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calzona-ga · 3 years

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In her unauthorized book, Lynette Rice explores the stories behind some of the ABC drama's biggest moments, including — in this exclusive excerpt — the factors that led to McDreamy's shocking death.

In How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey’s Anatomy, author Lynette Rice recounts the ABC medical drama’s eventful 16-year history, revealing new details behind some of the show’s biggest departures. Included in the unauthorized, 320-page oral history (St. Martin’s Press, Sept. 21, $29.99) is a chapter that offers new insight into leading man Patrick Dempsey’s shocking exit in season 11 of the Shonda Rhimes-created drama. In the chapter, Rice speaks with Dempsey’s co-stars and exec producers who were present during filming of his final days on Grey’s Anatomy, and reveals claims of “HR issues” that contributed to the death of his alter-ego, Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd.

“There were HR issues. It wasn’t sexual in any way. He sort of was terrorizing the set. Some cast members had all sorts of PTSD with him,” recalls exec producer James D. Parriott, who was brought back to the series to oversee Dempsey’s exit.

In more than 80 interviews with current and former cast- and crewmembers, Rice, an editor-at-large at Entertainment Weekly, also explores the show’s early days, recounts the thinking behind some of its more polarizing storylines and offers exclusive details about the show’s behind-the-scenes culture.

“After 17 seasons, fans still can’t get enough of Grey’s Anatomy,” Rice tells THR. But what went down behind the scenes was just as dramatic as what viewers saw every Thursday. I’m excited for fans to read what I learned about those early days, along with what it was like to work for Shonda Rhimes, and why the drama was so freakin’ headline-prone.”

Below, The Hollywood Reporter shares an excerpt — the full eighth chapter — from How to Save a Life, and tune in Friday to TV’s Top 5 for an interview with Rice about her book and the other big reveals she uncovered in her reporting for it.

(Reps for ABC, ABC Signature, Shondaland, and Dempsey declined comment on the reveals in Rice’s book.)

“He’s Very Dreamy, but He’s Not the Sun,” Or, How Grey’s Anatomy Loved — Then Learned to Live Without — Patrick Dempsey Ellen Pompeo may have played the titular role, but for many fans over many years, Patrick Dempsey was the real draw to Grey’s Anatomy. Some of it had to do with his celebrity: Dempsey was the most famous member of the original cast at the time of the pilot and brought with him quite a cult following from his 1987 movie Can’t Buy Me Love. But a lot of it was due to the way Rhimes wrote her McDreamy and how Dempsey depicted him. James D. Parriott I would say, “The guy would never say that,” and Shonda would say, “He’s McDreamy. He’s the perfect man. He would say that.” I’d say, “Okay. It’s your show.” Eric Buchman Shonda had a very clear idea of how important it was to keep Derek as this almost idealized love interest, not just for Meredith but for the audience. Naturally, the writers—especially writers who had been working on one-hour dramas for a while—were like, “Well, maybe have McDreamy make a big mistake in surgery and kill somebody. Or he develops an addiction of some kind. What is his deep, dark secret?” Shonda was very insistent: that’s not the character we do that with. Even when you find out he’s married, that was done in a very sympathetic way that kept him being a hero. He was wronged by his spouse and in spite of it all he was still gonna give his marriage a second chance. Stacy McKee Shonda was protective of McDreamy, but it was really with an eye toward being protective of Meredith. I don’t think the two were separate from one another. I don’t think she wanted to put something out there that maybe on the surface might seem a little frivolous. At its core, there was something really substantial that she wanted to say. She wanted to be very specific about the type of relationship values that she put out there. Tony Phelan I was in editing with Shonda once, and it was the scene where Meredith and Derek had broken up. He comes over and she’s like, “I can’t remember the last time we kissed.” And he says, “I remember. You were wearing this and you smelled of this …”

Joan Rater “Your shampoo smelled like flowers, you had that sweater on …” He described their last kiss. Tony Phelan Typically in editing you start on Derek, then you cut to Meredith for a reaction, and then you’ll go back to him. I noticed that we weren’t ever cutting back to Meredith. I asked why. Shonda said, “Because the woman in Iowa who’s watching this show wants to believe that Patrick is talking to her, and if you cut back to Meredith, it pushes them out of it.” In those special moments, we would just lock into Derek and let him do his thing. Joan Rater And he was a master at it. Patrick Dempsey He’s the ideal man, and that’s what Shonda constructed. There’s a projection [of him] onto me when you come in contact with fans, certainly with the younger and older fans. There is a certain amount of expectation. There is a responsibility to it. It made me grow, too. There were good qualities [of his] that you work on to obtain. Off camera, Dempsey was equally as charismatic to his fellow actors, crew members, and anyone who would come to visit the set. Lauren Stamile I was going in to meet him, and I remember I had this little cardigan sweater on and I took it off before I got into the room. Dempsey is one of those people—it’s almost like there’s a light shining around his body, and you feel like you’re the only person in the room. I got so hot and I remember saying, “Gosh, I would take off my sweater if I had one on because I’m so hot, but I took it off.” I was just babbling. He said, “You look nice,” and I said, “You look nicer.” I felt so awkward and he was so gracious and lovely. I was having a nervous breakdown. It’s like this “it” factor. I was like, God, whatever he has, I wish I had. I think it was very obvious how nervous I was, and he went out of his way to make sure he introduced me to everybody and made sure I felt comfortable, which he certainly didn’t have to do. But he did. Joan Rater He knew I had a giant crush on him, and he loved it. And when we’d go to table reads—I was an actress at one point in my life—they would always give me Meredith if Ellen wasn’t there. And I’d be getting my chicken tenders at craft services before the table read and he’d come up behind me and say, “Are you reading Meredith?” in my ear, like, so sexy. I’d be like, Oh my God. I mean, I could barely … I could not look at him. Tina Majorino I worked with Patrick a ton. I love him so much. We had a really great time working together. I think he’s such a great actor and he really made me laugh a lot. I feel like we had a good dynamic in scenes together, and it was always fun to play opposite him. Yes, he’s that charismatic in real life. Yes, his hair is that awesome. Yes, he is dreamy up close.

Chandra Wilson Patrick Dempsey will forever be known as Grey’s Anatomy’s McDreamy. Derek Shepherd is a permanent part of television history.

Norman Leavitt He is a big, personable guy.

Jeannine Renshaw We all love Patrick. Patrick is a sweetheart. If I saw him on the street, I’d give him a hug. I love the guy.

Mark Wilding I’ve always had a soft spot for Patrick. He really does try to do the right thing. Brooke Smith, who played Dr. Erica Hahn, remembers how Dempsey defended her when the decision was made to fire her from the show in 2008. Brooke Smith I remember calling him and saying, “Oh my God, they said they can’t write for me anymore, so I guess I’m leaving.” And he was like, “What are you talking about? You’re the only one they’re writing for.” Which at that time, it kind of did feel that way. But I guess someone didn’t like that. They gave me a statement [to release, about her departure] and I never said it. Patrick said that he actually took it out of his jacket on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and read the statement. He won’t let me forget it. He was like, “I defended you, see?” And it was true.

By season eleven, however, fans saw a disturbing break in MerDer’s once unbreakable bond. Six episodes had gone by without a peep from Derek, who was supposedly in Washington, D.C., where he had apparently made out with a research fellow. Fans began threatening to bolt if their hero didn’t return soon to Seattle. “I have never missed one episode,” wrote a fan on Dempsey’s Facebook page. “But I swear if [Rhimes] kills you off I’m done.” But there was a critical reason for Derek’s strange absence: behind the scenes, there was talk of Dempsey’s diva-like fits and tension between him and Pompeo. To help manage the explosive situation, executive producer James D. Parriott was brought back in to serve as a veritable Dempsey whisperer.

Patrick Dempsey [That] was the first year that I haven’t been in every episode. I [was] in every episode since the pilot— close to 250 episodes. That [was a] huge run. James D. Parriott Shonda needed an OG to come in as sort of a showrunner for fourteen episodes. There were HR issues. It wasn’t sexual in any way. He sort of was terrorizing the set. Some cast members had all sorts of PTSD with him. He had this hold on the set where he knew he could stop production and scare people. The network and studio came down and we had sessions with them. I think he was just done with the show. He didn’t like the inconvenience of coming in every day and working. He and Shonda were at each other’s throats.

Jeannine Renshaw There were times where Ellen was frustrated with Patrick and she would get angry that he wasn’t working as much. She was very big on having things be fair. She just didn’t like that Patrick would complain that “I’m here too late” or “I’ve been here too long” when she had twice as many scenes in the episode as he did. When I brought it up to Patrick, I would say, “Look around you. These people have been here since six thirty a.m.” He would go, “Oh, yeah.” He would get it. It’s just that actors tend to see things from their own perspective. He’s like a kid. He’s so high energy and would go, “What’s happening next?” He literally goes out of his skin, sitting and waiting. He wants to be out driving his race car or doing something fun. He’s the kid in class who wants to go to recess.

Patrick Dempsey It’s ten months, fifteen hours a day. You never know your schedule, so your kid asks you, “What are you doing on Monday?” And you go, “I don’t know,” because I don’t know my schedule. Doing that for eleven years is challenging. But you have to be grateful, because you’re well compensated, so you can’t really complain because you don’t really have a right. You don’t have control over your schedule. So, you have to just be flexible.

Longtime Crew Member Poor Patrick. I’m not defending his schtick. I like him, but he was the Lone Ranger. All of these actresses were getting all this power. All the rogue actresses would go running to Shonda and say, “Hey, Patrick’s doing this. Patrick’s late for work. He’s a nightmare.” He was just shut out in the cold. His behavior wasn’t the greatest, but he had nowhere to go. He was so miserable. He had no one to talk to. When Sandra left, I remember him telling me, “I should’ve left then, but I stayed on because they showed me all this money. They just were dumping money on me.”

Patrick Dempsey It [was] hard to say no to that kind of money. How do you say no to that? It’s remarkable to be a working actor, and then on top of that to be on a show that’s visible. And then on top of that to be on a phenomenal show that’s known around the world, and play a character who is beloved around the world. It’s very heady. It [was] a lot to process, and not wanting to let that go, because you never know whether you will work again and have success again.

Jeannine Renshaw A lot of the complaining … I think Shonda finally witnessed it herself, and that was the final straw. Shonda had to say to the network, “If he doesn’t go, I go.” Nobody wanted him to leave, because he was the show. Him and Ellen. Patrick is a sweetheart. It messes you up, this business.

James D. Parriott I vaguely recall something like that, but I can’t be sure. It would have happened right toward the end, because I know they were negotiating and negotiating, trying to figure out what to do. We had three different scenarios that we actually had to break because we didn’t know until I think about three days before he came back to set which one we were going to go with. We didn’t know if he was going to be able to negotiate his way out of it. We had a whole story line where we were going to keep him in Washington, D.C., so we could separate him from the rest of the show. He would not have to work with Ellen again. Then we had the one where he comes back, doesn’t die, and we figure out what Derek’s relationship with Meredith would be. Then there was the one we did. It was kind of crazy. We didn’t know if he was going to be able to negotiate his way out of it. It was ultimately decided that just bringing him back was going to be too hard on the other actors. The studio just said it was going to be more trouble than it was worth and decided to move on.

Stacy McKee I don’t think there was any way to exit him without him dying. He and Meredith were such an incredibly bonded couple at that point. It would be completely out of character if he left his kids. There was no exit that would honor that character other than if he were to die. Patrick Dempsey I don’t remember the date [I got the news]. It was not in the fall. Maybe February or March. It was just a natural progression. And the way everything was unfolding in a very organic way, it was like, “Okay! This is obviously the right time.” Things happened very quickly. We were like, “Oh, this is where it’s going to go.”

So that was that: McDreamy would die in episode twenty-one of season eleven, even though Dempsey was in year one of his recently signed two-year contract extension. Rhimes wrote a script that was befitting of her lead’s heroic persona: she began “How to Save a Life” by having Derek witness a car crash and helping the injured. Once it appeared everyone was out of harm’s way, Derek continues on his road trip but is suddenly broadsided by a truck.

Rob Hardy (Director) The paramedics leave. He’s there by himself. He’s having a moment. The nice music is playing, and all of a sudden, bang. It comes out of nowhere, which, you know, is how accidents happen. So as opposed to watching it as a viewer, we saw the accident happen through Derek’s perspective. Derek ends up at Dillard Medical Center, a hospital far from Grey Sloan and the talented doctors who work there. His eyes are open, but his brain is severely damaged. No one hears his plea for a CT scan; he can’t speak. To help keep the episode a secret, the scenes were shot in an abandoned hospital in Hawthorne, California, about twenty-two miles from the show’s home studio in Los Feliz.

Mimi Melgaard It was really hard on all of us because it was so secretive and we had so many different locations. We shot at this closed-down hospital that was absolutely creepy haunted. All the scenes there were so sad anyway, and in this yucky-feeling haunted hospital? It was really weird. His whole last episode was really tough. Patrick Dempsey It was like any other day. It was just another workday. There was still too much going on. You’re in the midst of it—you’re not really processing it. Rob Hardy Here’s a guy who’s immobile. Now you’re inside of his head. We were trying to make that feel scary from the perspective of a person who’s used to being in control, from a person who usually has the power of life and death in his own hands. But now he doesn’t have the ability to speak on his own behalf.

Samantha Sloyan When I went to audition, I didn’t recognize any of these doctors’ names. I assumed they were just dummy sides so people wouldn’t ruin the story line or anything like that. All we knew is that we were dealing with a man who’s been in a car accident. I had no idea that it was going to be Derek. I just figured I was going to be a guest doctor and that whoever this person was who was injured, was going to be just a character on the show. Once it became clear what we were working on, I was like, Oh, my gosh. I can’t believe this is the episode I’m on.

Mike McColl (Dr. Paul Castello) I signed an NDA before they would release the script to me. I was reading it in my house, and I was like, “Oh, my God.” I didn’t tell anyone, including my agents. I just said, “This is a really great booking. It’s a great role on Grey’s.” And they didn’t know anything until it aired.

Savannah Paige Rae (Winnie) The first scene I shot was actually the sentimental scene when I’m saying, “It’s a beautiful day to save lives, right?” I’m in the hospital room with Derek and talking to him. Even though I never watched the show, I recognized the value of the episode I was in and just really took it to heart. It was so special that I got to be a part of it.

Rob Hardy [Patrick] had a lot of emotions during the whole shoot, which evolved. I think when we first started, he was very calm and cool … the same Patrick that I remembered when I worked on the show a year or so before. With each passing day, he was a lot more emotional. A lot more was on his mind, and that would show itself in different ways. The finality of the episode and for his character was setting in. You’ve become a global icon on this show and then in five, four, three, two, a day … it’s over.

James D. Parriott Patrick was very cooperative and good.

Mike McColl When I met Patrick, he’s lying on a stretcher and we’re rushing him into the ER. I just introduced myself, shook his hand, and was like, “Man, I cannot tell you what an honor it is to be the guy to take you down.” He loved it. He could not have been nicer to me and was funny through the whole shoot. He was on the table in front of me there when I cut his chest open and all that stuff. He gave me a hug at the end. It was a real privilege to be a part of TV history in that way.

Samantha Sloyan I remember him being incredibly kind. They had his neck in a brace, and he’s strapped down to the board, so there wasn’t a ton of chatting. I remember him being really kind, but it was clearly intense for him.

Stacy McKee It was such a beautiful piece of storytelling. I knew this event was going to be a really sad, horrible event for Meredith, but I also knew it was going to be the beginning of such an incredible chapter for Meredith.

Dempsey completed his final hours of shooting on a rainy night. There was no goodbye party, no goodbye cake. Maybe that’s because some cast members were left out of the loop. James Pickens, Jr., told ABC News that the cast “didn’t know a whole lot. It was kind of on the fly. So whatever information we got, we pretty much got it kind of right before it happened.”

Caterina Scorsone (Dr. Amelia Shepherd) I didn’t get to say goodbye to Patrick when he left. I do think that helped, because I’ve been using the character of Derek in my internal landscape since Private Practice. Derek was the stability in Amelia’s life. He became a father figure after they watched robbers shoot their father. When he was suddenly gone from the show, we didn’t have that closure, so I got to play it out. She’s about to use drugs again before Owen confronts her in a way that she finally talks about her feelings about losing Derek. She doesn’t end up using.

James D. Parriott The day he left, that was my last day. There was a certain sadness to it, but I think he was relieved. I mean, I think it took a toll on him, too.

Rob Hardy I didn’t see other actors showing up and saying, “Hey, it’s the last day! Wanted to come and wish you well.” I didn’t get that. It was more the Patrick show. We were in the Patrick world, and then Ellen came, and there was definitely a lot of emotion that both of them had individually … not necessarily together. It was more so her being there on the day that he died. He had his own way of being with that, and the same thing with her. It was like two people who grew up together and … here we are. They had their own way of reflecting.

