’t appear again until the cocktail party started, right before sundown. Marinette was feeling pretty confident going into this cocktail party, not only for herself, but also for her friends. Except for the fact that Lila had been keeping her word, Juliette already had a rose, and Hanna looked exceptionally beautiful tonight in her light pink gown.

The girls were standing around the Date Card room, all holding a glass of something. They were informed that Adrien was on his way, and Marinette got lost in the conversations happening around her. There were only eight of them left, and besides how empty the room felt without all of the other girls, it also felt warmer and more welcoming. Marinette felt as though she knew these girls really well, and that they all genuinely cared for each other, despite the fact that they were all dating the same man. When Marinette glanced around this Date Card room, she saw the whispers of girls who had been here and had gone, Gabrielle, Alice, Sofia, and others. She saw them laughing, saw the cliques they had all made in the beginning and even saw the group come together over various things, usually involving Lila.

Marinette’s heart hurt a little, for the girls who had left, and she hoped that she would one day get to see them all again, without the pressures of the show, and hopefully with no hard feelings.

Marinette’s thoughts were interrupted by Adrien walking into the room, looking sharp and collected in his black suit tonight. He gave the girls a smile before addressing them all, “Good evening, ladies. This week has been one for the record books as the most fun week in Bachelor history.” He gave a quick glance to Chris off-stage, who gave a small shrug and a smile before Adrien turned back to the girls and said, “I’m taking that as a yes,” which made everyone giggle. “Anyway, tonight is going to be difficult on all of us, and I just want to prepare you for how important the conversations we are going to have tonight are.” A sudden seriousness fell over the room, and Marinette could hear every girl slowly breathe in anticipation for what the night held.

“With that being said, Camille, can I steal you for a second?” Adrien addressed Camille, who silently stood up, accepted his outreached hand and followed him off to a sitting area somewhere else in the house.

Instead of the normal chatter and excitement that spread through the girls while waiting on their time with Adrien, his little speech left all of the girls silent. The seriousness of what was to happen tonight hit them all hard and left them wondering who of them would be saying goodbye tonight for the last time.

----------------------------------------------------

The night was not going well for Adrien. He was hoping that the decision that had to be made tonight would be obvious after the cocktail party, but Adrien had talked with every single girl except Lila, and he didn’t want to send any of them home. He was even so contemplative during his time with Marinette that he felt as though it flew by without either of them barely saying a word.

It also didn’t help his stress levels that his Father had decided to show up to this cocktail party and brood from behind the camera at every one of his conversations. As Adrien made his way around the house to find Lila, he noticed his Father’s watchful eye following his movements. He hadn’t said much to his Father after the confrontation with Marinette that day on the beach. He knew his Father had been avoiding him as much as Adrien had been avoiding him, but a conversation was inevitable, especially with Adrien narrowing the girls down to the top six tonight.

Adrien found Lila. sitting by a fire by herself outside, just looking out at the stars. She looked peaceful and actually very pretty without a scowl or that fake smile on her face, and he almost didn’t want to disturb her. He cleared his throat softly, to announce his presence, and only spoke once she met his gaze. “Do you mind if I join you?”

The fake smile was back, but something seemed different about it as he sat down to join her. “How’s the rest of your week been?” Adrien asked politely. Although it was a loaded question, he truly was curious at how she had done.

She gave a small shrug before answering, “It’s been okay.” Adrien waited for her to go on, smiling encouragingly. Another sigh before she continued, “I’ve been on my best behavior and everyone in the house can attest to it.” Another sigh and then, “It’s just hard to change a behavior that has become a habit. But I’ll do anything for you, Adrien. Anything to stay here in the house, to be able to spend more time with you.” She looked on the verge of tears, as though she had been crying on and off all day.

“I believe you, Lila, and I’ve been asking around. Both the crew members and the other girls are impressed with your shift in behavior and I’m honored that you’re trying so hard for me.”

