#(/build their friendship up stronger since they are on the same page now)

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

yeah you fucking tell him!!

[thebrokengate]

I don’t think most people were uncomfortable with the mileven make out scenes in season 3, that sounds like a you problem, most people vibed and related with the whole summer romance shenanigans. And season 3 is a lot of people’s favorite including mine. A lot of people love Finn and Millie, why would they be weirded out by them kissing? Not everyone sees them as little kids like you see them but besides none of that is proof of Byler, isn’t it the opposite? You also say they don’t talk to each other but they do

Sure, not everyone was uncomfortable with it, but I have seen some alongside myself that were, and I did enjoy season 3, too, even if it isn't my favorite out of all of them. I never said they were still little kids there either, just that we were only just now starting to see them go through puberty, so it was a little more uncomfortable for some of us in the adult crowd at least to see them making out like adults or even the older teens (played by adults themselves), since they were still minors. If you like those scenes, that's fine. They personally just make me uncomfortable. I didn't say that M*lev*n kissing was proof of Byler either, just the fact that they don't do anything besides that when they're together like a middle school couple regularly would (before their episode 2 break up) in that season is odd and not showing us them sharing common interests outside of physical intimacy weakens the relationship rather than strengthening it. We don't really see them forming a friendship or having deep conversations (what I meant when I said they don't talk), which makes the relationship shallow. In fact, the deepest conversation they've had really was in their season 4 fight over Mike's inability to say "I love you" to her, but for as long as they've been together, the times they've been on the same page about their relationship is zero, even then, because the foundation of their relationship just isn't strong. Mike and El got together after only knowing for each other for a week after El escaped Hawkins Lab with no knowledge of the outside world. She didn't know what a romantic relationship even was, and asked Mike if he would be like her brother before he kissed her. Then, she was gone for a year, and when she returned, we don't see the writers build on their relationship the next season. For being the supposed main couple, if they wanted us to root for them, they should have given us something stronger, and they even could have held out on putting them together until later seasons for development time which would have also strengthened their relationship. Just for instance, in season 3, they could've given us an emotional heart-to-heart between Mike and El where El would tell Mike about her mother and what Brenner had done to her and shown Mike comforting her, but they didn't. Mike and El are never shown to have these kinds of moments that would better build the relationship dynamic for the audience. Being in the same place for the whole season, season 3 would've been the perfect chance to do that.. but they chose not to. Many other couples on the show are given lasting emotional heart-to-heart moments (L*max, J*ncy, J*pper, hell even St*ncy had those moments this season to further build the J*ncy/St*ncy love triangle), but M*lev*n are not given these, so even disregarding Byler and their countless heart-to-hearts through the seasons, M*lev*n's relationship comes off underdeveloped in comparison.

[im-gay-and-mentally-unstable]

Video game AU

-The School is an online game that had existed for years and is now long after its times of glory, only the most determined players remain and not many newbies show up

-they still host competitions with small sums of money as the first prize

-there's plenty of smaller guilds, but they are slowly getting absorbed by the two largest- Forever and Never

-Forever, its members simply Evers, was the first gathering of some of the strongest players in the game, most of them already connected by friendships, and they slowly took over a lot of resources, earning a huge in-game advantage

-however, a lot of strong players didn't get past the member limit and felt disgusted by the advantage guild players received and in reaction, they made a guild of their own, even the title solely to spite the Forever- they named it Never

-the two guilds are in never-ending competition with each other for years, no one ever being able to grow significantly stronger, stuck in a cycle, almost no one joining in or leaving until Agatha and Sophie come along

-they have both grown up in the same household with Stefan and Vanessa, except Vanessa is dead and Sophie hadn't quite recovered before Stefan remarried again, straining their relationship permanently

-in attempts to earn her affection again, he buys her various gifts, this time, he bought the game to try and give her a new hobby

-she'd normally just abandon it, it's so out of fashion and she isn't interested in things like that in the slightest, but the most popular guy of their school, Tedros Pendragon, who also happens to be the interest of Sophie's undying love, or climbing for popularity, however you want to call it, is the head of Forever

-she makes a master plan, where she intends to join the game, become a legendary player and help him on his journey, making him fall in love with her in the process

-the thing is, she doesn't want to do it on her own (and absolutely doesn't want to go through pages of guidebooks and class descriptions), so she begs Agatha until she agrees to go through with it with her

-they start going through the early stages of the game and level up quickly

-Sophie spends most of her time trying to search for Tedros and save him while Agatha builds their collective inventory

-she very much hates to admit it but she got really into the game

-they become really good fast, mainly because of how much time they spend there (for very different reasons) and the talent for the game they both have

-while Sophie is off hunting for Tedros, Agatha joins a new guest that has just appeared and manages to complete it before the members of Forever, who just walk into the scene and are impressed

-Tedros invites her to fill the last available place in their guild and she tries to refuse and recommends Sophie instead, but they insist and she caves in

-Sophie finds out and is furious, in her frustration, she joins the Never guild in an upcoming tournament, motivated even more to prove herself

Character classes:

Tedros -> fighter

-> honestly the obvious choice

-> strong attack power, almost no health

-> fights in the first line of attack all the time

-> pretty dependent on other players' support

-> at his best as a team player, but incredible on his own too

-> thought the armour looked cool

Agatha -> paladin

-> she just liked the idea of protecting everyone but also doing damage and not being codependent

-> she made the smart choice for balanced gameplay

-> her saviour complex also came into play

-> never plays the first line unless forced to, but if she does she absolutely destroys everyone

Sophie -> sorceress

-> didn't read any of the guides, but liked the idea of throwing fireballs and destroying shit

-> somehow gets all the overpowered spells

-> again, she has huge attack power and very poor defense

-> she doesn't even need defense though, just kills everything and everyone before it gets to her

-> spent an ungodly amount of game money to buy pretty outfits

Hester -> sorceress

-> spent hours trying to figure out the best character for her playing style

->somehow has mastered all the spells involving explosions

-> always in the first line of attack

-> extremely powerful but very prone to getting killed in the first seconds of the match

-> doesn't like to say she depends on backup but the rest of the coven somehow needs to save her often

Anadil -> assassin

-> mostly plays from the shadows without getting discovered

-> usually prefers playing in team as support but also really powerful on her own

-> spends a lot of time making her skills as balanced as possible

-> somehow always plans the strategy

-> the person that spends hours on choosing the best possible armour and weapons

Dot -> cleric

-> just wanted to spend some time with her friends at first, ends up enjoying the game a lot

-> likes playing support even though it's extremely underrated

-> doesn't really do attack stuff unless forced to, usually just healing and defense

-> usually a team player

Nicola -> paladin

-> unlike most others, she prefers playing alone to playing in team

-> her whole character was built around the fact she planned to play on her own

-> and she's way too good

-> she switches between guilds as an exchange player to help out and is very widely respected

Kiko -> druid

-> usually just wanders around with cute animals and smiles

-> then she absolutely destroys you in combat

-> she always says she does it for the joy of playing with her friends

-> she very much just wants to win

Hort -> assassin

-> just chose the character that sounded the coolest and edgiest

-> soon regretted it since his playing style is to rush towards the enemy and try to not die in the process, which is not very compatible with the low defense his class has

-> Dot feels bad for him so she keeps him alive during matches

-> Hester and Anadil often use him as the necessary sacrifice in battles

Beatrix -> fighter

-> she shocked everyone with her character choice but her whole team supports her

-> usually rushes into combat side-by-side with Tedros

-> would be first one to sacrifice herself heroically if Reena wasn't obviously biased in her favour and didn't let her

Reena -> cleric

-> never really plays in the front line

-> supports her friends from behind

-> doesn't mind playing the underrated role, it makes it even more fun to her

-> really powerful even though she barely shows it

Millicent -> druid

-> not really a lot of reasoning for this one, I just have her associated with nature

Chaddick -> archer

-> he prefers bow in the series too so that's it, that's all my reasoning

Ravan -> fighter

[yangsbandana]

*starts sobbing uncontrollably* you're lost, you're found, you're hard to pin down,,,, I never know if you'll come through,,,,,, then you appear, together we're here, and that's all that matters somehow....

so true bestie,,,,,,,

oh no fuck it turns out i had a lot to say about 'all that matters' and the bees today oh no,,,,

okay but actually now i'm thinking about 'all that matters' and how cool it is that bumbleby as a ship gets to be as messy and angsty and complicated as it is. and 'all that matters' is really interesting to think about as a kind of starting point from that perspective. i love the way it so plainly lays out yang's pain over her feelings for blake. she cares about blake in a way that left her really vulnerable to hurt. and she is. she's so hurt in 'all that matters,' it's just heartbreaking. we also get some insight into her fears about blake not being as invested as she is, even though we, as the audience, know that yang is wrong. we know blake cares about yang so, so much, but she struggles to express it (as we see through the front half of v6).

i just love that at the end of v5 and through the start of v6 the bees are just in this really messy place in their relationship where there are a lot of intense, complicated, hard-to-name feelings. after they face adam together those feelings become clearer, coming into sharper focus. things are less messy after that, but there's still a ways to go before they get on the same page about how they feel for one another.

the bees don't have a major subplot in v7 or v8 but even though they're on the back-burner they're still burning, rebuilding the base of their friendship by just enjoying one another's company, while also working through some of their remaining insecurities and uncertainty as they move toward a romantic relationship. i think their talk and compromise in the truck in v7 really gets overlooked as a moment of growth for them. in 'all that matters' and through v6, they were not at all on the same page. in that v7 scene, we see them actually listen to one another and talk through having differing opinions, reconciling them and actually getting on the same page by the end of their talk. we see something along the same lines in v8 where they do end up on different pages about what's right, and they express separate worries about that. it makes sense that they would have concerns for what this might mean for their compatibility, but when they reunite they find themselves on the same page again, reassured that they can express disagreements with one another while still coming out on the other side stronger than ever.

i'd argue that these moments have helped the bees acknowledge and work through some of those insecurities they've been experiencing since 'all that matters,' and i'm really curious to see if they'll resolve it more explicitly later on. basically, with every moment since 'all that matters,' the bees have been building up that trust in one another and in their relationship. that said, some of that messiness is still there! and i'm glad it is because it tells us that we're still in the middle of their story. they're still growing together. and i'm really excited to see where they'll take that growth in v9.

[firewoodwander]

Okay u got me hooked and now i badly want to know how boss and a'den got together. do you have any thoughts about how they figured out the other was even interested bc both seems especially emotionally constipated in many ways

Hello!! Ahhhh I’m so happy :D I think I actually came up with them entirely by accident, and Pax helped make it a reality, and now I adore them. I’m so glad someone else likes them too!!

This got a little bit long haha

I think you’re absolutely right, my friend, and that the journey to get them where they are when I write them is a long one. I definitely figured that in-universe A’den, when not on mission, enjoys crashing RC missions to “help” (bother) the teams. Obviously, RC sergeants aren’t happy about his encroaching. Boss specifically is on the border between hostile and just Very Annoyed, even moreso when A’den and Scorch start bantering after a tense period of scrutiny, and when Boss realises A’den is actually helping. He’s a Null, he’s very very good at what he does. They’ve even had a lower rate of injury since he’s started bothering them!

Because they’re both of the same rank it’s easier to believe they feel better about sniping at each other or building up a more casual rapport, and both of them are very serious and pragmatic! Boss isn’t going to refuse working together if it works. If A’den is hanging about then it’s likely they spend time together strategising and recovering and reporting etc. Probably a lot of time at the beginning is spent in silence when they’re not working, or a quiet Boss being talked at. Then there’s a steady build up in their friendship as A’den begins to work with them more than he does the other teams because “Delta is way more interesting,” or at least that’s what he says.

I think emotional development happens without much verbal acknowledgement in the beginning. If they don’t say it out loud they don’t have to deal with it, and all that. It’s a bad model to go on, meaningful looks and hoping they’re on the same page, but somehow I think it works. Maybe they even have ill-advised hook-ups to blow off stress. They both like each other enough by now, they have an understanding. Serious arguments inevitably crop up when someone accidentally steps on a metaphorical landmine (or nearly very literal, probably). But at the end of the day they know they can rely on each other, and that means a hell of a lot.

Historically I have not been very good at writing get-together scenes (sorry!!). I can imagine the two of them sitting around a fire though, maybe they’ve just had a spat (about strategy, about someone in Delta, about Skirata, who knows). But they’re still there, next to each other, spaulders and vambraces touching because they’re still there. (It’s about the yearning.) Maybe A’den reaches out and touches his hand. Maybe Boss looks down and is surprised by the realisation that he wants A’den there, that he wants to link their fingers. That they make each other feel stronger.

I really like the idea of them falling in together like jigsaw pieces, slowly and after significant work to build their relationship. They click! They click and I love them :’)

Thank you so much for your ask, for reading my fics, and for allowing me to ramble on forever about my new lovelies!! I hope this was what you were after. I feel like the Charlie Day with the pin board meme again. Have a great day!

[dreaminginvelaris]

nessian analysis

im not sure if this qualifies as an analysis? It's basically me just explaining why I didn't like the nessian relationship, what it lacked, what sjm should have done.