Patrick Dempsey I very quietly left. It was beautiful. It was raining, which was really touching. I got in my Panamera, got in rush-hour traffic, and two hours later I was home. Big news like this doesn’t stay quiet for long. Both Michael Ausiello—who left EW in 2010 to launch the news site TVLine—and Lesley Goldberg of The Hollywood Reporter learned two weeks prior to Dempsey’s final episode that he would be leaving the show. No reporter worth their salt wants to sit on a scoop—least of all one as huge as this—but Ausiello and Goldberg didn’t want to spoil the outcome for fans, so they agreed to hold the story until after the episode aired. I eventually found out, too, but in the nuttiest way imaginable: I was standing on the set of CSI: Cyber, watching Patricia Arquette talk about some droll techno-criminal. Unfortunately, the publicist also cc’d Dempsey’s manager and ABC publicist while trying to give me a major story, so I couldn’t immediately report the scoop. But I did use the information to successfully negotiate the one and only exit interview with Dempsey. Two weeks before his final episode, I met him and his publicist at Feed Body & Soul in Venice, California, for a story that would hit newsstands on April 24. He seemed a little shell-shocked and at one point choked up, but at the time he said nothing about how his on-set behavior may have contributed to his ouster. My editor, Henry Goldblatt, wanted to put him on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, but he couldn’t guarantee to ABC that no one would see it before the episode aired. Good thing we didn’t: some subscribers got the issue on the morning of Dempsey’s final episode— and one actually tweeted the story. Our PR department tried to get the tweets removed, but the cat was out of the bag: some fans found out early that McDreamy was about to be McHistory. Outlets like Variety reported how the story got out early, while our PR department released this statement: “We are surprised that an EW subscriber may have received their issue a day earlier than planned. We always try our best to bring readers exclusive news first. We would like to apologize to fans of the show that learned the news ahead of time.” Dempsey’s final episode was watched by 8.83 million viewers—the show’s largest audience since the premiere that season. Variety even pontificated whether the ratings boost was due to my exclusive with Dempsey.

Lesley Goldberg (The Hollywood Reporter) I’m used to working with networks to hold news as part of their efforts to guard against plot spoilers. But the way Patrick Dempsey’s exit was handled involved a layer of paranoia and secrecy that has been unlike anything I’ve seen in my reporting career. News that he was leaving, and his character being killed off, would have been a major story considering how big the show is domestically and internationally. However, it also would have meant spoiling the episode and, more important, damaging key relationships I’ve worked hard to build. At some point, publishing the news of Dempsey’s exit before the episode aired became an ethical question of what was more important—a big story and its subsequent traffic, which would have come no matter what, or the relationships and trust that it took years to craft. Ultimately, I still published early because EW subscribers received the issue with Lynette’s Dempsey interview before the episode aired.

Mike McColl The morning after Derek’s last episode aired, my daughter sent me a link that was on YouTube or Facebook or something. I actually pulled it up to look at it, and it was a Grey’s Anatomy showbiz cheat sheet. It asked the question “Who is the attending doctor who killed Derek ‘McDreamy’ Shepherd?” It included a photo that I posted from the set. I had on a bloody rubber glove and was in my scrubs and mask. I never obviously would have posted this before it aired. I posted it well after the episode aired, and I [captioned it] “McDeadly.” This writer said something like, “Kill McDeadly.” Maybe that’s why the producer didn’t choose a big-name actor to be the one who killed our beloved McDreamy! I want to be ultrasensitive to these hard-core fans because it means so much to them, and I certainly didn’t mean in that case to make light of it. It’s just, I’m an actor, and I recognize it for what it is. Is everybody clear on the fact that this is just pretend and Patrick knew he was going to be leaving the show? It was just like, “God. He’s okay. He really is okay.”

Peter Horton Derek was going to be there forever with Meredith because you went through a whole journey with them. That was incredibly fulfilling. So even if he’s not there, he’s there. I don’t think any of us really worried about that going away because by then you were so invested in it. The show can last as it has for years.

Patrick Dempsey Lots of people [miss him]. “It’s good to see you alive” is the comment I get. I’m like, “Yes, I’m very much alive in reruns.” People were really invested in that relationship. I knew it would be heavy. Very happy to have moved on with a different chapter in my life.

Samantha Sloyan The montage just killed me, when Meredith says, “It’s okay, you can go.” God, I’m getting choked up just thinking about it. The chemistry they have as a pair and the way they were able to build that and sustain it! So many of these relationships are, like, “Will they, won’t they,” and then it wears thin. They sustained it for the duration of their relationship on the show, and it’s just, I think, a testament to what those two created. It was just unbelievable.

Pompeo addressed Dempsey’s departure with a tweet that focused solely on his character, not on how she spent eleven years working side by side with him: “There are so many people out there who have suffered tremendous loss and tragedy. Husbands and wives of soldiers, victims of senseless violence, and parents who have lost children. People who get up every day and do what feels like is the impossible. So it is for these people and in the spirit of resilance [sic] I am honored and excited to tell the story of how Meredith goes on in the face of what feels like the impossible.” Meanwhile, fans futilely created a Change.org petition to reinstate McDempsey, while other, more desperate ones simply tweeted “We Hate You” to Rhimes.

Shonda Rhimes Derek Shepherd is and will always be an incredibly important character—for Meredith, for me, and for the fans. I absolutely never imagined saying goodbye to our McDreamy. Patrick Dempsey’s performance shaped Derek in a way that I know we both hope became a meaningful example— happy, sad, romantic, painful, and always true—of what young women should demand from modern love. His loss will be felt by all.

Talk about the mother (father?) of all postscripts: In November of 2020 Dempsey reprised his role as McDreamy in the season opener—but only in Meredith’s dreams. Stricken with COVID-19, an unconscious Meredith “imagined” reuniting with her husband on the beach. After talking exclusively to Deadline and saying how it was “really a very healing process, and really rewarding,” Dempsey would return for more beach-based episodes that would ultimately stand out as the best moments of season seventeen. “It was a second chance thing,” one ABC executive told me at the time. “Shonda likes a comeback. Also, they wanted him in their last season.”

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dastardlydandelion · 3 years

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my thoughts on fear street 1666 now that i finished scrubbing all the toilets, got to go home and watch it

holy shit. that movie. wow.

it wasn’t as fun as the other two. didn’t employ the same campy tropes. didn’t present itself in a flourish of period typical style. while i enjoyed the first two films paying homage to classic horror tropes and making the most of the stylish side of their respective environments, i am v grateful and relieved that 1666 *wasn’t* as fun as the other two and actually presented the horror of puritan fanaticism and witch accusations more srsly. imo it portrayed that grave, twisting dread that the subject matter calls for. i appreciate that bc i think i would’ve been uncomfortable if they attempted to do smth more campy with the time period given what we already knew abt the circumstances of sarah’s death even before the film.

more of me blathering on and on abt fear street 1666 under the cut:

the twist actually worked on me this time. they actually got me on this one, u guys. i rly watched this franchise believing sarah fier was possessing ppl and wreaking her vengeance on the town, but this whole time it was the fuckin’ goodes. nick, i never liked u, i think ur more interesting than i did before before when u were a generic as generic gets asshole, so now ur somewhat more interesting but even bigger of an asshole than i gave u credit for. ur literally the worst asshole of assholes, ur a walking infected hemorrhoidal rectum of a human being.

don’t get me wrong, i always thought sarah was going to be portrayed sympathetically. i never doubted that. my theory was that sarah was going to be a sympathetic villain. i thought 1666 would’ve revealed why she cursed shadyside. i figured she would’ve cursed her townsfolk for turning their backs on her, maybe, or hurting/killing hannah, or using her for her witchcraft and then getting angry if it backfired on them, or smth like that. i thought we were going to watch a story abt sarah’s descent into darkness and while she’d defo be a tragic villain, she rly would be the person behind the possessions...but it wasn’t even her. she and hannah were just vulnerable to the town’s suspicion and persecution bc they were queer women who didn’t behave the way society wanted them to behave. and they were blamed for evil actually wrought by heterosexual men in power, and when sarah realized there was no way out of it, she took the blame upon herself so hannah was spared and she cursed only the goode family??

THAT IS SO MUCH BETTER. FUCK. THAT IS SUCH A BETTER STORY. kudos to this trilogy for being more intelligent than it ever had to be, when it could’ve just skated on the notoriety of the fear street series, the style, and billing notable cast members.

so yeh, i defo 100% appreciated the goode men from wealthy sunnyvale being revealed as the true villains. i actually got my wish of nick getting killed in the face. i love that sarah possessed deena to do it herself!!! and deena!! oh man, i love deena so much. she was wearing a homebrew vest to protect herself made of fear street novels + duct tape, u gotta love it. ig she wanted to prepare herself since sam stabbed her at the end of 1994. on that note, she’s v active in this film for someone who has a fresh abdominal stab wound and i mean, the situation defo calls for it, but i hope she remembered to properly dress it and take a couple ibuprofen or smth. shit, i’m gettin distracted again. okay!!

i loved errything that went down in the mall. i adore that josh and adult ziggy got more time to shine. i was so! so! happy at martin’s inclusion on the action. he deserved that after the way nick treated him in 1994. our occupations are also p similar so i defo relate to martin on that front. i loved it all the neon and blacklight stuff at the mall. that part was v stylish, that was p cool. spraying the killers with the blood so they kill each other!! yes! that was perfect!! it was incredibly practical and enjoyable for me, as a gore fan, to watch.

i liked the sticky note on the wall at the end from deena and josh’s dad, that he had a job interview. i wonder if this is bc the curse of shadyside has been lifted with the end of the goodes??

yk, i feel like now knowing what we know abt the actual evil, i gotta wonder how much re-watch value there is to be gleaned from this trilogy. for example, in 1978, nick liked ziggy and didn’t want her to die. he performed cpr on her even tho she’d been stabbed a fuck ton of times and tbvh, the chances of success of resuscitation depending on what exactly it is was ziggy succumbed to seem v slim. at first i attributed this to a suspension of disbelief bc this is fiction (and to be fair crazy do happen sometimes irl, ykw, sometimes reality can surprise u) BUT now i’m sittin here like...was the cpr successful bc nick’s deal with the devil gave him the power to do that?? did his bargaining of others’ souls and offering them up for possession grant him the ability to have some control in that situation somehow? at least more than a normal human being should?? idk. it’s a thought.

what else, what else?

i feel like outta the three, 1666 had the most tension overall. i was p gosh darn emo abt the relationships. deena and sam’s relationship i’ve cared abt since the beginning but the contrast of them getting the opportunity to have it and be together, in parallel to the way sarah and hannah’s ended just moves u. or, it moved me at least. sarah tells hannah they’ll go somewhere and kiss in broad daylight before kissing her in almost total darkness, and then the film ends on deena and sam kissing in the sun. i was also glad deena and josh’s sibling relationship got touched on a lil bit more. thought it was cute that she tried to cook for him and produced smth that just dead ass looks inedible. i also thought it was sweet that ziggy reunited with nurse lane. she can do that now, she can leave her house without fearing the return of the curse, and she deserves it. <3

i’m impressed with the trilogy overall. each movie easily could’ve been an r-rated goosebumps episode and imo all were certainly better than that. i feel like each film was better than the previous, but personally enjoyed each one. some things were p predictable but i think much of that is intentional. 1994 and 1978 were clearly paying homage to classic slashers and familiar horror tropes. i personally didn’t find the predictability off-putting bc i recognized what they were trying to do, and felt the quality in the other elements made up for it. i was genuinely shocked by the actual villain reveal, i personally didn’t predict that. again, i always thought sarah was going to be sympathetic and i never liked nick at all, but i didn’t suspect sarah was just. dead ass *not* going to be a villain or that he was going to be the big bad.

really dug the style of these films. loved that we got an interracial lesbian couple who made it thru the trilogy without either the predatory lesbian trope or the byg trope happening. i liked most of the characters we got to know and the only character who *rly* grated on my nerves was the villain who got stabbed in the eye.

gosh, i want more fear street movies!! if i had to pick one outta any of the slashers featured, i’d want to see ruby lane’s story. i would like to see this production team milking the most outta the environment in the 50s, the style of the 50s, music, and whatnot. i enjoyed nurse lane even tho she was super bad at murder, so it’d be cool to see her again and who she was before her daughter got possessed and killed 7 ppl. also, ruby sings when she kills??

that’s weird and creepy and neat. totally down for it.

#fear street spoilers #fear street 1666 #fear street #sarah fier #deena johnson #nick goode #sam fraser #josh johnson #ziggy berman #ruby lane #nurse lane #martin p franklin #gosh u guys #i rly dug this movie #i rly dug the trilogy as a whole #i was hype to begin with but it exceeded by expectations #i want more

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lunabonita · 3 years

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My Webtoon Recommendations

These are webtoons that are all 10/10 for me. Of course it doesn’t have to be a 10/10 for you, so just a reminder, do not attack me for liking a webtoon that you do not. These are my opinions and we are not going to have the exact same taste. Please be respectful.

Your Throne

Genre: Fantasy

Chapters: 75

Status: Ongoing

“Tensions are brewing under the seemingly calm surface of the Vasilios Empire, a kingdom ruled by the Imperial Family and the Temple. Lady Medea Solon has lost her place next to Crown Prince Eros, but resolves to win back whats rightfully hers. Will she reclaim her throne?”

You know whats amazing about this webtoon? The summary leads you to think that what shes winning back is the prince. Wrong. Shes trying to win back the throne. I love how this webtoon doesn’t try to make it a girl focusing her goals on a man, but on power. Medea is such a strong and well written character that you can’t help but love her.

The second protagonist Pschye, who of which is the person who took Medeas place as Crown Princess, is the complete opposite of Medea. At the beginning you hate her, but as the webtoon goes on and Medea and her get a better understanding of eachother due to them switching bodies as a wish from God, you begin to root for them as they team up to take over the throne from the Crown Prince.

The art is so beautiful and I constantly found myself at awe from the amount of detail put into it.

The Makeup Remover

Genre: Romace

Chapters: 78

Status: Ongoing

“After years of being told to focus on studying, Yeseul feels lost when she starts college and is suddenly expected to pay attention to makeup. When a chance encounter with brilliant makeup artist Yuseong leads to her taking part in a televised makeup competition, Yeseul begins to question the role that makeup and appearance play in society.”

This was created by one of my favorite webtoon creators Lee Yone. Their art is just so amazing and their stories always include such good topics.

For instance, The Makeup Remover’s theme is loving yourself for who you are. It shows how people treat you based on your looks and as someone whos struggled with that kind of thing for a while, this webtoon really touched me. The main character Yeseul is such a relatable character, even when trying to reject beauty standards, she still came subject to the pressures of living up to the people around her. She struggles with trying to love her own appearance and I really like that this webtoon didn’t try to be like, ‘fuck the beauty standard im better than that screw pretty people!!!’ it actually showed realistically how people struggle with self-image. I also love the main love interest because oh my god, we need more men like him please. He doesn’t care about Yeseul’s appearance and genuinely loves her for her personality.

Also, art is amazing. The author is so talented and you should support them by reading and liking the chapters.

Surviving Romance

Genre: Horror

Chapters: 14

Status: Ongoing

“When Chaerin Eun becomes the protagonist of the romance novel she is reading, she expects a fairytale ending with the novel’s love interest, Jeha. But when a bizarre twist makes her realize the story is not playing out as it does in the book, she’ll need the help of an unlikely character from her class to defy the new storyline and find her happy ending - if only she can figure out who this ‘Unknown Extra’ is first!”

Hands down one of my favorite webtoons by a long shot. You ever see a webtoon and think, ‘oh yeah, thats going to be a good webtoon’? Thats how this webtoon was for me. It was so good that I spent hours searching for other chapters that hadn’t been uploaded to webtoon yet on other manhua websites. I discovered it because it was also by the author of ‘The Makeup Remover’.

If there is one thing you need to know about me, its that I am a huge horror fan. So when I saw that my favorite author on webtoon had a horror themed webtoon out? You bet your behind that I binged it. Let me tell you, best choice ever.

Think of it as if ‘Ino’s Law’ and ‘Quarantine’ were combined with amazing art and a badass MC.

The Remarried Empress

I love how it is set up to the point where she cannot ‘quit’ until she completes the novel. Creating scenarios where she must survive while meeting the standards in the book. It is such an amazingly written webtoon and I cannot wait for more chapters to be released.

Genre: Fantasy

Chapters: 82

Status: Ongoing

“Navier Ellie Trovi was an empress perfect in every way - intelligent, courageous, and socially adept. She was kind to her subjects and devoted to her husband. Navier was perfectly content to live the rest of her days as the wise empress of the Eastern Empire. That is, until her husband brought hone a mistress and demanded a divorce. ‘I accept this divorce… And i request an approval of my remarriage.’ In a shoking twist Navier remaarries another emperor and retains her title and childhood dream as empress. But just how did everything unfold? “

Am I in love with Navier? Yes.

I absolutely adore how this story was set up. The first chapter begins with the big divorce scene, followed by Navier saying that she was going to be remarrying someone else since he wants to divorce her. This sets up a picture that gets completely shattered as you read the chapters. How everything falls into place with the reason behind the divorce and the remarriage is just so well written. The art is so good and and everything is just so insanely well done.

I absolutely love Naviers character, from her regalness and devoted loyalty to her role as empress, all the way to her petty moments and times of sadness. She is truly a character that you want the best for, and I cannot image anyone not liking her. Also the story is just so capable of making you feel emotions. I’ve laughed, cried, and got angry during the course of reading this webtoon. I love how betrayed I felt when the emperor brought home his mistress. It felt like I was in Navier’s shoes!

This is such a well done webtoon and I'm so excited for Navier to get all of the good things she deserves in her new Kingdom and with her new husband.

Witch Creek Road

Genre: Horror

Chapters: 74

Status: Ongoing

“A survival horror about love, acceptance, death, and revenge. And sexy flesh-eating demons. Yeah, it has those, too.”

This series seriously mind fucked me. The way that this story is set up, you don’t see the full picture until the later chapters. Season two literally blew my mind. It is also very gorey so keep that in mind if you don’t like that kind of stuff, but for me that makes it all the better. It is just so wild and crass that you can feel your heart pumping in anticipation.

They even have their own website that goes further into the lore because it’s just so wild. Also the art style is just so amazing, because it complements the story and horror theme so much. You hate most of the characters because they suck, and it is so satisfying when they are killed. Also it has it’s sad moments but I think it is a nice break from the horror so it isn’t so overwhelmingly scary.

I binged this series and I recommend reading only a few chapters a day so you don’t overload your brain.

Other then that, an amazing webtoon. Seriously, go read it, support the author, so much work goes into the story and art that it’s insane.

