#hopefully this clears things up and i did a good job showing my thoughts

[saline-coelacanth]

Hey, I was wondering if you still liked your fusion au?

Short answer, it's a complicated yes

Long answer, yes I still have a lot of fond memories of the fusion au and I hold it very close to my heart. The main issue as to why I stopped working on it was because it felt like things were getting overly complicated as I kept adding lore to the au and I felt like my writing wasn't very good. And by that I mean in the fics, it felt like things would just happen simply to get certain fusions to show up when they nedded to and things just felt forced a lot of the time.

And the other thing was that I grew very attached to the fusions as characters to the point where it felt like they were too limited due to the constraints of the au. One of the reasons I wrote the Separation fic in the first place was because I wanted the fusions to be able to interact with each other when normally they wouldn't. And I think I also just got extremely burnt out on the au as it was the main thing I was known for so that's what I spent most of my time on. (Not to mention the stress from High School since I was still in High School when I made the au)

So yes, I still enjoy the fusion au a lot and I still love fusions. And I think a part of me will always kinda want to go back to thd au because of the nostalgia I feel for it and my love of fusion aus in general, but I also want these characters to stand on their own completely separate from Ninjago, so it's sort of a complicated thing for me to think about.

I know I've been a little harsh in the past when people try to bring up this au and I apologize for that. I think it mainly stems from the fact that I've been wanting to develop these characters into their own thing but then people seem to only wanna see them in the context of the fusion au and it does kinda hurt if I'm being honest. But yeah, I feel like a lot of my disdain for the au just came from people constantly bugging me about it when I wasn't even doing Ninjago stuff at the time and it really just made me spiteful in a way. I feel like there was a lot that just made me more negative to the au as a whole which is sad.

[fingertipsmp3]

First volunteering shift tomorrow 😵‍💫

[bumblesimagines]

admit it. you still think about me.

if they find out we slept together, we're in big trouble.

Kiara Carrera

Pronouns: He/Him/His, M!Reader

CW/TW: No warnings!, Kie being a little hot-headed per usual

"Kie, come meet our new guy!" 

"Coming!" 

Stirring the contents in the large pot a few more times, Kiara raised the wooden spoon in hand and sipped on the broth, the warm and flavorful liquid trickling down her throat and making her shoulders shimmy with contentment. She licked her lips and stirred a few more times before setting the spoon on the counter and slipping her damp rag off her shoulder to dap at her sweat-covered forehead as she made her way toward the front. 

She stopped and side-stepped out of the way when her mother stepped inside the kitchen carrying a large tray of empty plates and cups, offering her a warm smile before ducking out into the front and feeling the cool salty breeze flowing through the open doors and windows brush against her warm skin. Kiara sighed in relief and closed her eyes, itching for a nice cool bath to wipe the sweat and stickiness off her body.

"Kie, I'd like you to meet (Y/N)," Her eyes flew open and she snapped her head up to meet (Y/N)'s eyes. He stared back at her, unsurprised and with a flicker of amusement in his eyes. Her dad smiled, resting his hand on Kiara's shoulder. "(Y/N), this is my daughter, Kiara. She juggles the job of waitress, cashier, and cook so hopefully with you joining our team, you can relieve some stress off her shoulders."

"I'd be happy to do so." (Y/N) grinned and Kiara nearly scoffed, only managing a polite smile when her father gave her a pointed look. He stuck his hand out toward her and she reluctantly took it, giving it a tight squeeze as they shook hands. 

"Good man. If you need anything let me or Anna know but I'm trusting Kie to show you the ropes, right, sweetheart?" 

"Y-Yeah, sure." Kiara nodded weakly, feeling her father give her shoulder a thankful squeeze before he headed back toward the kitchen to continue finishing orders and sending them out. Kiara waited for the door into the kitchen to close before whipping her head back toward him, her eyes flickering around the primarily empty restaurant before she slammed her palms against his shoulders. 

"Woah, Kie," (Y/N) chuckled. "Not happy to see me, I guess?"

"What are you doing here? If they find out we slept together, we're in big trouble. My dad will kill you." Kiara hissed lowly, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt and roughly pulling him along to the nearest empty table in need of clearing, pretending to be busy explaining things to him when her mother left the kitchen and slipped by them to check on a customer. She glanced in her direction, waiting for her to walk out of earshot before continuing, "Why the hell did you apply here? You know my family owns this place!"

"This might come as a shocker, Kie," (Y/N) began, his hands nimble as he stacked plates and cups. "But I didn't apply for the job with you in mind. This island is a small world, and I need money. This was the closest place hiring and I thought it'd be easier than working at the country club again. It's cute that you think so highly of yourself but I don't think about you." 

Kiara scoffed. "So, it's all just a big coincidence a few days after we hooked up you show up at my family's restaurant looking for a job?"

"Okay, look, admit it. You still think about me," He smirked when she curled her lip in annoyance. "Otherwise you wouldn't be so worked up about this. Why would why risk a job by blabbering about sleeping with the owner's daughter? It's stupid, and I'm not one of your little boys. I'm going to need you to put what happened behind you so we can all work together as a team, 'kay?" 

[lemotmo]

I messaged and asked if I could share these before sending this to you just to be sure! But I thought I would share her first Tommy post. She's had a couple of messages about how she was clearly never really pro Tommy. She was, but it was always with a for now kind of narrative. But I thought some people would like to see it. It's favorable to Tommy so no one freak out because it's OLD. We are all aware of her feelings on the matter now. It's her first Tommy post following 7x4 but it's pretty clear what she's actually excited about though. I'm also attaching the post she made following the season finale because it's a mood and sums up most everyone's opinions of that episode nicely. Hopefully the way I had to copy them doesn't format weird. Enjoy!

That episode was heaven. An absolutely beautiful, perfectly Buck episode. I'm going to fawn for a few minutes and then I'm going to overthink some things,lol. First things first Tommy is just fun. What a great first relationship for Buck. No pressure, just lighthearted goodness. He deserves to have the best time and Tommy seems like a great way for him to explore this new reality. He can stay for a while. I won't lie, his face doesn't do much for me personally, but overall I get the appeal and I hope Buck has a blast. Seriously though they did such a good job bringing him into the mix. I'm genuinely stunned. He works and it didn't require a whole lot of effort to make him work. I am thoroughly impressed. And on a completely shallow note that was a spectacular first kiss. Well done all the way around. I'm so overwhelmed and impressed by the entire episode. Bravo to all! Our little Buckley is canonically bi!

Now to the overthinking part, and I'm sorry in advance. The episode text was entirely reliant on Eddie. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I don't recall the show ever establishing that Eddie was into Muay Thai prior to last night. Which means they invented an Eddie hobby specifically to give Tommy the same hobby. That's insane behavior. I mean that was absolutely unnecessary and not only did they intentionally add it they made sure to make the audience aware of it. They had Buck repeatedly point out his similarities to Eddie. I was watching live with a couple of friends and we all kind of had a wtf moment. Because are they actually going to do it??? Are they actually maybe baby stepping towards legitimately going there?? I'm going to have to rewatch but man it kind of genuinely feels like it might actually happen. And I'm speechless about it. It's pretty much what everyone is waiting for at this point. I just never thought they'd actually do it. But I don't know guys last night definitely felt like it was something.

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

Before I rage vomit my opinion of last night's episode I want to make a plea. A plea to Tim, ABC, Ryan Murphy, or anyone with power who will listen. Stop allowing Kristen Reidel to write anything for this show. She shouldn't be allowed near the writers room let alone be allowed to write what are supposed to be significant episodes. She has now written the last two season finales and they have both been atrocious. Worse than bad. Worse than boring. Completely and utterly atrocious. I am truly stunned by how bad this episode was. I mean it was clear the entire back half of the season was a last minute rewrite because they got renewed so fast, and as a result, Tim clearly decided to slow the originally planned stories down. The latter half of this season was abysmal. And because of that they needed a decent finale to salvage any part of it. And the second Kristen's name came up on the opening credits it was over. I dead ass started laughing the last 15 minutes because I could not comprehend how terrible it all was. It was maybe the worst episode in the history of the series. I'm serious. I can't think of a worse overall episode. It was embarrassing. You're the number one show on that network and you rolled that piece of garbage out as your season finale. Really?

I'm not even going to waste breath talking about the ridiculous Bobby/Athena/Cartel nonsense because it was too stupid for words. The only thing I will say is Kristen clearly likes Athena, it's obvious, so why does she always write her as some crazy RoboCop ripoff with a vigilante kink? It's mind boggling. The worst part though was the Eddie/Christopher/Buck arc. That actually broke my heart. In the hands of a more talented writer Oliver and Ryan, and precious Gavin could have salvaged that storyline. They did all the heavy lifting anyway, but the writing failed them miserably (big shock). Ryan did everything he could with that pile of garbage. Tim, you all killed her off. Let it go. I don't want to see her again. For the love of god free Eddie from the Shannon cycle. And then on top of everything else you did to Eddie this season you sent his son away. Look if they're actually going the Buddie route, which I am now convinced they are, Christopher needs to be away for a bit. I get that. But him asking to go stay with his grandparents was not the way to do it. Especially given how well your audience knows Eddie's very complicated relationship with his parents. It was gross. There were other ways to remove Chris from the equation for a bit. That brings me, finally, to that disgusting, completely out of place dinner scene between Buck and Tommy. What in the actual hell was that scene? It was so wildly out of place within the context of the episode it felt like watching whiplash. They clearly had a scene count in Lou's contract and needed one more scene, fine. They're also clearly establishing this relationship as purely surface level so they weren't going to give him a scene at the hospital or anything else that would demonstrate a level of tenderness. That all makes sense. But the audience had just spent 45 minutes watching the man that we all know Buck sees as his dad basically dying. He died. Buck being Buck wanted to talk about it. Tried to have a very serious conversation and Tommy turned that attempt into a daddy sex kink joke. Are you kidding me?!? I get it. For Tommy this is about Buck being hot and them having a good time, and nothing more so he doesn't want to bring anything serious into the mix. Fine. But there were so many less skin crawling ways to drive that point home. It was disgusting. And I continue to be stunned by the amount of Tommy apologists who keep pretending it's not obvious what the show is doing here. He isn't coming across as charming. He's not being written as charming. Look at the GA reactions. You're not meant to be viewing this as a love story. I know you all can see that. Rant done. I need a drink.

