#i was like okay because its game over when everyone dies in coop so it would make sense for solo too NO IT WOULDN'T

[coyotiii17]

Me: Ugh, The Outlast Trials is so hard! How am I supposed to complete the trial all alone without dying to all those enemies?! The Outlast Trials: You... do know that when you play solo, you have respawn option? Me:

[satinpetticoat]

It’s 2020 and I have feelings about Cole Turner RIP 2002

18+ year old spoilers?

It’s the year 2020 and I’m not over it.

So during quarantine I rewatched Charmed against my better judgement. I actually hadn’t seen S5-8 as a whole because back then life changed for me so I wasn’t as dedicated as S1-4. 

I completely fell in love with Phoebe and Cole back in the day and honestly during this rewatch I loved them as well until you know S5. However, if we are being woke (which I don’t think a show that had all POC’s be demons should be considered woke lol) S5 they basically did a checklist of all abusive things and had Cole check everything on that list. Sad. SO SAD.

I think a lot of the appeal of P&C rest on Alyssa and Julian’s chemistry. IT WAS INSANE. I really don’t think Alyssa was paired with anyone else (and boy did they go out of their way to bring in new handsome dudes for Phoebe to date) and hit the same amount of chemistry as she had with Julian. Alyssa & Julian’s chemistry on that show was homerun and I would never understand why showrunners wasted it when they could have milked it for all it was worth. WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND.

And don’t fucking tell me Phoebe and Cole weren't’ a game changer for the show, and Cole wasn’t popular. Look at the reboot, it was one of the storylines they copied IMMEDIATELY IN SEASON 1. ofc the reboot couple has the appeal of a wet noodle but that’s another story

I know some people who like P&C dislike Paige and blame her for the breakup (because stupidly the writers themselves have Cole blame her in his last episode which is a dumb argument from everyone. If we need to blame a character it needs to be the fucking Seer). But I think Prue would have never trusted Cole anyway so Paige kind of took on that role within the sisters. Plus Paige is cool. 

Back to the Seer, things that I just cant let go. If Phoebe had ever admitted to herself and the sisters that she fucked up when she killed the wizard that was going to take away Cole’s Source powers I would be able to move on from the internet. But she doesn’t. So I am forced to moan the dark corners of the internet whispering “Cole deserved better” in 2020 lol.

Do I hate Cup? No I don’t. Tbh the Cup development is nonexistent so there is nothing to like or hate. It’s just meh. But I’m not above misspelling his name because it’s dumb. The problem I do have is the dude was there for *check notes* SEVEN episodes? And the relationship is more about the show TELLING us he is Phoebe’s love rather than SHOWING us. Exhibit A: Chris calling him Uncle Coop this tell us we have to like him because it’s predetermined Exhibit B: and this one makes me salty, the writers retconned the apple skin, fuck off find your own apple skin in the SEVEN episodes you existed, Exhibit C: Cup is approved by the elders. So Piper and Leo have to fight for their love against the elders for nearly a season but because Cup has the Elders seal of approval from the get go we have to accept this is the real deal. Ok. I guess. I mean the Elders have fucked up in the past jsyk. I mean the Elders were such judgemental bitches your mom had to hide your half-sister lol ok ok I’m pushing it. 

Did I wanted P&C to live happily ever after. Yes. Do I know Julian had to leave the show. Yes. But did the character had to exit the show in that way. No. Did I want a hero’s death. Fuck yes. But I would have settled for him becoming a neutral figure, or continued to stay on the wasteland idk becoming the new wasteland guardian and that would still have ended P&C relationship since they can’t be together. In this scenario he’s cursed and Phoebe has to move on, but you know they loved each other as opposed to S5 where she hates him and he goes mad for some reason?? 

SPOILERS FOR COMICS/NOVELS WHERE THEY CONTINUE TO LET COLE DOWN nexttt

Like I know what you (you being the franchise) are doing, you know Cole is a popular character that you keep bringing back to life for *cough* guest spots *cough*, 2010 comics and the novels released in fucking 2015 (War on Wtiches and Let Gorgons be Gorgons) but you continue to fuck it up

In the comics Cole dies to save fucking Cup from an ancient atame so Phoebe can continue to be happy. Cole becomes increasingly self-less in the comics and this is where it ends. He earns nothing for himself, only happiness for Phoebe which is ok I guess after the S5 fuckery there was no hope for them anymore. It is a better death, but feels hollow because Phoebe hates him at this point anyway so welp. 

What I truly HATE how writers try to make Cup cool by having him ride Cole’s coattails. STOP TRYING FETCH HAPPEN ITS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. First the apple skin in the show, next Cup puts Cole’s father soul in his body because he feels bad he got  a) to live b) Cole’s one true love (HONESTLY WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT BENJAMIN TURNER IF COLE IS NOT EVEN THERE), and in the Let Gorgons be Gorgons novel they pair up Cup/Cole for a cool adventure. Cup is all like oh Cole embraces violence quickly (which ok he does0 but asshat someone has to do battle all these fucking demons now and I don’t see you volunteering. Cole can’t help being a badass. At the end of the novel Cup is glad Cole is there because life with the charmed ones can be dangerous and Cole can act as their bodyguard as if the reader needs to know Cup is okay with this situation. DO YOU EVEN GO HERE CUP?  The worse part is the show never really gave us a Leo/Cole adventure even tho Julian and Brian played off each other SO WELL. 

I can rant more but I’m emotionally drained at the moment. I am obsessed with Phoebe/Cole at the moment so I’ll probably continue 

[transboygenius]

SE4SON: Chapter 20

Jimmy, Nick, and everyone else sat at the main dining room table, helping themselves to a bowl of warm soup, and leafy green salads. Diana refused to eat anything prepared in the king's domain. Benson was sipping his soup slowly. Rodent Girl slurped hers in one gulp, then asked when's dinner ready. Sally merely swayed her spoon back and fourth in the bowl. Jimmy and Nick hardly touched their soups, for they were too disturbed by the painted portraits of the king. He was even naked in some of them. Despite Nick's lost of appetite, he felt like he needed something to drink. He slowly reached his hand towards the wine glass, before having it slapped by Jimmy's. No matter what century they're in, Nick is still too young for the consumption of alcohol. Jason was getting testy over this silence.

"Hmmmm... Seems to be getting awfully too quiet in here. I know! How 'bout a little story to lighten the mood? *Ahem* One time, on a dull summer of July, I had evicted a family of six because of a two day rent due and-"

King Jason's story was cut off as the servants carried the dishes to the table. There were large assortments of meat, vegetables, seafood, and dessert. Some dishes looked scrumptious, while some looked disgusting. Although, the "disgusting" ones were considered normal to medieval standards. The new cook, Stuart, helped Jimmy and Nick to his special of the day: Stewed rabbit meat served in bread trenchers.

"It's really badger meat. I couldn't catch the little rascal. But hey, fast food isn't good for you anyways. Please don't tell the king."

Every meal made it to the table, but King Jason wasn't ready to let anyone eat yet. No, ever since that incident with the last cook, the king came prepared. He called in the royal taste-tester. The royal taste-tester was a skinny, pale 17 year-old young man who looked like he hasn't been fed enough. When granted permission by Jason, the royal taste-tester was very excited to check for poison, as if he hasn't ate all day. One dish by one, he took a tiny sample from each of the food, trying it, and savoring it. Jimmy and Nick were weirded out. After letting Jason know that the cuisine is safe, the king asked him to leave. Everyone, excluding Diana, dug in. Jimmy and Nick started with their stewed badger meat, which was very hard to work down due to its "unique" taste. Nick traded in his stew for a turkey leg, and managed to feed himself without revealing his face. He just stuffed the drumstick into his helmet, then 10 seconds later, he pulls out a clean bone.

