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a-confused-spoon · 8 days

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Jinx's haircut: how Powder and Ekko's story comes full circle

Hi! So, it appears Jinx will be cutting her hair short in season 2 (which is cool as fuck), and I’ve been seeing a lot of discussion on it, so I wanted to share my two cents 😊

I might refer to Jinx and Powder as if they are different ideantities, but I'm aware that's not how that works; it's just an easier way to express myself. Also english isn't my first language, so apologies for any possible wiritng mistake (this is a bit of a mess 😅)

* deep breath in *

As it has already been pointed out, this choice must have a deeper reason other than esthetic (I've been seeing the phrase "hair holds memories" used a lot), and what's even more interesting is that her new look resembles a lot how she used to look like as a kid; a bit bizarre, given how the entirety of season 1 showed us how Powder and Jinx's coexistence only brings the girl pain. As a matter of fact, the finale makes it clear to us that even she sees these two sides of herself as mutually exclusive.

So why and how exactly would this happen now?

What I keep going back to is the idea that maybe, just maybe, this has to do with her possibly "taking the lead" in Zaun; whether she actively becomes a leader or if she just "leads by example" (therefore passively), it doesn't change the fact that for better or worse she will be depicted as a leading revolutionary figure.

And fair enough: she singlehandedly killed half of the Council, the people who hold decisional power and have contributed to the misery on the other side of the river. After Vender's failed attempt on the bridge and Silco's focus on his own business dealings with Piltover among everything else he did, Jinx's attack on the city - something she does to ultimately solidify her identity as Jinx - opens a door that the Undercity was waiting to be opened for decades.

Here's the thing:

Being Jinx doesn't just mean acting on unbridled rage and being a menace to society; it means being feared by most, if not all, with the only possible exceptions being those who also accepted their inner monster. To put it in Singed's words, "If you take this path, they will despise you".

Being Jinx fundamentally implies loneliness.

Silco was consistently reminding her this: "I am your family; everyone else betrays us" / "Everyone betrays us Jinx! Vander! Her! They will never understand, it's only us".

In the official clip 'Enemy of my enemy' we find out that he only saw her cry twice, the two scenes we also witness as an audience, meaning he didn't see her cry once during the timeskip, and I'm sure it's safe to say that she most definitely did cry a lot given how she goes from episode 3 Powder (scared, couldn't grasp the concept of killing someone, heartbroken by the nickname jinx) to episode 4 Powder (a beast, kills in cold blood, has taken Jinx as her actual name)... it must've been an ugly transition, and it definitely didn't happen overnight; if Silco, who was the closest person she had all that time, didn't see it, then I think it speaks a lot on how alone Jinx really was in her darkest times.

For all the love he had for her, he reinforced this idea of isolation as an unescapable consequence of the right path, and I think this is also reflected in the lair that (supposedly) he found for her, especially when you compare it to the Firelights’ one:

The Firelights (this is important for later) are all about community and sharing joy as well as struggle and pain; they live in a place of healing, filled with life, without a roof so the sunlight can reach them during the day, and at nights living bugs that shine a light of their own fill up the hideout.

Jinx's place is diametrically opposed to this: it’s dark and looks cold, it's completely made of metal, the roof’s blocking any natural light and it hangs above an abyss with no bottom to be seen; the only company she consistently has are the puppets of her dead brothers and the only living thing that knows his way in is the only one that can understand, the only one she can rely on - aka Silco himself.

However, as Jinx herself knows, this may have worked for him, but it wasn't working for her for the longest time: she never stopped yearning for affection, love, friendship- that part of her never really went away; it was only being suppressed, suffocated, maybe unintentionally, and I strongly believe that it only worsen her trauma, and it's one of the things that made her spiral so bad into her depression, to the point of hallucinating.

I think that Silco's line in the baptism scene is particularly relevant here: "You need to let Powder die, so the fear of pain will no longer control you", where the fear of pain would refer to the fear of being on her own, of always failing and disappointing others, of being weak and never satisfying the desires, expectations, hopes that Powder carried within her to be “a valuable member of the team”.

If she lets Powder die (which again, she does in the final episode of season 1), this is no longer a problem: if she doesn't do teams, because teams don't want a jinx to begin with, that fear can't get to her; if she's a solo player, a self-sufficient loose cannon, she won't need to rely on anyone but herself because she's strong on her own and does not need the support of others.

If her power lays in the monster she is, the one everyone condemns her for being, then that childhood wish of hers just isn't a realistic option.

...but then this happens.

We know from the teaser trailer that in the operation Caitlyn's leading, 'finding Jinx' and 'neutralize any agent still loyal to Silco' are separate objectives. Which makes sense, since as far as they know Silco was the leader of a group of people, and now that he's gone Jinx is an individual under her own agency and her own agency alone. If initially she fights by herself, for herself because she can and fuck Piltover, then it all falls in line with what I stated so far.

But then we hear Sevika, who has hated Jinx's guts and who Jinx has hated back since day one, telling her to get the people together, to unite the Undercity as one because she can do that. Mind you, the girl has lived in Zaun all her life, she knows damn well that the end of Piltover is something the entire Undercity has been waiting for (“Imagine what the whole of the Lances could do!” from episode 2); yet despite this she needs to be openly told what is going on, that she’s not sizing the opportunity she’s created. She isn't, cause... her? Leading? A group of people? No. Not after the last time she tried to help, and most importantly, not after everything she learned under Silco.

Jinx can't fathom the idea of herself as a part of a part of a team. How can she? She literally just came to terms with isolation as ever present- and now, for some reason, the people of the city, who always either ran away from her or wanted her gone, are dying their hair blue in her image, trusting her, following her, painting murals of her as the bringer of revolution.

She isn't taking power forcibly like Silco did; she's just doing her thing, her Jinx thing, and Zaun, on its own, is choosing her as the leading figure.

Imagine how frustrating it must be for Jinx to look back and realize that Silco, her father- who has loved her, forgiven her, raised her, called her perfect, defended her, was there for her, saved her, guided her- was wrong, and put her in a condition of never ending existential pain when she could’ve had it differently the entire time; imagine how confusing it must be for her to look back and realize that it never mattered whether or not others understood her, 'cause she wasn't as unlovable or unforgivable as she thought herself to be in the first place, that Silco and Vi were never her only options.

Imagine how painful it must be for her to look back and realize that for all this time she could’ve had friends and be accepted and be trusted and rely on others because she never HAD to be alone.

...keeping this in mind, let's talk about Ekko and the missing flashback from episode 7 for a moment.

Admittedly we don’t have a lot of information, other than it took place not too long after the events of episode 3 (then again, to be fair, we don’t know a lot about their relationship as enemies as well: it’s all between the lines; I surely have my own opinions of how they feel about each other being on the enemy side, but I don’t believe it’s super relevant here). What’s for sure about this flashback is that it was a defining moment in both Ekko and Powder’s journey, especially for the latter. Someone surely died, and it 100% was Powder’s fault. It could be both the result of her very first crisis or her first intentional murder; in both cases it results in her deciding for herself to align with Silco as opposed to her best friend.

The way I like to see it is that, since the trauma was still very fresh, she might have been too scared of the idea of fighting alongside others after what happened last time, and she pushed herself to kill someone on purpose just to push Ekko away and prove a point (Silco’s point). I love the idea of the tragic irony of Ekko being the one person Powder managed to really save, and Powder being the one person Ekko couldn’t.

Personal headcanons aside though, the last part is the most important one here: Ekko couldn’t save Powder from Silco, and by extension everything he represents.

I’d like to point out that one of the most tragic aspects of the two becoming enemies (to me) is that, throughout those years, they reciprocally were the only living person the other shared a past with (well, Vi too, but she was in prison the entire time).

Silco not only takes over by force, he also marks as his all the places of said past: the Last Drop, Vi and Powder’s house… one line that always stuck with me from episode 7 is when Ekko tells Vi “All that’s left is Jinx, and she belongs to Silco”.

Not with Silco; to Silco. As if she too a piece of the past he turned into his property.

It’s like he understands that while yes, Powder made the decision by herself, that she wants to stay with Silco, he also knows that the man is the one to blame for... well, all of it; the kid was there when Silco showed up unprovoked at Benzo’s place, he knows things went downhill from there.

Ekko knows that he is the bigger problem and the bigger enemy. Even Vi, without knowing a thing about the past few years, can tell Silco put some shit into her sister’s head; Ekko can probably guess the same, difference being that Ekko has the responsibility of keeping other people safe, and he can’t risk it all for someone that, while possibly manipulated, ultimately isn’t collaborative. Ekko can’t jeopardize all he’s built and done for his former best friend, no matter how much it hurts him to be her enemy.

Back to season 2.

Like the entire fandom has already pointed out, there’s a 99.9% chance there will be an alliance between them and Jinx, especially when looking at Ekko’s new outfit.

Of course, this will not be immediate: my guess is that while Jinx works alone at the very start Ekko will be with Heimerdinger and following the arrest of the Firelights we see in the trailer maybe there’s a split. And even after Jinx takes charge so to speak, and possibly frees them, among others, from Stillwater, it’s possible there will be (and there should be) stages in the alliance: initial distrust, potential fight within the community- like yeah, let’s not forget what Jinx did to these people.

Even if they do go ahead with it, it is probably out of necessity more than anything else, with not one but two military forces against the whole of the Underground. It’s not like they’d be the most ecstatic faction about it, and the same goes for Ekko, which is why the new look will probably come in later.

But exactly like he could see Powder for a brief second on the bridge clearly enough for him to stop himself from beating her, he will, most definitely, see her again through Jinx's inner turmoil... that, and she also can’t keep her shit together when it comes to what she's feeling, the girl really is an open book.

And yeah, the situation would be pretty emotionally disorienting: she's being as Jinx as ever, but people like her now, which is something she used to want as Powder, who is supposed to be dead, and they're willingly following her like they willingly followed Vander and there's murals of her with him, though she's pursuing what aligns more with Silco's dream, but also turns out Silco was wrong about Powder, who might still be alive deep down- the whole thing is a big big mess.

Despite everything that I said about him, it’s not like Jinx would start to resent Silco. She could never, not after his last words to her. They mean the world to her, he means too much to her, and let’s not forget she probably hear his voice now too, along Mylo’s and Claggor’s; it might even be a calming voice to her, one she’s happy to hear even if she knows he’s not real… which makes it all worse and more painful to deal with.

