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dameronology · 2 years

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angel eyes (obi-wan)

summary: after order 66, obi-wan kenobi tried his very best to move on from you. it would be a shame if you were to ruin that. (obviously based on the abba song) - 2.8k words

warnings: language, kind of emotional infedelity?? and also angst. no kenobi spoilers tho.

it's 4.11am and i have been writing this for six hours. and truth be told i think i could do more with it but even more truther be tolder i am too sleep deprived to argue with myself. enjoy.

-jazz

Your relationship with Obi-Wan Kenobi had died with the Jedi Order.

The end of your relationship had been beautifully in sync with the start of your relationship, in the sense that it had been out of necessity and a little for your own soundness of mind. It was clear from the start that Kenobi was essential in your life if you wanted to stay sane. He was grounded and smart, which was a beautiful contrast to your haywire, rebellious ways. So you became friends. And then you found that being friends wasn't really an option, because you loved him and couldn't really live without him. You hadn't expected to find the love of your life in the very place that forbade such a thing, but you would come to learn that the universe wasn't really fair. Still though, it hadn't felt completely and entirely cruel when Obi-Wan affirmed that he felt the same way about you. Thus, triggering the beginning of the most intensely passionate and beautiful five years of your life.

Obi-Wan wasn't a man who did things by halves. In fact, he did them tenfold or he didn't do them at all. That meant that he absolutely carried you through the worst of times and the best of times. He made you feel things you hadn't thought possible: like heaven was right there in the Jedi Temple. Sneaking around and lying to the Council got a little difficult at times, but all it took was one look at him and you knew in your soul that it was worth it. All those whispered conversations of leaving the Order together and having a future, a real future, were the only thing that got you through the war. They'd been nothing but a fantasy at the time.

You still remembered how it felt to see him after Order 66. The comms systems had fallen completely and you had no clue if he was alive. It was too hard to concentrate and reach out over the Force. Those hours had been gruelling.

You'd seen Obi-Wan for the first time aboard Bail Organa's ship. You'd never seen him move so quickly; he took you up in his arms, pulled you into chest and just held you for a moment. Neither of you said anything. Neither of you had to. Amongst the grief and loss, you felt a sense of relief. It was hard to say you'd lost everything when you still had him.

At least you thought. Because by that point, it was beyond dangerous for two Jedi to stay together. There was a galaxy wide manhunt for every remaining knight but especially Obi-Wan. His leading part in this entire thing basically put a target on his back and that was enough danger for one person, let alone two. The Empire would have struck gold if they found you together.

Your only option - and the only way to survive - was to go your separate ways. It hurt. It hurt a lot. Mostly because a small part of you had hoped that those silly fantasies about a future together might finally pay off now that the Order was gone. But, like I said: the universe was cruel. Far crueller than you ever expected it to be.

The only thing that kept you going after your separation was his promise to you.

"I'll never love anyone the way I love you."

Obi-Wan was to go to Tatooine and you were to go Alderaan. Your names would be wiped from the records; you'd be given new identities, new stories, new everything. You owed Bail Organa your life for offering to help you out.

Saying goodbye hurt you in a way you couldn't quite explain. The first few weeks without him were even worst: you could no longer reach out to him when your nightmares sank in during the late hours. There were no blue eyes to open up to; no-one to say sweetheart, don't be stupid every time you were about to make an irrational decision. It was like you were two parts of a whole and now Obi-Wan was gone, the logical part of your mind had gone completely.

Maybe that was why you fell into bounty hunting. The danger and adrenaline wasn't that far off from your days as a Jedi. It paid well and no-one hunting the Jedi would ever think to look in the dingy bars and cantinas of downtown Alderaan. It worked in a way you hadn't expected. Not enough to make you feel as whole as you had at the Temple with Obi-Wan, but just enough so that you could feel yourself moving on.

Obi-Wan's words rung through your brain every night for the next five years. I'll never love anyone the way I love you.

Time passed and you had flings here and there; a few dates that a mutual friend set you up, a brief dalliance with a fellow bounty hunter, yada, yada, yada. None it counted for anything. It was all a desperate attempt to find a connection again. There came a point where it felt like your ability to love another person lived and died with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Five years after the fall of the Galactic Republic, you took a job in Tatooine. There was a complete disconnect in your mind between the desert planet and Obi-Wan living there. Hell, you didn't know if he was still there. You didn't even know if he was still alive. It had been a good two years since you’d had any updates from him. The Organas had made a point of updating you at first, but that had faded along with your contact with them. Reminders of your former life weren’t what you needed anymore.

Tatooine was dry. It was dusty and it was sandy and it was fucking dry. There was no guarantee that the quarry you were after was even there. Mos Eisley wasn’t exactly a small spaceport; it was packed with different shops and stalls and clustered with people. That made it the least ideal place to try and hunt someone down.

You elbowed your way through the crowds in the main square, eyes peeled for the quarry. Your hood was up around your head - half to protect you from the sun, but also half to hide your face. There had been whispers over the last few weeks of an Empire presence here. Even though Jabba the Hutt apparently ruled the place, it wasn’t completely unheard of for the Imps to be sniffing around everywhere.

Hooking a right, you turned the corner from the main square and into one of the smaller streets. You almost instantly collided with a girl; you let out an oof! as you fell on your ass, a cloud of dust evaporating around your form as you hit the ground. She took a step back and held out her hand.

“I am so sorry!” she exclaimed.

“No, it’s my fault-”

“- oh, darling. Are you running into people again?”

You froze. You actually fucking froze. That was a voice you would have recognised anywhere - even more so because he’d said that phrase to you a thousand times before. It was always oh darling, are you running into people again? or how did you not see the wall, my love? or just…something about how fucking clumsy you were. Obi-Wan had found it endearing.

You heard his voice and then his face came into view. He didn’t look that different - his hair was a little longer and his beard more jagged, but his blue eyes caught yours and immediately you knew it was Obi-Wan Kenobi. Undeniable and in the flesh. Calling another person sweetheart. He took a step towards her and put an arm on her waist, hand resting on her hip. That was how he used to hold you. Fucking ouch.

He hadn’t noticed you. Not yet.

“Oh hush, Ben,” she smiled, and then looked back at you. “I am genuinely sorry. You’re not hurt, are you?”

Not physically. Haha.

“No, not at all,” you cleared your throat.

Obi-Wan glanced from the girl and towards you - then you shared the same look. It was like seeing a ghost from his past. Actually, you were a ghost from his past. He’d tried so hard for so long to shove you to the back of his mind and move on. It was only in the last few years that he’d succeeded. He should have known that you were going to turn up out of nowhere and blow everything apart. You’d done it once before. Why not again?

He didn’t know what to say. That was ironic, because he’d spent hours laying awake at night thinking about the speech he would give you if you ever turned up again. It was gone now. And so it seemed had his ability to speak.

Neither of you knew how to play it. Did you pretend you were strangers, for the sake of the girl in front of you? The girl, who in your opinion, looked at him a little too much like you used to. With some kind of admiration and hope. Like Obi-Wan Kenobi hung the stars in the sky and wrote out the constellations just for you. To her, it seemed he was Ben. You didn’t who the fuck Ben was. Moreso, you didn’t know who the fuck this girl was.

“Ben, is it?” you asked. Okay, you were going with playing dumb. “Are you guys locals?”

“I am!” the girl piped up. “Born and raised, sadly. Ben here moved to the port a few years ago. I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”

“I’m…here on business,” you trailed off. “I’m just looking for a hotel, actually. It’s getting dark and I don’t fancy staying on my ship all night. If you guys could just give me directions, I’ll be on my way and-”

You didn’t want to be on your way. You had a thousand questions to ask; some about Kenobi, some about the relationship he seemingly had with this girl. Neither of those things were your business. Your relationship with him had ended half a decade ago. It was just that promise of I’ll never love anyone like I love you that rang through your head. It would have been easier to believe he didn’t look at her the same fucking way he once looked at you.

“The hotels here are extortionate,” she said. “Ben has a spare room. He’s always letting travellers crash there. I’m sure he won’t mind if you stay the night.”

Spoiler alert: he did mind. And you minded too. You minded even more than his name was seemingly Ben now. You knew it mostly for safety, so that the Imps couldn’t find him, but he was always Obi-Wan in your mind. Nothing would ever change that.

“It’s okay,” you insisted. “I really don’t mind paying. Besides, I’m just a stranger and-”

“- nonsense!” she cut you off. “You don’t seem like an axe murderer.”

To Obi-Wan, you were arguably much worse than an axe murderer.

“Uh,” he stuttered. He couldn’t say no - the girl clearly had him wrapped around her finger. “I don’t see why not.”

You gave him a look that said think, Kenobi. Think of a single fucking reason.

Still, he had nothing.

“Great,” you murmured.

The girl leant down and picked up the bags that you’d dropped earlier. She was nice. Too nice. Not only did that make it harder to dislike her, but it made you think that things between them must have been boring. Your entire relationship with Obi-Wan had been built on the fact that you were chaotic as fuck and he was the calm one. You’d ruined his life in the best way.

—

You spent the rest of the afternoon traipsing after the couple through the Mos Eisley markets. They were together - you could decipher that much. The girl seemed grabbier than him but you couldn’t decipher if it was always that way, or if Obi-Wan was just playing it down because you were there.

It killed both of you not being able to talk about the things you needed, or to say the things you needed to. There was so much unspoken tension in the air and it was a surprise that his lover hadn’t picked up on it. She seemed completely clueless, from the minute she invited you to stay in his spare room, to the minute she kissed him goodbye and retired back to her own house for the night.

That left you and Kenobi in his converted cave, sat in silence until the door slammed shut and you both jumped into action. Naturally, you were the first to speak.

“What the fuck is going on?”

“I could ask you the same,” Obi-Wan shot back. “What are you doing here?”

“I wasn’t lying earlier when I said I was on business,” you said. “I followed a bounty here. I didn’t expect to run into you. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure if you were alive.”

“I am - just about,” he murmured. “I could say the same for you.”

“I wouldn’t call this just about,” you replied, glancing around. “Obi-Wan, who is Ben?”

“Ben is the name I took upon arriving here,” he explained. “Obi-Wan Kenobi is no more. He’s dead. He had to die.”

“He’s not dead,” you shook your head. “I’m looking right at him, aren’t I?”

“Not quite.”

“Oh, don’t give me that,” you scoffed. “I recognised you straight away. I can see it in your eyes - the way you look around when you think you see danger, that inquisitive glance towards the crowds, the way you hold yourself. You can change your name all you want but nothing will change the fact that you are Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

“You haven’t changed one bit.”

“You have, though,” you muttered. “With your new house, and job, and girlfriend-”

“- don’t be like that,” Obi-Wan cut you off. “I had to make a life for myself here. I didn’t know what I’d see you again-”

“- I’m not being like anything,” you rolled your eyes. “I just…do you remember that last promise you made to me before we broke up?”

He nodded. “Clear as day. I promised you that I would never love someone as much as I love you - and I’ve kept that promise.”

“I don’t think you have,” you shook your head. “I’ve seen the way you look at her. You love her. I’m not fucking blind.”

Obi-Wan stood up and crossed the room to where you were standing. It felt weird to be near you again. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and hug you; it’s what he’d been craving for yours. Not just someone’s touch, but your touch. You’d been a pillar in his life and now that you were gone, he’d felt everything crumbling down to the very core.

“Maybe some part of me was just hoping that you’d wait for me,” you murmured. “I know it’s ridiculous. I just think that you might be the very best thing that ever happened to me and even when you’re gone, I’m still foolish enough to cling onto hope.”

“It was circumstantial,” he began. “She lives three doors down. We met and we got on and it made sense for us to start dating. You can see that my life here is a little lacklustre. I thought it might bring excitement.”

“Did it?”

Obi shook his head. “Not in the slightest. She’s nice but she doesn’t get me the way you did. I don’t think anyone ever will - so I might look at her with affection but I can assure you that I will never love anyone the way I love you.”

Love. In the present tense. Not the past. The Jedi were in the past. The Republic was in the past. Everything was in the past. But seemingly, not his love for you, nor your love for him. It might have been dormant for a while but it was bright as day now you were together.

“I’ve spent the last five years chasing a feeling that I can only get with you,” he continued. “Whatever mixture of stress, excitement and terror that may be.”

“Me too,” you said. “Moving on is hard.”

“It is insufferable,” Obi-Wan replied. He took your hands, thumbs ghosting over the back of your palm. “But you have to understand, my love, that moving on is sometimes not a choice so much it is a necessity.”

“I know,” you murmured. “It’s still not safe for us to be together, is it?”

“It’s not,” he confirmed. “And even if it was, what we had is no more. I will undoubtedly take your love with me into the future but our relationship belongs in the past.”

“Right,” you nodded. “Right person, wrong time, I guess.”

“No, not at all - you’re the right person. All the time.”

tags: @hellotherekenobi @frampuccino @currentlysobbingtofortiesmusic

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the-irrelevant-trumpeter · 5 months

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OKAY PERCY JACKSON SERIES THOUGHTS REAL QUICK not in any particular order just what my brain is spewing

(spoilers obviously)

okay so like. it was so good. screaming crying throwing up like!!!!

walker leah and aryan are all excellent and i'm so excited to see them throughout the rest of the show

special shoutout to leah because in these first two eps she's had a lot less screentime than the other two and yet she has completely stolen the show for me

forgot that jason mantzoukas is in this and got jumpscared lmao

the car and then minotaur scenes would have been really good if i had been able to see them

i feel like i was expecting luke's scar to be bigger. this isn't a complaint or anything, just an observation.

