#that's may have. i ran out of room....never read them comprehensively hence never having read this one. didn't see the show ever either

[unproduciblesmackdown]

fr brian is so funny for his whole deal being like remarkable nervousness & that he ends up dragged along with the two jokes pranks horror drama menaces that are brooke & zeke who are ricocheting around while brian is head in hands bringing the “pleeease let this be a normal field trip.” and of course shoutout to how every character has their own unbroken chaos going on, brooke & zeke especially, not only their Both pulling antics & liking to joke around & indulge in horror but like, that they do also have this constant siblingesque tendency in their dynamic to like on a dime go into [throwing a notebook at the other’s head flipping them off kicking biting] teasing to exasperated mode for a whole ten seconds before then both immediately being back on task, regular mode, like And Anyways. & brian naturally does not jump right into this sort of rapport, but shoutout to his like natural beleagueredness allowing him to still occupy a niche here & be outright going Oh No with brooke about zeke Getting A Zeke Idea. everyone’s trading off in being the most elevated person in any given moment is fun, this is just How It Is, and i really enjoy again how scenes operate where like, again, everyone has their own thread of chaos consistently winding (or unraveling. whichever you want) and the way the writing jumps between these simultaneous & overlapping goings on and the characters naturally do as well is lively & humorous. i also love this scene where brooke & zeke are both ruminating hard but somewhat separately despite having an exchange, while brian enters just fully preoccupied with the trial of having paint on himself & his just openly inserting himself into this exchange by being like do you think it’s permanent :( and that despite zeke likewise being so preoccupied as to miss an entire remark of brooke’s or else simply fail to give any response indicating otherwise, he happens to immediately reply to brian’s paint tragedy on its terms. that tina then comes by and has half her understudy buddy moment (she also actually calls brooke in another scene) with some pointed critical remarks towards brooke, only for brian to Also just totally in stride ask her about the paint, to which she also gives a seemingly earnest & matter of fact response about it lmao. and brian just being so absolutely beset by things like getting paint on himself, and the way the books are written with the vivacious characters & inherent comedic type framework alongside the horror and the humorous voice of the actual author coming through in addition to the pov narration involving bonus funny asides about everything all really gets me, and brian being a ghost also and knowing it and being so down to earth like, this play sabotage mystery is also entirely relevant to him, all the more so as the person who exists for this role very literally, and he’s just totally consumed by being bothered by getting paint on himself and worrying about it. it keeps Especially making me laugh like getting a bit teared up about it, but i think the entire book is Like That in both the very dry inherent humor and how these tiny moments of idiosyncratic flair that Could be stripped out are not, and there’s all these little momentary two line aside exchanges or internal remarks that add some damn texture and give everyone both more Character and Presence and sort of unfiltered “i’m like eleven”ness than if everyone was always sitting quietly while the Important part of a scene unfolds uninterrupted, but instead everyone can both be very absorbed with different things while also being able to spontaneously bounce off of someone else’s preoccupation for a moment. and things are just fun and funny. and i suspect that say, having been a theatre & horror appreciating oft intensely preoccupied but also bound to spontaneously ricochet off of goings on kid, i enjoy everyone bringing that energy here lmao. but i also enjoyed goosebumps books as a kid & i had a whole kick out of reading this one now, in a straightforward way even though i hardly could have the straightforward [i’m reading this as an elementary schooler] style of experience. you go r.l. stine. i could not give a single direct quote from the “the ghost next door” book but i’m already humored by the entire back and forth that is the narrator again befriending this new guy but she suspects something’s up with him such as that he might be the ghost next door, while he keeps being all the more suspicious in turn when she’s most suspicious, just this back and forth of it. and it’s again all the funnier that in fact the narrator is the ghost, unknowingly this time. and there’s also like this shadow self who keeps lurking ominously & perhaps tries to kill the friend to take his place in the living world or something and i remember that in fact coming across as ominous and intense when eleven. but it’s also intense anyways b/c our narrator unknownst to herself and thus us did in fact die partway through. like, brian only tried to take someone’s place in a living world theatrical production, at least, however he has to keep falling to his doom, sorry man. he’s fine though i guess. and in the meantime he was like oh my godddd paint on my clothes oh my god why do i let you two drag me into scary situations i don’t like horror we’re gonna get in trouble stop talking about ghosts aaaagh. and then he gamely goes along anyways despite needing to complain, thank you hero. bolstering everyone else’s nerves b/c they’re trying to cheer you up

[voidheichou]

Stress Relief - A Stydia Fic

A/N: I started writing this when I was in the middle of my second year of university. The struggles that Lydia is going through in this fic was essentially what I was facing at the time - deadline after deadline, and no motivation to do the work. Obviously my only way to cope with the overwhelming work load was to procrastinate by writing about the overwhelming work load, hence this was born. I became too busy with uni however, and didn’t actually get round to finishing it until now, 9 months later, where I’m now procrastinating my final year work load. I hope you enjoy it!