In this scene from the trailer, it seems like Ekko’s talking to her (some have pointed out the blue hair out of focus). Since this is still the look in season, at this point in time Ekko (and the rest of the Firelights) are not truly committed to this alliance with Jinx, and vice versa, Jinx is still figuring out how to deal with all this unexpected appreciation.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Jinx’s way of dealing with inner conflicts, especially ones that deal with the memories of the past, is that it often leads to disaster. This is a bit of a long shot, but what if the reason Ekko’s so beat up Is because she unintentionally sabotaged one of their own attacks on Piltover? Or perhaps they were caught up in a tough situation because of something she did or didn’t do? My point is that if he really is talking with her while in this condition, she probably is in a similar one.

Regardless, they are on the same side, and they are having a conversation. This is very likely the first time they reach out for each other since the day she chose to not go with him.

And I think it’s believable that of all the people she now has beside her, she’d talk to Ekko: he has this leader stuff already figured out. He has and still is taking care of people and keeping them safe better than she ever will, and on top of that, he still is the only one in Zaun (again, aside from Vi) who has known her since before she was Jinx, and he spared her on the bridge. He’s the perfect person to open up to.

And, get this, not only Ekko understands the pressure of taking the lead: he knows what it means to look back at someone you were fond of and feeling the pain of being wronged by them. He knows what it’s like to look back at old memories of someone you trusted and wonder if all those moments together really were what you thought they were, he knows what it’s like to wish it could all go back like it was, just so that candid version of them you have in your mind can still be true, present and untainted by the ugliness that now ruins all those precious moments.

He knows, 'cause he went through it with her... and now he can finally reach her.

Ekko may have not been able to save her from Silco then, but he can save her from Silco now.

And since he has built a community that grieved together, went through pain and joy together, he simply does what he’s always done with the Firelights. Sharing.

He tells with her what has worked for him: “Sometimes, taking a leap forward means leaving a few things behind”- in the Franch dub he says “leaving a part of oneself behind”- meaning it doesn’t have to be all or nothing: she has the power to choose what to kiss goodbye and what can stay…

…and then she cuts her hair.

I think it’s important to note how these two moments are very similar in setting. I kid you not, the first time I watched the trailer I was convinced this was a scene where Jinx was burning Silco’s body after she killed him- which frankly could still be the case. I’ve also seen discussions being made for the little girl we see in the trailer being burned here, or Sevika, but I don’t think it’s either. Jinx is completely desensitized to death, even when Silco died her makeup isn’t this ruined. My guess is that this is something much deeper:

Jinx never properly grieved the past. Ever. So, maybe, she’s burning the part of herself she’s leaving behind. The hair she cut.

The hair Silco used to braid for her.

These two scenes parallel each other because “nothing ever stays dead”, but Silco must stay dead, for her own sake. For her own happiness: she is leaving him behind for good.

Only after this moment we get the new look for Ekko: he can work with this new Jinx, the one that now knows she can work within a team, even to the point of committing to the outfit (lol).

If in season 1 Jinx accepted her identity as it was defined by Silco, in season 2 she's re-inventing it under her own conditions: she gets to choose what "being Jinx" may or may not include. And it will always include a little bit of Powder.

Thanks for reading! 💚💙

#or I could be completely wrong #and someone just cuts it #but still #it was fun to write this #arcane theory #except not really #arcane #arcane season 2 #jinx arcane #ekko arcane #arcane silco #powder #timebomb #i ship it #but this also works platonically

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daintylovers · 4 months

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hi love! maybe a Spencer Reid request where reader is obsessed with collecting trinkets, calico critters, and/or sonny angels. He doesn’t understand it until he opens one himself and then gets obsessed too. Maybe it becomes their thing after a bad case/tiring day?

don’t know if you’ll see this but ty if you do <3

aaahhhhh i love sonny angels!!! i used to have a cherry one on my phone case named soda pop- but he got decapitated when i dropped him too many times :(

so, because i am self-indulgent- sonny angels win!

****

he notices one day, the little baby figurine on your desk. it's new, with bunny ears on its head. his first instinct is that it's a toy for jack. but jack comes and goes that day, and the trinket is still in the same spot.

he wants to ask, maybe it slipped your mind, but holds himself back. it's none of his business. except- a few days later- he spots that penelope has one of the things in her lair. and luckily for him, penelope is always eager to share her findings. so he asks.

apparently, they were called "sonny angels"?? she tells him how they are adorable little collectibles that come in hundreds of different variations. and it's a mystery each time.

a few more days pass after that, filled with the angst of a case gone awry. spence had been tense the whole time, the case hitting too close to home. but with you by his side- he felt like he could manage just a little better.

the next day he comes into the office, two coffees in hand. one for him, and one for you. it was his little way of saying thank you for being there for him. he wasn't too great at voicing his feelings, especially the sappy ones. so he liked to stick to acts of service and gift-giving. he placed the coffee on your desk, then made his way over to his corner.

except, this time he had a little gift wrapped package square in the center of his desk. it was shoddily wrapped, and he wondered who it was from. for a brief second, his overactive imagination tried to convince him it was going to be something gruesome. some crazed lunatic dropping off a finger or a miniature bomb. maybe he should lay off the caffeine after all?

but when he saw you trying to subtly watch him from your desk- he knew he was safe. written on the wrapping was a little note saying, "this is for you, stalker. thanks for being an angel."

he unwrapped it as delicately as possible, wanting to save the note for his box of sentiments at home. just because he couldn't voice the feeling well, didn't mean it wasn't there for him. once he finished, one of the little angel babies was looking back at him.

his heart did a stupid little flutter. he had been asking around, partly because he was looking for himself, but also because he was looking for you. he had wanted to get matching ones or something, not really sure how the whole concept worked.

he opened up the box and saw a head of hydrangeas peeking out.

you watched as he pulled the exact one you were hoping he would pull, and couldn't contain yourself any longer.

bounding over to his desk, bouncing on the tips of your toes you said, "hey- where did you get that?"

he matched your cheeky smile, "not sure, maybe pen? she has one of these on her desk too."

"oh, whatever. she told me you were asking around about my little white rabbit over there. so i decided to save you the hassle."

he just laughed with you, "thank you. but seriously, where do you get these?"

"no way, i can't reveal my secrets."

morgan and emily, interested in the commotion from the other side of the room wandered over to the pair of you.

"wait, how come i don't have one of these little guys?"

safe to say, that in the coming weeks, everyone was sporting little sonny angels on their desks.

but spencer and you continued the little tradition. after a tough case, or even just a bad day, whoever was hurting more would receive a little gift.

you- being a tad dramatic, had more bad days than spencer. so he stuck to his coffee-giving habit for you.

while spence tended to rarely show his bad days. but when he did, he knew that the next day, a new angel would appear on his desk.

#quick blurb #reader insert #fic rec #spencer reid x you #spencer reid headcanon #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #fiction #fanfic #x reader

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ghostytoad · 1 year

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hey!! if you’re taking requests, i’d like to request the rottmnt boys falling for a fem! reader who’s basically like your stereotypical raph. she loves fighting, loves working out, loud asf, short-tempered, blunt, sarcastic, cursed with resting bitch face, all that jazz. but, once you get to know her, she’s actually really funny and sweet. NEVER afraid to speak her mind, so she may come across as rude or sassy at times, but she never really means to be. DEFINITELY has mild adhd and is on the autism spectrum. 🫶

Hfhdks yippe, my v first request!! tbh the boys can use a little extra chaos in their life so this was really fun to write abt. hopefully it's decent, i'm still v new to writing this kinda stuff!!

* Kiss with a Fist *

ROTTMNT Boys x Fem! Raph-esque reader who is secretly a sweet softie

Summary: The Hamato brothers unexpectedly fall for an intimidating, snappy, but secretly sincere human.

Headcanons for: Raph, Donnie, Leo, & Mikey

Fem! Reader; Romantic; Fluff; Mild violence || Words: 4k

Feel free to send in more requests and prompts!!

Raph:

to be honest, raph was initially intimidated and wary of y/n when they first met

like sure, he's used to his brothers being a bit too curt and impulsive and april can come off as sassy and overbearing but none of that compares to the levels y/n is on

something about how forward she can be really puts the poor turtle on edge

until he starts getting to know her a little better, finding out more about her hobbies and all

after a period of initial surprise, he starts getting used to y/n's presence in the lair

she fits in almost naturally in their family dynamic; she's basically one of them now and he loves having someone around who shares his interests

plus he could always use a workout buddy; not that his brothers aren't good spotters but he could always use a break from their antics

will take y/n to every wrestling event & spend the entire time gushing about his newest wrestling idol and when they're not out and about beating up bad guys or playing video games, he will allow y/n to sit in and spot him while he powers through his rigorous workouts

he enjoys being able to swap workout tips and tricks with y/n; treats every little bit of advice she gives as divine wisdom & he will take it all to heart

he likes to brag to his brothers about how strong y/n is, especially considering that she can keep up with his mutant abilities; everything she does impresses him to no end

opened a jar of pickles without help? amazing

landed on her feet after a pretty high tumbling jump? absolutely incredible

being able to handle his occasional hugs? literally the best thing in the world to him

having y/n around motivates raph to train harder and push himself past his limits

unfortunately, this has led to a few injuries-

"uh oh. y/n ain't gonna be happy to hear about this..."

cue the scolding, the lectures, and the bedrest. y/n's orders. but raph secretly enjoys being doted on by y/n so he won't say no

it didn't take raph too long to realize his feelings for y/n

he'd been picking up on little hints here and there, but he'd talk himself out of that silly train of thought every single time

like when he'd catch her watching him train and could feel that rush of heat burn at his cheeks

'i've just been training too hard and it's way too hot in here'

and when he couldn't get y/n off his mind when she wasn't around?

'i'm just worried about her is all. who knows what kinda trouble her loud mouth might get her in-'

but it was when y/n was comforting raph after a bust mission one particular night that really did him in and confirmed his feelings

It's bad enough when the brothers fail in their latest mission, but to get their butts handed to them by Hypno of all villains? Eesh, talk about major humiliation stink. The loss had them all silently slinking back into their lair, hoping to sleep off the defeat at the hands of their unimpressive foe. Raph was just about to make his way into his room to mop when he spotted Y/N waiting up for them in the lair's living room. It was upon seeing her sitting there with an unreadable, stern expression that a realization hit him. They had plans later.

"Hey, sorry, YN. No Brunch 'n Punch tonight. Raph's a lil' tired..." his low and gruff voice did little to hide the timid air in his tone. "I-I'll make it up to ya though! Promise!"

Despite his stuttered attempt to console Y/N and her anticipated disappointment, his tired expression and wilted posture gave away just how exhausted and downtrodden the towering mutant was. It was more than enough to tell Y/N a few things:

Raph had another rough day.

Raph once again pushed himself and got hurt.

And Raph needed someone to help carry that weight.