Dating With A Tail

Genre: Romance

Chapters: 36

Status: Ongoing

“On the dawn of her 29th birthday, unlucky-in-love Yunha discovers a shocking family secret: she’s started growing a fox tail, the mark of an ancestral curse. She must find her fated love before her 30th birthday or she is destined to become a fox forever! Even with her new-found enchanting power to attract men using her scent, will one year be enough to break the curse before it’s too late?”

Oh my gosh this is just such a good webtoon. It has amazing art, story telling, and characters. The true love interest was there the whole time, the villain isn’t who you’d expect it to be, and the spirit who cursed her is just! Im not going to spoil it but go read this webtoon!! It is so good and deserves more love.

Also Yunha is just so relatable?? Like she put off finding the woodcutter (her fated love) for 29 years and waited last minute to find him. Homegirl is me trying to do a project for school. Also to get rid of the scent that makes men attracted to her, she just starts eating a ton of garlic and that is just so funny to me.

Also I would go to church for the priest anytime if you know what i mean ;)

Omniscient Reader

Genre: Action

Chapters: 53

Status: Ongoing

“Dokja was an average office worker whose sole interest was reading his favorite web novel ‘Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse.’ But when the novel suddenly becomes reality, he is the only person who knows how the world will end. Armed with this realization, Dokja uses his understanding to change the course of the story, and the world, as he knows it.”

I cannot get over how high quality this story is. The world building is phenomenal, the art is fantastic, and the characters are very fleshed out. This deserved all the hype it has gotten so far and more.

I love the ‘mc thrown into a different reality’ trope so much. Just like with surviving romance, Dokja’s world became the story he was reading. Also a very cool aspect of the story is the level up and the fact that its like a game. Earth has turned into this show for god like creatures to watch and it follows Dokja trying to survive. I also really like that TWSA has a protagonist, but Omniscient Reader’s protagonist is not the protagonist that was in TWSA. There is just so much lore and I’ll say it again, the world building is just phenomenal.

The Ddokkaebi’s and Dokja’s interactions are also just some of my favorite moments from the story so far. And oh my goodness I would die for Lee Gilyoung. Thats it, thats the tweet. That little boy could probably kill me with his giant praying mantis and I would let him if it would make him happy.

Not So Shoujo Love Story

Genre: Comedy

Chapters: 45

Status: Ongoing

“Romance super-fan Rei Chan is ready for her first boyfriend and she knows just who it’ll be: the most handsome boy in school, Hansum Ochinchin. But her plans for the perfect story are derailed when the most popular girl in class declares herself a rival… for Rei’s heart?! This is the year her not so shoujo love story begins!”

This is just such a cute webtoon. The style is very appealing and while the humor can be childish and weird sometimes, it still has made me laugh a lot. I know the humors not for everyone but just keep in mind that it does get better as the story progresses and gets more serious.

Also its a gl! I’m really unable to find good gls these days that don’t fetishize wlw relationships. Rei being painted as a mean trouble maker whos just misunderstood and Hana being the ‘perfect girl’ who only wants Rei’s attention is such a cute dynamic. They balance each other out and better each other. Also stan Rei for constantly sticking up for Hana even if she doesn’t necessarily like her in the beginning, she has very good morals and sticks to them.

Also the defying stereotypes in this webtoon? Just god-tier. Really makes you think twice when you judge someone just on first impressions alone.

Odd Girl Out

Genre: Drama

Chapters: 264

Status: Ongoing

“After a successful winter break makeover, Nari is finally ready for her high school debut. But somehow, she ends up friends with the three prettiest girls in school! Follow Nari as she tries to navigate her brand new high school life surrounded by beauties.”

This story has made me cry multiple times. A lot, even. It is just such a beautiful tale of friendship and finding support in people who are unlike those around theme. It also tells a great story about how anybody can be the ‘odd girl out’. Be it the fat girl, the beautiful girl, the rich girl, or the laid back girl.

It goes so deep into its characters that you even feel bad for the minor antagonists. It really makes you feel for the characters and the reasons behind their actions. Also I know its long, believe me I binged all 260 chapters in the span of three days, but oh my god it is worth it. Also I know the art is kind of off-putting, in fact that’s kind of why I put off reading the story, but I’ve honestly grown to love it and the writing is so good that the art could be literal stick figures and it wouldn’t matter.

The story is amazing and also I just love Nari. She’s just the best.

Gremoryland

Genre: Horror

Chapters: 67

Status: Completed

“Six old school friends are invited to be the first visitors of GremoryLand, a new horror theme park that promises an experience as unique as it is spooky. But once this experience starts there is no turning back, and they find themselves tested beyond what they imagines, facing their most desperate fears in order to survive.”

This is definitely one of those stories were you kind of need to turn of your brain and choose to ignore ‘plot holes’ while reading the early chapters because this story definitely gets crazy if you don’t know the ending. Believe me if you stick with it it will all make sense and the satisfaction you get from finding the ending is just so worth it.

The story is so good, and who Gremory is you would literally never suspect. When it was revealed who Gremory was and how he was able to create Gremoryland is so fucking mind boggling that you would never guess. I had to do a double take. It wasn’t like one of those random characters with a vendetta type of twists, but like one you can pick out from clues throughout the story.

Its so good and twisted and just so worth at least giving it a chance.

These were some of my favorite webtoons on the app! Of course it’s not all of them because unfortunately there is a 10 image limit. I also made this because I’ve run out of new webtoons to read and would love if you guys commented some of your own recs. I can also do a part two with other ones I liked if y’all want more recommendations. You guys can even request specific categories like Drama or Sci-Fi and I can tell you my favorite ones from that genre.

Also a reminder - if you disagree with any of my praise of these webtoons be respectful about it. At the end of the day it’s my opinion and you don’t need to be rude when disagreeing with that opinion.

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m-y-fandoms · 4 years

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1 Thing I Love & 1 Thing I Hate About EVERY Danganronpa Character Part 1

Part 2

SPOILERS FOR ALL THREE MAIN GAMES

I’d love to hear our opinions as well in the comments or my inbox or DM’s! If you try this trend with DR characters, tag me!

Sayaka Maizono

♡ Her passion for her career and friends.

✘ The way she tries to screw over Makoto when the game had just begun. Like wait and see what happens before screwing over such a great guy? Leon didn’t deserve it either.

Leon Kuwata

♡ His voice actor (English), and how real and human his execution was in that we all would be so scared and irrational. It was just so iconic and sad as it’s our first introduction to the death in this series and we all think: “shit, this is real... they are really killing these kids.” I didn’t think it would be that brutal, just seeing his body limp at the end with the haunting music.

✘ His design is disgusting. I hate how he looks.

Chihiro Fujisaki

♡ So innocent, so kind, so intelligent

✘ Shouldn’t have been killed for such a stupid reason, also they did Mondo dirty with that motive for killing as well. Just a mess. As for the actual character, Chihiro cries right off the bat when you do your introductions and that was kind of annoying to me personally.

Mondo Oowada

♡ He has a lot of respect, understanding and emotions for someone I thought would be a hard-ass douche biker.

✘ The worst motive to kill ever in a game where you know you’re getting executed if you’re found out. Like you’d be extra careful and that’s his reason to kill? Lazy writing.

Celestia Ludenberg

♡ Bad bitch energy and her goth lolita design.

✘ Manipulation and double murder. Bad bitch energy only goes so far. Confidence is different then selfishness. Also, of all the chapter 3 triple murders... the worst motive to kill.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru

♡ Emotions: secure in his masculinity, able to cry, show emotions, and apologize when he’s wrong. He’s funny and likable.

✘ The Ishimondo white hair thing was stupid. Taka was fine on his own.

Hifumi Yamada

♡ Writing takes talent, fan fiction as much as any other style or genre. Also the talent of his voice actor (who also voices Kiibo/K1-B0).

✘ Literally everything else about him.

Sakura Oogami

♡ I love everything about her. I love her wisdom, loyalty, design, voice etc. Just step on me, mother.

✘ Why the hell would she ever agree to be a spy even if it meant the end of her dojo? I just don’t think she would do that rationally because she isn’t selfish. The others would suffer for her spying. She remedies this with redemption in her letter in chapter 4 but still she should’ve said no off the bat. Everyone had something to lose. The dojo wasn’t worth spying for monokuma. Also I just don’t think she would commit suicide. She can’t help the remaining students survive and redeem herself truly if she’s dead.

Kyoko Kirigiri

♡ Bad bitch energy, calm and collected when I could never be.

✘ Especially in future arc of the anime, damn can you show some emotion please? Through your words and expressions not just your actions. Sure she was willing to “die” for Makoto but like I just want more emotion from her sometimes, even in THH.

Makoto Naegi

♡ So pure. I Love Bryce Papenbrook. Makoto reminds me of Sora and I love his design.

✘ In THH I didn’t mind his innocence but in the Danganronpa 3 future arc anime, when people started straight up abusing him and accusing him, he needed to grow a little backbone.

Byakuya Togami

♡ Love my dad, king shit, also love how over the progression of the games and animes he becomes a little more kind to his friends.

✘ Why the fuck did he mess with Chihiro’s body? Just so cruel and disrespectful.

Yasuhiro Hagakure

♡ Funny magic man. Sexy voice.

✘ Please. Please Hiro use your brain just once. Why do we have to prove Kyoko isn’t a ghost?!

Toko Fukawa

♡ Character development in UDG and I love Genocider.

✘ Putting down herself and others constantly gets old in THH.

Aoi Asahina

♡ Love her voice actress and her personality

✘ We really just gonna get everyone killed in chapter 4 huh? Surely you know they don’t all deserve that.

Junko Enoshima

♡ A very memorable villain with great hair and design.

✘ I just can’t stand her. I hate her so much.

Mukuro Ikusaba

♡ Her mercenary background is super cool as a concept.

✘ Too bad it wasn’t explored nearly enough.

Hajime Hinata

♡ Seeing the protagonist be a little less naive, innocent and positive than Makoto was a refreshing change, although I loved Makoto. I liked Hajime’s cynicism and expressions that sometimes just screamed “this shit again, huh?”

✘ I enjoy the way Izuru looks but I hate him as a character. He is sexy to look at but Hajime is just a better character overall

Teruteru Hanamura

♡ His love for his family and mother especially is so cute and heart breaking if you know the full story.

✘ He needs to know when to dial it back and quit with the perversions. And no it’s not just how he looks, Miu needs to chill at times, too.

Twogami

♡ I feel like he genuinely cares about his friends, just hides it well

✘ His death felt like a cop out and poorly written. It just didn’t sit right with me. Also his design is disgusting to me, his outfit and such.

Mahiru Koizumi

♡ Loyal to her close friends.

✘ I just have no interest in her as a character and I find her boring.

Peko Pekoyama

♡ Loyalty. Loyalty is something I value very highly in every form of relationship. Peko is also very hot.

✘ Come on girl... I know how you were raised but you should’ve known Fuyuhiko didn’t think of you as just a tool and you two should’ve expressed your true feelings long ago. Like even in secret. How do you live like this? Also I feel like killing Mahiru could’ve been avoided with a calm talk.

Ibuki Mioda

♡ Cute design, positive vibes.

✘ Cringe sometimes in the way she talks.

Hiyoko Saionji

♡ Beautiful character design and some very good insults and snarky remarks at times.

✘ Just irredeemably mean and annoying. Even when you do her free time events she is just so annoying.

Mikan Tsumiki

♡ I like her design as well as her hair, expressions, sprites and clothing.

✘ I hate her. I just hate her whether she’s in her true psycho form or timid stuttering form. She’s just annoying in my opinion.

Nekomaru Nidai

♡ So supportive, can hold my drink at a party. Respects everyone and wants the best for them.

✘ Bro Mechamaru was a stupid plot point. I just couldn’t stand looking at him and couldn’t take it seriously. Still sad when he died though.

Chiaki Nanami

♡ From chapter 5 of sdr2 on she is impossible not to love if you didn’t already. Just the selflessness, the sadness of the reveal and execution, how she returns to help Hajime at the end???? I love her. I love her hair design, color palette, her personality, everything.

✘ I’m bitter and miserable about her being the only class member to actually die (the despair arc anime) also her falling asleep at random times is kind of odd and she doesn’t seem to be like that later on in the game??? Like it seemed like a cheap joke but not actually who she is? Hard for me to explain.

Gundham Tanaka

♡ King shit, couldn’t praise him enough. He’s sexy, loves animals, and is funny as hell sometimes. His voice actor is a saint and a cool dude and I named my guinea pigs after the Dark Devas (yes I know they are hamsters in the games.)

✘ Come on dude. I get that being from Hell and magic and having evil powers is your shtick, but we all know that you and Nekomaru sacrificed yourselves so the others wouldn’t starve. We know you care about your classmates. There comes a time when it’s time to let personas and facades fade and be true to your heart. I just feel like him denying he cared at the end hurt. We all know he cared. I didn’t like how he was haughty until the end. He deserved better. I love him.

Nagito Komaeda

♡ I love him so much. So cunning and intelligent, always a step ahead. And he’s big sexy.

✘ Him killing himself in chapter 5 hurt me so bad I was like in denial for days. Also hate how Bryce Papenbrook gives him a raspy stoner psycho voice in the game then a light airy higher-pitched voice in the despair arc anime. It just bothers me. I love his voice still but the inconsistency just hurts my OCD

Sonia Nevermind

♡ I love that she’s so interested in her passions and love her feelings for Gundham

✘ Her outfit and bow are atrocious. Also why didn’t she start liking and talking to Gundham sooner on? Their romance bloomed late and it would’ve made for a better chapter 4 ending if they were a bit closer.

Kazuichi Souda

♡ Cool design and outfit, love his voice (also voices Kaito in V3) and his backstory is relatable at times. He’s also very human in that he’s scared a lot of the time or insecure or blames others in panicked situations. It’s not always a good thing but it’s human and realistic.

✘ Gosh he can be so annoying. Sometimes flirting or whining too much is well... too much.

Akane Owari

♡ Strong-willed and definitely someone I would be friends with

✘ What the hell is her outfit? Gymnasts and athletes don’t wear that shit. Stop objectifying her when it doesn’t even make the product or plot better. Like there’s absolutely no point to making her dress that way. I was a gymnast for 15 years. Even those who do parkour (which Akane seems to do more often than actual gymnastics in the anime and game) don’t wear what she wears. Also she’s underrated.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu

♡ I love him. He’s the DR character I’m most like out of all the games and anime. Tenko is a close second. I think he’s adorable, love his character arc, development, redemption, and love his voice.

✘ In the anime/despair arc, Fuyuhiko is not done justice. He doesn’t get enough lines, has a different voice actor, just doesn’t give off the same vibes.

Izuru Kamakura

♡ Sexy man long hair good.

✘ Boring character. I wish he were just Hajime.

Kaede Akamatsu

♡ Loyalty and leadership are such attractive qualities in her. Also she faced her death with such class and dignity and I respect her because I could never.

✘ Some of the voice lines Erika does for her are just weird and cringe. Just random moans or grunts... I don’t know it’s like when Ann Takamaki from Persona 5 (also voiced by Erika) makes suggestive noises as well. Just grinds my gears. Also hate her outfit down to the hair pins.

Shuichi Saihara

♡ I love his nasally voice. I love his design and he’s so adorable. I love how emotional and compassionate he can be. He ties with Makoto for favorite protag of mine.

✘ That sprite where he sniffs his hand. And his ugly ass hat.

Rantarou Amami

♡ Sexy man, sexy voice, sexy piercings

✘ Ugly outfit, and wasted potential

Ryoma Hoshi

♡ I respect him and feel bad for his outlook on life and for how poorly he views himself. I love his little hat as well and he’s the first “different styled” character (Hifumi, Bandai, Teruteru) that I liked the design of.

✘ I hate when he says “got a long ways to go,” it’s overused and annoying, and wish he gave himself more credit. Also hate that when you first meet him he warns you that he’s killed people and is dangerous to be around. Come on buddy, you know you wouldn’t hurt your friends. Stop pushing them away.

Kirumi Tojo

♡ Competence, well rounded, skillful

✘ Boring as hell. I wouldn’t waste one free time event on her.

Angie Yonaga

♡ Dark skin, super cute, love her talent as an artist myself.

✘ Gives religious people a bad name and is super manipulative which I hate.

Tenko Chabashira

♡ I relate to her and feel bad when she’s misunderstood. She’s a good person deep down. Also love her sprites.

✘ There’s more cunning, funny and clever ways to write her digs at men.

Korekiyo Shunguuji

♡ I’m in love with this man. Long hair, voice, mystery, mask, intelligence, passion, talent.

✘ He definitely was a victim of abuse and a lot of people refuse to see that and just hate him. Team Danganronpa should’ve given him a redemption arc where he realized his sister abused him and changed.

Gonta Gokuhara

♡ I love his design except for his suit. Also he’s so cute and naive. I cried for his trail.

✘ No need talk like caveman. Better way to do this.

Kokichi Ouma

♡ Like Nagito, I value his intelligence and crazy cunning.

✘ Shouldn't have died. Also shouldn’t have manipulated Gonta. That was just cruel.

Miu Iruma

♡ She has her hilarious moments and her death surprised me and was sad.

✘ Sometimes she lacks basic empathy, i.e. calling Tenko “Tencrotch” when she just fucking died.

Maki Harukawa

♡ Amazing character development. Didn’t see her surviving until the end at the start. Also her love and passion for Kaito.

✘ “Do you wanna die?” gets old.

Kaito Momota

♡ Just the overall best bro you could ever have.

✘ Has some toxic masculinity issues and anger issues.

K1-B0

♡ Pretty much everything about him. His design, his attitude and personality, especially how amazing and cool he is chapter 5 onward, his execution made me so sad. He’s so innocent and funny without trying.

