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shortnotsweet · 3 years

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The Allegory of the Tin Man, the Dictator, and the Knight: a Dissection of Ironqrow and a Character Arc of Failure

“There lived in the Land of Oz two queerly made men who were best of friends. They were so much happier when together that they were seldom apart.”

— L. Frank Baum

A brief Ironqrow meta and character analysis of James Ironwood, the ultimate screw up, in three parts.

I. Qrow and Ironwood’s Homoeroticism in Canon Source Material and its Translation

II. Ironwood’s Repressed Characterization and the Inherent Chivalry of the Dictatorship

III. Ironwood, Alone

Qrow and Ironwood’s Homoeroticism in Canon Source Material and its Translation

Within the Oz series, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow are layered within homoerotic subtext, even if it is included unintentionally. Tison Pugh’s analysis Queer Utopianism and Antisocial Eroticism in L. Frank Baum's Oz Series posits that the land of Oz as portrayed within the series is a largely asexual environment of suspended adolescence that involves the deviation of binary gender norms, and of performative heterosexuality. Pugh refers to it later as a “queer utopia”. Men are portrayed as a lesser military force to women, and heterosexuality is a flimsy presence at best; all signs of procreation within Oz are stifled. While this could be chalked down to Baum not wanting to get into the subject of sex and exploration in a children’s series, it does contribute to a particular tone with real-life critiques of capitalism and a particular deconstruction of gender norms. Ozma, who will become the ruler of Oz after the Wizard and the Scarecrow respectively, for example, is originally a boy named Tip (the name itself holds phallic implications) who is “transformed” into a girl. The strongest military force is one of all-women led by a rebellious female general. Pugh observes, “At the same time that Baum satirizes...women as leaders…he consistently depicts women as more successful soldiers than men, and female troops appear better capable of serving militarily than male troops…[the] male army comprises of twenty-six officers and one private, and they are all cowards…” and cites the Frogman’s declaration that “Girls are the fiercest soldiers of all...they are more brave than men, and they have better nerves”.

RWBY itself isn’t opposed to this kind of subversion, either in its characters or its relationships. There’s an obvious effort to include LGBTQ+ representation (albeit primarily in the background), strong female characters are prevalent and make up most of the main and supporting cast, a character’s gender is not strictly reliant on its source material, and BlackSun, while cute and a valid ship in its own right, is treated as a heterosexual red herring to Bumbleby. Additionally, there have been a lot of hints by the voice actors, writers, and creators on social media that Qrow himself is queer, the infamous Ironqrow embrace included.

Admittedly, if I wanted to write an essay about the likelihood of Qrow being LGBTQ+ or having some kind of queer identity, I would probably focus more on his relationship with Clover, which had a lot more overt and probably canonically intentional Gay Vibes, and despite having known Qrow nowhere near as long as Ironwood has, it has just as much, if not more, to extrapolate. Unfortunately, that’s not the main point of this essay, although it remains relevant. While I personally don’t doubt that Qrow has had sex with women or experiences valid sexual attraction to them, I get the feeling that it is, to a degree, a performative act and a masculine assertation of enjoyment intended as a coping mechanism. It plays into the trope of the handsome, tortured alcoholic (best exemplified, perhaps, in the MCU’s Tony Stark, Dean Winchester in Supernatural, and critiqued in the superhero episode of Rick and Morty) who sleeps around just to recall the feeling of intimacy, or because he associates sexual ‘degradation’ as a reflection of his worth. Real self-deprecating, slightly misogynistic stuff. Qrow’s recall of short skirts, as well as his brief exchange with the waitress in an earlier volume, reminds me of one specific interaction between the Scarecrow and his own love interest. Within the series, the Qrow’s source-material counterpart, the Scarecrow, has one canonical love interest, the Patchwork Girl:

“Forgive me for staring so rudely,” said the Scarecrow, “but you are the most beautiful sight my eyes have ever beheld.”

“That is a high compliment from one who is himself so beautiful,” murmured Scraps, casting down her suspender-button eyes by lowering her head.

Pugh points out that the two of them never develop this relationship further than flirtation, and heterosexuality is reduced to a “spectral presence” lacking the “erotic energy [driving] these queer narratives in their presence”. Specifically, Qrow never reveals a serious or long running heterosexual love interest - he is not the father! [of Ruby] (despite much speculation that he and Summer Rose were involved) and he and Winter never really moved past the stage of ‘hostility with just a hint of sexual tension’ - and there is no debunking of potential queerness. His interactions with Clover (deserving of an entire essay on its own) seem to support this interpretation, and is more or less a confirmation of some kind of queer inclination or identity. Again, the “queer utopia” of Oz comes at the cost of the expulsion of the sexual or the mere mention of reproduction - still, through this device, same-sex relationships gain a new kind of significance with the diminishing nature of heterosexuality. Speaking of queer narratives, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man have the most tender and prolonged relationship of perhaps all the characters in the series, exchanging a lifelong commitment:

“I shall return with my friend the Tin Woodman,” said the stuffed one seriously. “We have decided never to be parted in the future.”

Within the source material, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow voluntarily live together, and are life partners in nearly every sense of the word. The second book in the Oz series is The Tin Woodman of Oz. In summary, the Tin Woodman recalls that he had a fiancée before the events of the first book, forgot all about her, and now must search her out so that they can get married. Who does he ask to accompany him in this pursuit? None other than his no-homo life partner, the Scarecrow. Although this sounds like a stereotypical heteronormative storyline, “this utopian wonderland...rejects heterosexual procreation...First, the Tin Woodman does not desire...Nimmie Amee...” and even acknowledges that due to the ‘nature’ of the heart that the Wizard had given him, he is literally incapable of romantically or passionately loving or desiring Nimmie, and by extent, women in general - to me, that works perfectly as an allegory for a gay man who is literally incapable of experiencing legitimate heterosexual urges, but ‘soldiers on’ out of obligation and societally enforced chivalry. “The Tin Woodman excuses himself from the heteronormative imperative...Only his sense of masculine honor, rather than a heteronomratively masculine sex drive, impels the Tin Woodman on his quest to marry his long-lost fiancée.” Again, Ironwood’s character follows the lines of propriety within the sphere of the wealthy elite, and his persona as a high-ranking military man and politician, as well as the conservative values instilled within Atlas, prioritize duty and obligation. This kind of culture is stifling and in a lot of ways aloof, as the upper class deludes itself into believing that it is objectively better and more advanced than its neighboring territories. *ahem the myth of American exceptionalism ahem*

“There lived in the Land of Oz two queerly made men who were best of friends. They were so much happier when together that they were seldom apart.”

I think it’s funny that the characters that Ironwood and Qrow are based off of are canonically the closest of friends, who coexist almost as a unit. In contrast, the first introduction we get of Ironwood and Qrow is a hostile exchange where they’re at each other’s throats, never on the same page, and never in sync, not when it matters. Indeed, Qrow snaps at Ironwood for his lack of communication, which is a recurring issue between the two of them on notable occasions. If the source material is anything to go by, there should be a significant relationship between the two of them, or at least some kind of connection, even if it goes unspoken or unacknowledged. To be fair, in RWBY’s canon, I think there is.

I’ve seen this joke that while Qrow hates the Atlas military, the only people he really seems to flirt with is Atlas military personnel. “Ice Queen” is something I interpreted to be partially hostile, partially mocking, and partially flirtatious, in equal spades - the voice actors and creators have indicated that it was flirtatious, and there was a whole Chibi episode dedicated to the concept of Qrow and Winter’s extrapolated sexual tension, albeit in jest. I might argue that his use of abbreviates aren’t reserved for people he dislikes, but for people who bring out his playful side. “Brat”, “Pipsqueak”, “Firecracker”, and “Kiddos” are all drawn from a place of affection, however short or mocking it may seem, because that’s what crows do: they mock others.

Qrow has little nicknames for people; while it’s not exclusively a sign of affection, I do get the feeling that ‘Jimmy’ is an informality that irks Ironwood, but can also be interpreted as Qrow giving James what he needs, rather than what he wants.

Glynda is by no means a pushover, but in assuring him that while he does questionable things, he’s still a good person, she’s softening the blow and probably further enabling deeply rooted and pre-existing traits, many of which contribute to his problematic control complex. It is established early on that Qrow resents the military (as he should), and it is implied that he’s spent a fair amount of encounters harassing and provoking military personnel (Winter being the most evident example of this), and has insulted the military numerous times to Ironwood’s face. He lectures Ironwood about the way he conducts his operations, his inability to communicate, and basically what a complete, inconsiderate asshole he really is.

What Ironwood needs is someone who operates outside of the pretense that he works, breathes, and lives under, and just tells it like it is. Jimmy isn’t all that - he’s a person, just like the rest of us, and he can flaunt all the titles that he wants, but James stripped down is still just Jimmy.

Qrow also is the kind of person who pries, who is insistent, and not particularly sensitive. For someone like Ironwood who has a lot of (physical and emotional) barriers, logically, in order for him to receive genuine understanding, Qrow fits the profile of someone who is invasive but not exploitive, who sees past the cracks in his armor and takes him for what he is. What is just important is that whoever Ironwood is with is someone who makes him want to try not only to be better, but to be real; thematically, General Ironwood seems to have a great respect for but a deep struggle with authenticity. He clearly resents the ignorance and frivolity of Atlas’s wealthy elite, as evidenced by his support for Weiss at the dinner party in announcing that “she’s one of the only people making any sense around here”, while struggling to project the facade that he’s carefully created.

See, we don’t have evidence that there is something going on between Ironqood and Qrow so much as we have enough evidence to inconclusively say that there’s not not something going on. I think there’s enough evidence to support the idea that something could be going on, or was going on.

When Qrow saves Ironwood at the Battle of Beacon, who is under the false impression that Qrow believes him to be the culprit of the attacks, his eyes follow Qrow and we get a closer shot of his awed expression; we the viewer can only imagine what he sees as Qrow arcs through the air and slices down a Grimm from behind his back. The focus on Ironwood’s expression portrays something like shock (so Qrow wasn’t trying to attack me after all, but then what the hell is he doing?), maybe wonder (I can’t take my eyes off of him, I can’t look away), maybe respect (I know he’s a good Hunter, but I’ve rarely seen him in action), but it is unfiltered nonetheless. In a show where fight scenes are vital to the progression of the story itself, the dynamics of these fights are at their best when they are character driven, whether it is revealing or reinforcing something about the characters and their relationships, or it is deciding their fates. There’s something to be said about characters being given moments together in battles, and what that says about the significance of their relationship. The best example of this might be the battle between Blake and Yang vs Adam; it served to give Adam what he deserved, help Blake and Yang reach closure in certain aspects of their own trauma, and solidify the bond between the girls. Similarly, Qrow and Ironwood’s moment is meant to reveal a theme that will later be revisited in volume 7; trust. Ironwood is startled but not shocked when he believes that Qrow distrusts him to the degree of attacking him, and is ready to attack or defend as needed.

Qrow tells him what he needs to hear, more or less: YOU’RE A DUMBASS. Ironwood is, indeed, a dumbass. While he does extend the olive branch of trust and good will to CRWBY and co. this trust is highly conditional and proves to be, while from a place of desperation and sincerity, at least partially performative.

When Ironwood snaps, he snaps hard.

Amber’s voice actress tweeted early on, joking that Qrow has two Atlas boyfriends, and Arryn has made comments, too. It’s one of the older ships, and the crew is certainly aware of it (“...extended chest bump...”).

Kerry has stated that he finds the Ironqrow relationship interesting, and wishes it had been explored more (additionally, allegedly lobbying that Ironwood’s arm in the Ironqrow hug scene be slightly lower). I’m not saying that they’re going to both make it out alive, or canon, or even that romantic subtext was intentionally woven into the script. All I’m saying is that I think their relationship is interesting too, especially when the subtext of their source material relationship is taken into context, and the way their characters are positioned is suggestive of some sort of compatibility, even if it is a hit or miss kind of opportunity, and I have the sinking suspicion that it was missed on both accounts.

The Tin Woodman of Oz concludes,

“All this having been happily arranged, the Tin Woodman returned to his tin castle, and his chosen comrade, the Scarecrow, accompanied him on the way. The two friends were sure to pass many pleasant hours together in talking over their recent adventures, for as they neither ate nor slept they found their greatest amusement in conversation.”

Ironwood’s Repressed Characterization and the Inherent Chivalry of the Dictatorship

“I don’t give a damn about Jacque Schnee...what about the other two? Do not return to this office until you have Qrow Branwen in custody.”

“And that’s not all we’ve lost...I had Qrow in my hands, and I didn’t do what needed to be done.”

Observe: Ironwood, at this point, does not care about politics. I doubt he’s ever wanted to, or ever liked it (if his tired outburst at the dinner party is any indication) but his Knightly qualities (we’ll get to that) have, up till this point, prompted him to adhere to them for both power and etiquette. James surrounds himself in a world that he understands and despises; more than anything, he’d like to be a general, a commander, and the Knight in Shining Armor archetype, because warfare is something he understands. It is a testament to his (superhuman) willpower that he forces himself to become fluent in the language of politics, and to live and breathe in it. To clarify, Ironwood sees himself as a man who does what needs to be done; if he wants to change and control Atlas, he will have to involve himself in its politics.

Likely, his resilience has contributed to the way he views himself and what he deserves, as someone long-suffering and almost martyr-like, a silent hero doing what needs to be done. But at the moment, he’s lost his goddamn mind coming undone. He’s murdered and jailed his political dissent (and might have considered executing prisoners), but at this point, that’s all that Jacque and Robyn are to him. First he dismisses Jacque, narrows it down to the two escaped prisoners, and finally reveals what’s really on the forefront of his mind: Qrow, free and out of his hands.

[ When recalling this dialogue, please do so while imagining a bad recorder cover of the Titanic music playing over the background. Here is a sample. ]

In the most recent episode, Ironwood seems to have gone off the rails even further. The fact that Winter, his most faithful lieutenant, is losing her unshakable faith in him, says a lot about how hard he’s fallen off the deep end. In Winter’s mind, I think that she sees him almost as a surrogate father figure, or at least a patriarch who can be positively compared to Jacques in every way. The previous volumes go to lengths to compare the two as adversaries and showing James in a favorable light; Winter is in her own personal horror right now, because she is beginning to understand that Ironwood is a man who may not be her father but is just as susceptible to corruption, and may have been that kind of person all along. Skipping over the...ah, genocidal tendencies, and the fact that he’s proposing to kidnap Penny’s friends to force her to obey him and likely is starting to realize that Winter is the perfect bait (let’s just say that “Ironwood is not good with kids” is the understatement of the year) Ironwood wants Qrow back (in captivity), I think that it’s significant that while Ironwood registers that Robyn is gone as well, his first priority is Qrow, probably for two reasons. On one hand, he still refers to Qrow by his first name, instead of the formal Branwen. Of course, that doesn’t have to mean anything at all. They’re colleagues within the same age range, both members of the same secret brotherhood and similiar skill sets.

On the other hand, it reminds me of the moment when Qrow and the kids first fly into Atlas, and they see the heightened security, and Qrow mutters, “James...what have you been doing,” under his breath, sounding concerned, apprehensive. He’s not addressing the kids, he’s talking to himself; he regards James much more seriously both as a potential threat and a friend than he’d rather the other know, and I think that James’ focus on Qrow at this point is similiar, only not only is this a sign of them knowing each other well, but of Ironwood’s slipping control. He offered Qrow his trust and camaraderie, his last attempt to keep a handle on his humanity (or, his heart). Qrow, in return, withheld vital information, got close with another operative instead, then allegedly killed him and and escaped ‘rightful’ imprisonment.

The Tin Man is offering Qrow his heart, at least proof of it, and the Scarecrow [and co.] steps back to observe the situation, and assesses that no, what you are going to do is wrong, and I cannot agree with it.

Ironwood is not an objective person, as much as he wants to be. He’s angry, desperate, scared, and humiliated. Worst of all, he’s rebuffed, and he’s taking Qrow’s escape personally. First, he understands that Qrow is a threat. He’s Ozpin’s best agent, he has years of field experience, and he knows too much, probably more than James knows. Second, they have history.

My personal interpretation of Ironwood is something this:

He’s a sad, sad, lonely bitch. What Ironwood longs for, just like his source material counterpart, is a heart. He will go to any lengths to achieve this, because he believes that he has self awareness and therefore is able to check and balance himself. He treats his subordinates well, is diplomatic, skilled in a variety of trades, fighting the good fight, and longs for the affirmation that yes, he is a good person, and yes, he’s had a heart all along. He just strays from the path, and loses his way.

This is symbolically represented by his partially mechanic exoskeleton; we have no idea how far the cyborg extremities extend, or how deep, but we do get the visual notion of humanity in conflict, or a man’s soul deconstructed and split between the cold efficiency of machinery and the very real warmth of a human body. Ironwood wants to appear human, and benevolent, and genuine, and in return, loved; he is human, and he could be all of these things. If my reliance on the source material holds any merit (although I highly doubt it), then there is also a potential struggle with sexuality, (Glynda herself even explicitly and exasperatedly references a testosterone battle between Ironwood and Qrow, suggesting a regular overassertation of masculinity) and a further incentive to achieve love and subsequent acceptance.