Before he could continue his defeated shuffle past Y/N, he felt a sudden tug on the lip of his rugged shell. Not even a second after, he felt his torso being enveloped by the subtle warmth of what could only be a person. Was Y/N hugging him...? Looking down from his stunned silence, he found Y/N with her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, face hidden by the jutting ridges of his plastron. Unable to find the words to break the tense silence surrounding them, Raph simply lets out a low chuckle as his hand gently caresses the back of Y/N's head.

"If this is about me bailing on our plans, Raph gets it. You probably hate m-"

"What am I gonna do with you, Raph...? What am I going to do if you won't take care of yourself..." Y/N's voice was unusually small.

"Say what?" The mutant didn't know what to make of the wavering tone in Y/N's voice. Was she mad? Was she worried? It was unlike Y/N to be this... vulnerable.

After a few more moments of silence, Raphael broke out of his confusion with a realization. Y/N was still holding him. The exhaustion and shame began lifting its shrouding curse off of him as his body eased into the comforting embrace. So warm. So gentle. So caring. Everything about Y/N was perfect, even the parts of her personality that she chose to share only with him. It was then that another, more pressing realization came to his mind.

Damn, does this boy got it bad. He's in love.

Donnie

he's entirely put off by y/n's whole demeanor and keeps his distance at first; like raph on his own can be a headache to deal with, but now there's two of them??

he won't outright avoid her, he just prefers quieter company

he can't exactly say they share many similar interests, but y/n's newfound spot as a member of his little family gives him incentive to at least try finding some common ground to bond over

so when it comes to the more physical and brawn-heavy aspect of his work, he can truly appreciate y/n's constant presence

god knows he can't trust his brothers to be careful or attentive enough to help him in the lab and april isn't always around to enthusiastically offer her assisstance when needed... but y/n just happens to be the perfect solution to his otherwise frustrating problem

dare he say it: "she's reliable and more importantly always happy to lend a hand"

and donnie really values the way y/n is willing to listen to him drone on about his latest projects and mapping out his complex thought process; all with very little complaint (a huge plus for him!)

in fact, she even seems eager to learn and is quick to pick up on the nuances of his work. he can also understand/empathize with y/n's misunderstood demeanor when it comes to her stone faced expression ('or resting bitch face, as she so eloquently put it')

donnie's never been good at expressing himself; he knows how vexing it can be when everyone seems intent on misreading one's emotions based on something as fickle as facial expression

and the more time donnie spends with y/n, the more he's able to observe her and her subtle mannerisms

it's gotten to the point where he can pick up on her subtle cues and accurately read her mood better than anyone else. to his brothers, it's as if y/n and donnie share a telepathic connection with how easily they can communicate with a simple glance

it doesn't take long for him to get used to y/n's more rambunctious and wild behaviors; when he's not busy working, he will sometimes invite her on their less eventful missions and adventures

he won't say it out loud, but he's really come to respect y/n's combat prowess and her ability to hold her own

admires it even... one might even say he lov-

'nope. no. nein. not the l-word...'

donnie's always quick to catch himself before he can finish off that thought but he can't help himself; cute and mean are just his type after all

whether or not he chooses to pursue those feelings though....

well, let's just say y/n really didn't leave him a choice after she practically saved his life during one fairly unexpected encounter

It hadn't been a hard mission. The Hamato brothers had successfully thwarted another run-of-the-mill robbery at the appropriately named Run of the Mill Pizzeria. Relishing in their triumph, the four turtles, joined by their newest companion Y/N, decided to make a night of it and order a few celebratory 'zzas. It was as Donnie was making his way to the booth that he was halted by the stumbling grip of an iebriated yokai yanking him back by his shoulder. The patron's swaying form crumpled forward as they tried supporting their full weight on the hand that was still firmly locked on Donnie's shoulder.

"'Ey you.... I know you..." the strong stench of alcohol burned at the turtle's nostrils as he furrowed his brow in confusion, "Yer the guy from that brawl last night. Ya dropped my drink!"

Ah. Mistaken identity. Before Donnie could correct them, the yokai straightened in a menacing stance, lifting their hand's grip from him and balling into a fist.

"You... YOU! You owe me a new drink AND a new shirt! Ya ruined MY GOOD SHIRT!"

Ever the smug one, Donnie simply shook his head and with condescension dripped from his lazy grin.

"Perhaps laying off on the booze might help to improve your memory. You're clearly looking for a fight and I'm not one to hold back in battle." With a wave of his hand, he feigned a dramatic sigh, "But I'd reconsider what would be one too many bar fights. I mean, you've obviously done your brain enough damage."

What followed was the unmistakable and resounding thud of a body hitting the restaurant walls. The remaining brothers watched amusedly from their booth as the purple-coded brother peeled from the newly dented wall and collapsed onto the floor, dumbfounded and only mildly in pain.

"He'll be fine~" Leo mused as he caught sight of Y/N's horrified expression.

"He was kinda askin' for it..." Raph shrugged, unwilling to stop Y/N who was now stomping a warpath from the booth to the drunken offender.

"HEY, ASSHOLE!" were the only words uttered before Y/N's flurry of furious punches unleashed themselves onto the yokai's face. Donnie watched fondly as Y/N's strike after strike seemed to reduce the belligerent patron to a pathetic and unintelligable mess on the floor.

Something about her pose, the way her bruised fists were held up in triumphant victory as she loomed over the monster's unconscious form, seemed to pull at the deepest, darkest parts of the turtle's heart. Was she always this badass and cool? Was it the lighting? Was it the concussion setting in? Has she always looked this cute?

"Wow... You're incredible....." Donnie muttered under his breath with awe.

So much for science being his only love.

Leo:

honestly? the more chaos, the better

raph is great and all, but he always had the annoying tendency to boss everyone around, and his ever-growing worry chasm was really starting to irk leo

so it's great to have someone around that isn't always on his case about his stunts or lecture him on dull things like responsibility and duty and all

while he does take into account the fact that Y/N is a human, she's a special human with special priviliges in his mind; meaning open invites to every mission (no matter how dangerous) and her own front row seat to every single convoluted plan leo's made

he's always there to actively enable her loud habits, he just lives for the banter and drama; he calls it his very own telenovela

obviously he'd never let her get too far into it and when things start getting a little too real, he will try getting y/n to tone down the snark and deescalate the situation

can't have his new bestie getting herself into trouble after all! and he'd never hear the end of it from his brothers if she ever got hurt bc of his encouragement

as boring as he finds training to be, having y/n around really helps to spice things up. he's always calling dibs on having her for sparring partner duties and won't hold back much

on the rare occasion that he's not getting into trouble and causing mischief with y/n, he'll show her around all the best stargazing spots new york has to offer (via portal ofc)

no reason in particular, it's just nice getting to see the stars past the haze of the city's light pollution and it seems like something friends do

'it's totally normal for friends to stargaze alone together, right?'

yeah, no he's sure of it. he just really happens to enjoy y/n's company without the constant interruption of his brothers' teasing

it's not like he's asked her to go with him on a magic carpet ride or anything

oh wait...

right, there was that one time when they decided to stop by the mystic city antiques shop and try out the dubiously named "magic carpet" the shop was selling. how was he supposed to know it was a flying magic carpet?? magic could literally mean anything!

he didn't complain when y/n would hold onto him as they weaved through the skies of the hidden city. and it was cute watching her face scrunch up with laughter every time he made a joke

but that's just friends being friends, right??

'this better not be what being wrong feels like because it's not a great feeling at all'

"Alright, Leo. This'd better be good for you to be calling me up at 3 in the morning." April's voice hissed through the call, still rough with sleep and irritation as Leo had called her up on a school night of all times.

Leo gripped tightly at the phone as if it were his only line of defense from the terrible, terrible ordeal he was about to confide. "Apes, you gotta help me! I think I might be losing my edge or something."

"Your... what?"

"My edge!" Leo reiterated, panic set in his tone, "My mojo! The Leo-factor! I think I might be losing it and I don't know how to get it back!"

A few moments of soft shuffling sounding from the phone's receiver met Leo's frantic explanation. April must've been slowly forcing herself to sit up from where she'd been sleeping peacefully only minutes ago.

"... don't 've time for this..." was all that could be deciphered between shuffles.

The disgruntled girl could only sigh, "Okay. Leo. What makes you think you've 'lost your mojo'?"

Leo paused in thought, humming low as he tried to recall his recent mojo-related blunders.

"Okay, okay, so! You know how Y/N's been hanging around the lair a lot more lately? It's like every time she's there, I get thrown off my game. And I mean, I really get thrown off! With everything!"

"Mhm?" April deadpanned.

"None of my one-liners seem to land with her and it's because I keep forgetting how to talk mid-sentence! So I end up sounding like some stuttering moron! And I keep running into things and tripping over my own feet when I see her like I'm the clumsiest chump alive. And just the other night I was out testing the sickest tricks on Mikey's new board- don't let him know that by the way- when she shows up outta nowhere with her smug little smile and throws me off my moves! I mean, all I see is her eyes on me and the next thing I know, I've got a mouthful of gravel and concrete. It's like she's sapping all the cool out of me and I need it to stop like yesterday!" Leo had to take a moment to catch his breath as he explained his troubling situation, clearly unaware of just how clueless he was. April could only wait silently for the information to sink in, a sleepy scowl painted on her face. God, she could just strangle the boy if he were here.

"So you're telling me that you called me up in the middle of the night to tell me that you have a crush?" she hissed once again, the gritting of her teeth audible.

"A what? Crush? Oho, no no no no." the mutant scoffed in disbelief, "I'm telling you that Y/N could be a witch or some kind of energy vampire or something and we-"

"Leo, let me ask you something. What's more likely: The fact that Y/N is a mojo-sucking vampire witch or the fact that you may have some feelings for her?"

The thought hadn't really occured to him before. Could it really be something as simple as a crush that's doing him in? He had been feeling a little different as of late... But he just assumed it was all from the mutant witch powers Y/N might've been using on him. He took a few moments to contemplate, a dark blush gradually forming across his face the more he thought of Y/N.

Well, what's not to like about her? She's a certified badass, she's cool, she's never afraid to give it to ya straight. And underneath that tough exterior was an equally cool but much softer version that balanced out Leo's more impulsive and emotional side. Could it really be that Leo had feelings for Y/N?

".... Do you think Donnie can run a few tests to find out what kind of witch she is?"

"I'm hanging up now, Leo."

"NO, WAIT, I-" Dial tone.

Crush it is then. Man, did he hate being wrong.