✘ When you do his free time events he’s very arrogant and just talks about himself a lot... it seems odd and not similar to the Kiibo we see throughout the game.

Himiko Yumeno

♡ Super cute design, love her voice and “Nyeh...” and her sprites. Her character development is great as well.

✘ Why did they take so long to make her important and likable?

Tsumugi Shirogane

♡ An excellent and well hidden reveal

✘ I hate her. So annoying, from the voice to the references and her personality.

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fangirleaconmigo · 2 years

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Avatar: The Last Airbender

WOOHOO an ask for the TV show 20 Questions ask game.

Thanks anon! If there's one thing I love to do it's talk about mah shows.

Ok:

Character I most identify with. Probably Katara. I act like the eldest daughter even though I'm technically a middle kid. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do the right thing and be a good leader and I probably get too earnest and clenched up and need to let go from time to time. Also Zuko because I know what it's like to spend your adolescence trying to please a shitty parent before going...oh, maybe this is a bad idea.

Character I would date. Hakoda is a dilf.

Character I can’t stand. Firelord Ozai no question. I always hate the shitty parent character the most.

Character who can do no fucking wrong I don’t care what they did it was fine. Aaang. My baby. He's trying so hard. Also obv Appa's the best.

Character that took me by surprise (I didn’t know I would like/dislike but here we are). Probably Zuko.

Favorite ship (canon or fanon). I don't really have any ships for this show. I kind of look at all of them and go yeah...I can see that. That's cute.

Favorite platonic relationship. Katara and Zuko. Sibling shit gets me every time. And that moment where Zuko is like *water tribe* just makes me so fucking happy. Second is Katara and Toph. Toph is probably my fave character and their conflict is so believable and their friendship is earned.

Character with best char development arc. No question that's Zuko. Can I tell you what's so fantastic about his character dev? One, it's believable. He's a kid. So of course he's just blindly trying to make his father love him. Secondly, his arc is earned. He tries and fails and tries again. Thirdly, even when he does start to make better choices that match his ethics and conscience, he is still *him*. He struggles. He's awkward. He has a temper still sometimes. It's so genuine and organic and one of the best character arcs everrrr!! Gritty adult shows don't often match the quality of this character work!!

Notp. Again, I don't really 'ship' with this show. So I don't really think that far into it.

FMK first three adult listed cast. Ok, the first three adult characters listed on google are: Iroh (Marry) Firelord Ozai (kill. sorry Aang, I just woulda iced him) and Master Piandao (fuck.)

Moment that made me lose my fucking mind. Iroh and Zuko finally making up. ;LKDJAF;OIJAEF A MY HEART.

Moment that broke my heart. Oh gosh so many. This one may seem small but when they took Appa I was so fucking upset. And ofc Firelord being a dick to his child. And Katara confronting her mother's killer. So many powerful moments.

Moment I laughed my ass off. Oh that's easy. That's the fire nation play. It was so funny.

Favorite quote. Ok, this sounds silly in a show with so much good writing. But "That's rough buddy" just made me so happy. There was something about it. Zuko's awkwardness. How he's trying to help but it just comes across as oooof. And I quote it allll the fucking time. So I pick that one. Iconic.

Did I like the finale? Yes! It's brilliant. Aang gets to keep his values. Zuko gets the kingdom. The water tribe family is reunited. I like it all. In fact I like it so much I don't want to watch any spinoffs because I want it to stay like that.

Favorite show writer if I have one. The episodes are so consistently good that I like all of them.

Why I love this show. Oh my god the writing. These characters are so beautifully written as kids. They make mistakes and do shitty things and fight but all very much in character and at their maturity level. But they work through it, pick themselves up, and grow and it's so satisfying.

What I wish they would fix about this show. Nothing! No notes.

Why I watched this show. Because my nephews wanted to and I cannot tell them no. Then it turned out that I loved it so rewatched it with my little niece because I wanted to introduce her to it.

Do I consume or create fan content for this show? I do search up fan art. I'm a total sucker for modern au fanart. I just love seeing them being kids in many different settings I guess. Oh, and I look up vines and comedy bits for it. There's a few that are so brilliant.

Thank you for the ask and letting me ramble about shows I love!!

#asks #ask game #tv ask game #avatar the last airbender #atla

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squirrel-moose-winchester · 4 years

Text

Officially

Title: Officially

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Word Count: 1108

Square Filled: Impala

Summary: You and Dean are on a drive. When Dean takes the wheels and you fall asleep, he uses that time to clear his head and make an important decision. (Gosh, I such at summaries.)

Warning: Fluff

Written for @spndeanbingo (round 2)

Disclaimer: All mistakes are mine. Gif by @frodo-sam. Check out her page! She’s a content creator for all sorts of fandoms! I’m sure you will find something you like and more! :)

A/N: OH MAN! It has been so long since I’ve posted a fic! I’ve recently moved and did not have access to internet so I couldn’t post any fics (which were all on my laptop because I like to write them out on Word Docs before actually posting). But internet is back and I’ve been writing! Woohoo! I hope you guys like fluff because this is nothing but that! :) Love you all. Continue to stay vigilant and be safe!

Dean was sitting in the passenger seat, allowing you to take the reigns this time, much to your surprise. Soft rock played through the impala with the volume down low, acting only as added background sounds.

With your eyes on the road and Dean fast asleep, there was nothing but content. Just being like this almost felt normal, like there wasn’t monsters running around killing people or demons and angels trying to rid you and the Winchesters of the world. It was nice. It was a well accepted change for once.

Baby purred smoothly, the sound enough to lull Dean to sleep, but it was the sound of something else that stirred him awake. He didn’t move his body as his eyes fluttered open, casting sideways to look at you. Your eyes were fixated in front of you, attention to the road, fingers lightly drumming against the steering wheel while you sang along to whatever song was playing. Your voice was soft, smooth, welcomed. It was in that moment of simplicity that he was happy to be alive, happy to be here with you.

Aside from the big wins with saving the world and the people he cared about, it was also the small moments like these that made his heart unbearably full. If he could, he’d stay in this moment forever. Just you and him on the unwinding open road. Soon, Dean fell back asleep to the sound of your soothing voice.

A few hours later, you and Dean switched places, giving you a chance to get some shut eye. It didn’t take long for you to fall asleep. In fact, it took you all but forty seconds for you to knock out, hairline pressed against the window.

Taking a sudden hard right turn, your body shifted. “Shit,” Dean whispered, holding one arm to catch you, but he was a little too late, only able to slow and cushion your impending descent. Your head landed on Dean’s lap and your body quickly adjusted. You curled your body onto the seat with your feet bent and pressed against the door. Dean allowed his eyes to take in your form, a soft smile perching itself on his lips. God, did he wish you were his.

You were his best friend, the female adjacent to Cass. You had always been there for him, come through for him in a way that always surprised him. You were always on his side, no matter how stupid he was being. You were even bold enough to tell him like it is, giving him the tough love that was usually dished out by Sam. You’ve seen him at his best, darkest, and most vulnerable, and yet, you never looked at him any differently. He trusted you. You trusted him. Even Sam never second guessed you.

Finally reaching the bunker, Dean put the Impala in park however, he didn’t bother to move or wake you. He sat there in his beloved car listening to your soft intake of breaths. He didn’t want to ruin the moment, wanting nothing more than to spend more time with you. It was a little ridiculous considering he could have alone time with you in the bunker, but he just wanted to bask in this moment. He was in his favorite car with his favorite girl.

If life were different, and you two weren’t hunters, Dean could definitely live in this moment, although under much different context… If life were different, you’d be his girl, and the two of you would go out on drives just for the hell of it. Taking Baby and his baby out on the road just to spend some quality time. Damn, if life was different, he’d make sure this was how it would be. Not only that, but if life was different, both his parents would still be around, his grandparents too. Sam would come to visit on his breaks from Stanford, and you’d be wearing his ring on your finger. If life was different, Dean could have it all.

“Dean?” your groggy voice interrupted him from his thoughts. “We home?”

“Yeah, sorry. Didn’t want to wake you,” he half lied.

You stretched your arms and back, Dean’s eyes trailing over every curve. You were gorgeous. “What are you looking at?” you giggled. “Wanna help stretch a girl out?” you winked.

Fuck, he was lucky to have a best friend like you. Joking around, sleeping around, why didn’t he just make it all real? All he had to do was ask you to be his girlfriend. All he had to do was make it official.

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind helping to stretch my girl out,” he suggested.

“My girl?” you teased. “What you talking about?” the giggle that followed your question was music to his ears.

“You know what I’m talking about. You… being my girl. Officially.”

A wide grin spread across your face. “Whoa, easy there, Dean. Baby might get jealous,” you cooed, grazing your hand gently over Baby’s dashboard. “She’s been your only girl for a long time.”

Dean couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m sure Baby wouldn’t mind. In fact, I think she really likes you. I mean, she let you drive her without complications.”

“Well, you know how it is. Us girls need to stick together.”

Dean smiled. “So what do you say?”

“I don’t know,” you sighed. “Baby, what do you think? Can you share Dean with me? I promise to take care of him just as good as you have.”

Miraculously, a popping noise came from inside the hood, the Impala cooling down. You laughed along with Dean, taking it as a sign.

“That’s my girl,” Dean crooned, kissing his steering wheel.

“In that case,” you started, crawling closer to Dean. “Looks like I’ve got the green pass,” you mumbled, lips barely grazing his.

Dean didn’t waste any time, pressing his lips towards yours. Inevitably, the kiss heated up quickly and you found yourself on Dean’s lap, straddling him. As layers of clothing started to come off, your ass pressed on the steering wheel engaging the horn. You and Dean separated with a gasp and labored breathing.

“Sorry, Baby. Y/N and I will take things inside,” his told the Impala, emerald orbs sparking with mischief and, what you would assume was, happiness.

“Yeah, sorry Baby,” you giggled, scrambling out of the car with Dean. Once out, Dean smacked your ass before you could take off running. You yelped, looking back at him playfully before dashing out of the garage and into the bunker.

“Thanks Baby,” Dean tapped the roof of the Impala before shutting the door and chasing after you.

A/N: Please feel free to reblog and leave some feedback. I would love to know your thoughts. Thank you for reading, and know that I appreciate all of you for taking the time to read the things that I write :)

#spndeanbingo #SPN Dean Bingo #spndeanbingo2020 #dean winchester #dean winchester x reader #dean x reader #dean winchester fan fiction #dean fan fiction #dean winchester fanfic #dean fanfic #dean winchester one shot #dean one shot #spn #supernatural #spn fan fiction #supernatural fan fiction #officially #squirrel-moose-winchester

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kaniaaa · 3 years

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H-hey. It’s extremely sudden, but... I’m so sorry @mysterygreentea, it is only now, literally 5 years later, after lazily doing some ego-searching to kill boredom, as if I didn’t need to sleep, that I found out back in 2017 I was tagged in this 11 questions post... I never intended to ignore it; I never got the notification of me being tagged at all. And since I found the perfect weapon to deal with boredom, even 5 years later, I decided to answer it. No, seriously, sorry! And thank you for tagging me back then!

So, these were the questions!

1. What do you consider your best quality?

I don’t like assuming things, so I’m quite the “forgiving reader” type of person, and I try my best not to assume the worst in people (unless something is REALLY fishy) and go around spitting baseless accusations. On the flip side, it also means I am TERRIBLE at having first impressions. In person, they never go beyond “she’s a woman... I guess” and it only gets worse on the internet hahaha

2. Favorite drink?

Tea!! Any kind really, but white tea is best! Not only hot tea, but iced tea as well.

3. Favorite holiday?

It used to be Christmas because it was a moment for my family to be together, but now that it’s rarer, I don’t know... Typical middle/high-school student mentality I still hold onto even though I’m a college student, but let’s say summer holidays haha

4. What inspires you the most?

Fiction I consume en masse I guess haha Books, (JPN) pop culture, (J-)music etc. And artbooks too! I love artbooks.

5. Do you like to write? If so, what do you like to write about, or what would you write about?

Ugh. I’d like writing if I didn’t suck this much at it haha I love analysis so I like to write “essays” and reviews on things I read/watched/played.

6. If you were stuck on a desert island, what or who would you want with you?

I’d say my cat, but at the same time I want her to be somewhere safe haha Y’know what, my siblings have to come, I’m not going down alone hahaha

7. Favorite childhood TV show, if any?

French cartoon Les Zinzins de l’espace, or by the same studio Oggy et les cafards. Loved Cardcaptor Sakura and Sailor Moon as a child, before knowing what “anime” even was.

8. Current favorite song?

THIS ONE IS SO HARD gosh DANG; eeerrr... Current, right? If it were in 2017 as intended, I’d say MARETU’s White Happy and Wowaka’s Unknown Mother Goose. Right now in February 2022, I can’t help but loop Kenshi Yonezu’s Shinigami, Seekun’s Hate Man, Amazarashi’s Kyoukaisen and Kairiki Bear’s Rirarura Dreaming. I can’t choose just one lol

9. If you could have one wish come true right now, what would it be?

To see my cat hahaha I miss her so much!! When did my ambitions get so low...? hahaha

10. What is something silly you’re scared of?

In my sweet early 20s, I sometimes dream of losing my teeth...

11. Movie you watch when you need cheering up?

From Up on Poppy Hill! I love this film so much, not too sure why! Mizunuma my lord and saviour haha

Not coming with questions nor tagging anyone though.

#What do I even tag this?#Blog stuff I guess #Yeah let's go with that

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melon-kiss · 3 years

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This is just going to be a ramble about everything Sherlock. You’re most welcome to discuss or just ignore it. I needed the space to vent.

I watched Sherlock. Again. I think it’s beginning to become my annual tradition. And I have a crisis. Don’t get me wrong, I am always Sherlollian at heart. It’s just… I have doubts sometimes. And what triggered those doubts this time was the fact that Sherlock calls Molly “John”. Twice. And then Irene Adler. And then one post on Tumblr. And many, many more.

OK, these are just my random thoughts. Enjoy if you’re willing to read them.

1. “John”. “Molly”.

We often mix up names of people we consider to have the same place in our lives. Which is good, right? Right. Only, in Sherlock’s case, we’d have lean into the theory that Sherlock does love John romantically and feels the same way about Molly. Or concede the fact that he loves them both platonically. Neither of these options is really satisfying, isn’t it? Well, that’s why I’m struggling… One could say he’s in denial of feelings for Molly and identifies them as friendship, as this is the strongest, purest relationship in his life, the only one he describes as emotional and the closest he’s ever had to love. Besides, Molly and John are similar in one way – they both share the same – medical – knowledge. Of course, Sherlock doesn’t realise her other qualities until The Reichenbach Fall when she says she can help him whenever he needs it. It’s not until she’s honest with him again and tells him, without a shred of grudge, that she knows she means nothing to him, that he realises he has at least two friends. He calls her “John” when his mind is busy with something else, so there’s no room for any purposeful confusion. The same thing happens in The Empty Hearse. What else can it mean if not friendship?

2. Nothing Hits Like Irene

Irene Adler is created as the love interest for Sherlock. Is she, though? Well, we see Sherlock utterly confused upon their first meeting. We also see him flirting and creating an atmosphere of sexual tension for the first time. OK, he saves her but then she vanishes, he got over her, I thought. And all was fine until The Lying Detective came and Irene Adler sent a text to Sherlock, first in such a long time. John, of course, suggests that if Sherlock should be romantically involved with anyone, it should be her. And then it hit me.

Irene Adler is the symbol of chemistry in Sherlock’s life.

She’s a dominatrix. She’s all about sex, that’s obvious. At the critical point of The Scandal in Belgravia Sherlock says: I believe John Watson thinks love’s a mystery for me but the chemistry is incredibly simple and very distractive. Sherlock discovers that he, indeed, can have chemistry with people. He doesn’t mention love, he merely says sentiment, referring to the crush Irene Adler had on him. She is, indeed, a simple distraction – you can see it clearly in his memory palace when he yells at her to get away. But Molly… Molly stays. She leads him through the entire process of surviving a shot.

And then Irene Adler returns in The Lying Detective. John confesses to Sherlock about texting with a stranger met on the bus. And that he wanted more. Sherlock says everyone gets to be human sometimes. Even he can’t resist the urge of replying to Irene Adler sometimes. It was all about attraction again.

And that’s why she’s not considered a romantic relationship in his life. John rambles about love changing him, to be more specific, the love of his woman changing him. But he says Irene’s a dangerous criminal. How would that change Sherlock in any way?

In The Final Problem, upon deducing the coffin, John suggests Irene Adler but she’s not his first thought in general once they all hear that this is about someone who loves Sherlock. Sherlock’s response is very telling: Don’t be ridiculous. Look at the coffin. It seems like Sherlock pieces the puzzle at once – the coffin, plus the “name” on the lid – it couldn’t have been Irene Adler.

And that’s why Sherlock calls her The Woman. As a symbol of his sexuality. The Woman who’s woken up certain impulses in his life.

3. Makeshift Gauge

Who is she?, Sherlock asks John in His Last Vow.

Based on what Mofftiss duo said about Molly, she was supposed to be featured in two episodes top. Yet, she stayed. The uncanonical character not only stayed but became fans’ favourite. I think she became a useful tool for Moffat and Gatiss. I think that not only she represents Sherlock heart (of which existence he has no idea at first) but later becomes our makeshift gauge. For what? For measuring Sherlock’s progress. See, it’s like when you live with someone, you don’t notice when they put on weight or grew a little but those who see less of them will notice all changes right away. So, when Sherlock runs around with John, we don’t notice the change in his behaviour at once (also because he’s always been nice to him, from the very beginning), we need to focus to see that. But Molly pops by once per episode and we see how Sherlock’s perception changes. In season one, he has good intentions, but they turn out bad. In season two, he’s more neutral but doesn’t restrain himself from rude comments. And Molly is being Molly – tells him he’s rude in her natural, soft way and he says sorry. For the first time. Without anyone making him do that. Almost the same happens in The Reichenbach Fall – but this time, Molly doesn’t let herself be fooled by Sherlock’s arrogance and just ignores it, going straight to the point. She says: “I’m here for you” and lowers his defences. In season three, he spends an entire day with her, smiles at her and is the sweetest, softest Sherlock we’ve ever seen. Moreover, when Lestrade asks him about her helping him solve cases, he says: [John] is not in the picture anymore, implying that she not necessarily had to be a temporary replacement. In season four, he says I love you to her.

