#streaming killed good stories that have time to be fleshed out

[queenboimler]

just saw someone say they've never watched a show live before and now i feel like the crypt keeper

[mika-no-sekai-blog]

Part I

Word count: 3600+

Warnings: mentions of blood, body remains; reader is from Hewn city (I believe that says enough about what to expect here)

Note: I'm posting this just because I'm curious if there would be anyone interested in this story. There won't be next chapter any time soon, not until the rest of Heal me is up. Hopefully I won't need to pretend it's oneshot😮‍💨

Declaration: I hate dancing and have zero knowledge about it, so excuse the lack of description or any vagueness in that part. I tried to look things up, I swear, but the unstoppable rolling of my eyes made it hard to focus🤷

Dividers by amazing @tsunami-of-tears

Part II

A male slowly stepped out of the darkness, the pale face lifted up. His amber eyes found yours, gazing straight into them with hate, all-consuming fire blazing in his irises. His unbounded long red hair flew around him, dancing in the air as flames. He was scary but handsome. Then his mouth twisted into a sadistic grin came in focus and you cried out in fear. His white teeth were covered in blood, streams of it running down his chin, dripping on the front of his shirt.

Blood was dripping even from his long fingers with sharp nails of predator. Down at his feet lay remains of a body, pile of flesh and broken bones, burned so badly that nobody could recognize the person whom it belonged to.

His grin widened and he suddenly dashed forward towards you, his hand reaching for your throat.

You jolted up in dimly lit carriage, cold sweat covering your body. Thankfully, you were all alone and nobody saw you or heard you. This nightmare haunted you almost every time you closed your eyes ever since you were told that you would marry a new High Lord of Autumn Court.

You were born and raised in Hewn city, the cruellest place known to fae world where it was lucky to be born as a male. Unfortunately, you were a female which meant that you were a toy in hands of your father who was just as brutal as that whole place.

You'd spent most of your life in your room without windows, allowed to come out only when you were called or needed. You'd never seen a daylight until this day. Growing up you were often punished whether you did something wrong or not, because you were just a weak female, a possession that could be sold if the offer was high enough. That's how you ended up betrothed to the Heir of Autumn Court on the first place.

You didn't know why you were chosen. You had never spoken with him nor met him in person. You saw him only from afar when he came to Hewn city to negotiate with Keir and later at a ball organized by your High Lord where he danced with one of the High Lady's sisters. It was quite an interesting show and he seemed to be smitten by her.

You watched that all from your dark alcove where you were exposed for the chosen ones but otherwise hidden from prying eyes of others. You weren't allowed to participate directly. You weren't even allowed to talk with other guests. The ball was a market and you were the goods.

However, the horrific rumours about the Heir got to your ears nevertheless. You heard all stories about his cruelty and punishments that he loved to deliver, and later even the stories about how he killed his father and became a High Lord. None of them was a good one, but he wasn't judged here. In Hewn city, he was admired for his rigour. Every male wanted to be like him, every female either feared she would catch his eye or longed for that.

You, for sure, didn't belong to the second group. You didn't want to get married at all. All you dreamt about, was freedom, the possibility to go and do whatever you wanted, but that was out of question for you. You were just a puppet that danced only when a male pulled the strings. Now you were a property of your father who had planned to sell you for the highest offer from the day you were born, and soon enough you would became a property of your husband. You were nothing, you didn't count.

You were aware of the offers that piled on your father's desk. They started coming when you turned 15, but your father had waited. You didn't know what he did or who he spoke to, when suddenly a marriage proposal came from Autumn Court soon after your 18th birthdays. He didn't hesitate this time and immediately accepted. He couldn't get any higher offer than from the future High Lord himself, could he.

If you thought your life was a torture before, after that it became a hell. Whole year you spent learning all kinds of manners that wife of male with such high position had to know. They taught you what your place in the court and in the private would be, what you had to do to keep it, they beat it into you, breaking you again and again until there were no errors and you were perfectly submissive.

You also had to become an outstanding dancer because your future husband seemed to have a special interest in dance. Even now your toes were still bleeding into your shoes as your last lesson ended right before the departure.

In every aspect you had to be perfect and worthy of High Lord of Autumn. Lady of Autumn Court, your future husband's mother, was given to you as a model of such a perfect wife. Quiet, obedient, representative, beautiful.

Perfect doll to be ruined by her husband when no one was looking.

You feared the future but you had no choice.

You slightly moved the curtain to look out and see the bits of the country behind the window. Because of the nap you lost track of time. Your heart squeezed in dread when you found out you were already in a forest full of red and yellow and golden brown leaves. You had never seen an autumn foliage with your own eyes, but even you with your limited knowledge knew that these were colours of Autumn. You were getting closer to your final ordeal.

It took another hour or two and carriage stopped. Before you could reach for the doorknob, the door flew open and your father's always angry face came to view.

"Get out now," he ordered. He seemed to be in quite a good mood today.

You immediately moved closer to the door and get off. Your heels clicked on the sandstone in the courtyard of a beautiful castle, but you had no time to look around as father shoved you to the entrance. Bowing your head, you submitted.

At the gate you were welcomed by High Lord's advisor, a male with rather a cool demeanour, and some maids who took you to the chamber where you were supposed to get ready and wait until the ceremony began. You didn't bother to even try to lift your gaze, you were too scared to look at people directly. Whenever you dared to look at someone, most of them had no face in your eyes, only an empty mask. You distinguished people mainly by their voices.

You felt your father staring after you coldly as you silently followed the maids, his gaze felt like a sharp knife poking into your back. You were scared he would follow you because you were his priced ticket to wealth now, but soon he turned around and walked away with the advisor in the opposite direction.

Maids were quiet and quick as they helped you to bath and dress. They skilfully braided your long hair into a complicated hairstyle, attached the veil to it, letting it fall down and cover your face. When they were done, with a slight bow they left.

You let out a breath that you didn't even know you'd been holding the entire time they were hopping around you. Nobody bothered to inform you how much time you had left, but it didn't matter anyway. You couldn't run away from your fate.

You were sitting at the vanity table where they left you, looking at the ground as you were taught, your mind empty. You couldn't even mourn the life that you never had and never would have. They successfully turned you into a puppet, a blank canvas ready for your husband to paint on.

Soft knock sounded on the doors and a female's voice called that it's time. You slowly stood up with bowed head and stepped out from the chamber. Small maid led you through corridors and halls to a chapel.

You'd like to look around, wanting to see at least something of your wedding day worth of memorising it, but your father was already waiting for you, angrily tapping his foot.

"Good for nothing as usual," he grunted. "How long do you think we have to wait for you?"

"I'm sorry, father," you said in a small voice.

"Speak properly! You are like your mother, useless. Thankfully from now on, you will be your husband's burden."

He offered you an arm and you immediately took it not wanting to make him any more angry. Together you got ready at the threshold and as music started to play you stepped inside.

The chapel seemed to be quite spacious, full of warm light and crowded with guests. As you walked to the altar you caught glimpses of gold, yellow and white decorations. Your father halted, a pair of shiny black boots stepped closer. Out of the corner of your eye you saw that your father was smiling kindly. You were shocked. It was the first time you saw such expression on his cruel face.

Your father said something to that male and he answered. Your heart was beating so fast and loudly that you hardly heard the music. Father took your hand and offered it to the male who surprisingly gently accepted it. Fingers that wrapped around yours were pale and long just as in that nightmare, but instead of icy cold you felt warmth seeping into your skin. Your father stepped away, leaving you with this male. The transaction was apparently successful.

"Can we?"

A deep voice spoke lowly, snapping you out of the new kind of darkness that began to pull you into its void. You inhaled sharply. It wasn't that deadly voice that haunted you in sleep but a quite pleasant, rich one that felt like a warm blanket, a liquid honey flowing into your ears that were used to only harsh words. Rich aroma of spicy cinnamon and apples roasted on fire filled your nose.

You nodded, still not daring to look up. He led you to the altar where a priestess was waiting for you. As you stood before her, he turned to you one more time. His fingers touched the edge of the veil, lifting it up. You kept your eyes down as you were taught.

"Look at me," he commanded softly.

Carefully, inch by inch you raised your eyes, taking in first his trousers in cream colour, then his elegant tailored moss jacket with gold details that hugged his chest perfectly. He didn't look like a mass of muscles as the general of Night Court did even though before he had the same rank. Your soon-to-be husband seemed to be rather lean, but definitely a warrior with muscles on right places. And so tall, impossibly tall, that you hardly reached up to his shoulders.

It felt like forever until your gaze finally reached his face. Like in the nightmares it was pale with bright amber eyes and high cheekbones, his nose was straight and lips full. He wasn't smiling, yet corners of his mouth seemed to be twisted in a permanent smirk. In golden rays of sun penetrating through a round window behind the altar, his red hair had a warm shade, and looked so silky that you had to wonder how it would feel to touch them. Now cut much shorter than the last time you saw him, he just casually combed them back, a few unruly strands falling on his forehead.

His eyes roamed over your face, brows lightly furrowed, then one corner of his lips lifted in a half smile. He was handsome, attractive, there was no doubt about it. You expected him to have the cool, cruel aura you noticed before and he didn't disappoint, but as you were watching him for a while, in his eyes there was something you'd never seen before. Perhaps it was kindness, but what did you know. It was just a foreign word to you, something you never experienced.

It was confusing.

He didn't say if he liked what he saw, his expression gave nothing away. He just turned to priestess, signalling her with a nod of the head to begin the ceremony. You allowed your eyes to linger and watch his profile a little longer before your gaze again slid down to the floor. Hardly perceiving priestess's words, you returned to that quiet place in your mind where you felt safe from the world.

When the ceremony was over, Eris leaned down, gazing at you. This was the part when the groom should kiss the bride. You stayed still, expecting him to move, but he was just waiting. You looked up with silent question in eyes. As soon as your full attention was on him, he moved forward and his lips sealed over yours in a tender kiss. Your eyes widened in surprise, breath caught in your throat. You expected anything from him except of this. He didn't close his eyes either, closely watching your reaction.

Eris tasted like honey and some alcohol. It was a strange combination, but not unpleasant. His lips slightly moved against yours, testing the waters and then it was over.

As if nothing had happened he straightened up and turned to the crowd, offering you an arm. You exhaled shakily, internally shouting at your body to move. You couldn't keep him waiting. Your fingers gripped on his sleeve. Still weak in your knees you could only wish that you wouldn't fall down.

His other hand went up to yours on his arm, adjusting it. Holding it firmly he tugged you closer and led you to the ballroom where the party would take a place.

Why did he behave like this? Did he genuinely care? Or did he notice your state and wanted to just prevent an embarrassing incident? He was supposed to be cruel. Everyone said that about him. Was it just some kind of masquerade and later he would make you pay for your mistakes? You were so confused and nervous.

The celebration program was simple. The ceremony was to be followed by a banquet and finally a party. When you came into the impressive ballroom decorated in the same colours as the chapel, the tables were already bending under the amount of deliciously looking food.

Eris led you to the table in the centre, a bit higher than the rest. He held a chair for you and then took a seat on your right. The other chairs were gradually filled as the guests were coming. Your father was seated at the table on your left, giving you a cold stare. Shiver ran down your spine and your heart started to beat faster. You knew that face. Whatever you had done he was very displeased right now.

Your husband inconspicuously leaned closer.

"Is everything alright?" he asked lowly, eyeing still coming guests. Did he hear your heartbeat even over this noise?

"Of course, my lord," you blushed, focusing on your hands folded on your skirt under the table.

Eris's eyes narrowed on you and then his gaze moved behind you to your father. He immediately stopped frowning at you and instead he conjured a pleasant smile at his new son-in-law. Eris made a small displeased noise and looked away.

When everyone took their seats Eris stood up to give a short speech and a toast. You took a goblet with wine but didn't drink. Could not. You weren't allowed to drink alcohol.

After your husband a dark haired male stood up to toast to newly wed couple. As he spoke you recognized the voice of your High Lord.

Nervously you swallowed.

It was unexpected, but not incomprehensible. Of course he was here. A member of his Court married his ally. This wedding was an important political event. There were certainly also other allied High Lords between the guests. The most powerful beings of this country had eyes on you. And your husband? He was one of them. Not an ordinary High Fae or some aristocrat. A High Lord.

Sudden realisation hit you hard and you felt a growing nausea, heart throbbing in your throat.

When everyone was done toasting, silent servants appeared seemingly from nowhere and started to serve the food to the plates. Not remembering when you had eaten for the last time was your last concern. You were too nervous and frightened to even think about the food right now.

Eris seemed to notice that you were just poking the vegetables with a fork around the plate, pretending you were eating as everyone around.

"Isn't the meal to your taste?" he asked with raised brows quietly.

Under the table you clenched fingers into the skirt of your dress. This male could turn you into a pile of ash if he wanted.

"Everything is delicious, my lord," swallowing hard you answered in a small shaky voice.

He just huffed and after a while returned to his plate and the conversation he had before. You bit on your lower lip. Did you offend him? Would he punish you later? You were on the verge of crying. From the other side of the table you could feel your father's angry gaze. Breathing raggedly you willed the tears back and put down the fork. Your trembling hand reached for a glass of water. Focussing on not spilling it's content, you brought it to your red painted lips and took a sip. You needed to pull yourself together, to overcome it. The show wasn't over yet.

By the time the clattering of cutlery has died down, you managed to calm down a bit. Music that played whole the time, got louder and some of the guests moved to the parquet.

Eris turned to you once again, his eyes lingering on your face. He seemed to think about something. For a brief moment his lips pursed into a thin line.

"We have to dance the first dance. It's a tradition," he spoke coldly.

"Yes, my lord."

You already knew that and you were more than ready even though your healing toes still hurt. This wouldn't be the first time you had to suppress the pain and pretend everything was okay. You could do this.

Despite the too high expectations of your teachers and father, you loved dance. It was the only quite funny activity you were ever allowed to do.

High Lord helped you to stand up and led you to the centre of the parquet. The guests created a circle around you.

Eris's warm hand heavily landed on your waist, holding you firmly, his fingers leaving marks on your skin through the corset. The sudden roughness surprised you and you slightly winced. Thankfully nobody seemed to notice it, not even your husband. Taking your other hand into his, you two took a position and started to move at the exactly same time to the rhythm of the song in a small circles. Eyes pinned to his strong chest right in front of you, you performed your best.

You moved gracefully as you were taught, small sparks in your veins slowly becoming a fire, consuming you. After the first rather stiff steps, your body relaxed and you blended in with the melody, becoming the music. The long skirt of your dress was sweeping the floor with every your step, looking like a flowing mountain stream. You loved that feeling. Eris spun you and you made a perfect pirouette so fast that you whirled two times. Someone in the watching crowd gasped in amazement, several others applauded.

If you dared to look up, you would see the fire in your husband's eyes and a wide smile. He was enjoying this, too, more than he was willing to admit.

The two of you started dancing in bigger and bigger circles, your every move faster than the last one. The crowd around had turned into a blurry smudge, but none of you minded. Eris decided to test you by changing the steps and adding figures, and you responded to every change with ease, without a mistake.

As the song was coming to its end, your husband decided to end the dance with a pretty deep dip. Your back arched under his fingers and suddenly you came face to face with him, your noses almost touching. Your eyes widened in surprise.

Two blazing amber eyes were piercing you with genuine interest, wolfish grin on his lips. His usual merciless expression was replaced by something wild, beautiful and kind of dangerous. He was mesmerising. You were definitely playing with a fire when you reached up, tips of your fingers lightly touching his jaw. Eris blinked and it was gone.

He straightened up and you followed, once again scared that you possibly made a fatal error when you touched his face.

Now all the guests were applauding. Looking around his cold gaze jumped from face to face. He didn't say anything as he bowed to you, kissing the back of your hand and then escorted you back to the table. Both of you were still heaving as you took your seats. He grabbed your glass of water and handed it to you. You thanked him to which he just responded with a nod. Then he took his empty goblet and held it out for the servant to fill it with wine. He drummed with fingers as he waited. As soon as the servant stepped back, he emptied the goblet again.

The musicians started to play another song and parquet filled with dancing pairs. When it seemed that nobody paid you attention any longer, without even looking in your direction Eris reached out under tha table, his fingers lightly brushing your arm from elbow down to your wrist. Finding your hand rested on your lap, he clasped it in his much bigger one and held it for the rest of the evening.

[queenuchiha89]

*** TW.DARK CONTENT ***

*** NSFW ***

*** 18+ MINORS DNI ***

⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️ THIS STORY CONTAINS NONCON, BLOOD PLAY, BONDAGE, AND ABDUCTION/CAPTIVITY THEMES. READER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED!!!

Stu loved to watch her squirm under him, helpless as he took her over and over again. He craved the way her body shook for him every time he forced another mind shattering orgasm out of her, and the cute little moans and whimpers that escalated into tears and screams from the constant overstimulation. He said not a single word as he sank into her, his sizable cock stretching her open like a flower of pain as her swollen and abused walls strained against the girth of his cock as he forced himself into her.

Oh, how he loved to watch as he slowly killed the free will in her little by little, grooming her into the perfect little fuck toy and accomplice . She would do anything he said once he broke her to the point of loving him. She would have no choice if she wanted to live after all. He ran the tip of his blade down from her neck to her tits, and dug the tip into her flesh before pulling down swiftly, her flesh opening up and blood spilling down her naked and chain body. Her muffled groans and whines of pain sent him over the edge as he shot rope after rope of hot cum deep inside her womb. "I own you now babe... You're going to birth all my babies whore." Stu growls as he starts to go soft inside her before slowly pulling out, watching as a stream of his potent seed began to flow out of her. He took his gloved fingers and pushed it all back inside. He couldn't waste a single drop after all. "Be a good little cum slut and lay there while I clean up... Not like you can go anywhere after all." Stu said before walking out of the room and locking the door behind him. Oh yes... She would never dare to try to escape ever again.

[green-planets]

Sharing some of my thoughts on Cinderella's Castle because I have no one to talk with irl about it (I'm sure most of my points have already been brought up by other people but whatever!) Dark fantasy is my bread and butter so I'm a little disappointed that I had such mixed feelings after my first watch through.

BE WARNED THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT!!

First thing's first, the set, lighting, PUPPETS, and COSTUMES were gorgeous!! The team knocked it out of the park with the look of the show!

Also the twists on the classic Cinderella story were *chef's kiss* The explanations for why no one could remember Ella's face, how the glass slippers worked, and the Stepmother CHOPPING OFF ELLA'S FEET!?! AND SEWING THEM ONTO PUTRICE'S SKIN SUIT SO SHE COULD WEAR THE SLIPPERS!?!?! Strokes of genius. I applaud the Langs

I wanted to see way more of Sir Hop-A-Lot and Crumb! I think they definitely would have benefitted from having a song with Ella, it would have helped solidify their bond and helped flesh out their characters (tbh Ragweed felt like he had more character than either of them 😭)

The songs were VERY hit or miss for me and I felt like a few of them didn't really match the tone of the show. Ash to Ash was a standout number (Kim absolutely killed it!!)

Bryce was amazing as expected and I'm so so happy she was the lead! Her voice is to die for and she brought so much emotion to the role of Ella

I was surprised the Prince and Tadius didn't get a comedic song. It would have worked so well for the scene where Tadius was announcing the ball! He could have been describing ideal characteristics of a queen to the Prince while the Prince goes off on horny ramblings, Tadius gets more frustrated as the song goes on until he finally throws up his hands in defeat, etc.

That being said, I was not a fan of the majority of the raunchy humor. Almost every line that came from the Prince was so unnecessarily gross. I know that was the whole point and I love James as an actor but the character just was not for me. Maybe I'm getting too old for constant streams of dick and poop jokes. I kinda wished they had stuck with a more serious tone overall

This is definitely a nitpick: the fairy godmother scene was SO GOOD (probably my favorite tbh) but I was SO distracted by the pants (AND THE SHOES STICKING OUT!!!) The costume would have looked more ethereal with a floor length skirt imo (or at least cover up her feet!)

I loved Jeff as the narrator. His interactions with Ragweed were very fun!

I had some issues with the pacing and the ending felt very rushed. Ella's final confrontation with her Stepmother should have been an epic battle but instead we got an exposition dump, a flash of light, and it was over :/ Kind of disappointing for the big climax of the show tbh

This is a criticism I've had with several Starkid musicals (aka Hatchetfield trilogy) where we have a character's friend(s) die horrifically and get very little emotional reaction from said character. So THANK YOU Langs for letting Ella properly mourn Lucy and Justine at the end!!!

I do have a lot more thoughts but they feel like nitpicks and complaints about minor plot holes and such, so I don't know if they're really worth sharing at this time. Anyway, overall I thought Cinderella's Castle was okay. The good parts were REALLY REALLY GOOD but unfortunately there were a lot a bits I personally did not enjoy as much as I'd hoped. I'll try to give it at least a second watch before my digital ticket expires to see if any of my opinions change. If not, I'll wait until the pro-shot comes out next year.

[wssvshittymlpcomiclmao]

Humble Slice of Death Pie (Valenshy POV)- short story #1

The loud whirring of her laptop caused her eyes to flutter open.

what time was it?

She didn't even remember going to bed.

Valenshy opened her eyes to see her game still running, barely at least. The time? 1.15am. Better than last time, she figured. She felt almost pinned under her laptop, it wasn't that heavy, it realistically should just slide off of her. But she couldn't move it, or rather, she couldn't bring herself to move it. The game was still on, the computer still whirred, and yet, all those alarm bells were just lulling her back to sleep.

Whirring of the fans means it's hot, right? She thought as her eyes began to close. Right, having a device suffocated by the sheets wasn't a good idea. That could cause a fire, right? A fire that could ignite said sheets, right? A fire that could then burn through her, right? Through her skin, through her flesh, right? A fire that could burn down the house, right?

Would today be the day she died? Would she really be okay with that?...

No seriously, girl, would you really be okay with that? Seriously? For the love of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, are you really that selfish? HOLY FUCK!! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU BITCH?? I MEAN SERIOUSLY?? THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU!! WHO CARE ABOUT YOU, BUT NOOOOO, LITTLE BITCH BOY VALENSHY GOT ART BLOCK AND SHE'S GONNA THROW HER SORRY LITTLE LIFE DOWN THE DRAIN. WELL GUESS WHAT, YOU PINK FUCK, THERE ARE PONIES OUT THERE WHO WOULD KILL TO HAVE THE MISERABLE LIFE THAT YOU HAVE, SO QUIT BEING SO FUCKING SELFISH AND MOVE YOUR DAMN LAPTOP.

Valenshy's eyes opened wide. She shut down her laptop and mustered the last of her energy to float the laptop over to her shelves on the other side of the room, vents up, so that it could sufficiently cool down.

No death for me today, she thought, or night rather.

She laid her head on her pillow properly, and yet sleep wouldn't take her. Her breath was too heavy, her eyelids not heavy enough. She felt a pricking sensation in her eyes, which turned into a choking feeling in her throat, which eventually lead to tears streaming down her face. Not even down her cheeks, like in the pretty movie kinda way, just into her mouth and onto her pillow. Her head became thick with sinuses. Why was she crying? Over what?

Like seriously, over what? Seriously, what the fuck girl, grow up, can't handle a couple of mean thoughts? Seriously? Oh! Boohoo!! My brain is being mean to me! Oh shut up!! Maybe you were right in wanting to die, lazy freak. Do us all a favour and KILL YOUSEL-

Before she knew it, she was being hit over the head with a pillow.

"Valieeeee," Comet Tail groaned, her voice muffled due to the pillow between her teeth.

Valenshy's alarm was going off, seemed like it was doing so for the past few minutes.

"You have work today right?" Comet Tail asked, slobbery pillow now on the floor, "Is Masquerade picking you up?" Valenshy was about to asked why, but Comet Tail was a few steps ahead of her, "I wanna go to the mall."

Valenshy just stared at Comet Tail, or rather, past her, right as that upside down laptop, hoping, praying, it would suddenly burst into flames.

OOC: SOOOOOO, HOW WAS IT?? :3 (if there's grammar errors, shhhhhh no there's not! /j)

It's actually super fun to write, i've been meaning to get back into it, but usually it just feels like too much pressure, so doing small stories like this is really cathartic!! If you have any other characters you would love to hear the pov of, imk!!

[scrollsfromarebornrealm]

dragoon theorycrafting: FRESH DRAGOON LORE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SIX YEARS (new Rising story)

SIX YEARS.

FINALLY WE ARE GIVEN A NUGGET OF DRAGOON LORE.

(I'm counting the Stormblood side story in this yes)

HERE HAVE MY STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS UNDER THE CUT

-----------

So where to begin? First off, we're setting Estinien to the side and the fact he's drinking off to the side as well. We'll get back to it, don't worry.

MOTHERFUCKING HALDRATH MAKES A GODDAMN APPEARANCE! AND WE ALSO GET A NEW DOT ON THE OVERALL TIMELINE!

Ratatoskr's death is in 545. Twenty years later puts this in 565, which means Haldrath has been witness to the gross rewriting of history that's taken place in Corethas.

