#I noticed this common thread of him phrasing things like this a bit ago | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

crimsonheart01 · 4 years

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Make the Season Bright (Fred Weasley x Female!Reader)

A/N: FRED DESERVED TO LIVE! We were all robbed and I will spend my days making sure that fanon supersedes canon! To my lovely Nonny who requested this, here is the wintery fluff Fred Weasley we all need!

Prompt: 24. “I’m watching the Barbie Nutcracker.”

Word Count: 2.2K words

Playlist: The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole [YouTube] [Spotify]

Warnings: None!

“They know that Santa’s on his way He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh And every mother’s child is gonna spy To see if reindeers really know how to fly.” The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole

He apparated into the alleyway behind her apartment complex and peered around the corner to ensure that no muggles caught him. The snow was falling in thick flakes, the silence of it crossing over everything. He could see the busy street of muggle cars zooming by, but their sound muffled by the weather. An experience not everyone got to experience. It was hard to explain, but it was one of his favourite things about winter, the hols aside. He thoroughly enjoyed a serene snowfall.

He scanned up and down the parking lot before making a clear beeline for the double low-rise apartments in front of him. His booted feet crunching with each step. He murmured a quick charm to brush away his footprints from the alley behind him. It was unlikely that anyone would notice the one-way prints, but he didn’t want to compromise himself or her.

A flurry of snowflakes floated past him in the breeze, and he hunched his shoulders forward while shoving his mittened hands into his pockets. He really should’ve worn a thicker jumper. There was no way she was going to believe he hoofed it on the underground all the way here in what he was wearing. He briefly thought about transfiguring it into a peacoat but knew it was putting too much at risk. He’d find a way to distract her from asking too many questions.

He hopped up the few steps into the courtyard, heading to his left to come up to the building doors. He paused before pressing on her buzzer and looked up into the second-floor window. He could see that her curtains were pulled closed, but he could still make out her shadow on the couch. He could see the flicker of light from her TV.

He was called out of his thoughts by the sound of someone approaching. Fred had become a keen ear on all things around him ever since the war. He figured it was overcompensation for George losing one of his. He spent more time reading body language and listening to everything around him. He could catch the smallest scrape from across the busy shop. In tonight’s quiet, it wasn’t hard at all for him to hear as the door was unlocked and then the hesitation of the other person before stepping through.

“Hey, buddy,” The stranger next to him called out, “You coming in or not?”

Fred whipped around, always surprised at the cold politeness of muggles. It made him chuckle. They were still offering to hold doors open or letting people pass, but it was always coated with distinct antipathy. He guessed that it wasn’t too much different from the way that the old purebloods of the wizarding world looked down on everyone else. That forced civility with the lower class always present in the way they held themselves.

He smirked to himself. The thought that purebloods and muggles had something in common made him want to taunt and tease a few specific people, but the war was over, and people were trying their best to move on and, in some cases, change. However, he knew that if others were making attempts to adjust to a new society, he couldn’t continue to treat them as unkindly as he’d done in the past. Shaking his head, he brought himself back to the present and turned fully towards the door.

With a broad smile to the other man, he nodded, “Yes sir, thanks!”

He bustled through the opened door behind him, and they parted ways as Fred skipped up the stairs two at a time. He was fascinated by the layout of muggle apartment buildings. Everyone in the wizarding world, or at least everyone he knew, lived in houses—most similar to the Burrow but some as grand as a Manor.

Reaching the second floor, he turned to his right to the first door and knocked lightly while trying the handle. The latch popped open, and the door opened easily under his touch. He raised his eyebrows in concerned shock but then remembered that they made this arrangement a few days ago. She was expecting him.

He poked his head through the door, looking straight and then to his right to where she was curled up on the sofa. He grinned at how comfortable she looked. There was a mug in her hand while her feet were curled next to her on the cushion with a blanket thrown over her lower half. He admired her small grin as she watched whatever was on the screen, but he found he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

He sent a silent prayer out to Granger, the smartest muggleborn out there. She’d given him a crash course in all things muggle that had helped him woo this fine woman. He was still trying to find the courage to tell her who and what he really was, but it was always hard. Every time he found himself on the verge of uttering that infamous phrase, he always chickened out. Oh, if George could see him now.

Pushing the door open, he extended his arms out with a flourish, “Honey, I’m home!”

He did a bit of a spin while she looked over at him and chuckled at his entrance. The sound of her laughter sent his heart into a flurry, and his stomach filled with butterflies. He realized at that moment that tonight was going to be the night that he finally told her. Stopping in his twirl, he leaned over her sectional couch and sent her his signature wink. She clutched at the mug in her hands as she tipped her head to the side and laughed out loud at his antics.

He quickly toed off his shoes and shed his jumper, hat and gloves. He hopped over the back of her sofa, ignoring her protests as she stepped all over the cushions until he was cuddled up against her. He leaned in as close as he could get, only her cup stopping him from making it all the way. He gauged the scowl on her face, finding the mirth laying unhidden in her expression. He lit up into a bright smile before smashing his lips against hers.

She sighed at the greeting, letting her shoulders relax and her hands holding the mug settled into her lap. She lifted one hand away from the item to lay it against his cheek, sneakily threading her fingers up into his hair. He broke the kiss with a fake but content growl. She laughed again, quietly, only for the two of them.

Taking a liberty, he lifted her cup and leaned forward onto the table while taking a moment to watch the movie playing. He furrowed his brows at the scene before him, utterly confused. She’d shown him animated movies before, but this one looked very strange. Almost as if they were plastic dolls or something. He wasn’t sure he liked it.

He snuggled back into her, ducking under one of her arms and wrapping both of his around her.

“What’re we watching?” He asked, his eyes glued to the screen.

She smiled, “I’m watching Barbie Nutcracker.” There was a bit of pause where she shifted to get more comfortable before continuing, “I always watch it at least once around this time of year. To satisfy my younger self.”

He didn’t know what to say to that, having no idea what a Barbie was, so all he did was nod in agreement. Together, they hunkered down and finished the entire film, Fred weirdly fascinated with the storyline. He recognized a few tidbits from wizarding traditions, but so much had been dumbed down by, or even for, muggles. He wondered if this was the only version there was out there or if they had multiple ones.

It didn’t take long for the movie to end, and he found himself wanting to ask her a thousand questions, but as the credits rolled up the screen, she shuffled out from under him. He pouted at the loss of her warmth, but when she bent to pick up her mug, he understood.

She walked around the coffee table, calling over her shoulder, “Do you want a hot chocolate?”

He watched her as she went, wondering again how he managed to get her to give him any time of day. Instead of spending too much time stuck on the how, he focused on the now.

“Yes, please, my dear.” He shouted out to her.

He heard her tinkling laughter at his response before there was the sound of her moving about her minuscule kitchen. He continued to stare at the direction she’d gone in, resolving to figure out a way in how to announce his truth. He wondered if he could apparate quickly over to Granger’s flat and get her opinion on the matter, but he figured that was stomping over boundaries and chose not to do it that way. Or perhaps a Patronus to his twin and give him a double surprise.

Letting out an aggravated groan, he stood up and wiped his suddenly clammy hands down his jeans. Why couldn’t this be any easier? He strolled around the sofa to pick up his effects and hang them up properly. As he was walking over to the coat rack, he dropped a mitten, and as he bent to pick it up, a small WWW box fell out of his pocket. He eyed it warily, knowing he hadn’t put it there, and before he could figure out who or what it was, it was exploding into the room around him.

There was a loud bang as their signature product burst to life in her tiny living room. He heard the clank of cups onto the counter and heard her footsteps as they came running. He swallowed, panicking and tried to yell for her to stay put, but it was too late. She was standing in the entryway of her kitchen, staring directly at him and the Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes fireworks popping off around him.

He glanced over at her sheepishly. This was quite a stitch and one he was completely inept at talking himself out of. How did he explain magic to a muggle?

“Oh, Merlin,” She whispered, more to herself than anyone.

Fred floundered for an explanation, but once he registered her exclamation, he stopped.

“You’re a – are you a witch?” He blurted out.

She licked her lips, staring at the bright W now illuminating her entire flat.

“Are you one of the Weasley twins?” She countered.

They both stared at each other, astonished at the turn of events. Then simultaneously, they registered the other’s question and answered at the same time.

“Yes.”

“Merlin.”

Then they both dissolved into shocked laughter. She leaned heavily on the wall behind her before sinking down to the floor, giggles continuing to fall out, to the point that she was wiping tears from her eyes. Fred followed suit, finding himself sitting cross-legged in the middle of her living room. With a quick wave of his hand, he snuffed out the fireworks and left them sitting there with nothing but the smell of gunpowder and fresh hot chocolate between them.

“You lied!” She exclaimed, pointing a finger over at him, “You told me your last name was Weekes!”

His mouth fell open at the accusation, and he tried to feel ashamed, but he was in the same boat as her.

He pointed back, “You lied to me too! You let me think you were a muggle this whole time!”

She laughed incredulously, “Only because I thought you were one!”

“We’re a right pair, aren’t we?” He shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

A long moment passed where neither one said anything. They were both processing the events that had transpired. Then Fred looked up and regarded her questioningly.

“Do you really live here?” He asked.

She grinned and let out a huff, “Yes, I prefer it.”

Then he had another thought, “How come you didn’t recognize me?”

“I had my suspicions at the beginning, but after a while and all the hints I kept dropping, I figured I was making a baseless assumption on the red hair.” She shrugged.

He let out a loud guffaw, “I wish George were here to see this. He’d be in stitches over all of this.”

She smiled over at him, realizing belatedly that she’d been dating one of the most eligible bachelors this side of the Atlantic. She blinked a few times, the shock of that setting in. She wondered if she should mention it, but he didn’t seem phased by it when he thought she was a muggle, so maybe it wasn’t worth worrying about.

“So, where do we go from here?” She finally asked.

He gave her a wicked grin, “You wanna see the shop after hours?”

She raised her eyebrows, “Really?”

“Yeah, I happen to know the bloke who runs the place,” He nodded conspiratorially.

She let out an amused and slightly exasperated sigh, his classic mischievousness and devilish personality connecting a lot of dots. She nodded at him before crawling over the short distance between them and taking his face in her hands. She kissed him soundly, rendering him speechless.

“No more secrets.” She murmured, and he nodded in full agreement.

#fred weasley #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley imagine #fred weasley imagines #harry potter imagines #harry potter imagine #fred lives #12 days of ficmas 2020 #holiday prompts

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anthrofreshtodeath · 3 years

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Inspiration struck last night 👀 - putting this here so you can let me know if it's worth continuing/if you would want to read more of it. Super AU!

Jane cut the engine of her Ford Ranger just outside the tiny strip mall off of Sixth Street. It had been a splurge just after she got brought on as the head baseball coach of Empire High School, a treat for herself for finally getting a big-person job and generating some regular income. Her mother had convinced her to do it, actually, because Jane had been on the fence for months, waffling so many times that Angela piled her in the family Buick and dropped her off at the dealership. Find your own way home, Angela had said, and it better be in that brand new truck.

Now, Jane was thankful for the push, because southern California summers in her old Civic with the busted A/C were no fucking joke. They were still no joke now, but at least she could blast cold air on her face when needed. Like now: even at six thirty in the morning, temperatures climbed above eighty in early August, and she settled into the discomfort of an already damp back. At least her front still looked fresh. She glanced in the rearview mirror one last time before she got out, taking off her adjustable black cap with her school’s insignia and smoothing the tied-back black hair on top of her head. Presentable and believable: a baseball coach with a ponytail and a Nike dri-fit short sleeve windbreaker over her t-shirt.

She hopped out, satisfied enough to not be looking like a hooligan, and when she planted her turf shoes, she could tell the asphalt was already on fire. The boys were gonna be whiny as hell this afternoon. That made her grin just a little bit. She ambled up to the donut shop-slash-panaderia on the corner, straightening her posture when the door jingled and signalled her entry.

The short, middle-aged woman with her graying hair in a bun and an apron around her waist brightened when Jane approached the counter. “Buenos días, Coach Rizzoli,” she greeted with a smile and voice so cheery, she’d obviously been up for hours already. Probably baking as Jane finished weight-lifting in her backyard before the sun came up.

Jane smiled softly in return. “Buenos días, señora Gutierrez,” Jane said, deferential even though at nearly 5’11”, she must have been almost a foot taller than Mrs. Gutierrez. “Como está?” Short Spanish phrases sounded pretty darn good in her mouth, she had to admit, for all the Sicilian she heard growing up, and for being a product of Santa Ana. Spanish was more common than English in a lot of her friends’ homes growing up, so she caught on quick. At least enough to carry on a polite conversation, if needed.

“Bien, gracias. Tengo sus conchas aquí,” Mrs. Gutierrez asked as disappeared behind the counter to find what she was looking for, Jane’s order, reappearing with six pink donut boxes.

Jane opened her nostrils wide to take in the smell of flour, sugar, and a hint of cinnamon for the white conchas, her favorite. It was enough to feed a small army, which felt just about right for the staff meeting she had been tasked with supplying breakfast for. The first of the new school year. “Qué bueno,” she replied, not sure if she was referring to Mrs. Gutierrez’s overall well-being or the pan in the boxes. She pulled out her cash to pay, slipping her wallet in her back pocket, and in the seconds that it took her to do that, a single, piping-hot styrofoam cup of coffee appeared on the counter in front of her.

“Y un cafecito come le gusta,” said Mrs. Gutierrez with a wink and a smile. Occasionally, she did this, and it was her way of taking care of Jane, one of their family’s best customers.

Jane had learned not to refuse it. She just blushed and bowed her head a little bit, her lips pursed in a bashful smile. “Muchisimas gracias,” she said, taking a sip. Mrs. Gutierrez always left the cinnamon stick in it and added minimal creamer, just how Jane liked. Jane held back a moan. She decided she’d partake of the rest in the car, and then pocketed her change. She picked the boxes up by the string tied to them and huffed, ready to begin the day. “Y el Jonny?” she asked, and Mrs. Gutierrez nodded her head towards the back of the bakery.

Jane nodded and made her way toward the door so she could pop around. “Qué tenga un buen día, Coach,” Mrs. Gutierrez called after her.

