#also it could be a great opportunity to give teddy a character that is not just block of wood or asshole | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-girl-who-walks-with-mutants · 4 months

Text

Uncanny Icon Chapter 1: Call to Action

Kurt Wagner x Original Female Character (Adrian Grey)

Rating: M

Chapter Summary:

The X-Men are missing!

Adrian Grey has been called back to the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters after a year away at college. Her old teammates have been lost on the island of Krakoa, and she needs to step up as second-in-command for a rescue mission.

Pre-Giant Size X-Men 1, but references the missing X-Men plot told by Scott Summers.

Westchester, New York, six years later…

Staring up at the stone of the mansion, Adrian isn’t sure how she was convinced to come back. She’s paid the cabbie, waiting for her change as the well-known walls and turrets of the place she once called home stare back at her.

‘You live here or sumthin’?’ the cabbie asks, taking far longer than necessary to count out the coins. Adrian’s hand taps a rhythm on the doorhandle, the pressure rising as she attempts to stabilize herself. One-on-one interactions were easier to control, but far more tedious to listen in on when the other person was trying her patience.

‘Or something.’

‘You rich, then?’

Adrian has never been a patient person. Snatching her change as soon as the cabbie offers out his hand, she quips, ‘not enough for that tip you’re gunning for.’ And then she slides out of the backseat, grabbing her bag from the trunk without another word. The annoyance of the cabbie spikes in her brain, a faint tone of well fuck you too, lady.

As the car drives off, she rubs a temple, the silence a welcome change. A few months ago, this wouldn’t have been a problem. She had been doing so well, she had gotten into Barnard and was on the art history course. Of course, it was a compromise. The expressive, creative energy of real art school is too much for her brain, and had nearly sent her into a panic attack when she visited them the year before. Art history, at least, gave her something close, in a more controlled environment.

Or so she had thought.

It had only taken a year before she was brought into the Dean’s office. He had attempted to keep a kind smile, but Adrian always senses falsity, always knows when people are lying. And when he suggested that she take a semester off to reassess her academic future, in light of several concerning incidents involving both students and staff, she knew what it meant.

Adrian Grey is crazy. Adrian Grey is unstable. Adrian Grey does not belong.

Of course, they didn’t know the real reason they were so afraid, made so uneasy by her presence. It is not just because Adrian is a problem.

Worse.

Adrian Grey is a mutant.

XXX

Six years ago…

‘Don’t hold my hand, you’re too old for that, you can handle your own thoughts for once.’ Jean says as the two Grey sisters enter the Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters for the first time. Adrian drops her hand out of Jean’s, holding it around her teddy bear instead. Jean always said that Adrian was too old for teddies now, but he was her friend. A little ratty bear that her parents got for her the last time she was well enough to go to the zoo. Adrian would cling to him, the silence of the teddy with no mind, he could provide comfort in a way no human could.

She adjusts the teddy’s bow tie, so he looks prim and proper, making a good impression to the rest of the new students.

They were to be part of a first-generation. Six youngsters, six children with great powers. Mutants. That’s what the Professor had called them. Those born with something different inside them, that made them hated and feared, but also made them special. Here, they would have an opportunity to train in their abilities, to learn to control them and give them a cause to help others, both mutant and human.

Adrian tries to hide behind Jean as they meet their new classmates, but Jean is far too extroverted to let herself become a wall for her little sister. Walking into the room with pose and grace, she presents herself for everyone’s hellos and sweet words, her smile perfect, her eyes shining with joy. They were all boys, all older than Adrian. She clings to the bear again, holding him against her chest as if the silence would melt into her brain.

‘That’s a nice bear,’ one of the boys says. Her eyes snap up, meeting a pair of red glasses. The boy was Jean’s age, his brown hair nearly trimmed, smile soft. ‘Does it have a name?’

She blinks, confused that he’s having a normal conversation with her. People don’t talk to Adrian. People didn’t like Adrian. The idea was foreign, but she likes it. Holding the bear out, she whispers, ‘Kirby.’ She makes the bear extend its fuzzy paw, as if offering a handshake.

The boy with the red glasses takes the paw, giving it a little shake between a finger and thumb. ‘Nice to meet you, Mr. Kirby.’

The trust is palpable, tasting like a warm cookie on her tongue. So she takes a risk, saying in a hushed tone, ‘I’m Adrian.’

‘And nice to meet you, Adrian. I’m Scott, but you can call me Slim.’

‘Why?’ she never had a nickname, and neither did Jean. Nicknames were never a thing in the Grey house.

Slim shrugs, ‘I think it’s just because I was really tall when I was your age. Why, does it not fit me? Should I be Shortie instead?’

And that makes her giggle. Adrian can’t remember the last time she giggled unless it was someone else’s joy bubbling over in her mind. This was her own amusement, her own feelings, her own joy. As each of the boys take their turns introducing themselves – Slim, Bobby, Hank, Warren – she finds herself smiling, her grip on the bear loosening as she realizes that, maybe, she won’t need the silence as much as she did at home.

XXX

In the mansion, she finds it silent. She knew the Professor wouldn’t be here, he was getting the other members of the team assembled. But the Mansion had always been abound with sounds and smells, a constant chaos that was once so comforting to her.

The silence was cold, an intrusion that didn’t provide the calm that she once so craved. Walking down the halls, she takes in the photos around. One catches her eye. Stopping, she looks at the first photo of Xavier’s first class of students. Six students, six mutants. She stares at each of the members, the class list first handed out fresh in her mind, listing their names, ages, and mutations.

Jean Elaine Grey, 16, telepathy and telekinesis

Scott ‘Slim’ Summers, 17, concussive eye-beams

Warren Kenneth Worthington III, 17, angelic wings

Henry ‘Hank’ Philip McCoy, 18, super-strength, agility and intelligence

Robert ‘Bobby’ Louis Drake, 14, cryokinesis

Adrian Louise Grey, 13, empathy and psychic manifestation

Her gaze shifts to the next, taken two years later, just before some of them would graduate from the school to go off to college. New additions were there. There was Alex Summers, Scott’s younger brother, and the green-haired girl, Lorna Dane. Photos of the group at picnics, birthdays, and, of course, newspaper clippings. Her eyes narrow, the emotions that pushed her back to this place rising once more.

Because Adrian didn’t return to the school out of a need to visit and relive the good old days.

Adrian came home because her family is missing.

The students of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters are not merely mutants attempting to control their gifts to protect themselves from a world that does not understand them. They were the X-Men. Teen heroes, fighting in a war against the forces that would seek to destroy mutantkind, led by the Professor, who believes in a dream of mutant-human cohabitation.

Looking back at the original class photo, she looks at the training uniforms they all donned, yellow and black outfits that would become their original costumes out in the field. Her gaze drops to the label.

Jean Elaine Grey a.k.a. MARVEL GIRL

Scott ‘Slim’ Summers a.k.a. CYCLOPS

Warren Kenneth Worthington III a.k.a. ANGEL

Henry ‘Hank’ Philip McCoy a.k.a. BEAST

Robert ‘Bobby’ Louis Drake a.k.a. ICEMAN

Adrian Louise Grey a.k.a. ICON

‘Reminiscing?’

She sighs, turning her head towards the voice as she says, ‘Hey, Slim.’

Scott looks stressed. Granted, he was always tightly wound of course, but now, he looks tired. The Professor had only given her the basics of what had happened. The X-Men, without Adrian and Hank, went out on a mission to the island of Krakoa in the middle of the Pacific, but it went wrong. Scott was the only one able to escape. Jean, Warren, Bobby, Alex, and Lorna were all still captured, held prisoner by some unknown villain. His hair is dishevelled, and Adrian can tell he hasn’t slept very well.

When she frowns, Scott shakes his head, ‘Don’t worry about me.’

‘If I don’t, who will right now?’

The two look at each other for a moment, then meet in a hug, holding each other close for the first time in months. Adrian and Scott always had a complicated friendship. Beginning as a little kid looking up to an older teen, turning into fights and disagreements as Adrian began to have her own, often contradictory, opinions. But at the core of it all? They were found siblings, a brother and sister that would die for each other, do anything for each other. Scott’s feelings for Jean and Jean’s need to be the centre of his attention may cause them problems sometimes, but at the end of the day, they were the model for the beauty of Xavier’s dream of brotherhood. The ties that only mutants can hold, the connections only they can understand. By being different, they’re brought together, bound in a way that can never be broken.

‘I’m glad you came,’ he says, his tone softer than a moment ago as Adrian feels his walls begin to fall. ‘I wasn’t sure you’d take up the Professor’s offer, after everything…’

She pulls away, her hands on his shoulders, giving him a sense of stability that had been missing since Krakoa. ‘Well, it isn’t an offer, now is it? It’s a call to action. And no matter what, I’m not going to let my family suffer.’ Then her face hardens a bit, ‘Is Hank coming?’

Scott’s expression matches hers, the disappointment barely hidden behind his ruby quartz glasses. ‘No, he’s needed on Avengers business, said he was indisposed.’

‘So he said no.’

‘Adrian –’ he starts, but she holds a hand up to cut him off.

‘C’mon, Slim, he said no. You barely made it back and you’re still here. I fucked off from this place ages ago, and I’m back because you asked. Hank said no, didn’t give a good reason because he never does and you’re pissed about it.’ Her expression softens once more, biting at her cheek. ‘Look, I know you want to be high and mighty about it, but just let yourself be a little upset that he’s not coming. And if you aren’t yet, well, I can always make you.’

That makes him crack a smile, shaking his head. ‘I see college hasn’t matured you.’

‘Oh, I’m very mature, Slim. But that doesn’t mean I have that stick up my ass that you do.’

He ruffles her hair, just like he did when she was little, in the year when Xavier said she was too young to go on missions and would watch the rest go off to fight villains and criminals. ‘Okay, fine I’m upset. Happy?’

She nods, grabbing her bag and swinging it over her shoulder so they walk and talk along the way. ‘I’ll make sure to give Hank some choice words the next time I see him.’

‘Sure, buds, sure.’ They walk down the hall, his hand reaching out to take her bag for her, ever the boy scout. ‘But, Adrian, please stop calling me Slim. It’s not funny anymore.’

‘What,’ she says with a grin, one that far too often got labelled as maniacal, ‘you’re telling me the kids don’t know about Slim Summers anymore? When did he fall out of fashion?’

‘The sixties?’

She huffs, grabbing her bag back from him. ‘You’re no fun, Slim.’

‘Adrian –’

‘Oh please, using that tone with my name isn’t the threat it used to be,’ she cuts him off again, something she is all too good at. ‘Now gimme the run down… who are our new X-Men?’

[see the rest, follow along with the latest updates, and see fun facts about references and comic book lore over here at my AO3!]

#kurt wagner x oc #kurt wagner fic #nightcrawler x oc #nightcrawler fic #kurt wagner #nightcrawler #oc x canon #x men fanfiction #uncanny xmen #adrian grey

8 notes · View notes

sshbpodcast · 8 months

Text

Character Spotlight: Worf

By Ames

It’s an honorable week here on A Star to Steer Her By because we’re shining our character spotlight on the show’s first Klingon main character, Worf, Son of Mogh! He’s also the first specifically main cast member to span two different series (sorry, O’Brien), so we’ve got glimpses from both The Next Generation and its films and also Deep Space Nine to cover. Worf might get the most time of any character to truly develop, growing from the guy who gets thrown across the room by the baddie of the week into the complex warrior who, for just a moment, wears the robes of the Chancellor of the Klingon High Council. Go Worf!

So put on your baldric, grab your bat’leth, and top off your mug of bloodwine as we give Worf all the honor he deserves (which every so often, isn’t very much, but other times is a lot!). Read on for the commendable battles below and listen to our death yells over on this week’s podcast (fight your way to 55:39). Today is a good day to die.

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

Bloodwine is red / Andorians are blue… While we gave Dr. Pulaski lots of props for whipping up an antidote so she could participate in Worf’s version of a tea party, it’s also just lovely that Worf honors her by performing the ceremony in the first place in “Up the Long Ladder.” Deep down under the head ridges and scowl, Worf is just a poetry-reading, tea-sipping teddy bear and we love it.

Klingon paper dolls Star Trek characters jump at any opportunity to play dress up, and we get a good instance of that in “The Emissary” when Worf and K’Ehleyr put on their warrior garb to trick a crew of Klingons in cryostasis into thinking they represent the Klingon Empire. As always, this episode gets some extra points for featuring K’Ehleyr, and it turns out Worf’s pretty good at improvisation too.

We have bonded and our families are stronger While we’re certainly going to give Worf some shit for how badly he parents his biological son, his connection with Jeremy Aster in “The Bonding” is actually quite beautiful for the both of them. Each an orphan, they are able to form a familial-type relationship together, and it’s really touching when Worf invites Jeremy to join him in the R'uustai that will bond them as brothers.

He has claimed the right of vengeance A trend emerged in our Best Worf Moments when they tended to fall into the “killing the fuck out of some jerk who deserves it” category, and the first to really deserve it is Duras in “Reunion.” Duras has been begging to get murdered since we first heard his contemptible name, but when he killed Worf’s mate in cold blood, Worf knew exactly what he had to do with his bat'leth.

You may now give birth Despite the fact that it resulted in adding a baby to the cast (blech), we have to give some credit to Worf for delivering the O’Brien baby in “Disaster” in a way that only he could. We’d need a whole additional blogpost for all the great Worf one-liners throughout the two series, as Michael Dorn’s delivery is always gold, but “Push, Keiko, push” has got to be pretty high up there.

Doesn’t gik’tal mean to the death? Worf sees so much potential in Sito Jaxa in “Lower Decks” and spends most of the episode arguing on her behalf for a promotion. So when we see Worf testing her with the made-up gik’tal martial arts to teach her to stick up for herself, we can’t help but see in her just what Worf sees. Ya know, until Picard totally gets her killed.

Assimilate this! Sure, it’s a soundbite-y line designed to be marketable in the trailer, but when Worf survives getting his EV suit punctured by tying it off with some Borg bits and then blows up the interplexing beacon in First Contact, it just feels right. Maybe it’s that Michael Dorn can get away with cheesy lines like “Assimilate this!” or maybe we just love watching Borg explode.

If you were any other man, I would kill you where you stand While the movies are mostly showcases for Picard and Data, First Contact gives some great moments to the other castmembers. Worf’s standoff with Picard is nothing short of chilling. Borg are overrunning the ship and Picard orders Worf and his security team to what is almost certain to be their deaths. Lucky for us, Worf doesn’t actually mutiny, just threatens to a little bit.