"NO I AM SALLY JACKSON'S SON" slayed so hard like i screameddd

percy praying to his mum <3333 there's one thing percy jackson will do and that is think of his mum as a goddess

also HIM BURNING THE JELLYBEANS 😭😭😭

also also him telling his mum that he really feels like he's made friends when you know he's talking about luke is TRAGIC oh no the final episode is going to be sooo good and so heartbreaking. oof.

i really REALLY liked virginia kull as sally, but a lot of the dialogue in her scenes felt a bit clunky to me. idk i know they need exposition and all that, but some of it felt a bit weird. especially their conversation right before she was killed

okay i know a few people in the tag have already talked about this, but sally and gabe felt a little off to me. i know the posts i've seen have said that they downplayed how completely and utterly awful gabe is, and while i do think it was downplayed a little bit, he was still bad enough that i didn't feel like that was a major issue. the part that didn't feel quite right to me was the way sally argued back at him. i feel like what she says to him is kind of what the audience should WANT her to say (because gabe's a dick), but the point is that she doesn't say that, because sally jackson loves percy so damn much that she willingly endures that until she is able to get out of that situation. i swear i'm not going to be like "tHiS iSnT hOw iT iS iN tHe bOoK" much, because it's an adaptation and it's going to have to make some changes and that's fine! but in the book, percy states that he's "never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or gabe" and keeps on emphasising how she constantly withstands gabe and doesn't move against him because of her love for percy, and i just feel like that's an important aspect of her character. also i feel like sally arguing back at gabe is going to make her finally killing him less impactful. and i think it probably also plays a part in gabe's assholery being downplayed. because the argument they have there feels much more like "oh we're so dysfunctional ha ha" instead of "this is an abusive household". you know what i mean? idk i get that it was meant to be a #girlboss moment, and a part of me was like "YEAH GET HIS ASS", but i do feel like that moment didn't serve sally's character as well, changed the dynamic of sally and gabe's relationship, and negatively affected the impact the story will have when percy gives her the means to get rid of gabe and she takes it. this is a very long dot point i'm sorry.

mr d pretending to be percy's dad was SO FUNNY

clarisse is too pretty (/pos), like i was barely paying attention in her scenes because i was literally there like "women <3" thank you dior goodjohn

"you fell in love with god... like jesus?" is a top tier line

i'm so sorry but i'm a "tah-lia" pronunciation truther and it will remain this way in my head

the cut to percy flossing in the woods killed me. like straight up killed me dead.

BLACKJACK BEING THE FIRST MAGICAL THING PERCY SEES!!! THEY'RE GOING TO BE BESTIES!!!

these are all of the thoughts i have atm, and despite my more negative thoughts here, my feelings are almost completely positive (my excitement is less coherent than my criticisms, so i didn't write about them as much). i'm really excited to see the rest of the episodes!

#idk whether i should tag this or not #feeling dangerous. i might just.#percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo #percy jackson series #pjo series #that'll do. it's been a while since i've posted in a main tag but i am being so brave about this.#feel like i'm forgetting something but idk what so!

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homophobicgerardwayau · 5 months

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Ok, I’m going to foolishly weigh in on the Gerard gender theorising and pronouns debate. I don’t really have an audience so whatevs. But i do have thoughts 💭. I’m seeing a lot of reductive posts that lack nuance or critical thinking (the internet). Here’s the thing. We need to remain cognisant that at the end of the day none of us interact with ‘Gerard the Person’. We interact with ‘Gerard the Concept’. The rockstar, the artist, the cultural icon etc.

There is a filter, constructed by Gerard themself in response to a culture that must know him, by virtue of his fame and the deeply personal nature of his work. We only see what we are allowed to see through said filter. And when fans speculate and theorise, they are bringing their own biases and interpretations to a limited portrait of a person, a double that stands in to take the criticisms (and disproportionate praise) that comes along with being a successful artist.

I bring this up because when we jump up and down getting mad at people for publicly using “she” pronouns for example, we need to remind ourselves of a couple of things:

Gerard the Person likely does not have the hours in a day to worry about what pronouns people online are using for him. From interviews over the years, we can deduce that he has come to terms with fame and worked through much of his trauma associated with it. He has also expressed that he doesn’t care about pronouns. At present, this squabble is happening laterally between fans and does not involve him in any direct way. He does not need defending (what is he being defend from? Being gnc or trans is neither morally good or bad) from being misgendered. It seems the sticky point is ‘misgendering’ in general, which is a much broader discussion. One that is particularly hard to have when we are all out here with some kind of minority related trauma.

Because he is not a whole person, but an icon to us (it is difficult to conceptualise of someone as both simultaneously) we all tend to project a whole lot of ourselves onto him, more than we would someone we know personally. This is how being an icon works. Here we project different ideas about our own gender and sexuality and our differing conceptualisations of gender altogether. Personally, while I would not label Gerard as trans online, by my own personal definition of transness, he is part of our family. The issue is not defining him as trans by our own metrics, as we are entitled to our own conceptualisations of transness (I am of course, speaking from within the community). We should take into account that trans is not a clearly definable label. For example, there are people that are medically (for lack of a better word) trans that do not see themselves as trans. All of this is to say that people see something in Gerard that reflects back parts of themselves. Being trans is one of those things, whether Gerard defines himself as such or not.

The way I have seen Gerard called ‘she’ online, often seems in jest and I chose to engage with these types of posts in good faith and with a sense of humour. I assume that most people making these posts are aware that wearing a skirt does not make someone a woman. I feel that a lot of the ‘Gerard is secretly a woman’ is just a projection of a posters own insecurities around gender non-conformity or quite simply the desire to feel that they are in on something others aren’t, in turn making them feel closer to the ‘Gerard’ that they have constructed in their head. Instead of calling these folks trans misogynists, I think it would be more helpful to ask the ‘truther’ why they think they are so fixated on it and why would it matter if Gerard came out as something? What would it change other than give you a sense of validation?

We should remember that the topic of Gerard’s relationship to gender and sexuality is unavoidable once we get into the nitty gritty of his work. Deconstruction/reconstruction of identity and the gender politics of violence are some of my favourite ideas that Gerard revisits over and over again. It is there by design and it is also part of the character he plays by design. Kids are picking up on something but it’s the lack of media literacy that leads them down these strange roads of thinking. We should try to be sympathetic if we can. Why? Because if it’s trans people doing the transvestigating then it all comes down to the lack of representation that we all feel. Gerard shouldn’t have to carry that weight of course, which is probably one of the reasons why he doesn’t use labels for himself. He has the privilege of ‘hiding in plain sight’ as he calls it, and that is his choice to make.

The discussion then shouldn’t be be weather it is wrong to wonder about another person’s gender and sexuality (if we weren’t curious, how would we ever find others like ourselves?). It should be how should we treat others? It should be as simple as don’t send someone fan fiction of themselves.

As a community, we should be redirecting this energy into figuring out how to put Gerard’s gender into the hormone injection. I think this would solve a lot of societies problems lol.

#gerard way #my chemical romance #theory #queer theory #Nancy #gender trouble

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ac-liveblogs · 1 year

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The only reason Shielder is even a special class is because the fgo writers will never let anyone (even another shielder) turn out to be a better character or better shielder than Mash. The class is stapled to Mash and it probably won't even be given to Galahad if ever gets added to fgo. And I'm not saying this to bash Mash btw. It's just how it is unfortunately. I'm in the boat that Mash's whole character arc is weak to start with but not gonna stir things up again.

Shielder is a special class for lore reasons, but I don't think it'll stay locked away forever and given Mash is completely free and the best in her niche, I don't think it's a huge problem or anything seriously worth complaining about if it is. I do have a few thoughts on the state of Shielder, though, which basically boil down to "if they're gonna do it, they're gonna do it soon".

Mash is no longer the best defensive Servant. LB6 aside, as far as the plot is concerned she's been locked to the heavily nerfed Ortenix since the Lostbelts started and she's been steering towards a more offensive build since Olympus. Once her new kit is complete (and presumably good), there is no way she'll remain a looping defensive NP-spammer - at least, probably not in Story Mode. At which point - why not introduce other flavours of Shielder?

Type-Moon has given potential other candidates for the Shielder class - Galahad, and I believe Achilles. I think Ajax was stated as well. If this was going to stay a special snowflake class, I don't think they would've bothered. Nasu's mind is an enigma, however.

Strange/Fake also has it's own special snowflake classes; Watcher and Gatekeeper. Other Fate properties have streamlined their unique classes into FGO's class system; Faker>Pretender, High Servant>Alter Ego, Voyager>Foreigner (for some fucking reason), so if we ever get S/F added to FGO and if S/F ever does anything with Gatekeeper... yeah.

Assuming FGO will address the Galahad Question and not just relegate him to the power-up zone, that'll probably be soon, and would be the optimal time for new Shielders to start trickling in. Also, if we get Shielder powercreep, no-one would actually have a leg to stand on if they were annoyed about it being Galahad that creeps Mash.

After all this time it would generate a lot of hype, and it would sell extremely well. After the circus of Pretender servants we've gotten this year, I just... don't think it's off the table forever.

On Galahad as a Shielder

As the resident Galahad fanatic truther, I've been heavily considering his potential trajectory in FGO if/should/when he becomes playable. Obviously, unless something radical happens in the plot, if there are other Shielders he'll be one of them. And if there's only going to be one other Shielder, it'll be him. Anyway, compiling what we know about Galahad, his potential classes (barring shenanigans) are -

Saber - Galahad has two swords; the Sword of Strange Hangings and the Sword with the Red Hilt. Galahad Alter has two swords, at least one of which is the Sword of Strange Hangings, and it's hard to say if that's the sword either Galahad or Mash possesses. That said, we've seen our Galahad in combat three times. He did not use his sword in any of those fights - not even in Lostroom, where it's his actual body, and he has the sword. He uses his hand-to-hand and his shield. Interesting design choice that he would intentionally ignore it.

Lancer - the Lance of Longinus is Percival's Noble Phantasm, so. Post LB6, I just don't think this is on the table anymore.

Ruler - barring shenanigans, if he's not a Shielder my money is here. While not a Saint, Galahad... well, if anyone's going to qualify. It would also line up pretty well with the Ruler class' element of "neutrality" and Galahad's apparent indifference towards the Human Order (so says Merlin). HOWEVER. There is a spanner in the works, and it's a big one; that Rulers aren't supposed to want the Grail. Galahad obviously did, but Alter said that Galahad never actually had a wish and seemed to be searching for it because that's what he was supposed to do - his ~destiny and whatnot. Realising this changed the trajectory of Alter's life, but I'm unsure if, given the circumstances, that would disqualify Galahad from this class or not. And if it does...

Shielder: Galahad has been conceptualised as a Hero of the Shield ever since the Tachie days. The two skills we know he has - Mana Defence and Lord Camelot - are obviously defensive skills, and given Lord Camelot is referenced even in other works I find it extremely unlikely (barring shenanigans) that Galahad won't get it. It's also Galahad's abilities that qualified Mash (and, once upon a time, Tachie) for Shielder in the first place, so...

Yeah, I just think it's his most likely option at the moment. Who knows, maybe he'll manifest as a BEAST and stay in NPC hell forever. I guess that's possible...

Interesting Miscellany:

Galahad's Lord Camelot is stronger than Mash's. In Lostroom, Galahad uses a Noble Phantasm to actively reflect Saber Alter's Excalibur back at her - not an ability Mash has ever had - and his shield, Around Round Shield, was conceptualised to attack any non-Galahad folks that touch it. This is interesting because it provides an obvious higher-tier alternative to Mash's B+++ rank Lord Camelot... and Bazett was released early this year with a taunt/counter NP, so it's definitely on the table and would be a well-established Shielder upgrade. It's also a pre-established skill that makes Galahad similar to Mash, but distinct enough to make it worthwhile making him a separate Servant.

Artoria Avalon, via her Knight-of-the-Round-centric NP Round of Avalon, is currently the only unit in the entire game to have Anti-Enforcement Invincibility, and that's now been the case for two years. FGO is definitely the kind of game to withhold skills for lore reasons, so at this stage one has to wonder why. Never mind that Round of Avalon draws visual parallels to both Lord Camelot and Morgan's Lordless Camelot, and she in turn also has a lot of both story and conceptual/design connections to Mash/Tachie/Galahad. That's... potentially less relevant than the first part, could just be recycling mats, but while I already have the tinfoil hat on...

LB6 took "Mash and Galahad will separate forever and that's GOOD because he’s MEAN" out back and shot it behind the shed. It's possible they'll reconcile their skillsets in some way (FK Lancelot’s formchange... exists as a template), or Mash might grow beyond him to focus on the Black Barrel, but "Galahad Bad" is no longer the flavour of the year. If that's the case, Mash just might stay our Galahad stand-in forever and he doesn’t drop at all. We might also get GalahadAlter!Koharu, which would just be the cherry on top! /terrified sarcasm

But the LB6 mats indicate there are Galahad materials in existence because apparently he was in the OG LB6 draft!!! So he’s real!!! Or at the very least, has an NPC sprite sheet...!

#replies #ac plays fgo #something something galahad-main #it's me. i'm 730 SQ deep in preparing for his release. i also have my clown shoes ready.

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sunflouwerhabit · 8 months

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hi! this is not really a question buuuut I've just read three of your fics and I just wanted to congratulate you on your writing! I really really love your writing style.