Benson was trying to decide on what he wanted to eat, before Rodent Girl eats it first. Speaking of Rodent Girl, she's just enjoying herself like a hungry hog, with the most ghastly table manners Jason ever witnessed. Diana stubbornly sat in her seat, arms crossed, refusing to touch the tainted food in front of her. Butterscotch took big bite chunks out of any dish he looked at, without even bothering to finish the whole thing. He delivered a forthright critique to the king about how his cook's meals tasted cut-rate compared to Nick Dean's gourmet art of gastronomy, but of course Jason only heard "Neeeiiigh whiiiineeey." Sally, being such a child she is, decided to skip to dessert, and grabbed an entire plate of shortbread cookies. She then accidentally dropped her napkin. Sally dove under the table to retrieve it, when suddenly, she saw that Jimmy and Nick were holding each other's hands. It was out of intimidation, but it looked like intimacy to her. She covered her mouth to drown out her squeal of excitement. Meanwhile, the king spoke silently among his chancellor.

"Look at them, Richard. Look at them. *At Rodent Girl* Disgusting. *At Diana* Arrogant. *At Sally* Immature. They're all a bunch of circus freaks. Who ever gave them the right to exist? But it's okay. I can tolerate their actions a little longer, *Points to Jimmy and Nick* just as long as these two sickos will take me to my awaited treasure. You can't find the nest unless the PIGEONS lead you to it. After that, I won't have to deal with them, or their reject friends, anymore."

Jason shifted an eye to the right to find that Benson was sitting at the far right of the table, close to the king. We all know what he was doing.

"Were you eavesdropping on the king, peasant?!" Asked Jason, in a strict tone. "N-no, your greatness! I j-just wanted to get away from Miss Oona's messy station!" Stuttered Benson. "There are plenty of empty chairs around! Now begone, before I have my guards escort you out!" "Y-yes, your greatness!"

Benson got up and ran to the farthest seat of the table. Meanwhile, the king was ready to make his proposal. He tapped his spoon on his wine glass to get everyone's attention.

"Good now. As did promise-"

Jason was then interrupted by Rodent Girl's noisy eating. That died down eventually.

"As did promise-"

This time, he was interrupted by Rodent Girl's loud slurping. That died down, too.

"As did promise-"

Now Rodent Girl was hacking.

"SILENCE, VERMIN!"

Rodent Girl then hesitated.

"As did promise, we shall be discussing the other half of our negotiation! Richard! Present to them the diagram!"

Richard was excused from his seat, then he gave Jimmy a piece of paper with a sketch drawing on it. It seems that Jason has never improved, cuz the boy genius thought he was a bad artist himself. He couldn't make out the object in the sketch.

"You want us to get you a headband with a heart patch on it?" Asked Jimmy. "No." Replied Jason. "Maybe he wants us to draw a better picture." Nick added. "NO! You mean you don't recognize it?" "Well, sometimes we have trouble reading certain art styles. We're not saying it's bad. *Nudges Nick* Wouldn't you agree, my fair knight?" "For crying out loud. You should know by now, you made it! It's the Amulet of Bind!" "Oh! That! Now rings a bell! That thing I made, a long time ago! For a special happy time!" "I hope it isn't too much to ask, but, I need this amulet. Please, this amulet is worth more to me than my own life! Ever since as a child, it's all I've been thinking of! Please, noble ones!" "Alright, it's yours!" "You mean... ...just like that? You want me to take it off your hands?" "Yeah, of course! Why would we miss one piece of jewel? I make plenty of other jewels for a living, and thinking of opening a jewelry store! We allow credit." "If there's anyone who knows how to turn coal into diamonds, it's him!" Nick added again. "Then what, after we retrieve this so-called amulet, bright eyes? You'll 'redeem yourself and become a more gentle king of milk and honey?'" Diana questioned the king. "Nah! I wast bethinking of packing up everything I owneth, departure this fusty village, and then opening up a new kingdom someplace else! I couldst make a much bigger one, with the fortune pawned from that rare amulet! It's worth at least a billion nowadays!" "You mean... ...you'll be leaving us?!" "That, and thee shall be free to doth whatever thee wishes! I'm taking everything, and throwing away the key! You could even elect a new king!" "YIPEE! *Jumps up from her seat* Boy, that sounds-! Wait a minute, your greatness. Why the heck would you want to leave your own village anyways? You were here long enough for the cemetery to run out of spaces, and burial was replaced with cremation! You said so yourself that you devoted your name to this village!" "Well that devotion was a lie, woman! I'm tired of being cooped up in this stinking four wall prison you call a township!" "(Even though you constructed those walls yourself.)" "I wanna step up my game! I want a big land to take charge of! Millions of people to worship me! They will be my new walls! I want not to be superior of just some dinky dram village! I want to be superior of a whole land, and then allow my kingship to grow until I'm known throughout the world! Wherefore am I talking to you anyways, mistress?! I shouldst be talking to them!"

Jimmy hesitated for a moment, before he was ready to say something. Nick stopped stuffing bits of food into his helmet and joined his friend. Everyone laid eyes on the two carefully, except Rodent Girl, who was still eating. With the king gone, everyone can now live in peace. The Faithful Five may never have to steal again. Of course, they may need to elect a new decent king, just to keep the whole village system arranged. This sounded like a too good of a deal to demur at. Having Jason out of everyone's hair could be what the peasants need. Jimmy was about to come to terms, but then he began to have a second thought. Jason may leave these people alone, but will he put his newfound town through the same jeopardy? What if he resorts back to hanging, capitalism, and leaving misfits to die? Rulers like him, who commit terrible atrocities, don't change that easily.

"Your greatness!" Jimmy spoke up. "Yesssssss?" Answered Jason. "You can have the amulet if you promise your new citizens: No more strict rules with overzealous penalties! Nourishment, medical management, and housing must be affordable! You have to provide equality for all if you're gonna be a good republic representative!" "Well,I'll be blown. What shall befall of me if be true I hold not my gage?" "Then I'll... ...summon my magical spies on you! That's right! I have spies everywhere! In the trees! In the skies! Did I mention they're also invisible? Once they report your actions to me, I'll cast a spell that'll morph you into a big pile of cow pie!" "Besides, the more people die, the less of the population to worship you!" Said Nick.

The guards felt threatened, but the king managed to calm them down. After that, Jason got up from his seat, and walked towards Jimmy. The boy genius began sweating in anxiety. Nick also got up from his seat, then stood in front of his friend with his life. The king looked very menacing. Nick was so scared, his armor was clattering. Jason shoved the tiny knight aside, and then offered Jimmy his hand.

"It's settled."

Forcing a smile upon his face, Jimmy shook the king's hand out of respect.

"Alright! *Claps hands* Chop-chop! Dinner is officially over! Time to give me what I've been patient for!" Shouted the king. "You want it now?" Asked Jimmy. "No, I plan to wait another year- Of course, I mean now! We're heading straight to your Research Edifice!"

...............................

The king invited everyone on a carriage ride. Butterscotch, already being a horse, had to walk on foot. Jimmy read through Mr. Philips' diary again, so he could learn anything about this Amulet of Bind, and the history behind it. Sure, it's worth a fortune, but the king acted as though it was much more important than that. Not even Sally knew about this amulet.