(also shoutout to @mariyekos and their Haldrath -> Estinien theory let's gooo~~)

So the first Azure Dragoon's shown up, and he is not in a good way. Nidhogg's Eye (the first) has fused itself to his armor, and is now effectively corrupting Haldrath's flesh. He's beginning to have fits more frequently and intensely --moments where Nidhogg's will threatens to override his own. Haldrath has been a solitary hunter of dragons for twenty years, and he is fucking tired. His will is starting to falter.

He passes out from fighting another dragon, and wakes up a while later to find himself in a tavern. And much to his surprise and pleasure, he's among friends-- one of the original Twelve knights who survived and (wisely, I might add), fucked off once Nidhogg was robbed of his original eyes.

Ser Aureniquart de Cordillelot, who decided to open a tavern, and is insinuated in lore to have been the founder of the Forgotten Knight. It's his daughter Berteline who found Haldrath, and she's been raised on stories of him as the dragonslayer. She wishes to be a dragoon like him too!

Berteline however, admits that she didn't find Haldrath on her own, that a voice that sounded like 'storm winds' led her to him. Haldrath, who has recognized that Berteline has drive and passion, realizes that the young woman's been lured by Nidhogg's eye.

(And here is when we enter the territory of fuckery)

At this point, Haldrath makes a choice. He's doing this on the fly, but also probably had been stewing on his thoughts for a while. He's tired. On his last legs. This is probably not how he wanted to do it, but he's got no choice. And Halone seems to have merciful enough to let him be in a safe and warm environment among friends.

Haldrath tells Berteline that she's heard Nidhogg's voice, that the Eye seeks out those who desire power. That it's fused to him, that it's corrupting him, and he is in danger of becoming the elder wrym's thrall. And if that happens, he will be a mighty threat to Ishgard, which is still finding its feet. He looks Aureniquart in the eye and asks that his old friend, his brother knight, kill him before that happens.

Aureniquart refuses to pick up arms against Haldrath.

(side note: I'm wondering if Aureniquart was possibly Haldrath's First Knight/general 2IC.)

Haldrath, before the Eye tries for the final time to take him, also officially recognizes Berteline as the new bearer of the evil orb and names her his full successor.

Berteline de Cordillelot is now charged as the second Azure Dragoon. We won't have another named Azure Dragoon show up until 761, when Valeroyant fends off Nidhogg. (Valeroyant dies two years later in 763).

We are also given confirmation that Azure Dragoons essentially are on a limited lifespan once they receive the Eye. This possibly gives new meaning to this:

When searched on Google, score is equal to twenty years. Two score and ten equals 50 years. Ere means 'before'.

Basically? 'Your ass will be dead before you turn fifty.'

Which in the story, makes sense because:

Aureniquart has aged. It's possible that by this time, he and Haldrath were in their mid-40s, if they were in their 20's back in 545.

Becoming the Azure Dragoon is a death sentence. And now your mileage is gonna vary, because not everyone's gonna have the same mindset regarding power and duty and protection of Ishgard. We have the door open for some high level shenanigary here! An Azure Dragoon who may not have wanted to pick a successor? An Azure Dragoon who might have been forced into the job?

(No no we're not discussing Alberic don't @ me I'm typing this out on my phone and it's taking me forever WE WILL POKE AT HIM LATER)

Anyroad.

Haldrath feels one final fit coming on, and knows this is the one that he can't fight against. Nidhogg will claim him. He needs to die. He realizes almost too late that Aureniquart can't kill him, because of the bond of love/friendship/battle blood/loyalty to my liege and he's cursing him to suffer another sin. But Berteline steps up to the plate, puts her hands on the spear, and helps her father perform the mercy kill.

Shoutout to @autumnslance for this spot on commentary on THAT:

Aureniquart: Perma-traumatized now. Man gets like twenty years of peace and then it just gets blown outta the water. Had to kill your leige-lord as he lay dying on your floor, under your roof, violation of sanctuary and hospitality and your sworn oath to protect him, to spend your life before his own so he could be safe...

What?

Anyroad. We have one final interesting tidbit.

This...is interesting. Sovereignty has various meanings, but the one that stood out the most to me from Merriam-Webster was 'freedom from external control'. There was also 'supreme power over a body politic', 'controlling influence' and then 'one who is sovereign, especially: an autonomous state'

It's said in lore Nidhogg was dismissive of mankind. And at that point can you blame him? He's lost three siblings to Allag, his other brother's lost his damn mind mooning over some elezen before consensually participating in voreplay, and his sister drank ALL the mortal Kool-Aid.

Oh and baby brother? Is hiding somewhere.

That also possibly has Ascian fuckery hiding somewhere in the depths. What exactly, I don't know what to say or imply. But a good friend of mine pointed out that Nidhogg's attitude towards humans could have been a rather toxic ingredient that could have maybe been added to a growing resentment of dragonkind that had been festering. Maybe old grudges that had been settled by Shiva's sacrifice were coming back from the dead. Maybe mankind was growing too much in the region and was straining natural resources.

We don't know.

Last but not least, Estinien. Nevermind that this man decided to hit up a bottle of Raz-at-Han alchemist-made liquor.

Estinien. Pls.

However there is real world historical context for alcoholic spirits being used to help a body and mind relax so that one can see visions/perform magic. And as I stated one time, we don't know fully about all the changes Estinien has undergone ever since absorbing the remnants of Nidhogg's essence. This could be a random fluke--brought on by unpredictable draconic magic mixing with whatever unholy abomination against the gods concoction this particular Hannish alchemist thought to brew.

(listen Raz-at-Han alchemists fear neither gods, nor man, nor dragons, nor aliens. YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT)

But it's definitely interesting to see more of a solid connection between the first and the last Azure Dragoon. Especially since Haldrath hasn't shown up in anything dragoon connected since the level 50 questline, in which he helps you violently snap Estinien out of a Nidhogg-induced frenzy.

Hoping this story leads us to more dragoon stuff, especially considering the class is getting a revamp in 7.0!

[afterdarkprincess]

Hi lovely 💕

For the sleepover questions:

- Tell us your Solo/Sami headcanons.

- Tell us your CM Punk/Drew headcanons.

- And for good measure please add your Sami/Jey & your Ambreigns headcanons as well while you’re at it.

FMK: Roman, Seth, Mox

FMK: Solo, Sami, Jey

FMK: Punk, Drew, Cody

FMK: Jade, Naomi, Bianca

FMK: Rhea, Liv, Becky

Questions, questions, questions:

- What’s an accomplishment/ thing in your life you’re very proud of?

- Name three things you love about yourself?

- What makes you furious in fandom spaces (your fandom pet peeves so to say)?

- Who was your first celebrity crush? Who’s your latest?

- Who do you adore on this website (aka tumblr crushes)?

- What do you find attractive in a person (physically and personality wise)?

- Favorite story you ever wrote?

- Favorite story someone else wrote?

- Your current favorite song?

- One ingredient/ dish you love and one you despise?

This or that:

- Cats and/or dogs?

- Coffee and/or tea?

- Hiking, cycling or swimming?

- Pizza or pasta?

- Mexican, Chinese or Indian takeout? Or something else?

- Cooking, baking or ordering in?

- Quiet night in or a night out socializing with friends?

- Cold weather or hot weather?

- Pants, skirts or dresses?

This got a little out of hand oops 😂

Feel free to answer whatever you wanna answer and skip whatever you don’t. Or answer everything. Up to you. Happy sleepover!

Hugs and kisses 💖

AHHH Thank you!!!!! I've been so excited all day to get home and hae time to answer these!!

Gonna answer under the cut because I'm sure this will be long lol 💖💖💖

💕Solo/Sami headcanons

I feel like a LOT of my headcanons on Solo and Sami come from one specific fic on AO3- The Solo Man

I love Solo as being selectively mute and/or very shy. I haven't really gotten to explore this with Solo in my fics very much, but I'm really looking forward to doing so.

I do feel like Solo has such a soft spot for Sami (I mean I have eyes) Sami was a real source of kindness for him when he really didn't have that from anyone.

💕CM Punk/Drew McIntyre headcanons

oh noooo my brainrot lol

They're TOXIC as fuck, they bring out the worst in each other. I can't find anything sweet or soft in them, it's obsession, it's raw, it's violent. Possessive and Obsessive.

And they fuck nasty obviously. I tend to prefer Bottom Drew, something so fun about subverting their size difference but I'll eat up anything.

💕Samijey headcanons

Ahhhh I just love them- I feel like a lot of my headcanons POP out in my fics. I feel like Jey Uso is an acts of service guy. I think he does anything and everything to make sure that Sami feels taken care of. This shows up really early on in Devil in the Details and uhhh fun fact I wrote the first part of that fic before I knew that Sami was vegan, hence why there are SO many references to Jey cooking chicken for Sami. It was too integral to how I was having Jey show his affection to take it out, so for that one fic Sami is just no pork not vegan lol

Sami talks ALL the time, and Jey pretends to be annoyed but the constant stream of consciousness is actually so comforting to him. He very rarely has to worry about what Sami is thinking or feeling because he will just tell him.

Jey cut those crop tops so Sami would look at him.

From You're My Keeper (Pull Me Deeper):

“You really like my waist, huh?” he murmured. 

As if to prove his point, Sami sank his teeth into the soft flesh under his bellybutton. “Can’t stop looking at it,” Sami whispered into his skin. “So fucking perfect. Those stupid crop tops are fucking killing me, dude.”

“Really? Hm, I thought so.”

Sami’s head shot up. “You knew?”

Jey blushed. “I guess, I kinda knew you were like… Looking. I guess I thought… Nevermind, this is fucking embarrassing.” He clapped his hands over his face. 

“You thought what?” He felt Sami tugging at his fingers, and Jey reluctantly let his hands get pulled away. Sami had the worst look on his face, smug and bemused. Didn’t he know this was absolute torture?

“I don’t know, I thought maybe if I cut the shirts shorter, then like… You know… You’d look at me more,” Jey pushed out through clenched teeth. Scratch that, this was the worst look. Sami positively beamed, fondness radiating out from him in shameless sunshine rays. If he was a dog, he’d surely be wagging his tail like a maniac. Jey tried not to linger on that thought too long.

“Jesus you are so fucking cute,” Sami wheezed, burying his face into Jey’s chest.

Literally one of my favorite fics ever- I reread it all the damn time. (If the author of this fic is on here?? let me know pls & I'll tag you💖)

And I do think that Sami/Jey switch up who tops and bottoms, but I'm always here for bottom!Jey, sweet pillow princess.

💕Ambreigns headcanons

OO this is a good one- I typically go for Ambrolleigns (bc they all have two hands) or Ambrollins because of my donut sister @elementaldoughnut12 I feel like where Dean and Seth have that very turbulent high passion love, Dean and Roman have a level of like rock solid devotion?? Someone that they can always rely on, coming even closer together after everything fell apart with Seth.

Even more than Seth's betrayal, Dean leaving spurred on the creation of the Tribal Chief. Roman, alone and brokenhearted, left by the man who he thought would never leave him, turns himself into something cold and cruel. Makes himself monstrous, surrounds himself by a cheap copy of what they had.

He wants Dean back, wants it more than anything, but some part of him is terrified that Dean will reject him, will detest what he has become.

💕Fuck, Marry, Kill

FMK: Roman, Seth, Mox

Fuck: Roman (I'm gonna need that tongue baby good lord)

Marry: Mox 100%, I'm gonna need to hit that multiple times, and also I feel like our personalities are really complimentary

Kill: RIP I'm so sorry Seth, please keep serving even in Death

FMK: Solo, Sami, Jey

Fuck: Solo- and he needs to bring the gloves okay? 🥵

Marry: Jey 🩵

Kill: Sami :( I hate to kill my hubby's hubby though

FMK: Punk, Drew, Cody

Fuck: Cody (he's hot, IDK that I'd wanna deal with him all the time)

Marry: CM Punk.... listenn

Kill: Drew- would need to take him out to marry Punk anyway

FMK: Jade, Naomi, Bianca

Fuck: JADE- HELLO?? PLEASE???

Marry: Naomi- Jimmy can come too

Kill: Bianca

FMK: Rhea, Liv, Becky

Fuck: Liv

Marry: Please, please Mami, I'm-PLEASE?

Kill: Becky, RIP girlie

💕Questions, questions, questions:

- What’s an accomplishment/ thing in your life you’re very proud of?

90k words posted on AO3 as of today has me feeling really good. I challenged myself at the beginning of the year to get to 100k by the end of 2024, but even where I'm at now... a year ago I would have laughed at you if you told me that. I've been writing in spits and spurts my whole life, but I really lacked confidence to do anything with my fanworks. I usually didn't even finish them. Before this last year, the most I had written was 2 NaNoWriMo attempts, both sat at around 25-30k and were never completed. And now with the all the support I've gotten here and on AO3, I've had the most creative period in my life. It makes me tear up thinking about it honestly.

- Name three things you love about yourself?

My passion, my sense of humor, and my tits lol

- What makes you furious in fandom spaces (your fandom pet peeves so to say)?

The only pet peeve I really have is like being rude and giving people shit for what they like and don't like?? Like I've been around since the days of Don't Like, Don't Read. If you don't like something, it's not for you, it costs zero dollars to shut the fuck up.

- Who was your first celebrity crush? Who’s your latest?

Oh gosh, so many. I mean the first would definitely be Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon 💖💖 Daniel Radcliffe when I got a little older and realized I wasn't going to be able to marry a cartoon. Right now? I mean all of those hot Samoans first of all. Rhea Ripley, obv. Moxley.

- Who do you adore on this website (aka tumblr crushes)?

EVERYONE lol this list is gonna be so long @feelschicken who has been my IRL bestie for like 20+ years at this point, who allowed me to drag her into Wrestling via several hour long conversations in the car where I would literally yell about the Bloodline

@elementaldoughnut12 my donut sister who has inspired so many of my fics and cheered me on through so much of this last year. Love you so much punkin 🥰

@harmshake my beloved tumblr gf, a constant source of positivity in my life 💖 Not to mention she writes the HOTTEST fics omg

@southerngirl41 who's been on the tag squad since the BEGINNING and I appreciate her comments so much

@jeysbvck Shan 💙 because we're both unhinged and feral for Jey- she just gets me

@imabillyami of course you too obviously- you are so sweet and not to mention your fics are amazing

@rollinsland who keeps my dash FULL of content of all my faves, and is so so sweet

@shanie-the-komania-toyaddict my Zowens connection, and another amazing sweet person

@motherknuckers I think we share a braincell for real

@samijey because like... A Way With Words is THE Sami/Jey fic, not to mention her amazing gif skills 😍

@thlayli-ra who definitely gave me the Punkintyre brainrot

@who-do-you-want-to-be MY SWEET KOALA FRIEND

@jeyuwuso WHOSE FIC I LINKED EARLIER, literally love all their work!!!

@taydaq her ART, especially Samijey 🥹

I know I'm missing people, I could be at this all night: @crxssjae @hypno-bear-tini @rosiel77 @mzv11 @theninthwonder @dontletme--cavein @codyswhitebelt @jobikinn if I missed others I'm so sorry 😭 and if tumblr messes up these tags I'll scream

- What do you find attractive in a person (physically and personality wise)?

Humor, they gotta be funny. They gotta make me laugh or we're not gonna work. We gotta be silly goosing.

- Favorite story you ever wrote?

Ours is still my favorite

- Favorite story someone else wrote?

oooo yay it's rec time!!! Already called out a few but here's some more:

Green - my favorite Candy fic

Losers and Loss - a Zowens fic that melted my brain into absolute goo I said The Solo Man already but also Pretty which spurred on my love of bottom!jey and Jey in pretty lingerie

Sticks & Stones and also Green-Eyed Monster - both by the Zesty Bean, all of their works are great but those are my favorites

Silver Knight and Little Clover - my donut sister knows how to make a rarepair that I'll go nuts for

And I could not forget I've got you to lose ... of COURSE 💕 maybe gimme a heads up before you post that last chapter so I can get all my favorite snacks and be prepared.

- Your current favorite song?

Guilty as Sin? - Taylor Swift

- One ingredient/ dish you love and one you despise?

Oo good question- I'm a big fries and ranch girlie (the midwest in me popping out) and for despise??? mmm it's gonna be pickles, they're gross to me.

💕This or that:

- Cats and/or dogs?

Cats 🐈

- Coffee and/or tea?

Coffee ☕️

- Hiking, cycling or swimming?

Swimming 🌊

- Pizza or pasta?

Pizza🍕

- Mexican, Chinese or Indian takeout? Or something else?

For takeout specifically it's gonna be Chinese

- Cooking, baking or ordering in?

Cooking!

- Quiet night in or a night out socializing with friends?

I love a good night out once in a while, but I prefer a night in

- Cold weather or hot weather?

Hot weather ☀️

- Pants, skirts or dresses?

DRESSES 👗

---

whew.... that took a while but it was so fun honestly 😅

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

after a year long break, I replayed TFS

I haven’t been too active in the twdg fandom for about a year now, only popping in from time to time to talk about the Clementine comic or to answer the occasional ask. 

A lot has happened- I got into the Dragon Age series and created a side blog dedicated to it, got a new job, played a LOT of Stardew Valley, read Clementine Book One enough times to make me weep all for the sake of a review, gave Skyrim a second chance and that went terribly, went on the search for a good sapphic romance novel but have yet to find one, replayed Fallout: New Vegas and remembered why it’s my favorite Fallout game, and it’s November so I’m crying about nanowrimo.   

I haven’t touched The Final Season, or any Telltale game, since September of last year. My interactions with the fandom on this blog have been scarce, especially when you look at the way I used to post in 2018-2021 by comparison. But I got an email the other day from tumblr telling me that this blog turned 4 years old. I began looking through all of my old content and that inspired me to boot up TFS and experience it once again to see if my opinions changed.

Spoiler alert: A lot have. 

I wasn’t planning on writing a post like this when I did my replay. After all, as I’m working on this it’s nanowrimo. I may or may not be an anxious mess, it’s fine, I’m fine. 

I’m aware that the fandom isn’t exactly thriving at the moment but I feel like I need to get these feelings out of my system.

Y’see, it’s fascinating. I spent years running this blog- so many themed nights, talking with you guys and answering asks, writing fics, getting into dumb arguments, saying dumb things, and streaming the series on Mixer and Twitch, and for the most part? My views/opinions on the series were fairly consistent. There are a few exceptions, like my feelings on Minerva as a character changing or why I now choose to leave Lee at the end of S1 rather than shoot him, but everything else I was rather sure of. 

So imagine my surprise when I finished and many of my opinions changed. 

Turns out, time makes a fool of us all and spending a year away from the fandom and the series has shifted my perspective quite a bit. I’m able to set aside those rose-tinted glasses, but not get rid of them entirely. 

I still stand by TFS as being a fantastic conclusion to the series. It was the ending Clementine deserved, and it’s still my favorite. 

I believe the overall plot holds up great- Clementine and AJ find a new home. They have to fight to protect the people that become their found family. Clementine potentially falls in love or finds herself a best friend. The bond between Clementine and AJ is strong but tested in each episode. And to make matters emotionally complicated, the antagonist is someone from S1. 

It’s flawed, sure, but point me in the direction of a plot you believe isn’t and I’ll find something to nitpick just to spite you. 

I couldn’t imagine a better continuation/end point for Clementine’s story, and I will forever be grateful that this is just as much AJ’s story as it is Clementine’s.

I think this is the best looking game of the series. The school is something to admire for how beat up and overgrown it is, and the walkers are so decayed they’re practically walking skeletons with some flesh clinging to their bones. The character designs are great. The controls are easy, gameplay for Telltale games always are. The only time I had any trouble is the section where you have to distract the walkers so that James can retrieve his mask. I died three times before I was able to complete it without killing a single walker.... I did it all for you, James! 

I also prefer the over-the-shoulder camera versus the fixed camera of the previous games. A lovely change, that one. 

Oh, and the collectables!  I love the collectables, that was such a great feature to implement into this game. Giving Clementine and AJ their own dorm that you can decorate with things you’ve collected makes it feel like home, like this is where Clementine is going to stay. For a lot of people, the last time Clementine had a room was back in S1 at the motor-inn, and she does have a room with AJ if you stayed at Wellington. I just like collecting things, man, it’s fun! Love it, I collect every item!

A big problem I do still have with this season is it’s only four episodes. Yes, it’s still a damn good season, but it always gives me a sense that it’s this close to being the best game Telltale ever created. So many things fall short and it sucks because they were so close, y’know? If they had just one more episode, they could’ve had time to cross the finish line.

I know that some of the developers have said they only needed four episodes to tell the story they wanted to tell and that’s why a fifth episode was cut. If that’s true, then I believe that might’ve been a mistake. If they said it was just a budget thing [and knowing Telltale, that probably was the more important factor] so they cut an episode and had to find a story they could tell in four, or cutting an episode meant they could improve things previous games were criticized for. I’d be more inclined to forgive it if that were the case. 

But if it was just a creative choice and they could’ve easily had five episodes, it’s one that prevented it from surpassing two games that I would consider the best they ever made: Tales from the Borderlands and Batman: Enemy Within.

However, I’m aware that adding one more episode could’ve caused the season to crash and burn. Fair enough. We’ll never actually know how things would’ve turned out had they stuck to the five episode structure the previous installments followed. It might’ve become bloated, or dragged into boring territories, or more characters would’ve been killed off to fulfill a kill count, or more choices would need to be implemented that would’ve only furthered the illusion of choice these games are often criticized about.

The pacing can feel really rushed in a lot of spots, especially with the final episode. And yes, I know the fast pace was intentional, I watched the commentaries. Just because it was intentional doesn’t magically fix anything, it’s still a problem I have with it. 

Lilly and the delta could’ve used more fleshing out. Most of the Ericson crew are underdeveloped. I would’ve liked to interact with Louis and Violet more before the Marlon confrontation, as well as more opportunities to interact with the others. 

Speaking of characters, as much as I would love to write these grand essays about each character and what worked, what didn’t, all that… I don’t have time. Some will get longer sections than others, and I’ll discuss any opinions that have changed, as well as things that stuck out to me as I was playing.

Normally I’d start Clementine and work my way down to the antagonists, but fuck it, let’s start with our antagonists and work our way up. 

Lilly, Abel, and the delta are terrible but in a good way

Fighting the raiders in this game feels like a final stand, y’know? These delta assholes want to kidnap people to fight in their war and they feel justified in this because they see those opposing them as worse. The delta aren’t the real baddies, they’re just trying to survive by any means necessary and they need people to fight, otherwise they’ll lose everything they worked for... but a lot of morals get muddied and downright tossed out in the process where these kids they’re taking, abusing, and traumatizing aren’t really people to them until they submit. 

Lilly can have Louis’ tongue cut out and not bat an eye because he isn’t a person to her, he’s a “recruit” who stepped out of line. They’re all “recruits,” but that gets complicated when she sees Clementine as a person. 

The raiders are a bunch of pieces of shit, no doubt, and they deserve what they got in the end for what they did, but I do like that you can look at them and say “I understand you want to protect your home and your people, that’s an honorable goal, one that mirrors our goal.... but this isn’t the way to do it, you’ve lost too much of your humanity and it will be your downfall.” 

Honestly, I think the Delta vs Ericson group dynamics and what they’re willing to do to survive is interesting to compare and contrast. 

Like the delta loses Abel in ep2 during the fight, and we get to interrogate him at the beginning of ep3. He tries to tell Clementine that Lilly’s on her way to get him but we all know that’s not true. The delta cut their losses. Despite needing people to fight in their war, they’re quick to kill, maim, or abandon and it has little effect on the group as a whole. They’ll just get more recruits, Abel is expendable, replaceable. Lilly’s upset when she hears what his ultimate fate was, but I wouldn’t say she’s distraught because she cared deeply about him as a person.

But then you have Ericson where losing two members, Marlon and Brody, rocks the entire foundation of the group. It causes rifts in relationships because they value each other a lot more as individuals. They’re younger, and the group is way smaller. Marlon’s betrayal left wounds, Brody’s death scared them, and the decision of what to do with Clementine and AJ wasn’t an easy one and they fought about it. When Aasim, Omar, and Louis/Violet get captured, the group doesn’t decide to cut their losses and more forward. That’s something Marlon would do. Instead, they risk so much to infiltrate the boat and save them. They’re not just three lost bodies, they’re people, friends. They plan to blow up the boat to kill the raiders so that they can’t harm anyone ever again. 

I like an antagonist who mirrors the protagonist. Lilly and Clementine, delta and Ericson, what are they trying to do? Protect their home and people against an enemy, to survive, to have food and water and a chance to live in a world where the dead roam. But their methods? Very different. They’re not on the same scale and again, the moral compasses are all over the place, and they treat their people differently. 

Both Clementine and Lilly are leaders who go to great lengths to protect their communities, they’ve both suffered a lot of trauma, their father figures play a big role in who they eventually become for better or worse. They both wandered alone until they found people and a home, a reason to keep going, and now they’re desperate to protect that because without it, they will have nothing left and that’s terrifying.