Mikey:

ever the eternal optimist, mikey is never one to judge people and gives them every benefit of the doubt until he's forced to believe otherwise

so when he first meets y/n, he takes to her standoffish nature like bees on honey

instant besties right off the bat, even if they have their differences

he's quick to introduce y/n to everything mutant turtle life has to offer, whether it be inviting her over for a few rides on the half-pipe or introducing her to the cinematic magic that is jupiter jim and its many sequels

no matter what they do, he's always there to make sure she's having fun

mikey picks up on y/n's kinder side pretty quickly too

being emotionally intuitive and a self-proclaimed therapist, he is able to see through y/n's more abrasive personality and finds her gentler side to be just as exciting and fun, if not incredibly endearing

he'll even encourage her to be more open with that part of herself by insisting she join him in his little Dr. Feelings sessions he regularly holds for his brothers (totally not against their will)

during the whole session, he'll check in on y/n and ask if she has any thoughts on the matter

"what about you, y/n? you've been around us long enough to get a say. am i right or am i totally right?"

he knows he can trust her more blunt and forward nature to lay it down as it is

but he can also trust that she won't say anything to hurt them just for the sake of it

so she's a perfect fit for the role of Nurse Candid/Assisstant Tough Love

funny thing is, Dr. Feelings can't really talk mikey out of making a fool of himself in front of y/n

he tries not to be too clingy or push too many boundaries, but how can he resist?

she's like the highlight of his little adventures and he genuinely enjoys having her around all the time that he just *needs* to understand every part of what makes y/n her

together, they'd make the ultimate power couple!

er... power couple business-wise

purely professional in this unofficial practice

'unless.....'

time for the Love Doctor to pay mikey a little visit

"Candles? Check. Fancy silverware? Check. A deliciously decadent three course meal prepared by your truly? Check." Mikey took a moment to look over his fine work as he finished setting up a "platonic-but-can-be-romantic" dinner for Y/N. He'd been hard at work all week trying to come up with the perfect excuse to invite Y/N to the lair alone. It wasn't a date or anything! Well really, that was the trouble with this whole thing. It had to strike the right balance of friendly and intimate. With a hint of romance drizzled in. And a sprinkle of platonic fun. Gah, what a confusing mix.

Sighing thoughtfully, the young turtle set down the two artistically prepared culinary plates on the now satin-draped dining table that sat in the center of the projection room. Sure, it might've been a bit cliche but the quiet ambiance of the room was the best choice for a romantic candlelit dinner. Plus if the whole romance angle didn't pan out the way Mikey had hoped, a movie marathon would surely break the tension and shift gears into friendly hangout mode. Everything about this night had been planned to a T, down to the fact that his brothers were busy on another patrol that was sure to take all night.

The orange-clad mutant gave the setup another quick once over and, satisfied with his creation, glanced up at the clock that sat above the projector screen.

"7:18 and I still got a few precious moments to spare!"

"Spare for what?" a muffled voice asked from the door.

Oh no. What were they doing here?!

"Hey hey, little brother~ Nice setup you got goin' here. Very élégante~" Leo teased with his mouth full of pizza.

"L-LEO?! I THOUGHT YOU GUYS SAID YOU WERE GONNA BE OUT UNTIL MORNING!"

"Uh, yeah? The patrol was supposed to keep us 'til morning." Leo shrugged nonchalantly as he licked pizza sauce from his fingers,"But as it turns out, Donnie isn't the math wizard he seems to think he is."

"SCOFF! My mathematical genius is not to be held accountable for YOUR poor planning!" From behind Leo, Donnie stormed in with an incredulous look as pizza sauce drenched his face and upper body.

"Look, if anything, MY PLAN did not call for explosives. That was all you, buddy!" The twin retorted, poking at Donnie's sauce-covered chest with his trusty odachi. Mikey could feel his right eye twitching as he watched the two bicker and consequently ruin his plans.

He seethed through gritted teeth, "You guys were supposed to be gone..."

The strained response brought the two brothers' attention back to their youngest sibling, both raising a brow in question.

"Oh yeah, what IS with this setup?" Leo's cocky smirk did little to hide the teasing behind his question. Did he know?

"Oi, guys! We still gotta clea-" Raph stumbled in, wiping his body down with a red soaked towel as he was presumably the most sauced up of the three. "Woah. Whatcha got going on in here, Mikey?"

Great. Just what he needed. As he did his best to keep his composure, all Michael could do was groan and slump down to his knees, withering with embarrassment before his brothers. "If you guys MUST KNOW, I had a very special night planned for me! I was gonna have a nice dinner with Y/N before you came back and messed with m-"

"Woah woah woah, are you telling me that my baby hermano has a date tonight?"

The heat suddenly rushed to Mikey's cheeks, taunting him and exposing his true motives to his brothers of all people. Raph and Leo compounded that humiliation with their slew of 'aww's and coos. Donnie simply gave his little brother an approving nod and thumbs up as the duo's teasing continued.

"I-It's not what it looks like, I swear!"

Oh, it absolutely was.

"It's not that I like her, I just-"

Want her to be mine.

"I just needed to figure out how I feel!"

But he already knew. He was hopelessly in love.

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showmey0urfangs · 4 months

Text

Mini Claudia Rant

TLDR: Who are you and what have you done with my Claudia?

I've been avoiding writing meta until the season is complete and we have a clearer picture of WTF is going on, but this felt like a crucial point that needs to be addressed. I've already discussed this with several moots in spaces and it seems I'm not the only one who feels this way. So here it goes:

Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely love Delainey's acting. She does an excellent job at seamlessly transitioning between the all the emotions that Claudia feels. She imbues the character with a sweet vulnerability that humanizes her completely, even in her worst moments. But she can only do so much when the script gives her so little to work with.

One important rule in storytelling is that if a plot point you need to happen requires for your characters to act contrary to their previously established traits, then you need to get rid of it, go back to the drawing board and think of something better to move your story forward. The reason I bring this up is because the way Claudia has been acting in this season, especially in past two episodes, is the complete opposite of how she was previously established, both in the book and in the first season.

In episode 6 and 7 of season 1, the writers go out of the way to show the audience that Claudia is cunning, shrewd, calculated, and most importantly, that she is ruthless and will not hesitate to do what needs to be done. Claudia manages to single handedly orchestrate Lestat's murder, outsmarting both him and Antoinette in the process. We find out that she was well aware that Antoinette was listening in and that she used it to her advantage. She plays on Lestat's arrogance and the fact that he underestimates her to gain advantage over him. Overall, Claudia is shown as a hypercompetent character, capable to overcome her limiting circumstances to free both herself and Louis from what she viewed as a toxic situation.

Hell, that was the entire point of the SA storyline in episode 5 wasn't it, to sell us on the gross and tired trope that somehow being raped turns women into the ultimate badass girlbosses. So WTF happened?

I find it very hard to believe that same Claudia is now completely oblivious to the fact that the theatre coven had been trailing them for months. I find it even harder to believe that she would not realize the danger she's in the minute she sees Lestat's portrait in their lair. That she would go as far as to scoff at Louis when he mentions the risk they are running by staying in Paris. I would expect that level of naivety and stupidity from Louis, but not from Claudia! Claudia takes after Lestat in that she's arrogant and often overestimated her own strength, but she is not foolish. As Louis says in episode 6, she can sense the danger coming from a mile away. So her reaction in episode 2 literally contradicts everything we've been told about her character so far.

The other thing I have a hard time buying is that Claudia would have any interest in these theatre freaks in the first place. Lestat de Lioncourt's daughter would have laughed at their cheap theatrics and turned her pretty nose at the poverty chic squalor they live in, so far removed from the pretty shiny human world that she loves so much. Just like her daddy, Claudia has very expensive taste, something Louis often deplored because of the gigantic hole it dug in his checkbook. 😂

In episode 1 she tells Louis she wants diamond rings and mink stoles to rain from the sky. We see her longingly eyeing a pretty lavender silk dress and then using her meager funds to buy it and get to tailored to her body. But you want me to believe that same Claudia would happily settle for a dusty coffin and blood-stained hand me down robes for the rest of eternity?

Another important point is, do we even remember why Claudia decides to kill Lestat in season 1? She found Lestat's control stifling. She refused to live under his authority and hated being treated as his subordinate—a state that she often compared to slavery. Claudia valued her freedom so much that she was willing to kill for it. And yet you want me to believe that she would willingly sign up to a club that imposes a curfew on its members? That dictates how and when they're allowed to feed, sleep, speak etc. The Claudia we see in season 1 does not like conforming to rules and she does not tolerate being told what to do or how to behave. She would have also scoffed at the idea of having to be deferential to the likes of Armand and the rest of the theatre coven in the same way her father does in episode 3. Lestat de Lioncourt's daughter would have rather gouge her own eyes out than lower them in front of any fucking body!

So again I have to ask, what happened to that Claudia? Why is she suddenly so eager to play resident stooge for a bunch of vampires that she would no doubt view as beneath her, in the same way her father did?

Claudia is fiercely independent and desperate for autonomy. It's literally the crux of her entire struggle; she resents the fact that in the body she's in, she will never truly be able to exist on her own.

We were told repeatedly in the promos and interviews that season 2 would be ✨Claudia's season✨. But I find that once again, she is used as a mere plot device and relegated to the background, as the main conflict in Louis' life seems to have shifted from profound existential questions of good vs evil, and grappling with the loss of his humanity to now being entirely about his relationship with his not-so-dead ex-husband and how much Louis misses him and can't stop thinking about him all the time. 🥴

I mean, how else are we supposed to interpret the fact that Louis no longer seems preoccupied with killing humans, or that he rolls his eyes at the profound philosophical discussions Armand tries to have with him, just before they're rudely interrupted by comedic gags of Lestat serenading him with an approximated karaoke rendition and Molloy struggling with his laptop in the worst stereotype of a clueless boomer.

Molloy is right that this is now a telenovela (and no, a character on screen pointing out a flaw in your narrative in a bout of meta self-critique does not magically stop it from being a flaw). It's The Young and The Restless, but with bit of blood and gore added—and no gay sex either because you can't have too much of that or the advertisers will clutch their pearls. You can show plenty of tities though, that is American A-okay, and it helps us sell more Carl's junior burgers and mercedes Benz SUVs. Good job AMC! 🙃

At this point the only thing that would rescue Claudia's storyline for me would be a reveal that Louis has mischaracterized the entire thing. That he is painting Claudia's time in Paris under the completely opposite light than what it was in reality. That Claudia was the one who sensed the danger and wanted to leave while Louis dismissed it because he was too dickmatized hypnotized by Armand's sexy hot cheeto eyes. It would certainly be more in line with what was established of their characters in season 1—and also with their book book characterizations, even though that matters a lot less since this is an adaptation and should be viewed as its own separate thing.

