#i was so angry and disappointed after the episode but now i'm hopeful again

[st4rg4z3]

─── ᴡʜᴀᴛ’ꜱ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ, ᴅᴏʟʟ ꜰᴀᴄᴇ?

cw: just fluff + toji owning up to his mistakes

pairings : bf!toji x gfbimbo!reader

Toji scratched his head in frustration as he watched his girlfriend, Y/N, sulk in the corner of the room. Your pouty lips and crossed arms made it clear that you were angry with him. Yet, he couldn't quite wrap his mind around what he had done this time.

Y/N was a beautiful girl, infamous for your bimbo persona. Though you had a reputation for being hazy-brained, Toji had always looked beyond that. He just saw the gentle heart beneath all your misguided choices and was drawn to your carefree nature

He was always this cold hearted guy when you guys first met but after a while he just turned into this big puppy that goes wherever you go.

“What chu’ sighing over there for? Come here, what’s wrong doll face?" Toji patted his lap — asking you sit on it. He expected you to follow right away but got confused when you just looked at him, shaking your head no.

You gave him a disdainful look, your perfectly manicured nails tapping impatiently against your phone screen. "You should know what's wrong, Toji. You're not paying attention to me." you huffed, crossing your arms.

Confusion washed over Toji's face. "Baby, I’ been spending so much time with you lately. We even went to the movies yesterday and had dinner together." he said, scratching his head.

You rolled your eyes dramatically. "It's not about spending time, Toji. It's about the quality of the time."

Toji chuckled, realizing that this sulking episode was going to require him to dig deeper than usual. “Don’t laugh!” you said, sulking some more.

"’Kay don’t roll your eyes at me, sweetheart. I’m sorry, can you just explain what you mean, huh? pretty baby?” Toji said before standing up, walking towards you then sat criss-cross infront of you.

You huffed loudly. "I mean, you're not treating me like a princess anymore. You're not showering me with compliments or planning grand gestures of love. It's like you don't care about me anymore."

Toji was taken aback by your words. He thought back to their early days when he would surprise you with flowers, and shower you with affection. But as yiur relationship had progressed, he had assumed you didn't need such extravagant displays of love anymore.

"Doll, I thought you appreciated the simple moments, the everyday gestures," Toji said gently.

Toji stood up before pulling you up, carrying you in his arms. Your legs wrapped around his waist while you arms are wrapped around his neck, he then walked towards the couch to sit the both of you down.

"I’ been tryin’ to show my love in other ways, like spendin’ quality time with you and supporting you in your dreams and a’know you know that, baby.” Toji placed his hands on your cheeks, caressing it gently.

Your pout softened a little, but your eyes still held a trace of disappointment. Toji realized that he had made a grave mistake. He had unknowingly bought into the stereotype of who he thought you were. He had assumed that all you cared about were superficial things, failing to truly understand your desires and needs.

You continued, your voice softer now, Toji, I may enjoy being happy-go-lucky, but that doesn't mean I don't long for romance and appreciation.”

Toji reached out and gently took your hand in his. "I know and I'm sorry, doll. I never meant to overlook your emotions or needs. I promise to be more attentive and show you the love and appreciation you deserve, ‘kay?”

You smiled, your eyes sparkling with hope. "Thank you, Toji. I believe in us, and I know we can grow and learn together."

Toji smiled and nodded before pulling you in for a kiss. He was just always so used with you being so bubbly and so happy, he never wanted to make you sad ever again.

[crusty-chronicles]

Just Friends

An: Dropping this one before I watch the first episode of the live action today!!!!! Hope y'all enjoy.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" You chastised the red headed demon as you plucked another vine from his arm. Making sure to go over the injury with alcohol before wrapping it.

"Is that so?"

You met his amused expression with a glare. How this man could be so unfazed by a literal plant growing out of him, you'd never know. How he still found the energy to be cheeky was a mystery as well.

Although you knew it wasn't entirely his fault he was this injured. That damn tournament committee was partial to blame. Sabotaging Urameshi and his friends for no other reason than them being human. Betting money was another factor. Still, if Kurama hadn't been so cocky with the first demon, he wouldn't have been through hell after.

"Absolutely. You should've never fought twice in a row. Now look at you." You gestured towards the many open wounds on his chest.

"You're covered in blood. You're so damn lucky I'm studying to be a doctor." You dabbed more alcohol than you should've on a cotton ball before cleaning the scratches on his face.

A feeling of smugness when he let out a slight hiss.

"It hurts? Good. Maybe next time you'll learn to be more careful."

It was quite the sight to see. Kurama sitting obediently while you tended to his wounds. Letting you scold him without much complaint or push back. Kurama, a demon who'd lived hundreds of years with unfathomable knowledge, allowed you to call him stupid.

The most independent and arguably the most reserved, getting chewed out by a mere human.

It was funny, too. How he seemed to subtly lean into your touch. Closing his eyes while you wiped his face and releasing a content sigh when you finished. As if he were being pampered.

"You know I got injured pretty badly too. Maybe you should come clean my injuries." Yusuke called out. Though it was mostly meant to tease the fox demon.

You turned to face him at the same time Kurama's gaze hardened. A warning look directed at the spirit detective. But he could tell it wasn't really needed as you dismissed his offer.

"What am I the team doctor? I can't do all that 'magic power' stuff to heal what you've got going on." You gestured to the various brusing littered across Yusuke's body.

"You're best bet is Yukina."

"But you've got a delicate touch."

At his flirty tone you shot up from the bed and proceeded to chase him.

"I'll show you delicate!"

Kurama watched you go with a disappointed look. Missing your warmth besides him. Although he wasn't too happy with you being here, he couldn't deny being glad to have your familiar presence near him.

He had wanted to keep you far away from this. From his past that unfortunately intertwined with his present. Trying his best not to expose you to what he really was. A small part of him was still angry at Botan for bringing you here. But then again, she'd brought a prominent figure in each of his friends' lives as well. So he wasn't the only one dealing with this. He'd rather it be you than his mother wondering where he was.

Still, you were human. And a troublesome one at that. It was surprising you hadn't gotten in a brawl with a demon yet. Especially ones that were openly cheering for his demise.

You'd always been a bit protective of him. Having met as children when you defended him from being bullied for his fiery hair and oddly green eyes. Yelling and biting at the other kids until they left. Only to turn around and tell him he was gonna be your best friend from now on.

Something he thought was odd at the time. A human telling him what to do? Then again, he wasn't all that different from you in his new body. And he needed to be able to keep up appearances until he fully regained his powers. So he accepted and let you drag him where you pleased. He let you ramble about everything and nothing at the same time. He let you comfort him when his mother fell ill.

He grew to love having you in his life. Your lectures about how he shouldn't let others taunt him, even if he was fully capable of protecting himself. Though of course you didn't know that. He admired your ambition to enter the medical field so you could help the people who needed it. He looked forward to seeing your soft side that you'd only show to him after a long day.

You'd made him feel human.

Which is why he tried so hard to hide everything about his previous life from you. If you found out you'd most likely be scared or put in even more danger.

And he just couldn't risk losing you either way.

He tried cutting ties with you once, but you were a stubborn one. After what happened with Maya, he thought it was best you kept out of his life. Going as far as avoiding you. To which you responded by confronting him.

"If you don't want to be friends anymore, just tell me. Give me a straight answer instead of acting like a coward."

He was close to telling you he didn't want you around anymore, but the way you looked at him, with so much hurt and betrayal...He just couldn't find it in himself to let you go. Instead he asked you why. Why you didn't find him strange like the rest of your classmates. Why you spent so much time with him. Why it bothered you so much that he was ignoring you.

"Is that really what's bothering you? The answer should be obvious to a brainiac like you. You're important to me, Shuichi."

He realized then that you were important to him, too.

So he allowed himself to keep you around. He deserved that much for everything he's been through. Just so long as you were a part of his human life and not his demon one.

But fate had a funny way of playing things out. He should've known he couldn't keep this part of his life a secret from you forever. He just didn't expect it so suddenly.

Hearing your voice above the others shouting at him from the stands. He thought he might've been imagining it at first, but then he caught a glimpse of you from over the other demon's shoulder. The one that had threatened his mother's life with a push of a button.

He could see that you were nervous. Frustrated would have been a better word. As if you were mad he was letting himself get hurt.

You'd called him an idiot then too, after he won. Jumping down from the stadium and rushing over. Unfazed by the bloodthirsty creatures around you.

"You're such a dumbass. Making a big show out of nothing and letting that guy cut up your face. Let me see how bad it is." You scolded as you grabbed his chin and moved his head around. Inspecting the fresh slashes on his cheek.

"You're here?" He asked, still processing the fact that you were right in front of him. That somehow you managed to find your way back to him.

"Yes??? I don't think he hit you hard enough to have a concussion."

Kurama had to step away from you. All of a sudden overwhelmed because there was no way you were inspecting his injury right now. There was no way you were still treating him like nothing happened. Like he didn't just kill someone right in front of you.

"Why?" It was the only thing he could think to ask. Rendered speechless for the first time in forever.

"Why what?"

"Why are you here? How much do you know?"

How much did that troublesome reaper tell you?

"I'm here because my stupid best friend decided to get himself into trouble without telling me. Did you really think I wouldn't worry about you being gone for weeks? That I wouldn't get suspicious?" You used the sleeve of your shirt to wipe the blood off his face.

"I didn't want you involved." Came his answer. He still didn't know how much you knew. If now was the time to be completely transparent.

"Then you shouldn't have agreed to be my friend. To be honest, I'm a little hurt you didn't even bother to tell me. Let me guess, you thought I would freak out if you told me you were a demon?"

Ah, so you knew everything. Which meant so did the rest of the girls with you. He wanted to be upset at Botan's lack of ability to keep secrets, but he couldn't have been any more relieved.

"You know me almost as good as myself. Though it's surprising you're taking this so well." He allowed himself to relax in your presence. To let you continue inspecting his minor injuries.

"You really think I would care after all we've been through? For someone who's supposedly hundreds of years old, you sure are an idiot Shuichi."

"Shuichi..." He didn't know why his name sounded so foreign coming from you. Maybe a part of him expected you to call him 'Kurama' now that you knew the truth. Or perhaps he just wasn't used to hearing it when he wasn't trying to keep up appearances.

"Yeah? Do you want me to use your tough guy demon name instead? Don't wanna be embarrassed in front of your friends?" Your tone was teasing. And while he would have loved to hear his true name come from your lips, he couldn't deny liking the idea of only you having the privilege to call him Shuichi.

"No. I like it when you use my human name instead. Whatever feels natural for you."

"Alright, but you better promise not to keep any more secrets from me."

He was still cautious with you around, but it was more for your safety than anything. Though he should've been more careful with himself, too. It'd only be more stressful to you the worse he got injured. Still he couldn't promise you that he'd come out completely unscathed.