To clarify, I do believe that there were less-than-subtle allusions to Ironwood and Glynda having a vaguely flirtatious history, taking their shared scenes and background dancing into account, but this, again, does not “debunk” the presence of queerness within a narrative; it could be an assumption of heterosexuality, or performative itself, or just not an exclusive interest. Besides, Ironwitch isn’t what this essay is about. I’m not trying to persuade or dissuade someone of the notion that Jimmy is gay, or straight, or something else, only that the potential ambiguity exists. What I do think is most important is that James doesn’t openly ward people away, not when those people aren’t under his command and are technically outside of his jurisdiction. He’s friendly with Glynda, tries to extend trust to Qrow, is kind to people in the aftermath of battle, and overall clings to diplomacy as his first weapon. He wants to be accepted, to be liked, and to be welcomed. This is not an outrageous want, nor is it uncommon. Unfortunately, Ironwood’s understanding of love and acceptance is entangled within the concept of control, and he associates unquestioned compliance with this Want.

Ironwood’s introduction into the series shows him being openly cordial, and very considerate, especially his interactions with Glynda and Ozpin. He’s a gentleman, he’s apologetic, and, as Glynda assures him, he’s a “good man”. She doesn’t really elaborate on what a “good man” is, exactly, but we might presume that a “good man” is a person with good intentions, who strives to do what’s right, regardless of his options.

Here’s the thing - one similarity between Ironwood and the Tin Man is that they both have the capacity to love, but they fool themselves into thinking that they don’t; before the Wizard gives him a ‘heart’, the Tin Man suggests that he is only kind and considerate to everyone in Oz because he believes he needs to overcompensate for what he lacks, and is therefore doubly aware of how he treats others. However, the Wizard knows no real magic, only tricks and illusions, and what he gives the Tin Man is essentially a placebo that enables the Tin Man to act towards and feel about others the exact same as he always had, only with the validation that what he feels is authentic. Similarly, Ironwood has always had the option to be empathetic and not fucking crazy open to collaboration, which he’s very aware of, until his own paranoia cuts into his rationality and compels him to cut himself off from all allies and alternative perspectives. He then uses his difficult position and responsibilities to justify unjustifiable actions, to rationalize irrational urges, and to gaslight and brainwash his subordinates into compliance.

The Tin Woodman knew very well he had no heart, and therefore he took great care never to be cruel or unkind to anything.

“You people with hearts,” he said, “have something to guide you, and need never do wrong; but I have no heart, and so I must be very careful. When Oz gives me a heart of course I needn’t mind so much.”

Qrow sees through this, however, and not only seems incapable of following orders himself, but disrupts the decorum that Ironwood is used to. In return, I think we see a little more of James that he’d like to reveal.

“If you were one of my men, I’d have you shot!”

“If I was one of your men, I’d shoot myself!”

In case this entire ass essay doesn’t make it obvious, I do really ship Ironqrow. I’m open to other pairings, definitely, but this one in particular is just more interesting to me. It feels more revealing, more subtle. I have more questions.

In hindsight, maybe the dialogue example above ^ didn’t age well, considering where they’re at, but I do like how their professional animosity is flavored with a kind of camaraderie, and understanding. This exchange isn’t exactly playful, but they’re taking each other seriously - and, like repressed schoolboys, taking the piss at each other in a childish way, and isn’t that part of the fun of banter, when they’re so focused on each other that they forget to act their age? In a lot of ways, this is a really fun dynamic to watch. They’re opposite-kind-of-people, which I like, at least on a superficial level, and I can easily imagine them tempering each other in ways that would make them ultimately happier people.

They even look well-coordinated, with similar color schemes that lean on the opposite sides of the shared spectrum (white, grays, reds and black); I think the decorative design on Qrow’s new sleeves are supposed to be more ornate simply to communicate that Qrow is committed, and willing to be sentimental, but some viewers have suggested that it resembles the pattern on James’ weapon, Due Process (the revolver is based off of the Tin Man’s pistol, although, curiously, in The Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow was the only character to carry a pistol, and the commentaries suggest that the 2007 Tin Man miniseries was the “basis of the allusion”. Does that mean anything? I don’t know. Probably not.). Still, it raises the questions: who was in charge of designing the team’s new clothes and gear? How much input did Atlas get, and was this intentional? Personally, I think that the vine-like pattern on Qrow’s sleeves also bear a resemblance to Ozpin’s staff, a subtle reaffirmation and foreshadowing of his allegiance in contrast to Ironwood, but I digress.

They can also deliver that UST kind of banter that takes up their attention, and get up really close to each other, in each other’s faces, and just be pissed, which I think is very sexy of them, mhm. Enemies to Colleagues to Reluctant Friends to Lovers is a trope that I very much appreciate. Gaining some sort of common ground at the Battle of Beacon only to reunite, tired and battered, after the shit has already hit the fan? Slow burn kinda vibes.

That hug between them was something genuinely vulnerable and a sign of Ironwood letting his guard down because he is tired as fuck. It also was uh...kinda fruity.

Ironwood approaches closer, and Qrow scratches the back of his head, a characteristically nervous gesture that he’s made before; it’s a nervous twitch, manufactured nonchalance. He has no idea what Ironwood wants, but he does know that Ironwood wants something. James is the one to initiate the hug, and Qrow startles and even freezes up before relaxing into it. He seems suprised, but gives the bisexual eye roll of grudging fondness. This is out of character for James - Jimmy - but Qrow doesn’t think that Ironwood is a bad person. He leans into the hug, and the camera cuts out before they separate, suggesting that they probably end up standing there for a long ass time. You can also see from the side shots that it’s a close hug; their torsos are pressed up against each other, front to front, and there’s not a lot of wiggle room. James must be really goddamn depressed. It’s a long, manly, intensley heterosexual hug. Like I said, kinda fruity.

Other people have analyzed the hug shot for shot, so I won’t get too into it, but I think that it was intentionally left as a double red herring; some people thought that maybe he bugged Qrow, and after finding out that he didn’t, we were forced to conclude that this is a genuine olive branch. To find out that Ironwood is sincere but was still susceptible to corruption is that second subversion that I didn’t really expect. I hadn’t prepared myself for it, at least, and neither did Qrow. I wouldn’t go as far to say that Ironwood’s descent into fucking craziness paranoia is triggered by Qrow not ‘reciprocating’ or something, but I do think it’s interesting how the volume opens up with a signifigant interaction between Ironwood and Qrow, only for Qrow to spend the rest of the volume homosexually bonding with Clover, while Ironwood basically has no one as emotional support (again, his subordinates do not have the power or the place to be viewed as equals and the veil of formality is one of isolation). Qrow initiates nothing further, and nothing further happens.

Ironwood’s downfall, in a thematic sense, is that what he Needs is a heart, and when he gets that chance to demonstrate tolerance and empathy, James ultimately rejects his Need (a heart) and his arc reverts into one of villainy. To be specific, Ironwood is essentially a fascist dick, and that is not very sexy. (Speaking of dicks, the thought of Ironwood’s dick makes me laugh. I bet in the RWBY universe, people have made memes about that. I do not accept criticism because I am correct. Anyway,).

Dictators are charming, charismatic, and one of the pillars of their method is absorbing potential political opponents into their own administration to reduce the threat of rebellion, to appear openly tolerant to their supporters, and to further consolidate power. A good example of this would be Mean Girls, which runs on a comedic commentary of dictatorships as a political structure of power. I hate to compare James Ironwood to Regina George, but Regina’s posse includes Karen and Gretchen, two of the only girls who might take away from the authority she holds over the rest of their school, both in their wealth and attractiveness, and Cady’s interesting backstory and conventional attractiveness is the main reason Regina draws her into her own sphere - because she detects a potential threat. Much in the same way, while Ironwood likely has good intentions, his efforts to win over team RWBY and co. - including Qrow himself - is a logical way to consolidate resources. His willingness, at first, to cooperate with political opponents (ie Robyn) is because he’s not inherently evil, and he has nothing to lose. It’s when he is openly opposed and diplomatic gestures no longer hold the necessary weight that he snaps.

In one really interesting meta about Ironqrow’s archetypes (that I reread occasionally just because I really love it), @onewomancitadel posits that Ironwood is framed within the archetype of the Knight in Shining Armor, which should inform us of the moral consistency of his character. The meta was written around the beginning of volume 7, I think, and obviously we have a lot more character development and information to go off of now, but I think she makes a really interesting point about the nature of parallels and how that might help drive Ironwood as a character. I love her analysis of the visual of Ironwood stepping out of an airship wreckage, onto the street, the smoke billowing around him to reveal his cyborg prosthetics, and of the intentional framing. Once his uniform is stripped back, we see a man who is literally half-armor, which could be indicative of a lot of things. He’s emotionally guarded, he’s used as a human weapon, and he wants to be a line of defense. In her words, “The symbolism is really obviously put into perspective of his actions in trying to do the right thing: in the flesh (his true physical self) he is literally a knight in shining armour. From the ground up. Even if it's unseen or distorted by his uniform, his nature is still true.”

While Ironwood clearly has gone down a darker path in the most recent volume, I think this analysis holds true in a crucial way. “Ironwood is working with different information, and he’s doing exactly what he knows: stick to his knightly virtues, even disgraced.” Disgraced, indeed. Ironwood is holding onto his knightly values, and doing what he believes is right. If not right, he believes that it is necessary. The problem is that these values are manifested within Atlas’s sociopolitical-military culture in an inherently toxic way - his response is, at this point, neither rational nor empathetic, but it can be explained partially due to his cultural (flawed) understanding of justice, and because of the extenuating circumstances. The harsher the conditions become, the more difficult it is for anyone to project a facade that is not sincere at its core. If James is to uphold his Knightly virtues, he needs to be a protector, a leader, and a servant all at once while operating under limited intel with dwindling trust. All he has left are the few key players still in his grasp, and the control of the people he is responsible for.

To digress: generally, knights take an oath. It could be to a King, or Lord, or some noble, but Knights are supposed to operate on a code of honor, and chivalry, and to uphold these values throughout the land as an extension of whoever they have pledged themselves to. The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a really good example of the way that, back in the day, chivalry and honor was supposed to place knights on a moral high ground compared to the common people.

In the middle of a celebration in Camelot, an obligatory tradition that has since lost real value but is rehearsed because Camelot fears that failure to uphold traditions that once had meaning is disrespectful, a Green Knight interrupts the celebrations and offers a strange challenge that boils down to a fight to the death. Gawain volunteers because accepting this challenge is what is expected of him, and Arthur would be humiliated if his knights, supposedly the best in the world, would not rise to the challenge. Gawain - and to a certain extent, the rest of Arthur’s knights - are fickle, in a sense, because their adherence to this code is performative, and it allows them to delude themselves into moral superiority and lie both to the commoners and amongst themselves; their identity as knights is based on a falsehood. Gawain is offered the first blow, and after beheading the Green newcomer, is horrified to see him become reanimated and immune to mortal blows. He invites Gawain to receive his own - likely fatal - blow, and gives him a time in which to meet, before promptly leaving.

Throughout the story, Gawain is tested in a variety of ways - in his final test, he fails, and allows his greed for self preservation and the fear of death to lead him to lie to his hosts and proceed to his meeting with the Green Knight under dishonest pretenses. While he is spared at the last second and becomes a better person (after it is revealed that Morgan le Fay orchestrated the ordeal to spook Queen Guinevere) - and by extent, a truer Knight, by the end of the story, the superficial and hypocritical nature of Arthur’s court is still in question, and still unanswered.

See, the entirety of Gawain’s trials was a test, not necessarily for him, but for Arthur and his court as a whole. Morgan wanted to prove the fickle nature of Arthur’s knights. The Knights of the Round Table were considered the best in the land, and to discredit one was to discredit all. What use is tradition if the meaning is empty, what use is chivalry if it is performed for reward instead of merit, and what use is loyalty if it is blind and unearned? Returning to Oz, the Tin Woodman, or Tin Man, grew to be made of tin because his axe became enchanted by the Wicked Witch of the East to sever his own body parts instead of the lumber he tried to cut down. A nearby tinsmith replaced each amputated limb with one of metal, until his entire body became tin and his meat body had been entirely discarded. Something to note is that Nick Chopper’s, (General Ironwood’s) wounds are technically self-inflicted. Each time he swung his axe, he made the decision to continue, knowing of the end result each time. In losing his bodily functions, the Tin Man believed that he had lost his humanity and ability to love.

The tragedy of his origin story draws a pointed correlation to Ironwood’s current dilemma; his unwillingness to stop, his self-imposed isolation, playing into the hands of the witch, and finally, the decision to let go of his ability to love remain consistent throughout both stories.

Watts even refers to Ironwood as a “Tin Solider”; a reference to the Tin (Woods)Man, no doubt, but could also evoke a soldier clanking around in metal armor. Ironwood is a Knight in Shining Armor, through and through. He wants to save the world, but at the terrible cost of civilian autonomy and possibly life. The problem is that he’s pledged himself to a discriminatory and hypocritical system, and his code is something that can easily be misconstrued by fear ( @disregardcanon ), much as Gawain’s own values. The Tin Man is, after all, still a man, and if we’ve learned anything from real fairytales, it is that men are fallible, whether or not they are made of metal.

Ironwood, Alone

he’s a lonely bitch

I know I f- up, I'm just a loser

Shouldn't be with ya, guess I'm a quitter

While you're out there drinkin', I'm just here thinkin'

'Bout where I should've been

I've been lonely, mm, ah, yeah

— Benee, Supalonely (2019)

You do get the sense that Ironwood is riddled with self-loathing conflicting with pride, with self-doubt clashing with competence, and that he is the kind of person who longs for things without verbalizing. Maybe his dad never paid enough attention to him as a kid. Maybe he suffered some terrible physical and emotional trauma, which might as well be assumed, given the extensive nature of his cybernetic limbs. Maybe (probably) he’d be more well-adjusted and would’ve made better decisions if the people around him trusted him and were a little more open. To be fair, though, he is the one at the wheel, and he is making the calls; no one else is to blame for his mistakes, and to pretend otherwise is to deny him accountability. I think we do enough of that in everyday life, in excusing powerful men of their responsibilities. To his credit, I do think he wants to help people. I think James also wants to project the personality of a leader who is stoic, controlled, and measured. He is charming when he wants to be, sympathetic when it suits him, and influential in just the right areas. He is not a sociopath, but he is a politician, and in a lot of ways, those are the same thing. We see in his brief flashes of temper, often prompted by Qrow, or most notably by Oscar, that this is not a calm, stable person. This is someone is on the verge of exploding, who is so fucking angry that he is not in control that it’s killing him, and so he is going to lash out and kill the things that are not within his grip. If the people beneath him will not reciprocate the heart that he offers, then he has no real use of it. James Ironwood does not begin this story as a bad person. This is a tragedy, in however many parts it takes.

I read, in one very smart and very put-together analysis that I cannot find and properly credit at the moment, that part of Ironwood’s (many) failures can be seen in Winter, and how, like Ozpin, he has appointed a woman as his talented, no-nonsense, second chain in command at his right hand. In this way, Winter is an intentional parallel to Glynda, who is, without question, a bad bitch. In theory, surrounding yourself with strong individuals is a demonstration of self restraint, in implementing your own checks and balances. James wants to project that he is powerful, yes, but he is reasonable.

I take this to mean that, to some degree, even if it’s unintentional or subconscious, Winter serves to boost Ironwood’s ego.

The issue with this is that within the inherently hierarchical structure of the military, Winter cannot question, undermine, or challenge Ironwood in a way that is particularly meaningful and their relationship is one of commander and subordinate before colleagues or equals (link to a fantastic post about Winter’s role as the Good, Conscientious Soldier by @fishyfod). Whereas Glynda is free to argue with, converse, and be as combative as she needs to be with Ozpin (although their power dynamic is arguably one of commander and subordinate albeit informally), Winter cannot temper Ironwood effectively, and through the illusion of equality, Ironwood is further isolated.

His head and arms and legs were jointed upon his body, but he stood perfectly motionless, as if he could not stir at all.

Dorothy looked at him in amazement, and so did the Scarecrow, while Toto barked sharply and made a snap at the tin legs, which hurt his teeth.

“Did you groan?” asked Dorothy.

“Yes,” answered the tin man, “I did. I’ve been groaning for more than a year, and no one has ever heard me before or come to help me.”

The Tin Man needs oil to lubricate his joints; without it, he cannot move, and he is rendered helpless and inanimate. When Dorothy and the group find him, he is entirely isolated with no one in sight, and he has been there for such a long time that he has begun to rust. Similarly, Ironwood needs valued voices of dissent to keep him in check. His colleagues were able to serve that purpose in the beginning, and out of them, Qrow is the best example of someone who doesn't take his shit, openly questions him, and looks down on the performative decorum of the military culture that Ironwood is surrounded by. What Ironwood needs is to be flexible and adaptable; his Semblance, Mettle (heh, metal, very nice pun, RoosterTeeth), is a double edged sword in that it gives him supernatural focus and willpower - enough, perhaps, to flay/chop off your own limbs - but it blindsides him, and is only further prolonging his pain.

There is a lot of sympathy to Ironwood’s character, as much as I’ve ragged on him for being an authoritarian, kind of a dick, and bad with kids. There are moments, such as the previously mentioned dinner party, where he shows his colors a bit, and when he assures the students at the Vytal Festival that there’s no shame in leaving before the battle begins, and in giving Yang a prosthetic arm before her father even has to ask. As far as Generals go, it seems that he’s seen soldiers come and go and understands, at least in his best moments, that not everyone is the same, and not everyone has power of unflinching determination to rely on. Ironwood performs his best when he tempers himself because he understands himself, and others. It’s when he fails to self-reflect that his hypocrisy shows through. Glynda points it out, too, as does Qrow; Ironwood advocates for trust but often fails to give it himself, going behind Ozpin’s back, being absolutely shit at field communication, and now the whole fascist, borderline-genocidal keruffle he’s gotten himself into.

