#on the second read it really sticks out like damn.... foreshadowing and also a lot of lore starts here its amazing.... | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

verobatto · 4 years ago

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Destiel Chronicles

Vol. XCVI

It was a love story from the very beginning.

And You are not here... (Part IV)

(13x05)

Hello my friends! How are you? We arrived to the episode in which Castiel comes back. Yay!

Okay, Dean will be particularly suicidal in this one, and we will have a lot of foreshadows for the incoming possesion.

So, let's talk about this...

Dr. Meadows and The Open Door

The ghost of Dr. Meadows was a blatant foreshadow of AU!Michael. They wore the same apron, experimented with people and monsters and also, the doctor made lobectomies and literally, git inside the patients' heads. Is a symbolism for what Michael will do with Dean.

Look at the doctor...

(gif credit @aborddelimpala)

Yep, the same apron and he burns... Just like Michael will do.

Also this scene...

(gif credit @celestialsonata7 )

The masks, different mask the crazy doc wore, are a symbolism of the different faces Michael will take through season 14.

Another clue of how the season 14 will go, is this tiny dialogue between the two boys at the beginning of the episode, before trying to get inside the Dr. A Meadows Mental Health Center.

Evan: I told you it’d be unlocked.

Shawn: Why would they leave it open?

Leaving the door open, will be seen again in episode 14x02, and it plays a symbolic foreshadow for what will happen with Dean, Michael will leave him but then, he will possesse him again in 14x09. "Leaving the open door for the second possession."

So, if we follow this same statement, we can say Shawn is Dean here. He represents Dean after being possesed, the PTSD.

Penny: Shawn, he….won’t talk. He can’t.

Sam: What do you mean?

Penny: The doctors say…he’s okay physically, that it’s psychological. You know, trauma, like he…he…saw some �� saw something so…awful. God I don’t even know what he was doing out that late.

This is a representation of how Dean will be trying to face all the whirlwind of feelings and trauma after Michael leaves him. The kid is muted, just like Dean will avoid talking about the possession. And Shawn draws obssesively, the doc's masks, as Dean will be obssesed in kill Michael after being possesed. (14x03).

Then...

Penny: And, uh, Evan, he’s still missing. Uh… He, Shawn, and their friend Mike Ramos, they’re inseparable.

This is how TFW will be separated because of Michael.

We have another visual narrative clue in Shawn's room, when his mother gets in because he was having a nightmare.

There's a pic on his wall, and is a foreshadow of this scene from 14x04...

The picture shows a red background and a terrifying silhouette of a person. The entire room is Dean's mind. The red color talks about his toxicity. The monster is Michael/John Winchester and his own fears, guilts and toxic behavior, like violence.

The mother is wearing green, as a reminder of Dean Winchester's innocence, usually Scooby Doo represents that too.

The monster doc appears inside of his dreams (head) and also in his own room, as a foreshadow of Michael looking though Dean's eyes, and his possesion.

Dr. Meadows appears in his room, literally possesse the kid, he grabs the mask and put it on his face! Is a blatant symbolism of AUMichael!Dean! and they leave the house. Just like Michael will do with Dean at the end of the season. And also, the meaning of Shawn that escapes the first time but not the second one, is talking about the dynamics of season 14: Michael will leave, Dean will be free just for a few days, before being possesed again, more strongly than before, in season 9.

Suicidal Dean and Sam trying to cheer him up.

If we recall the previous episode, Sam was very shocked because his brother confessed to him he didn't have faith anymore.

At the beginning of the episode we had this dialogue between Sam and Dean...

Sam: Hey

Dean: Hey

Sam: PB&J for breakfast? Strong work.

Dean: Yep.

Well, we all know who was the one telling us that PB&J sandwich was his favorite, right? So... This is not a new observation, but that little clue over there is screaming DEAN MISSES CAS.

So we will have a very cheerful Sammy, giving Dean beer in the morning, pushing him to go to a strip house, and literally, trying to give his brother every usual item he runs into when he is depressed for losing people. He even let Dean being under the number of Agent Page. Their fav.

When Dean sees this, he faves his brother, asking him why he's been so nice to him.

Dean: Okay. Look, I-I’ve been down this road before and I fought my way back. I will fight my way back again.

Sam: How?

Dean: Same way I always do – bullets, bacon, and booze. [Rings front desk bell] A lotta booze.

This is very important, because Billie will refute it in this same episode...

So Dean eats a lot of bacon and stuffs, he drinks a lot, and he even goes to the strip house. But all is fake.

They had their first encout er with Dr. Meadows... And this alarming scene is showed to us...

(Gif credit @smartiespn )

Dean wanted to die here. He wasn't fighting back. He was accepting his death. Why? Is he so affected by Castiel's death and Mary that he wants to die? But why because of Mary, he had lost parents before, John, Bobby, and his convo of bullets, booze and sex worked back then. But why isn't working now? Because the variable her is CASTIEL. He lost the love of his life and nothing will be fine again. SO DEAN WANTS TO DIE BECAUSE CAS DIED. The convo would work with Mary but not with Castiel.

Then, Dean plans a suicidal way out to save the ghosts. He does it so quick, Sam can't react to it. Dean literally kills himself in front of Sam.

The dialogue between Billie and Dean shows again that Dean is in so bad shape, he doesn't want to live, he changed after Castiel's dead. He won't recover of losing the love of his life, his faith. He knows Sam can move on from him. He is able to keep going. But Dean wants to stop. Because Castiel is dead.

Dean: So… am I dead?

Billie: You killed yourself.

Billie is pointing at Dean's suicidal behavior with that plan, because this time is different.

Dean: No. Are you keeping me dead?

Billie: Now that depends on you.

Billie is saying this because she is supecting Dean is different. Dean wanted this. So she tastes waters.

After this there's a negotiation, because Billie wants to know about the AU, because is very important to balance. And the Winchesters just keep bringing chaos.

But Dean exchanges the freedom of the ghosts from the Meadows House for information, the ghosts are released but the deal caught Billie's attention that when she asked for WHAT DEAN REALLY WANTED, Dean choose the ghost and not come back to life.

Billie: Because I do. Because…this whole multi-versal quantum construct we live in, it’s like a house of cards. And the last thing I need is some big, dumb Winchester knocking it all down.

This is important because we do know now Billie hated Dean for this.

Then, the truth is revealed...

Billie: You’ve changed. When you bargained with me just now, you could’ve asked to go back, to live.

Dean: Well, I figured with you in charge, there’s no getting back for me.

Billies faces him with her suspicions, but Dean lies.

Billie: That doesn’t sound like the Dean Winchester I know and love. The man who has been dead so many times but it never seems to stick. Maybe you’re not that guy anymore, they guy who saves the world, the guy who always thinks he’ll win no matter what. You have changed. And you tell people it’s not a big deal. You tell people you’ll work through it but you know you won’t, you can’t and that scares the hell out of you. Or… am I wrong?

(Gif set credit @justjensenanddean )

Dean's silence confirms Billies suspicions. Dean's silence is affirming she just read his mind. He won't be okay, never again. Because this time is different, this time Castiel is dead, forever dead, and he really believe Cas won't come back. Life lost its meaning to him.

Dean: What do you want me to say? Doesn’t matter. I don’t matter.

Billie: Don’t you?

Dean really want to stay dead. He is so sad and lost, he doesn't want to live anymore. Nothing matters if Castiel is gone.

Dean: I couldn’t save Mom. I couldn’t save Cas. I can’t even save a scared little kid. Sam keeps trying to fix it, but I just keep dragging him down. So I’m not going to beg. Okay, if it’s my time, it’s my time.

Dean even is feeling guilty because Sam had lost his faith in the previous episode, and because now he is very worried about him.

Billie: You really believe that. [Dean shakes his head yes] You wanna die. Dean…every notebook on this particular shelf tells a version of how you die. You specifically, heart attack, burned by a red-haired witch, stabbed by a ghoul in a graveyard, and on and on. But which one’s right? That depends on you, on the choices you make.

Dean: Well, I guess I made my choice.

Here people, here! Billie makes the diagnosis and confirms his suspicious. Dean wants to be dead. And then she gave a him again the opportunity of come back to life, but Dean doesn't want to come back. He wants to remain dead! He's sure about it! He confirms it again when he says I GUESS I MADE MY CHOICE.

Billie: But…unfortunately none of these books say you die today.

The word unfortunately is not just for her but for him too. Because Dean really wants to be dead.

After this revealing and scaring dialogue, we were shown how deep Dean was into his depression for losing Castiel.

Then, another sad dialogue with his brother...

Sam: You okay?

Dean: No. Sam, I’m not okay. I’m pretty far from okay. You know, my whole life, I always believed that what we do was important. No matter what the cost, no matter who we lost, whether it was Dad or – or Bobby or –. And I would take the hit. But I kept on fighting because I believed that we were making the world a better place. And now Mom and Cas… And I – I don’t know. I don’t know.

Sam: So now you don’t believe anymore.

Dean: I just need a win. I just need a damn win.

Dean is tired, and now he has to live, without Cas, in the real world, and he's tired.

But then... And because "Cas wanted to come back to him with a win" and Dean had just asked for win, Castiel comes back to him. Castiel is his win.

The face Dean puts when he receives Castiel's call is priceless. He is in shock, he can't reply, he can't talk. Is a mix of feelings. He can't believe Cas is alive.

Then the encounter, adorned as if it was a wedding, or how some people described, a parallel to Romeo and Juliet encounter, with the Sam cross as the witness, and the song playing in the background, exhaustively analyzed, "It's not too late to start all over again."

(Gif set credit @codestielckles )

To Conclude:

This episode was magnificently written by Yockey, it was full of symbolism that pointed out to foreshadows to season 14, Michael and Dean's possesion.

But it also showed us how deep was Dean's depression, and which was the real cause of it: CASTIEL PERMANENT DEAD, the idea of not getting him back made Dean's life to lose its meaning. He didn't want to be alive in a world where Cas wasn't there.

Hope you like this meta. See you in the next one!

Tagging @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @weird-dorky-little-d @michyribeiro @whyjm @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @dea-stiel @poorreputation @bre95611 @thewolfathedoor @charlottemanchmal @neii3n @deathswaywardson @followyourenergy @dean-is-bi-till-i-die @hekatelilith-blog @avidbkwrm @anarchiana @dickpuncher365 @vampyrosa @authorsararayne @mybonsai1976 @love-neve-dies @dustythewind @wayward-winchester67 @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @deeutdutdutdoh @destiel-shipper-11 @larrem88 @charmedbycastiel @ran-savant @little-crazy-misha-minion @samoosetheshipper

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @nerditoutwithbooks @mikennacac73 @justmeand-myinsight @idontwantpeopletoknowmyname @teddybeardoctor @pepevons @helevetica @isthisdestiel @dizzypinwheel @jawnlockwinchester @horsez2 @qanelyytha

@destielle @spnsmile @shippsblog @robot-feels @superlock-in-the-tardis @superduckbatrebel @2musiclover2 @madronasky @anon-non2 @cea1996 @lisafu02 @asphodelesauvage @destiels-canonahhhhhhhhhh

If you want to be added or removed from this list just let me know.

If you wanna read my previous metas from season 13 here you have the links:

Vol. XCIII, XCIV, XCV

Buenos Aires, January 10th 2021 1:03 PM

#destiel #destiel chronicles #destiel meta #Supernatural meta #season 13 meta #13x05 meta #castiel #dean winchester #sam winchester #billie

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eyrieofsynapses · 4 years ago

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so today I just watched the first episode of Almost Paradise! And I’ve gotta say, I am impressed. I already had it on my watchlist but I was planning to wait to watch it for a while until I could let Eliot fade a bit from memory, just so I wouldn’t automatically think of him while watching Kane. But I ran into an article this weekend about how it was filmed in the Philippines and the details of that, and my curiosity was piqued considerably more, so I figured... why not?

(I also started White Collar this weekend and that was very enjoyable, but that’s a post for another day.)

Anyway, my brain’s buzzing now, so have some first impressions and reactions, plus initial meta-analysis because I am intrigued. In hindsight I probably should have recorded first impressions while I was watching, but I’ll do my best to remember the bits that stuck out. Warning for... exceedingly long post.

ooo, okay, so he’s got a medical condition. I faaaaintly remember reading about this in the summary but I didn’t pay much attention to that, oops.

telling a guy played by Chris Kane not to get his heartrate up! that’s definitely gonna happen. definitely. one hundred percent. not like this guy loves fighting or anything

(also tbh the joke about, ah, sexual dysfunction admittedly left a sour taste in my mouth, because I do not go for that kind of thing, but... this is Devlin and Kane, so I’m trusting, based off Leverage experience, that they aren’t gonna be too inappropriate. [In hindsight there are actually interesting meta reasons for this so the sour taste has dissipated somewhat.])

this poor doctor. she’s so done with him.

...he’s definitely not gonna pay attention to the monitor is he

that journal’s gonna get zero use oop

(I was duly impressed when he actually did use it later)

huh, liking how we immediately dive into the effect tourism has had on the Philippines. so we’re getting some commentary here too? I can deal with that

...wow. bad shop. eek

I’m sorry but I am loving the touch with the floorboards and such breaking beneath Alex. the look on his face is just perfect

and the monitor goes off! for tbh the last reason I expected it to first go off for, excellent

MOTORCYLE? did they give him a motorcycle?!

awww no it’s the baddies who have the motorcycle :(

hmm this should be interesting. loving the look of this leader guy tho

--aaaand good asthetic guy is dead! with an ice pick! creepy and creative!

bar. no way this could go wrong

internal battle! understandable that Alex wants out, buuuuuuut if he’s anything like I suspect he is--

--yup, picking a fight, with a damn pool cue--

--not picking a fight?

...picking a fight. by being friendly. *sigh*

yuuuuuuuup. that’s definitely good for your heart

badass fighting scene! with a pool cue, that’s a new one! love seeing Kane take ordinary objects and turn them into fighting tools

(ngl this had Eliot vibes. that said I am thrilled to see how damn good these fight scenes are and this is making me even more excited for Redemption)

aaaaaaaaaand oh fuck this was a police setup. which. I actually did not see coming, huh

ahahah they’re pissed! because he messed up their bust? or because he just saved their asses?

...probably technically the former but I suspect the latter is also true

refusing to get Involved being foreshadowed by his indecision earlier! of course he’s going to get Involved anyway, only question is how

“hitter” I SEE YOU. I SEE YOU AND YOUR REFERENCES. I SEE YOU DEVLIN AND KANE

pfffffffffffFFFFFT the meditation, oh gods

that voice. oh Alex.

I genuinely cannot tell if this is him actually trying or if this is him begrudgingly making an attempt because he has to

lacquering(?) the doors, which, hey, actually look pretty nice--this place is gonna look good when it’s done isn’t iii--

oh fuck Alex is being attacked

(this is definitely something to be concerned about. yes. totally. not like we haven’t already seen him take down a bunch of guys.)

with a garrot! this is definitely totally not how he’s gonna get Involved

oh my gods the detail with the paint. nothing says Competent like getting irritated at how the baddie interrupted your house restoration

hehehehe Involved

oooh, hmm, he thinks they sent the guy after him? what kind of corruption has Alex faced? I mean it’s not an unreasonable fear, but jeez, it sounds like this has happened to him before. doesn’t say much good about the DEA...

huh, this is a level of disturbed I haven’t seen from Kane before. which, granted, I have only seen him in Leverage, but I’ve never seen him pull this out before. the voice crack is an excellent touch

also, worth noting, Alex is definitely a notable level of... hmm, paranoid? this is just a tad bit frantic, though that’s understandable from a guy who almost got killed while in the middle of an attempted meditation

oh god being cocky in the middle of a briefing. poor Kai

--being cocky and competence porn! of course he takes the watch and turns it into a lesson

...he must be a hell of a teacher

(also, bonus points for actually using the journal. maybe he’s taking this health thing more seriously than I thought he would?)

may I repeat: COMPETENCE PORN

uh-huh, you’re so not involved, definitely, Alex, not like you’re gonna get pulled straight into this or anything

Ernesto is just watching to see how things play out, Kai is... trying to do things the right way, and Alex...

...Alex gives precisely zero fucks. buddy you are so not subtle

right, walking straight into the lion’s den! radiating confidence! terrifying

this is a disturbing level of truth he’s sharing for this lie. I mean, best lies are crafted from truth, but... jeez

hm. so is Alex also a “I don’t like guns” type guy?

(probably not for the same reasons as Eliot doesn’t [his is definitely more in the “they make it too easy to kill” department whereas I would guess Alex has either more tactical or PTSD reasons], but, hmm. this is something to watch for)

(did they know they were bringing back Leverage when they set up Almost Paradise? I’m genuinely wondering if they didn’t write some Eliot traits into Alex specifically bc they knew Kane missed playing him)

this is a fantastically confident level of grifting--what exactly did he do in the DEA, precisely?

...ah. cool asthetic guy. stuffed in the freezer. gotta admit, I definitely didn’t see that one coming. creepy!

(and it looks like you actually managed to shake Alex a little, hah)

aaaaaand in the meantime we have Kai following his advice! in an... interesting way. hm.

(surprisingly this does not annoy me that much in hindsight. not sure why)

and understandably, this does not go over well! except, oh, fuck, DEA guy. this ain’t gonna be good

...worse. worse than I thought. what happened to you, Alex? former partner? whaaat

“attacks”?

this gonna be the typical “traumatized white dude has Anger Attacks” type thing?

honestly I immediately went “probably not” given how it was handled in Leverage. wasn’t sure though. but that does leave the question of what sort of attacks? it doesn’t seem like it’d be meltdowns, so what does that leave?

hmmm. DEA guy is an Ass. we Do Not Like him. I’ve known Alex for less than half an hour but you do not do that to him. you do not use trauma against your guy, Jerkface.

cutting a deal? this should be interesting

...well shit. I. am sincerely hoping Kai isn’t about to walk in on anything too bad

this definitely isn’t gonna be a fight though, that I called right off the bat

--bottles. dammit

oh, Christ. attempted OD or just drunk?

just drunk! good! well, very Not Good, but better than the other thing

pffffft dunking him in the water and then him going straight back to the water when he sees her, that is both absolutely hilarious and deeply concerning

aaand I’m agreeing with Kai but also, poor guy just got confronted with a hell of a lot of things that would raise his trau--

...mm. yeah. that’d be it.

...I. was. not expecting that much backstory info straight off. holy cow, Alex. that is. messed up. someone get this man a hug

“one of the guys that cared too much”

(...like you?)

(or is that why you won’t let yourself care now?)

fuck, there was a lot more to that boat scene than I thought. ow

partner who betrayed him like that? I’m just. gods.

Trust Issues is definitely gonna be a Thing isn’t it

can we just take a second to appreciate how Christian Kane is playing the absolute hell out of this character

aaaand Kai brings him back to the city for a Heartwarming Reminder of why he was in the game! this is very tropey but it is, as John Rogers has pointed out, an instance of the “well-worn writing tool” rather than feeling cheesy!

holy crap Kai has lost. a lot of people. oh man

ahahahaha classic “why did you bring me here?” line! you know why, Alex. you know why

oh, and Ernesto gets a chance to help him out! I’m already enjoying this so much

awww and Kai shows up to help encourage him! with coffee! supportive friend and very obvious but honestly okay love interest! good!!!

(what the heck is with Devlin and his crew and sticking Kane with two besties? based on Ernesto’s dynamic with him I’m guessing this isn’t gonna be an OT3 but. I am loving the trend)

“I’m gonna regret this in the morning” pfft

huh, working with the DEA agents. not like he’s gonna go off script or anything. that’s totally not gonna happen is it

hehe irritated look while they’re putting on the mic. he is so very unimpressed

--”little episodes”--episodes?

moment of appreciation for the un-forced-feeling diversity in these police squads

“how’s the anxiety?” I’m sorry what

hold up, when we say “episodes”--are we talking panic attacks? does Alex have actual goddamn anxiety?

...actually with PTSD? that would make complete sense. I am... intrigued. I am really hoping that that’s the case, actually, because having seen how well they handled Parker and her PTSD in Leverage (as well as Nate’s and Eliot’s) I have a lot of faith that they could pull that off really well, actually. That would be good.

ppFFFT TAKING OFF THE WIRES RIGHT OFF THE BAT

wait what. you’re telling them everything? what’s your game here?

“get that frikkin gun outta my face!” yup, not a fan of guns! no disarming though? huh

(also can we just. appreciate how Kane manages to make “frikkin” sound just as much like the cuss it’s replacing?)

(LET ALEX SAY FUCK)

oh. OH

hi Ernesto! hi Kai! I see what y’all doing

ohhhhhhhhhh Alex you goddamn genius. Getting rid of all of the drugs so there’s no way the precise thing he was claiming to be doing can happen. I like this

THE MEDITATION COMING ON ON THE RECORDING I CAN’T--OH MY GODS

Alex please tell me you know how to disarm a gun. please. guns are not effective at that distance

OH. OH I DID NOT SEE KAI COMING.

got ‘em! murder confession, how did I not see that coming? good stuff

Kai can fight!