And in this corner… While we spent most of The Next Generation watching Worf getting knocked around as shorthand for “the alien threat is strong,” by Deep Space Nine, we don’t really get that anymore and instead he actually gets to kick some ass! In “By Inferno's Light,” Worf is forced to battle Jem’Hadar after Jem’Hadar in the fighting ring, and he refuses to quit even when he has every right to.

Help me fight again, Worf You’ll see in a second that sometimes when Worf tries to help another Klingon die with honor, things can get complicated, but when Kor asks for help going out in the warrior fashion, Worf is totally a good guy about it. He gets the old legend a place on Martok’s ship in “Once More Unto the Breach” even though it’s not Martok’s favorite thing, but in the end, Sto’Vo’kor gains a new warrior.

Seven down, one to go We still have more “killing the fuck out of some jerk who deserves it” mentions to bring up! What list would be complete without the murder of at least one Weyoun on it? In this case, Worf straight up snaps the neck of Weyoun 7 in “Strange Bedfellows” when he has the opportunity and it is a thing of such beauty that it gains Damar’s respect.

What I have done was for the Empire Finally, our last jerk who needed to get killed the fuck out of is that bastard Gowron in “Tacking into the Wind.” Gowron was going around making terrible decisions, rewriting the history books, and trying to get Martok killed in various ways, and Worf finally has enough and kills him in honorable combat. He gets the cloak of the Chancellor for it but selflessly passes it to Martok, like an absolute boss.

—

Worst moments

I would rather die than pollute my body with Klingon filth While Geordi is putting racism aside to be able to coexist with his new BFF Bochra in “The Enemy,” Worf takes the opposite path. By refusing to let Crusher give his blood to Patahk, Worf condemns the injured Romulan to death just because of his race. And then the show takes some of the guilt off Worf by having Patahk refuse treatment anyway, leaving Worf’s hands clean, I guess.

This is not unlike a drumhead trial Worf is also quick to fall in line with Admiral Satie’s Red Scare of a trial against crewman Tarses in “The Drumhead.” He gets so infatuated with dispensing justice that he jumps past “innocent until proven guilty” and determines that Tarses is guilty of treason because he’d lied about his alien heritage, when the two things aren’t even related.

Would you further dishonor our family with your disobedience? It’s a running joke in the Star Trek community that Worf is a terrible father and… well, he is. To his defense, he did have Alexander sprung on him when K’Ehleyr died in “Reunion,” and he did try to pawn the little brat off on the Rozhenkos, but that was a terrible move too. So when we watch how clueless he is trying to parent in “New Ground,” we cringe hard at how Worf just doesn’t get it.

Donkey Kong: 1. Worf: 0. A lot of Worf’s decisions about how to deal with his paraplegia in “Ethics” are complicated and problematic, but the way he ended up in such a state is what we’re really here to roast him on. My dude got bitched by a big blue plastic barrel in the cargo bay, and that is downright dishonorable for a Klingon warrior. Battle, sure. Explosion, fine. Spat with Spot, of course. But not blue barrel!

How could your mother mate with a Romulan? Worf’s prejudice against Romulans comes out again in “Birthright” when he learns that Ba’el is half Romulan and he starts spouting racist accusations at her when he’s already seen what kind of a person she is, and even what kind of person her father is. Since his father’s death at Khitomer, it’s a long road for Worf to accept that all Romulans are not that same, and it’s unclear if he ever gets there.

Tell him he is a pretty cat and a good cat All your hosts here at A Star to Steer Her By are ride-or-die cat people, so when Worf refuses to tell Spot he’s a good cat and a pretty cat in “Phantasms” when Data asks him to look after the feline, we take it super personally. Frankly, Data should have looked elsewhere for someone to catsit because what’s supposed to be a humorous moment in the show just makes us angry at Worf. Hiss!

I believe the Ferengi bartender is plotting something By the time Worf joins Deep Space Nine, his racism against Romulans doesn’t come up, but his racism against the Ferengi sure does. Ever since “Hippocratic Oath,” Worf refuses to call Quark by name, instead calling him “The Ferengi bartender.” We joke sometimes on the podcast that the only race it’s okay to be racist against is the Ferengi, but you know what? It’s really not okay.

My life is in your hands Sure, we can argue that Kurn coming to Worf for the Klingon rite of Mauk-to’Vor in “Sons of Mogh” is messed up and puts Worf in a tough position, but Worf manages to pick an even worse outcome for his brother. Instead of killing him and sending Kurn to Sto’Vo’kor with his honor intact, Worf does the least honorable thing and has Bashir wipe Kurn’s memory. Without Kurn’s consent! Eeesh.

Everything you do reflects on me There were a bunch of times during DS9 that we really thought Jadzia could do better than having Worf as her mate, and “Let He Who Is Without Sin” is the chief offender. Worf starts the episode arguing about Jadzia consorting with other men even though she’s with him now, gets jealous of the Dax’s previous relationships, and generally poopoo’s Jadzia’s streak of individuality like a toxic boyfriend.

Have you accepted Kahless as your lord and savior? And that’s not even the worst thing Worf does in the abysmal episode “Let He Who Is Without Sin.” He spends the rest of their vacation on Risa palling around with the New Essentialists who’ve decided that people enjoying things is bad form, which is just Worf being petty. So when he goes out of his way to help them literally rain on everyone’s parade, it’s super damaging to his character.

I do not know you, nor do I wish to know you After Jadzia’s death, Worf utterly fails as grieving in a healthy, productive way and instead opts to take it out on Ezri during “Afterimage.” Just because she’s not Jadzia, Worf treats the poor Trill with disdain, ignoring the fact that she too is living through the trauma of being joined to the symbiont. None of this is her fault! Don’t yell at the innocent cupcake!

If it looks like a Dax and it quacks like a Dax… Worf and Jadzia had chemistry like whoa and we were here for it. Worf and Ezri… just don’t. So when they bump uglies in “Penumbra,” we just find it kinda gross and distasteful. My dude, that is not your wife anymore, and she’s in a very vulnerable state having had the Dax symbiont thrust upon her, so it strikes us as kind of problematic that they go to the bone zone (and I don’t mean Worf’s calisthenics program).

—

Qapla’! Now that we’ve got our honor back, take the R'uustai with us and subscribe so that you can see our next batch of character spotlights as we segue smoothly into our crewmates from Deep Space Nine! On the flip side, you can listen along to our dishonorable rewatch of Enterprise over on SoundCloud or wherever you podcast, challenge us to a bat’leth fight on Facebook and Twitter, and join us for some good tea in a nice house.

7 notes · View notes

professorspork · 1 year

Note

How did you decide on the roles you did for: Emerald, Mercury, Neon, Robyn, Oscar, Sun, Maria?

OOH LOVE THIS QUESTION

but ough this got long so UNDER THE CUT

Em and Merc

This one was a pretty intuitive one for me. In Newsies, the Delanceys are a matched set pair of pain-in-the-ass bruisers, and their role seemed like the perfect launching point for whatever I wanted to do with the murder kids. the only real question was whether only Em or both of them would get a face turn, as in Newsies neither do and so far in canon only one has. I knew from early that it would be a great opportunity if I included Yang getting framed for Merc's leg, and I knew from early on that Emerald would "catch" them during the climactic printing of the manifesto and choose to let them go. em and merc being Yang's only friends while she scabbed was more of a game time decision that unfolded organically.

Neon

this took some time to arrive at!

my first instinct for who would fill the Spot Conlon role was Nora (as evidenced by the fact that she still gets his dialogue sometimes). this probably could have worked if i'd insisted on it, but I needed Nora too much to be Racetrack and serve as Yang's Best Friend/The Newsie We Know Best to cut her off from the main story like that. giving Nora the "no one hates Neon, she's just a little unhinged" so Blake could be like COMING FROM *YOU,* THOUGH? mostly satisfied that first gut instinct.

the next person I considered for the Spot role was Coco, because of that effortless cool and intimidation factor, but... if I couldn't make myself believe in Pyrrha being a street urchin newsie, there was just NO WAY I could pull it off for Coco. her the rich girl energy is just too strong.

only then did I land on Neon as the next candidate, because she and Yang had that antagonistic relationship and it would be both a) entirely believable for her to be a crater kid and b) shore up the Faunus storyline in foundational ways. even though in hindsight she's kind of the ONLY choice, I resisted it at first because Neon's dialogue felt like a big challenge for me... that sort of gleeful negging and lowkey sexual harassment isn't exactly in my usual wheelhouse. realizing I could translate that combative stance into an entirely justifiable hostility towards humans was the key that made it click, and then she sort of exploded in importance when I was like OH she's my truth to power who gets to say the uncomfortable thing that everyone needs to hear.

Robyn

This one also came with a bit of time and development. someone had to be the Deus Ex Teddy Roosevelt, and Robyn was an obvious candidate... but the other one was Ghira.

(this goes on a bit of a tangent but I think you'll forgive me, lol)

figuring out Blake's (and the White Fang's) placement in the story took some doing. in Newsies, David is new to hawking but not new to New York; the main antagonist outside Pulitzer is Snyder, the warden of the juvenile hall. I knew that Adam's pursuit of Blake had to fill that role narratively, but my initial thoughts were to have a higher level of fidelity to Newsies, too-- that Clover would also be chasing Blake because she's wanted for something Adam did, maybe, and the two would play off each other. in that version, everything was thus very local-- Blake was from Mantle just like the rest of the characters are, and her separation from her family was an estrangement without that profound physical distance.

when I tried to game that out over the long-term of the story, however, having her parents so close by just felt too brain-bending; it gave Blake an escape hatch when I needed her to not have one. even then, I considered Blake writing a letter to her family and Ghira showing up in answer as a potential Teddy solution, but it just didn't hit right.

having given up on Ghira, I turned back to Robyn, and then when I gave her full consideration I realized that I could take the election storyline from RWBY and use it as the inciting incident for the price hike, which would nicely dovetail the two canons and hopefully strengthen both. from there, it was much more natural.

Oscar

This one was pure necessity. Anyone i COULD justify using in the union inner circle, I wanted to, and Oscar-- by virtue of being a conniving, clever, mercenary thinker in canon both for Ozpin-related and crucially not-Ozpin-related reasons, was SUPER useful to me.

creating that inner union core so that way I could get the fic's political and plot-related thinking out through (relatively organic) dialogue instead of in more cumbersome ways was really key. if you go back and read all their conversations, you'll see patterns emerge as they always take on the same roles: Oscar is a rational thinker and an Ideas Guy; Nora's completely gung-ho; Ren is supportive but is also the first to fold when he feels like they've failed; Jaune is the one who asks the questions that keep the conversation going (with BRNZ also doing that or being nay-sayers if they're around). Velvet, of course, was crucial for getting a Faunus voice in the inner circle while Blake was stealth, but even more crucial because she's a big-picture thinker and a compromise-oriented person who could find bridges between two seemingly-incompatible thoughts.

which is a long way of saying Oscar is Oscar so he could voice the Ruby thoughts in the chapters before Yang lets Ruby participate.

Sun

I am ashamed to admit it, but for a long time Sun was not going to be in this story, and in fact I was making a WHOLE BIG POINT of Sun not being in the story.

this is sort of related to the Ghira of it all; I always knew that Blake would need to go somewhere after she ran from the big confrontation where everything went wrong, but at first I wanted her to be able to get back to her parents, like in canon. when I realized that would be a logistical impossibility (having Blake leave the continent mid-strike just wouldn't fly), I didn't know WHAT I was going to do with the Blake Alone chapter.

at first, I swore to myself I wouldn't use Sun in that role because like... the whole point of Sun is that he's Blake's friend first and he makes her feel less alone. I told myself this meant he couldn't be in the Blake Alone chapter because the whole point of it is she's ALONE, and if that were true then I certainly couldn't let him be in the union main friend group squad; the point of them is that they're Yang's Friends that Blake gets to know through her, and if I give Blake more true supports that aren't Yang it gets in the way of the love story as necessitated by this plot outline. which meant NO SUN, SORRY.

and then I thought of that "holy shit you're Blake Belladonna, should I bow?" meet cute and I was like... okay maybe a little Sun.

luckily for both Blake and the story as a whole, by the time i GOT to the Blake Alone chapter it had become very clear to me that it wouldn't be Blake Alone at all-- that it would be Blake With Community, and it would be a healing and rising arc to balance Yang's sharp fall into depression. they couldn't BOTH be miserable or else the story would grind to a halt. and so Sun got to shine (pun intended).

Maria

I'm still a little bummed I wasn't able to find more of a use for Maria than I did; Tukson HAD to be Tukson for book reasons, and Pietro HAD to be the head of the lodging house for Mercury reasons, and the plot just couldn't carry more mentor-types in expanded roles. so I gave Maria ownership of the only other Third Space in the story, even though that meant we didn't see much of her after the beginning.

#newsbees au #rwby #fic what i wrote

22 notes · View notes

medicallymercury · 3 months

Text

Sinking Ships - Day 2 (22/06/24)

I like that it's finally warm but my hayfever has been terrible all day. I wanted to get back to watching series 4 tonight but I'm too uncomfortable to pay attention so I think I'll just rewatch some 2000s romcoms instead.

How long has it been since I did an actual episode review post? I feel like it’s been since before Charlie left. I’m not writing this because I particularly liked the episode, more because I was able to and I haven't felt able to for months.

I’m never concise so it’s all below the cut, like usual. Collected, probably incomplete, Teddy Thoughts are at the end.

I think I audibly gasped at the reveal that Rich is married to Siobhan. They did a good job at keeping it out of the spoilers and now we know it feels kinda obvious that they’d do that but I was very much shocked. Honestly, I am looking forward to Stevie getting into relationship drama with Siobhan’s husband - still misery, but fun inconsequential romance drama misery! Anyway, thank you Sandra Mute (and Andrew Ponting) for giving us the start of affair drama all those many years ago… “She shouldn't be seeing him, if his wife finds out it- it'll-.” “Well, you should've thought about that before you went with him!” projecting-onto-a-patient scene and all that. I suppose at least Sandra didn’t work with Beryl (though they had apparently met). I also just generally enjoyed Stevie and Siobhan's stuff in this episode, I like seeing how different characters approach being clinical lead and how it affects their relationships with everyone else.

Ngozi is my shining star, I love her so much. That scene with her, Rida and Stevie where they were talking about Dervla? Great.

Cam… I’m glad people are enjoying his stuff but I’m not super invested in it. I thought Cam was alright early on, then he didn’t do much but mope around about Jodie for a year and it prevented me from developing much actual interest.