“Igualmente!” Jane replied, already on her way. She deposited her haul on her front passenger seat, keeping her coffee in hand, and then walked over to the alley between the Gutierrez bakery and the block wall separating it from the Cardenas market just across the way. She put her hat back on, threading her ponytail through its opening, and adjusted her Oakley sunglasses as she stood by the dumpster that Jonathan Gutierrez currently filled with broken-down cardboard boxes.

He heard her shoes scuffling his way, so he turned. “Coach Rizzoli! It’s early as hell,” he said, “what’re you doing here?” He sweated through the ribbed tank on his torso and the black basketball shorts on his hips. Jane commiserated, having helped her dad out on many a plumbing job in the summer when she was in high school.

“Well, first day for teachers is today,” she said, sipping her drink. “And I had to get some of your mom’s pan for the meeting. They’d expect nothing less. I’m here lookin’ at you because she exhausted all my Spanish skills, and I needed to remind you that practice starts at one today.”

Jonny, as tall as her, lanky too, smirked. “I’m sure you could’ve found a way to say that to her,” he teased, knowing that she couldn’t have, not well.

“You’re a riot. One o’clock, and not a minute later, a’right? I will not hesitate to bench our centerfielder for opening day if he’s late,” she warned. Then she started to turn.

“That’s like seven months from now!” Jonny whined, setting his box cutter down and running a hand through his thick black hair. “I got work today! Last day before school starts next week!”

Jane rolled her eyes. “The perfect hair thing may work on the girls at school, kid, but it won’t work on me. Find a way to make it happen - if you get into Fullerton, it won’t be because I sent you, but because you did it on your own. Part of that means showing up to practice on time. Even in August.”

Jonny sighed. His mom would understand, but his wallet would be crying. “I’m tryna save up for a pickup like yours, though, Coach,” he tried, batting his eyes for extra sympathy.

Jane laughed, and then he did. “Listen. You show up for practice on time every day this year, and you and me’ll have a talk about replacing today’s wages for that new Ranger, a’right?”

“Ok,” Jonny said quietly. He knew that Jane knew they didn’t have much money. And he knew that she knew most everything about him - she meant what she said. She’d taken him under her wing when she’d noticed his boundless talent and his faltering attendance. When she found out it was to make enough money to keep him and his brother on the team, she’d covered the cost in full. That was two years ago, and now that Jonny was an incoming senior, they’d righted the ship together. There was only a little more to go until he applied to the school of his dreams, the one with the killer baseball program and just miles from home.

It didn’t hurt that Jane was the first woman to play ball there as a range-y second baseman, was eventually drafted from Fullerton. He wanted to follow in her footsteps as best he could. “Good. See you then, kid,” she said. He knew that she knew the best way for him to do that was to grind. To eat, sleep, drink, and shit baseball.

“Hey Coach!” He called after her as she made her way back into the alley.

She turned around. “What’s up?”

“I wanna focus on my forearms this year. Should I go the Altuve way?” he asked, smiling.

The Jose Altuve way: banging sledgehammers into tractor trailer tires. Jane guffawed. “I’m not saying do it, but I mean hey, guy’s 5’5” and hitting thirty dingers a year in The Show, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Jonny said. “I’ll take it under advisement. Thanks,” and with that, he waved Jane off. She spent the rest of the ride to school thinking about how to safely incorporate forearm work into the team’s regimen in a way that didn’t involve sledgehammers.

The bread had made her truck smell like heaven, and it was the perfect olfactory accompaniment through the working class neighborhoods of Coronita Heights - the part that she felt more comfortable in. She’d grown up down the 91 in Santa Ana, one of Orange County’s most vibrant cities, and her street looked a lot more like these than the ones that Empire High School sat on.

But Empire was one of the top 15 baseball programs in the state, and she had jumped at the opportunity to coach when she’d been approached about it. She packed the few boxes from her parents’ house, used the rest of her signing bonus to put a nice down payment on a house in Coronita Heights, and hadn’t looked back. It had been good for her - she kept in shape, used that teaching credential she’d worked on at Fullerton to teach PE, and led the Knights to a CIF championship in the five years she had been there. She hunted another.

Soon, the burger joints, smoke shops, and insurance spots gave way to expensive houses and palm trees, and she saw the massive campus come into view. She hopped out of the truck once she parked near the office toward the front, downing her coffee and tossing it in the trash. She tugged her belt, looped through her white baseball pants, making sure the fit was good, and then she took the breakfast out.

Another school year was about to begin, and she was determined to make it a victorious one.

___

Maura smoothed her dress in the full-length mirror of her bedroom for what must have been the hundredth time. It was tasteful: sleeveless, dark blue, with a thin black patent-leather belt around its waist. She paired it with black heels, and she looked good. She knew, intellectually, that she did, but this happened every time she started something new: the nerves kicked in and she doubted herself. She curled her impeccably styled hair behind her right ear out of habit, and then made her way downstairs for breakfast.

Her palatial home in Anaheim Hills sat overlooking the city below, still sleepy at six-thirty in the morning. She was anything but, having already completed her run and entire grooming routine. She perused the options within her double door refrigerator, still quite imposing even under the expansive wooden beams on the ceiling that ran from wall to wall. She thought about eggs, protein always a good start to the day, but then remembered the expected temperature and decided a cold breakfast of yogurt and berries would be best.

Again, it was too hot for warm coffee, but the massive cold brew dispenser she had readied just a few days prior called her name and she filled a tumbler with it and her favorite almond milk creamer. She’d have one cup with breakfast and a refill for the road, as she always did from May to October. She reveled in routine; it was what helped her not to shake as she brought a spoonful of honey, dairy, and strawberry up to her lips.

Today, despite her several years of doctoring, would be her first job with the living since residency. In fact, it would be her first non-clinical job, well, ever. Even when she had volunteered for research, it had been in pathology labs, or oncology centers, or Alzheimer’s wards. Now, she would head the pilot program for a pre-med track at Empire High School. Well, pre-pre-med, she corrected herself. The point of the program was to prepare students from non-private and non-charter school backgrounds for the rigor of medical school. And, as a graduate of the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, as well as Boston Cambridge University for undergraduate work, Coronita Heights Unified thought her very qualified to head its inception.

Maura was humble, so she did not consider that they also factored in her copious research articles within the field of pathology, nor her several awards from the Medical Board of California. But they did, and so today she started her teaching/counseling position that included Advanced Placement Anatomy and Physiology, as well as Advanced Placement Biology and an elective of honors molecular pathology to boot. She had negotiated that last one to retain a taste of her passion outside of teaching.

Satisfied both with her breakfast and her mulling, Maura rose from her stool at the kitchen island, its white marble counter still gleaming from its recent clean this weekend, and made her way to the sink. She rinsed her bowl, placed it in the dishwasher on the top rack with the others, and then washed her hands for twenty seconds. Soap on, palm scrub, back-of-the-hand scrub, webspace scrub, for as long as it took to hum happy birthday to herself, twice.

She reveled in routine.

She unscrewed the lid of her tumbler and placed it under the dispenser in the refrigerator again, watching dark coffee wash over ice cubes with pleasure. The properties of matter, their predictability and regularity, calmed Maura. She could predict where each rivulet would go with accuracy, and then watch the change of color with no surprise when she poured in her creamer. She could control how light or dark it became, and thus control its flavor. She savored that one last ounce of control before she screwed her lid back on and walked over to where her purse and rolling cart awaited her at the front door.

She took one last look behind her, at the open concept living room so large it needed a sectional couch that no one used because people hardly ever dropped by, at the kitchen with state-of-the-art, industrial appliances that often cooked meals for one. It was her home, even if all of that were true, and the way that the southern California sun poured in through her floor-to-ceiling windows thrilled her. It thrilled her the way it had the first time she set foot in LA, for her first day of classes. She let that embolden her as she locked the door and stepped into her S-Class.

Navigation popped up as soon the engine roared to life, already pre-programmed with the route to Empire High School. She saw the calculation of a twenty minute drive, rearranged a few numbers in her head as she thought about the day of the week, the time of the morning, and the unpredictability of the 91, and decided twenty minutes was probably just about right. She’d given herself a cushion for twenty-five, and with a glance to the men’s style cartier on her wrist, she smiled and pulled out of the garage towards the main drag that would lead her to the freeway.

She jumped out of nerves and surprise when the system notified her of a call coming in. She smirked when she saw the caller ID: Dr. Nina Holiday, Hoag Hospital. Maura pressed the call accept button. “Need a consult already, Doctor?” she teased, her own voice always just a bit foreign in the morning after not having heard it for hours.

Doctor Holiday scoffed on the line. “You wish,” she replied, and then there were beats of silence. “I just wanted to call to wish you good luck on your first day. And to see if you’d reconsider.”

“If this is Hoag’s way of trying to lure me back, by making their premier neurologist do all the dirty work, I think I’m going to have to pass,” Maura said, and Nina laughed.

“No, this is just a friend saying you’re gonna be missed is all,” said Nina. “But I respect what you’re doing.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it,” Maura demured. “Pathology is in... very capable hands with Doctor Pike,” she said, and then immediately the two women guffawed.

“You couldn’t even get it out before you started laughing!” Nina asserted, “see? We’re up a creek with no paddle!”

“Whom the department decided to hire in my stead is not my business,” Maura replied professionally, “especially if they do not take my recommendations into account,” and then with more spice.

“You right, you right. And I know I said it before, but I respect you for this. I think my road to medicine might have been a lot easier if I had someone like you at my high school to guide me through,” Nina said seriously. “Just answer me something: you didn’t leave because of Ian, did you?”

Maura stiffened. She hadn’t wanted to think about that on her first day, but here Nina was, dredging it up. Maura wrung her hands on her steering wheel. “No. Not really,” she answered, and that was the truth. The timing of it all had just been awful.

“Ok. I just… with him being gone, I didn’t know if that would be better, or if you’d be haunted by ghosts, you know? If you stayed.”

“I think I needed a fresh start either way, Nina. I really do,” Maura said.

Nina took the hint that they were done talking about it. Her voice turned chipper again. “I’ve got a call at seven, so I have to go, but I’ll talk to you soon, ok? You can tell me all about your first week. Maybe over bottomless mimosas.”

Maura sighed with relief. She would need that. “Sounds great. Nina?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for calling. I’m… I’m going to miss you, too,” Maura confessed.

“Aw, Doctor Isles, don’t get all mushy on me,” gushed Nina. “Bye. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye,” Maura said after the line had gone dead.

Nina’s call had lasted most of the ride. Maura was grateful. Nina had been one of the few people to get to know her at Hoag. The hospital itself had a very competent staff. Excellent, really. And Maura was one of the best, so this led to a never-spoken, always-felt air of competition. It didn’t really lend itself to friendship. But Nina had consulted with Maura so often, that a comfortable working relationship eventually morphed into a casual friendship. That turned into drinks on the rare weeknights they had off and brunch on Sundays at some of the best spots in Orange County.

They promised to continue, and they would of course, but for the first time in their friendship, they didn’t work a floor away from each other, and Maura resolved that while she would do everything to keep it alive, she had to acknowledge the change. Fittingly, as soon as she did so, she drove into the staff parking lot at Empire High. Her new beginning.

Her welcome e-mail mentioned a staff meeting today, Friday, in the lecture hall at the front of the school, refreshments provided. So, she pulled next to the gunmetal gray Ford Ranger to her right, and gathered her things. Her cart could wait until they were dismissed to ready their classrooms, so she deposited her fob into her purse and sipped on her coffee for fortitude as she followed the sidewalk pathway past the front office to the lecture hall. She had mapped out the route when she had found out about the meeting, deciding that touring campus on her own before she began would reduce her anxieties, as well as the possibility of unknown factors. It was also why she had arrived right on time: early meant possible one-on-one conversations with strangers, and late meant all eyes on her as she hustled in.

She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head when she reached the glass double doors of the hall, and breathed in one last time. It was a big, 360 degree breath: it engaged her pelvic floor and spread her ribs equally. It lowered her pulse and calmed her nerves, and then she was ready.

When she entered, she heard chatter. Lots of it. When she turned the corner and yanked open the wooden door of the room itself, she was shocked to see what looked like most of the staff already deep in conversation in their seats. Some stood, others stretched their legs over a couple of seats at once, some laughed and some nodded seriously. For a moment, Maura panicked, then checked her watch again. She felt her heartbeat fall a little bit when she looked up to the front and realized that no-one had started the meeting. In fact, there was a small line at the sign-in sheet, so she decided that rather than have a breakdown in the walkway, she should join the line.

She mustered as much courage as she could and stood behind the last woman, who smiled at her politely. Maura smiled back and thanked whatever powers that be that the woman didn’t try to engage. The line moved quickly, and staff members grabbed what looked like sweet bread just off to the side of the table as they signed in. She forewent the sugar and decided just to take the requisite printouts instead. By then, things started to feel a little more like a normal job orientation, so she turned on her heels to make her way back to the crowd.

The confident turn ended up being another mistake, however, because as she started to walk, she saw no openings. It was like the middle of a very bad dream, in which she needed so desperately to blend in, but all she could do was stand out. She felt eyes on her as she passed tables full of other adults, she heard conversations quiet and alter when she walked by.

However, just as she was about to give up and stand all the way in the back, someone called out. “Hey,” the voice was firm, raspy, and kind. She turned instantly and it kept talking. “You need a spot? I was savin’ this one for my brother, but, big shocker, he’s late.” Seated at a table in the middle of the hall with an all-white backpack on the empty chair next to her, two aluminum bat handles sticking out on either side of it, was… “Oh, and I’m Jane. Rizzoli. By the way.”

Jane Rizzoli. Maura thought the name fitting. Jane was so tall and so dark-featured and so handsome that she needed an Italian surname. And by god, she had one. One with a trilled-r and a plural i and everything: it was perfect for her in the way that all its sounds signified abundance. Maura’s mind rambled and she caught it; she wasn’t even sure how the phonotactic rules of Italian applied to Jane’s physicality, but they did, and Maura sat next to her without hesitation. She chanced one glance to the length of Jane’s torso as she curled to put her elbows on the table, and then she met Jane’s dark brown eyes.

It was then that she realized that Jane probably awaited some kind of response. “Maura Isles,” said Maura, holding her hand out. Jane shook it and Maura was not at all surprised by the firmness of the shake.

