#i just feel like fandom loses its fun instantly when people try and bring the internet celebrity factor into it

[the-casbah-way]

the ego trip some fic writers are on makes me want to die like girl some real world perspective would be a game changer here

[andypantsx3]

Happy early anniversary to one of my favorite bnha authors ❤ (ok but like deadass if you were to write for a fandom i know nothing about, i'd still read it 💀💀) for the deleted scenes questions, how did ad intra's first meeting go from Shinso's perspective? I'd love to know what was going through his head especially since he TRIED TO PRY INTO READERS THOUGHTS that smug bitch what did he find there, i love him so much UGH

Ahhh thank you my love!! I hope you like this little shit’s POV lol. 💕 

You were a hellcat. Shinsou could tell instantly. 

If it wasn’t the dismissive once over you’d given him the second you’d made note of his jumpsuit, it was the immediate denial that he be included on your case.

Shinsou had worked a lot of investigations in partnership with the police before. His quirk was built almost exactly for this purpose—pulling information from unwilling mouths, prying up the floorboards of stubborn memories, slipping in and out of sensitive situations with no one the wiser to his presence or his machinations. But never had he been met with this kind of instant unwillingness to accept his help on a case.

It piqued his interest. There was a story there, underneath the slash of your eyebrows, the obstinate set of your jaw as you talked back to your captain, a man even he would think twice about crossing. You had some kind of history with heroes, and probably some kind of history with men in general. There was, after all, no shortage of men in law enforcement with a pathological need for control but no skill to back it up.

Shinsou smirked. How soon you would find he was not one of those men.

He could back it up.

“I can work faster on this alone,” you’d said, when Captain Nagumo insisted Shinsou be added to your investigation. “How about we call Shinsou in when I’ve found something and he can help with the apprehension?”

Shinsou settled back in his chair, letting his eyes flick over you. He watched the pretty little pout that curled your mouth, the swell of your chest as it heaved in anger in the confines of your uniform shirt. You were dressed plainly, and you obviously did little to play up your own charm—likely disinterested in any kind of attention from any of your colleagues on the force (and having met some already, Shinsou couldn’t blame you). Despite that, Shinsou could easily see the simple appeal in your features, in your fiery little temper.

A hellcat indeed.

Oh, he was going to have fun with you.

“This is not a request,” the captain said firmly. “Shinsou will be working this case with you.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but the captain’s look shifted into something angrier and your teeth clacked together audibly. 

Shinsou leaned forward languidly, relishing the way it drew your eyes to him. He didn’t need a mental quirk to tell that for all you were clearly annoyed by him, you were having a hard time keeping your eyes off of him.

“Why don’t you bring me to your desk and show me what you were working on?” he asked, activating his quirk. He could tell you didn’t really want to acknowledge him, but he was aware that his quirk held some level of compulsion, even before one met the conditions that triggered its true activation. It made you want to respond to him, and it was very satisfying to watch you hesitate under its pull.

“I—” you began, looking a little dazed. Then your temper clearly caught back up with you, and you exhaled through your nose. “Fine. If you don’t want to get left behind, let’s go.”

You shot to your feet, quickly exiting Captain Nagumo’s office like you could lose him if only you moved fast enough. Shinsou smirked, and rose to follow you. You led him down a long hall and into a cramped stairwell, starting up the stairs without pausing to check if he was following.

“How much did Captain Nagumo tell you about the case already?” you asked as you climbed.

“Not too much,” Shinsou said, careful not to betray how much he was enjoying the view as he followed you up. “Just that there had been break ins, multiple suicides, and a lot of missing memories.”

You pushed open the door to your floor and gestured him through, then stalked over to your desk. Shinsou could see case files scattered all across your desk in small towers. You shoved a bunch over and dragged over a chair from a nearby conference table.

“Sit and let’s chat, then,” you said.

He dropped into the chair, legs stretched out in front of him, and you sat across from him.

“So why did they send you?” you asked.

Shinsou weighed his answer. “To help.”

You looked annoyed. “Obviously, but why you? What interest does the Public Safety Commission have in this case?”

Your tone was clearly suspicious. “Dozens of people show up without their memories, and you think the police force can handle this without help? I’m here to provide support.”

“So why you, specifically? What are you bringing to this case?”

Even if he wasn’t forbidden to answer that question, Shinsou thought he might have withheld the answer just to watch you squirm angrily. “My good looks and big brain.”

“Fascinating,” you replied flatly. “Well that will be a huge help, no doubt. Good thing they sent you.” 

You looked like you wanted to reach across the desk and strangle him, and Shinsou was not entirely opposed to you trying. He let his smile widen. “You don’t think much of me, do you?”

His quirk wove itself lazily through his voice, and he sat back in his chair with some satisfaction as you replied, unknowingly handing over the keys to your mind.

“Listen, I don't mean to disrespect your profession. Heroes are great and totally needed for patrols and raids. When it comes to investigations, though, you slow things down, and I don't have time for you to hold things up.”

Shinsou was only half listening, letting his quirk wash through you. It twined sinuously through the space between your thoughts, ready to wrap around your thought patterns and pull you under his control.

He watched you frown, eyebrows drawing together like you were trying to remember something, and he suppressed a smirk. So, you were perceptive enough that you could feel him.

Interesting.

He pulled your attention off of the feeling with a lazy, “Is that so?”

You found your annoyance again instantly. “What’s your background?” you demanded. “And your quirk? I’m assuming they didn't add you to this case for your charm and social grace.”

He smiled. “I’m afraid that’s above your clearance level.”

You stared at him in disbelief. “Fine then,” you said hotly. “Let me guess. You’re an emitter type—astounding levels of absolute bullshit.”

This surprised him into a laugh and he leaned forward in interest. A feisty little handful, if ever he’d encountered one.

“You’ve got quite the set of claws for such a little kitten,” he said, reveling in the way it made your gaze turn white-hot with anger.

 “Then I suggest you work with me here, if you don’t want to get stuck with them, Shinsou,” you grit out.

And there it was. A challenge. An invitation, really, to play with his food before he ate it.

Captain Nagumo had described you as one of his best, a compliment Shinsou sensed he didn’t give out lightly. Shinsou liked a woman with a brain, and he liked a woman with a stubborn streak even more—and yours was the widest he had ever seen. He doubted you had ever had any occasion to give up control in your entire life, meaning that if he played his cards right, he might be the first ever to see you come undone.

“Oh I’ll work with you, kitten,” he purred, letting his quirk linger for just one moment longer before pulling away from your mind, already resolved.

He wasn’t going to take control, but he would have it nonetheless. 

By the time he was done with you, you were going to give it up willingly.

Garbage Fest masterlist & schedule

[lord-of-christmas-lights]

I could post regular Narnia headcanons...

Or I could post the continuation of this post and go into depth about how Eustace and Caspian are affected by deity Narnia. Welcome back to Inhuman Narnia 101 and it turned out just as long as the first one so buckle up.

Check out this post by @dorianviolet for another awesome version of Inhuman AU Caspian

Warnings for slight body horror mentions including blood magic stuff, slight religious themes and theological discussion towards the end.

Before anything: This AU directly contradicts canon a lot. I don't care, that's why it's called an AU. Some of it is deliberate, some of it is accidental. I haven't read the books in a number of years, so this is all based on the movies and general information I've picked up from fanfic and tumblr. Discussion on this post is welcomed, criticism and arguments are not. Thank you.

First off, here is the link to an exploration of Dragoning, the Eustace-centric fic I wrote about this. I refer to it repeatedly in this post so if you want the full thing, there it is.

Second, let's get into this. So in my last post, I talked a lot about Narnia, her general existence in this AU, and her motivations as a character. She wants the people in her world to be a part of her, and no one else. Some of this is a conscious choice, and some of it isn't. Eustace's changes throughout his time in VOTDT are definitely not purposeful. It was his greed that drove him to the treasure, it was his own "curse" in becoming a dragon. That was not Narnia reaching out to him and purposefully trying to mold him to her world. As such, he takes on more of an observing role.

Eustace doesn't ever actually directly address his cousins on the subject of their inhumanity, in this fic or in any other I write. He simply sees it, notes it happening, and moves on. Even in the sections in my fics where the subject of inhumanity in general is brought up between Eustace and one of his cousins, it's always about Caspian, the greater Narnian world, or himself.

"Eustace asks why, and Lucy answers. Narnia changes people, she says. It happens to everyone, but the closer you are to her Heart, the greater it is. I don't know where Dragons are. Perhaps closer than we realized. It's exhilarating, isn't it? Aslan will return us to normal though, at the end of our journey." - AEOD

I don't know why, but I don't like the idea of Eustace trying to directly address the Pevensie brand of inhumanity. That line above takes place after his UnDragoning, after the way he sees things has changed, and I see it as him asking what exactly has changed, you know, why are Dragons different than boys?

That brings me to how Eustace himself changes. Now, if he hadn't gone and turned into a Dragon, I imagine Narnia wouldn't have taken much note of him. He's a random human, stuck-up, not at all in line for ruling her lands, and just kind of exists without much else going on. She still would have affected him a little, as she does to all humans in her world but it would have been almost entirely spiritual with no physical changes. And then we got the greatest fuck around and find out scene ever. He becomes a Dragon.

I love dragons, always have, I have a very deep spiritual connection to these creatures, and as such, I have gone all out on worldbuilding for Narnian Dragons. Again, the quote from AEOD, "...the closer you are to her Heart, the greater it is. I don't know where Dragons are. Perhaps closer than we realized." In the Inhuman AU, Dragons were the first creatures Narnia (the deity) and Aslan made when they created Narnia (the world). They just really liked the dragon shape from other worlds and thought, "Hey wouldn't it be cool if our world was populated by these big fire-breathing lizards?" Now I don't actually remember how often Dragons are mentioned and/or featured in the books so I'm going with my idea that Dragons are a somewhat rare but not extinct species. They have to be created through magical means, often through physical transformation of people or objects, though there are a few known cases of natural-born Narnian Dragons. Eustace's creation was the curse on the treasure, though I don't see his Dragoning as a curse itself. As in, the curse isn't in the being a Dragon, it's in how the Dragon was created. So, Eustace experiences this accidental change into a creature that's closer to Narnia's Heart than pretty much any other being in Narnia. They were her first creations, forged from the fire in the Stars, and they are the closest to her magic. And that gets her attention.

Now, if you went and read AEOD, you'll have noticed that one of Eustace's biggest changes (aside from the obvious physical ones) is his vision. This is just a natural thing for Dragons, they are far more in tune with magic and the earth and everything than everyone else, but Narnia's special interest in him definitely amplifies the hell out of his magic sense.

"The people here say dragons see the oddest of things, and he has to assume it's a hallucination....He refuses to give into its whims, reminds himself it's just his imagination. Until Reepicheep comments on it." - AEOD. Following this quote, Reepicheep mentions to Lucy that her inhumanity is returning faster than Edmund's and Eustace has a total panic attack at the idea that what he's seeing is real. He sees what everyone else does, Lucy's stained fingers and Edmund's ability to manipulate words, but he also notices stuff no one else does like the stars in Edmund's throat and the echoes that follow Lucy's words. This is further cemented after his UnDragoning, where the extra stuff he perceived has vanished. Now the general idea in this AU is that the closer to Narnia's Heart you are, the more you know and perceive. Everyone can see some of the more obvious inhuman aspects of the Pevensies, but there are things that only Dragons, druids, Stars, and some other magic folk really close to Narnia's Heart see. I'm not going to get into an exact chart of what certain characters can and cannot see because that can change over time and such and I'd rather leave it mostly up to personal interpretation on what other characters do and do not perceive about the Pevensies and other such inhuman characters.

(Side note—I had to pause in the writing of this post here to go to my second meeting for an autism assessment and I think if I just showed the doctor my notes app and the inhuman/dark fantasy narnia tag on my blog, I'd get the diagnosis instantly lol) So anyways, Narnia senses Eustace becoming a Dragon and is like "Ooohoo what's this?" and starts sort of digging into him in the same way she does to her Kings and Queens. This triggers his already enhanced perception of Narnia (the world) to get even stronger, and this is when he starts seeing stuff like people's souls, Caspian's second heart (more on that soon), and looking at Lucy/Edmund/Lilliandil becomes almost painful because Narnia's magic is so bright in them. Aslan then UnDragons him, which Narnia really doesn't like btw, and Eustace is back to being a fairly average human.

This is where stuff established in AEOD ends.

Now I have so many ideas and half finished fanfics written out in my notes app about Eustace, UnDragoning, and inhumanity and it would be impossible to cover them all here, so I'm just going to go with the highlights. One of my favorite ones is the idea that after Eustace's UnDragoning, he still feels very connected to being a dragon. He's had this taste of pure inhumanity, and something like that doesn't just leave a person. There's a fic I read once long before I was fully invested in this fandom about Eustace and draconity that I will never stop thinking about and was actually the reason I started considering Eustace and Narnian Dragons in this AU. One of the really important things to note is that once a Dragon is created, they can never be uncreated. They can be UnDragoned, where their physical form is returned to whatever it was before their Dragoning (a rock, a talisman, a faun, etc) but their soul has changed on a fundamental level to that of a Dragon. Now for Eustace in my Inhuman AU, this manifests spiritually as a deep longing to return to being a Dragon. Physically, he experiences fun side effects like increased heat tolerance, nails that grow faster than normal, and because Narnia likes to meddle, a single ridge of scales along his spine. In some versions of my drafts, he stays at the end of VOTDT and experiences a slow Dragoning because Narnia's influence on him is that strong, other versions he stays but never quite returns to the Dragon he was before, and in yet other versions, he returns to England and loses that connection enough that physically, he will never be a Dragon again. As I said, Narnia is fascinated by him, she's never really had a human Dragon before, but he is still just a random guy who happens to be related to the Pevensies and as such, she doesn't invest as much time or magic into his inhumanity.

So that's Eustace. This is already such a long post but I promised to talk about both him and Caspian so here we go.

Now, in my last post I talked a bit about how Narnia (the deity) affects the other humans in Narnia (the world) to an extent, but it's nowhere near the amount she does to her Kings and Queens, and also this diminishes more and more the farther you get from Narnia (the country). Telmar is fairly close to Narnia (the country) but as we see in PC, a lot of Narnia's magic and spirit has been diminished by the time Caspian is born. Up until the awakening of the land during the battle, Caspian is essentially 100% human. However, this changes very quickly.

It's hard to pinpoint the exact moment Caspian becomes a King of Narnia. Is it when he refuses to kill Miraz? Is it when Aslan tells him he's one? Is it during his actual coronation? Yes, yes, and yes. I try not to pin it down to an exact moment. By the end of PC though, he's definitely noticing some changes in himself. I have an unpublished part 2 to an exploration of Inhumanity (my only other actually posted fic on this stuff) that I swear I will clean up and get posted soon that goes into further detail on the changes he's noticing at the end of AEOI. Some of the big ones include a second golden heart, seeing some of the life magic in the world around him, and a golden glow on his palms. He also slowly develops the ability to heal, though it's not always consistent. Magic takes practice, lots and lots of practice. In pt 2, the glow on his palms has gotten so bright and also spread around his head like a halo, and Lucy shows him how to conceal it so he's not impossible to look at, but because of Magic™ there's still a dusting of golden powdery stuff across his skin. His blood turns golden because Ben Barnes + golden blood is such pretty imagery, and like the others, it gets sucked down and absorbed into Narnia's Heart when he bleeds in battle. Also when I say he's got a second heart I mean he's got a second fucking heart. Ribcage shift and all. (His appearance doesn't actually change, it's more like a pocket dimension thing going on inside him, but he sure as hell can feel it happening). Having Narnia as a patron goddess just means you have to put up with a second puberty sometimes lol.

Anyways, there's a line in AEOI that I feel explains this stuff really well. "He cannot truly protect the land without becoming a part of it himself." Narnia changes her Kings and Queens because she wants them to be a part of her. Aslan doesn't really see these changes as necessary (in canon, a world without deity Narnia, they don't happen), and if the storyline we pick is the one that's the constant cycle of humanity and inhumanity, it's sort of a push and pull between them. Aslan wants the Pevensies, and by proxy anyone else who rules Narnia or experiences these changes, to keep their humanity, to stay as they were Created by him. Narnia, however, wants them to be as much a part of her as she is of them. It's very clear in both the books and the movies that Narnia (the world) is where these characters belong. In the end, they all come home to her (yes, Susan too because fuck Mr. Clive Staples Lewis). Caspian being anything less than fully inhuman is something she cannot handle. She is constantly having to recreate the Pevensies, reestablish her hold on them, only to have them return to England and become mostly human again. Caspian cannot be taken away from her, he is in this world by birth and she is going to do everything she can to shape him into the ruler he needs to be.

Once again, I would like to state that Aslan and Narnia are not opposing sides of good and evil. Gods cannot be defined by human standards, and to think either Narnia or Aslan completely in the right or wrong in this AU would be, well, an interesting standpoint, but really not the one I'm going for here. I'm not going to say it's a misinterpretation, I am very open to hearing people's thoughts on this AU, and everyone's going to see things differently. Just, please reread what I've written about them before you start making that argument.

Anyways, that wraps this post up because I have spent the better part of the past 6 hours writing this. I spent way more time on Eustace than I intended but it's just so fascinating to think about inhumanity from his perspective considering he's the only one in canon that actually was (briefly) inhuman. Again, if you got this far, congratulations! If you use any of my ideas mentioned here, please tag me, I am so starved for inhuman Narnia content lol.

[elves-n-angels]

How Sebastian Stan Went From Winter Soldier to 'Winter Swoldier'

To keep up with the Chrises, Stan upgraded his diet, training, and worldview. And 2020 is shaping up to be his best year ever.

BY LAUREN LARSON 

DEC 19, 2019

THE COFFEE-SHOP staff is having a silent meltdown. The peppermint tea I ordered was forgotten as soon as Sebastian Stan walked in. He orders a coffee, receives it instantly, and goes to put it down on a table. The lid isn’t fully on, and the coffee spills. It’s almost a “stars are just like us” moment, but then a barista suddenly materializes with a paper towel in his outstretched palm. “It’s wet,” he says eagerly.

Stan, 37, is wearing black shorts, a black T-shirt, midcalf black socks, and a gray hoodie missing its drawstring. He looks very off-duty SoHo, which he is: He’s back home in New York City on furlough from preparations for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, an extravagant collaboration between Marvel and newborn streaming service Disney+.

He’s also wearing a blue baseball cap, which sits slightly higher on his head than it might on the head of someone with less va-va-voom hair. That hair sent the Internet into a tizzy recently, when a poster for Falcon showed Stan with a short cut. In the past when Stan has played the Winter Soldier (né Bucky Barnes), he’s had shoulder-length hair. Next to his forehead, which is giant—the White Cliffs of Dover of foreheads—the longer style made him look very sinister.

Stan is somewhat less recognizable in street clothes, but women still side-eye him on their way to the bathroom. Maybe they recognize him; maybe he’s just a little too strapping not to be famous.

As Stan talks, he maintains an unsettling deadpan, verging on a glower. “People always ask me if I’m okay,” he says, still glowering. “They’ve said I have ‘serial-killer resting face.’ No matter what I do, I’ve always had dark circles under my eyes that never really go away. Lately there might be a little moisturizer happening here and there, just in case. Preserving a couple years, or whatever.”

The more reserved the actor, the more likely he is to become part of Hollywood mythology. Between Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016), a rumor circulated that he had gotten too ripped for the arm he’d worn in the earlier film, a wraparound contraption meant to look like a machine prosthetic. Redditors called him “the Winter Swoldier” and “Bulky Barnes.”

Stan laughs when I bring it up and clarifies that he used a new-and-improved arm in each successive film. With the first iteration, he had to apply lube to slide his real arm into what was essentially two rigid metal tubes. “It was like having a massive hammer attached to me,” he says, “but it looked unbelievable in the movie, and it actually informed a lot of my body language.”

Subsequent arms were more mobile, and Stan doesn’t have to lube up to get in there anymore: There’s a sleeve inside the arm for his next appearance as the Winter Soldier. But, he concedes, he did get too big for the arm used in Civil War. “I was so insecure being around these massive fucking guys, so I started lifting really heavy and ate a lot. I remember I showed up, and I was a little bit bigger than I had been in The Winter Soldier. The arm was a bit tight,” he says. “I was losing circulation.”

Stan is not a new arrival in the Marvel universe: He made his superhero debut in 2011, with Captain America: The First Avenger. But recently he’s enjoyed a burgeoning late-term fandom as his roles (and arms) have ballooned. Beyond Marvel, he starred alongside Margot Robbie in 2017’s I, Tonya, as Tonya Harding’s jackass boyfriend. When we meet in October, he’s just returned from shooting the spy film 355 in London, with Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Lupita Nyong’o, and Diane Kruger. Another insecurity-inspiring roster.

With Stan’s constellation of anxieties—he says he’s “terribly self-aware, to the point of detriment”—he is uniquely suited to stardom in 2020. A decade ago, audiences wanted actors to be pillars of Hollywood hubris, strutting around in latex Marvel suits, muscly and impenetrable. We still want the muscles, but we also want stars to be genuine.

Marvel films can seem at odds with that national craving for authenticity. Steve Rogers, for example, becomes Captain America instantly, in the first ten minutes of The First Avenger: He goes into a machine and emerges fit, huge, and self-actualized. I ask Stan whether that narrative—man gets muscles and immediately earns the admiration and attraction of everyone in his midst—isn’t a dated, unrelatable picture of masculinity.

“When I was watching Steve Rogers,” Stan starts in, “I saw him question his identity, his alliances, the government. ‘Who am I? What is this? What made me come into this is very different than the role I am in now.’ I think it was very timely, in the sense that you could see that character evolve. Then he gives up his shield and is like, ‘I’m out. I’m going to do my own thing.’ He chooses his own life. It’s actually more relatable.”

There’s an obvious metaphor there: Stan is Captain America, and stardom—and the press tours, the scrutiny, and the training that come with it—is his government, always invading his carefully fortified sense of self. As a result, he can appear very reticent in public, offering only occasional glimpses of the unguarded Sebastian Stan. Audiences live for those moments.

Stan is the anti-celebrity in the year of the anti-celebrity.

And his ambient hostility toward questioning is offset by the behavior of his Falcon costar Anthony Mackie. When alone in interviews, Stan can seem deflective and bored, but he gets an enormous kick out of Mackie, who has jumped in to rescue many an interviewer left to writhe on the hook by Stan. He is the Sebastian Stan whisperer, midwife to a charm that can be difficult to coax out.