Plus, there’s the bonus of realizing Clementine could potentially become Lilly if she went down the wrong path. I mean, look at some of the shit she pulls in ANF. No one wants to hear that but there is it. What’s important is Clementine makes it clear that she’s not Lilly... and I hate to say it, but if Lilly lives, there is a possibility that she could change for the better, too, and I kinda like that. 

Not excusing the bullshit she pulled. The only reason she’s even alive is because she manipulated her way into murdering James before the boat exploded. It’s hard to believe a woman who forced Minerva to relive the trauma of being forced to murder her own twin sister just so that Lilly could make a point to Clementine, or as mentioned before, having Louis’ tongue cut out. Or murdering Mitch... kidnapping children in the name of survival, brainwashing.... just a lot of bad stuff- it’s hard to believe a woman who did all of that could ever possibly change. She certainly appears unredeemable. 

However, in the end she’s left with nothing but the weight of everything she did and knowing she did this to herself yet again. Might be the push she needs, and I’ve seen worse characters not waste their second chance. 

Or you can just have AJ shoot her and then she rots. After all, your choices do matter, yes? 

I know I’ve given Lilly as an antagonist shit in the past, complained about how they could’ve picked a better character to bring back, she sucks and I hate having to deal with her, blah blah blah...

but well actually Lilly is a great antagonist, ignore past CJ, past CJ doesn’t know anything and she’s dumb. 

In my opinion, Lilly was the best option for a character to make a return as an antagonist. Yeah, yeah, “what about Christa??” I hear you, but Christa wouldn’t be nearly as compelling and this whole cry for what happened to Christa is old and tired and I think we should just accept that we will never, ever know. 

Lilly is such a piece of shit, she’s so terrible, I hate her but I also really, really like her as the central antagonist. 

And look, I know so many people in this fandom don’t like nuance, they want a simple good or bad answer, especially with characters and other things they don’t like because it’s easier since “brain thinkies made hurt happen no like.” Which fair enough, I can totally relate, that’s an exact quote from me whenever someone tries to talk to me about Loghain from Dragon Age: Origins and I don’t have the emotional energy to deal with everything I know of him from the books that play into the game so I go sit in my sad corner and ignore everything.

but c’mon, look at Lilly and tell me she’s a poorly written, one-dimensional villain. You can’t! If you do, I will point my little finger at you and loudly declare, “I respectfully disagree.” 

She’s fucked up, she’s got her head up her own ass, she really wants to be in control as this intimidating, scary bitch who won’t hesitate to put a knife to your throat whenever she feels like it. She uses her power to manipulate and cause harm so that she never has to experience the helplessness she felt when she was alone and had nothing. She waltzes into Clementine’s cell with such threatening energy, but she’s also relaxed because she knows Clementine can’t do shit. And she’s impressed. She’s genuinely impressed at what Clementine almost accomplished. She sees that Clementine is the golden goose that made this entire trip and its losses worth it. Even if the delta lost everyone they captured but still had Clementine [and AJ] then it would still work in their favor. 

With Clementine, she hesitates. She shows little sprinkles of humanity and it throws her off kilter. Honestly, it almost feels like a performance in the cells, y’know? I’ve given Lilly shit for appearing sympathetic in ep2 only to turn around and be a nasty asshole in ep3 which I still do somewhat think, but this time around? Watching Lilly’s body language and the way she speaks does make me believe it’s all a part of some game she’s playing. Deep down, she’s still the scared little girl who wants to pretend she’s a tough bitch no one can hurt, and that’s the performance. And everyone buys it. It only cracks with Clementine. 

To me, that shows just how far gone she is. The others aren’t people, they’re “recruits.” They’re expendable despite the fact that the delta are supposedly at war and need people to fight. Lilly doesn’t want to see someone like Louis as a person because then she has to face the reality that she’s become a monster who believes cutting someone’s tongue out is necessary. She’s become the St. John’s who definitely didn’t see Mark as a person, and justified cannibalism with “all the dead do is eat people, it’s a waste! We were brought up not to waste, those folks were gonna die anyway, we do what is necessary to survive!” 

THAT is the kind of shit she’s going to have to face if you spare her and she’s alone again. 

It gets worse when she goes on about her father and it gives me this eerie feeling to hear the way she speaks knowing that Larry probably did more to traumatize her than just “he let our power get cut to teach me a lesson about turning the lights off, no more ice cream” like....... what the fuck bruh

I could honestly go on and on about Lilly as the main antagonist but I still have everyone else to cover, so I want to cover Abel next. 

Stinky man bad and that’s good

I think he’s another great character. The dude’s name is Abel and he smokes hand-rolled bible cigarettes. He survives losing an arm. He’s a fucking dumpster fire who spends most of his screen time getting the shit beat outta him. He’s a huge creep, and he looks like the kind of man who wouldn’t shower for a month but then drench himself in axe body spray as if that’s the same thing as bathing. 

But he’s a damn good character. I love that AJ is scared of him, that Abel is what AJ has nightmares about. It fleshes out AJ’s character while also establishing that Abel is scary. We meet him and you watch him approach Clementine and you just know this dude is a creep, you know he’s hiding something beneath the false chill he seems to have, and you know he won’t hesitate to hurt Clementine or AJ over some food. 

He also has no attachment to Clementine like Lilly does and he’s all “what the fuck is this??” when Lilly wastes time talking to her, trying to convince her to come peacefully. Abel is focused on the job and he’s got unfinished business with them if you pushed him out the window. Oh, speaking of which, the dude gets bit and survives because he either chopped off his own arm or he made it back in time for the raiders to do it... hate him all you want, but I’m impressed he survived. The dude’s like a cockroach- a scrawny, ugly little cockroach.

Also he has a magic shotgun that somehow misses Clementine but manages to hit AJ so that’s pretty cool. 

And the fight with him at the end of ep2 is soooo good. He gets his shit rocked and it’s great! Then the shot of him realizing he’s fucked as the Ericson crew surround him is *chef kiss*

His interrogation scene in ep3 where he breaks down, begging to not become a walker is my favorite from him. Like Lilly, he’s a piece of shit, but he’s at the point where he knows he’s going to die and everything hits him all at once. He talks about how it wasn’t supposed to end up like this and things got out of hand. The dude is broken, he knows he’s lost and all he wants is to be put out of his misery so that he doesn’t turn. 

He shows some humanity in the end and again, I know some of you don’t like it when antagonists do that, it’s so much easier when they’re one-dimensional and pure evil… but that humanity, that’s the beauty and horror of it! Abel’s an unredeemable piece of shit but he’s human and that’s scary. 

Minerva is not only a victim of the delta but of “uwu-ification” and it upsets me because she’s a fascinating, tragic character but the Minnie crowd are more interested in sexualizing/romanticizing her because they think she’s hot

....is the title of this section too blunt? Meh, I don’t really care.

Look, If you like Minerva, great. So do I. Even if you like the uwu-ification of her but aren’t pushy or obnoxious about it, then fine. I’m not criticizing you, I’m criticizing the “Minnie crowd” who are usually found mostly on instagram, but also on reddit, sometimes they pop up on here, and there are a few on wattpad and AO3. Or in my inbox under anon... I’ve gotten my fair share of Minnie crowd anons that were rather unpleasant.

I wrote an entire post about her and why I keep cringing at the Minnie crowd who seem to either toss away her trauma [and let’s be real, her character as a whole] because they feel it gets in the way of their fanon or they romanticize it because heeeeyyyy wouldn’t it hot if she and Clementine fought and then made out? Wouldn’t it be hot if she tried to kill Clementine and Violet?? CJ, you just don’t get it! Man, it’s soooo hot that Minnie’s tortured and sad and fucked up and feral and traumatized, like she killed her twin sister, let’s give her a new girlfriend to fix her trauma or turn her into a caricature to add some questionable drama to violentine~

Hm? What’s that about “a chip on my shoulder?” His name is Tim and he hates this shit, too, what of it?

Listen, I will never not have a bone to pick with the uwu-ification of Minerva, okay? I fully admit it. I think it’s an insult to the well-written character we were given and it only happened because she didn’t meet the flowery expectations of thirsty fans.

It personally annoys me that over time fans stopped caring about Minerva as she’s portrayed in the game in favor of turning her into a caricature who’s main character traits are that she likes girls and she’s mean. She is an excellent, complex antagonist with one of the most memorable death scenes in all of TWDG. She’s a tragedy. 

She’s an example of what the delta does to its recruits and.... I don’t understand how you can say you love her as a character when you erase everything about her except her sexuality just so that you can ship her with someone she canonically hates and attempts to murder more than once, or force her back together with Violet which Vi doesn’t deserve that, I’m sorry, but she doesn’t!  

Actually it kinda reminds me of what some DA fans will do to Anders. Listen, I shamefully, bitterly admit to being a serial Anders romancer in DA2, okay?  And uwu-ification happens to him and it makes my brain mad!

I know uwu-ification happens to most characters to some degree within fandoms and it’s usually fairly harmless. I’ve heard every counter-argument and excuse you could possibly throw at me to justify it with Minerva. And look, I’ve definitely taken part in uwu-ification of characters in the past and I’m not proud to admit that, I’m trying to be better at appreciating characters for what they are while not being overtaken by fanon, y’know? So I get it, but at the same time this is an exception where it makes me physically uncomfortable due to the attitude of the Minnie crowd and I hate it.  

Minerva's a goddamn tragedy. She was traded away with her sister and the raiders broke her! They broke everything about her!

Y’all wanted her to do a 180 and turn on the delta for us and that was never going to happen! We knew that from the moment we finally met her! She’s too far gone, she’s only in two outta four episodes, there isn’t enough time to develop a redemption arc for her! She wasn’t ever going to have a change of heart! She’s not the Grinch, you can’t just say some pretty words and then her heart grows three sizes and suddenly a years worth of brainwashing and trauma are gone! She is a broken person now who would need years of professional therapy and god knows what else to recover! She considers the delta, the people who forced her to murder Sophie, her home now, her FAMILY! She is a tragedy we were never going to save! 

She’s surrounded by a shit ton of walkers, shooting and chopping away as she watches the raiders, the people she now calls family, fall one by one. She’s yelling at the walkers to get away from them, she doesn’t give a single shit about the Ericson crew, she doesn’t even wonder where Tenn is. 

Then a walker bites her and she keeps going! A fucking walker bites off part of her face! And she just fucking shoots it and touches the wound! This girl was so far gone from reality that she’s turning into the undead herself but instead of giving up, she wanders through the forest, singing Don’t Be Afraid, all because she wants to find Tenn so that she can murder him so they can be with their family again and y’all don’t care! Why don’t y’all care?? Erase it, none of that actually matters!! 

She’s such a great, complex character but hardly anyone gives a shit about her unless it’s in the context of her sexuality. It is so goddamn frustrating that I know only one person willing to have a discussion with me about her actual character instead of just going “no, you’re wrong!” and then refusing to elaborate on why I’m apparently such a piece of shit for thinking clemerva is toxic. 

I just- what else can I say that I haven’t already said? This playthrough made me appreciate her so much as a character and as a “final boss,” so to speak, and knowing in the end that she got what she wanted because I chose to trust AJ makes my skin crawl and I love it. What a good consequence to that choice, as tragic and unfair as it is, holy shit. I take back any shit I might’ve said about it being a shitty choice, I was wrong and dumb. 

God, what a tragic antagonist, she’s so good and I wish she had more actual appreciation. 

Dude, Marlon’s pretty great ngl

I have an entire character analysis I wrote for Marlon already, so I won’t spend too much time on him.

I believe Marlon holds up wonderfully as ep1′s secret antagonist. He’s a great character and the writers did a great job of establishing him as friendly but cautious when Clementine first meets him, then elaborates on how he handles his position as the group’s leader. He’s stressed, he’s holding a lot of guilt, fear, and shame for what happened to the twins, and now he’s brought two more mouths to feed into the group. We get an idea of his longtime friendship with Louis, how he butts heads with Aasim over the safe zone, and how he handles his frustration and anger… as in he usually doesn’t handle it well and opts for the “everything is fine” route when things are clearly not fine. 

And I know I’ve said this a million times… but the final confrontation with him at the end of ep1 is perfect. The rain, the thunder and lightning, the confusion, everyone rushing outside to find AJ pointing a gun at Marlon who is covered in Brody’s blood, so many emotions and accusations being thrown around, god it’s so good. 

Though there is one thing that has changed for me after doing the replay after all this time: I’m glad Marlon died in ep1. 

I know that sounds terrible coming from someone who used to always go off about, “Man, Marlon should’ve been determinant! AU where AJ shoots him non-fatally and he survives the season! He gets kicked out of the school and picked up by the raiders and has a redemption arc!”

Not so much now. I think Marlon’s role as it is in ep1 is perfect. The only things I would change would be a bit more information on his friendship with Louis and the other characters commenting their feelings about his leadership. But other than that? They nailed it. 

This season didn’t need a Marlon redemption arc. Sure, it would’ve been nice, and I would’ve liked more Marlon just for Ray Chase’s performance alone. However, this season isn’t equipped for something like that which would need time and great care to do well. Three episodes wouldn’t be enough, and it wouldn’t be important enough for the overall plot that it’s entirely possible it would’ve ruined an already great character, or taken away from the other great elements of the story and its characters. 

Just like Minerva, Marlon was never going to get redeemed. He wasn’t built for that. 

His death is great, though. He, Brody, and Minerva have the best executed deaths this season for sure. It’s built up well considering it’s the confrontation in the rain that ends with a confession, only for AJ to shoot him in the back of the head and kickstart a huge conflict within the story. 

Marlon’s a great character, he serves his purpose well and once again, I found myself truly appreciating him for what he is rather than being butthurt that he didn’t get a redemption arc that wouldn’t’ve worked anyway. 

James is so damn interesting, where is his spin off story? Oh wait, Skybound nO, IGNORE THAT-

Dude, I fucking love James. 

This guy is fascinating as hell and if I had any faith in Skybound producing good content related to TWDG, I would ask for a spinoff story about James.... but they made the Clementine comic instead and so I’m politely asking them to keep their stinky, greasy fingers off of him instead. 

God, where do I even begin with James? How about the fact that this dude is an ex-whisperer who wanders around wearing walker skin so he can blend in with herds? He keeps a barn full of walkers as a means of “protecting” them from harm? because he’s so alone with his own thoughts and memories of who he used to be that it warped his perception of the walkers? to where he now views them as “something in between” and he believes being a walker sounds peaceful? and when you consider that walkers don’t think, they don’t remember, they just wander and eat and exist? that’s something that would sound appealing to someone so lonely and full of shame? 

Like… James is so sad. I feel bad for him. Even if I don’t agree with this idea that walkers have something human in them, more so because I hope they don’t, I still respect his wishes to not kill the walkers when he asks. I’m willing to listen to him explain how he thinks, and I try to respond as politely as I can while also keeping my Clementine’s attitude in mind. 

And he’s STILL sad in the end no matter what his fate ends up being. Either he’s stabbed in the back by Lilly and left to become a walker, or he witnesses a child kill Lilly and it breaks a piece inside of him where he loses it and tries to separate AJ and Clementine. 

Which can I just say that while I understand not liking James because he’s a hypocrite if he makes it to the cave scene, I can’t agree that it’s poor writing. 

Yes, you’re right, James IS a hypocrite and that’s the point! 

It makes sense with his character! He’s pulling the “I will make peace with violence” card and it’s irrational, it’s bullshit. It’s a huge breaking point for him. This whole time he’s been on about wanting peace, that walkers are something in between and that’s why he protects them, why he feels conflicted about giving his aid to Clementine to save her friends. It’s like he’s so worried and afraid that he’s going to revert back to who he was, or that others are going to become like he was that he’s overcompensating. It’s bad enough that it blinds him to the danger Lilly still possesses even if she’s down with a gun pointed at her. It’s as AJ says, James didn’t see what she did, he has little context for who she is, and he’s more concerned that AJ is the one with the gun. Though, I would argue that he’d still try to stop you if it was Clementine holding the gun, but either way. 

In the end, he’s either killed as your friend, or you’re forced to confront him as a friend turned antagonist and try to convince him that his argument isn’t as cut and clear as he wants it to be. 

I find him compelling and I love what they were able to do with him in such a short amount of time. 

Also, in my playthrough, I spared Lilly so James died and came back as a walker and I can’t look at him like that without remembering the nightmare that was half the fandom talking about how hot walker James is and how they’d let him eat them........ that happened and I wish I could pretend it didn’t hhnnngggg-

Rosie is best girl

Telltale giving us an animal companion and NOT killing her off for dramatic effect? Nawwww but it worked soooo well in MCSM with Rueben!

Oh wait, no it didn’t, Rueben’s death was hilariously bad. Whoops. 

I want to kick off getting into the Ericson crew by informing everyone that Rosie is best girl and I am forever thankful she survived to the end of the season. I love that they brought back Clementine’s trauma with dogs from S2 and allowed her to warm up to Rosie at her own pace. 

I like to think of Rosie as an apology to us from Telltale for what they did with Sam in S2... y’know, forcing us to deal with a smaller Clementine getting attacked by a dog and forcing her to either kill him or leave him to suffer.

Instead of that, we have Rosie who mostly chills out around Ericson, fights off walkers, bites the shit outta Abel, and goes on a fishing trip with AJ at the end. 

What else can I say? She’s a lovely addition, thank you.

Omar exists

Omar is a character who exists in TFS and really, that’s about it. 

I mean, sure, he’s the group cook and he gets shot and kidnapped, and he survives to the end, which good for him.

Yeeeeeeah so I don’t feel strongly about Omar one way or the other. The most entertaining thing about him is knowing his history as The Chef God Omar and how Telltale got in on the joke by actually thanking Omar in the credits alongside Clementine’s eyebrows. That’s a lot of fun. 

I do have my own backstory for him that I wrote forever ago but just Omar in-game? Meh. He’s there. He does some stuff. He survives. That’s about it.

Unfortunately Willy is a character I don’t feel that strongly about

I feel bad for not liking Willy as much as I used to while doing this replay. Really, he only becomes interesting in ep3 when we get development with him coming to terms with Mitch’s death. 

I don’t have any real complaints about Willy, other than maybe the chronic masturbation joke which was pretty cringe. Though the game still got a chuckle outta me for Clementine pointing at Louis like “Don’t you dare” when AJ asks what that is, only for Tenn to lean over and tell him anyway.

I like how Willy’s reaction to Mitch’s death was handled even if their relationship was severely underdeveloped. They’re both side characters so I give it a small pass, especially with showing Willy mourn and lash out at Tenn. I do appreciate how Willy came to the conclusion that it wasn’t Tenn’s fault and that he shouldn’t have shoved Tenn down, and he knows he should apologize. It’s good to see younger characters admit when they’re wrong, be sincere in their apologies and move forward in a better way. I also like that he takes over as the Ericson crew’s bomb maker, following Mitch’s notes and doing research in books, all that. 

Y’know, I would split the Ericson crew into two categories, with the first being the more fleshed out, essential characters who fill an important role, such as Louis and Violet. You can’t remove one of them without removing a huge part of the story. 

The second is the category Willy falls into, which is characters who are given a bare minimum of development but don’t carry as much significance, they’re there to fill a seat at the table during the happy ending. If you wanted to, you could switch characters around, or remove them, and not much would change about the plot. Willy could’ve died and Mitch lived, and things would’ve played out the same just with Mitch mourning Willy’s death then making a bomb to blow up the boat. 

Willy’s fine, he’s likable enough. That’s all I got. 

Mitch is.....not great uh oh what the fuck

.........................no seriously what the fuck?

Yeah, so Mitch isn’t a great character, and as I type that I can feel myself taking a sledgehammer to a huge chunk of the foundation holding this blog up. 

Aside from Louis and Clementine, y’know who was a big player in my blog content? Mitch! 

Y’know what other ship along side clouis had a big impact on my blog? Jamitch! 

Now I’m sitting here with a lot of questions.

He’s not a bad character, that’s not what I mean when I say he’s not great. No, he’s a fine character who fulfils his role in the game. He can be a dick, he’s the one who calls the vote to get Clementine and AJ kicked out, but he can also be quite funny at times. There is a moment of softness with him that you only get when you choose to burn Ms. Martin. It’s interesting that he knows how to make bombs... but then he dies so that we can have a kill count and it’s like.... huh. I remember being a lot more pissed about that.

His death is still dumb, don’t get me wrong. Running at Lilly like that was a stupid thing to do and it lead to a gruesome, painful death for him. 

But someone had to die and Omar wouldn’t’ve impacted anyone soooo.... Mitch got some development so that we’d feel bad seeing him get killed, a true The Walking Dead death. 

One thing that’s apparent to me now that I’m revisiting this after so long is how bloated my head was with canon, fanon, headcanon, “I don’t like this so it’s bad and it should’ve been this instead,” fixating on things outside of the game rather than it in, building off of each other and creating au’s....

It’s me taking off those rose tinted glasses to look at a game with characters I adore and knowing I only thought some of them were so great was because I projected my ideal version onto them. I have fics written about Mitch that explore his character because I liked him, he died, and I was like, “I don’t like that, I can fix it, I can fix everything I don’t like and then it will be better,” so I did. 

But now I look at Mitch and he’s in the same category as Willy, but he’s also just another tally on the death quota. He’s not a favorite anymore and that’s kind of a bitter thing for me to swallow. 

I will say, I’m still curious about the idea of jamitch as far as “what would these characters say to each other if they met?” but would I say it’s a big ship for me now...? Not really, and not just because they’re two characters who never canonically meet or because I no longer think them meeting would be interesting.... it’s just, I’m no longer attached to Mitch so any ships with him hold little appeal to me. It’s actually bizarre to go back and read my jamitch stuff because it doesn’t even feel like it came from me. I don’t think I ship it anymore.

Oh look, my foundation is crumbling, aaaaaaaahh-!

I like Mitch, he’s a jackass, he didn’t deserve to die, but he’s definitely not a favorite anymore and it gives me a lot of mixed feelings that I don’t quite know where to put yet.

Brody is… okay

So… it’s probably not a great sign when my favorite Brody scene is when she turns into a walker and hunts Clementine in the basement, huh? 

Here’s the problem with Brody… you only get more character development with her if you go fishing in ep1, which I never do. Because of this, my interactions of her consist of her introducing herself, then the next day she panics and calls me stupid for pushing Abel out the window… then she tells me the truth about the twins and Marlon kills her…. So I can’t say I’m invested in her character until we get down in the basement, and by then it’s too late. She’s another character who exists in this story to give crucial information before dying.  

But damn, fighting off walker Brody is one of the best parts of the game. The atmosphere, the guttural groaning, the thunder, moving through the dark with only a flashlight as a defense, wonderfully executed scene. 

Other than that, though… I can’t say she really compelled me. I even watched Violet’s full romance on youtube for her section, and it obviously included everything for when you go fishing and yeah, Brody’s nice and she does have a great purpose in the episode. You get a sense of loneliness from her but this scene isn’t really about her… well, it is but the main focus is on Violet and us interacting with her to help repair the relationship with Brody more so than the scene being about Brody herself. 

And yes, her being the only other person to know about the twins and keeping the secret with Marlon is interesting. You can tell she’s reaching a boiling point that Marlon’s trying to keep a lid over but the steam's rising, water’s boiling over, and Brody confesses everything to Clementine… then Marlon kills her and tries to pin it on Clementine. 

I do think there’s a discussion to be had about why Brody didn’t come clean before and what that says about her character. I just wish the game wanted to have that discussion a little more before she died. 

She completely points the finger at Marlon whereas he claims they’re in everything together. So, is Marlon lying or is Brody unwilling to accept she’s just as responsible for not stepping in or coming clean earlier? Did Brody keep everything a secret because she was scared of Marlon or was it to save her own ass? Perhaps some of both? I dunno, and I’ll never know because she died.

Oh, also... this is probably the point where I should mention my history as a briolet shipper.

I don’t think it’s a good ship anymore. 

You can’t hear it, but I’m laughing... I’m laughing because aside from clouis, all of my other ships are just crumbling and I can’t save them. 

Looking back I’m pretty sure I only shipped it because I felt pressure to give Violet a girlfriend after all the shit people gave me. Sure, I genuinely liked it at the time but let’s be real, it’s another case of slapping two pretty girls together and saying, “look, girlfriends” because we’re dumb and easy and like to pretend as if that’s enough... which I don’t believe it is. I hate when people do that and here I am... just slap a walker mask on my head and call me James because whoops, I did the thing I hate! I am shame! I’m trying not to do that anymore!

But yeah, Brody’s fine, she served the story fine, and her walker scene is bitchin’. 

TWDG where everything is the same but Aasim wears a shirt that says “wasted potential”

I’m actually kinda mad about Aasim. 

No, really, I’m mad. I still look at this dude in ep1 and say, “wow they really set you up as important and then did nothing with you, huh?” 

Because yeah, why have a character who pointedly challenges Marlon,  who you can choose to spend time with, who stood in between extremes when it came to the vote,  why set up an interesting character with pay off when you can just NOT do that? 

Why pay off his conflict with Marlon by having him act as leader, effectively leaving both Louis and Violet out of the leadership position to bring in more balance? I’m sorry, I know the Violet crowd hates me for saying Aasim should’ve been leader instead of her but I truly believe he was the better option.