I started with “It's Fine To Fake It 'Til You Make It ('Til It's True)” and I loved the pace in that, I think Louis' characterization was done in a way that I hadn't really seen before and I found it so refreshing, the humour in this was so good and I just LOVED Harry&Louis&Vivi and Harry reconnecting with his siblings (and how much his siblings liked Louis!!), it was definitely very comforting, I loved it.

Then I read In The Name Of Being Honest, which I know is co-written but still, I really liked this one as well! I was hooked from the moment that we find out who Ben is (I was actually hooked from the beginning but that part left me shook right from the start), I loved Louis and Niall's friendship (I loved how supportive/protective/caring Niall was) and seeing Louis and Harry developing their relationship again was just so 💙💙💙💙💙 (speechless person), anyway I keep thinking back to it and it's been days and I still really want to go to Good Chives Only :(

But well yesterday I read write this down and I loved it so so so much! It's one of my favorite/top 5 fics I've read this year (it's also definitely a new all-time favorite). First of all I LOVE Taylor Swift and I am an evermore supremacy defender as well so to read something inspired by 'tis the damn season already had me excited about it (plus ALL the references throughout the story. the champagne problems one PHYSICALLY HURTED. i probably didn't catch all the references but I like to believe I caught most of them and it always made me smile). Second, I wish I had read this in winter because AAAA i loved loved the concept of "the winters", the chapters, the pov switch (this was literally so perfect. like. I don't think I've ever enjoyed dual pov as much as in this). I really liked Harry and Louis's relationship in this - sometimes it's really hard for me to enjoy when stories are spread throughout such a large period of time and we're supposed to believe that the characters remain in love with eachother BUT I definitely didn't felt like that AT ALL while reading this. I think that both of them cared so much about eachother and specially in the earlier chapters seeing how much they struggled to be honest and raw in sharing parts of their lives and then seeing a development from that (specially on Louis' side I think) was so so interesting.

I think that my favorite winter was the fourth because 1. I was really naive and I had no idea of what was going to happen next. 2. I think it works as a great way to show why/how they work, I love how they actually talk about their lives, I love THE ICE RINK SCENE GOD it's definitely one that is going to be engraved in my mind because AAA "I didn't buy a ticket back to LA" & how supportive Louis is of Harry's career and talent & "we could stay here together", and I love the chapter. It's just so good. 3. I HAVE to mention “Baby, if I’m abandoning society and disappearing off the face of the earth, I’m taking you with me.” // “I’d go with you in a heartbeat.” i. i LOVE THEM SO MUCH. oh and also 4. THE PRESENTS. 5. THE LETTERS. 6. THE TEXTS. 7. THE ANGST. So good.

Anyway, I also loved the tweets, they worked as great interludes and they were often very funny. A few that made me laugh out loud were "hahaha yes, if i were leila i’d be thrilled that my bf took 10 years between each word when he was talking about his “girl” and how much she means to him." (from Chapter 7) and ""Y’all need to respect harry and leila” omg ok bestie i will if harry can even tell me her name." (from Chapter 9) - also loved all the tweets reacting the tis the damn season (& the names of the accounts I swear everything was so detailed in this fic AAAAA) and the whole ohioan lover truthers. So perfect.

Anyway I think I could talk about this fic endlessly and this is already gigantic (I'm sorry) but I think I'm going to stop here. I just wanted to show some support because I cherish fic writers SO MUCH and as you can probably guess I really liked your fics (in case this long ass ramble didn't show it) so I really thought I should say something about it because in my head it just makes sense that if a fic makes me as happy as these ones made me, I should just show my appreciation about it sooo this is me doing that.

I hope you're having a lovely day & I'm really looking forward to see what you'll write next.

(also, I'm going to start reading down the line sooo I might come back. who knows)

(also. if there are any grammar/spelling mistakes pls know that I'm sorry & ignore that. it's kinda late where I'm writing from and english is not my first language)

oh my god! hi hello! i read this lovely, perfect, absolutely gorgeous message a week or so ago, but didn't quite have the time to give it the love and attention it deserves, so i've held off on replying and now i am here to just.... SOB AND GUSH. HI. I LOVE YOU?????

thank you so much for taking the time to read my stories, and for being so kind. in my mind, in the name of being honest and it's fine to fake it 'til you make it are the chicago sisters and it makes me the absolute happiest to know you enjoyed them. writing both was such a special journey. those stories and the characters and their relationships (louis and niall in ITNOBH! harry and louis and vivi in Fake It! A true wonderful trio!) mean so much to me and i'm happy they could be of comfort to you, and that they could keep you hooked :)

(louis in it's fine to fake is one my favorite characters i've written. he was sO MUCH FUN and i learned so much about being unapologetically myself from him. he's my everything)

but then. AHHHHHHHHHH. everything you've said about write this down is just so?!?!?!?!? GOD I AM CRYING. i love love love that you are also an evermore truther, because that obviously means you have the best taste? as soon as i listened to that album for the first time, i knew it was meant to inspire so many musings and that's really what write this down became- an ode to my favorite album of all time :') i call it the tis the damn season fic and it IS, but it's also the champagne problems fic, the willow fic, the happiness fic, the right where you left me fic (RWYLM was written FOR write this down louis, acually!) and it's an ode to my baby folklore as well and just sdjfslkfsf i love when swifties read write this down because i know you'll fully appreciate it :')

i'm also so happy the dual POV worked, and the winters too (even now, the outlines for all the chapters and the drafts are saved in my computer as the winters <3) and as someone who takes so much pride in developing characters and relationships, it makes me the HAPPIEST to know that louis and harry's relationship felt genuine. i also love the fourth winter so much, because i'm very much the same way when reading a love story- i want to be able to root for characters and relationships and i want to WANT them to work out, and i feel like- in so many ways- winter four is their reason to keep fighting and it's so special

(and the CABIN CONVERSATIONS! aka the lakes brought to life! it was one of the first scenes i wrote!!!!).

((also i love love love including tweets hehehe and making the usernames and showing how harry's career grows through them was SO MUCH FUN!!!))

anyway!!!!!!!! now my response is long and rambly, but i hope you know that this kind of message is the absolute best thing to receive as an author. it means so much to me, and i'm just the happiest that these stories could make you happy :-) thank you so much for the love you've showed me and other fic authors. you're so wonderful <3 and your english is absolutely wonderful! <3

i hope you enjoy down the line, if you've read it, and that you're having the very best day. thank you so, so, so much for this message i will be smiling for the rest of the WEEK. ahhhhh. i love you <3

#asks #larry fanfiction #ao3

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sublimeobservationarcade · 1 year

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The Role Of Religion In Terrorism & Acts Of Violence

The recent police shootings in Queensland has turned the spotlight on the role of religion in terrorism and acts of violence. The Train brothers at the centre of this mass murder were brought up by an evangelical father. The Trains made a YouTube video around the time of the police shootings telling the world that they had killed the demons and devils who had invaded their property (this video has been taken down by the police). This was a reference to the 2 young police officers who were murdered by the trio of armed Queenslanders. Thankfully, 2 more young police officers were able to survive this act of domestic terrorism.

Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/police-officers-investigating-a-crime-scene-10464450/

Christian Indoctrination in The Murdering Trains

The Train’s neighbour was also murdered by the two brothers and their wife Stacy. There are early reports regarding the trio’s involvement in anti-vaccination and sovereign citizen groups and their online forums. Nathaniel Train and Stacy Train had both been school principals and teachers prior to leaving their jobs. Anti-Covid vaccine stances seem to be a tipping point in their lives and may have heralded a descent into conspiracy theory madness and their armed insurrection/killing spree. Regional Queensland is home to pockets of extreme views on issues like fluoride in the water, anti-unionism, and the overreach of the state. Gareth Train posted online: “ “If you are a conservative, anti-vaxx, freedom lover, protester, common law, conspiracy talker, alternative news, independent critical thinker, truther, Christian, patriot etc etc expect a visit from these hammers,” he said in one post, referring to the Queensland Special Emergency Response Team.” -(Matthew Knott, SMH, 15 Dec 2022) Old Testament Tales & Conspiracy Theories Parts of Queensland, like parts of America, are steeped in the Christian religion and the more virulent forms of this. I have always thought that there are parallels between the deep south of the USA and the far north of QLD in terms of conservativism and Old Testament values. If you are brought up with stories about God smiting enemies and devils and demons these things remain inside your head for better or worse. If you combine this with a belief in your God’s ultimate say in matters of the world, then, the rule of law is more easily undermined. This places the role of religion in terrorism and acts of violence, as an enabler. There are more than 100 million evangelical Christians in America - that is a big section of their society. Mass murders in the US are happening every week and almost every day. The prevalence of guns is, of course, the main cause, but the motivation to kill many in acts of extreme violence is, also a fact of American life. The global pandemic was deeply unsettling for many people around the country and the globe. It spurred a section of society to march in the city streets against government overreach in terms of vaccine mandates and lock downs. Libertarians here and in America were outraged by any curbing of their individual freedoms. A million people died from Covid related diseases in the USA but despite this right wing politicians led anti-vaccine and mask wearing campaigns. It was a crazy time and that craziness lingers in far reaches of our communities, as seen in Wieambilla this week.

Photo by Gabriel Hohol: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-police-car-roof-and-sign-10543088/ Christianity & Domestic Terrorism Domestic terrorism is a real danger and it is primarily coming from the extreme right. This is hard for police services to deal with because many of their members are on this side of the political divide. Many in the security forces share some of the conservative values and Christian views espoused by right wing groups. This terrible tragedy, which has taken the lives of three human beings in Queensland, may sharpen the focus for the police in tackling this very real danger on our doorstep.

The world is made up of stories. The Bible is full of stories. These stories underpin how we see things. Whoever or whatever controls the narrative points the way. When small children are indoctrinated by their parents and church they are groomed to see things in a certain light. This is why religious institutions are so heavily involved in education. Get em while they are young and you have a good chance of having them for life. Sometimes steeping children in particular values can have a positive result, as in the case of stories about loving one another and helping those less fortunate. However, many Christian groups are conditional about who you can love and help, which positions them as poor moral arbiters for humanity as a whole. Science has allowed many human beings and societies to free themselves from belief and stories about invisible supernatural entities. Science showed the many shortcomings of religion’s world view and understanding of how things actually work. It is interesting that the recent pandemic pitted science (the vaccine and public health) against sections of society who were unwilling to temporarily give up their personal freedoms to combat the virus. This stoush has, perhaps, driven some of these people back into the arms of religious belief. People like the former president Donald Trump cast aspersions on science and ran his ‘fake news’ campaign, which undermined the authority of the world media to communicate important things about the pandemic. These fissures remain in the minds of some, like the Trains, who began to see devils and demons in the guise of 4 young and inexperienced police officers. Is it, indeed, time to clearly see the role of religion in terrorism and acts of violence? ©WordsForWeb Read the full article

#American #Christianity #gundeaths #moralfailure #policeshootings #politics #rightwingconspiracy #storytelling #terrorism #Trump

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curioussubjects · 4 years

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come be a season 12 truther with me; or what if dean and cas got together offscreen

Originally, I wrote this post to celebrate “Galaxy Brain” airing as Berens & Glynn gave us “The Future.” It’s been a while since that episode aired, and some things have changed about this meta. As such, there are multiple versions of this post floating around, so make sure to go back to the source for the most up to date version. For all intents and purposes, this post functions as a meta manifesto not unlike shipping manifestos from days of LJ past. In keeping with that tradition, this post is a close reading of Dabb Era Destiel in which I argue that by using narrative gaps, queer coding, and romance tropes, Dean and Cas are shown to be in an established relationship. Although beyond the scope of this post, it’s worth pointing out that keeping Destiel mostly off screen was a way for the creatives to bypass network censorship while still remaining true to the characters.

This post is divided into three sections. Section I focuses on giving an overview of why earlier seasons of Supernatural aren’t as compelling as season 12 as a turning point for Dean and Cas’s relationship. That said, special consideration is given to 09.06 “Heaven Can’t Wait” as a potential rest stop in our journey due to it’s significantly placed narrative gap as well as themes in the episode. However, this post isn’t going to examine season 9 trutherism in depth, though it does coexist with and allow for it. Section II analyses season 12 and proposes a timeline and justification for the shifting Destiel dynamic. Finally, Section III will offer an analysis of how Dean and Cas’s relationship has changed dramatically from previous seasons in a way that is most like the shift from a “will they or won’t they” pairing to an established one.

Before I move to Section I, I’d like to note something this post takes for granted: Dean and Cas are the main romantic subplot of Supernatural, and, in fact, their relationship is elevated to main plot for both characters in season 15. This post won’t argue about the canonicity of Dean and Cas’s feelings for each other, therefore, and so won’t spend time looking at many Destiel defining moments. I’d also like to make clear that this post also takes for granted that Destiel is being intentionally developed by the writers starting with Carver’s Era, and more so in Dabb’s.

I. Why Seasons 4 through 11 May Not be It

The tl;dr. here is that while there are many moments throughout these seasons that Dean and Cas could potentially get together, none of those moments are ideal for a bunch of reasons that can be summed up as really bad timing. I also think the narrative is actively pushing them towards a moment that works. We get plenty of stepping stones, especially once we hit seasons 8 through 11 (and 11 most of all).