"Are you really gonna turn the king into cow pie?" Whispered Sally. "No, but I thought I could scare him into believing me." Jimmy whispered his response. "Ughhhhhhh, I hope you guys gain your memories back soon."

The carriage eventually came to a stop, and everyone stepped out. They made it. They've reached the Wise Wizard's Research Edifice. At least that's what it said on the sign. Jimmy and Nick studied the building up close. It was shaped differently from all the other architecture in the village. This tower was built in a cylinder form. The building had been abandoned for so long, it was now covered in moss and flowers. It was also huge. Almost bigger than the king's castle. It was tall enough to reach the clouds. The boys were both surprised King Jason hasn't torn this place down yet.

"Sure takes you back, doesn't it?"

Sally accidentally startled the two boys. Jason then ordered everyone to enter the edifice, and then brought his guards in with him. The place was all gloomy from the inside. There was dust, cobwebs, withered flowers, and rats everywhere. Rodent Girl didn't mind. She made new friends. Sally looked around for a while. There were some painted portraits of the Wise Wizard and Silver Knight, either holding hands or hugging. Benson stayed close to Diana as possible, in case anything decides to jump at him. The building looked haunted from his point of view. Jason commanded the squad to stop sightseeing and said they should stay on task. The king then led them to a staircase. There were so many flight of stairs, they couldn't see the top. Rodent Girl just scurried up ahead. She was particularly fast.

"THIS ISN'T A RACE, VERMIN!" Jason screamed his lungs out. "Do this wizard and knight fella live like this everyday?" Nick sassed.

Later, the squad had been climbing up the stairs for about an hour. Even Diana herself was hitting exhaustion. Jason was being lifted up the stairs by his two faithful sentries, who are now in great pain due to how much he weighs. Richard was glad he didn't have to take part this time. Sally hitched a ride on Diana. Nick supportively carried Jimmy on his shoulders.

"I can walk on my own, Nick. No need for this." Said Jimmy. "No... You have... ...the shortest legs... I won't let that happen." Nick breathed.

As soon as the squad made it to the top floor, everybody, who'd been walking, laid flat on the floor, taking a break to rest for a moment. However, Jason wouldn't let them. Both Jimmy and Sally helped Nick back onto his feet. HIIIIIIIII! They heard Rodent Girl's voice. She was waving at them. The squad, seeing her, all groaned in annoyance. Not because she made it before them. Rodent Girl was waving at them, from the other side of a bridge, dangling over a black pit that led to who knows where.

"This is suppose to be their security system?" Nick groaned. "No, I think it's yours." Replied Sally. "Can you stop talking for 10 minutes? Please?" "Okay, everyone! Ladies! Gentlemen! Listen! This faulty bridge can only contrive enough density to hold together. It'll be safe if we all walked across one at a time!" Jimmy explained.

The squad agreed to Jimmy's notion. Jason made the children cross the bridge first, since they were the lightest. Jimmy went first, then Nick, Sally, Benson, Richard, guard #1, guard #2, Jason, Diana, now it's Butterscotch's turn. Diana was giving him emotional support from the other side. Nick promised he'd cooked something for him. Rodent Girl started motivating him like a gym coach, in order to get him to "horse-up." Jason then insulted Butterscotch, calling him a "filthy animal." That made the stallion mad enough to gallop across the bridge. His stomping hooves, combined with his rage, applied too much pressure.

"BUTTERSCOTCH! NOOOO! THE BRIDGE WILL-"

Jimmy tried to warn the horse, but it was too late.

"BUTTERSCOTCH!!!" Diana cried, trying to get to him.

The bridge broke, and then Butterscotch met with a falling fate. She dropped to her knees, with tears cascading from her eyes. Her friends immediately showered her with comfort, but Jason and his authorities were getting impatient.

"LET'S GO! We're way behind schedule!" Barked Jason. "Can you be anymore INSENSITIVE?! We've just lost a trustful steed!" Diana replied. "It's just a horse! You can just get a new one!" "Just a horse?! Mister, Butterscotch was family! You can not replace family, or a scrapbook full of memories!" "You can, if you were living the majestic life like me!" "That's it! I've darn had it with this skin flint ficklepuss!"

Diana was about to charge Jason with her fist, but her friends, including Richard, had to restrain her. The two guards pointed their spears.

"A BUNCH OF POINTY STICKS WON'T SAVE YOUR HIDE FROM ME! YOU'LL BE ALL OVER THIS PLACE BY THE TIME I'M DONE TEARING YOU LIMB FROM LIMB! HANGING OR NOT, DEATH WOULD BE BETTER THAN SHARING THE SAME PLANET WITH YOU!" Diana raged. "Diana! It's not worth it. You don't wanna prove you're just as bad as him. C'mon, we're almost there." Said Jimmy, trying to calm Diana. "But, Butterscotch! IF NOT FOR HIM, HE'D STILL BE HERE!" "I liked Butterscotch just as you did. He was the second best four legged friend I've ever made. When this is all over, I promise there will be a funeral arranged, in honor of a brave, fun horse." "Yeah, and we can invite everyone in the village! Horses, too! I'll even cook up a collection of his favorite foods! Anything for Butterscotch's good name!" Nick added.

Diana took a couple of deep breaths.

"Okay. I'll keep my cool. Butterscotch was a pacifist anyways, so he wouldn't like seeing me kill a man." Said Diana, with pride. "Maybe when your amnesia is cured, you could probably bring him back." Sally whispered to Jimmy.

The squad then entered the next room, which appeared to have light. It was an empty library, and the room was lit from the sun shining through a strained glass window, also providing some color. All the books had been packed, and the shelves were left empty. A big vault door sat in the center of the room. A door King Jason tried to open for years. When Diana turned the handle, it didn’t budge, not even from her strength. She tried harder, but only succeeded in tearing it off. The door can only open from a password. Jimmy found writing was increst on it. A hint, maybe?

A special profound charm, in no need of a spell, that unites us together. It makes the world go around. This emotion is the strongest fuel of human power.

"Go on!" Jason commanded. "What?" Jimmy blurted in confusion. "Feed it the password! You still remember it, right?”

Jimmy hesitated, while sweating. Nick placed an arm around him, giving the boy genius a pat. If Jimmy doesn't know the password, then they're sure to expose themselves as frauds. Jimmy decided to do what he hasn't done in a long time.

"Think... Think... Think..."

Based on the info he learned from Joseph's logs: The Wise Wizard, although happy with his formal life, was extremely lonely. The Silver Knight, a well known celebrity at that time, was one of the most miserable men in the village. Ever since they met, they found themselves to have comfort in one's company. They were both powerful in their own ways, but they also had flaws that the two acknowledged with one another. The knight would put his life against his wizard, and the wizard would do the same. They cared for each other very much, for it was fate that united them. The pair has made themselves one. The Wise Wizard and Silver Knight cared for each other romantically. Joseph cared for them like fathers. Diana cares for the Faithful Five as family. Jimmy and Nick cares for Diana, Rodent Girl, Benson, and Butterscotch like they were best friends. Jimmy cares for Nick from the pumping feeling in his h-

"BRAIN BLAST!" Shouted Jimmy. "Is that the password?!" Asked Jason. "No! But I figured it out!"

Jimmy cleared his throat before saying

"L-O-V-E! Love!"