“Hey Maura. I’m uh, I’m the head baseball coach here. I also teach PE,” Jane explained. Then she looked down at herself, her uniform and the bats in the backpack now on the floor. “But you probably guessed that.”

Maura smirked, and laughed softly. “I don’t like to guess. It puts people in awkward positions. But I would say there’s lots of evidence to that fact, yes.”

Jane laughed openly and then took her hat off. “Well, I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess you’re the hotshot doctor that they hired for our new pre-med pipeline.”

Maura raised a perfectly-sculpted eyebrow. “And why would you assume that?”

“You talk like a doctor. And you dress better than everyone else in this room. Real doctor-y,” Jane wagged her own eyebrows up and down.

Maura watched Jane’s crooked grin, rapt. “One…” she began slowly, “doctor-y is not a word. Two, what if I were independently wealthy and taught, oh say, English?”

Jane shrugged. “Words are made up. And are you? Independently wealthy?”

Maura’s mouth twitched in humor. “Yes,” she answered. Jane threw her head back in defeat. “But, I am also the doctor piloting the pre-med program here.”

Just like that, the slender column of Jane’s neck brought her head forward again. “Thought so!” she said. Just as she did, The man who Maura knew from his photo online as the school principal walked in. People started to hush as he made his way to the front podium. Even she turned her attention, until there was the distinct warmth of whispering by her ear that dismantled all other thoughts. Jane was speaking. “Well, Dr. Isles,” she responded, “welcome to Empire High, then.”

#rizzoli and isles #rizzles #lauren writes rizzoli and isles fan fiction #the high school teachers baseball California AU no one asked for lmao #not sure if it's too niche or if there'll be interest for it #but it feels like if I do continue it it should be long?#idk we'll see

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dirt-cup-draco · 4 years

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Fred x Reader - Truth or Dare

Can I request a Fred x reader?They + some buds are playing T or D in common room with actual truth potion,you avoid doing a truth at all cost and have to go through the most mental dares.But George catches on + gets cheeky like ’I dare you to tell us why you havent picked truth’.At first you dont speak coz if you do you’ll confess your feelings for Fred.Coz you cant tell truth if you dont say anything.You can pick how it goes after😊sorry this if this is too long,I haven’t requested a fic before

Fred had his arm slung around your shoulder affectionately as you chatted idly with Lee and George. He sipped at his firewhisky, eyes moving about the room as the party had started to slow. The smart kids were turning in for the night, knowing they still had classes once the sun rose the next morning. The eager kids were already wasted, tripping over themselves and rushing to the nearest toilet as their stomach won out over their heads. The rest of you whoever were swaying comfortably to the music that had been turned down.

The night was coming to an end but Fred wasn’t ready. You were warm and pliant against his side and he was soaking up every second. It wasn’t rare for you to be this close, you had been closer to George once upon a time but the two of you had steadily melded together. George was still your best friend but Fred knew he was different. Fred knew you liked him, it might have something to do with the fact that George got tired of the both of you going to him with your tales of woe. Fred supposed his twin could only handle so much of, “Why doesn’t he/she like me back?” before he snapped. Fred considered himself lucky that his twin was such a miserable secret keeper.

Fred nursed his drinking, nodding subtly at George whose face split into a wicked grin. “Alright everyone who is sober enough to walk,” George teased as he announced to the Gryffindors partying around him, “It’s time to play...” He stalled, pretending to play the drums as he smacked Lee’s back in a rhythm that had people turning his way. “Truth or Dare!”

Fred felt you tense momentarily but then you were pulling away. “And that is where I take my leave,” You declared but George whirled on you as Angelina sat on the floor, Fred following her lead as the other other participants followed suit by making a wide circle.

“Nonsense!” George encouraged, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and guiding you to the circle where he sat you right across from Fred. You looked nervous and Fred would have otherwise been bothered if he wasn’t positive that you were just nervous about telling him how you felt. He was giddy for the night to unfold.

George, however, wanted to draw it out. Fred had been hoping that his brother would coax you to pick truth quite early, leaving the rest of the night for whatever the two of you decided to do. It seemed that neither you or George wanted that to happen as you picked dare once again. After several wicked dares that had you leaving an article of clothing in Filch’s office as well as lobbing a dungbomb into the Slytherin’s commonroom as well as Snape’s potions classroom, you were tired and ready to turn in.

“Dare,” You sighed, shoulders heavy as George thought for a moment. You hated this game, it had nothing to do with the juvenile dares and questions and everything to do with the look George had been giving you all night. He wasn’t going to go easy on you and you were desperate to escape. It was impossible though as Fred cheered you on every time you completed a wacky dare, a smile on his face. You hated to admit it but you craved validation from the boy who sat criss-cross in front of you, his clothes switched with Angelina’s as he teased that he thought he look ravishing in her skirt.

Fred’s eyes traveled to you and a frown tugged at his lips. You didn’t look like you were having fun at all. George was looking quite maniacal, the cogs of his brain turning so quick steam should have been coming out of his ears. Fred didn’t like the look of this.

“Alright, Y/N, I dare you to tell us why you haven’t picked truth all night long,” George quipped. “And no lies,” he added as you opened your mouth and then promptly shut it. This happened a few more times, your mouth opening but then clamping back shut as your eyes darted around the group that had slimmed in the past hour as Lee, Angelina, George, Katie, Fred and you remained.

Even that was overwhelming apparently as your stomach churned and your palms became clammy, heart thudding against your chest. “I’m sorry,” You muttered as you stood quickly, stepping over the mess of discarded cups and a shoe without it’s pair as you vanished to your dorm.

“Nice going!” Fred scolded. “I wanted you to get her to talk, not scare her off!”

George realized he had been a bit too hard on you but he wanted you and his brother to be happy, he regretted upsetting you however. It seemed like all would be well though as his twin got up and chased after you.

“What’s that all about?” Lee asked, puzzled.

“Do you try to be this stupid?” Katie rolled her eyes, silently cheering you and Fred on.

Meanwhile Fred caught you just before you slammed the door to your dorm shut. “Y/N, hey, what’s going on?” He asked as you slumped on your bed, rubbing frustrated tears from your eyes. His heart ached. Fred may have scolded his brother but he had just been doing what Fred had asked him to do.

“’M just tired Freddie,” You gave your poor excuse, kicking your shoes off.

“Are you sure?” Fred pressed. “It didn’t have anything to do with what George asked?”

“Oh come off it!” You burst out. “What does it matter?” Fred shut up and looked downcast. You let out a strained breath. “I’m sorry, I’m just not ready to... admit some personal things,” You said carefully. “Truth or dare makes me really uncomfortable.”

Fred came to sit beside you, hand running up and down your back carefully as you leaned into him, head lulling against his shoulder. “Would it make you feel better if I admitted something?” Fred asked as he shifted, and you followed, now directly across from each other, knees bumping together as you crossed your legs underneath you.

You watched Fred as he grew timid. His fair skin gave him away every time and he was blushing as he picked at a loose thread on your bed cover. “Is something wrong?” You asked, suddenly worried. The redhead reassured you immediately everything was alright with a shake of his head and his hold on your hand.

“I just should have come talk to you first,” He started with and you looked puzzled.

“About?” You coerced.

“You,”

“You should have come talk to me first about...me?” You weren’t following. Fred sighed and began to rock gently in his place, his nerves getting the better of him as you squeezed his hand to help relax him.

“Yeah, but instead I asked George a couple of days ago to try and get everyone together for truth and dare once we won the quidditch game-”

“Cocky,” You giggled but Fred just continued.

“-and he obviously did that, I just didn’t think that he would go so hard on you. Maybe more than that I thought you would pick truth sooner. I didn’t think you wouldn’t get upset either which was my fault, I know you don’t like being put on the spot-” Fred was speaking quickly, his train of thought derailing quickly and with seemingly no survivors.

“Woah, woah,” You interrupted. “Slow down. So let me get this straight, you asked George to start a truth of dare game so I would pick truth and say what exactly?”

“That you like me?” Fred finished for you, his phrase turning into a question as he became sheepish, now suddenly worried you didn’t feel the same and he would have only succeeded in angering you and ruining your friendship.

“Y-you know?” You asked, suddenly pale.

“Yes,” Fred confirmed but noticed the panic in your eyes. You were beginning to apologize when he cupped your cheeks in his hands. “But I wanted you to admit it because I like you too! A lot... It seems I’ve just mucked things up though,” He sighed, dejected.

“Say it again,” You pleaded, needing to fully grasp what he was saying.

“I really like you Y/N,” Fred admitted, more sturdy and confident this time.

You let a smile break out on your face and you held your hands over his to keep them in place. “I have to say, you did muck up things,” Fred’s expression fell. “But nothing so bad a kiss or two wouldn’t fix it,”

“You mean-?” Fred blushed.

“Kiss me,” You giggled, as he nodded excitedly, rushing forward to kiss you. It was eager and sloppy, your nose sore from him missing the mark the first time and bumping it but that faded to the background as he tried again and you two fell into an easy rhythm.

“I like you Fred,” You finally admitted aloud, the fear gone as he looked at you in a way you had never seen, or maybe just never noticed, before.

“Clearly,” He teased but pulled you back to him, not having had gotten enough of your lips on his.

Maybe you didn’t hate truth or dare as much as you thought.

#fred weasley #fred weasley x reader #fred x reader #anon #anon ask #request #ask #anon this is awesome #i love this #this is an amazing request <3 #not too long at all!#drabble

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untitledtallgeesepodcast · 3 years

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[TRANSCRIPT] EPISODE 12: SPACE IS (STILL) THE PLACE

Kat 0:03

Hello and welcome to Untitled Tallgeese Podcast, a podcast where Kap, which is me, Mallory, Caitlin, and Cathy all get together and watch Gundam Wing and talk about Gundam Wing. This is episode 15, where we'll be covering episodes 23 and 24.

Kat 0:20

So I'm going to start off with an episode summary of Episode 23: Duo God of Death Once Again. We open with Sally Po salvaging Wing Zero from the bottom of the ocean with a band of rebels. In space, a now recovered Duo is hanging out, shit-talking OZ without even wearing a disguise, and that gets him noticed by newly-minted OZ soldier Hilde Schbeiker, who tells him to enlist. Instead, he steals a mobile suit, prompting a space battle with Hilde. During their own psychic hot pink moment, Duo realizes they're both fighting for the peace of the colonies! So he saves her from becoming collateral damage, and his capture conveniently gets him a ride to the moon. Duo is so hot that Hilde defects and helps him break into his target, the Lunar Base. Duo again allows himself to get the shit beat out of him and captured -- this time strategically -- and is thrown into the brig with Heero and Wufei, who are immediately jerks. He tells them the doctors have begun building a new Deathscythe and Shenlong. Lady Une makes Trowa listen to her monologue about Treize-sama and we fade out.

Kat 0:21

Episode 24: The Gundam They Called Zero starts with a mysterious Gundam attacking an OZ resource satellite, piloted by a traumatized Quatre, who then sets his sights on an actual colony. Lady Une orders Trowa and Heero out with the Mercurius and Veyeate, ignoring Chief Engineer Tsuberov's argument to use the mobile dolls. But with Une distracted, Tsuberov overrides her and orders the air to be cut off to the cells holding the pilots and the doctors, leaving them to die... slowly. Trowa is amped as hell to hang out with Quatre and get the band back together, but Heero is more cautious. Trowa loses half a suit in the ensuing battle and learns that Quatre may not be the ally he thought; he's decided the only way to stop war in outer space is to destroy the colonies themselves and Quatre and Heero prepare to face off as the episode ends.

Mallory 2:03

Yeah, these episodes were really fun.

Kat 2:06

They were really fun and I think they were really straightforward. There's, I don't know, there's like just everything was happening not symbolically.

Caitlin 2:14

Yeah, I love these episodes because they, they contain the entire spectrum of like, Duo eroticism. So

Mallory 2:21

[laughter] All right!

Caitlin 2:24

you have Duo being like cool, for a second, to Hilde. He's got the glasses, he like tries to break into the volunteer group or whatever, the soldiers. He does, he does get some like blows in and then he gets beaten up a bunch? You have cool Duo who we love and then you have beaten up Duo, who we also love. His voice is just so sexy to me throughout this entire thing. Sorry to like, confess my desires here but Duo is really like, working it.

Cathy 2:56

To add on to this in Episode 24 you get moe, cheerful-even-while-dying-but-also-resenting-his-death Duo. And then there's the little bit of like, almost flirtatious but also kind of serious fighting with Heero over who gets to go out of the jail cell and him calling Heero 01, which is a lot of fun. And you know, you get all the little pairings like Trowa beats up Duo so you get your 2x3 and then Wufei is stuck with Duo after Heero leaves you get your 2x5. Heero and Duo are the two that interact once Duo gets caught so you get your 1x2, like you got, you, there's everything.

Kat 3:37

And you get a new female love interest with Hilde.

Caitlin 3:40

Yeah, Duo gets a girlfriend at last he gets his own like mini. He gets mini Noin, as as we call Hilde.

Cathy 3:46

I really had forgotten how much she is like Noin until I rewatched these episodes, like she seems like a younger Noin, including sort of her naivete, and obviously that she's part of OZ. She has the same kind of, you know, I know what's right, and I know what my morals are, and I know what my values are, and I know what my mission is, that Noin had when we were first introduced to her at the Victoria Training Base. And then of course, that gets turned on its head by a man the same way that she does with Zechs.

Caitlin 4:19

Mmhmm.

Cathy 4:20

And then she sort of abandons that original kind of mission statement to seek her own meaning, which is also adjacent to the man's meaning, [laughs] but in a in a fun way.

Caitlin 4:32

And I will say that, in terms of like convincing speeches about politics we see in the show, Duo's points to her do make a little bit more sense than the average one.

Cathy 4:44

Yeah. And I I was trying to pay attention to the narration we got at the beginning, and I think this is consistent with the last two, but it felt more poignant here, where they were saying, you know, we're at this point where the Gundam pilots are trying to find a reason to exist in this changing world. And I thought that was a really great way of explaining, you know what Duo is doing and why I feel like that's so inspiring to Hilde, such that she essentially does a pivot and becomes a free agent in terms of how she is thinking about who she's fighting for. Because, you know, if you think about Duo and the other pilots at this point, the scientists who they've been getting missions from are captured. So it's been radio silent for months and months and months. Their Gundams are gone, they really have never been particularly good about organization or trying to get to a central mission, or if they even know what that central mission is. So they're working so hard and being so bad at it in terms of like, like doing to the best of their ability, something. And I really do think that that speech he gives like, there are some truths that he finds self evident. And it's just really hard for him to understand, like how to get there. And he is like, you can always feel him struggling with that while he talks to Hilde. And so I did find that really moving and really human.