I don’t like the direction of putting her in a leadership position because I believe that should’ve gone to a neutral party between her and Louis..... y’know, Aasim.  I understand a lot of people look at that as part of Violet’s arc of a not liking people to suddenly being in charge of a group, and fair enough, it should make sense but I look at the way she's written and I can’t help but think she’s not a good leader, I’m sorry. 

She doesn’t have the skillset and she doesn’t gain the skillset over time. Yelling and belittling people, not trying to level with them or see things through their eyes, not taking the entire group into consideration when having Tenn bring Clementine and AJ to the funeral, it’s not good and it unbalances things. 

Aside from Clementine, no one wants to talk to her when there’s an issue. It’s actually one of the funniest moments in ep2 when Aasim and Willy are arguing, Violet yells at them “guys, what the fuck!?” and instead of telling her the problem, they immediately turn to fucking Louis who is just standing there like “I don’t... you don’t have to scream at each other? stop looking at me, I’m not in charge??” They should feel comfortable talking to their leader but they don’t and that’s a problem! And it doesn’t even get better in ep3 because Clementine pretty much takes charge from that point no matter what! So?? What are we doin’ here??

“Oh but Aasim would be a bad leader because he got mad at Willy! He doesn’t have the skillset!” 

Character assassination might be too big of a term for this case... but I’d call this character abandonment, as in they set Aasim up for this position and then didn’t follow through with it so he’s left behind in a puddle of mud to sink slowly. 

In ep1, Aasim does show some leadership qualities in the way he puts the group first and develops back up plans. He challenges Marlon about the safe zone, he’s not unkind to anyone other than Louis, but you get the sense that that’s just their dynamic and it’s nothing malicious. Aasim’s responsible and he clearly cares about the group’s future. The dude keeps a journal to document everything so that they don’t repeat their mistakes. 

When it comes to Clementine and AJ, he isn’t blinded by his feelings of either “AJ murdered Marlon! He’s dangerous!” or “Marlon sucked anyway, it’s fine, I want them to stay.” 

He votes for them to stay because he knows Clementine and AJ are capable survivors and them staying increases their odds of surviving what’s to come, but he doesn’t just brush what happened under the rug or pretend it’s all fine and dandy. 

Don’t you dare tell me no one else stepped up when you made it clear Aasim was willing to stand up in ep1. His character made the most sense! Plus, he always ends up getting taken away by the raiders. If he were the leader, then that’s another blow to the Ericson crew- they’re without a leader once again, and now it’s Clementine’s turn to step up. 

But noooooo, instead we get “Oh uh.... I guess he has a crush on Ruby now... and he’s mean to Willy.... that’s about it. Oh and there he goes, getting kidnapped byeeee Aasiiiiiim~”

Nonsense, I say!

I like Aasim, he had a great start and no pay off. He and Brody were characters partnered up with Louis and Violet, suggesting they’re both important. Brody’s character had a pay off, and Aasim’s didn’t.... unless you count him getting together with Ruby as pay off but rusim is a bland ship. 

Yeah, I said it, rusim has very little going for it and I don’t know why any of us shipped it. I mean, they don’t talk to each other. We never get an actual conversation between them. They don’t flirt. They don’t have chemistry. He gets dared to give her a kiss and she punches him. She never shows any affection toward him and his affection toward her comes outta no where because they didn’t know what else to do with him and I think that’s a waste! 

The writers just pointed at them and said, “they’re holding hands,” and the fandom went “ohmuhgawd they’re holding hands!” because we’re easy and dumb and predictable!

They could’ve had chemistry if the game didn’t wait until the last five minutes to show them holding hands and feeding each other. Sure, it’s cute that they hold hands [though the feeding each other thing is weird] but any npcs could hold hands? Ruby could’ve held hands with Omar and I still would’ve gone “oh that’s cute.” 

Hell, now that I say that, Ruby and Omar getting together would’ve at least been funny after they set up Aasim liking her.... well, okay not funny for Aasim, but I would’ve laughed and I’m more important, buddy. 

Aasim is yet another case of this season almost having it but falling short. Should’ve had him replace Marlon, both Louis and Violet would’ve benefited from it. 

Ruby is great, I reeeeeeally like Ruby

I’ve always liked Ruby but I feel like this time around I truly appreciated her. 

She’s a character who teeters between the two categories I’ve talked about. She’s one of the more fleshed out characters in the Ericson crew, but she’s not quite on the same level as Louis and Violet, y’know? We see her consistently throughout the season, we learn more about her each episode, and she lives to the end to fill a seat at the table… where she spoon feeds Aasim and I quietly judge them for it. 

Ruby has one of the best introductions, too. She literally stomps up to us like, “‘Bout time you woke up! yer little boy bit me! >:[ shoulda took a boot to his head!” and then she stomps away! It’s so good! Plus, AJ’s apology scene with her is sweet. 

Ruby’s a charming character with a lot going for her. She’s established as the groups nurse, she learned to patch people up from Ms. Martin and that scene where the two are “reunited” in the greenhouse is heartbreaking. Ruby was a little girl with anger issues and you feel her grief when she looks at Ms. Martin’s decayed and overgrown corpse and says, “I just wish I could make her look like she did.” 

It’s a great character moment to show us how deeply Ruby feels things, y’know? She doesn’t try to hide her feelings, she wears her heart on her sleeve and there’s no shame in that. 

She throws a party [”hootenanny”] in ep3 when we’re at our lowest point. She wants everyone together the night before a dangerous rescue mission so no one has to be alone and scared. Hell, she even tries setting up some games so they can laugh and forget reality for a little bit... only for it to bite her in the butt when she brings out the student records and the reality of how many students have died since the start sinks in, then Louis/Violet share their backstories and Ruby is just like “....I guess I’m not a game person, I’m sorry” like she’s so damn sweet, I can’t. 

I loved having Ruby around, what a great character. 

Weirdly, I don’t have that much to say about Tenn but I feel like I should since he’s one of the more important characters in TFS

I think Tenn’s a sweet kid albeit naïve and somewhat of a screw up, but I don’t think those flaws are “bad,” y’know? 

Lots of people put Tenn in the same category as Ben, Nick, Sarah, and Gabe and act like the flaws these characters carry are poorly written or straight up bad just because they don’t like that character. 

The character gets in the way and messes things up for the group, therefore they’re a bad character, all that. I disagree with that logic. A character can be a well-written screw up. I believe Tenn is the more well-written “screw up” of the bunch since he has a lot more time devoted to him and you never get the sense that the writers dislike him and just want to kill him off quickly. 

His potential death was well-thought out and makes sense for his character- Minerva’s beckoning him to come to her so they can “go to the place where everyone gets to be a person again,” like he knows she wants to kill him and he hesitates before AJ tackles him to the ground. He refuses to cross the bridge because goes back for Minerva and fights against Louis or Violet.

And yeah, people still give him shit because it’s easy to look at this and call him stupid rather than looking at the inner turmoil he’s going through in that moment. He’s witnessing his sister- who he thought was dead-  being eaten alive by walkers and he wants to save her even if she’s unsavable at that point. There is no logical thought, he’s not listening to Louis or Violet, Tenn has tunnel vision where his sister is at the end... but so is death and we don’t know if Tenn’s actually aware of that or not. 

Everything happens so fast, and a quick decision from AJ seals Tenn’s fate, as well as the fate of Louis/Violet. Someone has to die on the bridge, otherwise you’re going to lose both of them and it’s not fair, it’s bullshit... and it’s great as far as a scene and consequences of your choices go. 

For me, Tenn always dies on the bridge. Not only because I’m a selfish hoe who refuses to let Louis die, though I will admit that’s a pretty big part of it... but for me, it makes more sense for Tenn to die on the bridge rather than Louis or Violet. I hate giving Minerva what she wants, but my Clementine would trust AJ and that’s what leads to that decision... and it’s brutal. 

Tenn left a big impact on AJ, he was his first real friend and believe me, I see the appeal of the ending where Tenn survives at the cost of Louis or Violet’s life even if it’s not for me. 

Tenn’s idea that one day the walkers will be gone is a fun one, if not bittersweet. Sweet because it’s refreshing to meet a character who has an idealistic hope for the future, but bitter because that future may never happen, and if it does, it won’t be anytime soon. 

He’s a neat character to have thrown into the cast, as well as a tragic addition to the kill count. 

Violet and I have a long history together

Ruh roh, Shaggy, we’ve reached Violet’s section. I’m sure some of you scrolled right over everything else to get here and since you’re in such a hurry, allow me to not waste your time: 

In my opinion, Violet’s okay. For me, she’s at her best in ep1, but after that she loses me. I can’t even say I like her anymore because her character falls flat, especially in Louis’ route. But her route doesn’t hold up any better. I can’t help but compare her romance with other wlw romances in games I’ve played and they beat her out by an alarming amount... well, with the exception of Chloe and Rachel from LiS. Those two are some of the shittiest love interests I’ve ever come across and Violet is leaps better than them. So... a point to her, I guess. 

I don’t see the appeal of her as a love interest and it never feels like her scenes are hers. They feel more like things the writers jotted down and said, “hey that’s cute” but they don’t tie into her character well and I think that’s a waste. In fact, give Violet a “wasted potential” t-shirt, too, she and Aasim can be twins.  

There it is, take it and run. For the rest of you, allow me to go more into detail. 

And just as a note: when I refer to the “Violet crowd,” I’m not talking about ALL Violet fans. Like with the Minnie crowd, I’m talking about certain fans that irritate me. They’re the ones with an agenda to convince people Violet’s the only valid character/love interest/route in TFS while ignoring or romanticizing her flaws/mistakes in an unhealthy way but try to convince you they’re ideal. They’re incredibly hostile to everyone who disagrees with them. They’re the ones who have blown up my inbox for years. 

Violet and I have a long history together that goes- “Oh yeah, I love Violet, I just prefer to romance Louis!” to “I like Violet, she’s a good character but she has a lot of flaws, I wish I liked her romance as much as you guys do but I get it,” to “yeah, she’s fine, I like her...” to now where I’m like, “......yeah she’s not great, I don’t really like her.” 

I’m aware that my dislike of her has a lot more to do with the Violet crowd than Violet herself. Y’know, all the anons calling me names and telling me to delete my blog, the one time my discord server was spied on, and vague posts that would cause people to send me like “hey, I think this is about you :/” asks because of who it was and how the timing added up too well. Of course I’m going to associate Violet with that shit and that’s going to affect my overall opinion of her. 

I tried, okay? It’s not like I looked at the surface, decided I didn’t like her, and then actively chose to be an ass. I genuinely tried to see her the way Violet fans do but I believe this is just a matter of liking different things, y’know? 

It’s been a year, I went into this replay wanting to like Violet so much. I wanted to write this post like, “I finally get it, y’all! I love Violet and I love violentine! Hooray!” and then there would be peace, we’d all hold hands and sing together until dawn! ...but no, that didn’t happen, I’m sorry. 

I’ve been away from the shitty side of the Violet crowd, I don’t have pressure on me to be overly nice just to keep the peace in a thriving fandom or fear that my followers are gonna be upset that my opinions have changed or the worry that I’m gonna get Violet anons yelling at me to just admit I hate her and fuck off as if it’s important to them that I say it.

Which now that I think about it, y’all really did the self-fulfilling prophecy thing, didn’t you? Thanks for that, here’s a gold star for your effort⭐I’m sure it was worth it. 

And y’know, it doesn’t make any goddamn sense. In theory, I SHOULD like Violet. I should be more into her romance route but I don’t feel the chemistry and Violet’s character is another case of this game almost having it but not quite. 

And in the name of being fair, I even rewatched her full romance with Clementine on youtube [sorry, I didn’t want to sit down and do another 10 hour playthrough okay I had no time] because in Louis’ route I’m obviously not going to spend as much time with her. You miss a lot of information which results in her character feeling unfinished. 

But before I talk about her romance route, let’s talk a little about Violet’s cell scene in Louis’ route since my opinion has shifted on that: I don’t hate it for what it is because it does it’s job. 

Violet loathes you after you let her get taken. She hates and blames you for everything, then she attacks you so that you don’t fuck up again. Because her trust in you is completely broken, the consequence is she stays on the boat with Minerva only to be blinded in the explosion after Minerva ditches her. Her end card even straight up tells you she hates you. 

No, I still don’t believe she was brainwashed/tortured on the boat, I still think certain devs are full of it for that. If you wanna interpret the scene that way then you’re welcome to, just don’t get pissy when I don’t.

I feel like I shouldn’t need anyone who worked on TFS to tell me crucial information outside of the game rather than showing it in game. There are signs of manipulation from Minerva, and Violet’s clearly pissed off and in a vulnerable state after being captured. She’s been told that if anyone steps outta line, they’ll kill someone she cares about, so she complies. She’s bitter, she’s hurting, she feels hopeless and betrayed and Clementine is there to take the brunt of those feelings. 

If the intention of this scene was to show us she was brainwashed and tortured just as bad as Louis [because remember, the Violet crowd will insist this is the only valid interpretation] then why didn’t it? 

Why is she behaving like she’s just pissed off? Why aren’t Aasim and Omar as scared as they are when Louis’ gets his tongue cut out? Why doesn’t her end card say she was traumatized after her time with the raiders like Louis’ end card? Why does her end card say she despises Clementine? Why are you allowed to tell her off when you’re not allowed to tell Louis off in his cell scene? If Violet isn’t just mad then why isn’t that reflected in how Clementine treats her versus how she treats Louis in his scene? Why did you also need to blind her in ep4 if her torture was just as bad if not worse than Louis losing his tongue? Doesn’t trauma dumping onto Violet throw off the balance of things? Why aren’t you making it clear what happened like you did with Louis? 

You didn’t need to clear up what happened to Louis outside of the game so why do you have to do it for Violet? 

Oh wait, you did make it clear- she pissed at you, no longer trusts you, and she stays on the boat as a result of that.

The end consequence of not saving Louis is he loses his tongue, and not saving Violet results in her being blinded. Violet’s consequence just happens to come later, and because of that fans got pissed that Louis was maimed but Violet was “fine.” And instead of just saying, “There’s one episode left, wait and see,” certain developers got defensive and tried to appease players. 

If you look at the scene the way it was written, it’s good. If you look at it the way certain developers told you to, it’s poorly done. And you can argue with me all you want, this is one of those things that you’re never going to change my mind about. We can agree to disagree. 

Moving away from that, let’s talk about her romance route. 

I give credit to Violet in ep1. I genuinely like her. It does a great job of establishing her character and hinting that she’s a potential love interest. 

I still stand by Violet being full of shit that she didn’t know Clementine and AJ were staying in the twins room and used Sophie’s pencil box as an excuse to check on them after things ended awkwardly in the card game. I like that, it shows that she’s not really opposed to us being there even if having someone in the twins’ old room brings back painful memories. 

You can tell she hasn’t had anyone else to really talk to since the twins died as she ends up saying a lot more than you’d expect. This is a rare moment where I do feel some chemistry between her and Clementine as they’re sitting on the beds facing each other, especially when you have Clementine admit that she’s not great with first impressions or people in general, too.

I’ll even give Violet a pass for being a jerk to Brody. Yeah, it’s poor behavior. It makes things awkward when Brody is just trying to be friendly with Clementine only to have Violet throw in an unnecessary, sarcastic quip, but it’s the first episode. It’s good to establish flaws so we get to see growth. You understand why there’s tension, and Violet making things weird fits in with her whole “I’m not exactly a people person” thing.

Oh, and when you appeal to her against Marlon, he tries to manipulate her with his bullshit, “they were my friends, too!” and while I heavily disagree with bringing a weapon into the mess as that just escalates things, it makes sense with her character and acts as juxtaposition with Louis deescalating things by stepping forward without a weapon.  

So yeah, I actually really like ep1 Violet.... but then the rest of the season happens.

First of all, I love Minerva as a character but god does she hold Violet back. It’s always one step forward, two steps back with Violet and her deal with Minerva. The mentions of her ep1 were fine, but then it just makes me roll my eyes when I realize what they’re doing here. 

And to be fair, I think I’m just sick of the whole “queer girl love interest has an ex-girlfriend who causes trouble and gets in between the couple we’re supposed to root for” plot point in games and books that when I see it, I make a disgusted noise so strong that even Cassandra Pentaghast herself would be impressed. 

My grievances about that aside, I don’t care much for the star gazing. As a concept, it’s sweet but it never feels like Violet’s scene. I get that the bell tower represents the isolation Violet has from the rest of the group, and we’re supposed to feel special that she’d bring us there... but the mini-game fucks with the pacing and the scene feels disconnected from Violet. Hard to explain, but lemme try. 

I made this post about how I think Violet should’ve been into basketball and how a better alternative to the bell tower scene would be her and Clementine shooting hoops together, how an activity Violet’s interested in [and I mean genuinely interested in, she doesn’t actually know anything about stars despite what the Violet crowd claims and that’s why they make up their own constellations] would’ve benefitted her. The writers never seem interested in telling you anything Violet likes, it’s always things she doesn’t like or the things she sad about so it’s hard to get to know her. 

That’s the problem, I think. I feel like I never got to actually know Violet as a person during her romance and that’s a problem. I know her backstory, I know she’s conflicted about Minerva, that she’s not a people person, I know she cares about Clementine... but what does Violet like? And I swear on Andraste’s flaming knickers, if you say “chicken nuggies lmao” I’m gonna be very disappointed in you-

Ahem, I mean, what does Violet want? What aspirations does Violet have for the future? What did she want prior to the apocalypse? Why doesn’t she have anything to call her own the same way Louis has music? 

It’s like they focused too much on her deal with Minerva that they forgot to make her more than just a romance... if that makes sense? She doesn’t hold up on her own and I believe that’s a waste. Louis stands on his own as an interesting character outside of Clementine and Violet should as well. 

The walk back to Ericson starts strong with her admitting she was stupid about Minerva and how she tried not to care about Clementine. That felt like a good character moment... but her wanting to rename the school is meh. 

Again y’all, this close to an overall great scene but then it nose dives. She says Ericson never felt like home, she couldn’t picture it as a home, because of the name and then just decides they should rename it and it’s lame. I’m sorry, it’s LAME! Hate to break it to you, Vi, but the name isn’t the problem. You didn’t want to leave because of the name, you don’t want to stay because of a new name.

I like her freak out on AJ after he shoots Tenn, because yeah Violet it turns out excusing murder baby’s actions isn’t so easy when he kills someone you actually care about huh? But, her final talk with AJ at the end isn’t as impactful as it could’ve been, especially when compared to Louis’.

Speaking of which, love that double standard of “Louis is a shitbird for being mad at AJ for killing Marlon and taking two weeks to apologize, he put them in danger, Clementine would never date him!” and “oh my god let Violet be mad at AJ! He killed Tenn and she’s really sad about it okay! She doesn’t have to forgive him after only a few weeks, stop invalidating her feelings, THIS is how Louis should’ve handled things!” yeah because they’re the exact same character in the same exact situation therefore they should react and handle things the exact same, mmhmmm, you’re not full of shit or anything, go off.  

Huh? Wha- yes, I know Tim’s on my shoulder and he thinks it’s dumb too, hush-

Violet’s fine, she just isn’t for me and I don’t think that’s ever going to change no matter how much time passes. I wish I liked her more. 

Louis is the best non-playable character TWDG has given us, it actually makes me emotional

Look, this post is long. I still have Clementine and AJ to cover and a final thoughts section to write and I don’t have time to give you the in-depth analysis of Louis that you deserve, but I can give you a more tame version while linking some to other posts I have. 

Here’s a post diving into his actions in ep2 and why everyone hating him for voting Clementine out is really dumb, and a post ranting about how heartbroken he would be if the Clem comic were actually canon, and this T5F I did of my top 5 favorite Louis moments, and honestly just scroll through the Louis tag on my blog, there is so much that I can’t link without bloating up this entire post. I just... I don’t have time to give you everything and I don’t want to be more repetitive than I already am. 

Louis is my favorite character in TWDG across all games. I fucking love him. I was reeeeally worried that I would replay TFS and not be as invested in his character or route but oh my god, his story holds up so fucking good. I’m struggling to put it into words. Even today, Louis remains one of my favorite characters across all the games I’ve played and his romance with Clementine? I die, don’t bother burying me, just toss me into the ocean to be fish food, I cannot handle it-

If I were to make a tier list of all of my favorite male romances from games that I’ve played, he would still be in S-tier with my other absolute favorite male romance, Alistair from DAO. And given that I haven’t been around for about a year, this is a TWDG blog, and I haven’t been comfortable enough to begin gushing on my dragon age blog yet, you don’t know- you don’t have ANY idea how strongly I feel about Alistair fuckin’ Theirin, okay? You have no idea, and if I told you, you’d think I were a crazy person! Which fair enough, I may be BUT that’s not what we’re here to discuss! My point is, my S-tier has two slots and in those slots are Alistair and Louis, THAT is how well Louis holds up. 

Louis’ back must ache after carrying this season because without him, TFS would’ve been significantly worse... okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. In reality, Clementine and AJ’s backs must also hurt because the three of them carried this season. 

I’m excited, can you tell I’m getting excited? I fucking adore Louis. 

I just- where do I even- I want to talk about everything but I can’t. From his introduction to his backstory to his romance route, I have few complaints. As a character he grows so much in a way that feels like natural progression and not once does anyone have to actually say, “Wow Louis has changed so much” because no one has to, we actually get to experience it. 

Louis starts off as fun but unreliable, he doesn’t take most survival tactics seriously which annoys characters like Marlon and Aasim, he values living among surviving and knows that any day could be their last so might as well make the most of it, even if that causes him to neglect chores and responsibilities. He’d rather keep his head down and not deal with conflict, he places all of his trust in Marlon, doesn’t ever question his leadership, and let’s face it, he’s a little dramatic. 

But god, he breathes so much personality in every scene he’s in. Even if he’s just somewhere in the background, you feel it. He’s a kind person who doesn’t want to fight. Disagreements, sure, he’ll have those with Aasim or Clementine, but he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He doesn’t want the life they’re surviving for to be wasted away and sees the value in enjoying it. He plays piano and music is so heavily weaved into his character and I love what that brings to his backstory and the romance scene in ep2. 

Everyone gives him shit and he just takes it, y’know? This dude has self-esteem issues and that is one of the beautiful things about his character, he grows into someone you can depend on, someone who will step forward for what’s right, risk his life to save another. He begins to see the value in his abilities and it’s an uphill struggle for him. 

Louis, one of the kindest people at Ericson, was sent to that school in the first place because he caused the divorce of his parents over music lessons. He was a spoiled rich kid who didn’t get what he wanted, he didn’t want to hear what his father had to say, and he was vindictive. He calls himself that, he calls himself a “vindictive fuckhead” with so much bitterness, so much disgust with himself.

For a YEAR, this little shit used his father’s wealth to make it look like he was having an affair and made sure his mom saw everything. Then when they had a big fight, he played right into it. When the divorce was final, he fucking told them everything! That’s awful! Holy shit!

And so they dropped him off at this school and that was that. 

If you stay silent after he finishes the story, he even says he doesn’t know the person he’s talking about, it’s like all they have in common are the same name. He has so much shame welled up inside him for who he was and knowing that he’ll never see his parents again, never get to tell them he’s sorry. It’s so well-executed. 

Shocking, too. No one could’ve predicted that would be his backstory based on what we knew of him. Hell, most assumed he came from an unkind family and that’s where his self-esteem issues came from but nope! The opposite, actually! Wealthy family, loving parents, and Louis was a brat. 

I love it so much, and to get it after the build up of getting to know him for three episodes just.... to quote myself on one of my previous posts: “He finally puts it all out there and now Clementine knows what kind of person he was before he arrived at the school, what he was capable of before she met him. That wall [between them] is gone....  Louis knows first hand what can happen when feelings go unchecked, when resentment is held onto, when you don’t apologize or try to repair mendable relationships, when you’re vindictive and bitter and take it out on others. He’s been there and now he’s here, and he holds a lot of that with him. You can see he does in the way he talks about himself and struggles with confidence in his abilities.” 

and then he plays Don’t Be Afraid afterward, it’s beautiful, it makes me emotional seeing how glossy his eyes are and the way he looks up as to not cry, I can’t-

Another scene that I can’t get enough of is when you appeal to him in ep1 and he stands between Clementine and Marlon, hands up, and tries to talk Marlon down... even after a year, I STILL got chills. Appealing to Louis for help is so beautiful, it’s a beautiful scene of conflict. Louis knowing what the right thing to do is vs his loyalty/fear of Marlon, the way he looks at Clementine vs how he looks at Marlon, the moment where you’re holding your breath because it seems like he isn’t going to help you only for him to slid into frame to shield Clementine. Marlon realizing Louis chose Clementine over him, that the one person he thought he had control over has turned on him and with Louis, everyone else does the right thing and steps forward. 

And of course, “Your relationship with Louis has changed.” I CAN’T

Okay, another thing I adore is how much emotional depth Louis has. He can be incredibly funny, and he definitely plays into the persona a lot in ep1. Actually, one of my favorite things about both Louis and Violet are how their personalities subvert how open you’d assume they’d be with Clementine. 