“When I’m trying hard to find the honest moment, he sort of unlocks me a little bit. We both laugh and we find a way to have a good time,” Stan says. When I tell him that I’m planning to mine Mackie for gossip, he laughs. “Here’s what he’s going to say: ‘He’s way too serious. It’s boring. He slows everything down. It’s always these questions and, like, the stare. Give this kid a Yoo-hoo! Somebody get him a chocolate milk. Good God, put a smile on his face!’ ”

Mackie is the enthusiastic extrovert to Stan’s pensive recluse. Even though I reach him on the phone at 9:00 p.m. after a long day of shooting in Savannah—“I’m already going to bed,” Mackie says in a N’awlins drawl that sounds sleepier than usual—he’s forthcoming about Stan. He describes his costar as a hermit, a chronic Irish-goodbye-er who doesn’t offer much of himself at first. “If the FBI ever needed to get anything out of him, they’d be in very big trouble,” Mackie says. “I don’t know what the male equivalent would be of ‘resting bitch face,’ but Sebastian has nailed that 100 percent.”

His first impression, which lingered for a long time, was that Stan was a very quiet, very reserved actor. They shook hands when they met, but it wasn’t a buddy-com bromance at first sight. It wasn’t until much later, when the two were on a press tour for The Winter Soldier, that they hit it off. Mackie hung out with Stan and a few of his closest friends, and they “unlocked” Stan for Mackie the same way Mackie now unlocks Stan on press tours.

Their chemistry also plays well on set. They share a dedication to their work, and they both come from classical acting backgrounds. (“He went to Juilliard,” Stan says of Mackie. “He can do anything.”) Beyond that, they’re opposites, reining in each other’s moods to a perfect, workable middle. “He calms me down when I’m ready to rage against the machine,” Mackie says. In turn, Mackie bullies Stan into having fun.

Case in point: When they were on a press tour in Beijing, they had one of those endless nights that make press tours seem glamorous. “It just went on and on and on,” Mackie recalls. “We had to do press the next morning, and he’s like, ‘I’m going to bed.’ I’m like, ‘Nope.’ I took his wallet and his cell phone so he couldn’t get into his hotel room. Then, by the time we got to the press, I was fine. He just looked like he’d gotten hit by a car.”

Hollywood has always relished actor partnerships—from Robert Redford and Paul Newman to Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson—but now more than ever, buddying up feels like an imperative. Pairs perform, especially on social media. In November, when Stan and Mackie took over Marvel Studios’ Instagram to announce that they’d begun filming Falcon, fans were as thirsty for their friendship as they were for the show. Their dynamic is the stuff of memes: “[I] want someone to look at me the way Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie look at each other,” one fan tweeted.

I know what that fan meant. When Stan does look at you without suspicion—when, perchance, he laughs at something you say—it’s like winning a battle.

WHEN IT COMES to fitness, Stan has also benefited from the influence of a charismatic spirit guide. He played soccer and basketball at his Rockland County, New York, high school, but he didn’t start running and going to the gym until he was in college at Rutgers University. And he didn’t get really into fitness until 2005, when he was cast in a film titled The Covenant, which Stan calls “really classic.”

Really classic, indeed: The Covenant also stars Chace Crawford, whom Stan would later join on Gossip Girl (another classic), and Taylor Kitsch. Stan plays one of five prep-school boys endowed with supernatural gifts and sick abs.

“I got a call,” Stan says. “And one of the producers said to me, ‘Look, you’re going to have to look like John Travolta in Staying Alive.’ He’s just glistening with muscles. It’s ridiculous. I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I started to work out with a trainer, but it was my buddy

Taylor Kitsch who got me into it.” With the trainer and Kitsch as his gym shepherds, Stan began exercising in earnest.

Then, in 2013, ahead of The Winter Soldier, Stan teamed up with trainer Don Saladino, who’d also sculpted Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, and Liev Schreiber. That same year, Stan starred in a Broadway revival of William Inge’s Picnic, playing a character whose defining trait is his hotness.

“Inge was writing something very important about vanity and how people were perceived in terms of being quote-unquote good-looking, beautiful, or pretty,” Stan said in a Playbill interview in 2013. “In the play, there’s something shameful and dirty about it. Our obsession with beauty has not changed. When we see something that turns us on, we either appreciate it or judge it. It’s so primal. We still dismiss people if they’re pretty; we don’t care how they feel, because they should just be happy looking the way they do. That’s something we were trying to say with this production.” Stan is less philosophical about his Picnic bod these days. “I had to be basically shirtless every night, like eight shows a week,” he says. “I really zoned in on diet, and everything transformed.”

He prefers exercising on an empty stomach, so he generally starts his day with coffee—and a rice cake with some almond butter and honey if he’s feeling depleted. Today he was feeling very depleted, he says, so he had some scrambled eggs with Brussels sprouts and aioli. “I’m not going to tell you the place where I got that,” he adds, unprompted and wary, as though I might start dining there daily in a stalker vigil.

Stan is a proponent of “quality over quantity,” but that doesn’t mean he skimps on his workouts; he just knows that a 20-minute session that catapults his heart rate into the red zone is as effective as an hour of low-intensity bullshit. He runs (“I’m not going to tell you where”) when he’s feeling meditative.

In advance of the Falcon shoot, Stan started lifting weights every morning and knocking out stunt training for the fight scenes. He points out that filming an action movie is a workout in itself: You spend whole days running around and sweating in a heavy suit. “I mean, next to Evans and Hemsworth and all those guys, I feel like I’m 50 miles behind. I don’t think I can get to that size, to be honest,” he says. That aside, Stan feels, in his late 30s, better than ever. “My body right now is probably the best it’s ever been.”

THERE'S A PHOTO of Stan, age 15, on his Instagram. It’s a headshot from Stagedoor Manor, an acting camp that he attended while in high school. He’s recognizable from the brow up—he has the same broad forehead, the same voluminous hair. His arms look pale and soft, like overcooked linguine, and he’s staring down the camera with theater-kid intensity.

Stan lived in Romania until he was eight years old. Shortly after the Romanian revolution, he and his mother moved to Vienna and stayed there for four years before heading to New York in 1995. No, he says, he didn’t have a foreign exchange student’s social cachet in middle school. “Maybe if I was from France or something. But I am Eastern European. We left communism,” he says. “When I came here, I just wanted to be like everybody else.”

I ask Stan which of his mannerisms are typically Romanian. “You’re kind of putting me on the spot to define a whole nation—a guy who hasn’t been there for years,” he says. But he thinks for a second. “For me, based on my mother, the ‘Romanian temperament’ is perseverance—being able to handle more than you think you can. At 27, my mother was working two jobs in a foreign country where she barely spoke the language. There’s a sense of family and perseverance that’s deeply ingrained in the blood.”

Even for someone who has experienced a certain degree of stardom, Marvel fans can be a shock to one’s sense of family. Certain Marvel stars acquiesce to the attention on some level, greeting fans with a Chris Hemsworthian openness to scrutiny. Stan’s boundaries are reflexive and firm, as though his sense of self is always under attack. (Which, to be fair, it may well be: “He’s so reserved,” Mackie says, “but in this day and age that’s a very good quality.”)

Stan is more protective of his personal life than most actors. Celebrities often use social media to dispense calculated chunks of themselves in exchange for privacy. Stan occasionally opens up on Instagram: “Been working with this guy through years of self judgement and mental wars when it comes to fitness and LIFE,” he wrote of Saladino in a caption accompanying a gym selfie. But questions about the people in his orbit ping ineffectually against his poker face.

He attributes this to only-vaguely-alluded-to incidents in which his family and friends were subject to public attention. As a public figure, he has opted into that attention, he explains, but they haven’t. It upset him when they were the targets of scrutiny, particularly when that scrutiny came from his fans. Stan seems to be looking for earnestness in an industry that, on the whole, disdains earnestness. He “tries hard to find the honest moment,” as he himself puts it (much like how he saw a profound statement about “our obsession with beauty” in William Inge’s horny play).

In this, the Marvel universe is an improbably good fit for him. We speak the week after Martin Scorsese said Marvel films “are not cinema,” and Stan is as defensive of the films as he can be without disrespecting Scorsese, one of his heroes. “All I know is that all movies affect people,” he says. “I’ve certainly experienced firsthand many people who have been affected and helped by Marvel movies.”

Captain America fans lean earnest. People have told Stan that Bucky Barnes helped them cope with their PTSD. During Q&A sessions, he’s asked questions like “What would Bucky Barnes’s major be?” and “What happened to Bucky Barnes when he fell from the train?” Stan fields those questions without sarcasm or diversion.

“They think we are these people,” Stan says, again without condescension. He’s content to take questions about Bucky Barnes, especially if it distracts fans from asking questions about Sebastian Stan. “Now we’re much more obsessed with the personality rather than the actor. We take people and swallow them and digest them and chew them up, and then we spit them out the other side. Then we’re done,” he says. “We’ve done that with numerous celebrities—people. I’ve seen people have massive ups and downs and stuff. All I can do is just try to be as honest as I can. And do my job.”

Men's Health Magazine, December 19, 2019.

[nagisasstunningpersonality]

The Character As A Tool: Why Your Fave Doesn't Get More Screentime

Please refer to this post

REMINDER THAT ALL VIEWS HERE ARE MERELY MY OWN OPINIONS 

In truth, one of the most common complaints I see within this fandom is the treatment of side characters. Meaning, in short, a fair amount of the fandom are less connected to what’s going on with our main group of Nagisa, Karma, and Kayano, and instead relate to some of the less obvious choices. Now, there’s no problem with doing this. Hey, if you see something you like in a less important character, then absolutely go for it!

What We Do Know

I discovered for myself, whilst making my About Ass Class series posts, that absolutely some characters’ actual canon information is very dry. Matsui gives everyone a few bits here and there in both the Roll Call book and Graduation Album. If you’re lucky, there’s further points you can pick up just from watching/reading.

Now, and this I want to emphasise I’m stating as an opinion, Matsui actually gives us quite a lot to go from. Even if not every character is highly developed, there’s still a genuinely very solid starting block to go from with your own headcanon. Perhaps it can be argued that it’s not the reader’s job to supply that, but I’d counter that it’s actually kind of fun to not be fed every piece of information. Though more facts and a deeper dive into interpersonal relationships would be admittedly nice, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with us as a fandom coming up with those ideas on our own, using the pointers Matsui does give us as a starting point. Honestly it would take the fun out a little if there was too much information, and we’d have less possibilities to play with.

Why Certain Characters Exist

I’m sorry to tell you, but one of the first things you’re taught in any kind of writing or literature analysis class is that characters are not people, they’re tools. This may feel a little harsh to say, and I’m aware that many people get attached to characters and have genuine feelings towards them. And that is totally valid! Definitely not on the same scale, but I too enjoy when people have real emotions towards my OCs, so I get it.

(rest under cut) 

To put it plainly: characters exist within a story as either a plot tool, or a message tool. A plot tool is someone who, as it sounds, exists to move the story along. Characters that need to exist in order for the story to happen as it does. Now, don’t get me wrong, you don’t need to have planned this out. You don’t need to specifically introduce Hara, for example, for the sole reason of her upping the stakes in the first Itona/Shiro arc. Characters existing for filler is still, in a way, a plot tool. It’s like… you set up a chess board. Sure, you might use the knight or the queen piece the most, but the pawns are still an important and useful piece, even if you don’t always utilize it for every move, or they don’t always stand out. Message tools are when a character doesn’t really do anything, but they help to assist in the message you want to send with your art/writing. There’s not so many examples of this in ass class, the best I can think of is either Yuuji or Sakura, who don’t do much at all but are beacons for what Matsui wants to say with them (which if you think about it is just ‘don’t do drugs kids’ and ‘stay in school’ :’)).

So free bit of writing advice for you: your character is your chisel. Once you’ve picked them up and started to work at carving out the story you want, then you can start adding all your fancy upgrades and personality points, which is what ultimately makes your character stronger. You grow attached to them when you’re done? Totally fair. Just… don’t go through this process the opposite way.

Without going too in depth with them right now, Nagisa Shiota is a plot tool. He is a plain easy to follow narrator whose observation skills intentionally mean the reader can see things clearly through his eyes. Where he loses relatability is when he displays his talent, but at that point he’s been so clearly introduced that it doesn’t matter as much, we can hear his voice. Him being more plain makes his talent more effective and shocking as it is. Karma Akabane is a plot tool. He exists so we have those somewhat comedic moments, and so we can have these big bad ass mental/physical fight moments. I actually think him not being the protagonist is something that makes Ass Class hugely stronger (and less cliché) as a series. Kayano Kaede is a plot tool. Admittedly, less so, but she has a lot of function as a back up to Nagisa, and then later is the catalyst for Korosensei’s backstory. The story starts to come to its climax due to her arc alone. As an aside I think a lot of criticism for Matsui isn’t that fair within the fandom, but I will openly say his treatment of her post reveal was not the best at all. He kind of lost control of what to do with her.

So, let’s talk about archetypes. I intend to write a whole meta about why Ass Class is predominantly written as a comedy series, but for now just take that statement as my opinion. Honestly, I do think Ass Class, with a few tweaks, could have worked with a bunch of unnamed characters. I’m instantly going to follow that up with: I’m very glad it didn’t. I love that it feels more like a large ensemble with a variety of characters. So instead of just plain filler, Matsui kind of makes good use of archetypes. You know, such as Takebayashi and Fuwa as otakus, Hazama as the dark occult girl etc. etc. All of this for comedic purpose, more than anything, which we really see in something like Koro Q which is more directly comedy. You might argue this is one dimensional, and I’d agree, but in this situation it’s achieving an effect. It’s genuinely better than having nothing. And honestly, they all do stuff. Some characters are far more effective and entertaining as a background character (i.e. Terasaka) than carrying a bunch of weight themselves.

Matsui Actually Does This Comparatively Well

Honestly, try and name another popular series in a classroom setting, with this many characters who all have individual personalities. Genuinely, the only one I can kind of think of is BNHA, and that’s not a fair comparison given the difference in story length. Comparatively to most series, Ass Class actually has really good side characters. If they were completely uncaringly written, nobody would stan them as hard. For the most part, I’d certainly argue everyone is memorable. Given that we’re juggling at least 30 people here (including teachers, Gakushuu etc.), I’d actually argue that’s kind of impressive.

And the thing is, Matsui does care. He cares enough to give everyone designs, hobbies, and personalities. A good portion of them have an entire chapter to themselves, although relative to the story as a whole they might not do so much (example: Kimura). Matsui could have been lazy with it, but he was not. I don’t want to invalidate anyone’s feelings with this, but I do argue here that those who think the opposite might be a little wrapped up in the character they stan. And I can totally understand that rightfully, you want the character you love to have more screen time. However, just because you happened to fall in love with them (figuratively I mean), doesn’t change the purpose they were originally created to fulfil.

It’s an unfair criticism that not giving every single person a huge arc makes Matsui a poor writer. Honestly, if everyone was equal without a few main characters getting a greater amount of the attention, the entire series would be a hot mess. It might be fun to reimagine the series that way, and go ahead in your own time, but as a series from start to finish, as a first time consumer, it would be genuinely very hard to follow. Not without changing the entire structure and many many plot points.

I do intend to write more about this too at a later point (because I will admittedly need to do more research), but in my opinion the biggest issue with Ass Class, and the cause behind the problems I have with it, is the genuine lack of time. It’s a relatively short story, compared to a lot of manga, and thus there isn’t the space to contain everyone’s story in deep way. I’m absolutely certain, had there been 50/100 chapters more, every character would have had a stand out chapter to themselves.

So thus I bring up the fun and stimulation that is headcanon.

The Issue with headcanons

(this point will go much quicker, I promise)

Ass class ended a looong time ago, let’s be fair. Whether you’re newer or older to the fandom, there’s still been quite a while since any kind of new content (Korotan D being the last official piece, Koro Q manga being the last anything, though I could be slightly wrong with that). That means, especially if you’ve cared about this series for a while, that we’ve considered the series to death.

Playing with headcanons is great! It’s fun! But, I do fear that especially when it comes to perhaps the more popular of the minor characters, a lot of us are getting wrapped up. It needs to be kept in mind that whilst these headcanons may have been around for a while, they are not directly correct to the source material. As a quick note, since I have seen people within the fandom getting kind of bothered over opposing opinions to the things they assume as canon. That’s not really anybody’s fault, but it does warrant saying, I think.

A Conclusion

Basically, loving a main character is great. Loving a more background character is great. You’re not a better or worse, more intelligent or more basic person for whoever your fave is. The point is, you see something you like in a character and you relate to them, or else just enjoy them. But as fun as that is, characters are tools. They exist for a specific purpose. Sometimes, that purpose doesn’t warrant them having a huge stand out character arc.

But hey, that’s totally okay because we’re fortunate enough to have such a community (arguably, I’d say a genuinely active one too) where we can dream that up ourselves. We can pretty much endlessly explore these possibilities. So, perhaps instead of negativity complaining about certain narrative issues we find (just putting this here: it’s fair to do this, but I don’t think it should be the FOCUS of conversation), we focus on driving that energy into creation. And there’s a lot to play with and create. And honestly, seeing HC posts and all sorts staring these more minor characters is great, and I’m pretty sure the majority would agree with me on that. I fully realise and accept that I have a platform here, and going forward I personally want to be a part of that. In a constructive way, rather than ‘deconstructing’ (yes, there’s a pretty big different as I see it).

(I realise that this last part comes off a bit call out post like, and I want to ensure that it is not intended to be that. I just have a general sense of some attitudes towards things floating around in a very generalised way right now)

[knives-out20]

Magnetic Push - Erik Lehnsherr x Male!OC - Part 4

Fandom: X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014)

Pairing: Karmel Rosenstein (OC) x Erik Lehnsherr

Warnings: Swearing, Gay, SELF HARM, Spoilers for X-Men: Days Of Future Past,

Notes: Welcome to Part 4! The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) references ahead. Karmel’s hair tied up looks like this, for future reference:

Karmel adjusted his tie as he walked down the plane aisle, Erik in front of him, buttoning up a blue shirt. "I always knew I left a tie at Charles' mansion" he groaned, flattening it down. Karmel pulled his suspenders up and over his shoulders, Erik reaching for a newspaper on the table in front of Logan.

Logan's claws shot out, landing on the newspaper so that Erik wouldn't read it.

Karmel instantly grew his thorny vines out, aimed at Logan.

"Karmel." Erik softly called.

Karmel groaned, reeling his vines back into his body- but slowly. He followed Erik further down the plane, the man calling "imagine if they were metal" over to Logan.

Erik sat down on a long seat that had its back against the side of the plane. He pulled Karmel down to sit beside him, draping an arm around the blond's shoulders.

Karmel leaned his head on his hand, glancing over at Logan when Erik asked him a question.

"Where did they dig you up?" Erik asked, not looking over at Logan, but clearly aiming the question over at him.

"You're gonna find this hard to believe, but, uh..." Logan started, leaning forward in his seat. "You sent me. You and Charles, from the future."

Erik looked over at Logan, clearly confused. He crossed one leg over the other.

Before Karmel could ask about his own whereabouts, the plane took off. He leaned his head on Erik's shoulder, who only pulled him closer. To Karmel, one of the best feelings in the world was having Erik's arm around him. Or both of Erik's arms. Either way made him just as content.

Erik and Karmel felt Charles' eyes on them, but took on the responsibility of not giving Charles the satisfaction of looking right back at him. 

Erik leaned down, to whisper to Karmel. "You feel him, too?"

Karmel nodded slightly. "It's fuckin’ weird. Can you say something-?"

Erik nodded back. "How did you lose them?" He asked Charles, still not making eye contact.

"The treatment for my spine affects my DNA" Charles answered, Karmel being the first to look at him.

"You sacrificed your powers so you could walk?" Karmel questioned.

"I sacrificed my powers so that I could sleep."

Karmel sat up straight, reaching a hand up to hold Erik's fingers. He did so in a way where two fingers gripped Erik’s, the others holding onto the cuff of his sleeve. This way, Karmel’s wrapped-up arm wouldn’t be exposed and questioned. He didn’t wanna talk about that right now. Or ever, if possible.

"What do you two know about it?"

"We've lost my fair share" Erik admitted.

"Ha" Charles sarcastically laughed. "Dry your eyes, you two. It doesn't justify what you've done" he shook his head.

Erik shook his head in return. "You have no idea what we've done."

"I know that you've took the things that mean the most to me" Charles raised his eyebrows.

"Well maybe you should've fought harder for them."

"If you want a fight, Erik, I will give you a fight!" Charles exclaimed, Erik and him standing up in unison.

"Sit down!" Logan called.

Karmel gestured a hand at Logan, "let him come" he muttered.

Charles gripped Erik's shirt. "You abandoned me, both Karmel and you! You took her away, and you abandoned me!"

"Abandoned you?" Karmel snapped, glaring at Charles. "You TOLD me to go with Erik, remember, numb-nuts? You gave me that 'go, it's what you want' bullshit that nudged me over the edge, to Erik!"

"Angel," Erik started to list off. "Azazel. Emma." He continued, everyone on board noticing how the plane started to rock a bit. 

"Erik..." Karmel softly called, gaze melting down when it landed on him.

"Banshee. Mutant brothers and sisters, all dead! Do you know how many times I almost lost K-Karmel, too?" Erik's voice rose, Charles letting go of him as the plane started to dip. "Countless others, experimented on" he added, cups and plates crashing to the ground when the plane tilted."Butchered!"

"Erik!" Hank called from the cockpit, Karmel steadily standing up.

"Where were you, Charles? We were supposed to protect them! Where were you when your own people needed you? Hiding, you and Hank! Pretending to be something you're not!" Erik went off, Karmel catching himself onto the first thing he could grab, to keep standing.

"Erik-" Karmel called, placing his hand on Erik's shoulder. "Erik, please" he pleaded, grip tightening a bit. 

And that's what shut him off. Hearing Karmel's voice, feeling Karmel's touch, that's what calmed him down. "You...Abandoned us all, Karmel and myself included" he exhaled, the plane wobbling back to normal. Erik looked down, panting gently before locking eyes with Karmel.