Kat 6:04

When he says, "You remind me of me when I was sent back to earth and decided to fight for the colonies alone," which was really poignant, but also kind of funny and brings up a common complaint, which is I have no idea how much time has passed between things. Sort of like, was that how many months ago was that? When you say months and months and months, they've had time to build all these mobile suits. So and it does appear that OZ now has a pretty good infrastructure on the ground. Hilde's part of like, the OZ Student Volunteer Corps, who I don't think they should be handing mobile suits off to, that seems not like the best way. [laugh]

Caitlin 6:42

But you know, in the logic of this universe that 15 year old are the best piloting mobile suits so [laughs]

Mallory 6:48

Right, you know, why not give a hot headed teenager awash with hormones and rage a mobile suit?

Kat 6:56

I do think Hilde fulfills a really good role that we've been talking about in past podcasts about how we really don't see the colonists' perspective. And it gets very direct with that when she goes, "this is outer space's decision." Like nobody bullied us into arming ourselves and militarizing, we had to make the decision ourselves.

Mallory 7:16

Yeah, we did it for our own protection. She says we weren't going to just sit back and let them take over. She feels. I think. like OZ is giving her some sort of agency in this like feeling of powerlessness that we've kind of talked about and how the colonies feel powerless and insecure, and so if they feel insecure, they want to be armed.

Kat 7:38

There's this phrase she uses, and she says the colonies have "a history of humiliation," that I thought was really interesting and a kind of a perspective that we haven't seen so directly before.

Cathy 7:49

Yes. And also the scientists at the very beginning, remember, I think it's Dr. J who says, basically, well, OZ is treating all the new space colonies just like, and I have in quotes, "old world colonies to be plundered." They were talking about the history of the colonies and how they've been treated and I think in Episode 23, you kind of get that whole spectrum of it, right? You get they're just being exploited. Well, they feel like they need to assert themselves by getting armaments. But no, actually, according to Duo, this is all just hogwash and propaganda. And, you know, this is like this whole spectrum of reasons and thoughts about why this sudden militarization is happening and who's really behind it and who it actually is serving.

Kat 8:29

I'm gonna pick up a thread there when you said propaganda, because something we haven't mentioned, was Zech - er Milliardo Peacecraft inexplicably just hanging out in another conference room with a bunch of old colony dudes in suits. And they mentioned that the engineers or the, the Gundam doctors have been killed, and he thinks, oh, that's the kind of falsehood that could really do a lot of damage. Like he's already noticing that the OZ machine is running.

Mallory 8:54

Right, it was a line that struck me because it's frankly, kind of a terrifying lie in the age of things like Qanon and sort of foreign misinformation campaigns that we are seeing on Twitter and Facebook.

Caitlin 9:07

Zechs pointing out the dangers of fake news?!

Mallory 9:11

Yeah, unmitigated rumor. And I don't know, I think as a journalist it just really strikes me that in a children's TV show there's this like, warning like, "Be careful of lies that you are being told by adults." We only really see, we see news but we only, really only see Une or OZ representatives speaking. We don't really see like, like an independent journalist standing with a microphone or whatever, which tells you where like news and what news is going out and the spin that is being put on that. Like when Une assassinated Septum early on, and she comes out and she's like, Oh, it was the work of those dirty Gundams, right?

Caitlin 9:53

Right. We do know, so one of the, one of the notable like news sequences that we have seen recently is the OZ theatre of destroying Deathscythe, right? We see that they do it. And then we see Duo reacting to it? So we know that like part of their like news cycle right now in the colonies at least is like expelling this, like the Gundams as terrorists,

Cathy 10:17

I almost feel like, because all the players have, or are connected to the military or Romefeller or OZ or Alliance, and the reactions we see about these news documents, be they press releases or broadcasts, are from those players, it feels less like some sort of point about propaganda, or fake news. It feels like to me that OZ released that information to the colonies for a reason, even though there might be backlash from the colony, the individual colonists, but it really was about trying to get colony leadership to agree to the OZ takeover.

Caitlin 11:01

Yeah, you think, you think it's about the people who are making decisions, not about trying to control public opinion?

Cathy 11:08

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

Caitlin 11:10

I think that might be true. Like, to a certain extent, that is what they're doing. But we also do see that public opinion has shifted, and that there is a real, a real effect to this. That's what, that's sort of what the point of Hilde is, to know that there are people in the colonies who have changed their perspective on how to fight, that they've joined up with the OZ Volunteer Corps.

Mallory 11:33

Exactly. And sort of it shows the hold that OZ already has, and the sort of foundation that OZ has already built within the colonies, in that they already have, you know, like Kat was saying earlier, they already have a Student Corps. You know, like that these structures kind of pop up really quickly.

Caitlin 11:51

The ease with which these structures arose, speaks to the, the things for which the colonies are usually used? Like they're already sort of like primed for manufacturer. They're primed for like the sort of intense sort of governmental control because you need somebody inside each of these colonies managing each moment. There's something about them that lends them very quickly towards this militarization process.

Mallory 12:18

Right, like it's easy to trade one dictator for another one.

Kat 12:21

Because the structure of the colonies is already so not necessarily militaristic, but -

Caitlin 12:27

- authoritarian, maybe?

Kat 12:28

Yeah.

Caitlin 12:29

Just, just because like in order to keep a colony running, you have to have sort of an unquestioning -

Mallory 12:34

- like a really strong hierarchy

Caitlin 12:36

Right, because if somebody starts questioning their orders, you could destroy the colony.

Kat 12:41

When Quatre is, puts his actual Gundam inside the colony and is like, "colonies don't need things like this!" about a ferris wheel -

Mallory 12:49

Right, or a playground.

Kat 12:50

I feel like that's sort of underscores that that idea of like, colonies for one thing versus another thing, like the way people view the utility of colonies.

Cathy 12:59

Yeah, and one thing to remember is that most of the population that are on the colonies are technicians and workers. So it's already built in, I think, to their history.

Caitlin 13:11

So one thing that came to mind for me was that we know the colonies are mostly laborers, and mostly people who are working very hard to stay alive in this very precarious space. But they need that entertainment, they need that fun in order to actually do their jobs. Whereas like Quatre's model, besides destroying the entire colonies, has been is now to reject anything to do with that, like, glorious joy of life. Like he's now like, switched entirely to being like, No, we only need war, we only need destruction, we only need work. I think it's also very poignant, because like he must have grown up in the colonies, he must have gone to places like that.

Mallory 13:53

But it felt out of character from the few, the previous episodes where he spends a lot of time saying like, but we were good to them. We we gave all these resources, we help people live and we wanted them to be happy and all of that, like we shared our resources and our wealth. And now he's like, Oh, they don't need these, like small pleasures! A Ferris wheel? Get out of here.

Caitlin 14:15

Right. I think that's, I think that's exactly why this is the form his psychosis has taken. It's because he has this idea that his family really helped the colonists and like made their lives better. And now now that he's entered his like, crazy mode, which I love, that he's like, No, we don't need to help them. We all, I don't care about them anymore.

Cathy 14:35

I love that scene where he rampages through the colonies and Caitlin knows that we had just finished watching Shin Godzilla. And

Kat 14:44

Oh!

Mallory 14:44

Mmm.

Cathy 14:45

- and this scene was extremely Godzilla-esque, right like, it really shows the sheer power and horror of how large the Gundams are and what they can do when you just want to be recklessly brutal and recklessly violent on anything and it is really, it's really interesting the kind of like care they take with this scene. Everything's quiet, there's no people, you just see this Gundam like, crushing things slowly, like destroying them, because Quatre wants to destroy them. And it's really good.

Caitlin 15:21

You get really good shots of the colony's slope because like, those the colonies are curved and this is one of the distinctive things that makes you know that they're in a colony is that you can see like the city like rising up behind you because it's, it's circular or it's a loop. And so you get this sort of like extremely enclosed space that like because the colonies are shaped the way they are, it, it feels like they're, they're both spacious and claustrophobic. And so that that giant Gundam being there really interrupts the space. It really like, disrupts the perspective.

Kat 15:42

The animation overall, was I think, better. It like, it seems like slowly the budget is increasing, or... Everybody looked great enough.

Caitlin 16:04

It's Episode 24ish. So they're, this is like the season finale. Sort of.

Kat 16:10

Oh, true.

Mallory 16:11

Right. So they're pulling out all the stops.

Caitlin 16:12

Yeah, so they've saved money for this.

Cathy 16:15

I think a really fun thing about Episode 24, especially the animation, is I think how carefully they construct it. Like you start off with this frame of what you slowly realize is a colony outpost, and it looks like this hideous floating horror thing with like tubes coming out of it and it's like vaguely alien and vaguely tentacled. And then this menacing shadow comes and you know, you can tell immediately that it's Wing Gundam. But because you don't see into the cockpit like you almost always do when a Gundam appears on screen, you don't know who's in it, and it feels very supernatural? like a vengeful ghost? And then it destroys this outpost. You spend that whole time as the audience thinking, Who is it? Who is it, it can't be Heero, you know, it's not Heero. And then that wonderful shot of Quatre, the utter silence as he breathes, and then they slowly reveal his eye. Like, that... Not only was the animation amazing, but just like this cinematic quality of that opening sequence. It just felt like a slasher film. It was so good,

Caitlin 17:22

So good.

Mallory 17:23

The pacing of that scene is so good. Like, I had really no idea what to expect. So when you see like the shuttle approaching, and then the music starts and it transforms into a Gundam and you're like, Oh my god, this is so cool! I'm 31 years old and this is still so cool to me! This would have blown my mind.

Caitlin 17:45

Did you know about like the Quatre-goes-crazy plot.

Mallory 17:48

I did know that Quatre has a turn but I didn't know that he goes crazy.

Kat 17:53

We managed to not spoil it this entire time.

Caitlin 17:56

That's really exciting.

Mallory 17:57

Look, I thought he was dying of space tuberculosis, so.

Cathy 17:59

He could, he could still be dying of space tuberculous

Caitlin 18:03

I have convinced several people that that is canon. [laughter]

Mallory 18:08

So basically, we're just making up our own canon.

Caitlin 18:12

Yes, as we do in fanfiction as well. I do remember like, there being like a genre of fanfic that sort of talked about Quatre's like, crazy phase. But then a lot of the like basic, 3x4 stuff would, would sort of gloss over it. [laughs] Just because it's a little bit too dark to deal with, for your happy flute playing romances.

Mallory 18:36

I started reading one and just, I was like, Oh, no, this is too dark. I don't, this isn't the Quatre that I want, shoo. Not my Quatre. So I avoided those.

Caitlin 18:46

And it's too bad because there's a lot of good three times for evidence sort of in these episodes where you have like, yeah, Trowa's the one who really believes in Quatre. He's the one who says, "Oh, if it's Quatre, we're we're gonna to be okay. He's an ally. He's, you know, my boyfriend from the, from the desert." [laughter]

Mallory 19:04

Like, he just, he spends the whole first part of the episode just wanting to get to Quatre. Like, "I'm ready to go meet my space boyfriend."

Kat 19:12

"It has to be Quatre and he's going to be on our side, and he's going to help us defeat OZ and everything is going to be great!"

Mallory 19:18

And Heero has to be like "Oh, hold on. He just -- D-didn't you just see him destroy a colony? Like he might not be the dude you know. It's been a while since you play violins with him."

Caitlin 19:29

What's funny to me is that we know, the audience, we know that Quatre has gone crazy because of, probably because of what we saw with his dad and his sister and all of that. We sort of remember that. But nobody else has any has any awareness of that. Like did it not play on like, the news or on like the radio or anything, that this major like colony financer was killed in like a horrific terrorist incident where he self-destructed a colony or a satellite? Like nobody else knows.

Unknown Speaker 19:58

As it turns out his son is one of the five major terrorists that we consider the number one threat to the colony safety?

Caitlin 20:05

Yeah, it's like, it's like everything that happened in that situation is totally separate from the rest of the colonies. Right now.

Mallory 20:11

Right. But if OZ doesn't want people to know about it, then OZ just simply won't tell people about it. And so nobody would know.

Unknown Speaker 20:19

I think that Une would know and then maybe Trowa would know, right?

Mallory 20:24

Maybe Une is keeping it close

Kat 20:26

True.

Mallory 20:26

to the chest.

Caitlin 20:28

And so Zayeed Winner's sacrifice was all for nothing, which is what we thought when it happened.

Mallory 20:35

Completely unnoticed.

Caitlin 20:37

Yeah, nobody even knows.

Mallory 20:39

I had a question about a shot on screen where you see the.. each Gundam pilot matched with their engineer.

Cathy 20:48

Yes!

Mallory 20:48

And I couldn't tell, is that an OZ record? Is that just the show reminding me that Quatre is the only one of these four that is unaccounted for? Like I really couldn't tell.

Cathy 21:01

I think it's an OZ record, and what is really also funny about it is, I don't understand why they would know... I guess they matched each of the scientists to the Gundam they developed so that's how they're perfectly in number order? But it was, it was really interesting. It was another one of those moments that felt vaguely like horror-esque. You know, like when you're trying to find the killer and you go through and you like, find a yearbook or group picture and all the pictures have been slashed, and you leave just one.

Mallory 21:28

Oh my god yes!

Cathy 21:28

And that one is Quatre. [laughter] And like that's how I felt about that scene. [laughter]

Unknown Speaker 21:32

Oh my god, he's even like sent in the like specs for Sandrock, so he could put a little signature on it.

Caitlin 21:40

Yeah, it's clearly him. I don't think he's trying to cover that.

Cathy 21:44

No, no, no, he's not.

Caitlin 21:45

But they don't, they don't even know who he is. They don't know who the pilot of 04 is. Like that's the point, they don't have his picture.

Kat 21:52

They didn't realize that it was the Maguanac Corps.

Cathy 21:55

But I don't think they have a picture of Quatre... Which is kind of weird because I feel like shouldn't the son of the Winner family have a record somewhere?