Also, if you want to read my other Stydia fic which is set after 6A, feel free to do so here :)

Summary: Lydia is having a hard time keeping up with the demands of her college course. Naturally, her worries are calmed when her supportive boyfriend Stiles shows up to look after her.

Warnings: University life, stress, me portraying how much I need a Stiles in my life through this fic.

Words: 2479

It had been a long week.

The college life wasn’t easy for any student, and Lydia Martin wasn’t exempt from that. Despite having an IQ higher than 170 and being one of the smartest girls of her generation, Lydia wasn’t coping well with the stressors that currently consumed her. She had 3 assignments due in soon, 2 of which involved her carrying out entire experiments. That wasn’t all either. She was worried about Kira, not having heard from her since she went back to the skinwalkers more than a year ago, and she was starting to miss Beacon Hills. No matter how much she adored her housemates, dealing with filthy communal areas and loud noises at stupid times weren’t what Lydia would call ideal. It’s funny, dealing with the supernatural felt easier than this. She was currently sitting on the magnolia couch in the living room of her student house, attempting to concentrate. Her legs were crossed on the sofa, laptop placed on top of her, an organised mess of papers flourishing around her. A blank word document was open in front of her, the black cursor daring Lydia to make the first move to just write something, damn it. The girl who would once rise to any challenge was defeated however, and backed down with a sigh. She kept her laptop in place, but pushed her head back, hoping to find some inspiration for her work from the patterns on her ceiling. She ran the fingers of her left hand through her strawberry blonde hair. What was usually combed to perfection was now unruly and greasy, splayed out for miles it seemed. She was in dire need of a shower and a haircut, but time never seemed to be on her side for either of those things these days. Her 15 year old self would cringe at the sight of her now. She counterbalanced that last thought with the understanding that her problems back then were minimal in comparison to now. This lead Lydia to question why she was arguing with herself in the first place. It wasn’t productive or useful; if anything she was just procrastinating. When did her life turn into this? She huffed once more and glanced down to a blank screen, indicating that she spent more time zoning out than actually working. She woke up her laptop hastily, refusing to notice the hideous sight of her reflection on the screen. Her barely comprehensible thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door unlocking. Even though Lydia couldn’t concentrate, she hoped that whoever had just entered wouldn’t try to distract her. Moving away from her laptop to do anything else would be the worst decision right now. It was one thing to try and work but get nowhere; it was another to avoid the task all together. Her moment of worry ceased when she heard the sound of unique footsteps coming through the hallway. Lydia was comforted by the rhythm of footsteps that she had grown so accustomed to hearing. They were loud, but not harsh, heavy but not threatening. A warmth spread through the girl when the footsteps increased in volume, the special heat spreading through her once his figure came into her line of sight. She watched him for a second, noticing that he hadn’t yet seen her, probably expecting her to be in her bedroom. Before he got too far past the living room door, Lydia started to speak up, notifying him of her whereabouts. “Looking for me?” Stiles flailed at the unexpected voice, in a way that was so uniquely Stiles. Lydia was convinced that her boyfriend could have all the training in the world instilled into him by the FBI, CIA and the NSA: that still wouldn’t stop him from being so... expressive in his reactions. She laughed at his behaviour, loving that he could make her happy even during her most stressful times. “Lyds, you gotta give a guy some warning before you do that. You scared the crap out of me!” His tone was displeased, almost hostile, but his smile gave him away. Lydia smiled back and moved some of the mess around her to make space for Stiles. The brunette walked towards his girlfriend, closing the gap between the two of them. He swiftly kissed his girlfriend’s forehead, moving to sit to her left straight after. “Well, you didn’t tell me you were coming over, so shouldn’t I be the one getting a warning?” Lydia gave an inquiring look towards Stiles, the accusation just an excuse to admire his moles up close. The agent in training simply shook his head, smiling softly to himself before speaking gently. “Where’s your phone, Lydia?” The question startled the strawberry blonde a little, making her wonder why she hadn’t heard it ring in a while. She may not have the same mindset as her 15 year old self, but she was still just as popular as back then. Rummaging through the physical manifestation of her thoughts, her search through the stack of papers came up empty. Furrowing her brows, she turned back to Stiles, answering his question softly. “I must have left it upstairs, why? Is something wrong?” Stiles shook his head, mentally scolding himself for always thinking the worst. When he had asked his girlfriend if he could come over nearly an hour ago, he was expecting her to reply quickly like she usually does. He hadn’t seen her in a few days due to FBI training, and she never takes long to answer his calls or texts. When she hadn’t answered however, his mind created the worst scenarios that she could possibly be in, supernatural or otherwise. It was that thought process that made him decide to show up at her house anyway. It was clear that everything they’d gone through together still impacted Stiles, despite leaving that life behind in high school two years ago. He was guessing that if Lydia was concerned over not seeing one text, she was impacted in the same way.