KAI CAN FUCKING FIGHT WOW

I am very much appreciating Kai right now

also is that a FLYING KICK from Ernesto?

they better give these people more fight scenes

aaaaand straight into the water, oh god. I’m assuming this was a choice made because Alex is familiar with this territory? ...I do not think I want to know where Alex learned to fight underwater.

(I really really really want to know.)

how the fuck has your monitor not gone off by now Alex

choking him out underwater, okay, wow

what size are your lungs? this is long

extra kudos for excellent underwater filming and wow I am hoping the actors actually came up for air

(this is also unreasonably beautiful for a scene where you’re choking out a drug lord. the water is so pretty)

Evil DEA guy (no I am not going to learn his name, he doesn’t deserve it) is gonna be Alex’s Agent Sterling, isn’t he? this should be interesting

heh, police chief is taking his side! good stuff, good stuff

(it is very nice to see Alex getting some people in his corner after knowing what hell the DEA put him through)

Alex has fallen so damn hard for Kai. this is very very adorable actually

awww he’s really getting into fixing up the shop, isn’t he? I’m sincerely looking forward to seeing how he gets this up and going, it really looks like he’s enjoying himself

somehow I am starting to wonder if the cocky “oh yeah I’m opening up a gift shop how exciting huh” thing at the start wasn’t... actually genuine. he... is enjoying this, isn’t he? good. very good

I am unreasonably invested in this man’s wellbeing for one episode in

!!!!!!!!! HE GETS HIS PARADE

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

giving him his reason to keep going! yes! yessss

oh Alex you are attached now. you are very attached. good luck my dude and don’t let the trust issues get in the way

this is a good show. this is a heckin awesome show.

also, side note, it is SO PRETTY

I am just loving loving loving all of the scenery. competence porn AND landscape and city porn. beautiful. perfection. excellent

...that was. much longer than I anticipated oops

anyway, conclusion: hot damn this is a fun show! I am very excited to keep watching this. Alex officially has my heart, even if he’s a bit of a cocky bastard sometimes. Kane is fucking hilarious. (More reasons to be excited for Redemption!) Kai and Ernesto also have my heart, and I am extremely interested to see their character development.

Honestly, the beauty is surprising. I didn’t expect to just enjoy how pretty it is. The blues of the ocean, the intense tropical colors, even the run-down gift shop--there’s such a gorgeous aesthetic to it all. If I wasn’t already invested in the characters and plot, I’d be invested for that alone.

So... I have some thoughts on Alex and the show structure.

He’s obviously very disillusioned. There’s a lot of nods to the idea of war--he’s commonly referring to himself as a soldier, as a veteran, maybe as a casualty. I’m gonna take a totally wild guess here and say this show is going to be focused on the drug issues in the Philippines. (Wow, Synapse, how the heck’d you guess that?) I do find describing the war on drugs as a war, and going into the terminology that comes with it, very appropriate, and I like how this show is actively calling this to attention rather than using it as a convenient plot. They’re actually addressing the issue and discussing its impact. And given how overlooked certain aspects of the impact of the drug war on the Philippines is, this is a good choice, especially in order to alert American viewers to the issue. I’m curious to see how they handle that.

Again, interesting drawing parallels to war, too, and comparing it against the likes of WWI and Vietnam. It really gives that sense of weight to the issue and defines a vital aspect of it: the impact of the war on drugs on the people involved. It emphasizes that the people who are fighting it suffer consequences and PTSD just as a soldier in the field does, and it also emphasizes, with Kai, that it isn’t just the people actively fighting who bear the consequences. It’s also the people on the sidelines--it’s the families, the people on the streets by the gunfights, the economical impact, etcetera.

But there’s also an element to Alex’s character that automatically makes him relatable to a lot of people... and it has nothing to do with the PTSD, nothing to do with the war on drugs, nothing really to do with the main issues. It is, simply, the intense hopelessness and depression that comes with trying to make a difference. In his case it’s making a difference on a severe worldwide issue. But the vast majority, if not all, of Almost Paradise’s audience should be able to relate to a feeling of never doing enough. And there’s certainly a large section of that group who can relate to being part of a fight that never seems to end. Doesn’t matter what you’re doing--if it’s driven at helping, it rarely ever feels like you ever do enough. But the advice given is excellent. One of the best things to do, when you’re feeling hopeless over this, is to focus on and take deep joy in the impact you do make.

Alex is an expression of a frustration that a lot of people deal with. This, I think, is one of the reasons why he instantly drew me--and presumably the rest of the audience--in (outside of a fantastic actor and great humor). He’s relatable. He’s something that most people can see a part of themselves in.

Anyway, symbolism and real-world talk aside, this is just... fun. It’s genuine fun. We’re covering rough issues, but there’s a lot of well-written tropes in here too that are written in that way that makes them enjoyable to relive rather than painful. The humor is delightful and plentiful. There’s a lot of beautiful feel-good moments. I’m suspecting this’ll be a comfort show, and I am perfectly all right with that.

Onto the next episode!

#Almost Paradise #Almost Paradise spoilers #Almost Paradise 1x01 #reaction post #christian kane #(please please please let these be the right tags)#synapse reacts #this is a new thing!#hopefully y'all like the new thing!#even though I am exceedingly long-winded #I mean this is basically the equivalent of me yelling into the void #but I need SOME void to yell into #so this might as well be it #and perhaps someone'll get a kick out of it #so why not?

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flameandshadows · 6 years ago

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FIC RECS (Part 5) :)

Okay we are going to try this again lol. I hope I got everyone I was intending to!This one is LONG so buckle up babes.

The request was for Cop!Bucky fics, by anonymous. Now I am SO excited to share this list because Cop Bucky is my top 2 favorite AU’s and actually the first AU I ever read for Bucky. So its incredibly close to my heart, and so are these fics. I hope everyone enjoys! :) (I start with Series, then go to One-Shots) 💖💕💗💓

In the Arms of Justice by @avengerofyourheart

Okay, this was actually the first full Cop!Bucky fic I ever read and let me tell you, it was an amazing bridge into what is now an unhealthy obsession lol. This fic is so well done. I love the way Anika plays with details in her stories. Every word has you hanging on, no stone is left unturned, no detail forgotten. This one, especially if you go back and read it a second time, you see all of the tiny foreshadowing she does. Its such a good mysterious fic. Its absolutely amazing the Protective/Soft Bucky on top of that is the best ever. Please read it twice to be able to fully realize the beauty.

Heart & Soul by @all1e23

This one is an ABO fic, and oh man is it good. This fic is just so heartbreakingly beautiful. Allie is dedicated, in all of their stories, to being as truthful to true human experiences and this is just another example. The emotion is so real and painful and I can somehow picture to all of these experiences even though I’ve never had them myself, solely because of the way they write. This is a story about trauma, trust, loyalty, and personal strength. Theres murder mystery and fluff all in a lovely package. The relationships between her and every one of the characters is so well drawn out, its just such a heartwarming fic.

The Witness by @wkemeup

Words tend to evade me when I try to explain my love for this fic, but I need I need to make sure its recognized. Bucky is soft and just wants the reader to be safe, the reader is self sufficient and headstrong. My favorite pairing. This story is honestly something that changed the way I read Bucky fics. It was the first story of hers I have ever read, and never have I gotten more lost in a story than this. Before this, I would mainly focus on dialogue of a story, and other important bits. This was so beautifully done, and packed with detail and emotion in the smallest sentences I made sure I didn’t miss a single thing. Also, the way she writes the aftermath in her Drabble/epilogue are so truthful to life and recovery. Ugh, just an amazing read.

Deception by @revengingbarnes

This story is unlike the others I’ve read before. I LOVE undercover fics, don’t get me wrong, but a lot of the time they are set in this perfect world with no repercussions. This fic is so damn raw and honest and real. It shows the pain and aftermath that is unavoidable from situations like these, the emotion from Bucky and the Reader seeps through every word making it impossible not to get invested into them and their love. Not everything in life is perfect, there isn’t always that one happy ending, and this fic shows that. There is bumps and bruises and you won’t know whats coming until it happens but thats what makes it beautiful.

Seven Thirty by @nacho-bucky

So this one is absolutely the cutest thing ever. Its technically a cop!bucky but its not like the main factor in the story, but Im including it anyways because its too amazing to not! This has UNCLE BUCKY, oh my god thats my favorite soft Bucky trope and its done again here so well. Bucky is needs help with a kid, she works with kids, what could go wrong??? Nothing! Because this is a story of two awkwardly adorable individuals being roped into the cutest relationship ever by a sneaky little girl. This story is Witten so well, every detail paints the best picture of utter domesticity and love and I cannot get over it. Especially the little drabbles accompanying it? Be still my heart.

Ride With Me by @jurassicbarnes

Now this one is a treat, we’ve got Cop!Bucky and Biker!Reader (whaaaat?? Biker reader??) Yes! So unique right? And its so well done too. This is about the cutest thing because you have no gender stereotypes whoop whoop! You have soft shy Bucky (who tries so hard to hide it, oh my love), and a badass reader! Its so unique and absolutely adorable. I feel like this needs to be made into a romance movie, I would watch the hell out of it. Its like perfect YA romance I'm telling you! Opposites attract and lead to a work of art in disguise as a Bucky Fanfic. Also, I want Natasha to be my Best Friend :(

Sweet as Cinnamon by @propertyofpoeandbucky

It wouldn’t be a proper Cop!Bucky list without some Chubby Bucky! In there! Now, wanna know who’s sweet as cinnamon? Bucky Barnes in this fic (more like a compilation of one-shots). We have a single dad, divorced, insecure, chubby Bucky, and we all know what that leads to? Me in an absolute puddle of love and fluff. The relationship he has with the reader and his daughter are the most pure things I’ve ever been lucky enough to read. I love sneaky kids man, and oh does he have one! All of Leilanis fics are so good, but something about this Universe really just sticks in my heart. Amazingly well written, 10/10 would read every single one again.

Good Cop, Bad Cop by @cametobuyplums

Okay, another thing that makes this list complete? A smutty fic (again more of a compilation of one shots). This fic is damn good. Its kinda like SAC in the way of Bucky is a single, insecure, divorced, chubby father. But plot twist! Reader is a young sexy police chief that just wants her man, Bucky. Let the fun ensue! No seriously though, besides the smut, this series is incredibly well done. You wouldn’t expect many heartfelt moments in a fic like tis, but thats the beauty of it. I love reading stories where Bucky just gets loved up and fights his insecurities. If you like reading smut, I guarantee you will love this fic!

Sunshine by @thottybarnes

Let me squeal about this one real quick. I just recently read it and I LOVED it. Honestly any story that has beefy Bucky is always gonna be a good one for me, but beefy Bucky AND soft, baby fever having Bucky? Oh my heart cant take it. This fic is absolutely adorable. I love how fun and light hearted it is, and the details they put in the background are to die for. Such a good fic if you want fluff, and Cop!Bucky all in one fantastic package. The way she rights the reader also just makes me feel like a good person and who doesn’t love that? All in all, the story is amazing, and now I want a baby with beefy Bucky :(

Anyone Except You by @maid-of-mourne-shore

Okay so this one is definitely different than the ones I’ve listed so far. This one is a little intense. Definitely needs a trigger warning especially with the current US gun situation. Anyways, if you can handle it, please read it. Its a beautifully raw story that portrays that trauma for an outsider so well. I was on the edge of my seat, heart hurting. Bucky Is so soft, the mutual pining is there, the protective Bucky is there, the flangst is there. Its really, really good.

Uniformed by @bucky-plums-barnes

Oh my dear Gen, another wonderful fic from her. This story is absolutely so unique in the way its set up. The sections being introduced like a hospital case had me hooked from word one. I love a hard to get fic, especially when it involves a cocky Bucky and a take no nonsense reader! This fic has its fun times, but it also gets some angsty moments of just raw emotion and understanding between two people in difficult career paths, its truly beautiful. Also, UNCLE BUCKY makes an appearance :)

And finally, last but not least

Reassurance by @ofheroesandvillains

Obviously I’m a sucker for insecure chubby Bucky. He gets a little green here not gonna lie, makes him about 50x cuter. We get it Bucky, she’s your wife (so you say) and not his. This fic issuer cute, I love me a reassuring reader, because I know I would say the same in that situation. You feel the love between the characters, its not an overwhelming display of love, but its truthful to life and real feelings, and I love it so.

If you read to the end of this long list, bless your heart and I love you so much. I’m not a writer, so my grammar is probably bad, and I basically just write in a stream of consciousness lol, so sorry for that! I hope you love the fics on here as much as I do! Till next time my loves.

#cop!bucky #bucky x you #bucky x y/n #bucky fic #bucky barnes #bucky #bucky x reader #bucky fluff #bucky angst #bucky barnes smut #bucky barnes x reader #searchingforbucky #bucky series #bucky barnes imagine #bucky fanfic #ficrecs

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asterekmess · 5 years ago

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S3A - E4

Alrighty, here we go. Maybe I’ll get a little less fired up this time.

Be Kind, Read More’s (I’m bad at puns or jokes.)

Thoughts:

So, I get that they’re trying to amp up Scott becoming an Alpha or whatever, but I just really hate the concept of dogs needing to know “who the alpha is.” It’s a really harmful myth that leads to a lot of frustration for owners and a lot of fear for their dogs. I actually recommend anyone with a dog, or thinking of getting a dog to look at this video to understand how huge a myth that whole Dominance thing is. He explains it better than I ever could. That also doesn’t work in the show, since we know that all werewolves have sway over dogs. Derek does it like a fucking pro in S1 (Yeah, he scares the dogs, but it’s entirely controlled. The dog didn’t freak until he wanted it to.)

Woooow, Scott actually working at his job? That’s new!

Deaton, mistletoe is poisonous to anyone. Wtf are you on about “to the dog, and you too.” literally everyone is poisoned by mistletoe.

Is this a reference to a movie or something? IT’s so fucking creepy and gross, him sticking his hand under the dumpster and getting bit. And what’s with the whispering??? JENNIFER did you bite someone? WTF? Also, he literally can’t get any closer, dumbass. He’s on his knees right up against the dumpster.

I hate this woman. This show I think has a lot of issues with actual foreshadowing and making villains appear earlier in the show. Like, they knew Jennifer was going to be the villain. So what was all this extra shit? All the random clips of her grading papers and getting spooked walking down the halls of the school. She’s literally committing murder every single night and is far scarier than even werewolves, even without the extra powers. Showing us this stuff directly contradicts her being the villain. I can’t tell if they thought we as an audience were too smart and we’d figure out she was the villain, so they had to cover their tracks extra hard bc we all know that plot twists should only ever happen when it makes no sense, or if they thought we were too dumb to notice that they didn’t put any effort into her character until she starts being actively creepy.

I hate this. I hate all of it. I’m disgusted and nauseous just fucking watching this, knowing that Derek isn’t fucking choosing to do any of this. He’s literally under a spell that’s making him worry about her, because she wants an Alpha guard dog.

I’m also gonna point out that since the show hadn’t told us that Derek was being controlled yet, they were trying to show Derek being interested in Jennifer and trying to make Jennifer someone Derek would be interested in. In order to do that, they made her jumpy, suspicious, anxious, and over-talkative. And crazy smart. With brown hair. Just saying.

The Crucible? Dude, you started the class on The Heart of Darkness literally last Wednesday. Chapters 1-3 weren’t due till last Friday. Why can’t this show fucking make up its mind?

Aannnnd here we go. Love watching Scott laugh about something that he knows Stiles is absolutely terrified by, seeing as Heather DIED. God, if you want Scott to look funny, can you not make him make jokes about something that’s getting people killed and traumatizing his best friend? Jesus.

I...I feel the need to point out that Stiles jumped exactly the same way Jennifer did like two seconds ago....just saying.

Honestly, I like that this Danny did this, not just to fuck with Stiles (in a non-sexy way) but also to try and subtly point out that he can hear them talking about virgin sacrifices. Maybe keep it down boys?

As much as I hate this shaky camera, slow-mo to fast-mo stuff, it’s still so much better than the CGI/Green Screen. Just, so much.

Boys, stop sticking your tongues out while running, you’re gonna bite them off and that shit doesn’t grow back. Also, I wanna give Isaac props here for managing to keep up with Alphas. Speedy Boi. AND, did you notice the look on his face before he ran after them? TOTALLY different from the look on his face before he attacked Cora in the woods. Not play time, kill time.

Those are...those are also not wolf sounds. At least I know Cora wasn’t a sexist thing? Seriously, wolves sound terrifying enough on their own, no need to add in the lion--wait didn’t I read that they don’t use lions roars most of the time, they use tigers instead? Whatever. NO need for the cat noises. I get it for the actual roaring stuff, but the snarls can be wolfy, can’t they?

How long did they have to stand there waiting for the cops to arrive? THe whole class is just standing around in a crowd? You know, I’d believe it, honestly I don’t think Finstock would think to make them go back to the school. He’s not great at the adulting thing.

How--How did Kyle’s girlfriend know? She’s not on the track team, is she?

I hate this whole “He’s got a point” thing. Stiles admitted that he agreed the Alphas were connected somehow but his reasoning is perfectly sound. Are you seriously telling me that Scott didn’t talk to Deaton about this? We can assume he did, because it’s Scott and he tells Deaton Everything. But that means Deaton DIDN’T tell him what he knew, openly lying to him. And none of that should matter anyway, because Stiles is Scott’s best friend. It is not too much to ask for him to just believe Stiles. In fact, it’s pretty fucking basic friendship stuff.

ALSO I hate that Isaac appears to give zero fucks about Erica. “They killed that kid, they killed the girl that saved me” But no mention of Erica? Or of how they imprisoned erica and boyd for four months? No mention of his own pack members? Seriously?

Hi cora. Hi derek. I really really wish you were going to be a reprieve from the bullshit of the rest of the episode so far, but instead you’re going to break my heart by refusing to give me even the slightest hint at Derek and Cora giving any kind of fucks about each other and finding out that the sibling they thought was dead is not dead. Nothing. We get absolutely Nothing. I don’t even get to see where the FUCK Cora got the exercise clothes from? Did they go shopping? did they go find her bag of clothes that got left in a building somewhere when she was taken? Huh? SOMETHING?

I’m just so...disappointed, and it’s definitely not directed at Derek.

Also, Derek, your alarm sucks ass if it only tells you that someone’s at your place once they’re outside the door.

I’m gonna be honest, Derek does need to work on his ranged combat. He’s all about the up close and personal, our boy needs a quarterstaff or something. Maybe a bat?

Sup duke? I hate your guts.

Sup Harris? I hate your guts too.

I don’t--I don’t even wanna talk about this scene with the twins. I just...what the absolute fuck? Those kids need so much therapy. I just feel ill. Also stop with the making werewolves masochists for some reason! Stop it! It’s boring and dumb!

I literally refuse to believe any of that had plot relevance. I think the twins are just being assholes for the fun of it. That is so convoluted in so many ways.

Other than the really really overdone British villain trope thing, I literally have nothing to say about this scene. Other than, you know, the part where Derek outright refuses to kill his pack even with a fucking PIPE through his CHEST, yet somehow we’re meant to believe that he wanted to kill them on the full moon even when he had no proof that they’d hurt anyone? Love that logic. Yah. Uh huh. Side note: why do I even like this show? Side Side note: It’s cus’ Derek and Stiles and Cora and Isaac and Boyd and Erica and Lydia are all fucking awesome. Honestly, Allison too. And Danny. And Jackson. And Kira when she comes in. Even Malia has potential

Isaac, honey, you have claustrophobia and that’s a legitimate medical concern that Harris would need to make adjustments for.

HI BOYD. I MISSED YOU SO MUCH OH MY GOD. Thanks for stabbing me in the heart with that friend comment. My everything hurts now. I love you. Also, bye, cus’ you don’t come back for the entire rest of the episode. awesome.

Is it even remotely okay for the school to make students handle chemicals and fuck with the janitor’s stuff/do custodial work? Like, detention is detention and the school/Harris has no business using the students for free labor.

Fucking pathetic. I hate this stupid Alpha command thing. I hate this whole plotline and no I’m NOT going to stop complaining about it any time soon. It’s stupid as fuck.

Stiles how do you expect Lydia to know about this shit when no one fucking talks to her except you??? SEE? YOU SEE? THAT is how you use humor in a tense situation!

Lydia, Stiles is human.

Please stop with the sexual tension, it’s pissing me off. Allison fired over a dozen arrows into Erica and Boyd, then help her grandfather kidnap and torture them and sliced Isaac to ribbons. I’m not done being mad at her, and Isaac Damn Well shouldn’t be either.