A few seconds later, a golden light started illuminating from the gaps of the vault door. Everyone stepped back as the door slowly opened on its own. The glow eventually stopped, and the object was revealed. There was the amulet, sitting on a display. It was a beautiful golden chain necklace, with a heart shaped ruby in the center. It looked nothing like the one presented in King Jason's drawing. It was better than imagined. Shedding tears of joy, Jason grabbed the amulet for keeps, then placed it around his neck. Other than the amulet, there was also a piece of paper lying around. While the king modeled around with his new jewelry, Jimmy and Nick read the paper together. It was a log, written by the Wise Wizard himself!

Before the Wise Wizard and Silver Knight were ready to leave the village and travel the world, they presented King Todd with the Amulet of Bind, something they made together. Todd's 14 year-old son, Jason, seemed to have found interest in the jewel. The two had told the king that their love was extracted into the amulet, which possessed a far greater power known to man. It is to be used for an emergency only, in case the whole village gets caught under carnage. They also noted that the amulet must not fall into the hands of evil. If it does so, then the amulet must be touched by a pairing of two, who hold a strong built-up bond. It is their love that will drain the evil of its magic. The two then whispered the password to the king, for Todd could be trusted. However, they never thought about his power hungry son.

"Pffffffft. Magic." Jimmy joked. "Yeah. An amulet that stores powers made by love." Nick joked back. "It's absolutely ridiculous."

Just then, Jason pointed his finger at the two boys, and conjured up a chain, linking them together. A cage appeared around Sally. Diana was about to strike, but the king used a stun spell on her. Rodent Girl scurried over to Jason, ready to bite. With the magic point of a finger, Rodent Girl's leg was suddenly shackled, attached to this heavy ball. Also, her mouth was muzzled up. He didn't have to do anything with Benson. The man just got petrified with fear.

"What the heck is this?!" Questioned Jimmy. "It's magic, you bafoon." Replied Jason. "Not that! Is this suppose to be the other end of our deal?!" "Young man, when will you ever learn that there are certain people you're not suppose to trust? You should know that people like me don't change their heart overnight! It seems to me you don't really know me at all!"

Jimmy looked at the friends he got in danger, also he thought about the one horse they just lost. The boy genius was so up in his pride, he didn't bother with the facts. His friends tried to warn him about this man. The red flags were right there. All he thought about was outsmarting the king into having a heart with his psychology. Jimmy needs to learn that it's his friends he should listen to.

"You know what's so precious about magic, Richard?" "Uhhhhhhh, it can give you anything you desire by just a slight gesture of the hands, sire?" "Correct! You get a raise!"

The king snapped his fingers and a bag of money appeared in the chancellor's hands.

"Wow! Bless you, sire!" "Don't mention it. Magic could make me a whole new man! For instance, I could change my shape into something I've always dreamed of!"

The king turned his tubby figure into a more muscular shape.

"It can also enhance my senses! *Sniffs the air* Let's see, *Points at guard #2* you had a tuna hero for lunch!" Said Jason. "By George, he's got it!" Spoke guard #2. "And, uh... *Sniffs again* Hold on."

There's something about the way the "Wise Wizard" and "Silver Knight" smelled that puzzled the king.

"You're not the noble Wise Wizard and Silver Knight, aren't you?" The king asked in an ominous tone. "What makes you ask that? We are wearing the clothes, and my partner here did figure out the password!" Said Nick. "Silence! If you were the legendary heroes, you'd have their scent! I've been there, and you two smell nothing like how I remembered them! As a matter of fact, I think I smell a little fear in you."

Jason lifted up Nick's visor, so he could look at both of their faces of shame. He glared at the boys with red eyes.

"You two are just a pair of pathetic, scared, commoner children. And to think I let you go, trespassing in my domain, posing as fake authorities! If I knew, I would've had your skinny necks hanged by then. But good news: It's your lucky day today! Since you've led me to the power that's rightfully mine, I'll give you a whole day to live before I ready the gallows. Your friends can join you, like a big happy family! Now's the best time to use that dungeon." "Your greatness?" Asked guard #1. "What?" "How are we going to get them out of here? The bridge is done for, and there's no way I'm carrying her down the stairs. *Points to Diana*" "Have you fools learned nothing on what magic can do?"

King Jason then teleported everyone out of the library.

[luxexhomines]

S

Ahhh, thank you guys so much for asking!! I just compiled them all into one post so I don’t clog up your dash with several posts. Here we go! I’m going to tag this as discourse and put a cut because my answers to the letters might not please everyone, aha. It’s long, too. Major spoilers for NDRV3.

S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?

Honestly, I’m not super sure at this point. Surprise, surprise, I only just recently finished watching the rest of NDRV3 and started writing for it. And I haven’t thought about tropes that much, though I’m sure I’ve written plenty of them into my writing at some point, even if not posted on here. 

If we’re going to go Danganronpa-centric, as this is my side blog for Danganronpa writing, I’d say that I fall in love with characters that are contradictory and with seemingly bipolar or gray morals despite probably having morals as straight as an arrow myself, i.e. Nagito or Kokichi. The characters playing “straight man” and relating to the reader’s perspective are also my favorite; in a wacky situation, they offer reason and normal reactions, which I would peg Hajime as (maybe Kazuichi, too, although he’s more of a crybaby). In fanfiction, I just love hurt & comfort fics, especially involving–you guessed it–Kokichi. I am particularly partial to the Oumota chapter 5 and chapter 5 trial rewrites, which, lucky for me, both of which are quite often rewritten by spectacular writers.

If we’re going in general, I always end up reading manga with an independent, strong and decisive character that crosses worlds and/or bodies by accident or death and becomes incredibly powerful/influential in the world and dominates over other characters with skills ranging from cooking to fighting. I guess I read a lot of manhua with martial arts or other manga with game aspects to it.Writing-wise, I love reading slow burn fics, even if I haven’t read one in quite some time. 

T: Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

I have a feeling this is going to go into highly controversial areas, so if you ultra ship Kaito x Maki, please turn away now...

I just hate that “man saves woman” from herself or traumatic past trope. Don’t get me wrong, I love hurt/comfort like I mentioned, but to specify, what I mean is when a strong and independent woman needs saving by a man. I realize Maki has a lot of issues from her past as an assassin and that Kaito is a viable, good option for helping her out and facing those issues, but the fact of him being a man and the way he just swoops in and fixes things forcefully by pulling her along for training just irks me. And before you ask, yes, if Kaede did it instead as a woman I would have less of a problem with it, even if I don’t like that somehow after a couple days of training together Maki somehow is better able to get along with others and most notably Shuichi despite having spent the previous entire time cooped up in her Ultimate room alone, is willing to use her experience as an assassin to help out with the investigation when she just walked out in the past, etc. Problems from a past like that would never be so easily faced in reality; people and their minds are much more stubborn than we’d like to think, too. 

In general, I am also highly averse to the Women in Refrigerators trope. To some extent, I feel that Kaede fits this trope, as a.) she is an important, pivotal, incredibly fleshed out female character and even the initial protagonist of ndrv3, b.) she dies arbitrarily for a murder she did not commit, c.) a big part of her death is written into Shuichi’s character development for making him grow as the protagonist (he sheds the cap, faces the truth, and the memory of Kaede’s last wishes serves as his support to reveal the truth several times in trial), and of course, d.) her death in the execution is grotesque as befitting of a Danganronpa execution. Kaede deserved so. much. more.