I think that Ironwood reaching out to Qrow was his ethical last stand, his last chance and conscious effort to choose the right path. Qrow is unequivocally an equal, not like how Ozpin is the Big Boss, the authority that James becomes disillusioned with and tries to overthrow. He wants someone to trust, desperately so, and Qrow wants that too, but narrative subversion has hands. The Scarecrow and the Tin Man have no brain and heart respectively, and are in need of them. As it turns out, Qrow is actually a pragmatic guy with solid principles angled against authoritarianism, and Ironwood is a dick who would rather enforce martial law than to empathize and tame his military-shaped boner for one second.

I might conclude that someone like Qrow might be best for Ironwood, but that does not mean that someone like Ironwood would be the best for Qrow. Qrow has a brain after all, but Ironwood does not choose his heart when it matters, case in point. Even the intro of the current season features Salem and Ironwood on a chessboard; his white pieces are disappearing, dissolving into dust, as hers transform into Grimm. Ironwood is isolating himself by depleting himself of allies. As this post by @hadesisqueer points out, Ironwood isn’t even positioned as King, the supposed commander, but the Queen, the most versatile player on the board that is so far underused, since he hasn’t moved from his spot. Ironwood’s refusal to unify against Salem is his failure to strategically utilize the best resources that were available to him; soon, the pieces will be swallowed by the dark.

James is guilty of something that a lot of us are guilty of: doing a Bad Thing for what we have convinced ourselves is a Good Reason, when in reality, it is actually a lot of Very Bad Reasons. James Ironwood is a Knight archetype, through and through, and he is charging forward to do the right thing. He is afraid, he is lying to himself, and he will never surrender.

“All the same,” said the Scarecrow, “I shall ask for brains instead of a heart; for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he had one.”

“I shall take the heart,” returned the Tin Woodman; “for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.”

Dorothy did not say anything, for she was puzzled to know which of her two friends was right, and she decided if she could only get back to Kansas and Aunt Em, it did not matter so much whether the Woodman had no brains and the Scarecrow no heart, or each got what he wanted.

The lesson of James Ironwood is a lesson of failure, and of the way that we succumb to fear, because that is Salem’s agenda, really, in the end: fear. It’s the negative emotions, fear being first and foremost, that draw in and empower the Grimm, and it’s fear and uncertainty that causes chaos. It is when Dorothy’s friends give into their fear that they are truly defeated. FDR’s assertion that “The only thing to fear is fear itself” holds true here; it’s not so much that these characters are afraid of losing their lives, their loved ones, and of the dark, but that they do not have the love or the resources to be brave for themselves or for others.

Qrow as a character is introduced as one who is already defeated, in a sense. Half of his team is gone, dead or estranged, he’s forced into the shadows of espionage to protect a world he knows is darker than it should be, and he’s fighting a losing battle with alcoholism. As charismatic as he’s written, he’s referred to as a “dusty old crow”, a hunter of renowned skill but past the prime of his life.

Dorothy’s three titular companions are defined by what they lack; in the same vein of the Disney I Want song (a main character’s main monologue song in which their wants and desires that motivate them throughout the rest of the film is laid out in song; ie Part of Your World, Reflections, How Far I’ll Go), the Lion, Tin Man, and the Scarecrow want bravery, a heart, and a brain respectively. RWBY relies on flipping the script of its characters based on what the audience might expect from the source material; Ruby is not just a helpless little girl - her introduction is a badass with a scythe. The Scarecrow is a chronic alchoholic. Cinderella is a victim of abuse, and is also a villain who wants to set the world aflame. Subversion, subversion, subversion.

There are obviously parallels between the characters in RWBY and in their own fairytales to keep them in character, and part of the fun is spotting those clues and occasionally connecting the dots to anticipate the direction of the narrative and certain connections between characters and the significance of their arcs. While I’m not aware of Dorothy Gale’s RWBY counterpart, if she has already been established or is yet to be introduced, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume that Ruby has adopted a Dorothy-eque persona and can act as a surrogate in a way. She begins as a sweet, naive child eager to join a world of color and excitement, who initially believes that she has “normal knees” and is thrust into a political scheme full of powerful and older players. She even has a small dog as a companion, Toto Zwei, who seems like an odd addition, since he’s usually sidelined and basically forgotten about except in a few spare moments, unless he’s there to draw further comparisons to Dorothy. She may not be from Kansas, but she is first helped by Glynda (the Good Witch), and later expects assistance from Ozpin, Qrow, and the later Ozian counterparts. I find it a peculiar detail that for Ruby to be Little Red Riding Hood alone, she is surrounded specifically by Dorothy’s companions. This, of course, only increases the importance of the relevance of the Oz series in particular and the characters that are borrowed.

In the case of Ozpin’s inner circle, Dorothy’s closest comrades (sans Toto) differ in crucial ways to their source material. (After finishing this essay, I found a much better, condensed explanation by @neopoliitan )

Disillusioned by the Ozpin, the Wizard (who has been projecting an illusion of a failsafe) and overwhelmed by the rise of the Wicked Witch of the West, Lionhart (the Lion), gives into his cowardice and ultimately forgoes the arc and redemption of his character from the source material; as such, he is by all definitions, a failure and a premonition, as Ironwood eventually follows. If RWBY is a dark take on classic fairytales, then it is only fitting that these characters are charred husks of their fairytale selves - these are people, and some people are selfish, scared, and cowardly, and they do not overcome these traits.

This is all opinion based, pure speculation. I have no idea what will happen in the next episode, and whatever goes down will be...shit will hit the fan. I’m under no delusions that Ironqrow is going to be canon in a healthy, tender, endgame sense. They’re both kind of losing their minds, and Ironwood is shitting absolute bricks. No, they’re going to try to kill each other, and I personally cannot wait for Qrow to cleave this man in two. (Not sexually, just, literally. Like, with a scythe.)

On that note, I think that the RWBY writers are good at callbacks, at drawing attention to their own connections, and if Ironwood and Qrow’s inevitable confrontation is scheduled, then it will include visual callbacks to Qrow saving James at Beacon, maybe shot for shot. Their visuals have only gotten better as time goes on, and I imagine Ironwood’s eyes widening as Qrow leaps through the air, scythe drawn, in recal of a moment so long ago when they weren’t on the same page, but they were at least on the same side. When Qrow brings the blade down, there will be no enemy behind him. Only Jimmy James. The difference between the two of them will be that Qrow isn’t fighting out of fear, but out of love, for what happened to Clover, and to what could happen to his girls.

Qrow’s reliance on alcohol, as well as his (mostly) feigned nonchalance is meant to fit with the motif that the Scarecrow has no brain, and, had he a mind to desire anything, would desire it most of all. His role is, also, notably, gathering intelligence for Ozpin (his character is also based on Munnin from Norse mythology). There is so much about Qrow that is an act and so much that is not, and I think that this act is born both from this motif and from his own cynicism, and the alcohol contributes to this act. However, he eventually gets sober after Ruby expresses legitimate frustration, and he understands that he’s putting their lives at risk. While one could say that he gave up drinking for the kids, I would argue that the kids - Ruby in particular - made him want to give up drinking for himself, to better himself.

While Lionhart and Ironwood betray the people depending on them, Qrow’s love for his nieces (and for the kids) allows him to deviate from this pattern. The answer to fear is perhaps not merely bravery - Qrow’s triumph is love.

Ironwood knows triumph in the context of a military state, but he’s backed himself into a corner. Soon he will find himself alone and friendless. Hopefully, his last stand will not be in vain.

#ironqrow #james ironwood #qrow branwen #rwby #rwby8 spoilers #rwby volume 8 #rwby meta #ok this is all just based on my opinion ok #like i ship ironqrow but ironwood is a dicktator if u know what i mean #he is probably gonna die but anyway #ironqrow meta #winter schnee #snowbird #also includes links and credit to other posts and metas #I just had to get this off of my chest ok

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vaguely-concerned · 3 years

Text

The Mandalorian Chapter 13 rewatch thoughts; the reduced salt edition

or at least I’m trying to be more constructive with the salt in this one let’s goooo

- god I miss the armourer so much. look at how fucking cool she looks, this is the mando design I hunger for so deeply, WHY would you give me boob plates back instead haha

- I will say with the way it’s presented this place feels way too small to be called a city lol (and I think that limited scale hurts how much I’m willing to accept the magistrate as a credible opponent to go toe to toe with ahsoka freaking tano. maybe if we’d seen directly the extent of the magistrate’s power and influence and not just the burned out wasteland that power leaves behind I’d be more on board with it. canonically she’s clearly been extremely rich and influential on a galactic scale, while the aesthetic filoni takes from samurai movies in this has a lot more to do with local warlords and smaller stakes. this is not the only time the adherence to that aesthetic without adapting it for the emotional story at hand or giving it a spin for novelty hurts the episode #hot take. it’s empty homage without quite understanding why the moments you’re emulating work so well in the context of the story they serve.)

this might be because how it’s filmed makes it seem like there’s just one big main street towards the magistrate’s palace, it’s implied to be quite a bit bigger from the establishing shot as the crest comes flying in?

- LOVE the implication that din lets baby play with the silver ball pretty freely while they’re on the ship but sets the (completely sensible tbh) boundary that he can’t bring it with him somewhere outside where he might lose it for good. that seems like reasonable dad-ing, din, well done.

anyway my heart is hurting because that silver ball is like a comfort item for the kid and it’s pretty clear from the very start that he has some kind of understanding of what might happen on this planet and so does NOT want to go out there, but also... that thing is narratively introduced as the baby’s way of saying ‘dad, don’t forget me, don’t go’. it’s what made din go back for him the first time, and that’s a connotation it still has both in the audience’s mind and for the characters. and I need to go cry in a corner for a while be right back

- not for nothing but in this scene of the baby being faced with din and a jedi standing side by side as if to present a choice, din literally has the sun right behind his head like some kind of fucking halo

gee I wonder what the baby’s choice is going to be fsadfjkhasdkjfhs. (he! loves! his dad! so much!!!!!!!)

- I wish they’d done more with the bored punch clock villain, hey-I’m-just-here-for-the-paycheck-man vibe of the guard captain guy and maybe given his nonchalance a bit of a darkly comedic tint, I think it would’ve made a better moment when he’s facing off with din towards the end if he had more... character. make him a bit more of a dark mirror of the soulless gun for hire people have seen din as in the past (and as the magistrate seems to now), do something interesting here. maybe even make it more of a mexican standoff with him holding a gun on an innocent or something so there’s something here for din to lose, it still does the western thing and lets you have that ramping tension you need for when you cut between the sword duel and this. hell, have him actually give up and walk away to show that he doesn’t fucking care about any of this, he did evil for money without any driving passion or conviction behind it, and let din decide if he’ll let him walk away scot free or not after what he’s been part of, that’s a neat subversion of the trope as well! as it stands it’s just so... empty

- baby says ‘mada! mada!’ again when they try to approach the vendor who appears to be serving foodstuffs! so maybe a word he has for food or maybe something like ‘lady person!’? (he says it when frog lady is gone on the ice planet and also as she’s walking into the razor crest for the first time. he did seem more interested in the eggs at that point, sooo lol)

din reacts to him speaking too, he glances down at him <3<3<3

- the baby seems to sense ‘ooof this is scary, time to hide’ on his own before they go into the magistrate’s place, din doesn’t appear to signal anything to him

- there’s a lot of deliberate silence in this episode, but the sound design that gets space away from the music somehow isn’t as immersive to me as it usually is on this show? I have no idea why, though

- ‘a jedi plagues me’ is somehow so fucking funny to me. the tl;dr for a lot of star wars villains through the ages

it also still cracks me up that din is immediately like ‘ma’am you can’t afford me’ fsdhfaskf

- I’m so happy din talks to and reassures the baby when he puts him down in these situations now, I remember being SO SAD when he didn’t back in chapter 7. he’s learning all the time!

- I think we should all be very happy this fight is cut off almost as soon as it begins, because I’m pretty sure ahsoka could kick din’s ass real bad and that would be terrible because I love him (listen din definitely has his moments, but up against a force user for the first time and said force user being one of the most powerful and battle-experienced jedi alive? probably not huh, if he survives that it’s on pure fatherly love and desperation and nothing else)

- this seems to be the baby asking ahsoka to carry him back to be with din (mando certainly seems to be what they’re ‘talking’ about right before) and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen

din’s fingers are also doing the nervous curl-uncurl thing as she puts the baby down, and it remains the sweetest goddamn character tic, he’s adorable

in the long pause after he tells her “he needs your help” he’s sitting SO TENSELY, it’s only when she at least promises to test the kid that he relaxes a bit

baby (well, grogu, but he’s also baby) recognizes yoda’s name and seems to almost ask ahsoka ‘yoda is here???’, and her blink in response is like ‘no, I’m sorry’

- I still deeply dislike how it’s actually done in the episode, it’s so clunky and it annoys me on a craft level, but I do like the overarching thematic narrative of both mando and the baby being on this journey towards specificity and remembering themselves, of reclaiming the particular nuances of an identity that make up a self after a series of traumas have stripped it away from them. at the start of the show neither of them has a name (and din doesn’t even have a face) and they’re basically presented as broad archetypes, The Mandalorian and The Child. and now we’re slowly unearthing things that make them this specific child, grogu, this specific mandalorian, din djarin. it’s rediscovering parts of yourself you might have thought lost as you heal from trauma and I do like that very much, it’s touching and the emotional throughline this show should never lose sight of

- oooooh no baby glances over at din when she asks him to push the stone back ;______________; it’s so awful because you can just tell... he understands that if he does this thing din might leave, but also people have clearly tricked him into using the Force before and given him this traumatized kneejerk association that if he uses it where people can see him Bad things might happen

oh okay so I think din just subtly misunderstands the baby’s appeal to him here, he thinks that look towards him means ‘dad help I don’t understand what’s being asked of me’. I guess he doesn’t have any way of knowing how complicated the baby’s past is with this yet, it’s a good try

- I’ve seen people take ‘he understands’ as baby understanding everything that’s said to him all the time, which is patently not true haha. he understands quite a lot, in the way toddlers actually understand quite a lot of what’s going on around them, even a bit of words spoken to them before they’re especially verbal themselves, but he clearly mixes up his colours still sooo

I also suspect he’s played this game before -- surely that must be one of the most obvious activities the jedi would do with the smallest children, playing Force catch basically? but he still doesn’t trust it, or her. (on the other hand he does trust that din would never hurt or trick him. help me I’m drowning in my own tears)

- personally and from anything else in this show I don’t think din would be this impatient with the baby after hearing, less than half a minute before, that he’s terrified

but hey I’m not the man in the cowboy hat what do I know (yes I’m bitter characterization matters okay lol)

- it’s both funny and so sweet that the same music plays during this father and son playing catch scene as when baby lifted that mudhorn fkdfha

- for my money din reacts exactly perfectly to grogu finally Force pulling the ball -- he’s excited and happy, signalling that this thing doesn’t have to be scary and dangerous and that when shared with the right people it can be a good joyous thing, he moves over to the baby so they can share in this victory and attune, and crucially he doesn’t demand more afterwards, which the baby must have gotten before from some of the assholes who’ve been experimenting on him. it’s just the celebration and satisfaction of having done the thing without demands or threats or any ulterior motives. HIM!!! DAD!!!!

tattoo this straight onto my heart... the way baby cheerfully offers it back to din... sdkjafhksdfhsakdjf

- din breaths out roughly and unevenly through his nose almost like it’s been punched out of him and starts fiddling with the silver ball (which is still his primary tell for anxiety/stress!) when ahsoka says “he’s formed a strong attachment to you” :) listen if I have to know that all of you fuckers are going down with me

- see the thing is... if you don’t know who ahsoka is in pretty deep detail, you might take her at face value here instead of understanding that she’s actually projecting her own feelings and traumas onto this. if you absolutely have to use this character for this part of the show you have to set her up better specifically so someone who’s never seen a single episode of clone wars can grasp the basics of where she is emotionally and what her motives are, so that her role in this story makes sense. as it is it’s sort of a compromise between pleasing old fans (who can do quite a bit of inferring to figure it out) and approaching audiences who don’t know anything, and it falls flat

(for the purposes of this show I aggressively do not care where thrawn is, and so I’m just annoyed when we find out what this was actually all for haha)

- still feel reluctant to discuss too much about ahsoka because of the whole... situation with dawson, but I do like that she lets one of the guards leave after disarming him because he’s cowering and giving up, and that she still has her padawan braid wound into her belt. also I think the effects on her and her outfit are completely fine, my problems with her this episode are all writing craft and real life stuff

- when you get first the jet pack sound, then din coming down kicking that dude in the face, then the mando flute kicking in as he lands properly... the only time the action in this episode made me go ‘fuck YEEEAAAAH’ it’s awesome

- again, just like with the idea of having a samurai/ronin movie standoff and a western standoff at the same time: having the scene be mostly silent except for the almost musical sounds of the light sabers hitting the beskar spear is such a cool concept, and it does not work in action. I don’t know enough about filmmaking to tell you why it doesn’t, but it doesn’t.

there’s also something about... the ahsoka vs. morgan scene apes the deliberately staged, ritualized, exaggerated almost like how you’d perform it in live theatre aspect of the duels in the genre, but in an empty way? why are they acting like this, what’s their relationship to each other, what’s their individual code of honour that makes them let the other person slowly theatrically disrobe before going for them? just plucking the aesthetics out of a tradition and plopping them down in your own thing without thinking about the whys or original context of it leaves it without meaning

(also let morgan express something of her own character other than I Am Evil rather than having ahsoka drop the entire exposition on her. maybe you could have her snarl some illuminating lines while they’re fighting so you get the feeling of the bitterness and brokenness that has fuelled her and burned the woods of this whole planet. in some ways she’s not that unlike din and ahsoka, she lost everything in the clone wars too and was motivated very differently by it than they were, play that up so the situation’s relevant to our protagonists! I’m sorry for all this nitpicking but I HAVE to figure out how this could have been done better for my own sake haha)

- ooooooh the way din says “I can’t accept” when offered the spear is in fact almost an exact echo of when the armourer offers him the signet in chapter 3! I thought it sounded familiar, it’s delivered in such a similar way. huh. din has some Feelings about earning things and when he hasn’t earned something, doesn’t he

- din also cares A LOT about not breaking his word, to the point of being willing to stoop to some quite dishonest methods to avoid giving his word in the first place, and I find it utterly delightful

- baby closing his eyes again after din wakes him like he’s thinking ‘maybe if I don’t wake up dad won’t go’ or even ‘at least this way I won’t know it happened until later, when it’s over’... pure emotional torture :) thank god din’s entire soul is clearly howling in protest and he took the slightest chance ahsoka gave him to not actually go through with it

- so this is the second time we get someone telling din he’s like grogu’s father. well, the armourer gives it more like a command/almost a religious obligation, ‘until it is of age or reunited with its kind you are as its father’, ahsoka is stating what’s obvious at this point but says ‘you are like a father to him’... maybe they’re doing a rule of threes thing and the last time it’s ‘you are his father’ and it sticks?