"You let that human walk all over you like the detective with his woman."

The sound of Hiei's voice brought him back to the present. Hearing the amusement that came with it at Kurama's show of obedience with you. The way he let you get after him for being careless.

"True they have a rather loud mouth, but it comes from a good place. I don't mind all that much, not when they've gone out of their way to mend my injuries. Or would you rather I go to Yukina instead?" A small jest that was made to get the three eyed demon off his back.

But Hiei knew what he was doing and wouldn't be taking the bait this time. Not when he knew he had the upper hand in this conversation.

"You'd give me the opportunity to steal your precious mate while you were distracted?" And judging by Kurama's small glare, he was right.

"... We're just friends." It sounded like he was trying to convince himself. And in a sense he was. He'd never really thought of you in that light. At least, not until recently.

"Hmm." A unimpressed noise before you stumbled in.

Smiling triumphantly after having just tousled with Yusuke and an unfortunate Kuwabara who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The grin wiped off your face seeing Kurama up and about.

"Hey! Did I say you could get up and walk?!? You've lost way too much blood to be moving around! Get your ass back to bed right now!"

"I heal at a much faster rate, remember. I should be just fine." He tried to diffuse, but you weren't having it.

"You're not getting out of this one fox boy. Go lie down or so help me Shuichi, I'll knock you out myself!"

Again you'd used his human name. Who you knew him as. And despite your crude words, he could feel his heart skip a few beats.

Friends made each other's hearts beat a little faster, right?

They sometimes shared kisses with each other during a moment of celebration.

And sometimes, maybe sometimes they thought about what life would be like to wake up next to the other every morning.

"Stay with me and I won't move a muscle."

[platypus-quacks-too]

A not complete, neither lucid post-mortem (ha!) list of thoughts after the series finale:

I enjoyed it overall. It was good. It ended probably the only way it couldn't end. Still, I was hoping for a more hopeful note. There was, but it also felt very much bittersweet. I mean, I knew I would have cried. I've always known that. But boy, did I cry.

This said, the first episode was some of the toughest 20 minutes of television I watched in my recent years. Of course you say, there are dramatic things out there but also consider this is a comedy, and we were with the coopers for the last 7 years.

What was more heartbreaking: Missy's anger, Mary's regret, Georgie sudden weight of responsability? Yes. And then there was Sheldon's endless loop of regret, replaying in his mind over and over his last moment with George. And it was Spock's latest words, and it was simply saying bye, and it was telling him out loud he loved him. The way he never managed to do in life (oh, I did not forget the first time George's death was acknowledged in show was Sheldon remembering he never got to thank George for what he had done for him…)

Their last goodbye at the funeral was- lord, where do I ever begin. I'm glad Missy managed to say goodbye, and Mary, and Georgie. I'm so sorry for Sheldon. Again regret, when he didn't make to do the eulogy.

And Mary was right. It's so cruel George died just when they were at their happiest. I see why she was so angry when we first met her.

It was nice to see again most of the people that had a role in the story. Brenda, Billy, June, even a mention to Veronica later on. They missed only Paige, which I am disappointed because I am sad the last we saw of her was in a bad place.

Second part was series finale 101. The (lovely!) recap of the Cooper story so far, all the recalls back to the pilot, the ending scene closing the circle. And of course, the reveal of how the storytelling is actually happening.

And of course, Sheldon Cooper in all his glory. Amy freakkin' Farrah Fowler in all her glory. I really needed to pinch myself twice that I was looking at new scenes of the two of them 5 years later.

Their house! All the memorabilia! (Gollum, the Nobel pic, the medal, the DNA, the Rubrik cube, the couch from 4A!!!). We knew more about Leonard. We kinda get confirmed they have two kids in total? And Leonard has a younger sister who wants to take acting classes and spent time with Penny. Excuse me I need a moment.

It was pretty much weird to see shamy in single camera tho? Like watching a fanfiction being played. No audience laughs. Multiple povs. A closer look to them. I was good. It was weird.

I admit, maybe it was this, but especially their first scenes felt a little off? Especially Mayim as Amy. Like she was having difficulties to come back in Amy's clothes. And because she was arguing with Sheldon, without the comedy timing given by multicams, it felt… harsher than usual?

(Again with the once at year birthday thing I swear I am giving up)

Their final scene instead was perfect. There! There I saw my sweet shamy again. Amy's tone was softer. She made Sheldon do the right thing with love the way she always managed to. (SNIFF)

Unpopular opinion maybe: I kinda wish their only scene in flesh was the final one. The previous ones were nice but could have been easily a voiceover as usual. I wanted more time with the 1994 Coopers.

Back at the beginning of this list: it was indeed a bittersweet end. Sweet: Sheldon's final moments at Caltech, that music playing, old pal Dave Saltzberg cameo!

Sheldon accepting to get baptized just to make Mary happy, because "he believes in her" (SNIFF). The final moment of him and Missy was with a smile. Their exchange in the bedroom. Mandy trying to cheer Missy up. Georgie keeping the family together. Connie recognizing she found peace finally with Dale.

And yet. Missy is angry, so angry and she's left with Mary in a house what was full and now it's just the two of them, and they are barely talking. Their last scene was a fight. Mary got sucked in the faith again, and this time we know it's the definitive, worse one, and Connie or anyone couldn't do anything for her. It ended like it needed to, but I wanted more reassurances that also Missy, Georgie, Mary and everyone else had their peace eventually.

It was heartbreaking and lovely see adult Sheldon saying goodbye to that house. He kinda did on our behalf as well.

I am gonna miss the Coopers so much. I am really do.

[harrycrozby]

I had to watch this episode one more time, now I have and also talked a bit with a few of you....

.... so, hear me out.

About Croz.

I'm not defending cheating. I know that Croz is married, that he loves his wife, who keeps sending him letters and that he was allways happy to read them. There is no doubt for me that he loves his wife!

But this Harry is not the same man he was when he flew over to England, who survived mission after mission and kept being hopeful that the war would be won soon.

The one that almost died, but was still able to navigate the plane he sat in, into the only tree in East England, not even then loosing hope, his laughter and smile.

But then Bubbles died and so many others with him. More of them died every day!

The boys he flew over to England with, almost all of them dead or captured, if he knows that they are.

Replacement after replacement, dying. Sometimes without them even knowing their names anymore, cause soon after they arrive they die.

Crosby being promoted is now not flying that often anymore. And he hates it up there! He wants to fly, to actually do something and not write letters to the families of his death camreds.

He is angry, disappointed and without hope that the war will end soon and with the death toll of them rising, only few hours of sleep if he gets any he needs someone to turn to.

Just look at him. The mischief in his eyes completely gone, no smile and when he is talking to Rosie the only friend left, he is talking about flying, knowing full well, that he is possibly not going to make it. But he didn't seem to care.

For him, Sandra seems to be so much more than a fling he is cheating with.

She is a friend and the only person he can talk about his feelings: anger, disappointment, also about the higher ups, who use to send them to the same deadly missions day after day.

This woman understands him and he doesn't want to to loose her, why he keeps asking her what she is up to.

He can't and doesn't want to lose someone who he cares for again, not again, so he keeps pushing her, why she keeps trying to distract him, also with sleeping with him.

Which is comfort and distraction for both of them at the same time. A distraction that works cause being with her helps him to forget. And if she is what he needs to survive. Then...

[fensherohair]

The Marauders & The Metamorphic Witch (Part 12)

Words: 2.4k Warning: None (If I'm wrong, please let me know) Pronouns used: She/Her - Use of (Y/N)

"They're up to something again," spoke Allegra, watching as (Y/N) entered the common room via the portrait, a small pile of books hooked under her arm. Marlene followed along, a bright smile on her lips as she waved over to Isolde and the Marauders around a table in the corner of the tower room. Peter seemed to be the center of attention, shaking with terror as he looked around with suspicion. Jumping at every shadow and every noise that seemed out of place. Sirius, James, and Remus tried their best to find what had pushed Peter to the point that he was scared of everything, more than normal. On the other hand, Isolde tried her hardest to offer soft comfort. 

"Hey Wolffe," Ulrica almost yelled, a wicked grin painted on her lips, malice shimmering in her eyes, as she left the comfort of the armchair near the fire. Samantha, Georgie, and Allegra watched as if they were about to watch the next episode of their favorite soap opera. (Y/N) On the other hand, didn't pay much attention. She'd habitually ignored those brave enough to call her by her last name outside her circle and the professors. "Yeah, you, I'm talking to you," arrogantly added Ulrica as if she was somehow under the impression when she spoke, everyone should listen to what she had to say. It was as if she believed herself to be the greatest witch and that she should be the center of the universe. 

"Tell us, Marlene," condescendingly started Allegra, turning her attention on the only other with (Y/N), intending to spread the torment to a previous victim. Although it was clear, Marlene was no longer the timid girl she'd previously been. She was more confident and happier now and knew her place. "What are you and this weirdo up to?" 

"You claim to be smart; figure it out," replied Marlene with a sharp edge to her words. Her comment struck so quickly it had taken Allegra back a little bit, surprised her even. 

"Is there a problem here?" came the voice of Finnick Hazard, one of Gryffindor's prefects. His twin sister Fennec was another and the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain. Both twins were known for giving doses of tough love but did so because they cared. There had been countless times Finnick had tutored those who fell behind or curved (Y/N) mischief before it got out of hand, just as Fennec could single-handedly keep the Marauders in check and scare the heebie-jeebies out of anyone. 

"Actually, there is," spoke Samantha, her wickedness remained intact as she sauntered over to the growing group. Clearly, her intentions were anything but honest, but Finnick turned his attention to her. "Marlene, (Y/N), and the Marauders are up to something again. If the secrecy is anything to go by, then it's against the school rules and will cost our house valuable points," she worded, attempting to get the six in trouble and further scare Peter into joining them. 

"And they won't tell anyone what it is when asked. I suspect the books will tell us, though," added Georgie, joining the rest of her friends. The same malicious smirk appeared on her features. She wanted to cause trouble, to hurt someone; it was her hobby. Three years later, she still felt disappointed and angry at the sorting hat for placing her in Gryffindor rather than Slytherin. 

Where the group of girls hoped to see reluctance and even fear in (Y/N)'s eyes, they were met with confusion. When Fennec appeared and asked to see the pile of books she'd gotten from the library, (Y/N) had complied and wordlessly handed them over, no trace of fear present. After all, she had nothing to hide. Fennec instantly noticed at least one book out of the ordinary but didn't question it. (Y/N) was smart for her age and creative, too, especially with her little experiments. 