I know the strikes affected production a lot of ways, and part of that is felt in the inconsistent writing of the episodes we've gotten so far which imo hampers the show significantly. It doesn't matter how high your budget is, how pretty your sets and costumes are, how talented your actors are, how expense and lifelike you vfx is. It all comes down to the writing. If your script is shitty, you will invariably get a shitty final product.

That said, I'm still holding out hope that these are just growing pains and in the upcoming episodes, all the kinks will be ironed out to give us an overall brilliant second season. Fingers crossed!

#i realize i sound like a hater but i promise i'm not 😂#i'm just a little disapointed #iwtv meta #iwtv season 2 #claudia de lioncourt #because yes! in a lot of ways she is Lestat's daughter even more than she is Louis'#interview with the vampire #amc iwtv #iwtv #claudia iwtv #louis de pointe du lac #lestat de lioncourt

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ramzawrites · 2 years

Text

The cold is made for cuddles! - Reader x Rise!Leonardo

Pairings: Leonardo/Reader

Characters included: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, April

Warnings: n/a

Series: No

Summary: Leo knew that Y/N hated being touched, what he didn’t realize was that this was only a thing during the summer since the heat and sweat was just gross to them. So when they admitted that they did enjoy cuddles during the winter season, the freezing Leo had to test that assumption.

Word count: 4913

Authors Note: It’s a bit shorter than I would have liked but honestly I had fun writing the banter between Y/N and Leo haha

Request: I just tread your Rise!Leo x reader birthday fic and OH MY GOD 😚👌 beautiful. Your writing so edible (that is a compliment)

I have a request!

Rise!Leo (cuz you write him so well) x gn!reader who has recently moved to New York from somewhere south, where it gets especially icky from heat, like Arizona. Reader is somewhat touch-starved because they often overheat, but their favorite season is autumn/winter because it's cooler out.

So at some point Leo complains about it being too cold in the lair or how winter's coming, and reader enthusiastically says, "yea, that's the best time of the year!" When Leo questions then about it, they say it's the best time for cuddles!

And then after that, whenever Leo complains that he's cold, reader drags him to the couch or his bedroom to cuddle 🤗. It ends up being a sort of codeword for "I want cuddles"

Hope that's not too specific for you, friend, and feel free to ignore if you're not interested ~🌺👸

Y/N threw their front door of their apartment building open with a happy hum. Their lips turned up into a big smile as they slowly made their way along the pavement. The first snow of the winter had fallen and while the snow along the road was either melted or in a dark grey color, they couldn’t help themself but be content anyhow. There were still white spots all around the city that looked quite magical.

Though the beauty of snow wasn’t the only thing that made Y/N quite so happy. In fact, it wasn’t even necessarily the winter season. No, they frankly loved the cold! Winter and autumn were their favorite months. It brought along a special coziness with it that they just enjoyed so much. These months were made to cuddle up with someone beneath a blanket, drink something warm and watch really bad seasonal movies.

Y/N couldn’t help but chuckle to themself as they rounded yet another corner, a puff of warm air evaporating into a little cloud as they did so. If their friends knew what was going through their head right now, they would probably be mighty confused, seeing how they are usually so touch averse. To be fair that was mostly due to the weather! When everything is hot and sweaty you don’t really want to hug it out with others!

Ah, but yes. Their friends. A lovable and unique bunch. And with unique they meant the quite literal meaning. Their friend group mainly consisted of mutants and even one or two yokai, so yes, unique.

When Y/N moved to New York for college, they were so worried about finding new friends in this huge and new city. Moving across states was already a sobering thought but then there was the whole ordeal of knowing they would be all alone over there. Their family and old friends staying home or even moving further away themselves.

But luckily Y/N ended up having a few classes with the amazing and outgoing April O’Neil. For some reason April began chatting with Y/N whenever she got the chance. Talking about college, the city and the like. This soon turned into April inviting them to hang out at her apartment to study together which later evolved into them sitting in a park with some food and voicing the people who walked through. Y/N still remembers the improvisational argument they had with April when they saw a couple arguing on a park bench. Franklin, they named the couple, did not enjoy that David was constantly eating spinach with cheese and nothing else.

April and Y/N truly were the comedic duo.

It took only a month for the two to become inseparable college friends, which Y/N was thankful for every day. Sure, they might still get used to being in college and living in a new city but at least they had April at their side to work through all those hurdles and oh boy was April ever happy to help.

Now what the Y/N back then didn’t know was, that being friends with April meant that there was a chance that they would be standing face to face with mutants.

Not going to lie, the first meeting could have gone better. Y/N was hanging out with April and offered to walk to the nearest store to grab some snacks. When they came back, they were met with four mutant brothers that interrogated April as to why she was suddenly sending Mayhem, April’s teleporting yokai pet, so often to their place to be pet-sitted.

It took a while for Y/N to realize that they were in fact not dreaming and that this was real. They couldn’t help but poke and prod the brothers to make sure they were in fact standing in front of them.

Nowadays though, they were very good friends with the four turtle mutants. Most of the time after college classes they would immediately swing by the lair to relax and bring over some things for the turtles that they have problems getting on their own.

While they got along with everyone, even Splinter surprisingly, they got along with Leo the best. It wasn’t unusual for both to start talking in puns and sassing each other non-stop. Whenever this happened the others in the vicinity will groan in annoyance and make sure to get away from this.

As Y/N’s mind wandered back to these memories they finally reached their destination. A little coffee shop they found once when they were on a walk to clear their mind from all the college work. They loved this little place, it was comfy and it had the best drinks.

It’s the winter season so grabbing something warm was only natural and since they did announce to the Mad Dogs that they would swing by, they also grabbed some warm drinks for the family. They just hoped the drinks would still be warm enough when they arrived.

Once they received the drinks and paid, they got back out the shop and looked for the nearest sewer entrance. With their phone in hand, and an app that Donnie made for them so they could find their way around underground, they began their trek through the stinky sewers. Honestly, they were still not sure how the mutant family managed to keep the smell out of their home.

It didn’t take too long for them to reach the lair entrance. While Y/N was already in a happy mood and had a smile on their face, they couldn’t help themself as their grin grew even wider. They just felt at home here.

“Hello, guys! Delivery!”

The first to poke their head into the living space was Donnie. His eyes immediately landing on the tray with the cups in Y/N’s hands. His sour expression relaxed a tiny bit, but Y/N did notice the change.

He slinked his way towards them “Ah! Greetings, Y/N! You brought us drinks?”

Y/N nodded “Yep! It’s winter! Snow is out! Perfect weather for a nice warm cup of coffee, cocoa or tea.” They grabbed the coffee they specifically ordered for Donnie and placed it in his hands. As the warm cup made contact with his cold hand, he let out a satisfied sigh.

“Ugh, winter.” A voice spoke up next to the two. “Hate this season.”

It was Leo, Mikey and Raph stood next to him.

Y/N couldn’t help but roll their eyes at Leo’s statement, they knew Leo hated the cold, which made sense seeing how the guys were cold-blooded, but still. Not waiting for the others to ask about the drinks Y/N immediately moved to hand each their drinks.

Mikey immediately held the warm cup close to himself, taking a cautious sip while Raph was clearly just using the cup to warm up his fingers.

Leo moved the cup against his cheek, letting out a satisfied hum as he enjoyed the warmth.

“Don’t you guys have ways to heat up the lair? I figured Donnie would have already done something about it.”

Donnie took a big sip from his coffee “Well the lair is pretty open, so we opted mostly to heating up the closed rooms we got. So mainly the projector room, our rooms and of course my lab.”

Leo nodded “Yes, yes. Exactly.” He then used his free hand and placed it on top of Y/N’s shoulder, softly pushing them along “That’s why we chill in my room. I got some comics that I found and wanna show you and it’s way too cold here. Come on.”

As Leo continued to push them along, Y/N gave the other brothers an apologetic look, but they just shrugged their shoulders. That’s just how Leo was with Y/N. Loved hanging out with them and often kidnapping them to hang out alone. According to Leo it’s just because the two are just the bestest of friends. Something April loved to challenge seeing how the two spend a lot of time together in and outside of college.

Before Y/N and Leo could disappear, they could hear the rest yell out a quick “Thank you for the drinks!”

Once inside Leo’s room, he let the human go and immediately jumped into his bed, wrapping his blanket around his body with a sour expression. A floor heater was sitting in the middle of the room, but it was obvious it was only doing so much. It was alright for Y/N but they knew that Leo was more sensitive towards the cold than them.

“So, the comics?” they asked as they shrugged of their coat.

Leo just nodded towards his desk, refusing to move his arms out of the warm blankets.

Y/N couldn’t help but chuckle silently as they walked towards the desk, grabbing one of the comics. It was about a superhero detective, something they haven’t seen yet and as they skipped through the comics they could see why. The art was definitely interesting to say the least. They would love to get a breakdown from Mikey to see what he was thinking of it.

When Y/N looked back towards Leo, it somehow looked like he cuddled himself even deeper into the blankets. They let out a humorous snort “You really are turning into a Leo-Burrito.”

As a response Leo just stared blanky at them. His fingers were poking out of the blankets to hold the warm cup and move it to his lips so he could take sips. Probably trying to pace it a bit so he had more of the warmth.

“I should take a picture of this.”

And when Leo’s eyes widened, protests leaving his mouth, Y/N immediately grabbed their phone, snapping a picture of the blushing and bundled up turtle.

He sighed “You are more annoying than usual. You are so happy today.”

Y/N let out a bit of an evil laugh as they looked at the picture of the pouting Leo-Burrito, sending it along to April immediately “Well, it snowed! I love the snow!”

“I really don’t understand how you can love this time of the year! It’s so cold and annoying and oh yeah, cold.” He made sure to scowl, his brow ridge pulled as low as possible.

“Are you kidding? This is the best time of the year! It’s the year to get warm drinks, cuddle with people under a nice warm blanket and watch horrible movies!”

This seemed to surprise Leo. His scowl turned to an expression of confusion mixed with surprise, there was a slight blush on his face that Y/N attributed to him feeling cold.

Leo’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Y/N, only for his eyes suddenly to dart to his drink “Uh, you? And cuddles? Since when? You don’t even like it when we put our arm around your shoulders.”

“Well, when we met it was summer and all and during the warmer days it’s just … icky. I’m sweating and hating it. Getting hugged and all means more warmth and more sweat. It’s annoying but that’s the great thing about the colder months, I guess. I’m not entirely like... touch-averse, it just has never been the right moment?”

Somehow this became awkward, and Y/N could feel how an embarrassed blush made their way towards their face. To hide this, they turned back to the comic in their hands, still watching Leo from the corner of their eyes.

