#good news is that The Count of Monte Cristo is way better than The Man in the Iron Mask so far

[lady-of-the-lotus]

wait you don't like novel xy? why not? 🤔

I should probably say I don't like the parts of him I've actually read or seen excerpts of.

I simply don't jibe with him.Much as I love me my villains, I don't wholeheartedly embrace all shapes and forms and draw the line at certain crimes and threats for personal reasons. Also, I actually usually get really into villains who are more along the lines of Loki, Magneto (#Magnetowasright), Erik (Phantom), Count Fosco (The Woman in White--one of my all-time favorite characters)--and from what I've seen of novel!XY, he's even further from my usual type than the cql version.

In short, there was some "that's too much for me" and there was no emotional clicking to compensate. I might like him better if I read the I-assume-better-translated version of him in the official novels. I very much rely on writing style and realistic dialogue when it comes to books, which is why I find it hard to connect to anyone in poor translations, no matter how good the original work. I recently gave up on The Man in the Iron Mask halfway through to wait for a different translation to come into the library as the one I was reading (from a major classics publisher!) was so poor as to be distracting. (Still bitter about how that one got published.)

I'm sure people have great reasons for liking novel!XY and am glad he made enough of an impression on readers for him to get the screen time he did in cql!

[tinyozlion]

Zechs Marquise / Milliardo Peacecraft:  A Heel Turn for the Greater Good

Zechs Merquise is the main character of Gundam Wing. 

Ah, you thought it was Heero, or maybe Relena, didn’t you? Well, judging by the first act of the series, this is clearly not the case!  

Zechs is the very first character we’re introduced to. He’s mysterious, handsome, ultra-competent. He shows concern for civilian safety and the safety of his men. He takes personal risks, fights on the front lines. He demonstrates right away that he has a strong ethical code that places great importance on the moral conduct of soldiers. His subordinates look up to him, his superiors value and respect him. We get all of this in act one of episode one.

Absolute hero material, so far! Hard to see why he's being framed like antagonist. Whatever, I'm sure he'll be on the winning team in no time! Just like Quattro Vegeta, or whatever.

By episode three, we’re introduced to the Tallgeese, a mobile suit that matches all the criteria for being the Big Damn Hero Machine that a protagonist would use: it’s ancient, it’s got a history, it’s the progenitor suit, it’s got no bells or whistles, it demands great strength and skill from the pilot but offers unmatched performance to those who can overcome its challenges. It’s the perfect suit for Zechs, and obviously the next step in his hero’s journey! This is the part of the story where he can finally meet the terrifying, so-far unbeatable enemy on equal footing. 

...But of course, OZ is also introduced in episode 3. So now we know that Zechs works for some faceless, secret military organization– but that’s fine, right? It’s the Alliance military that’s the Big Bad Guy, and Zechs seems to be part of some elite special unit that’s only for brave, self-sacrificing soldiers! OZ hasn’t done anything really bad yet, while on the other hand, the Gundam pilots have been a bunch of mercilessly violent loose cannons who’ll kill anyone who gets in their way.

In episode four, we meet Noin, an immediately likable and equally skilled OZ officer who has a deep personal connection with Zechs. Already this is a power couple we can get behind. We watch as Noin suffers a humiliating defeat and a barrage of misogyny from a Gundam pilot, who kills a bunch of young recruits in their sleep. Definitely not a good look for the Gundam Team! while Zechs and Noin (and Treize, in a more literal sense) come out of this episode smelling like roses. 

Just look at them! They’re going to make such a great team. I hope they give those homicidal Gundam kids what for!

It’s only when episode five rolls around that we finally see what OZ is really about: assassinations, covert schemes, foul play, political manipulation, and the ruthless accumulation of power. Uh oh! 

But surely, Lady Une is the real baddy here, and Treize is no more than a shadowy puppet master whose true motives remain mysterious. Zechs and Noin are still such obvious Good Guy candidates, they really ought to be the main protagonists of this show by now! The big scary OZ that the Colony rebels warned us about seems a far cry from the OZ we’ve seen so far. Even after the point where OZ becomes the new uncontested Bad Guy, Zechs and co. keep their noses pretty clean.

And then! Then Zechs reveals his tragic past, his double-identity, his secret Count of Monte Cristo/ Man in the Iron Mask plot to avenge the ruin of the Sanc Kingdom and the deaths of his family, the noble house of Peacecraft! How romantic, how dashing! His quest continues to best the Gundams, but this takes on the hue of personal enlightenment; Zechs wants to defeat the Gundam pilots to prove he is capable of being a “True Soldier”, worthy of the power he’s been given, worthy of what has been sacrificed to his cause. 

Boy, that’s some hero behavior! And it gets even better: Zechs and Noin leave OZ to begin championing the Sanc Kingdom and its policies of Total Pacifism. No one can say Zechs isn’t one of the good guys now, right? He even dresses up all spiffy in white and becomes an ambassador to promote peace in the colonies! 

–Or rather, he tries to. 

Because despite having gained a reporte with a few of the Gundam pilots, he still hasn’t managed to ally with them. They still view him as an enemy, no matter how hard or how desperately he tries to convince them that he’s turned over a new leaf. 

He can’t beat them, and he can’t join them. Why?

Pictured: the saddest boys in the universe.

The second act of Gundam Wing is a crucible where every character is forced to re-evaluate their place in the ongoing conflict. You can see and feel his frustration building as the future spirals out of control. 

What is the purpose of Zechs Merquise, or of Milliardo Peacecraft?

He has refused to be OZ’s mascot, the Lightning Count. He’s not capable of bringing peace to the colonies by himself. He can’t join the Gundams in their fight against OZ. He can’t even protect the Sanc Kingdom, because the very act of fighting in its name is used as an excuse to wipe it out. 

He bids a heartfelt adieu to his Big Damn Hero Machine, the Tallgeese, and finds himself in possession of its polar opposite: the Epyon, a machine made to scour its pilot and the world of hypocrisy. 

Finally, Zechs has his answer– the reason why his purpose eludes him, why all his best intentions go astray, why the harder he tries to align his moral compass to the Gundam pilots or embrace his pacifistic inheritance, the more lost he becomes: He is not the hero. 

He has been trying and failing to be a hero since episode one because this isn’t a story about noble, heroic, chivalrous warriors doing battle in order to gain personal clarity and strength.

It’s not about man-vs-man conflict resolving in a test of skill. If it were, Zechs would have been victorious and completed his hero’s journey by now, and the show would be over. 

But that was never the role he was meant to play. That’s not what the stage requires. The third act begins as he accepts a new mantle, and becomes the villain history needs in that moment to bring everything together.

“Zechs considers this place his grave. [...]He intends to pay for the sin of purging humanity, all by himself.”

–Not to purge humanity of “violent earthlings”, as his White Fang propaganda speech stated, but to purge the current generation of the means to wage mechanized warfare, and of the desire for combat and retribution itself, in order to finally bring the cycle of war between the earth and space to an end. 

…But of course, nothing ever really ends, does it? History dances forward, with or without you, and all the sacrifices and fail-safes in the world will not stop new challenges from arising. 

Nevertheless, if it is possible to choose, by means of noble principle, to be a villain for the sake of the greater good, in the full assurance of one’s own destruction and revilement, then surely that is also in some winding, definitionally tragic way, a path to heroism– and if this is so, then Zechs is strong (and disillusioned) enough to take it. 

I do not think that the series supports the idea that his actions or their consequences are justified– only that they achieve their immediate purpose: setting the stage for peace. For now.

...And Now, An Important Note on Gundam Meta:

Zechs is what is referred to in the parlance of the Gundam fandom as a “Char Archetype”, or “Char Clone”-- a term I think is of debatable accuracy. For a longer discussion on Char Aznable and his role in MS Gundam, please see the entry: The Char Aznable Problem.  But I want to make it clear that knowing about Char’s backstory IS NOT a necessary prerequisite to understanding Zechs’s story. 

Zechs and Char share a lot of DNA as characters, that’s unavoidable– a masked man in red who poses a threat to the main Gundam pilot is a staple of the genre; he’s deliberately an homage to Char, as much an expected feature of a Gundam series as... well, Gundams. That much is not in question. 

However: Char’s motivations only make sense in the context of the original Gundam series; if you try to apply the same logic within the structure of Gundam Wing, it becomes gibberish. But the gibberish is by design– If you don’t understand the context behind Zech’s late-series genocidal spiel on why “earthlings are the ultimate threat to peace so we must destroy earth, the source of all conflict yadda-yadda blah-blah”, then… yeah, you’re up to speed. No one else listening to White Fang’s broadcast understood it either. It’s MEANT to sound like the ramblings of an extremist madman who poses a catastrophic and unavoidable threat to both Earth AND the Space Colonies he claims to represent. That’s the basic nature of his Ozymandius Gambit: invent something scary enough that everyone has to band together to fight it.

So you don’t need to know about Char to understand Zechs– but knowing about Char does make Zech’s role (and Treize’s role!) in Gundam Wing that much more interesting.

Zechs is not a Char Clone, he is a conversation with the idea of Char, taking a theme and transposing it into a new composition.

--Anyway, it’s a little unfair to try and force a comparison between Zechs and Char, when Char had MS Gundam, Zeta Gundam, and Char’s Counterattack to do everything he did, and Zechs only had Wing. 

Now, I’m not a mathematician or anything, but I’d say that makes Zechs roughly…

Three times faster.

[rosyfingered-moon]

Sejak episode 14

He really went "guys, I think we should stop the king from interrogating people. I mean, think about the poor spy when he's caught 🥺" and they all just accepted this as a normal, not at all suspicious thing to say

The poison was on the yongpo!!! How very Count of Monte Cristo!

HE GETS CREEPIER FOR EVERY EPISODE AND I LOVE IT. Please let Lee Gyu-hoe play the villain in every sageuk from now on, he's so incredibly persuasive at this brand of delulu evil!! I love the long ass Rasputin beard fluttering after him whenever he storms off feeling that he has been Humiliated and must Seek Revenge

I'm so happy that this new and improved Mong-woo can read between the lines 🥰

But if she is gonna be as ride or die for Yi In as she claims, I think a good first step would be to tell him about this plot that she personally set in motion and is still ongoing behind his back, idk.

The devil works hard but the torture gnomes work harder!

Lol honestly very relatable that he forgot Master Chu's face. Finally some representation for the prosopagnosia community!

When I tell you I had goosebumps throughout this entire exchange. They are both such marvelous actors. Also wanna give a shoutout to the sound designer! The musical score has probably been great all along, but this was the first episode I watched with headphones on and my god

It's so funny to me that he seems to be genuinely impressed and delighted by how evil Minister Park is. He's like "I can only hope to be as evil as you one day daegam 😍 I served the others for personal gain, but you... I'm serving for love"

Very ooc for Myung-ha to even consider this cursed alliance. Like didn't you learn anything from trying to plot with other people?? Just do your own thing man! Get creative!!

Another terrific actor. I love her polished, arrogant diction that is so entirely at odds with the haunted look in her eyes.

My darling Dong!! If no one will protect you I will!!!

Sorry writernim for thinking there would be catty jealousy drama... I should never have doubted you. (Very amusing though when she stomps her little foot on Mong-woo's proffered handkerchief and Mong-woo looks shocked that her gentleman rizz has failed, lmaooo)

LIPSTICK POISON!!! Even better than the robe! But as always with this trope I wonder: how on earth can it kill the person being kissed and not the person wearing it? I assume this is a different poison from the one she used on the former king, since that was clearly more slow-working than this could be supposed to be... and simultaneously strong enough to seep through several layers of fabric which would reasonably then also cross through the protective barrier of Dong sanggung's plump and lovely lips. Much to think about.

There's manspreading and then there's this

I'll be honest I did experience a few bisexual emotions while watching this scene. I assume he's got her all figured out here and will shove her away with his virtue intact in the first seconds of ep 15, but the sexual tension between him and the Toxic Lipstick is pretty intense lol. I feel like he considered going for it, just for like 2 seconds. Not a bad way to go after all.

Also, remember what I said about the sound design because it really goes extremely hard in this scene!! Those ominous strings! A most excellent episode!

[mzannthropy]

sorry for my earlier ask. I worded it wrong. I was just surprised that Jeanne and Marlene's actresses are younger than their characters. What bothered me was not knowing how old the actresses were, because I base my age headcanons off of the actresses age. I just expected the actresses to be older,but they were convincing. It makes sense that Jeanne's actress is younger,but she plays Jeanne when Daisy's a kid. Marlene's actress plays Marlene when Billy and Graham are teens. Again, I often say things the wrong way and sound rude.

Oh, I get that. I was similarly surprised to find out that the actor Pierfrancesco Favino plays abbe Faria in this new French The Count of Monte Cristo film (you must have noticed I've been posting about The Count of Monte Cristo and the two upcoming adaptations, one with Sam Claflin, a fair bit). Pierfrancesco is an Italian actor who starred in My Cousin Rachel, which I mentioned in your previous ask, I knew he'd be in this film, but for a long time we didn't know which character he'd play and I guessed it would be a certain character, but not abbe Faria, bc abbe Faria is an old man and usually played by old actors in their 70s, and Pierfrancesco is 54. For illustration, imagine Albus Dumbledore, but a priest instead of a wizard, and you get the picture. (In fact, in the 2002 film, Faria was played by Richard Harris, who was Dumbledore in the first two HP films, before he passed away. In the limited series with Sam, Faria is played by Jeremy Irons.) So I get what you mean, but I've just seen something similar and not only am I tired of everyone's obsessing over age, but it also worries me, bc this obsession makes young people even less prepared for the real world (how the hell are you going to handle working alongside people who might be up to four decades older than you? But I digress.)

I barely noticed Marlene Dunne and Daisy's mum, to be honest, but I think it makes sense with Daisy's mum, she could have been someone who had plastic surgery to keep herself looking young. You can always choose a different faceclaim for them, in the show they only have minor roles.

Like Jess said, if the acting is believable, then there's no problem. This ask brought to mind Shotgun Wedding with J-Lo, which was supposed to star that actor that is now equally known for cannibalism as his acting, as her love interest, but just as they were about to start filming, the scandal broke out, so he was recast with Josh Duhamel (a much better choice anyway). Now, Jennifer Coolidge was cast as the mother of the character. She's 62, the initial actor is 37, so that's plausible. However, Josh is 51, so that's only 11 years younger than his onscreen mother. I remember someone having a problem with it here (I searched for gifs of the movie so inevitably had to see text posts too) but like, you know the story behind it so what the hell are you getting worked up about? Should Jennifer have been replaced and lose out on a role (essentially lose a job) when she did nothing wrong? Sometimes you just have to play along. As long as the film/series is good, then what's the issue?

[punk-rock-unicorn]

The Library

Fandom: MCU

Pairings: Baron Helmut Zemo x Reader

Summary: Bucky and Sam take a pit stop in London before going to Madripoor. Bucky does not trust any line Zemo has on a fence. To bad you are not the better option.

A/N: My first Tumblr post and my first attempt at a reader/you centered story. Hopefully, it is good. May make a sequel to this. For right now it will just stay Teen for Sexual Tension.

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

"Where are we even going?" Sam asked as he trailed after Bucky. Their unwelcome tag along followed at their heels. His coat fitting the rainy city more than Sam's own clothes as they walked. The neighborhood they were in was filled with tall buildings and the city of London was confusing. Bucky scowled but did not respond just yet. His eyes glued to his phone as he looked at it. He dodged a man who did not even glance at the odd group. Or seemed to notice the terrorist following at their heels. "Seriously man where are we...?" Sam asked annoyed as his hand reached out to grab Bucky's shoulder.

Bucky turned around with a glare directed at the other man. His eyes slipping to Zemo who only looked around the British city curiously. "I swore it was somewhere near here," he said and looked around the dreary city that had a slight drizzle of rain falling from the city. "I know we are close," he added before turning around and continuing walking. Sam looked at his back before shifting his eyes to Zemo who only did a tilt to his head.

"Seriously Bucky!" He called as he walked after him. He ignored the man following him as well as he could. At this point they were just using him for his jet. Though what Bucky wanted in London was anyone's guess. "What the fuck are you looking for?" Sam asked with an almost yell.

"Not a what," Bucky called over his shoulder. "A who." The tall man swore as he looked around the buildings that all looked the same.

"Wouldn't happen to be looking for me would you?" A slight British accented voice called before stepping out of an alleyway towards the three. The three men tensed and looked towards the person coming out of the shadows. A simple black jacket and trousers all they had on.

"Had to make it hard to find you didn't you?" Bucky called after calling your name. You had watched the boys since they entered the neighborhood curious on their location and where they needed to go. Not that it was that hard to figure out considering Bucky had texted you while you were gone. You smirked at the man and stepped closer with your hands in your pockets.

"Good to see you, Bucky," you greeted and your eyes slipped to the other two. One you knew from your adventure on the battlefield against Thanos. "Sam Wilson," you said and nodded to him with a smile. The second man you recognized as well but for a totally different reason. "Is there a reason Helmut Zemo is wandering around London free from prison?" You asked the two with a raised eyebrow.