Caitlin 22:04

I think they don't know that it's him. I think they don't know it's the son of the Winner family. Otherwise, they'd have the picture. He's the most prominent person out of the pilots. [laughter] He's the only one who had who would have existing photographs.

Kat 22:15

Well, you think somebody would have noticed Trowa Barton saying his name is Trowa Barton right since that family tree...

Mallory 22:21

Speaking of Trowa Barton though, I do want to talk about how he's the MVP of these episodes, because he's the only one doing anything of sort of strategic usefulness?

Kat 22:32

Okay, Duo tried

Mallory 22:33

Well Duo tries, yes.

Caitlin 22:35

Wufei tries!

Mallory 22:36

Okay,

Caitlin 22:37

I know that everybody is a Trowa fan. But let's, let's stop with the Trowa exceptionalism.

Mallory 22:44

Wow

Caitlin 22:44

Everybody is doing their best

Mallory 22:46

Trowa is in a spot where he like, he's in a high ranking spot in OZ, he is so trusted by Une that he gets Heero to be allowed to pilot the Mercurius because Trowa's going to be controlling him. And he's feeding the engineers information and like finding things out.

Caitlin 23:03

He's just lucked into that spot. And he's doing the best he can. Anyone would do the same in his position,

Mallory 23:09

But like, nobody else did that though.

Caitlin 23:12

Duo tried. [laughs]

Mallory 23:15

Well, very, unsuccessfully. Very stylishly, but unsuccessfully.

Unknown Speaker 23:19

Wufei's big plan was to get captured. [laughter]

Cathy 23:23

It worked!

Caitlin 23:25

Waitwaitwait, I think the capturing is an actual plan, like I feel like Wufei's received a mission from somebody. I was assuming that the scientists are still sending out missions to get them to all get captured, so they can give, give them their Gundams back,

Cathy 23:39

I think Wu Fei

Kat 23:41

No, Wufei got captured because he wanted to be taken to a place where he could destroy Treize.

Caitlin 23:46

I think that's just what he thinks, like he still had a mission, right? He was he was given some instructions.

Kat 23:52

I thought he was working on his own and sort of like, "Oh, well, this seems like a strategic place that I should be."

Cathy 23:57

I agree with Mallory, and that's why he's going around because remember, he attacks the Barge during Lady Une's weird thing.

Caitlin 24:03

Duo had a mission too, right? Duo it was given some instructions at some point.

Cathy 24:08

When?

Caitlin 24:08

I feel like Duo at least in these episodes, there was some line about how you're, Heero says to him something like, "Oh, you you tried to complete your mission."

Cathy 24:18

I think it was metaphorical. Like I think Heero means, "Oh, you came here with an objective. And you didn't meet it."

Kat 24:23

Agree.

Cathy 24:24

Yeah. And I always thought that was kind of funny, because I wasn't sure if he was being ironic, or if he was seriously asking this question. Like, I was wondering if it was like, "Well, clearly, you're here."

Caitlin 24:33

Wait, I definitely thought that somebody was manipulating them to get captured. Like I thought that that was, this was a plan.

Cathy 24:38

My understanding was that they're all there because they know that the lunar base is like a big manufacturing center and core for OZ.

Kat 24:45

For mobile dolls, yeah.

Caitlin 24:46

Right. No, I mean, like there's, so there's their choices. And they're there to blow up the lunar base in their minds, but they've received instructions about that from somebody and the real goal of those instructions was to get them in the same place so they could get back with their Gundam.

Kat 25:02

No.

Mallory 25:03

No.

Cathy 25:03

I disagree.

Caitlin 25:04

Okay, then they just really lucked into that.

Cathy 25:05

Yeah.

Cathy 25:06

I was assinging them much more strategic planning

Kat 25:08

'cause I don't even think there was like a full lunar base when Wufei got captured. He was literally just like, "Where might Treize be? This is a good try." But I think they're all independent actors who all... like Duo was there to destroy the base. I think Heero was there to kill the scientists.

Cathy 25:24

Yeah.

Kat 25:24

So they couldn't be forced into working for OZ.

Mallory 25:26

Exactly

Kat 25:26

He sort of assumed that's what Duo was trying to do. But Duo was just there to bomb the base.

Mallory 25:31

Right? And so his joke is, to him it's funny, like, "Oh, you came to do this too and you failed?"

Cathy 25:37

Yes exactly! [laughter]

Mallory 25:39

And Duo's like, "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

Cathy 25:41

Well I thought it was really funny but I wasn't sure cuz he delivered the line so deadpan. Like, there was like no, there was like no joke emotions. Like it was just like, "you botched your mission. You tried to kill them. And you didn't." I was like, are you? Is this funny?

Kat 25:55

He's making a lot of like those jokes when Wufei's like, "Oh, do you think they're gonna let us test out the suits?" and he's like, "maybe as the target." [laughter]

Cathy 26:03

Oh god that's true, he's actually really funny.

Kat 26:05

The mysteries and vagaries of Heero Yuy.

Cathy 26:07

I really thought that I would have a better grasp on his character as like a 32 year old person but I'm watching this [laughs] and I'm still like, I feel like Duo in a fanfic like, "is he joking? Is he serious? Does he like me?"

Cathy 26:18

[laughter] Like that's how I feel about Heero in these two episodes.

Mallory 26:21

"What does that smirk mean?

Caitlin 26:24

Wait, I had one more Quatre point, which was that his voice actress who is Orikasa Ai was really crushing it these episodes.

Cathy 26:32

Yes!

Mallory 26:33

Yeah!

Caitlin 26:34

This sort of like dead cheerful baby voice? He sounds really innocent and pure. But also, like he's about to kill a bunch of people.

Cathy 26:42

Yes. And especially there is a line where he says, "Oh, you're afraid of dying, aren't you?" Which was so chilling.

Mallory 26:52

I do want to talk about this because last episode, I brought up that there's a lot of talk of the noble sacrifice. And I feel like in these episodes, there's just, it is hammered over and over and over, you have to be willing to die for your mission. You shouldn't be afraid of dying, or why the hell are you fighting? It just seems like there's just this constant sort of theme of being willing to lay down your life for "the mission," you know, at the back of my mind, like, what are we teaching kids that you should be willing to die for your work and your job? [laughter]

Kat 27:31

Like, bringing some feelings to this episode.

Mallory 27:34

Like maybe I'm projecting here, but

Caitlin 27:35

Do you mean like Japanese children watching the show or like the kids in Gundam?

Mallory 27:40

No I mean, like, in general, what is the message that this show is sending to kids? You know, because I talk a lot about how I think I would have related to Heero being like, "oh, I've messed up now I'm going to die." But like, that isn't really healthy. I guess I'm I'm just wrestling with this as the show goes on because I keep noticing it over and over the idea of the noble sacrifice and how that is like something that you should be willing to do if you are passionate enough, or you feel enough for your cause.

Kat 28:14

It's also very tied into the idea of being like a noble warrior, which keeps coming up, it's like, to me, those two things are very intertwined. And when we hear like Heero going, like, "space is crazy, I'll just keep fighting and believing in myself." It's not that he will believe in himself, he will keep fighting.

Caitlin 28:34

I think that it's trying to show that this is the attitude you develop in war. That fostering these beliefs in young child soldiers is bad, and ultimately leads to a society that just perpetuates war because it's the only thing that the people involved can understand. And that ultimately, the goal of the show is to find a way out of that thing. That's the common Gundam universe theme is this, like, how the war machine like perpetuates itself and creates like this situation where you can never escape like an eternal war. I think it draws a lot on currents of like Japanese pacifism, and the idea of like, going against the Japanese militaristic approach of like, you must sacrifice everything for the country, for Japan. In order to like be a true citizen, you have to give up everything. Because that's very much like the military propaganda that was fed to the citizens during World War II and that feeds into the creation of the original Gundam and gets sort of like complicated, watered down in some ways, but also sort of like typified? :ike turned into a such like a, like a rote recitation of a theme in later versions of Gundam that it's not always fully articulated. So I think Gundam Wing is sort of in between those where it's like, it's dealing with that like sacrificial concept. I think it wants to say, "No, there's a better way." But we haven't yet gotten to the point where it's like, "there is a better way."

Cathy 30:15

The term that I keep coming back to is like the Japanese concept of junjou, which is like sort of pure-hearted, like a pseudo naive kind of feeling. A lot of child characters in this show are just so pure-hearted, that they don't have any way out, to what Caitlin was saying, other than just throwing their bodies and their lives into it? Like they're given no mechanisms to have any other agency or express their feelings or be able to achieve the goals that they want. And they're so pure of heart that they get essentially taken advantage of, and warped into thinking that the only way into it is to sacrifice their bodies. And I think like Hilde is a great example of this here and I think that's also why Duo says to her, "that you remind me a lot of when I first came down to earth," because when he first came down to earth, the only thing he felt like he had was his ability to pilot this Gundam and sacrifice him and his Gundam to serve the cause of why he dropped as part of Operation Meteor, and Hilde is the same way, you know, she feels like the only way that she can solve solve the issue with the colonies is essentially to throw herself into this war machine and give her whole life to it because what else does she have

Kat 31:25

When Hilde at the end defects, but then says the same thing like, "I am ready to die for my cause," she still has this enthusiasm and has decided that there could be a different path but that different path is still just fighting? which I like. I mean, I like that it's it's complicated and thorny

Cathy 31:41

To me, I don't really know if the die or not dying is good or bad. Like I don't know if the show is actually trying to comment on that at all. It's almost just like a shorthand to what you're saying Caitlin earlier ,to demonstrate that they really care about pacifism. Like that's really what this whole "I'm willing to die for my cause" thing is trying to say.

Caitlin 31:58

No, I think this is a really good point. Like a lot of it is like the show performing these sort of like typical archetypes, these typical themes in a way that the fans will recognize.

Kat 32:11

So I did want to talk about 2x5, only because we've been talking about 2x5 this whole time

Caitlin 32:17

Yes

Kat 32:17

And this the first time they've really gotten to hang out.

Caitlin 32:19

There's very little interaction you guys. I feel like I live in like a desert where I am just fantasizing 2x5, like did I hallucinate the whole thing?

Mallory 32:29

Yeah, it, was it a mirage?

Cathy 32:30

I had that exact same feeling, and then I remembered that this bit actually continues on and we are actually thinking of stuff that happens in Episode 25, so

Caitlin 32:39

Yeah

Cathy 32:40

there's for next time.

Caitlin 32:42

Let's rehearse the 2x5 section that we got, which is Duo and Wufei are trapped in a cell together, while Heero and Trowa are going to do things, like, that's a fic!

Mallory 32:53

As they're running out of air!

Caitlin 32:55

Yes!

Mallory 32:55

And Duo is complaining and panicking and Wufei is just like, "I need to shut you up and the only way to shut you up is to kiss you." That's what happened after the cutscene.

Cathy 33:04

Yeah, that's actually what happened [crosstalk, laughter]

Cathy 33:05

That happened in the episode.

Caitlin 33:06

I remember that.

Kat 33:07

Yeah, you're actually psychic. Wow.

Caitlin 33:11

It's just good. They're, they're a good pairing because Wufei's kind of an ass

Kat 33:16

Well Duo looked amazing. And it was really nice to see them hang out. His braid: great. Getting beat to shit: great.

Caitlin 33:24

Duo's voice actor Seki Toshihiko: really great these episodes, very charming [crosstalk]

Caitlin 33:25

Wufei's voice actor's also very good I think and I think that he's underrated. Ishino Ryuzou, I think.

Cathy 33:33

I think he's amazing, because you can tell, he's radiating in every single second of his lines, "Shut up Duo," but never actually says it.

Caitlin 33:45

And then I also found out that Midorikawa Hikaru who plays Heero had originally auditioned for Wufei.

Cathy 33:52

Oh that's interesting.

Caitlin 33:53

Which I think would have been maybe a misfit. He auditioned for both Wufei and for Heero, but he didn't think that he'd get the lead role.

Kat 34:01

I think we're now at the point where it's time to pivot.

Caitlin 34:04

Yes

Kat 34:05

to this podcast's fandom artifact. So Quatre flipping out and blowing stuff up. And then sort of dealing/not dealing with his trauma in the middle of space makes its way into Toonami promo, which was haunting me until Cathy came through and knew exactly which one I was talking about, so. You've heard us talk about the Toonami promos and commercials before on the podcast so I'm gonna kinda split this up into one, there's the pre-airing, like two and a half minute trailer:

Toonami Promo 34:40

[rocket engine noises, space noises] In the distant future, mankind has reached the stars, but the galaxy is troubled.

Kat 34:48

[the commercial is still playing quietly, you can hear yelling and more narration] Which was like so popular that Bandai took it to use to promote it in Japan. And they were like, so happy with how like the Toonami people created the promos for it that they were like, yeah, you can run some other Gundam too.

Toonami Promo 35:02

[The sound of a Gundam laser weapon] Narrator: Battles are waged with mobile suits, the key to military dominance. [the commercial fades but is still playing quietly, you can hear muffled narration and sound effects]

Kat 35:14

People have managed to remaster a lot of the Toonami bunkers and stuff because anime nostalgia cannot be beaten.

Caitlin 35:14

That's what runs this podcast.

Kat 35:24

[the beginning of another promo begins, quietly underneath] It's 100% true. But the promo that I was thinking about was not the long promo, but it was called "Spaces is the Place."

Toonami Promo 35:25

[lo-fi beats begin, with a guitar riff] Narrator: Human beings leave Earth.

Toonami Promo 35:27

Quatre: To outer space, every one of us! [fades but contious to play, the music audible]

Kat 35:29

And it's of part of a series of promos that Toonami did that sort of combined shots from different shows, to kind of create themes.

Toonami Promo 35:30

Women's voice: It'll be, it'll be dangerous

Toonami Promo 35:30

Lady Une: Commence operation!

Toonami Promo 35:31

Man's voice: We'll commence operation in six seconds [?]

Kat 35:32

But Cathy, you have some good thoughts on it so I want you to talk about Space is the Place.

Cathy 35:46

[promo continues to play -- battle noises and yelling over more low-fi music] Well, so this should really go in the canon of anime music videos. I don't think we talked about it enough. I really wish we knew who edited it, because it's just this perfect pairing of all these disparate stories to like form this one coherence, really cool narrative that manages to say something without ever saying anything. [laughs]

Cathy 36:08

And they have that moment with Quatre breathing.