Lila gave a small smile that didn’t feel real and Adrien just stared. This was not the Lila who shoved Marinette into that bathroom and proceeded to attempt to destroy Marinette. This was not the seductive girl who flirted heavily and kissed poorly and tried too hard to steal all of the attention no matter where they were. This was a broken girl and someone who was going through something bigger than Adrien, bigger than her spot on this show.

He leaned close to her, close enough that the cameras wouldn’t pick up on his words. “Do you want me to send you home, or do you want me to keep you here.” There was a pause where she didn’t say anything and Adrien added, “Please be honest.”

Lila didn’t say anything, and Adrien pulled back from her, scanning her face for any signs or emotions. He also checked the sky, in case an akuma decided to take advantage of her on her bad day. She slowly shook her head and whispered, “Do whatever you think is best.” Before standing up and leaving Adrien behind. He watched her walk away and wondered if that was the first time he had seen a glimpse of the real Lila, the Lila that hid under the façade she put on every day. He wondered how many people in the world have seen that Lila, and if he was possibly the first.

----------------------------------------------------

The conversation with his Father was brief and curt.

“Lila stays.”

“Sounds good.”

Then they parted ways, Adrien to the room where he decided who gets the roses, and his Father off to do whatever he pleased.

Adrien didn’t need his Father’s instructions on this particular day though, as he had already decided to keep Lila. He didn’t know what was going on, but he had promised her that if she made an effort to be nice, then she could stay and continue on the show. He didn’t know what was going on in her head or her heart to make her act like that with him, but he was going to keep his word.

Once all of the roses were decided, as hard as it was to choose which girls would go home, he had to make the decision at some point, and he felt as though tonight was the right night. Even if it did hurt the people he cared about. Plagg didn’t say a word as he saw the two girls who were leaving that night, though he buried himself into Adrien’s pocket and gave him a reassuring, “It’ll all be okay.” before Adrien left the room and mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do.

----------------------------------------------------

Marinette was calming the girls around her and pretending to look frazzled too as they lined up for the Rose Ceremony. Sasha, Juliette, and Kagami were at the end of the line looking calm with their roses in hand and gently reassuring the other girls. Marinette was right next to Hanna, a first for the Rose Ceremonies, who was gripping Marinette’s hand so hard she was beginning to lose feeling in her fingers.

Victoria, calm despite the air of nervousness in the area, instructed the girls to walk into the Rose Ceremony room and stand only on the first row of risers, as there weren’t enough of them to make two rows without it looking weird. Lucie, who was at the front, took a deep breath before starting off the line of girls.

They silently lined up, the silence in the room heavier than it had ever been, especially with the three roses staring at them on the podium. They all stood there, looking nervous before Adrien walked in. He studied the girls and for once didn’t smile before he spoke. “Tonight was a hard decision, and I know that it’s only going to get harder as we get closer to the end. But, I had to make the decisions that will bring me closer to my wife at the end of this, and as much as it pains me to do this, I really feel as though this is bringing me closer to my wife.” Adrien didn’t even look at Marinette at that, as he had last week. Something must really be bothering him.

He paused for another moment, staring at the roses before finally picking one up. “Marinette,” he looked at her then, and she walked towards him, a small smile gracing his face. “Marinette, will you accept this rose?” he whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear.

She whispered back a “Yes,” before taking the rose and giving him a hug. “You can do this,” she whispered in his ear, hoping to provide a little encouragement to make this rose ceremony a little easier. When she pulled away, his eyes offered her a thanks before she walked back to her spot in line. Hanna grabbed her hand and gave her a Hanna-smile, which Marinette returned.

“Lucie,” Adrien said, a little bit more confidence in his voice. Lucie traveled to Adrien, relief evident in her walk as she went through the same routine that Marinette just had. There was one rose left, with Camille, Hanna, and Lila left to receive one.

Marinette didn’t dare let herself hope that this was the moment Lila went home.