I will be using the “anti-nessian” tag bc there are many softies here on Tumblr who get pissy whenever you have some things to say abt a beloved character or relationship that dont paint them as gods even though i dont hate them. I DO NOT hate nessian, I am not the biggest fan of them, im not entirely fond of them, I personally think we were robbed of a much deeper and flushed out relationship, but I do not hate nessian whatsoever. 

also please for the love of god don’t get butthurt and start talking about how feysand is the boring one, how feysand is so vanilla, in retaliation. stop. it makes you look childish. if you hate what i have to say abt your ship, move on. you don’t need to come on a nessian post and start talking about other ships. yes i realize i mention feysand, and rowaelin, but it was to compare how sjm usually writes her main couples.  

with that being said, let's move forward. 

sjm in the past has done an amazing job when writing romantic relationships. She's so wonderful at establishing a friendship, at establishing an emotional connection, before any romance takes place. like with rowaelin, we got to see rowan and aelin forge a friendship, from hating one another to respecting each other. before it was romantic love, it was friendly love first, it was love and respect for their friendship that made aelin threaten that bitch who i forgot the name of but who wouldn't stop touching rowan and aelin bathed her in fire until she stopped. it was the love and respect for their friendship that made rowan fight against his cadre to go save aelin, it was that love that made aelin go to maeve, threaten her ppl so Rowan could be free. 

all of this built up to the amazing relationship that is Rowaelin. it took establishing an emotional connection between the two to make what is their relationship now. the romantic/sexual part of their relationship is amazing as well, but it wouldn't have been amazing were it not for the trust their relationship was built on first. 

it's the same thing with feysand, their relationship built on trust first, on friendship, on emotional talks, on sharing their thoughts and feelings, on sharing hard truths with one another. on feyre trusting rhys with how she felt abt the whole tamlin situation, it built on rhys sharing his past, on sharing some of those horrific moments of UTM, it built on them fighting with one another, it's what made chapter 55 so amazing because it built up. it wasn't just sex right off the bat, it was forging a connection much more powerful than sex. 

which brings me to my main point, that nessian definitely lacks all of this. before it even starts, i know there are ppl who might say “but nessian was building during acomaf/acowar?”  yes, it was, we knew that there was something between them. but can you really call it an emotional build up btwn them? i mean we saw it through the eyes of feyre, so we didn't really see much of substance. we saw them exchange glances, nesta insult cass, cass tease nesta, even that one bonus chapter, but that wasn't enough buildup. because even in that bonus chapter we mainly just got to see cass corner nesta to a wall and learn how he was so turned on by her. nothing of depth and substance. 

you would expect sjm to bring this to their book. but it didn't happen. perhaps she as well thought that was enough of a build up to them, i wouldn't put it past her, her writing skills definitely are questionable in this book.

but where were the talks? where was nesta confiding to cassain abt her mother? abt her life being groomed for marriage? abt the years during the poverty, abt how she felt disgusted by herself for what she had done to feyre. for what she had not done for their family? for what she felt with her fathers death, how she felt abt elain, how she was coping?

where were the talks in which cassian confided in nesta? in where he talks abt his years in the illyrian camps, in what happened in those moments when he murdered a whole illyrian village, in which he learned he would never be able to bury his mother. the talks where he tells her how it felt to be separated from his brothers, how he felt when rhys was trapped, how it felt when feyre was taken, how it felt when he thought him and nesta were to die, at hybern and at the war. 

where was the teasing? the laughing? the pinning each other down during training, the talks during training. where was the friendship being built? just because cass tells nesta he was always her friend doesn't mean it’s not important to see it.

instead all we got was training and fucking and fucking and training. instead we got nesta jacking off cassian 200 pages in? i mean thats so out of character of nesta. this fiery woman who spent three books pushing cassian away, who made it known she ‘despised’ cassian, who made it clear she would not touch or even try to interact with cassian during her stay at the house of wind, but all of a sudden she just loses that and jacks him off? i mean the fact that nesta kept pushing cassian away was such a great opportunity for sjm to take and make it slow burn. teasing touches, never going too far but enough it made the other shiver. i mean that when the pinning each other down in training would have come in handy. but instead sjm just decided to change nestas character just like she changed cassians as well. 

(note: i am not slut shaming nesta, before any of y'all try to twist it that way, i am merely stating how in my perspective that was not something nesta would have done with cassian.

not to forget how cassian would literally leave nesta after their sexual encounters! please tell me i’m not the only one who notices that the cassian from acomaf/acowar/acofas would not have done that. this man has practically been in love with nesta since day one and he just straight up says “thanks for the ride” and leaves? uhhhh what? the cassian i knew and loved would not have done that. i mean him staying after those encounters would have been the perfect opportunity for them to have deep talks, for them to get to know one another. i mean they both claim to know each other, but do they really? 

the mating revelation was soo underwhelming too. i wanted passion, i mean thats what i was promised no? from both sjm and the nessian stans. so where was that passion during the mating revelation? i mean sjm had aelin realize rowan was her mate after rowan was shot, and she felt the fear of losing him. had rhys know fully when feyre was dying and he was trying to get to her. had ferye realize when they professed their love for each other, and she realized she had healed with him. even goddamn lucien and elain knew in such an intense way as well. and nessian? on a sidewalk. with cassian demanding nesta say it, and nesta robotically denying it. 

all im saying is that we were robbed. i like sex between two characters as much as the next person but sex doesn't matter unless there is a deep emotional connection between the two, its what makes chemistry between two characters amazing. 

also lets mention how cassian didn't even say i love you to nesta. PLSSS WHAT WAS THAT

the only part in the whole 700+ page book that actually felt deeper and much more stronger between the two of them was when nesta broke down and admitted she hated herself and cassian consoled her. but that was what? 3 pages and then they proceeded to continue to fuck during their “healing hike” nah that aint it

all im saying is that nessian was much more fun and sexy when it was through feyre’s perspective. 

[bellaslilpapercut]

Oh boy New Moon! I've got some Thoughts a brewin' babey:

1. Smeyer: you do not need to remind your audience what happened last book, they aren't stupid. Imagine if SC started catching fire with ANOTHER explanation of what the hunger games are and that's the vibe of the first chapters of new moon. We remember james, we know what vampires are, we know that Bella is white, stop reminding us!

2. Bella has the worst self esteem of all time. Every bad thing that has happened to her since the Van Incident has been Edward's fault but she still blames herself and idk if this is Intentional Insecurity or if smeyer is protecting edward's "character" or both but gdamn it's depressing.

3. The reason I said Jasper was Inconsistently Written jumped out at me again. Smeyer dedicated a whole paragraph to pointing out how terrible jasper is at the diet or whatever but in the guide, smeyer tells us jasper actively tried to starve himself in the past because of how difficult his gift made feeding. He was one of only two Cullens to show bella empathy, he smelled her blood before, why does he attack her? The weakness of this decision is pointed out in the exposition: if it really were likely that Jasper would attack Bella, she wouldn't have needed a superfluous paragraph dedicated to telling us how bad he is at self control. If the story had convinced us of that beforehand, we would have believed the attack without the addendum.

4. The party is my least favorite part of the whole series and I will die on this hill: edward should have attacked bella. Bella should have tripped into something glass and edward should have lost it because he tasted her blood before and couldn't help himself. That way: edwards self loathing makes sense and he's forced to recon with his superiority complex from the ending chapters of twilight AND bella's self blame makes sense. A vamp who was able to starve himself before he even heard of the cullens should not have lost it around someone he spent days in close quarters with, building rapport and friendship. Edward got too high and mighty after he fed from Bella in Twilight, that should have had real consequence.

5. The writing is getting a little better as we near Edward leaving. "Better" isn't a good word actually but it's getting closer to the prose in twilight (which was flowery and annoying but at least it didn't constantly feel like being spoonfed exposition every paragraph). Hm wrote this blurb while I was still on chapter 3 and the vibe of being spoonfed reminders has not really dissipated lmfao.

We remember Sam Uley, smeyer, you introduced him four chapters ago. Just quick question: did anyone proofread this?? I think it's fair to say: when she isn't reminding us of things that we remember the prose is more similar to twilight. A little annoying but interesting enough to forgive the errors (or at least move past them easily enough lol).

6. I'm on chapter 8 now (I'm gonna break this up into three parts so I don't forget stuff like I did during the twilight reread) and there's a very heavy Vibe that smeyer is setting Jake up to be a parallel for twilight-era Bella. This line here is a pretty clear parallel for Bella telling Edward not to hold his breath in Twilight when he tells her she might get tired of him.

7. This line here "almost happy in a shallow kind of way" really jumped out. What Bella's narration says about Jacob versus her conversations with him (and her one paragraph about his happiness being effortlessly contagious) are at odds. It doesn't read like shallow happiness when she's with Jake. However, Smeyer is also a bad writer, she thinks the story she's telling us is literally what the narration says and not what the action shows and I think she realizes this in Eclipse (but obviously I'm not there yet so I can't say for sure).

8. I really can't get over the drop in writing quality. I know that she had already mostly finished Forever Dawn by the time Twilight was published (or was halfway done, I think her website said she had over 300 pages of forever dawn complete when she found out Twilight was getting published). I think the writing quality really reveals that she was not prepared to write New Moon. It's sloppier than Twilight in a way I'm not able to articulate (by that I mean I personally have a more intuitive than technical understanding of grammar and syntax so I don't have the language to break down the differences). Twilight itself is ripe with technical errors and plot errors and awkward exposition so it's not an overt drop in quality but I think it very much reads like a rushed writing job. She was committed to forever dawn, her publishers wanted New Moon, it shows.

9. I think New Moon was when I first started physically editing my copies of the saga lol. Even reading it now I'm so tempted to open up a word document and cut half of the useless shit out and fix all the grammatical mistakes. I can't even talk shit because I am also a comma-abuser but I hoped an editor would at least catch the errors before publishing. Guess not! Brevity is very clearly not meyers strong suit and this would have been a much stronger sequel if she had been able to reign herself in a bit. New Moon isn't supposed to be as narration heavy as twilight, there's already more action in the first seven chapters than the there was in the first 19 of twilight but she always delivers exposition via awkward dialogue or Bella's narration. Again, we already got a lot of the exposition in twilight, we know how vampires work et cetera. You can show us how bella feels instead of making her tell us and the story would run a lot more smoothly.

10. I'll end on a nice note! Little treat!

This is my favorite part of the book so far. I whited-out the useless dialogue tag because the line reads better without it ( line originally ends with "I emphasized" but she could have been brief and just ended the dialogue with an exclamation point for the same effect). The dialogue is natural and shows the J/B relationship that lives in my head way better than anything else I've seen on the page at this point. Like, I literally love this line more than any dialogue that preceded it (including twilight) lol.

[k1ttyadventurer]

AvA Thoughts and Ideas

Yes, this is my first blog post. I can’t believe it was Animator vs Animation that made me want to interact with people on this site.

@sammy8d257 (I’m the anon that wanted to add to your theories) and @inksandpensblog, I’m tagging you guys because I really like your AvA theory crafting and I want to share my thoughts with you. Hope you don’t mind getting tagged. (Also, I’m so down to discuss this stuff in DMs or on Discord if you want? I’m craving AvA discussion.)

Edit: Rephrased a few things to flow better or be better understood. Also added a new point I just thought of. Edit 2: Fixing things that didn't get fixed the first time.

-

Okay, so, AvA.

(Also, I will be calling Orange/Second ‘Orange’ because that’s what Alan calls him, unless I’m referring to “avatar-state” Orange, then I may refer to him as ‘Second’.)

((Also, also, my thoughts jump around quite a bit, sorry about that! Hope you can follow my thought process.))

(((Also, also, also, my opinions and headcanons expressed here are not set in stone. They could definitely change, which has already happened over the course of writing this.)))

-

1) Chosen’s relationship with Dark. - I definitely think that Chosen liked Dark (no offense to shippers, but I’m talking purely friendship here), however, I would guess that Dark considered the two of them much closer than Chosen did. - Chosen initially followed Dark’s lead when destroying things. It was all he had known, and Dark wanted to do it. But Chosen started noticing it was actually hurting others, and didn’t really achieve anything. - When they came to odds, Chosen struck first, while Dark just tried to stubbornly continue with his plan. It makes Chosen look like he immediately jumped to attacking, but I’d like to point out, in the flashback, he actively wanted Dark to stop attacking others when they were on the Newgrounds page. I think this means that this tension had been building up for some time. It wasn’t a sudden thing of Chosen deciding to attack Dark. It was likely sudden for Dark, because Chosen didn’t communicate with him (probably), but for Chosen, I think the creation of the virus was simply the last thing that convinced him that his former friend was actually an evil person. - (I would love to see a reformed Dark and Chosen being friends! But, I think trying to say he wasn’t all bad in the first place is severely glossing over the fact that he did--and was going to do--some awful, awful things.) - Chosen had no hesitance when he returned from defeating the first spider virus. He was going to beat Dark. - (I also find it interesting that Chosen knew where this second location was. From what I can gather from the AvG reaction, it was meant to be a more secret location for Dark? Did Chosen watch him from afar and discover it? Just thinking.) - TLDR: Chosen had already started expecting Dark might become an enemy before Dark revealed the virus.