Leo was nervously biting down on his lip as he seemed to mull something over. It was funny how easy of a time Y/N had when it came to reading Leo. The number of times they surprised him by telling him exactly what was going through his mind and offering him to listen to his worries was more than they could count on their hands by now. Unbeknownst to them Leo appreciated this detail about them immensely.

He had problems to voice his thoughts to the others, especially his worries, after all he was the confident one! So, to have someone just straight up almost read his mind and offer a listening ear was a big help.

“W-Well, I don’t believe you.” He suddenly spoke up. Leo must have realized how stupid this sounded, at least when Y/N looked at him with a raised eyebrow because he couldn’t look at their face as he stared at the wall next to him. His lip jutted out into a bit of a pout as he acted like he was deep in thought.

“What? You want me to prove it to you?” they laughed “Or do you just wanna get a hug and use me for my body warmth?”

Aghast Leo finally looked back at Y/N. Hit the nail on the head, huh? The blush on his face definitely darkened, he opened his mouth to most definitely say something witty and sassy in return, but Y/N stopped him by putting the comic back down on the desk and moving over to the blue turtle.

Leo was just staring at them with a slightly open mouth, curious to see what they were up to. When Y/N stood in front of his bed and looked at him expectantly he asked “What?”

“Move, idiot. Let me into your burrito!”

But Leo didn’t dare to move, so Y/N forcefully pulled on the blanket to open it enough to let themselves in. He shrieked as the colder air hit him which made Y/N laugh again. He was such a baby when it came to the cold.

Y/N made sure to sit down next to the taller terrapin and wrap the blue blanket around the two. They could tell that Leo was tense as they made themself comfortable next to him. He was usually very much okay with being all touchy-feely with his family, including April, so this surprised Y/N.

Slowly Y/N grabbed the almost finished drink from Leo’s hands and placed it to the side. Leo let out a sad whine as the warmth left him. Instead, Y/N grabbed the turtle’s arms and laid them around their body, pulling their own arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer to themself. Surprisingly Leo didn’t object to it and just let himself be guided by them.

It took a second but as Y/N gave him a little squeeze to show that this was alright, he let out a soft sigh as he took the chance to bury himself deeper into the hug. He was now pressing his cold snout into the crook of their neck which sent a shiver along Y/N’s body at first contact.

Seeing how this was the proper first time Y/N hugged Leo, they were a bit surprised with how cold his body was. Of course, they knew that this was a thing and they have felt it every now and again when their hands brushed, or when he laid his hand on their shoulder and arms, but it was something different as he basically tried to bury himself inside their body.

His legs searched for contact with Y/N’s, which soon resulted in their legs being intertwined. Y/N slowly moved a hand on Leo’s shell, lazily tracing along the pattern while their other hand rested on the back of his head “See? All good, right?”

Leo nodded slowly, his face still pressed into their neck “Mhm, warm.” Was all he said.

“I knew it! You are just using me for my body heat! I can’t believe you!”

“ ‘m sure am.”

“The devious criminal even admits to it.”

“This devious criminal will keep you for himself. You can’t leave this place ever now. I officially ‘m kidnapping you.” His voice was still muffled by him pressing himself against Y/N. They could feel his mouth move against their collarbone which tickled them, but they managed to suppress a laugh that was threatening to leave their chest.

“I should yell for help then, I guess. I’m sure your brothers are nicer to me.”

In return Leo just nodded, letting out a very non-committal “Mhm” in affirmation.

Y/N could tell he was getting sleepy. They made sure to lay securely against the wall of the room and gave Leo another squeeze as a silent encouragement to fall asleep. If he understood that or not, it didn’t matter, since he was out cold a minute later.

With a smile on their face Y/N made sure to continue tracing his shell. It was a nice feeling with how his weight was laying on them, his arms securely wrapped around their body, their legs tangled together. It felt comfortable and safe. Almost intimate even.

Y/N definitely thought the plastron would probably be uncomfortable on their body but somehow it was fine. They knew it wasn’t as hard as the shell, since it bended and moved along as he did his acrobatics, but it was still way firmer than skin.

This was also the first time they got the chance to take a proper look at his shell and let their hands run along it. They had to admit that they were often curious about it and would have loved to take a closer look at it, but it wasn’t anything they just could ask him about. Not that he wouldn’t have let them, they were positive, but the teasing would have been horrible and frankly they didn’t want to give him this satisfaction.

They could only imagine him saying something stupid like “Oh? It only makes sense you wanna take a better look at my awesome bod!” Something that would have definitely ended up with them trying to punch Leo.

As Y/N slowly closed their eyes, sensing the drowsiness, they began humming a tune. It wasn’t any specific tune, just something that came up and felt calming to them. The tune died in their throat though as they finally succumbed to their sleepiness as well.

Y/N woke up first, Leo was still wrapped in their arms but he too woke up when Y/N had the horrific realization that it was actually pretty late and that there were still projects that had to be done. There were silent, incoherent protests from Leo as they untangled their limbs from his and moved out of his bed.

“The comics were great, Leo.” Y/N laughed.

Leo buried himself further into the blanket, probably enjoying the rest of the warmth that Y/N so graciously donated.

“They are. Gotta get over here again soon so you can take a better look at them.” He murmured still sleep drunk.

“Ah, yes, and not for another cuddle session so you can steal more of my precious body heat.”

“What can I say? ‘s cold.”

“I might as well ask for payment if that is how this will go.”

“Your hugs are great. The others will be jealous. After all I’m the first to get a proper hug from the Y/N.” A yawn ended Leo’s quip.

Y/N just gave him an affirmative hum as they moved to give him a little pat on his head. He moved his head up so their hand connected with his cheek. Leo’s smug expression didn’t go unnoticed.

“Alright, see ya bud. I’ll try to come over tomorrow.”

There was only a soft “Yay!” from Leo as Y/N finally tore themself away from him and made their way out of the lair. They would have said goodbye to the others but all of them were probably bunkered down in their rooms and Y/N really needed to get back to their apartment in order to do some work. These due dates won’t wait for no one. Well, they kind of do it’s just a thing of if you are prepared or not but this wasn’t the point right now.

Once home though Y/N spent a good amount of time to chat with April viaphone and joke about the Leo-Burrito picture before they finally sat down to study and work. Still, they couldn’t help but sometimes get the picture of Leo out. It was funny okay? Also he looked adorable. Let’s ignore the fact that this was also amazing blackmailing material.

If they could they would love to print and frame the picture. Just for teasing purposes of course.

The next day Y/N made sure to make their way to the lair again after doing some chores and work. This time April joined them since they met up for lunch. Both happily gossiping about some professors and supposed university mysteries that April was currently investigating.

“I don’t think they have the capabilities to create ‘new life’, April”

April just scowled “Well, I don’t mean anything like a full sentient six foot beings! Just something small. We both saw weirder hanging out with the turtles.”

Y/N rolled their eyes “Why would our university, that specializes particularly in creative writing and journalism and the like, create their own lifeform. It just doesn’t add up!”

“That’s why I’m investigating! The rumors must have come from somewhere and usually there is a kernel of truth in there!” she groaned as the two rounded the last corner before arriving at the lair.

“I’m gonna predict and say that people are trying to hatch some bird eggs.”

Before April could retort, the two students already stood in the lair hence why Y/N cupped their mouth and yelled out “Boys! Your superhero, super friends are here and we are dying for some entertainment!”

“Ya know, we can just walk in without announcing it every time.” But Y/N just shrugged at that, they started doing it when they got to know the family and at this point it was just the procedure they always did.

Raph was the first to appear but his brothers were close behind. Leo had one of his eyebrows up as he looked at his two friends “What? Are we your personal jesters now?”

Y/N nodded happily, stepping closer to Leo with their arms crossed in front of their chest “Yep! I thought that was clear ever since the start of our friendship? I mean you always act like a clown, so I just assumed…”

“Hardy-har-har. Keep talking, let’s see who will be the clown by the end of this.” Leo took a step closer as well.

Before the two could start their joke argument fully, April stepped in between the two “Okay, kids! No arguing! It’s movie time!”

“Yes, please! Let’s get into the warm projector room!” Mikey spoke up, pulling April along. Leo followed suit and laid his arm around Y/N. At first Y/N could tell he didn’t dare to put the weight of his arm fully on their shoulders but when they didn’t protest or shake him off, he finally did relax and forced them to move along to follow the others.

Leo really took advantage of the fact that Y/N told him that during the winter they didn’t mind body contact. They enjoyed the contact actually. It’s been a long while since they had a proper hug or even a cuddle session like yesterday. Okay, maybe they were also taking advantage of this whole situation. Yet, it surprised them that Leo didn’t tease them about it. Made some quips or any kind of witty remarks.

Then again if he did Y/N would definitely stop gracing him with their hugs and warmth so there might be that.

The projector room was definitely warmer than the open living space of the lair but the differently colored blankets did show that the turtles were still struggling. Being cold-blooded must be rough.

The turtles scrambled beneath their respectively colored blankets while April worked to get the projector running to get the movie started. Y/N on the other hand went into the kitchen to prepare some popcorn and maybe make just some simple hot cocoa for the freezing brothers. It might not reach Mikey’s level but it was mostly for warmth than anything. Also their own cocoa wasn’t that bad it just wasn’t Mikey good!

Y/N first brought the popcorn bowls into the room only to vanish again and bring everyone their warm cups.

“Lately you are spoiling us with warm drinks, Y/N.” Raph noted as he took a sip.

But Y/N just chuckled “I bought you some yesterday and made you guys some today. If that is spoiling you then I’m really sorry for you.”

“Still appreciated!” Surprisingly it was Donnie who said that. He might put on a bad boy persona but some warm drinks managed to break through his shell after all, huh?

“Okay, got it! Y/N is amazing! Now let’s put on the movie, I’ve been working my butt off the last few days I can really use this right now!” April said as she started the movie.

Y/N wanted to retort that her work was snooping around campus all day but they bit the comment back. Instead they took their coat and threw it on Leo as they made themself comfortable next to him. He just squawked in surprise as he shook the coat off his head.

“Since you are always so cold.” Y/N whispered, making sure to open their eyes wide and putting on a pout to show off some very sarcastic pity.

Leo just huffed but still moved their coat around his shoulders, his eyes now transfixed on the action movie that began.

Watching a movie with the family was always fun. Mikey loved gushing about the artistic choices, Donnie tended to explain some effects or why something didn’t make sense while Raph showed his appreciation for any kind of cool action sequences and Leo couldn’t help but throw in some possible one-liners for the hero of the movie that made everyone groan in the room.