Chris Harrison stepped out of the shadows and addressed the group, “Ladies, Adrien, this is the final rose tonight.” Chris turned towards Adrien and said, “When you’re ready, Adrien,” before disappearing once more.

Adrien stared at that rose for a very long time. Marinette almost felt herself sigh in relief and squeal in excitement. He was about to say Hanna’s name, and then Lila would be gone forever. It was a glorious thought that made her want to jump with excitement, and the only thing that kept her from doing that was Hanna’s death-grip that once again was cutting off circulation in Marinette’s hand. She wished she could send a thought to Hanna to tell her to relax that she was safe, that Adrien wouldn’t get rid of her just yet. But before she could offer Hanna a reassuring smile, Adrien picked up the rose and said, very quietly,

“Lila.”

Marinette felt her jaw drop. She could barely take her eyes off of Adrien as Lila slowly walked towards Adrien and the rose that had been assigned to her. When her eyes did move, it was to Juliette, who on the other end of the line, was already crying. Marinette realized that she was too, especially when she looked at Hanna, who was trying her hardest to keep herself composed knowing that the cameras were watching her reaction.

Marinette hadn’t even noticed that Lila had accepted her rose and gotten back in line with the others until Chris stepped back out of the shadows and said those heart-wrenching words. “Camille, Hanna, I’m sorry. Please take a moment to say your goodbyes.”

Juliette was on the two of them quickly, and they all were embraced in a hug, not bothering to hide the tears any longer. Other girls had come to wish Hanna well and Camille even came over, but all of it felt numb.

Hanna was leaving. Hanna, the girl who welcomed Marinette as a friend that first night, no questions asked. Hanna, who had stood up for her that first night as well, and had stood by her side time and time again. Hanna, who introduced Marinette to Juliette and created a group of friends that Marinette will cherish forever. Hanna, who had the bubbliest laugh. Hanna, who’s smile lit up a room. Hanna, who had the innocent idea to make a pillow fort in the living room.

Marinette saw all of these memories and more flash as she squeezed Hanna, unwilling to let her go. Thankfully, the producers were letting the girls take a little longer to say their goodbyes, so Marinette didn’t feel rushed. Their trio broke apart and Hanna hugged each girl individually, which allowed Marinette to hug Camille as well.

When Hanna got to Marinette, Marinette couldn’t even pretend to hold it together. But Hanna held her, as she always had, and whispered in her ear. “Thank you so much for being with me through this. Adrien deserves a friend as amazing as you, and I know that you’re going to be a wonderful wife to him one day.” Marinette didn’t even have the breath to argue with her as she hiccupped in her crying. “You go on, and you sweep that boy off of his feet.” She pulled back and Marinette managed a nod before Juliette kissed her on the cheek, and went to say goodbye to Adrien.