Violet is presented as intimidating, closed off, bad with people, so you’d think it’d take a lot to get her to open up to Clementine when that’s not the case. The first time she and Clementine are alone [well, AJ’s there but y’know] she opens up a lot more than you’d expect with little effort on Clementine’s part, something that’s a trend in her route. 

But Louis is presented as friendly, talkative, and fun, so you’d think he would be open with Clementine right off the bat... except he’s not. Louis doesn’t tell you anything about his past that actually matters in ep1. He doesn’t tell you about his friendship with Marlon, his relationship with the twins, or anything really significant about him. He says small things like how he hates cantaloupe or used to like baseball. You know he likes music due to his introduction. 

In ep1, he doesn’t know Clementine. While he likes her well enough, he doesn’t trust her enough yet and trust isn’t easily won from him when it comes to that stuff. But then you go hunting with him, you choose to deal with the walker with him, and he opens up about his view on survival... then he sends you away because oops, too much sharing, too much chemistry. 

That’s the thing, though, you don’t get that one moment unless you choose him. Like... actively choosing him is a big point in his route. I know that seems obvious, but I’m serious. Every time you choose him after the hunting scene, he’s genuinely surprised. Appeal to him? Choose to help him with the piano? Choose to save him? Every time he gives you the sense that he’s like “...but why” 

He even questions you about it in the dorms if you saved him during the raid. You can straight up tell him it’s because he’s too important to you and he’s still shocked, then pulls a face like “.........but why”

I don’t want to sound mean about Violet, but choices where you choose her feel different, like she’s not surprised you picked her. Especially after ep1, it’s like it’s a given you picked her. She never questions, she never thanks, it’s just assumed “yeah you picked me, of course you did.” and it’s probably because she voted for you to stay, and that’s very different in Louis’ route.

He rarely offers up anything further until you pursue it. That’s a trend in his route. It makes the moments where he chooses to open up unprompted even more significant, like with the piano scene in ep2 or the reveal of his backstory in ep3, and especially the walk back to Ericson in ep4, THAT scene is so fucking good because it’s him finally fully opening up and letting Clementine in and hhhnnnngggggggg sooo goood~

One last thing I wanna bring up that I love: When Louis screams “FUCK YOU!” at Minerva in ep3.... it’s so fucking good. As I said before, Louis is such a kind hearted person, he never wants to hurt anyone and he beats himself up whenever he gets emotional and lashes out at anyone...... but in the cells, he’s fucking pissed. Like, we don’t even see him that pissed off after Marlon dies, and the closest we see him get that upset again is when AJ shoots Tenn. But even then, he didn’t tell AJ to fuck off, he just said, “what the fuck!?” and that’s very different. 

And I don’t blame him for being furious in that moment! He just heard all the shit Lilly said and Minerva just let everything happen. Now Lilly has AJ and they’re screwed.  Hell, he might even be missing a pinky finger now! And he just calls Minerva out on her bullshit and tells her to fuck off, and her reaction is just perfect. 

Oh and then of course, he shoots Dorian and it’s pretty rad... I mean, he doesn’t think so, he’s super upset about that one, too. But I thought it was great. 

As for Louis’ romance route, it’s just *chef kiss* holy shit.

I actually did a T5F on the top 5 reasons I love clouis that is still accurate and covers pretty much everything so I won’t get too crazy.... but lemme gush a little more please?

Their chemistry is fantastic, they bounce off each other so well, they’re not afraid to call each other out on their bullshit, they’re not too proud to apologize and move forward together as better, stronger people. Louis is great with AJ even after what happened to Marlon and that speaks volumes for his character. 

Louis never looked to the future until he realized he could have a future with Clementine and AJ and that’s why him asking her what their dream home would look like is so significant and Clementine always promised that she and AJ would have a home and they finally found one with someone who would do anything to protect them, someone willing to forgive, apologize, grow, and be emotionally vulnerable when needed, I just-

She carved a heart around their initials, he named the song he wrote after her.

I cry... I cry so much

another quote from myself on my T5F: “Their chemistry is strong, deep, and romantic, they powered through so much unavoidable bullshit, they worked hard for their relationship, they’re comfortable and not afraid to lean on each other when needed, they get comfort from being together but aren’t afraid to disagree on things because they know those disagreements aren’t stronger than they are. With AJ and everyone else at Ericson, they’re a family now rather that a group of misfit survivors, and they’re working to change things for the better for Ericson. I love everything about them and damn it, they will be happy together every single time I replay TFS because that is what they deserve.”

Now that I���ve ranted about how much I love him, what I’m NOT going to cover is the whole thing with AJ and the vote because I’ve gone on and on about that, so I’ll just say this: 

If you’re mad at Louis for his vote, valid. 

What’s not valid is trying to convince everyone he is solely responsible for Clementine and AJ getting voted out when he was not the only one who voted. The vote was brought up by Mitch, and it probably wouldn’t have been brought up in the first place if Clementine and AJ weren’t at the funeral. Louis is not responsible for Abel and Lilly showing up, and he’s not responsible for AJ getting shot. He’s not any less of a valid love interest for his vote, his vote makes perfect sense with what he is experiencing the morning after what he witnessed the night before. Stating that any relationship between him and Clementine couldn’t work because he voted against them as if it’s a fact is an ignorant dismissal of his character, his trauma, and his apology to Clementine and AJ, and your agenda is very clear. 

The endgame stats being higher for Violet does not mean Louis is a bad love interest, and no, Melissa Hutchinson saying she likes violentine does not mean clouis is invalid. You can tell someone is desperate to have their choice validated when they use a voice actor’s opinion as evidence in their argument to convince others that their choice is the only valid option and everyone else is wrong. 

We get it, you don’t like him and that’s fine, you don’t have to, but please don’t act as if people who do like him are in the wrong for doing so, and don’t try to cover it up with a “but I DO like Louis though I swear” because it’s transparent. Trust me, I’ve been there with Violet, I understand why you feel pressured to tack that on at the end of your “Louis is a shithead” post but stop, it doesn’t do what you think it does, I can tell you that from experience. 

At least if people were honest, I could go into their posts like, “okay they don’t like Louis so they’re going to be more harsh/critical of him,” but when they say they do like him after not saying a single nice thing, that just tells me you’re lying because you’re afraid of getting attacked. Again, I feel that, I’ve been there with Violet. It’s not fun. 

I also feel it’s only fair that I talk about the Louis crowd, too. Like the Violet crowd, they’re obnoxious and hostile toward everyone, their arguments are usually surface level, and they annoy the piss outta me. I don’t have as many bad experiences with them since we like the same character, but that’s where our similarities end. 

The argument is usually, “Louis is better because Violet’s such a bitch, she BETRAYED Clementine in the cells, she’s a TRAITOR! She’s using Clementine as a rebound and she doesn’t care about AJ and that’s why she stays on the boat with Minerva.” 

So y’know... lame, no nuance, no actual discussion or further explanation, nothing. 

Also I feel like the Louis crowd attacks Violet’s appearance a lot which is gross and a sign that their arguments ring so hollow that they can’t think of anything better to prove “MY choice is the correct one” so they resort to things that don’t actually matter and then act like it proves their choice is the right one.

“Violet? You did her route? but I think she looks weird, so you’re stupid.” 

Like... how is that anything? What is that accomplishing other than making you look stupid? 

But yeah, the Louis crowd hyper-fixate on Violet’s betrayal the same way the Violet crowd hyper-fixate on Louis’ vote. It’s treated as a smoking gun of “this proves that YOU are wrong and why MY choice is the only valid one,” but it’s not, it’s not a smoking gun, you’re just being a dingus. 

There is a difference between discussing how the reasons behind those choices made by Louis and Violet are a result of the inner turmoil and pain they’re going through and it causes them to make a mistake that they eventually turn around from and just.... “Louis is a shithead who voted them out and Clementine could never love him after that” and “Violet betrayed Clementine on the boat because she loves Minerva more and Clementine could never forgive her after that.” 

 Why y’all can’t just chill and agree to disagree, I’ll never know. 

ANYWAY... I don’t wanna leave Louis’ section on a sour note so here’s a reminder that he had a pet turtle named Geoff, he lost the 3rd grade spelling bee to the word “recommend,” and he still remembers his grandma’s phone number after all these years. 

God, I love him. 

Boy am I glad AJ didn’t get cut from this game

AJ’s still one of my favorite characters in this game and I’m glad his relationship with Clementine is at the core of this story.

He’s a fascinating character study and I can’t get behind the complaint that “oh but he isn’t a realistic portrayal of a five-year-old!!” like I’m sorry, do you know what a five-year-old is? They’re dumb and loud and if he was written that way, you’d just complain that he’s annoying like Duck was instead.

Sorry, Duck, love ya but you cannot deny that a majority of players hated Duck  for being a hyperactive child. Players would be like, “Gawwwwd when is this kid gonna die?? He’s annoying, I hate him!” when S1 was released. 

This is a game about zombies, okay? and if everything were realistic then AJ would’ve died in S2. Use your suspension of disbelief. 

I find AJ so interesting because he’s a child who was born into this post-apocalyptic world. He doesn’t know what it was like to live in a world before walkers. He never had a long-lasting, stable home and aside from Clementine, all of his other caretakers either died or gave him up. He’s grown up in a world that is cruel, unforgiving, scary, and where killing is normalized as a means of survival. Whether it’s walkers, animals, or other people, he learns early on that that’s just the way it is now. He knows how to shoot a gun and god, what a fucking thing to have to teach a child. 

Really think about the lessons Clementine teaches him, too. Some aren’t alarming, like checking for windows or always knowing where an exit is. But then you get into “Always aim for the head,” or “Don’t hesitate,” or the big yikes of, “Save a bullet for yourself.” 

I stand by the fact that AJ was in the wrong for shooting Marlon after his surrender, but c’mon, what did you really think he was gonna do the moment he got his hands back on the gun and saw the opportunity to “stop the monster” to protect Clementine and the others? 

Clementine isn’t perfect and she isn’t always right, but she’s doing her best to teach AJ how to survive the way Lee and many others taught her... but she’s forgetting that AJ is so young and he doesn’t have a fully developed concept of the world before. She also misses crucial point that Lee made with her when teaching her to shoot, like how if it’s a walker, then aim for the head. But if it’s a person, that’s different. Walkers are always the same, they always have the same goal... people aren’t that easy. 

Remember the fight between Javi and David in ANF? Clementine will either point a gun at David to stop the fight, or she’ll shoot him. She doesn’t aim to kill him, she doesn’t want to kill him. She’s aiming to break up the fight, that is a moment where killing isn’t necessary and would only cause more problems with those around her. Gabe would be distraught, Javi would react depending on how you play him, and Kate would freak out, too. 

If you choose to shoot Kenny to save Jane in S2, same thing. She shoots him to break up the fight, but the shot happens to kill him after you share some final words. 

Hell, the one time she does shoot someone in the head during a fight in ANF, it’s an accident [even though she knows better that to point a gun at anyone without the intention of shooting] and is treated as the wrong thing to do and you can either cover up her mistake or you can make her confront it by telling the truth. 

But then you have AJ who doesn’t have the context, that experience. He’s taught to aim for the head, so he does, and it’s a mistake. 

AJ shooting Marlon is complicated. He doesn’t realize he did something bad until everyone reacts and then he’s like, “....but I aimed for the head? Marlon was a monster? He was dangerous? Clem?” and you can either reaffirm that he’s justified, or you can teach him why he was wrong and about atonement. 

AJ doesn’t want people to hate him, he doesn’t want to hurt them or make them sad. He wants to make friends and have a home. He wants to protect Clementine the way she’s protected him. He has doubts, he doesn’t always know the proper words to explain how he feels, and he gets frustrated which causes him to act out. He wants to play games, and learn, and make connections with people. But, I can see why he would be scary, too. Especially with the way he talks sometimes. 

When he calls dibs on Abel, you can express how you don’t like the way he’s talking and tell him it’s not a game, and honestly I don’t think it’s a game to him. He’s had nightmares about Abel, he’s scared of Abel, he’s is a monster and AJ believes that if he can kill the monster, he’ll be gone and everyone will be safer. He’s expressing that in a worrisome way, though. 

Or the one some like to point at when arguing that he’s a bad character: when he says he liked killing Lilly. Yeah, not great, and it only manages to set James off more during that whole fight. But AJ explains himself that killing Lilly made him feel powerful [not a great sign] and it made them safe and that feels good. 

Plus, YOU told him to do it... I know y’all don’t like taking accountability for your choices when they backfire, I feel that, but he looked to you for what to do in that moment and you said to shoot, so he did and it set him off. Half a clip right into Lilly, whoops, betcha she didn’t see that coming. 

There is a discussion to be had about that choice despite it not having a right answer, but I don’t have time to go in depth so just know that I can see both sides. 

But both Marlon and Lilly’s deaths are pointed at as a “See?? AJ’s a bad character!” by the anti-AJ crowd.

Yeah funny enough there is a crowd for AJ but this one happens to be viciously hostile against him to where they go out of their way to argue with everyone that he’s “a bratty, stupid, annoying psychopath who loves murder and is badly written and that’s not even how five-year-olds act lmao you’re stupid” and just like the other crowds, they’re desperate for validation and it’s hard to watch as they make asses of themselves. 

Again, you don’t have to like AJ and you can be critical of his development and choices, but maybe harassment under the guise of “well it’s just my opinion” isn’t the best outlet for your frustrations. Just sayin.’ 

So much about AJ gets lost on those people, usually on purpose because god forbid we don’t always deal in absolutes, and it’s a shame to see a character that the writers put so much time and effort into be so underappreciated. 

Oh and on the opposite side of things, I do want to point out that flipping it so that AJ’s just a widdle uwu baby who should never held accountable because he baby and everyone else is wrong to dare be mean to him or Clementine.... is also not great. It lacks understanding and depth of the character or the characters around him.

To end on a happier note, another thing I love about AJ is how funny he can be. I mean, his apology to Ruby when you tell him to lay it on thick? When he excitedly informs Aasim that he likes fish? The fact that he interrupts your date to throw a gross ball at your head like “look what I found!!” The way he laughs at the Beat Nick joke but doesn’t understand it? When he catches you smooching Louis/Violet and is just like “what’cha doin’ over there??” 

He can be so damn funny. We tend to focus on the more serious side of his character but c’mon, look at his funny little dance during the party. It’s cute as hell! 

There’s so much I didn’t cover about AJ but like with the others, I don’t have the time to give you a huge analysis, I can only give you the things that crossed my mind as I was playing... which was also too much to fit in here but still. 

AJ’s great, I adore that kid, so glad he wasn’t booted from the story, thanks Telltale. 

God what’s there to say about Clementine? She’s complex, flawed, well-written and I adore her 

Alright, last character..... but seriously, what can I possibly say that I haven’t said before? 

I’ve written a lot of posts about Clementine, like this one about why I have her leave Lee in S1 and how that ripple affects her choices in TFS, or how I feel like putting Clementine up on this pedestal where she can do no wrong and saying players SHOULD agree with everything she wants [namely in ANF] is a disservice to the growth and nuance of her character, gone on and on about why I think Louis is the best option for her as a love interest and how that plays into her development, why her relationship with AJ is so important, why the damn Clementine in the comic doesn’t hold up-

BY THE WAY.... tangent, but I actually feel second-hand embarrassment for the Clementine comic which is a feeling I do not appreciate.

TFS Clementine and Comic Clementine are not the same character. I’ve experienced more depth sitting in the kiddy pool I bought my dog to play in during the summer than I experienced with the comic. My salt levels still haven’t gone down after writing that review... Amos deserved better, good god...

The comic rings hollow because it lacks everything that makes Clementine compelling in the games. You can tell it was written by someone who has only played through the games once or twice instead of a writer who worked on the games and understands the character. 

But forget the comic. It’s not canon anyway and if skybound tries to tell me otherwise, I will politely tell them I’ve agreed to disagree. And that they can go suck an egg. Politely.

Back to the one that’s actually good, I believe Clementine is one of the best characters Telltale ever gave us. She’s set a high standard for me when I go into other games. We’re lucky to have four games with her, and while I can’t say I absolutely love all four Clementine’s [I still have a lot of conflicted feelings about ANF Clementine] that’s totally fine because overall? She’s had a helluva bumpy journey and it brings me a lot of joy knowing she’s finally found a home and a family to care for her it. 

I feel a connection to Clementine’s personality this season. She’s come a long way from ANF [thankfully] and I love seeing her more balanced out as a hardened survivor who can be a goof sometimes. Having AJ back in her life brings out a softer Clementine that I missed. 

She cares so much, y’all. Clementine cares so, so much about AJ and everyone at Ericson that she’s willing to put herself in grave danger to protect and save them. She’s fought for so long, had her heart broken over and over again, has faced death every damn day, and now she finally has a home.

And it’s not even a question. Once her friends are taken by the raiders, she doesn’t even hesitate in telling everyone that they’re going after them, that they’re going to end this. 

Then after everything, she gets bit.

Oooohhhh the emotions I feel thinking about the barn scene with Clementine dying and AJ begging her to get up. But she knows, and even worse she knows that AJ now has to deal with her, either by leaving her to turn or by killing her with an axe and just

“I need you.” I CRY

Her bond with AJ is so good, her chemistry with Louis is so good, her determination to fight, her sense of humor, her moments of vulnerability... it’s all so goddamn good. 

Also, the Lee flashback with little Clementine. Look, after already being emotional during Louis’ song, only for it to cut to the train and hearing Lee’s voice again... damn it, they knew what they were doing and I’m so damn easy, it made tear up, okay? I admit it! 

I honestly don’t have that much else to say? This post is long enough as is so perhaps that’s a good thing. She’s amazing, a beautifully written character that I hold a lot of praise for. 

Lemme quote myself once again, this time from my review of the comic because this still sums up how I feel: 

“This isn’t like Clementine in TFS where you do feel she’s mature. She has to be, she has a child she’s raising and protecting. She has to be strong and smart for him. She has to be the adult in their relationship… but she has those moments of vulnerability to remind you that she’s not an adult, she’s a teenager who was forced to grow up too fast and it hurts.

In ep4 of TFS, when they’re in the caves after getting separated from the group, she and AJ get into an argument. She tells him that he’s just a child, and he throws it right back at her- “So are you.” and you can see it on her face… y’know?

You want her to be happy, you want to give back the childhood that was taken from her at the start of the apocalypse, you want her to overcome every obstacle thrown her way.  You understand her feelings about Lee, why he meant so much to her and why she struggled to let him go even after accepting that he was dead.

You remember that she is a teenager who makes mistakes, she doesn’t know everything, she fucks up. She’s doing everything she can to protect those she loves. You feel that she wouldn’t hesitate to give her life for the little boy she raised. She still has a lot of growing to do but you don’t doubt that she’s gonna do it..... TFS Clementine, amputation or not, she would’ve charged that damn boat herself if it meant saving those she loved.”

In conclusion: I still love TFS, even if things have changed for me 

Before I wrap this up, I do hope that everyone understands that my criticisms of characters, story elements, or of the crowds aren’t meant to be a criticism of individuals who may disagree with me. I'm not criticizing people for liking Violet or people who dislike Louis, or even people who view Minerva through an uwu-lense. I'm criticizing the terrible behavior from those crowds that make everyone uncomfortable and accomplish nothing.

Being critical of a character, plot, or of the fandom is fine. If a post is critical or even harsh toward a character, I may not agree and would argue with the points, but that's fine. I’m sure plenty of you will take issue with my points for characters like Violet or Minerva. We all have different interpretations and one of the fun things about fandom is getting to express that, to have discussion and debates, but it’s all in good fun. The point is never to intentionally make someone feel bad or to fight. 

It's when people get into guilt tripping, lying, gaslighting, name calling, using accusations of homophobia/racism against people not because they’re displaying those awful behaviors but only because they do/don’t like a character, sending hostile messages to people, or trying to convince everyone that their thing is the correct thing and the other thing is bad therefore they should feel bad, that's what I'm trying to criticize here when I bring up crowds. 

They’re an unfortunate part of the whole thing, every fandom has ‘em. What's sad is that crowds who would need to read what I’m saying in this section aren't going to. They're gonna scroll to the parts they know will make them mad and then leave. Oh well. 

I want to say that if you made it this far into an incredibly long post, thank you. If I had another gold star I’d put it right on your forehead and then give you a cookie, but I already used my gold star in a comment toward the Violet crowd and then Tim ate all the cookies, so.... sorry about that. 

The Final Season is excellent and I had a lot of fun even if I was conflicted with a lot of my previous opinions and work. I know I’ve somewhat moved on from TWDG and Telltale games, but hell, I’m still here. I’m not going anywhere for a while... after all, who else is gonna read the next two Clementine comics 9 times each to write in-depth reviews so you don’t have to read them yourself, hmm? No one, because they’re not ridiculous! 

But as far as consistent posting, writing fics, and doing themed nights, I have moved on from that. Not to say that I won’t ever pop in, y’all are always welcome to send in asks but y’know. I spent a long time working on this despite it being nanowrimo and I should be working on my project, but I still have some passion for this series that I wanted to share. 

It’s bittersweet, really. While I’m glad my ninja fam held up beautifully, I’m still bummed about the rest of the Ericson crew. Especially Mitch, god he was one of my favorite characters and now I barely feel anything for him, it’s sad. 

I will be home all weekend, supposedly working on nanowrimo, but if this post sparked something then feel free to shoot me an ask. I’ll answer a few if any come in, and we’ll see where it goes. 

If you want to follow me elsewhere, as I mentioned before I do have a dragon age side blog: @stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage, and then my main blog is @cj-writes-stuff.

Thanks y’all  💚

[booasaur]

Did you finish Night Country? If so what did you think of it? I loved Navarro—Kali Reis absolutely sells that stately sense capability and strength and hotness lol—and think Jodie/Kali really sold their relationship being the core of the show I also mostly loved how things played out (didn’t see the ending coming at all) but I wish the show had been given more episodes to flesh certain plots and characters out because some things felt a little superficial (it’s interesting to me that so many people were lost because I thought the show made a lot really obvious and could’ve actually used some more mystique) and enhancing them would’ve made things that much better and cohesive. But trying to find balanced criticism or commentary about this show is hard because everyone defaults to racist, misogynistic, no nuance takes on how it’ll never compare to s1 and just refuses to even see a little bit of the good. Idk I feel like you can dislike it and want better and still recognize the good aspects of this season and the value of telling indigenous stories. At this point I almost wish the showrunner had been able to make a new series like she wanted to, instead of having to be tied to the true detective name because maybe people would approach this with more honestly and openness

Hey, sorry for the late reply. Well, I know I've replied a LOT later before and mostly decided to stop saying sorry because I'd have to say every time, but at the moment, I'm having more difficulty than I used to in remembering how I felt when I finished the ep, so I wish I'd just responded at the time.

Let me see... First, I did laugh like an idiot when they took turns falling down the ice caves like idiots, especially Danvers.

Other than that, I liked the ending but it felt a bit too neat... I think if they'd changed around some stuff, it might have offered a bit more tension because, well, at that point, it seemed they'd let more killers go than caught them. Honestly that and all the quibbles I had, where I wish we'd seen some stuff seeded better and elaborated on more at the end, like you said, that all could have been helped with just giving them the two extra eps they should have gotten. I was thinking that too, at the time, lol, I remember now, when I read your ask, I went on this whole rant (to myself, in my head) about those two eps could have done so much, how the streaming model had killed TV, how these shortened seasons were basically like individual movies with an occasional sequel. I know this is an anthology miniseries and the story finished, but still! Too much is suffering for the same reason. I haven't really been able to get into a single new Trek, it's just a different form of storytelling. What can you do in 10 eps every once in a long while, with a full ensemble cast.

I literally looked up how many eps Discovery ends at and it's 65. Compare that to my home Trek, Voyager, where it flourished with new life when Seven appears. Guess when that happens. Ep 68! I literally had to chart the two shows:

Look at those huuuuge Discovery breaks.. It's not just that shows used to be given so much screentime, we just got so much so quickly. I absolutely forget what's going on in between seasons of most shows now. In terms of actual amount of time, Discovery actually lasts longer! But I barely know the characters or their stories. I can't say much different for Picard or SNW (barring what I brought in from before). There's only so much character growth and relationship evolution. How am I supposed to love them? Know them?

Maybe that's why I'm gravitating so much to soaps lately...

Anyway, it's more capitalism than just streaming, of course, which also speaks to your other point; I didn't know Issa Lopez just wanted to make a new show and they put it under the True Detective name?? But isn't that just so typical of all these issues! Like, the fact that they're making an NCIS spin-off with Tony and Ziva? They're retreating to the safest, most conservative ideas they can think of. It's happening with everything, companies dropping DEI initiatives, politics returning to big money white guys. Sticking this female-led extremely Indigenous-sympathetic premise with this particular franchise with its defensive white dudebro fanbase.