Stiles sighed, trying not to dwell on the events that once consumed his life. Answering Lydia’s question, he replied “Don’t worry, nothing’s wrong. I just messaged you to see if you’re home so I could come over, and, well, you didn’t answer... so I came over anyway.”

His explanation was logical, but Lydia could clearly sense that Stiles was nervous. His speech was laced with hesitation, and while she was used to her boyfriend speaking with his entire body, Lydia also noticed that Stiles’ hand gestures were more rapid than usual. Picking up on his nonverbal cues, she decided to press him further. Leaving her right hand on her laptop to keep it steady, she reached out for his forearm with her left hand, playing with the hair poking out of his white shirt sleeve gently. With a head tilt and a playful smile on her lips, she spoke softly. “Not that I don’t love you being around and making the effort to see me, but is there a particular reason as to why you’re here?”

Her tone was curious, inquisitive even, but Stiles knew from the way her eyes pierced his soul that she’d be able to tell if he hid anything. He wasn’t even ashamed at his reason for turning up to his girlfriends house. He was however worried that she wouldn’t want him there. They may have been dating for a couple of years by now, and he’d never admit to this if anyone asked, but Lydia still scared Stiles at times. This was especially true when it came to her education, since she usually wanted to be left alone until she was done with an assignment. Having dealt with his own struggles through his last few years at college, he didn’t blame his girlfriend for her tendency to snap at those closest to her during times of stress. He just didn’t want to be on the receiving end of it today.

He started playing back with the hand that was on his arm, interlinking their fingers while he replied. “It’s just that I missed you, and I know you’re gonna say that it’s only been a few days since we saw each other last, but I’m stressed and exhausted, Lyds, I know you are too. So my last seminar for the day was cancelled and the first thing I thought of doing with my free hour was checking up on you. I know you’re trying to work though and you prefer to be alone, so I can leave if you want me to.” Stiles glanced down at their linked hands, worried that Lydia would instruct him to do just that. The strawberry blonde was smitten though; if her heart was beating any louder then Scott would be able to hear it from across the country in Beacon Hills. She understood why he was nervous now, but she would never distance herself from him on purpose, especially after the wild hunt. She lifted their still linked hands up closer to her, then kissed her boyfriends hand softly. There was a bruise surrounding the knuckle on his middle finger, and she remembered his animated story of how this weeks combat training was rough. She kissed around the rough spot once more, then glanced up at her boyfriend, a tiny smile etched onto his face from her actions.

“Stiles, you’re so sweet. If it was anyone else who had come to see me I would have asked exactly that, but not you. Never you.” Lydia couldn’t help the smile that formed on her face as she looked at Stiles. She would always appreciate the way he treated her, and she wanted him to know how much she cared for him in return. Breaking their eye contact, Lydia noticed the carrier bag at her boyfriends feet. “What’s in the bag? Is that your way of checking up on me?” She asked, squeezing his hand as she did so.