What can we deduce about his heart?

4. The Eurus Conundrum

We could write an entire book about Eurus and not even be able to grasp her spirit. I’m not going to do that right now.

I have issues with what happened in season four finale. I mean – Molly, of course. Mycroft says Eurus and Jim Moriarty met five years ago, so before Moriarty revealed himself to Sherlock. They both planned the entire game for Sherlock. Does that mean Sherlock never really won with him? Does that mean Moriarty let him use Molly to “win”? Since she was included in Eurus’ plan, we can safely assume Jim knew about Molly back then. At first, when I saw Moriarty saying We both know that’s not quite true [that you don’t have a heart] in many Sherlolly fanvids, I was like naaaaah. He didn’t see her as one of the important people in Sherlock’s life, it couldn’t have been a reference to their meeting. But now… how deeply back in time was Eurus’ plan allocated? Which events did she predict?

Or maybe I’m missing something? Any thoughts on this?

5. Sherlock Evergreen

I once came across a post here, about how BBC Sherlock is literature, about sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s struggle with his own genius character. He was over with him, didn’t feel like writing any more of his stories so he killed him, but fans demanded more. He kept writing, although he hated it from the bottom of his heart. Season four, so often considered as the worst of all of them, is a way of saying that Sherlock character is, unfortunately, invincible. Immortal. He will live forever. We can’t kill him, no one can. Even his creator couldn’t have done it.

In season four, Sherlock goes back to the start. He is a clean slate again. He went through the entire process of change – became a good Sherlock, considerate of other people’s feelings and emotions, appreciative, supportive, loving, ready to mend what he broke. That interpretation, although very good, kind of killed my Sherlolly spirit. But I guess every interpretation like this would do it. If we stop treating characters like real human being, we’re left with what they really are – a construct, tools, puppets in the author’s hands.

Based on this, I think we’re safe to say there will never be a fifth season of BBC Sherlock (gosh, how I wish I was wrong!). Why? Because, despite what Moffat said in an interview once (after season three finale he said they’ve plotted out the entire fourth and fifth season – liar, liar, pants on fire!), season four had the perfect ending. As mentioned above, Sherlock became a good man and Mary Watson summed up what Sherlock is all about: two man, a genius junkie and a former soldier, who solve the weirdest, the toughest of cases together in flat on 221B Baker Street. Now, Sherlock is ready to be taken over by other artists who may find a new way to tell his story (though, I don’t think so) all over again.

And that’s a big, big shame… I think I speak for at least most of Sherlollians when I say we’d like to see Sherlock and Molly’s first encounter after the call. The finale really closed all the story arcs and subplots, except for this one. I mean, c’mon. You don’t have to be a Sherlollian to be annoyed by this – just remember that it was such a “biggie” that Moffat was asked about this in an interview. And this may be another reason as to why we won’t ever get a fifth season of Sherlock – because that would mean taking a side. And none of the creators will do it because Sherlock cannot be an open-and-shut case. It has to be like literature: big, open, twisted, unclear and full of room for interpretation. As long as there’s no certain explanation – yes, Sherlock loves Molly, no, Sherlock is gay – we create more and more content out of the need of closure. Thanks to the room for interpretation, the story lives. I mean, it’s been four years since The Final Problem airing and here I am, discussing BBC Sherlock still.

Coming back to Sherlolly… don’t worry. Though I’m still not sure that we can harvest any hard evidence for Sherlock’s feelings for Molly (other than friendship and respect), I’m still a Sherlollian. There two new fics waiting for me to pull myself together and write them. I think it’s good to have doubts – it means my brain hasn’t rotten yet and I can still be critical, I’m able of having my own opinions.

Thank you if you managed to read it all! I’d love to discuss if you have any conclusions. If not, that’s fine, too. I just needed it get it out of my system.

PS WHY DOES MY POSTS IN ENGLISH SOUND SO SOPHISTICATED IN MY HEAD BUT WHEN I PUT THEM IN WRITING, THEY’RE SO SHITTY?!

#bbc sherlock #sherlock #sherlock holmes #john watson #irene adler #molly hooper #sherlolly #molly x sherlock #thoughts #eurus holmes

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mrs-nate-humphrey · 3 years

Note

I am curious: what are your favorite scenes from your main ships (date, dair, derena...)?

scenes involving milo don't count, sorry!

for me, it's really not just scenes, but body language & just in general, how they are with each other, you know? dan and serena grin at each other and hug SO much, you can tell that being around each other in s1 made them both so happy, and even after that glow fades the way they look for comfort in each other... top level stuff. the way blair looks at dan... we never see her as radiant at any other point. she was not looking at anyone else like this. and gosh, dan and nate. they're both so comfortable around each other that there's absolutely nothing weird about like. discussing that one ex girlfriend whom they both share AND both were in love with. there is literally no other duo who trusts/enjoys each other's company so much that they're comfortable in a love triangle. (probably because they're more in love with each other than with the girl, but that is not the point. or is it?)

anyway, more specific answers. under the cut. this is one of the longest answers i've ever written on this blog possibly but you KNEW that would happen when you sent this ask, didn't you? (affectionate)

derena: i tagged one of my ds reblogs as 'the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one' and like. look at them! this hug from 1x10 kills me in the best way. they are both the literal embodiment of :D when they see each other! i love 1x10 as a whole moment, their entire thing at cotillion is so sweet and they're both so happy. the fact that he is talking about his chemistry teacher during this kiss in 1x07. that bit at the end of 1x05 when they talk about their siblings (being there for their sibling because of fallible parents being a derena parallel makes me simultaneously really sad and really soft, tbh). 1x05 gives me SO MUCH SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT but the way they walk off together arms around each other does something to me - these are two people who are still getting to know each other but who really like what they see, and who trust each other and. are just having a good time together! back when derena was my OTP, the 1x11 "your story's about me?" was absolutely a fave, too, and i still adore it, albeit in a different, more nostalgic way. i like a dan who writes cute stories about serena. no empty shell sabrina van skoneker bullshit. she is so much like you, daniel! you'd be shattered if she did this to you. don't do this to her. tbh, most derena moments from s1 are just A+ romance. the bit in 2x02 in the jitney is so funny, they're SO bad at being exes. the bit in... 3x03 i think?? i don't remember... on the contrary. when they're talking about dan's fling w/ georgina and serena's relationship with carter, the ease with which they talk and how happy/supportive they are of each other's new relationships... yeah. love to see it.

i also really like any instance of them having honest/open conversations. 1x13, talking about how serena is concerned about blair. 1x08, serena talking to dan about feeling jealous of vanessa. this bit from the touch of eva or whatever that episode is. 4x04 i think. this is the conversation everyone is trying to get dan to have and he's avoiding EVERYONE else. derena interactions in 3x21 (can't find a gif right now) - the fact that dan is with serena when her dad abandons them, the fact that he goes all the way there with her. 2x07, "i'm really glad you're nate's friend. he really needs someone like you right now" (though i'm cheating, that's technically a d/n moment too klhdflkgf). there's a bit in s4 where he's advising her against having an affair w/ colin, i don't remember the ep number, but the way he takes her side so easily and naturally and puts due blame/responsibility solely on her professor... yeah. 4x10 i think this ep is?? idk. but like my tags say, im sentimental about this moment because while what dan was doing was irresponsible, sneaking her out of the ostroff, he was the only person in this episode who was actually talking to her and listening to her and taking her seriously. nobody else was doing that!!

i probably have more moments i'm not remembering, but we're only 1/3 into this answer and LOOK AT THE WORDS, good lord, i'm sorry.

dair: my favourite dair episode is hands down despicable b (5x21) which i have heard is an uncommon answer. i just love the conflict resolution of it all, okay!!! 1x04 & 2x08 are like. standard answers any dair shipper will give, and i'm no different. i love dan being able to give blair advice and blair actually taking his advice even though they're not friends yet!!! be right back, yelling at the intimacy of it all!! 5x16, with their getting together (this little kiss and dan being so startled by it), blair admitting a flaw she genuinely does have and dan saying it's not awful because it's her, which is just. romance at its finest. those vows, good lord. 5x18.... they're having fun! blair showing up at the loft in lingerie for dan... the delight on her face.... (i know this moment blows up in their face but when she's there she looks so happy and proud of herself and this was like THE moment when i was like. oh. dair is really the heart of this garbage show huh).

i think for me, the thing that really sells dan & blair together is the serena of it all. both of them love serena more fiercely than anyone else, and that is what brings them together. (fwiw i definitely think nate loved serena this much and this deeply, too; the writers just wanted to pop the serenate balloon, which even i think was extremely unnecessary and ooc.) but (& i have so much meta about this) their relationship grows beyond serena. their entire s4 arc is SO good. i love how comfortable around each other they are, in such an adult way, in the sense of like. they both bring so much stability to each other? morgan tagged this edit "the marrieds" and like. yeah. b offers to help him shave. they're having breakfast & reading the paper together.

all the love declarations we got that weren't a simple 'i love you.' be your charming wonderful self (how could she not love you/ tell me what would make you happy, dan) i told chuck he doesn't have my heart anymore (you spent your life earning the keys to set you free when you were free all along!!!!) dan's pep talk to blair in 5x21 (already linked a gifset earlier, here's another one if you want i guess). there's definitely more... but honestly, the way the dair arc was executed was so good - while i do have my complaints, i also think keeping those aside, it was SO close to perfect. i love dan & blair's banter and gradually becoming closer and closer and closer. it felt very organic and real and GOSH. the way penn & leighton looked at each other while playing dan and blair...... it's just SO MUCH.

date: this is the hardest, because it's. *screams*. maybe you saw me losing my mind over those 2 seconds of nate handing dan a waffle? i love almost every scene with these two, even the hellish s6 breakup scene. my favourite episode for d/n (& also favourite gg episode in general) is 2x06 - i love the homoerotic subtext of it all. nate pretending to be dan because dan's name is the first name that came to his head. dan flirting w/ nate while tied to that thing, in his underwear. them becoming friends. and 2x07 as a follow-up to that! dan getting nate to live in the loft with the humphreys for a while. i am so soft.

4x09 is a terrible episode in general, especially for serena my beloved, but the d/n moments in that one? off the CHARTS. this weird overly macho flirting, in some ways THE most iconic d/n line. this entire finish each other's sentences nonsense. someone (i think it was ana but im not sure?) compared the energy of those scenes i just linked to the book blairenate love triangle resolution, blairena choosing each other over nate in the books, date choosing each other over serena in the show (if only! RIP.) after the saints & sinners ball, this cute little moment of 'youre the only one who understands me. please tell me they went home together. i mean. how could they not have.

3x07, them watching vampire porn together. a tag i used on ao3 (& also on here, once) is 'nate brings out the himbo in dan'. here is a prime example. 'is she levitating?' i don't fucking know, dan, what do you think?? (i was telling my partner that that's what i love abt dair vs date. around blair dan is an intellectual, a librarian, an art historian, a museum curator. around nate it's like dan is competing to be #1 himbo on the show. can my girlfriend actually fly? i don't know, dan. i can't believe you're seriously asking such a question.)

3x12 pep talk. (sorry about the shitty quality!) essentially nate telling dan that he (dan) is hot and that he shouldn't talk himself down so much.

dan making nate gay in his book. you know. his book from which blair found out he was in love with her. nads (who i will not tag in this billion word long gushy meta, because i value her sanity) once called inside "wish fulfilment' and. i mean. yeah

nate checking dan out at the derena wedding continues to be hilarious. hilarious in the same way as dan sexually fantasising about nate. canon really went 'let's give ivy some special easter eggs' and i appreciate them a lot!

i love the way they are around each other - so quietly attuned to each other. i showed my sister my date!husbands gifset, and she was like. yeah they're so married. and it's just stuff like how dan looks for nate over his shoulder, it's not even an active action, it's as easy and natural and intuitive as breathing, checking to see if nate is still there.

oh, that wasn't as hard as it could've been! okay. cool. im SURE there's more things i could scream about, because it's DN, the fact that they're non-canon makes me THAT much fiercer about them than dair/derena, to be honest. so many dots to connect!! anyway.

#meta #derena #dair #date #anon #this is SUCH a gushy essay but like. what did you expect #how else could i have answered this #this took. an embarrassingly long amount of time #but i had SO much fun so #citations for my ships #don't mind me *whistles under my breath*

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gayregis · 4 years

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Talk to me about Regis, please; headcanons, why/what you like about him, etc. I love him, but there's not a whole lot of (book-based) content about him (That's probably for the better actually, just look at what twn did to Dandelion; there's a bunch of content but it's all ooc or just straight up infantilizing him because uwu innocent baby - gosh I hope twn fandom don't get their hands on Regis)

this is such a great ask ;w;

committment to principles, breaking of tropes

let’s get the deep and emotional parts out of the way. i love regis for being a good person. “epitome of humanity” and all of this. i love how he was an incredibly cruel and violent man and has become a kind person and someone committed to helping others. i find this a very comforting fantasy to be close to and think about. i like how this process was not instantaneous, it took more than 50 years and a good amount of time after that... i love how sapkowski used the idea of an immortal/extremely long lifespan for an arc of redemption and becoming a better person. regis is only a vampire because sapkowski needed him to be able to survive death and reconsider his actions... for most people, death would be the finality... and i like how regis, when recounting his backstory, doesn’t ever make excuses for himself or dwell upon his behavior. he doesn’t speak of consuming guilt, he doesn’t make useless apologies. he has accepted the past and is not looking for attention when he says all of this, it’s merely for context. so he doesn’t seek validation from others, he has already validated himself because he knows that he has become a better person.

i love how regis is an inversion of the vampire tropes... not the ones that are like “vampires can’t touch sunlight/be around garlic/enter houses without invitation, etc.” but the ones that concern vampire origins and what being alive for hundreds of years does to a person’s mind. the “traditionally accepted vampire lore” would have some human losing their humanity over many years, becoming distant from human morality and ethics. regis is a complete inversion of this. instead of being a human who has lost their morality, he is a monster who has gained his morality. he made a committment to learn and understand, and how he sincerely works for good.

hinting and character reveal

i LOVE the buildup to his character reveal. from the moment the company meets him in a cemetery during the dark of night, it should be apparent that he is not what he seems. this added to the fact that they then meet peasants who were searching for a vampire in the very same cemetery, and regis somehow knows all of these accurate facts about vampires... it’s simply entertaining to read or listen to how it all unfolds.

the dramatic reveal is brilliant. i love how it occurs in a scene where regis was doing absolutely nothing but healing dandelion. i love how only regis and geralt knew what this was about, so we received narration in milva’s point of view because milva is the most observant of the other three that were in the company, and she slowly noticed all of these little features about regis that she didn’t notice before... his eyes glowed in the low light with an eerie catlike quality, he didn’t cast a shadow...! it’s good writing because there was significant buildup behind it. we already thought we knew regis, we got all of these hints towards his true identity, and now he’s being revealed as just that, but slowly, slowly... sapkowski doesn’t have geralt immediately yell “HE’S A BLOODY VAMPIRE!” ... it’s a very drawn out conversation. i love how regis doesn’t react much when geralt rests the sword on the hollow of his neck. he says, “well, geralt, i’m all yours,” as if geralt was beckoning him to a conversation and not standing above him with a glistening sword in his hand. and then regis just smiles and challenges him to “go on, thrust it in!” ... just entirely casual and smug. it’s creepy and yet so funny!

and i love how everything about his character seems to make more sense once his backstory is revealed. especially the part where he says he never drinks, not even a sip... after you read the part where he describes his backstory, you realize that this is a nice nod to what is revealed later on.

ability to challenge geralt

i’ll segway the last point into this one: i love how regis is just a straight up bitch to geralt in baptism of fire after he is revealed. during the reveal scene he starts mocking geralt, asking him if he’s going to let him get away, asking him how high he would value a contract on him. geralt tells him to never come back TWICE, and TWICE he returns. he appears to geralt, sits down right next to him, begins to deliver him a great monologue of advice. geralt tells him to fuck off, he just sighs “as you wish,” and continues to give advice.

regis acts on his OWN terms. geralt does not control the speed at which lobsters die vampire. regis acts like a c*nt because he simply can because he knows that geralt can’t fight him on it. what’s he going to to, kill him? ha!

regis came in at exactly the right time. dandelion is geralt’s best friend, but this means that dandelion knows geralt and knows what he’s like, and geralt knows what dandelion’s like. geralt sees dandelion’s unwavering loyalty to him as dangerous, because he doesn’t want to lose dandelion, so he blocks out whatever dandelion says about “i want to go with you, i need to go with you.” geralt knows that dandelion’s only saying this because they have such a deep relationship, and isn’t willing to risk that relationship when he thinks that it doesn’t need to be risked (i.e., that he can handle this without anyone else’s help). milva doesn’t have this long friendship with geralt, but she is his friend, and she’s known him for a few months. she knows that geralt is acting stupidly, and tells him this to his face. but geralt can sense that because she’s also his friend and because she is acting out of some sense of penance, he can’t accept her company, either. geralt is able to push both dandelion and milva away, because he can. he can tell them he doesn’t want to be bothered, he wants to be alone.