"Advanced DADA and spells?" asked Fennec, moving her braided hair over her shoulder, a small grin appearing on her lips mere seconds later. "This is difficult for most grown-ups to achieve," she commented, assessing the other books. Anyone else Fennec would have questioned it more, but with the often curious metamorphmagi before her, there was little need to. 

"Just be glad it's not more mischief. Professor Slughorn has yet to reverse the spell on his storage cupboard," announced Finnick from behind (Y/N) and Marlene, "McGonagal hasn't gotten over her heart attack yet either," he added with softness, recalling when McGonagal had all but dragged (Y/N) and Sirius back to the common room, James following along behind after being scolded for something else. 

"In (Y/N)'s defense, the Slughorn one was a dare from James," called Remus from the table in the corner, a grin appearing across his lips. 

"I didn't mean to scare McGonagal, but my parents sure did mean that howler. My hearing still fuzzy from that," voiced (Y/N), a small chuckle escaping her as the memories of unintentionally scaring McGonagal come back, how the head of house lectured her before being marched off to Dumbledore's office. A letter was sent to her parents, which led to the howler practically screaming at her, or at least the second one did. The first had exploded spectacularly after being ignored for several days. 

"I don't see anything suspicious here. Nor have I noticed anything out of the ordinary," announced Fennec, carefully closing the books after inspecting them and returning them to (Y/N). "Remember Quidditch practice tomorrow at 5. Got to work on the new game plan," she added, gently sending the pair of girls on their way while noticing Lily once again missing, although she had little doubt the teenager was with her Slytherin friend again. "Now, what are you four up to?" seriously asked Fennec, her attention solely on the group of Allegra, Ulrica, Samantha, and Georgie, all four losing their gained confidence quickly upon suddenly being in the spotlight. 

"What makes you think we're up to anything?" asked Allegra with a burst of confidence, although it disappeared when she was met with Fennec's unamused expression. 

"A gut feeling," started Finnick in response, "Or maybe it's younger students being terrified whenever one of you appears," he added, noticing Peter had since joined the growing list of jittery students. They all acted usually until one or more of the four girls appeared. However, none had said what it was about or what had happened to cause such a reaction. 

"We haven't done anything," muttered Samantha, not wording the latter half of the comment. That you can prove; instead, she muttered more insults under her breath, at least until she felt the accusing eyes on her again. Where she'd expected to see Fennec glaring at her, she was met with the cold reality of Finnick almost looking into her soul, as if he knew what they were doing but didn't have anything to prove it. Yet. 

"I beg to differ," spoke Isolde, standing from her seat with Peter. Marlene replaced her mere seconds later, whereas Sirius and Remus retrieved their requested books from (Y/N) so they could study for the upcoming test Flitwick had informed all third years of. If only to test their knowledge and overall skill. 

Upon reaching the Hazard twins, Isolde handed over the journal she'd been keeping since the odd behavior had become noticeable. Allegra's expression dropped to resemble fear the moment she realized. The older of the Smith twins instantly wanted to disappear, even more so when she knew the odds of Isolde missing her part in everything so far. After all, Isolde was observant and kept a detailed account of everything happening around her. 

Fennec gently took the journal, reading through the pages. Every now and again, she'd throw a suspicious glance towards the girls in question. Finnick read the journal from over her shoulder, his expression neutral as if not to give anything away. However, he waved Isolde off, allowing her to return to her group of friends. 

"We haven't done anything; Peter can back us up. He's been hanging with us for a couple of weeks now," spoke Ulrica, a smug grin appearing across her lips as if she somehow believed she'd won the unseen game. Samantha and Georgie glanced over to Peter in time to see the typical fear flash across his features before he tried to hide again. On the other hand, James, Remus, and Sirius appeared confused. Peter had refused to go anywhere outside the kitchen, great hall, and classes since Allegra had joined the tormenting trio of the tower. 

"I ... I ... don't know anything," replied Peter with a shaky voice upon noticing that most of the attention had turned to him, except for Isolde, Marlene, and (Y/N), who seemed to continue on with their previous tasks. 

"I'm sorry, Peter," started Samantha, her smile small but still with a wicked glint to it. "I can't keep our relationship secret any longer," she added, a manipulative undertone to her motives. "I know I promised to keep it a secret, but I can't just stand by and do nothing when my friends and I are being accused of something we haven't done," added the half-blood, acting innocent once more as she tried her hardest to make it seem convincing. A small smile crept across her lips to see those around her being to question things all be it silently. 

"Didn't see that one coming," spoke Fennec, returning her attention to the journal in an effort to refind where she'd left off. Finding it difficult to concentrate let alone think straight. 

"Never mind that," started James, a horrified expression painted on his lips. "Really, Peter, you're dating the wicked witch of the west and didn't tell us," he continued, trying to wrap his head around the newest piece of information, although he did strongly suspect it was all just a ruse so the four wicked witches could get out of trouble again. Deep down, though, James did find something amusing about the idea of Peter dating Samantha, more because of how unlikely the pairing was. 

"What! We're not dating. She's a female Voldemort," commented Peter, the burst of confidence ending as quickly as it came, at which point he scrambled to hide amongst the shadows once more. Samantha looked over with a foreign, offended look, although she was secretly pleased by the comment, finding it a compliment to be compared to the dark lord. 

"Moony, I could use the backup here," spoke James, looking to Remus, who came equipped with a bewildered expression painted on his features. One that seemed to spark Sirius' humor as the pure-blood wizard was on the verge of laughter despite trying his best to remain composed in the face of the unusual situation. 

"Yeah, I don't think he's gonna be much help, mate," worded Sirius, moving to stand near (Y/N) now. Who was unusually quiet, as were Marlene and Isolde. 

"Grr. Permission to jinx Jessica Rosier and Raya Snyde," remarked Lily as she entered the common room, anger written across her features, the ends of her fiery hair singed and burnt, her legs wobbly and unstable as she tried to walk, just as her thick grey tights had been torn, donning holes where none had been fore. 

"Lil," called (Y/N), concern flooding her voice as she moved to step closer to one of her close friends. "What happened?" she asked, helping the fiery-haired girl walk to the table and sit down where Remus had once been perched, the smarter boy seemingly snapping out of his bubble to offer his help. 

"Ruddy idiots thought it would be a good idea to jinx me when Severus ignored them. They said they were doing it for Samantha because she had a crush on him," explained Lily, accepting the drink offered to her by Marlene, who seemed to have a calming effect or at least had mastered a spell to produce a calming aura. 

"Someone has a crush on Snape," shuddered James 

"Forget that. Peter's just found out his girlfriend is two-timing him," commented Sirius. 

Finnick's chuckle soon broke up the sudden wave of awkwardness. His attention turned to the four girls at the center of all the trouble recently. Samantha was now trying her hardest to hide from the attention, joining Allegra near the window closest to the fireplace, both seemingly finding something interesting. Ulrica and Georgie, on the other hand, looked unsure of themselves now, as if realizing they'd been caught and were thinking of ways to get themselves out of the oncoming punishment, likely detention. 

"I'm gonna go find a spell to get rid of unwanted mental images," announced Fennec, handing Isolde's journal over to Finnick, who had by now broken down into a fit of laughter. However, that was more for Lily's confused expression and (Y/N) collection of expressions as she tried to determine what was happening. Peter is dating Samantha, Samantha is dating Severus, The wicked witches are tormenting others again and likely playing games, and Lily wants to jinx someone outside of James and Sirius. 

"I'm gonna go make a memory-erasing potion," declared (Y/N), rubbing her temples in an attempt to will the headache plaguing her to disappear. Sirius chuckled again, although was unsure if she was joking or not. 

"Can someone fill me in on what I missed?" asked Lily with confusion, although a slither of laughter threatened to slip past her lips at the assortment of reactions. 

"Honestly, Tiger Lily, you're probably better off not knowing," replied Finnick, taking a seat at another table before continuing to read through the journal, his silent anger growing with every page he read. The four girls somehow believed it was a game to torment others. Mainly younger students, but they had been daring a few times to target older students they believed to be an easy target. 

"See, now I'm more curious," commented the fiery redhead, a small smile coming to her lips; her line of thought was soon broken by Peter's light laughter, Marlene and Isolde on either side of him. It was clear at least one told him a joke, thrust succeeding in distracting the terrified boy for a little while. 

"I'll tell you later," spoke Isolde with a soft smile. A smile that only grew upon remembering Allegra had since been moved from the dorm room and in with her three new friends. The dorm had been so much quieter since then, peaceful even. Where it had once been a warzone between the Smith Twins, it was now a sanctuary filled with love, friendship, and plenty of laughter. 

Series Masterlist

[ladyzirkonia]

hi !! I hope you're well 💚

sorry if this is random but I need to scream this somewhere and i'm curious to hear what others have to say abt this aa

I gave myself the hope that the reason why Bo-Katan didn't seem to give too much of a reaction while she watched Din get captured was because she was holding herself back so Moff wouldn't know that she cares deeply abt Din and use that against her by hurt Din 😭

idk if I'm just delusional (I'm a sw fan so yes) or something waaah what are your thoughts abt this?

Su cuy'gar* my friend.

That's totally not a random question! In fact I was a little bit disappointed when I saw Bo-Katan's reaction as Din got captured. I found her reaction to Paz to be much stronger, but she also knew that he was certain to die. You could see her struggle because she probably vowed never to leave a Mandalorian behind again.

So I rewatched the whole scene for you, paying special attention to Bo-Katan's reaction. Unfortunately, she wears a helmet, which is why the analysis is of course a little more difficult like in the scenes where she's talking with Din without her helmet.

Din gets caught from Gideon's man, he tries to defend himself with the flame thrower and get's tied up. Right after you see first Paz and then Bo-Katan fire against the barrier.

Then she takes a step closer to the barrier, seems to pause for a fraction of a second. At that moment she is still lit by the light from Din's flamethrower. She hits the glass with the gun in her hand. A split second later, the screen wents dark. The perspective changes and we see Din fighting his opponents from her point of view. Then she hits the barrier again with her hand.

One must always remember that Bo-Katan is an incredibly experienced and skilled warrior. She has seen many people get hurt or die. It wouldn't suit her to panic or scream. But despite the helmet, you can tell that she is shocked for a split second. Viewers are only shown her and Grogu's reaction to Din's capture because those are the ones that count. She hits the barrier twice and later several times again when she is no longer in focus of camera, but you can see it when you look very closely. This reaction that is irrational and in due of desperation because she can't do anything about it. I think it's dramaturgically wonderful done that Bo is first lit up and shortly afterwards her ''face'' gets dark. Maybe also an indication how she's feeling in the inside.

After Gideon appeared, she initially stands there relatively rigidly, but during the course of Gideon's speech you notice that her posture is super tense, which culminates in her slightly desperate exclamation ''No!'' after Gideon sends off the Tie Fighters and Bombers. Din is taken away and Bo says in an almost slightly trembling and angry voice:

She responds to her likely rising panic with a threat. A relatively clear coping mechanism. She then threatens Gideon in a calmer and firmer voice to destroy him once and for all. And I'm pretty sure she will do.