I wonder how much that's related to the obligatory bigoted backlash to any media perceived as "woke" now. It's all feeding each other, right, bad actors in each space taking advantage and fanning the flames, but it's beyond annoying now to have watched a normal show and go online and see this rabid overreaction to stuff that isn't even on the screen.

The worst part is, as you said, there's no room for the middle ground. I myself don't want to go into detail about the issues I had because there's so much unfair criticism. Like, if I thought it was a little unsubtle in its messaging at times, how can I say that when these fiends are tearing it apart for daring to even have the message. I'm just glad that Foster and Reis were so good and the show so well received that the fanboys can keep crying to each other about s1.

I will say, a huge part of that ending landing was Diane E. Benson as the older Indigenous Alaskan lady being cool as hell. She was so nonchalant and mischievous and angry as hell underneath it all! That's why I wished there was just a bit more tension, a bit more to that scene in terms of its place in the ep, rather than just its place in the story where it provided a reveal.

The handling of the killer reveal was what I found a bit pat, just being like, well, that happened, okay, bye, but the reveal itself? Freaking loved it. Those men deserved what they got and more. :<

Some things I'm glad they didn't go into more, the accident in the past, and what exactly happened to Navarro. Let me imagine she and Danvers are off together in some liminal space. :P

Anyway...I guess I did remember a lot, lol. And now we have a season 5 ahead. :)

[sizzleissues]

Future meeting

(Futures AU: Seventeen years ago the miraculous were retired. That was until the thought destroyed Butterfly returns. A story within this canon that I wrote while falling asleep lmao)

It had been seventeen years since he last transformed but some things never changed. Marinette still snored in their bed, the face of Parisian fashion stretching her arms out in a lion-like yawn. She sprawled out across the mattress, the duvet twisted to the side and a half finished sewing project lying across her stomach. Adrien debated moving her before deciding against it, instead tidying away the needles and fabric and laying the duvet across her body. Eventually she’d get too warm, wake up, and more to her side of the bed again. Until then Adrien made the rounds, checking the doors were locked, blinds drawn and lights off.

It had become common procedure since the return of akumas. The new heroes were alright, he even saw some of himself in them. Whether Kitty Bells and Crimsonbird were dating was always a subject of hot debate. He’d installed new window locks a few months ago but he couldn’t help the useless feeling that bubbled up in his chest whenever an akuma attacked. It was his fault Paris was no longer safe, his negligence that led to two more young kids taking on the impossible job of saving the world. He tried not to dwell on it, moving down the corridor to his kids' rooms. 

Hugo and Louis slept soundly, Adrien picking up the toys they forgot to clean up and putting them away. Marinette scolded him when he did that, ‘they’d never learn’ if he always tidied it for them. He couldn’t see how it would hurt. They were good kids, nothing but glowing reviews from school about how generous, caring and vocal they were. (Took after their mother).

Emma's room was next, a stream of slightly muffled music coming from inside. Awake writing again probably. He let her be, knowing how she hated to be disturbed when in the zone. She was focused, like him. 

Adrien reached the end of the hall, descending the stairs and entering the kitchen. The sound of something small moving around set him on edge. They’d had mice last year and it had been torture getting them to leave. No one in the family wanted to kill them. It had been a relief when there had been no signs of them for months.

He moved silently to the switch on the wall, flicking it on and searching for the mouse. 

Instead he saw Plagg eating Emma’s school cheese. Plagg finished it off in one big gulp as the lights switched on and their eyes met. The pair could only share dumb silence for several moments before Adrien pointed at him and yelled.

“Plagg?”

“Adrien! Hi!”

“What are you doing here? Is-.”

“No! The boss is just super forgetful and forgot my dinner. I knew you were in the area and you wouldn’t mind so I thought I’d borrow some cheese. Random coincidence really.”

Adrien approached slowly, blinking a few times to make sure he wasn’t imagining it. Plagg, his old kwami in the flesh. 

“It's so good to see you.” Tears welled in his eyes and he stumbled toward Plagg. He’d missed the little terror whispering in his ears. 

Plagg softened for a moment, drifting toward him but then snapping away. “I have to go. You were never supposed to see me again.”

“Can’t you stay. Even for a second more. For old times sake.”

“I really can’t-.” 

“I have Camembert!”

Plagg turned back, his eyes glowing with interest. “Where?”

Adrien smiled, walking past him and crouching down at a locked cabinet. “When Emma started asking for cheese I began storing extra. I almost thought- but that's ridiculous. She doesn’t know about this.” He opened the cabinet door revealing several rolls of expensive smelly cheese. Plagg’s tiny mouth watered as Adrien pulled out a roll and placed it onto the counter above. He made sure Plagg saw the rest, so he might be tempted to return. 

“I guess I can stay. For the cheese only.”

“Right.” Adrien laughed lightly. He had a feeling Plagg missed him just as badly as he did. 

-

Plagg drifted back upstairs after a long and filling meal. Emma hardly noticed him returning, only glancing back after a second.

“Oh, hi Plagg. Where were you?”

He couldn’t say talking with her dad. He’d nearly exposed her identity because he was hungry. Instead he thought of a clever lie.

“Swimming.”

Emma frowned. “Swimming? Can kwami’s even do that?”

“Yes.”

He waited for her to call him on his lie. Adrien would know immediately. Her lips twitched downward for just one second but nothing came of it, turning back to her writing. 

“Cool. Don’t lie on my bed if you are wet.”

[lamemaster]

Melodies of Love (Part 2)

PART 1

Summary: It isn’t mortal flesh or blood that your sword pierces but the very soul of the one you once knew as your father. You deliver the final blow to Morgoth, the dark lord of Arda, the villain of all wrong in the world but also your father.

AN: thank you to all of you who commented such good things on the first part and gave me the courage to write another one. This has been a story I have wanted to write for the longest time ever. So, thanks a lot for reading! (P.S. These really awesome dividers by @saradika.)

You expected to feel a burst of relief or maybe joy for the betterment of Arda. Anything numbness, anger, exhaustion but not this…not a despair so profound that you find yourself gasping for air. It feels as if the tip of your sword had been thrust into you. As if your own move left you wounded. 

It isn’t mortal flesh or blood that your sword pierces but the very soul of the one you once knew as your father. You deliver the final blow to Morgoth, the dark lord of Arda, the villain of all wrong in the world but also your father. The one you came looking for this world that you belong to partially.

It is a glorious moment of the fall of all dark and all wrong. A moment of victory from the hands of a demi-god, from another world. Around you, people celebrate the victory. Men, Elves, Dwarves, Valar, Maiar are all ecstatic about the unmarring of their world.

But you cannot bring yourself to move an inch. Fear grips you. You are terrified of moving the sword that impales your father. What if you hurt him more…what if…your thoughts panic as you observe his dissipating form. No…no..no…

None had seen it. None but you. The final blow would not have landed. It wouldn’t have if your father did not allow it himself. The dark lord of Arda willed his demise. He let you kill him. “My child…my dearest, I thank you. Forg-” are the only words you hear as you see your father’s fleeting form.  

You collapse to your knees, tears streaming down your face, as conflicting emotions surge through your heart. The truth of your father's sacrifice dawns upon you with devastating clarity. He had allowed you to strike the final blow, not out of weakness or defeat, but as a deliberate act of love and redemption. He chose to sacrifice himself for the greater good of Arda, and for you, his child. 

Your father...you could have saved him...he was not lost yet, not until you killed him with your very hands. You did it.

Manwe, the Lord of Arda, searches for you amidst the vast battlefield, the entirety of Arda stretched out before him. He felt it the moment you struck his brother, a deep ache in his chest that left him breathless, as if he were a dying mortal.

Regret floods Manwe's heart as he realizes he should have taken the burden of Arda upon himself. He should have shouldered the responsibility as its ruler, rather than allowing you to face such a miserable fate. He laments his decision, yearning to undo the choices that have led to this moment.

10 days ago...

In the quiet sanctuary of Manwe's chamber, a solemn conversation unfolds between you and the Lord of Arda. The weight of the world hangs heavy in the air as you gather your resolve, ready to make a promise that will shape your destiny.

"Uncle Manwe," you begin, your voice steady but filled with unwavering determination. "I cannot bear to see you burdened with the duty of facing my father in battle. I offer myself in your stead. Let me be the one to confront Melkor and bring an end to his darkness."

Manwe's usually serene eyes flicker with unease as he gazes upon you. Love for both you and Melkor intertwines within him, creating a conflict that cannot be easily resolved. The thought of pitting kin against kin weighs heavily upon his heart, and he hesitates to accept your selfless offer.

"My dear child," Manwe replies, his voice tinged with sorrow. "The battle that lies ahead is of unimaginable magnitude. It is not a fight I wished upon anyone, especially not you. Melkor is my brother, and though his actions have caused immense pain, he too was once a part of our family."

You reach out, placing a comforting hand on Manwe's, understanding the depth of his love and the struggles that torment him. "I know the extent of your affection for him, Uncle and that is why I cannot let you be the one to do it. I also cannot stand idly by while his malevolence continues to sow chaos and suffering. I will face him, not merely as his child, but as a force for good. For the world that you and the rest have created"

Manwe's troubled expression softens as he absorbs your words. He comprehends the unwavering conviction burning within you, the desire to bring an end to the darkness that has tarnished your father's legacy. Yet, the pain lingers within him, knowing that he may be sending his own flesh and blood to confront their own parent in a battle of epic proportions.

"Child, I cannot deny your determination or the purity of your intentions," Manwe says, his voice tinged with sadness. "But know that this path you have chosen will not be easy. The clash between light and darkness, between love and strife, will test your resolve and demand sacrifices. And in the end, should you stand against your father, the weight of that decision will forever shape your soul." Not for the first time Manwe finds himself in awe of your resilience. Despite the unfiltered hatred and less-than-acceptable treatment, his people have treated you with, you remain steadfast for a cause you never expected to encounter. Nothing has managed to break the spirit of the child of Melkor and Aphrodite.

You meet Manwe's gaze, your eyes radiating a blend of determination and compassion. "I understand, Uncle. I have contemplated the consequences, and I am willing to face them. My purpose in this world extends beyond my lineage. I will fight not only for the sake of Arda but also for the love that still resides within my father. If there is hope even a fragment of it, then I will fight to get him back from his fall."

Manwe's eyes shimmer with unshed tears, his inner turmoil laid bare before you. He reaches out, enveloping your hand within his own, conveying both love and reluctance. "May the grace of Illuvatar guide your steps, my child. May your path be one of light and love, even in the face of the darkest shadows. I will support you, protect you, and pray for your triumph. But know that my heart aches for the pain you will endure."

With a solemn nod, you accept Manwe's support, knowing the tumult of your own fate. But fueled by love and determination, ready to face your father and the destiny that awaited you.

Your face remains covered by your hair that had once been tied into intricate braids now lay unbound. What jars Manwe is the ash color of your hair. Once darkest black, the color of Melkor’s hair that you got from him is now ash. 

Present

Manwe, the sorrowful witness to your anguish, approaches with a heaviness in his heart. His steps falter, his voice filled with remorse, as he pleads for your forgiveness. He yearns to bear your pain, to shoulder the burden that weighs upon your soul.

Kneeling beside you, Manwe gently brushes away the veil of hair concealing your face. His touch lingers upon your tear-stained cheek, a tender gesture of empathy and love. "Y/n," he whispers, his voice a gentle plea, but your distant gaze remains unyielding, lost in a void of despair.

The light that once danced within your eyes has dimmed, replaced by a haunting bleakness. Joy, life, and radiance have been consumed, leaving behind a desolate emptiness. Manwe's own tears mirror your pain, for he knows that he is to blame. If only he had acted with courage, your hands would have been spared this tragic fate.

In broken words, you confess the unbearable truth. "My father… I… I killed him," your voice quivers, laden with remorse. Manwe attempts to wrench the sword from your grasp, desperate to release you from the weight of your actions, but your grip remains unyielding, as if bound by an unseen force.

Frantically, you search for something, your mind ensnared in a labyrinth of torment. "Uncle, I didn't want to… I tried… he just… my sword," you murmur, your words fragmented, lost in a haze of despair. Manwe's pleas grow desperate as he calls your name, his voice filled with urgency and longing, but you remain unresponsive, trapped in the grips of a nightmarish trance.

Fear grips Manwe's heart as he seeks aid from Lorien or perhaps Namo, anyone who can offer solace and healing. He tries to infuse his own strength into your shattered spirit, but only emptiness echoes back at him, a void that consumes his efforts. Panic surges within him as he scans the surroundings, only to find you vanished, leaving behind a void of sorrow.

On a day when Middle-earth rejoices in an improbable triumph, Manwe, the Lord of Arda, crumbles beneath the weight of loss. His brother, his only memory of him, you, both lost to the ravages of fate. The celebration fades into insignificance as the depth of his grief consumes his very being, leaving him shattered and bereft.

In the depths of your heart, the grief remains, a heavy burden that seems insurmountable. The consequences of your actions, the weight of your choices, bear down upon you relentlessly. Sorrow, guilt, and remorse intertwine, weaving a tapestry of anguish that engulfs your soul.

Tears flow ceaselessly, tracing rivulets of sorrow upon your cheeks. Once steady hands now tremble under the weight of the sword that forever altered your destiny. The memory of your father's essence resisting the blade haunts your every waking moment, a haunting reminder of the irreversible act that shattered your world.

Within your grief, there lies a multitude of emotions. It is the loss of a flawed father, a complex figure who once held a place in your heart. It is the anguish of shattered hope, the realization that your desperate attempts to save him were in vain. It is a mourning so deep that it takes everything of you.

And so you wander every coast, every shore, every mountain, every plain looking for any sign of your father. The world lay forgotten. Such has always been the fate of heroes in your mother's world and it seems fate is what you carry from her world to Arda.

Glorfindel pushes past a merry crowd of men as he tries to find you. His heart beats faster than it ever did. He can feel it. A fading pain in his heart, a pain that belongs to you in a heart that belongs to you.

He needs to find you and hold you. And he will do everything to mend whatever broken pieces the final battle left. After all, Glorfindel was no stranger to the emptiness of a victory that cost everything.

The gleaming band on his finger is not just for times of joy but also for moments of despair and he would not abandon you. He catches a glimpse of Lord Manwe standing alone and he feels the urge to ask the Vala about you. He must know, right?

Lord Manwe always wished good for you and it was for him you fought your own father so he must know. Glrofindel reasons as he makes his way to the king of Arda.

The king of the world had to know of your whereabouts. He would surely tell Glorfindel about the half-Vala who smiles at dandelions blooming by a street or the otherworldly half-god who bears all the hatred with a humble smile.

He would ask about his beloved who does not require food to sustain themself but cook nonetheless for Glorfindel's sake. Some know them as Agape from a foreign land.

Manwe's form seems to receede farther away despite every step Glrofindel takes. His own heart hurts so sharply that he stumbles. Foreign hands try to support the golden lord but Glorfindel pushes them away.

They are not what he craves. He wants the one his heart hurts for he wants them so selfishly that nothing else holds significance.

[cookyandcream]

DIE FOR YOU: Part I [Mafia!Jungkook x Reader]

Pairing: Mafia!Jungkook x Reader [MAFIA AU]

Summary: You’re the best mercenary on the market. Jungkook is the main assassin of the most powerful crime syndicate in the country. What happens when you are hired to kill him?

Word count: ~2k

Contains: language, graphic violence, mentions of people being r*pists (but no descriptions of SA at all), some mentions of sexual activity >:)

A/N: I AM BACK MWAHAHAHAHA this is a shameless way I can write a BTS mafia AU with a sort of enemies-to-lovers trope woven in there. I hope you all enjoy this story!

“Please, please, I’ll do anything.” 

You don’t pay attention to the blubbering of the man in front of you, too busy trying to find that damned knife that you swear you stored in your right boot. You pat the side of your left shoe. Ah, there it is. You furrow your brow, remembering that you hastily shoved it in the left boot in the morning while scarfing down some granola. It was a new vegan granola that you saw in the supermarket, something you wouldn’t have batted an eye to, but your best friend has been on your ass about eating healthier so you chose that to avoid her future scolding. 

You unsheathe the knife. At the sight of the glinting metal, the man all but breaks down. His red face becoming purple, snot streaming out of his nose and into his mouth. 

“Please, please,” the man sobs, struggling to loosen the binds around his wrists and legs. You roll your eyes, not understanding why people beg. It wastes time, breath, and it was simply grating to the ears.

“What can you do for me?” You scoff, deciding to humor him for a bit––you aren’t in a rush. His head whips up at your voice, something akin to hope glimmers in his eyes. 

“I––I have money. How much do you want? I can give any amount you want” he asks. At that, you truly roll your eyes, your lip curling in disgust. These men were all the same. These men who held the belief that the wealth that they owned was even more powerful than death––than fate. Most times––it is. Too bad her employer is paying her more than this fool is even capable of matching. 

A couple days ago, you got a name, Lee Taejoon, and 50,000,000 won transferred into your bank account. You require half the money to be transferred as a sign of good faith––you want to make sure the people you were working for weren’t crooks, obviously. 

Thus, you began the job. Every job was different, but you followed a loose to-do list for every one. 

Step one: Stalk the target. Lee Taejoon liked spending an exorbitant amount of money on expensive cigars and liked to frequent the bars and brothels in downtown while his wife waited at home for him. 

Step two: Choose the weapon of choice. For this job, you chose your favorite dagger––an unassuming blade but wickedly sharp. You always choose knives for the rapists. 

Step three: follow him out of the brothel and into his home. Tonight, his wife was staying with her sister in another city––a girls’ trip.

Earlier, you saw him walk jaggedly out of the building, tie undone and his shirt a few buttons loose. He hailed a cab, throwing himself inside. You revved up your bike, and trailed him silently from behind. 

Now, Lee Taejoon is stone cold sober. You look down and notice that the man’s pants are still unzipped. You scrunch your nose. Disgusting. Twirling the blade in your hand, you walk towards him. You want to make this hurt. The number one thing you hated in this goddamned world were rapists.

He’s stil going on how much he can pay you––how much he was willing to offer––when you press the blade into the side of his cheek. He stutters to a stop. You press and press until you feel the skin give way and you’re met with soft flesh. The man whimpers in pain, a wet gasp getting stuck in his throat.

“Shh,” you hush, and you level him with a stare. He must have seen something in your eyes as his face crumples, and he begins to weep. 

They always accept their fate at the end. 

“I’m going to make this hurt,” you say to him softy, smearing the blood across his skin. He lets out a dry sob. 

“And you will repent.” 

Screams pierce through his mansion throughout the rest of the night. 

 ––––––––

The music in Idol was thumping. Sweaty bodies on the dance floor pressed close together. The flashing lights make it almost impossible to see five feet in front of you. 

Luckily Jeon Jungkook is currently downing a shot of Grey Goose in the VIP section of his club in the back. The red velvet rope sectioning him off from the rest of club-goers. He shakes his head, grinning as he feels the alcohol burning down his throat. 

“Hi gorgeous,” Jungkook murmurs, snaking his arms around a pretty brunette’s waist. He asked one of the waiters to bring her over to his section after he spotted her on the dance floor. He already has another drink in one hand, a cigarette dangling from his lips. The girl giggles, throwing her hair over her shoulder and looking at him with hooded eyes.

Fuck, he thinks. He wants to take her home, but he isn’t at the club for a fuck. Maybe he might have time to screw her in one of the office rooms in the back. Namjoon would have his head, but right now, he’s only thinking with the thing in his pants and the pretty girl’s lips on his neck. 

He sits himself down in the booth, bringing the girl with him so she’s now straddling him––he thinks her name is Yumi, or was it Yujun?––whatever, he doesn’t give a fuck. Not when she’s grinding down on him so nicely. He throws his head back, and when he opens his eyes, he sees Yoongi leveling him with an unamused stare, a hand situated casually in the pocket of his black trousers. When their eyes meet, the older man scowls at Jungkook, raising an eyebrow. 

“Fuck,” he mutters under his breath this time while untangling himself from the girl. She pouts as she sees her chance of sleeping with the Jeon Jungkook slipping through her fingers, but he pushes her gently off of him. He takes the cigarette out of his mouth. 

“Sorry sweetheart,” he apologizes––not before gripping her throat and placing a searing kiss to her lips. In his peripheral, he sees Yoongi roll his eyes. He chuckles before walking towards the back, taking a swig of the remnants of his drink before slamming the glass down at a random table. Pushing open the emergency exit, he makes his way outside. He takes one last puff before throwing the cigarette onto the floor. Raking his hand through his hair, he looks around, inhaling the sweet smell of the night. It’s never quiet in this area of town. The outbursts of drunk partygoers stumbling in and out of clubs and the occasional police sirens cut through the night. He slaps his cheek once before picking up the rectangular black bag leaning neatly against the side of the building. Hoisting it onto his shoulder, he begins to climb the ladder that leads to the roof. 

His Barrett M82 rifle was his baby. A sleek long range precision rifle he used for every snipe job that Namjoon assigned him. Tonight, his target is a man who was threatening one of the many arms deals BTS was planning. This job was an easy one for Jungkook. He almost scoffed when Namjoon assigned it to him instead of assigning it to one of thugs that they usually employ when putting out an easy hit. 

But Namjoon is a meticulous man. He didn’t want just any guy to take this man out. Namjoon didn’t tell Jungkook explicitly, but after working together for almost ten years, Jungkook could see the anxiety in the leader’s face about this man. So, he didn’t question his leader. This assignment came around two hours ago when Yoongi got news that the target would be frequenting the club across the street for tonight. 

Taking a deep breath, he positions his eye, looking through the scope. It always takes his targets a couple of seconds to notice the red dot on their chest. But once they do, the look on their faces are always the same. Shock followed by the panicked swiveling of their head, eyes looking around frantically, until finally, they see Jungkook’s body laying on the roof across the street. Being a little shit, Jungkook twiddles his fingers at the man. He can’t help playing a little. Just a little though. As much as Namjoon and the rest of the members give him shit (most times, for good reason), they cannot question his skill. Jungkook is effective––having earned the reputation as one of the deadliest killers of Korea’s crime underworld. 

His hand squeezes the trigger. 

Maybe he’ll have time to fuck that pretty girl after all. 

 ––––––––

Toweling your hair, you walk through your apartment. The floor to window ceilings show one of the best views of the city, building lights twinkling like stars. Despite having traveled all over the world, staying in one country one night and leaving for another the next, you always find yourself coming back here. Could never stay away from the apartment you bought all those years ago, the one permanent residence you had in the world. You couldn’t help it. You loved this city. 

Your informant let you know that there was an offer coming through tonight. Since you had no other jobs, you were open to considering the offer. Your last assignment went smoothly. After you killed the man, you were able to get back home, change, and get dressed for a nice dinner. You had made a reservation at one of the best Italian restaurants in Seoul to celebrate. 

Tonight, you just had wait for the information to arrive. 

You open your wine fridge, grabbing the bottle of Pinot noir that you had chilling in there. Jennie––your best friend and infamous arms dealer––bought it for you after you completed a 750,000,000 won assignment the other month. Opening one of your glass cabinets, you pull out a wine glass. Before you can grab the wine opener though, you hear a knock at the door. You still, ears perking up to the sounds of shuffling outside the door. You wait a couple minutes before opening and you’re met with a bouquet of flowers and a gift basket. You haul the items into your apartment. 

The bouquet was made up of tulips and carnations, your favorite. You take one of the flowers and inhale, closing your eyes. Next, you open the basket, and you’re met with a bottle of chilled champagne, two crystal champagne flutes, a box holding a diamond necklace, and one small card sitting in the middle. Before opening the card, you admire the necklace. It was a beautiful thing, and oh, how you loved diamonds. The person assigning the hit must have done his or her research. 

Finally, you open the card. On it, were only two lines. 

Jeon Jungkook 

10,000,000,000 won

[bluepotion85]

The Golden Ratio - Chapter 12

(The following story contains male weight gain, food play, BDSM, kidnap, encouragement, and feeder/feedee scenarios. If that's not for you, then go to church or something vanilla dude.

This takes place during and after the events of the One-Piece film GOLD. For a better experience see the film on your local streaming service.

This story is written in collaboration with @bee-wg)

------------------------------------

Zoro

The run to the merry was the hardest thing I have done in half a year. My body was drenched in sweat by the time I boarded, 

I try not to make it that obvious. They haven't seen me in months, and I can't imagine their reactions when they see the five hundred and fifty pounds of mass in front of them.

The only point of reference I have is Nami and Luffy.

Luffy didn't react at all to my weight, but he has never been the brightest at “spotting the difference.” 

“Why are you acting all funny, Zoro? Haha. Quit playing; we have to get out,” He said while we ran back to the ship, and I huffed like a hippo with every step I took.

Nami, on the other hand, was more concerned. She was shocked beyond belief when she broke into Tesoro’s quarters to find me. I had to explain that my weight wasn't a devil fruit power or trick from Tesoro.

She sighed in defeat and took my word for it. I noticed her worried look with every wince and huff I gave. It's not like her breasts didn't double in size during the two years we were training; this is a pretty similar situation when you think about it.

Once on board, the first thing I see is a ball of fur latching itself to my face. 