As she walked down the hallway that led to the front door, where a car would be waiting for her, Juliette moved beside Marinette, grabbing her hand and gently laying her head on Marinette’s. They both watched as their best friend made her way with Adrien, only looking back once, giving them a soft reassuring smile, before disappearing out of Marinette’s sight for the last time.

~~~

Let me know if you wanna be added to the tag list

@momor3202

@legendaryneckjudgestudent

@discoveringmiraculouswriters

@adrianarfox

@veroocasanova

@jeminiikrystal

17 notes · View notes

grandslambaeley · 4 years

Note

Do you feel they should've waited a little longer to do the first women's WrestleMania main event? They wasted a huge opportunity by giving it to Ronda instead of the 4HW. And sadly, that's not something they can do over or fix. It would've had a bigger impact with Sasha and Bayley. As much as I love Becky, I won't rewatch that match. I hate to say it, but it just wasn't good. Becky was planned to be the winner, yet they weakened her and had Charlotte and Ronda dominate most of the match.

2/2 - Overall, I'm just tired of Ronda getting credit where she doesn't deserve it. People really try to say that the first women's Royal Rumble wouldn't have main evented or that Evolution and a women's WrestleMania main event wouldn't have been possible without her when she didn't do anything for the women's evolution or pay her dues or even go through a fraction of what the other women had to go through to get to that point. She just got everything handed to her because of her fame and name.

---------------------------------

I think the timing was right with Becky’s momentum but I don’t love what the match turned out to be. I think if WWE didn’t make that match the main event fans would have rioted. At that time there were no bigger stars in WWE than Becky and Ronda and there would have been no bigger match. I would have loved to see the 4hw main event WM and I still think that they will one day but with how big Becky was becoming and the way the story was playing out, I don’t think that WWE could’ve delayed it any longer.

As much as we don’t see Ronda as reason why the women got more spotlight, unfortunately I think WWE do. It seems like they cared a lot more about the women’s division when she was around.

#ask

4 notes · View notes

littleladymab · 4 years

Text

tiny cracks of light - chapter 5

(master post)

Prelude- The footsteps that approach her study room are careful, but heavy. Someone not used to being light on their feet, but also trying their best to not make a noise.

Sasha knows right away it must be the newest assistant.

She knows Tim's footsteps, someone who has never tried to tread carefully a day in his life. She is starting to learn Jon's, feather-light and unobtrusive — so much so that he has startled her several times when he's approached.

(Every so often, she thinks she'll hear one of the others — Michael's echoing but deliberate step, Gerry's casual shuffle, Gertrude's sharp and pointed tap tap tap. But it is just the echoes of their memories. The Archives trying to keep her company when she is lonely, though she really wishes that they wouldn't try quite so hard.)

A head pokes around the door, shortly followed by the shoulders and torso of the new assistant. "Uh-uhm, I'm sorry, are you Sasha?"

"I am." She spins her pen around between her fingers before rising to her feet. "I'm sorry, the Watcher didn't give me your name—"

"Oh. I'm Martin. Blackwood. Uh, Martin Blackwood, nice to meet you." He takes her offered hand and gives it a firm shake and gives her a shaky smile.

"I take it that the Watcher was busy and sent you to me instead," she says with a smile of her own, and that seems to put him at ease.

He nods and fusses with the cuff of his coat. "Yes, he… Seemed rather distracted."

Sasha holds in her sigh and leads Martin out into the hall. "Then I'll be happy to show you around. There's not much to it, but I'm always available if you have any questions."

Martin nods again and follows after her, and she's suddenly overcome with the feeling that she has a puppy on her heels instead of a new coworker.

But she catches the unabashed awe on his face as he listens to her words, and she knows that he will do just fine.

There is something missing, but Sasha doesn't know what it is.

The connection to the Eye is there, hovering, waiting. It is like she has the individual pieces of a spell pulled together, but they are waiting for the final key. A catalyst of some sort.

Does she need to go back to the Watcher for him to accept her on behalf of the Eye? Does she need something belonging to the Archivist, a focus while he is missing?