Teddy. I am always happy to see him and yet I wish the show would leave him alone. I don't like that of all the things they could choose to carry forward and remember about Teddy, they're holding onto all the OOC stuff he did last miniseries. (And then acting like to be ‘redeemed’ for it, he must act like all the people who treated him terribly didn’t do that.) Take the opportunity to drop it, it's not like they don't already constantly decide not to follow through with Teddy. REMEMBER GETHIN DYING? Because in-universe we're coming up on a year since that happened. Hey, they remembered he's turned 25 (which facilitates my 'Teddy being happy' birthday thoughts), at least.

Incredibly petty and really the least of my concerns with Casualty lately but I still hate Teddy/Jodie!! Their relationship makes me cringe. He got to smile in this episode and I wasn't expecting that but it was in a cringe Teddy/Jodie scene. I know I'm being impossible to please and I don't even care!

Iain and Faith stuff also happened. I wish it hadn’t. I don’t understand the obsession the show has with telling us (almost literally TELLING US through Faith at one point in the episode) that Iain is so very special and nice and brilliant and acting like he’s got such a special relationship with every other paramedic. It bothered me when they’d do that with Jacob, Sah and Jan, it bothers me even more that they’ve started doing that with him and Teddy because Teddy is the character it makes the least sense for. Also, what was Teddy thanking him for? I’m sorry, I think the way Iain was in Teddy’s storyline last miniseries was terrible and that Teddy owes him precisely nothing. I am really not looking forward to another miniseries of Iain/Faith and 'Iain Criticises Others For Playing The Hero While He Does The Same But He Gets To Do It Because He’s Not Like Other Paramedics' but whatever. Anyway, I wish they’d had Jacob work with Teddy considering he was clearly at work. Oh, yeah, also GO AWAY FAITH.

#storm damage: the hiatus that wasn't #cas ep: sinking ships - day 2 #bbc casualty #casualty spoilers #shoelace fandom #teddy gowan #anti faith cadogan #honestly also anti iain dean #other characters mentioned cba to tag

4 notes · View notes

lizbethborden · 8 months

Note

did you watch the new abbott ep? thoughts?

I did! I was kind of 50/50 on it. Sorry in advance for rambling LOL

I feel like the double episode format just... Really messed up the pacing. Way too much happened in way too little time, so there was nothing satisfying and the stakes didn't feel very high. I think there were also some big missed opportunities.

"New Ava" gets resolved in like the first 10 min with 0 impact on the overall story or the characters... like why. This should have been dragged out for the whole episode IMO, it would have been so fun. But they just wanted to get it out of the way to race to the Janine-leaving-Abbott story. Also Janelle looked fucking amazing and pretty much stole the episode, so they should have just let her run away with it instead of confining the humor and drama to the very beginning.

"Oh no Janine went to work for the district, oh no Teddie isn't going to happen maybe, omg Janine is working with a new cute guy" doesn't generate any emotional tension because it all gets talked through by the characters in a short time span and Janine and Gregory are friends again by the end of the episode thanks to the timeskip. The will they/won't they was timed really well throughout the first 2 seasons so where is that sense of timing now yk...

Barbara like... did not do much to be honest... She resolved the New Ava problem, but after that mostly stood around and was a sounding board and complained about the district/changed her tune after ONE conversation where Manny said what could reasonably be, pardon me, just bullshit, bc we don't know him well as a character yet, and somehow Barb was like yay :) I like the district now :). She felt really underutilized. She deserves a PLOTLINE this season. I feel like Sheryl gets a lot of praise and attention, but the show doesn't always give her opportunities to match what she really contributes.

The Gary/Melissa situation ground my gears a lot, like it's super great that Melissa stands her ground and rejects him with everyone's support, but tbh "Gary does a massive misogyny using the Philly Eagles and the whole school as a prop" seemed like a moment for Melissa to be angry, not just sad. Like why did she end up comforting HIM? I feel like every time the show brushes up against misogyny something dumb like this happens

Jacob is Jacob and does Jacob things which is fine.

I'm also wondering: where is the charter school storyline??? Have they not been able to get Leslie Odom Jr back? They set him up as a Big Bad and the threat of Abbott being forcibly turned charter as a serious concern and then that completely vanished. Does ABC have some charter school people on its board...? Lol. I would love to find out if maybe Manny and his weirdos could play into this and turn out to be charter school villains but rn this just feels like a major loose end.

It's hard bc I have such a sentimental attachment to the characters and seeing them all back again was so nice. But this felt like a super clumsy start to the season. I'm sure there was a lot of pressure on the writers as well, not just in terms of the double episode format, but because the show has gotten so many awards and so much press, they may have felt they HAD to throw absolutely everything out there to build up the premiere as huge and explosive.

I'm hoping the return to the half hr format will help smooth out a lot of the wrinkles and help bring back some of the structure, because IMO there were definitely hiccups and missteps in past seasons, but you could really feel an underlying story structure for many parts of the show (Teddie, Barb and Janine's relationship, Ava's growth, Melissa and her personal life). Fingers crossed ig

#thanks for asking anon!#abbottposting

3 notes · View notes

asterhaze · 1 year

Note

On mobile so i can't link but from the oc ask game. Pick a boi(gender neutral) to fill in the blanks about

4 Characters fav rec activity

13 oc honeymoon where?

21 Oc hobbies?

I am desperately trying to not drone on and on about Glen. I can't help it. I find him delightfully adorable, stupid, and a true apprentice to the Rizzard of Oz. He's very hard for me not gush about. But when I got this notification, I looked over a list of everything I have posted concerning Masterpiece and realized I actually have talked about Glen and Vlad pretty evenly, but have left my OC Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive pretty unspoken. So Ska it is!

4. This question honestly bamboozled the fuck out of me because trying to figure out the difference between a recreational activity and a hobby was very difficult (the internet was no help) and caused a great argument to emerge in my household when I asked for help. Gold star for causing chaos in my house: ⭐

Every once in a while, when he's not busy, Ska likes to stargaze and mourn the stars he can no longer see due to light pollution obscuring things. It's one of those things he rarely goes out of his way for and just randomly does it until he finds something worth distracting him, like Glen's nonsense.

13. I know I'm the writer of my story, which means I have created the entire world that these OCs live in. This also means that because vampires are what I say they are, demons and fair folk are how I portray them, I should know everything about them. But since I've changed what demons and fair folk inherently are...that makes figuring that out a little difficult. Where do demons go on honeymoon? Do they get married? Are these people just together because "this one bothers me so much less than the others?". Another star for bamboozling me and giving me something to think about for more worldbuilding: ⭐

Though if I pretend that at least Ska would get married, I hope his husband would take him to some sort of giant beautiful garden so he could look at all of the pretty plants that only bloom at night.

21. You will not bamboozle me again, because I have this one in cannon already.

Ska was inspired by my spouse, so I gave them the same hobby because it cracks me up that a teddy bear like my spouse would have the same hobby as a dark, foreboding, anxiety-inducing demon dude. Ska has many gardens, all over his field of influence, that he tends to during the day when his family leaves him alone. He's not very good at it, in fact his gardens are really pathetic considering who he is, but he enjoys it and that's what really matters.

(Yes, my spouse is, just barely, a better gardener. This fact brings my spouse great joy. I don't have the heart to tell either one of them that outside influences are what keeps their plants alive.)

Thank you for asking and giving me the opportunity to shed a crumb of light on Ska. I look forward to explaining how I have changed how demons, fair folk, and vampires work in my world another time. And thank everyone else for reading, I hope I get more asks and tag games soon!

#masterpiecewip #ska the demon #glen #ask answered #writeblr #writing #writers of tumblr #writers #writerblr #write #writblr #writing community #seriously feel free to tag me

6 notes · View notes

mfashop · 2 years

Text

5 Gift Ideas You Might Find in a Museum Gift Shop

If you’re looking for gift options beyond the usual flowers, chocolate, and teddy bears then you’re in luck! This quick article will give you some unique artistic gift ideas that your loved one will be sure to treasure.

Art museum gift stores are the perfect choice for finding creative and interesting gifts, especially if you’re on the hunt for a great gift to give your significant other!

Art Prints Do you know your significant other’s favorite painter? Artist? An art museum gift store is the perfect place to grab a print or other kind of memorabilia that features their favorite art style or painter. Alternatively, if they don’t have a favorite, finding an art print that simply reminds you of a time you shared together might be enough to touch their heart!

Jewelry A more straightforward romantic gesture would be giving jewelry as a gift. And yes, there are unique finds at museum gift shops that incorporate fun artistic themes into the pieces. If you know your significant other enjoys fun fashion jewelry with an artistic flair, this could be a great option if you are looking for a special gift.

From painting-inspired earrings to necklaces derived from famous painters’ styles and one-of-a-kind pendants, it’s easy to find memorable art jewelry pieces perfect for your loved one in gift shops like Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Stationery It’s not too surprising to find stationery items in gift shops. It is, however, a delight to find daily necessities intersect with fine arts. An ordinary notebook is nothing special but one that features a famous work of art on the cover, that would make quite the gift!

If you know your partner is a writer or loves taking notes or using notebooks at their job, this could be the perfect opportunity to give them something meaningful that they will also get plenty of use out of. At Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s online gift shop, you will also find a lot more than just notebooks. They have calendars, notecards, art magnets, and more; all great options for someone who is artistically inclined or who appreciates stationery.

Plushies If you want a traditional romantic gift, then a plush toy is a sweet yet playful option. While plushies aren’t exactly practical, they make excellent gifts. These soft and cuddly toys often represent themes we resonate with. Featuring well-known characters from our childhood, they are a great choice for a gift that is straightforward yet sentimental.

Scarves Scarves are the perfect comfy gift to give someone who easily gets cold - a sweet gift that is even better with modern art designs by famous painters! For the artist in your life, this might be the ideal addition to their wardrobe.

Can’t make it out to a museum in person? Why not shop online at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston? They have an incredible collection of gifts available, including beautiful art prints, stationary items, art scarves, and more. They are our number one pick when it comes to finding artistic gifts online for loved ones, so if you can’t pick up a gift in person, this is the next best thing!

0 notes

sugarmaplewings-fics · 4 years

Text

Insecure Thicc!Reader

Pairings: BNHA Boys x reader

Warnings: Some spicy bits, but not too crazy, a little crude, kinda implied fem! in some bits, but you can just skip over those points if ya want

Characters: Bakugou, Kirishima, Dabi

Author’s Note:

Hello! This is the first time I’ve written for Dabi so I hope his turned out ok! As a thicc girl myself, I kinda poured my heart out a bit for this request. I hope you enjoy these little headcanons (I kinda went crazy oop—)!

If you’re feeling insecure, remember that you’re beautiful, no matter what other people say! I’m still on my own journey of self-love, but I hope that this can bring a bit of comfort to anyone who is anywhere on that road.

I know that it says Mirio, but I don't write for him so I contacted the requester and they swapped him out for Dabi.

I love you guys! Hope you like it!

-Sugar

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Bakugou:

My mans Bakugou

He can appreciate some nice booty

I'm just going to jump straight to cuddling here because that's what I feel like doing

In public, Bakugou isn't all that affectionate

I am by no means saying he wouldn't gladly flaunt your relationship and yell about how wonderful and attractive his s/o is, but for the most part he likes to keep it between you two

But during down time, when there's nothing to do and all evening to do it, he wants you in his lap

SNUGGLING

He a stronk boi, you're sitting on his lap whether you like it or not

You are his human teddy bear, and you're going to have a hard time getting him to let you go

He wants to touch you all over and let his hands sink into your soft, plush body

Cheeks? Perfect for kissing and squeezing between his fingers

Your chest? He likes to hold you in his hands and test the weight of your boobs. They're so nice and soft and squeezable

Tummy? Bakugou's all over giving you soft, slow kisses over your skin, sucking a little into his mouth and between his teeth to nibble on

Thighs? He's touching on them constantly. If ever he's feeling possessive over you, his hands are going to fly to your legs and give them a solid squeeze to remind you you're his

Butt? Like I said, he loves it. He likes smacking it at every opportunity. Watching the resulting jiggle is the most satisfying and enticing thing to him

He likes to hold you at night, either his hands firmly clasping those lower cheeks or simply having it pressed into him. As much as he can get, he'll take

…

Now, if he ever catches you saying something bad about yourself, you're done for

You say it when you're home alone together? He's going to prove to you how beautiful and valuable you are through any methods he can think of

Lecture consisting mostly of him yelling about how much he loves you? Check

Tackling you in an aggressive hug and pinning you to the bed only to point out and gently kiss everything you dislike about yourself, telling you how much he loves it? Check

There's another thing I could mention he'd do, but my mom might read this, so I don't want to get into it, buuutt you can fill it in yourself 👀—

Say something bad out in public? He's going to give you a death glare and pull you aside as soon as he can to tell you to stop

If someone makes a nasty comment about you, they got a big storm comin

Let's just say that, after an extensive apology from the person, you probably won't see them again for weeks

Bakugou knows how to get to people

…

Katsuki doesn't care about what you look like, as long as you're happy and healthy

He values how you carry yourself and how you treat him. Something as superfluous as appearance isn’t on his mind when choosing and loving a partner

He's a good person to vent to as well. It may not seem like he’s listening sometimes, but he his. His insight is truly outstanding. There's something about him where, when he wants to, he always knows the right thing to say

13/10 loves you just the way you are and knows you're beautiful. Would not hesitate bitch to throw hands to anyone who says otherwise

____________

Kirishima:

Idk if this is me just self projecting onto him or whatever, but high key I think Kirishima could have a thing for thicc people

Nothing against our skinny queens and kings! He'd love you either way

But like, I can 100% see it

So he honestly gets kinda offended when he realizes you're insecure about your body

He understands why you feel this way—he's not blind to the fact that you're a little bigger than some other people

What really gets him is why you put so much pressure on yourself to look a certain way. To him, you're the most beautiful wonderful person in his world. Why would you be so negative towards yourself?

He knows how it feels to be insecure, especially with appearance

If you want to change yourself, he's 100% supportive. Mans is literally the most perfect gym buddy and would love to be by your side on your journey of self improvement

If you're not interested in changing your appearance, whether it be simply just for now or even never, guess what? He's 100% supportive!

I've seen this everywhere, and if you're also a regular in this niche of fanfic, I'm sure you have too, but Kiri is the biggest hype man

New outfit? He's all over telling you how good you look. Flaunt it, babes!

New makeup look? Amazing! Beautiful!

Did something different with your hair? Yesyesyesyesyes

And he's completely genuine in his praise as well. It's not manly to be fake about your thoughts and beliefs, and he knows for a fact that you're beautiful, just the way you are. Confidence goes perfectly with any look!