"Bucky did it," Sam said simply with the same energy of a sibling tattling to their mother. Your eyes met the terrorist's eyes curiously. He had brown eyes and a beautiful face. His outfit was also stylish and the fur on his collar unique enough.

"Technically, he did that himself," Bucky muttered under his breath with a shrug. You released a sigh and rubbed at your face. "Can you bring us inside?" He asked you and you sighed.

"Fine," you said and looked around the street. It was empty and you walked a couple feet forward to face a nondescript building. With a flash of gold glyphs and a rippling of air the building unlocked. Sam and Bucky did not look surprised but Zemo did. You smirked at him. "Welcome to the London Sanctum of Magic," you said as you entered the building with the rich and warm interior. "Please touch nothing. I am the only Sorceress here at this time."

With that you led them to a nice sitting room with comfy couches. The interior was very British and almost ancient in design. You had always hated it growing up honestly. It felt too stuffy but now it was fine. Not that you had time to bitch about interior decorating choices. "So can I interest any of you gentleman in a cup of tea?" You asked and smiled at the group as they sat in the chairs provided.

Bucky and Sam sitting on one love seat while Zemo sat in an arm chair. "No," Bucky said before anyone else could. You saw Zemo open his mouth to say something but shut it at a glare from Bucky. "We need your help," he added with a scowl. His eyes glaring at Zemo who said nothing. Though he was looking at you curiously.

"Sorry I am not a psychiatrist," you said with a sarcastic smile. "Have you tried the place three blocks away? They have amazing biscuits." Bucky and Sam glared at you though it lacked any true heat. The criminal mastermind terrorist however chuckled under his breath. His eyes were deviously interesting you had to say. Something about him drew the eye. Or maybe it had been a long time where your only interaction was either Doctor Strange, Wong, or young initiates.

"We need to go to Madripoor," Bucky explained and you barely withheld your snort at the mention of that horrible place. "You mentioned that you had a line on someone."

"What and Daddy Warbucks can't help you?" You groused as you stared at the three. You sat on the arm of one chair and you watched a smirk curl the man's face.

"Well I could always be your dad-" he started to say when Sam exclaimed loudly in disgust. You threw your head back with a laugh. It had been a long time since you could have this much fun verbally sparring with someone.

"Now is not the time!" Sam cried out with a sneer. You snorted and looked at all three. "You have seen the news right? The Flag Smashers. They have super soldiers. We need to find who supplied the formula." Sam was trying to beseech to your desire to save others. Too bad he was barking up the wrong tree.

"Mate," you answered with a scoff. "I am a sorceress. My job is to protect this Sanctum, train initiates, protect artifacts, and listen to the Sorcerer Supreme, which you are not. I have no reason to care about some terrorists. No offense." You looked at Zemo and shrugged. He answered with a tight lipped smile.

"We just need your contact's information in case his line falls through," Bucky said as he tried to get between you and Sam. You met Bucky's eyes and glared as he gave you an almost puppy dog look. Damn him. You sighed and ran your hand through your hair.

"Fine," you hissed and stood up. "But it will have to wait till tomorrow. I'll send a message and hopefully get a response. Let me go get my phone. Bloody hell. I hate heroes." You grumbled and moved out of the sitting room. "Library is that way and kitchen that way," you said poking your head back in. "If the book looks ancient and probably bound in human skin do not touch it. Be right back."

----------

You grumbled and stared at the sent text before stepping back downstairs. You threw your jacket over a table in the library before stepping into the room. "Machiavelli," you heard a voice call as a gloved finger ran over the backs. "Epictetus, and some good classics here." You turned around to see the Baron of Sokovia pretty much fingering the spine of the books. "Do you actually have books bound in skin?" He asked and you smirked at him.

"Probably," you said with a laugh. "My parents always warned me about them. Most of our more important books are in the other part of the library." You stepped closer to the man who had a good lead on you height wise. "You can read anything you want here," you added with a dismissive shrug. "Most of it is in English. Figure that won't be a problem. Even got some Harry Potter somewhere."

His eyebrow raised and you snickered before sitting on the top of the table and watched him. His own coat was off and showed a turtleneck that fit him nicely. At least he was pleasant to look at even if the two Avengers wanted your help. "A little on the nose is it not?" He asked and you chuckled before your hands moved. A steaming cup of tea now rested in your hands while the tray sat behind you with another cup. "Two sugars, please," he said as he glanced back. A book about the Marquis de Sade in his hands. Philosophy of the Bedroom probably. You added the amount requested before handing him a cup. A breath going over your own before you sipped the rich taste.

He set the book back in its proper place and took a sip of the tea. Brown eyes met your own and you never thought tea drinking would almost turn you on. You could see his tongue on the edge of the cup and you licked your lips before sipping your own tea again. Almost burnt your tongue this time. "Which is your favorite classic?" He asked as he set the cup down. His arm sliding next to your side just so before he placed it on the saucer. Your eyes went to him and down to his wet lips. You wanted to lick the tea off of them and do some other naughty things to him.

"Would have to go with the Count of Monte Cristo," You answered with a grin at him. He pulled back with the gracefullness of an emphereal spirit. You almost wanted to grab his arm and pull him back. "Where are Thing One and Thing Two?" You asked as his back faced you. You could see a smirk twist his face before he went over more books. Skipping classics and philosophy to go to other sections. You watched him go as you looked him up and down. He had a nice body you had to say.

"Oh?" He asked and stepped back with a book. "And what about this?" You were sipping your cup of tea when the title was clearly shown. Fifty Shades of Grey. You choked on your tea at the look on his face.

"That is not mine!" You called out as you tried to clear the tea from your windpipe. You did not even think there was an erotica section in the library. You were trying to figure out where it came from when you smelled his cologne wash over you. Your eyes peeking up at him as you stayed in your spot against this table. His grin was salacious and dripping sin. The book was in his hands as he reached for his cup of tea again.

A smirk on his handsome face as those gloved fingers ghosted across your side. You saw his leg step close in between yours from how you were sitting. Bloody hell you wanted nothing more than for him to take you against the table. Or at least kiss you. How long had it been since you could snog anyone? "Charming snake," you hissed to him though your lips twisted in a smile.

"Why do you want to taste my forked tongue?" He teased as his lips ran over your own. You felt them tingle and you could feel your control failing as you met his eyes.

"Would rather have you taste me, love," you teased as your fingers ran over his chest. He had some nice muscles and you giggled as you heard a growl leave his throat. His lips pressed against you and you could almost taste a mix of tea and wine as you bunched up his shirt. Before you could even deepen the kiss or taste his forked tongue the library door slammed open.

"Oh come on!" A voice shouted. "Really?!"

Part 2

@joyfulinternettraitor

[therenlover]

heyy jac I first wanted to say you are amazing, thank you for going out of your way to give us tfatws content. it brightens up my day whenever I see you post. I was just listening to your zemo playlist and I’m one of those people who when I listen to a song I love to make scenarios in my head. I was wondering if you could walk us through some of your favourite songs on the playlist and tell us how you associate them with zemo. I’d love to hear your thoughts on some of the songs. (if that isn’t too much hassle sorry if I’m being annoying lol).

 Anon, you are currently my favorite person in the whole wide world. I absolutely want to give you my favorite songs on the playlist and tell you exactly what I see when I hear them, and you have given me an excuse to do so. This post will probably be long as hell, so I’m putting it under the cut. 

Foolish To Think from A Gentleman’s Guide To Love and Murder

We all know Zemo is a baron, but like... we don’t know how powerful baron’s are in Sokovia. We also don’t know pretty much anything about his childhood or rise to power. I am a firm believer that he’s been ever so slightly unhinged even when he was still just a normal dude, so this is him deciding “you know what, I’m about to climb my way up the Zemo family ladder however I need to,” This, in my mind, is the epitome of fresh faced, 18 year old, canon Zemo ready to go fuck some people up for power. 

If Music Be The Food Of Love arranged by David Dickau

During his rise to power, still just a normal dude, Zemo falls in love with his wife. I’m a big believer in the fact that, because Zemo was raised as royalty, he knows a whole lot of pretentious shit like Shakespeare and recites it to his partner to be romantic. The line “Though yet, the treat is only sound, sure I must perish by your charms unless you save me in your arms,” is what he used to woo her early in the relationship. So cute, it would be terrible if something bad happened to her...

Bogoroditse Djevo arranged by Arvo Pärt

This one is more of a scene I get in my head. It’s a Christmas tune, and I can see him, his wife, and their infant going to their first Christmas market as a family in Novi Grad. Just... walking from stall to stall, giggling at the performers, eating the food, buying little gifts for the baby to remember the occasion. It’s a calm before the storm.

The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns

This song, in the playlist, marks the death of Zemo’s family. In the past, dancers have interpretted the melody as a badly injured swan, slowly struggling as they die but still being graceful and elegant as they do. As he searches through the rubble, his hope slowly dies, and in the end his hope dies where his family did. Thus begins his descent into madness in...

Daemon Irrepit Callidus arranged by György Orbán

Daemon Irrepit Callidus is Zemo’s descent into madness. From this point on, he slowly loses his softness. The tone of the songs is often much more modern, pulling away from his roots as a baron and man of high status and leaning into something more gritty for much of the Civil War era in the playlist. He has descended into hell and he believes there is no turning back from here. 

Songe d’Automne performed by The White Star Orchestra

Reportedly (by Harold Bride, surviving Jr Telegrapher who was washed off the deck as the ship sank) this was the last song the orchestra played as the Titanic sank. Zemo is going nuts. ‘Nough said.

If I Believed from Twisted

This song, along with a few more, is an outlier in the Civil War era. It represents his reasoning for what he’s doing. I imagine this song is the feeling he has after he listens to his wife’s last voicemail. He’s doing everything for her, burning a whole superhero organization to the ground so that he can assure nobody else has to live through what he did, but he can’t deny that a part of him wishes he could just bring her back no matter how illogical that is.

How Does A Moment Last Forever (Music Box) from Beauty and the Beast

This is, again, a softer moment. He looks back on the time he spent with his family and tries to keep it safe in his mind. It anchors him to reality and keeps him focused on his goals. The end is coming soon in his mind, so he clings as hard as he can to those remaining memories of peace.

Dies Irae arranged by Giuseppe Verdi

He sets the Winter Soldier loose murders all the remaining soldiers in the Hydra base on his day of reckoning. Yeah, that’s basically it, it’s just hype music as he has his big moment.

As The World Caves In by Matt Maltese

His plan has been carried out and now Zemo is simply watching as the world caves in around him. He’s succeeded in all of his plans, the avengers are crumbling, he’s listened to his wife’s voicemail one last time and now he’s ready to be dead. He thinks this is it. Well, until he’s taken into custody and locked up forever. 

Leonardo Dreams Of His Flying Machine arranged by Eric Whitacre

My man Eric is coming in clutch once again. This is Zemo, brilliant mind and all, stuck rotting in jail. He has nothing but his dreams of grandeur to tide him over So, he dreams. He dreams of escape, of his family, of what waits for him once he dies. 8 years of dreaming pass before Bucky finally approaches as Lacrimosa plays.

Lacrimosa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Fuck you, Mozart. You’re only here because you played in the show. Moving on. 

The Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani 

You cannot tell me that this isn’t what was playing in Zemo’s head as he escaped from maximum security prison and rolled up to that warehouse looking all hot and mysterious. 

Sibella from A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder

Look who’s back! This time, though, I included this because I am adamant that Zemo fucks someone he used to know while he’s escaped and they have a big dramatic love affair. Like, he just does. I don’t make the rules. 

WAP by Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion 

Zemo would just love WAP. He says all that woke shit, so like, he vibes with female empowerment and the idea of them taking back their sexuality. He also loves the annoyed look on Bucky’s face when he plays it, so it stays on the playlist. 

The Man I Used To Be from The Count of Monte Cristo

Now, this one is more speculative, but I feel like Zemo will have a minor change of heart. he won't suddenly be a morally straight good guy to the bone, but I think he’s seriously rethinking his ideology and at some point, he might find a way to let go of a lot of the pain and remorse he’s been carrying around. 

No More from Into The Woods

This song, in my mind, takes place at the Sokovian memorial. Zemo is there and he’s so tired of running and fighting and grieving. He just wants to be okay again but he doesn’t know how to. He has this mental moment where he’s asking his deceased father for help and yet the memory (ghost?) of his father, who he resented for most of his life, isn’t helping him straightforwardly. He has to figure it out for himself in the end. This line speaks to me most. “No more giants waging wars. Can’t we just pursue our lives, with our children and our wives? Till that happy day arrives, how do you ignore...” 

and finally...

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep arranged by Laura Farnell

Of all the songs on this list, this one was the only one I was absolutely certain of including and I knew it had to be the last song no matter what else I included. Its contents, a famous poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye, could refer to either Zemo or his family. In the case that he visits the monument, it could be the feeling he gets there. Finally, he knows that his family is somewhere better, not buried under the rubble of his home. He’s finally free. 

If he dies at the end of the series though, it takes on a whole new meaning. It’s about him, how he isn’t trapped by his mortal body anymore. He’s now everywhere, both a constant reminder to the world of the atrocities committed in Sokovia and a testament to how powerful a father’s love for his family can be. Once again, he’s finally free to reunite with those he loves, but this time it’s he who isn’t truly dead so long as people heed his life as a warning. 

Wow, this was longer than I thought it would be even when I cut a few songs... I hope you enjoyed!

[arty-e]

Cards Oc Playlist:

Alvis:

Castle on the Hill - Ed Sheeran Changes - David Bowie Keep You Safe - The Crane Wives Naive - The Kooks Ain’t it Fun - Paramore What You Know - Two Door Cinema Club Toy Soldiers - Marianas Trench 1234 - Feist Bloodstream - Ed Sheeran Donut Hole - Hachi Don’t Know Why - Norah Jones I See You, You See Me - The Magic Numbers arrow - half•alive Wine Red - The Hush Sound Death of a Bachelor - Panic! At the Disco People Used to Dream About the Future - A Girl Called Eddy Where is the Love? - Black Eyed Peas Kill Em With iIndness - Selena Gomez Little Wonders - Rob Thomas American Dream - Miami Horro I Was Here - Beyonce

Mahira:

Heart Attack - Demi Lovato One Woman Army - Porcelain Black I’ll Make a Man Out of You - Mulan Brick by Boring Brick - Paramore Don’t Let Me Get Me - P!nk Just a Girl - No Doubt I am the Fire - Halestorm The Phoenix - Fall Out Boy Warriors - Imagine Dragons Girl in the Mirror - Cheryl Cole Human - Rag’n’Bone Man Somewhere Only We Know - Keane Youth - Daughter I Don’t Wanna be Funny Anymore - Lucy Dacus One of the Boys - Katy Perry Satellite - Lena Halo - Beyonce Double Rainbow - Katy Perry Break Free - Ariana Grande Yonjuunana/47 - JubyPhonic cover Never Love an Anchor - The Crane Wives

Adrian:

Daydreamer - Adele Just Around the Riverbend - Pocahontas 7 years - Lukas Graham Get Off My Back - Byran Adams Good Feeling - Flo Rida Raise No Fool - Set it Off Ikanaide (Don’t Go) - Mafumafu It Took Me By Surprise - Maria Mena Viva La Vida - Coldplay The Man Who Can’t Be Moved - The Script King - Years & Years Just One Yesterday - Fall Out Boy Somebody to Love - Queen I’d Do Anything - Simple Plan Unlikely Hero - The Hoosiers Counting Stars - One Republic Golden Skans - Klaxons Back to the Star - Lily Allen The Next Right Thing - Frozen 2 Just one Last Time - David Guetta Save You (Feferi Peixes Fansong) - PhemieC

Mercury:

Cry Baby - Melanie Martinez One Little Slip - Barenaked Ladies My Songs Know What You did in the Dark - Fall Out Boy Bird Song - Florence + the Machine Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown - Fall Out Boy WOZWALD - Niru Kajitsu I Dreamed A Dream - Anne Hathaway (this is my fave version) Maps - Maroon 5 Perfect Illusion - Lady Gaga Just Like a Pill - P!nk Replay - Lady Gaga Hypnotised - Set it Off Volatile Times - IAMX Akaito - Rib That Distant Shore - Steven Universe Breaking the Habit - Linkin Park New Perspective - Panic! At the Disco It’s Alright - Mother Mother I’ll Try - Jonathana Brooke Stronger than You - Estelle Do Better - Say Anything The Call - Regina Spektor

Valerie:

Valerie - Amy Whine House Mouthwash - Kate Nash Drift Away - Steven Universe Naughty - Matilda Pack Up - Eliza Doolittle Cups - Pitch Perfect What the Hell - Avril Lavigne Class Fight - Melanie Martinez Touch the Sky - Brave La La La - Naughty Boy Persephone - Yumi Zouma The Show - Lenka Rather Be - Clean Bandit Lights - Ellie Goulding Are you Satisfied? - Marina and the Diamonds My Friends - Oh Wonder Pretty Lies - The Count of Monte Cristo Something there - Beauty and the Beast Bust your Knee Caps - Pomplamoose He Wasn’t There - Lily Allen Stray Italian Greyhound - Vienna Teng