Okay WHAT? Since when is English the last class of the day? It was their first class an episode ago! What the fuck are you talking about? and WHY are you writing “Great Expectations” on the board!!???? Even if The Crucible was for a different class you’re STILL ON HEART OF DARKNESS.

I just-I get that they’re teenagers, but that’s seriously the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen and even though Allison’s still pretty high on my shit list at the mo, she’s way too smart not to know that this is stupid as fuck. Just because the Alphas are being stupid doesn’t mean you PISS THEM OFF. Nothing you just did HELPED at ALL. You didn’t Hinder them or Weaken them or ANYTHING. You just played a stupid ass prank???

So...Stiles has a free period in the last period of the day? When no one else does? Yet somehow he’s in all their classes AND we SAW him AND LYDIA in Scott and Allison’s English class? ALSO the twins are Miraculously now in the English class as well, even though they weren’t there on the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL??? WHat the FUCK This is a show about HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS and you can’t be fucked to actually get their stupid fucking Schedule right? The same with the full moon. The two things that should always be consistent are the FULL MOONS for the WEREWOLVES and the SCHOOL SCHEDULE for the STUDENTS. You spend hours of episode planning time on making outfits and references to horror movies, but you can’t get A SIMPLE FUCKING TIMELINE right?

I know Stiles hasn’t talked to Deaton all that much so far in the show, but this is a really weirdly long introduction to him asking Deaton for info, when I honestly expected him to just push in and say, “HEY, so how about those human sacrifices, huh? You keeping something from us again?”

I hate them cutting up these scenes so much. Derek’s effectively been pinned to the ground for an entire school day at this point.

Actually, this little speech of Duke’s is where I got a huge headcanon for the show about how truly monstrous Duke and the rest of the Alphas are. He says he didn’t know that killing your own Beta adds their power to yours. But, shouldn’t that be like a really well known thing in this werewolf world of horrific murders and “Rite of passage, into his pack” mentality that the show seems insistent on showing us? Instead, I think that Duke is actually like he says he is. The Demon Wolf. He’s a fucking demon and all werewolves know it, because he and his pack are disgusting and twisted enough to kill their own pack. I firmly believe, beyond all reason because fuck this show, that Alphas have a biological imperative to protect their pack, to keep them safe and happy and provide for them. That the reason no Alphas really knew about what happens when you kill your own Beta is because no one ever would. It’s the most taboo, horrific thing a werewolf can do, harming their own pack. Their own family.

STOP TOUCHING PEOPLE’s FACES. ESPECIALLY DEREK’S.

I love Derek’s line so much. “You’re a fanatic.” Like. Yes. Completely shutting him down. That was so good.

Also, Duke. you literally just said “You’ll get to know me.” and now you’re mad because “Know me? You’ve never seen anything like me.” I wish someone would just pick him up by the scruff and toss him out a window.

What’s with the sudden lightning? and why is the thunder happening at the same time?

I have literally had the fifteen minute rule held over my head so many times. We once got locked outside our orchestra room for fifteen-minutes and one of the secretaries from the front office had to let us in, and then they had to send us a sub teacher because ours was sick but even though she called in, they’d hadn’t bothered to call the sub yet. the fifteen minute rule doesn’t exist, and I wish so fucking badly that it did. PLUS. I thought School was OVER????

Stiles, you should know better. The Celts were accused of human sacrifice by the Romans, who were trying to demonize them and take over their land. (which is pointless, since the Romans participated in tons of human sacrifice, even if they didn’t explicitly call it that. Anybody heard of the fucking Colosseum?) Plus, there isn’t any actual evidence that isn’t from extremely biased Latin texts that indicates the Celts performing human sacrifices as religious rites. You’re right though, cus’ the show does pull a lot from the concept of Celtic Druids. It just does it horrifically badly and completely misconstrues them by using the modern myth of the druids rather than the historical reality of them. I was a classics major, with an obsession on Druidic practices. Fight me about it.

Thank you Stiles, for calling Deaton out. Also, what does Deaton mean ten years? He was the Hale emissary six years ago. Jesus christ, this isn’t hard.

I hate to say it, but that is correct, Deaton. Druids were philosphers and scholars. That’s because Druid was a SOCIAL CLASS not a JOB. They didn’t believe they were “keeping the world in balance’ but they believed the world was MADE UP of balances. The Celts didn’t believe in letting people die for the sake of “maintaining the balance.” Their social structure was based on equality between the sexes and community ownership (a bit like socialism, it’s actually why the Romans hated them so much, they represented the exact opposite of Roman Ideals of hierarchy and private ownership with the male head of family in charge) But I digress. My bad.

Cue the dropbox ad

So what’s with the chanting? There wasn’t chanting when Heather was taken? Or Emily? Is the method of abduction supposed to be different for every group?

Ooooh, Dell school computers. Did they lose their Mac contract?

Oh Look! It’s the consequences of your actions!

They have so much time to react and do something to keep the boys from merging while they’re busy taking their dumb shirts off.

For the record, Druid is not the gaelic word for “wise oak”. It’s generally accepted to mean “oaken knowledge” or, less literally, “the one whose knowledge is great” (since oak was considered to signify greatness). But those are just semantics and I’m not as bothered by it. I’m MORE bothered by the use of the word “Darach” which does NOT mean Dark oak. “ach” is an Irish suffix meaning “Belonging to” and Darach is an NAME, as in like Emily or Janice, it’s a Name not a title. One that means “belonging to the oak” (actually, it’s masculine, so it would mean “Son of oak”). Scottish Gaelic and Irish are still real languages and you mistranslating things and taking words from their already incredibly oppressed and abused culture is really fucking annoying. So, uh. yeah. Listen, this is one of my few areas where I know anything so I had to complain about it. I get that it’s just a show. I really do. But it’s my post, so meh. Also, you bet your ass I have opinions on the concept of a Nemeton as well. But that’s not for now.

I find it kinda hilarious that none of the names on those papers had last names. Tom. Terry. Tim P. almost has a last name.

and now we break my fucking heart. Actually, first I wanna give this show some props for once. The music they use for this season is very drum based, very repetitive, and it really helps with the ritualistic vibe they seem to be going for. The chanting, etc. I worry about what they pulled that stuff from, cus’ if it’s from actual religions that’s fucking dicey, but the atmosphere is good.

NOW we break my fucking heart. Fucking fuck. It hurts, especially knowing that Isaac already had one flashback today. And then they have to go and add anger to my turmoil by having him go to SCOTT. Fuck scott. I fucking hate this.

Bye Harris. No, wait, I have questions. So Harris helped Jennifer somehow. By...what, helping her fake her identity? Was he her reference for getting the job at the school? Or did he help her with the killings, by finding her students/teachers who fit the bill? When he says “They’ll figure you out” is he talking about the cops or the wolves? Does he know about the supernatural? If he does, does that mean that he knew who Kate was when she found him in that bar? Bye Harris.

Last Thoughts: I’ll give this episode props. It had sunlight in it. Uh...I honestly can’t think of anything else I enjoyed. This shit, this shit is why people write fanfiction. These mistakes with the timeline and the schedule and the character’s whose personalities flip back and forth at random? The refusal to acknowledge trauma and deal with it appropriately? I honestly don’t even know how to feel about the show selling this Derek/Jennifer romance to us and then revealing at the end that he was under a literal spell the whole time. That he had sex with her while under the influence of her magic. That these oh so brief moments where we actually get to see Derek smiling and joking and see a hint at his personality and his intelligence and maybe even his past, they’re all forced on him. It’s all a trick. He has sex with her while he’s incapable of giving consent. It’s fucking rape, shown on-screen. And the show portrayed this as romantic, for the sake of their stupid fucking plot twist. We were encouraged to like this relationship because we didn’t know he was being Controlled. Ugh. Bleh. Plus there’s the whole thing where once again Stiles is being ignored and Lydia has no clue what’s going on, and Deaton is hiding things from everyone and Boyd is barely a character. And Allison’s behavior is never dealt with, and Scott is just...Scott. This is why I make changes.

#personal #rape: tw #anti-scott mccall #TeenWolf-Rewatch

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moved-builtintripping · 5 years ago

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Setleth AU: Weathering With You

CONTAINS SPOILERS, MENTIONED MATURE THEMES, AND A LONG READ!!

(While I’ll be assigning both Byleths in my preferred roles for them here, feel free to switch Beleth and Beles if it’s your cup of tea!!)

F!Byleth as Hodaka. 15 yrs. A highschool runaway from a rain-kissed island town who desperately seeks the shy sunlight in the city. Her life will forever change when she realizes that somebody dear to her is worth so much more than the hiding blue sky.

Seteth as Hina. ‘19’/16 yrs. His strict expression doesn’t best describe his identity as a sunshine boy. Values Flayn above all else until a certain somebody enters into (and saves) his life. Used to only clear the sky whenever his little sister excitedly asks for it.

Flayn as Nagi. 10 yrs. Lives alone with only her big brother. She seems to gain a sort of situation where most boys in her school would swoon over her charm, which she is unaware of (yet Seteth knows nothing about this). Becomes instant best friends with Byleth.

Jeralt as Suga-san/Keisuke. ?? yrs. Head of the J&A ‘news’ site (that will eventually grow into its own company). Compares Byleth (whom he hired) to his own child, who’s taken away from him by his mother-in-law. Still loves his dead wife dearly.

Leonie as Natsumi. 25 yrs. (post-timeskip design) Jeralt’s trusted and loyal apprentice and (surprisingly) niece. She’s currently job hunting, but her impatience is one factor why luck hadn’t been so kind to her. Would probably make an excellent speed cop.

M!Byleth as Moka. Jeralt’s son, who shares the same name and almost the exact same look as the girl his father hired. Despite the many phone calls they’ve shared, he still misses his father very much and wishes to see him everyday.

Cyril as Ame/Rain. A stray brown kitten who stares with his red eyes and bears a scar by the left side of his forehead. Adopted and cared by Byleth and eventually spoiled rotten by Jeralt.

Solon as Yasui. (Tomas looks) An aged and experienced police officer, who’s tasked to look for the missing highschooler and wielder of a lost gun around the flooding Tokyo.

Thales as Takai. A younger police officer who’s assigned to assist Yasui on their shared mission. Manages to get ahold of Byleth, but his grip on her had slipped more times than he hoped.

Kronya as the Dude who’s offering Hina the strip club job. (idk his name, rip) Harasses Seteth into offering him a job, a naughty one. Is stopped by Byleth and the warning shot she was threatened by her face.

Detail Changes!!

Not everything in the movie will be covered as I haven’t thought up some changes yet, especially the part when Keisuke’s child, Moka, was shown the first time and they all were just bonding. This should still be a lot already! Hopefully I can add some more and fix this eventually~

Byleth’s Yahoo!Answer username was ‘TheAshenDemon’

During her first days in Tokyo, she was silent the whole time, not even uttering a single word since she could just nod, shake her head, and bow, not even when Jeralt saved her from the crashing rainfall nearly slipping her away from the boat.

Jeralt thought he saw his own son in grave danger, so he jumped to action. He didn’t realized how panicked he must have looked until a blue-haired quiet girl (almost) blankly stared up at him. He tried to brush it off with a shrug, but he swore his heart was beating fast.

She pointed to Jeralt the beer vending machine, which she plans to give him one as an exchange for sparing her from death. Jeralt politely declines, yet she insists only to realize the price to be much higher than her budget. She bought one anyway. “I told you you didn’t have to, kid...” “*bows and sweat drops*”

During her stay around the city, Byleth had been hearing news about a killer who leaves their bloodied victims lying in alleyways, always sprouting knife wounds around different part of their body, plus they’re dismembered. Byleth didn’t know she would eventually encounter the said-killer herself.

The lost kitten Byleth found by the alleyway stared up at her, but not meowing. He hissed when she offered him some candies, but eventually he ate it gratefully. This was the first time a smile bloomed on Byleth’s face since arriving.

When she woke up from her unintentional slumber, Kronya (plus two more grinning men lingering by her side) were staring down at her. “What’re ya doing here, girlie? This is no place for a street rat like you, so I suggest ya scram… Unless you want to join the fun with me and the boys. *winks and licks lips*” “*fuCKIN SCRAMBLES UP AND RUN*”

When Seteth laid down the burger, Byleth was so shocked she stared with large eyes up at the strange kind worker above her for a long time. “… Stop staring at me. It’s going to get cold if you don’t eat that soon, and my money would go to waste.” “… *blinks*” “… Just… Eat it.*walks out*”

Byleth still hadn’t said anything, but she cried for the first time for not only satisfying her empty tummy after so long, but for also kindness to miraculously come her way in this cruel city.

During the bus ride to Jeralt’s place, she silently pitied Flayn several seats behind who’s obviously oblivious from the two young boys’ mission to capture her heart.

The moment Leonie wakes up, she thought Byleth to be a theif. As she shouted threats at the intruder (and shrieked at her for staring at her chest), Byleth nervously held up the business card Jeralt gave her.

When Leonie confirmed that Jeralt indeed invited the kid over, she quickly welcomed her with open arms as if she never shouted exactly a moment before. She introduced their home as the ‘holy sanctuary of the proud journalists’.

Leonie was clearly passionate as a J&A journalist, possibly much more than the head himself, to the point that she would insist on Byleth to read every single article they had ever written. “Alright, kiddo! What article was written on June 15, 2021??” “*shakes head in resignation with a tired look*” “SILLLY! It’s the first one you helped me out with!! The title is ‘The Magical Wonder of a Sunshine Girl’, which discusses about the blablabla--” “*cries inwardly*”

The second time Byleth sees Seteth, he was gripping his umbrella hard as he tried to quickly walk away from Kronya, who was following, cat-calling, and basically harassing him. Eventually she slyly offers him to ‘work’ with her with a promised high pay, which made Seteth abruptly halt on his tracks.

Byleth rescues Seteth from Kronya by pretending to be his girlfriend (Funnily enough, “HONEY~!” was her first ever word on Tokyo and also a foreshadowing of their future relationship). She then attempted to drag a spluttering Seteth away as she cooed, “Come on, sweetie~ We can’t miss the big day!” “B-b-b-but- I thought you’re mute-” “I said *grips Seteth’s arm too tight* Come. On.”

Infuriated for taking away her potential partner, Kronya whipped out a knife and charged at the two. Seteth instinctively grabbed Byleth’s hand and together, they ran.

They eventually reach a dead end, which Kronya took advantage of by literally jumping over the two, then pinning Byleth down. “Move a muscle and I’m going to cut your girlfriends’ throat.” “SH-SHE’S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND! AND LET GO OF HER!”

Byleth struggled to reverse their position and had been successful. She pointed the gun on Kronya and, as the rain poured, blasted a warning shot by her left ear.

When Seteth snapped out of reality, he grabbed Byleth up who was about to shoot Kronya’s forehead (whose left ear was slowly bleeding). “GET UP! GET UP! LET’S GET OUT OF HERE! WE HAVE A DATE, REMEMBER!?”

Once they retreated to the abandoned building, they argued. “Did you really think you should just- just interfere just like that!? You have a gun, for god’s sake! We’ll get in serious trouble for that, or worse go to jail!” “You ungrateful- I just saved your damn life like you saved mine-” “Plus sh-she’s a woman! We shouldn’t have been too harsh with her-”“Look, you can be a prostitute for all I care, but that woman was harassing you and that’s just wrong!” “You listen here very well: I am a grown man, and I make my own decisions!” “Yeah!? Decisions to get yourself killed by that murderer! Can’t you see she’s the recently wanted person who had been killing off men in the alleyways!?” “I…! You…! *growls and shoves towel at Byleth* *stomps away*”

Believing it to be useful, Byleth was about to pick up the gun she previously threw out of frustration, but Seteth’s voice interrupted her. “I thought about what you said, and you’re right. I’m sorry. What can I give you in return?” “Er… Your… Apology, I guess?” “That’s already given! I meant something else, more than that!” “... Hmm…”

Byleth spaced out. She couldn’t really think of anything she wanted other than... “I’d like for the sun to stick around, but *chuckles dryly* I know you can’t just magically clear the sky…” “… Actually…”

Byleth silently (and comically) screamed when Seteth prayed to draw the curtains of the clouds and make way for the blue sky and the sun to smile down on them.

This is the first time Seteth clears the sky for somebody else other than for his little sister, so he smiled. There, they shared each other’s names and age.

While trying to appear mature, Seteth awkwardly rambles about how he was old enough to make his own decisions and do adult things, basically justifying his consideration on Kronya’s offer.

“Seteth, that’s... That’s nothing to be ashamed of. There must somebody you want to protect. That’s why you’d go to lengths to commit acts like that.” “… How did you know??” “*shrugs*”

Ever since meeting Seteth, Byleth began to speak much more frequently than before, but was still overall silent. She only says more whenever she’s around her new friend.

Seteth cooked a seafood dish for his guest when Byleth visited to discuss about their new business. As Byleth observed around the house, she saw lots of cute objects such as the colored fish-shaped glass curtain. She assumed Seteth’s little sister had wanted it.

When Flayn arrived home, she beamed that finally, her big brother had made a friend! Meanwhile Byleth recognized her as the oblivious girl who had a lot of boys to answer to, so she awkwardly greeted Flayn back, who was shaking her hand too rapidly.

Flayn had been more than willing to wear the teru teru bozu mascot. Although Seteth secretly thought it looked adorable, he simply didn’t approve of it.

After their first successful job, Flayn in her mascot told Seteth, “Onii-sama, won’t you lighten up?? You’ve finally cleared the sky for all the people! Isn’t that amazing???” “F-Finally? Flayn, how could you just forget the joy of just the two of us sharing our secret…” “Stupid brother! You’re the sunshine boy here, and sunshine boys should smile just like the sun! Look at Byleth-nee! She would make the perfect sunshine girl had she got your magic instead!!”

“Byleth?” Seteth wondered out loud and looked at the said-girl a few strides ahead of them, who was grinning ear-to-ear as she admired the sun. He tried to observe her enthusiasm like Flayn suggested. He ended up mindlessly gazing at the girl even when Flayn was already demanding for his attention.

When Byleth found out that Seteth enjoys writing, she suggested him to try working for J&A to earn extra cash. “Hm… I suppose I can give it a chance... Yes, this will make a great opportunity indeed.”

When Seteth visited Byleth’s place and found out that their intention and business were all a fraud, he backed out. “This is scam! I cannot feature my literary works in a shady manner such as this!” “WHAT THE FUCK!? YOU’LL CONSIDER PROSTITUTION, BUT YOU WON’T DO THIS!?!?!?” “…Uh. Language...”

During the firework festival, while Byleth hadn’t bother to fix her hair, Seteth smoothed his as well as tied a tiny pony. He almost frowned at her messy hair the first time he saw her, but held back when he saw the businessman standing beside her (i mean can u just imagine the beauty of him wearing a kimono while byleth in a formal suit omg im crying kjasdhjkhas--)

“Mr. Jeralt.” “Yeah, kid?” “If I am to give you a present, what will you ask for?” “Hmm.... Let’s be perfectly honestly: a good ‘ol beer is all I needed to remedy my past sins... Unless you can bring my wife from the dead, then *smiles sadly* I’d appreciate that.”

When someone on Yahoo!Answer suggested (jokingly) to gift Seteth a ring for his birthday, Byleth turned to Flayn for advice instead as they began walking home together while the love-strucked boys waved her good-bye. “Well, Mother told me that you shouldn’t limit your choices of gift just because your friend was born with the body they have. For example, even when society isn’t entirely ready to accept it, there are men who enjoy wearing dresses!” “.... OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH, SENPAIIIIII”

The next day, Byleth spent the entire day checking on every corner of the nearest mall to find the perfect ring, only to return empty-handed, exhausted, and bummed out. When an oblivious and excited Leonie shoved one of their old magazine copies (back when they could still afford printing their issues) on Byleth, she retreated to her room for the older girl to leave her alone.

Still tired, she flipped one of the pages and saw an article about a ring that can boost the wearer’s creativity and motivation to write many promising stories with the help of jewel’s powers. (aka, the ring in canon) Amused but resigned, Byleth shrugged and decided.

Byleth spent a much longer time looking for the tiny shop, which only had one branch, than looking for ring in the said-shop itself.

Meanwhile, police officers Solon and Thales had captured Kronya. Both are interrogating the criminal for what exactly happened when the missing girl, the one both officials were looking for, threatened to shoot Kronya.

Leonie nearly punched Byleth for accidentally staring at her chest again as the she struggled to sink in the information that Jeralt and Leonie are related and absolutely not 'lovers’.

Byleth lend her jacket (aka, her cloak in canon) to Seteth when he was nearly whisked away by the wind.

When the police were questioning the runaway kids, Seteth tried to ward them off with a slight glare all the while remaining polite. “Our family will continue to worry if we remain longer in the rain, so if you will please let us carry on...”