2) Chosen’s opinion of Alan. - Plain and simple, I don’t think Chosen hates Alan. I don’t think he even holds a grudge anymore. - Yeah, he definitely hated Alan when he was chained up. He held a grudge for a long while after he escaped. But. I think as he watched Dark’s actions and the impact his destruction had on others, he started to see what Alan saw when Chosen was destroying Alan’s PC. - When he entered Alan’s computer, and started trying to defend Alan’s PC, he was now in Alan’s shoes. He was the cursor, the anti-virus, who didn’t want or choose to have this destruction happen. - After the fight, he sees other sticks on the computer and is forced to consider it may have been his own fault he got 'tamed', since the proof of Alan getting along with, or at least tolerating, stick figures was in front of him. - It doesn’t mean what Alan did was right, but Chosen now sees why Alan chained him. After all, isn’t Chosen himself now on his way to destroy Dark? He and Alan aren’t so different. He nods to Alan, acknowledging him, even forgiving him. Alan nods back. There’s a level of acceptance that has been established between them. Alan respects stick figures significantly more, and Chosen sees Alan isn’t a heartless monster. - So, when Alan’s cursor joins the fight against Dark, they were already on the same page. Preventing needless violence with violence. Not to mention, have you seen how many hits Alan purposely took for Chosen? As soon as the black blades came out, Alan got between them and Chosen as often as he could. Alan came to help Chosen, not just to defeat Dark. - If Chosen could ally so quickly with Dark, and then turn on him when he realized Dark’s morals were wrong, why can’t the reverse be true with Chosen realizing Alan had changed for the better?

3) Chosen’s opinion of Orange. - I believe it was Inks who said that Chosen feels something along the lines of submissive towards Orange at the end. While I do agree that Chosen’s bow doesn’t seem worshipful, I don’t think it’s Chosen ‘giving up’. I think it’s simply showing respect and gratitude in a very similar sense to how the five bowed to him after dealing with the virus. He’s just... far less emotive. It’s a nice parallel.

4) The effects of the virus spiders and blades on Chosen. - Personally, I think the reason it looks like the virus has so little effect on Chosen is because of his coloring. Orange is, well, orange, so the black wounds are obviously going to show. - You can see Chosen showing weakness in both his fight with the spider virus and his fight with Dark. The weakness shows itself in hesitation, slower response, straight up laying in a crater or the water for an extended period of time. - I think at the end, when the Dark sends the virus to infect the internet, Chosen is laying there unmoving because he literally can’t move. His body language reads of someone looking up weakly, unable to do anything but wanting to. The viruses temporarily disabled him (but, notably, it took all of them to do so). Dark can’t actually kill Chosen or delete him, but he’s been successfully incapacitated, so Dark can move forward with his plan, unhindered. - I just don’t think Chosen would ever, ever give up. If he can fight back, he will. He has never backed down once, even when there seems to be no way he can win. He almost lost to a spider virus--there’s even subtle hints later that he’s afraid of fighting them--but he still attacks the whole swarm until he literally can’t anymore.

5) Dark fighting Orange. - With stabbing Orange, it becomes clear that he’s not being as quickly affected by the blade as his friends. That’s why the Dark lord raises him off the ground; he grew impatient. (Also, Chosen reacts to Orange being stabbed? Is it because he knows Orange is one of Alan’s creations as opposed to the other four sticks? Or does he literally feel something?) - Dark becomes absolutely furious at Orange’s attempts to attack him and frustrated that Orange won’t simply die. Too reminiscent of Chosen. Also, I would like to note that, before he even stabbed Orange, Dark hits him the hardest out of the four still standing.

6) Orange’s powers. - Before I say anything about Orange’s avatar-state, I want to point out that his talents seem a whole lot more like Victim’s than Chosen's? I don’t know, if it weren’t for the fact that he has some label saying “The Chosen One’s Return,” I’d say he’s actually the ‘second coming’ of Victim. - Okay, now to his powers. Almost all of them are souped up versions of Chosen’s, with two exceptions. The whole reviving/restoring code ability, and the ability to fly/float without flames. The latter of these two abilities is something we see Dark do after he puts on his black band. The former could also very well be associated with Dark, considering Second had to go to Dark’s console to revive his friends. Food for thought. - There’s a trade off here in the power scaling. Second is so much stronger than Chosen, but obviously can’t tap into his powers whenever he wants. Not to mention, he seemingly can’t use them indefinitely. If Dark somehow managed to avoid getting blasted into the beyond, Orange would be in major trouble if his super-state has a time limit. - Then there’s the whole sleeping thing in videos that likely take place later chronologically? On the build competition video where Orange literally can’t stay awake for fifteen seconds despite punching himself in the face, there was something Alan did that always struck me as odd. He hearted a comment saying something like ‘should we be concerned about Orange’s narcolepsy?’ almost implying that we should be concerned? Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I haven’t seen him just heart “funny-haha” comments before. (I would also like to point out it is very possible for this to be planned out. These AvM video scripts were likely written after AvA’s scripts even if the videos were finished first.)

7) What next for Chosen doing things with the color squad? - I think, despite the many, many issues that will come up if Chosen ‘play-fights’ with the others (as I stated as an Anon to Sammy), it would be incredibly healthy for him once he can do it safely and have fun. He was born wanting to fight. It’s his calling. And he’s really good at it. Finding a way to do it without hurting others? That’s the best thing he could ever have. - Okay, and, what if, Chosen doesn’t quite understand why Orange doesn’t remember going super, but he decides that he’s going to get to the bottom of Orange’s powers and, in the process, starts training Orange. (It probably starts with Chosen being all, ‘come here’ and flies up, while Orange is just, ‘what? I can’t do that.’ ‘Yes you can. Do it.’ Of course, that blunt method of teaching is not going to work, so Chosen has to learn to communicate better.) Training may or may not actually be successful, but imagine him and Orange bonding. - Both the color squad and Chosen adopting each other. They both parent the other in their own ways, and just. Be cute together. Chosen learns how to people and relax, and gets, like, super attached to these weak little sticks? So, the color squad now has an overprotective higher being watching over them, and the awe they have of his power is quickly cut short when they learn he’s never played cards before? - The sticks also show off their skills to Chosen and he’s just. Confused. Why would you tap blocks just to make a sound? Make something to harvest wheat when you can do it by hand? Why are you eating that. Animals? Okay, actually, holding this cat is nice.

-

(I deleted my old conclusion on accident, and I don't remember what it said. I don't think it was important, though. Thanks for reading! Please share any thoughts if you have any!)

[buildhope]

@lingeringscars​, @ghosthaunt​ sent 👪 for an important person 

this has been sitting in my inbox for a while because i’m very vocal  ( as is alden )  about the important people in alden’s life so i wanted to talk about something i haven’t very often.  obviously the most important people in his life are earl, tammy rose, and adam,  his family,  but there’s also henry,  who he sees as a little brother / a younger version of himself,  and enid, his first relationship,  and luke, his best friend,  along with his birth mother + older brother —-  all of which i usually never shut up about anyway,  so this post is for maggie.

he and maggie haven’t always seen eye to eye;  she was his prisoner,  she intended to use him as as hostage against the other saviors,  etc.  but alden knew,  even just from meeting her for the first time,  that part of her interactions with him / the other hostages was just a persona.  he got to hilltop and it was the first time he saw that places like this could actually exist.  he had already decided he wasn’t going back to the sanctuary whether or not they let them go,  because hilltop gave him hope  --  and it’s maggie’s leadership that did that,  even when she was supposed to be the enemy   (  but like he said to her,  ‘i don’t think we have to [be the enemy].’  )  

even as maggie’s hostage,  alden was trying to look out for her.  he saw her for who she was rather than who she thought she had to be against the saviors.  he understood why she thought she had to be a certain way and he didn’t try to taunt her for it;  he genuinely wanted to help her see that her feelings were valid and that he would support her for it,  even though his opinion wouldn’t matter to her,  because he thought she deserved to be heard.  the others probably just felt threatened / expendable  ---  but alden could see that maggie was more than just that person she was trying to make herself out to be against them.  she was good,  she didn’t want to just kill to kill;  she wanted to make things right.  and this wasn’t the right way,  but it’s why he was so patient with her.  

he does feel like he owes a lot to her for letting him stay at hilltop.  it wasn’t just that he didn’t have a home;  hilltop was a choice that he made.  he wanted to be there,  he wanted to follow a leader like her,  he wanted to be around the people of hilltop who had all voted her into leadership  ---  as opposed to his previous ‘community,’  where there was no voting,  rather just a bunch of assholes who continuously tried to take over leadership and control the people there.  he respected maggie and that’s a big part of why he chose that to be his home,  even after she had spent the past few weeks pointing a gun at him and telling him he would never be their people.  he is now,  because he’s been loyal to her even before he was ‘supposed’ to be. 

i think that before maggie left,  they formed a really good bond.  she obviously trusted him to make hilltop into something even better,  and beyond that,  she trusted his opinions + his plans  (  even if she didn’t always agree to follow them;  but even then,  alden always understood her perspective and respected it / didn’t try to push where it wasn’t welcome.  )    alden didn’t always agree with her choices either,  even as a leader  ---  particularly the public execution of gregory,  which made him uncomfortable,  though he still trusted her instinct and was grateful that she hadn’t done the same for earl and gave him another chance.  but even when he didn’t agree with her choices,  he respected her  + he tried to understand her.  

even since before they were friendly,  he’s always been trying to understand her and trying to anticipate what’s best for her.  it’s why he’s always called her on it when she threatened the saviors before,  because like he said, “you don’t want to do this”  ---  and it’s because he can tell that she isn’t some mindless killer.  she can stand her ground without making it a bloodbath like the people she’s against,  and he’s always worked to try to help ground her in that way,  out of respect and care for her.  

i imagine there were a lot of conversations between them as she was planning to leave.  he really wanted to keep making hilltop into the best place for their community to live,  and he wanted her to trust him to do that while she was gone.  hilltop is very much about the sutton legacy between earl and alden’s construction --- but the heart of it,  the people there,  it’s about maggie’s legacy, too.  he wanted to make her proud,  not just of him,  but in this community that she had come to make something special on her own too.  it’s pretty clear that she believed in him,  which is very important to alden because he needed that.  

there was a lot of respect for her mission,  too.  of course he wanted her to stay at hilltop because she had become his friend and a very important person in his life,  but he’s very big on following who you are / what you want,  and going with georgie was what she wanted,  so he respected that.  he also was a bit envious of it because he thought what georgie was doing was really powerful;  he himself took her book and ran with it and had done great things with it,  so he understood why she would want to join her.  he’s always been anticipating her return,  and a big part of that is learning about the lives they affected on that journey,  just as georgie had done for hilltop.

during the whisperer war,  he fought so hard for hilltop because of his son,  but maggie was part of that, too.  he always believed that she would come back someday,  and he wanted her to come back to something even stronger and more beautiful than how she left it.  that’s how it was supposed to be.  seeing it burn down broke his heart for a thousand reasons,  but she was part of that,  too.  and i think that’s really important for their relationship going forward;  he’s always going to feel like he’s let her down even though this was so beyond his control,  because she deserved to come back to her home,  fortified and better than ever,  not the ashes of it surrounded by bodies. 

he told her that ‘ she gave him a life ‘  -- - and that’s true.  there was no life to live at the sanctuary.  there was no heart,  no community,  no love,  no happiness,  no future at the sanctuary.  but there was all of that at hilltop,  led by someone he thought was really special and such an important voice for the community there.  so he doesn’t always agree with maggie,  and they’re not always on the same page  ---  but they disagree with one another in a way that’s respectful and understanding,  and i think that’s why it’s such an important relationship for him.

maggie’s return is obviously really impactful for a lot of characters still currently on the show,  and alden being a minor character probably means they’re not going to have as much screentime interacting as the characters definitely deserve with each other,  but i’m hoping we get more anyway.  i feel like it’s more important now than ever that they do get that chance  ---  enid was maggie’s family and she died while she was gone;  alden obviously has so much to tell maggie about the life that enid lived while maggie was gone,  and how proud she should be of all that she accomplished.  the two of them, out of anyone, probably are the most heartbroken about hilltop’s destruction given that the two of them had been leaders of the community.  i’m hoping they get their chance to have that friendship on screen that they had been building towards before she left.