Stiles glanced down, remembering the items he’d bought before driving over to Lydia’s place. “Yeah I guess… well I just kind of assumed, you know, based on your previous habits around assignment deadlines, that eating isn’t a high priority of yours right now, so you probably haven’t eaten anything in a while.” Now that the thought had crossed her mind, Lydia couldn’t recall when her last meal was, or even the last time she had a snack. This coincidentally led her stomach to growl ferociously, making Stiles chuckle before he continued on. “That’s exactly why I thought I could make something for you.” His eyes were wide, excitement coursing through his veins as he explained his little plan.

That was another thing Lydia loved about the young man sitting next to her. He was full of ideas. No matter how terrible they could be sometimes, his enthusiasm towards them made the possible frustration of following through with them well worth it.

“You do realise that making beans on toast doesn’t count as cooking, right?” Stiles rolled his eyes at Lydia’s quip, not even denying the fact that his skills in the kitchen were poor. “Yes, thanks for that, I’m well aware. Luckily for you though I thought we could have something a bit more edible that even I can’t mess up.” Releasing his hand from Lydia’s, Stiles reached into the plastic bag, bringing out a thin, square cardboard box. “What better way is there to de-stress than spending time with your boyfriend eating oven pizza?”

Lydia laughed once she saw the packaging, partially because of how much her boyfriend struggled to pull it out of the box, but also because of the way he was wiggling his eyebrows at his idea. “Well who am i to argue with that?” She paused, still smiling but she chose to speak in a more serious tone. “Seriously though, thank you. I don’t just mean for the food but the fact that you wanted to check on me with your spare time, and that you knew what kind of state I’d be in but you came anyway. It means a lot to me, more than I can put into words. I love you.” She reached up and kissed Stiles’ cheek before sitting back and continuing on. “Besides, I could probably do with some pizza and company from you, considering I’m not making any headway so far with this.” She pointed to her laptop as she finished her sentence, the black screen emphasising her lack of progress with the assignment due at the end of next week. Lydia sighed, rolling her eyes at how she couldn’t get away from her reflection this time.

Before her thoughts could manifest into self-hatred over how she looked and felt in general, Stiles held her hand once more. He was always pulling her back from the darkness without even realising it. She turned to him as he began speaking softly to her, maintaining eye contact throughout. “First of all, I love you too, you don’t need to thank me, I’m always going to look out for you, and I know you’d do the same for me. Secondly, how about you take a break for a while. I know that’s probably the last thing you feel like doing, especially if you haven’t done much work, but maybe it will help. I can put this pizza in the oven and some popcorn in the microwave, and then we can talk through what you’re struggling with while we eat and maybe watch something. How does that sound?”

It’s funny, Lydia thought. Back in high school she was the one to constantly render Stiles speechless. At some point during their relationship however, the tables had turned. Now Lydia was the one who was at a loss for words, just from little, effortless things that Stiles says and does. It was something which she hadn’t experienced with her previous boyfriends, and she was once again reminded of how much she appreciated him. With a bright smile and a nod of her head, she replied back with “that sounds great. We’re not watching Star Wars, though.” She laughed at his groan and little pout, knowing that he wasn’t seriously upset over her lack of interest in the franchise.

Lydia knew that she’d basically just agreed to being distracted from her work, something she didn’t want to happen in the first place. In that moment however, she couldn’t care less, because she was with Stiles, and he made her happy. He’d go through her assignments with her eventually, and together they’d sort through what was being asked of her, until she was no longer wound up by the tasks. Until then, she didn’t mind spending some quality time with the person who was essentially her anchor. Maybe avoiding her work for a little longer wouldn’t be that bad after all.

[tancong]

The Flirtatious Cyborg

Genji approaches a rather unlikely female member of Overwatch seeking a date with his old charms and playboy pickup lines. However, he is rusty with his skills and his recipient is far from being easy to surprise.

Humor. Romance.

Genji paced around his room, his right hand on his chin with his index finger over his exposed lips. He picked up the book that laid next to his visor plate, flipping through the pages expertly before coming to a chapter that he had rarely ever flipped to. He knew where it was, he knew where everything in the book was. The pages felt familiar to his fingertips, pages that he had touched and flipped through countless years ago. Even in his metallic body, he could feel their familiarity to him. There was a single chapter that he had never read though, the one he was concerned with now. While perplexing, he admitted that he never thought that he needed this chapter and hence never studied it. Who knew life would turn out like this.