Toonami Promo 36:19

[Quatre panting heavily, a low thrum the only other sound]

Cathy 36:20

And I have never forgotten it.

Caitlin 36:21

[low music continues with long chords played by brass instruments, then speaking] What ,what it's basically like, what this reads to me as is like they have like, it's, the characters are essentially Gundam characters, and they fleshed out the Gundam Wing world with all these other like space shots. So it's addressing our complaint that we don't get enough space colony [laughs] in Gundam Wing, like it's like an it's like an alternate universe vid where they've like created more of a, of a world around a particular set of characters.

Mallory 36:51

Yeah, I mean, I like them because, you know, as a kid watching Toonami, but not really ever catching those shows, because that's just not where I was, like, I saw those promos a lot. And they told me exactly what I needed to know, but actually didn't tell me anything about the show at all.

Caitlin 37:08

Yes!

Mallory 37:09

Like absolutely nothing. But it left me with a really good impression of what Gundam Wing was like.

Caitlin 37:15

One of the things that is like, kind of a kind of an issue in, like Media Studies, film studies, like trying to analyze film or anime or TV shows as texts is that when you analyze them in isolation from their viewing contexts, you lose a lot of what was going on in terms of their interpretation. So like, I mean, with film, obviously, you can talk about the audience and going into theater and the theatrical space. But with TV, you especially lose this sort of programming flow is like the like, the concept that's often brought up. It's like this idea that you have programs moving into each other. With Toonami, you have a block of programming, so there's all this marketing around the block. You lose the commercials. So it's very hard to sort of like, analyze a show in isolation, which is why I'm glad we talk about things like Toonami's Space is the Place because it's part of it's part of the context of how we were watching it, and how we watch TV, TV back then.

Cathy 38:16

And for those of you who didn't watch the Toonami block, you know, the host of Toonami was, [sigh] it was either an alien or

Caitlin 38:23

TOM

Cathy 38:23

TOM, I don't know what TOM

Cathy 38:25

He was a robot.

Cathy 38:25

was a robot or an alien or something like that. And

Kat 38:28

He was a robot, he lived in a space station.

Cathy 38:29

Yes. And so that's the other thing about Space is the Place is that it wasn't just about the shows that were on Toonami, in a way it was discussing

Caitlin 38:38

Yeah

Cathy 38:38

the whole meta universe of Toonami. And the story behind Toonami. I mean, rather famously in around 2000, they had an invader of the total immersion event come in and kill TOM.

Caitlin 38:52

Yes!

Cathy 38:52

And so we had a new host TOM II, so this whole idea of like Space is the Place, going into space, discovering these new things, you know, that that was speaking to the cohesiveness of that whole Toonami universe that we were living in as we watched it if you caught that block while it was broadcasting on TV. so when I watched this, you know, I'm not only seeing Gundam Wing, I am seeing all these other series and that host and his voice and the animation at that time.

Kat 39:23

Shout out to the voice of TOM who is Steven Blum who is a great American voice actor

Mallory 39:29

Yes,

Kat 39:29

Spike Spiegel.

Caitlin 39:30

Always been great. These extra programming touches like Tom, like the space station, like these music videos. They not only were they like, absorbing us in a world that we continue to want to see to keep us watching. But it also always signaled to me that there were like, fans behind the construction? Like at the very least sci fi fans, if not explicitly just anime fans.

Kat 39:56

There's a good interview on IGN that came out this year with Jason DeMarco, who is, he's currently the Senior Vice President and creative director for Adult Swim. But at the time, he was working for Toonami and he was the one who wrote and cut the trailer before Gundam Wing aired. And he wanted to create like a cinematic film trailer, like, kind of elevate it from what they were doing to something that was really like epic. And he's definitely a giant robot anime fan. I will also link this interview, but I think it's really interesting to see kind of the fans that were working in the background, he talks about how you have to get fansubs at conventions and stuff. So you know, he's, he's got that sort of similar anime background. He also talks a little bit about how they had to edit Gundam Wing for the daytime block and how the unedited version was sort of the prequel to the Adult Swim block. [quiet midi music of "Just Communication" beginning to play] So Toonami itself changed a lot about the whole environment of animation and how that's played on television, I think in America. [midi drum break as the volume increases.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

#gundam wing #mobile suit gundam #gundam #anime nostalgia #anime podcast #90s anime #untitled tallgeese podcast #episode 12 #transcripts

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bengiyo · 5 years

Text

D&D: “Pitch The Scene”

“Pitch the Scene”

This phrase encapsulates most of my guidelines on building a fun interaction inside of Dungeons & Dragons. Players without strong improvisational skills may sometimes flounder in interactions with NPCs and other characters when they lose track of the thread of the scene. Building a strong setting and stating clearly the intent of the scene can build engaging, evocative interactions. Particularly through Discord or instances where people cannot rely on body language or suffer a lag delay, pitching a situation that invites your scene partner(s) to collaborate leads to higher quality interactions.

When you “pitch the scene” you give the other scene partner(s) time to get into the right mindset for their character(s) and let them know the tone of the scene. A good pitch leaves the other players empowered to participate in the scene, whether it be a casual conversation, a potential fight about a decision previously made, or a declaration of love. The goal of a pitch is to remove surprise and uncertainty from the players involved and maintains trust in the other player.

In this essay, we will walk through a sample scene and explore what exactly a scene entails, how to manage information delivery within, how to pitch a scene, and how to end a scene.

Throughout this essay, I will use these four members of a traditional party. They are preparing to leave for their next adventure.

Susan – Human Fighter Joe – Wood Elf Ranger Jordan – Half Elf Paladin Mark – Rock Gnome Wizard

The Scene

A scene is a section of continuous play in a piece of fiction. Within a session, players will complete any number of scenes over the course of play. An effective scene establishes its stakes quickly, allows the characters to engage in a few ways that represent their response to the stake, and then leaves them with new possibilities leading to new scenes.

The Dungeon Master usually opens the scenes and then the players go on to play out the interactions. However, players should absolutely feel empowered to build and engage in their own scenes at the table.

A sample scene might proceed: DM: “We return to the town of Franklin and find our players returning to the inn to discuss their plans for the future. The snow has finally reached Franklin and it stands about two feet deep outside. The dark skies send a shiver down your spine as you think of the night you almost spent out there before deciding to risk a forced march. We pick up in the Rocking Chair Inn where the Fighter and Ranger await the return of the Paladin and Wizard. “So, what would you like to do?” -scene break- At this point, the players usually take over and begin to interact with each other. As a scene, this establishes minimal stakes for the party: planning. The players have a chance to take stock of each other and otherwise pursue social interaction. The future possibilities might evolve over the course of the player discussion.

We’ll talk about perspective and the power perspective in information delivery.

Using Perspective

First person (“I” statements), second person (“you” statements), and third person (“they” statements) empower our ability to relay subtle information in a session. First person works best for descriptions and dialogue said in the character’s voice. Second person works best for relaying information quickly to your scene partner and advances the isolated scene. Third person works best for blocking and invites players into a scene. Each can be used exclusively but work best when applied effectively throughout a scene. Here is a sample of various perspectives used in an exchange:

Susan says: “I walk up to Joe. “Hey, did you buy the potions we needed?””

Joe says: “You notice a surprised look come across Joe’s face and you see him pull out the potions with a quizzical look on his face.”

Susan says: “I nod approvingly and turn to the Paladin, “What’s our next move?””

Jordan says: “Jordan had just entered the common room of the tavern at this point. She brushes a bit of snow off her shoulders and—after looking over the Fighter and Ranger—says that she’s received a new quest from the townmaster to seek out the missing party of hunters that went out a week ago.”

Mark says: “Mark walks up behind Jordan and pulls his own hood off. He smiles broadly at the party even though you see he’s shivering from the wind. “Would you mind getting out of the door, Jordan? I’m freezing here!” He pushes past the Paladin and walks over to the nearby fireplace and holds out his hands for warmth before turning back to face you all. “I’ve got all the spell components I need, so I’m ready when you are!””

Susan says: “I say to the wizard, “I take it the snow hasn’t let up? Is that going to delay out plans?” I then take out my extra gloves I purchased and hand them to the wizard.” -scene break-

Susan’s opening use of first person establishes that the Fighter wants to talk to the Ranger and conveys the intent immediately. However, the abrupt opening may lead to tonal dissonance between Susan’s and Joe’s players about whether this is a simple query or an accusation. Her next response brings someone else into the scene.

Joe’s response in second person conveys information quickly to Susan about the way she opened the scene and lets her see how Joe is responding to her question. It also establishes that he currently only knows that Susan is in the scene.

Jordan’s usage of third person paints an image of the world around the character and relays complex information quickly in a narrative shorthand for the party to proceed forward.

Mark’s combination of all perspectives here to involves him in the scene in complex ways. He opens with third person to block himself in the scene and respect the positioning of other actors. He then uses second person dialogue to relay information the characters can use to talk with him about his character by describing his physical state. He switches next to first person dialogue to invite the third person-using Paladin to engage directly into the scene, and then switches back to third person to narrate his character past an obstacle before returning to first person as an opt-in for dialogue.

There’s nothing wrong with the ways people use the various perspectives here. Though I’ve framed this exchange in a way that makes first person look the most inefficient, this is mostly a limitation of discord and voice chat and a party sitting at the table likely wouldn’t have trouble with someone speaking in primarily first person as they would see the nuance in their physicality the second and third person usage assists over purely voice chat.

I recommend combining your perspectives in a scene to relay information in ways that continue the momentum of a scene.

Delivering the Pitch

An effective pitch invites the other player(s) into the scene and turns the engagement into a collaborative experience. A good pitch includes three things: setting, participants, and a clear goal. The pitch should block out the physical space of the scene. It should let the players know who is involved in the scene, so players know when to sit back and be audience members. Lastly, all participants should understand what each other wants out of the scene so it can reach a constructive end.

As the players build their own scenes, they can continue the momentum of the scene the DM set up and break it up into smaller scenes. Here are some examples of the players from before breaking into smaller scenes:

Susan: “I walk over to Mark and hand him the gloves. “Here, you may be pretty hardy, but I’ve lived in this cold for years.” I smile warmly and sit in one of the rocking chairs by the fireplace, nodding my head to the other chair in front of the fire.” -scene break-

Jordan: “Jordan sits down at one of the tables and waves Joe over. She holds out her hand toward him, “Grab a seat. We’re not going anywhere else in this weather. Could I have one of the potions? I used up my last one in the fight.” She leans over to get a closer look at him, looking for any lingering symptoms from the last encounter. -scene break-

In both pitches, Susan and Jordan pick up on details the other player introduced from before and continue the momentum of the scene.

Susan indicates to Mark that she wants to give him a useful item and perhaps share a bit of warmth and comfort for the moment. Mark could expand this scene into a relationship-building conversation if he takes the gloves and discusses snow with Susan for a bit. He could be shy about taking the gloves and respond timidly to her responses if he finds her intimidating or has other feelings. He could be indignant at her acknowledging his weakness and change the tone of the scene. In any outcome, he can take the lead she’s given and make something out of it with her.

Jordan indicates to Joe that she noted his completed task and wants one of the items and that she wants to follow-up on his status after a previous scene. Joe could pick up this lead and deliver or withhold the potion. He could rebuff the Paladin’s worries or share his symptoms.

However long the scenes run, the scene must end and lead to the next scene.

Ending the Scene

A scene should end when the participants have attempted to pursue the original goal of the pitch and gained something new to pursue later. For the sake of the other players at the table, I think evocative scenes should run for two to six minutes before passing the baton to other players in another scene. However, scenes can be as simple as a terse acknowledgment between the players as they agree on the outcome of the scenes.

Let’s return to the scene with Susan and Mark after she offers him the gloves.

Mark: Mark happily accepts the gloves and pulls them onto his hands. He rubs his hands together for a few moments and makes an appreciative sigh as the warmth begins to spread. “Thank you so much, Susan! We never get this much snow in my hometown. I can’t even tell when this is going to stop!” He begins to rock happily in the chair as, if you listen, regale you with stories about the rainstorms of his childhood.

Susan: “I listen to one of his stories before I interrupt him and I say, “I’m glad you like the gloves. Looks like the weather hasn’t broken your spirit yet. Good. The snow will slowly sap the energy you have. Let’s rejoin the others and figure out what we’re doing tomorrow? Jordan said she’s got a possible mission for us.”

Mark: “Of course!” I’m a bit embarrassed and quickly jump out of the chair. “I could go on for days about Riverbend. Thanks for humoring me, Susan.” Mark will pat her leg appreciatively before walking back to the other table.

Susan: I smile warmly, “After we make a plan, I’d be happy to tell you about the time I almost broke my leg on a sled.” I rise from the chair and join the others. -scene break-

Here we get a quick scene that keeps the interactions going. Susan got to complete her delivery and check in with the wizard and shared a bonding moment by a fire that might lead to more casual conversations between them. With that accomplished, they end the scene by reorienting back into the original goal of the scene pitched to plan.

The scene with Joe and Jordan could proceed in a less evocative way:

Joe: “Joe sits down at the table with you. He’ll hand you the potion and, when he sees you looking over him, he’ll pull his sleeve up and show you the healing scar on his arm. He’ll tell you he’s fine and that he’s not feeling much pain anymore after the healing from earlier.

Jordan: “Jordan thanks Joe and she will stash the potion in her pack. She’ll probably be overly stern with Joe and tell him to clean it twice a day and tell her if he’s feeling weird to come back for more healing. She’ll pat his hand and assure him that she’s glad he made it with them all this way.

Joe: Joe will blush a deep crimson and quickly look to the Wizard and Fighter to save him. “You said we have a job from the townmaster?”

Jordan: Jordan will remove her hand when Joe begins to blush. She smirks and shakes her head before clearing her throat and sliding her chair over to make room for the Wizard and Fighter. With everyone seated, she’ll give you the details she got from the townmaster earlier. “So, what do you guys think? Should we take the job?” -scene break-

In similar fashion, Jordan gets the chance to check up on Joe and get the potion and gets a new potential interaction with Joe about his shy responses to open displays of affection. With that thread opened (or continued), she transitions the party back into a conversation about what they may do next.