Seasons 4 & 5:

I know there’s been a lot of get together fics over the years set in this time period, but I just don’t see it. Do I see them being intrigued and drawn to each other? Yes. Do I think either Cas or Dean would act on it? Nope. I’m not arguing anything re: Dean’s feelings, but with everything going at the time I find it hard to believe he’d pursue anything with his angel friend. Most importantly here, though, is that during this time Cas was still very alien and other. There was too much angel in him, and while he obviously came to care about Dean (and Sam) very much, I just can’t see him navigating the realm of human relationships. That said, seeing human!Cas in “The End” is the first we see of potential developments for how Cas could behave without his angelness interfering. Being human changes Cas a lot, beyond even his experience existing among humans, though that of course matters too. This development will be important later /wink.

Seasons 6 & 7:

Before anything else let me just recognize that if we could see some sexual tension in seasons 4 & 5, these two seasons come with our first taste of romantic tension. The pining! Also note the difference between season 4 Cas and season 6 Cas in terms of behaviour. He is much less the angel we saw in that barn in “Lazarus Rising.” In season 6, we have a Cas making misguided decisions guided entirely by his emotions – namely, not wanting to involve Dean with the war in heaven – which is peak human, honestly. Put a pin on how sad Dean is in both seasons with Cas’s absence. Finally, put a pin on this being our first moment of Cas doing things on his own to spare Dean and it not ending well (soulless!Sam, Cas “dying” after Leviathan) because this is *the* hurdle in their relationship (along with Dean’s lashing out and self-worth issues). With all this said, the marked distance between Dean and Cas in these seasons negates the possibility of them entering into any kind of relationship. Much like seasons 4 and 5, there’s too much going on.

Season 8:

Ah, yes, the summer of purgatory. If you thought we had pining before…! I think we’re all very clear on season 8 being a turning point for the show, not only because new showrunner, but we also get the bunker. TFW now has an HQ, which pretty soon becomes home. Yes, Baby will always be home, but the bunker becomes the *unmovable* safe haven that Baby couldn’t be. The bunker is a place to coalesce, and for all the amazing things Baby is, she is not that. The acquisition of the bunker marks a shift in the psychology of the show: with the stable home space we can start to imagine domesticity, a place to come home to, the stuff of ordinary living. Most of all, the bunker is emblematic of security, of safety –keep this in mind, as we go forward.

This season also continues to see Cas go down the path of independently solving his problems instead of asking for help from Sam and Dean (his family in a way heaven never was) – note that the better together issue is at play in different ways with Sam and Dean also, but I digress. I also want to point out disastrous instance #2 of Cas’s insistence on figuring it out on his own: he loses his grace, and the angels fall. As for Dean, season 8’s focus for him has much to do with Sam, and them coming face to face with their issues with codependency, which hit catastrophic levels with the gates of hell and Gadreel plots.

So despite all the deliciously angsty get together purgatory fics and spec, there’s too much distance between Dean and Cas on Cas’s part due to his guilt over betraying the Winchesters in s6 plus slaughtering angels plus unleashing Leviathan. We do see Dean being more emotionally open with Cas and continue to voicing his wish that Cas would just stay with him and Sam, and let them help. It’s clear as day how much Dean cares. The timing is still bad, though.

Before moving on to next season, let’s take a moment to appreciate that this is the season Dean admits being kinda done with one night stands because “always with the adios.” Remember the bunker as a sign of stability? Yeah. I wouldn’t say Dean is craving a relationship, exactly, but I think we can see that he does want something more (ahem also I’m nodding to Cas refusing to stay put just cause).

Seasons 9 & 10:

The most important thing to happen between this two seasons is Cas’s stint as a human for an extended period of time. There’s been plenty of spec and meta written over the years about the effects of being human on Cas’s grace (a proto-soul now maybe?). What we can say for sure, regardless, is that Cas is much more humanized once he becomes an angel again. The understanding he gets from being human doesn’t go away once he regains his angel powers. You’ll notice that while we still see some of season 4’s characterization, Cas is not the same as he was – he is alien to angels now and is more intelligible to humans. Additionally, in an interesting reversal from previous seasons, we now get to see the depth of Cas’s feelings for Dean (thanks, Metatron) as well as seeing him be more open emotionally, while Dean does most of the pushing away (first because of Gadreel, then because of the Mark of Cain). In short, the timing is still bad as Dean and Cas are largely kept apart both physically and emotionally.

9.06 Heaven Can’t Wait

This episode is my white whale, friends. While I’ve come to fully subscribe to the idea that something did happen between Dean and Cas during the fanfic gap, I don’t actually think it’s feasible that it marked the start of a relationship -- be it sexual or romantic. My reasoning here is quite simple: the timing is bad. Were it not for external events (Cas regaining his Grace and Dean taking on the MoC), the course would have likely differed. Furthermore, Dean’s guilt over making Cas leave the bunker as well as Cas’s own hurt and self-loathing pose a significant and as yet insurmountable obstacle, which is easily seen with how Dean and Cas’s character trajectories go separate ways.

YMMV on what exactly happened between them in that Motel, but something definitely did. Perhaps one day I’ll have a proper s9 trutherism post to link to here for more details (likely won’t be written by me, though).

10.16 Paint It Black

From the point Dean gets the MoC until the end of season 10, anything between him and Cas is quite impossible due to distancing, to say the least. Again, yes, the fic is really good, but alas. One of the reasons I’m bringing up this episode in particular is because of the confession scene. One, it’s a rare bit of explicit emotional honesty from Dean, and two, it tells me that while he and Cas may be well aware of the Thing™ between them, it’s still uncharted waters. It’s scary, and murky, and they’re unsure how to navigated it or if they should even try. Makes sense, too, there’s been A LOT going on since s6. Anyway, he’s the full confession:

You know, the life I live, the work I do…I pretty much just figured that that was all there was to me, you know? Tear around and jam the key in the ignition and haul ass until I ran out of gas. I guess I just thought sooner or later, I’d go out the same way that I live – pedal to the metal, and that would be it. […] Now, um… recent events, uh… make me think I might be closer to that than I really thought. And��I don’t know. I mean, you know, there’s – there’s things, there’s…people, feelings that I-I-I want to experience differently than I have before, or maybe even for the first time. […] Yeah, I’m just starting to think that… maybe there’s more to it all than I thought.

Can I just say, first, that this confession keeps me up at night because we never actually see anything done with it explicitly? I mean, obviously, I think we do in fact see the effects of this confession in the show, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this behemoth, but still, like. Damn. Ok, so, remember when I brought up that thing in season 7 about Dean being kinda done with hook-ups? Here’s where that led us. We’re seeing a Dean here who wants more than what he has convinced himself he gets to have. He wants more than dying bloody. And when he talks about wanting to experience people and feelings differently, well, that says a lot not just on the queer coding front or the romantic front. I mean, jfc, Dean is accepting the idea that he can have more in life than just hunt until he drops, and he’s specifically talking about experiences at the interpersonal level.

Do you ever see a character having an epiphany and find yourself wanting to cry because this is it right here. Dean is just blatantly admitting he wants more and maybe he can make himself be open to that (!!!), which all culminates in season 11, so…

Season 11:

The pining is still here, but it’s worse now since it’s the whole plot? It’s been *checks calendar* 5 years of this. How are any of us still kicking I don’t know. Your slow burns could never. Cool worth noting points: Cas says yes to Lucifer (bad decision #2.5, lots of mitigating effects_I don’t actually hold it against him that much but Dean is another story & not entirely rational at this point); for the first time since the early days, Dean and Cas are on equal grounds: they’ve both fucked up a lot and have hurt each other. The issues this season are outside their dynamic. Amara and Lucifer here serve as externalizing forces for Dean and Cas’s problems: Cas checks out with Lucifer because he thinks it’s the only way he can help, Dean is caught up in the turmoil of Amara, the emblem of absence and avoidance of struggle. We do get something like an affirmation from the two of them to each other via Dean calling Cas his brother (and I want y’all to consider the historical queering of that statement, and Cas’s “I could go with you.” It feels like we’re headed to them being on the same page. By the end of the season, though, it feels like we’re getting a clean slate: Mary is back, nobody died, no end-of-the-world in sight, no interpersonal crisis. We’re also getting a new showrunner, so. No wonder. We’re gearing up for something, but I’m getting ahead of myself. What this season does that is super important is that it sets up the stage for the possibility of an actual relationship between Dean and Cas, something that has, up until this point, been pretty much impossible.

11.04 Baby

Y’all know what I’m about to quote here, right? That conversation between Dean and Sam about having something with someone who understands the life. Here we still have Dean reverting to the idea that it’s impossible, which is a direct contrast to the openness in 10.16. It’s understandable, though, considering there’s been little reason to think anything like that would be possible (see all the mess and poor timing from seasons past). The quote in question, though, marks a continuing development regarding the issues Dean is struggling with this season:

DEAN: Piper? That’s awesome. Heather. One-night wonders, man. Shoot, we’re lucky we still get that at all. SAM: Really? You don’t … Ever want something more? DEAN: I’m sorry, have you met us? We’re batting a whopping zero in domestic life, man. Goose eggs. SAM: You don’t ever think about something? Not marriage or whatever. But … Something? You know, with a hunter? Somebody who understands the life?

We wouldn’t be talking about this stuff all these years after Sam and Dean had a serious relationship if it wasn’t important, right? Also who else do we meet this season? That’s right! Eileen! And doesn’t that hit different with season 15 hindsight? And who does Dean have that understands the life? Whose stories have been intricately connected to his? Right now, this is all conjecture. A pipe dream Sam is revisiting, and Dean is skeptical about. Except, well. Look at what we get in “Into the Mystic” and “The Chitters.”

11.11 Into The Mystic

I’m bringing up this episode as a cross reference to “Paint It Black” as well as to complement the talk from “Baby,” and to show, again, that, for all the closeness between Dean and Cas, there’s still a marked distance they haven’t yet bridged. There’s still truths they haven’t told each other. Thanks Mildred for the delicious exposition:

Darlin’…If there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years on the road, it’s when somebody’s pining for somebody else. […] Oh, don’t try and hide it now. Follow your heart. Remember?

11.19 The Chitters

And here we see some validation to Sam’s imagining of a possible future with someone else. We actually see hunters who not only are married, but they both make it out alive. Jesse and Cesar get their happy ending. They make the dream come true. And the reality of it important not just for Dean to see, but Sam too.

Dean: [with realization] Oh, so … [points back and forth to Jesse and Cesar] Cesar: Yeah. Dean: Okay, that’s… Cesar puts his beer bottle on the table and looks at Dean, while Jesse is being silent. Dean: What’s it like, settling down with a hunter? Cesar: Smelly, dirty. [turns to Jesse] Twice the worrying about getting ganked.

I’d like to point out, too, that the fear of getting ganked is thematic when it comes to the tension between Dean and Cas. More on this when we hit s13.

Alright, now, having said that, let’s take a look at season 12. Bear in mind, this is the official start of Dabb’s era, even if he kinda began taking over in season 11, and the change in vibes is obvious. In fact, 12 jumped out at me as a turning point, in hindsight, after getting smacked by the domesticity of seasons 13 and 14.

II. Why Season 12

[Out of date section. Update coming soon when spoons. After significant debate, I’ve altered the definitive start of Dean and Cas’s friend-with-benefits-with-mutual-pining relationship to between 12.02 and 12.03. I briefly explained why here, and yes it’s a shitpost--still true tho.]

Finally, the promise land, y’all. Getting right to it: what s11 was for Dean in terms of setting up the relationship stage, s12 was for Cas. In its initial beats, any way. That is, until the Kelly debacle, this was the longest Cas has been around the bunker and with the exception of seasons 13 and 14, it’s one of the first times we get to see how Cas might actually fit into the bunker-as-home. Things seem remarkably chill. Of course, we’ll notice that there’s still a lot of baggage hanging around because despite Dean and Cas being in a more stable place, they haven’t actually dealt with their interpersonal problems. I didn’t single out directly this episode, but do keep in mind Cas’s declaration in 12.09 First Blood as far as how much the Winchesters matter to Cas & how we also see Dean and Cas be particularly singled out with them seating together in the backseat of the Impala. What we also see this season is Cas trying to prove he is worthy of this family, his family. He’s not fighting for heaven or to right some grievous wrong (a la s8). No, this season he’s fighting to spare the Winchester, to bring them a win. To bring Dean a win. The major disconnect is that Dean (and Sam & Mary) already sees Cas that way, he doesn’t think Cas has anything to prove. And just maybe, Cas starts believing that too – or, at least, believing it enough.

12.10 Lily Sunders Has Some Regrets

This episode, oh my god, the goodness. In the wake of 12.09 we have Dean and Cas in a tiff because Cas mistake #3 (killing Billie and “cosmic consequences”), this is a pattern. Twice the worry of getting ganked, etc etc. But where this episode really shines is through the contrast between Ishim’s obsession with Lily and Cas & Dean’s mutual affection for each other. Ishim sees no difference here and, to him, Cas’s feelings for Dean are a human weakness. Returning to my point about human!Cas, this episode underscores that Cas’s increasing humanity is what puts him in the place where he can want what Dean wants instead of either being too alien to get it (see s4 & 5) or unable to experience it properly (Ishim).

12.12 Stuck in the Middle (With You)

Cas’s trajectory culminates here with the whole I love you (@ Dean), I love all of you (@ Winchesters). Let’s note too that Cas is dying here, in a way that is much more human than going up in light. This declaration of different types of love is entirely human. It’s also a definitive step wrt to Cas and Dean’s relationship because of what happens in 12.19. This. is. it. Oh, and, of course, let’s not forget to point to Dean’s face when Cas says that “I love you,” and how terrified he is that Cas is dying. Might make one rethink some things, hm?