- anyway din cradling the baby so close to his chest with both arms all the time instead of the more practical way he carries him around in the crook of his arm sometimes... my suffering is deep and endless

#star wars #the mandalorian #the mandalorian spoilers #the mandalorian meta

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queenharumiura · 3 years

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B, E, L, P, H, A, G, O, R

Taken from meme: [x] ||Accepting|| ((I see what you did there and it’s beautiful. A++ ))

B - A pairing–platonic, romantic or sexual–that you initially didn’t consider, but someone changed your mind.

In regards to KHR, it’s hard to find any ship that I didn’t consider, because there was a time when I went crazy thinking of all sorts of ships (boy/boy, boy/girl, girl/girl. Don't test me). Still, there is an answer because this ship started it all. Hibari x Haru lol. At the time they were my favorite female and male character in KHR. My friend joked and said, “If you love them both so much, just ship them together.” History was made that day. Coincidentally I’ve cosplayed both. I will never show them off because they aren’t good lol. That started my descent down: This is fun, let’s ship almost anything I can find. Ships didn't necessarily have to be romantic either. I love exploring friendships and also just sibling dynamics as well. Haru adopting people? Yes please.

E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what?

I feel like I’m a troll in general, so I have added something cracky to any fandom that I’m in. Two things I can think of atop my head are ‘you reblogged a dare meme and you dare think I won’t ask Mukuro/Hibari/Alaude/Daemon to wear cat ears? HA!!!! YOU THOUGHT!!’. Another would be that I like puns, so if I see my chance to pun in a meme, I will. I always ask first before I send, however. It usually results in silliness, as you could imagine and Haru running away in fear.

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves. (Characters you’re neutral about are fair game, as are characters you merely dislike. Characters that you absolutely loathe with the fire of ten thousand suns are exempt, as there is no point in giving yourself an aneurysm over a character that you hate.)

I guess I’m neutral about Dr.Shamal so he should count? Mn...despite the way he is with women and the way he refuses to treat male patients, he’s a smart guy and talented at what he does. He was also utilized well in putting Gokudera’s character into perspective more. Additionally, he is a good example of, ‘Haru will punch you out if you cross the boundaries,’ and I appreciate him for that. His sacrifice wasn’t in vain. Never forget how he is the reason why Mukuro was able to use Sakura blossoms against Hibari in the first place. This man--- the damage he has caused.

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas).

I’m assuming this is asking for me to create an AU for Haru as she’s placed in a different fandom. If that’s correct, I am going to casually pretend that I don’t know the difference between a fandom and a genre by going: “I’ve been reading way too many isekai recently and I think it would be funny to consider Haru getting sent to an otome or something and her being a super sassy and head strong FL. Watch her instantly try to change her identity or run away from bad male leads with all her might. I would live for this, thank you. Haru is also smart and adapts well, so she’d be able to adapt to whatever world setting she’s put in and she doesn’t hate studying, so she’d be able to pick up on the intricacies of her new world. Mainly, I just want a FL who will actually smack the life out of a ML if he’s being a POS. I NEED THIS. It’s emotional healing.

H - What is your favorite source text for fandom stuff (e.g., TV shows, movies, books, anime, Western animation, etc.)?

I really like sourcing things in novels or manga/manhwa/manhua a lot. Animated sources are good too, but it’s much quicker for me to go through something that’s written, so I tend to prefer those now days. Anything that’s easier for me to binge is A+.

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

I’m answering strictly based off this blog in it’s current state, else you’ll be here forever. If I talk about ships in KHR in general, you’ll actually be here forever. No @ tags bc I’m feeling shy today. I personally love the dynamic between Gokudera and Haru (platonic or romantic). I’ve historically liked BelHaru, and it looks like it may become a thing in RPC as well. Haru is warily staring from a comfortable distance atm. Haru has a friendly relationship with a Byakuran at the moment. They’re baking a cake! She is generally very friendly with any Tsuna I encounter.

Ravein/Pino… yeah, I self-thread sometimes. Haru has a sibling kinda dynamic with Ravein which is really just a friendship dynamic. It’s the same with Pino. Mizumachi and Haru are both energetic, hyper buddies. Hibari—I aim for just a casual lowkey friendship kinda dynamic. Shame in self-threading? Never heard of her.

The best way to describe her relationship with Zelman in a ‘Black Blood Brothers’ au is ‘hey I just moved into the territory you lord. Hello!’ I think this would go down a friendship route and I’m so for it. Kajika from ‘Hanasakeru Seishonen’ has a friendship with Haru and they just get along swimmingly well. I think the mun for Rentaro ‘Black Bullet’ returned, so I think he can count. Haru has a friendship with him and they’re cooking buddies! They joined a cooking association together!

Haru also has friendships with Emi (KHR oc), and Luca (KHR oc), both of which are in the Varia!au setting that I have for Haru. Emi in particular, Haru has decided to adopt her as a little sis and will pummel anyone who bullies her. Luca--- sometimes in conjunction with Ravein (my OC) drive Haru insane. It’s a trio of dumb, dumbest, and ‘hey I’m the dumbest!’.

The ‘ships’ that I have with Haru are usually always friendship and ‘hey I’m arbitrarily adopting you’ and I love it.

G - Have you ever had an OTP? If so, do you remember your first one? Who was in it?

Eh--- in RPC, my very first one... I believe, was GokuHaru. I currently have a GokuHaru (A different blog) in an AU for a TYL setting. I think I got very close to HibaHaru before, which is, a guilty pleasure ship of mine. Haru is treading into BelHaru territory right now in RPC and that is also, a guilty pleasure ship of mine. In the distant past there was also a TsuHaru (I know, I know, shocking) which was a reincarnated lovers Yakuza AU. That was a fun one. Also in the distant past, there was an AU for a MukuHaru as well. Le kek. I am a multi-ship blog and all ships have existed in different worlds/universes, therefore they all quality as an OTP in their own specific verse. I cheated, yes.

Pro-tip: I may warily stare from afar if shipping is a topic, but the moment you suggest an AU SHIP? I’m down. To further explain, these AU ships have always taken place in a very different timeline/world than what we know in KHR. So therefore I can feel all the freedom to do as I please and figure out characterizations based off what I need.

PS. in regard to KHR in general, my first OTP was GokuHaru and GokuYama. Le kek.

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?

I took my library of songs and randomized. I got: ‘Get Off My Back’ by Bryan Adams and Eliot Kennedy. So, by the vibe of the music, the first things that come to mind are either GokuHaru or BelHaru, I’m not going to lie. Now… who is saying these words, I’ll leave it to the imagination. I really like this song, but I really like the cover by Jonathan Young.

R - Which friendship/platonic relationship is your favorite in fandom?

Oh—that’s hard. Friendship dynamics are so fun! I really like Ryohei and Hibari’s dynamic together which could be depicted as friendship. The friendship between a lot of the guardians is just //chef kiss. However, the TRUE SHOW STOPPER in my heart is the friendship between the girls. I really love how all the girls build each other up and always support each other. I love it so much. Especially when the girls are there for Chrome, I CRY. When they support Yuni, I CRY. When I think about how big sis Bianchi looks after the girls and teaches them things- I CRY. I just cry. I love all the friendships in KHR, but the ones the girls share with each other wins in my book. I don’t take criticisms.

#Belacedia #Meme answered #answered ask #thanks for the ask!#Neo speaks #((Phew-- this took me a while but I did it))#((Got pretty long but I mean what else did we expect?))

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a-little-slice-of-fandom · 4 years

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what is the difference between the student run and current versions of six?

Hi anon! I’m sorry this took so long. A-levels happened!

So firstly I don’t think it’s as easy as saying “what’s the difference between the student run and the current version of six” because not only was there a run between the student cast and the current productions in the form of the studio cast, but even current productions have had their scripts tweaked and reworked over the course of the past year. The original six tour has a different script to the current west end run, even though the west end run is a direct continuation of the tour. Furthermore, there’s also the issues of external and internal factors which have influenced the show and prompted the changes between scripts, such as reviews from critics/general audiences, bigger budgets and production values, current affairs etc which have shaped the show as a whole. However, the changes between these runs truly fascinate me and I love seeing how Six continues to evolve and grow as a show, as well as seeing how the queens characters have been developed and refined by Toby and Lucy. I’m not a massive theatre fan, I prefer literature, so to see a show that evolves with every passing day rather than remaining as one static entity is really a treat. It’s almost like we’re seeing lots of different drafts, and that’s something I love. And I’ll try my best to summarize it all!

Plot:

The overall plot of Six remained the same over all productions of the show. At the end of the day, the student run still was about the Six wives of Henry VIII coming together and forming a girl group, while arguing over who should be the lead singer before finally coming together as one group.

Run time:

The first biggest difference between the student run of Six and the current runs of Six is its vastly shorter run time. All professional versions of the show have clocked in around 75 minutes, give or take. However, the student run of Six is only 60 minutes long that results in a generally more streamlined version of the show. While this may not sound like a massive difference, it does mean that this version is essentially 25% shorter than usual and does have massive ripple effects for the show. The first reaction most people have to listening to the student run is simply realising how streamlined it truly is, with there being very little dialogue between songs and what little dialogue there is sometimes being radically different. I mean the dialogue between Haus of Holbein often diverges into odd territories...which is saying something for Haus of Holbein.

Different songs:

In addition, every song in the student run is somewhat different to its current counterpart. Some changes are relatively small, such as the occasional changed lyric in Ex-Wives, Don’t Lose Ur Head or Six, or a slightly different tempo to Haus Of Holbein or Howard singing an extra chorus of AWYD. However...three songs (No Way, Heart of Stone and I Don’t Need Your Love) are widely different from their current counterparts, with all three having different lyrics and different tones, and No Way having similar yet still distinctly different musical elements to it.

I could sit here all day trying to analyse why exactly these songs were altered, especially as I have an intense love for these more indie, earnest feeling versions of the tunes we all know and love. However, it is important to acknowledge that some of these older songs simply didn’t fit with the tone (or, dare I say, vibe) of newer versions of Six. They worked for the student run, but that does not mean it would have translated well to other productions.

As for the megasix...it does not exist in this version of Six. The megasix will not make its debut until the studio production of Six, and even at that it is a very different version of the song.

The Queens as Characters:

A definite by-product of the shorter run time and some different songs in the student run has to be the characterisation of the queens in general. Each version of these queens feel so different to the current productions of Six in their own unique way and it’s something I wish I had more time to analyse. Generally, since this was the first production, the student queens don’t always conform to the usual expectations we have of the queens from Six. My favorite example is always Student!Boleyn, who is still quite energetic but also has this openly well-spoken nature to her (or maybe its just her accent..I’m a 17 year old not a theater critic do not take this post for anything more than what it is). In fact, I would easily argue that the youngest performers of these queens had the most mature versions of their respective queens. Yes, they bicker, but queens like Seymour and Boleyn aren’t played for laughs and don’t become the butt of every joke like they sometimes do in newer versions. In addition, the less produced nature of the songs/musical arrangements makes some queens feel so genuine and earnest, like Student!Seymour not being able to cope with the loss of her son or student!Howard just being so empty and broken throughout the show. These characterizations manage to feel so real and be so impactful, even though this is a literal student production being run by 18-20 year olds.

Now, I’m not saying that newer versions of the queens aren’t earnest or genuine or leave an impact because that is absolutely not true (the American versions of AYWD can literally break me). They just do this in a very different way...which makes sense considering that these are vastly different productions.

However...the shorter run time does have a negative impact for some of the Queens, as it does feel like Aragon, Boleyn and Seymour get such a large portion of the show dedicated to them, leaving Cleves, Howard and ESPECIALLY Parr by the wayside. This is more of a structural issue with Six that is still in effect to this day, however, I feel like it is most noticeable in this production. I won’t go fully in to it here (I’d rather have a dedicated post to the student queen characterisations) but needless to say Parr teeters on the edge of being a Mary Sue in this production, saved only by her amazing IDNYL and the talent of Shimali de Silva.

Musical arrangements:

While The Ladies in Waiting have sort of become characters in their own right within this fandom,people seem to forget that they didn’t make their debut until the U.K Tour in 2018 and were not named Maggie, Bessie, Joan and Maria until the West End run in 2019. Before this, the student and studio runs both had larger ensembles to back the queens up instead of being limited to guitar, bass, keys and drums. The student run’s arrangements are great (especially No Way and DLUH), but my favourite arrangements out of all versions of Six has to be the studio run, if only because I love that so many songs included jazz elements, especially No Way, Get Down and AYWD and how diverse everything sounded. While it’s great that the newer versions of Six feel more uniformly pop oriented rather than having lots of different elements like the studio and student runs, I do sort of miss the variety that the earlier versions of Six had to an extent.

In addition, because the student run of six was generally not as pop-oriented as the newer versions, it did mean that certain elements to songs are missing and the whole thing does feel less produced than newer versions (probably due to the budget and time constraints). This is not a slight to either version of the show however: the newer versions really drive home that the Queens are a pop-band with all the produced arrangements to match, which suits the direction that the show was intending to go, while the older versions of Six with their less produced arrangements suited the more indie, literal student oriented version of the show.

Costumes:

Let’s be real here, the student cast costumes were not winning any awards for their costumes. They were odd, mismatched, clashed with one another and overall just didn’t even reflect the queens very well. While Boleyn and her little green dress was a nice outfit, and I seriously love the connotations of Parr being in white (although her in blue also works well connotations wise) Gabriella Slade was a serious god send to the show.

Increased diversity:

Another thing that Six was not winning any awards for in its earlier days was its diversity. While the student run does boast the only NB queen so far in the form of their majesty, Tilda!Cleves, five out of six of the queens were white, with only Parr being played by a WOC (Shimali de Silva).

On a serious note, I’m glad that the diversity of the show improved from this run, and while the tour and Aussie cast are disappointing in this regard as they aren’t as diverse as we would all like, I seriously hope that this show continues to include all women from every background. This show should empower all women and NB folk, not just heterosexual, cisgender white women.

#six #six the musical #sixthemusical #six student run #anon #ask #anon ask #anonymous ask #ask answered #discussion #six analysis #analysis #enya discusses: six #six: student cast

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aquariusrunes · 4 years

Text

More of this Trio I love

Alix pretty much forces Damian into the Art Club, once she knows he’s into drawing. Which is when he starts to get to know Nathaniel better. I have my own head canons of Nathaniel, I like to think he’s got a very dry sense of humor and is kind of sassy, whispering curt comments under his breath. I think him and Damian would get along great. They sit in the back of a room sometimes, just drawing and making random comments about what’s going on. Everyone knows Nathaniel as the sweet shy talented artist. But when he and Damian are whispering back and forth he is tearing people apart and Damian is thriving off of his cynicism.

Nathaniel is the first person to find out about Damian’s boyfriend. Because I imagine Nat loves to gush about his. He’s always quick to show off his Marc’s writing talent, and Damian appreciates fine literature so he agrees to look at some of the boy’s stories, maybe even edits a few of them. Damian enjoys Marc’s writing style, and even gets into their comic a little. Coming from Gotham he has some of the best first hand experience with truly psychotic villains, so he gives great tips on the characterization of akumas, and personality traits for Hawkmoth.

Nathaniel found out about Colin because Damian just let it slip. Nat was running some ideas by Damian about his and Marc’s anniversary. And He just replied, only half paying attention “ well for Colin and I’s anniversary-” Of course Nat didn’t go around blabbing it to everyone, he knew how to keep a secret. But did make him increasingly more disgusted by Lila’s unwelcome advances towards Damian. Because he was in a relationship and wasn’t even interested in girls. Nat had a feeling though, even if Damian told her that Lila still wouldn’t stop.