Masou:

Friend Like Me - Aladdin (Robin Williams) Say Geronimo - Say Hey So Riptide - Vance Joy There’s a Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven’t Thought of it Yet - Panic! At the Disco Womaniser - Britney Spears Shama - Cheek Cover Happier - Marshmello & Bastille Every Time you go - Ellie Goulding Heartbreak Down - P!nk For Good - Wicked Everything Black - Unlike Pluto Grenade - Bruno Mars In God’s Hands - Nelly Furtado Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz Here Comes a Thought - Steven Universe Driftwood - Travis Distant fields (Sarishinohara) - Rachie Cover Everybody Wants Somebody - Patrick Stump You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles Love Like You - Steven Universe

Rune:

Papoutai - Stromae Back In School - Mother Mother Out of Sight, Out of Mnd - Tale of Two Cities Diamond Heart - Lady Gaga Therefore, You and Me - Eve Pretty Girl (The Way) - Sugarcult Rats Died - Oktavia Cover A Story Told - Count of Monte Cristo My Time - Bo En MANTRA - Bring Me The Horizon Wolf in Sheep Clothing - Set It Off Shiny - Moana The Dismemberment Song - Blue Kid Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea - Fall out Boy Earthquake - Labrinth Look What You Made Me Do - Taylor Swift Don’t Mes With Me - Temposhark Skyfall - Adele Mad Hatter - Melanie Martinez bad guy - Billie Eilish

Amethyst:

Beautiful, Dirty, Rich - Lady Gaga S.L.U.T - Bea Miller Stupid Girls - P!nk Fly on the Wall - Miley Cyrus Hot Problems - Cover Run the World (Girls) - Beyonce Dancing Queen - Abba Sparkling Diamonds - Moulin Rouge Hard Out Here - Lily Allen When I Grow Up - Pussycat Dolls Move Over - Spice Girls Grrrls - AViVA Strawberry Shortcake - Melanie Martinez Seventeen - Heathers Crazy Kids - Ke$ha Rich Girl - Gwen Stefani I know those Eyes/This Man is Dead - Count of Monte Cristo Beautiful - Christina Aguilera Princess of China - Coldplay A Little Party Never Killed Nobody - Fergie Like Other Girls - Mulan 2

[daebakinc]

Hero Among Thorns - Pt 5

Pairing: Hyunwoo x Reader Genre: Undercover Detective AU, Action, Romance Word Count: 2.5K Summary: When a mistaken connection results in your kidnapping by one of the city’s most notorious gangs, the undercover detective Hyunwoo has no choice but to rescue and protect you, and, most dangerously of all, fall in love with you. Warning: Mentions of violence and blood. Parts:  1, 2, 3, 4 

================================================

Even the most hobbit-like homebody has their limits. You really thought your tolerance for staying inside the apartment with no job and no bills to worry about would be high. You really did.

Hyunwoo stayed with you for a few days, then handed over the majority of his babysitting duty to a rotation of his team members, minus Minhyuk. He’s still avoiding you.

In contrast, the others have ensured you want for almost nothing. Kihyun and Hyungwon delivered what they could of your apartment, moving furniture and other items into a spare room at their shop. Those they couldn’t salvage, they replaced. Jooheon and Hoseok never seem to run out of stories of their team’s adventures and misadventures alike. Changkyun has procured a digital copy of any and every movie and television show you ask for to fill your days. When you asked if they were all legal, he’d only winked.

Despite your wheel of protectors, every night, Hyunwoo returns. Some nights, it’s so late he has to wake you up from the couch so you can go to bed. You do try to stay awake, but it doesn’t always work. As much as you like the other members of his team, it’s your time with Hyunwoo that you look forward to the most. If you spent time thinking about how much you anticipated his return, you might be embarrassed.

At first, you’d awkwardly moved around each other like two newly-assigned dance partners. Overly polite, careful of each other’s space. Eventually, you felt each other out and fell into a routine that fits the two of you. He makes dinner with your help or brings takeout, which the two of you eat while only talking to comment on some aspect of the food, sometimes followed by a movie that Hyunwoo usually sleeps through half of, before heading to your own bedrooms. Hyunwoo drops little details about his days that he spends away from you, but never too much. He tells you most of it is too boring to bother with.

That hurt a little at first, but you always remind yourself of your situation. You’re his charge, his witness. Not his girlfriend or confidant. You like to think you’re becoming friends at least. Never mind that you harbor the secret fantasy of becoming more.

Maybe that internal conflict helped contribute to the fact that it only takes two weeks before you get stir crazy. Two weeks, three days, and only God knows how many hours, minutes and seconds. You now catch yourself staring out the window, heart sour apple green with envy at the people walking down the street. Getting to do normal things like shop at whatever stores they please, feel the wind and sun whenever they want, see something other than the same gray walls and window view.

If you were in the basement of the apartment building, you’d be seriously considering pulling a Count of Monte Cristo and dig your way out with nothing more than a spoon. Or tie your bed-sheets together and rappel down the side of the building. Though both the crawling and rappelling would be hard with one arm out of commission…

“Whatcha thinking about?”

Hoseok’s voice startles you, but this time, you don’t fall off the window seat. For such a big man, he can move as quietly as a cat when he wants. Very, very slowly, you’re getting use to that.

“Can you rappel down a building with one arm?” you ask, not taking your eyes from the window.

“Technically, but I wouldn’t recommend it. One slip and you’re a pancake on the pavement if your rigging isn’t properly set up. And that’s if one arm can handle your whole body weight with gravity pulling on it,” he answers candidly. He sits on the opposite side of the window sill. “Why?”

“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful,” you sigh, “but I’m sick of this apartment. I want fresh air.”

“Open the window then.”

By now, you know when he’s teasing and sure enough, when you look at him, that smile is on his face. You push his foot off the sill with yours. “You know what I mean. I want outside. Isn’t keeping someone in a single space for an extended amount of time a form of torture?”

He gasps dramatically, a hand over his heart. “My presence is torture?” When he grins at your giggle, you know that was his whole point.

“You know what I mean. If I have to look at these same walls for any longer … I feel like I’m going to go crazy.”

“In my defense, I did try to convince Hyunwoo we should paint the place. Make it more homey. I suggested blue, but –”

“Hoseok.”

“I know. I don’t think I could do it myself,” he admits with a sigh. Solemnly, he adds, “We’re just trying to keep you safe. Yew has been quiet since your kidnapping. That could mean he’s decided his threat worked or he’s planning something worse.”

“I know. I appreciate it, but wouldn’t Yew think it’s weird that Hyunwoo’s not letting me go anywhere? Like even if I’m a kept-woman or baby-mama or whatever gangsters are supposed to have.”

“A kept-woman?” Hoseok bursts out laughing. He puts his foot back up. “How old are you, grandma? Who says that anymore?”

“You know what I mean. That’s why I added ‘baby-mama’,” Childishly, you stick out your tongue at him. “I’ve been on an old Hollywood binge lately.”

“Still,” he says, wiping the tears that had leaked from the corner of his eyes. “Look, you kind of have a point. I don’t think Yew is going to try to get to you again as long as he believes you’re with Hyunwoo and not a witness. I’ll can talk to Hyunwoo.”

“Really?”

Hoseok holds up his hands at your ecstatic expression. “I’m not promising anything. Like I said, keeping you alive is the biggest priority next to bringing Yew down. Hyunwoo is the ultimate authority in that regard. He makes the final decisions.”

“I’ll take anything, Hoseok. Even just a walk around the block or the roof.”

A few days later, Hyunwoo doesn’t leave directly after breakfast like usual. Instead, after he rinses your cereal bowls, he stays in the kitchen.

Glancing at your arm, he asks, “Would you like to go out?”

Go out? The water you were drinking rebels, shooting down your windpipe. You splutter and cough, trying to get a hold of yourself. That’s a little difficult with Hyunwoo pounding on your back a little too hard to be really helpful. Did he really say 'do you want to go out?’ With him?

Finally gaining control, your voice hoarse, you repeat his question, “Go out?”

Hyunwoo backs away, still eyeing you worriedly. “Yes. It’d just be to the shop and back, but Hoseok said you needed to get out of the apartment. Something about the Geneva Convention.”

“Yes!” Any regret at your misinterpretation is forgotten at the prospect of breathing new air and returning in some capacity to the outside world. You have an excuse to wear real clothes, see real people! “Hell yes!”

You jump out of the chair, tripping in your hurry to get dressed. Hyunwoo steps in, saving you from falling flat on your face. Naturally, your good arm hooks itself around his waist.

He’s so warm. And solid, too. And smells like heaven on steroids. Even better than those fuzzy memories of yours. You feel your own body heat in response to the contact.

God, when did you get this easy?

“Are you okay?” Hyunwoo asks.

His words break the spell and you realize he’s stiff against you. Damn it, he’s probably thinking he never signed up to have some wounded, touch-starved woman clinging to him like a stoned koala.

In an effort to lessen the awkwardness, you turn the accidental embrace into a hug, immediately releasing him. “Yeah! I’m just really excited about going outside!” Without waiting for a response, you run out of the room.

Shimmying out of your pajamas and into a skirt is easy. Then comes the shirt. Jooheon had let you start moving your shoulder a few days ago, but you still have to be careful. With one hand, you manage to wriggle out of your tank top. You chose a clean one, but not before casting a longing look at a shirt with sleeves. Your choice proves wise though. Even lifting your arm to slide it through the top’s armhole makes the healing muscles scream at the stretch. They continue to ache as you readjust the shirt, but you ignore them. The intoxication of freedom, no matter how limited, mutes the pain.

You run back into the living room. “Ready!”

Hyunwoo nods and grabs his car keys. He opens the door for you, but catches your arm as you move past him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Why?” you ask, puzzled. You may not have bothered with makeup, but you haven’t since you got here. Hyunwoo’s only seen it running down your face with tears.

“You’re sweating.” He points to your forehead.

You wipe at it, instinctively using your injured arm. The pain is instant. Hoping Hyunwoo didn’t notice your wince, you shrug it off. “Getting the shirt on was more work than I thought, I guess. I’m fine.”

He looks like he wants to say something. However, he doesn’t stop you again as you walk out. Hyunwoo takes the lead down the stairs after locking the door. As you follow him down the stairwell, he says, “We’re just going to the shop, staying a few hours, then coming back. Yew’s been too quiet for me to trust any side stops. When we’re outside, stay right beside me.”

“That’s fine,” you instantly reply.

You don’t meet another soul on the stairs and the lobby is similarly abandoned. It’s not surprising given the hour though. Those who work are long gone and just as far from returning home.

At the door, Hyunwoo pauses. You assume it’s to scan the street before exiting. Instead, he turns back to you. “Yew has at least one person watching this place. We want him to keep thinking you’re my girlfriend. That will keep you safe.”

“Okay.” You’re not quite sure where he’s going with this.

A hint of pink sprouts on Hyunwoo’s cheeks. He smiles, but it’s a different smile than you’ve seen before. It’s apologetic, with a hint of embarrassment.

“We’re going to need to make it believable. So, if you agree, I think we should engage in displays of physical affection.”

You can hear the echo of your jaw hitting the floor. “What?”

“Nothing you don’t consent to,” Hyunwoo rushes to reassure you. “All professional. Just physical touch on arms, waist, and hands.

“All that and no kissing?” you blurt out. Instant regret slams into you. “I mean, wouldn’t it be weird if we didn’t?”

Luckily, Hyunwoo laughs. He shifts his weight. “Yeah, I guess… Kisses on the head, forehead and cheeks should be okay. Right?”

Your eyes fall to Hyunwoo’s lips. You can’t help but feel robbed of the opportunity to kiss him there. Before you fell punch-drunk into your fantasies, you stop yourself. You need to look at this as some kind of weird, elaborate, dance-less ballet. Hyunwoo is your dance partner, not a boyfriend. This is a professional relationship, one your life actually depends on. You can’t fuck this up.

“Right,” you say.

“Good.” With one hand, Hyunwoo pushes open the glass door of the building. The other reaches out to you, palm open and ready.

With a fortifying breath, you take it.

That breath turns out to be about as useless as gulping for air in outer space without a helmet. As you step through the door, Hyunwoo pulls you into his side, his arm encircling your shoulder. From shoulder to hip, you’re glued against him.

You feel his lips graze against the top of your head. The touch is so light you almost think you imagined it. But then Hyunwoo whispers into your hair, “Ready?”

Heart thudding wildly, you look up at him. The smile on his face is full of affection. It’s so natural, you almost believe it yourself. You can only nod and smile, belatedly remembering you have a part to play too. Dazed, you let him guide you down the steps and down the sidewalk.

Hyunwoo stops halfway down the block. He keeps his arm around you like a shield the whole time. If the air hadn’t held a crispness, you would have definitely overheated. The chirp of a car unlocking and Hyunwoo easing away from you to open the door is enough to bring you back to reality. When you actually look at the car, you immediately wonder if you’re hallucinating.

Even to someone who isn’t a car enthusiast, the car breathes class. It lacks the bulk of most modern cars, instead celebrating sleekness from its slim, rectangular nose to mirror-image tail. Yet like its driver, you know beneath all that jet black metal is pure muscle. From the outside, the only hint of this is the silver head of a supercharger sitting on the hood.

The parallel is so perfect, you can’t help but laugh.

Hyunwoo backs away from you, startled.

“Dude, you’ve got to be kidding me. This is your car? This one?”

Hyunwoo looks at the car with its open door, then back to you. “Yes. Why?” he asks when you start laughing all over again.

“It’s a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T.”

Surprise is evident on Hyunwoo’s face. “Yeah. You know cars?”

“Not at all, but holy crap.” You slide into the front seat. Hyunwoo closes it behind you and circles the car to get in as well. “You don’t see why this is funny?”

“No. It’s a good car. Put your seat belt on.” He waits until you do so, then pulls away from the curb and into the street, but you can’t let it go.

“An undercover agent posing as the head of a mechanic shop that also deals with 'stolen’ cars and drives a black 1970 Dodge Charger R/T that’s been modified?” You watch his face, leaning forward so your seat belt presses into your chest. “Doesn’t sound familiar at all?”

Hyunwoo shakes his head.

“This is the exact model car driven by Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto in The Fast and the Furious!”

“Never seen it.”

“Shut the damn front door. You’ve never seen The Fast and the Furious? Not one?”

“There’s more than one?”

At first, not a sound comes out of your mouth, too frozen in disbelief. You’re about to launch into a full geek rant when you notice a slight curve to the corner of Hyunwoo’s mouth. He’s not looking at you, his gaze purely on the road, but it’s there.

“You’re teasing me, aren’t you?” you say slowly.

A smile fully cracks through, broken by a low laugh that fills the car. “Of course I have. Minhyuk was obsessed with them. He made the entire team watch all of them one night after we got this assignment. I did own this car before I watched them though. It’s a good car.”

“You made it through the entire series in one sitting?” You whistle appreciatively.

“I saw the first one, but after that, they’re fuzzy,” Hyunwoo confesses. “I fell asleep.”

“Can’t blame you.” You shrug. “They’re like 16 hours altogether.”

Your bodyguard-slash-roommate nods, making a small sound in agreement.

Quiet settles between you after that. Where once it would have been tense or clumsy for you, it feels right. Comfortable. You don’t feel any need to fill the empty space in between the street noise and the engine’s sleek purr. Instead, you lean back against the leather seat and watch Hyunwoo with slight side glances.

You’re learning to read Hyunwoo’s silences. Sometimes, they can be just as articulate as if he had spoken with words.

His shoulders are relaxed beneath his dark jean jacket and his hands hold the steering wheel with the easy confidence of someone who knows they can handle the horsepower. Despite the mellowness of his body, Hyunwoo’s eyes keep a careful watch on the passing streets. They flicker left to right, then straight, then back again. Car, bus, and pedestrian get a quick threat assessment before being dismissed. He’s not very worried about an attack, but he’s not being stupid about it either.

Hyunwoo turns his head to turn down a street, facing you for a brief second. You notice suddenly that mouthed lyrics flow steadily from his lips right in time with the radio. The song is some oldie, the singer belting about freedom and fast cars. You wonder what his singing voice sounds like…

Out of nowhere, Hyunwoo says, “You should thank Minhyuk.”

“Minhyuk? Why?” you ask cautiously. Based on your last and only parting, you’re doubtful he’d give you the few seconds saying 'thank you’ would take. He’s the very last of the team you’d expect to be your advocate.

“He’s the one who finally convinced me to let you come with us.”

“Not Hoseok?”

He shakes his head. “Minhyuk,” he says with finality.

“Why?”

“Ask him yourself.”

Hyunwoo turns onto the curb and honks the horn three times. You glance out the window. The building is plain, gray concrete, a number of cracks showing its age like fine wrinkles. There’s a line of windows high in the front wall, but no sign to speak off. Nothing other than the two long, dulled and dented silver garage doors to indicate this is anything other than a warehouse.