…

When it comes to cuddling, he's all over you

He'll respect it if you're uncomfortable being touched in some places, but what he wants most is to be as handsy with you as possible

He just wants to run his hands over every surface of your body. Nothing suggestive about it (unless you're in the mood! 😉), he just wants to feel you

Boob pillow? That's all his. It's like there's one magnet in your chest and another in the side of his head. They're just so soft and plush and squishy?? To die for! Even if your chest is comparatively small, he's still on you. You can't stop him

When his head isn't planted on your chest, it's settled on your belly. He likes the warmth against his cheek and finds every aspect of it cute

Rolls? Adorable! Stretch marks? Beautiful! Hair? Pretty!

11/10 you're getting tummy kithes and little teasing tickles every night you spend together

He loves your thighs. Being a little grabby with them is totally his thing

Yet another place to leave kisses. Maybe even love bites too `O.O`

Great place for him to take little naps. Literally I cannot stress enough how comfortable he finds you, immersed in your scent, cheek comfortably resting on the tops of your legs, your fingers carding through his soft red hair. You are literally Heaven on Earth to him

Insecure about your arms? He loves them. They lead to you, and give him the best cuddles and hugs ever in the whole wide world. He'll kiss them all the way up and down until you admit they're not so bad

That goes for everything though. If he catches you talking bad about yourself or your body, he will tackle you and start kissing you all over until you admit how beautiful you are

KISSES ON YOUR CHEEKS. CHUBBY CHEEKS ARE VERY ADORABLE AND COMPLETELY FREE KISSING REAL ESTATE

He won't hesitate to carry you around or let you sit on his lap. He's a hero (or even just training to be a hero). He's super strong and manly, and besides, what else are those muscles for? Punching bad guys? Nah, he's more interested in holding his favorite person in the world (oop, that's you!)

Doesn't matter how heavy you are (I'm also talking to all yee who are 200lbs+. I see you. He's got you), he can pick you up. Carrying around his s/o is 100% mandatory and you can't say no (well, I mean, you can but like, only if you truly mean it)

Any days you feel down on yourself, he can be a little more serious

He's a great listener and will hear every word you have to say without interrupting, even though a part of him wants to interject any time you may try to call yourself ugly or unattractive

Once you've vented everything out, he'll pull you into his arms and let you settle on his lap. Then he'll give you the hype/pep talk you need

Anything you don't like about yourself, he'll go on a whole rant about how much he loves it. It's not a flaw, it's just a part of who you are. And because it's a part of you, Kirishima is going to love it, no matter how much resentment you may feel towards it

He's a big hugger, so he wants to have you as close to him as he can. It helps him feel like he's making you feel better

…

Heaven forbid someone tries to give you trouble for how you look

He won't react as explosively as Bakugou, but they still better be praying

Kirishima's going to give them a good long talk about treating others with respect and being manly. He's not leaving until they apologize

All in all, Kirishima will forever love you for who you are. He doesn't care about your body shape or size. As long as you're healthy and happy and being your best self, he's going to be all for you

____________

Dabi:

So this guy is not having ya insecure BS

He doesn't see any problem with the way you look

He really grows to like your body even more than he expected over the course of the relationship

He likes how much more of you he has to grab and kiss and smack (affectionately)

He's pretty open with PDA

He likes grabbing your ass where everyone can see and giving you a nice squeeze just to let you and everyone else know you're his

He's into making out with you behind the bar, just waiting for someone to walk in on you

Dabi isn't big on being soft in public, but behind closed doors, you'd find him giving softer kisses and lighter touches

Initially isn't big on cuddling but opens up to it more as he finds how soft and huggable you are

You can bet you're sitting on his lap whenever you can, whether it's alone together in your room or even during a meeting; this man has no shame (not that he should be)

When you open up to him about your insecurities, he'll be a little upset

He sees nothing wrong with you at all, so why is your body something to be upset over? If anything, he's more attracted to you like this

He has a bit of a hard time finding himself attractive due to his burns (he's so wrong tho), so in that sense, he can somewhat understand

Decides to make a bit of a pact with you to stop being so insecure about yourselves and making a big deal out of appearances

You both love each other for who you are, and that's what's important

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Taglist: @a-happy-otter @basicaegyo @iiminibattlehero @katsugay @nabo39 @pyrofanatic @sendhelpimstupid @sokkasangel @xoxopam4

692 notes · View notes

ghostdrew22 · 4 years

Note

Draco admires you with your kids and their friends

SOFT || Draco Malfoy

Requested: Yes Pairing: post-war Draco Malfoy x fem!reader Warnings: one minor injury that involves blood but other than that, nothing!

WORDS : 1767

“Cass, come on, please put that down?” Draco asks with an exasperated tone as he runs after your daughter- who’s running around the living room with an evil giggle. “Scorpius, don’t you dare-“

Draco gets cut off by the sound of glass shattering as your son, Scorpius, and his friend, Liam, drop a vase off the table. He stops mid-run and sighs heavily as he runs his hands down his face.

Draco has always wanted children. For as long as he can remember he’s wanted children so that he could fill the gaping hole that was left by the lack of affection from his father. But that same hole, that very same resulting trauma, has always made him think that he just can’t do it, that he’ll end up exactly like his own father. And it’s always moments like these that make him doubt his abilities, moments like these that make him wonder if in comparison to his own father he’s too soft.

Draco would’ve never gotten away with half the stuff that your children do at this age, but also he never really had much of a childhood anyway. In a way, being a stay-at-home dad helps him make up for that and recover long lost moments of adolescence that he never had the opportunity to experience. Moments like this, in which he has to chase around your chaotic children and try not to get drunk on the sound of their elated and mischievous giggles, that he still doesn’t know if he’s earned it yet, despite the fact that he’s become a teddy bear in comparison to his own father.

The first time the two of you had discussed children you’d both agreed that one of you would be a stay-at-home parent, and at the time you’d been happy to follow in your mother’s footsteps and volunteer for the role. But then you fell pregnant and hesitated to submit your resignation papers so, in a moment of rushed and haphazard courage, Draco resigned instead and fully committed to the stay-at-home dad lifestyle, despite his perpetual fear of failure, so that you could have the advantage of both motherhood and a successful career. Draco hated his ministry job and you, paradoxically, did not- it was a win-win situation.

So now he stands in your living room, wearing an apron with your daughter’s favourite tv character on it, feeling very exasperated and out of sorts at the overwhelming responsibility of having to supervise your children’s playdates.

You walk into the living room and take in the scene- Cass, holding one of Draco’s old academic trophies as her and Jade run around with paint on their faces, and the boys wrestling on the ground, awkwardly close to the remnants of a broken vase- stopping behind your husband to wrap your arms around his waist and plop a kiss up onto his cheek. He softens into your touch and turns to kiss the side of your forehead before you sink off your tiptoes and onto the heels of your feet. “Need some help?”

To say that your twins are a handful would be an understatement, now add to that two other children with just as much chaotic energy? An absolute disaster. You’d told Draco that taking them to the zoo or the park for the playdate would’ve been a better idea but he insisted on celebrating the twin’s birthday at home and you’d obliged to his wishes. Now, he regrets not listening to you.

“If you don’t mind, that would be great.” He pouts at you and you laugh lightly at his frustration.

“Boys, break it up. Girls, freeze right now.” All the kids halt their movements and quickly turn their heads to face you with wide eyes, “There’s a cake that needs to be cut up and eaten in the next thirty minutes but I don’t think you have earned it.”

“No, we have!”

“Please mum? We’ve been good!”

Draco scoffs at your daughter’s blatant lie of having been good and you bite back a smile. “I’m sure you have, but if you really want the cake then I’m going to need you all to play a couple of games of hide and seek outside first. The winner gets the biggest slice.”

They all squeal in excitement and hurry to run out to the garden so that they can play. You quickly mutter a charm to repair the vase and turn to your husband who’s looking at you with a mixture of exhaustion and adoration.

“You’re my saviour.” He breathes out and you smile, “Somehow you spend less time with them and still manage to handle them better.”

“A mother’s touch love.” You giggle and give him a quick peck.

“I wish this mother would touch me.” He hints as he pulls you in by the waist with a grin.

“You’re so-“

A sharp cry from down the hall cuts you off and you both sigh. “I’ll go get him.” You reply.

“I’ll get the cake ready.”

The kids all come running into the kitchen excitedly at the sound of your voice calling for them to get cake. You smile at the sound of their giggles erupting into the kitchen as you play with the recently awoken baby in your arms, but your smile is gone as quick as it came at the sound of a light yelp and cry coming from one of the older kids.

Without missing a beat you rush toward the sound and find that it’s Jade harbouring a thin, but rather long, cut along the expanse of her leg and right below her knee. Draco can see that you’re moving to help her and he holds his hands out for the baby but you pay him no attention and, somehow, manage to lift the 8 year-old into your other arm and carry her up onto the kitchen counter- while still straddling your son on your hip.

“What happened sweetie?” You ask your friend’s daughter gently as you make to grab antiseptic, cotton wool and a bandage from under the sink- the place you and Draco had taken to storing them after the kids came back from playing outside with injuries one too many times.

“I think I scraped my leg against the edge of the little gate by the door.” She points toward the door that leads out to the garden and you nod in acknowledgement- knowing exactly which gate she’s referring to.

“Come here my little skittles, give mum some space to breathe.” Draco figures it’s best not to interrupt you and gestures for the other children to come toward him. They all shuffle their feet against the tile nervously as they keep their eyes trained on their friend.

“I’m so sorry love, we’ll make sure to get that fixed for next time you come over, yeah?” You ask her with furrowed eyebrows and she nods perkily. “This is going to hurt a bit, but I know that you’re a very brave girl so if you can close your eyes, count to ten for me and squeeze my hand that would be great.” She nods and follows your instructions- grabbing hold of your outstretched hand that sits underneath the baby’s bottom- while you dowse some cotton wool in antiseptic and drag it softly down the injury.

She winces but doesn’t cry, counting to ten as instructed and trying to focus on the promise of cake waiting or her, and soon enough you’ve already draped the bandage over her leg.

Draco watches the scene unfold with a look of admiration coating his features. It’s in this moment that he sees why you became an auror- no matter the situation you always present a fierce, prepared and oddly comforting energy- it’s one of the reasons he fell so deeply in love with you and it’s a quality of yours that he hopes both of your children will inherit.

“Thank you aunt Y/N.” She smiles up at you and your heart wrenches at the sight. You give her a kiss on the forehead and help her off the counter.

“You are very welcome, Jade. And I think you’ve earned the biggest slice of cake, what do you guys think?” You turn to the other children with an inquisitive gaze and they all nod quickly in agreement- wanting desperately to make their injured friend feel better. “Okay, bottoms in seats then!”

All the kids scramble to find seats around the table as you go about handing them each a plate with cake in it- making sure to give Jade the biggest slice.  Draco knows that he should feel envious at how easily you get the kids to bend at your will despite the fact that he spends way more time with them, but all he can feel is an immense sense of love and pride swelling in his heart. He feels soft.

He knows that the ‘woman can have it all’ mantra is often misleading and impractical but the truth is that you can have it all. Somehow you juggle your family and work so well it almost looks flawless, and while he knows how hard you work to keep it all steady, he still always finds himself speechless at how well you do it. Even after spending countless nights reassuring you that you’re not a bad mother for wanting a career, he can’t seem to understand why you’d ever doubt your abilities when he watches you in action.

Badass auror in the papers, loving mother in the house and generous lover in the-

“Draco?”

“Oh, sorry love, did you say something?” He blinks back his thoughts and smiles down at you.

You tilt your head backwards in a laugh and move to hand your husband the baby, “I was asking what you want to get for dinner? Blaise and Luna are picking up Jade and Liam soon so I thought that maybe we could just order in for dinner tonight?”

“That sounds lovely actually, I’m not particularly interested in cooking or eating Flora’s burnt food.” He says with a grimace- referring to your very incompetent house elf.

“You really should fire her.”

“She’s got nowhere else to go.” He pouts and you roll your eyes.

“When did you become so soft?” You raise your eyebrows at him and he shrugs as he watches you speak sweetly to your son that he’s got in his arms.

In that moment he already knows the answer, he became so soft the minute you came into his life, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

“I won hide and seek by the way, so that cake was rightfully mine.” Scorpius grumbles out- even though he wears the signature Malfoy grin on his lips- and you all laugh at his random outburst.

<~>

So there’s my first ever request! I hope I did it justice, it was a little difficult to put someone else’s vision down and into words but it was a really nice challenge and I’d like to do more so please feel free to request moreeee.

Jean <3

#draco #draco malfoy #draco x y/n #draco imagine #draco fanfiction #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco angst #draco fluff #dad draco #fluff #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter imagine #harry potter x reader #blaise zabini #luna lovegood

157 notes · View notes

tamakissimp · 4 years

Text

headcanon- secret santa

summary: they’re their crush’s secret Santa

characters: Izuku, Shoto, Iida, Shinso, Dabi

warnings: cursing

request: @awkwardteengirl505 hey hun! sorry to be a pain but can you do a secret Santa part 2 please? with the rest of the gang like izu, sho,dabi ect. also hope your having a fabulous day :D

a/n: thank you! I hope you have a good day too! and yes, I was already kinda planning on doing these headcanons for more characters so thank you for requesting!🥰

𝕚𝕫𝕦𝕜𝕦

𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 𝟞𝟡𝟡

Izuku bits his tongue to keep his giggles down. He didn't even need to fully read your name, he could recognize your handwriting anywhere. Heat flushes through his cheeks as his mind goes wild with ideas for potential gifts.

"Who'd you get 'Zuki?" you suddenly ask. His heart skips a beat at the nickname. He quickly stuffs the piece of paper into his pocket and looks in your eyes. A mistake, on his part, since he immediately looks down to the ground after.

"No one!" he says a little too quickly. You hold your hands up in the air and take a step away from him. Izuku curses at himself for his response. "I mean, i-it's a secret! A t-total secret s-so I can't t-tell you.".

You nod at his words before flashing him a smile. "Okay, okay. Then I'm not telling you either,' you say as you shoot him a wink. You turn away from him when Ochako taps on your shoulder. She happily shows you her note before you show her yours.

Izuku stars at your interaction with your mutual friend. A small smile tugs on his lips as he sees how happy you get. You whisper in Ochaka's ear so that none of the others can hear you. God, he needs to make this gift perfect.

☆◦ 。＼｜／。◦☆

Izuku unwraps his gift with shaky fingers. He carefully pulls the black ribbon off the box before moving into the green wrapping paper. Out from under the paper, a box appears. Simple doodles decorate the sides. He recognizes some of them. They're the same doodles you always draw on your notes.

The drawings range from hearts to flowers to little face. A blush washes through his cheeks. He quickly lifts the lid of the box. A sweater lays waiting for him. He quickly grabs it out the box. He runs the soft material between his fingers.