Thank you Nonny. I'm glad you asked her if it was okay to post it. You don't often see that kind of courtesy in fandom anymore.

The contrast between the first post and the last post is sending me. :) Once again the OP managed to explain everything in such a rational way. The way she breaks down these episodes and characters without letting herself get carried away by loud fandom voices and general bi Buck happiness, is truly admirable.

If I have to nitpick, I have to admit that I don't agree with that first kiss being a 'spectacular kiss'. I admit I never liked it. I think I must have watched it twice now and then never again. Something has always bothered me about that scene. I can't pinpoint it, but it has always felt a little wooden somehow.

But you know that I am kind of biased. ;) What can I say? I'm a one guy kind of girl and that guy in question is Eddie. :D

Don't turn away yet, because there is another OP post coming after this one. :)

Remember, no hate in comments or reblogs. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of the anonymous OP’s posts, you can find all of their posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[forgwater]

Off the Deep End and into the Abyss

Idea: Since it’s mermay, I thought I’d write something for our favorite shady sea creatures from NRC! It would seem that when the octatrio make an appearance in their merfolk form it’s usually tied in with pirates or the little mermaid and I want to try something a little bit different and write them as the mafia merfolk they were always meant to be! Hopefully I manage to translate my idea properly!

This is more or less the prologue. This piece sets the scene.

I might make this a proper AU and add the other dorms too. So, feel free to inquire!

Summary: You take a job with one of the local gangs to transport some goods for them. The madol they were offering for the finished job was an offer too good to refuse. What makes this even better is that you’ve done this before! worked with these people before, rowed your boat this rout before. It was gonna be so easy! It was supposed to be easy! It was supposed to be uneventful! Now you’re in deeper trouble than you were before… Let’s just hope you can escape in one piece… Oh, and! Good luck.~ you’ll need it.

Reader is gender neutral

WARNINGS: swearing, mafia stuff, yandere tendencies. Feel free to tell me if I missed anything

..........

.......

.....

....

...

“Load that crate up!”

Whoosh

“Is the coast clear?”

“Don’t just stand there! Move! Damnit!”

Splash!

“Careful! You idiot!”

Creak…creak….CREAK!

“These damn boats are too fuckin’ loud!”

“…you’re too loud…”

“Care to repeat that?!”

“Easy!”

Sigh

If there’s one reason you’re gonna get caught is because of these bastards and their ‘whisper’ shouting!

swish…swish…

It’s quiet.

swish...

The boat is gently moving though the water as you settle to remind yourself why you put up with all of that.

‘One more job and I’m done.’ you reason with yourself ‘Just this one and it’s over!’ The madol are piling up right in front of your eyes! You can almost taste the sweetness of victory! You’ll be living the good life for a while after this job!

It’s all gonna be so worth-

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!

H-huh…?...

“WHAT IS THAT?!”

“IT CAN’T BE! NO!”

“IT-IT’S THE SEA DEVILS!”

No… this is not possible! You checked! There were no merfolk sightings! What-

SLAM!

....CRreaaaAK...!

“…No…” gulping down your anxiety, you turn.

Only to come face to face with a mismatched gaze. Bemused and thoroughly entertained at the hell being unleashed all around the both of you. Your breath stills at the sight of the creature’s teeth. So dangerously sharp they’d have too easy a time tearing into your flesh.

A strong cold touch followed by cutting, claw-like nails digging into your arm stops you from moving away. You wince and the merman... laughs. His grin parts and-

“Awwwww~ you really thought you could get away?~” he coos and leers “You know, it’s kinda rude to show up unannounced on someone else’s turf.”

Wait-! he’s-... he’s leaning too much on that side-

“Let G-“

Crreeeaaaaaak!

“So stay and make up for it!”

SPLASH!

Water fills your senses and you kick and thrash but he’s not letting go. You try to free yourself, to swim away... and somehow, finally you break the surface.

Gasping for air and desperately clawing at whatever you can you try to speak again: “I-“ cough “I SAID-“

“Oya~ What is going on here?”

The agonized screeches of your fellow humans die out as your breath leaves you once more when you face the mirrored image of the first merman.

‘No.. no no nonononono no no no NO!’ This can’t be happening! You’re imagining things! The canal was clear! There are no merfolk here! You checked damnit! The others checked! This… this just- When- when did they arrive?!

“Hehehe~ look at them Jade! They’re trembling! Don’t they look like a cute little shrimp?! Hahaha!”

“Fufufu~ Floyd! You’re being quite rude to our new friend. Can’t you see they’re experiencing trauma? They’re probably in… shock.”

“Now who’s the rude one?”

Kick!

“Owww! Jaaade! You said Shrimpy here was in shock!”

“Fufufu, my mistake.”

In response to your protest, ‘Floyd’ tightens his hold on you as ‘Jade’ fixes you with his sharp eyes and begins to speak: “Don’t loosen your hold on them, dear brother.~ We have to escort our lovely companion onto dry land once more. Azul’s waiting.”

‘Azul’…?...

What- what are they planning?! Why would they keep you alive? Why bring you on land? This… is not good…. This is probably worse than if they tried to drown you!

You begin your erratic movements again. Hopefully you can hit a sensitive spot. Hopefully-!

You can’t let them drag you whenever they please!

If you could just-

“I thought we went over this!” Floyd hisses, annoyed tone carrying through the cold night. “Jaaaade...! Can’t we just knock them out for a few minutes?!”

“I don’t think Azul would be too pleased with that.”

“Awwwww! C’mon!”

“We are supposed to bring them back conscious.”

“Where are you taking me?!” your voice comes out frantic “What do you want from me?!” Jade stares at you for a second before giving you a sly smile.

“Ah, but what fun would it be if you knew?~ That’ll just ruin the surprise.” So, he’s not gonna give anything away, huh….

“Yeah! Just be patient, shrimpy!” This is not good. This is not good at all!

.......

....You might as well let them take you back to land… maybe you can shake them then.

They’re merfolk. If they want to get on dry land they’ll have to crawl. ‘I can outrun them’ you steel yourself.

… But there’s someone waiting… can you dodge them too?

You go with the flow and allow your captors to carry you over without much resistance. You have to conserve your energy.

The mermen keep sharing glances. Are they onto you?

You gulp. The bite of the icy water is catching up to you.

Has the water always felt this cold…?

No. You can’t let that distract you… you have to get away the moment you touch the ground.

As the three of you get closer and closer to the water’s edge, a silhouette begins to make itself clear.

“…You’ve been quiet for a while…” Jade’s remark is followed by his claws lightly pressing themselves into your arm, the sensation demands your attention… but it also demands you face the merman first.

“…Just thinking…”

“About what?’ Oh… he doesn’t miss a beat, does he.

“…This and that.” you try to deflect.

“That’s boring.” Floyd joins the conversation. “Tell us what you’re actually thinking.”

Like hell you’re gonna do that!

“Who’s that on the bank?” you question.

“...Oh! That’s Azul! You gotta meet him!”

“They don’t really have a choice in that matter, Floyd.”

This is the guy they mentioned before! You have to learn more. It could come in handy.

“…Is he your boss?”

….

The mermen share a look.

“Not exactly.” Jade answers first. “We work with and for him.”

“He’s got fun ideas.” You can feel the shrug in Floyd’s voice.

Well… this... is an interesting arrangement…

“Ah! We’re almost there.” Jade calls to Floyd, who suddenly comes to a halt.

What are they doing now....?....

Jade brings out two vials, the glass glistens in the moonlight and the liquid moves back and forth. The merman uncorks one and helps the other drink before repeating the action for himself.

What… what did they just drink?

“Hold on tight, shrimpy! We’re getting you back on land.”

And with that you are once again being all but dragged towards the waiting shadow.

You’re getting closer…

And closer…

Closer!

The moment Floyd’s grip lessens you bolt!

The thud of your shoes echoes though the dark night and your clothes cling to you. But you don’t stop running.

Your heartbeat’s loud in your ears and the adrenaline is running high. Maybe you can do it!

You can escape!

You can-

“Having fun?~” Floyd’s voice feels like a punch in the gut. All air leaves your lungs but you don’t dare stop, nor look at him.

HOW DID HE-?!

WHEN-?!

“If you stop running, I promise I won’t break too many bones!” HE’S MAD!

HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE THAT?!?!

Maneuvering away from Floyd’s hands you end up bumping into something- someone else.

Jade.

“This has been quite the impromptu run… although not unexpected.” He gives you an all too polite smile.

Oh… maybe you shouldn’t have run…

The two mermen… now human looking, catch you with practiced ease.

They’ve done this before.

“Now, shrimpy, it’s time you faced your punishment.” Floyd… he sounds too cheery for this line of work. He stands on your right side.

“It is time to face your crimes.” Jade’s chillingly calm voice rings from your left.

The silhouette you’ve seen before steps in front of you. He sighs and then he begins speaking:

“Well then! Now that that-“ he gestures vaguely “stunt is done, I believe we should be formally acquainted.” He points to the mermen flanking your sides and continues “These are Floyd and Jade Leech. My business associates. They also happen to be twins, if you didn’t figure that out before.”

The twins let out their greetings and then the white haired man resumes talking.

“My name is Azul Ashengrotto. I run the Octavinelle Mafia and you have been smuggling goods on my territory. How do you plan to pay for-“

“I didn’t know! I got all the info I could! This is considered neutral ground! And water!” you protest.

“Ah… I see your mistake.” Azul smiles and brings a hand to his chin.

“Do you-“

“I just so happen to have acquired this territory this very morning. Legally as well.”

…what…

…legally?...

Your face drops, together with all your hopes. But the man continues undeterred.

“Since I am quite gracious and us here at Octavinelle practice benevolence, I have come up with an idea that will benefit us both.”

So… was… this was planned… wasn’t it?