April had a clear weakness for any journalist kind of characters that made sure to get themselves involved with the plot in order to find out more as to what was happening. Y/N on the other hand was in a similar boat like Leo. They couldn’t help themself as they made puns. They really felt smug and happy whenever they made a pun that resulted in the majority of the room to burst out into “boo!” and popcorn being thrown their way. At this point they could tell when it would happen and they always tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to catch some popcorn with their mouth. Sometimes this would result in Raph trying to throw popcorn into Y/N’s mouth as they darted across the room.

Right now though Y/N was leaning against a beanbag next to Leo with a few pieces of popcorn littering their body that they didn’t notice.

Leo placed his empty cup on the ground with a soft clink, his gaze tore off the movie to look at Y/N.

At first Y/N didn’t notice, to engrossed in the movie as the hero ran after some goons. Their own eyes following the action until they suddenly noticed that someone was very clearly staring at them from the corners of their eyes.

When Y/N turned their head to quizzically look at Leo, they noticed how close he really was. He looked shy, a question on his face but too scared to actually ask. There was an adorable blush on his face.

Not expecting this sudden closeness the human could feel their cheeks blush as well only for a thought to suddenly enter their mind which made them affectionately roll their eyes.

“What is it, Leonardo?”

“Y/N?”

“Uh-Huh?”

“I’m cold.”

Y/N’s eyes wandered over his form to indeed notice the small shivers that wrecked through his body but the way he sheepishly looked at them they knew he also just wanted another cuddle session. Once again, Y/N was actually pretty good at reading what was going through his mind.

With a soft grin they scooted closer to him “Well, let me in your little burrito then.”

“Yes!” he cheered quietly, not wanting that the others heard him.

He happily opened up his blanket and waited for Y/N to scoot closer. Once they were close enough he threw the blanket around them and practically pulled them into his lap. Wrapping his arms around them while simultaneously nuzzling his face against their collarbone. In return Y/N threw their one arm around Leo and slowly traced along his shoulder, their other hand rested on one of Leo’s arms that was wrapped around their body.

“Happy?” Y/N chuckled.

Once again Leo nodded against their body “Yes. Very warm. Very comfy.”

“The thief strikes again.” They sighed somberly.

Leo’s chuckle vibrated though his chest “I did tell you that I was kidnapping you but you still managed to flee. Still dumb enough to fall right back into my trap.”

“Sure, Leo. Believe what you want but we both know I just took pity on you.”

“I love your pity handouts.”

Okay, that was enough. Y/N pinched the skin on his arm as their only answer. Leo hissed in surprise and as he wanted to argue back, Y/N made a point of staring right at the movie. Ignoring him completely. Leo leaned back against the beanbag with an annoyed grumble.

He hated it when Y/N did things like that, even if they didn’t say anything it still felt like they had the last word in their argument. Instead he moved their body flush against his so he could lay his head on their shoulder to watch the movie.

“I swear to god Leo if you use this chance to sniff me-“

“Oh my god, Y/N! That’s weird!”

Y/N couldn’t help themself to laugh as they saw Leo’s horrified expression that was laced with a deep blush.

#rottmnt reader insert #rottmnt x reader #leonardo x reader #rise!leonardo x reader #rise leonardo x reader #tmnt reader insert #rootmnt x reader #Ramza writes #🌺👸-anon #🌺👸anon

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oscarsasylum · 1 month

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(breaks chains) I CAN BE AUTISTIC ABOUT TAKARAZUKA PHANTOM

@partymeow since it’s going to be undoubtedly long I had to make a post instead of a reply so here it is! im gunna start talking about erik on each one because hes special like that.

its gunna be a bit long:( guess how many times ive said the word love in this thread

Bonus sketch for how I differentiate each adaptation via my style :3

Takarazuka Phantom 2004

Wao Youka’s Erik is, to me, remarkably one of the more serious ones compared to the rest of the takarazuka adaptations of phantom. He reminds me a lot of the 1990 phantom film with Charles Dance! How both of them appear so serious but has probably laid out billions of traps around the opera to prank people and can be quite witty. Wao Youka’s Erik is my favorite just because I’m a sucker for that dynamic wherein person A is cold towards everything else except for when it comes to everything about person B. He looks like he’d buy (or steal) a ton of what Christine just off-handedly mentioned she wanted to get once. I absolutely love how there’s a lot of moments wherein Erik just looks lovingly and proudly at Christine and that’s why 2004 has such a special place in my heart.

Out of bias I think that the best Erik and Christine chemistry still goes to 2004. There’s something about the way Hanafusa Mari and Wao Youka acted out on stage that just sits so perfectly with me. Before the climax, the way they’ve interacted on stage just made it seem as though Erik and Christine actually had some mutual feelings towards each other.

While probably unintentional there were several times wherein the characters actually shed a few tears on some really important scenes and I thought that made the performances all the more immersive because you can actually see the deep emotion that they’re feeling on that moment.. like Christine during My True Love :3

Also! For me, it also has the best Alain Cholet! Suzuka Teru gave him so much life, he’s so full of expression and just overall funny.

Takarazuka Phantom 2006

My second favorite Takarazuka Erik is one acted out by Haruno Sumire. To me, her portrayal of Erik makes him twice as angry as Wao Youka’s Erik. I saw him as a ticking bomb, a loser sewer goblin with anger issues. I absolutely LOVED when he shouted at Gerard to leave his lair in anger, because instead of him demanding him in a firm tone to leave, he quite literally SHOUTS at him and that was just (chefs kiss). Instead of full on appearing like a sopping wet dog after his owner left, he just stands there like a pouting little child and that was just hilarious to me. She’s got a bit of that ALW Erik in her.

I decided to put it here since she played both in 2004 and 2006, but I absolutely adore Izumo Aya as Carlotta! When I first watched the 2006 adaptation I didn’t expect to see her there (since it’s a different troupe) but I’ve always loved how she acted out Carlotta with the perfect amount of snarkiness and comedy so its a pleasant surprise!

Takarazuka Phantom 2011

The most hilarious transition from the angriest Erik to the youngest looking and emotional Erik. Ranju Tomu’s Erik looks like the direct descendant of Wao Youka’s Erik but instead of being serious and cold he is just up there on the sog factor. I absolutely love the carmen sabotage in 2011 because it really set the standard to make that moment as chaotic and silly as humanly possible and I’m so in for it; like Erik literally came out of the FLOOR. Ranju Tomu has such a fantastic voice too, not to say every actress who played Erik didn’t (they’re all so amazing), but I felt it to my core whenever she sings.

His entire character plus the more stoic and cold Gerard of Sou Kazuho makes for such an interesting dynamic. I’ve never seen an adaptation portray him so serious, and I mean that positively:3

Takarazuka Phantom 2018

THE soggiest Erik out of all the takarazuka adaptations. Nozomi Fuuto’s Erik is by far the funniest and most pathetic one yet because of how emotional he is. Everytime something happens to him he just looks like the last panel from that ‘is that your fursona? thats cringe’ meme format. I just absolutely LOVE how miserable he is whenever he’s on stage. He’s always on the verge of crying and that just makes him all the more loveable. The mommy issues on this one is CRAZY! The way Nozomi Fuuto put so much expression into Erik is so cool, it was so clear what emotions he was going through.. even the really complicated ones like confusion and conflict (and most importantly, smitten).

Absolutely love Maaya Kiho as Christine! I just thought that the way she played her was so cute! She was so pretty and she really rocked that feeling that Christine really was just an honest and kind gal with no bad intentions whatsoever.

There’s also the beautiful improvements in costumes and stage effects and it was such a treat to see. Absolutely loved the special rendered intro of the show.

But that’s the end of my little autistic rambling! Thank you for asking, it was such a pleasure! I really can’t rate which is the best because each of the takarazuka adaptations are special in their own way. each adaptation is like the same size of cake on the table for me and im wearing a little bib and holding up my fork and knife

#koby talks #takarazuka phantom

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semperintrepida · 1 year

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I really appreciate your analyses of Kyra and her relationship with Kassandra. Something that’s been frustrating to me in video game fandom is that even if you’re lucky and get a compelling female main character, the chances of any potential female love interest also getting a fair shake in canon is very low (looking at you Lara Croft/Sam Nishimura… 🙃). Therefore, any deeper dive into the love interest in fic is always HIGHLY appreciated. I’m also curious: what is your opinion on Daphnae and Aspasia, and their respective potential romances with Kassandra?

So you're saying I should write more analysis dispatches from the SS Kyssandra? 🤣

(Before I answer your question, I must admit that I'm no multishipper. I trip face-first into a ship and cling to it for dear life until I tire of it. But that doesn't mean I can't opine on demand.)

Daphnae, Daphnae, Daphnae. So devoted to her goddess. So fucking unHiNgEd. "Go run around Hellas killing big beasties to prove your love worthiness as my opponent." After the first couple of pelts Daphnae had to have known that Kassandra was going to be the one. I respect a woman with a death wish.

Artemis is the goddess of young girls and maidenhood, of wild lands and wild beasts. But a young woman's freedom comes to an end in marriage, to a stranger she's only just met and had no time to love, with whom she's expected to bear children that she will of course love with all her being, but at what cost...

What I mean to say is I think this storyline is the first and only time Kassandra is a metaphor for marriage.

Now let's talk about Aspasia as a love interest for Kassandra. Kasspasia fans avert your eyes! And people who haven't played the main AC:O storyline and don't want to be spoiled. Scroll away!

Kasspasia is my NOTP. I can see Aspasia seducing an unsuspecting Kassandra. I can see how that would be delicious in a soap opera kind of way. (Such a tragic reveal!) But what I can't see is Kassandra letting Aspasia live after finding out the true identity of the Ghost, not after saying:

"I will not stop until every last Cultist has met my spear. You will be erased from history. I will erase you."

No matter how silky it is between Aspasia's sheets, the idea that Kassandra would forgive her for being the Ghost just does not compute. My big logic brain can't accept it in any circumstance, not when there's an equally compelling, educated, intensely charismatic woman over on the Silver Islands waiting to be wooed, a woman who, most importantly, is not a member of the Cult.

That said, I might be interested in an AU where deimos!Kassandra and Aspasia get it on in their secret villain lair. Someone write me that fic.

This is all, of course, my opinion.

#agreed on all counts re: all those neglected lady love interests #it's hard out here writing fic #where the main character *isn't* kassandra #i'm glad you asked #my grey faced friend #kassandra #ac odyssey

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tgrailwar-zero · 9 months

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you know, we didnt get to explore much of the city when we were here last because there was fighting going on. what are the crown jewels of this place?

You watched her pause in thought for a moment.

BRYNHILDR: "Hmm… well, with our central positioning, we offer a little bit of everything, but we do pride ourselves on being an 'Information Center' for the Solar Cell. There are the Archives, lots of interesting literature and information gathered there pertaining to both the Sun and the Moon."