One of the doors slides open. Hyunwoo pulls inside, the door closing just behind the car’s tail.

He only has time to turn off the car and slide the key from the ignition when Minhyuk appears at his window.

“We’ve got a problem,” he says, glancing at you.

[razorblade180]

RWBY head canon

Oz starts speaking in musical theater lines whenever he gives up on actually contributing to a situation. Oscar hates it and sometimes ends up doing it too.

Oscar:Oz I need you to try to reason with Ironwood, the team, anybody! Even Salem; you’re supposed to be a hero right?

Ozpin:(This man is dead! He is no more! He died a little, each day...)

Oscar:Ozpin pl-

Ozpin:(Like a thief, the Château d'If has stolen him away. The mind plays tricks. You are confused. The man you seek is long gone. Dead and cold...)

Oscar:O-

Ozpin:(A story told, by those he trusted, Those he loved, and those who then... Moved on)

Oscar:Fine! Be that way. The Count of Monte Cristo isn’t even that good...

Ozpin:(Now I’m definitely not helping)

xxxx

Oscar:*looks at the Whale grimm*.... any advice.

Ozpin:(I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory. Is this where it gets me, on my feet, sev'ral feet ahead of me?)

Oscar:That’s too real right now, please stop.

Ozpin:(Trust me, I’m just as sad as you are.)

xxxx

*Atlas crumbling apart*

RWBY:*distraught*

Ozpin:(You know what they say-)

Oscar: Oceans rise. empires fall. It's much harder when it's all your call.

Ozpin: (All alone, across the sea. When your people say they hate you, don't come crawling back to me.)

Oscar:Hamilton has aged well for you and I hate it.

Ozpin:(I’m just happy you know where it’s from.)

Oscar:I’m surprised you said nothing when I got shot.

Ozpin:(Why would I? Because you’re young, scrappy, and hungry? Or because a Ironwood wasted is shot?)

Oscar:I hate this...I hate this so much...

xxxx

Oscar:*on the ground*

Ozpin:(Uhhh do you wanna move?)

Oscar:Freeze your brain, swim in the ice. Get lost in the pain. Shut-

Ozpin:(No! Bad, that is the last song you need to have!)

Oscar:Seems appropriate. Forget who you are. Unburden your load. Forget in six weeks you’ll be back on the road! When the voice in your head, says you’re better off-

Ozpin:(I was younger than you are now. When I was given my first command. I led my men straight into a massacre; I witnessed their deaths first hand.)

Oscar:Do you know every Hamilton song?

Ozpin:(I made every mistake And felt the shame rise in me And even now I lie awake Knowing history has its eyes on me.)

Oscar:That’s a yes.

Ozpin:( Let me tell you what I wish I'd known, when I was young and dreamed of glory. You have no control.)

Who lives, who dies, who tells your story

Ozpin:(I know that we can win I know that greatness lies in you. But remember from here on in History has its eyes on you...)

Oscar:Finally a motivational song.

Ozpin:(I was feeling generous.)

xxxx

Qrow:*in jail* Oscar?

Oscar: Qrow. Congratulations; you've invented a new kind of stupid.

Qrow:I-

Oscar:A damage you can never undo kind of stupid. An open all the cages in the zoo. Kind of stupid. Clearly, you didn't think this through, kind of stupid...

Ozpin:*heavy cackling* (I’m so proud! Now say this to everyone else!)

xxxx

Oscar:*tied up* At least I can finally have a normal conversation with someone.

Salem: My God, my heart beats faster!

Oscar:God..damnit...

Salem:And my mind is racing Could it be...? Could it be that you've come back to life? I know those eyes, following me..

Oscar:(It’s the same song from earlier!)

Ozpin:(The Count of Monte Cristo was our first date after my reincarnation.)

Oscar:(Of course it was...)

[wondersofdreaming]

Let’s get the party started!

Characters: Henry Cavill times 26 x female reader

Word count: 2.288

Warnings: Alcohol intake. Drunkenness. Hollering. Catcalling. Lack of confidence-ish. Teasing. A teeny tiny sexual encounter that isn’t written but hinted.

Author’s note: This is somewhat of a prequel to my emotion series. The scoring is pure fiction, so please don’t be offended or think I scored too low on your favourite Henry-character.

You can find my emotion series here: MASTERLIST

I do not own any of the characters in this flash fiction besides the reader, her dog, and friends, who are figments of my imagination.

Tag: @littlefreya​​ @katerka88​​ @mitzwinchester​​ @hell1129-blog​​​ 

Feedback is appreciated.

The day started with you waking up to someone knocking hard on your front door. You had been asleep. Your big bear of a fiancé was softly snoring next to you, not hearing a thing.

“I wish I was a deep sleeper like you, love.” You whispered to him, grabbed a robe and walked towards the door with the dogs right behind you.

The knocking got louder, and you could hear yelling on the other side.

“I’m coming, geez, take a chill pill.” You said and opened the door. You were attacked by your future sisters- and brothers-in-law, and a large crowd of your and Henry’s close friends.

“Morning sleepyhead. My key didn’t work, so we had to knock. Where’s Supes?” Jason, a good friend, asked.

“Still sleeping. Wait, you have a key?” You asked pushing at his chest, which was harder than you thought since he was the size of your fiancé.

“Yeah, got one from Supes last year, when he locked himself out.”

Jason moved you and wandered down to your bedroom, where you heard a scream. Jason had jumped on top of Henry, who showed hundreds of emotions in matters of seconds.

“J, what are you doing here?” Henry asked as he managed to push his bearded friend to the floor.

“It’s your bachelor party!” Henry’s older brother declared.

“And your bachelorette party.” Your colleague, Cecilia, told you.

“So, you two take a shower, separately please, get dressed and meet us in the living room in 30 minutes.” Selena, another colleague of yours, said as she walked towards the kitchen.

“We’ll feed the dogs. Dress comfortably.” One of your sisters-in-law yelled from down the hall. Cecilia shoved you into the bedroom and pulled Jason out the room before she closed the door.

You looked confused at Henry.

“What just happened?” You asked and went to sit on the edge of the bed. Henry pulled you into his broad chest and kissed your temple.

“I think we’re having a joined bachelor and bachelorette party in our house, love.” He chuckled.

“Oh boy, I saw at least twenty people out there.”

“Let’s go shower and see who has arrived, don’t stress, darling.”

“We don’t hear any water running!” Another one of your sisters-in-law said through the closed door.

“We’re going!” You yelled, you heard snickering and someone mentioning ‘morning sex’ as they moved away from your bedroom.

You shook your head and leaned into your fiancé’s embrace.

“If we’re quiet, we can shower together and have a little fun,” he whispered into your ear. You scrambled to the master bathroom with Henry right behind you.

40 minutes later you walked into a transformed living room. Your friends and family had attached banners with half-naked men and women on every available wall. Cecilia threw a sash over your head that said ‘Bride-to-be’, while the one she put on Henry said: ‘Groom in training’.

The sofa had been moved to the wall, the coffee table switched with the dining room table, and had been filled with drinks and snacks. You saw beer everywhere and lots of tequila.

“Come on guys, it’s barely noon and you want to do shots now?” You whined.

“No, we’re making lunch first, the tequila is for later,” Selena told you and put a plastic tiara on top of your wet hair.

“I had no idea your hair was curly too, shorty.” Jason teased. He threw an arm over Henry’s shoulders and gave him a tight squeeze, while he pulled you into his chest with the other arm. “You two are my best friends, and I’m so happy you’re getting married to each other.”

“Thanks, J. It means a lot coming from you.” You said.

Your friends had turned the backyard into a party place, lucky for them that the weather was nice and sunny. You all sat down with open-faced sandwiches on rye bread, not the bread made purely of rye flour, no, this was rye bread filled with sunflower seeds, dark and delicious.

“And for those who aren’t into the bride’s rye bread, we have normal sandwiches and the grill is on, so we can make sausages and burgers as well.” Henry’s older brother announced.

“You know that rye bread is healthy for you, right? It boosts your immune system and is low in calories.” You retorted with a smile.

An hour into the backyard party, some of the men had pulled out a projector and a blank white screen. You and Henry were pushed onto the two chairs in the middle of everything. Your loved ones surrounded you as Cecilia went to stand next to the white screen, she had a little black remote in one hand.

“May I have everyone’s attention please?” She started, everyone started quieting down. “Thank you. Well, first of all, thank you all for coming to this joint bachelor and bachelorette party for these two turtledoves.” She motioned towards the two of you. “We decided to join these two parties, as most of us have busy schedules, and this was the only available time you all had. So, let’s get to it. Pass down the drinks, especially towards the bride-to-be, she’s going to need it.”

Cecilia held up her beer and cheered with everyone.

“Now, our beautiful bride-to-be here was born on an island far, far away.” A picture of you as a baby appeared on the screen.

“NO! Where did you find that picture?” You screeched, horrified that people were looking at you as a toddler with your curly hair and a mischievous look in your eyes.

“We called your family, and they were generous enough to send a tonne of photos of you. Now be quiet.” Selena said. You laughed and shook your head, defeated.

“I’m ready for those tequila shots now!” You said and motioned for the bottles of tequila in the living room. Jason laughed and handed you a bottle with a few shot-glasses. You downed two shots before Cecilia continued. Your entire life was shown on the screen, from your toddler days to when you became a teenager, you had a rebellious period, where you wore black, dyed your hair black, wore black nail polish and so forth. Then the pictures changed into your twenties when you met Henry, and the last picture was of when he proposed on the beach.

“And that concludes our bride’s story. Now onto a fun game. The bride and groom are going to have a little contest on which look through the ages is better.”

You groaned, already thinking you knew where this was headed but you were pleasantly surprised. Selena handed you and Henry a mini chalkboard each and some chalk.

“Let���s first, take a drink for the lovely couple!”

“CHEERS!”

“This is Henry in ‘Laguna’ from circa 2001, now give this look a score from zero to five, where five is the best score. These are gifs by the way.”

You squealed.

“Aw, look at you, honey. Baby Henry.” You teased. Henry just huffed as his brothers and friends laughed at him.

You gave it a 5, while Henry gave it a 2.

“Interesting, now onto the next Henry-look. This is from ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ around 2002.”

You gave it another 5, while Henry was still on a score of 2.

“And this is from the series ‘The Inspector Lynley Mysteries’, also 2002.”

Another 5 from you, and 2 from Henry.

“This is from the movie ‘Goodbye, Mr. Chips’, again, 2002.”

You looked long and hard before you just showed your 5, Henry was still on a 2.

“From ‘I Capture the Castle’ in 2003.”

You continued the 5, Henry still on the 2.

“This is from the series ‘Midsomer Murders’, from 2003.”

“You two are definitely going to have very curly-haired babies.” Jason teased from behind you, ruffling your semi-dried hair.

You giggled and showed your number 5, Henry didn’t budge on his 2.

“This movie is called ‘Hellraiser: Hellworld’ from 2005.”

You turned your chalkboard, still, a 5, and Henry showed his 2.

“And this is from ‘Tristan & Isolde’ premiered in 2006.”

You showed another 5, while Henry continuously showed his 2.

“‘Red Riding Hood’ from 2006.”

“Look at those pearly whites.” Another friend howled from the back.

Another 5 from you and another 2 from Henry.

“And here he is with reddish hair in ‘Stardust’ from 2007.”

The entire crowd laughed, even Henry had to release a burst of roaring laughter, where he leaned backwards and grabbed his chest. He dabbed his eyes with his sleeve as tears were about to spill.

You gave that look another 5, while Henry deleted his 2 and changed it to a 1.

“Moving on to ‘Whatever Works’ from 2009.”

You nearly swooned at the smile young Henry was giving you from the screen.You wrote down another 5, while Henry changed his 1 to a 2.

“This is from ‘Blood Creek’ in 2009.”

You showed your 5, which was turning bigger and slobbier the more tequila you drank, while Henry’s score continued to be 2.

“And we move on to ‘The Tudors’ series, there’s going to be a new gif from each season. This is from season 1.”

With the first one, you scored it another 5, while Henry continued his 2. He was being really hard on his own looks. You had to have a stern talking to him when you were sober.

“Season 2.”

You gave it another 5, Henry was still stubborn on his 2.

“Season 3.”

You continued your 5, and Henry continued his 2.

“Season 4.”

“Holy moly!” You let out.

“What?” Henry asked.

“I just forgot how hot you look with a man bun thing and a beard.” You hiccupped, obviously very drunk.

You scored it another 5, and Henry gave it a 3, having gotten a little confidence boost from you.

“This is from the movie ‘Immortals’, premiered in 2011.”

“I love that movie! I love Greek mythology in general.” You slurred and showed your 5, while Henry kept his 3.

“A movie with Bruce Willis, ‘The Cold Light of Day’ from 2012.”

“Babe, your smile is panty-melting.” You giggled.

You kept your 5, while Henry deleted his 3 and wrote down 4.

“And since Henry had three looks in one movie, and he played this character in three movies so far, there’ll be three gifs. This is the first from ‘Man of Steel’ premiered in 2013.”

You sucked in your breath and waved your chalkboard with the 5 on it, Henry deleted the 4 and wrote 3,5.

“Number two.”

You obviously continued with the 5, while Henry stubbornly showed his 3,5.

“Number three.”

Both your scores didn’t change.

“This is from ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ premiered in 2015.”

“My favourite movie so far!” You hollered.

You deleted your 5 and wrote down 6.

“You can’t write 6, 5 is the highest you can score.” Cecilia laughed.

“I don’t care about your rules. I’m the fucking bride, and if I say that Henry’s ‘Napoleon Solo’-look is a freaking 6, then it’s a freaking 6.”

“Whatever the bride wants the bride will get, Napoleon is a 6.”

“Thank you.”

Henry changed his score to a 4. He kissed your temple; happy you loved that movie.

“From ‘Sand Castle’ premiered in 2017.”

You wrote down a 5, which surprised everyone. Henry gave you a shocked look.

“I still love that movie, but the fact that you shaved your head without talking to me about it, pissed me off a little. The beard is a bonus point though.” You giggled and downed another shot. By this time, you had already drunk half a bottle of tequila by yourself, without lime and salt.

Henry wrote down another 4.

“This doesn’t need an introduction but premiered in 2018.”

You almost drooled. You had loved that moustache on him. It had changed the aura around him during filming, but he had still been your goofy boyfriend at the same time.

You wrote 6, Henry wrote 4,5.

“And some know this as ‘Nomis’ other’s as ‘Night Hunter’, it still premiered in 2018.”

You catcalled at the photo, making everyone laugh. You deleted the 6 and wrote 7, while Henry wrote 4.

“And last but not least from the series ‘The Witcher’ from 2019.”

“One million billion trillion…” You cheered and took another shot. The alcohol clearly going to your brain. Everyone laughed, while most of the women awed at the head-tilt Geralt did in the gif.

The rest of the evening was a blur for you. Alcohol was consumed and pizzas were ordered around dinner time. Around midnight you were ready to collapse anywhere, you could have fallen asleep while standing up, you were that drunk. Henry, who could handle his alcohol intake, threw you over his shoulder and carried you into the bedroom.

You were already snoring loudly before your head hit the pillows. Henry removed your clothes and with a little luck, he managed to put you into one of his T-shirts that you loved to sleep in. Your dogs walked in and jumped on the bed, cuddling close to your sleeping body.

“Goodnight, my love,” Henry whispered. He kissed your forehead and walked out to the still ongoing party. Most of the women had gone to sleep in the tents that had been put up in the backyard, and the men had rid the dining table for bottles and snacks and were setting up for what looked like advanced beer pong.

“It’s a fusion game between beer pong and flip cup. Losers have to down a whole can of Guinness.” Jason answered Henry’s confused look.

“Alright, I’m assuming we’re on different teams?” Henry smiled.

“Oh yeah! Let the game begin!”

[frenchibi]

hey, so i thought maybe you could tell us a little what you're currently interested in? ♥ like, what have you been doing during quarantine, are there any new shows you watched that you enjoyed a lot, did you maybe take up a new hobby or something? :)

Hello!! I did not forget this lovely message, I was just in no state to answer (who’d have thought that recovery from surgery is, y’know, taxing) BUT I’M BACK NOW and ohhhh do you know what you’ve unlocked by asking me this question...?? I cannot give you a comprehensive list but I can tell you a couple of the things that I got into during quarantine, and the things I am currently super passionate about! My memory is, uh, not great but thankfully I do journal and write down things so I am confident I can answer this for you :D (plus I do always love recommending things so - aaa??? Thank you for this ask????)

Putting things under a cut because I physically cannot chill but if tl;dr I want you to take away one thing from this it’s that everyone should read Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Thoughts below.

(Also. I would love to go off about my interests more on here but am not sure what... shape that should ideally take? Text posts? IDK pls give me suggestions, help me out?? dfhasjkldf)

Movies

I have not seen many, but I can and will scream about The Old Guard over and over because... it was everything I never knew I needed in an action movie?? I don’t reblog many things about it anymore but I love love LOVED it!!