“I have drafted a contract for you to sign. Nothing big. You’ll be working for me until you pay all the money you have made by dealing on this very route. Ah!-“ he stops you before you can even begin “since you are the only one alive all the charges get transferred to you. I eagerly await your cooperation. You’ll be coming tomorrow to sign all the legal paperwork. Jade and Floyd will fetch you and bring you to the Mostro Lounge, I’m sure you’ve heard of it. You’ll start working immediately after.” Azul leaves no room for you to argue.

He then turns to leave, the twins following after releasing you.

“And don’t think about running away and skipping town." the man clears his throat.

"We’ll find you again no matter where you try to go or hide. You belong to Octavinelle now.”

.....

Good luck getting out of this.~

[razorblade180]

“Courting”

Charlotte:Miss Furina!!! I have a very important question to ask, off the record of course.

Furina:A question? I don’t see why not.

Charlotte:Are you being courted by world renowned traveler, Aether!?

Furina:*red* C-Courted!? I wouldn’t exactly say-

The journalist whips out a polaroid photo of Furina with a warm smile on her face as she sits across from Aether during a late candle lit dinner.

Furina:Oh my god this came out so well. You can even see the- how did you have this!? Where were you!?

Charlotte:I was posed as a waitress!

Furina:….

Charlotte:…For a job! Not for you. Heavens no. By the way, I wouldn’t eat there again. Back to the topic at hand, good for you.! It’s a cute look. Your smile is brighter.

Furina:You just have good lighting.

Charlotte:Ha! Oh Furina…candle light is agonizing for photography.

Furina:Sounds like a hit a sore spot. Anyways, if you’re asking I assume you’re more or less aware of everything I am when it comes to Aether and romance.

Charlotte:Of course! I actually brought it up to him around our first time meeting. Had proof and everything so I can ask him “why an open relationship”

Furina:…You’re kinda scary at times.

Charlotte:If you’re not intense in my field then people try to circle around the truth. Like you were about to do until I showed the photo. You can keep that by the way. *fiddles with camera*

Furina:If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a question as well.

Charlotte:Ooo okay! I’m all ears!

Furina:You’ve known him longer, engaged with him more often, and seem interested from where I stand; yet I’m the one dat- is involved with him.

Charlotte:Do you have commitment issues?

Furina:Let me finish! What I’m getting at is why aren’t you two item. I’ve the comedically sized document about the dynamic. As it stands now…if I was close minded or acted selfishly…

Charlotte:Ah, I see. It’s interesting to see your mind at work, but unfortunately you’re overthinking things waaaay too much. This isn’t chess game or battle of wits. It would pretty low to treat others feelings like that without thought. Neither him or I would be able to stand ourselves to put a person filled with in a position where they either find new love or be forced to deal with the fact there’s someone else. Kinda defeats the point of an open relationship.

Furina:That’s…I see your point.

Charlotte:If you want Aether romantically all to yourself when it comes to Fontainian’s then by all means exercise that right. He’s still going to be one of my closest friends and partner in journalism! Though to be clear, this isn’t me conceding in any way. I do hope you enjoy my company as much as I love yours! Also… *pulls out photo*

It’s nothing particularly special. Just a really good picture of Aether in the middle of fishing without a care in the world.

Charlotte: Let’s be honest, he has a very nice face. Just ask Lyney! He thinks so too.

Furina:*red* I mean I guess it has its appeal.

Charlotte:You can keep that one too. Anyways, I gotta go before no more Aquabuses run. My latest story has gotten popular so you know…I’ll be back in the city in like three weeks? Hopefully? Eh, we’ll see.

Furina:What did you expose!?

Charlotte:It’ll be front page tomorrow! Read all about it! Bye! *runs off*

Furina thought she was pretty good at reading people, especially her audience. Right now she had no clue if the conversation just now was casual chatter, a weird bargain, or even pleasant congratulations with a side of flirting? She only knew what she’s known from the beginning. Charlotte is a really interesting, kind person who takes phenomenal photos.

Furina:…(I wonder if he knows that this photo was taken?)

xxxxx

Aether:I was fishing alone.

Furina:For the love of- how strong is that lens!? By the way…would you consider us…courting or something? *red*

Aether:

Aether: You literally made out with me a few days ago. Grabbed my scarf, and smooched my face. We spend time together consistently.

Furina:*nods slowly* You bring up a valid point.

Aether:A valid point!? *shows hickey*

Furina:Okay, several points! Wrap your scarf back up before someone sees!

Aether:Breaking news, crystal pure celebrity actually filters her murky mind.

Furina:I want my kisses back!

[x-bee-x]

@hideduoweek

It's HideDuo week! Yay for more fanfic to read and write, yay for events like this, yay for these boys. Starting off by saying I did the best I could with remembering, I couldn't find any clips or vods with exact quotes or moments, but it's still fun and I hope you enjoy!

Baby Steps

General audience rating

737 words

Fit and Pac

Day 1 of event and the prompt was adventure

"I guess we should probably check this out then, huh?"

Fit was holding the now finished being read note found in the chest with his name on it that still sat with its lid open, waiting for Pac to respond in front of him, who's fingers danced and fidgeted lightly with the strap of his bag hung by his side.

"Mhm, it should be looked at, but um. We are the only two ones here?"

Fit was now twitching his fingers similarly, just kind of fidgeting with themselves, before he coughed once into his fist to clear any words stuck in his throat.

"That um, yeah, it does seem that way. That's okay, we uh, we can do it just by ourselves. If that's okay."

Fit put the note back in his chest and avoided the opportunity to make eye contact with Pac for a few seconds.

"Oh, of course, yes."

Pac thought he did a pretty alright job at not sounding too excited saying that, probably, hopefully.

"Maybe we, uh, we can do that thing we were supposed to do Friday?"

They were sort of interrupted last time when the idea was suggested they hang out after all, just the two of them, but it wasn't a date, just two roommates doing something together, baby steps and all that.

"That sounds good."

So they walked to the warpstone, purple particles almost like glitter surrounding them quickly after, matching slightly pink shades on their cheekbones.

"You wanna take pictures and I'll search first?"

They looked up at the massive black and occasionally green structure, no signs of movement or anything making noise nearby, but they both were on high alert anyway of course.

"Sim, sounds good."

Pac took the case out of his bag, removed the camera, and put it around his neck, and just as he finished and was readjusting his backpack over his shoulder, a dozen or so skeletons came out of quite literally nowhere.

"Hold on, before you fight them."

Pac lifted, aimed, and clicked the camera at Fit who had his flesh arm up and over to stretch the shoulder and his hand touching was his upper back.

"I'll be your special photographer."

Fit laughed a couple times before moving it back to his front, turning to the side and tensing to show off the muscles of his bicep.

"Ah, thank you, here, get my good side."

They both giggled before Fit ran, a small sword now in hand, and Pac followed a short distance behind, camera ready.

The sun was close to going down by the time they had finished, the small variety of creatures spawned in by some form of entity that watched over the island and its inhabitants now defeated and probably half an album's worth of photos taken, both Fit and Pac resembling porcupines with the arrows that stuck in their armor or from their packs.

They decided it was probably best to stay here for the night, they had thought of that possibility before just in case the mission took longer than intended and each had brought a small sleeping bag in their backpacks, better to not risk walking all the way back to their homes while they were already tired and there were definitely creatures that could possibly ambush them on the way.

"You did real good today, Pac."

Fit was removing arrows from where they were stuck.

"Ah, obrigado, I didn't do as much as you thought."

Pac was doing the same as well as running a hand through slightly sweaty hair.

"Don't put yourself down, you helped just as much, and I'm sure you got some great pictures."

Fit rolled out his sleeping bag and sat down on it.

"I'm sure I got at least some."

Pac rolled out his sleeping bad next to the other and laid down.

"I'll see you when you get back, you hear me? When you get back. You've got this, alright?"

Fit was now laying down beside the other and the tops of his ears were kind of pink.

"Thank you for spending the day with me, Fitchi, I'm glad we finally got our date."

Pac fidgeted with one of the rolled up sleeves of his white dress shirt and ignored the warmth on the apples on his cheeks and closed his eyes.

Yeah, they both supposed it was a date after all, and they both did pretty well.

[ghoul-bonez]

~Stars in Her Eyes, Stars in Her Heart~

Chapter 8: They Will Become Her’s as Well

(Kiri x Fem! Avatar! Reader)

Summary: Learning a new skill is always daunting, especially when you have no prior experiences to base it off of, but when you have a good teacher to help, things become a bit easier.

Word count: 1.1k

Author’s note: Fun little short chapter :) Enjoy!

Last - Next

~Series Masterlist~

~Main Masterlist~

They Will Become Her’s as Well

Kiri dropped something in front of you which quickly broke you out of your thoughts, or lack of thoughts as you stared at nothing blankley, “Today you’re going to learn how to use a weapon, a bow to be exact.” She spoke.

“Damn, you scared the shit out of me!” You shouted, ignoring what Kiri had said.

“Oops.” Kiri shrugged her shoulders, and used her own bow to tap you on the head lightly, “Just pick up the bow, and don’t break it, I don't want to have to replace it.”

“Okay, maybe I’ll break it on purpose now.” You smiled at her mischievously. You picked up the bow, holding it awkwardly, not quite sure what to do with it.

“You wouldn’t dare.” Kiri challenged.

“You’re right, I would never do that to my pookie.” You smiled at her sarcastically.

“Pookie? What does that even mean?” Kiri asked, exasperated.

“It’s a term of endearment, I guess?” You said, questioning if that explanation was enough.

“Okay, whatever just follow me.” Kiri said, slinging her own bow over her head, the string laying against her chest while the wooden part rested on her back.

You followed her lead, carrying the bow Kiri had given you the same way Kiri was.

“Where are we going?” You questioned.

“We’re going back to the clearing where you learned to ride the pa’li. It’s nice and open so it should have enough room for you to move around if you need.” Kiri smiled, thinking about you falling off the pa’li. Hopefully this would be a bit easier for you.

The walk through the forest was peaceful, but thoughts swirled in your head, anxious thoughts coming to light. You had never been too worried about learning a new skill, but this seemed so daunting. You knew how to use a gun, so this couldn’t be too much different, right?