When she reaches, she can feel it humming, and when she lets her senses brush against it, it fills her with a fuzzy warmth. She can pluck the strings to see where the others are, and know how they are tethered to this place.

Basira's dark cord, threaded with gold, disappears off in the direction of the offices and the study rooms. Daisy's, sharp like wire but dusty and fragile, curls out onto the grounds.

Tim's burns, fire like teeth biting at the edges of her with an unfamiliar ferocity.

She pulls back so fast that she's sent reeling, dizzy with the phantom pain. Sasha extends a hand to catch herself on a shelf and instead someone catches onto her.

And then she feels like she's floating — the fire replaced by ice against her back, keeping her aloft. The sky overhead is dark, pitch, not a star in sight. When she breathes, her lungs constrict and water fills her nose as the hand that caught her pushes her down.

And then the hand is gone and she's standing knee-deep in the middle of a lake as the idea of trees crowd the shore and when she looks her arms aren't there, just darkness — like the sky, like when she closed her eyes and the Stranger's opened.

And then the first Eye opens, and the next and the next as it sees her, coils around the threads that she gathered, tugs on them hard enough to send her sprawling and she's somewhere else, on the shore of a different lake, this one vast and pale with fog, and Martin is kneeling before her with his arms around her shoulders and he is freezing.

"Sasha?" he asks, and she gets the feeling he has been repeating her name.

"What happened," she gasps, lifting one hand to cling to his arm, then his shoulder, as she tries to heave herself upright.

That's when she notices that everything is gone. No, not gone. Not like when Basira drew the closed eye on her forehead to summon the Blind to her. Muted. Softer. Indistinct, the way everything is under water.

Martin lets her stand, and glances over his shoulder to observe their surroundings.

"Where are we?" She spins in a slow circle, wobbling a bit as she regains her balance.

"I think," he says, cautious — testing every word before he says them. "I think that is where Jon is."

"What, here?" Sasha spreads her arms to encompass the expanse.

Martin shakes his head, and suddenly she realizes that he's not looking around.

He's just avoiding looking at her.

You scared him bad last time, didn't you? the thing inside of her purrs, delighted at her distress.

"Martin…?" Sasha reaches out and lets the tips of her fingers brush his shoulder, but despite how solid he had been seconds before when holding her, her hand goes right through. "Martin, what's happened?"

The question seems too big, all of a sudden, and she regrets even listening to Basira. She never should have left her cottage.

"Right now, we're in what you would call a pocket dimension, I think." Martin pushes himself to his feet and knocks the sand off his pants. Finally, he turns to her, expression drawn and exhausted. "We're safe here."

"Safe? From what?"

He gives her a meaningful look that quickly dissolves into something far more desperate. "Sasha, what you just saw… I think that's where Jon is."

She wants answers, and admittedly, that was one of her questions. But it's not the answer she wants, and it wasn't the question that was highest up on her priority list.

For a brief moment, she wonders if she would be able to force him to answer. But the thought leaves the taste of anise on her tongue, and so she pushes it to the back of her mind.

There's a sense of urgency in his words, though everything else about him is withdrawn and muted. That's when she realizes that she hadn't been able to hear his footsteps or sense his presence while in the Archives.

"No one will tell me what happened to you," she says, reaching for him again without thinking.

Martin flinches back. "A lot has happened since you left," he says, and she hates that this is the answer that everyone thinks is suitable enough to give her. "You were… The first, I think."

"The first what?"

"The first to crack," he says, and it is like she is suddenly looking through a fractured mirror. "There's something in the Archives that's breaking us apart." Martin is still able to speak, despite the heavy fog that seems to emanate from him with each breath. "Things bigger and stronger than us offering a solution."

This time, when Sasha reaches out, he lets her put her hand to his broken chest. "And this is your solution."

"And this is mine."

"So you won't help us look for Jon."