12.19 The Future

This episode is simply hella suspicious, and all the kudos to Berens and Glynn for writing it. It’ll haunt me forever. Consider watching it again and just questioning everything. So. Weird things:

1. Dean’s reaction to Cas no getting in touch as opposed to Sam’s. Dean is pissed, which is Dean-speak for worried out of his mind. Sam is very worried, too, and puzzled, but he’s mostly expressing his relief that Cas is back. But Cas has gone awol before, but this time Dean is much more worked up about it; Sam takes note of this, too. Now, let’s imagine that maybe the events of 12.12 led to something happening between Dean and Cas. Then Cas decided to leave to find a lead on Kelly, but eventually Cas decides to work with Heaven and goes radio silent. For days. Having taken a chance, and something having happened between them, how would Dean react to Cas just going poof and not contacting him – despite Dean having called Cas multiple times.

2. Cas knows about the Colt. Ok, nothing off there. But when he goes to Dean’s room to talk, right after Dean leaves we see Cas looking around briefly. Like he know Dean would keep it in there. Maybe Cas had looked other places already. Who knows. What we do know is that eventually he does find the Colt not only in Dean’s room, but under Dean’s pillow. Sam didn’t even know the Colt wasn’t in the safe. So how did Cas know?

3.“He came into my room and he played me.” So, this quote right there, makes it seem like some seduction for personal gain, right? But can you see Cas actually doing that if they hadn’t gone there previously? For Dean not to suspect anything and go with it? There’s plenty of plausible deniability here, but the gaps in time in the narrative make me question what is there in those spaces. The scene where Cas tried to give Dean the mixtape back doesn’t read like “playing,” so it’s about a different interaction. Hm. Hmmm.

4. Dean and Cas’s brief conversation in Dean’s room is clearly Dean just wanting Cas to stay, so they can work (and be) together – because they’re better that way. Which, yeah, truth, but also ow.

5.And most importantly: When did Dean give Cas that mixtape??? How did that happen?

Sequence of events: Cas tells Dean he loves him – Dean is clearly shook by it – Dean gives Cas a mixtape (romantic gesture, often a declaration of feelings; in true Dean speak too lolsobs) – Cas goes awol - Dean acts like he got ghosted by his new bf -?????- Cas somehow knows the Colt is under Dean’s pillow – "He went into my room and he played me."

What am I supposed to do with that, hm? Like. Y’all realize they probably had some emotionally constipated getting together moment, right? Something that Dean clearly initially thought meant things were gonna change, now. Something that Cas couldn’t allow to happen until he could give Dean a win. Y’all are seeing this, yeah? I’m not saying they slept together and were full of feelings, except that’s kind of what I’m saying. But YMMV, there are other possibilities beyond sex. The full of feelings isn’t up for debate, though, even if the whole thing is informed by ridiculous amounts of miscommunication.

III. Seasons 13 through 15 As Established Relationship

Regardless of what happened in season 12, exactly, I can’t shake the feeling that something did happen, and something did change. My reasoning here is actually really simple: in comparison to previous seasons, Dean and Cas’s dynamic shifts significantly come season 13. I know some folks have been disappointed with some of season 13 and then season 14 for having dialed back on the destiel side of things. And, hey, maybe there’s truth to that in terms of backstage stuff, but I also want to point out that...well, the dialing back isn’t quite dialing back is it? Let’s look at 13 a little more closely:

Season 13:

So I said the deancas dynamic changed, right? I also think that change caught us unaware because the pivotal turning point that would cue us in never happened on screen as well as being subsumed by Cas’s death and Jack’s birth. But if I ask you about deancas in season 13 what would come to mind? Grief arc? Brokebacknatural? How domestic Dean and Cas are? There’s just something easy about their relationship after Cas returns from the Empty. The tension we’d grown so familiar with over the years is gone. Actually, it feels like we skipped the getting together bit of their relationship and went straight to established relationship and parenting. Some of the most peak married deancas moments we see circulating? Season 13, (and 12.10). It’s a lot, and it’s different, and it’s amazing.

13.01-13.05

Dean’s grief mini-arc. He was acting like a widower. Here’s me vaguely gesturing towards the mapping of Jonh, Mary, Dean, and Sam onto Dean, Cas, Sam, and Jack. And the reunion? I can’t help but be giddy at the song choice: “it’s never too late to start all over again.” To. Start. All. Over. Again. I’m just saying.

13.06 Tombstone & 13.16 Scoobynatural

I’m not going at length about these episodes, I just want to point out that they reveal that Dean and Cas have a whole thing going on off screen: they watch movies together, Cas knows about Dean being an angry sleeper, Cas seems to have been aware of the Dean-cave before Sam was. It’s little things like this that are examples of the narrative gaps surrounding Dean and Cas that have cropped up over the years. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to wonder what else could be hiding there. And when did the movie nights alluded in “Tombstone” happen? Maybe in season 12 when Cas in hanging around the bunker? The same period when Dean and Cas seem to be coalescing into something safer and more stable? Something that we never see come to a head because plot happens and Cas dies? Something that is immediately taken back up once Cas is alive again?

Season 14:

Overall, this season is more of what we got during 13, but it had two high notes I wanted to single out before ending this already too long post.

14.15 Peace of Mind

Look me in the eye and tell me Dean and Cas talking in the kitchen about Jack doesn’t read like husbands talking about their child. Look me in the eye and tell me Cas just texting Dean to gossip about Sam isn’t couple-y as hell.

14.18-14.20

Ah, yes, the divorce arc. Awful. Terrible. The culmination of Dean’s problem in all this: he lashes out, he pushes Cas away, his anger is alienating. Cue all of us suffering. But while Dean is clearly in the wrong in how the deals with his feelings, let’s not pretend some of his anger doesn’t come from a long established, and unaddressed, rift between him and Cas, which had its last traumatic turn when Cas died in s12. Dean isn’t being rational here: he saw Cas doing something on his own, and he saw that his mother is dead. What else could happen? Why won’t Cas just trust they can work as a team? What if Cas died again? And why should Cas put up with Dean’s behavior without knowing the cause? How can any relationship work this way? But notice how caught in the middle Sam was during all this. Notice how Jack is running off and acting out. The whole family is falling apart. Divorce arc, indeed.

Season 15:

But what about what we’re building up in 15? That seems like it could be a getting together plot, too, right? Well, yeah. It could very well be. But I’d argue the tension we’re seeing isn’t a will-they-or-won’t-they because they already have. We’re are watching a getting back together plot! The tension is, instead, will-they-or -won’t-they use their words to talk about the baggage that has kept them from truly being confident about their relationship. That’s the crucial step in their togetherness that they’re still missing, which is also the bedrock of the divorce arc that spanned twelve fucking episodes -- y’all, that’s half a season.

And technically? We’re not even done with yet because Cas never let Dean finish his prayer/confession in purgatory. What’s more, Cas hasn’t grappled with his role in the breakdown of their relationship, either: that he keeps going off on his own and getting hurt (and getting other people hurt), and Dean has to deal with the fallout. The deep emotional understanding, the truly being on the same page is what we’re on the edge of our seats for. We’re waiting to see what else Dean had to say, and what will happen when Cas’s deal with the Empty comes to light.

Finally, could we still have this plot without Dean and Cas having gotten together off screen? Sure, but I think the stakes are higher if they already did have something between them. If they actually have an established romantic relationship going on. Something real and tangible and as of yet much too fragile.

"...you asked what about all this is real. We are."

#destiel #deancas #supernatural #spn #spn meta #this thing is gargantuan yikes #anyway enjoy? let's chat #my writing #this thing is half meta half my adhd unleashed

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pastpatientlywaitingforimagines · 3 years

Text

Antimatter | Spencer Reid x Reader Platonic

WC: 2486

WARNINGS: SPOILERS FOR 13X15, general Criminal Minds things (mentions of violence, shootings, robberies, death, etc)

This is part of my Galaxy Universe (MASTERLIST). You don’t need to read anything prior to this to understand this fic, though it may help!

You thought your little found family had finally found some reprieve after a long year of difficulties. Spencer was reinstated, Mr. Scratch was dead, Matt Simmons joined the team, and everything seemed like it was returning to your normal crime fighting routine.

As it turns out, you were wrong.

You didn’t think twice about following Spencer out of the round table room. You were loyal to your team, and Assistant Director Linda Barnes was not going to snuff the mojo out of these people that you loved so much.

You caught up to Spencer in the bullpen, where he was shoving books into his bag. He didn’t look up when you slid onto his desk.

You waited a minute before speaking, “what’s our plan?”

“I haven’t gotten that far yet,” you were quick to follow him to the elevator.

“We need to come up with a plan before you leave, Spence,” you knew what he had just done was risky but it was the right move and you stood by your decision to follow him. You also knew that the problem wasn’t going to be solved without some other course of action, however.

“I can’t go back there. I’m not working with her scrutinizing our every move.”

“So don’t. Stay here and figure out how we’re going to get her out of our hair. Emily might know something that we don’t, she just had a bunch of meetings with Barnes, right?” You didn’t like how tense this conversation was becoming. You were currently on the same page as Spencer, that much you knew, but he could read 20,000 words per minute and it was going to take a lot for you to keep up with the pace his brain was working.

“Emily’s suspended,” you could tell he was thinking hard about what steps to take next.

“Go to her place and let her know what’s happening. Distancing yourself from Barnes is the best move before you get yourself fired.”

“What about you?” The elevator dinged to signal it’s arrival. Spencer stepped inside, holding the doors open.

“I’m going to go with the team. We need boots on the ground to figure out exactly what her plan in action looks like. I’ll be a centralized point for info about how she’s targeting everyone and get you it as quickly as I can.”

“Good luck,” he gave you a sad excuse for a smile.

“Go get Emily, I’ll be ok.” You watched the doors close, then walked back towards the round table room. You straightened your posture before opening the door and positioning yourself next to JJ. The rest of the team gave you some very strange looks that you tried to ignore.

“Will you be joining us, Agent (y/l/n)?” Barnes asked, almost as if she expected you to say no.

“I will, thanks,” you showed no weakness, making direct eye contact with her. She didn’t push further, instead confirming JJ’s ‘Wheel’s Up’ and leaving the room.

You spent the entire trip to St. Louis avoiding questions from the rest of the team about what had happened when you and Spencer left the briefing.

In a moment of quiet on the jet, JJ approached you while you were getting coffee.

“Were you able to talk to Spence before he left?” She asked in a hushed whisper, back to the rest of the plane.

“Yeah,” you said slowly, eyes flickering to where Barnes was staring the two of you down, “I’ll tell you about it later, it’s best that you don’t know for now. Trust us on this?”

JJ nodded, “let me know what you need, I’ll make sure it happens.”

You arrived in St. Louis and watched as Barnes demeaned the local PD, undermined the procedural profiling, and intentionally paired herself off with each member on your team. It was only a matter of time before she got to you.

You had been purposely avoiding her, instead collecting tidbits of information from your coworkers about their conversations with her that were unrelated to the case at hand. You intentionally stayed behind to work victimology when she finally cornered you in the conference room.

“You’re loyal to a fault, Agent (y/l/n),” she wasted no time addressing you.

“Excuse me?” You chose to not look up from the crime scene photos.

“Following Agent Reid out of the office this morning was a bold choice,” she tried to assert herself into your space, something you weren’t about to allow.

“I don’t see how my loyalty is a fault. I could see that Doctor Reid was unwell and I wanted to make sure he was ok.”

“You were suspended while he was in prison last year, were you not?” Clearly she had done her homework, although you didn’t like the way she twisted the situation inaccurately.

“I was on medical leave from field work, I still assisted remotely from Quantico and retained all other privileges.”

“Caused by Agent Reid’s arrest?”

“Caused by pre-existing mental health conditions that I’ve been treating since before I joined the BAU. My leave was temporary to help get it under control after the stress of Doctor Reid’s false arrest.”

She was quiet for a minute as you shuffled to the next file. You hoped that she would start asking about the case before you lost your temper, your secret mission would be compromised if you couldn’t keep your head down about it. Her next statement didn’t surprise you, though it came from left field.

“You do know that interpersonal relationships within a Unit are against Bureau policy.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re implying,” you put down the file to finally square up to Barnes. She had seen your file, you knew that much, but you were now doubting how much she had actually read into it.

“Are you and Agent Reid romantically involved?”

“Doctor Reid is my best friend. Last time I checked there was nothing in Bureau policy that didn’t allow that. I don’t appreciate you speculating about my personal relationships when they’re clearly not relevant to this case.”

Questioning your loyalty to the team was one thing, but attacking the most pure thing in your life was going too far.

“What is relevant to this case then, Agent? Your skills must be more useful elsewhere than sitting in a conference room looking at photos. Perhaps a transfer to a tactical unit would be more beneficial to the Bureau?” She finally pushed in a direction you were expecting.

“I would think that the Bureau would be more interested in well rounded agents instead of one trick ponies. I’m building my skillset here, rather than getting stuck in a rut doing tactical work.” It wasn’t completely the truth, just last year you had talked with Spencer about the possibility of you transferring to the Hostage Rescue Team. A tactical position would make sense, considering your strengths, but you had found such an unlikely home at the BAU that leaving was out of the question.

“You’ve been building your skills here for almost a decade. Why do you think Agent Prentiss was promoted to Unit Chief over you?”

“She was the right choice. She has seniority, as well as a more rounded viewpoint from her other assignments. I trust Emily Prentiss wholeheartedly.”