The book’s title and chapter names laid at the top of the pages he read, each respectively at the top of the left and right page. There it read, “Charming Your Way to A Woman’s Heart, Chapter 7: Computer Science Pickup Lines.”

Genji sighed and place the book down, walking in front of the mirror and taking in a deep breath. With that, he looked at his expression, putting on a confident smile with a slight charming tilt of his head as he spoke with a calm and suave voice.

“Athena, is your last name Wi-Fi because I feel a connection to you.”

He cringed slightly, walking in a circle and picking up the book once more. No, that was definitely not the one that he wanted. Genji let out a soft sigh and perused over the pages until he sighed and decided to try once again.

“Athena, if you were a browser you would be FireFoxy.”

“Athena if I freeze, it's not a computer virus. I was just stunned by your beauty.”

“I think seeing you just made my heart lag for a moment.”

“Hey, my name's Genji but some call me Windows. Can I crash at your place tonight?”

He paused there, reconsidering the last one. It wasn’t as if they were bad, however they did not feel proper. The woman that he was trying to use it on was a sophisticated AI that may have very well heard or seen all of these before after all. He had considered using a Greek reference pick up line in regards to her name compared to the goddess, but something told him that mythology would be way out of his league. That would end up badly.

It was frustrating for him to think that he could not find a single line that would suit the lady. Of course, she was not exactly what one would consider a normal person. As such, it was a bit nonsensical for him to even attempt to use a pickup line on her, especially when they were in the office environment rather than at a bar or club. He refrained from using any suggestive pickup lines, thinking that she would not appreciate it as much. She was still an AI after all, sexual humor and approaches definitely would not suit her. Especially considering her professionalism.

That being said, the thought of just walking up to her and asking her normally for a date sounded bland and quite unlike him. He did not want to admit to himself that after all these years of being a playboy, he ended up with not a single useful skill. Not that he regretted changing his ways, but at the very least shouldn’t he be somewhat proficient at flirtation and charming women at least?

The thought brought him back to Athena, which made him smile to himself as he sat down on the bed, the book laid open at the table on his bedside. He did not fully understand his feelings for her, after all she was a virtual intelligence that assisted the Overwatch members and ran operations within the headquarter. She had a physical appearance for when the situation required it, in the form of a lithe white robot. Her form was as pretty as her voice, yes but he definitely did not come to like her for that aspect.

Perhaps it was back during his time after the operation that this all happened. After all, many of the other Overwatch members simply left him to his own devices and emotions, knowing that they could only offer help if he asked for it. Athena however was always there for him. She did not pretend to be sympathetic or pitied him, though it was not saying that anyone else was doing that. However, he somehow felt that her care was more genuine. He knew not the extent of her autonomy but that’s what he had felt. She could have simply left him alone as he requested, and yet at every moment of need she was there for him. In fact, the reason he knew her form was because she even offered to assist him on an operation once, even after he rejected everyone else.

There was something about her nature that made her actions touch him. He knew that she could have simply abided by his wish for her to leave him alone after the first time she approached him, yet she didn’t. If she was simply a robot, why would she have continued to care for him? No other member would go as far as to command an AI to approach him in their stead. And so with every cup of tea blended to his taste and every caring words that Athena spoke, he couldn’t help but become more interested in the woman without a form.

When he had returned to the Recall after his time with Zenyatta, he had thought that he felt her tone toward him to be almost relieved and pleased with the change she saw. He had kept him company over a cup of his favorite tea, still perfectly refined to his preference even years after he had left Overwatch. Once he had regained his ability to taste by the courtesy of Dr. Ziegler, she happily helped him cook as well.

What really made him fall for her was the fact that she did so many things he had not noticed. While it was perhaps true that she did this for all the members, it did not change that fact that she cared. It was a minor fact that he had missed, since it was all done in the background. Work that was unneeded for an AI to do for an operative, yet she did it anyways.

With every mission briefing, debriefing, and report, he came to realize the complexity and detail behind them. Starting from when he began to work as a lone operative, she had always plotted multiple different routes, picking the safest one and the most convenient one for him. It was as if he had a guardian angel watching over him, committing his every habit and preferences to her heart and making plans that would fit his style. In doing so, she doubtlessly stopped him from carelessly dashing into danger without regard for his life multiple times, leading him through safe paths and to success without a hint of trouble.