"I can't," he says, and she can feel the sorrow in his words. His shoulders sag, and the veneer is back and he is whole once again. "We can help in different ways, and the only way that I can is to make sure that whatever is trying to get to Jon is distracted enough that you can get to him first."

Sasha takes a hesitant step closer. He stands his ground, and gives a small nod.

So she closes the distance and wraps her arms around his shoulders, having to stand up on her tiptoes to reach him properly.

Martin returns her embrace. "Please find him," he says. "None of this means anything if he's not safe."

"I'll do all I can, Martin." She gives him one final squeeze before stepping back and letting him go. "Please, you stay safe too."

"I'm fine," he reassures, but she's not too sure how much she believes it. "I'm going to send you back now, but go to the others as soon as you can. This place has a way of sticking with you."

She wants to ask him what that is supposed to mean, if he’s not in danger of being pulled in completely, but by the time the question forms on the tip of her tongue, she's standing back at the center of the compass rose in the Archives — fog licking off her skin like steam, and the connection to the Eye lingering just beneath the surface.

She remembers the eyes opening across her skin as she stood in the lake, and a shiver runs down her spine.

Sasha takes a breath to steady herself, and rubs the heel of her hand over her forearm.

#the magnus archives #verse: every open eye #fic: lifeline #a lil miss fic

6 notes · View notes

placetobenation · 4 years

Link

Holy WarGames Batman!

You can never say that you don’t get your money’s worth when it comes to a NXT:TakeOver PPV and WarGames was no exception!

Whether it be Io Shirai flying off the top of the cage with a garbage can over her head or Pat McAfee doing a swanton bomb from the heavens, this one was another classic from NXT. Plus, Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher put together one brutal war for themselves too. Johnny Gargano became the first 3-time North American Champion, uncovering his new Scream partner in Austin Theory. You know it’s a really good PPV when an above average strap match between Dexter Lumis and Cameron Grimes is probably the low man on the totem pole. Grimes continues to get better each and every week with his versatility and strange personality. He reminds me of a bigger Buzz Sawyer.

Injuries? Sure, got them too! Candice LeRae’s broken wrist and Gargano’s split mouth complete with stitches top the charts.

At the end of the day, Raquel Gonzalez gets elevated into the NXT Women’s Championship picture by pinning Shirai. The Undisputed Era remain kings of the WarGames cage. McAfee proves he’s one tough SOB too!

In the end, WarGames is your Star of the Week!

LET THE PARAMEDICS SORT EM OUT #WarGames #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/XTCAwmXZVo

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 7, 2020

NXT: TakeOver WarGames

WarGames: The Undisputed Era defeated The Kings of NXT

WarGames: Candice LeRae, Toni Storm, Raquel Gonzalez, Dakota Kai defeated Ember Moon, Shotzi Blackheart, Rhea Ripley & Io Shirai

NXT North American Championship Triple Threat Match: Johnny Gargano defeated Damian Priest & Leon Ruff to win the title

Strap Match: Dexter Lumis defeated Cameron Grimes

Tommaso Ciampa defeated Dexter Lumis

RAW

RESULTS

RAW Women’s Non-Title Championship Match: Asuka defeated Shayna Baszler

Ricochet & Dana Brooke defeated SLAPJACK & RECKONING

Kofi Kingston defeated Shelton Benjamin

Cedric Alexander defeated Kofi Kingston

3-on-2 Handicap Match: AJ Styles, The Miz & John Morrison defeated Drew McIntyre & Sheamus

United State Non-Title Championship Match: Bobby Lashley defeated Jeff Hardy

Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton ends in no-contest

Some quick hits for RAW this week:

It’s only a matter of time before we get two-straps Asuka!

"Imagine: Jeff Hardy teams with Riddle, and we become The Hardy Bros!" — @SuperKingofBros #WWERaw @JEFFHARDYBRAND pic.twitter.com/DtSVNnzERB

— WWE (@WWE) December 8, 2020

The Hardy Bros? Hilarious! Riddle’s growing on me. His in-ring work is unquestioned. His antics outside it are becoming funnier each week.

The only RECKONING in RETRIBUTION should be taking the masks off and clearing them of the silly names. It’s Mia Yim. It’s Mia Yim. It’s Mia Yim already!

And like that, business is back in motion! @CedricAlexander picks up the win, and leaves #TheNewDay with a statement. #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/tCPwbwufIJ

— WWE (@WWE) December 8, 2020