Rose adores Damian. It’s kind of weird how much she loves him. It’s like she just attached herself to him and he just accepted it. She often refers to Damian as one of her very best friends, she’ll hold his hand and hang on his arm. He’s drawn her a few pictures, gotten her some fancy perfume. She’s just a sweet girl and Damian enjoys her, she’s harmless is what he tells his cousin. It’s rare for someone to be mean to Rose but once Damian is her new best friend, no one would dare touch her. Damian takes it upon himself to teach her some self defense techniques. Paris is dangerous with all the akumas running about, he just wants to make sure she’s safe. Everyone always talks about the head canon of Marinette punching an akuma in the face, picture tiny sweet Rose charging at one of these monsters and just decking them.

They volunteer at animal shelters together. Damian and Rose will sit tightly, shoulder to shoulder and just swipe through cute cat photos, cooing over the cute creatures. They’ll argue about names.

“Fluffy!”

“Rose, please, look at that small kitten. He's obviously a Bartholomew.”

I imagine they get Kagami to volunteer with them as well. Damian is convinced if she had a cat in her life she’d be happier and he’s not going to stop until she owns one. Rose agrees, Kagami needs a cat and they even get Alix on the bandwagon at a certain point. Soon Marc and Nathaniel are coming with them to volunteer, but mainly just to try and talk Kagami into getting a cat. Damian actually suggests to Marinette that they do some sort of pet drive as a fundraiser. An “Adopt an Animal in need Day.”

Marinette loves it. She’s wanted a pet her whole life but because of the bakery she never could. She and Damian work their butts off to make this day happen. It’s in a park and they partner with a few local shelters. Damian works possibly ten times harder than anyone else, he’s naming animals left and right, to help people connect with them better. He’s down right shoving animals into people’s hands. And taking animals away from some other people that he just doesn't get a good vibe from.

At the end of the day half the class has new pets. Kim and Ivan now have dogs, Mylene got a cat. Kagami did get pressured into getting a cat as well, a very fat orange tabby cat. And Adrien has a brand new kitten as well. A small black puff ball that someone took a picture of him holding, it went viral almost instantly, not only getting the adoption lots of publicity but also creating a huge buzz about Adrien and his new pet. Basically Gabriel’s hands were tied by the media, so he couldn’t tell Adrien no. Plagg isn’t a huge fan of the kitten but Adrien thinks it’s just a show. He even named the kitten Cheese, hoping it would make Plagg like him more.

And that’s as far as I’ve thought so far. If anyone has a name for Kagami’s kitty give me an idea, right now I’m throwing back and forth Juice, Samurai, and Katana. If anyone wants me to break down how I think Damian and the girls’ relationship with other characters would be like in this au let me know or send me an ask. Right now I think I’m tentatively dubbing this The Triad AU.

Credit for the cool trio / AU name goes to @bee-wrecker I loved their suggestion so much!

First Post i made about this au Here

#The Triad AU #miraculous ladybug #batman #dcmultiverse #MLau #alix kubdel #Kagami Tsurugi #Damian Wayne

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hellreads · 5 years

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Hi! Can you suggest some good immersive fics that will make me feel all the feels? Even better if they're series! Thank you I love your blog!!

hi there sweetie, thank you for loving this blog, lemme love you too!💕💖✨ hmm this is tricky, to ask me of all people for immersive fic recommendations because I always immerse (to me reading something I enjoy and immersing in it makes me feel like I’m an actress playing the part so whatever genre it is watch me get into it 100%) but I’ll try and make a list of fics one per member, where I immersed myself through and through (shit this is harder than I thought, btw WII stands for why I immersed lol ~ list under the cut) 😅 | 🍒

➴ Kim Namjoon❥ Let the Villain Win by @lemonjoonah➴ Author/Yandere!AU | Author!Namjoon x Agent!Reader | One-Shot➴ Kim Namjoon, famous author and your childhood friend has been keeping a secret from you. His new book treads on such dark themes that he’s finding it difficult to write. Excited by the prospect of a sinister plot you offer him a piece of advice, “Let the villain win…”➴ WII: I love Misery by Stephen King plus its movie adaption and LTVW gave me reverse Misery vibes, I know most people wouldn’t want to put themselves or immerse into stories like this but the adrenaline rush of being in MC’s shoes? delicious, I felt like as soon as Namjoon’s plan came to fruition my body astral projected to see him in all his yandere glory.

➴ Kim Seokjin❥ In the Bleak Midwinter by @pcyheartgirlx➴ Idol/Prostitution!AU | Idol!Seokjin x CEO!Reader x Idol!Chanyeol | Series➴ We’re all whores, we just sell different parts of ourselves.You own a multi-billion dollar company, servicing the biggest names in kpop, in more ways than one. Under the name “Starlight Catering”, you, your best friends, Damon and Maya, and your hundreds of workers provide stress relief for idols.You have partially retired, not because you didn’t want to, but because Chanyeol was your muse. He was all that you had time for and all you needed. Until Jin came along.So what happens when you mix fire and ice?You get smoke and all the lines are blurred.➴ WII: tbh starting this fic I never really knew what I was getting into, all I saw was Kim Seokjin and I was sold, I was never a Park Chanyeol stan before reading this but I ended up being one, there’s a lot going on in this series but to immerse and be in a love triangle between the two men and feel the push and pull plus intense passionate emotions they’re willing to shower you with will tear you apart, but don’t worry there are two doors at the end of the story you get to choose between Jin or Chanyeol.

➴ Min Yoongi❥ Dead Leaves by wrienne➴ Detective/Infidelity!AU | Detective Inspector!Yoongi x Homicide Detective!Reader x Teacher!Jimin | Series➴ In which you (reader) are a homicide detective about to face the biggest hurdle both of your career and life.Married to probably the kindest but most boring man you’ve ever met and living in a town where nothing ever seems to happen means life for you is dull. Dull enough to drive you crazy with boredom and dissatisfaction. However, life changes abruptly when your old boss retires and a new man takes his place - a man you used to love (and sleep very regularly with) more than a decade ago. Especially when your husband comes home smelling of perfume, you’re unable to resist your more carnal urges and dead women start showing up across the city with unnerving frequency.➴ WII: I have always had a thing for working in forensics, profiling people, investigating crime scenes, and basically any investigator/detective/analyst work and this story right here helped me get that feel because there are actual cases they work on here with vivid descriptions to help that wild imagination of yours *wink* + the whole infidelity affair is a mystery you’ll have to use your deduction skills.

➴ Jung Hoseok❥ Bad Guy by @sweetbunnykook➴ Mob/Infidelity!AU | Mob Boss!Jin x Wife!Reader x Mob!Yoongi x Mob!Hoseok | Series➴ After a brutal attack in Hong Kong, your marriage with Kim Seokjin cracks as secrets begin to surface and a series of betrayals find their way into the veins of the Hidden Tigers. Although Jin’s devotion endures, in his own definition, the reality of being a mob wife may be too much for you to bear.➴ WII: this will put you in a rollercoaster ride of emotions there are actually three members here that will make things quite hard for you, but I have to say BG Hoseok is definitely one of my favorite characterizations of him, though there will be a push and pull of emotions once you get further into the story.. also, you’ll have to go through so much because immersing in this one will hurt a lot to the point where your heart is almost numbed.

➴ Park Jimin❥ Neighbors by @jkeuphoriadreamland➴ Neighbor/Stalker!AU | Stalker!Jimin x Neighbor!Reader | Series➴ Finally achieving your successes in life you never expected the distraction that came with your new hot neighbor. He, however, had been trying to get your attention for a much different reason.➴ WII: hey it’s ya girl danger lover (my tag line lol), seriously immersing in this one will kinda make you wonder about MC and her choices as if Jimin cast a spell on her, there is this psychological manipulation he uses on her and it will drive you to madness because you will still bend to him and find him irresistible + the kinks here = wildt.

➴ Kim Taehyung❥ Clandestine by @ditzymax➴ Assassin!AU | Assassin!Taehyung x Assassin!Kinsoo x BF!Jungkook | Series➴ As a professional assassin, Kim Kinsoo has many shrouded secrets in her life. Some of them she shares openly with her loving boyfriend, but there are other things he must never know➴ WII: now I know you’re probably wondering if it’s possible to immerse in fics with named OC? as I said I’m an actress who plays the part when reading and to immerse into the enigma that is Kinsoo is a wonderful experience, this belongs to the list of the intense fics I immersed into and if you’re the type to go all out when immersing no matter what genre or theme (taboo) the story contains you’ll enjoy the intensity of this one because you get everyone’s POV as you go through making you understand each character better and there is actual assassin work here if you enjoy the stealth way, you’ll appreciate Taehyung and Kinsoo’s work and the people that work for them.

➴ Jeon Jungkook (I’ll list five why not? I have read way too many JJK fics lol)❥ Right of Way by fringesofsanity➴ Infidelity!AU | Cheater!Jungkook x Cheater/GF!Reader x BF!Jimin | Series➴ In theory, things were simple: your best friend was Jungkook’s girlfriend while your boyfriend, Jimin, was Jungkook’s best friend. In reality, things weren’t always that simple. And mutually exclusive.➴ WII: if there’s one story I will never shut up about? it’s this one, I always recommend this to friends, this is the perfect depiction of having a taste of your own medicine in fic form, immersing in this one will make you fall for Jungkook and hope for your own ending, but this won’t sugarcoat anything for you and that’s what I love about this story, but tbh I still think of my own ending every single night. sighhhhh.

❥ When You Least Expect It by @johobi➴ F2L!AU | BFF!Taehyung x BFF/GF!Reader x BF!Jungkook | Series➴ You’re in love with your childhood friend, Taehyung. The problem is, you treasure your friendship with him far too much to ever risk losing it. Oh, and he’s quite the Casanova. At your wits’ end with feelings you can no longer hide as diligently as you once did, you ask him to set you up with someone, anyone, in a last ditch attempt to avoid a heartbreaking conversation.➴ WII: okay, me putting this under the list for Jungkook must expose which side I’m on but that’s not the reason why this is under his name, it’s here because I love his WYLEI characterization so much and if you’ve been reading this series too, you’re probably head over heels in love with the boy too? and immersing in this, feeling all the ways he changed MC’s life and the way he loves her? stop it i’m crying right now. T_T

❥ Only You by @sweetbunnykook➴ Stalker/Lovers!AU | Stalker/BF!Jungkook x Noona/GF!Reader x Ex-Fiance!Namjoon x BFF!Seokjin | Series➴ Jeon Jungkook, your wedding photographer, helps you escape on your big day upon learning about a secret your groom-to-be kept hidden. You soon fall for this young, passionate photographer. However, you underestimated just how much he was willing to reciprocate that love. Maybe, you think, he’s loving you just a little too much.➴ WII: ahhhh to be Jungkook’s Noona, I love immersing in this because there’s so much intense passion here, and if you allow yourself to fall into the role you will understand the statement that Love is Blind that people will overlook anything their lover is involved in because so what if they did this or that? they only have hearts in their eyes, the manipulation here might get to you irl, like wow, seriously this was so brilliantly written, how can you not love Jungkook and give him everything right?

❥ DNA by @btssavedmylifeblr➴ Dystopian/Breeding!AU | Stud!Jungkook x Cow!Reader | Series➴ Jungkook’s career is in jeopardy when he begins falling for a woman he’s supposed to impregnate.➴ WII: the futuristic feels? amazing description and details? unique universe? if you’re up for those things this is one amazing read you should be immersing yourself into, I’m so in love with the way this was written, Bee and her galaxy mind will challenge you into painting all of her words in your head and you’ll have an advanced futuristic universe where babies are manufactured and modified to your liking but if you mix feelings into the process and what do you get? ugh, this is just brilliant!

❥ The Fitting by @noona-la-la-la➴ Idol!AU | Idol!Jungkook x Stylist/Noona!Reader | Series➴ The younger Jungkook has a workplace crush on you, but you let the flattery get to you and make a proposition you can’t take back.➴ WII: who can ever say no to idol!jungkook? prepare to immerse into this tension-filled romance with Jungkook, laced with complications of keeping a secret “relationship“, so this is what happens when fire meets ice at work, and this being an idol!au will give you a glimpse of how they probably keep their affairs hidden from everyone and it can be stressful, full of jealousy, and fights.

➴ OT7 ❥ Void by @btssavedmylifeblr➴ Space!AU | Space Crew!OT7 x Space Crew!Reader | Series➴ You are the only female crew member on a 12-year space mission with seven handsome men. The sexual tension is real, y’all.➴ WII: BEST.OT7.FIC.EVER. so why not immerse yourself and be the only girl in their universe right? this has so much sexual tension since they only have you sis, but it’s fun to get all the attention tho there will be stressful and trying times, the boys will compensate *wink*wink*

❥ A Hundred Percent Human by wrienne➴ Hybrid/Host-Club!AU | Hybrid!OT7 x Human/Owner!Reader | Series➴ In which you (reader) are forced to take care of seven hybrids in a twist of fate.After your estranged mother passes away, you’re left with an unwanted will and the heavy burden of responsibility. Although you’re desperate not to stray from the familiar path you thought was laid out in front of you with a fully human boyfriend who loves you more than anything, your life is thrown upside down once more after another unfortunate incident (that may or may not have to do with said boyfriend) occurs.Drunk and down on life, you finally decide to deal with the house and the unsavory business your mother left behind. However, to your shock, you find that seven very different hybrids are included with both the house - and the business. Seven hybrids you never even met before - even less agreed to take care of.Set in the not too distant future where infertility has become mankind’s greatest issue. Will contain sexual content.➴ WII: what’s an ot7 fic without tension? majority of the boys are dog hybrids with certain classes and MC has no fucking clue how to deal with hybrids let alone seven of them with two of them being special classes/cases, this will be a little slow-paced as the story starts more on their background/history as hybrids and they’re still getting comfy with one another, which I think is a great way to pull readers in and grow attached to the hybrids.

❥ Moth to Flame by @bang-to-the-tan➴ Vampire!AU | Vampire!OT7 x Human!Reader | Series➴ Robbed of your memories and intended as a birthday present for a deadly creature of the night, you unwittingly become the center of a territorial dispute between two covens of vampires. Tensions are rising and the brothers are getting hungry.➴ WII: how can we pass up on vampire!ot7? this is a brilliant story that will have the same haze effect on you as the reader, I immersed hardcore on this one and I’m like who am I? it’s weird when you get affected and get all the phantom feels from reading alone you know? and this will affect you so much I swear to god it’s you literally transported and astral projected into this universe and it’s so pleasing but also frightening to be in the middle of two covens.

❥ Physcom by @teawithkpop➴ Dystopian/Sex Worker!AU | Idol!OT7 x Physical Companion!Reader | Series➴ AU where live-in Physical Companions are provided to k-pop groups so the members can relieve their sexual related stress and tension - around their busy schedules, of course. You are one such “PhysCom”. However, complications arise when the BTS members start harboring romantic feelings for you. Feelings you’re not sure you can reject with any believable amount of conviction. Such a scandal could result in getting both you and them fired and exposed, ruining any future career options for all parties involved… it turns out the “com” in PhysCom might as well stand for complications.➴ WII: this has an interesting take on being Bangtan’s “companion” and to immerse into this one and watching everyone catch feelings and defy the rules for a chance at romance will overwhelm you, you a mere “companion” now the object of their affection and they’re willing to do anything and everything for you even if it means risking it all.

p.s. I suggest you go through my FICSHELF to view all of the stories I ever read so you get to choose the exact story you want to read, the shelf contains story links (Tumblr and ao3 if any) with summary, warnings, and more info about the fic (character role, genre, au, word count).

#answered #tete-a-tete #anon #recs from hell #rfh:ot7 #rfh:knj #rfh:ksj #rfh:myg #rfh:jhs #rfh:pjm #rfh:kth #rfh:jjk #this was hard because if i could add everything i read here i would #but that's why i have a ficshelf lol :3 #anyway the jungkook list i ~ hear me out i had to add at least five because i have a page filled with JJK fics also 3/5 have other members #I hope you'll find this list helpful love!

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staliasjeronica · 4 years

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Similarities Between Jeronica and Carmuel (Elité)

While one ship is canon and the other isn’t, Jughead and Veronica and Samuel and Carla have so much in common. Here’s highlighting why!

Jeronica and Carmuel both involve a boy who is classified as poor, or lesser than, and a beautiful rich girl.

The boys use the girl to get to the bottom of the mystery, and the girls use the boy back to make sure he doesn't find out anything. Basically, an interesting version of cat and mouse?

However, despite that, both ships end up falling for one another while at the same time continuing on with their mission because they’re stubborn and feel obligated to stay loyal and on the path for why they started in the first place.

It’s mostly a guess for Jeronica since they are not canon, but if they were canon, the similar path Samuel and Carla went is more than likely the path Jughead and Veronica would go based on their characters and their dynamic in Riverdale.

Girl is a dominant bad bitch and boy loves it.

Mostly fanon for Jeronica but, again, this is mostly guessing based on how their characters are and how their dynamic goes.

According to Carla’s wiki page these facts can show just how much Carla and Veronica are basically the same person.

Carla and Veronica are similar in that they use their intelligence and beauty to their advantage. Because their fathers raised them to be successful and confident and I-get-what-I-want, both girls can be very manipulative and use sex as a way to get what they want. Basically, they let others believe that they’re begging on their knees and that the other person has all the control, when it is actually the opposite.