Also, upon recommendation by one of my friends from India, I have been delving into the world of Bollywood movies and WOW Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara was so fucking good??? idk if it’s on Netflix in every country but it is in mine and I highly recommend it. It’s thoughtful, honest, emotional and shot absolutely gorgeously, and it also has that cheesiness that is just... so good... sometimes you just need the cheese y’know???

(Side note, 2020 was the year I saw Pride and Prejudice (2005) for the first time and I am a changed woman. It is now my ultimate comfort movie. Please see it if you have not, I cannot believe it took me this long. I saw it for the first time on an airplane (in january... a lifetime ago) and have seen it many, many times since.)

TV Shows

So, to everyone’s shock but especially my own, I have not really been into TV lately? I watched The Boys because my brother recommended it (it’s good, but gorey and pulls no punches, the R rating is deserved), and recently started watching Jujutsu Kaisen because my sister recommended it (I haven’t watched a new anime in like a year which is kinda wild to me? But I am enjoying this one - the opening SLAPS and what I’ve seen so far has been fun! Plus I’m watching it with my sister and I like sending her reactions xD),,, and that’s pretty much it for this category?? I am aware there is a LOT of good shit out there I just.. .don’t seem to have the attention span for multiple episodes of a Thing these days. Meh. I’m sure it’ll come back to me eventually ^^

Musical Theater

One of the main reasons I think I haven’t been big into TV is because my Musical Passion is in FULL SWING (haha get it). Probably because the only thing that has remained for me during this quarantine is my singing lessons (and lemme tell you... over skype, that shit is ROUGH but still better than not singing at all) and I have been obsessing over learning new songs and finding shows through recommendations and compilation videos on youtube... So.

Shows I listen to a lot these days include Starry, Anastasia, The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, Come From Away (I made a post recently specifically about musicals, you should be able to find it under #French speaks) - specific songs in my range that I am currently learning and obsessing over include “Bring on the men” from Jekyll and Hyde, “The Mad Hatter” from Wonderland, “Show Yourself” from Frozen 2 (I liked it ok I DID), and “Go Tonight” from The Mad Ones (this one makes me cry... I’m making my sister duet it with me bc I can’t stop thinking about it).

Also, if you’re interested in hearing me sing things, head over to my instagram where I post covers (and also art)!!

(Musical people, I am curious to hear opinions about Great Comet, and also The Count of Monte Cristo - two shows I’ve been meaning to check out!)

Video Games

Listen. Animal Crossing New Horizons is awesome and I’m glad I have it (...give me Brewster back, Nintendo, or I WILL RIOT), but I have been branching out into other games for the Switch (might as well make this purchase worth it amirite) - current faves include Celeste (which is SO HARD but also SO FUCKING FUN) and Spiritfarer which I specifically bought to play at the hospital bc I knew I was going to be there for a few days, and let me tell you - best decision of 2020. Please watch the trailer if you haven’t heard of it, it’s GORGEOUS and beautiful and emotional and I loved every second of it. Both of these can also be purchased for PC and I think they are definitely worth the investment!!

In other news I’m back on my Stardew Valley bullshit. It’s just so calming.I revisit it a lot lmao

Books

So... I have been reading. A LOT. I read over 70 books this year, which for me is... average tbh? I have had some less productive reading months but overall I have torn through stuff and BOY do I have recommendations if you want them?? For the sake of brevity I will only mention a few here:

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir “Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space”. That is all. This was my first five star fiction book of the year and I will never be done screaming about it. There is a dedicated but smallish fandom here on tumblr and it deserves SO MUCH MORE. Please, please please. Everyone should read this damn book. It’s confusing in the beginning but I promise it’s worth it IT’S SO GOOD!! And also the sequel is out and it’s also confusing and SO GOOD!!!

Educated by Tara Westover. This is an autobiography and it’s one of those books that like. Stick in your mind for months after you’ve read it. It’s about how this woman escaped an abusive household that was religiously oppressive and also like... survivalist (prepping for the apocalypse) and avidly believed in conspiracy theories - by educating herself, working her way up to going to Harvard. Nothing I say could do the emotional impact of this book justice - and also just, the perspective this book gave me?? Incredible. Education is the most powerful tool and this woman grabbed it by the hair and did not let go and I was FLOORED. Everyone should read this. I don’t even usually read biographies but DAMN.

The Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden.(Book 1 is called The Bear and the Nightingale). This is a bit of a slow burn type deal - it’s a retelling of a Russian fairy tale (I think?? Or like a folk... story? Something like that) and it is just. So magical. It’s not fast paced but it works up to FANTASTIC moments, the focus is on family and magic and change and “making your own way” and all three of these books were wonderful. It reminded me of Naomi Novic’s Uprooted and Spinning Silver (both of which I also loved back in 2019 and would highly recommend) and they are PERFECT winter reads if you’re looking for something to get cozy with. I liked book 1 well enough but books 2 and 3 knocked it out of the park. Fantastic. Loved them.

I have many more recs but this will do for now hahah

Music

Gonna keep this brief too - my music taste is all over the place, but here are some songs I have been obsessed with recently!! Beware of genre whiplash though because these are Very Different from one another (and different from the musical theater stuff above)

Factories - Autoheart (that bridge gets me every time, idk why. This is one I could have on repeat for hours and not get tired of it either. Something about it just gets me!!)

History Read - The Altogether (The lyrics!! Tbh the entire Silo album is GREAT, but this one is my fave. Their music is so... mellow, in the best way??)

Weather Man - Valley of Wolves (ok this one is just a banger. I’m a sucker for a good sing-along-able hook (that’s not a word. you get me though right) and this fucking DELIVERS. I also just think “I make these dark skies blue, I make these mountains move, let the rain come down, I’m pushing through.... [pause] ... ‘cause I’m the weather man” is such good execution of a concept?? That PAUSE GETS ME it’s just SO FUN?!?! idk man I like a good upbeat banger and this is that.)

I believe (get over yourself) - Nico Vega (this one is just a callout at myself tbh?? “you’re a fool” I AM and I needed to hear it?? It’s also SO FUN to sing!!! We love a banger.)

Kiss me you animal - Burn the Ballroom (mentioning this mainly because it reminded me, lyrically, of Gideon the Ninth and I need someone to confirm this for me before I go insane?? “everybody knows that home is where your teeth sink, love” - I mean c’mon??? Also it’s a banger. I do like some rock from time to time... and this also has a killer driving bassline. This is super fun to drive to, too!!)

((If we have overlap and anyone wants to exchange playlists with me - I am SO here for it. Always looking for new music!!! I mean it!!))

Youtube

Last and certainly not least... meet my newest hyperfixation!!! I have always loved watching video essays, and booktube videos, and arttube videos - and my current niche of favorite creators is the Polygon video team!! They made videos about video games and board games and anything gaming-related and I just. I’m only peripherally a “gamer(TM)” but I love anything and everything they create. (Also you don’t have to know much about video games to enjoy all of their content!! A lot of it is still accessible to Non-Gamers(TM) or casual gamers!) BDG is my new favorite creator, the Unraveled series he does on the channel is a work of genius - but I have also started watching their streams and older series and I am enjoying myself SO MUCH! I love boardgames so their series on them, Overboard, is so fun and entertaining (and I already know a bunch of games I want to buy based on seeing the gameplay), and it also made me invested in the other creators - particularly Simone, I would die for Simone?? And Pat? And Jenna? They each have their niche and they work really well together too and their videos are my Main Serotonin Machine in these trying times(TM), thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Also. If you’re already following me here and you are familiar with Polygon things I BEG YOU TO COME AND TALK TO ME ABOUT THEM because I am like, bursting, but I also don’t want to flood my dash with stuff that 99% of my followers are unfamiliar with y’know??

...I think I’m going to leave it at this - it’s already a lot!

But thank you once again for asking and for letting me Go Off about things I am interested in!! I just... I very often wish I could do this more, but I’m not sure how to go about it? Should I just do text posts about things?? Would that be interesting to anyone?? Or is that like, annoying? Should I start a review blog or something? dhfajkldhf I just want to talk about things that excite me, but whenever I’m here I often just stick to reblogging other people’s stuff... help?? What do y’all want to see??

[sunmaylight]

Batfamily x Fate Grand Order pt. IV

Members:

Batman     Nightwing     Oracle     Red Hood

Red Hood

Class: Archer

Ascensions:

Summon: Robin costume with the green pants who proclaims to be a teen even though he looks like a twelve year old.

He introduces by calling himself Robin and a request to not call him Red Hood. He then does a short speech about his excitement with working with everyone again. It is filled with passion that rivals other enthusiastic Servants.

When he meets Batman and his partners, the ones that he met as Robin are easily recognizable, but those that he knows as Red Hood are met with a guarded look and an odd sense of trepidation. In return there is a strange distance between the young boy and the others that reminds Guda of Oracle when she was Batgirl but worse.

The tension does not make him stop calling Batman a Big Boob or Captain and having a few others join him calling Batman that.

If Robin is asked about his future self, he gives a mixed answer of saying that he thinks of his future self as an admirable person and loathes to become him. Guda can’t tell if it is one or two people he is describing.

First Ascension: Robin turns into Red Hood who shot up like an oak tree. He wears a bright red helmet and a brown leather jacket that partially hides a bright red bat symbol on black armor.

Upon ascending him, Guda is reminded of a cross between Emiya Alter and Emiya (Assassin) in terms of appearances and possible combat style. Red Hood for his part acts hostile and aggressive, but never intentionally harms Guda. 

Servants on the other hand have to deal with a dark humored young adult who gets along with the Count of Monte Cristo and Kintoki like a house on fire.

Batman and most of his partners give Red Hood a wide berth at first like he is a Berserker instead of Archer. But as they observe him interact with other Servants, they slowly interact with Red Hood again. For his part, Red Hood tries to get along with them equally, but is at a loss on how to be with a few of them like the teen in yellow.

The Madness Enhancement makes itself aware after the first ascension. Sometimes in battles, Red Hood favors physical confrontations as well as lethal methods. Other times he has a shorter temper and lashes out at others. 

Second: Same outfit as his previous ascension. Though his personality changes somewhat. It is almost as if he has calmed down after a violent storm. 

An interlude is unlocked after Guda spends a fair amount of time with Red Hood. Upon completion, Red Hood took it upon himself to teach Guda in between Singularities. Subjects range from academics to street smarts and anything else that other Servants aren’t teaching Guda.

When Red Hood is teaching Guda, some of the child-like Servants also join. When they do come, Red Hood is shown to be a good teacher by helping them out if they are stuck.

On rare nights, Red Hood and three other partners of Batman can be found at the cafeteria speaking in hushed voices about how much they miss their friends and groups. Some odd words that are heard: Titans, Outlaws, Birds of Prey, Young Justice, and Justice League. 

Third: Red Hood has a new symbol on his chest that looks like a drone or an arrowhead or something on his muted blue shirt. Besides the addition of thigh holsters and longer boots, his wardrobe looks similar to his previous ascension. Though the biggest difference is that his red helmet is off and replaced with a red domino mask.

Red Hood looks relaxed as if the Madness Enhancement isn’t a dominant part of him, but still present. There is still some tension between him and Batman that brings the Madness Enhancement back sometimes whenever clowns are brought up.

When interacting with Batman’s partners, Red Hoods speaks to them like siblings. He seems to get along better with the ones younger than him and the Robin with the sword instead of those that are older than him.

As Red Hood summons his strange swords during fights against demonic enemies, they backed away in fear along with any evil alignment Servants present. When questioned after battle, he mentions that these blades are not his main Noble Phantasm, just some regular swords. 

He calls them All-Blades.

Fourth: Red Hood standing and holding his helmet above him with one hand. He is looking down as though whoever is watching him is sitting down or short. In the background there is a dismantled gun on the table and one of the All-Blades leaning against it. From the reflection of the blade, it shows the back of a man with a red sleeveless hoodie with the hood up.

If he is not in his room, Red Hood is found reading in the library or helping out in the kitchen with the other Servants and Chaldea Staff. At the library, sometimes he has philosophical debates with anyone present.

When Red Hood met the classical literature Servants for the first time in both forms, it went two ways.

As Robin, he was awestruck upon meeting them. Realizing that he gets to work with characters and authors of different pieces of literature brings was like a dream come true. Though part of it dies out as he interacts with the authors and realizes how cynical some of them are.

As Red Hood, he is still awestruck as if he was Robin. When he interacted with characters, he commented on how he likes their books. Authors like to use him as another piece of material like how they use other Servants in Chaldea.

Noble Phantasm

As Robin, he uses the grappling gun to swing towards the enemies to deliver a kick while swinging past them. He then swings back and hits their legs with a tire iron and finishes by throwing a projectile from his utility belt that explodes into a mess of nonlethal projectiles hitting the enemies.

As Red Hood, he grabs his guns and shoots at the enemies until the cartridges are empty. He reloads and holsters them to jump away a bit then grabs his guns again to fire. As the bullets fly to the enemies, multiple All-Blades follow behind to make a sea of swords and bullets swallow the enemies.

Skills

Presence Concealment: B

Madness Enhancement: D--

Independent Action: B+

Magic Resistance: D++

Mind’s Eye (True): B

Determination of Steel: B+

Mystic Slayer: C+

[lizziestudieshistory]

Books of 2020 - March

Enforced isolation made me read a lot... Here are the 10 books I read!

The Way of Kings - Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive #1)    We all know I adore this series - I reread it every year after all. This time I read it to annotate the text and do a proper deep-dive into the world Sanderson is creating in preparation for Rythmn of War coming out later this year.

The Binding - Bridget Collins    I still don’t know how I feel about Collins’ book. It’s a historical fiction novel with a subtle hint of magical realism through the concept of Binding - using some form of magic (I’m not entirely sure how) to turn real memories into books. This concept is what made me and my uni friends buddy read this novel in the first place; it sounds fascinating, especially to bookish people like we us! However, this book is not really about book binding - it’s a love story between Emmett Farmer and Lucian Darnay.

If I’m honest the part two, which covered the original courtship of Lucian and Emmett, was the most interesting section of the novel. I thought their relationship was a bit cringey (as befits teenagers) and incredibly sweet. The romance made the novel. But it wasn’t the book we signed up for. I was expecting a book about the secrets about Binding - maybe a bit of a thriller/mystery but with beautiful writing and an ethereal setting? I was definitely expecting more information about Binding. Instead we got a angsty romance, endless cutting and gluing of endpapers for books and ONE scene of Emmett book binding that didn’t tell us what the process actually is.

For what the book actually is, which is an angsty gay romance in a very subtly magical alternate ‘Victorian’ society, it’s a decent book. If I’d known this I probably would have read it and considered it a lovely cutesy read. However, it’s not the book I was sold and it left me disappointed. I’d recommend giving it a shot, but it’s not a book I would necessarily read again...

The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Orcsy    This was a ridiculous, over the top, and melodramatic classic adventure story. I had so much fun reading this! The Scarlet Pimpernel is a mysterious English aristocrat who, with his band of devoted fellow gentlement, travels to France during the height of the Revolution to rescue innocent French nobles from the guillotine. However, the French are at their wits end and Chauvelin blackmails the ‘cleverest woman in Europe’, darling of English society, and French wife of Sir Percy Blakeney, Lady Marguerite Blakeney, to find out the indentity of the Scarlet Pimpernel. 

From there we go on a wonderfully melodramatic romp through 18th century England and France, and watch as Marguerite tries to save the Scarlet Pimpernel. It’s a silly, over the top, novel in a similar style to The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. I’d highly recommend it as an entry into classic literature - or just as a ridiculous fun story!

Reticence - Gail Carriger (The Custard Protocol #4)   My last full length parasolverse novel was A LOT of fun. I adored Percy and Arsenic’s slightly cringey but incredibly sweet romance bloom, alongisde the exploration of the supernatural in Carriger’s version of 1890′s Japan. The Custard Protocol was my least favourite of Carriger’s three main series (plotwise at least) but Reticence was a beautiful homage to the entire parasolverse! I adored the cameos (or just the entire wedding scene, let’s face it!), silly humour, and Percy’s happy ending.

My small niggle with this novel was the plot. As with the rest of the Custard Protocol novels I felt the plot wasn’t spectacular. It was a bit thin on the ground, particularly in the first half... This series is about character, and I love all the characters, but I wanted a little bit more from all of the novels. I wanted to see a bit more of each country (and spend a little bit less time on the Spotted Custard whilst travelling through the grey...) Nevertheless, I think Reticence was the strongest of the four Custard novels and I really loved it. Carriger’s world is my comfort blanket, it makes me smile, and I adore the world she’s created - and for that I will be forever grateful to Miss Gail!

Poison or Protect - Gail Carriger (Delightfully Deadly Novellas #1)   This novella was a lot darker than I was expecting from Carriger. The plot and on-screen action was just a silly and entertaining as I was expecting (Preshea goes to a house party to prevent the assassination of the Duke of Snodgrove, and stop his daughter marrying a gold digger, whilst falling in love with a dashing Scottish captain.) However, Preshea’s backstory was much darker than we usually see in the parasolverse, the only comparable one I can think of off the top of my head is Rodrigo’s abuse from the Templars! She suffered through years of abuse and neglect at the hands of her father and husbands, leaving her damaged and shying away from all relationships. 