“Happy Birthday, Seteth!” “*inwardly: OH MY GOD IT’S A RING IT’S A RING HOLY SHIT DOES SHE ACTUALLY WANNA-- NO NON ON THAT CANNOT BE IT, THIS IS TOO SOON-*” “This ring is supposed to help you write good, boosts your creativity and all. Not that I believe it, nor care, but I hope you like it~” “.........................................................Oh.”

“I... *clears throat* Th-thank you. I-I appreciate it.” “What’s with that stupid look though? Did you really think it was a proposal? Seriously, no way. I doubt it... *lies down, stares at ceiling, blushes* Unless you wanna...” “W-W-WHAT!? NONSENSE!! AND EVEN IF IT IS, YOU AND I BOTH KNOW VERY WELL THAT WE ARE TOO YOUNG FOR- FOR THAT!!” “You don’t say, you old geezer ;)”

“But Byleth... What are you doing? Oh no. No, this cannot be. I was even fully prepared... But if you were to part me with a gift, I’m going to leave with regrets...” “Regrets? Leave? What’re you talking about?” “Don’t you understand!? Back when we were walking our way home and you saw my skin? Don’t you see- *shuffles for robe*” “OH MY GOD, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU PERVERT!?” “*reveals chest, skin magically distorted* I’M DYING!” “...Huh?”

Like her first days in Tokyo, Byleth didn’t speak the entire time when she and Flayn were caught and escorted to the police car. When Thales mentioned Seteth’s real age to Byleth (16), Byleth shouted, “SIXTEEN!?” much to the police’s shock since they thought the girl was mute or refused to ever speak.

“*inwardly: ... Seteth, you damn liar.*”

Flayn’s borrowed disguise from her male friends was a cap, hoodie and baggy pants. “Flayn, I thought he was your ex! What’s he doing here stealing you away from me?” “Ex? Stealing? Whatever do you mean; I thought you two are wonderful friends! And please hurry up!”

“I’D MAKE AN EXCELLENT SPEED COP!!” “... No, you won’t.” “I HEARD THAT!!”

Jeralt always compared Byleth to his own son due to how dangerously similar they looked and acted. He tried not to see her as a sort of child to him since the girl was not his son at all. However, Jeralt does end up acting like a father-figure to her, especially when he saw Thales pin her down as she repeatedly and desperately shouted her loved one’s name. Who knew that quiet kid had it in her to fall in love, just like Jeralt himself?

As Flayn ran towards Solon to pin him down, her cap flew away and her hood fell to reveal her long green hair. “It’s not your fault, Byleth-nee... Neither of us has foreseen this... But I will always trust you no matter what... SO PLEASE! BRING MY DEAR BROTHER BACK!!”

While Seteth did jump to reach for Byleth out of instinct (and love, coughcough), he tried to pry away from her as they fell no matter how much she desperately confesses her love for him. “The people would no longer have sunshine! Isn’t that what everybody wants, you included!? It’s why we even made that business! It’s best I leave this world for all of your sake!!”

In her fury, Byleth reached out to Seteth with more effort than ever all the while muttering, “Come here- Come here you stupid old geezer--” When they finally held hands, she slapped him hard.

“DON’T YOU GET IT, YOU DUMB IDIOT!? FLAYN AND I DID NOT GOT ARRESTED, NARROWLY ESCAPED, HAD TO BE RESCUED BY LEONIE, RAN ALL THE WAY TO THAT BLASTED BUILDING, ALMOST STOPPED BY JERALT, AND NEARLY GOT SHOT BY FOUR DAMN PEOPLE TO RESCUE YOU FOR NOTHING! SETETH, I LOVE YOU!”

“*giggles* You look gross when you cry.” “Shut it, Byleth. Seriously, at a time like this... Let’s... Let’s just go home.” “Yeah...”

When Byleth returned to Tokyo, she had her hair dyed into light green since she felt like it (and reminded her of someone dear to her).

Jeralt happily showed Byleth the photo of Flayn (who barely grew an inch), his son Byleth (who’s almost reaching Flayn’s height), and Leonie, (wearing a cop’s uniform imean they should have seriously made natsumi a speed cop too, jeezus).

When she and Seteth reunited, his first words to her (other than, “Byleth!”) were, “Your hair...” “*grins* I know what you’re thinking, it doesn’t suit me.” “No, not at all. *touches Byleth’s hair with the hand wearing the ring* You look beautiful.” “*tries to pout, but melts into a winder grin* Not before?” “You always have been.”

Yay, it’s done!! I’ve had this AU for a long time now actually, but only got to post it now that the movie’s out on the west!! Now watch me ignore this shit for the next years, rip

Again, every detail in the movie isn’t covered here since I haven’t seen their potential setleth au differences yet, but the overall plot remains the same! Note that I haven’t actually finished the other routes yet other than the beagle one, so there might be a lotta ooc stuff here. Maybe when I’m done with them all, ima get back to this and fix it and add some more.

As you can see, I made their dynamic more on the teasing side unlike hodaka&hina’s, mainly because i interpret byleth to be playfully sly and ofc seteth’s distrust on her on the start of the game. I personally enjoyed them to be a bickering old couple, so they’re like that xD

Honestly, i’m torn in between assigning rhea as either the two green peas’ mother or jeralt’s mother-in-law. the former for obvious reasons, the latter since rhea sorts of ‘hides’ away the little kid from jeralt like in canon, but for another reason.

As for the taki and mitsuha cameo, I feel like that would be a completely different thing, so I didn’t include them here. But for sometime now, I’ve been imagining them as ferdinand & dorothea, manuela being their okudera. but this au isn’t house biased (leonie’s there cause of jeralt), so i didn’t include them.

Huge thanks to my sister for helping me shape this au!! Actually half of these ideas belongs to her, even more perhaps. Hope I can link ya’ll to her accounts once she’s done fixing ‘em so ya’ll get see how much of a genius she is!! <3

I wanna make a manga/fanfic outta this one day, but for now, here’s the idea compilation of my setleth au nobody asked for!! Thank you for reading!! :D

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janiedean · 6 years ago

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I really, really love your metas! In "Why a Jaime/Brienne Endgame in the Books Makes More Sense Than One Might Think, Based on Previous Works of GRRM's" you wrote, that you have endless reasons to assume that both, J and B, will survive the whole series - can you please name some? Aside from this mentioned meta I've only read an explantion of the weirwood dream, which can be interpreted in both ways. Or can you link a good meta that explains other reasons? Thank you very much!

hey!

first of all thank you so much, glad that you appreciate my rants. ;) that said, sure I can go in-depth. in order (btw @ginmo has written also some excellent meta about this, just check on her blog), and also counting the weirwood dream which I’ve ranted on at length in that specific meta:

now, the first thing is how grrm strategically placed these two in the narrative, in the sense that:

brienne has spent her life being passed for a joke and she desperately wants for someone to see her worth as a person and she’d about kill herself for the people who manage to get as far as to gain her trust/love, jaime has spent his life loving people without getting much in return and with that trust being used/abused/thrown away and everyone taking it for granted... and we’re assuming they’re not set up to be together when as stated grrm has written them as romantic from the first moment?

(also, jaime’s entire first chapter in asos is basically ‘I find brienne attractive but since I never considered that I could be attracted to anyone but cersei I can’t understand I’m attracted to her so I’ll stare at her and think she’s ugly all along even if I really am attracted to her. brienne’s issues are also rooted in the fact that no one sees her as attractive. jaime does. hmmm?)

both of them start from a miserable situation from which they’re finding their own way up, not down - jaime is more obvious but brienne is too because she starts at the point where she’s so starved for recognition she would die for someone who just was nice to her but didn’t really gaf about her and now she’s... well, becoming a knight because sure af that is happening, I’m sticking with the theory that the knighting is book canon too -, and if they both end up miserable or one of them does it doesn’t work;

both of their chapters have heavy foreshadowing concerning possible marriage/having children/finding love - jaime wants to father his kids and at some point resents that other men are husbands and fathers but not him because he was always the warrior and he doesn’t say it happily, brienne is half-glad her first betrothed died because she thinks she’s not suited to typical feminine things/to fit into a woman’s role in society but she’s also sad at thinking she will never have children, these two are going to get together very soon, and I’m supposed to think they’re set up for failure? k but I can respectfully disagree;

also, this goes back to that meta I wrote in which I said that grrm does not do grim for grim’s sake and he’s actually way less cruel than it seems, likes a good love story and has more than once finished his other books with satisfying resolutions to that kind of storyline, but adding to that: in comparison to whatever calvinist crap message hbo wanted to send, I have to inform y’all that grrm is a currently agnostic lapsed catholic and it’s exceedingly clear in the way he explores/deals with redemptive themes.

now, let me break the jb narrative for a moment to inform you of a few things that as an atheist born and raised in a 99% catholic country whose literature’s funding works are heavily based on catholic themes/on stories rooted in catholicism:

the ‘you need to die to be redeemed’ narrative is 100% bullshit according to catholic morals and on top of that it’s opened to anyone at any time;

like, the basic distinction between catholic and calvinist approaches to the topic (and I can’t believe I’m defending catholicism but nvm that) is that calvinism preys on a narrative where your negative qualities define you and you cannot escape them (which is because calvinism accepts predestination ie the idea that seeing your lot in life you can deduce if you’ll go to heaven or hell, so if you’re poor/unsuccessful/you committed mistakes/a crime and so on you’re not redeemable and it’s proof you’re damned) and that meant that in societies with calvinist background the death = redemption narrative is extremely popular because it’s seen as ‘hey this person is wretched and they suck so they couldn’t have lived anyway and they did something good with it for once and it’s the best they could hope for’. catholicism, at the contrary, works on the basis that as we all have free will we can change for the better and if you repent for your sins/past wrongdoings/mistakes then that’s enough to be redeemed and if you do it on your deathbed.... you can still go to heaven, you’ll just have to atone for your wrongdoings (that’s the entire point of purgatory’s existence ie making people who repented near death or too late to gain heaven atone for their sins before they can enter heaven). and the moment you repent then you’re free to start your new life and do better and gain your place in heaven, which you’ll obtain in virtue of having turned a new leaf;

(again: not to be that person, but in luke’s gospel one of the two thieves crucified with him is like ‘can you save us since you’re the son of god’, the other thief is like ‘please he has done nothing and we have sinned we don’t deserve to be saved just please remember us when you go back to your father’ and jesus tells the second thief I won’t need to remember you because you’ll sit at my right. also, in dante’s divine comedy there’s a guy who had been excommunicated in the middle ages waiting to get into purgatory for having repented on his deathbed and in manzoni’s the betrothed ie italy’s funding novel the character who’s objectively better written is a dude so heinous for his crimes that he’s called THE UNNAMED and the moment this guy gets doubts and wonders if there’s any hope for him left the local arcibishop leaves everything saying that the moment someone like that is in need then they’re more important than his own parish, goes to receive unnamed guy, tells him that just wanting to be better is enough as far as god is concerned and he’s saved as far as he cares. like, as much as catholicism sucks for the entire rest of it and for how much the catholic church is the worst ideologically the fact that everyone can be redeemed is the basic staple of the entire thing.)

now, given the ^^^, this is where I tell you that most lapsed catholics/people who left catholicism for whichever reasons usually grew up catholic and if you grow up catholic you spend your first twelve years in church at least and if your parents/people around you are also catholic you will absorb it, good and bad, so if grrm grew up catholic, he grew up with that background. (I could again rant for hours about how atheist writers who grew up catholic differ from atheist writers who grew up protestant/calvinist because if you compare grrm and idk kurt vonnegut it’s glaring but this isn’t the place for it so nvm let’s go on)

now that I’ve told you this, I’ll get back to jaime and brienne’s canon survival chances. I needed to tell you that because...

all of the stories with redemptive themes in asoiaf (jaime, theon, sandor, whoever) are not by nature calvinist. whatever d&d think or hbo thought, none of them are written in a way where death is their best option/their only way to achieve redemption/to finish their story with dignity. theon has gone through hell and back and left and regained his sense of identity, he’s not built to die now, sandor has freaking gone to rehab and I’m 100% sure he survives the series and gets closure, while jaime is exactly a poster child for the above stuff I described. like, jaime is someone who’s fundamentally good who had the misfortune to spend his entire life jumping in different kinds of abusive situation one to the other (tywin’s parentage in general, his relationship with cersei throughout at least from the moment they were *experimenting* and like hell I’m going back on that sorry not sorry, guarding aerys, being with cersei at *her* terms and being forced to relieve his trauma all over and not having his needs met etc., tywin potentially ruining his only healthy relationship [with tyrion] and so on) who in turn has done exceedingly bad things/taken bad decision/committed heinous deeds that he regrets having done out of his bad reaction to all of that, not treating his ptsd and basically deciding to stop giving a fuck and embrace being the horrid person everyone thinks he is... until he meets brienne, remembers who he wanted to be because she’s posing an example of it and decides on his own to try and be better, which is... exactly... the entire fucking point. the moment he decides to try and be better and reclaims his dreams/the person he wanted to be/tries to do good he has automatically achieved a narrative status where he chose to be better and therefore the narrative is giving him a chance to be that, and usually those stories are meant to.... have the message that you can be better than the bad things you did and you can turn back the page at any point. like. jaime is written to show you that it’s not too late to get your shit together and not letting others/your surroundings define who you are;

on the other side, brienne is presented as extremely sympathetic from the beginning. also, grrm is very good at describing how shitty is your life if you grow up a woman who is not standard attractive, that everyone laughs at and who has endless insecurities for it.... and she’s the paragon of knighthood/everything good about chivalry in the goddamned series. brienne is legit one of the best people in these books and it’s not because I stan her - she’s kind, she’s just, she’s brave she’s everything a knight should be, she’s willing to change her mind when she misjudged people, she’s forgiving and life threw her crap all along and she’s still persevering from it. brienne is written in a frankly painfully objective way to eventually succeed at what she wants. if in affc she’s crying because she feels like she’s too much of a freak to be her father’s heir and she’s not woman or man enough for anything, the entire narrative point is that she has to succeed at both being a knight and a lady otherwise grrm can’t plant hints and believe me he can;

this means that jaime is headed on a redemptive path which in that kind of story when written by catholics or former catholics never ends up badly (also, aside: redemption is good for everyone and it can’t be just ONE character having it, you don’t buy it at the supermarket, so saying that if jaime has it then tyrion or theon or sandor or whoever can’t have it is just poor reading, people change all the time irl and in narrative you aren’t obligated to redeem one and kill everyone else) or in death, brienne has been written to succeed in her endeavors after she suffers a shitton and I think stoneheart has to be the worst and the end of it (in the sense that after that situation is resolved the way for her is down, not up). which if I do the math and we have stated they’re headed for romance, means the both of them should have a chance at a future together;

also, I can go and tell you that their asos road trip ending with harrenhal is bursting with symbolism that includes death and rebirth - not going into the weirwood dream and sticking to the basics... guys, jaime starts as a prisoner, then ends up losing a part of herself he thinks define him but in truth only defines what he thinks he is (and he’s not ie cersei’s double, the kingslayer, the person who has to drive himself crazy to protect everyone else), then ends up almost dying and sitting in the middle of his own filth for the entirety of the trip (and even then he does good things ie saving brienne from being raped *cough*) and then ends up in a scalding hot bath where he confesses his most well-kept secret and source of 50% of his trauma to someone he trusts regardless of how much he likes it or not, faints and then wakes up again when everyone thinks he might be dead. symbolically, I think it speaks for itself. thing is, during the entire thing *brienne* is there alongside him and while she’s also getting her own share of trauma/ptsd (I mean brienne has totally bloody mummers related ptsd and I’ll die on that hill) she physically is the reason he survives it - she cleans him up, she gives him enough pep talks to convince him to live, she hears his confession, she changes her mind about him for it (but imvho she had after he saved her from being raped because that’s where she calls him ser for the first time) and she catches him in the bath when he faints which is.... fairly symbolic in itself, and she is the one who puts him back on his feet after. like, while jaime’s choices after are all his own, his symbolic journey through his own physical/mental filth he has to go through during asos succeeds because she helped him even if she didn’t know she was doing it, and like... guys, there’s a reason why in the weirwood dream the brienne in jaime’s head which he has conjured and who is basically what jaime sees brienne as in that moment, not necessarily the real one..... keeps on telling him all the time she’ll keep him safe/protect him and she basically tells that to anyone he feels threatened by (or his subconscious feels threatened by), and as stated before, jaime lannister has never, until that point, assumed that *he* would be in the position where someone else gives a shit about him to the point where they will defend him rather than in the position where *he* is the person that has to protect everyone else regardless of how much appreciation he gets in return. like, excuse me but if I was writing my own book I wouldn’t put this much work and care and this symbolism in these two’s history if I meant to kill one of them off or to not have them be happy in the end.

like, the point is: grrm is an extremely meticulous writer with an astonishing attention to detail and who put in book two shit that made extra sense when reading book FIVE, see theon saying he wouldn’t go to his death wearing dirty clothing in acok which makes you go like ‘....... why’ the moment you read his adwd chapters. no one, unless they have a penchant for sadism, would put that much work with those themes in that specific kind of story if then it doesn’t deliver. or, in different words, using a character I love as well so no one can accuse me of being impartial: when grrm put the same kind of work in catelyn’s chapters from got to asos and then you read them knowing about lady stoneheart and the red wedding, it’s obvious that he built her up for being an extremely tragic character and that she was destined to die regardless of all her efforts to save her family (same for robb but we’re talking pov characters). but catelyn’s storyline doesn’t have redemptive themes. it’s about regret, loss, loving your children but being imperfect/not being able to be there for them, and so on. catelyn’s storyline never promises you a happy ending from the moment ned dies and probably even before then. catelyn’s storyline promises you endless suffering and that’s fine because that’s her point in the narrative.

on the contrary, brienne’s tells you ‘hey there’s this girl who has had it like shit all her life without deserving it and whose worth no one sees because she’s ugly and who at the same time is actually a genuinely good person who’s trying her best and okay, she’s gonna suffer but she’ll come out on top while getting what she wants which is recognition as both a lady and a knight’ and given that brienne is also an extremely rare rep (say what you want, cishet unattractive women with her issues and her backstory are basically only less rare than unicorns in media) that I’m 100% sure grrm knows speaks to a lot of people (because he writes her too well to not know), if brienne doesn’t get that after all that shit, the narrative would not deliver on a fairly huge promise.

even worse, jaime’s tells you ‘hey there’s this guy who has been an abuse victim to at least three different people who doesn’t even realize it and whose life is so fucked up you’d need fifteen psychology textbooks to even start grasping it and that everyone sees as the worst person ever and who has ended up believing he is out of not managing his trauma well and hey look at him going through an insane amount of extra suffering but coming out of it wanting to be better and sort of succeeding and hey he has setbacks but he’s starting to see himself as his own person and he’s out of his #1 worst abusive relationship and he can decide what to do with his life now and you should root for him’, which means that if he dies or worst of all dies like in the show (but that’s not happening) the narrative doesn’t deliver on a huge promise and gives you the message that you can’t escape your mistakes and the abuse you received...... which is not the message grrm likes/wants to pass. like, I’ll die on that damned hill.

and to finish it, that was for them as single characters, but going back to the beginning: love is a fundamental part of both their storylines. as I said in the beginning, brienne suffered because she wasn’t loved enough and would die for anyone she loves herself without even expecting anything in return because she thinks no one will love her like that, jaime suffered because he loved too much without getting anything in return (or better, getting cersei’s abusive crap for his entire life) and he turned it into something toxic that’s not what he thinks it should be (he sees his and c’s relationship as the best thing ever where they’re soulmates because she sold him that narrative, but that’s not the kind of rship where you *turn your partner’s blows into kisses* which is actual text). at this point, the narrative is telling you ‘oh hey here’s two damaged people who actually would be very good together because their personalities match in that sense [as in, brienne would thrive with someone who loves her that much openly and finds her attractive and respects her for all that she is and jaime would thrive with someone who would appreciate that tenfold and who’d love him back just as much and who’d die for him - canon! -, and it wouldn’t be the kind of rship where anyone’s blows turn into kisses unless they were friendly sparring before] and oh hey look at that they’re in a storyline where they both influence each other greatly and oh wait he’s attracted to her and she thinks he looks like half a god and she’d die for him and he was willing to get mauled by a bear for her and they’re obviously meant to hook up’, which automatically promises a resolution where they both get what they want or you basically spent all your time rooting for it.... for nothing. which would not give anyone reading it satisfaction unless you hate jb that much, but I’m 100% sure that most people reading asoiaf casually would not hate it that much and grrm likes that trope that much to not deliver on it.

so, tldr: if one of them dies or if they aren’t endgame with a reasonable happy-ish ending for the both of them, the entire narrative fails to deliver on the promises of their individual storylines and their shared one, and there’s nothing in grrm’s writing that suggests that he would not deliver on it. I mean, if it was stephen king I’d hold my breath because I love steve but imvho his endings suck 85% of the time and he manages to do 180° turnarounds that have no sense whatsoever, but it’s grrm, not stephen king, and everything of his I’ve read that actually had an ending ended in a way that was coherent with the overall storyline and maintained its promises, so here, the above is pretty much the summary. hopefully I haven’t exhausted you. ;)

#jaime x brienne #jaime lannister #brienne of tarth #valyrianscrolls #asoiaf meta #janie writes meta #sorry for the lack of quotes but I'm on limited internet and I wrote this offline ops #long post for ts #abuse cw #anti-lannincest #anti-jaime x cersei #Anonymous #ask post

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cannottranslate · 5 years ago

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ToG-Tarot Questionnaire Response 05

Hello @cuefog! Under the cut is a comprehensive reaction to your responses, just for the heck of it. Don’t worry about responding to it. I’m glad you had fun but it sucks that you had to redo it >_< THANK YOU FOR ADDING THE QUESTIONS BTW lol

“The Fool: i started with the anime, the first episode was just alright but the second episode started to really hook me in!! i always thought the episodes ended too fast and i was always excited for the next one”

Yoooo me too, I was dubious on the first one but then second came and I was just welp. That’s it, I’m done for.