Much like you, Kiri was having doubts of her own. She had struggled to learn this herself, so she knew it was a hard skill to master. She wasn’t sure how good of a job she would do teaching you, but she was going to do her best.

Once you reached the clearing Kiri turned to you, asking a question, “Have you ever used a bow?” She already knew the answer to her question, but asked anyway.

You shook your head, “No, but I’ve used a gun, aiming can’t be too different right?”

Kiri sighed, this might be a little more complicated if that’s all you thought shooting a bow was about, “Aiming is just one small part of using a bow. First you have to be able to hold it correctly, then you have to know how to pull back the string, then you have to aim, and finally you have to let go at the perfect time to hit your target. It can get complicated, but I have faith in you.”

She thought back to what had told her to teach you how to use a bow, a few days ago the voice whispered, “Show her how to use your tools, and they will become hers as well.”

“Let me show you first, then you can try.” Kiri said, getting into stance and drawing back the string. She took a deep breath then let go of the string, the arrow hitting the target perfectly.

“Okay, I’ve got this!” You hyped yourself up.

You did not “got this”. In fact you were struggling quite a bit.

Holding the bow was weird on its own, but having to hold it and an arrow and pull back the string was a little too much going on all at once. Even when Kiri had made you practice without the arrow first you were struggling, and adding the arrow was just a whole new level of work.

Adapting to the forest was easy, you had always admired it and fit right in once you began trying, but this was different. This was learning a new skill completely, not building off of something you had previous knowledge about.

Kiri had been giving you gentle suggestions on what you could be doing better, and reminders of what she had told you before, but it just wasn’t working. As failure after failure happened Kiri was getting frustrated, and she could tell you were as well, so she decided to take a more hands on approach.

She approached you, who was holding the bow, string drawn back, about to shoot, “Draw your strength from your core.” Kiri moved her hand to your stomach, “From here.” She instructed.

Kiri continued to silently fix your stance, moving your arm up, fixing your grip on the bow, guiding your legs until they were correct, and as Kiri touched you, adjusting your stance and making sure your aim was straight, butterflies erupted in your stomach. Your heart felt like a star, hot and burning, but instead of hurting it brought a sense of warmth to your soul.

“Okay, let go now.” Kiri told you, watching excitedly.

When you let go the arrow shot out perfectly, hitting the target spot on. Bullseye. You let out an excited shout and jumped a few times, looking at Kiri who was laughing at your antics with a hand over her mouth.

Excitement and pride exploded inside of Kiri, shooting through her like shooting stars, bringing a light in the darkness, a success among the failures of earlier.

“That was good!” Kiri exclaimed.

“Yeah, but you did all the work. Now I have to figure out how to do that again.” You sighed dramatically.

Kiri smiled at you, fondness in her voice, “Don’t worry I’ll help you.”

“Okay, so let’s go over that again, and this time tell me what you’re changing.” You suggested. Kiri’s silent adjustments had helped, but you didn’t know what to change from the lack of audible directions.

Kiri just nodded her head, “Get ready to shoot then.” she instructed you.

You got into stance again, holding up the bow and pulling back the string, but this time as Kiri adjusted your body with gentle touches she told you what she was changing. Told you how to change it on your own, and eventually after many shots with Kiri’s help you were able to get one clear shot on your own.

After that you didn’t get another straight shot for the rest of the day, but you were content with that one success. That was enough for you.

Kiri felt pride at both you for your successful shot, and herself for successfully being able to teach you and help you get your clear shot. You had both succeeded, and now you were on your way to becoming a strong warrior.

Word Bank:

Pa’li (Direhorse)

[dreamsandstars24]

Lawyered up - Chapter 1

Hiyooo, this is my first try at writing a fanfiction.

Well, writing it here, because in Wattpad I have 7.6k readers. Yes, this is me showing off because even though it's fanfiction, it takes a lot of work.

Sooooo, some inside into this:

It says chapter 1 because I will be posting more, obviously.

My first language is not English, so you'll have to be patient and kindly let me know if there is any mistake so I can fix it.

This is not a Hotch x Female MC. Even though I love daddy Hotch, I just never imagined him as the sexy daddy version, more like the dad-daddy version. Yeah.

I am busy like crazy with University and a job, so posts may be slow.

I really hope you enjoy this.

Anyway, enjoy.

I'm never drinking coffee again.

I'm banning coffee from my life, I will never drink it again and somebody should slap me if I ever drink coffee again. Please and thank you.

And even better, I will never drink coffee again before one of the most important final-stage interviews of my life. That should probably be something they ask at coffee shops, "Do you have any life altering things that will happen today?" and if you say yes, then you are not allowed to buy coffee.

Is not that I have something against coffee, God forbid, but I just get extremely hyper when I have coffee and based on what Professor Sukhan has said, I'm already hyper enough as it is.

So, why did I drink coffee today? Because I thought that staying up until two AM reading the longest, toe curling, smuttiest fanfiction ever was a good way to spend my time. Was it worth it? Yes it was, but that doesn't mean I don't regret it now that I'm shaking like a freaking chihuahua.

"Deep breaths, Liliana. And keep your hands under your legs." Professor Sukhan whispers softly, his eyes on his newspaper but I know he is anxious too. He is risking his professionalism creating this opportunity for me, and I really hope he doesn't regrets it.

It wasn't easy to make it, but I did it. I managed to get into the final stage of interviews in the FBI, and to be more specific, in the BAU.

I studied near death to graduate from law school, and I really really really want to get this job/internship. It took Professor Sukhan months to prove that allowing me to have an internship would be really beneficial for both the bureau and for me, sometimes I feel he sold my abilities for more of what they actually are but I know I will do my best to ensure I surpass expectations.

Hopefully.

"Liliana Madrigal." My eyes shoot up and find the blue eyed man that is staring at me. "We are ready for you." He is white.

Not that him being white is bad, is actually good, unless he is racist which would really hinder my process and my ability to maintain the facade of being a nice, obedient and sweet girl and--

"Liliana, please go and behave." Professor Sukhan mumbles bringing me out of my stupor. This is why he came, because he knew I was going to be so nervous this would be chaotic.

I clear my throat and stand up, nodding to the professor and making my way to the man who is now looking at his phone with a frown. When he realizes that I am standing right in front of him, he turns around and walks me through the doors where my future self may be walking.

I look around when the door closes behind me and barely have time to register the chaos this place is when the blue eye man mumbles "Keep up" and practically sprints down the hallway.

Swallowing down my fear, I run after him.

Freaking tall people think my little legs can keep up with them. I can barely reach the shower head and I'm expected to run after this tall guy and--

"Here. Go inside, sit down, and wait until they come."

I frown while my feet stop. "They who is-?" He ignores me, turns around and leaves.

Well, so much for being nice.

I stare at the black door and decide that they will not bring me to meet a serial killer in my last interview, I think. I hope.

Right?

"Okay Liliana, those who don't risk, don't win." I nod and take a deep breath, "You can do it. Please don't let it be a serial killer and please don't let me do anything stupid, amen." And I open the door.

A normal looking office says hello to me.

My eyes blink rapidly as a relieved laugh escapes my mouth. I don't know what I was expecting but an office that looks like the office of my psychology professor was not it. But this is good, this is nice, this is acceptable-

"Are you going inside or are you coming outside?" The deep voice behind me says and my soul goes to heaven to meet with its creator because I just died. Thank you and goodbye.

I turn around and find two men looking at me. The first man, I immediately recognized like Jason Gideon because he went to my criminology class and his lecture gave me nightmares, but the second man who is staring at me undisturbed has never been seen by my eyes. He is handsome, he is grace, he is mister United States-

"Pardon me?" I mumble because I just saw his lips move but I didn't hear a thing. He blinks.

"I asked if you are the girl I am supposed to be interviewing." He repeats calmly. His voice could narrate an audio book where he tells me how he is going to kill me in the most gruesome way and I would hundred percent say thank you.

"I certainly hope so because I was just dumped here with barely any instruction." Gideon smiles a little at that and a part of my soul rejoices because I just made Jason Gideon smile.

"What's your name?" He asks, and his voice is a soft baritone that has me feeling cozy inside.

"Liliana Madrigal, a pleasure." My hand stretches out; once again, I'm too late to realize my actions because I forgot my hands were shaking which is obvious now. Both men stare at my hand and then Gideon shakes it and lets go.

"I'm Jason Gideon and this is SSA Aaron Hotchner, we are on the behavioral analysis unit and we will be directing your interview." I nod and nod again and both stare at me. Agent Gideon gives me another soft smile. "We should go in the office."

"Oh! Of course, come in. Make yourself at home." I step to the side allowing them both to come in and then I notice the name at the door.

Aaron Hotchner. I just gave him permission to go into his own office. Amazing.

"Miss Madrigal, will you come in and close the door behind you please?" Agent Hotchner asks. I follow the orders and then walk to the chair in front of his desk. He is sitting on the chair while Gideon leans on the wall beside the window.

My hands fidget on my lap and then I remember how I'm supposed to keep them under my legs and take a deep breath. I do that and count to ten while the men look at what I'm assuming is my file.

"Miss Madrigal, your file says that you graduated at fourteen from high school." Agent Hotchner mumbles, scanning the page with his eyes.

"Yes, sir." He looks at me and the way his eyes are so dark make me very nervous.

"Is there any reason as to why that happened? Because your IQ is slightly elevated but not that much." I nod and then consider what to say.

They may notice the confusion on my face because Gideon speaks. "Just tell us the truth without sugar coating it."

Well, if he says so.

"I was bored, sir." They both stare at me.

"Bored?" Agent Hotchner repeats, I nod again. "Could you elaborate?"

I take a deep breath. "I didn't want to spend more time in school than necessary so I forced myself to graduate faster to study what I really wanted to study."

"Which was criminal law," Gideon says, my head shakes.

"No sir, I wanted to become a taxidermist." Both men stare at me and I can tell I managed to surprise them.

"Why didn't you then?" Agent Hotchner asks.

I shrug, "My mother said that if I became a taxidermist, I would sleep with the carcasses and see how that suited me." With secret joy, I notice how the corner of agent Hotchner's mouth twitches upwards.