The actual romance in Poison or Protect left me a little but underwhelmed. Gavin was actually what I was expecting from Connal Maccon in the Parasol Protectorate, and I’m much more on board with his ‘gentle-giant’ style romance with Preshea. I’m personally not a huge fan of the stereotypical kilt-wearing, enormous Scottish bloke... Just not my thing...but good for Preshea if she likes that! I just wasn’t that invested. 

Personally, I would have loved Preshea’s book to revolve a bit more on her relationships with women, not romantically (she has never read as bi or a lesbian) but platonically. In the Finishing School Preshea held herself aloof from the girls around her, never really having a proper friend or friendship group. Instead she was like a vampire queen surrounded by her hive - beautiful, deadly, and set above everyone around her. Preshea herself comments on it in the book! Because of this I would’ve really loved the novella to focus on Preshea learning to be friends with other women, not see them as enemies or competition, and maybe getting her man on the side. We did get this growth as a sub-plot with Lady Flo and Mis Pagril, but I think it was more important for Preshea with her Finishing School background and the abuse she suffered to find herself with other women before jumping into bed with husband number 5...

The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince - Robin Hobb (Realm of the Elderlings)    This was a fun little novella that expanded the backstory of the Six Duchies and explained why the Witted and Wit magic are so feared in the Farseer and Tawny Man Trilogies. It’s not Hobb’s finest work, but it did flesh out the history of the Six Duchies a little bit more. The story isn’t incredibly important to the main series but I’d highly recommend for fans of Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings and it’s best to read the tale either before of after the Tawny Man Trilogy.

Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert   A disappointing classic. Madame Bovary is supposed to be selacious and scandelous. I found it tedious and irritating. Emma Bovary was one of the most uncompelling heroines I’ve read outside of Dickens - she was a selfish snob, with no redeeming characteristics for the reader to latch onto. She’s adored by her husband, but bored in her marraige because Charles is only a middle class, mediocre doctor... She is manipulated by the men around her (both lovers and the guy who lends her money, I can’t remember his name) but is also incredibly stupid in her decisions, particularly around money and her last fateful decision at the end of the book.

The language (both French and my English translation) was dry, and the pacing was off. Important parts of the novel went by in a whirl, but then there were long stretches where almost nothing happens. I’ve read similar novels that were much better with similar themes, plotlines, and much more interesting characters. I am glad I’ve read it but Madame Bovary is not a book I would read again, nor would I recommend it unless you want to cross it off your list of classics. 

Winter’s Heart, Crossroads of Twilight, and Knife of Dreams - Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time #9, 10, 11)    This post is incredibly long and I’ve spoken about this series at length already so I don’t really have any new criticisms to rasise. However I am slowly making my way through the rest of the Wheel of Time and I’ve now reached the end of the books solely written by Robert Jordan himself. Winter’s Heart and Crossroads of Twilight really were the height of the slump, however, I did manage to read through them both quite quickly with the amount of time I have at the moment. Both books were quite slow but had hugely important moments in them for the entire series.

Knife of Dreams was a return to form for Jordan before he died and we got the resolution to several tedious plotlines that had been running through the last few books (Perrin and Faile, Mat in Ebudar, Egwene travelling to the White Tower.) Personally, I loved Elayne’s struggle to claim the Lion Throne, however, this is one of the plotlines people tend to dislike and it had a particularly satisfying conclusion at the end of KoD. I’m incredibly excited to the series conclusion that I can see coming and I can’t wait to jump into the installments written by Brandon Sanderson in April! 

Currently Reading

I’m still working through Fellowship and the Companion... It’s fallen by the wayside slightly but I am still working through it.

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens    This is my buddy read book for March/April, but it’s also a reread for me (as we know from my turbulent relationship with this book from 2019) We have just finished Book 2 Chapter 5.

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon    I’m not a huge fan of this book so far, however, I don’t hate it. I think the plot and world building is quite shallow (circa. 200 pages in anway), and the writing makes me feel like I’m watching the characters through a glass screen. Hopefully it will pick up a bit, but at the moment I think it’s overrated. (I don’t think it’s helping I’ve been reading a lot of brilliant epic fantasy at the moment...)

[alienspawnwrites]

Laying Hands: Chapter 5

Read on AO3

Shared Trama

It was two weeks before the Avengers were called back out into the field. Althea had been fixing herself a snack when J.A.R.V.I.S. got her attention.

"Miss Thea, Mr. Stark requests your presence in conference room B."

She didn't utilize the A.I. butler often, but she had grown used to the disembodied voice. She no longer found it weird to carry on a conversation with the thin air. "Should I go right now, or can I finish my sandwich?"

"Mr. Stark conveyed urgency, though I'm sure you can take your food with you if you prefer."

In the end, Althea chose to leave her half-finished snack behind, taking one last hurried bite.

When she exited the elevator into the lounge, she was surprised to find the rest of the Avengers congregated in the room, already deep in conversation. Even Loki was there, half-hidden in the shadows, looking bored as per usual.

"..so straight forward, then: go in, get the weapons, get out?", Clint asked.

"And as always, find out anything we can about their next moves," Steve nodded.

"Fury says this place is locked up pretty tight. That means we're going to need your friend along for the ride, Bruce." Tony looked pointedly at the scientist, who merely sighed in acquiescence.

"Suit up and meet back here. Wheels up in fifteen." Steve dismissed them before heading out to change into his own crime-fighting costume. He nodded to Althea as he passed.

Natasha, Clint, and Bruce followed him out, the later muttering something about 'brand new pants' under his breath. Tony, Thor, and Loki remained behind. Althea looked at Tony in confusion.

"What's going on? What did I miss?"

"We got a mission, kid. The guys upstairs have new information about a stronghold out in Eastern Europe. Looks like your friends Hydra."

"They're not my friends," she countered under her breath.

"Yeah, well, hopefully, they don't have any more sheepish "assets" hidden in this one. I'm running out of spare rooms."

"Am I coming with you?" She tried to imagine riding into battle alongside the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, and the others. The idea petrified her.

"You? Or no, you're not going anywhere," Tony replied, shaking his head at the ridiculousness of her idea. "I just wanted to let you know we were popping out for a bit. Didn't want you to worry."

"Fret not. We will return shortly, no doubt victorious," Thor exclaimed in a booming voice, swinging his hammer for emphasis, clearly excited for the opportunity to do some fighting outside of the training room.

"Actually, Raiden, you're sitting this one out." Thor looked at Tony in disbelief. "Cap doesn't want her left alone with this one." Tony jabbed a thumb in Loki's direction, eliciting a scoff from the dark prince. "Not until we know she can handle herself."

For a moment it looked like Thor would argue, but after an exasperated look at Tony, he dropped his hammer to his side dejectedly.

A few minutes later the team reassembled and made their way out to the helipad. Althea watched with wonderment as they boarded the Quinjet. After a fortnight playing roommate to the team of superheroes, she had almost forgotten what an intimidating force they were. From the window she watched the jet as it flew off into the distance, following it until it disappeared over the horizon.

Thor turned to Loki. "Well brother, what say we take advantage of the empty training grounds?"

"You know I still can't believe you two are related," Thea said, looking away from the window to take her remaining companions. Again she was struck by the differences between the two men.

"Adopted," they muttered in unison. The corners of Loki's mouth turned up slightly in a rueful smirk, but Thor looked unphased by their accidental harmony.

"Fine," Loki sighed, turning to leave the lounge, "there isn't anything better to do anyway." He shot Thea a pointed look before disappearing down the hall. Thor ignored the taunt entirely.

"Would you care to join us, Lady Thea?" Thor had apparently taken to Tony's nickname for her, though he still insisted on calling her "lady".

"I'd rather stay here if it's all the same," she responded. She still hadn't gotten over her last time watching Thor spar. The wide window seat and full bookshelves of the lounge seemed far more appealing than watching the two brothers try their hardest to injure one another.

"Very well. We shall be back soon," he smiled. He leaned in to whisper gruffly, "I do not expect it will take long to best my brother. Loki is a capable fighter, but I believe I have learned to see through his tricks." With a good-humored wink, he followed Loki down the hall.

Althea scanned the spines of the largest bookcase, eventually settling on a worn copy of The Count of Monte Cristo. She was soon thoroughly absorbed in the tragic tale of Edmund Dantès, oblivious to the fading light as the day wore on. When it had grown too dim to read, she set the book down and turned her attention out the window, watching as dusk approached the glittering skyline as she pondered the similarities between Dumas's tragic hero and her own life.

The sun had all but set when Loki returned to the lounge, collapsing onto one of the couches in the sunken living area. He had yet to voluntarily occupy the same room as Althea, and she reasoned he hadn't noticed her sitting in the now darkened corner of the room. She took advantage of the chance to observe him with his guard down, careful not to move suddenly lest she scare him off.

He sat sprawled across the seat, long limbs thrown wide in every direction. His eyes were closed and his head tilted back, revealing the pale length of his neck. Sweat gleamed on his forehead and his chest rose and fell rapidly with each breath. His bout with Thor had clearly left him exhausted. Wearily he wiped the perspiration from his face with the sleeve of his green tunic, a satisfied smile playing across his thin lips. The grin disappeared the moment he opened his eyes and noticed Althea studying him.

To her surprise, he didn't immediately get up to leave, instead matching her watchful gaze with one of aggravation.

"How long have you been there, mortal?" He sounded as worn out as he looked, barely managing to inject his usual venom into the question.

"Long enough," Althea replied. She felt emboldened, having caught him in such an expended state. She rose from her seat, taking a few steps in his direction. "Looks like Thor really kicked your ass."

"Looks can be deceiving. Indeed, if you went down to the training grounds now, it would look as though my idiot brother and I were still fighting." Althea remembered the clone Loki had conjured the first time they met. Apparently, he used his ability for avoidance in battle as well as in social situations. She wondered if this one of the tricks Thor believed he had caught on to. "I assure you I had the match well in hand," he added, smiling confidently.

"If that's so, why did you run away?", she asked, sitting down beside him, unable to help but point out the flawed logic in his explanation.

He shot her a withering look. "Because," he sighed, "I prefer to leave once something becomes boring or tedious. Take, for example, this exchange." He moved to stand, bracing his weight on his arms as he rose. As he rose he sucked in a breath through gritted teeth, obviously in pain.

Althea stood with him, concerned. "You're hurt." She looked him over for injury, eventually discovering a sizeable cut on his left arm that had escaped her notice. In the dim room, the flowing blood blended in the deep emerald of his shirt.

"It's nothing," Loki insisted. He made to shift the injury away from her but was too slow.

Without thinking, Althea had reached out to touch his wounded arm. As soon as her fingertips made contact with his torn skin, her hand began to glow; a steady white light emanating from her palm. She withdrew the offending hand quickly, but it was too late. Loki watched in awe as the skin of his arm stitched itself together, the laceration disappearing before his very eyes. Soon the damage had disappeared completely, the tear in his sleeve and the stain of his blood the only indications that the injury had occurred at all.

"What did you do?" he breathed. He looked to Althea for an explanation, but she had turned away from him. Forcefully, he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, ready to demand an answer, and froze. She stood grasping her arm, a pained look on her face as she avoided his gaze. Between her fingers, fresh blood flowed freely. Cautiously, curiously, he reached for her hand. Althea choked back a small sob as he peeled her fingers away. There, cutting deep into her flesh, was a fresh gash, a perfect mirror to the one that had just disappeared from his own arm. In a matter of seconds, it too began to heal. The flow of blood slowed as the wound closed, eventually vanishing and leaving smooth, unbroken skin behind.

Loki looked back and forth between his own arm and Althea's, trying to work through what he had just witnessed. "What are you?" he questioned, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Loki, I..."

Althea was interrupted by Thor, who strode into the room breathing heavily.

"You fooled me again, brother. Though you must admit I had you on the ropes for a great deal of our match. How long have you..." Thor trailed off as he took in the sight before him. His eyes darted between Loki and Althea, pausing on the troubling amount of blood that covered both of their limbs. "What in the nine realms is going on here?"

Loki met Althea's gaze, his blue-green eyes glittering, before answering his brother's concern. "Something very interesting."

[malisonquill]

Rebuild: Behind The Scenes

I thought just for some fun, I might post the plan I made for writing Rebuild. It has some silly alternate titles, some doodles I sketched out, and I thought some people might like to see how much the end product was different from the plan. 

I do also have a section of the plan just for ideas, but I haven’t included it here because it contains spoilers for the sequel(s). 

Hope you enjoy my ramblings below! (Obviously it contains major spoilers for all of Rebuild, so make sure you’re read all that before reading this!)

Rex Brickowski AU Outline

C1: Rexile (AKA Anikin Voice: "I hate Sand". AKA What to do when you're suddenly not dead)

Rex ends up back in his own original timeline in the outskirts of Syspocalypstar. He’s alone, no Rexcelsior, no velociraptors. That makes him sad. 

He looks to the city and thinks about everything.

Cat lady comes, he gets bricks and builds and awesome bike  and drives to the city. 

C2: Shattered (AKA Rex really likes bikes for some reason and also fucks shit up)

There, Lucy and the others are chillin in a park while Rex tears through the city exploring, turning heads. 

He goes up a ramp that sends him up over a building above the park. Whilst in the air he grabs his bike and does a flip. The others watch him. He lands on the road next to the park and spots Lucy, his eyes go wide. He does a skidding turn to pull up beside them. 

They say how awesome that was. They don’t recognise him and he plays along with that. He needs to get used to them and himself before he drops a bombshell on them. 

They show him around the city. He gets a black coffee from the shop. Freezes when he sees a laundromat (PTSD), he hallucinates the deafening roar of the Dryar of Undar until Unikitty distracts him and pulls him away and they continue the tour. 

At one point Everything is awesome plays, he acts aloof but taps his foot quietly and lucy notices. 

Eventually they get to the town square. There is a statue of Emmet. Rex is immediately taken aback and asks what it is (to gauge his friends reactions and also because he's genuinely surprised to see he's been acknowledged). 

Lucy says it honours the special, Emmet. That he was there friend. That they looked for him for a while, but eventually had to admit that he was gone, so they stopped looking. 

BIG ANGST TIME.

Rex snaps. He’s still bitter. He starts off vauge like “You gave up? Would he have given up on you?” but gets increasingly louder and madder. Revealing that he was trapped in Undar, how he feels abandoned and slowly revealing to the others that he’s Emmet. Lucy is like “Emmet…?” And he’s like “Emmet is gone! He’s dead!” 

He breaks the statue in one punch in anger. His friends are horrified. He looks between them and the statue, shocked and saddened by himself. “What have done?” (Internally). He drives off, leaving the others sad and confused. 

C3: Traces Of You (AKA Talking to your ex who you feel betrayed you, even though she thought you were dead… that's rough buddy)

Alternate titles, How can you stand there, a whisper from me? Gone But Not Forgotten

After a short while, giving everyone some time to breathe/ think, Lucy finds Rex in the outskirts. They talk. He explains how he toughened up, how he did some terrible things, how he wants to be better but doesn’t know how. How he’s ruined any chance he had with his friends because of the statue incident. Tears form in his eyes. Lucy goes to comfort him with a hand on his shoulder and says “Emmet...” Queue the “I’m not Emmet anymore and I dont know how to be” line.

Lucy convinces him to not be just one, be a combination. That his friends can help him through this and him to be happier again. He says he’s still can’t fully/ needs time to trust them again, but he’s willing to try. Oh and to call him Rex, cause he wants to be different from movie Emmet. 

C4: Building Blocks (AKA DON'T TOUCH ME WHEN I'M WRITING ABOUT SPACESHIPING!!!!)

Lucy and the others ask Rex to build something with them. He decides on a spaceship, they let him lead. Friend interactions. 

C5: Time Heals All Wounds (AKA So it turns out you based your entire new personality on your friends and also you finally acknowledge your PTSD)

Over a longer time period (make this clear), montage of helping with each individual. Them understanding Rex and who he is more, maybe after he tries to act exactly like Emmet would but it’s unnatural for him? Finding out about raptor training. Helping him cope with his PTSD (Dryar, paralyzation, loneliness) and abandonment issues.

(after writing half the chapter, i realised) His hand injury and recovery mirror emotional healing! )

https://askmarietheapprentice.tumblr.com/post/183050688583/meta-monday-rex-dangervest-based-his-persona-on 

Order: 

Fist, alone with Benny, flying spaceship they all built. (Who Rex developed his spaceship love from.) Emotional thing dealt with: ?

Unikitty. He learnt to harness/ weaponize rage from. Unikitty encouraging him to release some anger and destroy some rubble. Helps him get his anger feels out.

Metalbeard. About being a captain of pirates/ raptors. Talk about how he misses them.