There are probably more out there, but I won’t mention them for the sake of length & time. 

U: Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

Okay! So don’t hate me for this, but I haven’t been really keeping up a bunch with fanfiction writers or specific ones that much. It just hasn’t ever been a habit of mine in the past to follow one writer–ironic, I know. There’s one that immediately comes to mind, but she’s not part of the Danganronpa fandom, so unless someone asks, I’ll leave her out of it. However, there are a couple of writers that I recently discovered through the Oumota weekend event and which I follow on my main blog, and I thoroughly enjoy reading their work. Their work also contains mentions of NDRV3 spoilers!

1. @kirastrations

I recently reblogged her work on this blog because I have so much love for the Oumota fic she wrote (which deserves more love!). It’s called One by One, One After Another, and I simply adore the way she writes Kaito’s character and experiences with the other characters throughout the game and the overarching feeling that comes across as a result of the situation and what ensues. The diction choices she makes is absolute art; I see the imagery so clearly in my head, and not a single word of hers is wasted. It’s concise while being aptly and most beautifully descriptive. Even though I’m not a huge fan of Kaito, the way she writes him and his actions make me love him. I would describe the work as a futile yet desperate and exquisite struggling, an embodiment of angst that is so beautifully painful that it appears to be an illusion. I haven’t had a chance to check out other works from her just yet, but that’s on my to-do list!

2. @golden-redhead

I love, love, love their work too. They recently posted Lavender, a Kirumi x Kaede (Tojomatsu? Kaerumi? Kirumatsu?) work for femslash Feb, and it is a post-reality Virtual AU short fic. The way they write the interaction between Kirumi and Kaede offers such a delicate, carefully constructed image and story while creating some tension between the two. They also format the story with Kirumi’s thoughts in a simple and straightforward way that is just so delicious to read. Aspects of Kirumi explored are small things that unravel into a bigger statement about her character and the nature of the killing game and the impact it has left on her. It reminds me of the way a player might gently stack up a house of cards–attentively, with a sharp eye and feel. 

3. @starlightwritesalie

They wrote these two Oumota fics for the weekend that I fell in love with, especially the one for Day 1: Heroes/Villains. Sometimes when living in the world of Danganronpa, you forget that these tragic situations and the killing game are experienced, in essence, by children. You can argue that they’re older than high schoolers for the first two games, but mentally they are still high schoolers, and let’s face it–a couple years above the legal age of being an adult in America, 18, can hardly be counted as an adult, either. They reminded me of that sickening fact so poetically yet bluntly, and the story they write only serves as a further reminder of that fact. They write statements about the situation and how the pair act in the situation that are so agonizing yet irrefutable–as is the situation that they’re both trapped in. The ending is so unbearably cruel, packed with pain, but the way they create it is so decisively soft and snatches away my breath with the truth at the heart of the game, the situation. 

So there you have it! Sorry that my answers are so long... I have too much to say, and especially about the people whom I adore. Since it said to pick 3, I didn’t get to include these two, but I also love aroseandapen and mystic-mints dearly. If you ask, I’ll write a whole paragraph on why I love them, too, although I suspect by this time you all are getting rather tired of all my talking, haha. I also didn’t include imagines blogs, but if you’re curious, feel free to ask about that since I am still kind of a imagines blog! I guess at this point I’m kind of a fusion of an imagines blog and normal fanfiction writing blog.

Thanks for asking, and if you have any more questions, feel free to shoot an ask!

[write-havoc]

This Is How I Disappear Ch. 57

Summary: A girl named Chuck finds herself in the exact place she doesn't want to be, living with violent men in a desolate nursing home. After her former gym teacher finds her, will he be the savior she was looking for?

Fandom: The Walking Dead AU

Pairing: Negan/Original Female Character

Status: Ongoing

Contains: swearing, violence, sexual assault, blood, smut

Intended for readers 18+ of age only

Masterlist

Harlan had requested Chuck be on bedrest for the next few days. And Negan made sure it was strict bedrest. For two days, Negan did just about everything for Chuck, even escorting her to the bathroom when she needed to go. He also made sure to keep Chuck calm. Carson’s death had hit Chuck hard. Mainly because she felt guilty for never thanking him for everything he did for her. But Negan knew just the right things to say to make her feel better, like he always did.

When Negan had to leave the apartment to tend to his duties, which he did so begrudgingly, he insisted that Laura or Arat sit with Chuck and tend to her. Chuck had apologized to them, assuming that the woman would resent the job, but they didn’t seem to mind. In actuality, the three women had gotten to know one another quite well over the past several weeks and developed a friendly relationship between each other.

Today, Laura is on shift while Negan is out and she’s sitting on the couch flipping through a book. When Chuck sees that it’s The Soul of the Fearless Wave, she wonders how it made its way back into their bedroom. She thought that Negan had gotten rid of it long ago.

“Shit,” Laura calls out as she turns the page. “This is a good book.”

Chuck can’t help but laugh. “It’s... pretty entertaining, actually.” She just keeps it to herself that she thought it was entertaining because of how bad it is.

Chuck shakes her head, her eyes flicking down to notice a wet spot on her chest. She initially thinks that maybe she spilled a little bit of water the last time she took a drink, but when she sees another spot on the other side of her chest, she realizes what it is. “Oh,” she says aloud.

“You need somethin’?” Laura is already standing and coming forward before Chuck can stop her.

Chuck feels her cheeks turn bright red. “Uh...” She tries to cover her chest so Laura can’t see. “N-No. I’m okay.”

Laura pauses at the side of Chuck’s bed and looks down at her. “You don’t have to be embarrassed, Chuck. I have a kid, remember? I know what it’s like to be pregnant.”

Chuck nods and moves her hands from her chest, exposing the expanding wet spots on her cotton nightshirt. “I guess I started to leak.”

“Is this the first time?”

“Yeah,” Chuck answers quietly. She knew that this would happen at some point, but for some reason, she still feels a little embarrassed.

“Do you have any nursing bras up here?”

“Yeah.” Chuck points to the closet. “The dresser on the left. Top drawer.”

Laura follows Chuck’s directions and comes back in with a nursing bra and a new nightshirt. “Before all this shit,” she waves a hand around, “I was a bartender in this biker bar. That where I met Niko’s father. And I worked through my entire pregnancy.” Laura gently pulls Chuck’s soiled shirt over her head and drops it on the ground. “I only took off one week when I had him. Worked up until the day they induced me.” Laura slips the nursing bra onto Chuck’s arms and fastens it behind her back.

Chuck adjusts the bra on her chest and inserts the reusable pads that Laura hands her.

“I remember the first day my boobs really started to leak,” Laura continues. “It was fuckin’ busy in the bar. And this guy was like, ‘Hey! Your tits are leaking!” And I was like, “So?! You want a beer or not?!’” Laura gets the clean nightshirt over Chuck’s head. “I didn’t have time to deal with it, so I just rocked it.”

Chuck laughs. Then she realizes that Laura had told that story to make Chuck less embarrassed about having her clean her up. “Thanks,” she says quietly.

Laura shrugs a little. “You’re welcome.” She picks up Chuck’s nightshirt from the floor and throws it in the hamper.

Before Laura walks back to the couch, Chuck calls out to her. “So Niko was just a baby when all of this started?”

“Yeah.” Laura turns around and sits down on the bed, propping herself up on the headboard beside Chuck. Though Chuck has all the pillows behind her.