Both pairs experienced a player-generated scene that allowed for some shifts in the party dynamic and some potential worldbuilding. Mark and Susan are more dialogue-oriented than Joe and Jordan, but both pairs advanced the dynamic between their characters and had an interesting moment. With that bit of fun accomplished, they continued down the path the DM set originally.

Conclusion

Player-created scenes expand the game and breathe life into a few scant details provided by the people at the table. The dungeon master controls the pace of the game and the major descriptions of the world and the movement and behaviors of NPCs, but the players have just as much (and sometimes more) control over the course of the game and the scenes as the DM.

When you’re at the table and the DM paints a broad scene for the players, step forward and build a scene within the other players at the table. These can be dialogue-heavy exchanges where players talk at length about their feelings or information they’ve gathered, or they can be description-heavy exchanges where the players agree on the responses each brings to the scene. Either approach leads to a good scene if the players establish the setting, participants, and goal of the interaction. If the players accomplish that and leave seeds for future scenes, that’s a good scene.

Finally, consider the way you use I-, you-, and they- statements at the table when you’re delivering information to other players and characters. Use them tactfully to keep from breaking out of the scene. I tend to like a healthy mix of first-and-third or second-and-third to keep a scene moving. First-person works well with dialogue. Third works well with the narration.

Remember: players are simultaneously narrators and characters at the table, so use these tools to pitch more scenes at the table and invite others into the scene.

Let’s close out the scene: “DM: After discussing their job offer and checking up on each other. The party resolves to get some sleep for the evening and set out on the path tomorrow. Despite the cold snow falling outside for most of the night, the innkeeper maintains the warmth inside and you all get a long rest.

“In the morning as the snow begins to break, you all rise from your slumber and look around and notice that only three of you are still here. Joe doesn’t appear to be in his bedroll! “…That’s where we’ll pick up next week!”

#Dungeons & Dragons #advice

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lovelylogans · 7 years

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sanders sides platonic week: moxiety

warning: mention of past bleeding, brief death mention, food mention

words: 1,484

Patton was always hopping from hobby to hobby.

Some stayed longer than others: cooking, for instance, he had picked up and stuck with when it was apparent none of the other sides were capable of feeding themselves outside of microwavable meals and boxed macaroni. Patton had been trying to learn the ukulele at the same pace as Roman, and it was something fun for them to talk about, for Roman to puff himself up and fall over himself, talking about music theory. Patton could knit socks like nobody’s business, and he’d crocheted Logan a black scarf that Logan wore whenever it got too chilly.

Others were much more fleeting. Logan had to absorb Patton’s attempt at bullet journaling into his own massive notebook collection, and Virgil still had a half-finished cross-stitch of a corgi pillow under his bed, somewhere.

Virgil had mentioned it to Logan, when they were talking about his rapid change in hobbies, something about the heart is fickle, and Logan had aimed him with a disdainful look that just said “how dare you contribute such symbolistic reasoning,” so Virgil didn’t mention it again. Logan’s leading theory was something about how Patton, as emotion, had a surplus of energy, or something along those lines. Virgil hadn’t really been listening. Sometimes, it was best to just let Logan talk for the sake of talking. Privately, Virgil thought that it was something he and Roman shared in common. He’d never told Logan this, for fear of mortally offending him.

When Virgil wandered into the commons one day, on his way to the kitchen to restock his snack hoard, he nearly tripped over where Patton was crouched on the ground.

“Sorry,” he blurted out, and Patton grinned at him, waving at him to come sit.

“No problem, kiddo!”

It was then that Virgil noticed the rainbow array of yarn in front of him. Too thin for knitting or crochet. He said as much to Patton.

“Oh!” Patton said, brightening. “I thought I might try something new.”

Huh. About time. The last hobby Patton had picked up and dropped was whittling, which came to an end abruptly when he sliced his thumb open. That had been months ago. Virgil had nearly had an aneurysm when he walked into the kitchen to Logan lecturing Patton hysterically as held a paper towel tightly against his bleeding thumb.

Virgil leaned against a wall, looking down at where Patton was sitting, criss-cross, in the middle of their living room. “No knives this time,” he checked.

Patton laughed. “The most dangerous part of this is scissors,” he said reassuringly.

“What’s this, exactly?” Virgil asked, glancing at the array of yarn, the book Patton was struggling to balance on one knee.

“Remember when we were kids, and Thomas went to summer camp, and everyone had those neat little bracelets?”

Virgil hummed in agreement. He mostly remembered the fiasco that came when someone rejected the bracelet that Thomas made, but Patton probably just remembered all the fun, pretty patterns.

“So,” he said, lifting the book and gesturing to the yarn, “I thought I might try making a couple, see how it sticks, you know?”

“Sounds good,” Virgil said. “Hope you have fun. I was gonna—“ He jerked his thumb to the kitchen, and Patton grinned.

“Aw, okay. Remember not to spoil your dinner, all right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Virgil said, wandering into the kitchen and immediately raiding the cabinets.

When he walked out, Patton was squinting at the strands of thread he’d taped to the table, glancing back at the book before carefully, slowly, twining them together.

It seemed like the bracelet-making was one for the sticking around list.

Patton would tie together pieces of multicolored yarn and talk with the others as he braided, fingers getting faster and faster with practice, before picking them apart and braiding them together again.

It was really only a matter of time.

Logan got his first. It was a no-nonsense pattern that matched his tie; diagonal stripes in black, purple, and blue, with thin little bits of white strung between. Logan didn’t announce it, and Patton didn’t act any differently, but the bracelet resting on his bare wrist was clear enough.

Then Roman; he, too, didn’t mention it, and it took Virgil a little bit longer to spot it because of his long sleeves. But it was an elaborate pattern that reminded Virgil of the gold detailing on Roman’s costume, in deep, rich shades of red and metallic gold.

The days passed, and the thoughts of Patton isn’t making you a friendship bracelet because he doesn’t actually like you were getting louder and louder in his had, especially when he saw a flash of one of the others’ bracelets.

Virgil was deep in the wikipedia page about the Lost Cosmonauts when he heard a knock on his door.

He nudged his headphones off of his ears. “Who is it?”

“Just me, kiddo!” Patton called out. “Is this a good time?”

Virgil closed his laptop, did a cursory straightening of his duvet, and called, “Yeah, come on in.”

Patton nudged open the door, holding two mugs, lifting them with a smile. “I brought cocoa?”

Virgil smiled, and gestured for Patton to sit on the bed, greedily taking his Finding Emo mug as Patton adjusted his grip on his Papa Bear mug.

“Thanks, Patton,” Virgil said into the rim of his mug, and Patton smiled.

“Anytime, buddy. What were you doing?”

“Oh,” Virgil said. “Just, um, reading.”

“Bout what?” Patton asked.

Virgil had to take a moment to remind himself that this was Patton, who would never belittle any of his interests, and said, “There’s this theory that some Soviet cosmonauts died before they got Yuri Gagarin into space—like, they got to space, but the USSR covered it up because they died up there. But it’s all pretty circumstantial,” he added hastily, when Patton started looking sad.

“Oh,” he said, and Virgil only had a moment to notice the mischievous look on his face before Patton said, “So, I guess you could say that some of the people that came up with the theories are… luna-tics?”

Virgil groaned.

“Sometimes they can be pretty astro-nutty,” Patton added on, grinning, and Virgil rolled his eyes, and hid his smile behind his mug.

“If I have to bear all these puns,” Virgil said, “Soviet.”

Patton’s delighted laughter warmed him even better than the cocoa.

They kept talking as they slowly emptied their mugs; they talked about space some more, and Patton would pop in with a pun whenever he thought of one, and Virgil brought up some of the happier conspiracy theories, as odd as that phrase was. Conspiracy theories that reached more into the bizarre, with minimal mentions of death.

Once they’d both drained their cocoa, Virgil collected their mugs to set them down on his desk. When he turned back to his bed, Patton was adjusting something in his hands.

Something purple. Something made of yarn.

Patton lifted it up a little when he saw Virgil staring. “Sorry it took me so long,” he said, sheepish. “I kind of had to adapt the design.”

Virgil reached for it, greedy, but faltered at the last second, fingers twitching.

“Can I help put it on?” Patton asked, gentle, and Virgil nodded, sticking out his right hand.

Patton carefully tied it around his wrist, tight enough that it wouldn’t fall off but not tight enough to cut off any circulation, and Virgil brought his face close, examining the design.

It was purple, with a line of little gray clouds and tiny white strands of lightning. Like his hoodie.

“I love it,” Virgil said, hushed, and looked up at Patton, cradling his wrist to his chest. “Thank you.”

“You know what I like about friendship bracelets?” Patton said, voice warm and gentle and full of all the good things in the world, and Virgil shook his head.

“Because it’s a physical reminder of how much each of you mean to me,” Patton said. “When I’m making it, I get to think about each person, and what they love, and the memories we’ve got together. And whenever you guys look at it, you guys—at least, I hope you do—you guys think about me. And you know that we’re friends. And that means that I’m there for you. And that I love you.”

Virgil wasn’t entirely sure what to say, but maybe the look on his face spoke for him, because Patton just smiled back.

“It’s late, kiddo. You should get some sleep.”

Patton leaned forwards, and pressed his lips against Virgil’s forehead, dry and warm. He leaned over and collected Virgil’s empty mug, and when Patton was at the door, Virgil blurted out, “Patton?”

“Hm?” He said, turning and smiling still.

Virgil fiddled quietly with his bracelet, and said, “I—we—love you too.”

Patton ducked his head, smiling still, and said, “Good night, Virgil.”

“Night, Pat.“

taglist: @somewhatsanders @tommysandypantsisasolarnymph @erlenmeyertrash @lindesensate @lakesandquarries @lacandra @midnightcandy

#text #sanders sides platonic week #moxiety #virgil #patton #sun and storm #my fic

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gladysplummer · 7 years

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A Good Start

Thom and Moiraine’s initial attraction to each other

Steam, hot water, lavender soap, and quiet. Once Lan had finally gotten the country boys to quit running their mouths to their attendant at Baerlon’s Stag and Lion Inn, Thom could finally enjoy his hot bath in peace.

Attempting to empty his mind and relax a little, Thom allowed his thoughts to wander, letting them float up to the surface of his consciousness and just as gently pushing them away. Thoughts of their recent journey flowed by. The boys. Lan. Moiraine.

Now, there was an interesting one. As beautiful as she was intelligent, as commanding as she was mysterious, women like her didn’t just come along every day. As much as the fact that she was Aes Sedai repelled him, the rest of her beckoned him forward, piquing an interest that Thom had long since given up for dead.

Aes Sedai calm layered over Cairhienin reserve, the woman did not reveal a speck that she did not wish to reveal, either of her plan for their journey or her personal thoughts on matters. Thom wondered what lay beneath those guarded walls, wondered what it would take to dismantle them. Who was Moiraine when no one else was watching, when the cares of the world didn’t rest so heavily on her shoulders, when she could be totally herself, uninhibited?

A mental image of the thought flashed across his mind—Moiraine, uninhibited, flushed, hair wild across his pillow. Fool! He immediately admonished himself, shaking his head to dispel the unbidden image. She is Aes Sedai. And either young enough to be his daughter or old enough to be his mother besides. With more important affairs to attend to than the attentions of a foolish old man.

But there were other, more achievable ways to break down her icy exterior.

Yes. If Thom Merrilin could do one thing, it would be to learn to make her laugh.

***

“I am ready,” Moiraine said, pen poised above a fresh page in her worn notebook. “Tell me what you saw. Tell me everything.” Her dark eyes bore into Min’s with an intensity that belied her otherwise cool demeanor. “Both individually and together.” They hadn’t gotten a chance to speak in-depth about Min’s visions last night before dinner and so they had agreed to meet privately to discuss them after an early breakfast today. The pair sat in the inn’s private dining room, Lan casually buffing his nails with a dagger outside the closed door.

Min swallowed and started from memory, one by one. She didn’t quite understand Moiraine’s fixation on the three men—practically boys, really—from the backwoods of Andor, but she did want to help. And if her visions could help somehow, in ways she didn’t see yet, she was happy to lend her talents to someone who could make sense of them. Methodically, she recited her visions around the Two Rivers folk one by one. If anything stood out as significant to the Aes Sedai, she gave no indication, merely jotting down Min’s words as if writing down the shopping list for the market. But perhaps that was because Min hadn’t gotten to the gleeman yet.

Min had begun with the boys, both because that was who Moiraine seemed most interested in and because the images swirled most potently around them, and now she wrapped up her reading of the boys with descriptions of the particular sparks that linked the three of them up, with Rand at the center. From there, she moved on to Egwene, backlit by her own sparks, in seven swirling colors, that tied her in different ways to the three.

“Nothing new surrounds Master An—Lan— since he came through here on your way down country, except for the gold sparks I see around all of you as a group now…” Min trailed off. She wasn’t sure how to tell Moiraine the rest. The nonsensical images dancing about the others’ heads felt impersonal, but there was something new for Moiraine and unlike most of what Min saw, she knew exactly what it meant.

“And the gleeman? Do the sparks contain him as well?” Moiraine prompted when Min trailed off.

“Yes, he’s mixed up in all of it too,” Min started, shifting uneasily in her chair. She wasn’t sure how to share the rest. It was so personal, and the few people she did speak to about her gift got so uncomfortable when she was honest about what she saw. Everyone always thought they wanted Min to read them, but they were seldom content with the answers. It made Min hesitate to tell the rest, having gotten the impersonal bits out of the way.

Moiraine seemed to detect her hesitation. Whereas she had been mainly focused on writing, she returned Min’s gaze expectantly, leaning forward as if to wrench every drop of the truth from Min’s eyes.

“Yes, and?” Moiraine asked quietly, pen still at the ready even as she leaned closer.

Min took a deep breath and decided there was nothing for it but plain honesty. Moiraine clearly wanted the whole truth and she would get what she asked for. Min surmised she would be content with nothing less, and she hadn’t faltered when Min read her during her last visit. “You know how I can look at two people and know they’ll marry?”

Moiraine nodded almost absently as her pen returned to the paper.

“I know who Thom will marry. It’s you.”

Looking down at her notebook, Moiraine’s expression didn’t change, but her quill did pause a moment. Then it resumed.

“Anything else?” she asked briskly. “Anything we haven’t covered yet? I have already written down what we were able to discuss last night.”