Just like Matt had predicted, Barnes was trying to pit you against your team, “what about Agent Jareau? You’ve been a profiler longer than she has, do you know why I promoted her above you?”

It was her mistake, honestly. Of all the people who she could try to turn against the BAU, you weren’t a good choice. Instead of falling into her trap, you doubled down, “she’s been with the team longer than I have. Knowing how the team works is just as important as knowing how to profile if you want to do this job right. I fully support JJ as Unit Chief, but that’s not why you picked her, is it?”

“It is not.” You waited for her to elaborate, but instead she left the conference room to talk to Matt. As soon as she left your phone was at your ear calling Spencer.

“She had the nerve to ask me if I was romantically involved with you,” you hissed as soon as he answered. You heard Emily laugh on the other end of the line.

“What’s happening with the rest of the team?” Spencer spoke up.

“She’s trying to push us all out, but keeps denying it. We’re closing in on this case, but she’s stepping on our toes all over the place. She wants to make this a quick close but honestly she’s only making it harder for us to profile this guy. How’s it going on your end?”

There was a pause, which you assumed was caused by Spencer taking you off of speaker and stepping out of the room.

“She’s trying to leave. She said someone had to take the fall for what happened with the Truthers-“

“You’re not letting her, right? Nobody needs to take the fall for what happened, where did she get that idea?”

“Barnes, I guess. I’ll keep working here, keep doing what you’re doing.”

“Ok, good luck.”

Doing what you were doing proved harder than you thought. Barnes stepped completely out of line during the validation strategy, getting the unsub killed when Tara and Luke were completely capable of talking him down. You were fuming but knew you needed to keep your head down as to not blow your cover with Spencer, so instead you tacked yourself to Luke’s side with the knowledge that he would tell you if you were about to do something stupid.

It was the right call, because JJ tore into Barnes on the jet and you knew you didn’t have the authority to add on to it. It felt like a small victory, until Barnes met you all in the office right before you were about to head over to O’Keefe’s.

“Agents Prentiss, your suspension is lifted. You will be reassigned within the Bureau, your new post has yet to be determined. Agent Lewis, you will also be reassigned. Agent (y/l/n), you are being reassigned to lead a SWAT team in the city, congratulations on the promotion. Agent Reid, you will be a full time professor with our exchange program. Agent Rossi, the FBI deeply appreciates your service and the Director wishes you nothing but the best in your retirement. Agent Simmons, Agent Alvez, you will remain here at the BAU. Garcia, your loyalty to the team is appreciated but it feels like a fresh start in a different department would be best.”

She made it seem like your reassignment was a good thing, but that was far from the truth.

“What’s wrong?” Spencer answered his door faster than you thought he would, eyes narrowing behind his glasses when he saw your disheveled state a few weeks later.

“I’m losing it. I’m going to get my whole team killed. I can’t keep doing this,” you spilled before you were even able to step into Spencer’s apartment.

“Here,” Spencer led you to his couch and pressed a hot cup of tea into your hands, “take a deep breath, you’re here with me. Did you just get off of a case?”

“Yeah, a bank robbery downtown. We locked it down but the whole time I was thinking about how it could have gone wrong.”

Spencer didn’t say anything, instead letting you sip tea and breathe for a minute.

“When Barnes reassigned me I thought her goal was to give me a promotion so I wouldn’t want to come back to the BAU.”

“It was, she knows you’re an incredible agent. Any unit is lucky to have you.”

“What if it was to break me though? She’s read my file, she knows my episodes have been more frequent since you were arrested in Mexico. Did you hear about the school shooting that happened last week?”

Spencer nodded.

“I was there, Spence. I was there. And the whole time I was leading the team through the hallways getting kids out I kept thinking about Jack, and Henry, Michael, and Hank. How they could be in that school, how there were already kids in that school that I hadn’t saved. I couldn’t save them.

“When I first started out at the Academy my peers all told me I would head up SWAT one day. I thought it was what I wanted until I joined the BAU. You even said I’d do well on a tactical team a year ago, so I trusted the process and that we’d get back at Barnes but I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep having panic attacks after every case. It’s not fair to my team, someone’s going to get killed and it’s going to be my fault.”

“It’s not your fault, it’s Barnes’. Why don’t you take a couple of days off and sit in on my lectures? You can even guest speak if you want, I scheduled an extra day in the syllabus in case I needed to go over any material again but I don’t need to use it.”

“You’re too good at this, Spence. Where’s your mom?” You looked around his small apartment, already starting to feel better.

“She’s in the bedroom resting. She’s liked having me home so much, although she asks me almost every day when you’re coming to visit,” he laughed.

“I’m sorry, I feel like I’m at work now more than when we were in the BAU. I have a newfound respect for every time I’ve called in SWAT in the past nine years,” you joked.

The comfortable silence that fell between you as you finished the drink in your hand was cut short by Spencer’s phone ringing.

“Doctor Reid,” he answered, “Hi Luke, what’s up?”

Your eyebrows smashed together, listening closely to the half of the conversation you were able to hear.

“Don’t bother, they’re with me. We’ll meet you there. Bye,” he hung up and turned to you with a slight frown.

“They have a case that they want us to look at. Barnes won’t approve it, we’re meeting at Emily’s.”

“A secret team meeting?” you stood up excitedly, unable to stop the grin spreading on your face, “let’s go.”

“Hey Spence?” you asked as he got into your car, a small detail of your conversation occurring to you.

“Hmm?” he clicked his seatbelt.

“You didn’t know I was coming over. The tea that you gave me… you made it for yourself, didn’t you?”

Spencer smiled bashfully, “you needed it more than I did.”

“The world doesn’t deserve you, Spencer Reid,” you sighed, putting the car in drive.

Galaxy Taglist: @kermitsaysgayrights @niallthedancingharry @shadyladyperfection @thatsonezesty13 @lexshead @ceeellewrites @howdycharlie @girlycakepops @fantastic-fans @canimarrypizzaornah @daisyflower138 @dyingrexx @taylormobley @tj-drinks-tea

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fluff #platonic soulmates #platonic imagine #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfic

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parkerspicedlatte · 5 years

Text

Blue Sweater (FULL) (A.I)

Word Count: 2.3 K a smaul bean

Warnings: light innuendo (they’re dirty boys what do you expect), light cussing

Pairing: Ashton Irwin x Reader

“Babe, have you seen my blue sweater.” Ashton, your boyfriend called from down the hallway.

“Um no…?” you called back, barely attempting to cover up the uncertainty of your answer.

“No?” The voice repeated from the doorway where Ashton stood with arms crossed over his chest, looking down at your body sprawled atop of the bedroom carpet. “You sure about that baby girl?”

You nodded, grinning deviously at him while tucking your fingers into the pocket of his blue sweater, having no intentions of giving it back anytime soon.

Ashton pushed his body away from the door frame and stepped over your legs and torso so that each of his feet were placed aside each of your hips. leaving his body to stand over yours.

“So the blue sweater that you are currently residing in, the one I’m fairly certain smells like my hair product isn’t the blue sweater I’m looking for? My only blue sweater?”

“That would be a no.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“This is definitely my sweater.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

“Well I ain’t calling you a truther!” You giggled back the last words at the sheer ridiculousness of your relationship. Here you were lying on the bedroom floor in Ashton’s sweater with mile long sleeves quoting Drake and Josh to him while he stood over you keeping you in place.

“You know you’re adorable right,” stated Ashton, not even bothering to pose the sentence as a question.

“I aim to please.”

“However, I am going to need that sweater back.”

“Well that’s going to be a problem because this sweater is occupied.”

“Occupied?”

“Mm hmm, by me. In case you haven’t noticed.” You threw in the last part to add a bit of sass.

Ashton laughed and shook his head. He loved the view below him. He loved how cheeky you looked with your hair a mess against the carpet, grin prominent on your face. He loved the way his blue sweater looked against your skin. He loved the fact that you were wearing short pants and a long sleeve sweater despite the fact that you usually wore short sleeves with short pants and long sleeves with long pants. Little things like that mattered to you but it made his heart warm to know that in the comfort of your shared home, you didn’t care what you wore, except at that moment you happened to care enough that you weren’t giving up the sweater without a fight.

“You’ve chosen to be a brat today have you?” he asked from above you. “You know what happens to brats, don’t you.”

You picked at your fingernails while pretending not to notice Ashton talking to you. He bent down so that his hands rested on each of his knees, bringing himself down to emphasise his words. However you continued to ignore him and hum away.

“Baby girl?”

“Yes?” you answered innocently.

“Are you going to apologise?”

“For what?”

“For being a brat.”

You pretended to think long and hard about that one while the sliver of a smirk crept onto Ashton’s face, both assuming what you were going to say and where things would lead.

“You know what, I’m sorry for being a brat.”

“What?” Ashton was taken aback by your words, fully expecting you to not give into the apology. You had completely taken him by surprise.

“NOT!” There it was.

“Alright, you asked for it!” Ashton came the rest of the way to the floor to straddle your body just above your hips. Quickly his hands, coupled with yours, were flush against the carpet. You felt the pressure in your wrists but knew that he was being playful and wouldn’t ever do anything that would hurt you in anyway.

“Not to sound cliche babe,” he began, “but there’s an easy way and a hard way. I’m not going to tell you what either consist of but I would recommend you take the easy way and just apologise,” he told you, smirking as he spoke.

“You don’t scare me, you’re all talk.” you told him whilst remaining in place, cool as could be.

“That so?”

“Mhm, you’re just a big soft cinnamon roll.”

“That’s it.” One of his large hands moved to clasp both of your wrists together while the other danced over your torso, transferring enough pressure from his fingertips to your skin to elicit audible squeals and giggles from you. His fingers followed a pattern, never remaining in the same spot for more than a few seconds at a time. Ribs, neck, underarms, back of the knees and back to your ribs.

Ashton blew a playful raspberry into your neck as you withered under his body gleefully.

“Ash! Stop! Please!” you squealed, “You’re going to make me pee myself!”

The hand that had previously been attacking you lifted from the “tickle zones” and came to rest on you. His palm lay flat against the middle of your ribs, fingers outstretched, feeling the waves of your chest with every heavy breath that you tried to catch.

“Are you ready to apologize?”

“Yes.” you panted.

“Okay, well why don’t you catch your breath and I’ll wait for it.” Ashton hummed.

A few moments passed in order for you to calm your breathing and heart rate as Ashton looked on at you in a playful admiration.

“Ready?” he asked. You nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” He was not going to let you get off easily this time.

You giggled. “I’m sorry that your sweaters are better than mine and that you can’t keep your hands off of me!”

“Oh you devil!” Ashton exclaimed giggling. His fingers returned to their last mission as you squirmed from your spot on the bedroom floor.

“Ahhh,” you thrashed against him as his hand traveled to the sensitive area on base of your back. “Ashton the tickles!”

“That’s kind of the point, babe.” he counters. “This is your punishment.”

Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open and three wide-eyed bandmates entered the scene.

“Sure, just come right in why don’t ya. Don’t worry about calling ahead of time.” Ashton remarked sarcastically. His fingers ceased their attack on you as Calum, Luke, and Michael sighed in relief, now realizing that both you and Ashton were okay-just goofing around.

“Sorry mate, heard the screaming.” Luke said.

“Thought you two were having sex.” Michael winked in attempt to clear up Luke’s sentence in his own dirty way.

“You guys thought we were having sex so you all decided to barge in!?” you demanded from the floor. Calum hit Michael in the arm as you starred on. Luke only laughed and face palmed.

“No! That’s not true. Just checking to make sure that nothing was wrong,” Calum added, “For either of you.”

“We’re okay here.” Ashton said while lifting his hands from your body as if to prove a point.

“Oh you guys look like you are more than okay.” Michael said slyly referencing Ashton’s position on top of you.

“You know what,” Ashton stood up, “How ‘bout I walk you guys out. Seems like you’ve seen enough for a bunch of un-married wankers.”

Luke laughed again. You quickly stood up and followed Ashton and the men out of the room and into the large kitchen. Your boyfriend tried to encourage them out of the house but instead they all veered towards the fridge and each grabbed a cold beer.

Luke reached into the top drawer beside the sink for the bottle opener while Calum handed Ashton his own bottle.

Michael stood beside you grinning like a ten year old peeking in on the teenage neighbour girls getting changed. He opened his mouth to say something to you but you cut him off before he could even get a word out.

“Don’t,” you warned.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t say whatever crass thing you were about to say.”

Michael laughed. “Wasn’t going to actually say it.” Then he muttered: “Not to you anyways.”

Luke walked up to you and bumped your hip. “You good?”

“Yes Luke,” you laughed. “Just having some fun, promise.”

“Alright,” he slyly winked at you as he left and started walking towards the couch in the living room prompting the rest of the men to follow.

Calum and Michael each took up their own seat while Ashton and Luke took up the couch. You went to take the middle seat between them but as you sank into the furniture, Ashton’s free hand snuck around your waist and pulled you onto his lap. He offered you a sip from the neck of the bottle but you declined.

Soon the room fell into a comfortable conversation about this and that. You leaned back into Ashton’s chest enjoying the vibrations you felt transfer from his body to your own when he spoke. After a few minutes Luke leaned forward to place his bottle onto the coffee table holding eye contact with you as he did so. He pulled out his phone and gestured to it as he typed out something. Almost instantly you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket. Ashton took no notice as you pulled it out to read the message that was presumably from Luke.

Wanna get revenge on Ash?

You looked up at Luke. His face was turned away, chatting with Michael who sat across from him.