“Wow. That must have been rough. I couldn’t imagine being out there with a baby,” Chuck comments. Her mind reels with the thoughts of Laura having to try to keep her son safe after the turn.

“Yup. Niko’s father died pretty early on. He saved our lives, but...” She shakes her head.

“I’m sorry, Laura.”

“It is what it is. He was a good man.” She gives a sad smile. “Negan and Simon found me and Niko and brought us here. There was probably only like twenty people here, then. Sherry and her sister were here. Most of the lieutenants, actually. And TJ.” She lets out a sigh at the mention of the man.

TJ and his group were all murdered by Eldritch and his men at the start of his attack on The Sanctuary. When all was said and done, Negan held a memorial service for the fifty or so people that died, which was rough for everyone. After the service, Negan had a small group go out to find the bodies of the men Eldritch had killed, wanting to give them all a proper burial, but they were never found. Negan had confessed to Chuck that he assumed that Eldritch let them turn and used them in his undead army. The thought had sent a chill though Chuck’s bones. Eldritch was truly an evil man for doing everything he did.

Laura continues. “But Negan was always real good to me and Niko. Even when shit was scarce, he always made sure I had enough to eat because I had to breastfeed my son. There wasn’t any formula or anything here. He was the only kid.”

“Negan has a soft spot for children.” Chuck giggles. “Don’t tell him I told you that.”

“That’s not exactly a secret.” Laura laughs. “Negan can be a scary fucker when he needs to be, but he’s good to the people that do their jobs and aren’t assholes. Everyone knows that.” She clears her throat and shifts to get more comfortable. “When I told him I wanted to be part of his soldiers as soon as he started the whole ‘saviors’ thing, he didn’t laugh in my face. He didn’t tell me I needed to just be a mother and work in the laundry. He shoved a .45 in my hands and told me to show him what I got. He never judged me. Never underestimated me. That showed me what kind of leader he would be and I’ve been following him ever since.”

Chuck smiles, happy in the knowledge of how respected her husband is here. The baby starts to move around, so Chuck moves both of her hands to her stomach.

“Pain?” Laura asks, quickly shifting into bodyguard mode.

“No. Just kicking,” Chuck answers with a smile. The baby has still been kicking regularly and Chuck takes it as a good sign that she wasn’t injured in the fall.

Laura places her hand on Chuck’s stomach to feel. “She’s a strong one!” She laughs. “You’re making me want to have another one.”

“Really?” Chuck giggles. “You don’t even have a boyfriend, do you?”

Laura shrugs. “You think that Alexandrian with the haircut is single?”

Chuck laughs, realizing Laura is talking about Eugene. “You would eat him alive!”

“You think he’d let me?” Laura waggles her eyebrows to accentuate her joke.

The next day, Harlan checks over Chuck as Negan paces their bedroom.

“Everything looks good,” Harlan says as he pulls back from Chuck. “I’d say you can be off bedrest now. We can get you down to the infirmary for an ultrasound to make sure, but I see no reason to worry anymore.”

Chuck lets out a sigh of relief.

Negan pauses his pacing to ask, “We’re good?”

Harlan nods. “Let’s get down to the infirmary just to double check. I bet Chuck won’t mind stretching her legs a little,” he teases.

Chuck giggles. “I would love to walk around.”

The ultrasound looks perfect, to everyone’s relief. When Negan and Chuck get back to their room, he squeezes her in a tight hug.

“I love you so much, baby girl,” he whispers into her hair.

“I love you, too, Negan.”

Negan pulls back to cup Chuck’s face. “Please, Chuck. Will you just take it fuckin’ easy until the baby comes? I know you want to be productive, but please stay up here. Or with me if you wanna walk around.”

Chuck knows that Negan worries about her and the baby. So despite the fact that she doesn’t want to be cooped up inside for the rest of her pregnancy, she agrees to do it. For Negan.

“Okay. I promise to take it easy.” She strokes his cheek and tips up to peck his lips.

The rest of the night, the pair cuddles up on the couch and watches movies, perfectly content and relaxed for the first time in days.

“Negan?” Chuck whispers to him when she realizes that he nodded off.

“Hmm?” is all he answers without even opening his eyes.

Chuck just stares at his face and smiles. Sometimes she can’t believe that she has this perfect man to call her own.

“We should go to bed.” She kisses his cheek.

He smiles, his eyes still closed. “Mmhmm.”

The next day, Chuck is sitting on the couch playing a video game in just a pair of shorts and her nursing bra. Though it’s a cold January day outside, Chuck finds the room hot. She knows it’s just her pregnancy, since Negan hasn’t complained and seems to be just fine in the office as he works on whatever he’s working on.

Negan walks into the bedroom and pauses. “You look hot as shit like that,” he jokes.

Chuck laughs. “Well, I am hot . But not in the way you mean.”

Negan chuckles and sits down next to her. “You’re still beautiful, baby.”

Chuck looks down at herself, definitely not finding anything beautiful. “I’m all sweaty and leaky. And it’s just gonna go downhill from here.”

Negan leans over and kisses Chuck sweetly. “No matter what, you’re still the most beautiful thing I could ever fuckin’ see.” He bends down to kiss her stomach, too.

Chuck runs her hand over his head. “You’re such a softy.”

He straightens up. “You want me to show-“

A knock on the door interrupts Negan’s thought.

“ It’s Simon. Can I come in? ” comes through the door.

“Hang on,” Negan calls out. He searches around for Chuck’s shirt, finding it thrown on one of the chairs and helps her put it on. “Alright. Come in,” he yells then sits back down next to Chuck.

Simon enters the room and gives Chuck a nod. “Hey, kiddo. How ya feeling?”

“Okay. I’m hot right now.”

“Really?” Simon raises his eyebrows. “It’s kinda chilly up here.”

“She’s running hot,” Negan comments. “What do you got, Simon?”

He starts to answer. “Rick was on the radio. He said his guys came across a pretty big settlement in the north a few days ago.” Simon flicks his gaze to Chuck for a second. “He wants you to meet them.”

Chuck looks over to Negan quickly. “No. You don’t know what’s out there. You can’t leave.”

Negan lets out a sigh. “What did Rick say about this group?”

“They’re in some big high school,” Simon relays the information. “He says they got families, children. They’re good people.”

Chuck starts to get a little upset because she knows Negan is probably going to leave. “Negan...”

Negan cups her cheek to silence her. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I don’t want to fuckin’ leave, but I’m gonna have to. I need to size these fuckers up. And I’d rather do it fuckin’ now than closer to your due date.”

Chuck’s eyes well up with tears. “But-“

“Hey,” Negan coos. “It’s safer out there now since the biters are fuckin’ slow. And the roads are pretty fuckin’ clear. Nothing to worry about, okay?”

Chuck nods. “Just... get back quickly.”

“You think I wanna be away from my girls for a goddamn second longer than I need to?” He smiles at her and it makes her smile back.

“Okay,” she quietly responds.

Negan looks up to Simon, who is still close to the door. “Radio Jesus and tell him to get here tomorrow morning. Then talk to Rick and tell him we’ll meet him at Alexandria tomorrow. Then we can all head the fuck out from there.”

Simon nods. “Sure thing.” He nods a goodbye to Chuck before exiting.

Once Simon is gone, Negan looks back to Chuck. “I know, sweetheart,” he says before she can even say anything.

“You said you wouldn’t leave.” Chuck looks up at him with wide eyes.

“Fuck. Don’t give me the eyes. I gotta go. I gotta see these people.”