enter regis, who simply will just not take “go away” for an answer. regis has been compared to other sages and philosophers in and out of the text, but i think this is very socrates of him. he’s the gadfly to geralt’s sluggish horse. he is able to rouse him simply by annoying the ever loving shit out of him, returning when geralt has told him to leave, giving advice when geralt has told him to shut up. and it’s for good reason, regis doesn’t do this to harm geralt, but to help him. and because he’s regis, he literally has all of the time in the world and the power to be able to annoy geralt like this. he can’t be swayed by stern petulance because it just is like nothing to him, water off of a duck’s back. he has this unbearable attitude of knowing that he’s right. this doesn’t make regis a perfect character - far from it, i would say that this is one of his biggest flaws in fact - but in this situation, it works.

optimism, kindness, healer class

i thoroughly enjoy how the immortal member of the company that has lived for over 4 centuries is such an optimist in everything he does. “it is simply a matter of positive thinking” and all of this nonsense... he’s very content and cheerful all of the time. i made a post counting every time regis is mentioned to be smiling... and it’s a lot. he is also always mentioned to be spekaing softly, calmly, gently... he has a very gentle nature!

regis is a very placating force in the company, he tries to resolve arguments between different parties (milva and the peasants who wanted her horse, milva and angouleme at the kitchen table). he assumes there’s always a good resolution that can be reached.

and the fact that he’s a healer ties it all together. i love how sapkowski actually describes everyone’s profession with detail and length, it makes the fantasy medievalesque setting more immersive, since one’s profession is extremely significant to one’s whole character in a setting like this. regis gets that short monologue about how dandelion is lucky to have gotten this head wound and not an abdominal wound, what with the liver, guts, feces mangled and spilling out... peritonitis... regis actually being described as healing people makes it feel like his character is useful and is actually a surgeon (unlike in the games where he doesn’t ever heal anyone).

he sincerely cares about the human condition and expresses regret and pain when he cannot do anything to cure someone, even though he can sense their sickness. he describes this as literally being “a curse,” that demonstrates how difficult it is for him, and it’s only difficult for him because he cares.

blending in with human society and the quirks that come with it

i love the precautions regis has to take to continue blending in with human society. he smiles with pursed lips as to not show his fangs, but when he is with friends he ends up smiling fully. he has to continue to mask his presence with the blend of herbs. he has to avoid mirrors, dogs, and sorcerer/esses. horses dislike him even with the herbs he carries, and fulko artevelde mentions that “horses and dogs brisk at [the] company’s approach.” these small details are fun and keep reminding the audience that it’s not simple to blend in with human society, and there always IS something off about regis. hell, just shine a bright lamp on all of the company together, and you’ll see that their barber-surgeon doesn’t cast a shadow. the probably reason that they didn’t notice he didn’t cast a shadow was because of how overcast it is around that area of brugge. when they get into beauclair, i headcanon that regis doesn’t tend to walk on the sunny side of the street because of wanting to hide the fact that he won’t cast a shadow.

there’s a lot of different conditions that are necessary to consider in relevance of keeping his identity hidden, and regis does a pretty good job at navigating all of them. i appreciate that these details were written in because it makes it more realistic... even though sapkowski broke multiple vampire tropes with regis, so you know, he won’t burn in sunlight or have adverse reactions to garlic, but there’s still all of these odd ends that he needs to take care of. it makes him seem a lot less overpowered, because it continouslly reminds the audience that he doesn’t blend in perfectly.

“benevolent ominousness”

regis has a very fun supernatural presence, and he only ever uses his powers for good.

things like saving the girl from the refugee camp by sticking his hand into flames and holding a white-hot horseshoe with absolutely no hesitation... saving geralt and dandelion by materializing out of shadow... also appearing out of nowhere to milva and cahir in the forest and milva trying to choke out a grateful sob at his presence... saving ciri at castle stygga by absolutely wrecking the entire lab, with blue flames dancing on the countertops, and then turning around in that chair and saying “don’t be afraid.”

it’s things like this that i have dubbed “benevolent ominousness” - these demonstrations of power would be extremely unsettling, if you didn’t know him and know that he was there to protect you. the embodiment of “you may rest now, there are monsters nearby.”

humor and lighthearted nature despite dark themes, great lines

this isn’t the same humor that sapkowski uses elsewhere... it’s mostly funny due to the line delivery and context. some regis dialogue is just funny, especially when peter kenny voice acts them.

things like regis telling geralt his travel plan is very well-concealed after dandelion gets done telling him everything about it (”and ingeniously concealed, no one would ever suspect the direction of your journey”), regis lifting the horseshoe from the fire and then challenging the priest to perform an exorcism on him, regis appearing to geralt and sitting next to him and during his monologue he’s mocking him and saying “it should be your exclusive right,” geralt saying “shut up, vampire!” during the fish soup scene when regis begins to give him unsolicited advice again. regis’s entire backstory being a blatant metaphor for alcoholism and the equivalencies to human culture (”driving while drunk” = “flying while drunk”), though macabre, are hilarious. regis telling angouleme "i’m not your uncle, dear child,” and she replies, “and i’m not your dear child, uncle!” WHILE ALSO riding on his mule as well. even to the very end, all of his lines and presence at stygga were brilliant. like “i feel such strength inside me, i could probably lay waste to this entire castle,” as he loses it. “beware? i didn’t come here to beware!” as he just charges vilgefortz absolutely unhinged.

honorable mentions

his liking of philosophy and sociology and discussions about all of this

you could argue that regis talks a lot because he probably doesn’t feel how long he’s been talking for. if half a century is “the blink of an eye,” then what’s 10 minutes of monologue?

all of the vampire powers are very cool and come on. i could have literally answered this ask with one word and that word would have been “bat.” he’s a fucking giant bat. that’s epic as hell

fun and tragic potential for his backstory.

meme potential in the fact that he is modest and calm by default. can you imagine regis saying “bitch” ??? or burstin out enthusiastically in song lyrics?? it cracks me up to think about him being out of character for a split second, just for humorous effect.

also yeah if twn and/or its fandom gets their hands on regis i wont know whether to laugh or cry

#ask #anon #the witcher #regis #baptism of fire #i also left out headcanons etc but i might make another post later this one is already long #long post /

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zims-left-shoe · 4 years

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Hello!! Feel free to ignore this but I Was always interested in how a triangle between Dib, female!reader and Gaz would play out. Like if the Reader was a family friend of Dib and Gaz and they both developed a crush on her? I love your stuff btw, keep it up!!

This ask was a pleasure to write for, Anon!! I would never ignore it, I had such a good time with it. I hope I did okay :)

"Thank you ever so much again, Membrane. It truly means a lot. I'll bring her by Tuesday at one." Your father's voice rang out through the hall to reach your ears where you stood peeking around the corner, more or less spying on the man in an oversized lab coat. Your fingers tightened their grip on the doorframe, digging into the wood.

On one hand, you were able to spend time with your friends that you hadn't seen in a while. On the other, you were hoping to spend some time with your father over the summer. In fact, just this next week you were supposed to go out camping for a couple days. It seemed that would be rescheduled for next year...again. You loved your father deeply, and you were so very proud of him and his science that aided the world, but sometimes you just wished he would be a father. At the very least, it seemed like you would be able to spend some quality time with the two other kids who felt your pain.

"Y/n, honey? Would you come in here for a moment?" Your father called out much louder than needed, but he assumed you were holed up in your room instead of eavesdropping. Putting a smile on your face, you wandered into his office. You had perfected that smile. The one you used to mask whatever disappointment would be brought on by the countless cancelled plans. You had become so skilled in the craft that you were able to hide your tears with a genuine-looking grin when your father declared he was unable to attend your 17th birthday. That had not even been two months ago.

"What's up?" Your voice was as light as a feather, almost as if you had no care in the world. You didn't wish to pick a fight. It wasn't worth it. You barely got to see him as it was, so you wanted every interaction to be as smooth and pleasant as possible.

"I'm really sorry about this, but I'll have to postpone our camping trip to next year." He strode over to you, placing a large hand on your shoulder. You couldn't see his eyes through the strands of unkempt h/c hair that fell in his face, but he sounded as if he was truly upset.

"Oh..." You threw in some slight disappointment, as it was what he expected. Despite killing all of your emotions, you were a master at manipulating them to keep your father satisfied. In response to your attitude shift, he patted your shoulder steadily and pulled his lips back in a goofy grin.

"But don't worry! Despite having to go away for a few weeks on some important science business, I've made some arrangements I think you'll be satisfied with." That smile not once ghosting from his lips, he continued on. "Now I know you'd like to come with me, but this is a project where I can't have any distractions. So, I called up Professor Membrane and asked if you could stay with them for the time being. He agreed!" He looked to you expectantly, waiting for your excitement.

"That's great, dad!" This statement was more genuine, as you were truly looking forward to seeing your friends.

"I know you haven't seen Dib and Gazlene in almost three years, so I'm sure this will give you kids ample time to catch up." Fishing a hand into his pocket, he pulled out a small wallet-sized photo for you to see. It was a picture from years ago, probably one of the first times you met the Membrane kids at some science convention. The three of you stood together, all smiles, even Gaz. Everyone had to be no older than eight then. "Gosh, you were all so young. How old is everyone now? Fourteen? Fifteen?"

"Dib just turned eighteen, Gaz is sixteen. You signed his birthday card, remember?" You couldn't stop your tone from falling at your father's lapse of memory.

"You're right. I apologize." Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, he pushed you towards the door that led into the hallway. "Now, you better get packing. We leave early tomorrow morning." You nodded, shuffling out and into the carpeted hallway. You couldn't help having mixed emotions about the whole ordeal. It was very bittersweet. A little nerve-racking as well. You hadn't seen these two in quite a long time, so you were worried whether or not you could pick up where you left off. Sure, you messaged them often and sent each other gifts on holidays and birthdays, but you vaguely wondered if you could last three or so weeks in the Membrane household without things getting awkward.

Clutching your bag tightly in your hands, you couldn't help being livid. You were hoping that, maybe, just maybe, you would be able to spend some quality time with your father on your drive to the Membrane house. But, no. Alas, your father needed to leave almost immediately. To his credit, he did drive you to the airport closest to the town your friends lived in, but instead of taking you all the way there, he pressed enough cash for a cab in your hands and sent you on your merry way. And so there you sat, in the back of a cab on your own, winding through streets that were mostly unfamiliar.

"This neighborhood look right?" The cabby asked as he pulled into the beginning of a vaguely familiar looking neighborhood.

"Um, I think so." You hoped it was right. Worst case scenario you figured you could call Dib and see if he could come pick you up. Staring out the window and watching houses pass by, you drifted into your thoughts. Both your father and Professor Membrane were prestigious scientists who were constantly busy, and when you had moved closer to the Membrane family, you often found yourself playing with the kids while your fathers worked on their science things. As you grew up, you continued to have things in common. Gaz became obsessed with video games, which you enjoyed, although you were never very good at them. Dib became invested in the paranormal, which you had an interest in. You remembered that when he was twelve, a supposed alien moved into his neighborhood and was scheming to conquer the earth or something. Dib talked about him less, but would still bring him up from time to time. You had never seen this alien, but coincidentally, every time you came to visit (which had diminished to about once a year, to eventually once every blue moon with both your father's and your own hellish schedule), this alien kid had always been absent. You were never sure if Dib was just trying to impress you with this tale of an actual alien, or to give you something to talk about, but you supposed it didn't matter.

"We're here, miss." The cab skidded to a halt at the curb in front of a very familiar unique-looking house. You knew you were in the right place. Placing your cash in the payment slot, you stepped out onto the sidewalk with your bag as the cab pulled away and vanished from sight. You thought it was a bit odd that no one was outside. Normally when you would come, the kids would wait on the porch, eager for your arrival. The house looked quiet, and you felt your stomach sink. If this set the tone for the rest of the visit, you were in for a long few weeks. Sucking in a deep breath through gritted teeth you pressed the doorbell. After a moment of nothing, you felt your stomach churning as every muscle tensed. You were beyond uneasy. Just as you were about to turn around and walk to the nearest motel, the front door swung open to reveal a young man who you thought was most likely Dib.

"Y/n?" You felt a grin split your face as you dropped your bag, practically jumping into his arms. He wrapped you in a hug, arms tight around you. After a moment he released you, setting you back on the ground. A silence was still hovering over you, however it was not uncomfortable. You took the opportunity to rake your eyes down his form, absolutely stunned by the difference three years makes.

"Wow, Dib...you're tall." You almost had to crane your neck up to meet his eyes. He probably stood a good few inches above six feet, which was a large jump from the last time you saw him. He had probably only been 5'10'', if that. His dark hair was virtually the same, if anything it had only gotten longer. You couldn't help but let out a chuckle at his classic trench coat and large glasses that took up a majority of his face. "The piercings are new." You pointed a finger to his ears, where black gauges rested in his earlobes.

"I mean, kind of? I've had them for probably a year now."

"Oh." Your eyes fell to the concrete of the porch. Scuffling your feet, you just wanted to skip past the awkward reunion phase and get back into having a good time.

"You can come in, you know." He laughed, the sound relaxing you instantly. You scooped up your bag on the ground, following him inside. The house hadn't changed much, if at all. Dib gestured towards the couch, and the next thing you knew both of you were sitting down. You dropped your bag at your feet, and Dib couldn't help but eye it. "So, what's with the bag?" He jabbed it lightly with his foot, and you couldn't stop your jaw from clenching as you cringed. You were always unable to mask your emotions around these kids. You were never sure what it was about them, but they were the only ones you couldn't put on a face for. Maybe it was because they truly understood the things you were going through, so there was no need. You would never know.

"You don't know...? My dad has some important foreign business so I'm staying with you guys for a few weeks. Did your dad not tell you?" You wrung your hands together, gripping the inside of your cheek with your teeth. "If that's not okay, I can always use my card at a motel or something..."

"Of course it's okay. I was just caught of guard is all." Dib pulled you into another hug, trying his best to reassure you that he wanted you there more than anything. "Besides, it's not like we're strangers. We still talk. I, um, appreciate that more than you know." A chuckle spilled from his lips as his voice grew quieter with every word. "I didn't think we'd see you again." You thought you caught a faint blush settling on his cheeks, although it could have been a trick of the light.

"Yeah, me either. Shit got busy."

"I hear that." Dib let out a sigh, sinking back into the couch. Just as a silence began to take hold, the front door was thrown open.

"Dib, god damnit I called your phone like five times but you didn't pick up-" Gaz entered the room, but cut her own words off as she caught sight of your figure sitting next to her brother on the couch. "Y/n?" The usually gloomy girl perked up, setting the grocery bags she was holding down onto the floor. A smile crept onto your face as you rose from your seat on the couch, bringing her into a hug. You expected her to resist like she usually did, but she defied your expectation. "Ugh, no need to get all mushy." Gaz grumbled, but you had known her long enough to know that based on her tone, she was genuinely happy to see you.

"Nice to see you too, Gazzie."

"Well, you're still annoying as ever." Huffing, she picked up the bags and walked towards the kitchen. "You going to help me, or do I have to drag you over here by your toes, Dib?" She called sharply, Dib silently groaning as he slid further into the couch, almost falling off.

"I got it." Following your friend into the kitchen, you began to help her put away groceries. Most of it was soda, chips, and other junk food, however there were some healthy items in there.

"We haven't seen you in years." Her tone was much softer with you, unlike the razor sharp tongue she saved for her brother. You took a look at her, she had changed a bit too. Her fashion was still the same goth aesthetic, completed by chokers and heavy combat boots, but like Dib, she had gotten taller. She hadn't grown nearly as much, but enough to be a noticeable difference. The one striking thing about her was that her once long hair had been chopped quite short, and you noticed that it was in that awkward stage where it was long enough to where it repeatedly fell in her eyes, but too short to be tucked behind her ear. She was constantly brushing purple locks out of her face as she worked.

"I know. Like I told Dib, things just got busy." Placing the last can of soda in the fridge, you wandered back over to her, smiling despite her straight face. "I like your hair by the way. It suits you." Taking a chunk between your fingers, you twirled the strands, shocked when she didn't swat your hand away.

"Thanks..." Her face became painted in red, and after a moment you took your hand away.

"I'm surprised you haven't tried to hit me yet...absence really does make the heart grow fonder." Before any other words could be exchanged, the front door slammed open yet again. This time, Professor Membrane himself stepped in with several meals from the local Krazy Taco and a big container of ice cream.

"Hello, kids! I have brought dinner!" His voice was filled with excitement as he brought the food into the kitchen where you stood at the counter with Gaz.

"It's like, two in the afternoon?" Dib called from the living room, pushing himself off the couch to wander into the kitchen as well.

"Hush now, boy-child. I wanted to eat with you since it's a special occasion, and this is the only time in my schedule available. So dinner is now!" He hummed in delight as he placed the food in their spots at the table. "It's great to see you, Y/n."

"You too." You took your seat, digging into the food without complaint. The Membrane kids followed suit, each taking a chair on your side. You all ate together, giving life updates, listening to the Professor talk about his current projects, cracking jokes. All the while, you felt yourself slip back into the dynamic you had missed so much. You couldn't ignore the glances both Dib and Gaz would send your way, and any time you would catch their eyes, they would both very quickly drop their gaze to their food. However, you chopped it up to something that would stop after a day or so. After all, you were doing the same thing, unable to believe how much they had changed in the past three years.

After a half hour or so, Professor Membrane stood up, throwing his trash away and cleaning up his area. "I have to go back to work. Y/n, you can share Gaz's room if you'd like." You nodded, clearing your own spot as his kids said their goodbyes.

"Could we please watch something else?" Gaz groaned as she continued to stare at her Game Slave on her side of the couch, fingers flying across the controls faster than you could track.

"Hey, it's a new episode! Besides, Y/n likes Mysterious Mysteries." Dib countered, keeping the controller close to him. He sat on your other side, and you were caught smack dab in the middle of their bickering. It wouldn't have been the first time that night. They seemed to be worse together than you remembered.