Batman. Learnt how to be tough fighter and suppress deep emotional issues. See below for events. Then they talk about talking through things with others, stuff B learnt in Lego batman movie.

Maybe he’s left alone for ten mins whilst a friend goes to grab a brick or something and is terrified they wont come back. He’s relieved but visibly shaken when they do return. 

Maybe a change over between friends. One has to go and leaves Rex to meet the batman outside of a shop. As he waits his mind wanders thinking Batman has forgotten about him, doesn't want to meet with him, or even like him etc. As this happens he hallucinates hearing the dryer roar. He stands frozen in place, covering his ears as his vision gets darker. Maybe this causes him to glitch to the real world and back every few seconds. The roar gets louder and louder and louder. Batman comes, sees Rex, is concerned and tries to get his attention by touching his shoulder. Rex freaks out, snapping out of his hallucination shouting/ screaming and madly thrashing punches. He smashes a bin or lamppost or car to pieces before Batman can calm him and he realises he's fine. Rex apologies.

Lucy. Made a super cool alias like Wyldstyle, and hides his insecurities under confident exterior like her. Maybe they talk on their way to her surprise. She asks why he changed his name and himself? He explains his thoughts on Undar, how at the time he thought his friends were right and so he toughened up. Made a cool name like she did. He realises a lot of his Rex traits are semi based on his friends. Maybe talk about how it's good to be confident but also not bad to be vulnerable/ talk about problems with others. He realises he's already been doing this with others? Or just have mostly fun not angst for them here!? Meh, idk yet.

Ends with Lucy giving him that cute little house he made for her, that he’d almost forgotten about. Says it’s just a basis and he can change it if he wants. Talk. Suggests they could be platonic (for now) roommates. She leaves him for the night, he’s now ok (ish) with being left alone. 

C6: True Colours (AKA Title made it sound like Rex would turn out evil but surprise! He actually just wanted to look pretty. AKA Rex stares in a mirror for an awkwardly long time)

When Lucy returns, Rex looks different. He briefly went to the Man Upstairs realm and used markers etc, to change his appearance. He wanted some brighter colours to look happier, and more like a combo of Emmet and Rex. He explains this, and decides he wants to be called Rex Brickowski to symbolise this combo of all his aspects. 

Basically this first bit is the man I used to be from count of Monte cristo musical.

(Rex and Lucy designs and also size comparison.)

Maybe some Rex and friends hanging out, it’s better than before. Group karaoke? Tries to warm up to Sweet Mayhem?

C7: Epilogue (AKA The end happens. Everything is awesome is still a bop)

Rex and CO are hopeful for the future. Rex knows who he is now and thinks he can be happy again and trust his friends. He’s a mix of mature and innocent/ sweet. He can now enjoy ‘childish’ things and tough things. He’s happy and thinks everything might be ok now. 

Maybe he goes to the coffee shop, orders Lucy something and a black coffee with 25 sugars for himself and returns home, listening to rock music on his headphones.

(End on poignant thing.)

Side Notes/ Reminders For Myself

“According to a draft from the first film's script, Emmet is 22 years of age in that film, thus making him 27 in the sequel if accepted.” My AU Rex spent 2 years on Undar, plus 5 getting tough before the movie happens. Making him 34 at the start of the AU.

Rex was in his past changing things. But when Emmet was saved, it was no longer his past/ his timeline. So he faded and was sent back to his original timeline. All the stuff he did in the movie timeline still happened, we see three raptors are still there with Ms Scratchen-Post at the end. So the raptors stay where they are in the movie timeline, because they aren’t like Rex who is being written out of the movie timeline’s future. Which is why Rex is alone at the start of this AU. 

Very important! Rex's trust of his friends. My take: friends are the most important thing to Emmet. With friends, he was happy even during the apocalypse. Without them, he becomes jaded, tough. Lucy is who he was closest to/ loved. None of his friends, but especially her not coming for him and moving on hurt him the most. As Rex, he was most mad at her (see him scowling at her during the movie). But then they all try to come back for movie Emmet. Lucy makes it through and saves him. She saved him. This changes post back to the futuring Rex's view. The fact the movie Lucy saved him plus the fact he loved her and cared for her the most before, means AU Rex is inclined to trust her most. 

Titles for 3 stories: Rebuild. Rekindle. Re-----. (I'm an idiot for planning 3 of these!!!!!)

Rebuild: Rex's relationships and himself up again. 

Rekindle: his and Lucy's love for each other. 

Re-----: ((REDACTED BECAUSE IT’S A SPOILER! You’re gonna have to wait to find out what it is!))

INFO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw-r_G7rfnU - Chris Pratt Singing

Dino facts:

https://www.psd1.org/cms/lib/WA01001055/Centricity/Domain/36/SS_How_Fast_Did_Trex_Grow.pdf

http://cycles.westinmathies.com/Info_Pages.asp?ptype=Velociraptor_Cycl

SPELLING = Armamageddon (according to the subs)

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

And that’s it! This is the rambling mess that brought you Rebuild. Hope it was interesting to see.

As another note of my writing process, I did a lot of jumping around. If I had an idea for some lines of dialogue pop into my head, I wrote it down before I forgot and then slightly altered it and filled in the gaps later. In fact that whole bit between Lucy and Rex in chapter 3 was almost all dialogue (with a few notes like “He turned. She smiles” Etc in between) and then later after writing some of chapter 4, I went back and filled in all the gaps. 

I would really recommend writing down whatever pops into your head like this if you want to write things. You might think “Oh, i’ll remember to put this in when I get to writing here!”, that is a lie. You won’t. Or it’ll be different to that brilliant thing you came up with whilst day dreaming out a window. It’s definitely better to jot it down and have it, then decide to edit it later if you don’t like it, than lose it entirely. Just make sure when reading over your chapter/ story that everything flows together nicely. :)

This method also meant I wrote chapters 5, 6 and 7 simultaneously. I had about half of chapter 6 and 7 done whilst I was still making my way through 5. (Probably because 5 was so big!) But then when I was done with 5, I finished off 6, then 7. It also really helped when I came up with the idea to put the first line of the story as the last line too. It gave me a direction to go in for the last chapter (after Rex get’s back from the coffee shop) and also was a nice way to end it off. 

Anyway! Hopefully I see you all again for Rekindle! Which by the way, if there is anything involving the characters from this story that you might want to see, please let me know! I might just fit it in somewhere! :D

[jbuffyangel]

Fight Back: Arrow 7x01 Review (Inmate 4587)

WOW.  Arrow’s Season 7 premiere came out swinging! This took me way longer to write than my typical season premiere because there is so much to unpack. “Inmate 4587” is in my top 3 of Arrow premieres. Not too shabby for seven seasons in. Way to bring your A game, Arrow.

Let’s dig in…

Olicity

And we’re running! 

Arrow opens with a green hooded figure racing through the forest like we’ve seen in so many seasons prior.  However, it’s not Oliver who is running. It’s William. He’s wearing his father’s green hoodie; the one Oliver wore when he was happily jogging through suburban paradise during his blissful life with Felicity.

 This subtle call back to Ivy Town reminds us of heaven as we enter Oliver’s hell.

William stumbles and we immediately know something is off. He’s running through the forests of Lian Yu – a very intact Lian Yu. If William was truly on the island things should be looking a bit more charred. It’s clear this is a nightmare.

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

There’s something full circle about William wearing the green hoodie. Arrow began as a story about father and son. William’s introduction maintains that familial relationship, but now Oliver is the father. His mission began from Robert Queen’s guilt and now Oliver is transferring his own guilt onto his son, albeit in his mind. William is cloaked in a piece of Oliver and trapped in his father’s purgatory. Felicity and William may not truly be on Lian Yu, but they are stuck in their own version of purgatory. They are stuck there because of Oliver’s actions.  

Felicity is running close behind William. Diaz is hunting them. 

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Felicity screams Oliver’s name helplessly and Diaz moves menacingly towards them. Felicity tells William to run before Diaz shoots her in the chest.

Source:  andjustforthismoment

She collapses to the ground and gasps a final breath. Lian Yu is where everyone Oliver loves dies. The island always finds him. Diaz killed Felicity, but it’s Oliver’s fault.

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

Then, Oliver wakes. This is a new reoccurring nightmare. Nightmares are one of the many ways PTSD manifests in Oliver. 

We’ve seen many times before when he’s experiencing a lack of control, facing death or an impossible obstacle, or grappling with his guilt. Oliver is dealing with all of the above in Slabside prison.

We quickly see what life is like on this island. 

Source: candicesalvatore

Nightmare, workout, shower, food, stare at the picture of his family, mark the day, sleep and repeat. Repetition can be its own kind of hell. Every day is the same until you start needing that repetition. Until you become “institutionalized” as Red put it in Shawshank Redemption. 

Source: @seeing-red-arrow​

Oliver places the photo of Felicity and William on top of his copy of “Count of Monte Cristo” because they are his way out. Physically he may be trapped, but there’s more than one way to find freedom.

Oliver’s coping mechanism is to keep his head down while avoiding any human contact of any kind. It’s kind of working until he runs into Stan. 

Source:  smoakmonster

Good old Stan who stans Oliver Queen. Same buddy (I see you Arrow writers.) Oliver has a fanboy of his very own now. This is very inconvenient to Oliver because he’s not interested in protecting Stan from the vile criminals in Slabside. Oliver isn’t interested in doing anything other than survive. He is a country unto himself. Survival makes Oliver an isolationist.

Brick (Season 3), Turner (Bronze Tiger, Season 5) and Sampson (Amell’s pro wrestler buddy, Season 5) attack Oliver. The fight scenes are BRUTAL. Arrow has reclaimed the dark, savage, gritty, rapid and realistic tone to their fight scenes again. We are also back to Oliver Queen taking on ten guys by himself. Season 1 was highly problematic, but this is one element I am glad the show has returned to.

Oliver plants a shank on Turner and he’s thrown into the hole. I don’t actually know if that’s where he went. I just really wanted to say “thrown into the hole.” My expertise on prison lingo comes from Shawshank Redemption, Netflix documentaries and a lot of Dateline. I also know how to run heroin in and out of New York City thanks to Power.

The fight puts Oliver on Brick’s and the guards’ radar more than he already is. So much for low profile. 

Diggle comes for a visit just in time to give Oliver a little pep talk. Oliver looks completely defeated walking towards the phone. It’s a humbling and humiliating experience to be shackled, told where to sit, who to talk to and for how long. These men are a long way from their homey Arrow cave and a bottle of vodka.

Oliver’s voice breaks just a little when asks about William and Felicity. It hurts to even say their names. 

Thankfully, the nightmare hasn’t come true… yet. They are safe and Diggle has upped their surveillance to 24 hours after his last visit with Oliver. The 24 hour surveillance was probably Oliver’s request after suffering through the 90th rerun of his nightmare. Oliver is desperately trying to think of every angle and tactic to keep his family safe. He’s trying to maintain control even though he has none.

When John remarks on Oliver’s appearance (seriously he looks like crap and it’s not just because of the dead animal on his face), Oliver responds, “I’ve looked worse.”

Pain is relative to Oliver Queen. Slabside is nothing to Lian Yu… yet. He’s not stopping birds from picking at his father’s body. Oliver hasn’t been tortured for hours with a sword. 

There’s no arrow through his shoulder. 

He hasn’t chosen who lives and who dies.

Oliver’s life is a series of bad to worse moments. It’s why Felicity and William are so precious to him. 

They are his lone happy story among all the misery.

Oliver compares and contrasts Slabslide with all his bad days, orders it accordingly, and determines he’s had much worse days – much much worse. His family is safe, which is all that matters. That is hope for Oliver, which was sadly lacking on Lian Yu. Bruises and cuts heal - the pain doesn’t come close to the pain Oliver truly fears the most.

Diggle supports the “Keep your head down” plan, but he worries about the emotional toll it’s going to take. Oliver has made himself quiet, submissive and small, but he’s not any of those things. He has to suppress who he is to survive. How long can Oliver ignore who he is before he loses himself all together? Oliver Queen has always done what he’s had to do to survive, but what does survival truly look like inside of Slabside?

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

Oliver returns from his visit with Diggle to find Brick and Sampson in his cell. Brick creepily caresses Felicity’s photo and Oliver is ready to kill him right there. DO NOT TOUCH THE WIFE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.  

Brick gives the standard join-us-or-we’ll- kill-your-family villain pitch. When this doesn’t motivate Oliver they attack Stan.  Unfortunately, Oliver refuses to protect Stan and walks away as Brick and Sampson beat the crap out of him.

Source:  saebrfan

THIS was the moment Stephen Amell was convinced fans’ would be furious with Oliver over. Eh. Not so much. Do what you gotta do home skillet. 

Listen, I thought Oliver was going to kill Stan. 

This was waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than my worst case scenario. It’s also wildly apparent my dark is a lot darker than Arrow and I’m considering a therapist.  

The guards drag Stan back to his cell (awww he’s neighbors with Oliver) after he’s stitched up and he looks like Frankenstein’s bride. Oliver explains all the reasons he couldn’t get involved. They are all understandable reasons, but very “me” focused reasons which isn’t very Oliver Queen. We can argue Oliver doesn’t know Stan, owes him nothing, and the priority is getting back to his family.  This is all true.

However, Oliver didn’t know 98% of the people he saved as the Green Arrow. He wasn’t a hero because he wanted a reward or thanks. Oliver was a hero because it was the right thing to do. He sacrifices himself for the greater good. Oliver Queen is selfless. It’s what makes him a hero.

Unfortunately, Stan the fanboy is presented with a disappointing version of the Green Arrow. He explains how he’s wrongfully accused. (Oooh! Dateline on Arrow? I’m so down.) There’s no justice in Slabside or Star City. Stan was hopeful he’d see the Green Arrow fight for justice, but all he sees is a coward.

Jeez Stan. Snap a man’s balls off why don’t ya?  You’re alive bro - be glad the writers didn’t go with our other theory.

After Stan calls Oliver a coward the lights switch off.  Okay we get it, show. No need to beat us over the head with the symbolism. Oliver is suppressing who he truly is, which means he’s suppressing his light. A man can only live in darkness for so long before he’s consumed by it.

Gee I wonder who can harness his light again.

It’s tricky to separate your main couple for long periods of time on a television show.  The central love story can be easily lost if you don’t keep the characters connected even when they are physically or emotionally separated. Arrow is always at its best when Felicity and Oliver are united as a team. The show flounders when this couple is separated for long periods of time or not allowed to emotionally connect.

“Inmate 4587” plays it smart. Oliver and Felicity may be separated by walls, but they’ve never been more connected. They are both on an island. Felicity is struggling to adjust to her new environment as well. Her name is Erin. She’s living in Hope Springs and is the cutest pink haired barista to ever live.

Source:  whenikisssedyou

The nice guy customer hitting on Felicity and asking her on a date is to remind us how disconnected Felicity is to this life. She looks like a happy, single woman on the surface, but deep down she is lonely, missing her husband and everything that matters to her. 

Source:  andjustforthismoment

Unfortunately, Felicity can’t say she’s married. She can’t wear her wedding ring and talk about how much she misses her husband. Felicity can’t explain why she knows computers so well. She can’t even say her real name. She’s tried to make herself small, quiet and forgettable, but Felicity is not any of those things.

However, when Felicity suppresses her light it only fights to burn brighter. Felicity is the same person serving coffee as she is hacking A.R.G.U.S. satellites. Felicity approaches her life in Hope Springs with the same humor she brings to everything.

Source: whenikisssedyou

The young man asks her out because she is beautiful, smart, warm and funny. People can see Felicity’s goodness no matter how hard she tries to hide it. Also, she’s serving coffee and not living in prison so it is little easier to be a slightly more cheerful.

I love Felicity’s reaction to being asked out. “Still got it!” Something happens when you get married, start raising children, and picking up snot rags. You stop thinking of yourself as desirable.  Felicity has spent so much time making sure she’s hidden she’s forgotten what it feels like to be seen. It’s a warm and friendly reminder to Felicity that she’s anything but invisible.

Source:  whenikisssedyou

Felicity returns home to a dark apartment and William is there to greet her. Felicity holds the key chain Oliver gave her in one hand and her son in the other.

It’s a tangible connection to everything she’s lost and everything she still has. Felicity is desperately trying to hold on to the pieces of her life, but it’s not the same. She’s not the same and Felicity knows it in her bones. Felicity is doing what she needs to do to survive, but what does survival truly look like on this island?

Both Oliver and Felicity are struggling with the same questions.  Each is living in a repetitious purgatory. They sleep restlessly in an empty bed, aching for each other.

They wake to the same photo. A reminder of what was lost and what they still have.

They both step into the shower. They shake off the nightmares and loneliness, wash away yesterday, and fortify their will to face another day.

There’s a sense of foreboding. Someone is coming.

They fight for survival.

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

As vicious as Oliver’s shower fight is, it is Felicity’s fight with Diaz that stresses me out. 

Source:  smoaktechs

My worst fear is being alone in my home, with my child, and unable to defend us. It hit a little too close to home watching one of my beloved fictional characters go through it. I was terrified for Felicity and it is one of the few times Diaz felt menacing.