Izuku looks up at you. A goofy smile is plastered on your lips. Yep, that makes it official. This sweater is the only thing he is going to wear for the next week.

"T-Thank you so much!" he says as he gives you a little bow. You nudge his side while shaking your head.

"Stop with those formalities," you say before pulling him in for a hug. Izuku remains frozen as you hug him. He memorizes the feeling of your body presses against his. He bites his tongue to stop a whine from spilling out as you pull away.

"Now, I think it's your turn if I'm correct," Shoto says. You nod at the half-and-half boy as you reach towards the gift bag with your name on it. It's small, smaller than the others.

Izuku's body runs cold as he watches you unpack his gift. Insecurity clouds his brain. Compared to your gift, his is trash. Maybe he shouldn't have taken Iida's advice.

A gasp leaves your lift as you read over the words written on the slip of paper stuffed in the gift bag. "A...date?" you ask before looking over at Izuku. His cheeks as he looks over at his 'gift'.

Coupon good for one date

Fuck. He should have thought of something else. Why would you want to go on a date with him? Facing rejection in front of his friends will be the worse thing to ever happen to him-

"I thought you'd never ask," you say. Wait, what? Izuku's head whips up to look at you. That same goofy smile from earlier is displayed on his lips. His heart fills up with the heat.

"Really-" he says. You cut him off but moving forwards, cupping his face and planting your lips on his. Izuku stiffens for a second before melting into the kiss. It's brief, but it's all he could ever wish for.

You pull away only to be welcomed from various comments and wolf whistles from your friends.

"I thought you two would never confess," Shoto says. You finally look away from Izuku to stare at the 'coupon' once again. Izuku laughs a little as Iida gives him a couple of reassuring pats on his back. O God, is he thankful that he's your secret Santa.

𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕥𝕠

𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 𝟞𝟜𝟘

Christmas is new to him. His parents were to busy abusing raising their kids to bother with holidays. All he knew about Christmas comes from the few Hallmark movies he saw. So when Izuku told him that the whole, so-called, Deku-squad were going to do secret Santa it took a lot of explaining. You took the role of guiding Shoto through it.

"Just, grab a note," you say as you point to the bowl sitting in front is Shoto. He nods before reaching into the bowl and grabbing a note. He looks at you again. "Open it up! See who you got.".

Shoto folds the note open. His eyes widen as he sees your name scribbled on the note. He quickly folds it closed again. "And?" you ask. "Why'd you get?".

"It's a secret, isn't it?" Shoto says. You laugh at him. You expected Iida to stick to the rules, not Shoto.

"That's true," you say. "It's a bummer though. I got Izuku.".

Shoto nods at that. Some part of him is disappointed that you aren't his secret Santa. He would even dare to say that he's jealous of Izuku. Though he pushes those thoughts back down quickly. He has no reason to be jealous, right?

☆◦ 。＼｜／。◦☆

'Y-Y/n, it's your t-turn!" Izuku says. You smile at him and grab the bag with your name on it. Izuku's attention is immediately turned back on the various amounts of Allmight merchandise you got him.

You look over your group of friends before looking back at the gift bag. You quickly grab every gift out of the bag. From the looks, if it, your secret Santa went above the budget. Way above the budget.

A simple chain necklace, a new Christmas sweater, a gift card for your favourite store. You quickly realized who your secret Santa was. Only one person had enough money to pull this off. You were certain when you pulled a new phone case out of the gift bag. It has a photo of you and Shoto printed on the back off it.

Once all the gifts are stalled out around you, you turn to your friend. "Shoto, you shouldn't have," you say before pulling him in a for a hug.

Shoto awkwardly wraps his arms around your shoulders. A smile tugs on his lips as he feels you nuzzle into his neck. You pull away again to glance at the gifts.

"I can't accept all of these," you say. Shoto quickly shakes his head.

"From my understanding, secret Santa's were supposed to give each other gifts, correct?" Shoto asks. You nod at his words. "Then please, do accept them.".

You sigh. You could see that there was a meaning behind every gift. A shirt that Shoto already owned, so that you match now. A teddy bear, that is similar to one he once won for you at a fare. A box of chocolates from the brand you both enjoy.

You nod before mentioning towards Iida to grab his gift. He happily reaches towards the pile laying in front of you all.

"I'll accept them if..." you say. "If you let me pay you back. Let me take you out for food tonight.".

Shoto's cheeks flush at the idea of you two going to a restaurant. Could this be? Maybe...

"Are you asking me out on a date?" he asks. A nervous smile spreads over your lips.

"If I am, would you say yes?" you ask. Shoto nods. You happily smile before giving his arm a light squeeze. Shoto's eyes widen at the action but he can't deny the butterflies swarming up because of it.

"Then consider it a date!" you say. Shoto nods before looking away from you and towards Iida, who's now unpacking his gifts. God, never had he guessed that Christmas could be this much fun.

𝕚𝕚𝕕𝕒

𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 𝟞𝟝𝟙

Secret Santa was just another opportunity for Iida to prove that he was a class president. He made it his personal mission to get his secret Santa the best gifts money could get.

He is busy hyping himself up as he reaches into the bowl to grab a note. He unfolds it. Y/n. Fuck. Ass. Shit. Fucking fuck. Panic washes through his body.

"Iida!" you say. The panic that was building up in him melts the moment he hears your voice. He turns towards you with a smile on his lips. You run over to him with a goofy smile on your lips.

Once you reach him, you tap him a couple of times on his arm. "Do you want to go gift shopping with me? Please?" you ask. He can't say no to you. Not when you give him those big, puppy-dog eyes paired with that goofy grin.

Iida quickly nods. "Yes! Of course," he says. "I'll take you shopping. That's what a good friend does!".

"Great! How about tomorrow at four?" you ask. Iida nods. You smile at him one last time before running off to talk to god knows who. Iida remains in his spot, relishing the warmth flowing through his heart. He is thankful that his mind is still clouded by a loving fog. If not, he would be freaking out on how he's going to hide that fact that he's your secret Santa.

☆◦ 。＼｜／。◦☆

Iida's normally calm composure is now failing on him. To him, it feels like you're unpacking your gift at an agonizingly slow pace. While in reality, you're tearing through the baby blue wrapping paper at rapid speed.

His fists clench and unclench as he tries to keep his nerves at bay. When you have finally thorn away all the wrapping paper, a smile spreads over your lips.

You proudly hold your gift in your hands. A little basket filled with snacks, a new mug and a book from your favourite author. Along with a letter situated in a pretty green envelope.

"This is so sweet!" you say. With that, Iida's body relaxes. A cocky smile spreads over his lips. "Who's my secret Santa?".

With that, Iida lifts his hand. You carefully place the basket on the ground beside you before crawling over to Iida and pulling him into a hug. "Thank you," you whisper into his shoulder.

Iida's smile grows at your hug. His nerves are on fire and his senses are tingling. His happily wraps his arms around you. You pull away from him - way too quickly for Iida - and look him in the eyes.

"What's in the envelope?" you asks. Iida's cheeks grow red at the question.

"Um-N-Nothing!" he quickly says. "Just open it when you're by yourself, okay?". You nod at him before crawling back to your original space, wondering what could be in that envelope.

✨bonus✨

You clutch the small basket to your chest as you take quick steps towards your dorm. You pull the door open and rapidly throw it shut behind you. You gently place the basket onto your bed before gabbing the envelope out of it.

The light green colour suprised you. Blue would have suited Iida better but it's pretty none the less. You quickly open it before snatching the letter out of it. You gently fold it open before reading it.

You're way too excited to read the whole thing. You opt for scanning the text quickly instead. I trust you. Well, that's good. Trust is essential in friendship. I hope you won't treat me differently. Wait, what? I like you.

Oh, crap. Meet me tonight at my dorm have feelings for me as well. If not, we'll pretend I never confessed.

You throw the letter down onto your bed and run over to Iida's dorm. If Aizawa would have seen how fast you ran, he would have been proud.

𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕠

𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 𝟟𝟘𝟠

To say that he was surprised when you invited him for secret Santa, was an understatement. Most of the school feared him, though you never did. You opened him with wide arms and showed him what it's like to be treated like a normal person.

Shinso ignores the hateful glares thrown his way. The only thing he's paying attention to is the way you pull him towards the bowl that Kirishima is holding.

"Y/n!" the redhead says. You greet him as well. "Oh, you brought Shinso.". For a moment, a prepares himself for another hateful comment thrown his way. "You're in general studies, right?". Oh, that wasn't so bad.

Shinso nods at Kirishima. A smile spreads over the redhead's lips. "Cool! I heard that your quirk is super manly!"

Shinso looks over at you with confused eyes. "Hell yeah," you say before reaching into the bowl and grabbing a note. "Hitoshi's quirk is badass.".

A smile spreads over Shinso's lips before grabs a note as well. "You're unbreakable, right?" he asks. Kirishima proudly smiles at him while humming in agreement. "That's...cool,".

"And manly," you add. Kirishima chuckles at you before excusing himself to continue handing out notes. You turn back towards Shinso.

"Let's see who we got!" you say. Shinso nods before folding his note open. Y/n. Thank fucking god. He would have died is he had someone else, let alone a big-mouthed little shit like Bakugou.

He looks over to you. The moment you've read the name on the note, you quickly close it again. A bright smile falls on your lips as stupid giggles follow suit.

"Did you get me?" Shinso asks. He means it teasingly but you take it seriously. Your eyes grow wide.

"How did you know?" you ask. Shinso chuckles to himself before wrapping an arm around your shoulder and leading the two of you towards the couch standing in the common room.

"Only I could make you giggle like a fucking idiot," he adds. You shake your head as you snuggle into his hold. Fuck, was he glad he pulled your note.

☆◦ 。＼｜／。◦☆

The whole afternoon has gone by surprisingly well. So far, Bakugou has only blown two holes in the whole, Denki has only short-circuited ones and Iida has only given five lectures. No one has said anything hurtful to Shinso. The 1-A class have started to warm up to the general studies student. Shinso would even dare to say that he was having a good time. Though, sipping hot chocolate while laughing his ass off with you could make any activity 'good'.

"Come on, idiot. You're next," Bakugou groans out. He has his arms folded over his chest, doing his best to put on a 'tough guy' facade. Though, his attempts fail since the pastel orange cap that Kirishima gifted him is still planted firmly on his head. The knitted yarn along with the fluffy pomp-pomp sitting on top of it makes Bakugou look more like an angry toddler than a threat.

With a smile, you grab your gift bag. You look over at Shinso before opening the bag up. He's lazily leaning against the couch while taking slow sips of his hot chocolate.

The jet-black gift bag reveals a white scarf. Sloopy stitches and small holes quickly give away the fact that it's homemade. The creamy white colour reminds you of only one person.

You look over to Shinso to see him already smirk at you. You quickly wrap the scarf around your neck. The soft wool feels amazing against your skin.

"Did you make this, 'Toshi?" you ask. Shinso slowly nods. You run your fingers over the fabric again. "Thank you. Really, thank you.".

Shinso's heart flutters at the sight of you. Your excitement travels over to him and he can't stop a goofy smile from pulling on his lips.

"Shitty hair, you're next!" Bakugou calls as he points at Shinso.

He shakes his head as he grabs his own gift bag. "My hair is not shitty, it's cool," he says before grabbing his gift out of the bag.

"Meh, it's actually kinda shitty," you interject while rubbing the scarf against your cheek. Shinso shakes his head at you. God, you're a dork. But you're his dork.

𝕕𝕒𝕓𝕚

𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 𝟜𝟛𝟟

The only reason he agreed to do this was to stop Toga from bugging him. That and the chance that he could get to be your secret Santa. Or better yet, get you to be his.

While flirting was normally his forte, all his skills when out the window when it came to you. He stumbles of his words and his hands start shaking. He feels like a highschool boy all over again. Maybe he could use this as a way to get you to go out with him.

"Bacon bits, come on and pick one," Shigaraki calls. Dabi grumbles at the nickname.

"Not my name, crusty," he says before sticking his hand into Mr Compress' hat. Please be Y/n. Just this once, let the universe work in his favour. He pulls the note out of the hat. He folds it open. Y/n.

Dabi thanks any god that might be up there. For once, luck is on his side. Dabi's eyes shoot over to you. You're talking with a giddy Toga. She's hanging on your arm and discussing potential gifts with you.

You look over at him. He winks at you and you quickly look back at Toga, too flustered to look at Dabi again. He chuckles to himself before walking over a dark corner of the bar try to look 'cool' and 'mysterious'. No one can know that he's secretly thinking if a romantic present to give you.

☆◦ 。＼｜／。◦☆

"Y/n-chan! Open your gift!" Toga whines out. You shake your head at her as you carefully tear the wrapping paper away. It's clearly cheap. Knowing your friends, most likely stolen, though you don't mind. You smile as you see your gift.

A small teddy bear with dark purple patches to match Dabi's scars. You quickly look over at him. "So you can cuddle it. I know you want the real thing," he says while gesturing to his body. "But this is the closest you'll get.".

You smile brightly at him as you wrap your arms around the plushy. Dabi's heart does summersaults at the sight of you, though he does his best to hide that.

"So I'll never get to snuggle with you?" you ask with a fake pout. Dabi rolls his eyes at you.

"If you wanted to get into my bed you could have just said so, baby," he says. You look away from him again as you mention for Toga to open her gift.

Dabi smirks as he continues to watch you cradle the plushie. Some part of him grows envious of the inanimate object. Maybe, he'll offer to cuddle you tonight. Maybe.

190 notes · View notes

simpcxty · 4 years

Text

Tenya Iida NSFW

Okay okay, hear me out.

Tenya likes grinding, humping, just anything of the sorts. He likes the friction, of course he likes sex too. But there’s something about grinding that he finds appealing.

Ofc the characters in this are aged up to 18+

I’m gonna make one thing clear, I do not promote minors reading nsfw content.

But we all know I can say minors DNI and they’ll just read it anyway without interacting. Or they’ll disregard what I say completely and interact anyway.

So with that, I’ll just say READ RESPONSIBLY, instead.

Also, idk why I switch POV’s so much. That really annoys me. I’m gonna need to work on that, but here’s this :)

——————————————————

Third POV

“Ugh finally.” She slammed her study book shut and started to collect her things. Tenya collapses backwards on his back making her laugh.

“We’ve been studying for hours, I’m ready to just curl up in bed and sleep.” She goes to stand up but Tenya pulls her back down quickly.

She blushes at the compromising position he had pulled her into, but decides to tease him to try and ease her nerves.