I MADE HIM SMILE!

"So you didn't become a taxidermist, and decided to study law, correct?"

"With some little disruption to my plans, but yes sir." Agent Hotchner moves his hand in a rolling motion and I understand he is asking me to expand. "After the fiasco with taxidermy, I decided to explore my passions in the business world."

"You studied business, then?" Gideon mumbles, reading through my file.

"No, sir. I became a runner for a local gang in my neighbourhood." I think I actually managed to surprise them this time.

Both look at my file, their silence making me more nervous. Did I just messed up? Did a hot nice cup of coffee messed up the opportunity of a lifetime? Did I just ended my career choice?

"Why not a courthouse? You could have made a fine prosecutor with your grades and the success of your practicum." Gideon points out, I shake my head no.

"I thought about it and did two weeks as an assistant for a prosecutor and I am positive about not choosing prosecution."

"What about defense? You could have been good at that."

"I'm not fond of lying."

"So why the FBI? In this job, you need to keep a lot of secrets and maintain a low profile." I press my lips together considering what I have to say.

Two choices in here: Either lick their boots or be honest.

"As I was looking for career choices, I realized that the BAU gets sued continuously over every procedure that they endure-"

"How did you got that information?" Agent Hotchner asks, serious.

"One of my teachers worked as a legal advisor and one of the people that came to her was a lawyer who was helping someone sue the BAU for incorrect management of a case. Anyway, I kept my ears open and realized that this team is the one that gets sued the most and that caught my attention so I started researching why and I reached a conclusion," My hands intertwine as I smile at them. "And the conclusion was that in order for this team to be getting sued so often, then it may be doing something right."

Agent Hotchner closes my file and leans back in his chair, the look of calm suits him and then he turns to Gideon and a whole conversation takes place without them even talking. This is crazy.

While they have their strange staring contest, I think about the possibility of accepting the CIA offer. It came as a surprise, to be honest, but the terms are good; professor Sukhan would be a little dissapointed because the original plan has alway been the FBI but I don't think he'll mind that much.

I mean, is either CIA or going back to being a Runner and I think which option is better for my criminal record.

"You start on Monday." Agent Hotchner speaks and I nod.

"What time?"

"I need you here at five AM. We'll go over some information and I'll show you your office, if we have the time, I'll introduce you to the team." I nod and get up when he does. His hand stretches towards me and I shake it firmly. "Welcome to the team." I smile at him and then turn to Gideon, we shake hands and I take a deep breath because my hand is shaking more now.

"Welcome, Agent Madrigal." He murmurs warmly, I nod at him.

"Thank you, I will do my best." I walk to the door with them behind me and I know they are walking me to where professor Sukhan is. When we reach the door, I turn to them and smile. "Thank you, again." They both nod and I cross the doors, noticing how professor Sukhan stands up and stares at me.

We both stare at each other and he smiles when tears pool in my eyes.

"You did it." He mumbles coming closer.

"I start on Monday at five AM." He laughs, wrapping me in his arms which makes me sob.

"Are you crying?" He laughs, rocking me back and forth.

"I just don't want to wake up at five AM every morning." I sob in his shoulder. He laughs and pulls me closer.

"You did it," He whispers, patting my head. "I knew you would."

***

Hotch felt himself smile when he realized how the girl he had just hired was crying while holding the Hindi man. He wasn't sure what the relationship was, but he knew that the man had sold the girl at such a high price it tempted the bureau to meet her in person. And he wasn't disappointed.

Even though her psych results tilted her towards OCD regarding her job, and her getting obsessed in some cases, her results were so good he had to double-check every case she had participated in because she was practically a genius when giving criminal charges.

Eighteen charges, she had given eighteen charges to a child abuser and Hotch had been so surprised because he hadn't even thought about those charges. She was a genius, and she was merciless in court. That's why seeing the clumsy girl surprised him because she showed a completely different side of herself.

"Seems like we got another girl to babysit." Morgan rumbled beside him, slurping his coffee while staring at the girl with a smirk. Hotch hummed agreeing. "You think she'll give us a run for our money?"

"She is smart," Gideon mumbled, "she'll be okay."

With a smile, Hotch saw how the girl now had the man in a choke hold while she jumped excited. It was adorable.

"She'll fit right in." He whispered softly.

[thequeensgrimoire]

Wheel of the Year 2024, Partial Redux

Since my last Wheel of the Year reading, there have been some big changes in my life.

Some more or less noticable to a reading, of course, but one major one was so obvious I even saw it in the way my Wheel of the Year was laid out: A big potential cross country move, to a place with little support, for an uncertain job future, in a field I've only been hired in once before. The cards showed it clear as day: In July, there would be a massive change, a whole chapter of my life drawing the curtain. And after that... well, there were two deaths and a tower. It wasn't great.

But since that reading, I've had huge news that moved my relocation to next year - and with it, that whole certainty for July slips away. So I thought it would only be best, seeing as my yearly course has so dramatically shifted, to do a re-read for July through December and see what my NEW end of the year might bring.

Where We Are Now - King of Cups, Reversed A failure to create a loving or supportive environment. This card means that, where I am, I'm not in a place of emotional vulnerability or safeness. I'm not letting anyone in, leaving my cup upturned - empty - and refusing to be receptive to others or let them give to me.

July - The Six of Inking Balls This card represents drowning in your work for better or worse. Being lost in your job. I can already feel this incoming, with my job getting more and more frantic as production ramps up. It's a warning not to get too caught up in it and remember to pop to the surface, every now and then, for air and human connection. And to remember to eat.

August - Queen of Swords, Reversed This card heralds a sort of targetless rampage, a hack and slash approach to life where you kill all before you and take no prisoners for your goal. You will hurt and cut anyone in your way - you are demanding, brutal, and harmful, because you feel like you must be. Be careful where your blade may fall.

September - Page of Pentacles, Reversed A haziness, having no clearly set goals for yourself after your rampage left you aimless and empty. You don't really know what you want to do, drifting, and you're moving from thing to thing without setting roots down. Try to center yourself and judge why you're doing this, and if it may be better to stop in one place for a while.

October - 7 of Cups Suddenly, new! New projects, ideas, and choices, all popping up at once - abundant choice and boundless imagination. This is a card of opportunity, possibility of change, and new horizons. Make sure you pick wisely from the bounty in front of you, and enjoy it while you can.

November - Two of Whips, Reversed This card is about seizing your personal power, despite maybe feeling like you have low station or very little power to make change. Take a moment to assess the structures around you and see how you can make change without hurting those around you.

December - Dancing Death This is a happy death card! It's dancing on the grave of the old in order to joyfully celebrate the new coming on the horizon. It's a reminder to be light and joyful in the face of imminent change, and the temporary nature of life. A good way to close out a year and welcome in a period of massive change for me and my impending move, indeed.

Where We End Up - Seven of Pentacles Things coming to completion, and hard work paying off. Enjoy and appreciate what all your hard work has made for you, and now you can look ahead to plant a new crop - you know it will be bountiful if you treat it right, like you did the last. A bountiful harvest of a life well lived!

This reading definitely lines up much more closely with how I feel the next six months will be without the massive, upending move changing everything and turning things on its head. Hopefully I'll be able to take advantage of the good this reading entails, learn from the bad, and be ready with a full six months coming to joyful fruition to see the next phase of my journey off well.

[gunkreads]

S2E2 thoughts:

Perrin was having a grand ol' Shienaran adventure, and arguably a pretty fucking good time, until. Y'know. I love how hard they're kicking his whole ass off already. Perrin is a character who's most interesting when he's both miserable and forced into action, and this season is setting that up well so far.

Mat? Chef's kiss. Min bromance is a great way to start off, honestly, and gives her something grittier to do than be Elmindreda. That arc wouldn't work either with her modified show characterization (much more world-weary) nor with the overall tone of the show (much less Looney Tunes). Also, the much-gifsetted "shut, latch, lock, bolt, walk away" thing was stellar. The show is retooling Mat to be more of a legit rogue rogue, rather than just The Most Stressed Man Alive, and it's a pretty neutral choice to me. It's still fun, just different. I like new Mat, just not any more or less than old Mat.

Elayne? Very fun introduction, appropriately cringe. Elayne is a cringe type girl and they did not disappoint. She doesn't know what type of story she's in yet! She thinks she's in, like, Arthuriana (which, technically...) but no! She's about to learn just how hard Sheriam swings. Hopefully she stays silly, because god knows this show could use it. The grittier the show gets, the more ridiculous I expect Elayne to be, because she's truly THE iconic clown.

Nynaeve? Well... once I got over my confusion about the completely new plotline for Liandrin, I thought Nynaeve's presence in this episode was kind of lame. I think I kind of miss the very kinetic way she was kicked around the Tower in the books; the show seems to be taking it a lot slower and more seriously, which is just much less fun for me. It's not.... bad. I just really liked the wacky shenaniganery in the Tower in TGH.

Egwene? More Class President vibes, kinda like it. It's not 100% a direction I'd have chosen, but it seems to capture a type of character trajectory that I feel can cross all the same important themes that I liked of hers from the books. On Egwene's note, actually, I've noticed that they're really trading a lot of the Wonder Girls' red-faced shouting for more... I don't wanna say "whining", but like... griping and moping. It's not bad, it's just much less intense. Again, the show is so much less slapstick than the books, especially around the Wonder Girls, so this is just tone compensation.

Moiraine and Lan? Whatever, I honestly don't give half a shit about what they have going on. Their scenes are entertaining in a vacuum, but I sure as shit was never waiting for the episode to cut back to them. I guess the writers are trying to carry over the whole Stepin nonsense from S1 and use it as a setup for this, but the problem is that Moiraine and Lan's early-S2 arc makes Stepin redundant. They're just doing it again, but twisting it this time. I get that it's supposed to make this one more poignant, but... fuck, I'm not doing my Stepin rant again.