“The Empress: khun (…sry, i meant yuri)”

No no you’re right, nothing to be sorry for.

“The Hierophant: khu”

No no, you’re right again. xD

“The chariot: bam vs data zahard/jahad!! that battle was thematically gorgeous imo, zahard had that whole solar system thing with his powers, and bam starts pulling out his own 25th bam style shinsu moves (im so proud of him!!!!!!) with the whole night and endless sky theme, with his red-blue demon horns and his wings,,,,, like damn i was so starstruck bam my dear boy you are beAUTIFUL \(*o*)/”

Okay but that whole battle, I think, was a HUGE turning point for Bam’s increase in abilities. The fact that we went from earthen-bound power titles to CELESTIAL ONES just upped the ante.

“Strength: bam!! obviously he is strong in terms of combat ability but mostly i think about this in terms of,, strength of character? the external pressures in bam’s life are very heavy but he’s not the type to run away, and he really does manage to stay “himself” even as he changes and grows. i think that’s incredibly strong and inspiring of him, i could never do that :’)”

I’m sure Bam never thought he could do it either. The thing is, he was forced to. He never had a choice. If you don’t have a choice, maybe you’d surprise yourself with how you grow as a person. ^^

“The Hermit: and also i find myself emotionally aligned with khun very often? when i’m worried about bam he’s also worried about bam, when he’s angry for bam i’m also angry, etc. when something concerning happens to bam im reassured many times because i know khun will take care of bam for me :’) i don’t know if you can call that relating to khun though lmao i think lots of people probably feel the same”

OHHHH GOOD POINT. Khun reflects all of our feelings about Bam. Huh, that’s a good thing to reflect on.

“Justice: and idk if it’s just me but i haven’t been able to stop seeing it since rachel talked about fate or being a heroine or whatever. bam really does feel like a “chosen one”. the plot just keeps building up and moving forward, and things keep coming together, whether bam wants it to or not. it feels like something inevitable, like “fate” (i think siu does a good job of making rachel seem like bam’s opposite, it feels like shes not really supposed to be part of the bigger plot?)”

SIU is AMAZING at foreshadowing stuff like this. He has a way of--even if he never quite thought of it before--making it seem like all of this was meant to happen in some way. Yes, no one tied to the tower meant for Rachel to be part of the story, but her presence was supposed to be from the very beginning, simply because SIU willed it.

Thank you for this point, it was enjoyable to read it. xD

“The Tower: idk i sort of fell into it slowly. i knew the manhwa was really long so i didn’t really wanna read it but then i started exposing myself to spoilers and i just couldn’t resist anymore so i started devouring the chapters in huge chunks. it was mostly hearing about khun’s devotion to bam that made me really want to see it for myself in the manhwa”

I love that your love for ToG was slowburn rather than love at first sight. :3 The fact that you stuck it out is admirable and shows that there’s tidbits that made it worth sticking with ToG, until the irresistible temptation turned into genuine adoration. AND I’M GLAD YOU STUCK IT OUT!!!

“The sun: idk im not very good at “predictions” so i just think of “possibilities” instead,,, like maybe the 10 great families will have some sort of split again? that would be interesting to see i guess? also maybe siu will explore yura and rachel’s relationship more (some sort of conflict? idk) because what is yura even thinking rn i have no idea”

Oh you and me both, fam. I really wanna know what the heck is going through Yura’s mind. She obviously admires Rachel, but now she’s seen the worst that she doesn’t agree with. Not the murderous part that Yura wanted to join in, but the severe self-hatred Rachel holds. SIU. C’MON, IT’S KILLING ME.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHT-PROVOKING ANSWERS!!

#personal #cuefog

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sincerelytruly · 6 years ago

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Reasons for Why I Believe Obiyuki could be the “Romance that Cuts through Fate” referenced in the Manga:

In college, I took two amazing courses--scratch that I took one amazing course and one semi-disappointing sub-par course--Fairytales and Graphic Narratives, respectively. And until right this very minute, I believed them to be an utterly, though fascinating, waste of my time and tuition though they made me smile. Okay, it was college so they didn’t always make me smile because finals are the worst but I digress the point I am trying to make is this:

I HAVE AN EPIPHANY CONCERNING MY BELOVED SHIP OBIYUKI DUE TO MY TEACHINGS!!

So, first and foremost the birth of my epiphany came from thinking back to my class on Fairytales when we studied Snow White! (Graphic Narratives didn’t really teach me much other than how to think more critically about...Graphic Narratives, so I guess it really doesn’t deserve any cred for this post TBH, lol.)

But like I said we studied Snow White.

Not this one:

Or whatever this one was supposed to be (sorry not sorry):

But, the original one. There are two versions (maybe there are more but I forgot them if there are) of the Grimm’s version of Snow White. In the very most original version, everything pretty much happens as we all remember it minus the singing: Snow White makes Queen step-trash jealous by her beauty, Queen step-trash tries to have her killed, due to her amazing beauty Hunstman is a wuss and lets her live because he’s weak to a beautiful damsel, Snow White plays Goldilocks and breaks into a dwarven settlement, the dwarves also wuss out and take pity on her because she is pretty and can cook/clean for them, then step-trash gets angry realizing she is, in fact, alive and goes out to kill her herself. Now, this is where everything diverges from what we know. In the original version step-trash has to try several times to kill her. Once with a bodice/corset torture device that basically suffocates her until the dwarves get home and cut her out of it, twice with an evil hair comb that kills her until the dwarves pull it out of her hair, and then thrice with the age-old apple trick. The poisoned magic apple gets lodged in her throat and she becomes a stone statue for all intents and purposes, so what do the dwarves do? What any logical group of men would do with a beautiful woman who isn’t decaying but still dead in their eyes, lock her in a gorgeous crystal casket so that they can still gaze upon her beauty on the daily! From here on there are two different endings to the Snow White saga. The very, very, first one published states that the Prince comes along says, “ooooooooh pretty, let me take her home with me and put her on display” and sits around gazing at her all the time until someone in the castle gets pissed off and hits Snow White’s corpse which dislodges the apple finally and wakes her up. What an awkward way to wake up yeah? And then the poor girl gets married to the Prince--ta-da! The second version makes it a lot better ending for poor Snow White. Someone trips while hauling the casket to the palace and dislodges the apple and then the Prince sweeps Snow White off her feet and yay happy ending they get married and now the Prince doesn’t seem as creepy just staring at a dead person all day long pissing off his staff.

(Whooo that was a lot of background info, sorry, and also I know that I could also do a huge comparison post on the tales of Snow White versus our Shirayuki tale, but that is for another day!!!)

Depending on what you want to go with there are so many ways you can analyze the story of Snow White--all of them, old, less old, new, even our beloved Shirayuki’s story--but one of the things that stick out in my mind is how in every single version of Snow White she is always a trophy of some sort. The Prince is always going to get his trophy wife in the end. Even in Shirayuki’s case, if she does end up with Zen (which I’ll die if she does) she will be nothing but a trophy wife. Even though Zen is precious and certainly not a bad guy by any means, he is a Prince, therefore their relationship will not be the same as normal couples have. She won’t be allowed to be an Herbalist and tend to the sick who may infect her and kill her before she can provide an heir. And poor Zen will still be stuck behind a pile of paperwork and responsibility to his Kingdom that he dearly loves.

But, hey who knows, maybe Sorata will go against the entire universe she has built in her storytelling and let Shirayuki be wild and free and a Prince’s wife...

I think this is where “A Romance that Cuts through Fate” comes in to play. Hopefully, if you’ve made it this far in my post (bless you if you have) you’re thinking what I’m thinking. Or maybe you’re thinking I’m a lunatic.

ANYWHO, IF EVERY SINGLE SNOW WHITE ENDS UP WITH THE PRINCE THEN REALLY HOW IS ZENYUKI A ROMANCE THAT CUTS THROUGH FATE?

It's not. It absolutely is not a story of a romance that cuts through fate. In fact, there are far too many stories out there where a beautiful, nice, happy, girl gets with a Prince way beyond her social status for this to be something un-fateful. Or unheard of or whatever. Every fairytale and most romantic comedies out in the world follow the same old rhyme.

Which is why I am proposing that Obiyuki is the endgame for real.

***WARNING IF YOU’RE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH THE MANGA AND DON’T WANT SPOILED THEN YOU PROBS DON’T WANT TO READ ANY FURTHER!!!***

I feel as though since the moment Obi and Shirayuki were separated by the Bergat house situation, Shirayuki has been more aware of what Obi means to her.

Look at her reaction and even Obi says later on:

That she seemed to be concerned even for him. Now don’t get me wrong I am completely aware that Shirayuki has been plenty concerned for Obi in a platonic sort of way! I’m not a completely foolish fangirl here.

But then that happens. That is something new with Shirayuki. Never is she shown to react that way about what anyone says. Sure she blushes over her lovey-dovey stuff with Zen all the time, but that is something else.

And then that is too. She sees Obi’s reaction--possibly the first time she’s seen him this way (or at least I can’t remember another time) and there’s a look on her face that says, was he being serious maybe? YES SHIRAYUKI HE WAS DAMMIT IN HIS PLAYFUL STUPID BOY WAY YES.

And then this happens--look at that face--I don’t need to say a damn thing on that one. I mean I know she doesn’t love-love him yet (or maybe she does but doesn’t know it) but this is definitely progress, right?

And then the boys get in a tie showing off their masculinity--which I feel really does foreshadow their inevitable head-to-head. I mean ever since the festival with the play of the Knight fighting the Prince for the Princess, I’ve felt that way, but then there is their slight competition for her attention all the time and this arm wrestling and even the fight they had when Obi wanted to be her bodyguard!

These faces, well, I feel as though she is kind of realizing Obi’s worth. I don’t know how else to put it. She is obviously affected by Obi’s marriage meeting and later on when Obi is saying how he is rejecting people even though he knows he attracts people, her face is so loving! Of course that may just be because her friends are there and she is about to pledge her loyalty to everyone or whatever, but I’d like to think it still has a bit to do with what Obi is saying as his statement that he was with her during the dinner party, therefore not flirting with other girls, is in the same panel as the face she is making. Hopefully, that makes sense.

This was a big moment because again I feel as though this is foreshadowing, why else would the author do this?

Then I noticed that Shirayuki starts noticing Obi! Above she notices how his eyes have rounded recently, which to my understanding is an idea that a person is happier. (Idk my Dad has a book on Oriental health practices and whatnot and it talks about eye shape in it and basically how its a window to the state of your being/soul/chi, etc. so this is why I believe this I may be completely off base but the context seems to suggest I’m right!) However, on a side note on Obi’s part I think he is going through the motions of accepting that his fate when it comes to Shirayuki when he says, “I’m seeing more clearly.”

This looks like some flirtation to me on Shirayuki’s part, but also I find it an interesting conversation especially since in the next chapter (below panels) she talks about how she needs to be able to speak about how she wants to live in the future. And also, I feel as though the author loves giving us these panels where they’re reaching for each other but not quite willing or able to touch one another yet, its sweet torture isn’t it?

The panels above show again how she has finally taken notice of Obi and thanked him for all he has done for her. I know it’s not a declaration of love, and she probably plans on talking to Izana about living her future with Zen, but I think this is a step in the right direction because in what world is this conversation with Izana going to go well? I mean, Izana, though I believe he likes Shirayuki, is not going to change the rules for her as it comes to the Royal family. So, I think we may soon see some development in Shirayuki’s relationships with both Zen and Obi. I tend to think that she has really put some thought into how she wants to live her life now, and I also think that she is strong enough of a person now to reject anything other than what she deserves.

I also find it interesting how Obi keeps his cool when Shirayuki compliments him on his looks and then awkwardly says:

What does interesting mean, Obi?!

But anyway, that brings us up to date with the manga and my reasons for believing that the “Romance that Cuts through Fate” applies to Obiyuki NOT Zenyuki. I hope I was able to coherently share my thoughts and feelings on this and not completely bore whoever may have been strong enough to make it to the end of my rambles.

#obiyuki #obi and shirayuki #obi x shirayuki #shirayuki and obi #shirayukixobi #my OTP

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violetnuisance · 6 years ago

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WDHTD Analysis

You know the analysis papers your English professors make you do? Yeah, I did one at nearly 2 am on a fanfiction. Here we go.

It’s currently 1:54 am on Tuesday, July 2, in my lightless bedroom as my right thumb is furiously tapping on my phone’s digital keyboard. Why am I up? Beats the heck out of me; I should’ve gone to sleep hours ago. But one thing is for certain-I just finished @ironiclittlebaby ‘s fic, We Don’t Have To Dance, and I have emotions, so enjoy this little unedited fic analysis.

A preface: A few months ago, I tried my best to read WDHTD, and had only succeeded in reading the first 7 chapters because I was unconditionally bawling my eyes out. At the time, my mental state wasn’t the best, and this fic seemed too cruel to be good, so I left it. However, today was the day I decided to give it another chance since I’m better mentally, and boy am I glad I did.

Now on to the real shiz:

I’m not going to stick to a TPCASTT format for this. It is way too late, and I am way to hyper. Therefore, this might just me be babbling versus an actual analysis but who cares.

1. What is the writer doing?

Blue has created a band au in the sally face universe that has taken the fandom by storm to be perfectly honest. They’re creating an angsty fic that resolves into a happy ending at its very core. But what is actually happening behind the lines?

A reoccurring trait in a lot of fics from any fandom is the usage of pornographic material, because, hey, sex sells. By just adding the singular tag ‘smut,’ you are enthralling one side of an audience. They will be willing to read the fic each and every update for the chance of a sex scene. And, the fact that WDHTD opens up with one, reassures the readers that yes, sex is in here, and will probably be in here more than once. It’s a format a lot of authors go to.

Blue is also keeping the reader in the dark. Why did Larry leave Sal? You have to read the first 10 chapters to just find out the answer to that one question, which also happens to be the main plot point. Humans are curious creatures, and we’re going to keep reading to find out an answer if the story isn’t too terribly off putting no matter what.

However, this blindness also gives the reader the time to feel Sal’s anguish, brew their hatred for Larry, and in general, just feel sorrow at the whole situation. Only to have all these conflicting emotions ripped from you when Larry admits, while puking his guts out, his reasons for leaving. This moment is positively pivotal, and the author needs to sell that this character-you-thought-was-bad-is-actually-a-sweetheart in order for the rest of the story to fill the reader with more raw emotion and give them the prime reading experience. For the most part, I’d say Blue succeeds in this, but we will cover this point more in the second part of the analysis.

The author here is using a buttload of foreshadowing. I dare one of Yawll to tell me in my inbox that you didn’t know Larry was going to OD. We all knew it, we really did, we were just praying that it wouldn’t happen. But with every little incident, Like Travis revealing Larry relapsing could kill him as ScreamFest neared, it creates an incredible sense of dread that leaves the reader on the edge of their seat. It’s like a thriller almost (not really, but indulge me here), and it makes you unable to close Ao3.

The author is also using research. They are knowledgeable about binding contracts, drug usage, and medical conditions. We’ll discuss why this matters in the third point of this analysis.

2. What is the effect of that writing on a reader?

I heavily addressed a lot of this question in the first point, but there’s one thing I want to talk about here. Let’s discuss why it’s very important for the author to convince the reader that Larry Johnson is a sweetheart who was forced to leave his fiancée and not a total jerk who had a choice.

Even when the reader doesn’t know why Larry left Sal, it’s foreshadowed that he still has feelings for the bluenet. Let’s take a moment that happened right after my favorite scene when Larry is about to tell Sal something but is cut off by the screams of rabid fangirls. The whole moment, the whole scene, had been tender. Deep down, the reader is faintly aware that something is up, that this hatred can’t be as searing as it is portrayed. The reader is still wary of Johnson as they should be, but they’re also suspicious that there’s more than meets the eye because Larry’s acting a little lovesick. This helps soften the reader’s attitude towards him before the big reveal.

Then, we get to the turning point. The reason for Larry leaving is out, and all the readers are scurrying off their beds to get tissues. The reader has a very crucial internal fight here:

A) Forgive Larry Johnson (99% of the readers choice) or

B) Do Not Forgive Larry Johnson (like me because I’m a stupid hardass)

For the rest of WDHTD to hit the reader as it is intended, the reader must choose option A in that moment. There’s very little turnover time for any B choosers because Sal accepts Larry back at an alarming rate. So, in most cases, I’d say whatever choice your mind goes to in that instant dictates the reading experience you’re going to have.

In most cases, I’d say Ironiclittlebaby does this perfectly, plays the readers right into their hands, so let’s focus on why they set up this game of “Hey, he’s not a bad guy like you thought he was.”

For one, it makes the reader more vulnerable. It almost feels like you’ve been in Sal’s shoes-everything you thought was true has been erased. Like Sal, the reader’s going to be exposed. When Larry starts showing affection towards Sal, the reader is going to jump on that but also be worried. Because, hey, the truth was reversed once, so the same thing could happen again, right? As well as Sal’s, this strategy makes Larry gain the reader’s trust, making his downfall that more heart shattering.

It also gives the reader a rush of euphoria. It feels like you’ve just climbed a mountain. “Hey, I’ve conquered the angsty slopes, and now I can see the fluff filled valleys below!” This wistful mindset settles in to most fic readers heads, and they’re just so happy for the turnaround. Which also makes the new angst even worse.

Now, why would it be bad if the readers chose option B?

If you chose Option A, go ahead and close your eyes with me. Imagine rereading every one of the 27 published chapters but instead of rooting for LarryFace, you can’t help but feel this disgust for Larry. If you thought he had a choice when leaving Sal, then your mind probably cheered when it was introduced that Travis had a crush on Sal. You probably hoped, even though you knew it wouldn’t work out, that Salvis would become the new ship. If you were constantly rooting for Travis and maybe even felt disappointment when Sal chose Larry, Larry’s demise will not hit you the same. There will be thoughts like ‘he deserved this’ that destroy what the author intended to make you feel. Instead of sadness, your gut is left feeling what every fic author fears that their readers will feel: indifference.

But hey, I’d say that Blue pulls off their intended effect super well. I’d say the obsession the fandom has over this fic really shows that they crafted the trick well.

3. Why does that matter?

First, let’s talk about why research matters.

Most fic readers aren’t going to be very knowledgeable about certain things, so authors can really gloss over topics most of the time. However, there’s always that one group of readers that are knowledgeable about the topic at hand, and having complete bullshit in your story could really turn them away. I’d also like to say that having thoroughly researched your topics just really shows to any reader. We might not know the specifics of the topic, but it warns our heart that the author cared enough to put some time in the fic besides just writing.

Secondly and lastly, why does making the reader sad matter?

I’m going to keep this short and sweet because I can hear dogs barking outside, and it’s time for me to sleep.

When the readers has lows, it makes the high that much sweeter. A fic full of straight fluff gets boring after awhile; there has to be some sort of conflict to make a story interesting. And all this angst is going to make the happy ending of We Don’t Have To Dance just that much more tear jerking.

Not part of the analysis, but I just want to point out that Blue’s writing improves so god damn much as the chapters progress. Like, my breath was taken away by their striking style by chapter 27. They’re going places, and I’m excited to watch.

I’d also like to say it is a devastatingly beautiful piece of work, and personal opinion, it kind of sucks that most fans just dote on the sexual side of it. It’s so much more than just another smut fic.

Alright, thank you for listening to me rant. It’s time to log off and go practice my own writing by working on my fics.