I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed with her reaction when I first saw it. But I had to remind myself that she's not a silly schoolgirl. And after looking this scenes again I'm sure that she cares pretty much! You just have to look carefully. I love how subtle the whole season is over and over again and what an incredible talent Katee Sackhoff shows in bringing us closer to Bo's feelings.

And finally, I wanna show you of how Bo-Katan reacted in the second episode when she realized that Din Djarin was in danger:

And now just imagine what her face must have looked like when Din was captured after what they went through together.

Screenshots are mine. GIF's from @itberice, thank you!

This is the way!

*Su cuy'gar (Mando'a) = Hello (lit. you are still alive)

[ellsieee]

We went from happy to angry to angsty to happy again this week.

The boys not understanding each other hurt my heart. 😭 Su Yu was running a fever and probably felt terrible after being abused by Wu Bi's uncle, but didn't eat, rest, or otherwise take care of himself first. Instead the first thing he thought of was to tell Wu Bi what he found out about his mother so that Wu Bi could unburden his heart. The dejection and disappointment he felt after misinterpreting Wu Bi's anger as being directed at him for sticking his nose into his family issues instead of concern over his well being for being missing for two days with his crazy uncle made me want to cry.

Ah damn it! I couldn't stay mad at Wu Bi for more than 5 minutes. That feeling of abandonment is so heartbreaking.

I don't condone violence and Wu Bi could use some anger management courses for that foul temper of his. I'm not going to lie though, him dragging that extra assholey guard by the hair and dunking his face in the pool felt very satisfying.

Wu Bi finally told Su Yu that he wasn't mad about the meddling, he was mad that Su Yu went through all that for him. Argh. If Wu Bi had said this earlier, all this angst could have been avoided. I laughed that Su Yu ended up having to comfort Wu Bi. That little brat.

I'm so happy the boys made up. 🥹🥹🥹 Wu Bi is always touching Su Yu, wanting to be close to him.

I am still cackling at Bokuang's dad being a Wu Bi fanboy. In reality it's inappropriate, but in this drama it doesn't weird me out too much because it's not serious and 100% comedy.

Omg what the heck was going on here? What kind of stretching have these boys been doing???

Why is Wu Bi looking lustily at Su Yu with that mischievous eyebrow raise? Why is Su Yu looking shy?? AAAAHHHHHH.

That is an interesting way for Wu Bi to kiss Su Yu. It looks all cute and innocent, but then you see the dueling tongues and... Doudou knows what's up. 😏

"I'm scared." "Don't be afraid. I'm here." 🥹 Wu Bi feels safe with Su Yu and Su Yu wants to share Wu Bi's burdens. These two have come so far from their initial meeting. Are these two going to start sharing the same bed from now on? Just asking for a friend.

Why do I get the feeling Doudou doesn't mean actual candy? This girl probably knows her CP slang! When a couple acts sweet together and makes the audience feel all sweet and gooey, we "eat sugar/candy".

I love these dorks so much. Wu Bi has his hair down! 🥳I'm really hoping the accident happens in the next episode so the boys will have some time to be happy afterwards.

There is going to be so much pain next week. I'm not ready. Credit for the nice gifs go to @wanderlust-in-my-soul.

[hacked-by-jake]

May I share some of my thoughts with you?

Maybe some slight spoilers....

After my first play-through, I really didn't find any of the characters very likable. I was just like how am I supposed to get through this game if I don't enjoy talking to them?

Then I decided to play again. I changed my answers, used the two premium options I hadn't previously, and even flirted with Eric. I found that I liked the characters much more after that. I'm still not sure what to make of Ash. Something about her just screams "don't trust her" to me. Charlie? Well, he's Charlie. I still want to slap my hand over his mouth and tell him to stop talking but hey, at least I now know how people feel about me when I start telling one of my long-winded stories! 🤣

Anyways, thank you for being here and thank you for listening to my ramblings.

Of course you may! I'm very happy about it. 😌

And I absolutely relate to your words. 100%

At first I also was so critical and didn't really like any of them. But I also fear that the story was simply hidden by everything else that was going on. At least, that's what it was for me. I couldn't really get into the story due to the disappointment and also anger in my first playthrough.

But the second one (not finished mine) is so much better to me. I know what I can expect now and I'm also more careful with my premium/diamond spending.

And I fully concentrated on the story and now I really like it. It sounds so interesting and the little things we saw were pretty unexpected to me. The tarot card thing and Adam who was absolutely convinced he would meet us?? Like? Why? Who are you dude? Why we? To me, I somehow feel like this whole thing is happening because of us. Maybe because of what we did in Duskwood?

Maybe the mysterious dude who wrote to us in the episode is a victim of something? And maybe now they're challenging us to find out what happened? If that's the case? How could we not like it? For me, it would be definitely so exciting. It already is.

But I also agree with your words about the characters. To be honest, Adam was immediately interesting to me. His appearance and his acting was amazing in my eyes. And it immediately catched me.

I was so unsure about Eric. He seemed so ordinary to me. Like, yes, boring. I was missing a huge amount of personality with him. But I mean, it's the first episode and for now, he was also interesting. How he's looking for Adam etc. And also, as you know, I flirted with him as well. (Sorry Jake, I still love no one but you)

But I feel like the flirting showed much more of him and how he is. Is not a macho like Phil but he also seems confident in what he's doing, which I really like.

And I do like Charlie, a lot, actually. He's hilarious. An idiot. And I need someone like him in such a game. Even though I also just wanted to shush him. So, as for me, don't worry about it. I personally very like him. 🤭

Violet definitely needs more character improvement, in my eyes. She's definitely just boring. Sorry not sorry. But yes, I guess we always need to remember it's the first episode.

And Ash.. Well, I think many people feel just like we do. She really seems... Fake? Somehow. I don't trust her either. She's hard to figure out and I don't like that. But in way of wanting to see more of it. I mean, we always need a black sheep, right? But yeah, so far she seems to be someone who would give every information away as long as it has some positive effects for her.

I'm having and eye on you, princess blueberry, you won't get to me. 🤨

I'm curious what Everbyte will make with her. She has good potential for some trouble. Just like Charlie haha. But Charlie in a funnier way.

And I mean "Ash is always angry with Charlie?" pretty meh. No sympathy from me.

Thank you for being here as well. And I really enjoyed and appreciate your ask. Thank you for sharing it with me and thank you for reading my answer. It's good to get some asks about the story only. 🥰

And I hope my answer was somehow interesting, hehe. But always a pleasure to interact with you. Hope you will have a fantastic day/evening/night. 💚

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

So many things have been written already, but since I can't stop thinking about it, I need to write some stuff down. Or as @twig-tea would say #typed so that I can stop thinking it.

We could talk all day long about what the show intended to say or not, what the show intended to portray and what message was actually all of it about.

But, as with most things, we will never know for sure. And you know what? It doesn't matter.

Because when you make anything for others to watch, as soon as the product leaves your hands, you give up any control you have over how it is perceived. That's, more often than not, the hardest part in creating anything. You lose all control over the thing, and all you can do is hope that what you wanted to do, was what people wanted to see, and what you wanted to say, was what people heard.

Sometimes these two things don't match up.

So, I won't speculate any more about what Jojo and co. wanted to say with this, or what they wanted the take away to be.

I'm fan of Jojo. Not in the way of, everything he's done was perfect, but I adore Gay Ok, I completely enjoyed 3wbf and warp effect surprised me weekly in a good way. I was happy. I was content. And maybe that set my expectations too high, because my biggest feeling about ofts finale is disappointment.

Before anything else, I fully admit by biases influenced my viewing of some things, but that is unavoidable.

I started this show relating a bit too much to some of the characters and that made it hard for me in the beginning. Specially when you have people talk about this characters in such a way that, at times, legitimately made me feel bad about myself. So basically I had to create a barrier. And look at this show in a more critical way. I still felt emotionally connected to the chars, but in a different way. And with that critical view came a whole set of new problems.

Whatever the direction the show was heading in the beginning, got completely lost somewhere in the middle. And I'm strictly talking about the writing now. The show lost all coherence in character development and any type of episodic theme went out the window.

I’ll start just referencing the frame works. (very well documented by @slayerkitty) They started as some sort of commentary that we could point to and say, that’s what they’re trying to say about this, that's the lesson this week. That got abandoned.

As I’ve written before, when the show started and we were introduced to the characters, we were led to believe that Boston, Ray, Mew and Cheum were the mains and where going to have equal weight throughout the show. That disappeared when Cheum did. It turns out it wasn’t that way after all. And as we started to see couples forming, or at least coupling happening, we knew who the mains were again. Because we got some (Top not included) of their backstories and povs.

The fear crept in here, that, because it’s gmmtv, we were heading to shipper land and all was but an illusion. But still the in p’jojo we trust was strong so we collectively, said to ourselves – It can’t be that. This is the messy show, with the messy gays, this is Jojo! And at least for me, that’s where it all began to fall apart. Genuine character growth got substituted for easy conflict, depth of character got substituted by fluffy couple moments that seemed out of place. [That is also why the beginning of Top/Mew was so divisive for so many people. Because, it could be cute in any other show, but it couldn’t be here. Because once again - This is the messy show, with the messy gays, this is Jojo! ] We got no accountability for most actions, no genuine character growth for most characters and in the end, nothing feels earned. And personally, it pisses me of when chars don’t get what they deserve, and worst, somehow end up on top, or thinking they are on top, or are morally superior.

But, even if that didn’t make me angry, it’s lazy writing. It’s conflict for conflict sake, it’s new storylines/characters that bring excitement but no follow through. it’s trauma as the easiest way to give a character depth (which I hate with a passion), it’s moral lessons that have absolutely no place here (This is the messy show, with the messy gays, this is Jojo! ) and worst of all it’s wasted potential. I might write more about this later, or on rewatch, but for today this is what I needed to type.

[aceofnace]

I'm so disappointed in what happened with Nace. Way too much unpleasantness for me, I wish we could have a do over. They were so wasted.

Even if they get together at the very end, they've been so tainted for me. It's clear the writers don't really care about them or how could this have been allowed to happen? Don't even get me started on Tristan and him getting everything we wanted for Ace and Nancy. I'm just sad and angry about Nace. Nothing can make them better for me. The show is already over. I'm supposed to hold out hope an entire relationship can be developed in 4 measly episodes when last episode Nancy and Ace didn't even share a scene? We're supposed to be happy with scraps? This is Nancy Drew and her endgame we're talking about, it just sucks. I really feel used, like we promoted this show for Nace and then got strung along every single season to only get a last-minute rushed together endgame if we get anything at all? This is not how you write good romance. We were used.