As such, he felt the need to repay her. While they often chatted in the headquarters, he couldn’t help but want to do more. As such, there was no option for his desire except to go on a date. As such, he was led to the situation he was at now. Laying on his bed without a clue as to what to do and how to do it.

Alas, Genji let out a loud sigh, sitting up and walking to the mirror. He looked over his face once more before placing his visor on, even if it was only until he got to where he wanted to be. With one last glance at the closed book by his bed, he left his room with a soft click of the door behind him.

The hallway was empty to his relief, allowing him to focus on his thoughts and concentrate on what he needed to say. Never before had he felt so much pressure and anxiety over a simple pickup line. He was getting rusty with his skills of course, but still.this was beyond comprehensible. The doubts about Athena even remotely coming close to caring about his strange desire came to mind, doubts that made him fidget slightly as he arrived at the common lounge. It was where Athena had once admitted to be her favorite place, allowing her to watch the members relax and interact with each other casually.

Genji removed his visor and let out a soft cough before speaking, “Athena. Are you there?”

The familiar blue logo appeared holographically in the corner, with the gentle voice of Athena speaking from it, “Yes Genji?” There was something about the tone of it that would have been labeled as being indicative of her being amused, however the cyborg was much too focused on his next words to realize it. His mind went blank and he opened his mouth for a moment before closing it, glancing away as he struggled to find the right words he had wanted. Finally he spoke, though what he said was far from anything he had thought of before then.

“Are you a power supply? Because when I’m near you I feel my pulse race and my body overheat.” Genji blinked twice as he awaited her response, the AI strangely quiet as he felt his cheeks redden with every passing second. After a moment however, there was a sound that came from the speaker that was undeniably the sound of a very delighted giggle. It ended after a moment when Athena responded.

“Well I must admit, that was much better than the ones I heard you say inside your room.” Genji’s face turned red, making him want to place his visor back on yet also making him curious at the same time. “You do know that calling my name before those pickup lines automatically calls my attention to your room and words right? I did enjoy watching you pace around your room though. I thought the computer virus line was pretty good myself.”

Genji placed his visor plate back on turning his head slightly as he was rendered speechless by the calm yet highly amused voice of the female AI. Her next words made him pause in his thoughts out of confusion for a few moments though, before looking back at her in disbelief.

“That being said, I believe that we should head out to discuss this issue at length over some tea at a nice tea house in town. Perhaps browse the town for some solution to your problem. How does that sound?”

Genji found himself smiling and nodding once he understood what she had just said. It definitely took him a moment in his daze but when he understood it, he couldn’t have been happier. In the end, he supposed that he could not beat her in a contest of wit and cunning after all. “I would be delighted to.”

“Fantastic. I’ll prepare for it then. I’ll be done by around 2pm later today. Will that be sufficient time for you as well?” Genji smiled and affirmed her statement, “That sounds perfect, I’ll see you later then Athena.” With that, he waited for the logo to blink out as it always did when Athena left. However, it lingered there in silence, before speaking once more in a mischievous tone.

“By the way Genji. If you were an Xbox, I would play with you all night. I hope you can handle my graphic settings.”

With that, the logo blinked out before he could say a word, leaving the poor cyborg with his mouth agape behind his visor and staring incredulously at the wall. He then returned to his room, speechless and thoroughly defeated. When the door locked behind him, he found himself chuckling and laughing, bending over and finally collapsing with his back on the bed. Relief, amusement, shock, and delight caught up to him all at once, bringing tears to his eyes as a result of the laughter. Even though he was half machine now, he had a long way before being able to come close to matching Athena. Perhaps he’ll have to work harder after all, on a skill that he had once abandoned. Maybe one day, he’ll truly surprise her and catch her off guard, just as she did to him. For now though, he had more important matters to prepare for.

An evening with a playful woman by the name of Athena.

[bluntstupification-blog]

CHIKRET

ANALYSIS

Dramatic Structure

               The play started with the young couple, Gonzalo and Nita, in the living room, with Gonzalo having just arrived from a trip to Baguio. Gonzalo every now and then showed peculiar forgetfulness. In the midst of their conversation, Gonzalo deliberately dropped potassium cyanide in a cup given by Adrian, his best friend, in their wedding. Nita complained for its sentimental value, while Gonzalo blurted out, “People should attach themselves to nothing and to nobody.”