Karmel cupped his cheeks, Erik’s entire body facing him. "Focus on me, okay? Focus on me, my eyes, my voice, okay, Erik?" He quietly instructed, looking Erik up and down. "Deep breaths, alright, honey? In...and out...In...and out, just like you told me" Karmel repeated, watching Charles retreat into the cockpit. "I'm here, Erik. I'm alive. I'm still with you" he mumbled, patting Erik's cheek.

Erik softened into the touch, taking the deep breaths Karmel told him to do.

"So you were always an asshole" Logan noted, the comment directed at Erik. ”And you were always...quirky” he added, a lost gaze caught onto Karmel.

“I wouldn’t call myself ‘quirky’, but there is definitely something wrong with me” Karmel agreed.

Erik's eyes left Karmel's and locked with Logan's. "I take it we're best buddies in the future" he scoffed, sarcasm dripping with every word.

Logan grinned, looking up at the pair. "I spent a lot of years trying to bring you down, bub."

"How does that work out for you?" Karmel egged Logan on, arms wrapping around Erik in a tight, loving hug. 

"You're like me, both of you. You're survivors" Logan tilted his head, looking at the mess Erik made. "You wanna pick all that shit up?"

Erik raised his eyebrows, turning around to look at what he had done.

Karmel pulled away from Erik, balling his hands into fists. Vines shot out from his body and wrapping around every discarded piece of furniture he saw. Karmel lifted them all up and put them back where they originally were. He was desperate to ask Logan about himself, but held off from it. The idea of the future being a surprise felt fun. And normal.

***

It was night time. Charles was back where he was seated earlier, and Karmel lay across where Erik and him sat earlier.

Only this time, Karmel was fast asleep. A gin bottle was loosely gripped in his hand, thankfully closed so that it didn't spill anywhere. Erik tied up Karmel’s hair earlier, so it wouldn’t disrupt him in his sleep.

Logan hadn't moved an inch. He stared down at Karmel; so this is the esteemed Karmel J. Rosenstein, huh? Erik's one and only, Erik's ride or die, Magneto's dearest Climber. 

An alcoholic, orphaned bisexual with unapologetic anger issues and daddy’s ugly ties. What a guy.

Logan listened to Karmel's soft snores, wondering what it was that Erik saw in this guy. He took in the fact that first impressions happened to be rough. Maybe later on, he'll catch a glimpse of what Erik sees.

Erik walked down the aisle, holding a chess board in his hands. He stopped in front of Charles, putting it down on the table in front of him. "Fancy a game? It's been a while."

Charles drank from his glass, looking up at Erik. "I'm not in the mood for games, thank you."

Erik poured himself a glass. "I haven't had a real sip in ten years...neither has Karmel. Coincidence you had some gin lying around, hmm?" He inquired, eyebrows raising.

Charles gulped. "I like gin."

"Certainly not enough to keep a bottle of it on a plane, yea? Unopened, at that" Erik pointed out, turning to look at Karmel.

Logan caught the smile Erik grew when his eyes landed on Karmel. It's how Logan himself looked at Jean...No, it wasn't even close to that. It was far from that. Man, Erik is whipped. Logan held back a chuckle- the Erik in his future still smiles like that when Karmel's the center of attention in any way, shape, or form.

Charles followed Erik's gaze. "I see your feelings haven't changed, hmm?"

"Haven't budged a bit" Erik nodded, turning back to Charles. He sat on the arm of the long seat Karmel slept on, slowly drinking from his glass.

“His hair’s grown.”

“Karmel having longer hair than you, that’s a sight I never thought I’d see” Erik exhaled through his nose. ”Looks quite nice though, doesn’t it?”

“Not what I’m used to...” Charles shrugged, eyes falling on Karmel’s arms. ”What happened to his arms?” He asked stiffly. 

Erik set his jaw. ”That...” He started, a helpless look overtaking those beautiful eyes of his. ”I’ve had the misfortune of being asleep in our cell, while Karmel was wide awake. Left alone to his devices.”

Charles gulped, nodding.

"Karmel has secrets he doesn’t want to tell me. And I wish he would.” Erik’s tone was low, gentle. It was as if Karmel was still awake and he didn’t want Karmel to hear him.

Charles’ gaze diverged over to Karmel. He still didn’t want to get inside Karmel’s head, never again, at that.

“We didn't kill the President" Erik confessed, reaching a hand down and curling his fingers around Karmel's; like a baby, Karmel's grip on Erik's fingers automatically tightened.

"The bullet curved, Erik."

"Because we were trying to save him. Karmel volunteered to use his vines to grab it, but...that would've exposed us" he corrected. "They took us out before either of us could save him."

"Why would you try and save him?"

"Because he was one of us."

Charles' expression changed for a second, before he coldly scoffed, looking up.

Erik's expression didn't change. He was dead serious.

Charles shook his head, "you must think me so foolish. We've always said they would come after us."

"I never imagined they'd use Raven's DNA to do it."

"When did you last see her?"

Erik clicked his tongue, standing back up and moving to sit in front of Charles. "The day Karmel and I left for Dallas."

"How was she?"

"Strong, driven."

"How was...he?" Charles inquired, eyes trailing over to Karmel.

"Protective, actually. Karmel is tender...Karmel is beautiful. Though if I tell him, he’d say I’m such a liar. Karmel is...Karmel is a mystery- Kamel is not a nobody, though.” Erik shook his head.

"Erik. How was he?"

Erik opened his mouth, thinking. "He was...we are..." He shook his head, smiling. "I love him, Charles. I really don’t know what else you want me to say, or expect me to say. You watched me slowly fall for him, all those years ago, and I still am, to this day. You should be proud of Raven, though, Charles. She's out there fighting for our cause-"

"Your, cause" Charles cute him off. "The girl I raised, she was not capable of killing-"

"You didn't raise her, you grew up with her. She couldn't stay a little girl forever, that's why she left."

"Karmel and her left because you got inside their heads."

"Don't bring Karmel into this. You know as well as I do that his morals struck closer to mine than yours, from the moment you met him" Erik pointed a finger at Charles. "And besides, that's not my power. Karmel made a choice, she made a choice."

"But now we know where Raven’s choice leads, don't we?" Charles inquired. "She's going to murder Trask, they're going to capture her, and then they're going to wipe us out."

"Not if we get to her first" Erik claimed. "Not if we change history tomorrow..."

Charles stayed silent.

"I'm sorry, Charles...For what happened, I..." Erik looked down at the table. "I truly am." He apologized, looking up at Charles with puppy dog eyes he copied off of Karmel.

Charles threw back the rest of his drink. "It's been a while since I've played" he cleared his throat, adjusting himself in his seat.

Erik sighed silently. "I'll go easy on you. Might finally be a fair fight" he chuckled.

"You have the first move."

Erik looked down at the board, moving his first piece with his mutation. He kept his eyes on Charles, immediately standing up and turning to face Logan. Erik used his mutation to point a fork at Logan, "what do you think you're doing?" He hissed.

Logan was knelt down by Karmel, dangerously close to his arm. He raised an eyebrow and froze, looking up at Erik. "I got...instructed, by you in the future. To go see a friend of Karmel's and grab something for him."

"Grab what?" Erik pressed.

Logan gestured down to his hands. He held a brown, braided leather bracelet with a silver, metal clasp.

Erik's breathing calmed. "His bracelet...We haven't seen it in ten years."

"Or those?" Logan asked, gesturing to an old belt that lay across Karmel's waist, along with a black leather jacket he had draped over Karmel, as a makeshift blanket. "Some blue-haired kid, he's kickin' it at Karmel's place. Kept this stuff for him while you and Karmel were locked up. Future-you demanded for me to get these for him, both of these" he explained, clasping the bracelet around Karmel's left wrist. "What's with the hissy-fit, huh? They're clothing accessories."

Erik licked his lips. "I gave him that bracelet shortly after I met him, it was a gift. That belt belonged to Karmel's uncle. It's a long story, but, uh..." he rubbed the back of his neck. "Thank you for listening to me. These mean a lot to Karmel."

Logan nodded, "you can fix up Karmel's belt. Future-you would've killed me for so much as looking at him the wrong way" he joked.

Erik nodded, walking over and sliding the belt onto Karmel's pants. "Blue hair, blue hair...Grimm" he quickly connected.

"Grimm" Charles repeated from behind Erik, in an airy tone. "What a wonder."

"Hey, didn't you-" Erik turned back around once the belt was successfully on, but he quickly caught the 'don't' look that flashed across Charles' face. He nodded. "Sorry."

Charles waved his hand dismissively. "No, that's alright. It was for the best, for him."

Erik nodded, looking down at Karmel. His knuckles grazed Karmel's cheek, the blond shifting where he lay. Erik couldn't imagine breaking up with Karmel- it was unheard of.

[kitkatt0430]

So I’ve been kind of thinking about Cisco in the first half of season 6.  About his thoughts and feelings and motivations throughout the Bloodwork arc as the Crisis looms ever closer.

Cisco finds out one of his best friends is supposed to die before Christmas and... all things considered he actually takes the news really well.  I mean, yes, he steals alien medicine that only might be able to prevent death by antimatter and does so against Barry’s express wishes, but... considering this in context with the last six years of his life, it’s pretty understandable why he reacted like that.

The show began with Cisco carrying some pretty massive survivor’s guilt.  He blames himself for Ronnie’s death because he’s the one who closed the door to the pipeline, sealing Ronnie in with the explosion.  It’s in this state of mind that Cisco is introduced to the then comatose Barry Allen and Cisco maybe goes a little overboard trying to make STAR Labs into an environment that might entice Barry to wake up, even going so far as to check out Barry’s social media pages in order to play his favorite music. 

Because if Cisco focuses on Barry, he can ignore the ghost of Ronnie in the pipeline.  The specter in the hallways that Cisco half expects to see, but then he looks up and Ronnie isn’t there.  Because Cisco closed the door.  And he can’t talk about this with Caitlin because he’s more than half-convinced she’ll hate him.

And then Barry wakes up and he connects with Cisco pretty much instantly.  They’re both geeks and nerds and love the same fandoms and they click.  Suddenly Barry is Cisco’s new best friend.

The superhero thing is fun, but Barry keeps getting hurt.  He heals fast, which makes it feel less real sometimes.  But Barry nearly dies from inhaling a meta who turns into a toxin.  Bette shows up and Cisco gets a crush on her and she does die, her death a testament to the existence of people who would exploit metas - exploit Barry - if given even half a chance.  The device Cisco made in case Barry turned out to be too good to be true after all is stolen and used to commit murder, to hurt Barry.  And then the Reverse Flash shows up to prove all of Cisco’s fears about a speedster gone wrong were far from unfounded.

Cracks start showing up in the untouchable facade of Harrison Wells.  Hartley Rathaway forces them to acknowledge the truth that Wells was aware that the accelerator might (would) fail.  Cisco’s nightmares about Wells killing him.  The discovery of the real Wells’ body hidden on the highway to Starling city.

And Ronnie turns out to be alive and Cisco and Barry help save him.  But Ronnie never talks to Cisco about what happened when the accelerator overloaded.  They don’t talk about how, if not for the creation of FIRESTORM, Ronnie would have died.  Should have died.  Cisco never gets that conversation with him, never gets the absolution he needs to know Ronnie didn’t blame him or hate him for doing as asked and shutting the door.  And then Ronnie dies.  Again.  Permanently this time.

And both Barry and Caitlin shut Cisco out.

So he’s left grieving on his own again.  This time worse, because he’s grieving for the loss of Harrison Wells, a convoluted mess of feelings because how do you miss someone you never actually knew?  Was anything Eobard Thawne said to him real or was it all an act?  Can Cisco allow himself to grieve for a mentor who cared about him when that person was a murderer and a sham?

Cisco reconnects with Barry and Caitlin and latches on to Jay, because a friendly mentor is what they need and it fills a hole in Cisco’s life, which he also tries to fill with Harry.  And Cisco has to watch as his best friend is nearly murdered in front of him by Zoom.  Cisco is the one who shoots Zoom.  And so much about Cisco’s decision to become Vibe in season three comes from this moment.  Because when Cisco’s friends are hurting, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect them.  But he’s also shown, before he can even develop his powers, how monstrous those abilities could make him if he ever misused them.  

Jay dies.  Cisco mourns a friend’s death, again.  And, again, he has to use his powers to prove that friend was a fraud.

He starts reconnecting with his brother, only for Dante to die and its too much for him to take and he lashes out at his best friend.  Probably in part because Barry has lost so much too, so how can he get back up?  How does he keep going?  Keep putting on that suit Cisco made for him and keep getting hurt - keep losing people he loves - and not give up?  Flashpoint hurts as much because Barry did for himself what he wouldn’t do for Cisco as it does because it proves sometimes Barry can’t get back up.  Sometimes Barry does give up.  Cisco had to realize that Barry wasn’t a hero first and foremost and its a hard lesson to learn.

At the same time, here comes HR.  HR who isn’t the brilliant scientist he pretends to be and who, despite being badly betrayed by his dearest friend, still finds it in himself to be happy and cheerful and wants to spread that joyfulness to others.  And who, for reasons that make no sense to Cisco, wants to impress Cisco more than anyone else on their team.  And it’s hard for Cisco to have this dynamic reversed.  It takes him a while to adjust, to stop being upset by this weird change.  To see HR as his own person and not just another extension of the monolithic Harrison Wells across the multiverse.

And HR dies right as he’s finally starting to let Cisco see beyond the cheerful mask to the vulnerable person underneath, the person afraid that he’s never enough and that his contributions are worthless.  And Cisco is left feeling like he massively let HR down.

Caitlin doesn’t trust him with her fears about her powers.  He has to confront her at every turn, stage interventions, beg her to let him help.  And then she’s injured and dies and what comes back is Frost.  All their fears made real.  And he doesn’t know how to separate out his friend from this person wearing her body, but he does it.  He gives her the choice to become Caitlin again.  And Frost both does, and doesn’t take it.  Caitlin’s love outweighs Frost’s fear and Cisco’s trust gives them the starting point to eventually find common ground.  But she still leaves him behind.

Barry goes into the speed force.  He probably intended for Cisco to take over Team Flash even then.  But Cisco is too depressed for that and Iris needs to feel like there’s something she can control, so she takes the lead and Cisco throws himself into his research and being a super hero.  Being Vibe suddenly means having to live up to Barry’s legacy and even with Wally’s help and Iris running the comms, its hard.  He’s not getting the support he needs to make this work.

And then Cisco brings Barry back, only for Barry to be lost in his own head and it probably doesn’t feel like success.  It feels like he took too long and he let Barry down.  And then to learn he was manipulated into bringing his friend back to further the plans of a villain?

Caitlin comes back, but so does Frost.  Their dynamic is changed and trust has to be rebuilt between them all.  It’s not easy.  (It takes until the end of season five to get all three of them there, not just Cisco and Caitlin, and Frost is well aware of the significance of Cisco making her a suit.  And its tailored for Frost’s aesthetics, not Caitlin’s.)

Barry’s framed for murder and Cisco can’t save him.  He befriends Ralph against his better judgment and Ralph dies, his body stolen by DeVoe.  What good are his powers to him if he can’t save his friends?  His powers can’t even fix the strain of a long distance relationship with his girlfriend and he has to learn to accept that sometimes love isn’t enough to hold a relationship together. 

Ralph survives after all but DeVoe’s plan creates a serial killer even in his failure.  And Cisco is tired.  Tired of fighting.  Tired of taking hits and being knocked down and having to get back up.

When is it going to stop?  It isn’t.  The hits are going to just keep coming and there is too much on his plate.

So Cisco resolves to take one thing off his plate.  Being Vibe is that one thing that has to go.  He can handle his stress with that one gone, surely?

He becomes an uncle to a time traveler who hasn’t been born yet.  And she’s his best friend all over again, with her smiles and her cheerfulness and her penchant for bouncing back to her feet when life is so hard on her that her back literally breaks from the pressure.  She’s Barry’s kid in the worst ways, so self sacrificing that she runs straight towards her death, her own non-existence, because she feels its the right thing to do.

Cisco keeps losing people he cares about.  Over and over and over...  even when they come back, he loses them again.

So when Barry tells Cisco that all that time they thought they had to prepare for the events in the newspaper clipping that Gideon’s been holding over their head since season one is gone and that Barry isn’t going to fight to find another way to survive... its no wonder Cisco cares more about saving his best friend, then some person he barely knows.

[horrorstreet]

Soulmate Behind the Mask

(Changing the format for all writing from now on and I think I figured out how I want to it be! )

Request: Hey! I was wondering if I could get a one-shot where the reader is Cordelia's daughter but also Michael’s soulmate ? This would be for American Horror Story.

Request sent in by : @princess-of-the-fandoms

Summary: When you were younger, your mask brought you nothing but trouble. You isolated yourself after you noticed strange things happening around you, only to be found by a few witches who know just how to help you and lead you to your soulmate with the matching mask. 

Hawthorne! Michael Langdon x Reader

Warnings: Death, bullying.

Quick Note!: I hope you all enjoy this new format and I hope you all enjoy! It was certainly fun to write! 

When a person is born, they are born with a clear face for all to see. But over time, all children will go through a change in which a mask will slowly begin to grow on their face and attach itself to that child's skin, not to be taken off until a soulmate is found. Many die wearing their mask but most get to experience the free feeling of their mask slowly chipping away off of their face after meeting their one and only. When a child's mask grows, it forms its own unique design and colors other than its matching pair. 

After you were brought into this world, your own mask began to slowly form on your face, filling in piece by piece. Your parents faces were out for all to see seeing as how theirs fell off many years before you came along and they sighed watching yours grow in, sad that they wouldn't be able to see their child's face change as you grew up and got older but that sadness was only masked with happiness as they realized you had a soulmate out there, someone to take care of you when they were gone. 

On your first day of going to a new elementary school, everyone had steered away from you because your mask scared the other children. You wanted to cry that day but your parents always reminded you how beautiful your own mask was and all harsh words shouted at you from the other children washed away. Girls around you had bright blue masks with nice white stripes, pink masks with bow-shaped designs, and some had a shimmering sort of purple for theirs. The guys, on the other hand, had masks made of wood and some made of nice rose quartz with splatters of color here and there. All would show off their unique designs and speak about how pretty one anothers were. Others were curious about the face behind the mask, trying to pry their small fingers under any space the mask left but it would only cause pain to the one trying to peel it off since the mask was like another layer of skin. 

“Your mask is ugly!” Girls would shout at you. “You must be ugly!” Others would cry, pointing their fingers in your face and bringing tears to your eyes. Your mask was a very different style. It was a black marble material with red cracked designs running all over the shiny surface. It left the mouth closed off, causing all your words to be muffled. The one thing that all children around you hated was the fact that it has red ruby-like crystals protruding out of the forehead to form horns. Not only would children make fun of you, but adults would also avoid you, many telling your parents you were apart of something evil and dark. You nor your parents ever believed it until both of your parents had died in a fire the same week they had begun to notice strange things happening around the house. Things would float, you would disappear, and anything flammable and small would catch fire whenever you would be around. They didn’t think anything of it until you had set the house on fire in your sleep. It was as if there was too much power to be held in that small body of yours.

From there, it only got worse. 

You did not know what happened to your parents until you were 12 when you realized you could do magical things that you never dreamed of being able to do. You realized that those unstable powers of yours was what caused your parent's demise and shut yourself off from the rest of the world, hidden away so you wouldn't cause harm to anyone else around you. You continued to hide away until you were 17 which was when you were discovered. Three women in black clothing had located your whereabouts and followed you to an old underground bunker that was stocked with canned goods and necessities you would need until you died. None of them had a mask on, signifying either they were all born without one or their soulmate had died. You had told them to go away and not to come close in fear you would harm one of them or all of them on accident.

The three women looked at your shaking figure and back to one another till a woman dressed in a long and flowing black gown stepped forward towards you. “Hello, dear. Don’t be scared, you are perfectly fine. We are here to help you control your powers. We heard of what has happened to you and searched to find you because we believe you are part of something important.” Your shaking had slowed down a considerable amount as you looked into this woman's eyes. There was something motherly about her to you, something you haven't seen in someone since you were 6. Tears dripped out of your eyes as you reached out to take the woman's hand she held out to you to help you to your feet. The others began to walk over you and tugged away from her hand, trying to get away as far as possible but she held an iron grip on your wrist. “Don’t worry. These are my sisters. My name is Cordelia, the headmistress of an academy for exceptional young ladies. We would like to take you to the academy to help you learn how to control your powers.” She told you, focusing her soft gaze back on you to try and call you down. It worked, of course, the two of you clicking almost instantly and you ran to her for a hug, letting those tears you held back for so many years be free to fall from your eyes. It felt as if you were being saved from the lonely and terrifying life you had come to get used to and it felt like heaven … 

_______

“This way,” Cordelia instructed, leading you into the building by hand. “We would like you to meet a few people.” She told you, giving you a nice and soft smile. You nodded and gladly followed her into the house, taking in everything that passed by around you as you moved. Their heels clicked on the wood floor as they walked inside together, the sound of their shoes echoing throughout the open space of the main entrance. You walked through the door after them and stared around in awe. The house was rather large, tall ceilings and long hallways lead to many rooms and it all seemed so magical. Many would most definitely consider this house as magical but not in your sense. You hadn’t seen a nice house like this for a very long time and you were excited to finally live somewhere nice and big like you had dreamed about during all of those years in solitude. They walked you to a large dining room where many other girls sat before you. “Ladies, we have a new member that I would like you to meet. Her name is (y/n) (l/n).” She explained to them. You winced hearing your last name and scooted behind Cordelia until you were semi out of sight. She looked behind her to give you an apologetic look and you let your eyes fall to the floor so you wouldn’t have to meet her eyes. “She is shy so keep that in mind. Like always, treat her with kindness and respect you would want to be treated with. As she continued to talk to the girls, you examined each one of them and took in their appearances. You caught a few staring at you which lead you to look back down at the floor once more and nervously rub your hands together. After Cordelia had finished her announcement, she told you that she would take you to your room and you followed very close behind her, not wanting to lose her in the large house. Your things had already been placed inside which left you to decorate your room however you pleased and you smiled at her but stopped after remembering she couldn't see your expression very well. She smiled back anyway, knowing you had done so in the first place and your heart raced in your chest. She reminded you of your own mother. Her smile brought back memories of your family and you had only just then realized that she hadn’t said a word about your mask or its appearance yet. You reached up to run your fingers along the designed red cracks in the mask and looked down, muttering a thank you and turning away to explore your new room. 