[littlenekosfan]

Friend - visual narrative

this is going to be a long thread bc i have a LOT of panels, so read under the cut!

since im reworking with Friend chapters panels, i paid attention to the details more than ever before.. and wow, the way these chapters are narrated is absolutely amazing

lets start off with my one of my fav panels

if there is a theme between these two that keep recurring it’s “duality” (whether when it comes to their character or the way their story is told) we will also find a lot of parallels with it.. this panel above starts it very well, one left, one right, they both call each other’s name, the expressions completely different, even the background is reversed

there we go again, all this in one chapter, i simply love how they have the same pose/image but reversed, its a really nice contrast with how different they are and yet are at the same level also, look at their speech bubbles, most of the time, jugram has a round one while bazz a sharper one, its the case here and the previous panels aswell

AGAIN! kubo gives us each’s pov with the same image/paneling, i love that method bc he treats them the same, even if one is stronger than the other and ppl will most likely root for/side with one more than the other, they both get the same treatment, also, we get to see how both lives the same struggle, it both conflicts them this whole fight considering the past they had together

the transition is also really nice, the black background outside the panel and the partial grey shading that matches with it inside the panel.. we will get to see that technique again, but here?? lovely.

a whole page not showing their face even if you guessed who they were, you get that little surprise with the face reveal which comes out really nice

the chapter reveal!!!! its so pure and empty (no dialogue and it’s only one panel), it perfectly empathize on the title and its meaning

i love how discreet bazz motive to help out jugo is shown here, obviously none of them would speak about it (jugo is pretty closed and bazz despite being loud, he isnt obnoxious and he’s smart) so it had to be shown without any words and these panels do it so well!

the first panel is just so beautiful and you can tell how jugo is just, happy. and then, the moment his uncle speaks, his face drastically changes, from white to black, kubo loves to work with that contrast of b&w (just look how the ritters/espadas are dressed vs shinigamis.. there is also the sun/moon theme and so on... its not called bleach for nothing lmao) kubo uses contrast very often and we can tell he loves to do it (and he does it super well!!)

i know we dont have any colour on these pages, but both pages are from the same chapter, first one (right) being their fist meeting on a normal day (probably an evening so the sky is orange ish) and the second page is again a jump to a flashback but this time it’s not the sky that we are shown in the last panel, but rather flames, the same colour as the day they met... the two last panels look the same but arent....

there is also the absence of facial expression in some panels, which imo conveys the mood much better, we are not left up to interpretation, we clearly know what kind of feelings that are expressed yet they didnt need to be shown...

again with the parallels (left/right) and using the same image from younger to older to show their growth? nice.

the built up with the grand reveal... wow, love it, also, that panel was such a surprise to me when i first read it... still give me goosebumps today ngl..(if you are a manga reader to likes to have the book, well, this the end of vol69... what an ending :))) just look at the build up, the bg is dark and you get that white and empty panel right after like, wow 

AGAIN WITH THE SUPRISE AND WOW IT HURTS, also the title being in capital... OOF, im going to loose it

ppl like to call kubo lazy with his titles, but is it?? i mean, here, i really cant think of a better title, remember how the first chapter friend was introduced? so sweet and smooth and then you get this... the fact friend is written here is a good call back to their relationship, what it is, what it really means, and the current situation

the way bazz recalls all the things he had heard about this.......th-that hurts (we’re like in his mind, we’re just as shocked as he is) also, it shows well how bazz recall all these moment in silence and does all the realization without saying a thing, bc no, he didnt say a thing ever since yhwach started to talk..

the left panel is yhwach talking (as he was for like the whole chapter) and there is no dialogue going on, the two boys didnt say a thing... as the slience was taking place, bazz breaks is with a shrieking voice, just looking how the letters are written in japanese, we went from pure, clear panel to a messy and dark one....

jump back to present, with both jugrams having the same pose but they both don’t convey the same feeling, with the shading and how cut it is (not being able to fully see jugo’s eyes) you can tell the first one is more disturbing/devastating than the second one

there we go... we get to see both of their expression at the same time and it change within the following panels,.. (im telling you, kubo love both of them, not just one.., both.)

this is one of my favorites moments, the way know bazz has lost his fight and how HE is self-conscious about it..., the way he monologues about jugram is really depressing, and how we are only given images that illustrates his struggle...the images are so strong, desperate and yet, his words are so empty, powerless, he knew he lost.. (the moment i start reading it, i cry on the fucking floor)

i mentioned earlier how i loved kubo’s choice in not showing the face, well we have it here again in a flashback and the end of the fight... jugram turning his back to bazz, he did it in the past and did it after bazz’ death..  it’s his way to avoid to face his feelings. (the fact we are shown he did it in the past and the reason to it, let us know why he did it again even later)

here again with empty panels, the fact it’s only bazz who is talking.... feels really heavy and the way he clings to jugram with burning hands....... you really need to look at every panel carefully to feel that heart wrenching moment,, there is no crying or screaming, he just softly admits his defeat and that’s it, like, im sorry but that’s fucking sorrowful

here again with kubo choosing to not show the face, but in this case, it’s harder for us to tell which expression jugram has (since he’s so closed about showing emotions or his intentions) but the fact kubo deliberately chose to hide it proves jugram has something to hide from us, something he didnt want us (readers) to see.........

these panels? concludes their story perfectly you have jugram walking up the stairs leaving bazz-b alone laying behind, being reminded of the day they met where bazz was the one standing high while jugram is on the ground the setting: the cold empty castle during nighttime vs the warm summer day met in a forest at daytime bazz reached to jugram and jugram left him behind, they met with touched hearts only to leave with empty ones, bazz used to look down on jugram and now, jugram does, they used to be so different and still do but only now, their role are inverted...

thank you @equipollency​ for that remark! i think your post does it much better if yall wanna read it !

i mentioned earlier how the background (outside the panel) would change from black to white, we know the black means the past,  but i love how its broken here, going back and forth from the past and present (within the same page) to show how things are still the same between them, the same struggle, the same fight over and over

also, the “not yet” is just so perfectly placed, i cant, it just emphasize even more on my point earlier (how things between them never changed on that matter)  and it finally concludes the flashbacks (with the way it’s presented: the b&w,, and the words themselves, how they weight so much)

the black shading like that is rarely used with kubo but when he does, you know it conveys extreme emotions (we didnt get to see it with bazz bc it wasnt as intense as jugram has it but also)  the trigger to these emotions for jugram are related to trauma, the first one being his uncle and the second being his friendship (im not calling his relation with bazz traumatic, its how important this relationship was to him and how ended up broken that triggers him)

but NaKi ThErE iS ThiS pAneL wHerE baZz Is ShaDeD bLacK! yes i know, but it’s not about bazz expression nor emotions, its about the scene, the situation (the white bg vs the black silhouette: perfect), so no it doesnt count, but its still a very nice panel just like with the jugo’s reveal with everyone “kneeling” to him.. white bg was The way to go

i forgot to talk about how i like their fight, how there is so little dialogue and how there are a lot of empty pages just to let place to the fight... it lets you enjoy their fight while we suffer with their flashback, anyways, im not a fan of endless dialogue in fights unless it really changes something, here, they both already know each other and they know what they want, so it was a good pick to just, us reader, witness their story through their mind instead of them narrating/recalling it to us

i know kubo uses that technique outside of these chapters, but the grey shading... i love.. he also has a LOT of close ups with eyes bc we all know how expressive eyes are;... i love that too

i know i talked about some facial expressions, but really, kubo’s art is amazing, the way he can convey certain expressions that are so precise... here, have some panels that i think are underrated naki your boys are underrated.. bc i love kubo’s art so much

i had the chance to see the colored version only once, and to be honest, the black and white is just, Amazing. nothing close to that, kubo’s use of b&w and how he keeps his panels pure is MADE to stay that way

anyways, im really in love with how Friend was made and thought out in it’s visual narrative (and story wise too ofc), kubo didnt just do a side story, these chapters are fucking amazing and ppl often ignores that sadly..

[elliewan]

Boom Boom - Behind the Scenes

Hi everyone! As hinted in Chapter 14th notes, here is a (long?) tumblr post for some behind-the-scenes trivia about Boom Boom! I’m sorry it took me some time, but I’ll probably develop my HC for Thermite and Ace in another post :]

So. Here’s a small table of contents for this post. And of course, massive spoilers incoming! haha

Origin of the Title

Chapter and Rhythm building

Thermite’s friendships

Interviews with Harry

IQ/Kali’s background relationship

HC Timeline

In a nutshell

1. Origin of the title

The initial placeholder title was “Norwegian Dynamite”, then “From Texas with Norway”, then… “Boom Boom”. I’m still not happy with the title, but I think it’s good enough. And funfact, it’s kind of a mistake, but not so much. In French, my native language, heartbeat’s onomatopoeia is “Boum Boum”, while I read that in American English (the English I tended to use for my fanfic), it’s supposed to be “Thump Thump” or something like that. But I also read than in most of Norwegian dialects, “Boom Boom” could be understood as a heartbeat too. So anyway, Boom Boom refers both to the beating of their heart and to the explosions of their hard-breaching gadgets. It’s also dual, meaning that each of them is a “Boom” haha And it’s also a cute Mika song about two people being totally in love despite what their families think, and making love everywhere haha (cause in French “Faire crac crac boum boum” [“doing crac crac boom boom”] means “having sex” haha)

2. Chapter and Rhythm building

Unlike most of my fanfics, Boom Boom wasn’t written “as it goes”, I didn’t “discover” the fic while writing it. In fact, I hadn’t contemplated writing a multi-chapter for them until some comments on my Siegetober Ace/Thermite one-shots where people showed interest in the ship and a potential multi-chapter or longer story for them. 

So after the Siegetober rush, while I had several wips ongoing, I started working on it. The first blank page was basically: Ace/Thermite – how do they get together for real and a series of bullet points for potential scenes. Then, I opened a PowerPoint file and started filling the following diagram:     

Though this is now a bit obsolete, this was the first foundation. Thanks to this diagram, and the several bullet points for potential scenes I had brainstormed, I started building the story in a (ugly) board. Once again, several things are obsolete and I never really updated it – it was more of a working document for the “pre-writing” of the fic, to see if the story really made sense:

And one thing that really didn’t help was Ubisoft releasing the cutscene about Aruni out of nowhere haha. At the beginning, I panicked a bit because I thought it changed several things in my Thermite HC, but it happened to eventually fit quite well and even help adding more drama haha

And once I was ok enough with the board, despite it having several plot holes, I tried to measure the intensity of “love” and “dramatics” to see what kind of rhythm the fic was going to follow and check if I found it entertaining enough:

3. Thermite’s friendships

In the initial draft, Castle had a MAJOR part as Thermite’s best friend. He would help him sort his feelings, see the evolution of his relationship with Ace, and even go to Texas with him to help him face his family. But when re-reading for the umpteenth time Thermite’s file, I realized there was not a single mention of Castle, contrary to Hibana, Twitch and Thatcher. Not to mention Harry’s board where it’s written Thermite has a “sibling” relationship with Ash.

And that’s when everything ticked: Thermite is surrounded by great women. Sisterhood is part of who he is, how he was raised, how he lives. And this is why those women should have a stronger place in the story. So Hibana, Twitch, Aruni and Ash became real sisters to him. Hibana and Aruni being more like the big sisters – they’re reliable, sturdy and coolheaded, they provide him with advice and comfort; Aruni especially is quite similar in temper to his biological sister in my HC. Twitch is more like his same-age sister (though she’s younger), they see eye-to-eye but there’s no authority nor “big sister” feels between them; she’s the confident. As for Ash, she’s more like that distant sibling that has evolved a lot in life to the point where they don’t talk as mush as they used to… but who could move mountains just to get to him if she hears he’s in trouble. This is what I tried to convey :’)

4. Interviews with Harry

Honestly, interviews with Harry were my ultimate cheat code to give more information regarding Ace and Thermite’s psychological statuses, and various hints regarding their mental health. Though I sometimes prefer to bring this sort of nakedness and vulnerability throughout conversations with close friends, it wasn’t very possible here because: 1. Ace had no close friends with whom he could be this vulnerable, and he’s still new at Rainbow. (and he’s not even aware of his coping mechanisms and insecurities) 2. I kind of wanted Thermite to be incredibly good at clouding his issues, changing subjects and rejecting any kind of help, meaning that only Harry could get him to openly talk (or so he thought haha) about his mental health.

As for Harry’s behavior, I tried to render him as this kind of smooth, yet not evasive, therapist. One that wouldn’t be in the judgement, and who could wait whole minutes for the person to take their time to open up, and slowly but gently poking at the aching spots, and providing various resources to help them :)

Also, since in most of his psychological reports he seems to be very aware of friendships at the base, and to push some operators to meet some others, I tried to convey this vibe too. Just like when he says that he finds similarities with Ace, Dokkaebi and Sledge. Or when he offers Thermite to ask Lion and Meghan about their tattoos etc.

Also, here’s a bit of HC on how each of them deals with Harry haha

5. IQ/Kali’s background relationship

I have to admit I may have accidentally mirrored a lot Ace/Thermite’s relationship with IQ/Kali’s. Thing is that I wanted Kali to change too! I wanted her to be this impartial and authoritative bossy businesswoman that would slowly change into someone, though still sharp and arrogant, more human. I wanted Jaimini to show up a bit more. I have given veeery small hints to offer some glimpses at her true self, at what’s behind that mask. For instance, there is that moment in the fic where Ace and Kali argue, and he tells her:

“Jai, you and I both know very well that you didn't take this contract just for the money.”

Which makes Kali pale a lot, because he’s hitting a good nerve. In fact, I kind of headcanon Kali having softened enough around him, throughout their collaboration, to have confided a tiny bit about why she created Nighthaven, and all the frustrations she had grown up with. And thing is, Kali created Nighthaven because she wanted to be a hero too, just like him. She wanted to be at the heart of the battle, to protect people, to save lives, and she dreamed of a soldier life, of self-sacrifice and heroism. She just slid the wrong way, and her childhood dream turned into a private corporation of which she became a ruthless tycoon. Just like Ace, I think things went out of control at some point for her, and she just lose connection to reality and morals.