She sighs. “Fine.”

“Please don’t be pissed at me.”

“I’m not. I’m just gonna be worried about you.”

He kisses her forehead. “I promise, nothing memorable will happen.”

  ——— Negan’s POV ———

Me, Dwight, Arat, and Jesus pile into a car and head out of Alexandria following Rick, Daryl, Michonne, and Carol in their car as they lead us to this new fuckin’ settlement. Rick told me that he spent a few fuckin’ days there just talking to them and getting to know their leader. He said they seem like good fuckin’ people. I’m not just gonna take his goddamn word for it, but it does make me lean toward maybe trusting this fuckin’ group. I gotta form my own opinion, though.

We pull up to this parking lot about fifty yards away from the gate to the settlement and fuckin’ wait. Oh, shit. I fuckin’ know this place. I applied for a goddamn job here right after I graduated. It’s a fancy pants fuckin’ boarding school for boys. Rutherford Academy...? Something like that. I wasn’t fuckin’ waspy enough to get hired there.

After about ten minutes, three fuckers on horseback emerge and trot to us.

“Heh,” I say aloud, no no one in particular. “I was talking about fuckin’ horses to someone a few weeks ago.”

“This way, please,” one of the guys, who’s wearing weird ass cobbled together armor, calls down to us. They lead us in through the gates and dismount.

“I’m Richard,” the tall, middle aged man calls out. “King Ezekiel asked me to show you guys around a little bit.”

I chuckle. “King?”

“Negan,” Rick chides.

I just shrug back at him. This guy here calls himself “king” and I’m not supposed to think that’s fuckin’ bullshit?

Richard glares at me. Whatever. “Follow me,” he says and turns away to lead us on the fuckin’ tour.

It’s not exactly thorough. The guy just points at buildings and says what’s inside. He says they have a fully stocked infirmary with two fuckin’ actual doctors. Big ass cafeteria with a commercial sized kitchen. Dormitory for all the residents to fuckin’ live in. And I can see for myself that they have crops, though they’re not growing right now since it’s goddamn winter. And paddocks for animals along with the stables that the school already had. Fuckin’ rich assholes.

From what I can tell, this place is fuckin’ nice. There are people moving around constantly, so they got numbers. Probably more than Alexandria. And they got a ton of kids. More than what we got back home, even. Everyone looks fuckin’ healthy and happy, so... yeah. I guess they make a good first impression. But I’m not letting my goddamn guard down completely just yet.

Richard stops us outside a building. “We wait here until King Ezekiel is ready for us.”

I fuckin’ roll my eyes which Rick sees and elbows me. “What?”

Rick rolls his eyes back at me. “Just... hear him out,” he whispers.

“Fine,” I answer.

The door opens and a guy comes out to motion for us to go inside.

“Hey, I should warn you about something before you get in there.” Rick continues to talk, but I’m not listening anymore.

My entire focus shifts to the man holding the door open for us. He’s probably in his late thirties with sandy blond fuckin’ hair, kinda portly. And he looks just like... Goddamn, that poor fucker looks exactly like-

“Negan!” Rick’s urgent voice breaks me out of my thoughts from a few steps ahead. “Are you coming?”

“Yeah,” I answer immediately. “Shit.”

We walk up the stairs and through the door, but I try not to look at that guy. I just don’t want to look at that fucker’s face.

Richard leads us through the halls and into a fuckin’ auditorium as I try to forget about that dude. All thoughts leave my fuckin’ brain, though, as my eyes immediately go to the man sitting on a goddamn throne in the middle of the stage and the thing that’s sitting beside him.

“Holy fuckin’ shit!” I yell, completely surprised. “Is that a fuckin’ tiger?!”

The animal raises its head and I swear to Christ I almost fuckin’ scream. Like, who the fuck has a goddamn tiger?! But I reel that shit in and turn my head to Rick.

“You could’ve fuckin’ told me there was an actual goddamn tiger in here.”

“I did,” Rick spits back. “You weren’t listening.”

The man on the stage clears his throat so I fuckin’ turn back to him. “Greetings, newcomers,” he calls out in a fuckin’ confident... regal , I guess, voice. “I am King Ezekiel. And this is Shiva,” he gestures to the big cat. “Welcome to The Kingdom.”

I stare at him for a moment. He doesn’t look fuckin’ real. He looks like a goddamn comic book character, with thick ass dreads and a big leather coat, holding a fuckin’ staff in one hand and a chain in the other. Not to mention, he’s sitting on a fucking throne with a goddamn tiger beside him !

“Is this fuckin’ real?” I say to no one in particular.

“Hear him out, Negan,” Rick pleads.

I turn back to Ezekiel and wait for him to start his fuckin’ spiel.

“I have heard much about you, Negan, from Rick and his men. From what he has said about the alliance between your two groups and his, I believe that joining that alliance will be beneficial to all.”

I shrug a little. This whole fuckin’ thing has thrown me for a loop. I have no idea what to fuckin’ say. “What do ya got to fuckin’ offer?” is what I settle on.

“To start, I would like to aid in your endeavor to rid this land of the abominations that have been plaguing all of us. Rick has told me about your immediate plans to corral the dead and exterminate them once the cold of winter renders them immobile. My people are very skilled at dispatching the dead, and can lend a hand to your efforts.” He looks off to his right to a big guy that I didn’t even realize was standing there. Even though he’s got a goddamn battle axe in this hands. “Jerry, would you get our guests their gifts.

The guy, who is wearing a weird ass knee length red coat, disappears off the stage and then returns with a basket in his hands. He walks up to me and hands me the fuckin’ thing.

“Consider these as a promise of things to come,” Ezekiel starts talking again and gestures to the basket. “Alas, it’s after the harvest, so proper trading of our goods will have to wait until warmer weather, but please,” he gestures to me, “take those as a token of our budding friendship.”

I look through the basket which is full of jars and cans. Some of them are marked as vegetables and some are various jams and jellies, including goddamn raspberry which is my fuckin’ favorite and haven’t had in years. “This looks fuckin’ good,” I downplay how excited I am. I’m pretty sure I’m gonna crack open that jar on the way home and eat it with my fuckin’ fingers.

Ezekiel lets out a sigh for some reason. I mean, shit’s going good so... “Rick informed me about your recent experience with a man named Eldritch. We, too, had a run in with him and about ten of his men about a year ago.”

“What?!” I bite back.

Ezekiel starts to explain. “He and his men came here disheveled and starving, telling horrendous tales of the state of things in Baltimore, to the east, where they came from. We had always stayed away from that area, ourselves, because we, too, had bad experiences there. Once Eldritch and his men got their strength back, he replayed out kindness by trying to raise a coup, but my loyal subjects showed the vehemence of their fealty and refused. We exiled him and his men after that.”

“Exiled them where?” I ask, already getting pissed.

“South,” is all he answers.

“South?” I repeat. “South, to me .”

“We never ventured south,” Ezekiel tries to make the excuse. “We didn’t know about your settlements. Or Rick’s.”

“If you had dealt with that fucker properly, none of that shit would’ve happened!” I yell.

Shiva perks up at my raised voice, but I am fuckin’ pissed, so I don’t stop.

“You have any idea what I lost because of that motherfucker? What I could’ve fuckin’ lost?!”

“Negan,” Rick puts his hand on my shoulder to calm me the fuck down.