This was also my initial reaction after 4x09 (which...admittedly...I still haven't even watched; everything I know about the episode comes from what I've seen people talking about on Twitter), and also, of course, 4x06.

(This may end up being very long, so I'm adding a cut here)

WHY did they choose, in the FINAL SEASON, to give Nancy and Tristan a slow dance, and not Nancy and Ace? Tristan showing up at Icarus Hall in a rented suit holding flowers and asking her to dance? Imagine how swoon-worthy that would've been if it had been Ace, not the guy who was created by the writers to appear in only a handful of episodes the final season with no real shot with Nancy? Make it make sense! Or don't even get me started on the flirty text thread! Are you freaking kidding me? With Ace, her texts have always been simple responses like "no" or not any response at all (even after the one where he told her he'd be more romantic after the curse was broken, and he then asked if she was still awake...she gave him NOTHING!), but she gives full, cute responses to the guy she's literally known for less than 2 weeks? Again, make it make sense!

I've been so frustrated by all of this, just like you, until I really stopped and thought about it last night. First of all, Ace can't even attempt to do anything romantic. He ended things in 4x03. Told Nancy to move on. Which was very understandable, given what happened to Nancy after the ritual. He's already been giving her mixed signals, so attempting to do anything other than stay away will just make things worse between them right now. And there was such a small window between when Ace found out Nancy had feelings for him at the end of 4x01 and when they tried to break the curse in 4x03 that he didn't have time for any grand gestures. Besides, it's hard to be romantic when you've got a death curse looming over you.

Now, the curse. The curse can be used to explain away why we're getting no romantic moments between Nace this season (because Ace will die!), but then one can also ask, "why tf is the curse still here? Why is it being dragged out to the end?" And look, I GET IT. If you're thinking that, I'm right there with you. But it is what it is, and since the curse is still here and ruining any chance we have of seeing sweet, domestic Nace before the finale, I'm going to make the best of it with what I'm about to say about it.

The curse has ruined everything. Or has it? Yes, it's just a plot device to keep Nace apart until the end, probably because writers don't like getting their main ships together for fear people will get bored after. And since these writers probably held out some hope (no matter how foolishly) that they'd maybe get a season 5, they were going to make sure Nancy and Ace didn't get together until the finale...or heck, maybe not even until sometime NEXT season if they'd been lucky enough to get one! But plot device aside, this curse is actually the best thing that's ever happened to this ship. Why?

Because it sets them apart from most other mundane ships. Nancy and Ace could've gotten it on back in season 2. Jealousy was at an all-time high for both of them. They obviously wanted each other. I was so sure a hookup was imminent. And if they had given into their urges and gotten freaky with each other in the back room of The Claw (my dream at the time), they would've already broken up by now and gotten with other people in serious relationships until maybe getting back together in the end. I actually prefer what's happening now. Because even though we aren't getting the sweet, cute, romantic scenes Nancy is being given with other love interests, what we are getting is soulmatism. Nancy and Ace are two people who love each other. Who are in love with each other. Who are the loves of each other's lives. And their inability to be together just makes their bond stronger even as they're drifting apart. Because it's showing them, showing us, they don't want to live without each other. It's showing us that sure, other hot guys can hit on Nancy and make her smile and take away her pain for a moment, but at the end of the day, it will always be Ace. Ace is her true north. Her person. Ace is the one she wants to be with forever. And we know it's no different for Ace.

I really don't think we would've gotten all of that with Nace without this curse storyline. And I personally love that I can say my otp are canon soulmates.

Look, it's easy to be mad at Tristan for getting all the sweet moments with Nancy (and I am, trust me!) but honestly, what's the big deal about slow dances or seashells? It's way more romantic to risk your entire future to break someone's father out of prison without even being asked to. It's way more romantic to drink potential poison to prove someone's theory is correct and to keep her from getting arrested. It's way more romantic to make a deal with your shady relative in exchange for helping to save someone's life. It's way more romantic to almost let an entire city drown in a tsunami just so you can live a long, happy, not-cursed life with the man you love. Nancy and Ace's romance has never been conventional. It's been slow and gradual. Organic. Their love for each other blossomed through trust and admiration, not flirting or cheesy romantic gestures. And that's okay. To me, that's more than okay. Because that tells me that once the show ends with them together, I can feel pretty confident in my headcanon that they are staying together forever. One day, they'll get married. Start a family. They'll grow old together. Yeah, we won't get to see it, but we'll know without a doubt that's how their story will go.

And I do believe whatever sweet moments Nancy has shared with Tristan this season will be completely forgotten about as soon as the curse is broken. Ace himself said in a text that he would be more romantic after it's broken, and I believe him. That boy has loved her for so long but hasn't been able to express it—either because he didn't think she could love him back, or because expressing it could literally kill him. Once nothing is holding him back anymore, he's got years of loving her in secret to make up for. I'm sure he's had all sorts of romantic ideas forming in that brain of his this whole time, and now he'll finally be able to do something with them.

Maybe we'll only get to see one or two moments before the show fades to black, but I will gladly accept whatever they give me and will just be thankful knowing my ship made it out alive and happy.

With all this said, I can totally see where you're coming from (and my response is in no way trying to convince you to think like me!) and I'm so sorry Nace has been tainted for you. Every time we get an episode that has little or no Nace interaction now, it breaks my heart. I hate it. It makes me so angry. But I'm still holding out hope that it has all been for a reason and that the writers will wow me with a big twist. Maybe I'm just being naive, and if that's the case, I'll take the L . If not, then maybe, just maybe, this can all be salvaged in the end.

[the-words-we-sung]

First impressions after watching season 3

So after being super patient all day yesterday, I finally managed to get back home and binge watch season 3 last night \o/ I'm just gonna put a few of my first thoughts here for now, I'm gonna need to rewatch everything to have more detailed and coherent thoughts 😁 But first of all, I wanna thanks Amber 💜 (@amailboxlemur) for being the best spectator and companion to my live reactions 😂 It was super duper nice to be able to share these with you while I was watching and going through all the emotions 😱 So I liked the season!! It was a lot a lot but I really enjoyed it!! It made me cry, it made me laugh, it made me blush... All the rainbow emotions 💜

Here is my reaction at the end of episode 5, and I think it sums up pretty well my feeling at that moment :p

So a few randoms comments (I will write more about each episode after rewatching them, which I intend to start doing tonight because I neeeeeed to watch it all again):

[It's not spoiler-free so don't read if you haven't watched the season yet!!]

⁂ Simon was incredibly sad this season and it broke my heart. Seeing him cry just made me cry. He was so lost and broken, I really can't wait for the last episode to see him get better (yes I'm an eternally optimist person so I believe he will be happier!!)

⁂ I wasn't expecting the Micke/Sara storyline but I think I liked it! It gave us a new perspective into the Eriksson family dynamic and I felt so so bad for Sara at the end

⁂ I loved to see Simon being truly angry at his sister!! Baby boy is so used to being nice and forgiving, so it was really refreshing to see him actually be mad and stand his ground about it!!

⁂ Wilhelm Wilhelm Wilhelm. My poor boy is a mess! He was so hopeful at the beginning, thinking he could finally have it all, but yeah it was obviously not gonna be smooth sailing. He's such a messy, broken, angry teenager this season and my heart cries for him. He ends up hurting Simon quite a lot but I cannot be truly mad at him. He's a broken boy trying his best :(

⁂ Which leads me to his family: arghhhhhh. So I was hoping that we would get some more info to understand Kristina at least a little bit, but she's just truly awful this season. And the Duke is not better. I hate them for how they behave with Wilhelm. And on a more personal note: I always saw my own mother in Kristina, but this season it's even more flagrant, and gosh does it make me mad for Wilhelm. His lashing out at them at the end of episode 5 was as painful as it was good to see. I've been in his situation. I've yelled like him too many times to count. So I hurt for him. He deserves so much better. Nobody should have these kind of people as parents :(

⁂ The Erik stuff made me so sad!!

⁂ The whole school situation was a bit frustrating at time but it was interesting to see the characters reacting to it all. Felice is a queen and deserves so much better than her "friends". And Vincent can rot in hell 😠

⁂ They're all incredible actors!! And the show is beautiful as usual. I am slightly disappointed with the music (no song captured me as well as the ones in season 1 and 2, but maybe I just need to watch the episodes a few times for that to happen ^^)

⁂ All the cute scenes between Wilhelm and Simon were just the best. Seeing them be silly boyfriends was the best. And yeah, the chemistry is still chemistrying hard between Edvin and Omar :p

I'm gonna stop my list of first reactions there, but I'll continue in more details episode by episode! Overall I think I like this season, though the ending killed me and the week to come is gonna be the longest week ever ^^' I am not really worried about the last episode. I trust the show. I do believe Wilmon will be endgame. And I think not everything will be wrapped up neatly but I do think the ending will be satisfying. So can't wait \o/

[angelofverdum]

Station 19 S06e14

This was a busy episode, and I can't believe we are so close to the finale and still no season renewal.

First, Is Eli gone for good? Are we done with the campaign plot? Thank god.

I love Andy in this episode. That little speech she gave to Theo at the end? "Words you are looking for are thank you" Get him again for me.

They left the pot on the stove, which I get but Vic didn't go to the kitchen at all? Like, the call was in daylight, and they came back in the dark. She didn't drink water or go for a snack?

Sullivan and Ross are going to get married to solve the situation they are in now. That's my only opinion.

I'm a bit disappointed about the date. Honestly, I was expecting the date to be interrupted, but Walking around the station while Maya was working was not what I had in mind. Not even a little picnic on the rooftop? I think Maya has more game than that.

When Carina looked a Maya when Pam said they went out for drinks. I almost died.

Maya's Growth? Love to see it. Maya didn't get angry about Pam after Carina's explained why she went out with her. However, during the call, she shut down any flirting that was coming out of Pam's mouth. "HOW IS YOUR ARM, PAM?" That was so aggressive.

Maya understood Carina and opened up to her about the pics. I also love that they acknowledge that Maya still wants to be Captain.

People were so insane for thinking Maya would use the pics to get her job back.

I LOVE that they are making Maya and Andy friends again. Everything is better when they are together. I'm so happy about that. I need them as a team more than life.

And we are getting more Andy and Maya next episode? Thank you, lord. They are probably going to give Ross the pictures so she decides what to do with them.

Now the kiss was nice, I guess? Because I didn't see anything.

Please, someone tell Danielle to put Carina's hair out of her face when she is kissing her because it's always on the way. It's always walls and hair and cuts. The kiss was nice, but only because of Danielle and Stefania. I hope Director Savre doesn't make those mistakes.