#feel free to reblog #wdhtd #we dont have to dance #sally face #larry johnson #sally face fanfiction #salarry #sal fisher #sally fisher #sally face fanfic #larisher #sal x larry #travis phelps #celery #ironiclittlebaby

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mugen-monogatari · 6 years ago

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Star Watching Dog - Tragedy and Love through the eyes of a pet.

The opening pages of Hoshi Mamoru Inu sets the tone for the very short series straight away. We’re greeted with a gorgeous art work of a broken down car in a field, while investigators state that within the car, the corpse of a man, dead for a year, and the corpse of a dog, dead for several months, have been found. We’re told straight away the fate of our two main characters, “Happy” the dog, and “Dad”. This isn’t a spoiler, this is the opening scene of the series, what we start with and finish with. You’re told up front, this isn’t going to be a happy ending.

And yet, what I find so strange about this, is that this isn’t sad. This isn’t death in the tragic sense. The artwork is gorgeous and clean. The field is beautiful and the car has faded, worn down by the time it has spent in the field. Much like the memory of our protagonists over the course of the series.

For those of you that haven’t read it, Hoshi Mamoru Inu (Star Watching Dog) is a really amazing short story, that literally everyone should go read. Being a pet owner myself, there were multiple scenes that had me sobbing like a child, and even recounting the story to my girlfriend later that day, I began sobbing uncontrollably in front of her again. This story just hits you with all the feels in all the right ways. When you’re finished, despite being a very digestible 6 chapters, you’ll feel like you’ve been on a journey.

To give a brief plot summary, we follow “Happy” the dog and his owner, simply referred to as Dad. The story begins with Dad getting a divorce and setting out on a cross country road trip to the south, taking whatever belongings he has and Happy, before setting out in his little car. From there, they face hardship after hardship, before reaching the conclusion of their already foretold deaths.

So let's talk about why I loved it so much. Why did a simple story about a man and his dog, hit me so damn hard, and why am I suddenly raving about it on Tumblr?

Well first of all, there’s no pissing about. We’re told straight away, both of our main characters are going to die. We don’t know how or why. Just that they have died somehow. The premise is set up very simply, and we’re told within seconds “Hey. It’s going to be this type of story.” I love this honestly. Knowing how the story will end is all the more tragic, since it makes the journey all the more heartbreaking. Seeing the good times is a lot harder when you know everything will end up poorly for everyone.

And the series pulls it off so well. SO WELL.

Watching these two set out on their optimistic journey was nice, but there was always this ever growing fear, that the events shown in the first pages will come about. It’s less of a question of “will things be okay?”, and more of a “When do they go awfully wrong?” Which is it’s own kind of suspense. When the tragedy does strike, it’s set up well enough to where it’s still powerful, heartbreaking and tragic, but not BS. The author doesn’t pull a fast one on us, and especially reading it a second time, the signs are all there, to the point where it actually goes in the opposite direction, and the author literally flags you down and tells you everything will go wrong and how.

The story handles this well. There isn’t an incredibly deep meaning to be had here. It’s not quite the sort of story where you can break it down, it’s just a story about a man, his dog, their bond and the people they affect on their way through life. It’s very tragic, but sweet and uplifting. If I had to find a message in the story, it’s just one of, treat your pets well. Treat your family well. Make sure to show love to the things that are precious to you, because you won’t have them forever. Which I’ll come back to in the end.

And while I could probably gush about this series for hours, for the sake of Brevity, I’ll just talk about my two favorite aspects of the series. The first is perspective, while the second is how the story handles all the characters that are affected by the life of Happy and Dad.

First of all, the series plays a lot with perspective. For the first half while our characters are alive, we follow Happy, and see the world through his eyes. From his adoption to death, we watch the world as he sees it. Which is interesting as he doesn’t understand a lot of things that we would. He monologues internally like a young child, and he doesn’t get the horrors of the world. He’s optimistic about everything, which makes it even more heart wrenching when things go wrong.

To elaborate, I’m going to have to go into spoilers briefly. You’ve been warned. The series isn’t incredibly plot heavy, so it shouldn’t matter too much, but still. I really recommend you go take an hour or two and read this before you continue onwards.

Early on, we get a scene where Dad buys a pair of sunglasses. At the time, nothing is thought of it, he mentions they’re just a fashion statement, yet doesn’t really take them off until the end of his arc, where it’s revealed that he now has (what I presume to be cataracts) in his eyes, meaning he’s genuinely gone blind. And then it clicked with me. This was foreshadowed, outright even said, but as a reader, I dismissed it because Happy dismissed it. I didn’t understand because he didn’t understand.

Suddenly several more panels made far more sense. For example there’s one scene where he goes to a restaurant by the sea, and just sits and eats for several hours. He attempts to take the Dog with him, but is refused entry on account of no pets, but then claims he is blind and it is his guide dog. We dismiss this as lying, due to the fact we’ve been shown he just doesn’t want to leave happy alone. Happy even dismisses this, not really understanding why Dad just sat there for hours watching the sunset. But then it clicks, that he was genuinely going blind. He really did need happy to guide him, and the sunset was him coming to terms with losing his sight. Much as the sun sets on another day, another chapter in his book of life ends. Past this point, his vision is almost entirely gone.

That makes the last panel of him, just gazing up at the sky, the starry sky, as he passes away peacefully, all the more powerful. He mentions the sky is full of stars, but one glance at his eyes reveals they’re white and clouded over. He can’t even see them properly. A tragic moment, since the sky is genuinely gorgeous, but he’ll never see it again. Almost as if that’s where the title comes from. Star watching dog, a dog that gazes at the stars, even knowing that it can never reach them.

What drives this home is Happy’s reaction to this. He doesn’t understand his master is ill. He doesn’t understand his master has just passed away, even though we as an audience do. So seeing him try to remain optimistic, trying to find food and survive, as well as still trying to communicate with the corpse, is so heartbreaking. This was where I sobbed especially fucking hard. I was like a child. Happy, in his final moments, wishes to be reunited with his owner, curling up into a ball, before slipping away into a dark abyss, waking in the field of flowers him and his master crashed into, before reuniting with Dad, and stepping out into the field at the end of the story.

It’s not a happy ending, not by a long shot, but seeing it portrayed in such an optimistic way, makes it so hard to read. Happy, doesn’t understand any of this, so watching him struggle on, knowing the futility of his actions, the dramatic irony in the situation is heartbreaking. Making the story all the more powerful in turn.

But this happens around 3 chapters in, with the other half of the story being what I liked even more than this.

For the second half of the story, we follow an investigator looking for clues to do with the death of the protagonists, an old lady who adopts Happy’s brother and a young boy who was helped out by Dad in his story. Which all worked out to make the story even stronger, as it shows the effects we have on those around us in our lives. The detective is especially interesting, because we see the opposite of Happy. We see how humans see their pets, instead of the other way around. And that view is distressing and almost nihilistic. While Happy only saw the best in his owner (who was set up to seem kind of like a dick), the detective only found his own pet he had as a child, annoying and obstructive. He couldn’t be bothered to deal with it, and only lashes out at it in annoyance, providing an interesting contrast between our main characters and the opposite end of the spectrum. Only after studying Happy and Dad, does he begin to regret his actions towards his dog, and reflects back on his life and what he’s done. It’s a rather emotional scene, a man coming to terms with the fact that he now has all these regrets, it was very genuine and sincere, a stage that we’ve all as humans gone through at some point. I wish I did that different, or this that way. We all have thought like that. But this change and sudden reflection is only brought about by the influence of Happy and Dad.

The contrasting viewpoints, really hammers home the relationship between the Dad and the Dog, as we've shown it was truly something special, but also that pets are a really wonderful thing. They’ll support you and love you forever, they sense your sadness, and will share in your happiness. No matter how you treat them, they will always love you, because they are just as important as the people around you. A pet isn’t a Christmas gift or some sort of toy. They’re family too. And just like family they might one day disappear from your life.

But this has been going on for long enough, I’ve said my peace, I don’t want to ruin everything in a series and if reading this has interested you at all, I highly recommend reading the series itself. It’s very short, just 6 chapters, taking no more than an hour or two to read, but it’ll stick with you for your entire life.

I just want to close things out with a quote from the series.

“What did I do for my dog? I should have played with him more… I should have taken him for more walks. I should have let him go along guard rails, curbs and telephone poles without pulling too much, so he could sniff them until he was happy. I should… Given him more love without being Scared…”

That’s all from me for now though, please take care of yourselves guys,

Saki~

#stargazing dog #star watching dog #anime #manga #discussion

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collateralfiction · 7 years ago

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Bailey

My fingers combed through my tresses slowly, easing the small knots out of my hair. I had promised Austin that I would help him with his summer work and I was going to stick to that deal. Although last night’s event with Lonnie replayed over and over in my head, I couldn’t really treat Austin any differently because he’s not the reason for any of this. This was something I had to bring up to Adrian when the chance presented itself because last night… wasn’t the right time to do so. Matter fact, we have a lot to talk about and since Adrian doesn’t want anyone leaving the house today, this gives us more than enough time to do just that. I quickly placed my hair in a ponytail before exiting my bathroom. I felt better than I have in the past few days and to be honest, I’m not sure if that should be a good thing I should grow accustomed to or be a bit worried that I feel good in this predicament.

I threw on one of my Crooks N Castles sweatshirt before leaving the vicinity of my bedroom quickly. I told Austin to meet me downstairs in the kitchen and left advised, he did what I said and sat at the counter with a plethora of papers scattered around the area next to him. Though he missed a big chunk of first grade while recovering at the hospital, Justine was able to get a personal teacher for Austin to be around and help him to stay on top of things. That alone is the only reason he’s progressing into second grade where he belongs. But, the work doesn’t stop yet, so I offered to pitch in and help with as much as I could. “Hi, Austin,” I grinned, taking the available seat next to him. I pinched his cheeks obnoxiously before looking over what he was working on. “What’re you working on now?”

“Science and I hate it,” he stressed badly.

“It’s second grade science, how bad can it be?” I teased playfully. “Let me see,” If it’s one thing I can say, Austin will definitely be a well-rounded kid. I know that most of the things that’s sitting in front of him aren’t required of him to learn just yet but Justine slid things of that nature in anyhow. “Liquid, solids and gases; light work!” I said, quickly reading over the directions. Austin had five subjects he had to get through today or at least this morning; English, Writing, Math, Science and Social Studies. I see he’s attempting to do the hard subjects first. “Alright, label what each phase is and then write how they differ,” I said, sliding the paper back his way.

“Differ?” he questioned, uncertain like.

“What’s different about them,” I chuckled. “Got it? Good,” Since Austin was pretty much self-motivated, I didn’t have to do much convincing for him to do this on his own and he didn’t have much questions either. I used his iPad and surfed the web while he continued to work diligently. We had finished the science portion and was now working towards the math section. Not once did he ask for my help and he breezed past it easily. I guess it was due to the fact that Adrian is a great mathematician, so it must have rubbed off on Aussie. While Austin worked on the last few math problems, I stared at him and couldn’t help but feel like I’m in the wrong.

I did see some similarities between Lonnie and Austin and because I’m just now seeing it, it’s hitting me hard. I’m not too sure what Adrian has planned when this is all said and done, and I don’t know what Adrian will eventually do to Lonnie either. Apart of me is worried that he’ll resort to drastic measures and Austin will forever be affected by something like this. It’s clear that Austin doesn’t see his father as much as he should and there’s a reason for that, which I’m not aware of. It just makes all of this even more difficult to do. I’m also curious to know why he didn’t say anything to begin with. Maybe it was strategic of him but it’s backfiring in the end. I didn’t even want to think about Justine and her involvement, to be honest. That was something I would have to confront Adrian about because I don’t even know how to go about explaining that to her. Not that I want to anyhow.

This is someone I actually befriended and now I’m messing with her ex? Messy. “Baileyyy,” Austin dragged out, stabbing me with his eraser multiple times. I grabbed it away from him and slammed it on the table. He laughed it off while continuing to say what he had on his mind. “Can you help me with this now?” he said, pointing towards the next worksheet. I grabbed his math worksheet to look over while examining the new one.

“Oh, so you’re learning about Native Americans, huh?” I smirked. “Let me give you the real story,” I said, draping my arm over his shoulder. It took me roughly fifteen minutes to explain the true story, well as I learned it, to him and from his attentive stare, I knew he was paying attention. It was literally like I was telling him a bedtime story and this story is one for the books that he would remember forever. “So, what did you learn from that?” I asked.

“Andrew Jackson adopted an Indian son but made Indians leave their home on the Trail of Tears,” he said. He has such a good memory.

“Say Native Americans though, alright?” he nodded. “Alright, so what you have to do is just answer these questions concerning the passage, but I basically already gave you the answers so just fill it in,” I sighed, standing up to go grab something to for me to eat. “You want something to eat, Aussie?”

“Pizza?” he asked.

I looked over at the clock on the wall. “How about I make a sandwich instead and then you can ask your uncle for some later?” I bargained with him. He pouted cutely but nodded anyhow. Other than Austin and I, the house was relatively silent but I knew that people were awake and around. It was just peculiar at how quiet things were when normally it’s loud as shit. “What type of meat, Austin?” I asked.

“Pause!” Austin shouted. But it wasn’t just his voice alone, it was Caiden’s as well.

“Get your head out of the gutter,” I said, giving the two of them the eye. “Turkey or Bologna?”

“Turkey,” Austin said.

“You dead our personal chef. You mind making me one?” Caiden asked, siting besides Austin. The math questions I was supposed to be checking over, he was now looking at. I gave him a simple okay as I began to work on another extra Turkey sandwich. With Austin’s sandwich done and microwaved just the way he liked it, I placed the meal in front of him and removed the rest of his summer homework out of the way, so he wouldn’t make a mess.

“Enjoy,” I smiled at the two of them once Caiden’s sandwich was done as well. “Uh, I heard about last night. I’m glad y’all alright,” I said.

“Same here,” he mumbled. “The real props goes to August though. Neither Adrian nor I smelled anything wrong,” He tried to keep his voice low and at a reasonable level because he didn’t want Austin to hear any of this. I’m sure the gang does their best in keeping him out of this light for the best and knowing how smart of a kid Austin is, the slightest bit of information he hears will arouse any sort of question. Things they want to avoid. Lucky for the two of us, Austin was too wrapped up in his food to worry about his surroundings.

“Damn, do you guys have a clue on who did it?” I propped my elbows up and waited for him to give me somewhat of an answer.

“Our first guess is Ryan,” My heart dropped. and I froze. If their intuition is correct and indeed it happens to be Ryan, I can only foreshadow the worst happening from here on out. Burning up a car with people in it is a huge risk and not only is it a huge risk, it’s a bold statement. I can’t even dictate whether or not Ryan’s actions are genuine and if this is all part of his plan to hopefully get me back or just to make things even. I’ve known Ryan for such a long time and at this point, I can’t even tell whether his actions or genuine or not; it’s sad. But without a doubt, a part of me is scared for what’s to come. What if because of Ryan’s actions, my mother and sister is harmed in the process? I won’t be able to feel comfortable knowing that Adrian and everyone else is behind the destruction of one man who has ties to my family. Adrian said that he won’t do anything until Ryan has done something first and he has… so where does things go from here? My head clasped in my hands as I tried my best to compose my breathing. I didn’t want to overthink. but I didn’t want to ignore these feelings either. “Besides him, we can’t think of no other,” he confessed.

“So, you’re saying you don’t really have enemies?” I said, raising my eyebrow to show disbelief. There was no way they didn’t have a few enemies on them; whether it was strictly business or personal.

“When we work with people, after the job is done, we tend to cut off ties and go on ‘bout our business. And even if we did have people gunning for us, we would know, and things would have happened way long ago. On some real shit, it’s not just a coincidence that we hear Ryan got a team ready to fuck with any one of us, at any given moment and all of a sudden our car blows to shreds?” Caiden asked rhetorically. “That’s just not how shit works,” he shrugged.

“But where’s your evidence?” I asked. “How do you know it’s him?” He stared at me with this stoic expression before the corners of his lips tugged into a smirk.

“First things first, it’s not about evidence at this point. It’s common sense and your instincts. But I see where you’re getting at. You trying to protect that old flame of yours, right?” he asked, pointing at the Poland Spring bottle of water that rested in the corner of the kitchen. I sighed and grabbed him one and as he gulped down a hefty some of the room temperature drink, his eyes stayed glued on mine. Seeing that I had yet to respond, he spoke up again, “You can’t protect a grown man. It’s just not going to happen. You not even worried about him, especially since he done you wrong. It’s about your sister and mother. They’re not the targets,”

“You say that now, Caiden,” I mumbled.

“It’s better than what Adrian would have given you,” he shrugged. “Thanks for the food though, B. Catch me in the gym,” he smirked, messing with Austin as left.

“Hulk looking ass nigga,” I chuckled.

“I heard that!” Caiden yelled.

Austin laughed, pulling me away from my thoughts. “Why don’t we come back to the homework much later and for right now, let’s go play on one of your game systems,” I needed a distraction, like yesterday and with Austin’s young self, I’ll be distracted for a long time.

“You can play video games?” he asked, hopping down. I grabbed his plate and placed it in the sink.

“Of course!” I smiled. “Where’s your mom by the way? I haven’t seen her all morning,”

“She’s still asleep. I don’t think she feels good,”

“Let’s make her Chicken Noodle Soup after I destroy you in one of these games,” I smirked.

“Bet,”

So, after four rounds of a game that consisted of fast pace car racing, Austin and I stuck to our promise and made his mother some Chicken Noodle Soup. Justine was actually sick, but it wasn’t for the obvious reason Austin would suspect. It was just her monthly gift from Mother Nature and her cramps were bothering her like no other. Austin stayed for as long as he felt needed before his mother told him he could depart and do whatever he felt like. That didn’t leave me off the hook though. So, I remained in her room until she finished eating. “Thank you for this by the way. I just want to sit down and do nothing all day now,”

“That’s you every day,” I chuckled. “I peep. But question that I need an answer to, did you have a job prior to coming here?” It was random, but I wanted to know.

She gasped dramatically before sitting up in bed. “I was unemployed, got a job, didn’t like it and quit,” she expressed. “I don’t know what it is with me and jobs. And it doesn’t help that Adrian always messing with my jobs as well,”

“He doesn’t want you working?” I asked.

“I don’t know if that’s the case. You should ask him,” she winked. I know for a fact no one is aware of what happened between Adrian and I last night. It’s just obvious that we’re on better terms than we have been before. I can’t really explain the kiss or describe it, but I don’t take any of it back. It was perfect, unexpected and his lips are the softest thing around. Any other time, I probably wouldn’t have jumped the gun to kiss him but having him in my space like that did something to me. I wouldn’t declare Adrian as standoffish but he does keep his distance and this whole faux, not mixing business with pleasure no longer has any relevance because that’s already happened. After I asked him to sleep with me for the night, our make out session continued once in the confines of my bedroom but, it didn’t go further than that. As much as I would have enjoyed it, I wasn’t going to let Adrian think he was that suave to talk me out of my panties. His actions would have to prove he’s worthy enough, right?

Exactly.

“I’ll think about it,” I muttered.

“I wonder how your ex would feel if he knew what was happening,” I scooted closer on her bed to the point where I was using her pillow as my cuddling partner. I don’t really think of Ryan as much as I should have. He’s like a distant memory. Our relationship is nonexistent; I’m not mad nor bitter about it. I’m twenty-one and have the rest of my life to date. It wasn’t meant for Ryan and I and the last few months of us being together proved that theory.

“He would be annoyed but can’t do much but accept it. I know he’s not crying a river over me,” I said truthfully. “That’s not the type of man he is,”

“So, why’d you end up in a relationship with him?” she questioned.

“’Cause I loved him,”

“Loved?” she chuckled. “You don’t love him anymore? Or, you aren’t in love with him? There’s a difference, Bailey,” she said sternly. I felt like we already had this conversation before and it was all just a repeat. I did not want to have a conversation consisting of Ryan, regardless of the circumstance. It was useless. But I do want a conversation from him though; a conversation that consists of closure and nothing more. As cliché as it might sound, I have love for Ryan on the basis of a friendship but as far as a relationship goes, I was reaching for something that I don’t think he wanted in the first place. It was all too soon. I’m not in love with him and I haven’t been for a while.

“You know the answer already, Justine,” I huffed. “It’s a thing of the past and I would like for it to remain in the past,”

“Why are you so quick to write it off though? You might be suppressing some feelings,”

“No, I don’t do that,” I chuckled. I don’t suppress my emotions like most but rather, it comes out when least expected or I’m just quick to react which means my emotions are on display no matter what. However, I do tend to put other’s feelings before mine if anything. But suppressing? That’s one thing I don’t do. “I just rather move on. I mean, haven’t you done that with any of your exes?” I questioned, unintentionally leading this conversation into an unwanted direction. Or maybe not.