Rand? meeeeeeehhhhhhhhh. The in media res opener didn't really do it for me. I like the mental hospital choice, I like the Selene setup, I like the way they're pacing the madness moments by letting Josha do all the heavy lifting. Seriously, actually, the way they have his madness episodes build up so subtly, as if it's just Rand making conscious decisions, then have it all explode and become clear is really good. On the other hand, I can't actually give too much credit to the Selene setup, since I don't think they've established Rand as a person enough for a new viewer to realize how out-of-character he's acting. I blame the Stepin arc.

Alvaro Morte? Still the MVP.

Two episodes in, S2 is doing a frankly comedically better job pacing its different plotlines than S1 did. It's actually embarrassing to look back at S1 and realize how fucked to death the pacing was.

And yadda yadda, this is one of the best-looking, highest-quality, best-acted shows I've seen in actual decades or maybe ever. In terms of overall production quality, I feel like Elayne if they hadn't taken all her pillows away.

[kindheart525]

“Mom! Mom! C’mere!”

The exuberant little colt was over the moon, galloping as fast as his growing legs would take him in search of his mother. He had a big surprise for her—well, technically two surprises! The second one came as a surprise even to him.

“Mountain Peak!”

Limestone Pie looked up from her work looking a bit irritated, like he had interrupted something important. Although it was really the same work she did every day, no more and no less.

“What do you want?”

Mounty was normally put off by his mother’s sour, fun-squashing attitude, but right now he was too excited to care about that. He was jumping up and down like a younger foal, barely able to contain himself.

“I got somethin’ to show you! It’ll only be a minute, follow me!”

“Alright, but make it quick.”

Limestone begrudgingly followed him; it was clear as day she was thinking to herself how inconvenient it was to be interrupted from her work. She didn’t even bother to put down the tools she was working with, because that would have been another few seconds wasted in her eyes. But then she noticed something—

“What’s that on your flank?”

“Oh, nothin’…”

The colt smirked mischievously, having fully intended for her to notice.

“Just my cutie mark!”

He turned around and showed it off proudly, like it was a real gemstone.

“Good Gaia.”

Even Limestone was surprised at what she saw, not just that her youngest foal had finally earned his cutie mark but it was a rock! A shiny geode to be exact.

She couldn’t quite express her surprise and what she really thought of this, but that mark did mean one thing: somepony who was sure to help out around the farm.

“How’d you get it?”

She mumbled through the toolbox in her teeth.

“Keep followin’ and I’ll show ya!”

Mounty led her across the farm, making sure to trot so as to not take up too much of her time. It took a bit longer than usual because what he was about to show her was hidden away at the edge of the farm, where nopony would see it before it was ready.

“Ta da!”

He finally called out in a sing-song voice once they reached their destination. 

Before them was a contraption that appeared to be a metal slide, stretching out for a few yards from end to end. At the higher end was a pile of rocks, which Mounty had set up to demonstrate.

He had to admit, the initial thrill of getting his cutie mark had waned just a little as a somewhat anxious feeling set in. He knew his mom wouldn’t like knowing that he’d wasted valuable work time on this, and he knew she wasn’t particularly open to new ideas. But he got his cutie mark making this, it had to be a sign! Maybe this time would be different.

“What in Gaia’s name is this?”

Hopefully…

“Y’see, I’ve been watchin’ the way you and my aunties haul all those rocks around, and it looks like an awful lot of work! And it takes a whole lot of time, that I’m sure you wanna use on other jobs ‘round the farm. So I did some drawin’ and plannin’ and buildin’ for a solution, and came up with this. Never durin’ work hours of course! But watch this!”

He hoisted up a rock from the pile, pushing it into the slide and watching it roll down.

“With the incline, the rocks do all the movin’ for ya! You could build one o’ these clear ‘cross the farm! An’ this one is made of titanium instead of wood, so it’s a lot less sure to erode.”

Then he unintentionally struck a nerve.

“I bet Grandpa woulda liked one of these when he was around, don’t you?”

Limestone didn’t say anything at all for a moment, her mouth dropped agape and her toolbox fell with her jaw. Mounty couldn’t imagine what she was thinking now. Pride? Anger? Sadness? Surely she was missing Grandpa. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought him up?

Not even the Pie matriarch herself knew what to think at first. She had to admit to herself, it was impressive how much skill Mountain had at such a young age. He had designed and built this whole contraption all by himself. It showed a whole lot of dedication and skill.

It also showed a stubborn desire to defy his family’s traditions.

Mounty watched her move her mouth silently for a moment, in pure shock, until she clutched her father’s old necktie and came back to herself.

“Mountain Peak, there’s a reason we do things the way we do on this farm.”

She growled.

“Out of respect for everypony who worked these fields before us. All of the stallions who held this farm together so we could be here. Your grandfather, Igneous Rock. Feldspar Granite and his brother Brackish—the first. And many generations before them. Are you trying to spit in their faces and say they didn’t know what they were doing?”

“No, of course I ain’t!”

Mounty protested, but he couldn’t stop Limestone from picking up her tools and going in on his contraption.

“What are ya doing?”

“Taking this thing apart! We have better things to use this titanium for. Things that won’t make us lazy.”

“It ain’t makin’ us lazy!”

Mounty was outright angry as he argued back.

“It’d make our work better, more efficient even! Grandpa an’ the rest o’ the family jus’ didn’t have tools like this, else they woulda done this too!”

“You don’t know that. One thing I do know is your grandpa wouldn’t like you talking back!”

There was nothing else Mounty could do but kick up dust in frustration, helplessly watching his mom dismantle his hard work…

Painfully slowly. In a twisted way, it was almost comical.

“A couple o’ power tools would get the job done real quicker.”

“Don’t tell me how to do my job.”

She snipped back through the screwdriver in her teeth.

“Go take that cutie mark and do something useful with it.”

And off the colt went, stung by how much this big moment had been soured for him. He couldn’t sugarcoat it: Mom was more ornery than ever. And only getting worse each year since Grandpa died, even though she claimed to be following his legacy.