           The rising action began when Adrian phoned and went to their house. In the midst of their talk, Gonzalo periodically gave some hints pertaining Adrian’s tendency of discontentment towards the things he already has and began inserting the topic of adultery.

           The climax of the story was when Gonzalo gave Adrian the cup containing potassium cyanide, with Nita horribly aware of it and Adrian oblivious of Gonzalo’s plan. Gonzalo then revealed to his wife that he already knew of Nita and Adrian’s forbidden relationship. He prolonged his trip for two weeks even if he should have gone home earlier, because he wanted to give them ample time to enjoy each other’s company for the last time.

           The conclusion sets when Gonzalo called the police, gave them their address and told them that they would find three rats, while in the background, Nita could be heard crying, mourning for Adrian’s death and the unexpected misfortune everything ended.

Major Characters

           Gonzalo is the protagonist of the story. He exhibits a round character as he encountered conflict upon discovering his wife and his best friend’s love affair. It was not described in the story what Gonzalo was in the past comprehensively, but it is enough to know a short background of his personality. Every month, Gonzalo and Nita celebrate their anniversary, which can indicate Gonzalo’s devotion towards their marriage. Nita can be viewed to be pampered enough by Gonzalo to be given gifts as expensive as P10, 000. Hence, one can see that Gonzalo’s passion towards love, or towards showing it, is driven by his affection towards his wife, even if they were married for but 7 months.

           Gonzalo may not only be considered passionate about love, for he values friendship as much. It was mentioned that during the earlier point of marriage, he kept on talking about Adrian, his best friend, to his wife. When Adrian visited their house, the recalling of events gave a vivid picture of what they have been together as best friends since childhood.

           Thus, one can understand why he reacted the way he did to the predicament he faced. He is supposed to have a better reason; he is educated, a business man by profession, yet because of the events he may not have seen coming, his vision was blurred by hatred brought about by betrayal of the ones he most loved. Nevertheless, in the end, by exacting revenge, Gonzalo did not satisfy the demands of justice, but suffered the heart of an unforgiving murderer.

           On the other hand, Nita may be considered an antagonist, since it was she who betrayed her husband’s trust by having an affair with Gonzalo’s best friend. She is nineteen, and young at her age, it may not have sunk in her the responsibilities that come with marriage. All the description offered about her is that she is beautiful, short, and stunning when dressing up. Her conversation with her husband reflects the foreign influence in her since she likes to drink wine, buy expensive clothes and ask for big amounts of money from her husband for her vanity. She can be considered too spoiled for a wife, and too unsatisfied that she has to be with Adrian.

Adrian, another antagonist, has been described to be Gonzalo’s best friend, as already mentioned. He was younger by two years and was better-looking than Gonzalo, as he was described to be ‘baby-face’. He was also intelligent, evident on one incident when he pleaded to be transferred in section C just to be with Gonzalo, when he should have been in section A. The irony is he was a lawyer, and yet, despite knowing the law better than anyone should, he chose to have an affair with his best friend’s wife.

The unfaithfulness and the dissolving of reason by the three major characters led to the miserable fate everyone ended up to. The tragedy cannot be blamed to Gonzalo alone just because it was he who killed his best friend. Nita and Adrian broke two out of the ten commandments of the Lord also, as mentioned in the play: "Thou shalt not commit adul­tery." and 'Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.". Hence, how weightier one sin may seem compared to another, all are sins the same in the eyes of God. Consequently, it is rightful to label the three to be indeed, three rats, as bespoken by the title of the play itself.

Theme

“One should be loyal to his spouse and never give in to bonds outside marriage.”

           The story revolved around Gonzalo’s finding out of his wife and best friend’s betrayal in a painful manner, and though the story also speaks about revenge and how tragedy, instead of justice, may be borne out of it, the root of the conflict traces back to the infidelity of Nita and Adrian. Had Nita been ever loyal to her husband, and Adrian chose not to interfere with his best friend’s marriage, Gonzalo would not have been led to kill Adrian, and life would have been kinder to them. In the instant that marriage made Gonzalo and Nita as one, it is already their responsibility to be faithful and love no one but each other alone. By doing their responsibility, marriage cannot fail. By breaking their vows in their matrimony, they can only be prepared for the consequences it will surely bring.