“Zoro!!!” Chopper said, hugging me with all his tiny raccoon body.

Luffy saw the opportunity and wrapped his arms around me as well. They both squeezed like I was the rubber man in the crew. These idiots will kill me after saving me; how I missed them. 

Holding my breath, I let them have all the time they need to welcome me back.

 “We’ve been so worried about you!” Chopper said, wiping his tears and dropping from my face.

“I'm so happy to have you back, Zoro,” Luffi said, still strangling me.

His arms sank into my flesh while I started to turn blue.

“Luffy! That's enough; let go of him,” Nami said.

After beating Luffy away from me, the rest of the gang got to see me. Except for Chopper, they all looked just like Nami did. They were shocked, worried, puzzled, and one that seemed so amazed.

“What happened to the moss head? Did they try to feed you to death?” Sanji said, laughing historically.

My cheeks turn red while my teeth grind. 

“What do you mean? He looks the same as always,” said Chopper.

“Come on, Chopper. Don’t you see? He looks just like the cheap knockoff moss head in Sabaody archipelago,” Sanji replied.

Chopper looks at me with all his attention and gasps.

“Zoro, you are having an allergic reaction! We have to get you treated right away,” Chopper said, running to my side and trying to pull me to the infirmary.

“Don't worry, Chopper. I'm fine,” I replied. 

He looked up at me, and his face was filled with a relieved smile, followed by widened eyes. His hooves poked at my leg, feeling the softer flesh. He understands the situation now. 

“Don't listen to curly eyebrows. He is just jealous that the cooks there made better food than him,” I replied mockingly.

Sanji looks at me angrily. He dashes towards me until our foreheads clash.

“And what would you know of good food? I'm sure they serve you slop, and you eat it up, cactus head,” He spat at me.

“There's no time for this; we have to get out of here. Sanji, get the sails ready,” Nami said.

“Yes, Nuami—chuan!” the idiot cook said before gliding to work. If everyone is the same, it's no surprise this horndog hasn't changed either.

“Where is everyone else?” I asked, looking around.

“Franky, Robin, and Usopp went ahead of us and infiltrated Wano. Trafalgar and the others are waiting for us there,” Brook said, handing me a handkerchief.

“To wipe up the sweat, you look exhausted. Besides, I don't need it. I can't sweat as a skeleton, yohohoho,” Brook added.

Putting on my best smile, I use the handkerchief and bite my tongue. 

Everyone runs to positions to get the ship out on the sea as soon as possible. What can I do that won't let me look like a huffing pig halfway through?

I dread moving beyond this point; my legs are killing me from the walk. But I knew this day would come, and my journey back to normalcy would be challenging, so I might just get started.

“Zoro, you better take a break with Luffy. You both have been through enough,” Nami said.

Luffy deflated from his gear four form and had been huffing for air since his battle with Tesoro ended. He used the last of his energy just to hug me on board. He is now sleeping on the floor with the softest of smiles. He seems confident in our victory even when we are not out of danger.

“Okay,” I replied, sitting beside Luffy.

At least the awkward explanation of why I ended up like this will wait until we are off enemy fire. By the night's end, everyone was too exhausted to seek answers, so we went to bed. 

The feeling of the bunk bed under my skin was the biggest victory in the world. I was back home.

With a sigh, I entered the kitchen for breakfast the following day. Everyone was already there getting their servings. They looked at me briefly before continuing with their food, but I could tell they wanted to ask.

I was about to break the silence and tell them what happened with Tesoro when the idiot cook opened his mouth.

“So, will you tell us how you ended up bigger than Big Mom?” he said mockingly.

“Sanji, we agreed not to ask right away!” Nami shouted back.

“Yeah, besides, he is not that big!” Chopper said.

“I'm also curious to know what happened,” Luffy said nonchalantly.

Our doctor and navigator both glared at him; while they battered our captain, I cleared my throat and took a seat at the table.

“While you were all risking your life, Tesoro took his time getting me like this as a joke. You all struggled through hell while I sat on my ass doing nothing,” I said.

The kitchen falls silent; Nami lets go of Luffy as she embraces me in a hug. 

“You were trapped; you didn't have a choice. We would have saved you regardless of what happened while you were there,” She said.

Chopper followed her lead and hugged me as tightly as his tiny body could afford.

“It doesn't matter how much you grew; we will help you lose the weight in no time,”

Brook came from behind me and wrapped us in his arms.

“Don't worry, my brother of thick bones; we are happy to have you back no matter what,” he said, tears rolling out of his eye sockets.

“I like the new look. It makes you look more intimidating; I bet none of the emperors have a swordsman, even half your size! Hahaha,” Luffy said proudly.

Sanji just shrugged and placed a plate in front of me. Onigiri and freshly made miso soup.

“Eat up, we still have things to do besides getting your fat ass in shape,” he said.

The rest of the crew lets go of me, and we all dig in. The food was good, but I was still hungry by the time I finished everything. 

It was Sanji and Luffy’s turn to wash the dishes, so we left the kitchen and got busy with other tasks on the ship.

Brook is helping Nami steer the ship while Chopper and I clean. 

Chopper must notice my sweating ass struggling to keep up because the next thing I see is him turning into a bigger version of himself, taking a second broom and rushing to clean in record time.

“Dot exert yourself too much, Zoro. You are just getting back into the rhythm of things. Follow your big bro's lead, and you will be back in shape in no time,” He said, swiping the floors. 

“Thanks, Chopper,” I said.

“The newspapers arrived; they have the story!” Nami said.

We stopped what we were doing and gathered around Nami as she read the article about the raid at the Grand Tesoro. Those guys got the news fast. It hasn't been a day, and the report is out.

According to the Marines, after Donquijote tipped them off, they went straight to Tesoro’s Island to capture him. It's not like they have been dealing with him for years or anything.

The rest of the article is garnished with bullshit about how heroic they were in releasing Tesoro’s prisoners and how Carina took control of the ship's operations after the raid.

The article didn't even mention us. Of course, they wouldn't want to admit that we did most of the work and escaped to add insult to injury.

“Against all odds, Guild Tesoro stays at large, in big help to the interference of the revolutionary army during the raid efforts,” Nami read.

“So he managed to escape anyway? What a monster,” Brook said, looking at the newspaper. 

“He doesn’t give up easily,” I said, looking at Tesoro's freshly printed wanted poster.

He hated to be paired with pirates, and now he has a bounty like the rest of us. 

“I'm still unsure what Tesoro was doing out at sea. Was he crazy enough to go out of his territory just to kill us?” Nami asked.

“It wouldn't be the first time someone goes as far just for us,” the idiot cook said.

“You saw that laser attack he used on the marine fleet? If he wanted to sink us, he could have tried,” Nami replied.

The color drained from her face as the prospect dawned on her.

“Maybe he wanted us alive, capture us to make a show once we were back on the ship,” Brook added.

“I don't know which one would be worse, but okay enough of this. What matters is that we escaped that situation, and we can move on,” Nami said, folding the newspaper.

Or maybe he just wanted to recapture me. What Brook said sounds more like him, but the more I think about it, the less wild my idea sounds. After fooling around with him for weeks, could he grow that attached?

My new ability may be stronger than I imagined. 

“Are you okay, Zoro?” Chopper asked.

“Yeah, I'm just glad to be back,” I said.

Regardless of what made Tesoro leave his ship and attack the Marines. One thing is accurate, and it's that his little stunt saved our asses. 

To begin with, he might be the person responsible for getting us into that chaos. But at least he went away doing one good thing. 

I can finally enjoy the sea breeze against my face without the boundaries of his quarters.

“Great! Oh, Before I forget, are you ready for your physical examination?” Chopper said.

“Well, I wanted to train today. Can we do it tomorrow?” I asked to test my luck.

“Come on, Zoro. It's going to be fast. Besides, What if you got any weird sickness under that maniac's care? I need to make sure you are well,” he replied.

Chopper looked at Nami for backup, and she sighed. 

“For every extra day you miss your medical exam, I will add a thousand berries to your debt,” She said.

“Wait, what? Why?” I asked.

“Just take the exam, Zoro. That's final,” she said, folding the newspaper and walking inside.

That woman is the devil.

“And take a shower already, you reek. Wait for me, Nami-chan,” Sanji said, following Nami inside.

Brook got close to me and sniffed the air around me.

“I don't notice anything, but what do I know? I don't have a nose, yohoho,” he said.

“Come on, Chopper. Let's get this over with,” I said, walking to the infirmary. 

He followed along and quickly got my measurements once we got inside. We called it a day after taking some blood and running some exams.

“I will have your results in no time. In the meantime, why don't you go to the training room and try to get back in action? Talksaid eagerly.

I saved myself from an even bigger debt. But I have a raccoon -dog as my trainer. 

Having the rest of the day by myself, I went up to the training room. Damn it, why did Franky put that room so high up? This ladder is killing me. This may count as my workout already. 

It takes me ten minutes to pant on the floor like a dog. It's my first day back; this is enough for now. As my body drifted into sleep, I wished the two months it would take us to reach Wano would go quickly.

My weight would return to normal by then. 

That thought is mixed with dread; what if I'm still fat by then?

What can I do to help against Kaido if I'm getting winded climbing a ladder?

I keep that in mind as my motivation for the next week as I try to keep my workout routine stable and cut down on food. 

Sadly, it was easier said than done. Trying to curve my appetite has only made things worse. The longer I try to cut down, the wilder my hunger gets. 

The thought of stuffing my face with food becomes constant, and it seems like I am losing my mind, especially with this heat going unchecked.

My need for release is still as strong as ever, especially during and after a meal. But with everyone around, it's been a pain to try and get off. 

It feels like I'm in the cage again, with the wildest hunger of my life. Food is at my grasp, but there is no way of having enough, or at least not without getting myself in more trouble.

That's why I'm trying to fall asleep and not go to the kitchen. But the hunger is killing me. My stomach rumbles so loudly I'm sure everyone could hear it if not for Luffy’s snores.

My brain tries to focus on why I shouldn’t leave the quarters. 

But- I need just a piece of Neptunian meat or an onigiri, and that's all. 

I can do it quickly. 

Nobody would care if a single onigiri was missing.

Drool runs down my chin as I imagine all the “single snacks” I could have. My body almost moves on its own as I make my way out of the quarters.

Once in the kitchen, I go to the fridge; the idea of eating just one thing goes out the window immediately. If I'm already risking it, I'll go all the way.

By the end of my raid, the kitchen was half empty, but at least my stomach was satisfied for the first time in days. 

I clean up as best as possible and hurry back to my bed, hoping nobody notices. 

Things turned out fine.

The following day, things were as usual on the ship. Everyone tried to keep themselves busy, not daring to take another fee from Nami.

Chopper is keeping up with his studies of medicine.

Nami updates her maps based on where the crew traveled under Tesoro's command.

I can't be bothered to check what the stupid cook is doing. He’s been avoiding me harder than usual, not that I mind.

Brook composes new music while Luffy dances to the beat inside a cage.

Everyone assumed he was the one who raided the kitchen last night, so they grounded him for the rest of the day. He doesn't seem to mind, so I let it slide, promising myself I won't do this again.

The days passed, and the results of my exams came in. Chopper read my blood values for a while before asking me to step on the scale.

My eyes grew wide as he looked at me happily. 

560 pounds. Instead of losing any weight, I gained ten pounds in a week or so.

“So, Zorro. Would you like to try a new diet?” he asked.

“Chopper, I appreciate the effort, but I'm eating as much as everyone. I'm sure I’ll lose this weight in no time,“ I replied, ignoring the obvious problem.

“I know it's you who steals from the kitchen at night,” he said, side-eyeing me.

All color drained from my body for good. 

“Okay, I might be having a little snack here and there. But-“ 

“We had to stop at port for an emergency refill since the pantry was emptied out yesterday,” he said worried.

“Maybe I've been hungrier than I imagined. Look, this bigger body requires more food to function. I'm just listening to what it's asking of me,” I replied.

“I get it, Zoro. I only want to help you.” 

 “I appreciate it, but trust me, I can deal with it. Besides, I can always count on the best doctor in the world to look after me,” I said with a smile.

“Your compliment won't work with me, you asshole!” He said with the biggest smile in the world. Our doctor is weak to compliments, as always.

My test results came back normal, and with his worries gone, Chopper smiled and jumped off his chair.

That was a close call. I need to cover my tracks better the next time I go to the kitchen. 

What am I saying? I shouldn't be going at all.

With a sigh of defeat, I plop my back on the floor mat as I enter the training room.

My belly roars like an engine, and my dick rises under my belly after I have caught my breath. Fuck, they are never satisfied.

After the rescue mission, I used seawater to remove the dick cage and nipple clamps from my body. The gold breaks into flakes after contact with the water. It was helpful to pay back some of my debt to Nami. Of course, she doesn't need to know where the gold came from.  

But weirdly enough, the golden plug came off of me without having to use the seawater. I momentarily thought about melting it with the rest of the golden flakes. But I'm already desperate for ways to deal with my hunger to start worrying about my leaking ass. 

So, I kept it. It keeps some of my juices in check, and it has been helping me to get just enough stimulation to get off. 

I've been trying to relieve myself in the training room more often than working out. Nobody comes up here anymore, so I play with myself for as long as needed. 

Butt instead of helping me get my mind out of the kitchen, it has only made things worst. I crave food every time I cum, and the longer I try to starve myself, the harder it is for me to cum. 

It goes so bad I'm only managing to cum when I have food in my mouth. The day passes with me trying desperately to cum, but I simply can't seem to push myself beyond the point I need. 

The idea of sneaking into the kitchen again to rub one off is too tempting, but if anyone finds me in one of my nightly binges, I won't be able to show my face again. Not to mention, Nami will charge me for every extra detour we take to restock the pantries.

I try to resist the craving, but the more I try to stay put, the more my head is filled with cured meat, pastries, jam, cheese, bread, and everything in between. 

Okay, I'm doing this quickly, one last time, and afterward, there will be no more nightly escapes.

My feet rush to the kitchen, my mind getting hazy as soon as I open the fridge door. I make a mess of myself eating without a care in the world. My dick tent in my pants at the cheer feeling of fullness, and for a second, I feel back in my element. 

Yes, this is what I needed. It would be better with some sake, but I can fetch some after I'm done with this takoyaki.

“Not even Luffy eats like this,” 

My blood froze as I turned and saw the idiot cook looking down at me with murderous intent. 

“Wait, I can explain it,” I said, stepping away from the fridge. 

“You mean how you emptied us out? again!” He said.

“Be quiet, you idiot. You will wake up the entire ship,” I plead.

“So what? You don't want them seeing you eating our rations like a selfish pig?” He said.

“Maybe I wouldn't be raiding the fridge if you served decent portions, twirl eyebrows,” I said.

Even when I have no ground to stand on, I bite back. His face makes me enrage like no other.

“Don't even try that shit with me, moss ball. You are Lucky Luffy has taken the blame, or else I would have kicked your fat ass already,” He said.

“You wish; I can still bend you like a twig any day,” I say with a smug grin, stepping closer to him.

“I doubt it, fat monkey. The only thing you can bend now is the pizzas at dinner,” He replied.

“At least one of us has an ass; no wonder you are still single,” I replied with a laugh.

At that point, we are clashing foreheads, looking straight into each other's eyes. 

“As if you had any more luck, no woman would look at your flabby arms or- Your man tits and give you a minute of their day,” he said.

“Unlike you, my focus is on getting stronger. And all of this mass is just more power to push around,” I said, pushing my belly against him.

In the crash, I felt something poking against me. As Sanji stepped back, I tried to look down and pinpoint what it was, but he spun around and walked towards the door.

His face turned red as he noticed the situation in his pants.

“Forget it, you are too dumb to get shit. Just don't enter my kitchen again,” he said before exiting the kitchen.

I didn't stop him, taking the free space to finish my meal. He will tell Nami about my nightly fridge raids tomorrow, so I’m ending my binge routine with a bang. 

The following morning came and went, but nothing happened. Nami didn't charge me for the missing food, nor did the idiot cook. 

The most significant change was if the cook had avoided me before. He is downright hiding from me now. Of course, I didn't mind; time without twirling eyebrows is always a blessing. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued by his reaction that night. 

I tried to avoid the kitchen, giving him the space he wanted, but also in an ill attempt to stick to one of the diets Chopper offered. 

A single restless night with my belly begging for substance is all it took for me to get back to the kitchen at night.

“How long will you keep this up?” he asked, entering the kitchen while I ate.

I didn't even bother turning back to look at him; I was too busy biting a chunk of cheese.

“I thought that if I didn't rat you out with the rest of the crew, you would stop. But if anything, you just double down,” He said

“Come on, we both know why you haven't said anything. It's for the same reason you have been avoiding me,” I said after stifling a belch and closing the fridge behind me.

“I- I always avoid you, you fat-bound ape,” He replied nervously. 

“Cut the crap, you know what I mean,”

“What do you want me to say? Yes, I'm avoiding you. Ever since you came back, it's been weird. Are you happy now?!” He said.

I thought he would run away again, but he stayed in place, looking at me.

“I don't know what's going on, okay? It's just- you are driving me up the walls harder than before. I'm trying not to make anything of it, but I get like- like that night, whenever you are close. And that goddamn foul smell of yours, would it kill you to shower daily?” he said, holding his temple. 

“I know how you feel; it happened to me as well. Before I mean,” I reply.

He looks puzzled at me like he wants to ask when, but he never does.

“Well, it doesn't matter. Whatever is going on, there is nothing we can do about it. Just don't ransack the kitchen again, for fuck sake,” He said. 

He rubbed his head, looking down and waiting for my next move. I can bet he is as desperate as me for action but won't ask for it. 

I'm not any better, though. Even with the need for release driving me insane, just the idea of messing around with this idiot makes my stomach turn. 

But let's be honest, I already got fucked by a gold-obsessed egocentric maniac. My standards can only improve from here. 

Gathering all my determination, I swallowed my hatred for this prick and asked:

“What if there is something we could do about it?”

Taking a step forward, I waited for him to reply. He looks at me weirdly but stays in place while I grab his shoulder. 

“You are the most irritating, distracted pervert I have met in my life,” I said.

“How is that supposed to help, Moss ball?” he replied, squinting his eyes at me.

“Let me finish. You might be the most idiotic of virgins, but as men, only we can help each other in this situation,” I added.

He looked at me with a shocked expression as I continued.

“I scratch your back, and you scratch mine,” I said.

“You are no Nami-chwan! Why would I do something like that with you?!” he said, stepping forward.

“Is anybody else offering shit to you? Pfft, I do not know why I'm bothering trying with you. You are such a pervert; you mighty just bust a nut by rubbing my ass,” I said mockingly, stepping closer.

 “While you stuff your face, I learned every technique to please a woman. Your lazy ass wouldn't stand a chance,” he replied.

“Learn how? by reading some magazines? Yeah, you must have learned a lot,” I said, pushing my belly against him. 

We stayed in silence for a second; I could hear my heartbeat as he looked at me, and for a second, I doubted myself for doing this. But I could feel him poking the base of my belly like clockwork; this fuckling pervert never changes. 

“Once. We can do this just once, and when I show you how things are done. We go back to hating one another,” he said.

“I wouldn't have it any other way,” I replied.

At first, the idiot cook looks at me nervously as he slowly removes his clothes. His face is red when I let my pants drop to the floor, and he sees my whole body naked.

And just like that, the floodgates were open; his hands went for my body without hesitation. He plays with them, mesmerized, stopping just to flicker my nips.

“You are so soft, and these are so plump,” he said before teasing my nipples.

“Want a taste?” I asked.

With a grin, I grab his head and push it towards my chest. He struggles for a second, but when his face touches my skin, he stops fighting it. His tongue grasps my nipple, and I hold a whimper. 

I can feel his fingers sink against my butt cheeks while his mouth teases my chest. His tiny body struggles to wrap around me, and I think the sheer power of this size.

The enormity of my body blinds anything that he is doing under my chest. Every touch and grasp runs electricity through my spine, and that feeling strengthens with every pound I gain. Even now, trying to lose weight, I can't deny how much I have grown fond of what it feels like to carry all this. 

“Let's go to the main course; you had enough fun there,” I said, pushing him off my chest. 

“What are you-?” 

my pants drop to the floor, and I see him lose more blood from his nose. 

“I thought you wanted to show me how it's done? Don't tell me you thought I would be satisfied with some tit play and call it a night. I need more than that,” I said, turning around and mashing my ass against his groin. 

He lets out a low moan as he grinds against my ass, his body trapped between the kitchen wall and my body.

“Fuck, my pants are ruined; why are you leaking so much from there?” he said, pushing me away to remove his clothes. 

“You haven't seen half of it,” I said, taking out the golden plug. 

The smell of the liquid hits him even at a distance, and he moves closer with a longing look. 

He grabs my asscheeks and spreads them apart, letting the flow of juice grow. His fingers tease around my hole before bringing them to his face. The freaky bastard wanted to act all stuffy, and now he can't get enough of my scent.

For a minute, he continues to tease my entrance, and while I enjoy the low current it sent, I need a dick in me, and I need it now. 

“Come on, are you waiting for an invitation?” I said.

“Don't hurry me. This is the weirdest thing I have done,” he replied.

“I have seen you doing worse, but if you are too cold feet to do it, I will take the lead,” I said, pushing back on him. 

He moans while I grind my butt against him, finally getting his dick in line with my hole. 

“You are a brute!” he said.

“You are the one moaning like a virgin, so I wouldn't be complaining if I were you,” I said before pushing back and getting his full size in. 

The pure pleasure of being filled gets me blinded. It's not as big as that golden fucker, but I can make it work. 

The pervert cook stands still, his dick hard as steel, and I start to move. 

“Wait, don't move yet,” he begged.

“I thought this was the weirdest thing you have done. Or are you double-guessing now?”

“I’m close,”

“What? You just got in. What an amateur. No wonder you are still single,” I said, pulling back and smashing back on him. 

“Wait!” he begged before he cums inside of me.

He pants, looking to the floor in pure embarrassment while I take a laugh. 

“Were you looking to do more of this with me, then? Don't worry. I won't be satisfied with your early shot. We are not finishing until I am drained,” I said.

I move in front of the fridge, and he silently follows me. 

“While you get the hang of things, be helpful and get me a snack,” I said, sitting on the floor beside the fridge. 

He looked reluctantly at the fridge and me for a solid minute before his hands fetched an apple and shoved it in my mouth.

“That's what I’m talking about, now get in. We don't have all night,” I said between mouthfuls of apple. 

He grabbed my legs and slowly got inside of me. His movements were slow and erratic, like a wild animal taking its first steps. The attempt was cute, but I needed something powerful to enjoy it. 

“Come on, is that all you have?” I teased him.

His eyes fired up, and his bucking sped up slightly as he got used to the motion. My body jiggles with each pump of his dick; my belly smashes between my legs and chest like a pendulum driving us both into a deeper heat. 

The pervert cook got the hang of things, grabbing everything in the fridge and feeding it to me without care for speed or quantities. 

A whole bowl of pasta, chicken drumsticks, custard for pastries—everything was fair game while we continued our session.

My ass makes a puddle that splashes as we move; the sound is low and quick like the slaps of my belly against my legs or chest. 

I let out a satisfying belch when my belly is packed to the brim. 

“Yes, I'm close. Keep going, twirly eyebrows. I know you can do more than that!” I said.

The feeling of a full belly takes me back; it's an overwhelming sensation I can't shake off my memory or get enough of. Rivaled only by the spot his dick is hitting, having these two forces wrecking me is all I wanted for the last few days. 

I need to lose all of this weight, so I better enjoy the pleasure the extra pounds give me now. 

Sanji drives into me one last time, his dick hits that gold spot inside me, and I feel my ass clench around him. A flash of pleasure floods my brain, and my ass cums like there is no tomorrow. 

I collapse on the kitchen floor, and we try to catch our breath. 

“Am I just into big tits and plum ass?” he said to himself. 

“Don't think so much about it. You like what you like, and that's that,” I said.

We stayed there basking in the afterglow, but then I remembered who lay beside me.

“Okay, enough of this; I'm going back to bed,” I said.

“Please shower before going to the quarters,” he replied, standing up.

“Fine, but you better make a good breakfast tomorrow to pay me for this.”

I tried to stand up on my own, but it was taking too long.

“Give me a hand; I don't feel my legs,” I said.

Yes, needing the help of the no-longer-a-virgin cook is embarrassing, but we just had sex in the kitchen floor. Embarrassment with him has a different threshold.

After Sanji helped me get back on my feet, we closed the fridge and slowly left the kitchen. 

“I will lead the way. I know you will get lost even on the way to the shower,” he said.

“I can find my way to the showers,” I said, walking away.

“That's the wrong way. Just follow me, you muscle brain,”

I reluctantly agreed.

“Let's never do this again, please,” he said.

“Of course,” I replied.

We kept fucking on a nightly basis. 

We became worried that someone would find us in the kitchen mid-session, so early on, we decided to carry the loot up to the training room and fuck there for hours on end. 

I realized our deal seemed to affect the pervert cook as the days went on.

“You know, I think something is going on with Sanji,” Nami said.