Both Carla and Veronica are seen as cold-hearted, prideful, and selfish characters who are willing to do anything to put the odds in their favor. However, both of them are very loyal to the people they love and care about (Carla to Polo, her father, and her friends, Veronica to her friends and somewhat her father—which is mostly bad writing since they won’t let her branch off— and her mother)

With these qualities, neither character are as cold as the front they put up. Both girls share a more vulnerable and soft side of their personalities, appreciating non-luxurious places (Veronica’s is fanon for how the fans write Veronica as liking personal interactions because that’s how her character can be read) such as Samuel's home, his food, and even having fun as an ordinary girl without money, sex, and mind games involved. This softer side emerges only when Carla is with Samuel. That is much how Jeronica’s see what would happen if Jughead and Veronica were actually given a chance. Both of their (Jeronica’s) softer sides would emerge when they’re with each other, like how Jughead is allowed to show his softer side with Betty (and not around the Serpents) and Veronica with Archie (not around her father or friends).

Sadly there is no personality snippet for Samuel on the wiki and Jughead’s doesn’t really highlight it all, however…

Both boys are soft and caring and loyal (in s1, when bad shit didn’t hit the fan). until they are pushed to a space where they aren’t (Marina is murdered, Jughead joins the Serpents). They are ruthless and will do anything to uncover the truth. Marina’s death pushed Samuel to harden, and his usually humorous and normal teenager side was pushed to the side as he adopted this darker version of himself. Which is a lot like when Jughead joins the Serpents, and made him want “to be better than they were and to stay true to himself” which forced him into tough situations where he had to cast aside his more innocent season one self.

Samuel and Jughead started out as “low class” funny, loner (Samuel when he went to the private school) boys who are able to skirt by on the sidelines just being themselves. However, later on as things come to a head, they are both impulsive yet oddly able to wait and strike… it’s a very weird thing but I noticed that they act that way.

Since the boys didn’t have much of a personality description I decided to go through all of the personality types and choose who would be what.

Ironically and not surprisingly, Veronica and Carla (would most likely be) a Commander, ENTJ.

Jughead is an Architect, INTJ, and Samuel would most likely be an Adventurer, ISFP. However while going through each personality type Samuel did fit some of Jughead’s strengths and weaknesses, but Adventurer fit him a bit more. Since the girl’s share their personality profile I will go over their’s first. I won’t give a fully detailed one because this isn’t a personality profile post, but I will give the highlights and such.

Commanders are natural-born leaders, they embody the gifts of charisma and confidence, and project authority in a way that draws crowds together behind a common goal. However, they are also characterized by a ruthless level of rationality, using their drive, determination, and sharp minds to achieve whatever end they’ve set for themselves. Commanders love a good challenge, big or small, and they firmly believe that given enough time and resources, they can achieve any goal. Commanders are dominant, relentless, and unforgiving. If there’s anyone Commanders respect, it’s someone who is able to stand up to them intellectually, who is able to act with a precision and quality equal to their own. That is why Carla and Veronica vibe so well with Samuel and Jughead—those boys are able to keep up with them and bring on a challenge that they need and actually yearn for.

Commander strengths are efficient, energetic, self-confident (they trust their abilities, make known their opinions, and believe in their capacities as leaders), strong-willed, strategic thinkers (they are known for examining every angle of a problem and not just resolving momentary issues), and charismatic and inspiring.

However, their weaknesses are stubborn and dominant, intolerant (“It’s my way or the highway”), impatient, arrogant, poor handling of emotions (commanders often trample others’ feelings, inadvertently hurting their partners and friends, especially in emotionally charged situations), and cold and ruthless.

Looking between the two characters, it makes sense that they are the same type because they act in almost the exact way, and were brought up by their controlling, rich fathers were want to stay on top and will do anything to stay on top. Now, to see how their type deals with romance.

Commanders approach dating and relationships with a set of goals and a plan to achieve them, and proceed to do so with impressive energy and enthusiasm. Romantic relationships are a serious business, and Commanders are in it for the long haul (of course, this is about people irl and these are TV show characters so it won’t always be completely right. Still, the rich lonely girl who’s only had people use her for something would totally want something permanent and long-standing).

Sensing others’ feelings and emotions will never be a comfortable skill for Commanders, but it is critical that they work consciously to develop it, both for their partners’ sake and for their own healthy emotional expression. If they don’t, they risk dominating and overruling their partners, and this insensitivity can easily break a relationship, especially early on.

Their authentic confidence makes Commanders’ sex life dynamic to say the least, and they often push to explore new ways to express their affection with imaginative enthusiasm (both couples are sensual and hot, so this makes sense that their relationships would show that explicitly).

Commanders in particular would do well to remember that their approach is just one angle of a multi-faceted spectrum of alternatives. While Commanders may view criticism as the most efficient route, they should bear in mind that their partners may be more interested in emotional support and growth, an area of self-improvement that Commanders themselves too often avoid. This is where the softness and the trust would come in, where they open themselves up to the other only with each other.

Now, to compare Jughead and Samuel’s personality profiles. Jughead and Samuel may be different in that Jughead reads a lot of books and is more of a shy bookworm and Samuel seems more of like the introverted yet extroverted if needed kind of boy, but at the same time a show that doesn’t really let us in to see how Samuel truly acts is kind of hard to pin him down to a more spot-on personality type and have it be correct. In retrospect, their personality profiles are different but in their underlying personalities on screen, they are very much alike in how they act, think,

Both Architects and Adventurers are able to be both the “most positive dreamers and the bitterest pessimists at the same time” (Architect), and “...definitely Introverts, surprising their friends further when they step out of the spotlight to be by themselves to recharge,” (Adventurer) they both think about anything and everything, but also can shut themselves off from others to recharge (obviously that’s not exact from the words but that’s what you can take from what the descriptions say). Their strengths and weaknesses don’t exactly match up (unless you dig really deeply into how an architect’s quick, imaginative, and strategic mind can connect to an adventurer’s passion, and etc.) and neither do their profiles, but from how they are perceived on their respective shows, they clearly have underlying comparisons.

It would take like five hours to find every single little thing and compare it, so simply go to their personality profiles and you can see for yourself how they can match up. It’s hard to do so because they’re on different shows and obviously not everything is exactly the same (nor are they placed in the same plots) but overall it’s clear to say that the couples are compatible with one another AND the people inside the ships.

#Riverdale #Elité #Jeronica #Carmuel #Jeronica Nation #Veronica Lodge #Jughead Jones #Samuel García Domínguez #Carla Rosón Caleruega

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stevenuniversallyreviews · 5 years

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Episode 125: Doug Out

“It can't be all ‘Bam!’ ‘Pow!’ action all the time.”

(First things first: Lamar Abrams’s delightful promo art leans away from traditional cards with the title and storyboarders, and this is my favorite of the bunch. He really knocks the visual pun out of the park.)

Dr. Maheswaran is a titanic presence in her daughter’s life, and while she does have a canonical first name—Priyanka, according to Ian Jones-Quartey—it says a lot that the show itself only presents her as “Doctor” or “Mom.” She, not Doug, is the person Connie must reconcile with in Nightmare Hospital. She, not Doug, is the one that’s late picking Connie up in Storm in the Room. She, not Doug, takes the role of Yellow Diamond in Stevonnie’s psychic dream from Jungle Moon. And Doug, as should be clear now, has a first name that we actually hear on the show. Hell, it’s in the name of the episode.

Doug’s status as a background character allows his characterization to be more fluid than his wife’s. In Fusion Cuisine, which is a weird episode period in terms of Maheswaran behavior, he tells a joke to break the tension and disapproves of Steven and Connie hugging. In the far superior Winter Forecast, he’s frustrated with Greg in the bad timelines, appreciative of Greg’s cherry sweater in the good timeline, and we learn that he can’t drive in the snow (but thinks he can). Connie has told us that her parents are strict, which logically means he’s strict, but we see more impatience than strictness in his voiced appearances.

None of what we’ve witnessed lines up too well with the Doug we get in Doug Out: sure, we’ve seen his awkwardness, and I guess his tendency towards jokes at inopportune times means he can be funny, but he’s super silly in this episode. Normally such a huge shift in characterization would bug me, buuuut:

Doug is such a minor character that it’s not a huge deal that his personality adjusts to fit the story better, and

We’ve only seen Doug with Dr. Maheswaran nearby and I can totally buy that he acts differently when she’s not around.

It would’ve been nice for the canon if a little more of Doug’s behavior from Doug Out had been established earlier, but yeah this isn’t a dealbreaker for me. It’s already weird that Connie said in Bubble Buddies that her family moves around a lot because of his security job, considering they don’t move at all over the course of the show and her mother’s job certainly pays more than her father’s, so at least showing Doug at work lends some consistency to her claim.

Entering the episode by pulling a prank on Steven is a succinct way for the show to tell us this is a new Doug. We do get references to the Maheswarans being all about safety, namely his concern over Steven's hydration after eating salty fry bits, but he’s simultaneously silly with the kids and proud that his daughter is a “swashbuckling swashbuckler.” Plus his dopey smile is the same as his daughter’s dopey smile and it’s the most precious thing in the world.

There hasn’t been any indication that Connie is distant from her father, despite his lack of screentime; in fact, one of my favorite unspoken bits of characterization for the family is how she (and through her, Stevonnie) often wears his signature flight jacket. But it’s still great to see them get along so well, keeping up the light mood from the beginning of the episode and amplifying it through paternal playfulness.

While bringing kids along for a security mission after hours doesn’t sound like something an ultra-responsible parent would do, I choose to see it as a sign of Doug’s respect for his kid and her friend. He knows they’ve handled dangerous situations before, and it’s neat to see him acknowledge this by allowing them to ride along. Moreover, the whole point of the episode is that he doesn’t think his job is exciting, so it’s not like he thinks he’s throwing the kids into a violent situation. And considering he wants to see more action like his daughter does in missions or his wife does in the hospital, I’m glad that this jealousy never turns petty or mean-spirited: this wasn’t a given, as he’s been unfriendly in the past. Doug sort of rules in this episode, and it’s nice that veteran voice actor Crispin Freeman finally gets something to do with him.

The goofiness isn’t limited to Doug, as half of what makes him great is his playing along with Connie and Steven’s prepackaged goofiness. The kids are in top form in Doug Out, dressing as ridiculously-named parodies of Carmen Sandiego and Mario while they’re on the case (Connie’s assertion that Pizzapoppolis sounds more Greek than Italian is in contention with her bemoaning the laws of physics in the Gravitron for the best “Connie’s A Nerd” joke of the night). They’re down to mess around and ruin a teen’s night, and I’m here for it.

Still, I wouldn’t call this a full-on goofy episode, particularly when it evolves into a sequel of sorts to Gem Hunt. Aivi and Surasshu’s soundtrack evokes exaggerated noir as Doug talks shop, but shifts to a menacing drone as the trio encounters evidence of something sinister afoot at Funland. Steven and Connie stay in-character during the chase, but drop the act when discussing the possibility of a Gem Mutant or Homeworld Gem. Whatever they’re hunting is clearly hunting them, and perhaps the most impressive aspect of Doug Out is maintaining a tone of genuine looming danger that isn’t undermined by the episode’s numerous jokes.

The mystery, as in Gem Hunt, is complicated by a red herring. During Connie’s first big mission we’re led to believe that a Corrupted Gem might be healing itself, given the multiple distinct footprints, but we learn in the third act that it was Jasper all along. This time we get a wide array of dangerous possibilities, so the third act Onion reveal initially comes as a relief. But we’ve never seen him this scared before, and his distinct silhouette doesn’t match that of the shadowy figure on the roof.

Before we can think about the hints that Onion isn’t our perp, the focus shifts back to Doug as we conclude his character’s episode-long arc. He wants to be taken seriously, projecting a badass vibe that’s often undermined moments later by an intentional joke (like calling his daughter by her “Cucamonga” alias with a straight face) or by the emergence of his inner square (pretending to be undercover by removing his glasses then instantly relenting because he needs them to see). He’s not incompetent, correctly deducing that the culprit isn’t a regular teen and quieting the children to listen for clues, but he’s just a normal security guard in a family with a surgeon and a kid hero. You can’t blame the guy for developing a bit of an inferiority complex.

So again, I really appreciate that his behavior doesn’t devolve into toxic overcompensation, because that’s the obvious route to go and it would’ve made this episode so much worse. He respects the kids and doesn’t pretend he needs to protect them, and he doesn’t let his desire for action let him get in over his head—in another similarity to Gem Hunt, he stresses the importance of calling for backup instead of stubbornly going it alone. When Connie talks about how much she loves and values him, we’re allowed to feel it, because she’s reiterating what we’ve seen rather than letting a petty control freak off the hook.

We’re coming off another terrific Dad Moment in Lion 4, but Greg being great is par for the course. Most Dad Episodes are understandably about him: other father/child relationships have their days in the limelight (Fryman and Peedee in Frybo, Kofi and the Pizza Twins in Beach Party, Bill and Buck in Shirt Club, and Yellowtail/Marty and Sour Cream in Drop Beat Dad), but Greg gets more focus episodes than all of those combined. So while I would’ve liked to see more of him in an arc that hinges on the phrase “my dad,” I love that we get one last new Dad Episode to kick off the end of Season 4, especially if it lets us see Connie again before her kidnapping.

Onion may be a red herring, but the whole ending with Doug and Connie’s sweet talk is another red herring, tricking us into thinking the episode is wrapping up and that despite the suspicious inconsistencies, Onion was just being Onion. Unlike Gem Hunt, our heroes don’t solve the mystery, and because they don’t, neither do we. We have more information than Steven that something sinister is afoot, with an alien threat that for some reason is going after Onion, but before our sleuths can learn more, we cut to black.

After the victories of taking the ocean back from Lapis and saving the world from the Cluster, Act III of Steven Universe is the first with a tragic midpoint, and the fallout of Steven’s sacrifice at the end of Season 4 ripples through the first third of Season 5. Episodes like Storm in the Room and Lion 4 bring plenty of angst as well, so Doug Out wisely gives us some comic relief before the sweet-and-somber flavor of The Good Lars and the tension that follows. That tension is still present here (we get a cliffhanger, after all), but I’ll take moments of pure happiness where I can. This isn’t a silly episode in the vein of The New Crystal Gems, but it’ll still be a while until we have this much fun in one episode again.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

It’s time again to expand our Top List, from a Top Twenty to a Top Twenty-Five! Most are Act II classics that got pushed down by the sheer volume of great episodes, but Lion 4 makes the cut as well. We’ll keep it at 25 until Change Your Mind; normally I’d switch to 30 at Episode 150 to keep up the Top 20% trend, but it seems more fitting to expand when the original series concludes.

Doug Out sadly does not make the cut, but it’s still an episode I love. We’ve had plenty of cliffhanger episodes that feel incomplete, and while this one also leaves us wanting more, it still works as a full story and not just setup. And the story is great!

Top Twenty-Five

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Last One Out of Beach City

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Mindful Education

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

Steven’s Dream

When It Rains

Catch and Release

Chille Tid

Lion 4: Alternate Ending

Keeping It Together

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

We Need to Talk

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Gem Harvest

Three Gems and a Baby

That Will Be All

The New Crystal Gems

Storm in the Room

Room for Ruby

Doug Out

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Adventures in Light Distortion

Gem Heist

The Zoo

Rocknaldo

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

Future Boy Zoltron

Tiger Philanthropist

No Thanks!

6. Horror Club 5. Fusion Cuisine 4. House Guest 3. Onion Gang 2. Sadie’s Song 1. Island Adventure

#doug out #steven universe #su #steven universally #review

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moyochu · 6 years

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my euphoria | jjk

summary: when jeongguk forgets it’s mother’s day and your flower shop is the only one nearby that has his mom’s favorite flower, but oh shit it’s 4:45 and your shop closes at 5:00 and there’s rush hour traffic and so many dumb obstacles and now he’s in panting in front of your store at 5:02 while hopping on one foot and oh shit oh shit he didn’t expect an angel to step out

[fake dating au ; ceo jjk x florist oc]

pairing: jeongguk + female reader

word count: 7.6k

genre: fluff, fluff, fluff

“Shit, shit, shit!”

How can I let myself forget today’s Mother’s day? Jeongguk curses at himself, anxiously wondering as he paces the corridor back and forth, trying to make calls to all nearby florists. Yet with each unpromising call, Jeongguk starts losing hope-- none of them hold the flower that makes his mother the happiest.

But his assistant, Jimin, has yet to stray from his determined traits. That’s the main reason Jeongguk hired him: Jimin is dedicated and willing to go to any and all necessary lengths in order to accomplish his goals. In fact, here he is, practically working overtime--which Jeongguk always pays an overwhelming amount in gratitude-- just to help his boss find some flowers. Said assistant is also currently searching, typing rapidly on his laptop, tongue sticking out ever so slightly. But after the millionth disappointing call, Jeongguk claps his hand on Jimin’s shoulder, about to dejectedly call it a day and tell Jimin to go home when Jimin interrupts his negative train of thought. He shouts excitedly, “Wait, Mr. Jeon! I think I found a place!”

Jeongguk feels hope surge through him, maybe he can get the flowers after all! He squints at Jimin’s screen, eyes scanning the name Zahra. He knows it isn’t a word of any of the six languages he knows, so he assumes maybe it’s the name of the store owner. As he continues reading with Jimin, Jimin reads out loud, “It’s a nine minute drive from here... and it closes at five on Sunday’s.”