And the thing with IQ happened quite naturally. At the beginning, once I was okay with the three main squads (especially Alpha and Bravo), the relationship just happened on itself. While Montagne and Twitch were just those lovely and patient sweethearts, IQ was the one that had the hardest time with the Nighthaven folks, whether it were Ace or Kali. Both because she didn’t trust them and their secrecy, and because she has very little patience for people with difficult tempers in general haha

So, Kali being that bossy and defiant puzzle, refusing to let her see Nighthaven’s gadgets’ blueprints, things were just meant to sparkle between them. And Kali just couldn’t resist teasing IQ and reminding her she was untouchable. And through the teasing, the premises of a relationship were born. But unlike Ace/Thermite, I don’t think it followed a Colleagues to Friends to Lovers progression, but more an Enemies straight to Lovers progression haha

So anyway. I wanted to give a little boost to Kali, so that she opens up a bit more with Rainbow, and to bring a truce between Rainbow and Nighthaven’s disputes. And love just happened, once again, to be the perfect last push <3 

Another thing that could have helped her would perhaps have been some true challenging from an authority she does respect, but I found it difficult to stage and Kali wasn’t the focus of the fic anyway – perhaps another time ;)

6. HC Timeline

And here is the ugly timeline I worked with haha It’s still probable that there are some inconsistencies, but I tried to avoid them as much as possible and I’m sorry if you find some! I’m horribly bad with figures, years and stuff haha

I used most of the canonical dates, except for Jordan’s mother and sister deceases, which weren’t accurately dated in his biography and which I reinterpreted a bit to fit my story.

Also, isn’t it absolutely lovely that their birthday is only 1 day apart? u_u #ProudPisces!

7. In a nutshell

So, those were my major documents that helped me build the foundations of the fic. What happened next was some drafting and pure writing, following the publishing tempo. I think the gist of what I wanted to convey through the story is still there, even if I reworked some chapters entirely. The journey (and the destination <3) is still the same.

+ I want to once again give a proper shout out to all the wonderful readers of the fanfic, whether they’re anonymous or not! I had never received so much feedback, and so many sweet words on any work before, even back in my time on fanfic.net. I feel so grateful for that, and though I already answered to everyone who commented, and wrote many notes, I still can’t find the way to properly translate just how much it means to me. So once again THANK YOU :’D

And thank you for reading this post too, if you did haha <3

[linaa-vera]

Digimon Fanfic Recommendations PART 1

So, during this quarantine I was dragged by the Digimon fandom again and I’ve been completely immersed in it. And at this point I’m past halfway the total pages of fanfic both in Fanfiction and in AO3.

So I present you the fics I think you need to read because they are worth it, ALMOST ALL OF THEM ARE COMPLETED SO YES.

PS: I tolerate all ships.

PS2: I’ll put in the name if it’s incompleted o completed. If it has 5 years without an update I’ll put dead.

PS3: THIS FIRST PART ARE FANFIC ONLY ON FANFICTION.NET

MANZANAR by GeminiStar01 (Short-story. COMPLETE)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2781728/1/Manzanar

Summary: “Kouji and Kouichi find themselves in a JapaneseAmerican interment camp in World War 2 California. They're certain that the Digimon have something to do with thier coming here, but to what end?”

Thoughts: It has good writing, very realistic. It’s really concerning when they realize where they are and I really like how both are portrayed in the fic, both are in character which is amazing. Also good history lessons.

TIGER LILIES by AncientLou (Short-Story. COMPLETE)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8042317/1/Tiger-Lilies

Summary: “A human lifepsan is an adventure, but much like the adventures in the digital world, they end. What becomes of a digimon left behind?”

Thoughts: VERY EMOTIONAL. I was about to cry every chapter. Very good writing. Puts in perspective that the digidestined are only humans, unlike the Digimons. The story follows what happens to almost every partnered digimon when their human dies. Broke my heart but it was worth it, it shows them in character really well.

YOU MISS HIM by bobtheacorn (One-Shot. COMPLETE)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12370178/1/you-miss-him

Summary: “Overhead, Kari yawns; a sound muffled under her hand, barely even a sigh. / Kamiya Sibling stuff.”

Thoughts: I really love sibling relationships portrayed in fanfics. It’s very sweet and this one isn’t the exception. The author showed what it’s like living on the Kamiya residence and their relationship as siblings very well.

CONTACT by bobtheacorn (One-Shot. COMPLETE)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11700482/1/contact

Summary: “Davis doesn't start the fight, but he does finish it. / rushprompt”

Thoughts: When I first read it I found it that could very much happen, Daisuke is someone who would not back down when someone threatens his friends. Everyone is in character, and I LOVE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KEN AND DAISUKE IN THIS ONE. It can be taken as romantic or simply friends, the way you like it the most.

BROKEN WINGS by Kaeera (Short-story. COMPLETE)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/722250/1/Broken-Wings

Summary: “Everybody thought that Daisuke was carefree, not? Everybody believed that he was happy...but what, when the truth is different and he has to deal with a trauma he is not ready to deal with?”

Thoughts: ANGST TO THE BONE PEOPLE. I SUFFERED. But otherwise enjoyed. I think there’s a lot that can be learned in this fic, very well written and down to earth. People can do horrible things every day, and many unknown people suffer the consequences in more ways than we can imagine, like our two protagonists.

ALL SEEMS BEAUTIFUL by Fizzing Wizard (Long story. UNCOMPLETE. Dormant since 2017, also on AO3 but with less chapters)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4446177/1/All-Seems-Beautiful

Summary: “After a bizarre incident at the camp, Taichi learns he's vanishing from his own world and becoming part of the Digital World. Meanwhile the Chosen take hits from every corner: the Spore Children, plus an enemy or several on the digital plane. And they can't keep their personal lives from tangling. ACT 2: The Chosen were dealt the worst blow possible, and it's tearing them apart.”

Thoughts: I was looking for a Taichi/Tai’s fanfic for so long. AND I FOUND IT. This story has everything, betrayals, love, FRIENDSHIP, and death. Everyone is in character which is wonderful, Taichi’s way of dealing with everything is very “goggle head like”. The descriptions are very accurate, and feel very natural.

FRIENDS TO THE END by Schnickledooger (one-shot. COMPLETE)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5915938/1/Friends-To-The-End

Summary “Matt and Tai. Together in trouble again. Lucky they're friends, right?”

Thoughts: Really good portrayal of their friendship. Warms up my heart every time I read it.

HERE WITH ME by Mika-chan (One-shot. COMPLETE)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/569622/1/Here-With-Me

Summary: “Taichi needs an appendectomy; he isn't thrilled. Taichi & Yamato friendship story.”

Thoughts: To quote a review “straightforward, simple, and sweet.” VERY WHOLESOME.

TOMORROW by Mika-chan (Short-story. COMPLETE)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12130819/1/Tomorrow

Summary: “It's times like these when his father won't stop lecturing him about school and when Yamato won't stop being so self-absorbed, that Tai wishes life could be simple again—could really be just about fighting evil Digimon and saving the world.”

Thoughts: I really like this story because it shows how school can sometime be very stressful. And more importantly it depicts Tai very well, because it shows that he’s alone, or he thinks he’s being abandoned by everyone.

THE LOST TAMER by Miss Anonymous hp (Long Story. COMPLETE)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10205417/1/The-Lost-Tamer

Summary: “Even before Takato was electrocuted, he was having a crummy day. It all started when he woke up with no memory, in a strange place, and surrounded by a group of kids known as the digidestined looking for somebody named TK. Now he, Guilmon, and five worried kids must set out to find out what exactly is going on… and why.”

Thoughts: I really like this portrayal of Takato. He’s very mature and his comments are very realistic. GUILMON IS THE SWEETEST. Even when you have all this characters in scene you don’t lose the essence. Very recommended. Has a sequel but it hasn’t been updated.

THE TEACHER OF ALL THINGS by Sadhelm2 (Long Story. COMPLETE)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9801628/1/The-Teacher-of-All-Things

Summary: “That time in summer camp wasn't the first time Tai went to the Digital World. How different would things be if a more experienced and jaded Tai was sucked into the Digital World? V-Tamers/adventure01”

Thoughts: Tai’s very mature for his age in this fic and I love it. He knows stuff, and he’s not what I expected in this fic. But that’s what I love it, if you guys read it you have A LOT of suprises coming. 10/10

           HAS A SEQUEL TO KEEP ON RISING UNCOMPLETED. Set in 02. Dormant, last update on 2018.

WHAT WAS FORGOTTEN by Prince of Flames (Short Story. COMPLETE)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8197908/1/What-Was-Forgotten

Summary: “During his battle with Cherubimon, Takuya falls unconscious. While he is asleep, he dreams of a past forgotten, and friends that he once knew.”

Thoughts: It’s a 02x04 crossover. Very short and has fluff. Love it. Although it’s not showed you can’t tell the friendship the two other protagonists had with Takuya is real.

CROSSING WORLDS: THE SEALED DIGIVICE by Sigthbent (Long Story. COMPLETE) (Has prequel, completed. And has a Sequel, uncompleted).

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5493589/1/Crossing-Worlds-The-Sealed-Digivice

Summary: “On a mission that has led Takuya out of his own dimension, he has ended up lost in another. Not only does the fate of multiple worlds rest on him succeeding, he'll also meet someone who will become forever intertwined with his destiny”

Thoughts: Another 02x04 crossover with GREAT worldbuilding. Everything is explained and you can understand the concepts easily. Takuya had a serious demeanor here, because of his new role as a “superior digidestined”(?) But has his charismatic smiles all over, very good characterizations of everyone. Cliffhangers, angst, fluff, EVERYTHING. AND THE POWER OF---

THE TAMER – A DIGIMON ADVENTURE by leonardo1123581321 (Long Story. COMPLETE) (Has a sequel, COMPLETE. HAS A THIRD PART ALSO WHICH IS ONGOING AND A LOT OF SHORT STORIES???)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11575755/1/The-Tamer-A-Digimon-Adventure

Summary: “Six young kids go to camp for the summer, wind up living in a Digital Land. With devices that let them digivolve their partners to make them stronger, our six heroes set off on an adventure to find a way back to their world. But stories tell of another boy trapped in this world for a long time and they fear the same fate. Mysteries abound in this new world. Will they get home?”

Thoughts: This is a masterpiece. If you like Doctor Who then you’re gonna love this. It’s the perfect match. The Tamer owns the situations every time he appears. I just can’t explain it further YOU HAVE TO READ THIS. IT’S AMAZING.

           Sequel: THE TAMER V1-2: ANOTHER DIGIMON ADVENTURE. (COMPLETE)

           https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12428191/1/The-Tamer-v1-2-Another-Digimon-Adventure

FORGOTTEN LEGENDS by Sightbent (Long story. UNCOMPLETED. DEAD since 2015 :c )

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6472937/1/Forgotten-Legends

Summary: “With the reemergence of a long lost continent in the Digital World the Digidestined have set out to discover its connection to recent troubling events happening in the real and digital world, but in doing so they will stumble across long forgotten legends and a chaos that has waited a long time to engulf both worlds. 02x04”

Thoughts: Ashh this fic. I really like it, I like the story, the world building. Everyone is in character, there’s so many mysteries. I’m really sad because the last chapter’s ending wasn’t what I expected and I need to know what’s happening. A good ride tho.

DIGIMON: CHAOTIC EVOLUTIONS REDONE by Katreal (Long Story. UNCOMPLETED. DEAD since 2015)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9679932/1/Digimon-Chaotic-Evolutions-Redone

Summary: “Posing as a Digidestined pair, and barred from spirit evolution save in the most dire of circumstances, Kouji and Kouichi struggle to aid the Chosen Children in discovering the secret of evolution, all while trying to unravel the truth of the connection between their Spirits, and themselves.”

Thoughts: I got a bit confused with the names of the digimons so I had to write them down to know which one was which, but I think that’s because I found it when my English wasn’t that good? So, meh. I really like this story, everyone is on character, very nice rhythm, good descriptions and conflicts. I love Koji and I love Kouichi and their relationship throughout the story.

ADVENTURE 02 X FRONTIER by Freefan1412 (Long story. UNCOMPLETE. On hiatus)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7484328/4/Adventure-02-x-Frontier Summary “Four years after BelialVamdemon's defeat the peace in the Digiworld breaks apart. A mysterious army of evil Digimon is wreaking havoc and destroying everything the children have struggled to build. And the key to evil's victory, lies with 6 'visitors'. 02 x 04 crossover. Rated for violence. Hiatus.”

Thoughts: One of the first “mature” fanfic I’ve found and what I loved about this is the fact that the warriors are more attuned with their spirits, they are vessels for them to manifest and it’s amazing. And it clearly shows that their world (frontier) was harsher and brutal than the adventure gang.