However, I did love the moment after the kiss. Carina was ready to say fuck everything and take Maya right there and then. My girl was fighting with everything she had.

I want more Carina was flirting like back in the day in Grey's Anatomy. "maybe... Call me" I can't stop thinking about it. I want more, but also I want Maya flirting and making Carina all hot and bothered in front of people.

No drama between Andy and Travis because of Eli. Love that.

What was that about Jack?

Also, "Chief Dearborn?" This Dearborn?

Bring her back now. I want to see jealous Carina.

[forcebookish]

1) ray is a disgustingly vile human and anyone that defends him after this is automatically getting blocked. not gonna get into everything he did but guilt tripping someone into sex/getting angry at them for not having sex with you is so incredibly nasty and his victimizers better shut up about top now cuz he genuinely is a million times better than he could ever hope to be. I just hate that mew even felt the need to apologize and still doesn't see him for what he is. 2) I know some topmewists were disappointed but I am so happy right now cuz it's clearer than ever to me they are getting back together. and I truly don't think the ex is there for sex or anything... he obviously knows about top's problems and maybe he has a key in case something bad happens to top and he needs to get to him? either way it's obvious based on the preview that mew lets top explain everything and a reconciliation is coming <3 anyway those are my thoughts and I'm interested in yours as well since you're like one of 3 people on here that have good takes lol.

aw, anon <3 thank you for seeking out my silly opinions <3

1) YEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that was SO fucked up. it is INSANE the shit that mew puts up with and lets ray get away with. it's insane what EVERYONE lets him get away with. ray wouldn't just be dead to me, he'd be dead lol if someone SHOUTED at me for not fucking them, i'd never speak to them ever, ever again.

2) i know that topmew are going to end up together again and i'm technically happy that this is happening before they get back together since it means it's less likely that they'll break up again but hohhhhhhhhhh my god was it fucking annoying after an already INCREDIBLY annoying episode. i really wanted them to actually get back together this episode. i need them to kiss again 😭 i'm going through withdrawal 😭😭

but yeah, it seems like boeing has been coming over regularly based on the fact that top called him before he went shopping with mew and his moms, so he probably just gave him a keycard the first time he came over. i have a verrrrrrry hard time believing that they've been having sex. even if he's really hot.

which he is oh my god he's so hot

[threeeyesslitthroat]

Critiques on PJO Show, Summarized as succinctly as possible.

Disclaimer: feel free to come at me if you disagree.

EPISODE ONE... was mostly fine, did a good job making me realize how fucking scary the concept of the Mist actually is, dulled down Gabe Ugliano way down, did something cute with Mythomagic, made a benign and weird decision to insinuate that Percy was considered to be schizophrenic alongside diagnosed ADHD and Dyslexia, skipped out on his previous wacky and unsettling adventures (destroyed a school bus, almost drowned his classmates in a shark tank in the aquarium, accidently) and had a great fight with the Minotaur(the tighty whitey's were stupid tho.) Unfortunately, Episode one foreshadowed that the show was way to into killing tension and not letting it build.

EPISODE TWO...was also fine. Was personally disappointed that Dionysus did not threaten Percy by making him see visions of men going mad and being strangled with vines, but that is 2000% my disappointment, not on the show, (tho I could make the argument why its on the show as a n adaptation.) the introduction of Luke and Annabeth and Clarisse was great. the Camp Half blood set could've been cooler but they'll build on it, (I hope) I'm not particularly disappointed by the removing the tension in the camp while he was staying there or that no one took a knee when he was claimed. Tho I would have appreciated it greatly if the show had nailed the "Oh Fuck" reaction when Percy did get claimed. unfortunately, we spend only one episode that gives a rough summary of what it was like to actually be there.

*unfortunately we really only get The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters to really introduce and get the reader to settle into Camp Halfblood, which means that one season got bungled already

EPISODE THREE...Started to show a few more cracks but was mostly fine. we didnt get to see the bus blow up properly, but okay, they're off the bus now. its cool. Thalia got name dropped. The Show destroyed any and all tension with the team having encountered Medusa's lair by not even letting them slowly figure out just what they walked into. Frankly, this is where I get a little angry, because Riordan wrote one fucking factor built in that wouldn't have allowed our main trio from discovering Medusa immediately. The FUCKING MIST. IT works on Demigods. Our main characters could have been tricked, but apparently Annabeth is too smart. Motherfucker anyone who has read a fucking picture book of greek mythology would know who Medusa is and what her modus operandi is OH I wonder What all these realistic concrete statues of people and MONsters AND NYmphs SIGNIFY YOU FUCKER-

but yeah whatever. Other than that one legitimate critique that I would defend in court this episode was fine, wasn't that impressed with the depiction of Medusa but whatever, great job everyone, I got One reason to fist fight Riordan now.

EPISODE FOUR.....…. Made Me So FUCKING ANGRY LIKE TYOU WOULDNT BELIEVE-

Did it do anything good? St Louis Arch being a modern day Temple was cool. AS an IDEA. Execution was piss bad. ill explain in two seconds. Annabeth and Grover trying to cure Percy with the splish splash was cute. Percy tricking Annabeth was great. Teaching younger viewers that all cops are cunts was awesome. Scobell's underwater acting was cool

Episode Four's list of Crimes are: Disrespecting Thalia Grace before she even has been properly introduced to the audience. Was insulting. don't do it again. Annabeth's understanding of her own mom was sketchy when I first watched it but I was going to let it slide and move on if it wasn't for the bullshit after. The whole conversation with Echidna was a big waste of my fucking time. Fuck all of you. The grand escape from Echidna and her unrevealed creature withering down to our trio WALKING FUCKING WALKING- I hate all of you. The Design of the Chimera. Fuck everyone and everything that is not the fucking Chimera.

Athena being depicted as someone who would punish her own daughter for shit she didn't even do^3 (Percy signed the fucking box, Annabeth isn't the fucking leader of the quest, Athena is the goddess of wisdom, this trio is the best chance of preventing war, its outright stupid to make them die) and withdrawing her protection to let her demigod daughter die...Riordan I'm beating your ass for three rounds. I will drag your ass out of your bed and beat your ass in your own drive way.

Why does this shit make me so mad, You Aren't Asking? I'm glad your not. Not even in Greek Mythology itself is it even the gods MO to make an effort for their Kids to die. if they got killed fair game but to withdraw protection, they didn't fucking do that. Also, if Riordan had wrote this out in any of his novels the story would have been wrenched hard at the really intense repercussions of a god engineering for their child TO DIE.

oh yeah the whole just breathe thing...yeah its fine. not that cool but it was fine.

EPISODE FIVE...yeah it was fine. I wasn't looking forward to the whole Tunnel o' love thing because I didn't particularly enjoy it in the novel but I was pleasantly surprised. the lack of Spiders was okay. the depiction of Ares was okay. I enjoyed the actor. but I do like how Grover faced Ares off cause that shit was really great. Annabeth's rant to Hephaestus doesn't really check out and I'm expecting Hephaestus to call in that favor later. The whole golden chair thing was pretty good, felt like something out of the Heroes of Olympus tbh, except the constant sacrificing is starting to get a little grating. yeah, we know. Its Percabeth. Have some class.

oh yeah, the whole Annabeth's seeing the fates thing …fuck off, its not supposed to be her moment if they did that they better go through with it too because if their going to take Percy and Luke's thing and giving it to Annabeth then these writers better do something with it.

EPISODE SIX...it was okay but kinda boring. I honestly figured that there wasn't going to be a substantial Nico Di Angelo cameo anyway. Annabeth using a prism instead of water was cool. Luke's "old married couple" comment was idiotic. them knowing how the Lotus Casino works is another prime example of the show not letting tension or discovery happen. everybody has to be too smart for simple tricks despite the fact that the simplest tricks are the most effective sometimes. Meeting with Hermes is fine but my main critique here is that they're introducing Luke's shit way too fucking early. Like, if they do this they better go through with this shit i swear to fuck-

The driving was funny.

The Deadline having already passed was a big fucking waste of everyone's fucking time How is that Riordan wrote at Least TEN FUCKING BOOKS USING THE DEADLINE AS AN ESSENTIAL NARRATIVE DEVICE AND SOMEHOW DECIDED TO JUST PISS ALL OVER THIS SIMPLE ASS CONCEPT OVER MY FUCKING LAPTOP SCREEN ARE YOU SHITTING ME. Oh yeah and there were no consequences either. Like remember How it was strongly fucking implied that if Percy failed to return the lightning bolt Zeus was going to fucking kill Percy where he stood? No? like there were consequences to missing that fucking deadline. assholes.

EPISODE SEVEN almost made start swearing out loud in a library.

yeah the groves of Asphodel was an interesting concept for twenty seconds and then shat itself. the design of Cerberus was cute. loved it. The pit to Tartarus was cool. I am not angry that the Underworld did not fit the one I saw in my head because I understand that modern filmmaking is severely allergic to showing any sense of grand mass scale. okay, I'm capable of being gracious. Hades was charming and also a little funny. Poseidon and Sally's flashback scene I'm neutral about. it was done well. I sort of felt something. the actual discussion I have a bone to pick with.

I'm done being gracious. on to the crimes.

I'm in the camp that the Sally-Percy flashback intro was not great for Sally's character. adaptation wise. none adaptation wise? yeah sure the pursuit of parental realism was mediocre but fine. I said earlier that going the route of implying that people thought Percy had schizophrenia wasn't really the best and this is where the show bites itself in the ass. walking into Procrustes's trap already knowing Procrustes's trap was insulting and they didn't have the decency to let Percy do any decapitation. (honestly dude if they had let Percy get out the sword and cut that fucker's head off I would have forgiven this entire episode cause I was starving for action scenes at this point) Kicking Annabeth out for the rest of the episode is a crime but I cant decide if its because its boring or insulting or something else. wasting everyone's fucking time with the fourth pearl is a crime. whoever thought that Riordan was going to "gives a little shred of hope and then snatch it away" are you new here? like, did you just get here? because anyone who has Riordan's number at least subconsciously suspected this was going to be a waste of time.

Hades introduction was a massive fucking crime Adaptation wise. that's not my fucking Hades, I hate this adaptation.

none adaptation wise? a fucking let down for anyone that knows jack shit about mythology and an okay subversion of expectations for anybody that is completely ignorant.

the back and forth dialogue between the Two and Hades was cool tho.

EPSIODE EIGHT. yeah so I didn't know that we were only getting eight episodes total so I actually did have hope until i saw the up next on episode seven and then realized oh we were fucked all the way down. I'm not saying the lightning thief was like the Return of the King but it did have a quite have to wrap up a lot of shit one by one as one reads it.