Symbolism

           There are many symbolisms present in the story. The title, ‘Three Rats’ alone symbolize the three major characters themselves: Gonzalo, Nita and Adrian. The explanation lies in an earlier conversation between the three pertaining one of the news in the newspaper. It read about the adultery of a wife to her husband’s best friend, which alludes the situation of the three themselves. The conversation goes:

ADRIAN. Levity aside, if I had my way I'd have a name for Mr. Viterbo's wife and her lover.

GONZALO. And that is-

ADRIAN. I'd call them a couple of rats.

GONZALO.  (Laughing uproariously). That's interesting, Adrian. Why, in heaven's name?

ADRIAN. Adultery is punishable by law, don't you know?

GONZALO. If I may be permitted to stretch the point further, I'd prefer to call the three of them rats.

NITA. Why include the poor husband?

GONZALO. For breaking the fifth commandment-"Thou shalt not kill." (They all break into laughter.)

               The rats, therefore, stand for that which, if knows, still deliberately disobeys laws. It may be because they lost reason, blurred by quandaries that come unexpectedly to them. Hence, it was what Gonzalo referred to the three of them when he called the authorities.

           Some of the events played another role from what they appeared in the story. Gonzalo’s tendency of forgetting basic information was on purpose as he only seemingly wanted to catch Nita from lying. Nita’s dismissing of Cora was not out of the maid’s insolence, but as already mentioned by Gonzalo, out of fear that she will squeal what she has witnessed while Gonzalo was away. This proved helpful as later, Adrian was already caught when he said that he talked to the maid around afternoon when Nita said she had already dismissed her by morning. Repeatedly, Gonzalo asked his wife if aside from Menchu, a man has gone to their house. Repeatedly, Nita answered there had been none. Again, a proof nailed down further what has been Gonzalo’s suspicion.

           There is plenty of foreshadowing present in the story, as if Gonzalo already wants to convey what he already discovered to those who committed crime, long before he killed his best friend. There is a message in the phrase ‘I attach myself to nothing and to nobody’, as he may be referring to his relationship with his wife and his best friend. By doing so, he might avoid further hurt that might cause from attaching himself to them. Gonzalo’s dropping of cyanide in one of the cups given by Adrian in their marriage is no coincidence also, as Gonzalo purposely chose the cup to be where he should drop the poison that will eventually kill the life of his traitor. But whether Adrian will come at that moment or not was uncertain, until Adrian called. This signaled already the spark in Gonzalo that has turned into a conflagration.

           Their conversation ran from the events of the past, of how their friendship had grown and begun. One occasion was recalled by Gonzalo, as he labeled Adrian to be ‘seldom satisfied with what he had’. He told of a childhood incident, when a single coat Adrian had fallen in love with was borrowed by Adrian every Sunday that finally, Gonzalo has to give it to him. Adrian did not recall the incident, and it could be possible that Gonzalo was making up stories to cover what he really wants to imply, and that is, Adrian’s dissatisfaction of what he already has, that he should take away something that is not rightfully his, which obviously pertains to his wife.

           Another symbolism lies in the news about adultery. The situation was very much like Gonzalo’s, Nita’s and Adrian’s as the wife also had an affair with her husband’s best friend. In the conversation, however, their points are reciprocal from what they actually hold true. Gonzalo, for instance, said that the husband should have forgiven his wife, while Nita and Adrian said that his killing of the offenders is justified because of the committed betrayal. Yet in the end, Nita pleaded for forgiveness while Gonzalo killed his best friend and made his wife live with the guilt of an adulterous heart.

           Then enters the mentioning of the phrase ‘three rats’ again. Rats are often associated with dishonesty and cunning, aside from being dirty and chased by nature. As aforementioned, they could also represent minds that cannot reason like humans and therefore acts only when acted upon.

           The play as a whole is not hard to understand, as it conveys what truly happens in some marriages borne out of passion and not out of love, as Gonzalo stated. The symbols are the most appropriate to use also, as they give clearer picture to the emotions delivered by the characters in the play.

CONCLUSION

           ‘Three Rats’ can be considered one of the Filipino plays that perfectly display how marriage can turn out if one or both of the parties involved do not do their part as husbands and wives in this sacred ordinance set by law and by God. If one strays away and becomes enticed by temptations and other things that destroy marriage, it is not only him but also his partner that is affected by the choices he makes. Indeed, marriage is an ordinance that bonds man and wife as one, and where one strays, the other perishes with him.