Cedric Alexander is playing The Hurt Business perfectly. He’s a main event player and is proving it each and every week with back-to-back singles victories over The New Day. How long is it before he says I want a shot at Bobby Lashley’s US Title too?

Is it me or are we headed for a screwjob by The Miz and Morrison on AJ Styles in his upcoming WWE Championship match with Drew McIntyre? Just a gut feeling here.

Things have EXPLODED backstage between @DMcIntyreWWE & @WWESheamus on #WWERaw!!! … Or have they? pic.twitter.com/Kkvj1NBR6N

— WWE (@WWE) December 8, 2020

Having Drew McIntyre and Sheamus fight it out in the back after an inadvertent brogue kick to the WWE Champion led to a loss in the ring was beautiful. Fight each other. Beat up an unsuspecting bystander. Go get a pint.

Really missed Alexa Bliss this week. Sure, Bray Wyatt, it’s for her own safety. But it’s definitely not as much fun without Miss Bliss.

𝐻𝐸's here… #WWERaw #TheFiend @WWEBrayWyatt @RandyOrton pic.twitter.com/phjY9qI9Du

— WWE (@WWE) December 8, 2020

Didn’t love the no-contest ending with Wyatt and Randy Orton. We get it, The Fiend is different but the ending just fell flat for me.

NXT

RESULTS

Jake Atlas defeated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott

Triple Threat Match: Grizzled Young Veterans defeated Imperium & Ever-Rise

Tommaso Ciampa defeated Cameron Grimes

Pete Dunne defeated Killian Dain

Raquel Gonzalez defeated Ember Moon

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝒐𝒇 #𝑾𝑾𝑬𝑵𝑿𝑻 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒕.@WWEKarrionKross & @Lady_Scarlett13 are here! pic.twitter.com/bUpujMXGrI

— WWE (@WWE) December 10, 2020

It’s a week of returns for NXT. And that’s bad news (sorry Wade Barrett) for the men’s roster as Karrion Kross leads the list of returning superstars. I give credit to Damian Priest for stepping up to the challenge, but that’s a challenge with Kross and Scarlett that he’s going to lose. Kross and his NXT Championship that he gave up due to injury will meet again soon I’m sure.

Back too is Drake Maverick, Malcolm Bivens with Tyler Rust, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Austin Theory and the NXT Champion Finn Balor. It remains to be seen who will face Balor at New Year’s Evil on January 6th, but it seems everyone from Pete Dunne to Kross to Priest to a whole host of others are in the mix.

“The Way” in-ring promo just went on too long and was too forced I thought. Theory and Indie Hartwell just felt like 3rd and 4th wheels out there as they just can’t match LeRae and Gargano on the mic.

Sunday, she pins #WWENXT #WomensChampion @shirai_io to win #WarGames for her team. Wednesday, she defeats @WWEEmberMoon in the main event on @WWENXT.@RaquelWWE is UNSTOPPABLE! pic.twitter.com/LBZpJhXPD4

— WWE (@WWE) December 10, 2020

Raquel Gonzalez looks the part of a big-time player and is finding her way into the spotlight. Funny that just one year ago, we were saying the same things about Rhea Ripley and then the pandemic hit. I’m not sure if Gonzalez is ready for the NXT Women’s Title just yet, but it would be intriguing to see her as champ and how LeRae would react to it.

"Toni, I don't have problem with you. I just don't like you." – #WWENXT #WomensChampion @shirai_io pic.twitter.com/cpP9DBL0nk

— WWE (@WWE) December 10, 2020

Anytime Toni Storm is near a ring, it’s a win for us. Whether it be taking on Io Shirai for the title or Ember Moon to continue their feud, I’m all in.

WHAT…did we just witness? 𝑷𝑨𝑰𝑵.#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/880LZBNuD0

— WWE (@WWE) December 10, 2020

Speaking of all in, holy *$#& Xia Li and Boa! I have NO CLUE where it’s going and I don’t care that I don’t know. I am absolutely loving it! Give me more! NOW!

Suddenly, the tag team division is very competive and we haven’t seen Breezango lately. Kudos to the Grizzled Young Veterans and Imperium for stepping it up a notch.

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Dolph Ziggler defeated Montez Ford

Non-title Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn defeated Big E by countout

Liv Morgan & Ruby Riott defeated Billie Kay & Natalya

Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Chad Gable & Otis

SmackDown Championship Match: Carmella defeated Sasha Banks by DQ

It's official. It's @CarmellaWWE vs. @SashaBanksWWE for the SmackDown Women's Championship TONIGHT on FOX! pic.twitter.com/k9mp3SuP8C

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) December 12, 2020

Loved that the contract signing between Sasha Banks and Carmella to open the show DIDN’T take place in the ring. Something a little different was a bit refreshing having Carmella backstage. Plus, we get a main event title match out of it too! Poor Sommelier!