"Do you really?" Gaz looked up from her game for the first time in the past hour.

"Well, yeah, sure." You shrank back into the couch, not liking how you had been put on the spot. You just wanted to spend time with both of them without them picking fights with one another. Was that too much to ask?

"Fine. But after this, I'm changing the channel. There's supposed to be some good horror movies on tonight." Gaz turned her attention back to her Game Slave, only backing down for your sake. Otherwise, she would have taken that controller by force.

The Mysterious Mysteries episode began, although halfway through, you began to get bored. You didn't remember the show segments being so terrible, but you didn't think you could listen to any more of the legend of Goat Man, a man who supposedly had supernatural abilities to control the minds of goats (in reality it was just some hippie who fed his goats so many treats that they followed him everywhere).

"Was Mysterious Mysteries always so...bad?" Your eyes drifted to Dib, who without protest, surrendered the remote to you.

"No. But this is why paranormal investigators get a bad rep." Crossing his arms, Dib puffed out his cheeks, pouting. You couldn't help but crack a grin. He had been making that pouty face for years. Some things never change. You passed the remote to Gaz, who finally put down her Game Slave to put on a horror movie.

"Finally, some good tv." Gaz set the remote next to her, relaxing into the cushions of the couch.

As the movie went on, you realized that you didn't like horror movies as much as you thought you did. One particularly loud jumpscare caused every muscle in your body to tense, and subconsciously, you sidled up next to Dib, grabbing at the fabric of his coat with your hands as you leaned into him. He felt grateful that the room was dark, or else you would have seen the mad blush on his face. You weren't really looking at anything anymore, rather you had your face buried in Dib's side. He put an arm around you, trying to rub comforting circles into your arm, despite his stomach feeling as if it was tied in ten thousand knots.

"Gaz, maybe we should watch something else." Dib suggested, using maximum effort to keep his voice steady. All he had wanted for the past year or so was to hold you like this, but now he couldn't even feel good about it since you were uncomfortable and scared. Truth was, he had fallen hard for you after you had began texting all the time the past couple years. Well, he guessed that he had probably been harboring these feelings for much longer than that, but he only realized it when he hadn't been able to see you.

"But it's almost over." Gaz whined, glaring daggers at Dib all the while. Without another word, she laid her head in your lap, not liking Dib getting all of your attention. Your hand reached out to find hers, taking it in your own and gripping it as if it were a lifeline.

"Gaz-"

"It's fine. I'll be fine." You interrupted Dib, face still buried in his side. Gaz would still try and glare in Dib's direction. She normally would bicker with him on the regular, but this animosity she felt towards him in that moment was of a new sort. She felt your legs tense underneath her every time there was a loud noise, and whenever that happened, she would feel a pang of guilt for putting you through this. She decided to focus on the way your hand felt in her own. It felt almost natural, and she admittedly never wanted to let go. While your face was still avoiding seeing anything until the film was over, Dib glanced down at his sister, and saw that look in her eyes. He knew his sister like he knew every corner of Zim's base (which by this point, was very well). Enough to know that she was in love. For probably the first, and possibly only time in her life. Under different circumstances, he would encourage her in her romantic endeavors, but of course, the one she had to like was coincidentally also the girl he had feelings for.

Dib had no more time to think on the matter, as the movie finally drew to a close, and Gaz turned off the tv. You untucked yourself from Dib, Gaz sitting up to allow you to stretch.

"Sorry. You both probably think I'm a little bitch." You laughed half-heartedly, just wanting to go to sleep and forget that ever happened.

"Don't worry about it." Dib's lips quirked up in a slight smile, hoping to come off as comforting.

"Yeah, Dib's done plenty of embarrassing things anyway." Gaz smirked, elbowing you gently in the side.

"Hey!"

"Besides, I still think you're cool." Gaz's words were quiet, and her face was dusted in pink, though you were unable to tell due to the darkness of the room.

"Thanks, Gazzie."

As if by freak accident, something in the kitchen fell from the counter, making a loud noise that echoed through the house as it collided with the floor. You just about jumped out of your skin, yelping as you did so.

Your face in your hands to hide your cringing, your words came out muffled. "Do you mind if we sleep out here for tonight? All of us?"

"Sure." The Membrane kids spoke together, shuffling off to grab blankets and pillows while you sat on the couch, cursing yourself for your irrational fears. You knew it was just a movie, but you were still terrified regardless. They came back quickly, throwing their stuff down on the floor.

"I brought you a pillow and a blanket." Gaz pushed a fluffy blanket and a pillow over to you. Opening your mouth to give your thanks, you were stopped by Dib.

"But I brought you that too." The two glared at each other, fists and teeth clenched, seemingly caught in some deadlock that you had been left out of.

"She doesn't want your gross blanket, Dib! If it came from your room, it's definitely disgusting!" Gaz shoved her brother, Dib stumbling backwards a few steps. His eyes narrowed, he shoved her back, harder. She fell into the couch, all but growling at him.

"Guys! I'll just use both!" You waved your hands frantically, barring them from each other with your arms. "Thank you, both of you." Your words seemed to deescalate the situation for the meantime, though even you could still feel the electric tension that was in the room. You knew this was much more than typical sibling rivalry, and were worried that you would get caught in the middle. What you didn't know is that you were already caught in the web, that you had been from the moment you stepped foot inside the Membrane household. "Is something going on that I should be aware of?" You asked as you laid out your blankets and pillows, sitting down on your spot on the floor.

"It's nothing!" The siblings blurted at the same time, prepping their sleep space as well. Shaking your head in bewilderment, you laid down, the pair following suit, one on either side of you. You let your eyes flutter closed, feeling much safer with Dib and Gaz by your side.

With one final staredown with Gaz, Dib scooted as close to you as he dared. What he wanted most was to reach out and hold your hand, but was too afraid to do so. Gaz was much more bold, cuddling right up to you and intertwining her fingers with yours. You peeled an eye open and looked to her, but didn't pull away. Dib muttered a curse under his breath, screwing his eyes shut and keeping his frustrations with his sister to himself.

You had all drifted into a heavy sleep rather quickly, Gaz and Dib's expressions softening from irritated to peaceful. At about two thirty in the morning, Professor Membrane had come back from the lab, much, much later than he had intended, dead tired. He almost stumbled over the three teenagers deep in slumber on the living room floor. That snapped him to his senses, and his normally serious expression ebbed away to one that was more loving at the sight.

You were wedged in the middle, Gaz tucked cutely into your side, hand still in yours. Dib had drifted closer to you in his sleep, his head on your chest, legs tangled in your own, hand laid across you protectively.

Professor Membrane chuckled to himself quietly, snapping a quick picture with his phone before he retreated to his own room to get as many hours of sleep as his schedule would allow.

#invader zim #invader zim fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic #dib membrane #gaz membrane #dib x reader #gaz x reader #invader zim oneshot #invader zim one shot #request

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marvelous-writer · 4 years

Text

Up on the Rooftop, slip slip slip

Summary: Morgan comes home from school in tears after a kid at school tells her there’s no such thing as Santa, so Peter takes it upon himself to show her otherwise.

Word Count: 2,900

Genre: whump, fluff, humor

A/N: Thank you @whumphoarder for beta reading this and for being such a great friend and awesome person for helping me with my writing. ❤️

Link to read on Ao3

It’s just a little after four on December 24th when the car’s tires hit the gravel driveway leading to the Stark’s cabin. The familiar crunching sound sends a wave of comfort through Peter as he leans forward, looking out through the windshield to see the cabin come into view.

“Home sweet home,” Happy says, giving Peter a small smile through the rear view mirror.

Peter smiles as he sits back in his seat. “Yeah.”

It’s been almost three weeks since he’s been to the cabin, having been busy cramming for finals at school—not to mention all the extra Spider-Manning he’s been doing with the recent uptick in crime around the city. The holidays always bring more shoplifters and robberies. He can’t even remember the last time he’s had a solid four hours of sleep.

But for now, Peter can finally just relax and enjoy quality time with family and friends.

As the car rolls to a stop in front of the garage a few feet from the house, Peter’s stomach tightens in excitement. He wants nothing more than to throw his door open and race inside, but he forces himself to calmly get out and help Happy retrieve their bags out of the trunk.

“Look who’s here!” a voice comes from behind.

Peter turns around when he hears the sound of the screen door creaking open, only to see Tony standing there on the front porch, smiling at them, wearing one of the most ridiculous Iron Man Christmas sweaters Peter’s ever seen. Carefully avoiding bumping into Happy, Peter all but runs up the stairs to him and throws himself at Tony.

“Merry Christmas,” Peter murmurs against his mentor’s chest as he feels strong arms wrap around him in a warm hug.

“Merry Christmas, kiddo.”

He feels Tony’s arms go slack around him, but Peter doesn’t let go as he presses himself further against his mentor and buries his nose into the man’s shoulder, earning an amused chuckle from Tony as his arms squeeze around him once again.

“Feeling extra cuddly today, are we?” Tony asks, his voice rumbling in his chest against Peter’s ear.

“Missed you,” Peter mumbles as something twists inside his chest.

“I’ve missed you too, bud. I can’t believe it’s been three weeks since I last saw you, give or take all those FaceTime calls.”

Peter pulls back with a smile, managing to get a hold on himself. “I know.”

“I feel like you’ve grown a few inches,” Tony says with a teasing grin as he reaches a hand up to measure him, but Peter moves away with a laugh.

“Or maybe you just shrunk a few inches,” Peter shoots back.

“Gosh, I hope not,” Tony says as he throws an arm around Peter’s shoulders as they walk in the house. A warm burst of air hits them, sending chills through Peter at the sudden change in temperature.

“How’s May been?” Tony asks.

“Uh, pretty good—busy with work and stuff,” Peter answers as he shrugs off his coat and hangs it up on the rack by the door before following Tony, catching the scent of freshly baked cookies in the air.

“So I’ve heard. I’m happy she’s able to take some time off to relax,” Tony says over his shoulder as he heads towards the kitchen.

“Yeah, I know,” Peter says as he stops walking, expecting to her the sound of thundering little footsteps from upstairs and seeing Morgan running down the stairs to greet him... but the house is oddly silent. Unsettlingly so.

“Where’s Morgan?” he questions.

“In her room.” Tony grabs a pair of oven mitts from a drawer and opens the oven, taking out a batch of what looks to be sugar cookies. “We... have a bit of a problem.”

“What do you mean?” Peter asks, brows pulling together.

Tony takes off the oven mitts and puts them on the counter with a sigh. “Some kid at Morgan’s school told her Santa isn’t real.”

“Oh, man,” Peter says, feeling his stomach drop, knowing all too well how that felt.

He was around Morgan’s age when a bully at school told him Santa wasn’t real as well. But May and Ben didn’t sit him down and tell him the truth; instead, they went out of their way to help him believe that Santa Claus was real by leaving chewed up carrots outside their house from the reindeer and an empty plate of cookies, as well as a hand-written letter from Santa himself.

When Peter was older, he found out that May and Ben had done all of that for him, to allow him to just be a kid and enjoy the magic of Christmas, especially after losing his parents at such a young age.

And Morgan loves Santa Claus just as much as Peter had. She’s been talking about Christmas for weeks now, even having Peter help her write a letter to him, asking for either a cat or dog that needs a home for Christmas, and telling Santa to give the elves a nice long vacation after the holidays, and give the reindeer extra carrots. Santa is everything to Morgan, and she must be absolutely devastated right now.

“Yeah,” Tony says with another sigh. “Pepper’s tried everything to help her feel better... but... she’s taking it pretty hard.”

“Poor, Morgan,” Peter says sympathetically, wishing there was something he could do to help.

That’s when it hits him.

The corners of Peter’s lips turn into a grin as he looks at Tony. “I have an idea.”

...

Once it’s dark outside and Morgan is tucked in bed, Peter quietly goes outside of the cabin, followed by Happy.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? There’s a lot of fresh snow up there from last night,” Happy points out as he looks up at the roof.

“It’ll be fine. I’m super sticky, remember?” Peter tells him with a grin as he walks over to the side of the house and grips the wood siding.

“Are you sure you don’t want a ladder at least? Just to be safe?”

“No, I’ll be fine,” Peter insists as he starts scaling the side of the house, concentrating hard on keeping his hands sticking to the slippery surface.

“Be careful!” Happy whispers sharply from below.

Peter rolls his eyes goodnaturedly as he continues climbing until he reaches the roof. He swings his leg over and hoists himself up with a grunt before getting first to his knees, then his feet. Carefully, he makes his way over to the window he knows belongs to Morgan’s room and peaks inside. Tony and Pepper are both sitting on the little girl’s quilted snowflake bedspread, reading a bedtime story, while Morgan dressed in pajamas, sits between them.

A smile spreads across Peter’s face as he pulls out the small strip of jingle bells he’s found inside earlier and gives them a little shake.

Morgan’s head pops up at the sound as she looks over at the window. Peter quickly ducks down so she doesn’t see him and ruin his whole mission.

“What was that?” Peter hears Morgan ask, thanks to his enhanced hearing.

“I don’t know. It almost sounded like... Santa?” he hears Tony reply in a dramatic tone as Pepper gasps in surprise.

Peter grins as he stands up straight, stomping his feet for added effect as he gives the bells another shake.

“I think he’s here!” Pepper says excitedly.

Peter peaks in the room and sees the big smile plastered on Morgan’s face. The sight sends a burst of warmth through his chest.

He stomps again and jumps slightly, but when his feet come back down to the roof, they’re met with an icy patch under the snow. His spider sense only has a brief second to warm him before Peter finds himself sliding backwards as his legs give out from underneath him.

Peter’s hands scramble to attach his fingers to the roof to stick on, or get a hold of something to save himself, but he’s sliding too fast and everything is all icy.

Suddenly, there’s nothing underneath him as he plummets through the air, the snowy ground quickly rushing up to meet him.

The last thought he has is the faint hope that the snow will break his fall, before he slams into the ground.

...

A dull, throbbing pain breaks through the darkness, along with a panicked voice somewhere in the background as consciousness slowly creeps back to Peter.

“Peter! C’mon, kid—wake up! Shit!”

Peter groans, slowly blinking his heavy eyes open, seeing a blurry figure above him.

“H’ppy?”

“Yeah. Right here, Pete,”

Peter blinks a few times before his vision clears, allowing him to see the worry written all over the man’s features as he looks down at Peter with wide eyes.

“Shit, I knew this wasn’t a good idea! May’s gonna kill me,” Happy hisses. “Are you okay? Does anything feel broken?”

As if he needs a reminder, Peter’s whole body seems to throb painfully. “Ugh, everything,” he groans.

“Shit. Uh—okay. Let’s try to get you up and into the house, alright?”

Happy begins to carefully help him to his feet but stops when Peter suddenly lets out a sharp hiss in pain and squeezes his eyes shut.

“What’s wrong?” Happy asks worriedly.

“M-My back,” Peter grits out, forcing himself to breathe through the pain radiating across his back.

“Does anything feel broken?” Happy asks, even paler now.

Cautiously, Peter moves his limbs around a bit to check. As stiff and achy as he is from his fall, there’s no sharp pain that would indicate a break. “I don’t think so? It’s just really sore,” he admits.

Happy blows out a relieved breath. “Alright. We can work with that.”

When Peter is finally on his feet, hunched over with Happy’s arm wrapped around his middle, they shuffle back towards the front of the house, Happy supporting most of Peter’s weight.

“Well, I think the plan worked,” Peter groans. “Should’ve seen her face when she heard the bells.”

“Yeah? Well that’s good at least, but I still say you should have used a ladder,” Happy grumbles as he carefully drapes one of Peter’s arms over his shoulders.

“Mmh, next time,” Peter says.

“Oh, no. There’s not gonna be a next time. You’re barred from going up on that roof ever again.”

As they approach the front porch, the door suddenly swings open and Tony steps out with a smile, only for it to fall when he sees them.

“What happened?” he demands as he rushes down the stairs.

“I feel off the roof,” Peter tells him simply.

Tony’s eyes widen and his mouth opens for a few seconds before he closes this eyes, shaking his head. “I told you this wasn’t a good idea. We should have just gone with my plan of dressing Happy up in a Santa suit and having Morgan come down around midnight to catch him putting presents under the tree.”

Happy throws a glare his way, but Tony ignores it as he drapes Peter’s other arm over his shoulders. The three of them carefully make their way up the stairs and into the house, not letting go of Peter until he’s sitting on the couch.

“I’m gonna grab a heating pad and some menthol ice,” Happy says before he disappears upstairs.

“I’ll grab you your super kid pain meds,” Tony says as he heads into the kitchen, leaving Peter on the couch.

Despite the pain he’s in, Peter doesn’t regret going up on the roof. Was it stupid and dangerous? Sure. But the look on Morgan’s face made it all worth it. Peter would do anything to keep that smile on her face for as long as he can.

...

When the next morning comes, Peter’s in even more pain than the night before. He had no other choice than to fall asleep on the couch because stairs were too much of a challenge, embarrassingly enough. Happy ended up sleeping on the love seat after ordering Tony to go on up to bed, getting up to help Peter whenever he needed something.

It’s close to seven-thirty when Peter wakes to the sound of eager footsteps racing down the stairs, seeing Morgan dragging Tony and Pepper by their hands. He slowly pushes himself up with a wince, trying to ignore his protesting back as he sits up against the back of the couch.

“Petey! Petey!” Morgan exclaims as she drops her parents hands and runs over to him, practically vibrating with excitement. “I heard Santa last night!”

“What? No way!” Peter says in a fake-shocked tone. He glances sideways at Tony, who smiles and winks at him in return.

“Yeah! When Mommy and Daddy were telling me my bedtime story, I heard him walking on the roof and we heard bells! I’m gonna tell Aiden he was wrong! Santa is real and I heard him!”