You got many visits from the other girls who came to say hello and welcome you which made you feel even better about the situation, even if many of the other girls didn’t show up to say hello. Time passed quickly, your 20th birthday approaching and during that time ( specifically on your 18th birthday) Cordelia had adopted you as her own and you couldn’t have been happier. You of course agreed and went through the process of making it happen, feeling like you finally had a family again. She had taught you about what you were and what you could do and you couldn't believe it at first but got used to it over time. You had also grown close to the others around you and they got close to you. They showed you kindness and respect that Cordelia asked from them when you all first met but not all of them. There were a few who would make it their job to pick on you and your strange mask but Cordelia reminded you that their words meant nothing and that they would be held accountable for their actions and they were. 

It was now your 20th Birthday and you had become an entirely different person. You grew to love your mask and your powers. The girl that used to get walked all over was gone and grew into a woman who took no one's shit, not even her own sisters. The younger girls who were brought in looked up to you and you were glad to set a strong example for them and lead them in the right direction. Of course, they were afraid of you at first because of the long horns that sat on your mask but you quickly explained it only designed that way and that a person's mask does not define who they are. 

You had done many things during your time at the academy and it was quickly observed that you held power unlike any other. You were on an entirely different level than the other girls and even many of those much older than you and your mother were proud. She had taught you everything you knew and you only added to it with more new information that amazed everyone around you. You could lift buses and trucks and other large objects with your mind, light an entire forest on fire if you pleased, and even acquire information about a possible future with came in handy for dangerous situations you and your sisters were in. These powers were overwhelming at times but your mother taught you how to control it and was there for you whenever you needed her, your bond only growing stronger as days would go on. 

One day, in particular, felt different for you. You started your morning with an intense burning under your mask which caused you to bolt up out of your bed and cry out in pain. Your sisters and mother were woken up by your screams and ran to you to see what was going on. They watched as you scratched and pulled around your mask while trying to pull it up and had to stop you since blood began to leak from the sides of your face, only heal quickly. “(Y/n)! (Y/n)!” Cordelia called out to you, pulling your hands away from your face and shaking you out of it. “It burns! Mom, it burns!” You cried, your tears flowing over your mask from build up. “I know ... “ She teared up herself and held you close to her, resting your head against her chest. 

Cordelia had noticed that everyone was still watching and she looked over her shoulder to see the rest of the girls with worried looks on their face. “Everyone, head back to your room and get ready. We are going to start the day.” She ordered the rest of the ladies and waited for them to shuffle out of the door, some sparing one last glance at you and your mother. Once everyone was gone, Cordelia turned her attention back to her weeping daughter in her arms, comforting her and shushing her cries. “Tell me what happened,” Cordelia said to you. You took a long and shaky breath and looked into her eyes. “My skin … under my mask. Mom, it burned so bad.” You explained to her, reaching a trembling hand up to softly touch your skin, afraid any contact would trigger the burning again. Cordelia had furrowed her brows and brought you close once again and held you there.

_______

“Ladies, we have received word that there has been mention of a possible new supreme.” Cordelia began. Gasps and quiet whispers floated throughout the room from the girls sitting at the table in front of us but were soon quieted as Cordelia continued. “We are going to see what this new word is about and will be back soon. Be mindful of what you do and of others.” She finished. You nodded beside her and followed behind her, getting ready to leave with them. “Are you alright,” Cordelia asked you, glancing behind her very quickly before looking forward again. You hand shot up to your mask and you smiled at her and nodded. “Yes, mother. My face actually has felt quite soft since this morning.” You told her, running your fingers around your mask on the skin that was left exposed. She gave a silent nod before we walked out of the door and ready to begin our journey. 

Our journey to Hawthorne School for Exceptional Young Men … 

_______

The way there wasn’t as bad as you had thought. If anything, it was much faster than you had expected. “Whatever you do, don’t explore. It will only bring trouble.” Cordelia ordered you, a stern look present on her face. You nervously nodded and followed her into the building along with the other sister. As you got closer and closer to the building, your mask began to burn once again, the flaming feeling growing just as bad as it did before but you weren't going to mess this up and ruin everything because you were in a little pain that others probably experienced every day and continued on with a straight face. 

“This way, please.” Said a man who you assumed to be one of the leaders of this school. Your mask felt as if it was made of fire at this point and you just couldn't take it anymore. Your eyes had already begun to tear up, your eyes lined with moisture ready to flow over once again but it soon immediately faded away once you stepped into a large room with books lining the walls. You let out a gasp and stopped dead in your tracks. The skin under your mask had suddenly felt icy cold, a large contrast to had it had felt just moments before. Your marble mask felt as if its hold was slowly peeling away and becoming loose and you looked around the room for what may be causing this until you saw him.

Icy blue eyes stared right into yours and you both gazed at one another for a very long time. The others around you grew concerned, asking the both of you what the matter was but neither of you gave a response. An invisible force seemed to pull the two of you together, both your masks getting looser and looser the closer you got to one another. It was as if you had both known one another for eternity and something in your brain clicked, information flooding your brains in quick flashes. “Michael …” You whispered, grabbing his arms that he held out to you. “(Y/N)…” Michael responded, his eyes dripping with salty tears of joy. Instinct told you to reach up and pick away at the cracks in his mask but he beat you to it, his hand already gently running his finger over your mask. His eyes darted around your face, his fingers picking and peeling away the mask you had worn for so long and you felt nothing but peace.

It was your turn to pick away at his own mask and you smiled in doing so. His skin was perfectly soft and you noticed how his face would lean into your touch every time you brought your hand to the side of his head. You let the pieces clatter to the floor as you remove them to reveal the most handsome man you had ever laid your eyes on. Your own eyes filled with tears once again, the only difference being that these were not of pain or sadness, but of indescribable happiness. Once all spots of the mask were removed, you cupped his face with your hands and gave him a large smile, leaning in to rest your forehead against his to which he gladly accepted. “Michael …” You repeated, this time your words were not muffled behind a mask. “(Y/n) …” He repeated back, only making your smile grow wider (if it were possible.) You had both forgotten about the world around you at that moment, not acknowledging either of your superiors that watched your sweet exchange. They didn’t matter at that moment anymore. The only thing that matter to either of you was each other and that would never change.

[ixnova]

Pathfinder x SO hcs

SINCE NO ONE ELSE IS REALLY DOING IT i GUESS i’LL HAVE TO PROVIDE IT MYSELF. GOTTDAMN AND Y’ALL CALL YOURSELVES A FANDOM. (I kid.)

He’s your friend first, boyfriend second.

Like he just genuinely cares about you romantic or not.

Literally info dumped everything on you the first day you two met, explained APEX, his goal to find his creator, etc.

Get’s a lot of dating advice from Mirage and the interwebs, is completely cheesy with it because of this.

Gives you flowers and gifts in excess amounts until he kinda learns for himself how to handle a relationship.

You’re his first and probably only.

Will take you on dinner dates and such even though he can’t eat. He just enjoys watching you eat and chatting to you while you eat.

Great for Netflix and chill, he loves watching new tv shows and such. He really wants to know what happens next but will wait for you.

Probably does too much “research” online and becomes paranoid about losing you sometimes.

Doesn’t get the concept of sleep but knows you need it and will keep you company while you sleep. Maybe move his charging station into the bedroom.

He can be cold or warm depending. Metal is naturally cooler to the touch but he’s warmer towards his core where his computer screen is. You can hear his fans going if you listen closely enough.

Not actually comfy to cuddle with, but you’d get used to it and find a position that works. Very chunky and bulky. Sometimes he puts pillows and such between himself so you can rest better.

He can actually wear certain clothing even tho he doesn’t need it. Got a few jackets from APEX and such, but they have to be oversized to fit him, so bonus for you when you steal them.

Honestly why steal them though just ask and he will give them to you, he doesn’t need them.

He’s not one to scare easily by normal means but he has his limits, will hide behind you and curl up with you when he does feel threatened. Lightning storms are one of the niche things that gets to him.

Always down to make you laugh, Will rehash jokes constantly, borderlines on telling dad jokes. Somehow he manages to get a chuckle out of you every goddamn time.

You love it though, you know you do.

He’s completely infatuated with you simply because you’re human. He likes seeing how you react to things, learning how you operate. He’s just interested in humans in general, but something’s special about you.

He’s not really sure what the emotions he feels really are, but he supposed based on research, “love” might be the closest thing to describe it.

Not many would expect it from his bubbly personality but he’s actually easily jealous when others flirt with you.

We’re talking rehashing some trash talk insults he learned online telling someone to leave you alone and go away when he’s had just about enough of them pestering you.

one of the few times hes actually mean, instantly feels bad about it later though... but not sorry.

You’re his. He doesn’t mean to be possessive and he doesn’t freak out when you’re out alone without him, but it’s just like, he’d like for you to be his.

He’d take you ziplining for fun sometimes, if you’re not afraid of heights.

Prepare for having to answer lots of questions, he’s curious about everything and if you’re spending time with him you’re gonna get the brunt of it.

Also expect to be told completely random facts, he loves learning about stuff!

“Turtles can breathe through their butts, how interesting!”

Would probably tell everyone that he’s dating you, even random strangers.

He’s called out to you live on APEX a few times making sure you’re watching or dedicating a win to you.

It’s a bit embarrassing but he means well.

“Everyone! This is my girlfriend!”

He’s just proud of you man.

He’d also be super supportive of you and whatever you’d want to do in life.

and when that doesn’t work out he’d be there to cheer you up.

Brings you all of your favorite things, including himself of course.

No more tears, let’s go watch our favorite Netflix show.

Takes pictures of you all the time without you even knowing, benefits of being a robot.

He just saves them for personal use, to look at when he misses you. Nothing weird though, its not like he watches you sleep or anything!

He thinks you’re beautiful all the time, even when you know you’re not at your best.

He just really, really likes you. He hopes you feel the same.

There that should fill the void for awhile. But while I’m here.... NSFW under cut.

As we all know, it’s canon that he can fuck. Of course he’d put that knowledge to use in a relationship if you were okay with it.

Probably learned about sexual intercourse while browsing the web and found porn or something.

Maybe picked it up from just learning about humans in general and with that comes information on mating patterns.

He’s extremely inexperienced though, so you’d have to personally show him how things are done.

He’d draw comparisons to videos and such he’d seen online, so at least he’d be aware if he was hurting you or not. Which he’d never do intentionally.

Your first time was probably extremely silly and awkward, but it was alright.

He doesn’t exactly have a dick or anything, naturally anyway, but he does have hands.

If you like being fingered you’re in for a real treat, he’s surprisingly good at that.

He’s always intrigued by your moans and like seeing how your body reacts to his touch. Sometimes he tries new things just to see how you’d react.

Even though he doesn’t really get much out of it, knowing you’re enjoying it is all he needs.

Extremely lame at dirty talk, he’s just too nice. He will read scripts and repeat quotes from online porno to try and get you going but it just falls flat because its rehearsed.

Probably would be best as a dom, no, he’s decided from watching videos and such that he wants to be the dom. Submissive just doesn’t suit him.

I can’t express how bad he is at dirty talk though, its funny. “I’ve been very bad.” “What? Who said that? I think you are doing wonderful, friend!”

Maybe later on you’d experiment with strap ons, or maybe someone in this wild universe can customize him a dick attachment. 

That’d get a bit more interesting, he’d again reference what he’d seen online and try to go down on you.

He gets to be closer to you this way, and its odd because he likes it though he can’t explain why.

Those handles around his screen and such are GREAT to hold onto while riding, FYI.

He’s a robot so he never runs out of energy so he can go for as long as you want to, and then some.

He might forget himself once or twice, perhaps get a bit too into it, but all you have to do is say stop and he will instantly drop everything.

He loves your body, he loves every inch of you, expect metal hands to explore and violate every part of your being.

Oddly enough, sexual intercourse really gets his motors going. Perhaps another one of his many emotions is possible arousal.

You’re often going at it above the sheets or in a colder room, he WILL overheat eventually.

You’ll have to pay attention sometimes, he won’t tell you he’s overheating for fear of ruining the mood, or interrupting your enjoyment.

Bondage? BDSM, yeah he’s heard of it. Maybe he’s itching to try a few things with you, if you wanted.

He’s not into the cuffs and whips though. Oh no he has a very special kind of kink.

Ropes are fantastic, you can zipline with them, grapple onto stuff... Tie people up.

You ever seen those very intricate rope art porno? Yeah.

Yes he uses the ziplines rope.

He’ll never tie it too tight though, just enough to keep you in place.

He makes cute patterns with it while he’s tying. small hearts, sometimes ties roses into the design.

You are a canvas and he is the artist, he’s quite proud of the tie when he’s done.

He’d much rather gaze at you and admire his work than fuck you sometimes when you play like this.

Extremely big on after care. He’ll cuddle you and tell you how well you did and that he enjoyed it too. He’d make sure you’re okay and tell you that he loves you!

Although he’d never hurt you purposely, sex is always a bit rough with him no matter how gentle he is. You’ll always have a few bruises here and there. Around the hips, thighs, wrists, it’s just the nature of the beast.

You kind of dig the markings though.

[or-ng-c-ss-dy]

winning is fun (losing is too)

i think the thing in this fandom is to post fics directly to tumblr. so im gonna try that out i guess...here you go.

you can also find it here on ao3, it’s member locked so fair warning.

another warning, this fic includes themes of internalized homophobia/biphobia. no other warnings apply tho.

some chuckie t/oc for your night, 18+ only, 4.6k words.

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He had looked for Orange Cassidy everywhere, the little closet they had been hanging out in, the men’s locker room, even in The Elite’s private locker room. And then in stairwells, in the halls. And then he threw his hands over his eyes (he was a gentleman after all) and walked into the women's locker room to look for the unofficially-official third Best Friend, maybe was hanging out with Kris Statlander again.

Instead of finding him, Chuck got unceremoniously thrown out onto his ass by several of the women in there, and there was still no sign of Orange.

Which was unfortunate, Dynamite had long happened and people were finally starting to filter out to their hotel rooms or to catch a late dinner, and Chuck wanted to leave too. But not without Orange, although he was getting closer and closer to just leaving him there and letting him find his own way back to their room.

“Orange, c’mon, man. Did ya fall asleep somewhere, I know you’re all small and stuff so you can sneak into little places to sleep, but we have beds back at the hotel that are more comfy.” He tried, calling out to the empty hallway.

Trent had joined him for the search for a little while, but ended up giving up when he got too hungry. Chuck let him go, but he wasn’t going to leave Orange there. Not really, as tempting as it was to just go hit the bar and find the greasiest slice of pizza the city had to offer all by himself, it wouldn’t be the same without Orange.

He ended up rounding the corner and nearly running straight into Luchasaurus, who stopped him with huge hands on his shoulders. Jungle Boy peered down at him from his place up high on Luchasaurus’ shoulders.

“Shoot, sorry about that.” Chuck said. “Hey, it’s alright. You look worried about something, though, is everything alright.” “Yeah, I’m just looking for my pal, Orange Cassidy. You seen him?”

Luchasaurus thought about it for a second. When Jungle Boy started tapping on the top of his head, he pulled his hands off of Chuck’s shoulders and gave him an apologetic smile.

“No, sorry. But Jungle Boy here heard the showers still going, maybe he’s in there?” “Ah, thanks! I’ll go look.” Chuck said, patting Jungle Boy’s leg before scooting on past the pair.

Sure enough, he could hear the shower running from the hall. He had just been in the men’s locker room, but there were other people in there and he had just gotten out of the shower, so he didn’t think to look for Orange in there. But there he was, standing under the spray of the water in the otherwise empty shower room.

Orange was naked other than his sunglasses and a pair of shower shoes that he instantly recognized as the pair that he had brought, far too big for Orange’s feet. And he was leaning against the wall, his usual blank look on his face. Chuck couldn’t help but feel relief wash over him, he hadn’t realized that he was nervous over Orange until he had finally found him.

He didn’t think that PAC would try anything outside of the ring, but the man was pretty much like a wild animal those days. Maybe he would try to get to his newly found rival when people weren’t looking. Luckily, it just appeared as if Orange had fallen asleep while standing up in the shower again, this time in the locker room instead of in their home bathroom.

“Christ, buddy, there you are. You worried me sick.” Chuck said, approaching Orange.

Orange shifted slightly, head tilting in Chuck’s general direction. Other than that, he didn’t really move or react, although Chuck knew him well enough to see the slight tilt of his lips.

“Sorry.” He said after a moment.

It took until that point to register that Orange was naked. He had seen his friend naked before, of course he had, through shared locker rooms and showers with no stalls, but it was different when other people were there alongside them. He had even carried on mostly-one sided conversations with Orange while they were naked, but it was different to be alone with him while he was naked.

Chuck was suddenly very aware of the fact that his dick was right there, soft between short, blond curls, and that his chest was perfectly toned and glistening with droplets from the shower. His skin was a soft, pretty pink, steam curling around his body, and it was information that his brain supplied to him before he could stop himself.

It didn’t mean anything, Orange was just objectively attractive. Just because he was thinking it, it didn’t mean that he was attracted to his friend, it was just a fact of life. It was easy to write the thoughts off as that, he had been doing it for years after all. He wasn’t into men, of course he wasn’t. Gay people were perfectly cool with him, something that had taken him an embarassingly long time to realize after growing up in Kentucky, but he was straight and that was that.

After all, he liked girls. So that was what he could focus on.

It took a grunt from Orange to pull him out of his thoughts, flushing from being caught so far off guard.

“Oh, uh. It’s okay, man. Just hurry up, I’m hungry.”

Chuck went to leave Orange to it, figuring that he should probably get out of there before his mind wanders any further. Instead, he stayed looking for just long enough to see Orange start to move at a snail’s pace, hand raising from its place at his side to slowly rub as his chest.

It was ridiculous. Chuck scoffed and crossed his arms, moving in closer to Orange before he could stop himself.

“Really, dude?” “Yeah.” “Do you need help with that or something?” Chuck said, rolling his eyes.

It was meant to be a joke, he thought it came out sounding like a joke. But Orange just nodded, letting his hands fall back to his side and...well, presenting his body to Chuck. Chuck just stood there, staring at him, eyes wide.

“Seriously?” “Yeah. Help me out.” Orange said, a twist forming at his lips. “Absolutely not, wash your own damn body. What do you take me for, your boyfriend?” Chuck said, a little too harsh for his own liking.

He flinched at the sound of his own voice, a little too harsh, a little too revealing. Orange seemed to take it in stride though, pouting and trying not to laugh. He lifts his hands up and does that stupid thing he does in the ring, loose hands gesturing in the vaguest ‘come on” signal of all times.

“C’mon.” “Don’t you start that crap, OC.”

Chuck knew that he couldn’t resist Orange when he made that face, but that usually extended to doing something stupid like jumping down a flight of stairs just for the hell of it or taking another shot, not...not getting his hands on his naked, perfect body.

Christ, he was in deeper than he thought.

“Please, Chuck.” He said, wry smile crossing over his usual look of indifference. “Ugh,” Chuck groaned obnoxiously, “fine. But you’re buying the first round...no, the first three rounds as payment for me having to touch your gross, sweaty bod. And I’m getting top shelf stuff in my diet coke.”

He hoped that would deter Orange, that he wouldn’t agree to the terms set by Chuck. But Orange simply gave him another lazy smile and a soft huff that might’ve been a laugh.

“Fine by me.” “Huh, seriously?” Chuck said, completely struck. “Yeah. Bathe me, Chuck.” Orange said, deadpan voice not matching the smirk on his face.

Was Orange just playing? Maybe he wasn’t expecting Chuck to actually do it, maybe they were both playing this strange game of bluffing. Gay chicken with higher stakes, because he wasn’t sure if Orange was just trying to fake him out or not, but he defintely wasn’t trying to fake Orange out. Not when the thought of touching him like that had his mouth dry, swallowing hard, made him want to say all the words that he wasn’t allowed to say.

If he touched him, would Orange push him away? Orange was looking at him through his sunglasses, expression turning unreadable. Was he waiting in horror or anticipation over the idea of Chuck actually touching him? They had touched before, obviously, wrestling was all about contact between two sweaty, half-naked people, but it was different when there wasn’t the sport and the crowd and the ref.

It was just them. Chuck shook slightly as he stepped up, hand extending slowly until it finally landed flat on Orange’s chest, laying there. He could feel the slick heat from the water, giving way to the radiating heat of Orange’s body. He had taken a few good chops that day, skin bruised and broken under Chuck’s fingers.

Chuck looked up at Orange’s face, looking for any disgust in his face. Instead, Orange’s pink lips were gaped open slightly, chest heaving slightly. Chuck wanted to ask if it was okay, but the words got stuck in his throat and he worried that, if they managed to free themselves, that they might shatter the moment between them. That the spell would be broken and they’d spring back like they had been doing something wrong.

Instead, he reached over Orange’s shoulder, the motion bringing him just a little bit closer into his space, grabbing for the shampoo on the shelf behind him. Chuck looked at the label, suppressing a laugh as a huff when he realized that it was orange-scented. He had seen it in their shared bathroom at home, in hotel rooms, but it was funnier when he was the one about to rub it into Orange’s hair and he almost wanted to make some joke about it. Instead, he popped the top and poured some in his hands, rubbing them together to lather the soap up.

He was thankful that Orange was a good deal shorter than him. It made it so he didn’t have to stand on his toes or...or have Orange kneel down to be able to wash his hair. Instead, he turned him around with a firm press on his shoulder and got his soapy fingers into that water-darkened blond hair. Chuck rubbed at his scalp gently, careful not to press too hard as PAC had also been fond of using his hair to lead him around the ring.

Orange let out a contented sigh, a soft huff of sound that had Chuck’s face flushing slightly. It had been an involuntary little sound that he had coaxed out of Orange, and he couldn’t help but want to get more noises out of him. Just another thought that he couldn’t control.

He was glad that he hadn’t put his shirt back on yet, too busy looking for Orange to finish getting dressed. Because Orange tilted his head back, soaking wet against his bare chest as Chuck massaged shampoo into his temples for a little too long. From that angle, he could see the way Orange’s eyes closed contentedly behind the sunglasses that he was still wearing. It made him feel warm and itchy in ways that he couldn’t even begin to describe, in a way that was both pleasant and deeply unpleasant, but all together unbearable.