No surprise that we’re getting a tag team title defense for The Street Profits against Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode after Ziggler pinned Montez Ford Friday night. Good match to advance the feud and set up the title match coming up this Friday night.

Hated the countout victory by Sami Zayn over Big E in a non-title Intercontinental Championship Match. It did nothing for either guy. I like Zayn but here’s hoping this is the start of something big for Big E, pun intended. If you’re going to break him away from The New Day, there has to be a point. First, the I-C Title? Then, maybe a challenge for the Universal Championship down the road too?

.@BiancaBelairWWE brought the *literal* receipts! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/SKtCTajPkK

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) December 12, 2020

Check the receipts! LOL! Well played Bianca Belair!

An ode to #WWETLC by @FightOwensFight pic.twitter.com/hsAGYn2Lae

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) December 12, 2020

"Kids, If you don't talk some sense into daddy, I am going to be the guy that takes the food off the table." – @WWERomanReigns to @FightOwensFight's family.#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/jHK6MM2LEm

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) December 12, 2020

Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns is going to be one insane TLC match. Owens promo was one of his best. Surrounded by his “friends” chair, table and ladder, KO hit hard on his family and just how good Reigns is but that he still vows to get back his Universal Championship. Reigns is so good, just being backstage looking so smug while Jey Uso attacks Owens is priceless. Having Paul Heyman remind him that everything is done on his time instead of running into the ring to fight KO reminds us that less is more. Then, it all turns personal when Reigns finds Owens in the back, beats him down and reminds the Owens family that he’s the one that puts food on the table and that he could take it off theirs. Delicious and well placed right in the middle of the show while the ladies take the main event.

Natalya & Billie Kay. What a waste! We will, though, take a Riott Squad victory anytime we can get it.

Chad Gable is sounding more and more like Kurt Angle and I dig it! I’m hoping Otis is not the only one to join Gable’s training group. Not a bad first pairing either, even in defeat to Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura.

𝒰 𝒩 𝒯 𝒪 𝒰 𝒞 𝐻 𝒜 𝐵 𝐿 𝐸 #SmackDown @CarmellaWWE pic.twitter.com/IKLtCXFLOJ

— WWE (@WWE) December 12, 2020

Carmella’s entrance – absolute smoke show! WOW! The trash talk during the match brought back a little old school feel to it. Carmella was pretty good before but she’s taking it to another level with this latest reincarnation. That was a really good match before the DQ ending. The WWE is relying too much on the DQ finish these days. The aftermath of the match – OMG! Smashing bottles over Banks while sipping champagne – very heelish! Looks like we’ll get round 2 at TLC as scheduled.

#SmackDown @CarmellaWWE @SashaBanksWWE pic.twitter.com/CPDLEMUjgU

— WWE (@WWE) December 12, 2020

SmackDown hands down with the best show of the week!

Parting shots:

Having the WWE ThunderDome travel from Orlando to Tampa had little effect on SmackDown. Moving from the basketball arena to the spacious home of the Tampa Bay Rays, I thought the WWE would use some of that space to its advantage. There may be more screens, but maybe down the road we’ll see some additions but it’s first show in Tampa didn’t look a whole lot different than the last show in Orlando.

TLC PPV – Updated Card

WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles

Universal Championship TLC Match: Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens

SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Sasha Banks vs. Carmella

The Fiend vs. Randy Orton

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs. Asuka & Lana

RAW Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day vs. Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin

Coming up this week:

RAW: Firefly Fun House at WWE ThunderDome

NXT: KUSHIDA & Leon Ruff vs. Johnny Gargano & Austin Theory

SMACKDOWN (on FS1): SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The Street Profits vs. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode Bianca Belair vs. Bayley

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at [email protected]. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

1 note · View note