DIGIMON: FLAME WITHIN MIRACLES by Loki921 (Short story. UNCOMPLETE)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11854296/1/Digimon-Flame-Within-Miracles

Summary: “Davis holds a secret about himself that the other the Digidestineds, except for Ken, don't know. What does this secret have to do with the mysterious digimon that has been spotted recently and Kari seems to know? When evil once again rises, the Digidestined better be prepared for all they know to be turned upside down and a fight for their lives. Season 2 and 4 Crossover.”

Thoughts: I re-read this recently and I still love it. It’s an easy read. The battles are amazing and well written in my opinion. Everyone feels real and the interactions also feel amazing.

   At this point I think I made you a favor. Your welcome. If you pick any of the fics then I love you and go give your kudo to the fic because they deserve more recognition.

[labrats-and-clonetroopers]

“Ghosts” Steve Rogers & Captain Atomic Drabble, Mighty Med & Marvel Crossover

Masterlist 

Request Guidelines 

Warning: Mentions of violence, death (including the display of corpses), and injuries

____________________________________

There are moments one never forgets.

Three boys scampering down a Brooklyn alleyway. A blond boy in the lead, easily the tallest of the three, sporting a mischevious glint in his eyes. Bucky follows, neither going so fast as to leave little Steve far behind.

Summers of boyhood spent in the quiet streets on early Sunday mornings before their parents would hustle them off to church. Sacred afternoons in the park swinging bats and pitching baseballs, more preoccupied with reenacting the plays of their idols than actually practicing the game. Rays of sunshine admist the many days spent in hospitals, Steve in a bed with needles in his arms and his two friends wearing permanent holes in the floor of the waiting room. 

There are few bonds stronger than those of unconditional friendship born in the cradle of childhood. The anchors between Caleb, Bucky, and Steve never broke loose. They were dubbed the “Three Muskateers” throughout high school, despite running with different crowds. Caleb, a crowned jock, tall, athletic, with an incredibly corny charm that almost everyone fell for. Bucky was never seen without at least one girl on his arm, a sophisticated class clown that still flew by with top grades. Steve, attendance rocky due to his health, immersed himself in art, though was ever restless, wanting to escape the confines of his broken body.

When the war broke out, Caleb was the first sign up. Although the youngest of the three, he was an ideal candidate, impressive physique and a fiery patriotic zeal. His deployment seemed to come in a blink of an eye, and Bucky and Steve were there to salute him off, waiting for day he’d come back home and they would toast to his victories in their favorite bar.

Instead, they received a letter. 

The two friends did go drinking that night, and it was the first time Steve ever truly got drunk. Despite the blazing hangover, it was a decision he didn’t regret.

Nothing was the same after that day. Steve’s desire to join the military escalated to an obsession, something Bucky desparately tried to discourage, not wanting to lose yet another friend. Even when the draft came and Bucky was conscripted, the man was determined, no matter the circumstances, that one of them would survive this. And despite everything the doctor’s said, that person had to be Steve.

Steve remembers stalking the streets one night soon after, seething. He had tried again to enlist, but was turned down, was refused from his basic right to fight for the people he cared so much for. He found himself wandering into a convenience store, and something caught his attention briefly. It was the cover of a new comic book introducing the character “Captain Atomic”. Steve chuckled to himself at the name, but the face was so eerily familar, as if it were drawn from a picture of his old friend. The hair, eyes, angle of the jaw, came together to form the cartoon ghost now staring back at him. He picked up the book, flipping through the first few pages of this soldier turned superhero who’s life was saved with an experimental battery after being hit with a radioactive bullet.

The bullet that had hit Caleb hard torn him to pieces. 

Steve abrubtly shoved the comic back onto its stand, bile rising in his throat. 

Years later, there were many times Steve would look into the mirror, dressed in his suit, and remember that goofy cartoon hero with Caleb’s face. It was no longer a painful memory, but part of the reason he’d grown so attatched to it in the first place. It was the sort of thing his friend would have worn without the coercion of a skilled politician. Now on him, a melancholy reminder of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

It had been more on his mind lately, ever since two years ago when he discovered Bucky to be alive. Brainwashed and mutilated, but alive.

He needed to find him, but tracking down the Winter Soldier discreetly enough to evade Nick Fury and the other Avengers was no easy task, even with Sam Wilson by his side.

The world had not ceased turning for his quest. Disaster was striking with increasing regularity, as evidenced by his presence here, on ruined streets sunk into pitch black.

One month ago, Centuim City had been a bustling hub giving New York City a run for its money. Within the span of a day, the entire city plunged into darkness and chaos. No one new why; every law enforcement officer and Shield agent sent it so far were dead or missing. A third of the buildings had been reduced to rubble, and the number of casualities seemed to be rising. Most unusual though, were the bodies being strung up on display, dressed in strange, almost comic-book attire. 

The Avengers were scoping out the northwest part of the city, which had been largely abandonned by the surviving citizens. Some corpses dotted the streets, but overall everything was mild compared to the reports coming from closer downtown. 

Natasha strides several yards ahead of him, her gaze wandering over to a hunched figure slumped in a narrow alleyway. She taps the side of her slim night vision goggles, also equiped with a thermal scanner. “This one’s alive,” she announces flatly as she jogs over.

Steve catches up, bending down to survey the man. He is stressed strangely, like the bodies strung up on display, his suit a mix of royal blue and red. Blood is so matted in his hair Steve can’t tell the color. After checking his weak pulse as Natasha comms Stark, he lifts the up the man’s head.

His heart drops as he looks into the face of Caleb Denman. 

[willel]

Random Season 4 Wishes

Here is a random list of things I want to see in season 4 in no particular order. Some of these are more like predictions than wishes, but at this point, any prediction made is just a wish. 

A break from all out romance. The romance wasn’t really handled all that great last season. Other than the looming monster danger, it was the forefront of season 3. I would like a return to a season 1/season 2 formula where while there is still romance, it is never the focus. Stranger Things excels with subtle tender moments and meaningful physical contact. 

Character growth over character drama. Another issue season 3 had is too much conflict between character. Hardly any of it really contributed to character growth. The only character growth to be seen is Mike being a little less clingy and El being a little more independent. Nothing else noticeably changed, not on screen. Conflict is important... but it should be pushing our character forward, not locking them in place. 

Recapture the importance of family. Our cast has been divided in two. The Byers + El are somewhere new while the others stayed behind in Hawkins. This leaves an excellent opportunity to revisit old threads long forgotten. I would love to see Nancy and Mike actually interacting. Not just one conversation or exchanging a glance. Full out brother and sister duo. I feel similarly about Jonathan with his own family. I would like to see a plot where all the Byers + El are in it together. 

Return of Kali. Kali, I feel, is a very important piece of El. While season 3 would have us forget her influence of El, I hope next season doesn’t completely ignore her presence. It would be interesting if Kali’s prediction comes true, that no matter where she hides or who she’s with, “they” will never let her live in peace or have a normal life. Not because I want harm to come to El, but because I don’t for a second believe the government is done with her or the other experimented children.

Proper strategist Michael Wheeler and proper action man Lucas Sinclair. I would like to see the return of the strategist Mike who always seems to have a plan and can get everyone on the same page. In season 3, he was fumbling around distracted. I feel normally, Mike would have set a trap for the Mind Flayer or would’ve formulated a proper plan to escape the mall or the cabin. In Lucas’s case, they did ok with him in season 3 actually, but it was really out of character for him to freeze up while El was being choked out. I want to see a more forward athletic Lucas. 

Will to make new friends. In season 3, we saw at least 2 of the 4 boys interests changing drastically and the other was all too eager to go off and hang around new people. Given Will’s situation (new town, new house, new school, distant old friends), I’d like to see Will gain some new friendships. That’s not to say he’d drop the old ones. They’re the OG after all. But, before all the drama of next season picks up, it would be nice to see Will being happy and acknowledged by new friends.

US Government becoming a threat again. Personally, I did not enjoy the Russian plot. Everything seemed like a joke. When the US government were the bad guys, everything felt more dangerous and dire. You never knew who was listening. Who was watching. What would happen if they found El or if they would hurt the boys and their families. Next season, I feel they could make the Russians feel like as much of a threat as the US government if both governments are clashing and in a race to the bottom. By that, I mean the government should become a major foe again racing against the Russian government to do bad things. Open a gate? Control a demogorgon? Allow the Mind Flayer in again? Both these governments should screw up equally. 

A slow return of El’s powers. I want El to get her powers back, but I want it to be a slow daunting process. It’s like she starts back at square one. She can move and pick up small things, but even that has taken her months. She’s stuck between being seemingly normal with no powers, but also missing the power she once had. 

Casual power training. As we know, Will is really into comics. El might be too since Max introduced her to them. A classic of comics is the super hero training to regain their strength or to become stronger. It would be really interesting if Will contributed to El slowly regaining her powers by setting up obstacles and challenges just for her. Maybe on the weekends, he designs a building and she must use wooden blocks/legos to make it with her powers. Or, build a house of cards. A game of darts using powers only. A game of catch. (I was going to say Jenga, but it looks like that didn’t get released in the US until 1987) Anything Will can creatively come up with that he thinks will help her regain her strength. (whether it does or not is up for debate) It’s mostly casual fun. Some bonding opportunities. Who doesn’t enjoy training the hero/super hero? (basically, it’s roleplay) 

Will’s power expanded. I am writing a proper theory page on Will’s/the Byers’s powers, but let me explain exactly what I mean here. It’s clear Will has powers, but they severely limited them in season 3. Examples:

Instead of only sensing the Mind Flayer when it’s nearby, he should be able to close his eyes, concentrate, and locate the center of activity

Will should have great insight into the Mind Flayer’s intentions even if it’s just honest guesses on what the Mind Flayer wants and what he’s trying to do (like in season 2)

Will’s danger senses should happen immediately, not delayed like we saw in the hospital or in the mall. He should be able to tell the Mind Flayer is coming for them from miles away or even across dimensions.

Will should retain true sight, the ability to see into the Upside Down. A dangerous ability to be sure, but can be useful if we’re going to have gates popping in and out around the world like what’s been implied.

Karen possibly discovering the truth. Honestly, Season 1 Karen is such a good mom. And in season 3, that discussion with Nancy was superb and beautiful. I would love for Karen to learn a little more what her two eldest kids have been up to. If not that, I’d like for her to at least give more guidance to her kids. I’d like for Nancy and Mike to vaguely come to her for advice and she’d grant it, no questions asked. (ok, Karen used to be very nosy so maybe she does ask questions, but takes a step back and respects their privacy)

Joyce to be believed right away. I honestly do not understand why people doubt Joyce, you know? She’s been right 3 years in a row now (Nancy too). I swear if anyone questions her intuition next season, she should give them her classic Joyce sneer until they realize how silly they’re being. In order of “alarm bells”, I think it will go like Will >> El >> Joyce >> Jonathan in quick succession. All 4 family members should be very sensitive to weird things as this point. 

Jonathan gets a plot. I want to see things from Jonathan’s perspective again. After season 1, we’ve barely gotten anything. I want to see Jonathan putting forth plans or leading the charge, at least for a little while. There is a great opportunity for this next season since he’s the man of the house about to graduate from high school if he hasn’t already. (*sobs remembering Will is taller than him now, officially). Heck, if we want to switch around the order of “alarm bells”, maybe Jonathan becomes alert of something wrong before Joyce does this time. 

Less product placement. In season 1/season 2, there was product placement, but that was because they were really setting the scene. It was 1983. This is what products used to be like. This is what was popular at the time. But season 3? They cranked that dial up 2000% when they didn’t need to. It really made it feel less serious and set in reality. Don’t dare use Lucas to spit out a damned Coke ad ever again. 

Genuine friendship moments. I’ve mentioned this earlier, but with less romantic drama and stuff, I’d like to see genuine friendships return. The El and Max friendship was great and all, but it’s really a shame it was so heavily focused on Mike. I hope in the future, these two girls are able to share screentime without the boys being mentioned or thought about. Same with the guys, it would be nice if they could hang out like before without splitting off into pairs or focusing entirely on their romantic lives. They don’t really feel like a friend group anymore, just a group of double dates (hence why I’d like for Will to make friends outside the original group.)

Proper use of the supernatural. Season 3 was weak when it came to the Mind Flesher imo. They had this whole idea of the Flayed who seemed to be totally normal (and sweaty) just walking around town living their lives until a flip was switched. Whyyyyy in the world weren’t they used to try to get at our cast? The only time they did it was in the hospital, but we saw dozens and dozens of people who could’ve served the same purpose except it could happen anywhere. Maybe there were other ‘patients’ in the waiting room that also turned on the kids that they had to fight off? Maybe strange people came to all their houses trying to find them or break in? They could’ve gone full creepy like season 1/2 but they didn’t. I’d like to see them fully use the horror aspects next season. 

That’s what I got off the top of my head. 

[jebentnietalleen]

half the lies you tell are true (i’m gonna find a piece of you) chapter 3

It’s a good thing that Eliott is busy with work and school, because it helps keep his mind off of the fact that he is going to have to pretend to be Lucas’ boyfriend. As soon as Eliott came home that evening after their call, he texted Lucas with some questions. He wanted to know if they were going to tell any of their friends anything, mostly because he really wanted to ask for advice but didn’t want to ruin the plan by telling Sofiane and Idriss everything if Lucas didn’t agree to that. He hates keeping secrets, especially from his roommates. They talked about it for a bit and came to the agreement to not tell anybody, since it they would only be pretending for one evening anyway.