"Tenya if you wanted to cuddle me all you had to do was ask." The flushed pink that was occupying his ears turned into a flushed red that spread to his face as he sputters on his words.

Reader POV

"T-That's not it- not that I wouldn't, you're very cuddle-able- not that I'm flirting with you because that'd be weird- again not that I wouldn't, you're very beautiful and you have the ideal body type that I would love to cuddle-" i decided to cut his nervous rambling off.

"Tenya, it's okay, I was just joking." He nods but before anything else can happen he tightens his grip around my waist, making the position we were in, even more awkward.

When he pulled me on top of him my legs wrapped around his waist in a straddling position.

I know he realized what he did as soon as he did it because it sent a shiver not just up my spine but his too.

The moment he tightened his arms around my waist and pulled me down tighter, he had inadvertently pushed our most sensitive areas against each other.

He had let out an accidental strained moan when he did it too. Not that I could blame him, I did too.

No words were spoken, just more moans as he purposefully did it this time.

That was only the start.

I was still wearing my uniform and so was he. There were very thin layers between us right now, therefore, it was easy to feel his member start to harden while it pressed against me.

And as he moves his hands to my hips, instead of pulling me down tighter, he lifts his hips up into mine.

A similar sensation, but also different in completely different way.

"T-Tenya, what are we d-doing?" He lifts his hips more and pulls me down as he does it.

Tenya POV

She lets out a moan at that one. A genuine one.

I didn't know how to answer that question in this moment.

I do know that she's making the cutest noises and the feeling of her grinding against my cock was the best thing right now.

Wait when did she start doing that?

"Tenya~ mmh." That desperate little moan was enough to give me the confidence to flip us over and push her skirt up.

"This is okay? Right? I'll stop as soon as you say the word." She nods and unexpectedly pulls me into a kiss.

This was different.

Yes grinding against her felt great. But this, this felt proper, her lips tasted like chocolate and banana, along with a hint of mint. Probably from her toothpaste.

“More than okay.” She looks up at me and every bit of my self control went out the window.

I ground my hips against hers at the exact same moment she decided to lift hers up into mine, causing us both to slow our movements for a moment.

As I feel her start to move slowly again. My hand decided to have a mind of its own and wrap itself around her throat.

The little gasp that leaves her throat as she feels my fingers start to squeeze makes me twitch in my pants.

Reader POV

"T-Tenya- we should stop. You're gonna regret it later-" he interrupts me with a sigh.

"No I won't." His hand moves to cup my jaw and he presses his lips to mine gently. As if he was giving me an opportunity to pull away.

I didn't.

The kiss was passionate, but slow and loving.

"I would never regret anything with you." He presses his lips back against mine for a quick kiss and when he pulled away he laid his head on my chest.

His bed was soft, but I'm pretty sure the real comfort I was experiencing was from him.

"What are you-" his arms wrap around my waist and his head rests in my chest now.

"Cuddles." I smile a bit.

"Why?" He looks confused.

"Do you not want me to?" He starts removing himself from the position he's in.

I quickly pulled him back in though.

"I didn't say that. I quite like the feeling of your arms around my waist." I gently run my fingers through his hair.

He sighs and I go to pull my hands away.

"No!" He whines and moves his head from the position it's in to whine at me.

The confidence came out of nowhere, but I shoved his head back into my chest.

My fingers slowly move through his hair again, earning soft sighs from the boy wrapped around me.

"You're a Teddy bear." He nods and pushes my boobs together, shoving his face in between them causing me to blush.

"I can be yes-" he interrupts himself as he pulls himself out of where he was, just to push my shirt up and shove his head underneath and do it.

"T-TENYA!" My face was furiously red at this point.

"I can also be quite mischievous at times." He finishes what he was saying earlier only to attach his lips to my left breast, sucking and biting roughly.

Third

The more dark marks he left along her chest the more she started to squirm underneath him.

He leaves a particularly dark one planning on making it the last one.

Until she wrapped her legs around his legs and pulled him in closer.

It wouldn't have been a problem, except he had unbuttoned his uniform slacks earlier to ease the pressure on his dick.

So when she had pulled him in by his legs it had pulled down his slacks.

So now it was just two very, very, thin layers in between them.

"S-Shit." His hands were groping her hips now as he decided to push his hips into hers experimentally. His head was still buried under her shirt leaving more and more hickeys along her chest. Not caring that he was running out of room.

"T-Tenya-" she's interrupted by a moan as he grinds his hips into hers again.

"D-Don't stop. Please- ngh~" she's interrupted by a different moan as he picks up his speed and puts more pressure into the clothed thrusts.

"S-Shit" he lets out a breathy moan when she lifts her hips to the lazy thrusts.

He quickens his speed again sending her hands to his shoulders.

"Tenya, if you keep going I'm gonna cum." She lets out a groan as she lifts her hips to meet his.

"That's the idea- oh fuck- do you know how hot it'd be if the first time I make you cum is gonna be without even actually using my dick or my fingers on you?-" He interrupts his sentence to pull her hips against him roughly.

"Just me pushing and pulling you against me, leaving hickeys all over your pretty chest, just that is enough to make you cum huh?" His words were definitely more than enough to push her over the edge.

Which pushed him over the edge because of her noises and the way her legs tightened around his as she came.

"Looks like it went both ways huh?" She lets out a breathy laugh as he collapses next to her.

He chuckled and then looked down at the mess in his boxers.

"I can make sure you get back to your dorm without being bothered if you want. I'm sure you don't want to be pestered about the situation, and because of your cum soaked panties." He smiled cheekily causing her to shove her face in his neck and groan.

"You're lucky it didn't get on my skirt or I'd be having a completely different attitude towards you right now." He smirks and leaves a soft kiss against her neck.

"It takes two to tango."

———————————————

Phew, okay this is all over the place but it’s done. So I took this from a fic on my Wattpad. So I had to augment it a bit. But I hope y’all enjoy it, and if you don’t. Well I honestly don’t give a fuck. I’m tired. So enjoy or don’t :)

#tenya iida #iida x reader #tenya smut

69 notes · View notes

life-rewritten · 4 years

Text

Giants of Thai BL AKA The MOST ANTICIPATED THAI BL SHOWS FOR 2021

It's weird to think that the year 2020 has ended. This has been a journey in the past year, on the surface everywhere you looked it looked like there was no place to be happy and excited because of all the things that happened. It was suffocating at times, tiring at best, and it was just astonishing how many things could go wrong in only one year. That being said, one genre/demographic that grew even stronger this year, took some time to impress and improve on its tropes, its ideas and concepts and that's BL. Which also took some of us by surprise, for the ones who've been watching BL since the first oldies, to the new people who joined and also became in love with the genre and have stayed since then. BL has been an incredible, interesting journey, and I am so happy to say that it looks like 2021 isn't letting go of that energy. So to celebrate entering 2021, a year hopefully for a release from all the worries in 2020, a year to restart, refresh and keep getting better, here are the Giants of Thai Bl making their way in 2021. We have so many insane ones, from more mafia dramas to new unique non-university storylines, to og actors, and new powerful ones, to interesting pairings and new channels producing shows for 2021 to many many more countries joining the fight to be the top of our affections and energy. Thai BL is not going anywhere, and you know what that's perfectly fine with me.

GMMTV

I already did a whole squeal about the shows upcoming from GMMTV here: But after careful consideration here is my top 3 most anticipated: Enchante, Not Me, Bad Buddy. I know Enchante beat out ATOTS, but for me, I'm obsessed with the way the writer plans secrets and meta to unveil, and I keep repeating it's by Theory of Love director and production team. I'm so excited. I just hope they put in the same energy and effort they used in theory of love for this you have so many potential incredible actors that can take over this genre if you give them a good script and hard work. Hopefully, GMMTV intends to do so for not just their royal couple shows but also for rookie actors because Book and Force in this trailer? Looks fantastic.

Studio Wabi-sabi

When I hear about Studio Wabi-Sabi, you see two juxtaposed reactions from me, one you see anticipation and excitement from seeing my most loved actors off-screen; however, you also hear a groan from me. I'm sorry I didn't use to be this way, I used to be so ready to embrace every show directed and created by New Siwaj; in 2020, New was one of the directors I kept having headaches about because of all his shows in 2020? What exactly happened? Why did they flop so hard? Why was he so slow? I'm hoping that it's because he had too many projects to handle at the same time since fair enough LBC was filmed same time as GMMTV My gear and your gown and maybe that was too much to handle? But the reason why I like News choices usually are because they're emotional, impressive with their plot lines and have good character arcs and couples we end up falling in love with. He could be an iconic director because he has so much talent in his company, so I'm hoping he uses his lessons and grows and becomes better in 2021. But Let's get to the shows announced so far for 2021 because they both have the potential to take over 2021. I said what I said.

Between Us

Genre: Friends with benefits, Romance, Comedy, PTSD, Angst,

Ahh, this is incredible. I'm so happy. Win and Team are from a great tv show already with Until We Meet Again and not going to lie, but seeing Buon as Win and Prem as Team? Perfection. Like guys I actually fell so hard for this couple despite their low screen time. Buon stole the scene each time he appeared, with his little smirks, and mischief, with flirty bad-boy energy and their relationship, was precisely what I live for passionate and full of chemistry. They're great, which is why it's so exciting to see that Between Us is getting its own show, the show based on these two love story in a parallel timeline to Until we meet again. I screamed. The book sounds interesting; we're getting some conversations about PTSD, some healing relationships, and angst and more passion. I'm so excited about this since I first saw BuonPrem. I knew they were going to get known enough to bring their own show. And they deserve it, let's hope we get an interesting script that keeps us invested, enough opportunities for these two to have softer and profound moments whilst still holding on to their passion, and let the drama not be stale but addicting. Please New, don't let this show also be slow-paced, I'll lose it if another show is ruined by directing from you.

Ratings: 4/5: BuonPrem, they leap off the screen, their chemistry is that great. From hearing about the plot I'm also excited to a more in-depth look into Team's insomnia and his past and psychological scars, and I'm hoping to see a deeper reason for why these two should be together.

Love Mechanics 2

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Angst, Drama, Friends with benefits, Unrequited love,

That's the thing about Wabi-Sabi; they have amazing actors that steal our hearts away. This shows cast is no different, it's YinWar and it's a collab with Channel 3. Like What? It's everything. YinWar from Love Mechanics trended with millions of people obsessed and wanting the show to be extended and actually appropriately done. In came Channel 3 and we have this gem coming on April. No words. YinWar on screen is thrilling; War is just outstanding as Mark, his nuances, his glares, his looks of pain and longing, man I was absorbed into it. Although LM's writing is toxic and really left me feeling confused and uncomfortable with the details pushed aside, it was hard to ship VeeMark when Yin's character made terrible decisions and was awful even in the book. I'm the queen of analysing damaged flawed characters, and I don't run away from toxicity as long as there is a growth and change later on, as long as there's a good reason we needed to see that. For Vee's character, his actions were unnecessary for us to know about his character; they were just messy and upsetting. That's why I think seeing more depth for his actions and seeing Mark regress and also make mistakes like him will even out their relationship and make me feel more understanding about how these two flawed characters came to be and why they should be together. Let's hope with funds from Channel 3, more effort and energy put into the show, it'll be great because with actors like War this show can be just as big as it was when it had errors. Maybe even better.

Ratings 3.5/5 Love mechanics messy storyline makes me worried about this, but I think I might have a great time watching and analysing Mark's revenge after being heartbroken. The angst and drama of it all just sound interesting.

Channel 3

2020 brought a new surprise with Channel 3 deciding to invest in BLS. BLs have always been not on mainstream channels, so seeing Channel 3 in Thailand decide to make their own shows, a collab with other companies, and bring some directors and writers and actors known in the BL world already, shows they are serious. This may be because of the success of 2gether and other breakthroughs in 2019 taking over the scene. But I can see that Channel 3 did not come here to play, they are researching, looking for ways to make a great BL with the information provided on the past BLs and they want to make it big. And you know what with shows like GEN Y showing up last year, I want to believe that Channel 3 is a competition for GMMTV and others. They invest in funds and have longer minutes for their episodes, and they also pay attention to international fans by streaming on new places like Iquiyi and others. It's exciting. Channel 3 has already dipped their toes with Love Mechanics, and in 2021 they have even more shows to give us:

Teddy Bear Miracle

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Supernatural, Drama, Friends to Lovers, Fantasy, Mystery, Lakorn

What a weird title for a show. What an odd premise. What a bizarre book. But you know what I'm so excited about this; this is meant to be a lakorn series that is BL. Like wow, it has a good cast, known faces in the Thai acting scene and a director/screenwriter who has won awards for his own script. That's even more exciting. But the best thing about this is that it's a fantasy and has supernatural themes, yep it's weird we're dealing with a magic system where teddy bears come to life, and other inanimate objects talk? But I'm so excited to see what this brings; we have a man transformed from a teddy bear with amnesia who's searching for his past and how he ended up as one and his owner who's not yet ready to let his comfort go. It's so interesting, with family history and drama and of course, a romance that will probably touch my heart. I'm excited for this zany, wacky and dramatic show. Normally, I shy away from the crazy because I don't like crack humour, and it just means a bunch of many irritating sound effects and editing choices. But I want to trust the whole team from Channel 3, from the behind the scenes the show looks great, the couple has chemistry, and I'm excited to delve into the mystery at play and see what this story is meant to become. So excited honestly.

Ratings: 4.1/5 The wacky magic system scares me not going to lie, but I have faith for some reason in Channel 3, so I think this might shock us all. I think we'll get good acting, and perhaps good directing too. The mystery might also make me want to analyse. We shall see.

Lovely Writer

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Angst, Drama, Acting/Writing Industry, Haters to Lovers,

Did you say Kao and Up and P'Tee the director of TharnType the series? Sign me up I'm there; I've been screaming a bit since I heard about this series. From the first time, it was announced that Channel 3 was turning the book into a show, I was like this sounds unique again? And it has an interesting plot, I guess, and it's also going to have drama. I'm hopeful then. When I heard about the whole team and watched the trailer, I got into it even more. Lovely Writer sounds right up my alley, to be honest, we have this introverted writer who is determined to write a masterpiece and stop his company from making him produce BLs for the hype only for his next project to be a BL show which leads him to his new sneaky, sly, wolf in sheep's clothing roommate. Kao played his roommate from Until we meet again who won my heart as Korn and made me cry buckets. So, of course, I'm excited, Nubsib (Kao) may have some tricks up his sleeve to get next to Gene, but I think things will be more complicated than he thought, I'm ready to explore the world of the film industry and dating scandals that Gene and Sib will fall into the more they fall for each other. The angst and drama. Can't wait. Also, TharnType is one of my favourite series, and one of the reasons is because of Tee so... That's even more reason to see Gene and Sip's love story develop. Will it be as angsty, passionate and filled with plot twists? From what I hear maybe.