Percy vs Ares was fine. by this point I didn't really hope for like, a great fight scene, so I'm happy with what we had. Oh yeah by this point I think I made peace with the fact that we weren't going to acknowledge the Nation Wide Man Hunt of Percy Jackson Plotline from the novel because apparently we weren't going to have fun on this show. that shot of Percy going for the deadly slice was great.

oh yeah this episode also confirmed that we weren't going to see any real consequences of missing the deadline anyway. oh sure, you hear about it but that not real effort on the shows part anyway.

Olympus looked nice. the aesthetic of the "throne Room" was kinda nice. rest in peace ceiling of stars you will be missed. ancient thrones was a decent touch. Poseidon and Zeus speaking greek brought joy to my heart. Luke and Percy's training being included at all brought a shred of hope to my asshole heart at this point. Luke's betrayal scene...okay at that point it just felt like we were wrapping all the important shit up. Percy calling Kronos Grandpa was funny. the goodbye between the trio was nice. the final monologue pumped me up a little bit.

Honestly I wanted Zeus to just kill Percy. kid. shut. the. fuck. up. shutupshut up shot the fuck up just kill him. I want you to do it. I want you to fucking kill this kid I'm serious. (live reaction) oh wow you wanted to set up Poseidon taking one for Percy how clever and not a cheap bit for the audience to instantly like Poseidon as the good godly dad instead of the affectionate ambiguity of pride shown in the novel that is maintained through out the novels (on e of the few fucking things that were maintained in those novels honestly). Having the reunion between Sally and Percy be interrupted was bad taste.

I miss the "Luke trying to fucking murder Percy" scene a little bit. Also Percy's line in defense of the gods was so asinine after the second, third, fourth, and fifth, and eight episodes going on and on about how much the gods suck. Annabeth being there is fine but its just one those things that could build towards something new and interesting in following seasons but I wouldn't be surprised if the showrunners don't do anything with that. "the gods

oh yeah, thank you for letting me watch Gabe kill himself instead of watching Sally murder the fucker. not like that was fucking important or anything.

honestly I don't think it would have saved the show that much but I think it would have helped the show a LOT if they had two more episodes, or at least two more episodes worth of time. personally I would put one extra episode for camp halfblood and one extra episode for the ending. at least so we can some immediate backstory of Luke failing his quest if we cant also have the Fucking FBI On Percy's Ass Plotline. (I miss you so much)

the nicest thing I can say about this show is that It makes me want to read the books more and that I need to go read some PJO fanfiction. maybe then I'll calm down. Maybe not.

anyway if any of ya'll wanna fight me on this rundown of succinct critiques I got plenty of free time. you know where the comment section is.

[rey-jake-therapist]

Sweetbitter Fanfic update: Lost Souls Chapter 6

Chapter 5 is here.

Summary:

Jake and Mina have to deal with the awkward situation they find themselves in. Jake has already enough problems, as he has to deal with the war that now opposes Simone and Tess. As for Mina, she's not a very good bartender.

Notes:

The following chapters will be told from Jake's point of view :) A bit of trivia: - 'Moni' is the name that Jake gives Simone in the book Sweetbitter. - the first dialogue between Tess and Jake that he remembers is taken from the show, season 2 episode 8. She and Simone had a heated argument about Jake that ended their friendship. - Rosalyn's also a canon character who Jake briefly dates in the show.

Jake couldn't stand working under stress, but fortunately, it rarely happened. The reason was simple—he never allowed his job to take up enough space in his mind to cause anxiety. 

Take, for instance, his boss, Howard. The man seemed to have a personal grudge against Jake, all because he had hooked up with more women in the five years he'd been at the restaurant than Howard had in his entire life. But Jake didn't let Howard's resentment bother him. Another thing that Howard couldn't fathom was the unique bond that Jake shared with Simone. Most people didn't understand it, and even Tess, whom Jake had hoped would accept it, disappointed him recently when she expressed her disapproval of their special connection. He remembered how she tried to gaslight him, attempting to discredit the profound relationship he had with Simone. Her sudden hostility had left a bitter taste in his mouth whenever he thought about it. Part of him understood why she was confused, but what she had asked him to do - shun Simone out of his life - was unacceptable.

"Oh, Jesus. You don’t get it. People don’t get it. It was just us! Nobody else. It was our own little world…”, Jake had tried to explain.

“Do you still…” Tess had begun, unable to spell out the one question that had been obsessing her for months, way before they started dating.

“Do I still… What?”

“When you go to the Cape… With Simone, do you still have sex?”

In different circumstances, Jake would have found her embarrassed face adorable when she blurted out that absurd question, but it only fueled Jake's frustration. He had pleaded with Tess countless times to stop dwelling on the past and focus on the present, but she seemed unable to help herself. The idea that he and Simone might have been romantically involved at some point had become an unhealthy obsession for her. And now, she couldn't just let it go, leave the past behind in the damn Cape, where all their problems seemed to have originated. Tess had confronted Simone, and needless to say, it hadn't ended well. Both women felt betrayed by each other, adding to the chaos.

The situation had left the two people Jake cared about most—Tess and Simone—angry and hurt, entangled in a battle for his heart. He despised this whole ordeal. His relationship with Tess, in particular, had frozen after a promising start, and the feeling that she was hiding something from him only intensified the strain. Jake knew that at some point, Tess or Simone, or both, would ask him to pick a side. While he would choose Simone in a heartbeat, especially if Tess continued acting strangely, the thought didn't excite him in the slightest. Everything had been so wonderful when the three of them were friends, forming an unconventional yet happy family. Why couldn't they just go back to that?

" Do you love her?" Simone had asked Jake, shortly after things had gotten heated between her and Tess.

"Who?" Jake had responded snarkily, well aware of who Simone was referring to. He knew she wasn't asking out of innocent curiosity; she wanted to know if she could tear Tess apart and get away with it, again.

"Don't be ridiculous," his friend had replied with a smile that didn't match her irritated tone. "You know exactly who I'm talking about, Jake. So, do you love her?"

"I don't want to discuss that with you, especially not now," he had deflected.

"So you do care about her… That's what I was afraid of. She'll try to cut me off from your life permanently, you know that?" Simone had then claimed, with a strangely calm voice.

"Now, Moni, who's being absurd? And paranoid. She's just jealous and worried for me. It'll pass," Jake had retorted. Deep down, he knew Simone was probably right, but he didn't want to add more fuel to the fire. He hoped she was wrong, too.

In a way that was typical of Simone, she had abruptly changed the subject, asking, "Why did you walk away from the project you had with Scott?"

Irritated, Jake had shot her a look and muttered through clenched teeth that Scott's project was doomed to fail. He knew it was a weak excuse, and so did Simone, who had raised an eyebrow and replied with a smug grin, "Scott's still mad at you, but you probably did him a favor! Don't take it the wrong way, darling, but you don't have the maturity to commit. It's better to disappoint Scott now than to let him down after both of you invested a lot of money."

"Oh, really? If you say so, Moni, you must be right!" Jake replied sarcastically, but if Simone had noticed the sarcasm in his voice, she hadn't shown it.

The truth was, after Simone had offered to sell the house in Cape Cod so he could fund his dreams, Jake had grown terrified of losing her forever. Despite the place being laden with painful memories, he and Simone had built a life there, and it symbolized their unbreakable bond. He feared that once the house was gone, so too would be Simone, along with the precious connection they shared. He wasn't ready to face that reality yet, so he had walked away from the project. He had lost both an opportunity and Scott's friendship in the process, and didn't need Simone to remind him of that fact; but then, twisting her knife in his wound was her thing. 

When a week ago, Jake had chosen the Omega Lounge over his usual hangouts, it wasn't with the intention of picking up a girl and taking her home. He had learned from Simone that tension had been brewing all day between her and Tess, and he wanted to avoid getting any more involved in their conflict than he already was. All he had wanted that night was to shut off his phone and drown his worries in alcohol. However, the atmosphere at the Omega Lounge hadn't fitted his mood, so he had found himself smoking outside, contemplating finding another place to spend the night.

It was then that he had noticed her , not just because she was stunning in her green dress and her long auburn hair that cascaded down onto her shoulders, but also because he overheard her arguing with someone over the phone, someone who seemed to be her boyfriend . He wasn't on the hunt for a one-night stand, despite the allure of many women in New York. He was content being faithful to Tess, even though she hadn't explicitly asked him to. But something about this woman's fiery demeanor had intrigued him.

And then, she had yelled this formidable angry sentence over the phone, piquing Jake's curiosity.

"You know what, Johnny? I'm going to follow your advice. I'll pick up the first guy that comes my way, take him to my hotel room and fuck him all night!"

The woman's angry outburst had made Jake chuckle; it was clear to him that she hadn’t meant what she said and was simply trying to upset the guy on the phone. Jake had then observed with a mix of cringe and amusement a short blond-haired man with a foolish look on his face approaching her, only to be quickly brushed off, confirming Jake's initial suspicion about the woman's true intentions. She wasn't here for a random hookup in a filthy alley; she had come to find a friend.

As he had continued to watch, he had seen her rummage frantically through her handbag, then growl in frustration when the lighter she had found hadn’t worked. Deciding he couldn't leave her in misery any longer, he had offered her his own lighter. That was when he had seen how pretty her face was, despite the sadness overshadowing her big gray eyes. She had flirted with him, wanting to have fun and relax, and had seemed genuinely disappointed when he had mentioned his intention to leave for another bar. In a moment of impulse, he had mentioned the Home Bar without fully understanding why, as he had no intention of going there yet. He had recognized the familiar sensation of being drawn to a beautiful stranger, and it had seemed she felt the same way, but his instinct had told him to walk away. He already had enough problems in his life, didn't he?

Little did he know that a week later, she would be the woman hired by Howard to replace Nicky, the man he usually worked with behind the bar. Not like that would have stopped him. As Jake was now watching Mina and pretending that the situation wasn't awkward at all, he tried to recall what had led him to follow her into the Omega Lounge.

Perhaps it was that elusive quality she possessed, something he couldn't quite put into words. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, persuading him that he couldn't let such a beautiful woman slip away without even trying to get her in bed—or in the conference room, like the one Corinne had shown him during her break once, for that matter.

From the way Mina had avoided his eyes since their shift had begun, Jake could tell she regretted following him to his apartment that memorable night, despite her initial claim that she wouldn't. Jake, however, didn't regret it one bit.  He had a motto never to regret anything, especially when it involved great experiences like theirs. However, he couldn't help but feel cautious about Tess' reaction if she were to find out about what had happened between him and Mina. While he didn't owe Tess faithfulness, he knew she was particularly sensitive these days, and the last thing he wanted was to trigger more drama.

Truth be told, Jake wasn't a one-woman man. There was a time when he deluded himself into thinking he could lead a conventional life and invest in a monogamous relationship, but it had ended so disastrously that he decided it simply wasn't for him. He didn't know the exact details of what Simone had said to Tess, but he was aware that she had warned her about him. He didn't want to hurt Tess, but he also knew he couldn't provide her with what she desired. He was who he was, and as he often said, "take it or leave it." 