He can’t keep his mouth shut entirely, though, so a few hours before he has to meet Lucas’ mom, he tells Idriss he’s got a date and that he’s nervous.

‘Ahw, buddy! You have no reason to be nervous, I am sure you’re going to slay. You are looking sharp as hell.’

Idriss gives him the once over, nodding approvingly. He changed his outfit so many times, finally settling for black jeans and a green turtleneck.

‘Thanks, but I am practically sweating. Maybe the turtleneck wasn’t the smartest idea.’

He tugs at the collar, glancing in the mirror.

‘No, no, no! The turtleneck looks amazing! No changing your outfit again, Eli, come on.’

Idriss manhandles him out of his bedroom and into the living room, insisting on making him a cup of tea to calm his nerves. In actuality, he wanted to give Eliott something stronger, but he had declined. He couldn’t risk getting tipsy and making a fool of himself in front of Lucas’ mom.

The tea calms his nerves, but not enough to make him relax completely. Lucas texts him, saying that he’ll swing by to pick him up and that he’ll wait for him in his car so that Idriss won’t see him. On the one hand, he is grateful for the fact that he won’t have to show up at his mom’s place alone, on the other hand, he wasn’t expecting to see Lucas so soon.

He drains his tea and thinks he catches Idriss watching him more carefully, but if Idriss realizes something is wrong, he doesn’t mention it.

When Lucas lets him know that he’s outside, he swiftly dries his palms on his jeans and throws on a coat and scarf. He grabs the bottle of wine that he decided to bring with him last minute as a gift to Lucas’ mom. Idriss pulls him into a quick hug and whispers: ‘You’ve got this, dude.’

He hopes he is right.

-

It’s funny, in a way: when he gets into the car and sees Lucas, his nerves immediately quiet down. What is it about this boy that’s so soothing yet heart stopping at the same time?

Lucas smiles at him and mouths a quiet ‘thank you’, sending shivers down his spine.

‘What’s that?’ Lucas glances at the bottle that Eliott has clutched between his arms.

‘Oh, just some wine, for you mom.’

‘You didn’t have to bring anything, Eliott.’ Lucas sounds incredulous.

‘What, and come empty handed? What kind of boyfriend would I be if I did that.’

Lucas grins and shakes his head, but turns his eyes back on the road.

The ride over to Lucas’ mom is quiet, but the music Lucas puts on is quite soothing, and he thinks that Lucas probably chose it on purpose. It’s a mix of classical music with some more indie stuff in between. He reminds himself to ask the name of the playlist later.

When they arrive, Lucas shuts off the engine, and looks at him.

‘We’re here. Ready?’

Eliott scoffs, ‘Ready to meet my fake boyfriend’s mom? Sure, as ready as I’ll ever be. Do you have any… I don’t know – last minute pointers?’

Lucas’ face softens at that, ‘Eliott, please don’t worry, it will be fine. I’m sure she’ll love you. You don’t have to pretend to be someone else, just… be yourself, only, uhm, a version of yourself that happens to be in love with me.’

Eliott could swear he sees a blush creep onto Lucas’ cheeks. He will have to remember that for later, because of… reasons.

Lucas looks a bit embarrassed by it, ducks his head as he heads out of the car and towards the building. Eliott trails behind him as Lucas opens up the door and lets him inside. He is feeling less secure about all of this by the second.

Unfortunately for him, he has a huge tell: whenever he’s nervous, he bites his nails.

‘Stop that, there’s not going to be any nail left if you keep that up.’ Lucas swats away his hand and takes his other hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly.

The look in Lucas’ eyes goes from pleased because Eliott’s no longer biting his nails to curiously giving Eliott the once over. His eyes feel like they are burning their way down his body.

‘What’s wrong?’

There’s a second in which both of them stay quiet, before Lucas speaks up softly.

‘Nothing, you just. Look good.’

Eliott send a mental thank-you-note to his past self and to Idriss, for sticking with this outfit, and runs his eyes over Lucas for good measure.

‘Thanks, you do, too.’

Lucas is wearing a maroon red button-down shirt and beige dress pants. It’s a nice look.

‘Thank you, I know,’ he grins at Eliott and raises his eyebrows challengingly, ‘Here we go.’

-

In the next 45 minutes, Eliott finds out that Lucas used to have spiky short hair when he was a kid, that he did not like to get his picture taken and looks grumpy in 80% of them, and that his mom, Eleanore, loves him a lot. They look so much alike, in a way, Lucas and his mom. They both have sharp facial features, and beautiful eyes, but most of all, they have the same mannerisms. When Eliott hands her the bottle of wine, she looks pleasantly in awe, and it reminds him of Lucas so much. It’s oddly comforting.

Although he has been loving all the tidbits he is learning about Lucas, and the way Lucas continually rolls his eyes whenever Eleanore shares another detail, it’s been hard to keep his focus. This mostly stems from the fact that during all of this, Lucas hasn’t let go of his hand, and he doesn’t know what to think about that.

They are standing around the kitchen island, waiting for the oven to ping whilst drinking some prosecco, and they’re still holding hands. It should be weird, is the thing. This is not something they normally do, after all, but it’s not strange at all. The feeling of Lucas’ fingers tangled with his own grounds him, and he is extremely grateful for that.

‘Eliott, Lucas tells me that you’re studying Visual Arts. That’s amazing! You must be very creative.’

Suddenly he starts to regret the fact that he hasn’t asked Lucas what he has told his mom about him, what she knows.

‘I do, yes, I love it. I don’t know if I would call myself very creative, honestly, but I enjoy what I do and that’s important to me.’

Lucas turns around to face him.

‘Don’t sell yourself short, Eliott, you are very creative, and talented,’ he turns to his mom, ‘He actually kickstarted a short, animated movie back in high school. It was amazing.’

‘Really? Wow, that’s so great! I would love to see it, someday.’

Eleanore sounds so delighted, it breaks his heart a little, knowing that there won’t be a ‘someday’ after tonight.

He glances over at Lucas, who is already looking at him. Before he can answer, Lucas beats him to it.

‘I’m sure that can be arranged.’

It’s hard to tell what’s going through Lucas’ mind right now, but he guesses that they have no other choice but to pretend a future is in the cards.

An alarm goes off, and Eleanore gets busy, shooing them over to the living room.

‘Go sit, boys. Dinner is ready!’

When they sit down at the table, Lucas lets go of his hand, and he tries not to be too disappointed by that.

-

As it turns out, Eleanore is a fantastic cook, even though she claims she just ‘threw something together’. The dish contains white fish, tomatoes and eggplant, with baked potatoes on the side. It’s delicious.

They talk about all sorts of things. Eleanore asks them how they met. They agreed to keep as close to the truth as possible, which means that Eliott tells her that he changed high schools when he was 18 and met Lucas then. After that, she wants to know when they decided to start dating.

Before he can say anything, Lucas answers this one, telling her that he always had a crush on Eliott, and that he had confessed his feelings one night when they were drunk at a party that Basile threw.

That party actually happened, and it’s true, they were pretty drunk. Eliott thinks back on that party and wonders why Lucas chose to incorporate that night of all nights in their fake-dating story.

‘I just told him that I think he’s one of the best people I know, and that I really liked him, and I guess he was on the same page as me, and yeah, the rest is history.’

He tries to catch his eye, but Lucas keeps looking at his mom, who is cooing over their romantic encounter, if you could call it that. The funny thing is, they did actually have a conversation just like that one that night, the only difference was that it didn’t result in them moving on beyond friendship.

If he didn’t know any better, he would say that Lucas looks… shy, right now. Like he’s a bit embarrassed that he chose that story.

It pulls on his heartstrings, and he instinctively nudges Lucas’ thigh with his own. It takes a moment before he can feel Lucas lean into the touch gratefully.

‘You must be stoked to go on vacation with the whole family, Eleanore.’

As far as subject changes go, it might not be the most subtle one, but it’s all he can think of right now.

‘Yes, absolutely, it’s been so long since we’ve done something like this. I think that Lucas must have been 8 or 9 the last time. Did Lucas tell you the occasion?’

He tries – and fails – to hide his surprise. Frankly he has just assumed that there wasn’t any special occasion.

‘No, mom, I didn’t bore him with the details, but since you’ve mentioned it… it’s my aunt and uncles 25th wedding anniversary. They are pretty well off, that’s why it’s all expenses paid.’

When Lucas looks up at him, he seems to feel guilty about keeping that piece of information from him until now.

‘It’s very kind of them, and honestly I have been looking forward to it all year. I know Lucas has, too, right dear?’

Lucas shrugs and smiles at his mom, a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

‘Yeah, I guess. I mean, I could really use the rest. It’s been a… hectic year. A full week in the sun can’t come soon enough.’

Eliott tries to concentrate on the conversations that follow and just enjoy his meal, but every once in a while, his eyes are drawn towards Lucas, and he can’t shake the feeling that there’s something going on with him that he isn’t voicing.

-

It’s too bad that Eleanore isn’t his real mother-in-law, because she’s an absolute sweetheart, and makes him feel so welcome in just a few hours. So much so, that when they leave for the evening, he feels a pang of regret that it’s over already.

They hug at the front door, and it feels nice.

‘It was a pleasure meeting you, Eliott.’

‘Likewise.’

The urge to give Lucas and his mom some privacy in their goodbye’s comes over him then, and he walks outside to have a quick smoke.

It takes some willpower not to try and overhear what they are saying. A part of him is dying to know what Eleanore really thinks of him, but he knows that it doesn’t even matter anyway.

Despite his efforts, he senses that the tone of Lucas’ goodbye isn’t as happy as he thought it would be.

When Lucas finally emerges from the house and asks if he’s ready to go, Eliott follows him to the car.

‘That went okay, right?’

He can’t help but feel a bit nervous. Lucas looks up.

‘Of course, it went perfectly. I know I have already said this a lot, but… thank you, again.’

‘It was nothing, really. I had fun. Your mom’s the best.’

Lucas smiles and sighs at the same time.

‘She is, isn’t she.’

When he glances over at him, Lucas is biting his lip.

‘Is something wrong, Lucas? If I did or said anything out of line, just tell me –‘

‘What? No, of course you didn’t. I was just… thinking. When we said goodbye, my mom started to say that she was so glad I had you in my life, and that she knew that everybody is dying to meet you… I don’t know, I just think that I should cancel that vacation to be honest.’

‘Are you kidding me? You deserve that vacation. Why would you cancel it?’

‘Because, I thought I would be fine with just saying we broke up, but I can already predict that there will be a pity party in my name if I go with that. And that sounds more exhausting to me right now than having no vacation at all.’

‘That sounds stupid. You need to rest, Lucas.’

A thought comes to him, one that he feels equally excited as scared about.

‘Listen… you said it’s all expenses paid, right? Would that also be the case for your plus one?’

Lucas nods, although his face tells him that he’s not sure where Eliott is going with this.

‘Okay, great. I have a proposition, and before you say no, hear me out. We can try and keep this whole fake dating thing up for a bit. I can come with you on your holiday. It wouldn’t be to do you a favor, or, well, not only to do you a favor. In case you don’t know, I am not exactly swimming in money right now, so a vacation that I don’t have to pay for myself? That’s pretty much a gift right out of heaven, if you ask me.

‘Look, you don’t have to give an answer right away, but at least tell me you will think about this before you make any rash decisions.’

Lucas is looking at him in disbelieve and with narrowed eyes, but his eyes soften as he realizes that Eliott is being serious.

‘Fine… I will think about it.’

Eliott doesn’t sleep that night.

[lycorogue]

Love Square Fluff Week: Part 3 - Trust

A bit flipped here, AAAAAND I should be on day 5 or 6 of @lovesquarefluffweek   2020 by now, but... *shrug *

Surprise surprise... I didn't think of anything until about 9pm, so once again I didn't publish anything until after 2am. UPDATE (2/12/20): The story has now been edited. Sorry if you read it originally with the typos.

Also... yeah... I know... kinda angsty again. I don't know why writing pure fluff has been so hard for me this week. I've done it in the past. I've written fanfics so fluffy and pure I warned readers that they might need to set up dentist appointments to make sure their teeth didn't rot. Something about this week though, man.... This "chapter" is the first one I officially tied to the other two, and, much like with my last short, this could have been both the Day 2 prompt of 'Trust' and the Day 5 prompt of 'Comfort'. For this go, I was mostly focusing on 'Trust' so I still need to write up something specifically focused on 'Comfort', despite it being an underlying theme throughout this series of one-shots.

Also, I rarely write in third-person omniscient (usually sticking to either first-person or third-limited), so if I'm head-hopping in this, please let me know.

Just like the other two “chapters” of this, you can either read this story below the break, or you can check it out on AO3, on FFN, or on DA.

I Have Something To Confess

Summary: Now that she's the Guardian of the Miraculous, Ladybug has a lot to confess.