“I am truly sorry about that,” Ezekiel states softly. “If I had known about your settlements, I wouldn’t have set him on that course. That is something I will have to live with, but I sincerely hope we can get past this for the sakes of our subjects. An expanded alliance between all of our groups will strengthen all of us.”

I’m breathing hard, but I suppose he’s right. So I nod. From the canned goods, it’s evident that they grow some shit that we don’t. Or even HIlltop. Trading with these medieval fuckers will definitely be better for us. And they got fuckin’ animals, which means more meat. Better diets for my people means better people, so I can’t really pass this shit up.

I turn back to Rick. “Eugene still got some more radio equipment?”

“Yeah,” Rick answers. “I’ve already talked to King Ezekiel about it. But I wanted to get your okay on it before we went ahead.”

“Electricity is not plentiful here,” Ezekiel explains. “We have some solar panels that power the freezers and ovens in the kitchen. But I think we can add the radio equipment and power it without problem. Being in contact with your groups will cement our alliance.”

I nod again and turn to Rick. “Get him the equipment.” I turn back to the king. “We’ll call you about when we’re gonna clear out those fuckin’ dead zones. Probably pretty soon.”

“Yes. I would be honored to help with that endeavor.” Ezekiel gives me a big smile and gestures for us to leave.

If these fuckers hold their own out in the shit, and prove to be not fuckin’ dumbasses or monsters, then come spring, we can get our trade on. And if that she goes well, an official alliance can be made.

Honestly, it fuckin’ surprises me that I’m not fuckin’ fighting with this. When I started The Sanctuary, I fully expected it to be me against the world. But working with Hilltop got me, well, Hilltop . If I told them to fuck off when Jesus first darkened my doorstep, I would’ve never taken control of them. And my people would’ve lost out on the different food they get from the hillfolk. And we’d be out a fuckin’ doctor just in time for Chuck to give birth.

If I wouldn’t‘ve worked with Alexandria, I probably wouldn’t have beat Eldritch. Rick and his guys were instrumental in that shit. As much as I want to say it was all me, it fuckin’ wasn’t. So working with these groups has been fuckin’ better for my people. So I gotta consider that shit when thinking about what I’m gonna do with The Kingdom.

As we all leave the building, that same guy is standing at the door, holding it open for us. And I just can’t deal with it anymore.

I turn back to him quickly, startling him. “What’s your name?”

“Martin Harris,” he answers.

“What’s your father’s name?”

He looks back at me, confused. “William Harris. Why?”

“He your real father?” I just gotta know...

He glares at me for a moment before answering. “Yes,” he bites back. “He’s my real father because he raised me since I was three years old. He adopted me on my fifth birthday and gave me his name. So he is my real father. Not that it’s your business.” He lets out a huff and continues on with a little fuckin’ attitude. “But if you must know about my biological father, he was a horrible man. He pulled my mother off the street while she was walking back home from bible study and raped her. Got her pregnant. She was sixteen .” He takes a breath but still looks fuckin’ pissed at me. “When the police finally found him, he was already in prison for killing his wife and almost killing his son. So excuse me if I don’t want to call that man my anything .”

I fuckin’ knew it.

“Nathan McRae,” I almost whisper. I never wanted to say that fuckin’ name ever again.

His eyes get fuckin’ big. “H-How did you know his name?”

“That fuckin’ monster was my father, too.”

[aion-rsa]

All American Season 3 Episode 6 Review: Teenage Love

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This All American review contains spoilers.

All American Season 3, Episode 6

The cabin. Oh, that cabin. I didn’t think I’d have to go through the same level of emotional gutting as “Coming Home”, when Corey (Chad L. Coleman) died, but that cold open really gave the Season 2 installment a run for its money. The cinematography and the music choice of the first couple of minutes of “Teenage Love” got to me. What a moving way to open the episode. Overall, “Teenage Love,” gave us time to see teens being teens, with all their drama and secrets—if there weren’t any, it wouldn’t really be a teen sports drama, would it?

The truth comes out, one way or another.

“Teenage Love” does a great job of bringing some long-neglected issues to light as tensions rise between the teenagers. That “Never Have I Ever” game went south pretty fast—game over in the messiest way. What was also notable in this episode is the series has its teens being teens. Sometimes, teen dramas forget to allow their characters to be teenagers and have teenager issues. But what makes it a good episode is how we get the chance to see everyone’s issues come to light. We had some mature conversations and those conversations had to happen because most of the feelings were all bottled up.

The tension between Asher (Cody Christian), Vanessa (Alondra Delgado), and Olivia (Samantha Logan) had to be exposed at some point and Olivia nor Vanessa made any effort to shy away from it. Asher and Olivia parting ways was the best decision. The chemistry is just not there anymore. It barely ever was. After they had their fight towards the end, we know that they just grew apart. And that’s okay because Spencer (Daniel Ezra) and Olivia are endgame.

In this episode, Asher has the audacity to call Olivia out for being close with Spencer and always wanting to help him out, like he wasn’t clearly having an emotional affair with Vanessa this whole time. His body language and demeanor changes around her and you can sense the jealousy coming from him from time to time. He wants her but can’t find it in him to be upfront with Olivia about it… until their fight. I haven’t been too keen on Asher lately, especially because he’s been slowly regressing on all of that character development he had last season. But the way he finally gave in and told Olivia how he felt, and in the way that she’s always wanted to save the people around her, I’ll give him a pat on the back for that. Like I said, they’ve outgrown each other.

Speaking of the saving part… you know who else can’t seem to stop doing that? Spencer. Spencer and Olivia are perfect together in so many ways and I know I babble about them too much, but one of the reasons is that they need to be the ones that can save the people they care and love, no matter what it takes. Because it’s in them and that’s how they are, which makes them such a great fit together. Not only do they get each other, but they do their best to improve the wellbeing of everyone around them. Even if it gets to be too much at times.

We’re breaking up, best friend.

Viewers witness the ins and outs of romantic relationships on TV so often, we tend to already know what to expect when a break-up is underway. But you know what we don’t see as often? Friendships and everything that can go into that relationship. Friendship is just as important, it’s just as sensitive, and, at times, it’s just as hurtful as romantic relationship—sometimes even more. Just like as All American makes space for conversations about the mental turmoil that can come with competitive sports, the series makes space for conversations that need to be had about the falling out of friendships. We get a parallel fight sequence between Asher/Olivia and Spencer and Coop (Bre-Z) and it’s hurtful to watch, but it’s realistic and I’m glad it gets its own screen time, and that all parties get the the opportunity to say their peace.

Will Coop and Spencer make up so quickly, after being best friends for all these years? Or will this fall out last longer than it should? Time will only tell. I didn’t, however, think it was okay that Coop started to gaslight Spencer for being the one to always want to save her from her sticky situations. That was cold. 

Additional thoughts.

Simone makes a good point with Jordan when she says he wasn’t really the real Simone outside of her pregnancy and having that conversation about wanting to make it work was mature of them. She was right, but it seems Jordan really loves her enough to not want to give up on their fresh relationship.

Yes, Layla. What really happened in Vegas?! We wanna know, too.

Billy and Laura being all cool with each other and throwing it back to their good old days was nice to watch. They’re making this co-parenting/being friends after splitting up look easy and tolerable.

Corey’s letters to Spencer were pretty harsh but it came from all the built up experiences he’s been through. 

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Fettuccine a la JJ? Man, that sounds like a stomachache waiting to happen.

The post All American Season 3 Episode 6 Review: Teenage Love appeared first on Den of Geek.

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