Chuck forced himself to gently guide Orange under the spray, forced himself to not grab him close or to shove him away entirely with both hands on his back. Washing his hair was the easy part and, yet, he was already spiraling, already looking for ways of self preservation.

Instead, he reached back over for the bottle of body wash on the shelf as Orange washed the shampoo out of his hair. His body wash was orange-scented too but it wasn’t as funny anymore, the faint scent of oranges that usually hung around him amplified in the hot, damp shower air in ways that had him fighting to catch his breath.

He worked the body wash between the palms of his hands, readying himself for the fact that he was about to become more acquainted with the body of his friend than he’d ever thought he would. Than he ever thought he’d be allowed.

Chuck started at Orange’s shoulders and arms, the safest places he could think of, rubbing the soap over him in circles. His muscles were firm under his hands, God, he had worked hard on those things. Chuck knew that from his appearance, but it was different when he was touching as opposed to just looking.

He scrubbed up and down his arms and shoulders until he couldn’t put his chest off any longer. It was an odd angle, hands pressed against his chest, nothing like washing himself and nothing like the playful showers he had with various ex-girlfriends. The washing hadn’t been the point of those, just a pretense to some rather-mediocre sex that would’ve been better in a bed anyway. Chuck figured that it’d probably be easier if Orange was facing away from him, a more familiar angle, but that would mean being crotch-to-ass and...well. There were a lot of reasons why he didn’t want to do that.

Mainly a rather...pressing issue that was starting to strain against the front of his sweatpants. Chuck couldn’t adjust himself without leaving a wet, soapy hand print that would’ve made it obvious as to what he was doing, so he just hoped that Orange hadn’t noticed it.

He hadn’t checked if Orange was into it though. He could’ve, easily, considering that there was nothing covering him. Chuck was almost too afraid to look, to figure out what it meant to Orange. If he was into it, opening a door that neither of them would be able to close. Or if he wasn’t into it like Chuck was, making him the creep that was looking too far into things.

So he kept his eyes cast on Orange’s perfect chest as he washed him, arms moving around him to wash his back as well. God, they were too close, he could feel the even exhale of Orange’s breath fanning over his neck, making him shiver despite the heat of the shower, of the body pressed so close to him.

It was all making him confront the parts of himself that he hadn’t let himself ever confront, all in vivid color. The pink of Orange’s skin, of his lips, the ghostly white of his own knuckles and the soap that he was lathering him up with, and the deep blue of the eyes that were boring into his own. He hadn’t even realized that Orange had taken his sunglasses off until he was nearly choking on his own breath.

Chuck caught sight of his own reflection in the glasses, put up on the shelf next to Orange’s soaps, and he could only see a man that was so far out of his element, so desperate to understand the desperation that was clawing up from the pit of his stomach. Thrust into some part of himself that he didn’t understand, throwing away the walls they had built between each other without even knowing, all for the sake of something that had started as a joke.

Maybe it had never been a joke. But he had done enough analysing for one day and he really had to do Orange’s legs next.

...Oh. He hadn’t realized what would mean until he slid his hands towards those legs and moved over cut hip bones, far too close to the place that he hadn’t dared look. He couldn’t wash Orange without moving closer to his...well. His crotch region.

Chuck figured that he should probably back off, should tell Orange to do the rest of his own damn washing. Play it off as a joke that had gotten a little too awkward for his liking, gotten a little too gay.

He’d need to crouch down to get to his lower half and that would mean that he’d have to be face to face with Orange’s dick. It was time for the joke to end, but maybe it was never a joke. Maybe he had been completely serious, maybe it had all been to get his hands on his body. A manifestation of the deepest parts of himself.

He wasn’t drunk enough to be philosophizing like that, and he certainly wasn’t drunk enough to be touching Orange at all. He usually kept his distance until he was a few drinks in, and then he could reason with himself as to why he was touching Orange. Instead he was blindingly, obviously sober.

Instead of pushing back or finding a way to end the strange thing that was happening between them, Chuck found himself being carried away by all of it. By the ragged sound of Orange’s breathing and the steam that was curling around them like the ghosts of fingers. His pants were damp from the water and from the sweat that had broken out on his body, and they were far tighter than sweatpants were supposed to be, and he couldn’t hold back any longer.

Chuck found himself wanting whatever was building between them. He sucked in a breath and crouched down at Orange’s front to wash his legs, letting himself be confronted by the evidence of what was happening between them.

Because Orange was hard, hanging heavy and blood-flushed between his thighs. Chuck’s hands rubbed slowly over his thighs and he let himself look up into the face of his friend, into those lust darkened blue eyes that were staring down at him. Orange’s hands hadn’t really moved from his side but they were hovering over Chuck’s head like he was about to grab for him, to pull him close and...and…

Would he let him? Would he open his mouth for Orange, let him slide in, let him fuck into his face? Or was that too much, too far, because, if they broke that damn, what other barriers would they push past, what other lines would they cross? Would he do the same, fuck his pretty mouth and maybe even his perfect little ass? A few handjobs in the shower, that could be written off as something that happened in some strange heated moment, but anything else had more intent.

Something that they couldn’t just write off.

Orange’s indecisive fingers finally landed, curling around the line of his jaw and guiding him up until he was standing. He was taller than Orange, it was obvious really, but it hadn’t felt like it mattered until he was pretty much looming over him, casting a shadow over his features.

They both looked lost, he knew that much was true, and it felt strange to have Orange’s hands on his skin despite how much he’d touched him while washing him. But his fingers hadn’t moved from Chuck’s jaw, and Chuck’s hands found his hips, gripping him tight enough that he worried he’d leave more bruises on his sensitive, easily marked skin, and the thought made him want to mark him up even more.

“Chuck.” Orange said, voice broken as it shattered the illusion between them.

But it had never been about a friendly shower, had it?

Chuck’s hands pulled Orange against him, the hot line of his body soaking his sweatpants and, God, he didn’t care because it felt so good. He thought about kissing him, kissing that confused look right off of his face. Instead, he leaned down and brushed his lips down the side of his neck, the first real sign of his intentions.

Orange gasped, a soft sound that whistled past his ears, and Chuck gave his own groan in return. It made him feel bolder, gripping Orange tighter and canting his hips forward to let him feel just how into their weird moment he had gotten.

He was suddenly very aware of the fact that they weren’t exactly in a private setting. Anyone could walk right in, walk around a small wall, and find them there. Hell, anyone with a camera could get them on video, the Bucks seemed fond of walking around and filming everything about backstage.

Did he even care? He had Orange’s lithe little body pressed up against him and that was the only thing he could bring himself to focus on, the rest of it just faded away. The Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and Adam Page could all stroll in to film something for their show, and he’d yell at them like they were the ones in the wrong, all so he could keep grinding against that tight, pliant body in his arms.

Chuck let his tongue drag up the side of his neck, lapping a droplet of water off of his skin. Emboldened by the soft sigh that dropped from Orange’s lips, he let himself nip at the patch of pale skin that was right under his ear. Leaving hickies was some high school crap, but he just wanted to see his marks on Orange’s pale skin. He had seen the way that his skin was lit up after a match, blindingly bright red, and he wanted to be the one to mark Orange up.

“C’mon, Chuck.” Orange panted out, pretty pink lips parted invitingly.

Fingers wound into the short hairs at the back of his neck, Orange had to push up on his toes to press their lips together and kiss him in earnest. It was a good fucking kiss, something that he didn’t know how much he wanted until it was actually happening. Orange’s tongue slid across his bottom lip and Chuck responded in kind. He felt Orange’s lips quirk up and couldn’t help but break the kiss to laugh, tilting their foreheads together.

“This is ridiculous.” He murmured, stroking over Orange’s face fondly. “Yeah.” “My pants are getting soaked, dude.”

Orange huffed out a laugh at that, a soft sound that made Chuck lean in just to kiss him again. God, he was cute. He always knew it in the back of his mind, but it was being dragged out to the forefront just from a few kisses and some light grinding.

“Take them off, then.”

Hands found the waist of his sweatpants, tugging them down. His erection bobbed between them and Orange angled his hips to rub them together, catching them both in his smaller fist. Chuck let out a groan, tipping forward to muffle his sounds in Orange’s wet skin.

“Christ, that feels good.” He said and Orange hummed in agreement.

A part of him was still worried that someone else would walk in, a part of him thought that the possibility made it even better. Orange seemed to get that they had to move quick, but Chuck thought that he might not mind someone walking in. They’d see that Orange was his now, and that thought had him moaning.

“C’mon, OC, faster. You don’t want anyone walkin’ in on us, do ya?” He groaned, and Orange let out a soft moan in return, hand moving a little faster.

The water didn’t really alleviate any of the friction, but Chuck was too wrapped up in the moment to give a shit. After all, Orange was moaning prettily, blue eyes locked on his own brown ones. Chuck tilted his head up, brushing their lips together as he thrust into Orange’s fist.

“Don’t want anyone seeing you moan like a little slut for me, this is all for me, baby.” Chuck said, grin turning a little wild as Orange let out a louder moan.

His cheeks flushed prettily and Chuck wondered what else he could make flush with just a little bit of pressure. His mind was moving at a thousand miles a minute, the image of fucking into Orange right then and there flooding his mind. It was a little sleazy if he was being honest, and completely ungentlemanly, but the thought of bending him over and taking him from behind had him getting closer and closer to orgasm.

Chuck cradled the hand circled around them, encouraging Orange to stroke a little faster and a little tighter. A part of him did want it to last, wanted to stay in that moment forever, but he knew that they had to get it over with.

Orange was jacked, that much was true. He worked out hard for the muscles that he rarely used, but he still felt small in Chuck’s arms. It drove him a little wild, he could probably pick him up and drive right into him.

“Gonna take you back to our room after this, we’re skipping dinner. Gonna bend you over every fucking surface, get my dick in your perfect little ass, OC.” Chuck panted out, bending over to say the words right into Orange’s ear. “Chuck…” He panted, sounding strained, and Chuck nipped at the shell of his ear. “Yeah? You like hearing what I’m gonna do to you, baby?”

Orange nodded quickly and Chuck let out another huffed laugh, tilting his face down to press their mouths together in something that might’ve been a kiss if they weren’t otherwise distracted by trying to get off. Instead of a kiss, it was more or less something to muffle the soft noises coming from Orange’s mouth.

Who knew that he’d be so loud? Maybe he wasn’t even loud, maybe it was just the fact that they were in a semi-public place, but every soft moan and gasp sounded like a scream in the otherwise quiet air. And Chuck wasn’t exactly quiet either, biting back his own moans.

“We ain’t gonna leave that hotel room for nothing, Orange. Now that I’ve got my hands on you, I’m not gonna stop until we pass out, and then I’m gonna start the moment we wake back up.” “At home?” “You know it, baby.” Chuck said, groaning when Orange shuddered against him.

Despite the noises that he had been making, it took a few seconds to realize that Orange had cum. He painted Chuck’s chest with white, shaking in his arms and jerking himself through it. The realization had Chuck cumming as well, spurting hot cum in the place where their bodies connected.

“Holy shit.” He groaned, tilting to press their foreheads together as they panted together in the afterglow of their shared orgasm.

And then Orange was laughing, a soft huff, and Chuck was worried that he did something wrong. Or that Orange just thought of what had happened between them as some sort of joke, that it didn’t mean the same to him.

But Orange leaned forward, kissing him again, a soft brush of lips against lips.

“You said the s-word.” He murmured and Chuck had to laugh too, cupping his face. “What can I say, OC, you just bring it out of me,” Chuck said, “now, c’mon, we both need to shower. I made some promises to you that I intend to keep.”

He figured that they couldn’t shower together if they actually wanted to get out of there, not to mention the very pressing issue of someone walking in. But he couldn’t resist slapping Orange’s ass before walking away, grin spreading over his face as he went over to his own shower and started the water.

When he chanced a glance over at Orange, he saw him washing himself quickly, desire to leave overriding his laziness. Chuck moved quickly as well because he absolutely intended to keep all of those promises.

As his stomach grumbled and Orange’s practically called back in response, he figured that they could break one of those promises.

After all, they’d need the energy.

[drabbledragon]

Dependence

So I’ve recently been getting into the LinkedUniverse AU by @jojo56830  (a fantastic author btw) and I wanted to try my hand at writing again. It’s been years since I’ve last written for fun but this AU has honestly been a blessing and I would love to contribute to the fandom.

Summary: Hyrule knows that Wild doesn’t exactly trust them just yet, but maybe a simple enemy can change that.

Warnings: minor violence, nothing too major.

With a steadying breath, Wild released the arrow from his bow and pierced the fish to the rocks below. The Hyrule Bass struggled for a few useless seconds before it fell limp in the river’s tide like a ragdoll. Satisfied with his work, Wild unclipped his Sheikah Slate, tapped the screen a few times, and pointed towards the general area of the fish. He observed in indifference as an ice block emerged from the middle of the river, carrying the freshly - caught fish with it. In one swift motion, Wild hopped from his current ice block to the next, picking up the fish and his arrow, and returning to shore.

“That magic sure comes in handy, huh? Way more useful than my way.” Hyrule grinned as he motioned to his fishing rod. Wild answered with nothing but a curt nod before adding his catch to the pile and returning to the banks of the river. Without sparing a second, Wild was back on his makeshift ice platform, readying his bow and arrow for the next catch. Hyrule’s grin started to falter.

Wild really was a loner.

The two of them had been fishing for the past three hours and so far, Hyrule would say they caught around 20 fish; and by ‘they’, he means that he caught two fish while Wild caught the rest. He watched time and time again as Wild returned to the shore with some kind of fish in hand only to retreat back to his spot without so much as a word. If Hyrule was lucky, they might make eye contact for a brief second or two before Wild would look away. He couldn’t blame him though; waking up alone and confused only to be thrown into battle without warning does make you a little self - reliant.

Hyrule sighed and refocused his attention to his fishing rod, watching as little droplets dribbled down the line. He really couldn’t imagine being in a situation like Wild’s. Before Hyrule and the others had convinced him to join their group, Wild was alone for the most part. He spent most of his time hunting and gathering, according to Twilight, and with Bokoblins at every turn, it seemed like Wild never got a chance to relax or get a decent amount of sleep. Even when Wild had decided to accompany them, he was still constantly stressed and wary of the others, always giving anyone a harsh glare whenever they got too close. However, most of the other Links knew that there was no venom behind his actions; he was simply just scared of letting his guard down and facing the consequences that came with it.

So the rest of group made an effort to spend as much time with Wild as possible. Even if Wild chose to do something as mundane as picking herbs or scaling a cliffside, there would always be another hero to accompany him and make small talk. Time would usually comment about the geography of this Hyrule and ask questions regarding the various places they travelled, Wind would always talk about the ocean for hours on end and the countless adventures he had, and even Legend would make small remarks on the different people he saw. Although Wild’s responses varied from acknowledging grunts to small tidbits of information, everyone could see how he was opening up little by little, relaxing at their presence and losing that hostile air around him. Hyrule couldn’t help but feel proud at their progress, even if it was moving at a snail’s pace.

An abrupt jerk on the fishing line snapped Hyrule out of his thoughts and he immediately put all his attention to the task at hand. With sharp pulls here and there, Hyrule observed as the line tightened and slackened at his command, determined to keep the fish on the hook. He smirked as he saw Wild center his attention onto him, apprehensively watching.

With one final tug, Hyrule yanked his line and pulled his catch out of the water, staring as it wreathed helplessly in the air. By the looks of it, Hyrule had managed to catch the largest fish out of the both of them and beamed triumphantly at the thought. But his smile immediately dropped once he realized what he actually caught: an Octorok. His breath caught in his throat as years worth of memories flooded his mind. Large bodies of water surrounding him, Octoroks and River Zoras attacking him left and right, the countless bruises and scars that would litter his body after every ambush. He didn’t even get to fully hear Wild’s gasp of surprise before a large boulder hit him square in the face and sent him tumbling backwards. For a few seconds, the world tilted around Hyrule precariously and he struggled to get air back into his lungs. He could hazily hear Wild let out a mumbled curse before turning his bow towards the Octorok in retaliation, a fierce snarl on his face. However, that move proved to be Wild’s demise as another Octorok from not too far away launched its own attack.

The scene played out before Hyrule as if it was in slow motion. The boulder sent from the newest Octorok didn’t even catch Wild’s attention and soon hit him directly on the back of the head. His bow fell from his limp grasp and the ice block underneath him shattered into a million tiny particles, leaving Wild to fall unconsciously into the river without a trace.

The severity of the situation suddenly dawned on Hyrule. With whatever strength he could muster, he unsteadily pulled himself to his feet, just barely missing another Octorok attack. He cringed as he felt something wet trail down his forehead but he paid it no mind. Without a second thought, he was stumbling down the banks of the river, trying to track down his friend before it was too late.

There was no other sound to him other than the rushing of blood in his own ears. He knew he was screaming something - maybe Wild’s name or for help or something - but his own panicked mind only allowed him to focus on one thing at a time. Wild’s in danger, he kept repeating to himself, Wild’s in danger and I don’t know where he is! Even the threat of Octoroks or other enemies didn’t seem to bother him anymore since he staggered along the banks of the river without hesitation. The only thing he could focus on was to find Wild as soon as he could. He absolutely refused to return to the others without him.

His steps began to waver as the river widened the further he went. There was more water and, consequently, more obstacles, more threats, more enemies. For all he knew, another Octorok could be lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to attack him. He could cover more ground and keep himself safe with a raft - his muddled mind helpfully supplied - if he had enough time, he could construct a raft and find Wild in minutes! Except he didn’t have minutes or even seconds. Every second Wild spent underwater was another second closer to losing his life. He couldn’t let that happen. He was the Hero of Hyrule for crying out loud!

Stumbling to a stop, Hyrule caught a glimpse of a yellow ponytail and the ends of a black cloak floating atop the water. Even though the sight was drifting a few meters away, Hyrule could already see the shadow of a body underneath the murky depth of the river blindly travelling with the current. There was absolutely no doubt that that was Wild. Without a second thought, Hyrule jumped into the water, letting the cold sharpen his mind.

Now by no means was he an amazing swimmer like Wind but sailing a raft for all those years definitely made him decent. His head broke through the surface of the water and he gasped at the air as it filled his lungs. His panic started to spike once more as he felt the rapids of the river already carrying him away but he couldn’t lose focus now that Wild’s still form was in his line of vision. With some struggle, he threw his left arm ahead of him and pulled back, almost going into hysterics as it brought him closer to Wild by just a few centimeters. Then he repeated with his right arm, then his left again, then his right.

Within a minute, Hyrule was able to firmly grasp the front of Wild’s tunic and cover the rest of the distance. He thanked Hylia for whatever strength she had granted him to get him this far and begged her to get him the rest of the way. Strengthening his grasp in one hand and flinging his other forward, Hyrule kicked furiously to the shore, letting the current do some of the work. Once he felt the grains of sand touch his hand, he flung Wild to the shore and heard his body hit the ground with a muted thud. He took a few seconds for himself as he let his head rest against the shore, taking in harsh breaths in order to get his bearings. The ground below him never felt softer.

But before he had half a mind to relax, he was already staggering towards Wild.

“Wild!” He called out, falling to his hands and knees next to the unconscious form. After that whole ordeal, Wild never once struggled in Hyrule’s grasp or made any kind of sound of distress and honestly, it scared him. He was so use to a skittish Wild that observed everything with a calculating gaze and would shuffle to the side if he felt uncomfortable at any given time but now, he was as lively as a sack of flour. Hyrule couldn’t shake the unnerving feeling that he might have just rescued a corpse rather than a living Hylian. He stared unmovingly at the still figure, counting the agonizing seconds that Wild went without taking a breath.

Eight seconds...nine seconds...ten seconds...and then a sputtering cough.

Hyrule startled at the sound, but then instantly sagged in relief. He watched the other roll to his side and curl in on himself, expelling water from his lungs while simultaneously trying to bring air back in. Wild made an awful hacking sound at each passing second but it sounded like music to Hyrule’s ears. He leaned back on his arms, listening to the harsh sound while trying to catch his own breath. They’re here, they’re alive, they’re safe.

“...’Rule?”

Even though the voice was nothing more than a broken whisper, Hyrule snapped his attention to the boy in front of him. He couldn’t help but give a soft smile in response.

“Hi Wild, glad to see you’re okay.”

A few seconds of harsh coughs occupied the air before Wild spoke again.

“...M’sorry.”

Hyrule perked up at the apology, a look of confusion on his face. “What for?”

“The Octorok...shoulda seen it…”

“Well you technically did. It was just another one that caught you off guard.” Hyrule corrected. He watched quietly as Wild slowly sat up, pulling his hood over his head and turning away.

“...I should have protected you…”

Hyrule was taken aback. ‘Protected you’? The phrase didn’t make complete sense to him but he didn’t want Wild to blame himself.

“Hey, it’s really -”

“I should have protected you and the food and Mipha and Revali and Zelda and -” Wild cut himself off with a choked sob.

The other was at a loss for words. ‘Mipha and Revali’? Obviously he knows who Zelda is but who are the others? Did he maybe misname some of the other Links? Or are they people he’s never met before? For all the group can tell, Wild didn’t have any close friends to speak of. He spent his time alone, doing everything himself unless one of the other Links tagged along. Hyrule himself has personally never seen Wild with anyone else so that must mean his friends could live very far away or they might be…

Hyrule swallowed thickly. Could this be the reason why Wild was so afraid to get close to them? Had the other Links mistaken his hostility for fear?

“Listen,” Hyrule began softly. “ This isn’t your fault. Both of us never saw those Octoroks coming so it’s not like we could plan ahead; you did the best you could in the situation you were in and what matters is that we both made it out alive. I mean, we practically made it out unscathed.” A small huff of laughter as Hyrule could feel a bruise start to form on his head. “ It looks like you’re surviving alright out here, way better than when I started out. I mean, I was getting chased down by Stalfos and Wizzrobes every second. And I’m sure all the others had some kind of experience around those lines so we’re use to the danger by now. We don’t mind risking our lives for each other, even if it means we get hurt along the way, and now that you’re part of our group, you can count on us to have your back.” He shifted his gaze to the small hooded form next to him. “ I know you’ve been alone for most of your life but trust me, it’s much easier to rely on others when the going gets tough. Yeah, it’s going to take some getting use to but we just want you to know that you have others to count on. When things go south, you can depend on us to help you out, no matter what the problem is. You’re not alone anymore, Wild.”