Word Count: 2844 Rating: General Audience Spoilers: Desperada, Feast, Chat Blanc, and Miracle Queen spoilers (which you’d realize after reading that summary... whoops) Love Square Side: LadyNoir Romance Level: Sweet Friendship

The apartment remained dark; still vacant. Ladybug wasn't sure if she preferred that to someone else living there. Someone else making it theirs. Making it no longer his.

“Evening, M'lady.” Chat Noir landed beside Ladybug on the building across from the empty apartment. “I have to say, I wasn't expecting a late-night meet-up. What's up? What are we doing here?”

“Chat Noir,” Ladybug's voice was soft; solemn. “You know I've hated keeping secrets from you, right?”

“Yeah. Of course I do. What's going on?” He inched closer, but kept his hands to his sides, unsure what kind of comfort she would need yet.

“I'm the Guardian of the Miraculous now, and so many secrets have already been revealed to you, like who the other Miraculous holders were. But, I wasn't the one who got to let you know that, and neither did Master Fu. You had to find out because of Hawkmoth, and I hate that. I should have told you, or Master Fu.”

“It's okay, Ladybug. I have to admit I hated that you were trusted enough to know, but I wasn't. I also hated that you were able to pass out Miraculouses, but I couldn't choose a hero. But I get it. I understand why. I'm not mad at you, or at Master Fu.” This time he rested his hands on her shoulders, squaring her in front of him so she could see how sincere he was.

"Even so." She turned, and Chat Noir reluctantly let go so she could. "There should only be one secret between us, and that's who we really are. No others. Hawkmoth still managed to find out who the other holders were even when Master Fu and I were the only ones who knew, and he didn't even learn from either of us. So, from now on, you're going to know too. I promise."

“Thank you. That means so much to me, but-” Chat Noir looked around him. It wasn't often that they fought in this particular part of Paris, and there wasn't a monument nearby. There didn't seem to be anything terribly significant about the spot, but it also wasn't terribly secluded. “Why did you ask me here? This address?”

Ladybug pointed across the street, to the empty apartment. “You see the one that's dark?”

“Yeah. The one with the flower box?”

Ladybug didn't even notice that. She was so focused on what was missing from the inside of the apartment, she didn't even see the flowers still growing on the small balcony outside the living room windows. They were a bit wild since no one had properly cared for them for nearly a month now, but still, they grew. They had lived on even without a guiding hand. She suddenly had a touch more faith that she could do the same.

“That apartment used to be Master Fu's.”

Chat Noir did a double take. Master Fu had lived there. That was where the Guardian of the Miraculous was. That apartment was where Ladybug would disappear to in the middle of their battles in order to bring a new hero into their fold. Suddenly, the apartment felt so surprisingly close to his own home.

“You knew where he lived?”

Ladybug nodded. “I'm sorry we never told you. It wasn't fair.”

“The whole time?”

“What? No!” Ladybug flailed her arms around, crossing them wildly. “No no no. Not the whole time. I didn't even know there was a Guardian at first. I was just as clueless as you when I first got my Miraculous. No, I only found out after Volpina attacked.”

“Still.” Chat Noir crouched down, perched like a cat as he stared across at Master Fu's former apartment.

“I know.” Ladybug sat beside him, her fingers digging into the cement roof ledge. “It was still a long time that I knew and you didn't.”

“I didn't even know there was such a thing as a Guardian of the Miraculous until Syren.”

“I know, and I'm so sorry.”

“Why did Master Fu bring you to his home, but not me?” Chat Noir glanced over, his eyes wide, sad, and pleading.

Ladybug gently squeezed his forearm. “If it's any consolation, he didn't bring me to his home. My kwami did.”

“But why? My kwami never had me come here to meet Master Fu. In fact, I only officially met him when he came to my house.”

“He- he came to your house? How? Wouldn't that have given himself away?”

Chat Noir blinked. He didn't realize he had a secret from Ladybug (aside from the identity thing).

“I- I can't really say how. Secret identity stuff, but no one I live with seems to have questioned it.”

Ladybug nodded. “Master Fu probably knew what he was doing. I'm glad he did finally talk with you, but I'm sad that you two weren't able to interact more.” Refocusing on the apartment, she tried to figure out what exactly she could tell Chat Noir without potentially giving him a clue as to who she was.

“As for why my kwami brought me here, there is this book. A spell book. It explains the Miraculous and the other powers they each possess: the transformations, as well as how our normal powers could evolve once we're stronger.”

“A- a book? About the Miraculous?” Chat Noir grew pale. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what book Ladybug was talking about.

“It is written in a language that only Guardians can read, so my kwami couldn't decipher it. She knew that Master Fu would want the book back, though, so when I found it she told me where to find him.”

Plagg had seen the book. He knew that Adrien was carrying it around all day. He never once mentioned Master Fu or even that there was a Guardian that was looking for it.

Maybe it wasn't the same book. Maybe there was another one that had pictures of superheroes and written in a language he didn't recognize. He didn't know that many languages; it was possible.

“You said you found the book?”

Ladybug nodded. “In a trash can in the Place des Vosges. I- I found it when I went there to yell at Lila for lying on the Ladyblog about knowing me. That must have been how she was able to have the Fox pendent replicated.”

Lila? That's why Adrien didn't have the book when he went home that day? She had taken it? He wanted to believe that Ladybug was mistaken, but it did add up, and Lila proved herself untrustworthy on multiple occasions. Still, his father got the book back, didn't he? One of Adrien's classmates returned it, didn't they? Was that Lila? Why would Ladybug give it back to her to return? Did she force her to? Why did his father get the book back in the first place, didn't Master Fu need it?

“Chat Noir? Are you okay?” Ladybug began rubbing his back, bringing him back to present. “I know, this is a lot, isn't it?”

He nodded. “So, do- do you have this book now? Do you know how to read it?”

“Well, I sort of do.” Ladybug turned back to the apartment building across the street. “For reasons I can't really talk about because, ya know, secret identities and all that, the book was returned to the man who had it before Lila: Gabriel Agreste. That was why he became The Collector; he was mad that the last gift his wife gave him went missing: the book.”

Chat Noir sank; his shoulders felt heavy. It was the same book. Nothing made sense anymore. More questions flooded his mind.

“Wait. Is that why you thought that he could be Hawkmoth? Because he had a book about the Miraculous?”

Ladybug nodded. “Plus, you have to admit there was a lot of other circumstantial evidence that would have fit. I'm glad I was wrong, but it would have also been nice to have found Hawkmoth and finally stopped him.” She laid back across the rooftop, counting off the dozen stars that were bright enough to cut through the light pollution. “Master Fu took pictures of the pages before we returned the book, and then he translated the digital copy. I guess after we defeated Feast, and Master Fu told me he wanted to train me to be the next Guardian, he must have made a duplicate of his digital copy of the spell book. I have that, and a way to translate it. I have to be careful that no kwami sees it though. It's super important that they never learn how to read the book or discover its contents.”

“It is? Still? I thought there were no more secrets now.”

Ladybug sat back up so she could meet Chat Noir's eyes. “We have to keep this one. The book explains everything, including the ingredients for the power-up potions. What if a kwami finds that out? What if Hawkmoth's or Mayura's kwamis knew how to make the potions? It may not be a concern for our kwamis now, but what if some future Ladybug or Chat Noir gets corrupted and orders their kwami to tell them that info? What if we let any of the other kwamis find out, and then Hawkmoth captures them?”

“You always have a reason for your secrets.” There was a bitterness in Chat Noir's voice.

She placed a hand on Chat Noir's shoulder; it was stiff. “I'm sorry. I really am, but this is for everyone's safety; now and in the future. Please understand. I'm telling you because I wanted to show you the spell book. I wanted you to know what I do in case something comes up and I can't tell you the information when you need it. We're partners, Chat Noir, and I want us to be more equal in that partnership, but you need to understand how important certain secrets are.”

Chat Noir scanned her face, taking in all of her sincerity. He rested his hand on top of hers, and gave it a little squeeze. “Nah, I get it. I do. I'm sorry I'm acting like this. You don't like lies, and I don't like being left out – or for others to be left out. I've had too much of that in my life. But you're right. Some secrets are important to keep.”

“Thank you, Chat Noir.”

Ladybug then took her yo-yo off her hip, and swiped a finger up the side like she were about to capture an akuma. The yo-yo opened up into a transdimensional pocket; a glowing endless pouch. Reaching in, she pulled out a flash drive. "Here. This is your copy of the spell book. Make sure no one can find it."

“Thank you, Ladybug. I'll keep it safe. I promise.”

“I know you will.”

Chat Noir accepted the drive, and tucked it inside one of his zipper pockets.

“There's something else. You saw Nino Lahiffe with the other Miraculous holders, but he wasn't transformed.”

“He's Carapace, isn't he?”

Ladybug nodded. “I had a feeling you were able to figure it out, but I wanted to make sure: no more secrets... aside from the one we need to keep from each other.”

“Thank you, Ladybug.”

“Oh! Also-” This last secret pained her the most to tell. It was one thing when only she and Master Fu knew who a Miraculous holder was, but to confess a civilian knew? “About Viperion.”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I'm sure you noticed that he wasn't Adrien Agreste after all. His name is Luka. I tried to give the Snake bracelet to Adrien, but- but he- I never realized it because of how Second Chance works, but he told me that he tried being the Snake superhero Aspik nearly twenty-five-thousand times. We kept failing as a team, and he'd reset time to try again, and it never worked. He gave up the Miraculous.” Ladybug winced. She was dreading the next part.

"Luka ran up to check to see if we had found Adrien," she continued, "and I needed to find someone to wield the Miraculous. I hadn't learned about merging two powers yet, so I thought neither you nor I could use Second Chance. It was actually Adrien who suggested I give the Miraculous to Luka. He was the one who chose, not me, and he knew who Viperion was. I mean- he went to go hide before I officially handed the bracelet to Luka, and so it's possible he thinks Luka also failed or that I didn't listen to him and Viperion is someone else entirely, but that's not the kind of person Adrien is. He chose well. He saw exactly who we needed that day, and I don't think we would have been able to defeat Desperada if Adrien hadn't picked Luka to help.”

Chat Noir gawked at Ladybug, so she took his hands in hers.

“I am so so sorry, Chat Noir. It was wrong for me to let a civilian help me choose a Miraculous holder instead of you. I should have tracked you down and talked to you instead. And to let Adrien know who – besides Chloe, of course – had a Miraculous? It's inexcusable, and I hope you can forgive me. But that's it. That's all of the secrets I have left between us.”

“Aside from the obvious.”

“Yes. Aside from that. So, please, could you forgive me?” Ladybug squeezed his hands tighter, pleadingly.

Chat Noir remembered what it felt like, when Ladybug pulled him – well, Adrien him - into that tight hug on his sofa the night he was missing his mother terribly. He felt that weight lift off him again; that same sense of relief.

Ladybug looked close to tears, probably scared to have ruined their partnership when she handed him – Adrien him – the Snake bracelet, and let him choose who should wield it instead. It was a very un-Ladybug-like thing to do, but he was just so elated that she valued Adrien that much that he didn't think much of it.

Clearly Ladybug thought often of that moment, and she desperately needed the same relief she had given Adrien just a week before. He tugged gently on her hands, and pulled her into a hug. He wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders, and let his head slowly sink into her hair, nuzzling her a little with his cheek.

“It's okay, Ladybug. I get it. I'm not mad, and if you could trust Adrien, then I will too. I'll even take special care to watch over him to make sure Hawkmoth can't get to him, okay?”

“You don't have to-”

“No. It's okay. You are the Guardian of the Miraculous. Let me be the Guardian of Adrien Agreste.” Chat Noir felt bad about manipulating her like this, especially when she truly did have so much extra piled on her plate now, and all he was promising to take off it was to watch his own back.

Meanwhile, Ladybug wondered if this was how Chat Noir found out who she was and became Chat Blanc. She wasn't sure how far into the future it truly was that he was akumatized, just that it all started when Adrien discovered who she was. If the Chat Noir of that timeline also watched over Adrien, and found out that way....

It didn't matter. Adrien didn't know who she was, so Chat Noir was safe. She held him tight, praying that he'd forgive her this one final secret between them.

“Thank you, Chat Noir. Thank you for having so much faith in me, and for forgiving me so easily.”

“There's nothing to forgive, Bugaboo. It means a lot to me that you told me all of this.” Chat Noir wished he had some crepe paper and pipe cleaner on him so he could make Ladybug a flower, just as he had done for Marinette over the weekend. Didn't matter. Ladybug never liked accepting flowers from him anyway. So instead he just held her for as long as she needed in order to know that he wasn't going to abandon her.

They were partners, and she was his lady. Nothing would ever change those two facts in his heart.

Ladybug lingered in Chat Noir's arms. She didn't want to lead him on, but it felt too nice to push him away, or to let go of him. He wasn't mad. He understood, all of it, and he accepted it as well. She couldn't have asked for a better partner.

With one last burst of strength, she tenderly squeezed him close to her, breathing in his warmth and compassion. She never before noticed how familiar he smelled. If only she could peg how she knew that scent.

@discoveringmiraculouswriters