Ratings: 4/5 I just think this is an excellent team for a BL backed by Channel 3 and also has an exciting plot filled with ups and downs. I'm excited to see what happens and from the behind the scenes they released in the new year I think it'll be right up my alley.

NADAO

It had to be mentioned that I'm still in shock that Nadao is investing more into BL's. I don't know why, it just feels too good to be true, after giving me show after show that's perfection and quality I'm starting to have high expectations and hope for more, despite my weary heart not wanting to trust that this is real. I'm dramatic, I know. Anyways Nadao has gifted me twice with two shows that have shocked me and made my jaw fall in awe. I'm just like wow, they really did that. Every single piece of work that comes from them is art. Every single script is exceptionally written. Every single show is acted beautifully, and every single director and producer makes me inspired by the way they create. This is when focusing on their BLs because Great Man Academy and I told sunset about you are masterpieces in their own way, they deserve to be praised and never forgotten. It's just incredible that with a company like Nadao, everything falls into place, even when we think it won't because of past experiences. Nadao has shown up and decided to create unique pieces each thoughtful. Deep and breathtaking. Why won't I be over the moon when 2021 announces that we're getting another part from them with I told sunset about you getting a sequel. You bet I haven't stopped screaming and looking at the time to hurry up, so we get to March 11. I'm serious.

ITSAY PART 2

Genre: Romance, Angst, Drama, University, Coming of age

And that's because of what ITSAY was to us in 2020. It was something that can't be explained concisely. It was everything. To hear that we're getting the second part of the story of Oh and Teh, I feel like I am already preparing my heart and mind for another invasion, last time I was a mess because of this show, I was all over the place because of this show, and I was incredibly happy for a moment because of this show. To relive that again would be everything. It's slightly worrying that Teh and Oh finally getting together and fighting through the odds to stay together will run into more obstacles. Are you kidding me? After all, we went through to see them together?? It makes me worried, I have this real distrust for sequels of BLs, and it hasn't changed despite 2020 producing some okay follow-ups. Sequels never meet the expectation set; sequels are always reduced in quality because the focus is now on popularity and fame, sequels lose their integrity of the characters we've come to know and love and sequels hurt. They make me sometimes give up on a show that is my love, and it hurts. It's a painful realisation that I can't take away or forget the sequel events, so these characters are now ruined infinitely for me—looking at Together with me next chapter. It's scary. But Nadao hasn't failed yet, I mean it when I say their scripts are like works of art, I mean it when I say you can tell they put blood, sweat and tears to create their shows, why would ITSAY part 2 be any different? These two shows I mentioned before are coming together because the director of GMA is joining the team of ITSAY to produce whilst Boss becomes the producer. As long as he's there, I'm fine, as long as we still get hard work, energy, effort and thought put into it. I'm fine. Because it translates on screen, I'll try to lower my expectations, but I can't wait to see BilkinPP as TehOh again. I can't wait to fall in love with the show all over again. Let's hope we all end up satisfied.

Ratings: 4.5/5 The being a sequel is what's deducting the 0.5. I can't come here and be a fool; I must guard my heart against disappointment somewhat, despite failing already to do so.

Other Affiliates

We have our other shows. These were a pleasant surprise. With all the growth of new BLs, it's starting to get crowded and saturated, but as much as it's hard to see which shows stand out above all the noise, some make you see it. These shows are the ones that stand out for me out of the rest in 2021. I don't know what companies they're from, all I know is the information given to me and past experiences.

KinnPorsche

Genre: Romance, Mafia, Angst, Drama, Friends to Lovers, Haters to Lovers, Bodyguard trope

AHHH. Can you hear me AHH. Okay, I'll calm down. But no really, KinnPorsche is finally preparing for filming and the cast has been set and I'm screaming. KinnPorsche was the book in 2020 that was announced as the most coveted; I remember so many fandoms wanted their actors to be chosen as the main cast. The reason? Because this is meant to be the first Mafia/Crime BL. Yes, you heard us, no more universities and engineers we're doing bodyguards and spoilt gangsters. I'm... But just knowing this, you just know that the show will also have angst, angst angstttt for days, drama, and a romance that probably involves haters to lovers, passion, and character development. We're coming in with guns blazing, with many side couples that look just as good and interesting, and many actors that look perfect for their roles. I cannot wait for KinnPorsche, especially when one of my favourite actors is going to be in it as a second lead Jeff Satur! Have you seen the posters, the character introduction, who they're casting for the rest of the show? This looks amazing, it seems well put together, and the whole team looks determined and ready to give us a great show. I'm honestly so excited, but I've also heard things about the book that I will have to wait for the show to be a judge of before saying. All I can say is quality of a show also includes the themes in the script, we're trying to evolve past the toxic plots and ideas in BL, so I'm hoping if there is any we cut it real quick and change that part. It's the producers and directors' choice to keep parts in that could be edited or removed. I haven't read the book, so I'm going to be wary about it for now, but from the whole cast, teasers, and posters I really think this show could be a favourite if appropriately handled.

Ratings: 4?/5 The question mark is for the rumours I've heard about the book. I can't lie that I want this show to be great and become one of my all-time favourites but with angst and violent personalities and passion comes leeways to toxicity and more and that's just not cute or needed.

My Engineer Season 2

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Angst, Drama, Friends to Lovers, Haters to Lovers, Unrequited love, University,

Okay, this is it, folks. My Engineer came in 2020 and knocked our socks off; it's the most underrated great show in 2020 (apart from why r u) in my opinion. It was brilliantly constructed with enough screen time and plot for every couple of the show. My Engineer is a great show; it didn't make it to my favourites because I had issues with the main couple, but it was my most enjoyed when it came to the side couples. Because we had KingRam, TharaFong, and MekBoss. (Sorry to BohnDuen Fans). These were some of the most exciting, heartfelt, loving couples in 2020, KingRam was just chef kiss. And to hear that we're getting a sequel based on them? Well you know what I did, I screamed. I loved both KingRam and TharaFrong they were done so well, acted so well, and they made me laugh and laugh and then squeal and blush. They were too cute. The ending of my engineer left both these couples on a cliff hanger; we had a depressing bro zone with TharaFong as Fong came to realise his feelings, we had a wait what moment with Ram telling King he wasn't drunk when the kiss happened which is essentially a 'we need to deal with this new situation' text. And it's got me so excited to see what happens next. The first part of this was excitement. The second part is sigh, sequels. I told you didn't sequels are just urgh. I couldn't stop my excitement about KingRam, and I went to read the novel, and I usually don't mind it, but I don't think if the sequel is based on their story that I'd like them in season 2. And that's ridiculous because they're finally the main couple of season 2, and TalayPerth is impressive to see on screen. Sigh. I wasn't happy when reading the book; there are specific actions and choices made that just shifts the dynamic of the first season into the opposite. And I'm not particularly excited to relive those moments. Let's just say I still have high hopes for My engineer mostly cause I don't know what's happening to the other couples; I really hope there's a change in the script, maybe more information, more reasons for the characters to act the way they do, more depth? Because I want to like this show, I want it successful, but I'm not a clown I can't pretend it will be if it's based on the books. We'll see if I'm proved wrong. I hope I am.

Ratings: 3.5- Why did I read the book why?? I should have come into it blind I would have given it a 5/5 just for KingRam. Sigh

Love Stage

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Gender Bender, Friends to Lovers, Childhood friends,

This was a shock. Thailand has started to remake mangas from Japan, and it's all the most loved ones. In 2021 we already have Antique Bakery being remade by GMMTV (Read my GMMTV Giants of 2021) and now we have Love Stage which is also getting a Japanese Movie remake out in 2021. It's a great manga, anime and it's going to be a fun show. I enjoyed the characters, and I liked the storyline. But what I'm the most excited about when it comes to this is Kaownah and Turbo finally, after years of waiting have a new series. YES. Kaownah plays Long in TharnType our villain, and he was incredible in that. I heard he and Turbo were meant to be in the show My Umbrella, but it was cancelled and forgotten which was disappointing. These two are so cute, they're known for their fanservice and their chemistry and friendship. And I like them a lot. I can't wait to see Love Stage. I think they'll kill it. Can't wait to hear more about it let's hope this time it sticks and comes through on our screens.

Ratings: 4/5 It's a fun storyline, and it has an excellent acting couple. I'm excited.

If 2021 already sounded brilliant because of GMMTV 2021, 2021 sounds even more exciting with these new shows; there's so many coming out, so many breaking stereotypes, so many unique plotlines, and so many great actors showing up. It's going to be a great year. I'm just glad BLs are growing, things are changing slowly, things are starting to have meaning and improve, international fans are being listened to, LGBT voices is also being listened to, we are getting there, not yet there but closer, every single time someone makes a choice to create a great plot and story that is more than just two guys making out, a show filled with heart, messages and essential representation with the good actors that also want the shows to mean something or are willing to put their all in it, every time someone chooses to make a good BL, you're paving the way for change and for the meaning of BL to change as well, for it just to be seen as something more in media. And that's needed for so many people who want shows like this to be respected and created for voices that need to be heard and displayed. Let’s see more with excellent quality in 2021.

#thai bl #bl series #bl drama #gmmtv 2021 #between us #love mechanics #itsay #i told sunset about you #my engineer #lovely writer #wrpup #2021

117 notes · View notes

jazy3 · 3 years

Text

Thoughts on Grey’s Anatomy: 17X17

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

I liked this episode, but I wish they had gone deeper and delved into things in a more in depth way for many of the storylines. It also felt to me like there should have been a Part 2 and that this episode should have been Part 1 of a two part finale rather than the Finale itself. I wish they had done this episode the one week earlier or that they had spaced out the content between two episodes because then we could have gotten longer scenes between each of the characters rather than short snippets.

I loved seeing Meredith back at the hospital working again and doing what she does best! I like Meredith in her new role, and I think combining that with starting to operate again as Richard once did is a good fit for her at this point in her career and in her recovery. I really enjoyed her storyline with Bailey and their conversations about tradition versus forming a new path because I can see both sides. I can see why doing the speech and following in Richard's footsteps was important to Bailey, but I can also see Meredith's point. As she says people are dying every day from COVID and the last thing the students need is for someone else to talk at them about medicine when what they really need is to practice and see real examples.

My favourite parts of the episode by far were the scenes with Meredith and Hayes! I loved the OR board scene. I loved their banter and the way they smiled at each other. I love that Hayes was cracking jokes about Meredith getting sick and them not being able to go out for a drink because of the pandemic because admitting how scared he was and how much he cares would be too painful. And I love that Meredith totally got that and matched what he was saying because it’s scary and painful for her too. In this scene we learned that Meredith knows that Hayes is the one that found her and that she remembers him talking to her while she was unconscious, begging her to fight, and talking to her about her kids.

We got confirmation that Hayes was asking Meredith out on a date at the end of last season and that she wishes they could have gone and had a drink before the pandemic hit. Hayes’ jokes about her getting sick to avoid having to turn him down and that it must have been some other Irishman begging her to wake up only work because it’s clear how untrue all of that is. Meredith clearly wants to go out with him and he’s obviously been worried sick about her and she knows that otherwise she would have reacted differently when he made those jokes. But she gives as good as she gets, matches him, and plays along because admitting how scary all of that is is just too much.

I also loved their scene in the Attendings Lounge although I wish it could have been longer and in a more intimate setting like one of their offices or a meeting room of some kind away from prying eyes. I love how Hayes just rolls with the punches. When he comes into the room Meredith is crying on the couch. It’s Christmastime and Hayes knows as a fellow widow how hard that the holidays can be. He comments says as much to Meredith, but she’s not in the mood for talking about how much she misses Derek, so she changes the subject and pretends that she’s upset about her patient Gerlie not being able to get a lung transplant.

So, Hayes plays along and talks about how great that would be. He then tells Meredith he got her a present and gives her a bottle whiskey. When Meredith comments that it’s opened and half full, he replies that he got for her on short notice. Which implies to me that he was planning on getting her a bottle of whiskey for Christmas, but he figured he’d see her later on, but when the opportunity arose for them to have a drink and he happened to have a half full opened bottle of whiskey he decided to give it to her as a gift rather than wait till later. Either that or he bought the bottle for her as a gift and then when he didn’t see her wound up drinking part of it only to run into her shortly thereafter.

I love that they were finally able to have a drink like they talked about, but I wish the scene was longer and more intimate. I was really hoping to see them talk about how hard it must have been for Hayes to find Meredith in the parking lot after what happened with Abigail and her time on the beach. I’m hoping that we’ll get to see that next season during one of their dates. I also really want to know what happened after they cut away. Did they continue to drink in the Attendings Lounge before going home? Did they retire to one of their offices to drink some more before going home?

I really loved the scene with them at Maggie’s wedding. The adoring way Hayes looked at Meredith and her kids as they came down the aisle and the look they shared during the ‘in sickness and health’ part of the vows. I’ve seen a few different interpretations of this and I would like to share my favourites. I’ve seen some people say that Hayes looked over at her and they shared a look because they both know what it means to love someone and watch them get sick and die young. Others have speculated that Hayes looks over at her because he waited for her when she was sick and now she’s healthy. Others have suggested that Hayes looked over at her in that moment and Meredith saw him in her peripheral vision and so she looked over and they shared that moment before turning back to the wedding.

Like a lot of fans I was really hoping to see them dance at Maggie and Winston’s wedding and while I’m disappointed that that didn’t happen she wouldn’t be Meredith Grey if she didn’t leap into action when her patient needed her. Plus, we now know that Teddy and Owen are engaged and will likely get married next season so they could presumably dance at their wedding. I wish the scenes between Meredith and Hayes in this episode had been longer and more intimate, but I understand that moving the timeline forward eight months made that difficult. It felt like they cut away from their scenes just as it was getting interesting and so with Meredith back on her feet and the show having moved forward to April 2021 I’m hoping that next season there won’t be as many time jumps and we’ll get to see longer more meaningful scenes with Meredith and Hayes like we did last season.

I'm excited to see them pick up this storyline next season and hopefully move it from a slow burn to a raging fire. Because I gotta be honest I was super into the slow burn element last season, but this season I was a bit annoyed. I sat through many a relationship of Meredith’s that I knew wasn’t going to work out or that wasn’t right and watching her and Hayes dance around each other when they could be together and happy is getting a bit tedious. Especially since I’m not as invested in the other couples as I am in Meredith and Hayes. I was super invested in Tom and Teddy, but now that’s over and with Tom in Boston there’s no chance of that storyline coming back full time.