Both men’s eyes shoot towards the bottom right corner, eyes bulging at the time. Jimin shuts his computer hastily and shouts, “It’s 4:45! Go, Mr. Jeon! I’ll bring your stuff over to your apartment! Go!”

In a series of quick motions, Jeongguk shoots his assistant a grateful look before dashing out of the building. Hopping into his car and swiftly reversing out of his reserved parking spot, Jeongguk is ready to speed his way to this flower shop.

What he doesn’t expect, happens: traffic right before he can turn into the parking lot of the store. Jeongguk swears he doesn’t have road rage, but he suddenly hits his head on the steering wheel, letting it honk a few times, before groaning when he sees the time: 4:58. There’s no way he’s going to make it on time. The cars ahead of him are slowly moving forward, but he knows there’s no point.

As Jeongguk lifts his head away from the steerwheel, his eyes catch sight of an empty spot on the side of the road with just the right amount of space for his car. Acting like he doesn’t notice the sign that obviously spells out in big black letters, “NO PARKING,” he parallel parks into the spot. Within seconds, Jeongguk is out the door, sprinting in his black suit and tie, probably looking like a complete wacko to everyone who can see his hair flopping past them. His legs sting, but he can’t let that get to him. He sees your store, quaint and cute as it is, he cannot allow himself to admire it as he rushes to the front door, I made it-- I can’t believe I made it.

And then Jeongguk tries opening the door.

Locked.

He checks his watch only to see the numbers 5:02 laughing at him. Overwhelmingly upset, Jeongguk, CEO of the biggest bank in the entire country, kicks the ground in petty anger.

He did not see the red brick waiting for him to stupidly make contact with it.

“Fuck!” Jeongguk whimpers as he hops on one foot, the other in his hands. He groans, muttering a series of profanity over and over again. But he can’t pay attention to his hurt foot for long, because suddenly the front door of the shop opens, the sound of the creaking door flowing through Jeongguk’s ears like doves singing the way to Heaven.

He didn’t expect an angel to step out.

You hummed a tune that’s been stuck in your head all day, not having noticed the suit-clad man holding his foot in his hands, until you look up as you, eyes widening slightly as you take in the situation. You pull the trash bag out of your store, staring curiously. Jeongguk opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out as you continue to stare at him, waiting for any type of a explanation. But he stays speechless-- lost in thought. He’s never seen someone look so soft. Every movement you make has Jeongguk pulled in, his foot momentarily forgotten. His heart especially quickens when you move a piece of hair behind your ear and give a polite smile before putting the trash bag you were carrying next to the door. You were about to walk back in the shop when Jeongguk finally gets himself to talk, “Wait!”

Pausing, you raise an eyebrow. You wait for him to continue as Jeongguk stutters, “I-I know you’re closed, but you’re the only store I could find that sold my mother’s favorite flower. I’m supposed to meet her today, and it completely ran over my head that today is Mother’s Day, and now I don’t have anything to give her. But those flowers would make her the happiest. Would you please open the store for just ten more minutes? I-I’ll play extra!”

Jeongguk finally finishes his rambling, suddenly self-conscious in front of your wide eyes. Your look of surprise morphs into amusement as you chuckle about God knows what. As Jeongguk waits for you to respond, he scratches the back of his head nervously, concluding maybe you thought he was dumb and starts plotting how to slowly crawl into a hole and never see the light of day ever again.

After what seems like hours later, you respond with an even softer smile than before, and Jeongguk’s shoulders slowly drop as your presence simply makes him melt for some reason. Flashing your pearls, you open your door slightly before saying, “You know all you had to do was knock on the door, and I would have opened it. It’s only--” Jeongguk feels heat rush to his face as you look at the watch on your wrist before continuing, “Three minutes after closing.”

Assuming you embarrassed the man, you don’t wait for him to give a response. You hold the door open, signalling for him to come in and Jeongguk quickly follows, the smell of all the different flowers instantly hitting him. As he looks around, he sees that every type of flower is sectioned off by color, the organization leaving customers with a feeling of satisfaction.

In between admiring the interior, he follows your back, attentive to the way your hair curls against your ears. You turn around abruptly, making Jeongguk pay attention to the matter at hand, his insides feeling tingly when you throw a smirk his way. “So what is this flower you are dying to get your hands on?”

Clearing his throat, Jeongguk says, “A chocolate cosmo.”

You nod slightly, turning around to walk towards the deep reds, “Your mother has good taste. Do you want just the chocolate cosmos or would you like to pair it with other flowers?”

Jeongguk didn’t think that far ahead, the chocolate cosmo being the main task at hand. So he shrugs, “What do you think I should do?”

Walking towards the whites, you look at Jeongguk and suggest, “Customers usually pair cosmos with white roses. It’s not really a stand-alone type flower.”

But before you grab some white roses, Jeongguk interrupts you. “But what do you think I should pair it with?”

Surprise passes through your face as you chuckle, the sound instantly making Jeongguk give an iconic bunny smile. You make your way around the counter, Jeongguk following. “Well, tell me what your mother is like, and I’ll tell you what I’d pick.”

And tell you is what Jeongguk does. His eyes light up as his words seem to run off his mouth so effortlessly, “She’s a strong, but gentle woman. She likes living her life without a care about how she looks. Like, she’ll often dress for spring with fall clothes! Even if they make her hot because fall is her favorite season. Her love trumps everything else. Therefore, she practically lives in fall colors and attire. She’s always positive no matter what....she’s never afraid to be bold and adventure outside of her comfort zone.” Jeongguk takes in a shaky breath, “She’s amazing.”

Your heart swells at the amount of love Jeongguk appears to have for his mother, the smile that appears on your face being an exact result of that. While Jeongguk went on his spiel, you had been picking flowers that went with his characterization of his mother, gathering them at the counter Jeongguk stood at, fist holding his chin up with a gentle smile.

While you get your supplies out, you explain your plan for the bouquet and motives for it, “So while hearing you talk about your mother, I picked up on a few vibes; I chose a couple of different flowers we can mix around.” You look up from your actions to gauge his reaction. Jeongguk nodded silently, lost in thought as he continues to stare at you. You take that as a sign to continue, grabbing your scissors. “In addition to the cosmos, I grabbed orange roses, because they come with the meaning of an energetic fascination, which are vibes I totally get from your mother. Plus, orange roses are tragically underrated.” You smirk when you hear a chuckle from Jeongguk. “I also picked up sunflowers for loyalty and longevity…” You say as you start fixing them together.

You don’t notice Jeongguk staring at your lips as you go on, “...dahlia’s for symbol of a commitment and bond that lasts forever, calla lilies for faithfulness, apricot roses for enthusiasm, and finally, billy balls for good health.” Jeongguk’s smile falters at the last bit of your words, but you do not notice, busy wrapping the flowers up.

When you look up, he’s grinning again while staring at you, more so than the flowers, and confidently declares, “This is one of the most beautiful bouquets I’ve ever seen. Thank you.”

You lower your head bashfully as you softly state the price, ringing him up. With a wave of your hand, you deny Jeongguk’s statement, “Nah. It’s just because it was chosen based on your mother’s personality. It feels more special that way.”

Jeongguk wants to argue back, but you don’t leave room for retaliation. “I really hope she likes them,” you say while handing him the flowers. You wipe your hands on your apron before pulling it off. Your eyes twinkle as you hang up your apron, “She’s lucky to have a son like you.”

Biting his lip to hide the grin that was about to surface, Jeongguk decided to opt out of responding to that comment. Instead, he says, “I’ll let you know how she likes them.”

Your eyebrows raise at that. You thought it would be the last time you’d see him. Crossing your arms against your chest you question, “Oh? You’re telling me I’m going to see you again?”

Chuckling, Jeongguk makes his way to the door, “You’re my favorite florist now. Plus, it’s a bonus that you’re really cute.” You didn’t expect that last bit, and honestly neither did Jeongguk. He tries to play it casually, while you become flustered, attempting not the blush, but your rosy cheeks were most definitely apparent. It didn’t help Jeongguk’s lowkey-beginning-of-a-crush case that your cheeks especially popped in front of the pinks and purple behind you.

Breathtaking, was the only word Jeongguk could think of as he watched you shake your head before picking up your bag. He falters in his steps, looking as if he doesn’t want the conversation to end. You raise your eyebrow as to say, “What now?” and he responds, “You told me the meaning behind every flower, except for the chocolate cosmos.”

He catches you taking a deep breath before answering the question he wants to ask, “Well, it was once said to mean, ‘I love you more than anyone can.’” You watch Jeongguk’s reaction and you thought your eyes must have been deceiving you when you saw Jeongguk blushing, so you concluded it had to be just the abundant of flowers surrounding the two of you. Jeongguk doesn’t comprehend what is going on with himself either, so he concludes he must be getting high on the overpowering smell of flowers.

Yeah, that’s the reason.

You finally bid him adieu, letting him toss you a cheeky smile and a wave. You finally take a moment to check the time, and when your stare at the numbers, it’s only then you remember your plans. Damn! I forgot about my date! You quickly grab your belongings, getting ready to lock up when you see a card turned over on the counter Jeongguk had been standing at. You picked it up, the corners of your mouth twitching as you read the contents of the card. When did he even write this?

Thank you for keeping your store open for me. It meant a lot. Call me if you ever need anything. I’m at your disposal. :,) -- Jeongguk

You muttered the name softly as you brushed over it, wondering if he took notice of your name attached to your shirt. Shaking your head, you told yourself to stop lingering too long. You send a text to your date, apologizing for being late and that you were on your way.

“Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!” Jeongguk giddly calls out as he shuts the door with this foot. The bright white always glares back and he hates it, hates it all, but keeps positive for his mother.

“Jeongguk? Is that you, my love?” Jeongguk watches the back of his mother as she finishes up painting the last bit, before setting her materials aside. She turns around to see her beloved son holding the most beautiful bouquet she has ever seen, and are those chocolate cosmos?

His mother coos, covering her mouth with her hands, looking as if she wants to get up from her seat to greet him, but Jeongguk quickly makes his way over, “I’ll come to you, Mom.”

She accepts them graciously, her eyes automatically closing as she takes in the scent of the flowers. “These are so beautiful, Jeongguk. Especially the cosmos. Thank you.”

Jeongguk nods, eyes twinkling, as he brushes his mother’s hair out of her eyes. He notices the dark circles underneath them, causing him to frown. “You haven’t been sleeping have you?” And before his mother can interject, he is already calling out for a doctor, “We should tell the doctors, nur--!”

With a touch of her hand, Jeongguk’s mother shakes her head at him, “No, Jeongguk. I’m fine and my sleeping is normal. Trust me. I know what I can handle.”

Battling stage four leukemia, Jeongguk’s mother knows which wars are worth it and which are a waste of time and effort. She only bites what she can chew and she always does it with a grin. “Tell me about your day, honey. You are better than any medicine.”

The concerned expression on Jeongguk’s face softens at that-- he should be there more for his mother. She pats the seat next to him, motioning for him to sit down. She waits for him to start and so he does, “Well, I met a woman today.”

His mother’s eyebrows raise at that, “Oh? Finally?”

Jeongguk almost swats his mother’s hands that were trying to pinch his cheeks, but it makes her laugh, so he lets her pinch them, even though it makes him feel like a little kid. Scratching the back of his neck, he absentmindedly stares at the flowers in his mother’s hand. “Yeah… she’s the owner of the flower shop I went to for your flowers.”

Sitting criss cross on the hospital bed, his mother places her hand underneath her chin, urging him to continue. Pink sprouts on Jeongguk’s cheeks as he thinks about you, and it definitely doesn’t pass by his mother. “Mom… I’m going to be honest here. Don’t get mad at me, okay?”

She shrugs and Jeongguk takes it as a sign to continue. “When I was younger, I remember when dad used to say you were the most beautiful woman in the world, and... I thought surely he did not think that. There’s always someone who is going to be smarter, funnier, prettier than you, you know?”

Nodding his mother agrees, “True. What about it?”

“Well...mom, I think I just met the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“Are you pregnant?”

Your date chokes on his salad at your question, coughing as he grabs his water. He takes a sip, looking at you like you were crazy. You simply chuckle as he asks, in the midst of hacking, “W-What?”

Shoving a piece of steak in your mouth, you stare at him innocently. “It’s Mother’s Day and you asked me out on a date. I sure as hell ain’t pregnant nor am I a mother, so I’m assuming you are?”

Dabbing his mouth with a napkin, he presses his mouth in a tight line, “Right.”

You wanted to inwardly groan at response. The only reason why you said something as unrealistic and stupid like that was to bring some humor to this dull date. Since you’ve sat down, he’s been nothing but serious. To start, he judged you for getting steak, because apparently he was one of those vegetarians, which to begin with, you didn’t even know that fact about him until he outwardly glared at you when you recited your order to the waiter.

And now you just wanted to joke around, but he takes all of them too seriously. Sure, what you said may have been surprising and ridiculous, but does laughing-- even an awkward one-- really hurt him? Immediate turn off.

The lengthy night finally ends as you two say your goodbyes with zero intentions of meeting each other ever again. Once you make your way home, you take your heels off, the feeling of your feet finally coming back to you. You decide at that moment, you were never purchasing heels from Forever 21 ever again.

You brush your hair with your fingers, wandering into the kitchen for a drink. Your cell phone starts ringing and you groan for what seems like the fifteenth time today. You run to your bag you had thrown on the floor, struggling to get it out of your purse before it stops ringing. When your hands finally grab it, you answer it without checking the name, “Hello?”

“What? No happy Mother’s Day for your mother?”

Another groan. You should have checked who was calling before accepting the call. You sarcastically reply, “Oh! Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! My apologies. I forgot to send a gift over after you made fun of me the year before for my choice!”

You can see your stepmom’s eyes rolling as she talks through clenched teeth, “Watch your tone, young lady. Or else I’ll tell your father.”

Scoffing, you are ready to end the call, “How old do you think I am, Soomin? You make me have second-hand embarrassment for you. What do you want from me? Unless you simply called me to mock me?”

You’ve made it back to the kitchen, always needing to chug down some drink whenever you have conversations with your stepmother. You tap on your counter as you wait for her to tell you the reason she felt the need to ruin your night even more, “Well? I’m waiting.”

“Honey,” your eyebrows furrowed at the name. You hear a door close, which leads you to assume she walked away from your dad, before spitting out, “Your father wants to see you at the family dinner next Saturday. He’s worried about you. I mean? Can you blame him? Dumb job, small apartment, no husband...let alone a boyfriend. You really can’t hold a man for the life of you, huh?”

You usually don’t let your Soomin’s words affect you, but that last one one stung, allowing hot, white fury to blur your eyes. She knows of your past experience with relationships and she knows how much you hate talking about it. You clenched your teeth, trying not to let her hear it affecting you.

“What? Have nothing to say?” You can feel her smirk through the phone and you hate it, hate it all.

You are about to just angrily end the call, but you don’t want her to win. That’s when an idea pops into your head.

“Actually, I have a boyfriend,” you blurt out without thinking it as thoroughly as you should have.

But for a moment, you are glad you did as your stepmom pauses. “W-Wait, what? No you don’t.”

You nod vigorously, as if she can see you. “Yup. I do! His name is Jeongguk and he’ll be there with me on Saturday. See you then.”

Ending the call, you throw your phone on the counter, not caring if it breaks. You slide down, letting your back hit the refrigerator as you hold your head in your hands. Fuck.

After hitting your head a couple of times for doing something so impulsive just to prove yourself, you pace your kitchen with your phone and Jeongguk’s business card in your hand. As you try to think of what to say, you shakily insert the phone number on the card that read BANK OF JEON. Your eyebrows scrunch up at that, does he work at a bank or something?

Deciding to just press call and wing it, you anxiously bite your lips as you let it ring. You’re about to end the call, your nervousness clouding your judgment when you hear a, “Hello?”

“J-Jeongguk!” You exclaim, before clearing your throat. “It’s me, Y/N. The owner of Zahra?”

Jeongguk almost dropped his phone when he heard your nervous voice flows through his ears. You were the last person he expected to be calling him, or even at all. “Y/N! I didn’t expect you to call so fast.”

You chuckle nervously, brushing your hair behind your ear, “Yeah...I’m sorry about that. I didn’t expect so either.”

The anxiousness was strong in your tone, and it confused Jeongguk. That was not the front you showcased earlier that afternoon when he came running towards your shop. And so before he could stop the words from toppling out of his mouth, he blurts, “No! Don’t apologize. I’m glad you did.”

There is an awkward pause, neither of you saying anything, and all Jeongguk wants to do is bang his head against a wall. Why did he say that? Your voice picks up again ever so lightly, Jeongguk wouldn’t have heard it if he wasn’t sucking in a breath in panic. “I wanted to cash in that favor you wrote about on your business card.”

Jeongguk’s lips curved upwards as he chuckled, “Oh? This soon? What do you need?”

You squeeze your eyes tight before rapidly shooting out, “I need you to be my boyfriend.”

What sounded like water spurting out of a mouth was all you could hear from your phone speaker as you quickly clarified, “Fake boyfriend! I need you to be my fake boyfriend!”

“Y/N?” you hear Jeongguk ask in a concerned, but seemingly giddy voice. Seemingly.

You’ve resorted to biting your nails as you chant in your head, stupid, stupid, stupid. “Yes?”

“Can you explain what’s going on? I’m just a tad bit confused.” In this moment, you thanked God you were miles away from each other and not face to face. You don’t know how you would cope if he was in front of you.

Inhaling, you give out a shaky chuckle, “Yeah! I’m sorry for saying it like that. Honestly, I’ve been freaking myself out about calling you.”