If she was, they clearly knew two different Igneous Rocks.

~~~~~~~~~~

Previous: Bedrock Next: Party Ponies

Limestone Pie's cutie mark by Parcly-Taxel

[egg-emperor]

Heya I just finished Sonic Frontiers and while I was trying to avoid spoilers, I did think of you when it came to the Eggman stuff in the game. I can definitely understand why you would be disappointed in the direction they went with with his character in the game. I don't mean to come off as trying to argue against your take away or say your feelings are wrong at all, how you feel is totally valid, but I just wanted to say when it came to how my interpretation of it was:

to me it felt like Eggman having a view of himself as Sage's father felt like it came from a place of his typical narcissism and psychopathy. There's the Egg Memo where he looks down on the idea of creating life as "just a bunch of proteins bumping together" and that the life HE created is so great and awesome because HE made it. It felt like almost like self deification or something. HIS creations, and his method of creating them, are superior to the genetic accidents of nature. He even kind of comes across as thinking the idea of procreation via sexual reproduction is sickening to him.

When he says he's proud of Sage it's like saying "I'm so proud of the new song I just put out" it's not like you're saying you think the song is doing a good job. It's an expression of self pride. He's literally saying he's proud of the thing he created, he's proud of HIMSELF. Anything she accomplishes is a reflection of his own genius. And in the end he's still willing to let her sacrifice herself without hesitation. There's no emotional second guessing or doubt, he just says "yup, go do it, I know you'll succeed (cuz I made you and I'm awesome)." That's just how it came across to me anyway.

I mean Eggman's usual ego tripping is still present all over the game. In the Egg Memo where he mentions Maria, he literally says "why was everyone so head over heels with Maria when I'M THE REAL STAR OF THE SHOW HERE!" And when he teams up with Sonic on the last island he does so under the rationalization of inducting Sonic into a part of the Eggman Empire and then ORDERING him to go collect the chaos emeralds. It felt on brand to me anyway.

Like I said I definitely get why you would come away from it feeling sour. Hopefully the idea that Eggman is canonically a DILF now is comforting? (I was making a lot of "I call Eggman daddy too" jokes during the final stretch of the game >.> )

I appreciate the understanding of my feelings about it. It's nice and refreshing to have someone finally present a different perspective without insulting my intelligence and denying the knowledge I have about Eggman and raising some actual points.

Your interpretation is definitely one of the few accurate ways I feel it would go if they wanted the dynamic to exist at all and I'd really like to believe it was the case and intention with it. And it actually almost would've came off that way to me as it mostly felt one sided from Sage only on an actual genuine sincere level, if it weren't for the weird parts of the memos where Eggman called her "the best" and acted like he sees her as an actual being and family, and how the final scenes tried to make it sad and dramatic and imply sincerity on a deeper level than pride in a creation.

He should've just said something typical like she's his greatest creation yet, so he's especially clear that he's praising himself as creator because he'd never say any other being was "the best", as they imply he sees her as a person rather than AI. They almost got that reflection of ego in it right in the memo about being able to create life and the superiority of him being the creator and I liked that (and how it can be interpreted as aversion to actual sexual reproduction lol) but again, the implication of seeing her as more than an AI and like family doesn't feel right to me.

His selfish thoughts on Maria (aside from the weird questioning of if Sage was like her because why would he care) and how he acted towards Sonic with his childish stubbornness in needing to feel he was still getting his way by ordering Sonic for the Empire are my favorite parts and this interpretation would've fit in perfectly with them. I can see him saying he's proud and she's his greatest creation yet for her loyalty like he has with other creations and yeah, everything he praises and is proud of is actually just reflecting pride in himself as her creator no matter what.

But calling her the best and seeing her as anything more than artificial and even as family made it seem too personal and sincere. There were memos that seemed to be going in the right direction but took weird turns, and especially in the final scenes as if they wanted us to believe that he suddenly saw a creation as important beyond serving their purpose, saw her as a person and family, and cared about someone in any way since he seemed upset to let her go and lose her, rather than just disappointed like simple line changes would've done.

And that's what bothers me most about it really, how it feels like they got so close to getting it right at multiple points and it kind of seemed that this interpretation was the real intention and I love it- but then the implications of thoughts of being like family and caring for "the feels" had to be abruptly forced into the memos and final scenes and ruin it and made him seem like Mr. Tinker with Belle to me, instead of anything the real Eggman would think and feel and act. But just small adjustments to the English dialogue would've changed everything.

It makes me feel better to try to think of the scenes with this interpretation in mind but I feel like that's not what they were really trying to go for with those weird parts that stick out and feel ooc in particular and I'm sad about it because it would've been so much more accurate this way instead. But it's been done in a way that has people thinking he might suddenly stop being evil, actually has a soft caring side, is genuinely a family man, etc and it really irks me. It was already bad and overexaggerated enough in fanon when it wasn't part of game canon and it's about to get worse.

In a way yeah being able to call game Eggman a dilf now too is one good thing that I could take away from it but also he's my daddy, back off Sage >:( lol

[voraciousvore]

In the Belly of the Giant (11/39)

Chapter 11

Joey managed to get some sleep, and first thing in the morning he hurried over to the police station. He was grasping at straws, hoping for any sort of lead to help him track down his missing girlfriend. His throat tightened up every time he thought about her, and how scared she must be. He forced back his tears and clenched his jaw with determination. He would find her. 

When he arrived at the police station, the first thing he did was check with the officers coming off of night shift to see if there was any new information. Nothing. Soon after, the secretary showed up to look at more mugshots. She looked tired and upset, with her auburn hair unkempt. She was good friends with Eren, and the human’s disappearance had disturbed her greatly. She felt terribly guilty for leaving Eren at the clinic alone with that perfidious, disreputable giant. Perhaps, if she had been there, she could have prevented the abduction. 

Ray showed up to work with a truckload of cinnamon rolls to share and lots of coffee. He gave Joey a sympathetic pat on the shoulder with a cup of fresh coffee and guided him to the morning briefing. Joey, normally so punctual and sedulous regarding his work, was so distraught that he wasn’t paying attention to the time or any of his usual responsibilities. He couldn’t focus on anything that wasn’t related to his girlfriend’s predicament. 

After the meeting, Joey checked back with the secretary. He ran into her in the hallway on his way there. “Joey!” the giantess exclaimed excitedly. “We found out who he is!” 

Joey perked up. His blood started to flow. “Really?”  

“Yes!” They rushed over to the photographs and she pointed to a seedy, slovenly man who matched the police sketch to an uncanny degree. “That giant there.” Joey regarded the mugshot with a scowl. The giant’s name was listed underneath his photo: Jake “the Snake” Stiles. Joey quickly obtained a copy of the photograph and the criminal’s file detailing his long list of sordid crimes, which included multiple instances of burglary, auto theft, violent assault, and drug dealing. He reviewed the file, scouring it for any pertinent information. His blood was boiling. He wanted to find this man and slaughter him. 

He took the file straight to the police chief. The chief was a big, rotund, bald giant with ruddy cheeks who was perpetually sweating and grumpy. He was sitting inside his office, reviewing some paperwork, when Joey presented him with the updated news. 

“I have a suspicion that Eren’s abduction is linked to the other missing humans from the boarding school,” Joey explained. “If we find this man, hopefully we can find the others. Please, sir. Put me on the case.” 

The police chief regarded him with a skeptical eye. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m not assigning you this case. We’ll get someone else to handle it.” 

Joey balked. “What?! Why?! I’m heavily invested in this case! I know I can solve it! I need to find Eren!” He couldn’t keep the hysterical edge out of his words as he raised his voice with passion. 

“Exactly. That’s the problem. You can’t be objective when you’re this emotional. I can’t have you making reckless decisions and jeopardizing the investigation,” the police chief lectured sternly. 

“But… but, sir,” Joey protested, “she’s my girlfriend…” He balled up his fists so hard that his nails dug into his palms. “I need to have some involvement at least.” 

The police chief huffed, and leaned back in his chair in contemplation. He massaged his forehead with his chubby fingers. “Fine. Whatever. You can work with the officers whom I give the case. However!” He pointed his fat sausage of a finger belligerently for emphasis. “You’re not in charge, and you’re on a very short leash. You don’t make any moves without express approval first. And you’ll still have to work any other jobs you’re given. Do I make myself clear?” 

“Yes sir.” Joey straightened up and gave a terse nod. 

“Now go out on patrol with your partner, and do your investigating on your down time while you’re out. Remember, any calls you get on your radio, you answer.” 

Joey nodded again to acknowledge he understood and stiffly walked out. He was fuming, but at least he was still involved with the case, if not directly. He begrudgingly admitted, to a limited extent, that the police chief had a point. He would be more prone to riskier, perhaps even illegal and unethical, actions with how desperate he was to get Eren back. He certainly would be willing to break police protocols to protect her. If he found Jake the Snake, he wasn’t sure he could stop himself from murdering him in a fit of rage. 

Ray was waiting for Joey in the police cruiser. Joey sat down brusquely and slammed the door closed, a bit harder than he intended. 

“Everything alright?” Ray asked, pausing midway to sipping his coffee. 

“Besides my girlfriend getting kidnapped? No, not really,” Joey griped. “I wanted to focus on saving her, but the police chief claimed I was too emotionally involved and put someone else in charge of the case.” He gritted his teeth. “He said we could still investigate, as long as we didn’t take any rash action and didn’t have any other calls to attend to.” 

“Well, what are we waiting for then? Let’s go!” Ray responded. Joey was grateful to have a good, supportive partner like Ray. “We can patrol the rougher side of town and see if we can find anything. You never know, we might get lucky.” 

“Alright.” Joey pondered his next course of action. “I should probably call Eren’s father and update him on what’s going on.” 

Mr. Henderson didn’t bother to go to work that day. Work was irrelevant compared to the fate of his daughter. In fact, he didn’t even bother to get out of bed. He was miserable. He felt like a steaming pile of hot garbage. He had collapsed in bed the previous evening, hungry and depressed, hoping that he was just dreaming and he would soon wake up from the living nightmare he found himself inexplicably trapped in. The night came and went, and he was still here. He had slept a bit, maybe collectively a couple hours through the long night. He had no energy or motivation to move. His empty belly was cramping up with hunger but he refused to eat anything. His gigantic body needed food to function but he didn’t have the willpower to overcome his paralyzing inertia. 

He stared at the ceiling, watching phantasmagorical horrors parade through his mind’s eye as he imagined what Eren might be going through. He was terrified for his daughter, and felt weak and powerless in the face of the overwhelming obstacles before him. He had no ability to help her or overcome his own depravity. He just wanted to lay in bed and shrivel up and die, like a withering plant without sunlight or soil. Eren was the sunshine in his life: Without her, he couldn’t escape the darkness smothering him. 

He was brought out of his languid stupor by the sound of his phone ringing. He fumbled for the phone on his nightstand and checked the caller ID. Joey! He prayed for good news and tapped the call button. “What’s going on Joey?” he croaked frailly, his voice hoarse. 

“We found out the identity of the giant who stole Eren,” Joey replied. He sounded irritable and tired. “He’s known as Jake the Snake on the street. Now we just have to locate and arrest him, and hopefully discover where Eren disappeared to.” 

“That’s good,” Mr. Henderson responded feebly. He was hoping for better news, but he supposed any progress was a step in the right direction. He didn’t know anyone by that name, but he doubted he knew any human traffickers either. “Keep me posted.” 

“Alright. I gotta go. The sooner I get to work, the sooner we’ll find Eren,” Joey said, and hung up. Mr. Henderson let the phone slip from his hand onto the bedspread and sighed. He could feel another migraine coming on, so he gulped down some pills with a glass of water, straining not to envisage anything grotesque or throw up in the process. His stomach growled pugnaciously and he cringed. With his body fighting against him with such truculence, it was going to be a very long day. 

In the meantime, Joey and Ray piloted their police cruiser in the places where they were most likely to run into criminal activity. Joey didn’t like going to the more dilapidated areas of town, since they were dangerous hotspots for gangs and crime, and he definitely wouldn’t take Eren anywhere near them. They drove past run-down buildings and small shops with faded signs and iron bars on the windows. Scribbles of ugly, offensive graffiti were spray painted on walls and street signs. The bushes and trees were dead and scraggly, with gnarled branches devoid of green foliage. Stone and cement crumbled into unrecognizable, abstract shapes, like the devastated ruins of an ancient civilization. 