I like Maggie and Winston and I like Amelia and Link but I’m not as invested in those couples as I am in Meredith and Hayes so I’m hoping for more movement next season. I love Meredith and Hayes together so much! I love their friendship and I love them as a romantic pairing. I love their banter and how they just get each other. I truly believe they will get together next season and that their relationship will be a big plot point in Season 18.

While I loved Maggie and Winston’s wedding the drama it took to get there to me was a bit ridiculous. While I'm glad that Maggie’s Dad and Winston’s Grandmother objected so that they could have a real wedding at the end of the episode which is what they really wanted and deserved I was frustrated by how that came about. Maggie literally made that exact point the previous episode and Winston took it as Maggie getting cold feet and was really upset about it. If he had just listened to Maggie and really thought about what she was saying he would have gotten it.

Instead, he got upset and Maggie wound up compromising to the point that the backyard wedding wasn’t at all what she wanted, and Amelia wasn’t even there because she got called into work. Maggie did all of the compromising and Winston did none. Then his grandmother makes the same exact point as Maggie did the week prior and suddenly he gets it? It felt a bit like drama for drama's sake. That being said, I loved their official wedding! I thought it was beautiful. I am happy that Maggie finally found happiness with someone who gets her (most of the time) and I'm excited to see her adjust to married life next season.

I have a similar critique about Amelia and Link’s storyline. Up until these last couple of episodes they’ve had a very healthy relationship which was sabotaged when Link became convinced out of the blue that Amelia wanted to get married and have more kids when she specifically told him she did not want to get married anytime soon and he brought up having more kids then went to go get popcorn and then never asked her whether or not that was something she wanted. Which frustrated me because it felt like a rehashing of a storyline they’ve already done.

Amelia has already gone through this with Owen more than once. We saw Cristina go through this with Owen before that. What is it with men on Grey’s Anatomy becoming convinced that their girlfriends want to get married and have a bunch of kids when they literally tell them that they don’t or they’ve never asked them? I was sad to see them fall apart in this episode and I feel like it was a lack of communication on both ends that caused the break up. Link became enamoured with the idea of getting married and having more kids even though Amelia told him she didn't want to get married and he never actually asked her if she wanted more children and ignored her obviously panicked response when the topic came up multiple times. Amelia for her part was clear she didn't want to get married anytime soon, but struggled to tell Link she didn't want more kids because he was so excited every time the topic came up and having gone through that with Owen multiple times before she dreaded how it might end so she avoided the topic. I think Link went way too far with proposing to Amelia and by saying yes to fostering Luna without talking to Amelia first. Also, where does Link get off telling Amelia that Zola, Bailey, and Ellis aren’t his family but he loves them anyone and then arguing that it’s the same with Luna?

Amelia and Link were both close to Meredith before she got sick and were living at her house. Amelia and Jo like each other but aren’t that close. Amelia looked after Meredith and Derek’s kids back when Derek was alive and has been a part of their lives for many years and Link had spent time with them before Meredith got sick. Amelia had never even met Luna prior to this episode. Also looking after your dead brother’s kids when your sister-in-law is in the hospital and might die is very different then agreeing to foster a high needs baby so that your partner’s best friend can adopt her.

To top it off, Link literally tells Amelia that Zola, Bailey, and Ellis are her family but not his family technically and then turns around and tries to propose to her at Meredith’s house in front of them and when he gets upstaged by Owen decides to use those same kids to propose to her at her sister’s wedding. He got the kids involved when he straight up told Jo he wasn’t sure if Amelia would say yes. Why would you do that if you don’t know what the answer is going to be? Now the kids are upset and these aren’t just random relatives.

Amelia and Link raised those kids for two months while Meredith was sick. Amelia outright says in an earlier episode that Zola has big wedding dress dreams, but that she doesn’t want to get married so why on God’s green earth would Link think that involving Zola who has been through enough was a good idea? All that being said, I really do love Amelia and Link together as a couple and so I hope that they can find their way back to each other next season. You don't have to get married or have more kids to be happy. They can be happy just as they are, so I hope that they find a way to communicate better and work things out because I love them as a couple and Amelia deserves her happy ending. She's worked so hard for that.

Speaking of proposals, Link’s not the only one who pops the question this episode. After reconciling with Teddy and supporting her when she contracts COVID, is asymptomatic, and then recovers Owen is inspired to propose once again. Owen, Teddy, Leo, Allison, Amelia, Link, and Scout are gathered at Meredith’s house with Zola, Bailey, and Ellis for Christmas Day when it starts to snow in the backyard. It’s revealed that Owen set up a snow machine as a Christmas present for Teddy. He then gets down on one knee and proposes in front of everyone. Link is displeased and Teddy accepts.

I love the shade that Meredith threw at Owen in that scene. “Including your ex-wife,” she says because Meredith is a good sister and she is Team Cristina and Team Amelia always. She tolerates Owen and his nonsense because he keeps marrying her sisters and having kids with them, but she’s got no problem calling him out on his BS. Good for Amelia being so happy for Owen and Teddy. She’s a better woman than I am. I would not be happy for Owen and I definitely wouldn’t be clapping and cheering. Something I noticed throughout the episode is that Link seemed to take Amelia’s joy at the happiness of others getting engaged and getting married as a sign that she wanted that too while outright ignoring the look on Amelia’s face, her words, and the tone of her voice when the topic of marriage and having more kids actually came up.

I think Link saw what he wanted to see in this episode because he became so enamored with the idea of being married to Amelia and having more kids with her that he couldn’t see the forest for the trees. Jo even points out to him. Anyone paying attention could see that Amelia does not want to get married or have more kids, but Link was so caught up in the joy of it all that he failed to see what was right in front of him. As for Owen and Teddy engaged, I’ve never been a Teddy and Owen shipped, but if this means that the drama, fighting, and nonsense is over then I'm happy for them.

I hope they make it work this time because both Teddy and Owen have hurt so many people in the course of their ongoing drama over the seasons. They've hurt Beth, Cristina, Amelia, and Tom just to name a few and so many people got caught in the crossfire. I mean how many times did Meredith tell everyone involved that what they were doing was a bad idea? I hope they make it work because if not Owen and Teddy will have spent a good chunk of the series hurting themselves and everyone around them for no reason.

This is a personal opinion, but I think proposals at big family events and holidays are super tacky! If you propose on a holiday you’re upstaging the kids and/or the host of the event, like Owen did at Christmas, and if you propose at a family event you’re upstaging the happy couple and/or hosts, like Link did at Maggie and Winston’s wedding, and you’re making a day that’s supposed to be about something or someone else all about you and your partner. If it doesn’t work out you’ve just ruined that holiday for everyone, and everyone’s memories of that day are forever tarnished by your poor judgement.

I know some people love that kind of thing and kudos to you, but I find it extremely tacky. If someone did that at my event or wedding, I’d kick them the hell out and probably never speak to them or invite them to anything again because upstaging a bunch of excited kids, the happy couple, or the hosts of the event is extremely selfish and self-centered in my opinion. Especially if you don’t know what the answer will be. While Owen upstaging a bunch of kids at a family event at someone else’s house felt very in character to me because he’s always pulling stuff like that Link’s proposal and his proposal attempt felt very out of character to me.

One big critique I had of this episode and the previous one is that both Link and Winston acted very out of character to me. Up until this point they've come across as loving and supportive partners who know exactly what they are getting into. In the last two episodes of the Winston got upset about something totally reasonable and refused to listen to Maggie and then was forced to conceded when his grandmother put her foot down. None of which would have been necessary if he had just listened to Maggie and really thought about what she was saying.

Likewise, in the last two episodes Link goes from being completely understanding of what Amelia is saying about marriage and someone who talks things through to becoming convinced that Amelia wants to marry him and that she’ll say yes if he does a big grand gesture surprise proposal during a major family event. He tells Amelia he wants more kids and then gets up to make popcorn before Amelia can say anything and then becomes convinced that she wants more children too even though he never outright asks her and it’s obvious she’s opposed to the idea because she looks absolutely panicked every time the topic comes up.

On a more positive note, I really loved Jo’s storyline in this episode. While I'm not a fan of Jo's OBGYN storyline I loved her storyline with Luna and I am so glad that she decided to fight for her and was able to adopt her. She deserves to be happy after all she's been through and her adopting Luna felt like her journey came full circle in a lot of ways. I loved the Tom cameo! I am a Tom fan and I love that he'll continue to be a part of the show as a shareholder going forward. I also really loved the Jackson cameo. I thought Jo buying Jackson's penthouse suite apartment from him was perfect. It tied up a loose end and it enabled Jo to adopt Luna and finally have a nice place of her own. I hope we see more cameos like this throughout next season.

As this season comes to a close, I have to say I really loved Meredith's time on the beach, and I loved seeing Richard step into a new role at the hospital and really shine. As for what I’d like to see next season, I really want Meredith and Hayes to start dating and become a couple and for their kids to meet and for them to become a happy blended family. I want Meredith and Irene to meet and bond as originally planned. I want Amelia and Link to figure their stuff out so they can be happy. I hope we get to know Winston more as a character and that they bring in someone new to head up Plastics that Jo can date. I think seeing her dating as a new single mom could be really interesting. I want Dr. Mason Post the hot vaccine doc to come back and I'd love to see him and Levi end up together. I'd also like to see Bailey and Richard get some juicy storylines.

Until next time!

42 notes · View notes

onestowatch · 3 years

Text

Let’s Talk About Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop... and Its Music

The 2021 Cowboy Bebop live-action is… certainly something. It's not a secret that there's a sense of dread that brews for rabid anime fans every time news of a beloved classic getting a live-action adaptation arises. You forebodingly wait in anticipation, hoping for the best (Alita: Battle Angel) and preparing for the absolute worst (Dragon Ball: Evolution). I will say though, nothing has given me more anxiety than the phrase “Netflix's Cowboy Bebop.” Prior to the announcement, Netflix's only stateside live-action project was the Death Note movie, and we all know how that turned out.

Now, a review of the show could quickly turn into a manifesto criticizing all the things it missed the mark on or decided to omit from the timeless anime. But today we're gonna focus, or at least try to, on how the adaptation measures up to fan expectations and one of the defining elements that earned the original its cult following—the iconic score.

youtube

Cowboy Bebop is a show famous for its ability to build an entire universe out of disparate film and music genres. Each episode adopts a different style to suit the subject matter and gives each of the characters and far-off places our ragtag group of bounty hunters visits a distinct identity. The styles of music are incredibly diverse, ranging from straightforward big band jazz, blues, acoustic ballads, hard rock, country, funk, electronic, hip-hop, and experimental compositions and elements. The music often inspires the visual scenes and vice-versa, a direct byproduct of the significant collaboration between Yoko Kanno and Shinichirō Watanabe.

One hallmark of the show is its high-tempo jazz accompanied fight scenes that serve to accentuate the fast-paced action. Although most of the songs are instrumental and play as background music, some numbers are accompanied by singers ranging in Japanese, English, and French. The band also created short compositions called vitamins to enter and exit commercial breaks along with custom title cards.

Let's start with the first episode of the Netflix adaptation. I do think the opening fight scene of the live-action, which is a direct callback to the 2001 Cowboy Bebop movie, was a strong start. The production team did a great job matching the energy of the fight and the "almost sucked into space" chaos by seamlessly transitioning and layering energetic horn sections and whimsical and spacey percussion. Overall, the music in the first episode was pretty much what I had hoped it would be; however, there was one scene that made my stomach sink and audibly ask my laptop, "How could you mess that up?"

The anime's wordless, "Asteroid Blues," sets up the wordless, tragic finale. Spike and Katerina, in a shocking silence, say everything they need to say in a few meaningful looks before she meets her unfortunate demise, evoking feelings of bittersweet loss. The show's first episode, named "Cowboy Blues," has the characters talk over the spacey and sax-fueled track, the first of many crimes this show commits against Kanno's iconic score and the new material she wrote for it.

youtube

At the beginning of episode two, "Venus Pop," as Jet tries and fails to catch Teddy Bomber, the opening notes of "Tank!" begin playing, leading organically to the credits, which then play the opening again for some reason without the spoken word. This sloppy editing mistake could have been an opportunity to make the cold open and OP one cohesive, fluid experience, but it feels like an afterthought. To be fair, that isn't the worst part of the episode; it's definitely Julia and Vicious, but that's an article for another time. Moving on, I will say that another personal highlight was the way the show directly integrated Kanno’s music at Ana's jazz club, even if that was at times the only highlight.

Skipping ahead, in Episode 6, "Binary Two-Step," "Space Lion" was teased as Spike gazed at an old photo of him and Julia, but it was sadly cut short before it could add any weight to the brief scene. It would've been more ideal if it had played out through the credits, letting viewers exist in that state of nostalgia for a moment longer instead of abruptly ending once the credits rolled.

The finale, "Supernova Symphony," in a nutshell, could've been so much more for more reasons than one, but again, this is an article about music. As Spike and Vicious are trading bullets, quips, and out-of-place quotes, it leads to a shot for shot recreation of their legendary standoff, which kicks off with the most generic samurai flute sting to ever hit my ears. After the fight ends and Julia shoots Spike, the scene ends with a stripped and oddly hollow version of "Green Bird" as Spike falls from the church tower into the dark water below.

youtube

So how could it be better? Well, the filmmakers seem to have an undeniable appreciation of the intricate, sonically-crafted world Kanno has created with Bebop but not a full understanding of its effect. Burning each and every song into their minds is just step one, but step two is using the music as an effective leitmotif to instill emotion and motivation in each scene. They can have music say things the characters can't or won't say in order to move the story along, or realize the power of silence, allowing the space for Kanno’s impeccable, emotionally-laden compositions to shine.

When it comes to adapting an anime like Cowboy Bebop, it doesn't matter how hard production works at creating costumes and sets or how accurately the actors bring to life their animated counterparts, or even if they were to somehow retroactively add back in the show's more political and philosophical themes; if the show’s music isn’t at its heart, it's not Cowboy Bebop. The music department and the sound department should be one and the same instead of two separate entities that seemingly don't communicate with each other.

As stated above, Cowboy Bebop is something. It's not a 1:1 adaptation, but it is something I do intend to rewatch, because there were things I did genuinely love about it. Given its weeks-long residency in the Netflix Top 10 ranking, it's likely staying around for at least another season. Hopefully, the show creators can run with the very audible constructive criticism of fans and make what’s to come better than what we’ve seen and heard. And if they don't, oh well, whatever happens, happens.

Want more anime and music? Check out our list of The Best Anime to Watch If You Love Music.

#cowboy bebop #anime #netflix #shinichiro watanabe #yoko kanno

7 notes · View notes