A couple of miles away, in the penthouse suite of one of the fanciest apartment complexes in town, Jeongguk is in his silk pajamas, kicking the pillow in front of him giddly, as he contorts his body in excitement. He can just imagine the rosy flush of your cheeks and those dainty fingers brushing your curls behind your ear. You’re so cute, and Jeongguk just can’t help feeling the butterflies swarming around the bouquets you made in his stomach. The tingly feeling embracing him gently, one he simply cannot remember last when felt this excited for something so new and adorable.

He eventually composes himself, realizing he shouldn’t take a liking in you so quickly. He, quite frankly, barely knows who you are. Yet, here you are asking for him to be your fake boyfriend, and he’s having a parade day about it. Now he can’t help but feel so bubbly-- like a little kid-- at this new forming...companionship? Clearing his throat, he bites his lip to stop another smile from spreading his face, “Why are you nervous? What’s this boyfriend thing about?”

And you ramble on, similar to how Jeongguk bombarded you at your shop, “My family basically thinks I’m a low-life with nothing promising to offer. Which I get, I live a pretty bland life, I guess. And so my stepmom kept pushing my buttons, saying some nasty things about...my lack of a romantic life, and I, hurt and wanting to prove myself, ended up somehow blurting out that you were my boyfriend! And I know I don’t need a man to prove myself, but it’s more than that. I just want my stepmom to lose for once. Funny right? So here I am, interrupting your night, asking you to be my fake boyfriend for a night on Saturday, even though I don’t even know if you’re free that day, and this is abs--!”

“Y/N?”

You cough, your throat feeling dry. The heat from your cheeks staying put since your conversation with your stepmom. Anger and embarrassment: you chronically wear those two emotions very well. Finally, you squeak out, “Yes, Jeongguk?”

“I would love to be your fake boyfriend. And no offence, but your stepmom sounds like a bitch.”

All the weight slides off your shoulders, as you gratefully smile at that, “Yeah she is. But really? You would do that for me?”

Jeongguk jokingly scoffs, “Do you not take me to be a man of my words, Y/N?”

You wildly shake your head no, before realizing he cannot see you. You stutter out, “N-No! I definitely think you are. It’s just a ridiculous favor; we barely know each other. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you called me crazy and blocked my number. So thank you. I don’t think you know how much this means to me.”

The feeling in Jeongguk’s chest never ceases. He feels like he’s on a high for simply being able to make you happy. “No problem, Y/N. Get some rest. It’s getting late. I’ll text or call you tomorrow and you can run me through everything. Trust me, I’ll be an amazing boyfriend, babe.”

The laugh that comes out is free and genuine, no longer laced with nerves. “I don’t doubt it.”

Right before you can say your farewell, Jeongguk continues, “Oh and Y/N? I don’t think you’re a low-life. In just the brief moments I’ve known you, I can tell you are amazing, strong woman. You deserve respect.”

The call ends as you stare at your phone in shock. The soft smile on your face was the cause of the fact that that was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to you, and now, all you needed to do was gain confidence in yourself.

You put your phone down, staring at the card once more, your heart skips a beat.

“How long have we been dating?”

“Five months.”

“How did we meet?”

“Blind date set up by our mutual friends.”

“What’s my favorite food?”

“Pizza. Cold and hot. It doesn’t matter-- pizza is pizza.”

“Who loves corny jokes?”

“You.”

You pause at that, smacking Jeongguk’s arm as he snickers, “My aunt, Jeongguk!”

“I prefer babe,” Jeongguk emphasis with the wiggling of his eyebrows. You scoff, but there’s a smile threatening to break out as you stare out the window, but the nerves in your mind overcloud the mushy feeling in your stomach.

As you psych yourself out, you feel Jeongguk’s hand slowly interlock with yours, squeezing it ever so lightly. You look up to see Jeongguk with eyes on the road, but with the slightest smile. He doesn’t like driving with only one hand, but he knew you needed reassurance.

Plus, he might have really wanted to hold your hand.

The scenery passing by reminds you of how quickly time passed between the two of you. It’s already Saturday night and you and Jeongguk are on your way to meet your family. In the span of a week, you and Jeongguk met up three times, not including the many texts and memes you two shared. First, at a cafe as you explained to him the history of your family and why exactly you were doing this-- he only interjected with uplifting curses when you ranted about certain people in your stories and paid his full attention on you no matter how dramatic you thought someone would think you were sounding. He made you feel special. The second time you guys met, you plotted out the details of your relationship, emphasizing the fact that this was all fake, even though you started becoming comfortable. That made you feel uneasy. The third time you met… it wasn’t necessary. Jeongguk had called you and asked you to go out for karaoke with him; his reasoning was so you two can be comfortable around each other, “or our relationship won’t be seem real!” With a roll of your eyes, you joined him. It was a evening full of serenading, longing, and unwanted crushing.

Needless to say, it was one of the best nights of your life. And to wrap the night up, Jeongguk left you with a soft kiss on your forehead and a tingly feeling in your stomach.

This was dangerous and you knew it. You don’t know if you can handle another relationship. These were all just emotions-- romantic desires, if you will. You haven’t had some action in a while and you knew it was a taking more of a toll on you than you had wished. You wished for someone to hold your hand, to take the left side of your bed-- someone who’d be there for you no matter what. But you’ve never truly experienced that type of fantasy, so you most definitely don’t want to go searching for it in Jeongguk.

The car stills and you know you’ve arrived, but you just want Jeongguk to turn this car back around and whisk you away into the sunset.

Sadly, this was reality, not some fantasy.

You inhale, ready to push open the door, when you realize your hand was still intertwined with Jeongguk’s. He smirks before bringing your hand up to his lips, placing a kiss on your knuckles, his gaze never leaving yours. You’re gaping, you know you are, but you can’t help but do so. But you quickly revert back to your normal expression as Jeongguk squeezes your hand once more before letting it go. “You can do this, Y/N.”

“That’s baby to you,” you say with a smirk, before opening the door and stepping out. This time, Jeongguk is gaping, before he quickly composes himself, stepping out of the car.

Two can play at this game.

You’re walking ahead of Jeongguk, but he quickly catches up, interlacing your fingers once more. He just loves the feeling of your hand flush against his.

The pink dusting on your cheek is a plus.

Jeongguk rings the door for you, knowing your nerves are probably getting the best of you right now. Plus, you’re squeezing his hand unintentionally tight, so he can take a stab at how you’re feeling.

You paint a smile on your face as the door opens...only to see your father’s frowning face. Your smile slowly falls as you stare at your dad’s stoic face. “I see you finally decided to show up. We already had dinner, Y/N.”

Confused, you check your watch, “But It’s 8:15.”

Your dad doesn’t move away from the entrance of the house to let you two in, leaving you and Jeongguk to stand awkwardly, “Yeah, and dinner was at 5:30. Everyone already left.”

When you give a more perplexed look, Jeongguk lets go of your hand to touch your back with the palm of his hand, his actions and expression taking on the “boyfriend role” quite well as he looks at you, slightly concerned, almost as if he already knows what’s going on. “Didn’t your stepmom tell you dinner’s at 8:30?’

And suddenly it all clicked in your mind, your stepmom was setting you up once again. You turn to your dad, his expression unchanging. “Dad, I’m sorry, but Soomin--”

“Mom.”

Your words falter before you internally roll your eyes and continued, “--told me dinner was at 8:30. So here I am.”

Shaking his head, your dad finally moves to the side for you and Jeongguk to enter, but he doesn’t stop talking. “No, she didn’t. Plus, she was kind enough to call you three times to ask where you were, young lady. And you didn’t respond to any of them.”

The man you’ve known as your father tsks while shaking his head, taking your stepmom’s side yet once again. Said stepmom walks into the living room with a smirk and you want to retaliate and justify your actions so badly, but the hand rubbing your back stops you. You glance up at Jeongguk to see him throwing another one of his show-stopping smiles at your dad. “We’re so sorry, sir. Whether we got the time wrong or not, I was busy at work until now, either way.” Jeongguk reaches his hand out for a handshake. “I’m Jeongguk.”

The smirk on your stepmom’s face wavers when she moves to the side to see the man on your side, as if she didn’t expect you to actually bring someone. And by the look of her face, it doesn’t look like she expected anyone as handsome as Jeongguk, either.

Your dad gives Jeongguk a firm shake, before ushering you two to the living room where your stepmom smiles sickly sweet at your dad. Wanting to cringe, you look away from the kiss that is exchanged between the two of them, Jeongguk giving you a look of amusement.

Noticing the silence, your dad turns back to you and Jeongguk with a blank face.

It’s times like this when you wonder when your dad lost himself.

Clearing his throat, your dad calls out Jeongguk’s name, making Jeongguk straighten up and respond, “Yes, sir?”

“Where do you work that you can’t make it to a dinner?” your dad asks and you inwardly groan. It looks like he isn’t letting go of that one soon, even though it’s Soomin’s fault and that she’s a total bitch and a gold digger and a complete waste of--

Jeongguk interlocks his hand with yours, rubbing the back of your hand with his thumb, somehow always sensing when you are feeling like running someone over. “Have you heard of Bank of Jeon?”

Your dad nods while your stepmom obnoxiously exclaims, almost as if she’s ridiculing Jeongguk for even asking, “Duh! It’s the biggest bank in all of Korea!”

“Ah, I’m glad to hear that,” Jeongguk humbly responds. “I’m the CEO and founder of Bank of Jeon.”

All three sets of eyes bulge, including yours. “What?!” your stepmom yells in shock, stopping you from giving yourself away. You quickly compose yourself as you notice even your dad seemed surprise and impressed.

You nudge Jeongguk’s thigh as to say, “What the fuck, dude?” and Jeongguk simply laughs, kissing your knuckles like he did in the car. You feel your heart flutter as you look away, not wanting to give away the blush that coats your cheeks.

Unfortunately, your stepmom notices your reaction, and states before she can stop herself, “There’s no way Y/N got that lucky. All she does is sit in that dumb flower shop all day.”

Neither do you believe it, but you can’t let your parents know that. Instead, you smirk at the disbelief on Soomin’s face. There’s so much you want to say and call her out on, but before you can, Jeongguk beats you to the bush, giving you a fond smile as he does so, “With all do respect, ma’am, I think I’m the lucky one. And I happen to think her shop is beautiful.”

Underneath Jeongguk’s soft gaze, you instantly turn into a pile of mush as you tune out your stepmom’s scoff. Your cheeks dimpled gratefully as Jeongguk slightly shakes his head and scrunches his nose up cutely to you before turning back to your parents. “I’m not joking. When I entered her shop, I didn’t expect to start falling for the amazing woman who lives amongst flowers that strive to match her beauty.” Thump, thump. There goes your heart. Jeongguk gives you an almost longing look, but you ignore the feeling that bubbles in your chest, “But I’m glad I did. And if it wasn’t for you, sir, I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to ever meet her. So I want to thank you. You’ve raised a beautiful daughter.”

Is it getting hot in here?

And when you turn back to look at your dad, you notice his expression has changed-- as if something awakened inside of him. He stares at Soomin in-- is that disgust?-- as she practically bad mouths you, letting go of her hand. He makes eye contact with you and you barely hear him, but he softly states, while interrupting your stepmom, “Yes, she is amazing. Isn’t she?”

Somehow the night ends up with your stepmom in her room, probably pouting while plotting on how to find another rich man, while your dad shows baby pictures of you to Jeongguk. Right now they are laughing at a picture of you with your two front teeth missing as you roll your eyes at them. You have absolutely no idea how the mood of the room shifted from tense to amusing, but you have a sneaking suspicion Jeongguk’s presence influenced that matter.

“And this was the first day Y/N had to wear braces! She was livid that she had to get them; I had to practically drag her to the dentist!” Jeongguk laughs loudly before cooing at you when he sees your unamused look. “Aw, Y/N, you look like Darla from Finding Nemo.”

You gasp while smacking his arm, and shout, “That’s so mean!” which only causes him to laugh louder as he snaps as a picture of it, keeping it for a later you two never talked about having.

Without warning, the mood was muted down. You look over to see your dad staring at a photo of your real mom in her young adult years. And as if you weren’t in the room, your dad motions to your mom in the photo to Jeongguk, “Y/N looks exactly like her, doesn’t she?” Jeongguk looks at the picture and then at you. The resemblance is uncanny, that’s for sure. But no one says anything as your father admires the photograph. No words needed to be said. You felt uneasy, so you get up, ready to call it a night as Jeongguk follows your movements, but your dad stops you two.

“Son,” he says staring at you in what looks to be regret before looking back to Jeongguk. “Thank you for giving my daughter the love she always deserved.”

Guilt nestled at the bottom of your stomach as Jeongguk smiles at your father. Even through everything you’ve been through because of your family, you still felt bad. At the end of the day, your dad is still your dad and you love him. You knew your mother’s death still haunts him. You witnessed his personality change. So in your heart, you knew it wasn’t right, and you weren’t a liar.

“Dad,” you squeeze your eyes tight before opening them and continuing, Jeongguk staring at you in curiosity. She wouldn’t, Jeongguk thinks to himself. Why would she? “I lied to you. Jeongguk’s not my--”

“Y/N!” Jeongguk interrupts, afraid. He doesn’t want it to end so soon. He gives you a look of panicked confusion.

You smile sadly at Jeongguk. He’s helped out so much, and you feel indebted to him as if he didn’t owe you in the first place. “Jeongguk’s not my boyfriend. I-I asked him to be my fake boyfriend for a night, because I always felt so inadequate. But I realize a guy suddenly being in my life as a front, may fool outsiders, but I know the truth. And I don’t want to depend on anyone else but myself. I’m sorry. I honestly don’t have any real excuses.”

Avoiding Jeongguk’s gaze, you start heading towards the door when you hear a chuckle. You turn back around in confusion as you stare at your dad. He claps Jeongguk’s back, patting it a few times. “Y/N, you’re still my daughter. I knew he’s wasn’t really your boyfriend. But I still stand by what I said.”

Shocked and full of emotions ready to burst, you hesitantly glance over to Jeongguk as he shakes your father’s hand. He doesn’t look at you as he instead decides to grin at your father.

You quickly walk over to the door, trying to block out all the thoughts circulating through your head. Your dad opens the door, waving goodbye as you and Jeongguk step out.

You hear the door close, still avoiding Jeongguk’s gaze as you haistly make your way around the car. Looking at the car in disbelief, you start thinking to yourself, How did I not know he was rich! It’s a fricking range--

The rambling thoughts in your mind cease to exist as a hand suddenly spins you around. You stare at Jeongguk in shock and confusion as he gently pushes you towards the car, your back hitting the hood of the car. Jeongguk focuses on you with that same longing look, the tension between you thick. All you hear is your heartbeat wildly jumping up and down, as if your insides were a bed to play on. The closer Jeongguk gets, you start wondering: were Jeongguk’s eyes always so sparkly? Did his hair always look so fluffy and touchable? You reach a hand to his chest, as if to push him away before swallowing, stammering as you try to decipher what was happening, “J-Jeongguk, what are you--!”

Jeongguk caught your hand before you touched him, he whispers, voice a few octaves lower, “Don’t avoid me.” He startles you as you caught the intense look in his eyes. But before you could properly react, Jeongguk yanks you towards him, his lips colliding with yours. You’re stationary at first, trying to process his actions, but your mind screams, fuck it! And you respond to the kiss just as feverishly, if not more. Jeongguk softly grunts, making you smirk into the kiss as your fingers slide up to play with his smooth locks, pulling them slightly before curling them around your finger. He gently tugs on your bottom lip, not beating around the bush. You want to play around and annoy him, but you are way too impatient at the moment, so you open your mouth, delving deeper in the kiss.

Your lips feel like pillows and clouds and everything soft and Jeongguk just can’t believe he’s kissing you, but suddenly you are pulling away way too fast and--

“Wow,” Jeongguk mutters as he pulls away and rests his forehead against yours. You bite your lip, before giggling as you play with the hairs at the back of his neck. You look up only to see Jeongguk already staring at you. He demands with that damn bunny smile of his, “Do that again.”

“Do what?” You ask innocently.

“Giggle like that again.”

You look at Jeongguk in dubity while stating obviously, “I can’t laugh on command!”

A pause. A raised eyebrow mocks you.

Giggles start tumbling out of your mouth before you can stop them, causing Jeongguk to beam, eyes twinkling in the utmost happiness he’s felt all week. He nuzzles his nose against yours, “That’s my girl.”

He’s so smitten, so damn smitten.

You back away, causing Jeongguk to pout. Shaking your head, you whisper what he said to your earlier against his lips, “I prefer babe.”

Giving you a incredulous look, Jeongguk chuckles, “Okay, babe. Does this mean I can be your boyfriend now? Like foreal? Because I’ve been dying to kiss you like that since I first met you.”

“No.”

“What?!”

“You have to take me on a real date first! Then ask.”

“Oh, of course, where are my manners? First date starts now. Let’s go get McDonalds-- I know you’re hungry.”

“Shit, babe, that turns me on.”

And as you and Jeongguk bond over $1.29 cheeseburgers and salty french fries, laughter flows between you two as easily as air flowing. You don’t realize how empty you felt without the euphoria he brings you, until you acquire an abundance of it and fear losing it. Jeongguk was just that. He was an out-of-breath-in-a-damn-suit-over-flowers-for-his-mother type of interruption in your life, but you just knew he was the wind that was meant to breeze into your life.

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