They wandered through this ravaged landscape, searching for breadcrumbs. The summer heat radiated off the cracked pavement in distorted ripples. Within the dreary wastes of brown and gray stalked Stygian shadows of people. Joey scrutinized these daytime ghouls as the police cruiser passed them, and the somber ghouls glared back with simmering resentment. None of them resembled the giant he was hunting. 

The relatively flat urban sprawl gave way to grimy apartment buildings made of moldy bricks that appeared mostly empty, with several busted windows. Weeds and dead grass sprouted in the alleyways and poked through cracks in the sidewalk. The cop car next entered a squalid industrial park that looked like it hadn’t seen any activity in decades. As they drove through a row of abandoned warehouses, Joey spied some cars obscured behind a building in a gravel lot nearby. The gleaming cars were conspicuous in that they were oddly well-maintained and expensive for the area. They lacked scratches, dents, broken glass, stolen parts, or damage of any kind, which was unusual for this part of town. Joey grew suspicious. 

“Hey, Ray, don’t you think those cars over there seem kinda suspect? Maybe we should-” Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the police scanner. The two cops listened pensively. 

“We’d better respond to that call,” Ray said. 

“Unfortunately, yeah,” Joey agreed. “The police chief ordered us to answer any calls. My inclusion in Eren’s case was contingent upon it.” Ray drove off, and Joey kept his eyes peeled for Jake the Snake. As the day wore on, and the officers continued about their business and scoured the town for the culprit, he soon forgot about the warehouses and the cars. 

Chapter 12

Chapter 1

[please-someone-give-me-love]

One piece live action review #1

There's a lot of good things but also some bad things. In general, I think the live action was really enjoyable, the pacing was good (maybe a little too fast but it's understandable why), almost every change fits good and for what I have seen, I think every main character and side characters feel in character withh their priginal counterparts.

The ost wasn't as great as our dear original ost but it was pretty good as well, the cinematography esencially is the best, not only in the one piece standsrt but in the anime live action standar, I would say it's on the same level of "Erased" cinematography.

Now, I have saiid a lot of good things of tecnical stuff but what about the story?

There wasn't a couple of changes that I pretty much enjoyed while watching it.

1. The way Luffy gets to introduced to Cobh, Alvida en everything.

Obviously, following the anime and manga route and reoolicating the exact movements and things to say would be leas to a cringey failure, we can't replicate anime expressions neither their comedic gags so they have to changed it and adapt it which was a great decision.

The scenes have the same vibe and love as the original but in a more "realistic" way to adapt to real people.

2. Luffy as a kid and his way to eat the gomu gomu no mi.

That kid nailed it completely in every way, he nailed it, did an incredible job replicating Luffy's stubborning and admiration for shanks, he was great and I like the way they made him eat his devil fruit.

Sure the scene is not as iconic as the original but it feels special and magic and also pretty funny.

The red shanks pirates nailed it as well, I think they showed the comfortable vibe that they have in the manga/anime.

3. Coby.

I think the best characterization from the first episode was Coby, the actor did a great job on portraying his fears and insecurities. It's a pity they couldn't show more of his participation.

4. Nami, Zoro and Luffy.

Their dynamic was really funny to see, I was worried at the beginning when I saw the first trailer but now nowing the context I understand why they changed it, still, their sheninigans were really funny and have a great chemistry.

5. Captain Morgan and Helmeppo.

They really adapted them well, in a really good way, I think they did a great job.

6. Buggy.

I don't need to clear nothing, good my hormones are crazy for that clown.

Now, even that I generally emjoyed the episode and adaptation, there were also things I didn't like.

*clearing that I am not taking account things like cgi because they actually did an incredible work with the cgi or stupid nitpickings but more like scenes that I think they could be make but they decide to not do it, as well as some (just one) characterization.

1. Luffy's characterization.

NOT HATE TO IÑAKI HE DID GREAT.

I understand why they couldn't adapt Luffy as the original, it would ended up horrible and cringey and Iñaki did a great job capturing Luffy escence and spirit, there were a few times that I thought:"Wow that's something Luffy would do" but in general, I do think his characterization is pretty oc, nothing that would stop me to watch the series but it something thag I had to say it, hell, even Oda himself admit that there were things Luffy wouldn't say or act but it was alright.

Please send love to Iñaki, it's another fellow mexican actor that I am supporting so this is not hate or anyhing.

2. Hopefully they change Garp's vibe.

I think since the very beginning in the original we knew that Garp wasn't normal lol but here he is so much more serious, I hope this is only a question to hide his relating to Luffy like Oda did in the manga with the whole dog mask.

3. This scenes.

Shanks and the bandit.

I don't think it was a bad scene but I think they could recreat the original scene with no so much problem, they added Zoro's fight with the baroque work member, so I doubt they couldn't recreate Shanks getting humilliation from the bandit.

More because it will become a single during Jaya arc, showing Luffy's grow and understanding towards his pirate life, we all knew this parallel and I think it is important because we really didn't need words to understand how much Luffy's view has changed, it's that subtle message that feels so close and personal to us.

The scene is good but it didn't have a lot of impact.

Zoro and the little girl.

They did a great job, everything is great and this little complain is more like a stupid nitpicking by myself but I think the scene is less impactful in so many ways even if it's the same, I understand why they changed but it's still, I enjoyed in generall but I haave to say this.

4. Haircolor

Sorry but I am actually ranting about this, the haircolors look so bad, it took me completely put, just bad, it looks fake for exception of Coby and maybe Zoro but god, I hate the way they made them look so bright and put of entonation.

Conclusion.

It was a good show, a great anime live action, easily one of the best in the list (sorry but for me Erased is the best LA) but an incredble adaptation, I can see the love and dedication and they did a fantastic work.

*Ps. I started laughing so hard with the den dem mushi.

[fizzingwizard]

Binged Good Omens season 2. Spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers

I loooooved it

However, it's worth noting that the way I loved it was different from the way I loved season one. I think any fans expecting Good Omens the remix might possibly be confused or disappointed. The scale of Good Omens was huge - so many players, so many interwoven storylines all coming together for the climax. Season 2 is a smaller deal - like Neil Gaiman's said, a transition between Good Omens and the story we'll hopefully get in season 3. The stakes are lower (in fact the stakes aren't always terribly clear), and the story is sillier. The focus on Aziraphale and Crowley, without the addition of Newt and Anathema and Adam and the Them, means the plot moves more slowly, there's more time to linger, and less mystery to parse.

But while some fans might be surprised, I'm definitely not complaining. I ate it up. We get Marvel movie after movie, all with huge stakes and epic storylines, and it's so much that honestly, don't you just want something smaller, where characters have some chance to develop, and maybe have some down time? That's Good Omens season 2. It's not a gripping adventure, but it is exciting and intriguing and very, very fun.

Here are a few of my thoughts:

I saw the teeniest spoiler in the world just by browsing tumblr, but it meant that I knew about Gabriel and Beelzebub going in. It didn't hurt me too much, since nothing happens till the last episode, but it meant I had a better idea of what was going on with Gabriel and the importance of the fly. The one thing I'm rather confused about is - why did Beelzebub greenlight Shax's plan to storm the bookshop? Was it just because they couldn't do anything else without it looking fishy? I may have missed some details.

I thought the Gabriel/Beelzebub relationship was nice. Some good ol' blasphemy hahahaha. But I will say, that after the Gabriel we got in season one, and after Crowley's threats toward him, the touching finale with everything just going Gabriel and Beelzebub's way left me a little disappointed. I don't think I wanted Gabriel to turn out to still be an asshole, I think that ship had sailed, but I suppose I was expecting him to do something a little more momentous. BUT. It's important to note that the the momentous thing probably IS that nothing momentous happened. There's a clear theme that love, protecting what you have, and enjoying the simple joys of life together are the truest expression of godliness. So I rather think that was very intentional, and having watched the season through once, on second viewing I think I'll feel differently since I'll come into it with fewer expectations.

I absolutely loved Nina and Maggie. It was lovely to see such a great, real, yet silly pair of women pining for each other, as well as a lesbian struggling with a controlling female partner, and her protective manner about it. I do wish the scene where they were locked in the coffee shop had been a little more substantial. It felt like it was meant to be, but it ended so fast. I didn't entirely understand what the point was of including Nina and Maggie... although again I think that was me expecting momentous when the point was simple human love. The fact that I enjoyed them says as much.

The social awkwardness and total out of touch thinking of the angels and demons was hilarious and relatable. The whole Job episode!!! It's what I think everyone feels when they read Job for the first time. I clearly remember being a kid and thinking "God allowed this??" And the little girl who wanted to be a blue salamander... So adorable

Now for all the fun with Crowley and Aziraphale. They were so fun. Sometimes they were a little too silly?? almost??? like when Crowley had to do the apology dance. I didn't understand that. But I look at it as the show reminding us, hey, these guys aren't cool. They're in love and hopelessly devoted. And that means being embarrassing around each other. That's real love, when you can be silly and embarrassing and wholly yourself with your partner. One of my favorite bits was Aziraphale driving the Bentley and turning it yellow xD

Oh and speaking of embarrassing and silly. The nerdy angel!Crowley making the Pillar of Creation in the beginning of episode one hooked me instantly. I was like "oh, this s gonna be GOOD." The purity of his love for creating, that he didn't feel a need for something to have a use to deserve to exist, and how upset he was to hear his creation wouldn't last... as well as how much Aziraphale was drawn to him, and concerned for him, it was all such good framing for the rest of the season. At the end, when Aziraphale tells Crowley "nothing last forever," I just know Crowley thought about the Pillars of Creation. I think in Crowley's mind, things die when they're no longer loved. He wants so much to protect what's important to him, and not be bossed around and told he has to lose something for the Greater Good or whatever.

As for Aziraphale. I think his choice, while heart-breaking, makes perfect sense for him. We were led the whole time to see that Aziraphale meddled on purpose to do good, not always with enough to nuance to know what that was, but meaning it. And Crowley meddled more to help Aziraphale than out of his own desire to meddle - which isn't to say he doesn't genuinely care about humans, but I think demon life just makes that a lot more difficult. Still he goes around protecting goats and children by his own will. He's fixed more on Aziraphale now, but that's in him as well. However, Aziraphale's the one who had faith in the system, and who wasn't 100% ready to part from it at the end of season 1. So Aziraphale deciding to return to heaven is not really that surprising, considering what he expects to gain from it. I do think this will bite him in the butt later, but I don't think he had bad reasons. And Crowley's reasons, for prioritizing his independence over being with Aziraphale, are equally valid. It's a great obstacle for them and the timing of the shift was painfully perfect.

And that finale. To be honest, I was a little frowny for a while, because I thought Maggie/Nina would get a kiss, and then Gabriel/Beelzebub were so romancey that I was like, "will everyone except Aziraphale and Crowley have a moment?" With them, there had been hints, lots of precious looks and lines, but nothing with oomph. I started to think, well, in the end Good Omens isn't a love story anyway... Ye of little faith!!! Crowley and Aziraphale get what I think was the only kiss in the season. It was definitely the most epic. I never should have doubted David Tennant and Michael Sheen. They're too used to each other for nonsense like internalized homophobia :> But I do have to say... the violins when their mouths meet... were a little much x'DDD I almost laughed. It was a very dramatic kiss, and a very dramatic reaction - a scene right out of a Katherine Hepburn movie. That, however, makes me love it more. Yes, let these middle-aged gay angels suck face and pine hopelessly for each other. Validate all those fanfics. Good Omens season 2 is the slow burn I always dreamed of

The cliffhanger ending is EXCRUCIATING. I wouldn't mind having to just wait a little, but it's gonna be years till season 3 - it's not even greenlighted yet! I will not make it y'all. I neeeeeeeeed the next season. Aarrrrggghhh. All good things are worth the wait, but I have to also SURVIVE the wait... XP

In sum: very silly, very touching, a different vibe than Good Omens, but still a very wonderful vibe. Also gay gay gay gay gay. Happy happy happy. Make them all gay! I'm fucking straight but I wish I was gay right now just so I could be even happier. It's a great story with great themes and great gay characters.