Peter smiles at her, warmth blossoming in his chest at how truly happy she is. His back pain seems to have completely disappeared for the moment as he takes all of this in. This must be how May and Ben felt when Peter was younger.

“Wait... did you sleep on the couch?” Morgan asks suddenly, brows pulled together as she looks at him, then over at Happy, who is only now starting to wake up, despite all the commotion.

“Uh... yeah?” Peter says uncertainly.

Morgan gasps excitedly. “Did you see Santa?”

Peter breathes out a sigh. “No. He must have come when I was asleep. I wish I had though.”

Morgan’s brows pull together again. “Why did you sleep on the couch?”

Peter opens his mouth, but Tony jumps in before he can say anything. “Well, Pete and Happy wanted to see Santa, so they decided to camp out here last night.”

“Yeah,” Happy chimes in. “But we fell asleep and missed him.”

Morgan’s brows are still drawn together as she looks between them, then down at the heating pad on the couch. Peter stills, feeling like all the air in the room has been sucked out. Morgan might be only five years old, but she’s frighteningly smart for her age. Of course she could piece everything together. It would break her heart if she sound out the truth, and Peter’s as well.

“What’s that for?” she questions, meeting Peter’s wide eyes.

“Uh... I... I, uhm...” Peter stumbles for words, his tired brain not being helpful at the moment.

“Well, it’s a little embarrassing, really,” Tony starts, letting out a sigh. “He doesn’t want to admit it, but he took a little tumble yesterday. Slipped on some ice when Happy picked him up from school.”

Peter shoots a small glare is way, feeling his cheeks heat up even though he knows the story isn’t true.

“Oh, yeah,” Happy says, a faint smile pulling at his mouth. “He just wiped out right there on the sidewalk. Didn’t know what hit him.”

Peter sends a glare his way as well, but Happy just smirks at him.

“Aww, Petey!” Morgan says, frown dropping into concern as she crawls up on the couch and wraps her arms around him in a gentle hug. “Do you feel better now?”

“Way better,” Peter lies, forcing a smile even as pain radiates in his lower back at the awkward position he’s in now.

Morgan pulls back, smiling as she looks over at Tony and Pepper. The two are now walking back over to the living room with a tray of mugs, which Peter hopes are full of coffee.

“Can we open presents now?” Morgan asks hopefully.

“Of course,” Tony agrees, earning an excited squeal from Morgan as she jumps off the couch, jostling Peter a little.

Peter smiles as he watches Morgan search through all the presents (which definitely weren’t there when he went to sleep last night, so Tony and Pepper must have snuck down at some point) until she finds one of hers. She plops down on the floor and starts ripping open the bright red and green wrapping.

Tony helps Pepper hand out all the mugs before he sits down beside Peter, handing him one. “Cream and extra sugar?”

Peter smiles as he wraps his hands around the warm mug. “Just how I like it.”

Tony rolls his eyes goodnaturedly, before taking a sip of his own mug. For several moments, they all sit there in the living room, watching Morgan open her presents with enthusiasm.

Peter is old enough now to know that Christmas isn’t about the gifts under the tree, but Morgan is only five. For Peter, this is what Christmas is about—being surrounded by family.

As if on cue, a knock comes at the front door.

“That must be May,” Pepper announces as she puts her mug down on the coffee table before standing up from the couch and heads to the door.

“Remember,” Tony whispers, eyeing the door a little nervously. “You slipped on ice yesterday when Happy picked you up. That’s the story we’re going with.” He glances between Peter and Happy.

Peter breathes out a sigh as he takes a sip of his coffee. He doesn’t like lying to May, but that story is better than telling her the truth that he fell off the roof last night while pretending to be Santa Claus.

He has to save what little dignity he has left.

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eleanorbloom · 4 years

Text

[OH] When You’re Ready (Bryce L. x f! MC x Ethan R.)

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything of the Open Heart World, it belongs to Pixelberry Studios. The name Eleanor Bloom and her story was created by me.

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x f! MC (Eleanor Bloom) x Ethan Ramsey.

Word Count: 2.7k

Warning: Some angst, adult language, some adult situations. This is definitely a NS-FW fanfiction so anyone under 18 years old MUST NOT READ IT.

Summary: Bryce has decided to let go of Eleanor because she’s in love with Ethan Ramsey. But a turn in her relationship with the attending might change Bryce's plans.

_____________

Chapter 1: Why.

So many nights trying to find someone new

They don’t mean nothing compared to you

He opened the door of his apartment, staggering. The celebration at Donahue’s had been wilder than he expected. Too many tequilas he couldn’t deny to Jackie. And too much anxiety to kill with alcohol.

Bryce sat on the sofa and sighed. He finally had a break to process what had happened today. Eleanor was safe. The Ethics Committee had decided to not suspend her, and Teresa Martínez’s family had withdrawn the lawsuit against Edenbrook, as they were grateful for what Eleanor did for their mother. In the end, all her effort and dedication had been rewarded.

He was happy about it, but more relieved that Eleanor wouldn’t leave. Bryce had been feeling increasingly afraid of that possibility, although he was trying to stay positive. The world wasn’t a fair place, the doctors didn’t have to understand the real reasons that led Eleanor to help Teresa Martínez. They would only see incompetence, malpractice, but never the honest desire that Mrs. Martínez enjoyed her last days traveling, just as she always dreamed since she was a child.

The very idea that things had been different caused him intense pain. Thinking of all the suffering that Eleanor could’ve to go through was almost unbearable. Also, the fact that she had to leave and he couldn’t see her anymore. But mainly it was her pain that affected him the most. She was one of the few people who deserve all the good in the world, for her kind heart, her dedication, her solidarity with her colleagues and patients. She didn’t deserve anything that was happening to her, but at least it was all was over now.

And now another thought came to his mind: Eleanor was with him right now. With Ethan Ramsey.

He wished with all his heart that whatever they had now would work for them, because she was truly interested in him, to his misfortune. But he respected her decision. From the day she told him that they couldn’t keep their casual hookups because she was feeling things for Ethan Ramsey, he respected her decision and wished her well. Every time Bryce saw her or saw them, he wished them all the best from the bottom of his heart, although they were apparently far from it.

Since Ramsey had left the hospital, he hadn’t reached out to her not a single time, not even to ask how she was or to support her in the difficult process she was living with the Ethics Committee. What asshole leaves Eleanor at a time like that, when she was supposed to be someone Ramsey cared about? When she heard from Eleanor that Ramsey had not contacted her, he felt uncontrollable anger but did his best to not say anything. Yes, he was suffering for his friend, Naveen Banerji, but Eleanor, with his life on the verge of collapse, still cared for Banerji and him, she hid the secret from her friends and colleagues, and then, when she found the cure for the old man, she used her time to cure him instead of preparing for the Ethics Hearing. But the Great Ethan Ramsey couldn’t give her a fucking hour just to support her because it was more important his suffering and sense of failure than what Eleanor was going through.

Eleanor had left him for a selfish, insufferable ass who was unable to use his position or his freedom and time to support her when she most needed it. Instead, Bryce had spent all the time he needed to recover from the poorly sleeping hours every surgical resident has since Medical School, acompannying and helping her to get the support of senior physicians from Edenbrook.

Well, yes, in the end, Ramsey did use his contacts to help her. But of moral support? No signs.

And now she was with him. He saw her approaching Ramsey when he entered Donahue’s, and how quickly they left.

Bryce couldn’t judge her; it was her feelings after all. But he sensed that the following events wouldn’t be good news. There was the rumor that Ethan Ramsey would return to his old position at Edenbrook, so he would continue that stormy dynamics of setting limits with Eleanor because he was her boss, but still breaking those limits at the slightest pressure. And he would continue to have Eleanor in limbo, waiting for him to make up his mind and choose her despite his fears. Waiting for him to decide to give her everything she deserved without conditions or hesitation. All that love, attention, and affection that he wanted to give her, and that somehow were still there, waiting for his chance.

He sighed again.

“Everything happens in time, Bryce. Don’t rush it, ” he said to himself before making his way to his bedroom to catch some sleep.

The next day, the good news were announced. Harper Emery left her position as Chief of Medicine and would return to her scrubs as Head of Neurosurgery. Naveen Banerji would take her position, so Ethan Ramsey was officially Director of Diagnostics. The last big news was that Eleanor had won the junior fellow competition and would be spending her second year of residency as a junior member of the Diagnostic Department.

He was so happy for her because it was something she really deserved. All the sweat, blood, and tears that she had put into that competition had found its reward. Besides, she deserved it for her human qualities. However, he also knew that the news implied a turn in her relationship with Ramsey. Aside from being her boss, now they would be colleagues, they would work much closer, and if Ethan already intended to put boundaries between them, her position in the Team would put much more difficulty on that. Bryce didn’t want to take this news as a light at the end of the tunnel, an opportunity after so much confusion, but he couldn’t lie to himself. Deep down he wanted this to complicate things, but on the other hand, he didn’t want to see Eleanor suffering again. He wasn’t a selfish bastard to want something like that.

Bryce saw the exchange of awkward glances between Ethan and Eleanor, while Naveen Banerji gave them a knowing smile. It was clear that the old man knew what was going on between the two and didn’t seem to care at all. Probably Naveen would be in the front line encouraging Ethan to stop being such an idiot and accept his feelings for Eleanor. Hell, if he himself didn’t have feelings for Eleanor, he would be by Banerji’s side, with popcorn cheering Ramsey to finally make up his mind and stop making Eleanor suffer. But of course, that was not the case. He was hopelessly in love with her.

Ethan looked away, embarrassed, and quickened his pace to catch up with Naveen. Eleanor turned to him. Her smile was so bright that the sun would be jealous of the light, warmth and beauty that emanated from her, happiness and pride swelling her heart.

Bryce opened his arms, inviting her for a hug.

“C’mere!”

Eleanor cheerfully received the hug, rejoicing in the warmth she only found in Bryce’s arms. From the first hug many months ago, both hiding in a supply closet, Eleanor had been conscious of the healing powers of his hugs. At that time, he consoled her of her first breakdown on her first day at Edenbrook. And now, that embrace was simply showing the pride and happiness Bryce was feeling for her achievement. He, who had always trusted her, even more than herself. He, who had always shown her the way to self-confidence and fight for what she believed in.

“You did it, Elle. You really did it”

“Yes! I am still in shock. Yesterday, this time, my life was still threatened, and look at me now! I won the competition. Well, not technically because it was finished when Ethan left … But I was chosen by Naveen Banerji himself, my mentor’s mentor”

“Yes, and the guy whose life you saved. It was the least he could do”.

“Well, I think so,” She shrugged, “But I’d like to think that I made it for all my merits in the competition.”

“Of course, Elle. You deserved this spot more than anyone, apart from being an excellent doctor, you are an extraordinary human being. And that’s what makes you better than anyone.”

“Aww Bryce,”Eleanor hugged him again, touched, “You’re always so flattering. I hope someday I know my qualities just as well as you know them.”

“Well, just keep hanging out with me and this self-assurance will infect you. But be careful, our friends could stop tolerating you as they do with me sometimes because my ego is too big.”

“Oh, I think I could reach a healthy balance between knowing my worth and not overstepping the limits of self-centeredness”

“Oh, are you implying I’m out of it?”—Bryce raised an eyebrow, serious.

“No, but you are always very close to the verge. Since you haven’t surpassed it yet, that’s why I still consider you my friend”

“Oh, you honor me,” He feigned a modest bow.

“Well, I should get back to my patients before the attendings chew me out for wasting my time with a scalpel jockey.”

“Oh my gosh, Eleanor, how can you be so cruel to someone who treats you well and fills your soul with self-confidence? I think the position went to your head”

“Who are you again? ”She asked, looking at him from head to toe.

Bryce grinned, “I’m going to become Harper Emery’s favorite and I’ll be the one to ask you who you are. We all know that surgery is more popular than internal medicine.”

They both laughed.

“You are such a child, Lahela. Never change.”

Eleanor raised the palm of her hand.

“I won’t, "Bryce replied as they high fived.

He saw her leaving to the Nurse's Station at a light pace. He couldn’t suppress a smile. He was extremely happy to see her succeed on her first day back at Edenbrook. She deserved that and more.

As he supposed, things between Eleanor and Ethan didn’t go well. From what he could observe and the things he heard from Eleanor’s drunken babbling, Ethan was trying to set serious boundaries between them, but not strong enough to prevent them from ending up kissing in his office to kill the tension or suppress the pain of not being able to be together as much as they wanted, simply because Ethan didn’t want it that way.

As the weeks went by, the situation became increasingly annoying to Bryce. Although he had made up his mind to forget Eleanor, he still unconsciously wanted her to realize that he was everything she needed and deserved. And he felt stupid waiting for her because it was clear that Eleanor had no eyes for anyone but Ethan, even if he kept ignoring her.

His annoyance reached such a point that one day he made the decision to avoid any contact with Eleanor and her friends as much as he could. He began to spend time with his surgical mates in his interest to meet new people and lose himself in the sea of parties and girls with whom to spend the night.

That night, he went to Donahue’s with the interns knowing that Eleanor and her friends had a night shift, so he wouldn’t have to meet her. He took a seat next to Rosa and Charles.

“You had a fight with your nerdy medical friends, or what?” Rosa asked when she saw him take a seat.

“No, why?”

“Because you have been spending a suspicious amount of time with us lately, when you used to be with them all the time.”

“I needed a change,” he shrugged nonchalantly,“Now that the competition’s over, there’s not so much gossip around them.”

“Sure, ”Rosa replied, not convinced.

A few shots later, several surgical residents were gathered. Including a third-year resident Bryce had always found attractive because she had an air of Shania Twain, and she was the first musical crush he had ever had.

Apparently, the reputation of being Bryce Lahela was also well received by older residents, because after two hours of drinks, Bryce was there, crossing the door to his apartment with his arms wrapped around Caroline’s waist, the attractive surgical resident who aspired to specialize in plastic surfery.

The woman was incredibly neat and was dressed impeccably. She had an exquisite aroma and a look so inquisitive that it seemed like she was looking through his skin. Although, she was actually scrutinizing his skin.

“I can’t believe it’s real,” she said, touching his cheeks with her fingertips.

“Me? Of course I am.”

Caroline rolled her eyes up, “No, your skin. I was always struck by how smooth it looked, like you were a doll. And I think you are.”

“I think this level of observation is more intimidating than having to pose for an hour naked in front of the whole hospital”

“I bet you wouldn’t mind spending your life walking naked with that body you have.”

“And I won’t in a couple of moments either.”

Caroline cut the distance between their bodies with one swift movement, kissing him. They continued their journey to the room, where the clothes went down the floor and the four walls muffled the moans and exclamations that came from their bodies. And so came the culmination of that long-awaited search for pleasure on the skin of another woman, with the intention of erasing the marks of someone from the past, believing that it would help him end his agony.

“Crap, Lahela. I always try to have low expectations, but you have proven me wrong.”

“Prove you wrong?”

“I thought you weren’t the wonder that people said, but you are.”

But no. Instead of ending with the ego energized by ending up banging with the woman he intended to, and even more flattered for his performance; Bryce ended with an existential void that decomposed him the entire night.

“And you are as attractive as I imagined you would be, since my first week as a surgical intern.”

Caroline didn’t know it, but those were the hollowest words Bryce had ever said. Without true charm, candor, interest, or desire. And he said them just to not be rude with her.

“Shut up, it sounds like you have a crush with your elementary school teacher, and we don’t have that much of an age difference”

Bryce simply gave her a humorless smile.

He woke up the next morning with the bed empty.

He sighed with relief. The truth was he had no intention of dealing with Caroline or faking a smile or joking about the night before, because he was in such a shitty mood, he hoped it would at least let him greeting the staff and patients before locking himself in his bad mood.

In his intention to try to be better about the situation with Eleanor, he was worse now.

Weeks later, he tried again, but with the same result. During the encounter, he couldn’t help but wish that she was the one in his arms, or that she was by his side after the act was over. Was it Caroline, or any other resident, or even a Tinder date, the result was the same. He still missed her, he still imagined her features and the beautiful expressions on her face when he had another woman in his bed.

Bryce finally understood that the lie of filling the void she had left with other women had only increased his pain, so he decided to not be with a woman again until he had begun to heal. And to do it, he had to learn to deal with Eleanor and her friends. He couldn’t use the technique that so much criticized Ethan Ramsey, so he stopped being so reluctant to the company of Eleanor and her roommates, and returned to spend time with them. It wouldn’t be easy, he was sure about that, but it had to be done.

_________

A/N:

Hello everyone!

So, here I am posting my first Choices Fanfic ever. I’ve been working on it for a while because I have the bad habit of publishing things and then don’t finish them.

This is a challenge for me because it’s written in English, which is not my mother language. I’m a Spanish speaker, so, I’ve been reading and polishing my vocabulary and looking for more informal expressions and slang to make this fanfiction less boring or formal. So I apologize in advance if my narration is weird, my grammatic is wrong or if I have misspelled words. I appreciate your patience and if you have any advice of how I can better my writing skills, it’s welcome!

I’m an old school fanfiction writer, which means my fanfic will be LARGE compared to most of the fanfics that are here. I really admire the people who write drabbles or one-shot fanfics without previous fanfics to referred or just with a prompt list! This will have at least 20 chapters (I’m still deciding if I merge some or not, so that’s why I don’t have an exact number) because it’s a slow burn story.

Oh, another thing. The title of the fic and all the chapters are song-inspired. The title’s fanfic and the plot are inspired by Shawn Mendes’s song. At the beginning of each chapter, you’ll find the lyrics that inspire the plot of each one.

Well, enough verbiage. Welcome to When You’re Ready. I hope you enjoyed it!

Let me know if you want me to add you to the tag list.

Eleanor.

____________

Chapter 2.

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