Another stretch of silence and with each passing second, Hyrule’s resolve started to dissipate. Maybe he said too much? Sky was usually better at comforting people -

“Thank you, Hyrule.”

The Hero of Hyrule glanced up to see Wild peeking out from under his hood. His eyes were red and puffy and there were tear tracks along his cheeks but none of that seemed to matter as the small smile stood out the most. Hyrule couldn’t help but smile in return.

“Of course.” Hyrule stood up and began to stretch. “ We should probably return to Time and the others. They’re probably really hungry by now.”

Wild frowned at the statement, remembering the pile of fish they most likely lost at this point but before he could say anything, Hyrule was quick to respond with “ I think I could go for something with herbs today. Is it too late to change tonight’s menu?”

Wild gave a small shake of his head before leading the way, already thinking of the ingredients he would need.

[dannymillerfansite]

EMMERDALE SPOILERS: AARON’S HEARTBROKEN SAYS ACTOR DANNY MILLER

Aaron Dingle takes on ‘cousin’ Mandy when she takes advantage of  the Dingle clan. With Robron coming to an emotional end, Emmerdale actor Danny Miller talks about his new feud and filming Robron’s final scenes…

You’d think with all the turmoil going on in Robron’s lives at the moment the last thing Aaron Dingle would want to do is get embroiled in someone else’s drama – think again! His new nemesis is none other than Mandy Dingle!

Since arriving back in the village, Mandy has been sponging off Aaron’s nearest and dearest – Chas and Paddy, Marlon and Uncle Zak. But when Chas discovers a bag full of stolen casino chips, Aaron steps in. Actor Danny Miller explains more…

“Aaron takes an instant disliking to Mandy when she comes back,” Danny says. “When he finds out from Chas that she’s nicked this bag of casino chips, he wants to knock her down a peg or two, because she’s been asking Paddy, Marlon and Zak for money and the whole time, she has this money in her pocket. Aaron decides to give her a taste of her own medicine, taking the chips off her and takes them to a friend who works in a casino to cash in the chips.”

“Aaron is trying to have as much as fun as he can with Robert. They enjoy having some money in their pocket, especially as they don’t have long left together…”

Given the troubled times ahead for Aaron and Robert, could Aaron be adding to their worries by making an enemy of Mandy. Will she break the Dingle code and retaliate?

“Aaron doesn’t really care that Mandy is experienced in these kind of situation, or if she knows the right people in these situations,” adds Danny. “If anything he’s testing how far he can push her. He doesn’t like his family being mugged off and for that reason he decides to teach her a lesson.

“The pub is closed so Chas is struggling for money, Zak needs a few quid, so in his head the logic is he’s going to nick it, give Mandy a share, pay everyone else in the family, and keep some for him and Robert. He knows she can’t go to the police about it because she’d be dobbing herself in.”

Meeting at the scrapyard, Aaron gives Mandy a dressing down for how she’s treated the family. When he reveals that he’s taking a commission, Mandy goes berserk. A heated argument leads to Aaron ‘accidentally’ dropping the bag of money into the fire pit. Mandy and Vinny are distraught, but is all as it seems? Who has Mandy stolen the money from and will that in turn bring trouble to the Dingle’s door?

“As you can imagine £18,000 cash going in the fire, nobody is going to be best pleased,” quips Danny. “But she’s fuming because she needs the money for something unbeknown to Aaron.

“Aaron just thinks she’s ripping off his family, even though she is family, and he wants to knock her down a peg or two. You can’t come back to the village and think you run this family. he really gives it to her.

“As far as the Dingles are concerned its just the casino that’s out of pocket – but then again I don’t know who owns the casino…”

For Danny, this is the first time he’s got to work with Lisa Riley, who plays Mandy and it seems the two have plenty in common.

“She’s brilliant,” he enthuses. “Someone said she’s the female version of Danny Miller. We got off on the right foot from the start and it bodes well for the future because I love working with her and her character. Aaron and Mandy seem to play off each other really well. I’m a big fan of Lisa’s. Thought she was brilliant in Three Girls and when I went over to Scott and Bailey, the production team sent me her episode to get a feel for the show, and she was brilliant in that.

“I feel very blessed I get to work with Lisa Riley. Her enthusiasm and joy for the job is amazing. I can’t believe I’m getting to work with her. She won’t thank me for saying this but I used to watch her as a kid on You’ve Been Framed, and now we’re actually friends!”

With Robert Sugden’s departure hurtling towards us and the end of the #Robron era, does this mean we’ll see more of Aaron with other members of the Dingle clan?

“Definitely,” Danny exclaims. “Often, because of Robert and Aaron’s partnership, they seem to be inseparable on screen and in their stories which is great for me and Ryan, but we also like to spread your wings and do other things and have our own sense of individuality on the show. I don’t know what’s coming up for the Dingles but I’ll be back working with Jeff Hordley again. Cain and Aaron have always worked really well together, there’s a hidden love there for each other, so working with Jeff again will be incredible. I’m looking forward to him having a bit of rebellion and seeing how Aaron’s life unfold a bit now that he’s lost his one true love.

So how is Aaron feeling in general with Robert’s potential prison sentence looming? Is he is as worst state as the Robron fans?

“He’s heartbroken,” Danny sympathises. “He knows the core of his family will just be ripped away from him. It’s almost inevitable that Robert’s going to prison but we don’t know how long it will be for at this point. He knows he’s going to lose the love of his life but he’s also going to lose him to the worse possible way, which is behind bars.

“Aaron’s been there and done that and we all saw how terribly wrong that went, the mistakes that he made and the impact it had on his family. He’s worried Robert may go down that same route and what it might mean for the relationship. Does he wait for Robert; does Robert wait for him. He’s confused and desperate to cling on to as much love and happiness as he can whilst he’s here.

“In a nutshell, he’s utterly devastated but he’s putting on the bravest of faces to try and not show Robert he’s going to struggle while he’s inside. He’s grabbing every minute with Robert while he can.”

The Robron fandom is a powerful force, with many friendships formed, fundraising for charity, brilliant fan art, fan fiction, etc so the news of the end of an era was always going to be hard. So what’s Danny made of the fan reaction since Ryan’s departure was announced?

“I’d honestly say that for the first time, it’s split down the middle 50/50,” Danny says. “People are angry and upset that the couple are coming to an end and they don’t understand that it’s a decision that every actor should take at some point – to go out there and spread their wings and unfortunately with that you lose the character. And then other people are excited to see what Ryan gets up to and thanking the couple for the stories they’ve told over the past four or five years. That’s the most important thing to the fans, the representation of the couple and the representation of them being two best mates who just happen to be madly in love with each other. As the old saying goes ‘love is love’ and it doesn’t matter who it is with.

“They’ve had some great stories together – breaking up, getting back together, doing stupid things, one night stands, and all that kind of stuff and I think people will miss that and I’ll miss that because I’m also losing a friend as well as my co-star. It’s quite a sad time really but I’m excited for Ryan. I think he’ll do really well and he might be back in a couple of years or that might be it for Ryan at Emmerdale and he’ll go off and do amazing things. Time will tell but all we can do now is tell a story to the best of our abilities to keep a little bit of a surprise even though people know he’s leaving.

Most fans are already dreading the inevitable final scene but imagine being Ryan and Danny! Will those final Robron scenes be weird to film?

“We’ve done a lot of the goodbye, upset ones, and there was real raw emotion in there for both Ryan and myself,” admits Danny. “There was a very emotional scene when I speak to him for the first time when he’s in prison, and at that point I realised it was real and this is actually happening and there were some genuine tears. We’ve been very close Ryan and I over the past four years. It won’t be the same without him but the show goes on and we’ll have to wait and see what happens to Aaron…

After losing Kelvin Fletcher (Andy Sugden), Adam Thomas (Adam Barton), and now Ryan Hawley, Danny’s yet to find a new bromance but its his on-screen sister who he is closest to now.

He explains: “I’m very close to Isobel Steele (Liv Flaherty) and her family and vice versa. I’m often round at her house, we’ve got a really solid friendship there.

When I saw Isobel in the audition I instantly knew she’s going to be a superstar, and we need her, we have to have her here before she gets older and goes off to do more amazing things. Kate Oates, then producer, was in total agreement. Kate said: ‘You need to guide Isobel in the right way and help her out.’ But, I would never tell her what to do but just say this is my advice from my experience and this is what I did wrong. This girl’s got the head and shoulders of an older woman, she’s very clever and talented. All I ever wanted to do is push her on and give her the confidence to express herself and show how good she really is. Now, she’s not afraid to suggest extra little lines or ways to develop a scene. If I’ve had anything to do with it I’m very proud of her, but she’s done it herself, she’s very switched on.

“Also, Lucy Pargeter and Dominic Brunt are my go-to’s – Jeff Hordley and Mark Charnock as well. Those I work the most and closest with. I came in to Emmerdale when I was a kid and every one of them looked after me and mentored and nurtured me in to the business and in to the job. I can’t thank them enough for it.”

Interview by  The Emmerdaily

[alwaysspeakshermind]

Top 5 Anti-Varchie Arguments & Why They Make No Sense

#2: “Varchie’s too rushed/forced/there’s no development.”

[Note: this is one of the arguments that really grates my cheese, because the refuting evidence is so! Very! Obvious! that I don’t even know how anyone can bring themselves to actually use it. So be warned...this post is long. Also, it definitely jumps around a bit, because I was in a serious ‘Really, dude? Really?’ mood when I wrote it, and upon calmer reflection, I decided to remove a few overly sarcastic things I put down in the heat of the moment and add a couple of clarifications so it doesn’t sound like I’m trying to insult anything I’ve no intention of insulting.]

Varchie’s too rushed? Varchie’s too forced? Varchie has no development?

Yeah, no.

I’m trying to not lose all pretense of tact here, but this falls in the “anyone saying this must be too young to grasp the concept of abstract reasoning because people cannot possibly be this dumb” type of arguments.

Because again...no.

NOOOOOOOOOO.

Since the beginning of the series, Archie and Veronica have been Riverdale’s best-developed couple. (Yes, even better than Bughead, who, no shade whatsoever because this is by no means a post meant to disparage one of the other three pairings I’m 100% on board with in this show, didn’t even interact in the pilot), and anyone with more than an ounce of common sense can recognize that. Even if they hate it with every fiber of their being and wish it weren’t true—it’s true.

Development (particularly that of the onscreen relationship variety) does not fall in the category of artistic elements that lend themselves to subjective interpretation. It is a technical, structural element, meaning it is either there, or it’s not, and deliberately ignoring or refusing to acknowledge its existence does not render it null and void. Though they are the first of the canon couples to kiss onscreen, Varchie is also the only ship on the show that takes longer than two or three somewhat-romantic interactions to begin a relationship.

No, seriously. 

Give it a second and really think about it…

In six episodes, how many the-average-person-would-recognize-this-as-romantic times do Betty and Jughead interact before they kiss and begin a romantic relationship? [Note: and by “the average person,” I mean “would even your clueless dad who would probably rather be watching something else instantly recognize this as a Definite Romantic Moment™?”]

How many times in twelve episodes do Cheryl and Toni interact at all before romance is inarguably hinted at [in 2x14; 2x14 is where their half-second interactions become more than fanon and the average viewer learns what most of the rest of us already knew anyway]? 

How many times do Alice and FP interact at all in ten episodes (the point when people suddenly decided they had an entire romantic history and “needed to be put together”), and how many times do they interact after that before they begin whatever kind of relationship it is they have?

How many times do Kevin and Joaquin interact at all, period in one episode before beginning a romantic relationship? 

How many times do Kevin and Moose interact in thirteen episodes before beginning a romantic relationship? 

How many times in one and a half seasons do Kevin and Fangs interact at all, period before beginning a romantic relationship? 

How many times do Archie and Val interact at all, period in six episodes before beginning a romantic relationship? 

How many times in two and a half seasons do Archie and Josie interact at all, period before beginning a romantic relationship? 

How many times in two and a half seasons do Veronica and Reggie interact at all, period before beginning a romantic relationship and how many of those scenes also include Archie? 

(I’d also mention Josie and Reggie, but apparently I’m the only one who remembers that pairing. And also Josie and that summer fling “relationship,” but I’m kind of still trying to block that one from my mind because it really horrifies me that my girl kissed a dude who looks like he pours axle grease on his hair every morning, walks around wearing plaid shirts with cutoff sleeves like Larry the Cable Guy, but still has the nerve to whine publicly about her not wanting it to be anything more, so I won’t.)

But, etc., etc. You get the picture.

This is not, of course, to hurl accusations of “worthless!” at any of the above-mentioned ships or those who ship them; it’s just an example used to illustrate the following point:

If any or all of those pairings seem[ed] cute/promising/full of potential and/or not rushed or forced to you when none of them were so much as hinted at in the pilot (and the show goes for long periods of time without those characters even sharing screentime, let alone actual interactions or even glances), Varchie shouldn’t either. 

Especially in light of the fact that Varchie has a stronger romantic buildup in one episode than most teen couples get in three.

For instance:

Varchie Development In 1x01

Diner scene: Archie and Veronica meet at Pop’s and the romantic interest on both sides is made obvious from the beginning.

School Hall scene: Walking with Betty and Kevin, Veronica spots Archie, asks about him, and makes her interest in him explicitly known (“In that case, mind putting in a word?”) once Betty says “we’re just friends.”

Lunch scene: Veronica immediately addresses Archie regarding the song he’s playing, and Archie surreptitiously checks Veronica out  (it’s quick, but he does. If you don’t believe me, go back and watch Archie during that scene while keeping in mind where Veronica’s at.)

Invitation-to-the-dance scene: Veronica calls Archie over from practice in order to give Betty a prime opportunity to finally ask him out, and Archie pays more attention to Veronica during the conversation—jogging over right away, smiling at her, even agreeing to go to a dance he’s indifferent to because Veronica jokingly insists and agrees to come with him and Betty. Also, “Archiekins,” Veronica’s pet-name-of-choice (besides “Lover”) for Archie in the comics, makes it first appearance.

Dance scene: Veronica jokes about how Archie needs to drop the fine arts/sports question for a night so they can all have fun, Archie refers to her as Ronnie for the first time and tells her he’s trying. Veronica teasingly tells him to work faster, and Archie watches her leave with a look similar to the one he wore in the diner when they first met.

Seven Minutes In Heaven scene: As soon as Archie’s name is suggested, Veronica looks his way, and she visibly leans forward to watch the bottle make its selection. Although it does not “clearly [point] to the new girl” as Cheryl claims (the bottle actually lands in-between Betty and Veronica, meaning no one can say for sure who Archie’s going to kiss), Archie’s eyes immediately cut over to Veronica, and Veronica immediately looks at Archie.

Closet scene: There isn’t much doubt what’s going to happen as soon as the door shuts behind Archie and Veronica, because the sexual tension is palpable, and the entirety of their conversation is like a very awkward dance around the fact they are interested in each other. By the time they kiss it feels inevitable, and even the kiss itself is postponed until the end of the scene so that it acts as the exclamation point to the story arc.

 Once they exit and find Betty gone, the next eight to nine episodes consistently juxtapose Archie and Veronica’s new Friendship™ status with mildly flirtatious and subtly romantic moments that hearken back to the 1x01 makeout; by the time they become an official couple toward the end of Season 1, their relationship development is already slower and stronger than that of most of those previously-listed canon ships after three seasons. So, quite frankly, if you can’t recognize/acknowledge exactly how well-developed and non-rushed a relationship Varchie is, the problem is not the show/writers/the Varchie shippers.

The problem is YOU.

**IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING SLOW-BURN DEVELOPMENT**

When it comes to fictional relationships, development is not the same thing as a preexisting history between characters. In all forms of fiction, everything important—whether it directly impacts/advances the plot or not—must take place on the screen, stage, or page. (The motto is show, not tell.) Character interactions are not excluded from this rule, particularly when it comes to film or television, where narration is an optional touch to be used sparingly, rather than the default mode of conveying information to the audience. While you can absolutely try to argue that “Barchie has the best development, not Varchie” on the grounds that the former has a long history of friendship, the reality is that at this point in the show, Barchie does not have enough onscreen interactions period, let alone romance-tinged interactions over the course of three seasons, to qualify them for a slow-burn status, let alone a good slow-burn status.

Now.

I’m not sure exactly why, but the concept of slow-burn has lately become so popular and so synonymous in fandom with “best development” and “superior quality” that the term gets thrown around until its original meaning is all but lost and everyone seems to think that if a certain potential pairing doesn’t happen right out of the gate, it automatically = EPIC! SLOW-BURN! ENDGAME!** while any pairing that does happen first automatically = boring. forced. predictable.

Which is…just…not…true.

[**Yet another side note: I LOATHE the word endgame. Always have, always will, and one day I will write the essay on the ever-swirling debate regarding Riverdale’s use of that word and why Veronica had to say it in-narrative for the pure and simple reason that people wouldn’t shut up about Kevin saying it that one time back in the pilot, and in math we call that an inverse operation, BUT TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY.]

Fictional relationships are about character dynamics just as much (if not more) than they’re about story, so it really doesn’t matter if the relationship that winds up being the E-word relationship is expected/planned or unexpected/unplanned. Slow burns can be great, but they are not the only type or relationship with value. Furthermore, not every ship that doesn’t show immediate progress on the romantic front is a slow burn, and not every attempt to create a slow burn works.

In TV, there are epic slow-burns, there are mediocre attempts to create epic slow-burns, there are bad attempts to create epic slow-burns, and then there are blatantly terrible pairings that attempt to cloak their pulled-out-of-a-hat-for-drama-ness beneath the heading of “slow-burn.” (Come to think of it, maybe that’s why people are so confused about what actually constitutes a slow-burn???)

Using another Friends example, think the J/R pairing…did they have the potential to be a good slow-burn relationship? Yeah, sure. All the actors on that show had chemistry and everyone interacted enough to make everything narratively plausible. Were they a good slow-burn relationship? No, because they came from left field, happened so late in the game and, worst of all, had to follow a strong relationship with better romantic chemistry and multiple seasons of solid storylines behind it. There are some people who prefer them together, yes, but even everyone who does like them (at least everyone I’ve ever come across) fully admits that they would also have preferred that pairing occurred much earlier in the show, when not so much water had gone under the bridge.

[Or, if Friends isn’t your sitcom, think instead of the giant misstep in How I Met Your Mother’s finale, where 7-8 seasons of plot and character development were bent, clipped, and otherwise torpedoed to splice existing material onto the plan for an ending that was concocted back when the show’s creators expected to only get maybe 3 seasons. Could that ending have worked after 2-3 seasons? Yes! It could’ve even been great. But after all those seasons, and all that story/character/relationship development in directions that wound up being more compelling than the original plan, it just didn’t work. It wound up feeling like someone luring you on a fun-but-long car ride with the promise of dessert at the end, and then being like “Ta da! Here’s a fruit parfait! Eat up!” Because while plenty of people enjoy fruit parfaits and wouldn’t mind eating them for breakfast or a snack, no one really appreciates being served berries, yogurt, and granola when they were led to expect ice cream/cake/cookies/pie. When you expend a lot of time and effort building something up, you absolutely have to deliver. You can’t pull a switcheroo at the last minute and call it good, because all that does is beg the question if this was your plan all along, why did you waste so much time developing everything but this?]

When it comes to creating slow burn, there are no shortcuts. It’s a delicate and tricky road, because in addition to needing to make sense from an in-narrative and character aspect, it also requires careful, unflagging cultivation over an extended period of time. It can’t show up and disappear at random for the sake of plot convenience; it needs normal and consistent onscreen interaction (i.e., frequent everyday conversations with and without other characters present), readily-observable-by-audience romance-tinged interaction every 2-4 episodes (flirting, furtive or longing glances, touches that linger, special smiles, noticeably consistent too much attention paid to the other person’s dating or personal life, etc.), as well as an unwavering attraction/willingness to go there from both parties.

In other words, slow-burn is exactly what the name implies: a long, slow, process where each step depends on the one before it, and you can’t rush it, skip steps, or let it fade into the background for a couple seasons while you work on something else. It must be shown, not told, the connection must be inarguable from the beginning, and there must be so much sizzling sexual chemistry between characters that even interactions in platonic settings resemble mutual flirting rather than friendly banter. After one season, Barchie doesn’t have any of that. After two seasons, Barchie doesn’t have any of that. After three seasons, Barchie still doesn’t have that.

But you know who does have all of that? 

Varchie. 

In every. Single. Season. 

(You know who else does? Bughead, but that’s a different essay.)

S1 takes about thirteen episodes to bring everything that begins the second A&V see each other to fruition, and is peppered throughout with flirty interactions, wistful glances, etc., and every few episodes, they share a moment that unmistakably hints at romance/their continued interest in one another. 

In S2, even their breakup is handled along the lines of a slow-burn formula…they sit on opposite sides of the room and exchange glances at the beginning of the episode. Their “we’re still friends” moment is awkward and laced with obvious sexual tension where a direct reminder of the relationship they’re trying to forget is introduced (the watch), and Veronica’s instinctive grab for Archie’s hand makes everything worse. Their I Love You Too reunion beneath the fake mistletoe is built up to like a first kiss scene. 

In S3, in order to make other pairings seem remotely plausible, the narrative goes out of its way to separate Archie and Veronica and keep them from interacting, but still throws the two of them together every few episodes or so for a moment that underscores their connection and shows how even their best attempts at friendship are sabotaged by the very non-platonic feelings they have for each other.

They are not rushed. They are not underdeveloped. They are most certainly not “forced.”

Oh, and speaking of forced...

Some quick definitions of “forced,” because we seem to be very confused about this word in relation to fiction as well:

(1) Obtained or imposed by coercion or physical power.

(2) (of a plant) having its development or maturity artificially hastened.

(3) (of a gesture or expression) produced or maintained with effort; affected or unnatural.

Beyond the fact that definitions 2&3 clearly refer to plants and facial expressions and thus maybe shouldn’t be used as an argument against a fictional relationship in the first place, none of these apply to Varchie. Their relationship involved no coercion/exercise of physical power whether you look at it from a meta or in-narrative perspective. Neither development nor maturity was hastened; if anything, it was deliberately stalled to create conflict between three of the main characters and then grown on an episode-by-episode basis. It is effortlessly produced/maintained thanks to the actors’ dynamic (which is also the point where the affected/unnatural part collapses; KJ Apa and Camila Mendes work too well together to make their interactions seem anything but natural) and the ease with which the characters’ personalities mesh.