“How so?” I replied.

Sanji climbed the stairs to the garden, where we were talking. He had a big smile painted on his face as he placed two dishes in front of us.

“Nami-chwan, here is my famous parfait recipe, just for you,” Sanji said.

I took the second parfait and tasted the sweet treat melt in my mouth. He just looked at me. 

“I had some leftovers. I'm just giving them to you; don't throw them away, okay?!” he said.

I couldn't care less for a reason; I was happy to have something to munch on. 

“This is good. Bringing more next time,” I replied. 

He ignored my reply and moved downstairs, most likely to cook dinner.

“See?” Nami said.

“What? he brought dessert,” I replied, finishing my treat.

“And since when did Sanji make treats for anyone but Robin and me?” She added.

“Maybe he is in a good mood?” I replied.

“Maybe, but I can't shake the feeling that something is going on. He’s been acting more- normal,” she said.

“Shouldn't you be happy he is not asking to marry you at every hour?” I added.

“Its been a delightful upgrade, but just to be sure, I will get Chopper to check on him; a parasite or something could infect him,”

“Your choice. I wouldn't find a solution to a good thing,” I thought.

Later the same day, Sanji returned with another snack before dinner. Like Tesoro, twirl eyebrows slowly became more agreeable to my requests.

“You are an eating machine, you know, right? Luffy eats enough for fifteen people on a regular day, but somehow, you manage to eat sufficient for twenty when you are not so hungry,” He said while cooking dinner. 

I spend more time in the kitchen now, so I can taste-test whatever the pervert is doing. I also have easy access to the pantry. 

“When I'm not so hungry? By the way, all this food talk has opened my appetite. Can you get me something going?” I replied, rubbing my belly.

“At least be useful and help me with something,” he said. 

“Why do I have to help? Just give him a sandwich or something,” I replied.

He sighed and started on a sandwich with lots of everything. He is a quick learner and realizes that a grilled cheese won't do for my third snack of the day. 

“You are running me dry,” the cook said after cumming on me for the third time that night. 

“What, running out of stamina already?” I laughed.

“No, idiot. I’m talking about the pantry. We are a day away from the next port, but you ate way more than I anticipated. We might run out before that,” he said.

Our nightly sessions left a big dent in the pantry. Sanji eased the damage by buying extra provisions with his money, but my appetite has been growing to match the extra food supply. 

“I guess tomorrow will be a fishing day with the crew,” I said.

We are ready to gather our things and clean up when something moves outside. 

Sanji looks at me before rushing to his feet and looking outside. 

“Did someone see us?” I asked.

“I can't tell; there is a lot of fog outside. Cleanup, we have to get out of here,” 

“Who was that?” I asked.

“How would I know you dumbass? Anyone could find us here,” he replied, leaving the room.

“What was I thinking? What if it was Nami-chwan? Please, my angel, forgive me,” He said as we climbed down the ladder from the training room. 

“Shut up,” I hissed at him. 

Once we both got down, he took the lead and walked towards the quarters. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, and I crashed against his back. 

“What the matter? Keep going,” I said. 

“Get down; we are getting raided,” he said.

Looking up through the fog, I finally noticed a massive ship beside ours. Pirates climbed down from the ship and onto our deck in ropes. 

“We have to stop them before the rest of the crew wakes up and finds us like this. I'm not looking forward to explaining how the fridge emptied itself again,” Sanji said.

“Right, let's kick their asses,” I said, cracking my knuckles.

“Wait, you are a brute. Your fighting will wake everyone up. I will subdue the pirates that are on our deck, and you should get in their ship and-”

“And raid them back; that way, we can restock our kitchen. What's your first good idea, stupid prince,” I replied.

“I mean, yes, but that's not what you should focus on. Whatever, just get rid of them,” Sanji said before rushing to the main deck.

Grabbing a rope, I climb the enemy ship arduously. I'm getting exhausted, and I'm not even halfway through, but if I let go, I would have to start up from scratch, and I would rather die. So, I focus on all the food these bastards must have and muster the energy to keep going. 

Once on their deck, I reach for my swords. Thankfully, I could take them with me during the rescue mission. 

A group of grunts walk around the ship's main deck a few meters in front of me. I am about to ambush them, but I'm still struggling to reach for my swords. Since when are they so far away? 

When I finally get a hold of them, I rush to attack, but I get winded, and I know my slash will be weaker. Damn it, I should have practiced before. In my tired state, I slump forward, and I lose balance. I try to steady myself, and in that moment, an idea comes to me. 

I might be slower, and my legs quickly tire, but this body has advantages. It carries a lot of momentum as it moves.

Grounding myself and putting all my weight into my next move, I swing my hips to fire my attack.

“Sanjuroku Pound Ho,” I say under my breath.

A massive air slash flies towards the man on the deck and knocks them out. Yes, I still have it. After that, I lazily made my way through a hoard of pirates using my newfound power. Either throwing air slashes their way or smashing them against walls with my weight. 

I can't stop smiling, knowing these little shrimp are the first to taste my new and improved skills. Some of them try to warn me before moving forward, but my belly or sword crashes against them before I learn anything relevant. 

I made my way to the captain's room. Like the rest of his crew, the man was a little runt. 

“How did you get here? My guards should have stopped you!” he said.

“They were easy to deal with now; where is the kitchen? Pipsqueak,” I said, pushing myself against him.  

The man trembles in fear and guides me to their pantry. Once we get there, I knock him out cold and inspect the bounty. 

After all that exercise, my belly rumbles. I should send this back to the Sunny, but with most of the enemy ship out of commission, I can sit back, relax, and eat to my heart's content. After all, I only have to restock the fridge.

My mind gets so focused on glutting myself out that I don't feel the passing of time. I would have taken everything in their pantry without Sanji coming onto the ship to wake me from my hunger-induced stupor. 

Against my demanding gut, we moved the rest of their food and treasure to the ship and tied them up to prevent them from following us. 

“That was the last box. I think we will be covered for a few days with this,” Sanji said, wiping sweat from his face.

“Yeah, thankfully, nobody woke up either,” I replied. 

After that night, Sanji made an extra effort to ensure I didn't eat the entire ship's stock in a single night, and our feasts continued. 

While my need for food and sex was covered, there were people less than thrilled with the effect it had on my waistline. 

“Why did you make those mochi’s for Zoro?” Nami asked.

“It was an exciting challenge; I’ve never heard of mochi that could last a whole day. But don't worry, my darling; you do not have to be jealous of that moss-ball. I will make a whole batch just for you,” Sanji replied.

I was taking a nap on deck for a change when their banter upstairs woke me up. 

“No thanks, and that's not the problem! You know he is trying to lose the weight Tesoro forced on him, but you keep enabling his overeating,” Nami said. 

“I'm sorry, you are right. I don't know why I keep doing that,” Sanji replied.

“Please, don’t spoil him any further. And if you do that, I could reward you with a little kiss,” Nami said.

I can hear that perverted idiot melting from here. I guess that will be the end of my supply of food. Thankfully, we are halfway through the trip to Wano. After just one more month of waiting, I will be able to eat whatever I want in a new country.

To my surprise, that night, Sanji was right at my bedside, asking me to hook up again with the regular stop in the kitchen. 

“I didn't like training here. It always smelled of a muscled-brained monkey, but I don't mind as much now,” he said as we entered the training room with our loot of food.

“I wonder why,” I said with a laugh.

Not many people used the training room even before my kidnapping. Brook used to come to meditate with me, which was just another excuse to nap together. 

After he saw Sanji dropping some sandwiches at the training room, he’s been showing up now and then to hang out. He doesn't seem to mind my lack of training and constant eating, so I let him stay.

“I don't see the problem. You just have big bones, Yohohoho,” he would say.

He also lies to cover my ass every so often. That's the type of man our musician is.

“Ha, I thought you would cut me off with what Nami told you today,” I said, taking a bite from a pastry.

“She and Chopper have been telling me to put you on a diet for a while now,” he replied.

“I assumed this was the first time it happened; why haven't you?”

“If you wanted to lose weight, you would have already done it,” he said, looking at me teasingly. 

“Hey, I'm trying to-” 

“Cut me that crap; I know you don't want to talk about whatever got you like this in the first place. Regardless, you seem to like it enough to come here with me every night. Who cares if you are bigger? As long as you keep doing your job, nobody can tell you shit,” He said, lighting a cigarette. 

I only nod and continue to gather food for our session.

The following week passed, and my mind stayed on what Sanji said that night. He made it seem as if I had already made up my mind. 

For a long time, I blamed Tesoro for my current body. I couldn't wait to get out of his clutches and finally lose all this weight. But a month after leaving him, I kept doing the same things that had brought me to this size. 

The thing is, I don't regret those moments. Eating to the point of feeling like blowing up, having so much sex I can't think straight for an hour afterward, and playing with my belly while nobody looks. Is it too weird that I find this appealing? 

The more I think about it, the more I accept that I enjoy it. That life is better now as a fatass. But that comes with the bitter taste of knowing he made something, anything really, better.  

I push the idea out of my head and focus on what's in front of me now. 

We are less than a month away from getting into Wano, so I have to figure out a way to be useful to the team before that. 

The following day, Nami tends to her garden of tangerine trees.

Sanji is in the kitchen making Lunch.

Chopper Luffy and Brook are fishing on the other end of the deck.

Meanwhile, I bask in the sun, enjoying another calm, serene day. Something grabs me by the waist, and I feel my body being lifted off the floor. Opening my eyes, I see a set of golden hands the size of my full body flying across the ocean, carrying me god knows where at a horrifying speed.

When they stop, the Sunnyy is still in view. The next thing I see is a ship a bit smaller than ours, decorated in golden decorations from top to bottom. And without touching the damn thing, I know who is responsible for this.

In the middle of the ship is Tesoro, standing tall with a wide smile.

“Welcome back, Zoro; I've been looking forward to seeing you again,” He said happily.

There goes my calm and serene day.

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[shion-yu]

Day 14 - Bleeding Through the Bandage/Field Medicine/No Anesthesia

Rey can’t heal himself magically, but he knows how to use a needle and thread... Whumptober 2023! I’m using the @ailesswhumptober's prompt list. This story is about my OC Rey - here’s his profile if you’re so inclined: https://toyhou.se/23741197.rey. Oh, this one comes with art :P (this is the original! Just traced/modified by me.)

They were way out of their depth this time. Even for Felix, ten men to the two of them was a bit much. Rey had his own sword out and was mostly covering Felix, who handled the offensive side of things. It was their usual configuration when Rey actually had to fight; if it was three guys or less, usually Felix could handle it on his own. 

“To your right,” Rey said. Felix struck his hand out as he was told without looking and punched a man’s face in. 

They were a surprisingly adept pair. Rey wasn’t strong, but he was a quick thinker and had very good eyesight. He worked as a shield and blindspot monitor for Felix. Felix trusted him implicitly when it came to battle.

Rey swung his sword and parried another attacker, giving Felix the second he needed to knee him in the stomach and send him flying. That was the last of them. Rey sighed in relief, sheathing his sword and brushing his bloody hands on his pant legs. “How troublesome,” he said coolly. Felix turned to tell him he was a magnet for trouble, right before an arrow came flying down and pierced Rey’s side. 

Felix shouted in shock, grabbing Rey as he collapsed and looked up from where the arrow had come from above. It was a young child high in the trees above, unkempt and dark eyes burning with a hatred that didn’t match his young age. Child or not, he’d just attempted to kill Rey. Felix wasted no time grabbing the nearest rock and throwing it at the child with deadly aim. The child fell from the tree onto the ground a few meters away, groaning in pain. 

Felix was over the child in a second, sword drawn mercilessly. “Don’t move,” Felix growled.

The child moved anyways, pushing himself onto all fours and screaming at Felix with an unbridled fury. “You killed him! My father!” Tears streamed down his face.

“We didn’t kill him.” Rey’s voice came from behind. Apparently he’d woken up and had begun crawling in the direction of the other two. “None of them are dead. Don’t worry.”

The boy looked hesitant to believe Rey, but now that he was closer he could indeed see the shallow rise and fall of his father’s chest. Felix righted his blade to the correct angle and threatened the child not to move another inch. “I don’t care if you’re a child or not. Do you know who you just shot?”

“I’m fine, Felix,” Rey said. One glance at him told Felix that he was not, in fact, fine. He was deathly pale and covered in sweat. Blood ran from his side down his leg, leaving a trail of red behind him as he crawled closer. “He’s just a child. Don’t hurt him. Let’s just go.”

Felix sighed. He didn’t prefer killing either, especially when it came to children. But Rey’s pacifist attitude could also be infuriating. “Rey, he shot you. Shouldn’t we at least arrest him?”

“No. If he wants to kill me when he grows up, he can challenge us in a fair fight,” Rey said pointedly. “Look, he only had one arrow to begin with.” He coughed, groaning as it strained the wound in his side. “Come on. That’s an order.”

Felix rolled his eyes. “You don’t need to order me around,” he muttered. He gave the child a very angry glare. “You stay away and keep your nose out of trouble. A child like you doesn’t need to know what it feels like to kill a man at such a young age.” With that he went over to Rey and picked his prince up easily, stalking away. The child said nothing as they retreated.

Rey was panting, his face scrunched up. The child hadn’t managed to hit any vital organs but a flesh wound to the side was still immensely painful. “Dammit,” Rey groaned. “How far are we to the next town?”

“At least another day,” Felix said. “We’ll have to set up camp halfway. Can you make it?”

“Certainly,” Rey said. “Let’s get on with it.”

Felix mounted their horse, pulling Rey up in front of him so he could hold the prince as they rode. Usually Rey sat in back, but Felix was a bit worried he was going to fall off with his injury. Indeed, each time the horse bobbed up and down in its gallop Rey seemed to become harder to hold on to. Felix only brought them far enough to be safe from the bandits before tying up and setting up camp. He sat Rey against a tree to rest while he did so, handing him their overly used medical kit so he could begin bandaging himself up. Rey always complained Felix did a poor job at making them tight enough after all.

When everything was set up and he had water boiling over a fire, Felix checked on Rey again. It only took a moment to realize there was a problem. The bandages that Rey had managed to wrap around himself were already soaked with red blood. “It won’t stop,” Rey grimaced. “I’m going to have to sew it up.”

Felix looked alarmed, bending at the knees to crouch besides Rey. “Are you sure? We don’t have any anesthesia...”

“It’ll have to be,” Rey said. “The question is, do you do it or shall I?”

The idea of sewing Rey up with nothing to dull the pain made Felix want to throw up, but so did the idea of Rey doing it himself. “Which way will hurt less?”

Rey managed to chuckle darkly. “A needle going through skin will hurt either way... I’m not sure if there is a way that it hurts less,” he said. “I’ve been through worse before, though. Can you do it?”

“Do you think you can stomach doing it yourself?” Felix said hesitantly. Usually he was willing to do absolutely anything for Rey, but doing what would probably constitute as torturing him did not appeal to him at all. Plus, Rey was the one who always mended any of their torn clothes; Felix didn’t know how to sew anything but a few crude and uneven rows. Not that he could imagine Rey would be going for style here.

“I think so,” Rey said. “You’ll have to gag me first though.” Felix felt his stomach lurch at the idea but nodded. He followed Rey’s instructions - first they poured alcohol over the sewing needle and thread, and disinfected the area as much as they could. Felix realized he probably should have gagged Rey first. The burn of alcohol on open skin made Rey scream right away.

“I’m sorry,” Felix said. He would repeat it about a hundred more times during the procedure.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Rey panted, eyes streaming with automatic tears. He had Felix stuff a rag in his mouth and then began. It felt like it took forever, but in reality it only took Rey about two minutes to sew everything up. He had Felix dry the area repeatedly to avoid the surface becoming too slippery with blood. Unsurprisingly, he did a good job. Once he’d tied the knot off Felix took the cloth from his mouth. Rey looked like he was about to pass out; Felix probably did too.

“Good job, my prince,” Felix muttered. “I’ll bandage you up now. I’ll try to make it tight.”

Rey nodded shakily. Felix was about halfway through wrapping when Rey’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out cold. Felix directed him to fall forward against his chest so he could hold Rey up while finishing wrapping the bandages quickly. They were indeed sloppier than the job Rey would have done, but they were done and they were not immediately turning red which was a good sign.

Felix was nervous about moving Rey too much now that the stitches were in and so set up Rey’s sleeping bag right there under the tree. He made his own right next to it and lay Rey down properly, covering him with blankets and wiping what blood he could off of Rey’s hands with a wet cloth. It had been a disturbing sight, watching Rey stitch himself back together. But somehow he’d managed, and Felix was incredibly proud of him. Rey did have a certain mental fortitude that came out when he really needed it, something Felix was grateful for. He wasn’t sure if he would have been able to do this himself.

He brushed Rey’s sweaty bangs from his pale face and rubbed his thumb back and forth across Rey’s forehead. “You’re incredible,” he whispered fondly. “If you were this strong all the time, you wouldn’t even need me anymore.” For some reason the quiet atmosphere - the distant crackle of the fireplace, the nighttime critters, and Rey’s shallow breathing made Felix feel like he was in a trance. He leaned forward and kissed Rey’s forehead before he could stop himself. “Sleep well,” he said gently. “I’ll watch over you all night.”

[mischief-lies-and-stories]

Verity ficlet

I know this would take place at some point after Loki: The Liar, but I don't know if it would be before Immortal Thor, during, or after. I also don't really know what's going on (hence why I'm just posting the scene I have on here, rather than fleshing out an entire fic and publishing on AO3), just that at some point Loki wants to reconnect with Verity and picks up some drama along the way, and then the initial reunion does not go very well at first, because Verity is (justifiably) pissed off with them.

"Loki." She stretches their name to its breaking point, like it can contain the memory of every letdown and disappointment they've ever left her.

"What? Why are you saying my name like that?"

"Because I don't want to be dragged into this shit again. The last time you dragged me into this, you told me a story to distract me while you killed me and put my ghost in a bracelet. And then I showed back up in my apartment alive and didn't hear from you for months."

"Okay, first of all," Loki starts defensively, "I didn't kill you. There was an incursion, and I didn't have any choice other than to trap-- I mean, keep you for the time being in the orb. Second of all--"

The thing that's been chasing Loki crashes into Verity's apartment suddenly, and whatever her words to them before, Verity acts on instinct and pushes them behind her.

"Verity!" Loki squawks, throwing an actual, magical shield over Verity's shoulder, which will be far more useful than Verity's body to protect them against some fucked-up monstrous thing from outer space or wherever.

"What?" Verity demands, like it makes perfect sense after yelling at her one-time best friend to then turn around and use her mortal form to defend them. Like she didn't just scare the mischief out of the God of Mischief with that move.

"You detect lies," they remind her. "What is jumping in front of me going to do?"

"I don't know!" She shouts back. The thing hurtles itself against the shield, but the magic holds firm, even in the midst of their argument. "I'm tired of losing you! And maybe it'll be the shove you need to say something that's fucking true, for once!"

"Fine, you want something true, Verity Willis?" Loki casts another spell over her shoulder to incapacitate the creature. "You want something you can scrutinize, something you can hold up to the light and not detect a hint of a lie? I'll give you something true." Loki launches the lifeless alien out of the hole in the apartment wall and restores the wall to its former solidity.

Verity turns to face them, and it's then that she finally sees the tears streaming down their face. "I miss you. And I don't know how to fix that. I'm horrendous with maintaining friendships, and I know that you know that. But I once summoned all my exes to fight me on purpose, just so I could trick the Young Avengers into hanging out with me, because I was lonely. I'm pathetic."

"That isn't a truth." Verity whispers with a sigh.

"Is it a lie?"

"Just because you think it's true doesn't make it the truth."

"I'm sorry."

"For thinking you're pathetic?"

"No, I'm sorry for not calling. I'm sorry I didn't tell you what happened. I'm sorry I trapped you in an orb without asking you if you wanted to be trapped, because I was selfish and scared. I'm sorry I've been a terrible friend since the beginning, and that I keep promising to be better and breaking that promise. I want to promise again, but what good would that do?"

"Why are we friends?"

"What?"

"Am I just your personal lie detector? Am I the one place you get to tell the truth, because you have to tell the truth, and that's amusing for you?"

Loki shrinks back at her words. They don't back away, but their shoulders sag and their face falls, and even though they say nothing for a long moment, there is a ringing of truth in Verity's ears at their reaction. Her accusations hurt.

"Is that what you think?" When they do speak, their voice is soft, pained. Verity doesn't think she's ever seen Loki look so... broken. It almost makes her want to take the words back, but they've been itching the back of her throat for years. It was time they saw the light of day.

"I don't know what to think," Verity says, her voice just as soft. "One day you're here and the next you're trying to drag me into a heist. And then the next you're calling from another plane of existence about to, I don't know, kill yourself or regenerate or some Doctor Who-type bullshit, and then you're back in my apartment without shoes and missing a tooth and trapping my ghost in an orb while the world ends! And then I'm alive again and you're nowhere! And--" Verity's tears are threatening to join Loki's. Maybe they are pathetic, the pair of them. "And I miss you, too. I don't want to lose your friendship, but you have to try harder, Loki. You may struggle to maintain relationships, but you have the Young Avengers, and Thor, and whoever else you've met in your life. It's just you, for me. I don't have any other friends. It's just you."

"I'm sorry," Loki says again. Verity hears the truth of it. She knows they mean it, or they think they mean it, at least. "That isn't what I think. That's never been what I think. I was drawn to you because I thought you were interesting, and yes, maybe right at the very beginning, part of that was because you could see through my disguise. Part of that was because I needed someone to. But only at the very beginning.

"After that, it was because you looked at me and you weren't afraid of me or angry or even distrustful of me, even though you knew who I was. No one has ever... if I want anyone to look at me like you do for longer than a few seconds, I have to trick them into thinking I'm someone else. And the trick doesn't last long. The truth of me always bleeds through, in the end. But you saw that from the beginning, and I know that's not exactly something you enjoy being able to do, but for me it was liberating.

"But even better was that you knew, you could see through any lie or disguise, but you still looked. Like there was something worth seeing, someone worth befriending.

"I..." they run their fingers through their hair as the tears continue to leak out of their eyes and down their cheeks. "Verity, you've saved my life! More than once! Just knowing I have someone I can talk to, who will look at me without judgment, or with the right amount of judgment when I have fucked up, it's saved me. You have no idea how many times it's saved me.

"I...I wasn't going to come back. I was going to die and that was going to be the end of it. You called me at exactly the right time, and I will always be indebted to you for that. It's why I came to you first, afterwards. I didn't really know about the incursion until after I made up my mind to come to you."

They look at her, eyes red-rimmed and face wet. "I know I've been terrible at this. If I've lost your friendship, I'll understand. But you are my best friend. If I can try again, I want to. You've been more for me than anyone has in a very long time, probably before this life of me, and without even trying."

Verity looks away from their earnest stare, up at the ceiling and trying to blink away the tears that prick at the back of her eyes with urgency now. She swallows and heaves a shaky breath. Then, finally, she gives up, gives in, to the love she holds for this foolish, funny, clever god that her stubborn heart will call her best friend, no matter how many times they fuck up and disappear for days and weeks and months on end.

"Damn it all, come here," she says, and she pulls Loki into a tight hug. She expects Loki to hesitate, even half-expects them to push her away, but they exhale what can only be a strangled sob and wrap their arms around her waist immediately, pressing their tear-stained face into her shoulder. She holds them.

"Promise me something?" they murmur.

"You are not in a position to ask for favors right now," she says, but her tone is light. Loki huffs a small laugh. "What is it?"

"Do not try to shield me with your body again. It scared the shit out of me."

"Then don't bring your hero shit into my apartment!"

"I can't make that promise."

"Then neither can I." She grins at the scowl on their face when they pull away to look at her, but the fight is over. Loki's expression melts into a matching smile.

[miseria-fortes-viros]

Writing a screenplay would kill me outright because I suck ass at writing dialogue. Autist to autist, how do you keep the voices consistent? Is it just practice? Massive exposure to the works? Something you've always been good at, and thus are unable to give good advice on? (Thank you.)

i totally understand where you’re coming from! i have written quite a lot of screenplays in my time so i’ve been there. yes screenplays are very dialogue heavy but the trick isn’t knowing how to write dialogue, it’s knowing your characters. even in an adaptation (as opposed to an original piece) this is key. yes you’d want to stick as close to the source material as possible, but you might want to expand, add extra scenes, turn something conceptual into an actual conversation, etc., and that’s really hard unless you have a good understanding of who is in these scenes, who is interacting with who, would x character respond differently to a situation in someone else’s company. learning how to write for screen is pretty much an endless stream of asking yourself, “ok, i relate to this character in x ways, if i was in this situation what would i say? how can i tweak my personal response to something i feel is in character for them?” because it’s the relatability that does it. if you cannot connect to a character in even the smallest possible way then they’re not fleshed out enough. and yes you may start off with the age old “what would they say here”, but eventually you’re going to get to the point where you’re saying “what makes them tick?” and then when you figure out what drives them you won’t need to ask those questions anymore. creating a character is good and fun but to make the story you want to make you need to know them.