“No, Moiraine, that’s all I have for now. I’ll let you know if anything changes,” Min replied, relieved that Moiraine did not seem upset with her.

“Thank you, Min,” Moiraine responded, gathering her things. “I know that your visions can be difficult or unpleasant to process, but your gift helps further the work of the Light, and your talent is appreciated.”

With that, she glided to the door and collected Lan on her way out. Together they returned to their rooms to prepare for a day visiting the Blues’ eyes-and-ears network in Baerlon, and hopefully taking in some of the local cuisine while they were out.

Egwene had already left for the day, so when Moiraine closed the door behind her, she stood gratefully alone in the small room. If she had maintained her calm exterior, it did not match what she experienced inside. It was not the part about Thom that had shocked her; it was the marriage part. Marriage had never entered her mind. No, that was not quite accurate; she actively did not wish to be married. Since Gitara’s Foretelling, her course in life had stretched before her as straight and precise as an arrow, pointed toward finding and protecting the Dragon Reborn. Toward finding Rand or Mat or Perrin. That goal left no room for anything—or anyone—else. Which had never discontented her; most Aes Sedai outside of the Greens never married anyway. Marriage?

To Thom? Thomdril Merrilin. It was not as though she had not appreciated his quick wit and his startling blue eyes, but she had the sense to hold the man at length. For hidden purposes of his own, he masqueraded as a gleeman now, but Moiraine could never forget that name or the man who bore it. Not that she had ever been particularly close to her half-brother Taringail, but fifteen years ago she had certainly taken note of the man most likely to be his killer.

Yes, perhaps the Thom part vexed her as much as the marriage part.

“The Wheel weaves as the wheel wills,” she told herself aloud, as she had told her travelling companions many times. She wryly suspected that the phrase convinced and comforted her now as much as it did the Two Rivers folk. Releasing her grip from her silk skirts, she shook her head, poured a little water into the chipped basin, and splashed some onto her face. She took a few deep breaths and resolved to trust in Min and the Pattern. It certainly was not the first thread of the weave that she did not understand, after all.

Settling a light cloak over her squared shoulders, she made her way back to the common room, taking some more calming breaths and willing the flush creeping up her cheeks to recede. Lan had not come down yet, so she stood off to the side of the emptying common room, alone but for a few patrons getting a late start to their breakfast. And of all people, Thom, burn the man! No doubt preparing for a day of common room entertainment. Grateful that her high-necked blue gown concealed the flush creeping back up her throat, her eyes cast about for something, anything to occupy her for the few moments until Lan would surely appear in the doorway. The bond let her know he remained upstairs, but surely any moment now… Where was that inn cat? Cirri, she believed his name was.

Displayed on the wall near her head hung, of all things in a town increasingly besieged by Whitecloaks, an old map of Tar Valon, which her eyes began tracing. Her casual examination of the map belied her racing thoughts as she nonchalantly eyed the ink drawing. Tucked inside two folds of the Erinin, the island city appeared as a vertical oval with pointed ends, its banks forming protective lips around the White Tower grounds, a grand avenue creating a slit from top to bottom, and North Harbor, small and round, sat nestled at the apex of the slit.

Noticing Moiraine regarding the map, Thom sidled over.

“You know, they say most men can’t find North Harbor,” he observed casually. Too casually.

Failing to quash the grin blooming on her lips, Moiraine suddenly appeared to be preoccupied with smoothing a skirt that had apparently gone wrinkled in the last few seconds. The allusion to such an intimate topic after Min’s revelation rocked her all over again, but she could not help finding it amusing in spite of herself. Having lain with both women and men in her lifetime, Thom’s quip was perhaps closer to the truth than even he realized. She took a minute to regain composure. When she met his blue gaze again, her lips had been tamed but her eyes were smiling. Very well, she thought. Min’s vision comes a little clearer into focus already.

“You only think you know of which you speak, gleeman,” she replied coolly, her tone mismatched with the warmth of her gaze, yet both communicating that she took his meaning precisely. At that moment, Lan blessedly appeared at the bottom of the stairs, ready to be off with Moiraine for the day. She acknowledged Lan and headed toward him, fixing Thom for the briefest moment with a sidelong glance and wickedly arched brow as if to say she saw exactly what he was doing.

Well, perhaps he shouldn’t read so deeply into it, Thom thought. Then again, she was Aes Sedai and Cairhienin and a woman. Perhaps he should read very deeply into it. Or perhaps that was exactly what she wanted him to think. He shook himself, then went to gather his cloak and instruments for a day performing in the sleepy hamlet that the country folk were calling a city.

Well. He had failed to elicit a laugh, he thought. But he was off to a good start.

#wheeloftime #thom merrilin #fanfic #moiraine #wheel of time

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rpedia · 7 years

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[Ask RPedia] Writing Too Much, and When It’s a Problem?

Anonymous asked RPedia: Hi! I was browsing online for random stuff about roleplaying and I found a post about what people find annoying, and one of the points was 'replies that are too long' and as a person who writes a lot it kinda made me paranoid? Their point was that it is useless and you should just get to the important parts, especially if you repeat yourself or are too wordy. Is it true that people find it annoying? I never thought of it, I always write long replies to explain what is going on on my OC's head :/

Yep, this is actually a problem, but it’s not a problem for the reasons you’ve listed! Look, I’m gonna give you two sample posts, you tell me which one is more fun and we’ll dissect why. This is actually a very common problem, because a lot of kids really, really, want to impress their partners, but just don’t have the skills (or possibly the ability to frame new details/information) to do so yet. Your content and presentation, essentially, has to mean something, and relate to what you’re talking about in your post. Your wording should add to the story in some way; be that to elicit a response, or explain an idea you want to get across in some way so the other author knows about it. Squish unimportant things together to make them more important bullet points, or don’t say them if at all they don’t add something to the pot. That’s the major concept here.

So, sample posts!:

Jeffery walked along the street, picking at the edge of his sleeve. The sleeve was rayon, the colors of which corresponded to blue, and green, and yellow. Really it was an ugly sweater. He continued picking it, as he walked along the street, glancing this way and that. A thread unraveled, but he was already preoccupied by the way the street lamps, on the street which was a London street, were lit. The soft footfalls of his shoes on the cement brought him ever closer to his destination.

And:

Jeffery walked the London street, picking at the hideous blue, green, and yellow masterpiece that was his rayon sweater. He was so preoccupied he didn’t notice when a string came loose. His attention was on the dimming street lights as he hurried to his destination, soft footfalls on rain-wet cement.

Same information, same concept, same kind of unwieldy and awkward feel. I wanted it to be a little awkward to make the character seem like an anxious dork with no fashion sense. But importantly, the second one read better to most people even though it was shorter. Why?

Well for one thing, let’s just... add commentary to that first post bitching about it. To get an in-situ view.

Jeffery walked along the street, picking at the edge of his sleeve. (Okay solid. We learned: walking, location, person, picking, sleeve.) The sleeve was rayon, the colors of which corresponded to blue, and green, and yellow. (Look, okay, you don’t need ‘and’ that much. “Blue, green, and yellow,” will suffice. Is rayon important anyways, maybe? Can you combine this somewhere to make it less... useless added bullshit?) Really it was an ugly sweater. (Okay, Lemony Narrator. Interesting and implies a lack of fashion, keep that. ) He continued picking it, as he walked along the street, glancing this way and that. (... you coulda said all this earlier, why you repeat this walking and picking and street shit, buddy?) A thread unraveled, but he was already preoccupied by the way the street lamps, on the street which was a London street, were lit. (Okay, thread unraveled, ignored it, London, street lamps being lit. We coulda used that location stuff earlier to frame the whole setting, you dumbshit. But that’s forgivable. Not a bad sentence if taken alone, the bits that repeat him moving and on a street? Combine it elsewhere.) The soft footfalls of his shoes on the cement, wet with an earlier rain he hadn’t been present for, brought him ever closer to his destination. (OKAY WE GET THAT HE’S DOING A WHOLE BIG WALKIES, YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY IT AGAIN UNLESS YOU WANT A READER TO THINK HE TOOK AN AGE TO DO IT. The ‘soft footfalls’ give an unremarked on ‘hearing’ sense though, and increases the setting, you can keep that. Same with rain and cement. It modernizes the city and gives that immediate imagination reaction of: chill, damp, dripping sounds, the smell after a rain, and reflections everywhere. The way it’s said is awkward as shit though, who the fuck cares if he was there for it or not? Is that important? No. Go away. Keep the rain-wet cement, the soft noises, and move the fuck on. The only time you should repeat something is if you want the reader to notice, or you want it to seem like it’s gone on for an insurmountably long fucking time so they can relate to the character. Right now, I’m like, Jesus fuck, are his legs going to fucking wear down to nubs before we get somewhere? )

So... yeah that.

Why did the second one work? Let’s do it again.

Jeffery walked the London street, picking at the hideous blue, green, and yellow masterpiece that was his rayon sweater. (All the details are in bullet points and overall connected, setting, visuals, character. We don’t have any meandering sentences here, just facts that explain the sweater all in one go in a humor-related way to hook people.) He was so preoccupied he didn’t notice when a string came loose. (We finally described his disposition, something happening to make it obvious to another character in this world, and then kept going instead of hanging about. A sense of urgency and distraction, gave a question ‘why?’.) His attention was on the dimming street lights as he hurried to his destination, soft footfalls on rain-wet cement. (There’s the wet and footfalls, added almost as an afterthought to leave the taste and sensation of a whispered sole on cement in your mind in time for your post. The streetlights dimming add more urgency, and explain the last sentence a little more (he’s in a hurry!) so we know what he’s preoccupied with. In short this was ‘description of setting, bulletpoints of his visual style/personality. Phrase with action, declaring mental state. Reasoning for previous sentence, and setting exploration.’ It repeats, but in a way that brings it around home, rather than sends it off into the cow fields looking for a lost sheep. )

Another part of it was not wandering off on flights of fancy in the middle of your paragraph, the first one mentioned the street constantly, which is good for some kinda writing (repetition can be used as a writing device to make your reader come back to the same idea a million times to represent a mind that can’t get away from a fact, i.e. someone trying desperately not to think that someone has just died.) but it’s not always a great idea in roleplay. You want your reader, and partner, to understand what’s important. I’m setting a scene here, so honestly it could be several paragraphs of information, if it was relevant to the scene.

Edit yourself, essentially. Rambling on about things, and trying to pack as many words into a paragraph as possible is going to give you some fucked up material to read. The first example really just made a mess of things. Hoo hoo, fuck you buddy, what do I care? He’s got an ugly sweater and he’s ruining it, good job. But the second describes the action, the locomotion of the character, indicates he’s preoccupied, and that dawn is coming if you really look at it. The first one failed to mention the lights were dimming because, god fuck, it was trying to repeat itself 80 ways to Sunday.

Sitting there and talking about your character’s mental state, how they feel, is not the same thing. That gives context to the story, to how a character is evolving through these actions. A man dies, is the character happy, angry, sad, or a mixture of the above? Do they regret it, or do they feel satisfied? Does it remind them of something important to them, something you can hint at to draw the other writer into exploring that concept? That’s important! That’s information that very well changes how the character acts, the tone of their voice, the way their body language reads even if you don’t go into detail. Someone who is absolutely furious, or who is panicking and trying not to show it, or one who is hiding barely suppressed sadness are all going to act amazingly differently. It has meaning.

I fucking talk forever, but you people watch this blog or choose to read my posts with some regularity, to be honest. Part of it is I keep you guys engaged, I may repeat ideas, but I’m rewording them in new ways with new examples so that even the most obnoxiously hard to understand point can be seen from like 8 different angles. It keeps you from ‘not getting it’ even if some people have caught on during my “too long; didn’t read” sentence in the intro. I also cuss a lot and in creative ways, and you guys think that’s hilarious if the tags are anything to go by.

What does that mean to you? It means it’s not the length, despite what this other article may say. That sounds like kind of a bait-y concept to draw in roleplayers and try to solve an issue, but it ended up causing anxiety in people. I always go by the rule of thumb, if one person complained visibly, then 100 people sneered and moved on but the idea kinda... wedged itself in there and makes you nervous and double check yourself at the oddest times. It sucks. It happens to everyone, by the way. Those throw away comments people make fucking leave a mark, ouch. I’m still panicky over shit people said years ago.

The point is, read your own work. Are you having fun, or do you find your points obscured? Do you enjoy your own writing and understand what’s going on in your prose, or do you have a habit of adding meaningless fluff that is so unconnected it hides the uh, let’s call it a dagger of truth. See look, now you got sheep’s wool hiding a dagger. Good for trying to obfuscate (look at that word, I love that word) but terrible for trying to make sure that your partner understands everything that is going on.

I’m actually all nervous now I’m coming at this problem too many times and over-talking myself, but you know what, screw them. Screw that. I’ll talk exactly how much I think is needed for ya’ll to understand, you aren’t broken if the only issue is you do write a lot, or that you focus on things you want to express and make sure that gets across. The only time it becomes obnoxious as shit is when you turn simple acts into several sentences with nothing new to add to the conversation. When you add way more words than anyone needs to say something.

This seemingly goes right against some advice I gave earlier about expanding your posts. Nope, stand by that. You can turn “They walk” into “They walked at a clipped pace, eyes darting, and worn out shoes scuffing at the gravel occasionally” because god damn it, that means something. You’ve shown body language, you’ve told them speed, and you indicated their style and even implicated the kind of space they’re walking on. Those are important bits of information!

It’s... when you talk like that stereotypical old man telling a story from his childhood that things become an issue. Get to the point. Don’t go off on what price everything was in the 1950′s unless that’s important to the story. Grandpa, thank you, but I asked what time it was, not how you got to school by walking both ways, uphill, in snow up to your neck, with only a toothpick to dig your way out. Seriously, thank you, I’ll just check my phone.

Don’t feel bad if the idea bugs you after this, if you see yourself meandering, clip it. That’s the best advice I can give you. If it feels important, it is important. If you like it and feel it’s an interesting turn of phrase or good writing, it’s good enough. If it feels rambly, or like you force yourself to write way more than you wanted to match/impress a partner, it probably is, go ahead and cut it. You got this, trust in yourself and your writing instinct.

#writing #rph #roleplay help #roleplaying #advice #RPedia #Ask RPedia

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