“It’s hard to do that when one of your exes is the father of your child,” she remarked, pursing her lips together shortly after. And that’s when the wave of guilt began to eat at me. I don’t think I can even bring myself to mention what I know to Justine. Mostly out of fear and not wanting to cause even more tension in the house. This would just be something else added to the list of things Adrian and I needed to discuss. “I met Austin’s father when I was really young, like fifteen. And he was around eighteen by then. As you can see, my mother and I don’t have the best of a relationship like some have it and I began to do things I knew she wouldn’t approve of but wouldn’t have the time to check me about either,” she sighed. I clearly could see this would bring a few tears, so I quickly hurried off her bed and over to the nightstand to grab the tissue box. I threw it on her lap, causing her to chuckle.

“I’m not a crybaby. I don’t know what happened the last time,” she laughed.

“Everyone cries,” I shrugged. “Ain’t a big deal,” I said. “But continue,”

“Mmkay, so, I started to invest in a lot of time with him without my mother knowing and the more I stayed around him, the more I learned that at that time, he was selling dope and shit,” she mumbled. “I wasn’t too surprised because almost every boy I came across was doing the same thing, including my brother so what’s the big deal? The big deal was when I found out I was pregnant, and he wasn’t sure whether or not he wanted to be part of his son’s life,” It was weird hearing everyone’s interpretation of Lonnie because I got the complete opposite.

“He wanted the fast life and I was stupid for cosigning his actions,” By her tone, you could hear the disappointment she held for her own self. “It’s just backfired in the end because he rarely sees his son and it hurts knowing that they might not have a strong relationship,”

“Why not?” I said, not wanting to be too nosy but still gain some sort of insight. Maybe there’s an alternative route I can take instead of meddling between a family like this. Maybe if Adrian would be a little more truthful, he could simply involve his sister in this matter and she may very well have the answers he seeks. For crying out loud, the amount of time I would have to spend with Lonnie to figure out one tidbit of information is nothing compared to what Justine should alreadyknow. But, I digress. There must be a method to his madness. I just don’t want this to all backfire in the end because of something that could have been easily avoidable.

“Adrian hasn’t told you?” she asked, looking at me a bit skeptical.

“About…?” I continued to push.

She sighed and began to fumble with the ends of her sweater. “Well, you know Austin was kidnapped and beaten and that all happened under Lonnie’s, Austin’s father, supervision,” she said slowly, trying to prevent herself from crying.

“Oh, that makes sense,” I muttered to myself. Probably one of the reasons why Austin is in Justine’s custody fully.

“Anyway, that’s why I can’t move on from my ex,” she chuckled, attempting to brighten the mood. I laughed along with her, so she wouldn’t have the chance to suspect anything.

“You still love him, and I mean essentially, in love?” If she happened to be in love with him, that would reshape everything that was bound to happen and if she feels this confident to express so much to me, me going behind her back to just help Adrian get even at Lonnie isn’t even worth it. But, if she surprises me and says that she isn’t, I guess she wouldn’t feel that butt hurt in knowing something of this caliber. Still, this is the aftermath of something Adrian has to deal with, especially if this is his sister!

I turned my head to get a better look at Justine as she contemplated her next words to express her feelings about Lonnie. I was hoping that her response would be the latter of my thoughts but by her prolonged thoughts, I knew the answer.

“No but since he’s my child’s father, I now have unconditional love for him,” I sighed in relief discreetly. It’s better than her being in love with someone who just might end up dead.

A well-deservednap and slice of cheesy Pizza later, everyone seemed pretty much ready to call it a night, especially with us all wearing ourselves out tonight by doing extraneous activities Austin came up with. It was actually fun, but you would think Austin would be the most tired out of all of us, not at all. He was ready to do this all over again as soon as he finished his Pizza and received his medicine for the night. As soon as Justine made sure that he was washed and well taken care of for the night, he would be right back downstairs in the confines of the living room where everyone was at. Well, more so where Adrian and I was at. Everyone was used to doing something and going out but today was an exception. Adrian wanted to take extreme caution to ensure everyone’s safety so the lockdown for the day seemed suitable. That is until everyone seemed cranky during some part of the day. But from here on out, I don’t know what’s to come. Adrian and the guys have already had their little discussion late last night while everyone was supposedly asleep, like he would have thought I didn’t notice him slipping out of my room and made arrangements I’m not included on.

“Adrian, we need to talk,” I muttered, tapping my nails against the couch cushions. A little over a week ago, Justine and I had went to a nail salon around the area called ‘Feisty Nails’ and as a treat for me, Justine paid for a manicure and pedicure for us and now my long acrylic nails were colored white, really bringing out my skin tone.

“We were just talking less than a minute ago, what changed?” he mumbled, flicking through the channels aimlessly.

“No, I mean we have to discuss a few things that I have questions about,” I spoke.

“Go ahead,”

“First round of discussion, your lapdog Elsa. Seriously, how does she know about my father?” I didn’t sleep peacefully knowing that Elsa knew something that personal. I don’t talk to the bitch and she definitely doesn’t talk to me, so how does she have a clue? I’m going to believe Adrian in him telling the truth of not saying much to her about me, but something isn’t adding up.

“She ain’t my bitch anymore,” he grunted.

“I don’t care. That’s not my question,” I said sternly, realizing that he was going to beat around the bush.

“I told you, I don’t know. I didn’t say anything to her about you. I would never,” he mumbled, stopping his channel surfing.

“Can you look at me?” I snapped. “I know you don’t give a fuck about my father, but can you at least show you care somewhat!?” From the other side of the couch we both resided on, he sat up and gave me his undivided attention. I was being dead serious right now and no amount of foolery would make me feel otherwise.

“Alright, you’on need to yell at me, B,” he said in a rough tone. “I told you I don’t know and that’s my word. Why the fuck I need to lie to you for?”

“You don’t know, huh? If I were you, I would find out,” I said. “Why might you ask? Sure, I’ll tell you. If this bitch knows about my father, she also knows that I’m kidnapped. She knows that I’m kidnapped, she’ll eventually run and tell someone because you cut her off!”

“She wouldn’t dare,” he said way too calmly for my liking, his eyes lowering.

“You’re way too lax right now,” I said, shaking my head lightly.

“So, what do you want me to do to make you feel comfortable?” His voice sounded condescending and I didn’t like the tone he was using. Let it be Justine in my predicament here, he would blow a roof but for me, it’s different. I see.

I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. “Do nothing,” I mumbled. “I bet Justin or Caiden would have an answer for me before you do,”

“Alright, glad that’s cleared,” he nodded. If the expression on my face wasn’t enough to show how turned off I was by his behavior, me walking away was more than enough. If he wasn’t going to listen to me or take me serious enough to have a conversation about things related to me, then there’s no point in me saying anymore. Before I could even reach the staircase, he was already pulling me back into his strong arms. “You like me running after you, huh?” he said near my ear.

“No,” I said. “I hate that’s you’re not listening when I need you to the most,” I pouted.

“Alright, alright. Come back and talk to me. I’ll listen,” he pleaded. Pushing his body away from mine, I walked past the living room we were just in, past the kitchen and outside towards the pool area. I don’t know why but having conversations outside with Adrian are easier for me to get through oppose to when we’re inside the house. I sat down first, tucking my feet under my ass and he plopped down beside me, really giving me his undivided attention now that there were no distractions available. “I’m all yours, go ahead,”

Taking a deep breath, I repeated my worries to him once again. “If you didn’t tell Elsa about my father and I didn’t either, how would she know such a thing, Adrian? And be honest. If you were being carless and she overheard, let me know!”

“I don’t talk business around Elsa but if you want to put the blame on someone, it’s my fault for allowing her inside the house but it ain’t come from me,”

“So… maybe one of your boys?” That chances of that were slim.

“Nah,” he said with ease. “But, I’ll look into it for you, okay?” he questioned, pulling me closer towards him. I nodded slowly; I had no choice but to be okay with it for now. I’m sure it raised a few concerns in Adrian’s mind but he wasn’t speaking of it verbally to me at least. I just hope that Elsa bringing that up wouldn’t be my demise nor Adrian’s. “Anything else?”

“Yes, there is actually,” I said, loosening up. I might as well lay it on all on the table now that I have his attention. “Why didn’t you tell me Lonnie was Austin’s father?” I whispered harshly, afraid that Justine or Austin might hear. His eyebrows raised as he stared at me through squinted eyes. Whatever excuse that spews out of his mouth, better be a good excuse.

“Because of that reaction there,” he mumbled, bringing his hand down his face tiredly. Just by looking at the tiredness in his eyes, if the time called for it, I would have discontinued the conversation and let him get his rest but at a time like this, nope. Now that I finally have him all to myself, there’s no way I was going to let him get his beauty sleep. He would have to put up with me and my inquiries until I’m satisfied. “It’s not like it was meant to remain a secret but I wasn’t trying to cause you to jeopardize this shit and have you slip by mentioning it to either Justine or Lonnie,”

“Well that was probably one of the worst ideas you’ve ever come up with,” He looked slightly offended, but that only caused me to chuckle slightly. “Do you know Lonnie showed me a picture of Austin and I almost blurted out his name before he had the chance to do so? What if he heard me? Then what?” I questioned.

“Then, you play it off,” he said casually. Although by the irked expression on his face, I know he’s the least bit happy in me slipping; not me finding out that this is Austin’s father I’m messing with. I mean, the truth was going to come out one way or another but I think it would have been much better if Adrian was just upfront about this all along, so I wouldn’t feel guilty about my actions. But, along the way, I’m learning that Adrian is selfish and being that I am the complete opposite, that doesn’t mesh quite well.

“Does Justine even know about any of this?” I asked, already knowing the answer but I wanted him to explain to me why she doesn’t and what good does that do. He shook his head like I knew he would. “And why is that?” I muttered.

“I know Justine is still in love with that nigga and if she was to hear some shit like this, she would try to stop it and meddle in between something that doesn’t concern her as much as she thinks it does. Maybe if she would have thought of working with me and not against me in helping, you wouldn’t be in this predicament. It’s best that you don’t mention a damn thing to Justine about this anyhow. I should have known y’all was going to grow close and that’s a mistake on my part. But under any circumstances, I don’t need you telling Justine shit,”

“So, you will?” I said, leaning on my side to face him. His fingers danced along my Dream Catcher tattoo that was strategically placed along my side. He was becoming distracted, so I gently grasped his large hand in mine and stopped his hand movements, forcing him to look up at me.

“When the time calls for it. Just watch what you say around her, that’s all,” He makes it seem so easy. “Is that it?”

“No,” I said.

Adrian

Yesterday and today has been nothing but tiresome. With the bombing of one our cars to Bailey and her inquisitive mind, I don’t know what’s worse. I’d like to think the latter is the worst of the two but they both hold the same weight. I have no doubt that Ryan was the one that set that up. That was something he would do, especially with larceny being his signature style and choice of execution. No one can tell me otherwise until I have legit proof someone else could have done it. This is definitely a bold move on his part and although this doesn’t mean war just yet, this does have my eyes and ears wide open. If he can place a bomb in one of my cars, that means he’s been following me somewhere in order to know which one is my car, and to spot where I was yesterday. As much as a huge stunt that must have been for Ryan, if he was really smart, he would have followed me until I got to my residence and then tried to bomb me. But he isn’t as well thought out as you would think for someone who wants to bomb me, right?

Well, at least that’s how I look at the situation.

Now, it’s my turn to make the next move.

“What more is there to question me about?” I said. I dead felt like I was in a police station, getting questioned over and over for something that is out of my control.

“Why did you make me kill someone?” I could still hear some lingering hate in between her words even though her words were whispered.

“I didn’t make you do anything,” I countered.

“Bullshit,” she muttered. “What was the purpose of that?” she continued to press. This one topic she would not let go so I knew I had to start coughing up some answers.

“Listen, I have a hard way of expressing myself and I tend to go to the extreme at times but that’s just me,” I shrugged. It was true, she didn’t have to kill anyone but at the time, that was the price she paid for having that sense of doubt and not being able to fully trust me. No one likes to be doubted and it didn’t sit right with me knowing that Bailey was questioning me like I would intentionally put her in harm’s way. Maybe having her kill someone was a bit too excessive, but it got the point across, at least in my mind it did. It didn’t really matter whether someone else saw what I did as fit or justifiable because it was only me who got the satisfaction out of it at the end of the day. “It’s just the way I get my point across,”

“That sounds contradicting,” she chuckled. “You have a hard time of expressing yourself, but you get your point across better than what I would expect,” she elaborated. I knew she would say some shit like that so that’s why I kept quiet and allowed her to rant. “I believe you have no problem expressing who you are and getting your point across. It just bothers me that you feel the need to be sneaky and then you have the nerve to get mad when I question you on shit like this. I just don’t think it’s fair, especially when you use excess aggression,”

“Compared to a lot of people, I barely touch you,”

“Oh, but when you do it’s a problem,” she quickly retorted.

“So, I won’t touch you,” I smirked, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Ugh!” she groaned, hitting me with the circular pillow. “You’re such a fuckin’ douche,”

“Sometimes,” I replied nonchalant like. “But look, I hear what you’re saying. It ain’t going in one ear and coming out the other type shit, alright?”

“Mhm,”

“Yo, I’m deadass though. You not tryna believe me?”

“I didn’t say that,”

“So, what are you saying?” I questioned.

“You’re one difficult ass man,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Don’t do that,” I mumbled.

“Why not?” she asked.

“They’ll get stuck like that,” I chuckled. “You ain’t see that SpongeBob episode? That Spongey nigga and his lazy sidekick was making them ugly ass faces n’ shit,”

“How would you know?” she smirked, sitting upright.

“My nigga Ace be watching that shit,”

“Austin?”

“Yep!”

“Well look at that! Adrian watching SpongeBob? That must be a sight to see,” she giggled. I shook my head and stood up from the area. She followed suit as we strolled into the house and back towards the living room. Before she could turn to walk in, I grabbed her hand and made her follow me upstairs. She stumbled along the way causing me to chuckle. “That’s not funny. Where are you taking me?” she questioned. I ignored her inquires while continuing the distance towards my bedroom. She played a nigga last night; I can’t even front. In my book, kissing automatically leads to sex but she put a stop to all of that shit. “I know you be fuckin’ other bitches so I hope these are clean sheets,”

“You got jokes. I’on bring bitches to my crib anymore, not with Austin around,” Which was true. There were certain things I didn’t want to expose him to, let alone think is right so it’s best that he’s censored from it. However, if he so happens to have a question concerning something I do and what he sees, I won’t sugarcoat it from him. I’ll have no choice but to be blunt about it because I’ll be damned if he finds out from someone else.

“Well that’s good. He needs a good role model,”

“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled, catching her subliminal message.

“Well, there must be a reason why you want me here, right?” she inquired. Hell yeah but I know she not ‘bout to do it. “Hmph, thought so. Let’s talk,” I think she might have read my mind.

“We been doing that for the past hour, B. You don’t ever want to just relax and look at the moon?” I watched the many expression change on her face in a matter of seconds before she busted out laughing. “Alright, alright. What you in the mood to talk about, again might I add?”

“Uh,” she began, sitting on the edge of my bed. Funny how she had the illest crush on a nigga and know she’s trying to distance herself away from me. I pulled her closer towards me and made her look at me. Bailey a funny one.

“Don’t even have a topic to discuss,” I chuckled lowly. “But aye, you were really scared for a nigga or what?”

“Ugh, how many times do we have to go over this?” she questioned. “But yes. I was. I already lost a lot of people as is and even though you treat me like shit, I still have a heart and worry ‘bout yo ass,”

“Hm, who you lost?”

She hesitated for a moment. “A lot of people actually. I’m not speaking just literally but… have you ever lost a friend before? But they’re still alive?” she asked, stopping her rambling quickly.

“A friend? Yeah,” I nodded. I mean, who hasn’t?

“Well, yeah. I’ve lost friends before. Like when you kidnapped me…” Kidnapped sounded like such a bad word to use. I’m sure she can come up with something better. “… I left behind a whole family, friends and shit. I don’t know when’s the next time I’m going to see them. Do you?”

“How long you gon’ have this attitude ‘bout that shit? I know what I did wasn’t right. I know. But like I said, I take extreme measures and always have. I feel bad that you feel like you lost your family but they right where you left ‘em. Them niggas coming for my dome anyhow. They alive,” I shrugged off.

“Can you be considerate for a second?” she grumbled. “Or, I’ll just leave and talk to Aussie for the night,”

“Austin and me are the same people. Fuck you though this is?” I smirked.

“Nuh uh. He’s way nicer and he’s way too smooth to be like you,”

“That’s not what your actions say but I’m sleep,”

“Whatever,” she dismissed. “I finally know what I want to talk about though,”

“Go ‘head,” I nodded.

“What is your goal in life?” she asked, attempting to be deep and shit. Probably trying to figure me out. Anyhow, I did take the question into serious consideration as I thought about it. I remember in High School, each year they would make us write our dreams and aspirations down on a piece of paper and write alongside how we would accomplish it. I think mine always said the same thing each year and that was to be able to comfortably take care of my family. I don’t know what type of mother my mom was, but it wasn’t one of those traditional types. My grandmother practically raised me and if I have anything to say about that, it goes to show my mother wasn’t shit and still isn’t. The least she could attempt to do is make sure she’s present in Austin life because I’d be damned if I had a kid and her ass isn’t around.

“Making sure my family is set. Yours?”

“No, no, no. Like, your personal goal?” she tried to clarify but that was my personal goal.

“That is my personal goal,” I chuckled.

“I think you need to make one for yourself,” she mumbled, laying her big ass dome on my chest.

“In due time,” I mumbled. “What about you?”

“Uh, reconnect with my father and make sure he doesn’t hate me after all of this madness and put my degree to use. Sounds good, right?” I nodded my head, feeling a little bad for putting her through this shit. But, what’s done is done and I can’t take shit back. You live and you learn, right?

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twdmusicboxmystery · 7 years ago

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8x14: Rick and Morgan

Okay, let's talk about Rick and Morgan's arc in this episode. We had a ton of emphasis of themes we’ve seen before in this episode, which reiterates many of these arcs closing this season.

***Everyone really should have watched by now, but just in case, there are spoilers for 8x14 in this post. Don’t read until you’ve watched.***

Rick:

First, we have Rick grieving for Carl. I was happy to see this because I saw a lot of people being critical bc Rick didn't seem to grieve for Carl. When it comes to the stages of grief, him taking out his grief as anger against Negan first actually makes perfect sense.

In that first scene with Michonne, there's a call back to Andrea. Michonne says she knows what Rick’s dealing with bc she did the same thing after losing her son. Andrea brought her back. I could mention Beth's parallels to Andrea, but I actually think the more powerful parallel comes from the “we get to come back” theme. Andrea brought Michonne back after losing her son. So who will bring Rick back after losing his son? The same person whose head the hat was put on when it fell off Carl, perhaps? ;D

In one of the most interesting and foreshadowing shots of the episode, Rick stares at Carl’s hat sticking out of the bag. It freaks him out, and he leaves to kill the Saviors despite Michonne asking him not to. Thematically, Carl was always Rick’s conscience/voice of reason. He always got Rick to be more civil when he leaned toward brutality. Now, without Carl there, Rick still went to kill people. So we have a major foreshadow about the sheriff's hat and how it's going to affect him moving forward. Yes, the same hat put on Beth in 4x16 after it fell off Carl's head.

@wdway also noticed a lot of interesting symbols. Judith's blocks have a bunch of interesting symbols on them. Symbols that could be Xs or crosses, and also some that look like alpha and omega signs. It's just more proof that we’re coming to the end of this 4-season arc and everything is about to turn. She also noticed Judith's golden-furred Beth teddy bear.

Also notice the colors: red and green, black and white in the bowl (think Bethyl shoe laces) and pink.

Rick talks to Alden, who asks him not to kill all the Saviors who took off the night before. Even though they made a bad choice, Alden says some are good people who’ll listen to reason. He says, "You could show them. Bring them back. You could do that." That's almost exactly what Herschel said to Rick in 4x16. Speaking about Carl and how brutal he’d become, Herschel said Carl needs his father. “He needs his father to show him the way."

In S3, Rick does show Carl the way back, which begins the 4-season arc. In this case, Rick replies, "Yeah, I could,” which implies he's definitely not going to. Once again we’re seeing brutal Rick in the opposite mindset from what we saw in S4.

Morgan:

We hear a lot of familiar dialogue from Morgan. He says to Carol, "See, we’re the same," and "I was supposed to." Remember "I was supposed to," means that he was supposed to kill someone and didn't, and then someone he loves dies as a result. Here, he’s saying he should have killed the saviors, specifically Gavin and Jared. Because he didn’t, Benjamin died. Now Henry is gone, and like Carol, Morgan believes he is probably dead. Hence, he hallucinates Henry with the same wound in his neck that Gavin sustained, and Henry accusing him, saying, "You were supposed to."