You gonna tickle him or something?

His phone lit up in his hand. You saw him read the message and nod quickly to you then go back to his conversation with Michael. Meanwhile, his fingers tapped out a message without even looking at the keyboard.

Distract him for two seconds.

“Hey Ash,” his gaze followed your voice giving you his attention. “What do you think about peaches?” The question came out rushed and broken. What more could you do? You had less than enough time to come up with an appropriate topic to distract him.

“Peaches?” he asked.

“Yeah, like the colour.”

Ashton’s eyebrows furrowed as he contemplated what you were asking ever so randomly. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Luke make a few wiggle-y hand gestures to Calum and Michael and then point to Ashton. It took a few tries but eventually they understood what Luke was trying to tell them without the knowledge of Ashton.

“I think it looks nice on a sunset, why?”

“Umm, just thinking about a paint colour for the bathroom.” you lied.

“Hun we just re-did the bathroom not that long ago.” Ashton commented.

“Just a thought.” you jumped up before he could ask anymore questions. “I’m going to go get some chips, any request?” you asked.

“The weirdest flavour you’ve got.” Michael said loudly.

“Michael you can have your own bowl you disgusting chip-eater.” you told him jokingly.

“Hey!” he shouted back but with nothing else to add.

You ran for the cupboard that held the bags of potato chips and dumped the nearest bag into a large bowl and scampered back into the living room. You set the bowl onto the coffee table and looked over at Luke. Luke gave each Calum and Michael a signalling nod.

“I thought you were going to get Michael his own bowl-”

“NOW!” Luke shouted. All three of your guest threw their beer bottles onto the table and pounced onto Ashton at once. Calum forced Ashton’s bottle out of his hands while Luke and Michael each grabbed onto one of his arms, pinning them to the tops of the couch.

“Y/N, now!” Calum yelled as he worked on holding Ashton’s knees still for you.

“What are you guys-”

Ashton cut his own question off with a giggle as you jumped onto his lap placing both of your knees on either side of him while your fingers pushed the front of his shirt over his head in order to tickle his torso in return.

Ashton was proving to be much more difficult to hold down as his body jerked and wiggled against the couch. Both Luke and Michael were straining hard to keep their assigned arms while Calum was trying his hardest to not get struck in the face by one of Ashton’s bouncing knees. Not a single person in the room could contain their laughter as you worked your fingers into various places on Ashton’s body.

The fabric of his shirt muffled most of his words but his laughter was quite clear.

“How do you like them apples, Irwin? Hmm? Hmmmmm?” you demanded as you relentlessly kept on.

“Yeah, not so tough now are ya?” added Michael who, unfortunately, lost is grip on Ashton’s left arm causing him to fall to the floor. Now with one arm free, Ashton lunged himself onto Luke, taking them down to the floor. They fell half beside and half atop of Calum, who was lying on his back due to a swift knee to the chin. Within seconds all four men had fallen to the ground and were giggling like teenagers again, all without the aid of an exceptional amount of alcohol.

“You guys are assholes.” Ashton laughed.

“We prefer the term vigilantes actually.�� Luke argued back.

Click. “The giggliest looking vigilantes I’ve ever seen.” You told them as you put your phone back in your pocket after taking a quick snap of their arrangement on the floor.

Ashton quickly sat up and pulled your body onto his. “You know I don’t think I actually got that apology from earlier.” he growled. His fingers dug into your sides, threatening to continue their earlier mission.

“How ‘bout a picture instead?” You held your phone screen up to his face to show him the scene. He looked around at Luke, Calum, and Michael who were still lying in the positions that they fell into. Everyone was grinning wildly from ear to ear, arms and legs tangled in a ball of Australian giggles.

“I guess you’re forgiven.” He gave your cheek a peck then stood up and threw your body onto the couch. “You boys staying for dinner? The brat’s cooking tonight.”

Thanks for reading!

-xx Reetz :)

Masterlist

5SOS Masterlist

Find more 5SOS posts at @5sosspicedlemons my shared side blog with @lifelovelemons

#ashton irwin #ashton 5sos #ashton irwon fanfic #ashton irwin fic #ashton irwin fluff #5sos ashton #5sos imagines #5 seconds of summer #5 second of summer imagines #parkerspicedlatte #reetz writes

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5sosspicedrosey · 5 years

Text

Blue Sweater (Ashton Irwin) FULL

Word Count: 2.3 K a smaul bean

Warnings: light innuendo (they’re dirty boys what do you expect), light cussing

Pairing: Ashton Irwin x Reader

"Babe, have you seen my blue sweater." Ashton, your boyfriend called from down the hallway.

"Um no...?" you called back, barely attempting to cover up the uncertainty of your answer.

"No?" The voice repeated from the doorway where Ashton stood with arms crossed over his chest, looking down at your body sprawled atop of the bedroom carpet. "You sure about that baby girl?"

You nodded, grinning deviously at him while tucking your fingers into the pocket of his blue sweater, having no intentions of giving it back anytime soon.

Ashton pushed his body away from the door frame and stepped over your legs and torso so that each of his feet were placed aside each of your hips. leaving his body to stand over yours.

"So the blue sweater that you are currently residing in, the one I'm fairly certain smells like my hair product isn't the blue sweater I'm looking for? My only blue sweater?"

“That would be a no.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“This is definitely my sweater.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

“You know you’re adorable right,” stated Ashton, not even bothering to pose the sentence as a question.

“I aim to please.”

“However, I am going to need that sweater back.”

“Well that’s going to be a problem because this sweater is occupied.”

“Occupied?”

“Mm hmm, by me. In case you haven’t noticed.” You threw in the last part to add a bit of sass.

“You’ve chosen to be a brat today have you?” he asked from above you. “You know what happens to brats, don’t you.”

“Baby girl?”

“Yes?” you answered innocently.

“Are you going to apologise?”

“For what?”

“For being a brat.”

You pretended to think long and hard about that one while the sliver of a smirk crept onto Ashton’s face, both assuming what you were going to say and where things would lead.

“You know what, I’m sorry for being a brat.”

“What?” Ashton was taken aback by your words, fully expecting you to not give into the apology. You had completely taken him by surprise.

“NOT!” There it was.

“You don’t scare me, you’re all talk.” you told him whilst remaining in place, cool as could be.

“That so?”

“Mhm, you’re just a big soft cinnamon roll.”

Ashton blew a playful raspberry into your neck as you withered under his body gleefully.

“Ash! Stop! Please!” you squealed, “You’re going to make me pee myself!”

“Are you ready to apologize?”

“Yes.” you panted.

“Okay, well why don’t you catch your breath and I’ll wait for it.” Ashton hummed.

A few moments passed in order for you to calm your breathing and heart rate as Ashton looked on at you in a playful admiration.

“Ready?” he asked. You nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” He was not going to let you get off easily this time.

You giggled. “I’m sorry that your sweaters are better than mine and that you can’t keep your hands off of me!”

“Oh you devil!” Ashton exclaimed giggling. His fingers returned to their last mission as you squirmed from your spot on the bedroom floor.

“Ahhh,” you thrashed against him as his hand traveled to the sensitive area on base of your back. “Ashton the tickles!”

“That’s kind of the point, babe.” he counters. “This is your punishment.”

Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open and three wide-eyed bandmates entered the scene.

“Sorry mate, heard the screaming.” Luke said.

“Thought you two were having sex.” Michael winked in attempt to clear up Luke’s sentence in his own dirty way.

“You guys thought we were having sex so you all decided to barge in!?” you demanded from the floor. Calum hit Michael in the arm as you starred on. Luke only laughed and face palmed.

“No! That’s not true. Just checking to make sure that nothing was wrong,” Calum added, “For either of you.”

“We’re okay here.” Ashton said while lifting his hands from your body as if to prove a point.

“Oh you guys look like you are more than okay.” Michael said slyly referencing Ashton’s position on top of you.

“You know what,” Ashton stood up, “How ‘bout I walk you guys out. Seems like you’ve seen enough for a bunch of un-married wankers.”

Luke reached into the top drawer beside the sink for the bottle opener while Calum handed Ashton his own bottle.

“Don’t,” you warned.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t say whatever crass thing you were about to say.”

Michael laughed. “Wasn’t going to actually say it.” Then he muttered: “Not to you anyways.”

Luke walked up to you and bumped your hip. “You good?”

“Yes Luke,” you laughed. “Just having some fun, promise.”

“Alright,” he slyly winked at you as he left and started walking towards the couch in the living room prompting the rest of the men to follow.

Wanna get revenge on Ash?

You looked up at Luke. His face was turned away, chatting with Michael who sat across from him.

You gonna tickle him or something?

Distract him for two seconds.

“Peaches?” he asked.

“Yeah, like the colour.”

“I think it looks nice on a sunset, why?”

“Umm, just thinking about a paint colour for the bathroom.” you lied.

“Hun we just re-did the bathroom not that long ago.” Ashton commented.

“Just a thought.” you jumped up before he could ask anymore questions. “I’m going to go get some chips, any request?” you asked.

“The weirdest flavour you’ve got.” Michael said loudly.

“Michael you can have your own bowl you disgusting chip-eater.” you told him jokingly.

“Hey!” he shouted back but with nothing else to add.

“I thought you were going to get Michael his own bowl-”

“Y/N, now!” Calum yelled as he worked on holding Ashton’s knees still for you.

“What are you guys-”

The fabric of his shirt muffled most of his words but his laughter was quite clear.

“How do you like them apples, Irwin? Hmm? Hmmmmm?” you demanded as you relentlessly kept on.

“You guys are assholes.” Ashton laughed.

“We prefer the term vigilantes actually.” Luke argued back.

Click. “The giggliest looking vigilantes I’ve ever seen.” You told them as you put your phone back in your pocket after taking a quick snap of their arrangement on the floor.

“I guess you’re forgiven.” He gave your cheek a peck then stood up and threw your body onto the couch. “You boys staying for dinner? The brat’s cooking tonight.”

Author Support/Feedback HERE!

Thanks for reading

-xx Reetz (let me know if you guys want a part two!)

#ashton irwin #ashton irwin imagines #ashton iwrin fanfiction #ashton irwin fanfic #ashton irwin 5sos #ashton irwin 5seconds of summer #sorry fro the click bait #reetz writes #hey its Reetz

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duhragonball · 5 years

Text

Dragon Ball Z 265

Last time, Majin Buu got his ass kicked by Gohan, so he blew himself up and came back an hour later.... to challenge Gotenks instead. No one knows why he would want to do this, but Goten and Trunks insist on taking him on, and Gohan doesn’t seem very firm about stopping them.

Meanwhile, some flesh off of Buu’s back has sloughed off and is slithering around among all the rocks, but that probably doesn’t mean anything...

So there’s a few things at play here. First of all, no one gives Buu any credit for intelligence. He’s demonstrated on more than one occasion that he’s smarter than he lets on. The problem is that the characters who know that aren’t around to warn the boys. Babidi got killed, and Goku’s stuck in Otherworld. The Supreme Kai’s been warning anyone who will listen not to underestimate Buu, but no one’s ever listened to him on this point.

Of course, Goten and Trunks’ immaturity plays into this as well. They take Buu’s challenge at face value, and wonder why he’d ask for something so stupid. It never occurs to them that maybe he’s asking to fight Gotenks precisely because it isn’t stupid at all, so maybe they shouldn’t play into his hands like this.

What’s really dumb about this is that Buu made it pretty clear in the last episode that he was never in any real danger of losing his last battle with Gotenks. He only kept fighting so he’d have something to do while he waited for Gohan to show up. Gotenks knows this, but he doesn’t seem to care.

Finally, and most crucially, why is Gohan just standing around letting this unfold. He knows it’s risky to let Gotenks fight instead, but when they complain, he just yields the floor and lets them fight in his place. What was the point of getting that power up from the Old Kai if he wasn’t going to deal with Buu himself? Why isn’t he attacking Buu right now, instead of standing there like a dope waiting for Buu to make his move?

It’s inexperience, pure and simple. Gohan dominated Buu in their last encounter, and he probably figures that there’s no harm in letting Gotenks go first. If the kid loses, Gohan can step in to help, right?

I’d ask why Piccolo doesn’t object to any of this, but he had a nervous breakdown three or four episodes ago, so who can blame the guy? The only one who does suspect something’s up is Bee. I guess he can smell deception in the air? Anyway, no one listens to him because he’s a dog.

So he has to run towards the fight and show them what he’s seen, but by then it’s too late.

Suddenly, the pieces of Buu’s body jump on Piccolo and Gotenks and envelop them...

Then they recombine with Buu, apparently infusing Piccolo and Gotenks into his body somehow.

Look, I don’t want to be too hard on Gohan, but this is EXACTLY HOW CELL TRICKED HIM SEVEN YEARS AGO. Gohan was stronger than Cell, and he could beat him senseless without even trying, and then Cell revealed that he had a power Gohan couldn’t stop with punching. Yeah, Gohan had no idea he could do this, but why did he let Buu live long enough to demonstrate this kind of ability. In theory, he has the power to kill Buu with a single Kamehameha. If he doesn’t, then there was no point in sending him down here, but if he does, then he should have just done that two episodes back.

Incidentally, why didn’t the Supreme Kai tell anyone about this? We haven’t gotten to that episode yet, but later, he’ll explain how he’s seen Buu absorb people before, so it seems kind of odd that he didn’t anticipate this, or warn Gohan about it.