Source:  smoaktechs

But nobody fucks with her cub. Felicity goes full Mama Bear on Diaz and it is spectacular. 

Source:  feilcityqueen

She takes advantage of Diaz’s need to monologue (Of course he monologues. All arrogant pricks monologue) and gets William out. Felicity didn’t hesitate to put her body between William and danger. That’s love. That’s being a mother.  It makes me emotional even thinking of it now and Imma need a tissue. Just a second.

Okay I’m good. Just when we thought there was nothing better than Oliver fighting naked in a shower they give us Felicity kicking Diaz's ass. Can we take a moment to appreciate how little Felicity Smoak, all of 5’ 5” and less than 100 pounds, beat the crap out of the big bad, super ninja Dragon with a coffee pot and a poker? AMAAAAAAAZING. 

Sure, he flips her into a table like a rag doll, but that’s like being impressed if Goliath beat David. Diaz doesn’t get points for putting a woman HALF HIS SIZE through a table.

BY THE WAY WHERE’S THE 24 HOUR SURVEILLANCE DIGGLE?

Felicity’s fight ends with the impending doom of a bullet and Oliver’s fight ends with one of the prisoners confirming Felicity is dead.

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

Oliver: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Me: Pfft. Not in this life. *eats a cookie*

Oliver paces in his cell like a caged animal.. The guards refuse to allow him a phone call or to call themselves. This is when the walls close in. This is when we understand how uncontrolled and helpless Oliver feels. He has all the skills and strength to stop Diaz, but instead it sits bottled up and useless. Oliver defines himself by his ability to protect those he loves. It’s how Oliver loves. Now it’s taken from him. He can do absolutely nothing. He is powerless.

Oliver is back on Lian Yu again. The birds are picking at his father’s bones. The arrow is in his shoulder. He’s being tortured by Billy Wintergreen. Yao Fei is dead. Shado is shot in front of him. Sara is swept away. This is all of Oliver’s bad days rolled into one and times a million. The reason why Oliver can order his pain so nonchalantly is because he already knows what his worst pain is.

This. This is his worst nightmare, only he isn’t dreaming. Oliver isn’t in purgatory anymore. This is hell and it will never end.

Oliver waits for Diggle to walk in and confirm his family is dead. Instead of Diggle walking through the doors, it’s Felicity 

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

– just like she has time and time again.

It is like watching Oliver be reborn. He was dead inside. All hope vanished from his eyes. The will to live was gone. Then that beautiful, but battered vision of pink and flannel flies through the door and Oliver remembers how to breathe again. He comes back to life.

If there is ever a time Oliver wants to punch through that glass this is it. I think he shows an incredible amount of self restraint. 

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

If it were up to me Oliver, I would have bust out of there Faith style.

Oliver whispers, “You’re okay”  just like he’s done so many times before, in his soft and gentle voice reserved just for her. Oliver says it to reassure himself almost as much to reassure Felicity. He needs to hear she’s okay; to know it’s true.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Of course, Felicity is horrified by Oliver’s appearance, but the cuts and bruises have all but disappeared in his mind.  All that matters is his family is safe.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

This is what I love about married Olicity – we aren’t beating around the bush anymore. 

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Remember when we had to wait a whole season for these types of goodies? 

Oliver and Felicity know better now. Life is short. Everything they hold dear can be gone in an instant. They don’t want to waste time.  They need to say what matters, so the other knows. So it gives them something to hold onto.

Oliver apologizes for not being there to protect Felicity. He can’t even look her in the eye he’s so ashamed. It’s heart breaking watching Oliver blame himself for things out of his control. Felicity rightly points out that there’s no way Oliver could have been there because he’s in prison. But guilt is how Oliver maintains his sense of control when the world spins madly on.

Oliver went to prison to keep Felicity and William safe, but Diaz was supposed to be off the board. He is powerless to stop everything he tried to keep his family safe from. There’s anger in Felicity’s voice when she says “I know.” There’s a thousand arguments wrapped up in that “I know.” There are a million reasons Oliver’s plan was stupid in that “I know.” There’s a billion ways Oliver stole Felicity’s agency in that “I know.”  Felicity won’t read Oliver the riot act while he’s fighting for his life in prison, but that “I know” means its coming, big boy.

Oliver immediately starts telling Felicity what to do again. He wants her to get new identities and go back into witness protection.  This is how it works between them. Oliver does as he wants and Felicity reacts.

In fact, Felicity’s character is often a series of reaction. Oliver breaks up with her and Felicity reacts. Oliver lies to Felicity and she reacts. Felicity is shot and reacts. Damien launches nukes and Felicity reacts. Her boyfriend is killed and Felicity reacts. Felicity seldom, if ever, gets to move her story via her own agency. It’s rare she makes the decision and the other characters have to react to her.

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Not this time. 

This time Felicity is acting. This time Felicity is making the decisions. This time Oliver doesn’t get a say. This time Oliver has to react. It’s a powerful reclamation of her agency.

Felicity was not able to protect William from Diaz and they would be dead if ARGUS hadn’t shown up. 

Source: whoeveryoulovethemost

She feels powerless, but she felt powerless long before Diaz showed up in her apartment. She’s remained hidden, but to do so is suppressing one of the most important parts of her. Felicity needs to fight back. It is who she is. She can’t watch helplessly as everything she loves is taken from her. Felicity refuses remain hiding in a cave waiting to die. 

She’s never been that person and she sure as hell isn’t starting now. 

Source: whoeveryoulovethemost

And if Oliver doesn’t like it (he doesn’t) well that’s just tough cookies.

Oliver isn’t going down without a fight though. 

Source: whoeveryoulovethemost

Of course Oliver understands her helplessness because he shares it. However, Oliver’s way to deal with it is to keep his head down. They narrowly avoided Oliver’s worst nightmare coming true, but now Felicity is tempting fate. Oliver’s mind is racing with all the ways this could go wrong.  He begs and pleads with Felicity to go back into witness protection, but she holds firm.

Source: whoeveryoulovethemost

Something happens when Oliver and Felicity place their hands through the window. 

They may be separated by walls and glass, but they are connected in their suffering. They are connected in the way they deal with that suffering.  They are connected by vows.

Oliver seems to realize this when his palm reaches for hers. 

Source: oliverxfelicity

He begs for more time, but he is locked in a world where everything is controlled by someone else. 

Once again he’s being torn away from the woman he loves. 

Felicity is crumbling and she reaches for Oliver through the glass again. 

Oliver acquiesces. He does so to calm her, so they don’t part on bad terms. Oliver also has no choice, but to agree. He’s not making the decisions for Felicity anymore. It’s her turn to decide. Oliver understands that now.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Felicity returns to William waiting for her at ARGUS and explains she is sending him to a boarding school. William immediately thinks Felicity is abandoning him, which is a natural first reaction. She reassures William this is not forever and once Diaz is off the board she will come for him. This is an incredibly smart decision on Felicity’s part. She can’t do what she needs to do if she’s constantly worrying about William’s safety. Diaz won’t have anyone to hold over Felicity if there’s no one to find.

Source:  @felicitysmoakgifs​

She gives William the hozen and right about now is when I start to cry. THEA GAVE FELICITY THE HOZEN. QUEEN SISTERS FOREVER. 

Obviously, the hozen means reconnection, but Felicity is totally tracking that sucker.

Felicity puts on a brave face and reassures William it will all be over soon. The truth is, Felicity doesn’t know how this will turn out. She’s putting it all on the line to stop Diaz, but for the first time in a long time Felicity feels like herself. Felicity won’t go gentle into that good night. She will rage against the dying of the light.

“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Felicity’s actions do trigger a reaction in Oliver. She wasn’t trying to harness Oliver’s light in their jailhouse chat. She was harnessing her own light. Felicity is determined to be who she is even if it costs her everything. Seeing Felicity fight like this inspires Oliver to do the same. Oliver realizes he can only control himself.  

He wipes the chalkboard clean. He’s done keeping his head down. Oliver is done counting. He’s done living a slow and quiet death. Oliver Queen needs to fight back because that’s who he is.

As much as I love dark Oliver, I am glad Arrow isn’t rewinding him back to Season 1 status on this island. Oliver shut down over the five month hiatus, but that’s done now. It’s clear he will fight to retain the light he’s worked so hard to find over the last six years. It’s incredibly important for Oliver to learn he can hold on to who he is even when he’s cut off from everyone he loves. It’s a crucial step in his superhero evolution. Oliver is already light years ahead of where I thought we’d be starting from.

 Source:  seeing-red-arrow

There’s a glimmer in Oliver’s eye and the hint of a small smile as he stares at the photo of his beloved wife and son. He enters the prison yard holding his copy of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” but he’s not going to read it. 

Oliver uses the book to beat the ever loving crap out Brick. 

He ignores the guard’s warning and beats a prisoner, the man who told him Felicity was dead, with a 100 pound weight. 

Source:  dctvgifs

The Green Arrow is officially in Slabside.

Oliver kneels, puts his hands behind his back, breathes deep and looks at the sky.  He feels like himself for the first time since entering prison.  He may not have escaped (yet), but there are many ways to find freedom. Felicity and William paved the way out. Oliver will not go gentle into that good night. He will rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Diggle, the Newbies and Mystery Green Arrow

The weakest part of the episode BY FAR is all the stuff with Rene, Dinah and Curtis. As per usual, Curtis operates as default Felicity. He’s taken a job as the head of R&D at A.R.G.U.S. and for love of Zeus please let him stay there. 

There is absolutely no reason for this man to remain on Team Arrow. Ship him off to wherever Lyla goes when she’s not on the show. Then bring Lyla back more - a lot more. Prayer circle time.

Rene is working at a boxing outreach center and I am really trying to care, but I don’t. 

One of the kids argues he won’t be able to defend himself in the Glades with a couple boxing lessons. Oh yeah? TELL THAT TO L*UREL L*NCE BOXER EXTRAORDINAIRE. Wait. She’s dead. Never mind. Kid is right. Hehehe. I jest.

Rene is all about helping this mysterious new Green Arrow whereas Dinah, as the new police chief, is intent on catching him. If Rene is so hard pressed to play vigilante and go to prison then why didn’t he just do that in the first place? Then Oliver wouldn’t need to save your ass and leave everyone one he loves behind, Rene!!!!

Dinah believes not being a vigilante is honoring Oliver’s sacrifice, which okay... I guess? 

I don’t know. She’s trying to restore the citizen’s belief in the police force again. If the police ever arrest someone on this show without a vigilante’s help then I’ll eat my hat. This feels like trying to make Dinah into Season 1 Quentin Lance or Season 2 LL. Her hard line on vigilantes doesn’t make a ton of sense though since, ya know, SHE WAS ONE.

Diggle isn’t big on masking up either because he doesn’t want any of the blame to fall back on Oliver’s shoulders - i.e. it screws up any potential for Oliver’s early release. This feels like a far better reason to stay off the streets than anything Dinah or Rene came up with. Points to Diggle.

The whole Dinah versus Rene thing felt very forced given how “Ra Ra Team Newbies” they both were last season. Also, I don’t care if they are getting along. I don’t care if they are fighting. I don’t care if they go have smoothies every night, play Fortnight and braid Dinah’s hair. Whatever.

The Mystery Green Arrow, let’s call he or she MGA for short, is interesting because he/she allows Arrow to bring back old school Oliver without actually bringing back old school Oliver. We keep Oliver’s character growth and get nifty stunts like this:

Source:  saebrfan

At first, my money was on Roy. There was a lot of unnecessary parkour. Seems like a no brainer. Reveals like this on Arrow are seldom surprising, so I am prepping for the most obvious choice.

Source:  olivergifs

However, I did notice there was a decidedly pink hue among all the green light. Pink is the American color for girl, so MGA may be female. I don’t think she’s Katherine McNamara’s character though. Maya is described as Buffy The Superhero Slayer. If you want to slay vigilantes you don’t like them. So, it’s a bit of a head scratcher if Maya is running around as a vigilante.

Perhaps MGA is the mysterious yet unnamed character played by Shea Shoomka. Maybe she is Robert Queen’s daughter and Oliver’s half sister. Who knows at this point. Watching for clues will be fun.

Flash Forwards

Real time reactions of me watching Arrow 7x01:

None of the above! It’s flash forward Roy and grown up William. IT’S FREAKING AMAZING.

I am so here for flash forwards. 

Source: supercanaries

I looooooove this type of storytelling particularly on This Is Us. If you’ve read any of the interviews with Beth she’s a big This Is Us fan as well. Now, before everyone starts flipping their skillet over Oliver being dead, there’s nothing William said to Roy that directly points to his father being dead. He spoke in both past and present.

Beth said there will be other present day characters showing up in the flash forwards. I am so here for aged up Felicity. 

Since Stephen is signed for Season 8 and he’s the star of the freaking show, I feel confident he’ll show up in the flash forwards. 

This is twenty years into the future (2040), so Oliver is probably at home and drinking a scotch with Felicity. Maybe William’s younger brother or sister is home from college. I don’t know, but I’m not worried about it. 

The bigger question is – what the hell happened to Roy? He’s gone Season 1 Hiatus Oliver on us. Why didn’t he recognize William? How long has he been on Lian Yu? Where the heck is Thea?

You can bet Felicity’s comment about always being able to find William if he has the hozen will be important in the flash forward.

Not a lot of information on William other than he’s cute (family trait) and incredibly rich (also a family trait). We all know Oliver won’t be bringing home the big bucks any time soon, so Felicity’s company is a smashing success. Seriously - $200,000 for a boat ride y’all. They are loaded. 

He also has a bit of the Oliver Queen sarcastic wit and, according to Beth, is very smart. LOVE IT.

I know some are bothered by the reappearance of the island. Yes, Lian Yu was “blown up” in Season 5, but that doesn’t mean it disappeared. In present day it is uninhabitable, but have you ever seen a forest twenty years after a fire? It looks like nothing happened. So all the regrowth on the island is perfectly natural. Adrian Chase didn’t nuke it.

I also know some were bothered the grave sites were still in tact, but I’m fine with it. First, it’s Arrow. They play fast and loose with accuracy at times. BS is a DA. If you want to cry foul she’s the bigger fish to fry. 

Source: @oliverdant

Second, I always thought the graves were a few feet from the shoreline. Oliver didn’t drag his father’s body ten miles into the forest to bury him when he stepped off that raft. He didn’t have the energy.

Third, it’s entirely possible the graves were not near bomb sites or weren’t impacted by the bombs. Would Adrian Chase leave Robert Queen’s grave undisturbed? I mean… I don’t know. What’s he gonna do? Kill Robert more? Worst case, the bombs destroyed the wooden headstones and, at some point in the future, someone (probably Oliver) returns to replace their memorials. Does it really matter? No. Just roll with it.

This opens up a ton of story telling possibilities and Beth promised the flash forwards would remain on the show for as long as it’s on air. So, we get to see all of the characters we love (or most of them) twenty years into the future. That’s nifty. It’s absolutely something Arrow can tie up and bring full circle when the show goes off the air.

Is anyone else dying to see the Olicity baby all grown up in the flash forward? I AM. Beth also said there would be no time travel, so I am not expecting flash forward characters to show up in present day. If Katherine McNamara is playing Olicity’s daughter, like some have theorized, then I believe we’ll only see her in the flash forwards. See how quickly I made this about babies? Yes, I have a one track mind.

Stray Thoughts

If we are going to get this many Oliver work out and shower scenes then I’ll survive the prison storyline. Source: arrowdaily

Yes, I spent nearly a page discussing green hoodies. You know you love me.

Popular music on Arrow is rare. I really love using “Madness” by Ruelle for the opening montage.

We don’t know much about Diggle other than he’s working for ARGUS, so let’s dig deeper in future episodes Arrow. Pun intended. You owe us some decent Diggle time.

As a woman who’s on the later side of the 35-40 age bracket let’s settle down with the aging make up. Roy is 50. He’s not 80.

Pink hair Felicity looks like Lady Lovely Locks and Jem had a baby together. It’s everything I didn’t know I needed.

I love that Felicity calls William “Will.” STEP MOTHER NICKNAMES FOREVER.

Arrow keeps faking killing Felicity because they’d rather walk into hell than do it for real. How many times has Arrow pretended to kill Moira, Laurel, Quentin, Tommy? ZERO. Every time Felicity’s death is a ruse it lessens the emotional impact and shock if it happens for real. It’s no different than killing Oliver in 3x09. Arrow has already filmed Oliver’s perfect death scene, which makes it highly unlikely death is his ending.

Honestly, if that coffee customer took one look at Oliver’s picture he’d know better than to ask for a date.

LL hit the streets as BC after a couple boxing lessons. BS hits a couple law books and is DA. You’re right LL fandom. Totally same character.

Is anyone else unnerved watching all these characters fight crime legally?

Diggle thinks it's a smart play to keep his head down. Felicity wants to fight back. Oliver always listens to the wifey. See? He’s starting to understand how marriage works. There’s hope!

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