I think the "we’re the same," line is Morgan's way of saying that he and Carol are thinking similarly about Henry. (They both think he's dead.) It's also a bigger theme. Crazy Tattoo Guy from Terminus also yelled that to "We’re the same!" I think it's a theme about how everyone can become brutal under the right circumstances. Everyone has both good and evil in them. It's just a matter of making the right choices.

When looking at the hallucination of Henry, Morgan says, "You are not here." So that's the "here's not here" theme. Remember that's about Morgan trying to differentiate reality from hallucination. (X) Same thing goes here. He's not really seeing Henry (Carol witnesses Morgan’s issues here) but on some level he knows he's hallucinating. He’s trying to convince himself of what the reality is.

I think all of Carol and Morgan's scenes together were fascinating. He says that Carol saves people, but she can't save the dead. Carol obviously doesn't know what he's talking about and says, "you're not dead." Morgan shakes his head and says, "not me. I don't die. I just see it. Again and again." Once again this calls back all the way to Clear and the beginnings of Morgan's arc. He told Rick that the good people, like Rick, always die, but the weak have inherited the earth. Morgan's "I don't die," is about him always living to see others die and how haunted he is by it. He’s begged Rick to kill him in the past because, while he won’t take his own life, he wants to die rather than living and being “haunted by the dead,” as Tyrese put it.

Morgan says, "You save people. I watch them die. I have to. I'm supposed to.” Carol replies, "You saved me. You knew I could come back. You can too." Then Morgan says, "It wasn't me. I'm not strong like you.” He then goes on to say he knew something bad would happen with the Saviors. He hoped it wouldn't, but he stood back and watched and knew eventually it would.

He uses the phrase, "Like it always does." I knew we’d heard that line somewhere before. Enid says it to Glenn in 6x09. When they get back from Operation Lead the Walkers Away and find Alexandria surrounded by walkers, she says, "It's just what happens. And it always happens, Glenn." Then she tries to give up, but Glenn brings her back and talks her into helping him. I think when this phrase is used, the character is giving up hope, not trying anymore. Carol mentions “trying” here as well (X), so Carol hasn't given up hope. She's moved to a hopeful place, but Morgan has not. He is still in the darkest of despair.

Morgan seeing Henry was a callback to similar situations. He saw Henry and thought he was dead. It turned out to be untrue. It is very similar to Daryl in S2. He saw Merle, who he thought was dead, but wasn’t. Merle turned up again in S3. So once again, just because Ty hallucinated Beth, that doesn’t mean she's dead. Just saying.

Rick and Morgan:

When Rick first catches up with Morgan, he says, "You know me," which he also said to Morgan in Clear. It's a bit different because in S3, Morgan didn't recognize him. Here, Morgan does recognize him and says, "I'm not right."

When they get to the bar, there’s a hand and foot on the ground that’ve been hacked off. Presumably because they were bitten by walkers. Of course, we have a big precedent with hacked off limbs, and there's the Lost Shoe/Foot theory. Most of the times we’ve someone hack off a limb, they survive at least for a while. I think the message is that those guys definitely could have survived. Rick even talks about taking back to the Hilltop doctor. He lied, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have been saved. So, once again, we have every possibility of people who can be saved, and be persuaded to come over to TF’s side of the war, but Rick kills them anyway.

I also thought this part was reminiscent of Terminus. When Rick wakes up, everything is hazy and moves in slow motion, much like when he was dragged to the trough at Terminus. The camera even pans over everything the same way it did in 5x01. So we definitely had some callbacks to Terminus in this episode. Rick killed everyone there, too.

The bar scene was very reminiscent of Nebraska in S2, where Herschel went off the rails and Rick went to get him. The major difference is, even though they killed everyone in that episode too, it was out of self-defense bc those guys had bad intentions. Here, Rick had plenty of evidence that some of the Saviors were good people. They proved it by helping him fight the walkers, even saving his and Morgan's lives. He and Morgan murdered them anyway. It was pretty damn cold.

Jarod died much like Noah did, trapped with walkers and torn apart. I expected it to be gorier, actually. Spoilers said it would be super-gory like Noah's death. It was kind of gross, but I still think Noah’s death takes the cake. The really interesting thing was that Jarod kept saying to Morgan, "Let go! Let go!"

Remember that right before Noah died, he said to Glenn, "Don't let go." So it’s an opposite situation from Noah's death. Good guy vs bad guy who dies. Glenn was also a good guy who couldn't stop Noah's death. Morgan, while we consider him a good guy, purposely killed Jared. Once again representing the darkness TF has fallen into.

We also had the “After” theme here. One of the saviors on the ground who’s dying says to Rick, “We could've lived after...after this." We’ve hard a lot of talk about what comes after and how there needs to be something after. The way Rick is going, he's going to kill everyone and there won't be anyone left to live after.

As they leave the bar, Morgan walks by Rick and says, "Everybody turns." This is another thing Morgan said to Rick back in Clear. I think it has several meanings tho.

1) Everyone turns evil at some point. This show is not about our heroes always being heroic. Everyone does bad things, makes bad decisions, or falls into darkness. Most of TF has come to that point during the war. But that's not the end of the story. They get to come back. It's what the whole “we get to come back” theme is about: making bad decisions (because “everyone turns”) but they get a second chance.

2) I also can't help but relate this to Beth. TF would have been so sure she’d turned, it wouldn’t even enter their minds that she might have survived.

Morgan also says something really tragic here. When Rick asks why Morgan saved him back in S1, Morgan replies, "Because I had my son there." So just like Carl for Rick, Duane was Morgan's voice of reason. He only showed Rick mercy for Duane's sake. So the idea is that with Duane and Carl gone, nothing is going save these men from themselves. Theirs voice of reason are dead. Beth will show up to become Rick's voice of reason, but I don't know what this means for Morgan. He’s not dying anytime soon, as he's the crossover character, but he’ll have to find something to bring him back, or he’ll self-destruct.

When they return to Hilltop, Morgan is happy to see Henry is okay. He says to Henry, "Don't ever be sorry," which is what he said to Carl in Clear. Yet another tie between Carl and how this kid is affecting Morgan. I also think the “don’t ever be sorry” is yet another example of how Morgan’s brutal mindset. He's doing terrible things, killing people with Rick, and he's not even sorry. After that, Morgan sits down and cries. Obviously this is affecting him on some level. He is not too far gone yet. But it also doesn't seem like he’s going to turn his life around anytime soon, though.

Rick finally sits down to read Carl's letter. The big thing that jumped out at me about this scene is that he puts on a white shirt. So, White Shirt Theory, which means the character is about to go undergo some big emotional or psychological change. Reading Carl's letter will probably change things for Rick in some way. We just don't know how yet.

It also occurred to me that Rick’s beard is getting long again. Still nothing like the caveman growth he had in 5a, but it's definitely longer than it used to be. Rick’s grown-out beard is always a sign of him slipping from his sanity and toward brutality. Just wanted to point that out.

That's it for Rick and Morgan's part in this episode. Tomorrow I'll talk about Negan and Jesus and maybe Daryl a little more. Thoughts?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

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witchin-bitchin-twopointoh · 8 years ago

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ANALYZING WHO KILLED MARKIPLIER CH. 1 SCENE BY SCENE: PART ONE

I’ve gone through every second of this video at .5 speed maximum and recorded everything I saw, as well as questions, notes, uncertainties, and relevance to current theories. Next I’ll try to draw as accurate a map of the manor as I can make at that point, but this comes first. Feel free to reblog with anything I missed! Some people have unique knowledge I don’t (guns, poker, crime scene investigation, military badges, etc.) so I may overlook something. Additionally, if I mention something you’ve already pointed out, let me know and I’ll credit you specifically. This is LONG.

Scene One: Introduction (0:00 - 1:00)

This is a large, very expensive looking Manor. Mark is obviously quite rich in this. For what? YouTube? Or something else?

This is obviously an old-timey TV show introduction, and the font has that Markiplier TV feel to it, as has already been pointed out. Is this fictional (in the Markiplier ego-verse)? Is this actually airing on Markiplier TV?

The Colonel is the first character we see. He’s walking toward the manor as the shot pans overhead. Innocent enough.

That’s Ethan’s hand, isn’t it? Probably ultimately irrelevant, but Ethan also posted a video on his twitter where he fell off a balcony with a camera strapped to his chest, so it’s rather safe to assume something like that will happen to the PC (player character).

The time is shown to be 7: 55 when we arrive. Presumably PM, by the light in the sky and the nature of the video, but it’s ambiguous.

We focus on what appears to be two garages, with a tower-like room and 3 windows. One is open. Remember that for later: Those windows can open.

As we approach the Colonel, he shakes his head and has his hand on his hips,. Almost as if he hasn’t been here in a long time? This may hint that he recognizes the Manor.

Everybody and their mother has pointed this out, but the Colonel has an unmistakably Wilford-like voice, as well as a hat and large mustache to potentially cover Wilf’s defining traits. Not only that, but Wilford was once said in a livestream to have been a war general.

Perhaps those badges mean something.

The Colonel says that he thought he’d be the last guest to arrive. He introduces himself to you, so he doesn’t know you. This also implies that both of you are late, or perhaps the other guests have a penchant for being early.

He says “my friends call me the Colonel. You’re welcome to do the same.” Avoidance; he doesn’t tell you his real name. Why? To avoid being caught? Because he’s really Warfstache?

It’s hard to see his eyes behind those fancy glasses.

In we go. He comes in behind us, presumably.

Scene Two: In the Manor (1:01 - 2:34)

Tyler greets you as The Butler, reprising his role from A Date With Markiplier. This begs the question; is it the same character? More importantly, is this the same universe? He greets us with his customary “bonjour.”

The Mayor and The Detective are chatting rather casually in the background as you interact with The Butler.

He asks you for an invitation, so this party/celebration is invitation only.

On your invitation it says “Y/N District Attorney.” This is a bit of a weird way to word it. Why put someone’s profession on their invitation, and why like that? “Sally District Attorney?” This is probably irrelevant, but for the sake of being thorough, I’ve included it.

This does, however, have implications about the main character; that you’re a minimum of 26 years old, that you are very intelligent and have a good memory, and that you know the law very intimately. This could be very important later on. It also means I can refer to the Main Character as “The Attorney” from now on.

There’s a seal on the envelope, a gold one. From whom? Mark? the Mayor?

Probably for brevity’s sake and not an important detail, but The Butler does not actually check your invitation before letting you in. This could mean that nobody here has actually been vetted.

The Butler tells you he’ll fetch you a drink “forthwith” (without delay or immediately) and exits to the right. But wait, where is the Colonel?

As we approach the Mayor and Butler, The Mayor makes a motion with his hand seeming to indicate “crazy” and the detective shakes his head in a sort of begrudged agreement or acceptance, mouthing “yeah.”

The Mayor has an odd walking stick thing. If anyone could tell me what that is called, that’d be great. The top appears to be solid metal, and heavy enough to bludgeon with.

The Mayor greets you as an “old friend” and asks you how you’re settling into your “new office.” The implication here is that you do not directly work together, which would make sense as you’re clearly a newly hired district attorney.

However, next he says “there’s no one I would rather have alongside me to protect this great city of ours.” Do you work directly with The Mayor?

Not to mention that he says it will “take some getting used to.” What did you do before becoming a district attorney?

Not a fact, but I immediately fell in love with the Mayor during his first 2 lines of dialogue.

Many people are very confused and/or concerned about the line “but try not to rob me blind again.” It’s connected with a statement about the Poker Table, so grammatically he likely is talking about the game. Is the Mayor bad at poker? Are you really good at poker? Do you have a history of cheating? Perhaps you actually did physically rob him during an event like this?

Also, you’ve played poker with the Mayor before.

The Mayor exits behind you, either to sit down, go where the Butler is, or perhaps greet the Colonel, a conversation we would not be privy to.

You move to a short hallway to the left that opens to a formal dining area, and we meet our good old friend the Chef. Like the Butler, he reprises his role from ADWM, and does a damn good job of it.

He has a ladle in his hand (why?) and is picking up an ornate serving platter as you approach. Perhaps he’s cleaning up from an earlier snack? Are you actually late?

He seems to be irate already, making a comment about hors d’ouvres, a small, bite sized snack with layers, and that he’ll get them when he’s “good an’ ready.” Has someone already asked him about them? From ADWM, we can presume the Chef is a perfectly lovely person when not in a rotten mood. Who pissed him off? Mark?

He also points his ladle threateningly at your face and tells you harshly to “stay out of [his] kitchen.”

The tiny chef is pointed toward you, on this end of the kitchen. Remember that for later.

The Butler saves you from this terrifying ordeal (you just wanted to say hello!) and tells him “not to be rude to our guest” with an even more terrifying glare. Is the Butler above the Chef in terms of hierarchy?

“So sorry about that. Here’s your champagne.” That is not a lot of champagne. There’s 5 glasses on the platter, not including yours.

“Enjoy your evening.” His tone here, and at the champagne comment, are SO unsettling, and so is the music. Almost conspiratorial.

You hesitantly toast to him, and he slinks out of frame hilariously. This is probably just Tyler being a doof as he tries to get out for Mark to arrive, though if you read far enough into it it could be that the Butler is afraid of Mark.

Mark comes down a spiral staircase with the same openable windows as we saw in the intro, and an ornate rug. He’s wearing what appears to be a red silk robe. A very blood covering color.

He seems almost to announce his presence to everyone, though you’re the only one there, or are you? Is the Colonel still behind you? What about the Mayor? The Detective? However, this is probably just a silly pretentious version of his “Hello Everybody, My Name Is Markiplier” and not to be taken too seriously.

He calls the evening (so yes, we did arrive at 7: 55 PM) auspicious, which means “favorable to success.”

He makes a comment about being surrounded by “close and trusted friends.” So among The Attorney, The Colonel, The Mayor, and The Detective, everyone is friends with Mark, or at least he believes so.

Also, this means you have some kind of history with Mark.

He gestures elsewhere when he says “close” (at the Butler?), and at you when he says “trusted.” Mark trusts you. Why you, specifically? Especially if you robbed the Mayor “blind?”

Apparently, according to Mark, this evening is “for you.” Which means you showed up late to your own party. Nice.

He makes an obvious foreshadowing comment about being “dead tomorrow.” Probably just a joke, but it could also be read to mean Mark is aware to some degree that his life is supposedly in danger, perhaps someone tried to warn him but he brushed it off. It’s an odd thing to say right after you’ve turned the focus to someone else; a more typical thing to say would’ve been that “you” or “we” could be dead tomorrow, not specifically him.

Of course, this could just be Mark being self-centered.

You drink the “champagne” and go into an odd haze as the sound of Mark’s “crazed laughter” (per english captions) distorts, and the party sequence begins.

Scene Three: The Party Sequence (2:35 - 3:00)

I have never been drunk, so I can’t verify, but that probably is not what one tiny glass of champagne looks like. I’d be willing to bet that’s not what any amount of champagne looks like. Were you drugged?

EDM Music starts playing! How fun. Also, not very old-timey.

The Detective is wearing a weird hat. I don’t even know what to call that. He looks just as inebriated as you feel.

You’re playing Poker, at least it sort of looks like it. The first few shots are typical guy partying. The Mayor does a keg stand, which is amazing, although not very relevant.

Much of this scene is played for laughs, but there are a few gems.

You go into the kitchen a few times. The cook is cooking. Is this to set up an alibi for him?

The Colonel and The Detective “roughhouse” for a bit. The fighting does not look serious, but the Colonel demonstrates the skillful use of a headlock.

The Colonel is seen with a flask. His own alcohol? Why?

The Colonel swings at the Butler, then you flip off the Butler. Poor butler.

The Colonel is seen loading a very powerful gun, the same one Wilford had in Markiplier TV. Not only is this solid evidence of him being Wilford, it shows that he is not inebriated enough to impact his fine motor functions.

He points the gun at the Detective, then at his own head, grinning the whole time. His hat and glasses come off to reveal nothing special.

The Detective uppercuts you, and you fall to the ground. The Mayor runs to your side, extremely concerned, and this marks the end of the merrymaking.

You fall into bed. It is 1:30 AM. Assuming the beginning up to this point was all real time starting when you arrived, 25 seconds of potentially drug-addled partying just covered 5 hours and 33 minutes of potential murder setup.

Scene Four: There’s Been a Murder! (3:01 - 7:02)

An alarm rings to wake us at 8:30 AM sharp. That’s 7 hours of sleep. Not bad. However, who set the alarm? Was it the Mayor, who probably got us to bed safely?

Or was it the Butler, who is awake and has been long enough to serve you, er... setzer water with cocaine. Sounds... pleasant.

That said, if you were drugged, it probably wasn’t with cocaine. The effects don’t match very well.

That aside (for now), the Butler is waiting outside your room when you wake up. This means he probably set the alarm.

The Butler walks away, leaving you alone with The Mayor as he walks to the right.

The Mayor greets you as “our little monster.” His hand is obscuring the metal top of his stick thingy.

He reminisces briefly about “our days at University.” You knew each other in college, and are very good friends.

Apparently, you went quite wild. Like a college student. On drugs.

A concerning, Dark-like line: “Good to let the beast out every once in a while, eh, old friend?”

He expresses confusion about what it is you’re all celebrating. Mark earlier said it was about you. Did the Mayor not get the memo?

“It’s good to have the gang back together, but out of the blue like this seems...” So you all, hired help excluded, know each other. Presumably from university.

Also, it’s safe to assume at this point that Mark invited us all under vague or unknown motives.

“Life is ours to choose, as I always say.” Hello, very obviously Dark-like line. And also very out of the blue. This comment has no context.

He says he has some work to finish. What? At a party? “Finish?” Mayoral duties are typically not something you can just do at a friend’s house before breakfast.

“We’ll all catch up soon.” Ominous.

He walks to the right, following the Butler and staying on the second floor.

You walk down the stairs. These stairs are carpeted, and there are curtains in the windows. This may be important later: there’s at least 2 distinct spiral staircases in the Manor.

We focus on a suit of armor here... gotta remember that.

Just as we’re thinking about that, something falls from above right in front of us! It’s Mark, and he looks to be dead!

Lightning strikes just as we look upon the body. Nice timing, but not very relevant. It’s just for atmosphere.

The Detective shows up, and immediately announces there’s been a murder. That’s a bit hasty. We as the audience knew that this is a murder mystery, and we saw the body drop, but he didn’t. Was he expecting this?

The Butler and The Chef have the same reaction. What about them?

Not a fact, but Tyler’s “oh my god murder” just has me in stitches every time I see it.

Also the chef. Comedy gold right there.

The Detective seems to be trying really hard to make sure we know Mark is dead. He points it out when it really isn’t appropriate.

I’m pretty sure the owner of the Manor being dead doesn’t make you in charge, Detective.

...Bucko.

Not only does the Detective want you to know he’s dead, he wants you to know it was murder. Someone committed this act.

(At this point in writing this, Chapter 2 dropped, so from here forward the theories will include that knowledge.)

Why did the body drop in front of you, specifically?

Of course the Detective suspects you first, but backs off quickly. The Butler is rather quick to come to your aid.

The video is, at this point, starting to get you to suspect the Detective. Not typical of a whodunit, but what part of this is?

The Detective makes sure to talk in great detail about his dead partners and all their deaths without prompting.

The Detective clearly doesn’t know you, despite the Mayor’s earlier comment about “the gang.”

You turn around to grab the fingerprinting kit, and when you turn around, the crime scene is set up completely. This means time has elapsed.

The Mayor appears, and he’s the only one who doesn’t immediately expect murder, despite the fact that there’s now CLEARLY been a murder. He instead asks what the hell happened.

When he’s told it’s a murder, he doesn’t even expect it to be Mark. Besides the Colonel, everyone else is here. This could either speak to innocence (via shock) or guilt (via fake confusion).

The Detective is downright hostile to the Butler when he asks to call the authorities.

The excuse for nobody coming or leaving is a bit suspect. I’ve left places during thunderstorms. However, there’s no other evidence to suggest it’s false, so I’ll let it slide.

The Detective seems to suspect that the murderer is out to kill more people, without any evidence. Hmm...

The Butler leaves to take care of guests.

The Chef leaves to cook.

The Mayor leaves to “talk to the Colonel.” Besides being the only person to appear even remotely distraught, others have pointed out that his skin turns gray as he leaves. This could just be the lighting; The Butler’s does the same as he enters the same way.

That’s all for now. The rest of Chapter One will be up by tomorrow (10/12/17) at the latest. This took 4 hours to do 7 minutes of video. Please love this, I’m working REALLY hard on it.

#who killed markiplier #markiplier #wilford warfstache #darkiplier #damien iplier #the colonel #the detective #the second chapter has me shook i cant wait to overanalyze it

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