BRYNHILDR: "Sigurd constructed it with another one of the original nine Lair Servants after the Origin War, as a way to keep humanity's memories recorded... I hope it wasn't damaged in the attack..."

BRYNHILDR: "...Anyways, we're not as flashy as the Megalopolis, or as rustic as Sunbeam Row, and I suppose for those who dislike reading, it may not be that impressive, but… well, we're rather proud of it..."

BRYNHILDR: "He's quite devoted… my love, Sigurd… he would move heaven and earth for me, and I for him..."

BRYNHILDR: "If you really want to help, you'd… have to ask Sigurd."

BRYNHILDR: "The Solar Cell has plenty of energy, but none to spare. We already need to collect as much as we can for…"

Before she continue, one of the hooded warriors- the Valkyrie- approached BRYNHILDR, speaking quietly to her.

VALKYRIE: "Sister Brynhildr. We've come to pass a message from… Sigurd. He requires your presence."

You could hear a thinly-veiled disdain when the Valkyrie said SIGURD's name- one that went either unnoticed or ignored by BRYNHILDR. She turned to you, bowing her head.

BRYNHILDR: "Right. Then I'll be taking my leave. I'll see you later on, at the banquet. There should be a bit more time until your presence is needed."

With a polite nod that still seemed decently warmer than the one when you first encountered her, she followed the Valkyrie away.

...And like that, you were on your own again.

BRYNHILDR said that you still had a little bit of time. So you could look for one of your Servants for some one-on-one time, keep exploring, or head to the Main Hall early-- you're sure that no host would be upset for their 'guests of honor' to be ahead of schedule... frankly, there was a decent number of things you could do.

#thgw story #thgw: chapter 4 #main post

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wigglebox · 2 years

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awelfjawelkfawe

okay here’s what i wrote for IMDB’s rating, but i’m putting it here because BOY DID I LOVE THAT EPISODE [this doesn’t get very meta-y just me gushing on the episode[

I loved this episode a lot, like a whole lot. Not that I didn't love the other ones, but this one hit something different.

Even if you just boil down the episode to the asthetics, The lighting, the color palette, the setting of Carrie's room which felt straight out of a 1980s horror film, and the monsters lair. I loved it all so much. It did feel like the 70s, and I am admiring any show that attempts to pull off 1972, especially on network television (though, let's be real, streaming platforms also sometimes don't get this correct either).

*Noting for the Tumblr post - i did catch one lens flare! On John’s flashlight in the room. I think there were others but I def. caught that one.

I loved the story as well, the meaning behind the monster and how to defeat it, and I absolutely loved that with the monster, we got to peek into Latika's life a little bit. I can't wait for more of her story to be revealed. Honestly the whole episode I wanted to give her a hug, she seemed emotionally heavy with something.

Ada and Carlos is a team up I want more often because that was fantastic as well. Ada to me feels like Rowena, where she seems one step below ruthless, but she knows her shit and can come across perhaps morally gray in the future. Not as a villain, but as someone who is going to do what she's gotta do to get the job done. She seemingly has so many tricks up her sleeve and trapping that demon in that bonsai tree even after it confessed was *chef's kiss*. Also, I had to laugh at the demon smacking Carlos down to the ground and Carlos kinda smiling going "You wanna go???"

I loved this almost like - three way love ... well it's not really a triangle but this love.... issue happening. You got John who likes Mary to whatever extent, we learn that he DID PROPOSE to a former beau of his, Betty, which really pulled at my heart strings. And then you can clearly tell that Latika has a little bit of a crush on him as well.

The heartbreak is that Betty is a good option for him and there were clearly still feelings there, unresolved ones, I feel like even at the end of the episode (I gasped when she took that ring out), and that John and Latika are honestly adorable to think about together.

The saddest thing is just knowing that John and Mary will be smooshed together at some point, but right now I'm loving their strong friendship. John's insistence that he needs her and his scramble to save her out of the monster's lair was really wonderful and emotional. And the whole talk in order to get her out of there actually made me tear up a little bit.

I think two of the biggest shocks to me was that Deanna and Samuel had been separated for a bit of time. Rocky marriage? Wasn't aware of that! I was wondering in the last two episodes where she's been so I'm happy the show addressed it this episode.

Also, Mary going to see a movie alone after passing up to see it with John, and then meeting some stranger there and agreeing to see it with him. Though, in my brain I'm like "Mary it's 1972, don't go with stranger young adult men. They wind up serial killers!"

So it'll be interesting to see if we get Betty back or see where Mary's temporary love interests go. I would love to see Betty again. Usually I roll my eyes at the ex showing up because usually it's ust to cause trouble but given the fact that this show is in part a love story, I don't find it to be forced whatsoever. And! She's a cop. She can be an asset in their monster club.

The ending with the DJ Rockin' Roxy and the spider-monster (the Akrida? I think that's them right?) perked me up. She's seemingly the woman in the cloak from the end of episode 2 and I have to wonder what she's up to. Though, when the monster first crawled out of the woods I screamed again because I hate things that crawl in the dark, but then nope! It's like a little retriever dog!

But I enjoyed how Mary is already questioning why there is a North Indian folklore monster and a Colombian folklore monster back to back. Something's up!

The last two episodes one of my main kinda sticking points was the expository dialogue but that was minimal if not completely not there for me this week. Nothing really felt stiff and said just for us the audience. I understand the first few episodes of a show may have to do that so usually I give it a pass. But this episode felt smoother! I don't know if it's because we're acclimating to the characters, but I really loved this episode. And I can't wait for next week!

#the winchesters #spnwin #go rate on imdb if you haven't!

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akaviri-dovah · 1 year

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Do tell me all about your Mary Sue OC *rests chin on hands*

ahhhhh first of all I gotta say I'm so flattered that you followed me >w< I've been a fan of your art and writing for your while but that's another story for another day-

anyways about the character herself... I have A LOT to share, and the post editor doesn't like me so I apologise for taking so long on this, and thank you for your patience. I am going to start by saying that right from the start, before she even had a name, I thought her already dangerously close to being a mary sue due to her original purpose... shipping with one of my favourite canon characters.

this is Rumeranwen Malathelaere (or simply Rume), a 6'8 greatsword wielding high elf templar and my main character for ESO. though I haven't had much time to play the game I know enough to weave a story in my head about her, her love interest, and the forces threatening to tear them apart.

long ramble under the cut about her story, and all things about it I am worrying about making her a mary sue. spoilers abound. I'd like to hear opinions about this, also.

as is in the nature of all Elder Scrolls protagonists, it is in her hands that the fate of the world is placed. and not just once, either! though I plan to have multiple characters in my game and story, she is the one who takes the role of Vestige, completing the main quest as well as her alliance's questline, alongside the major DLC's.

Rume is a wonderful girl, for the most part: passionate, boisterous and energetic, righteous, and fearless (or at least claiming to be - there are some exceptions!). a true enjoyer of all the wonders Tamriel and its various peoples have to offer - see all the places, try all the food, pet all the creatures. but she is far from perfect: naive (especially after soul removal), stubborn, and a bit too impulsive for her own good, often learning things the hard way. not to mention that her engagement with other races puts her at odds with most of her fellow Altmer.

seems like quite a decent personality for the saviour of Tamriel, time and time again. but how did she get swept up into it all? why choose her (especially since she can put up quite the fight against any potential captors) to sacrifice and kick off the Planemeld, condemning her to an eternity of torment in Coldharbour?

simple, because she was the lover of Vanus Galerion. brought together by a certain Daedric Prince's playing matchmaker in an attempt to alleviate the Great Mage's troubled mind, and stayed that way for many years prior to the events of ESO. but sadly, it does not last, because Mannimarco (who in my and many others' interpretation is Vanus ex, who nevertheless wants him back) finds out and threatens them both. and so they separate for the time being, with Vanus going to confront Mannimarco alone and Rume left to wander Tamriel "as if she never knew him like she did" . but the Worm Cult's forces find her anyway, and proceed to capture her and drag her to Manni's lair, where he personally sacrifices her to Molag Bal.

but unlike so many others sacrificed in the same way, she returned to Nirn as if alive again due to her love for life itself being so deep and boundless, acting as an aedric force protecting her. but without a soul, she has no memory of her experiences from her previous mortal life. she does find Vanus again, much to his shock as he was given visions of her death. and especially since this Rume - though looking and sounding exactly the same as the Rume he knew and loved - does not recognise him at all.

things will get better for them, though. Rume will know him again, and realise her love for him even before she regains her soul. and their bond stays ever strong for the years to come - even though she travels far and wide, he is never far from her mind. and once her adventuring ends, and they retreat to a hidden estate to live out the rest of their lives in peace, she will be remembered by the people of all provinces for eras to come by myriad titles, with one of the most notable being "the Warrior Bride of the Great Mage."

if only it were so. for Mannimarco was not done with them yet, and was doubly furious for this perceived enemy of his to have escaped her fate, beat his ass, and stole his lover once again. and so came the fateful battle between Vanus's army of warriors and mages and Mannimarco's forces of death and darkness.

A thousand good and evil perished then, history confirms. Among, alas, Vanus Galerion, he who showed the way, It seemed once that Mannimarco had truly died that day.

from the book Mannimarco, King of Worms. this is canon.

Rumeranwen Malathelaere was among that thousand. sort of, but not quite. for she was a Vestige, and could not be truly killed, unlike her mortal lover who was then taken as an undead thrall by the King of Worms. but knowing this, Mannimarco sent his subordinates to the nearest wayshrine to capture her upon her resurrection, and imprisoned her in a pit at the bottom of a dungeon complex hidden beneath a lonely part of Tamriel untouched by man, mer, or beast, forced to die and come back to life over and over and over again with no way to escape nor anyone to rescue her. all written records of her were destroyed and word-of-mouth stories of her twisted into unrecognisability by the Worm Cult; by the tail end of the Third Era, nobody knew such a person had ever existed.

but rumour has it, that there is still someone who not only knows about her, but is searching for her, even after all this time. for immortals never forget their friends.

TLDR - "chosen one" oc who saves the world on multiple occasions, manages to defy fate due to "the power of love", nice for the most part but goes through awful undeserved things, has important canon character/in universe historical figure as love interest, is treated as a character who really existed in-universe

hope you enjoyed, nonetheless. and special credits go out to @titanwolfackerman for major inspiration and help in creating this story. please do check them out.

#aka's answers #aka's ocs #the elder scrolls #elder scrolls online #eso #altmer #high elf #vestige #oc: rumeranwen #aka's shipping shenanigans #oc x canon ship: galeranwen

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