Tess had caught a glimpse of what he was like in a relationship during his brief time with Rosalyn, the hostess who greeted the clients—or rather, guests, as Howard insisted on calling them. Rosalyn, like others before her, had had expectations that ended in disappointment and bitterness. Tess knew what she was walking into, and yet here she was, disappointed in him, like Rosalyn and all the others before her.

After all these years, Jake still didn't fully understand women. What did they think would happen when dating a barman who enjoyed late-night parties, waking up at noon, and who was still single at 30, despite being good-looking and reputedly skilled in bed? Did they believe he would change? Simone once told him that women often thought they could fix a damaged man, and this was precisely what Rosalyn had attempted to do, and now it seemed up to Tess to try to do.

" I tried to warn Tess that you were beyond salvation and would never change, but she didn't listen, of course," Simone had added with a knowing smirk on the day Jake confessed he had slept with a woman who wasn't Tess.

Hearing Simone think of him that way hurt Jake more than he cared to admit, but he had simply chuckled in response.

Jake still couldn't believe that out of all the people in New York who could have taken the job of replacing Nicky for a month, it had to be her. When he had seen Mina stepping out of the corner where she had been hiding and standing next to Tess, it had felt as if for a second the wires in his brain had short-circuited. He had recognized Mina instantly, but it didn't make sense that she was there, ready to step into Nicky's shoes. He was certain she had flown back to her husband in Los Angeles a long time ago, full of guilt and determined to ignore all the red flags for the sake of keeping their marriage alive. That's what most women married to a cheating husband, as he knew, often did.

Seeing Mina pretending to not know him, even as her worried eyes betrayed her, reignited the anger and disappointment Jake had felt when he had woken up and found her gone that morning. He couldn't quite explain this feeling; it wasn't the first time a lover had left his place without a note, and he had done the same more than once. But with Mina, he had shared something that wasn't just about sex. It hadn't been planned; it had just happened. They had both been surprised at how easy it was for them to talk about the hardships they had gone through. Perhaps it was because they had both experienced the pain of being abandoned by their mothers, or maybe there was something in the air that day. Against all odds, Jake had felt that he could open up to her, just as she had done with him. And, of course, the sex—also not planned—had been mind-blowing and had haunted him for days, even when he was with Tess.

Jake's mind was in turmoil as he reminisced about the memories of Mina, his eyes fixated on her alluring neck, left vulnerable for his eyes. When he had met her, her hair was flowing wildly upon her shoulders; today it was put in a perfectly tied bun that gave her a serious, even severe, look she didn't have a week ago. Yet he recalled how much he had loved kissing and biting this neck, noticing with a hint of disappointment, as it caught his attention, that the marks he had left had all vanished. As he served a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and handed it to Heather, he couldn't help but stare at Mina's luscious pink lips while she politely interacted with a client at the bar. His thoughts wandered into dangerous territory, with vivid images of her on her knees, her lips parting to take him in her mouth, flashing before his eyes. He felt the beginning of an unwelcome erection in his pants and struggled to fight against visions of him pulling her hair and engaging in more intimate acts.

Knowing it wasn't the right time or place to indulge in such thoughts, Jake forced himself to look away from his new coworker and concentrate on his work. All he had to do was avoid looking at her perfectly shaped behind and prevent parasitic thoughts from invading his mind. He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear his mind. When he opened his eyes again, Mina was gazing at him, her deep gray eyes filled with concern.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I'll be okay when you let me take you to the basement and bang you against a wall…

"Yeah, just feeling tired, long night," he blurted out, which wasn't entirely untrue. 

He had spent the night with Tess, Ari, and Sasha at the Home Bar until closing time before crashing at Sasha's place. Both he and Tess were high and drunk, leading to an argument about the planned trip to France he and Simone had in mind for next summer. Tess had discovered it on her own, and the stress of the situation had made Jake unsure of how to break the news to her. Their bickering had annoyed Sasha, who had retreated to his bedroom to sleep.

Finally, they had ended their fight with a rough shag in the middle of the living room. Jake had learned early on that there was nothing better than sex to stop a heated conversation; Simone had taught him that - you fight fire with fire. He had apologized, promised to reconsider his trip - another lie; saying no to Simone wasn't even an option!-, cuddled her, and touched her in the ways he knew Tess liked until she forgot she was angry. And just like that, another drama had been avoided, or so Jake had thought.

However, when Tess had murmured in a drunken haze, right before falling asleep in his arms, "I love you, Jake. I'd do anything for you..."

He knew he should have replied with something, but the only answer Tess wanted to hear was the one thing he couldn't bring himself to say. He had said "I love you too" to someone other than Simone only once before, and it had resulted in tears being shed and hearts being broken. Love had never brought anything good to Jake, ever.

Moreover, with Tess in particular, there was another problem: when she had whispered those three little words to him, he had felt nothing but sheer embarrassment and the certainty that it was time to end things with her. Simone was probably right to warn her, he realized with a profound disgust for himself.

You ruin everything you touch, Jake!

He could delude himself with the thought that Tess was too drunk and high to know what she was saying, but he would be dishonest with himself if he pretended he hadn't seen it coming from the start. It had taken him months to sleep with Tess because he actually liked her. She was too young and inexperienced in life to handle someone like him, and he knew he wouldn't give her what she wanted, so he had kept her at arm's length. But one night, she had shown him she had changed and had seemed stronger than before. Besides, Simone loved her, which had drawn him to her even more. 

What had really appealed to him was that Tess genuinely cared for him, even though he dreaded that she probably wouldn't if she knew about the dark places he carefully kept hidden away from her and everyone else. Except for Simone, who knew him better than anyone. Jake didn't love Tess and knew that he would never love her. He sensed it in his bones. He only loved that she loved him. Was that such a terrible thing? 

"Fu... Why is there so much foam?!" Mina groaned near him, pulling Jake out of his reverie.

Jake chuckled as he saw Mina furiously trying to remove the excess foam from a beer she had just served. When she had said she wasn't used to bartending, she hadn't been kidding. She clearly needed some guidance.

"You need to tilt the glass while pouring the beer, otherwise you'll get too much foam," he explained patiently.

"But I tilted the glass, and it still happened!" Mina retorted, shooting a frustrated look at the draught-beer tapping machine. They had been working together for more than two hours now, and she had already asked him several questions about the job and let him show her around the wine cellar. However, Mina hadn't been able to make eye contact with him the entire time. When they were in the cellar, Jake had tried to create a moment of intimacy to check on her, but she had abruptly asked, avoiding his eyes, 

"Can we just pretend nothing happened between us and act like it's the first time we've met? You lied to me about working in another place, I applied for this job because I was sure you didn't work here, I mean… The situation's awkward enough as it is, you know?"

Surprised by her request, he had quietly replied, "Yeah... I guess we can."

From that point on, they hadn't exchanged another word until now when she was struggling with serving a beer. Howard was probably desperate to find a quick replacement for Nicky", Jake thought, trying not to show his annoyance. He took the glass from Mina's hands, tilted it, and poured a perfectly served beer with just the right amount of foam. He handed it back to Mina, looking straight into her eyes. The way she blushed and murmured a weak "thank you" made him smile.

"You know, we can pretend not to know each other but still talk and look at each other, right? If the gossip girls see you purposely avoiding me, they'll find it suspicious," he teased, hoping to make her at least crack a smile. It worked, if only for a moment.

"Why? Because they're used to seeing every new girl swoon over you?" Mina scoffed.

"Precisely!" Jake replied with a grin.

Mina rolled her eyes playfully. 

"Of course they do…" She murmured.

She smiled again, and Jake felt a sense of relief. A smile was always a good start.

Let me introduce you to Mina and Jake here!

Chapter 7 is here :)

[silvanoir]

Trigun '98 rewatch

I finished rewatching all of the '98 Trigun anime. On DVD this time, because I long ago got rid of the VHS tapes when I got rid of my VCR (but kept the covers), and replaced them with the collector's edition DVD tins. Not the same watching experience, as when I watched and rewatched it over and over on old square tvs on top of bureaus, in the late 90s/early 2000s, y'know?

If you're new to Trigun, I'd say watch the '98 anime first THEN read the manga, the anime is a bit more toned down and has less in it, and the dub has a few spots of awkward translation. The manga has far more details, a better translation, and is more intense.... some real graphic violence at points. Humanity as a whole feels a bit more likeable in the old anime, though, and it feels more hopeful at the end, I'll say that. Plus you'd be less disappointed by the changes from one to another. I have no opinion on the new anime (2023) because I haven't watched it.

spoiler time:

Still want someone to call Knives out on his BS. Not debate him on the nature of humanity/the universe like he wants, but on how he personally f'ed things up for himself and others. Vash is never going to agree with you! ever! You saw over a century of scarring on him and he still hasn't given up on humans, you sent killers after him and killed people he cares about (well he cares about everyone) and it doesn't matter, you can't PUNISH someone into agree with you! And even if you did manage to punish someone into "agreeing" they wouldn't really be agreeing in their heart, just saying whatever you want to hear to get you to stop hurting them and those they care about.

IF you really wanted someone by your side to bitch about how much you hate humanity together, YOU HAD A GUY! You don't have to turn your brother into that guy, you had a guy! Legato would've been over the moon to be officially recognized as a substitute little brother, you could've sat up on some high tower snarking and snarling and snacking, human-haters-only club. Real family not working out for you--- try FOUND family. But no. He was literally dying for your approval (literally literally literally). Now what've you got? nuthin' Vash will only stick by you because again, he doesn't hate anyone and you're brothers, and as DAMAGE CONTROL, but he is never, never, never going to agree with you.

And you wanted to make your own little Eden? Well almost all your actions have made the world more hellish. So you fail in that too. Manga Knives was at least trying to liberate the plants albeit in a messed up selfish way that proved his downfall.... but what are you doing other than making everyone more afraid and angry and full of pain, HMMMMMM? You made entire towns disappear, OK.... and then what? AND THEN WHAT? You want the planet to be just you and Vash? You don't even get along!

I'm not mad at the writing choices or characterization, to be clear, he works just fine as a villain and I don't want any changes, I just want someone to yell at him while he's still incapacitated AFTER the last episode and therefore has no choice but to listen.

The other thing I want to say, without making this TOO long is the anime line "The ticket to the future is open" what a klunky way to translate. The Future Is Wide Open or The Future Is A Blank Ticket would've been far better.

Still one of my favorite animes ever though, that despite it imperfections I somehow feel better after watching it everytime. Something something the world is f'ed up and left us half-crazed and beaten down, let's all keep going and appreciate the blue sky anyway.