But, hey...you know what could be reasonably construed as “forced?” You know what does actually fit all three of those above definitions? The contortionist-level attempts it took to break Archie and Veronica up in order to pair them with characters they have had hardly any onscreen interactions with in three seasons. If you truly despise forced fictional relationships, then perhaps it would be better to focus more energy on decrying the plot gymnastics that were required in S3 to break up Varchie and bring Archie/Josie and Veronica/Reggie into existence. Because regardless of whether you like or dislike those last two pairings, they are, by positive rather than normative standards, extremely forced.

So, once again...Varchie: not rushed, not underdeveloped, not forced. 

And once again (I’m getting so tired of typing this, but hey, it will never not be applicable, so oh well): You’re perfectly free to be mad that Archie and Veronica  prevent your ship from happening, and/or get all the scenes you’d like your favorite pairing to get. But arguing that they have no development when they are objectively the best-developed and least-rushed pairing on Riverdale is just ridiculous. 

[solis3clipse]

Gendrya and its chances of becoming canon - part 1

this post contains spoilers from most of the seasons of Game Of Thrones

Gendrya, also known as the shipname of Arya stark and Gendry Baratheon, has become a quite popular pair in our fandom. In this masterpost i will try my best to list and discuss most of the reasons why it has a huge potential of becoming canon.

DISCLAIMER:

in no way shape or form am i going to force someone into believing that they're going to be a romantic pair in the following season. There's obviously a possibility of their relationship staying exactly the same; this is purely based on theories and real facts from the show.

The masterpost will provide you with information from the show, not the books. In all honesty, George Martin treated the ship more fairly than the show and respectfully gave them way more scenes, so to avoid messing up the whole post, i'm going to be speaking about the show!gendrya.

i'm going to be using some very interesting information from the blog of my good pal @jj-justwriteit. They make some very thoughtful points so definitely check out their blog if you're up for some great Gendrya discussions. Please keep in mind that there are some things you might have already heard of; and definitely correct me if i get something wrong.

Before meeting each other.

I think it is best to start from the very beginning, and by that i mean even before Arya and Gendry first met.

A very interesting theory i've been thinking about is Robert Baratheon who is obviously the father of Gendry, telling Ned that they would join their houses with marrying their children.

''I have a son, you have a daughter, we'll join our houses''

. The first thing you probably think of when reading this is Sansa and Joffrey who were supposed to marry each other and as Robert hoped, join the houses to bring peace. Though we all know how that ended,-Joffrey (who wasn't even Robert's son in the first place) ended up dying and Sansa's future took a whole different path to the point where you'd think her desire for marriage had completely disappeared. This might be them foreshadowing the potential future of Arya and Gendry. I'm not saying they'll get married, but i am saying that this could simply represent the development of their relationship in a romantic way. It would be sort of ironic to see them getting married since Arya had been strongly against it since the very beginning of the show. that leads us to the noticeable twists game of thrones has,- Ned died in the first season when no one expected him to, Robb didn't even get the chance to rule Winterfell when half of the fandom was convinced he was going to be the next king, Jon fell in love with daenerys which was not only never mentioned in the books, but was also rushed and happened very quickly (unlike Gendrya who had plenty of time to develop feelings for each other, they practically closed an important chapter of their lives while they were together); that being said, you can never really predict where Arya's path takes us next. The show always hits us with changes and whether they're good or bad, they're often very unexpected. If you ask me, Arya's story is one of those that has not yet ended and there is exactly that one twist missing that is going to wrap it all up. I believe that ''twist'' has something to do with Gendry. All the other questions in her storyline are answered,- she chose to remain her identity and not become no one, she got back to her family and proved she would never betray any of them, she chose to follow her childhood dream and became her own hero. The last part is love, i believe. And Arya will need to figure it out and battle with making important decisions one more time. Their ''slow burn'' romance as i like to call it has been leading up to that all this time and i'm hoping they will be able to fit it in and drop the bomb in the last season.

Bringing the attention to Gendry, his purpose and identity is really interesting if you think about it. Let's go way back and start from the main point of his role in the show. Gendry Waters is the Bastard son of Robert Baratheon, right? That's very clear when you observe how he acts, how he looks and even talks,-if he had been around earlier the king would instantly recognize him as his bastard kid because Gendry is a perfect definition of the name Baratheon. His appearance - dark, rough looking hair and beautiful blue eyes flawlessly portrays the house. Anyone from Cersei's children could not even compare to how much Gendry looked like his father. There are countless similarities which you can read more about on @jj-justwriteit 's blogif you're interested, but i'm going to swiftly turn back to out main topic to avoid confusion. If you take a minute to observe the plot, the show could've been perfectly fine without him. That came out harsh but don't get me wrong, - i love him to death and he's one of my favorites, he has in fact done very heroic, important stuff but realistically speaking since he isn't technically one of the protagonists, Gendry could've been easily replaced with any random  character be it male or female, with someone like Podrick, without messing up the whole story. Instead the author strictly made him to be a bastard son of king Robert who would later meet the princess of Winterfell. See? the puzzle instantly fits. Not to mention that there were quite a few characters similar to Gendry in the show who died or were very close to dying while despite disappearing for a entire season, the boy still remained alive and received a big development from just a bastard boy who wasn't even aware of his identity and spent his life serving others, to Gendry, the son of King Robert Baratheon who befriended Arya's brother a.k.a our future king and placed a huge role in helping the queen make progress in the battle. There are characters that you'd never expect to lose, there are characters that you know will die. but there are also a few people in GOT that have big chances of making it till the end for various different reasons, i think Gendry is one of them. May i mention how they brought him back in the last season and made him play a huge role? The writers would not make Gendry stand out if he didn't have a future in game of thrones, period. He is important and his story isn't over so killing him would be BLOODY DUMB. You started his journey and made it more significant than it could've been, now it's your job to respect your own decisions and not act like Gendry was nothing to the show. Like mentioned above, he could've been replaced with literally anyone who would be less relevant but noo. It’s Gendry Baratheon. As you keep watching the show and analyse his role in Arya's life, there are so many things about his persona that just make sense. His name makes is easier for me to connect the dots and get to the point which just screams gendrya. and That's one of the things that convinces me that Gendry is going to pull through this and stay in the show till the end.

A very significant scene to me is also his first meeting with Jon. Many people were upset because he didn't mention Arya and i'm not gonna lie at first that left me feeling kind of bitter as well, but after investing into it more i managed to find possible explanations. I like to look at it from the bright side considering that the scene is so much more than just some boys interacting. Gendry's meeting with Jon was done in a way that strangely seemed too much like Ned and Robert's and i can bet my whole life that it was done this way on purpose. It didn't feel too ''formal'', serious or tense, which is what you would normally expect since Jon is literally the legal king of the seven kingdoms. remember Ned and Robert meeting in the very first season? It went exactly like Jon and Gendry’s; They started off with a slightly tense atmosphere until shortly after it transformed into them laughing and hugging. the chemistry between the characters was undoubtedly there,- they jokingly made fun of each other and instantly got along which speaks a lot about his future relationship with the Starks; name any other character Jon talked to in such a friendly, ''domestic'' way as if they had known each other since forever. If Gendry left such a great first impression on Jon, that means there's a clear possibility of him being in contact with not only him but the others as well. and by others yes, i mainly mean Arya. Why would he want to become good pals with Jon? Because he's Arya's brother. He wants to make up for the fact that he was part of the reason they got separated in the first place and get as close to her as possible. As for him mentioning the girl, none of us know what was going on in Gendry's head and that's why there are so many thoughts and theories about this. Probably an opinion closest to reality is that as the fandom agrees,- Gendry might've thought Arya was dead. Obviously after being seperated for quite a long time plus Arya completely disappearing from Gendry's life, he would think she wasn't alive anymore. It seems logical. Even if you don't agree with that particular version, Gendry never really got a chance to ask about her either. Once he joined the others to help out on their mission, clearly all they were focused on was the duty, therefore i hightly doubt D&D would give us the fanservise and focus on anything else than the white walkers. If you think about it, all they discuss throughout the seventh season is the plan and how to accomplish it. Rescued from serving people he didn't want to serve at all, Gendry gave it his all to concentrate on correcting his mistakes, which is the best excuse for this situation. He put off any of his personal issues and wishes to devote himself to saving the world legitimately, meaning he never let himself catch a break and did whatever he could to stay right beside Jon. The boy prevented himself from expressing his emotions which is comprehensible,- even if he didn't think Arya was dead, i reckon Gendry wouldn't dare to ask about her when it was his first proper interaction with Jon, she was said to be his sister after all and the last thing he would want is to make things uncomfortable and awkward between them. Both reasons are quite coherent, believe whichever you want. His commitment towards Snow perfectly showed how much he cares. Not only about the people, Jon or the world. But how much he cares about helping out someone whose sister meant so much to him.

Gendry (still) is in the process of realizing that hey, he could be suitable for his highborn lady after all and if they get the confirmation from Jon(or Daenerys) who will probably become the king, there's no problem in them being together. It's apparent that Daenerys strongly dislikes Robert, but she was the one trying to prove that the child should not be punished for their parents' mistakes, which speaks a lot about how she might've reacted. By now it's obvious that she isn't cruel nor is she stupid. If Gendry and Arya did get together, i personally see no possibilities of Daenerys denying their relationship. Even if by some chance she did, Jon would proceed to convince her to make it happen because he would be perfectly aware of the fact that it could make Arya happy. Besides may i bring this back,- Gendry left a very good impression on him which assures Jon that his sister would not be in any sorts of danger. I firmly believe he trusts him by now. What i'm trying to get across is that in my opinion this just proves that Gendry shares his part of the story with Arya, that's why they are destinied to end up together. it just makes sense.

Lets move on to Arya before and after meeting Gendry. Unlike the boy, Arya did get screentime before meeting him since she's one of the main characters so it's easier to discuss what changes i spotted in her persona. In the first season, up to until the third one we see a tough little girl dreaming about becoming a warrior and being just like her father. It's obvious that she did not even want to imagine her and marriage and continouesly denied the idea, even making fun of Sansa for liking Joffrey. I think that's quite normal and does not mean that she is incapable of falling in love with someone. Arya was very young in the first season, still practically a tiny child so i think it's not surprising that she thought marriage was stupid. In no way am i saying that she suddenly changed her point of view when she grew up, but Arya had a very strict opinion about even considering liking someone romantically let alone spending her entire life with them and that's usually how most children think. Arya, around like 11 years old, would never admit anything like that. That's why i'm now emphasizing on the fact that her behavior and actions drastically changed later on, a very  good example is her checking out Gendry's naked torso in the third season which i'm going to discuss more later. This sums up her growth quite well, she went from the kid who was convinced she was never going to dedicate any time to love, to a girl with her first crush. As i mentioned above, her and Sansa could be on the path of switching their roles. Sansa is either going to lose interest in getting married or finally find a good partner for her(which i doubt will happen to be completely honest) and Arya falls in love with Gendry despite starting off with different expectations. 

during the time period when her and Gendry got separated, there isn't many scenes with Arya mentioning him either. Believe me i was hoping for gendrya the whole time as well but just like with his situation, i was able to quickly understand the case. Arya's storyline throughout season 6 was very important for her to get where she is now. I believe it was essential to make her go through all that stuff to prove a point: It was not for Arya. Besides the way i personally see it is that In the gap between their reunion, there really was no time for them to be mourning over each other's loss. Arya tried to become someone else and forget everything from her past. It didn't work out. She failed to become no one for a reason, she decided to keep calling herself Arya Stark for a reason. If her story contained no love,- be it platonic or romantic whatsoever, i don't think she'd bother to give up so easily OR come back to Winterfell. This may seem like a reach to some people, but for me it makes complete sense,- Arya came back because Joaquin's path didn't cross hers. The life she thought was perfect for her didn't turn out to be suitable at all and i'm glad she was able to realize that early enough. No matter how much she changed, she belonged (still does) to Winterfell from the very beginning, there were certain people in her life that she could not let go. The writers made her change her mind and come back because there was so much more waiting for her there, because that leads us to what comes next.

other ships

some people seem to ship Gendry and Arya with other characters and I'm certainly not here to fight them because of that, but for my fellow gendrya stans, i'm going to try and explain why there's no chances of either of them ending up with someone else. I guess what you could call ''the most popular ships besides gendrya'' are sansa and Gendry and Arya and Joaquin. Let's start with strongly denying the first one.

I don't know where to even begin because i find it challenging to comprehend what gave people reasons to ship Sansa with Gendry. On a very simple note,-they haven't even met. They have NOT interacted while Gendrya has had a major build up since the third season. When it is seemingly clear that both of them started gradually developing feelings for each other, i can't imagine Sansa proceeding to literally betray her sister and try to steal her man, lol. She grew up, became more mature and as i mentioned earlier, probably lost a big part of her interest in romance. I personally can only imagine Sansa hyping up their relationship and teasing Arya about how in love she is. Hear me out,- the writers have made tons of questionable decisions throughout the years of shooting the series, but i believe this is where they cross the border. They are perfectly aware of the fact that making Sansa and Gendry canon would stir up drama, not only because people ship gendrya, but also because it does not make sense. It would be wrong, rushed and very, very weird turn. Gendry has never expressed any interest in Sansa nor has he even metioned her.

As for Joaquin and Arya, i think i am able to get why people like the pair, though in no way do i encourage anyone to do so because it will never happen, obviously. Do i believe that Arya loved Joaquin? No. I personally see them as two individuals who had a very weird friendship connecting them. Arya never really had friends and Joaquin was one of the first people she dared to refer to as such, so of course she would be shown expressing some type of platonic feelings towards him, for instance her choosing him as her teacher or that one time she genuinely got scared, thinking he had died. Joaquin and Arya's friendship was one big rollercoaster which i'm struggling to fully figure out to this day. Probably the only aspect i'm completely sure about is that they weren't in love. Both of them knew they had found someone with similar goals and personality so obviously they were left on good terms and managed to even work together for some time. Joaquin taught Arya stuff that gave her a different view on certain stuff and more experience which came out quite useful in the following episodes. The two of them were never destined to be together and Joaquin's death was one of the things that proved that. Almost every pair in Game of thrones has a mutual connection, great chemistry and are visibly suitable for each other, however Arya and Joaquin never had that. There was not a bit romance in their scenes and they had no development in that terms whatsoever.

We already know Gendry has eyes on Arya and only.

That being said, anyone can ship what they want, but once again,-this is for gendrya shippers who think that either of the ships mentioned above have any potential of becoming canon. No they don't. I'm pretty positive that the author and the creators of the show would never do that to us.

Their scenes

As mentioned in the top of this post, George Martin spoiled us and included quite a few moments of Gendrya in the books. If you've read the series there's NO way you didn't interpret their relationship as a romantic one just because it's clearly coded that way. Like i promised i'm not going to be going in details about why George is amazing, but it will surely take more effort to analyse the moments from the show untill i manage to get every detail of like the three scenes we got written down and examined.

Starting from the very first scene we saw them together in. I have so many thoughts about it. We all know Arya and Gendry are incredibly badass together or separated and that scene was a very good example of how well they work together. The bull and the wolf,-they're a perfect team and it seems as if the writers wanted to get that across immediately once they had met.

I adore the first scene. Arya gains the courage to stand up for herself despite two strangers probably scaring the shit out of her trapped at a place she knows nothing about. As she finds the energy within herself to stand up and point Needle towards hotpie's chin, forcing him to steadily step back, Gendry joins from behind and threatens the boy to leave Arya alone. What i love the most about the scene is Gendry's bitter words mixed with humor (*insert his sentence here*) and the way he defended the innocent kid. It already gives you a general idea of how lovely and courageous his personality is, leaving the best first impression for a character if you ask me. The scene is done so well in the show, he doesn't even think twice before scolding hotpie and shrugging it off shortly, treating Arya quite decently.  As if he already knew he was dealing with a princess.

look at them.

Now this is a tricky thing to discuss, though one of my personal headcannons that can potentially be very true, is that show!Gendry knew Arya was a girl from that exact scene. What i mean is that he didn't even need to try and figure it out since he knew in the first place, while others were confused even after finding out she wasn't a boy.  ''do you think i'm as stupid as the rest of them?'' he says once he sees her surprised face after admitting that Arya had done a poor job lying to him; and it's true, he isn't. Gendry is incredibly smart despite not being perfect at reading and writing which by the way, was not his fault at all. Every scene with Gendry in it in the show truly does make him seem more intelligent and clever than the people he mentioned. It speaks a lot about his difference from the other boys and really makes him stand out; also adds another reason to the list of why they'd be a perfect pair. Despite being raised as a bastard and having to go through so much rough stuff at such a young age, Gendry inherited some of the best traits of a Baratheon and grew up to be a bright man. He is quite strong and fit physically, but he is also competent and wise which if you ask me, makes him perfect for Arya. It's her. There's no way she would fall in love with someone less cool than her, so i think it's safe to say that Gendry is the only one right for her.

Moving onto the scene where he finds out about Arya's true identity, that one is definitely one of my favorites. There's so much that needs to be said about it because it describes so many parts of their relationship. It's a good portrayal of their bond, trust, chemistry.

I love how Arya didn't expect him to find out about her at all and tried her best to hide her shocked reaction the first time he confronted her about it. Gendry was very casual and subtle about it, just sliding the topic into their small banter as if it hadn't even been a huge deal and i find that endearing in a way. It expresses how mature he was at the age of 15, any other boy would most likely freak out and act as if they'd seen a miracle. 

Arya could've easily rejected him and found more ways to lie in order to convince him otherwise, yet not only did she come clean, but also trusted him enough to admit who she really was. That was an another clear sign of ''they met and instantly found the courage within themselves to trust each other even with their deepest secrets''. Of course the boy was very honest with her as well;  Tell me Gendry apologizing for peeing in front of her and claiming he should've been calling her ''M'lady'' wasn't the cutest thing you saw throughout that season. What left me thinking is how he believed her immediately. Sure, Arya's explanation seemed pretty legit, but i doubt anyone else would let themselves to trust her that easily. He gained much more respect for Arya after finding out that the person he had been talking to wasn't just any other girl but the highorn lady of Winterfell. I love how Arya is already comfortable with playfully punching the guy because he had called her a lady; and the dialogue in that scene is hilarious and well done. They're already acting like best friends despite not even knowing each other that much and the apparent flirty tension often gets mixed within their conversations which i find very lovely. It's so sweet how the angry bean Arya makes Gendry full on giggle and look up at her with the most ''in love'' look in his eyes. That right there, is good acting.

I bet Gendry had a hard time hiding  his shock when finding out that the highborn lady of Winterfell was that badass and fearless instead of a bit more girly and petite as he would've expected. And i'm strongly convinced that was the thing about Arya catching his attention and making him realize how different, stronger and better she was than any of the women he had met before.  

One of my absolute favorite scenes is Arya sneakily checking out her man. The scene is so incredibly iconic and remarkable that it most likely popped up in your head instantly. That's when any viewer immediately realizes that the writers' intention was to show Arya's developing first crush.

As Gendry trains, fully focused on his weapon, Arya literally glances up and down his body with that hungry ass look in her eyes. sorry. had to be said. It's the truth. 

We had definitely never seen the girl impressed on that level by a man in any previous (or following) seasons. Arya was just a tiny girl and as she grew up she started feeling different emotions, therefore i think it's quite obvious that we got to experience that with her in the said scene. Maisie's acting was so damn good. She managed to portray the exact same feelings Arya had perfectly which just added more reasons for people to ship the pair.

The most important scene in my opinion is of course, ''i can be your family''. I'm going to begin with firmly emphasizing on Maisie's comment about the scene.

Rolling stone: she obiously has family on her mind in this episode. But when she tells Gendry ''i can be your family'', it sounds like she might mean something very different - even if she herself barely realizes it yet.

I really love the way this was put because they tried to avoid any major spoilers, but gave us higher chances of finding out more about how Arya feels towards Gendry. Bless them for bringing this up. It's clear that everyone, be it people from the fandom or outside interprets their relatioship as a romantic one.

Here's what Maisie answers:

''At first i read it as ''You can come to winterfell, i'll show you how everything goes, and you can come and sit at the table with us'', i thought it would be a bit like Theon. But when i was doing the scene, director Alex Graves said ''when you say that last line, 'i can be your family', say it like 'i love you'''. And that's the take that they used.

To this day i'm still struggling to believe that's real, but it is. Maisie practically said that Arya never saw Gendry as a brother (like Theon) but as something else. Something more. With that exact words she realized she had certain feelings towards Gendry that made it so difficult to let him go and leave. I can't help but mention their acting one more time because it was absolutely phenomenal. Game Of Thrones has something for every type of viewers, Fantasy, adventure and romance,-that's one of the reasons it's so popular. That being said, we've had tons of different pairs with their love stories; The ones who ended up dead, the ones who survived. One aspect connecting all of them is the story of how they met and fell in love. Now this is a very bold thing to say so not many people might agree with me, but i personally think that Gendrya, the ship that hasn't even become canon yet, is the most romantic and epic yet, it leaves us with so much feels and want. I never felt so much love and passion towards any other ship from the show and it's very apparent to me why. I don't remember any couple from GOT that had such a slow burn, amorous and well developed plot. Gendrya does. They have so much potential. Both Maisie and Joe understand that and they give it their all to make Gendrya so obvious. In the said scene, Gendry looks like he is legitimately holding back tears as he rejects Arya's offer and decides to stay. He seems like as if he's having second thoughts and doubting his choices, there's so much pain depicted on his face and yet he doesn't have enough time to reconsider. Maisie does say the last like just like ''i love you''. There's indeed much more said than just ''come to Winterfell and stay with us'', it's her trying to express unconditional love and fondness. Arya is aware of her feelings towards Gendry and by the time she fully realized that, she had to leave. Just like Gendry, Arya looks just as upset and hurt. Looks like in that moment,  it took all her willpower to turn around and go. 

A classic Gendrya moment is her being immensely worried when the red woman took Gendry, disappearing without any explanations. I can't get over how mad she got and never stopped worrying about him. ''I don't talk to traitors'' CAN YOU BELIEVE HER. Arya was beyond aggrieved to the point where she even refused to talk. Her expression when Gendry gave in and they basically tied him up so he wouldn't be able to escape was priceless. I've seen the scene about a hundred times and it gets me every. damn. time. A simple question could sum up how much she cares for him,-have you ever seen Arya so worried and hurt about something (besides Ned's death because DUH) throughout the season? no. She learned how to control her emotions and literally never show them, but the agony was so visible on her face in that moment. That's not surprising since her friend got taken away to a place she knew nothing about, but again, i've never seen Arya so furious. She was worried sick and probably was ready to do anything to bring him back.  