When the process is complete, Buu has Gotenks’s Fusion vest, a longer tentacle, and a nose. Also, he talks more eloquently. This form is sometimes referred to as “Super Buu 2″. I think I’ve seen “Buutenks” used before, but that sounds kind of dumb.

Buu declares himself to be the “Mightiest Majin”, which is a line I’ve never understood. Throughout this story, characters have referred to him as a “Majin”, as if he were one of a group of other Majin, and I’m pretty sure it’s just a word Toriyama made up for this story. It’s supposed to be a portmanteau of “ma”, the Japanese word for “evil” and “djinn”, or “genie”. Are there other Majins? Does Buu know of any besides himself? Wasn’t he already stronger than any of them to begin with?

Anyway, this whole development reveals a crucial flaw in any anti-Buu strategy. As powerful as Majin Buu is, it’s not enough to just match him in strength. If he runs into anyone strong enough to defeat him, he’ll just absorb that guy, or however many other guys he need to in order to stay on top. It almost feels like this is some overriding aspect of Buu’s nature, like Bibidi programmed this into him.

So why didn’t Buu just absorb Gohan, since he’s the strongest one. Ah, but Buu wanted to have someone to fight once he increased his power. There’s an element of risk to this plan, because Buu’s power-up is mostly contributed by Gotenks, and the fusion will expire soon. That’s why Buu waited an hour before coming back to pull this stunt. He didn’t want to absorb Gotenks back in Episode 262, because he didn’t know how much longer they would last. This way, he got them right after they fused, so he has the full time at his disposal, however short it is.

Even so, he has to beat Gohan before that time runs out. It probably would have been smarter to just absorb Gohan, but Buu loves a good fight too much to pass this up. Besides, he can always absorb Gohan later.

Seriously, why did anyone think Toriyama was going to make Gohan the main character? More to the point, why did anyone want Gohan to become the main character?

Let me back up and explain that for anyone who didn’t know about the story. Years ago, there was this legend that Toriyama planned to make Gohan the protagonist of the Buu arc, but fans in Japan sent him death threats or something, demanding that he bring Goku back, so he changed the ending. Kanzenshuu.com has a pretty thorough article debunking this rumor, but the quick version is that Toriyama did plan on Gohan taking the lead, then changed his mind at some point, because he felt Gohan wasn’t suited for the role.

I’m pretty sure the rumor only got started because of wishful thinking and changed premises. There was a time, however brief, where Toriyama made it clear that he was making Gohan inherit the role from Goku. And then Goku came back anyway. The simplest explanation is that he changed his mind, but I think fans have trouble accepting the possibility of authors calling an audible in the middle of a story. They like to imagine that the story exists fully-formed in the creator’s mind, and any inconsistencies or changes are due to outside influences. When Gohan got sidelined from the Buu Saga, it was easier for fans to believe that there was some sort of conspiracy at work. Either Toriyama’s editor made him change it, or Toei pressured him to bring the more marketable Goku back, or misguided Japanese fans coerced him into rewriting the story.

My take on this is that the situation looks pretty obvious when you watch the show. Maybe I shouldn’t say “obvious”, because when I first watched the Buu Saga, I kept obsessively checking Funimation.com’s episode list to see what would happen in upcoming installments, and I knew that Goku and Vegeta would somehow return, use fusion, and fight Buu themselves. And that was the main event, as far as I was concerned. For my money, the whole point of this fusion business was to see Goku and Vegeta use it, so what do we need Gohan for?

But besides that, what exactly is the alternate scenario here if Gohan remained the protagonist? Presumably, we’d get this far, I would think. Gohan is too much for Super Buu, so he absorbs Piccolo and Gotenks to give our hero a greater challenge. And it’s not an impossible task. If Gohan can hold out until Gotenks’ fusion expires, he’ll have the advantage again.

But then what? Do Goku and Vegeta come back to help him anyway? Does Gohan journey into Buu’s body to rescue his pals, or does he just kill Super Buu and wait four months on an empty planet to wish everyone back to life? Does Kid Buu ever factor into any of this?

These aren’t insignificant questions. I get the impression that anyone who believes that Toriyama changed the story because of fan pressure or editorial pressure or whatever, they believe this because they’re huge Gohan fans who resent him getting a raw deal. Or they just don’t care for the Buu Saga in general, and they like the idea that there’s a better version floating around in Toriyama’s brain, or maybe even scribbled into a notebook. Basically, they’re just rejecting this story, the one we got, and they’re clinging to a potentially better story that probably doesn’t exist.

But I think that’s unfair. It’s easy to say that an imaginary comic is better than the one that saw print. It’s completely safe from criticism, because no one can read it, and no one can say for certain what is and isn’t in it. So my question to the Gohan-truthers is: What was supposed to have happened instead? How does Gohan being in the lead and beating Buu improve anything? Because the way I see it, the story we got kicks ass.

This part of it? Not so much. This is just Super Buu dominating Gohan for three episodes. That wouldn’t be such a bad thing, except that we’ve been getting a steady diet of Majin Buu steamrolling everyone this whole time. Hell, this isn’t even the first time he’s beaten Gohan. It’s just taking a little longer tis time, that’s all.

What does work is that this new development only adds to the burden on Goku’s conscience. He was the one who insisted on staying dead, that he was the one putting the Earth in harm’s way, and that Gohan could protect the world better than he ever could. He was the one who taught the boys the fusion technique, and assured his wife that they would be more than powerful enough to stop Buu and save the world. And none of it is working.

For me, that’s the most compelling thing about this leg of the story. There was a period where, yeah, it looked like Goku was going to stay dead, by choice, and for keeps this time. And everyone was comfortable that he was making the right decision. But this arc is revealing that Goku was wrong. He never should have left, and the world now suffers for his mistake.

That’s a sort of pathos that Gohan just can’t grasp. He’s a good character and maybe you could make him the protagonist of some other story, but he’ll never be quite as compelling as his father. These are fictional characters, after all. Gohan can’t just inherit his father’s qualifications as a heroic archetype. Goku’s an alien refugee who grew up in the woods. He’s an outsider to everyone, and somehow he keeps making miracles happen. He has friends and family, but he never quite feels like he belongs. He has a restlessness to him, and a profound modesty. That’s why he was so sure that staying dead and trusting his sons to carry on in his stead was the right call. He just blithely assumed others could do the things he did. But he’s lightning in a bottle. The Legendary Super Saiyan. Others can learn to imitate his powers, or even surpass him in strength, but that still doesn’t change the fact that there’s something special about him.

Let me blow your mind with a crackpot theory of my own. I think Toriyama changed his mind about making Gohan the main character pretty early on. A lot earlier than people may think. Goku died in Episode 188, but he continued to appear in the show all the way up to Episode 199. And then... he returned in Episode 205, to tell Gohan that he would return to Earth for the tournament. From there on, the whole story revolved around Goku. Everyone wanted to see Goku again, and even though Gohan was still in the lead role for a few more episodes, all he was interested in was hanging out with his dad.

To put this in terms of the manga, Gohan’s first chapter as the main character was #421, published on May 11, 1993. The chapter where Goku announced his return was #426, published on June 15, 1993. Goku’s actual return to the comics happened in Chapter 430, published July 13, 1993. From there, he remained a fixture in the manga until it concluded two years later.

My point here is that Goku never really went away. He was absent from the Namek Saga longer than he was absent from the post-Cell Games era. In-universe, yes, he’d been dead for seven years, but for us, the audience, we basically flashed forward right up to the point where he returns. My suspicion is that Toriyama tried telling new stories with Gohan and Videl in Satan City, got frustrated with it, and decided to bring back Goku after about a month. But fans who took Gohan-as-protagonist as a guarentee, they assumed that Goku was returning as a supporting character, and he would eventually leave and let Gohan have the reins again. When that didn’t happen, they assumed foul play.

Anyway, Super Buu is clobbering Gohan at will. If Goku doesn’t save him, who will? Tien? Pfft, yeah right, like Tien’s gonna... oh, wait.

#dragon ball #2019dbliveblog #fusion saga #gohan #goku #majin buu #goten #trunks #gotenks #mr satan #dende #bee #supreme kai #kibito #elder kai

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junker-town · 7 years

Text

Tiger Woods misses the cut after two shaky days at Farmers Insurance Open

It wasn’t pretty but Tiger’s back playing on the PGA Tour and that should be the positive takeaway from this week.

We tried to temper our expectations and be realistic about this. But that can be hard to do when you’ve been deprived of Tiger Woods on the PGA Tour for some 522 days. The hype and anticipation of just seeing him again can overwhelm the facts on the ground — this is a banged-up 41-year-old golfer who hadn’t played competitively in a really long time and last looked like trash when he did.

Friday’s second round was an improvement from Thursday but Tiger still missed the cut in his first start of 2017, the Farmers Insurance Open. This is not a surprising result. We may have been sucked in by some of the highs during that four-day hit-and-giggle game in the Bahamas last month. But that was not a PGA Tour event and it was also a benign little course. This was Torrey Pines, a major championship venue with uncharacteristically high rough for a regular old PGA Tour stop. It can also beat up on the best players in the game, the ones without a history of debilitating back injuries and a 17-month layoff.

Tiger truthers will tell you he’s back and it means nothing and Tiger haters will tell you he’s completely washed. Tiger’s missed cut in his first event back fell within realistic expectations. That didn’t make it any more enjoyable to watch. This was the kind of slog we’ve seen all too often with Tiger in recent years. I told some golf writer friends yesterday this could have been a round from Valhalla at 2014 or Congressional in 2015. The time and place and expectations are different, but the grind was the same with smiles and celebrations almost totally absent and exasperated sighs constant.

Birdie putt doesn't drop. Putter does. http://pic.twitter.com/HJVBFcr82U

— Michael Shamburger (@mshamburger1) January 27, 2017

His driver was totally unpredictable from the very first tee on Thursday, a bomb right off the fairway that rattled around in some trees and resulted in a starting bogey. The driver was particularly ugly on Thursday, as he kept losing it right and then mixed in high-handicapper smother hook left too on his way to hitting just 4 of 14 fairways. It wasn’t as bad on Friday but that remains the biggest problem for Tiger. Historically, he’s never been the most accurate driver, but his game was so good everywhere else that he could still recover and kick everyone’s ass. That margin for error is smaller these days.

Tiger began Friday’s round at 4-over and in a tie for 133rd place. He knew he needed to make a move and do it quickly in the second round. The good news was that he was playing Torrey’s North Course, the much easier sibling to the South Course. It played three strokes easier than the South in the first round, which was right in line with the historical data over the last decade-plus at the Farmers. So it was out there for Tiger — the opportunity to make a move and the weekend existed. From pretty early on in the second round, however, it was apparent that kind of run was not going to materialize.

The driver was little less wild on day 2, but he just could not string anything together to even threaten the projected cut line of even-par. When he hit a strong recovery shot, he failed to take advantage with his putter. The ball striking wasn’t especially crisp either, with some approach shots dying at spots that looked almost two clubs short of the target, leaving the TV analysts muttering “huh.” That ball striking was dialed in back in the Bahamas but not really in his bag this week. The birdie chances weren’t ample but when they arose, his putts burned the edges and left him clearly frustrated.

The final tally was an even-par 72 that left him him a good four shots of getting two more rounds on Torrey’s South Course, a place where he’s dominated and won eight times, including a U.S. Open. Despite the frustrating and dispiriting march, the result was still what we could have expected. His putter, the old Scott Cameron that delivered 13 of his 14 majors and is now back in the bag with Nike’s exit from the equipment business, was fine. That club was hot in the Bahamas and could be a big boost for him this season. The wedge game was impressive, which is an incredible relief.

A missed cut was not some sort of worst-case result. The worst-case result was a missed cut where Tiger finished near the bottom the board after chip yipping it all over San Diego. That would have been a catastrophe. Those yips, which always live deep down inside of you, were nonexistent again and his wedge game was often saving his poor ball striking. Those yips are somewhere, even if they don’t conspicuously manifest themselves but for the time being, he’s appeared to have conquered it. Given those were as much a threat to ending his career as his back injuries, that’s an enormous relief for Tiger devotees.

So his putter looks fine and his wedges look great and he played 36 holes without wincing in pain or grabbing his back. These are improvements and positive developments.

Tiger’s disappointing finish was also not some embarrassing outlier, like we’ve seen at some of the uglier moments in recent years. His playing partners, world No. 1 Jason Day and reigning Player of the Year Dustin Johnson were also going to miss the cut. Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson were in trouble too. Still, it continues part of a recalibration of expectations in whatever we want to call this second phase of his career.

That number on the left is insane. INSANE. http://pic.twitter.com/8oSgWYmRPi

— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) January 27, 2017

Tiger Woods by decade as a pro on PGA Tour, assuming MC today 1990s: 1 MC, 15 wins 2000s: 4 MC, 56 wins 2010s: 11 MC, 8 wins

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) January 27, 2017

Those 2010s numbers are pretty good! They’re just not what we came to measure Tiger by, which is maybe what’s so unfair about the 14-time major winner having to play the sunset of his career with cameras on the spot for every swing and tweets reacting to every shot. And it’s all measured so often against the guy so much of the wider audience got to know 10-15-20 years ago.

The European Tour is up next for Tiger, who will now have two extra days to get from San Diego to Dubai. The Dubai Desert Classic will be the second start of four-event-in-five week stretch for the Big Cat. There will probably be more MCs in there too, and that’s fine. We get caught up in the hype after missing Tiger for so long and keep getting disappointed when it’s an uneven slog. That can change and Tiger might have another great decade in him, but it’s who he is right now and it’s not real pretty.

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