Gendry's Jealousy

Hoo boy. Don’t even get me started. It’s a popular headcanon in the fandom that Gendry is a jealous man when it comes to Arya, but i’d say we could freely call it canon since it’s painfully obvious that he’d kill any other man if he saw them kissing his girl. lol Emphasizing on the scene where Arya was talking about Joaquin; Gendry, visibly startled, literally asks: ‘you need him?’

Now obviously he didn’t know why Arya might’ve needed the stranger and that’s one of the reasons he got so uncomfortably surprised. The way Joe acts out the scene, it does seem like Gendry looks very uneasy and actually kind of pissed? rewatch the scene and tell me i’m wrong. Even before getting together the boy wants to make sure he has no competitors and that’s purely because he loves her so much.  He would obviously never be controlling around Arya, but he would make sure to subtly but not really remind everyone that she was very much taken. It’s just how he is. I imagine Arya finding his behavior very cute and just laughing about it every time she’d notice him getting mad because of something so irrelevant. You know Gendry doesn’t actually have any reasons to be jealous, right?

I don’t know if we get more scenes of Gendry being jealous, but there sure are slight chances of that happening since he’s most likely going to reunite Arya and have tons of screentime with her. At this point i’ve stumbled across more than approximately 5 posts of people mentioning how Maisie and Joe were spotted filming together so i’m pretty sure we’re getting something.  There are lots of expectations but who knows what might happen?

forgesex2019.

there has been a theory going around about Gendry and Arya's reunion which i personally really like. It's what they deserve and it's what we've been craving ever since we got to know them. I think it's a very logical explanation of the end for their relationship. @jj-justwriteit is literally the best at discussing how it could go so it would be great if you'd read here headcanons, but i'll talk about it here as well. Lots of other pairs got their moments. They even managed to fit Jonerys and their sex scenes in the last scene, so i have high hopes for this. As my friend exclaimed in one of her posts, forgesex is most likely going to happen which i believe on a high level. So far it's a headcanon, but it will hopefully become canon in the final season. If anyone is still worried about the age difference (which is literally just five years), both of them are grown up, nearly adults. There's literally nothing to worry or argue about since Gendrya isn't the only pair with age difference. Drogo and Daenerys? She was about 14 years old when she lost her virginity but people shipped her with Khal regardless. Gendrya is just pure and completely normal, non toxic. They're very allowed to do whatever they want without it seeming weird. period. Arya isn't a child anymore.The way i personally imagine forgesex is WILD. I mean imagine a Baratheon and a Stark in love, who by the way, haven't seen each other for ages so the passion, love, want all of that building up in them is going to burst into flames and boom. Clothes literally ripped, on the floor, hands on each other and kisses everywhere. It would be the most epic scene any other pair has had. I imagine their reunion would be calm and just full of love at first. It's a clichee thing to describe but Gendry would see her first and softly mutter her name, thought loudly enough for her to hear, Arya would flinch at the familiar voice and swiftly turn around, seeing him. I already know Maisie is going to kill this. She has been great at characterizing Arya's intentions and actions, so when they reunite, it's going to be good. No matter what, it's going to be outstanding. I feel it.I can't WAIT to see Arya, Sansa and Jon meeting Gendry altogether. Imagine the flustered girl trying to hide her blush while Jon, confused attempts to find out how her sister knows Gendry. Sansa would know instantly and jokingly tease Arya later.Back to forgesex, can you imagine them getting some time fo themselves and just going at it. It would be a one big sloppy mess but at the same time for them it'd be very special and beautiful. By now Gendry already knows that he's a Baratheon so he allows himself to not hold back, which will be the result of him pining her against a wall and. well, you know the rest. One thing i'm absolutely sure about is that Arya would still have to initiate the process and strike first. Gendry notices that yes, she is in fact sure about this and wants the exact same thing, so he would start playing along. Gendry knows he has a gorgeous body, okay. Besides Joe dempsie hasn't been working out for NOTHING. We will get more naked Gendry and it will be for Forgesex.

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i probably missed a lot of details and forgot stuff, so if anyone reads any of this at all, a part two will be added to the whole masterpost! this was just a very quick recap slash analyzing the ship so if anyone wants me to get even more in depth and write all my feelings and predictions, simply let me know.

a huge thank you to @jj-justwriteit  ! you inspired me to even start this masterpost. I could never discuss this stuff as well as you do, please check them out and send love and gendrya in the ask box <3

[bangtan]

[Article] Meet BTS, the K-Pop phenomenon breaking world records

We speak to rapper RM of BTS, the seven-member boy group whose ultra-dedicated fanbase have made them the most prominent South Korean act to break the west

The phone line crackles out of Seoul where it’s nearly midnight, and where RM, the leader of seven member South Korean group BTS, is looking back at a crazy month in which they broke records – some their own, some they never even thought they’d achieve – one after the other in a relentless wave.

“I feel like we’re a balloon…,” RM says, surmising the time period, and there’s a tinge of disbelief in his voice. That’s unsurprising given their latest mini-album Love Yourself: Her is the biggest selling K-Pop album in pre-orders ever (over a million in domestic alone), and with the lead single “DNA”, they’re now the fastest K-Pop group to hit 10 million, 20 million, then 100 million YouTube views. Then there are those killer chart standings – #14 on the UK album chart, top 10 on the US Billboard 200 album chart – while DNA not only reigned over worldwide iTunes charts but rose to #67 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest position ever for a Korean group.

Expectations had, naturally, run high for their comeback; BTS (rappers RM, J-Hope, Suga, and vocalists Jimin, Jin, V and Jungkook) reached ‘phenomenon’ level last year with their second studio album WINGS and moombahton-style single Blood Sweat & Tears, yet 2017 has already provided an almost unbelievable new layer of success. Every day now brings another milestone, another article or another Western radio station playing the frisky, echoing electro-pop of “DNA”, adding to the feverish atmosphere around them. If their powerhouse fandom, known as A.R.M.Y, even felt momentarily overwhelmed by it all, then they’re not alone.

“Everything is going so fast,” RM adds with a small laugh. Intriguing and charismatic in conversation, he’s a rapid-fire lateral thinker who can whisk you on the mental equivalent of a gigantic wood-track rollercoaster. “We don’t know where that balloon is going but I’m just trying to enjoy it because there was so much suffering before. I’m trying not to lose (sight of) what we’re doing.”

Over the weeks since its mid-September release, pre-empted by a series of trailers bridging from the previous concept for the The Most Beautiful Moment In Life double album, Love Yourself: Her became trickier the more time you spent with it. Saturated in double entendre (both an exploration of love and a direct letter to their fans), its sound, for the most part, strides in a confident, glossy groove, yet peel back its shimmery surface and bruises and scratches lie along its limbs, even on the sweetest of tracks such as “Serendipity”.

While it’s not often that you get to step into an album’s lifecycle where hindsight begins to glimmer and perhaps shape an artist’s next phase, it’s a curious, illuminating and slightly vulnerable experience. But, without a trace of hesitation, we dive into Love Yourself: Her to explore the parts instantly indoctrinated into BTS lore, its impact, shadows and the wider reaching effect on its owners.

On release you called Love Yourself: Her a ‘turning point’ and BTS’s ‘chapter two’, pointing at the music as the primary cause. Have further reasons for these descriptors emerged over the past month?

RM: The concept of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, that was chapter one for us, it feels like that because we were starting from the bottom but on this concept, Love Yourself, we started to talk about some brighter things, like the real things in life. Professionally, we got on the Billboard and UK charts, and our stadiums are getting bigger… so both inside and outside, it’s a turning point for BTS. I’d like to say we’re just in a different universe now, I think, like a crab, we got a new shell.

Two of the album’s most emotional moments are the hidden tracks, the spoken word ‘Skit: Hesitation & Fear’ and ‘Sea’. They both deal with struggles in your early days as well as current concerns about fame and success. Why was it important to have them on the same album?

RM: We add hidden tracks when we want to add details, right? ‘Skit’ was necessary for ‘Sea’ to be explained. I think they’re reacting to each other. I actually first talked about those fears, happiness, the sea and the desert on our first album (2 Cool 4 Skool), they were the hidden tracks – a skit called ‘On The Start Line’ and a track called ‘Path’. Four years has passed and I’m talking about how we dealt with it, what is the sea and desert inside of us and what’s the future.

You’ve come full circle and, damn, I didn’t realise. So over those four years, using this latest concept, what have you had to accept or learn to love about yourself that you didn’t like back then?

RM: Ummm, I’ve had to accept that that everyone cannot love me. Because when there’s love there’s hate, when there’s light there’s dark. But it was really hard to accept as an artist that there’s a lot of people that hate me but, on the other side, there are many more people who love me. I think everyone goes through that.

Do you recall when you were able to say, ok, I can deal with this?

RM: Actually I’m still on the way (laughs). I don’t really feel like I’m really out of it, but I’m getting used to it. I’m like a surfer, first you just paddle and fall off the board but as time goes by you can stand up on the bigger waves (laughs).

Themes of fate and destiny run through this album. Have you always believed you have a set path?

RM: Nietzsche… one of his famous phrases was amor fati, or ‘love your fate’. Let’s say, me who is born in Korea, and you, Taylor who is born Australia, we can’t change that, we cannot have the same life. Amor fati isn’t just saying leave everything to fate, but to first accept things we can’t change. Love our fate, and our environment, then (think) we could do something with fate and turn directions. We’re on some path that’s set since we’re born, but I still believe we can change some things. So I believe in my faith but I still don’t believe in my fate (laughs).

The huge success you’ve experienced off this album, how is that impacting your creativity? Can you think ‘I’m gonna write a song and see how it goes’, or it is ‘I have to write a song and it can’t be anything less than amazing’?

RM: That is a pressure actually, I can’t say I don’t feel it. What’s happening is so much for me, and everything around BTS moves so fast, like making ten songs in half a year. Sometimes (it’s) too much, but I always remind myself of things back in 2007, I started this because I wanted to say something. There was a message inside me and I wanted to spread it as music, so when I’m in my studio writing I try to take it slow. I’m trying to take a deeper look, like what am I really trying to say?

Except with people knocking on the door going, are you done yet, have you got a song for me?

RM: (laughs) Ah yeah, that’s why people call it a deadline, cos you feel like you’re dead.

‘Mic Drop’, both song and performance, is already classic BTS. ‘My bag’s filled with trophies… / Haters are already giving up / My success is already so golden… / You’re rushing to run away.’ BTS have always stood up for themselves but what’s made this track integral to your new chapter?

RM: Hitman Bang (the group’s CEO/producer) wanted us to let out anger and pain on this track but it was hard ’cos there isn’t any anger or jealousy left inside, I’m satisfied right now (laughs). I love our fans, so many miracles are happening every day. I have no time for the haters. I think this goes with why Her is a turning point for BTS and ‘Mic Drop’ (helps) say that – we drop the mic and chapter one is over. It’s a lot of fun.

How many mics has Suga broken by throwing them down at the end of each performance?

RM: (laughs) Oh, no not (the good ones) yet, we buy cheap ones from the market, karaoke ones that cost like $30.

You’re clearly enjoying life right now but there’s darker emotions lurking on this album, so might we see more of those on the next one?

RM: Those (emotions) are still inside, they’re not going away but they’re now a different shape. I think love isn’t just made up of happiness and compliments and light. Love includes scars, a little bit of hate and some dirty things inside us.

And I guess no one is ever 100% happy 24/7, even when everything is going well…

RM: We do have darker emotions and sometimes we feel so heavy with these records and the articles and people going ‘Oh, you’re representing Korea, you’re, like, making Korea famous!!’, and every second we’re like ‘Thank you so much’, but, you know, I’m still just here in my small studio and I try to write some lyrics and that’s all I do. I’m still trying to deal with it.

So what, outside of BTS, makes you happy?

RM: Thank you for this question, not many people ask it! (long pause) I have no driver’s license, so I ride a bicycle beside the Han River. That’s what I really love because no one gives a damn about me for that moment. I feel so free. I also love to collect figures and watch a midnight movie ’cos I can watch it all alone and in the best seat.

Do you have to wear hat, sunglasses, and a face mask to avoid being recognised?

RM: I don’t wear a face mask, I just wear a hat because my hair is too colourful, it’s too shiny (laughs).

Critics had a conversation online that centred around the possibility of BTS being nominated for a Grammy. It didn’t happen this year, but next year… you never know! How does that make you feel?

RM: I’ve heard people are talking about it, I try to not think about it. If I start to expect something, I get disappointed. A Grammy is a whole other level, it’s a whole other world for us!

If you guys won, you’d have to wear seriously waterproof makeup.

RM: Of course. Everyone would cry. I think we’d have to prepare a waterproof suit as well.

Maybe just wear plastic from head to toe.

RM: (laughs) Yeah, we’d have wear a spacesuit or something.

You’ve had a gruelling month’s schedule in Korea, plus two concerts in Japan for 80,000 fans – what’s still the hardest thing during that, and who keeps you sane?

RM: Sleeping. No sleep makes a human into another human (laughs). Culturally, Koreans are used it, but still it’s really hard. We get used to but we can’t ever get used to it. J-Hope always tries to cheer us up and I’m so grateful. Actually I like to call him a new leader for the group.

After being together for years, who in BTS can still surprise you?

RM: V. His words are crazy and his English is crazy too. He makes new words and new grammar and he always surprises me. I feel like he’s quite good at English too because he can speak to everyone, he’s got confidence, he’s got the guts.

They say when you learn a new language you can’t be afraid of making mistakes.

RM: (sighs) I’m always afraid of making mistakes. I think I was born with that.

I’ve always wondered what BTS do before an album drops, is there a ritual?

RM: We gather in our living room, have a little drink and talk about how we should deal with the schedules and how we’re doing. It’s really nothing but it makes us feel different, it keeps us running and it keeps our attitude because we always remember when we were sad and poor (laughs). Popularity is a bubble. It’s a mountain, you can go up really hard but walk down really fast.

Okay, last thing… you are the king of high fives and handshakes that go slightly wrong.

RM: (laughs) Yeah, that’s what fans from Europe and America say! But they love those moments, right! It’s a cultural thing? I don’t know why, but no one pays attention to my handshakes and high fives. My hands are really big and I’m like six foot, so they can see me really easily. It’s very sad, isn’t it (laughs).

Source.

[littlemissendlessdreamer]

THOUGHTS ON RIVERDALE

I don’t fully remember reading Archie comics back then, all I’ve got are bits and pieces of my memories  from my childhood. Archie comics debuted back in 1939 and is still popular until today. During the early 2000’s, my cousins, who were teenagers that time are obsessed with the comics and I, as a four-year old child would enjoy conversations with them about Archie comics even though I don’t really understand half of what’s happening in the comics. I would just enjoy looking at the pictures and one things for sure, I am in love with the characters  Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge.

Anyway, I’m not here to reminisce about my childhood and how I barely remember reading (or looking) at Archie comics. I am here to discuss about the awesome new show based on the Archie comics’ characters, Riverdale.

Warning: May contain spoilers to those who haven’t watched Riverdale yet…and major feels and fangirling that caused this blog post to be somewhat informal (?)

Riverdale premiered last January 26, 2017. The show is a mystery, teen drama that revolves around the lives of Archie Andrews, a teenage boy who’s trying to balance his love for music and football; Betty Cooper, the town’s girl next door and Archie’s best friend; Veronica Lodge, the rich new girl who moved from New York to Riverdale because of her father’s imprisonment and Jughead Jones, the resident emo kid who’s currently trying to write a novel and helping Betty Cooper solve the mystery Jason Blossom’s murder.

The series also follows the lives of Hermione Lodge, Veronica’s mother; Fred Andrews, Archie’s father and the other Riverdale residents, the Blossoms, the Coopers, Josie and the Pussycats and FP, Jughead’s alcoholic father.

The Show’s Pacing

The pacing of the show is kinda fast. Betty and Archie’s friendship wasn’t explored that much. Betty was head over heels for her best friend Archie, she’s been in love with him since they were young and when Archie admitted that he doesn’t return the feeling, Betty was so broken-hearted and now it’s hard to believe that she’s over Archie already in just a short period of time and now currently dating Jughead.  I get that some people say that she got over it but I wish the writers  showed how she’s trying to heal from being rejected. Don’t worry I’m not against Bughead because I’m a major bughead shipper but I wish we could have seen more of Betty and Archie fixing their relationship after that confession on the night of the dance. I really hope that we would see more of Betty and Archie acting like they’re really best friends.

Another thing that I felt was really rushed was Valarchie, Archie and Valerie’s relationship. Archie got over Ms. Grundy so fast which is so weird, and this got me thinking that wow, Riverdale residents are a pro in moving on. I was expecting him to be single and loveless for a few episodes after Ms. Grundy’s departure but I was surprised to see the writers just throw another love interest for Archie. Valerie’s talented, though the actress playing her should show more facial expression but I think it’s kind of part of Val’s character, chill and casual. She’s a great love interest for Archie,  but I think it would have been better to see them grow and develop into friends first rather than just spending one episode together and then they suddenly kiss and then become a ‘thing’,  then we don’t get to see Valerie in the next two episodes and when we do, she’s casually walking the street in the middle of winter and breaking things off with Archie when he arrived to join her.

Some pieces weren’t thoroughly explored either, the writers would bring it up and then suddenly it’s not talked about or it just disappears in the next few episodes. Though I think it is part of the story line to give the viewers the whole mysterious atmosphere and vibe of the show.

I read a lot of comments from other people saying that Riverdale needs to slow down, and yes I agree but if you look at it, they only have thirteen episodes to fit all the story line and I guess they didn’t want to us to wait until season 2 to find out who killed Jason Blossom. But yeah, maybe some side story should have been introduced on the show’s second season

The Storyline

The plot of the show is definitely different from the comics. The show is dark, mysterious and exciting.

The Characters (and cast)

I love Lili Reinhart but I’m still skeptical about her playing Betty. I don’t know, I feel like they could have casted a more fitted actress to play Betty? (Don’t hate me!) I hope I get use to her and accept her soon because Bughead and Sprousehart are life.

Is it me or does Cheryl Blossom looks like Lydia Martin from Teen Wolf sometimes? 

I like Cheryl actually, I believe she’s only cold-hearted and mean because of her environment, she may be mean, spoiled and a bitch (sometimes) but I know deep down she’s just a helpless and confused girl who just wants to be accepted like everyone does to her brother, Jason.

I would also like more screen time for Kevin, Reggie, Ethel and Josie and the pussycats.

Ships

As always, in any fandom, ship wars are inevitable but what’s funny in the Riverdale fandom is that everyone seems to be shipping everyone with everyone.

If anyone would ask me what ship I support most, I think I already stated it above, BUGHEAD. Jughead acts all tough and emotionless in front of everybody but when he’s with Betty, he becomes sweet and soft. I think he only shows that side of him to Betty which is cute. 

To be honest, I don’t know who to ship Veronica with—my best choice is Reggie or Archie  but this season I want to see Veronica be an independent, fierce and strong girl before going into a relationship but a part of me say that it wouldn’t be bad if she’s stays single. I feel like no guy can handle her toughness.

Though we only got see Jason Blossom and Polly Cooper’s relationship through flashbacks, their forbidden love story makes me sober. Their love story is torn out from Romeo and Juliet and it’s sad that Jason won’t see his twin babies grow (Major Finnick Odair feels).

 I have a feeling that he would have been a great father and a caring, loving husband to Polly. I know their plan of raising their own family at such a young age is crazy but I can imagine Jason being happy and cute as he plays with his twins.

It would be too basic if Archie ends up with Veronica but I never see them as a couple, I think it would be better if they’re just really good friends. Though it would be really fun to see Archie get jealous of Bughead but I hope he’s won’t tear up Bughead. I just want Archie to realize that he had his chance with Betty but he turned her down. Valarchie’s nice and I like it though it need more development because their relationship seems flat? Archie and Grundy’s relationship made me cringe, 

so yeah, Valarchie...or Varchie (?). I also have thoughts about Archie and Cheryl but it would be nice if their relationship becomes platonic in the end with Archie always looking out for Cheryl like what Jason does.

Soundtrack

I’m the kind of person who notices not just the output we see on the screen. I also pay attention and wonder how a masterpiece has been created—how was it written, how did they film this scene, and how the hell do the musical scorers find such amazing soundtrack!

Yes, I’m the kind of person who notices the music on the background and would instantly fall in love with song. Riverdale’s soundtrack is something new and timely. Some songs contains electro pop, I’m not usually a fan of electro pop, I only listen to few but they way the musical scorers used these songs in Riverdale was very fitting.

The soundtrack also contains original songs from the show, songs performed by Josie and the Pussycats and Archie Andrews’ melodic acoustic songs.

Scream + PLL = Riverdale

Riverdale is being compared to MTV’s Scream and Freeform’s Pretty Little Liars. I agree that it has elements similar to Scream and Pretty Little Liars but I believe that Riverdale is unique and beautiful in its own way.

Who’s the Killer?

Basically, I have no idea. I am not certain but I have a few guesses.

It could be Hal Cooper because of his hatred for the Blossoms. Maybe when he found out that his daughter Polly is pregnant with Jason Blossom’s child, it was enough to make his blood boil and loathe the Blossoms even more and kill the red-headed boy who ruined his daughter’s life.

It could be FP, Jughead’s father. I know his somehow involved with the murder, maybe he was paid by Hal Cooper to kill Jason? Or for another reason maybe?

I’m curious about Ms. Grundy though, I mean why would the writers bring her character to Riverdale if she’s not somehow involved? I don’t know if her story isn’t over and we’ll see her in Riverdale again soon enough.

It could also be someone no one suspects because that’s how the killers are usually revealed in this kind of genre or it’s someone we don’t know yet but I hope it’s not gonna be a big let down.

Anyway, Riverdale is addicting. I know some people disagree with me saying that it’s not anything like the comics and the characters seems off and somewhat different from their comic counterpart and the whole show is losing its essence and became too dark, but if you look at Riverdale as just Riverdale, a teen drama television series, it’s actually a really good show.

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