#I am guessing potential pairs based on apparent age differences

[mkarchin713]

Maddie: it’s no trouble sweetie, you tried your best

Jack: besides these guys are nothing compared to ghosts

*cue Danny and Jazz making shut up gestures that go ignored*

Nightwing: Ghosts?

*cue Jack and Maddie dragging Nightwing into Fentonworks to blather on about ghosts leaving Danny, Jazz and Red Hood to finish cleaning up the rogues*

Red Hood *awkwardly*: so … I wanted to get you a gift basket for, you know, killing the Joker

Danny: … yes?

Red Hood: do you have any allergies? I would hate for you to die because I have you a muffin basket with banana nut muffins in it.

Danny: ….

Jazz: Danny’s only allergic to a specific strain of flowers that is probably extinct. He hates toast. Loves Humpty Dumpty, exploration and space.

Danny: Jazz really?

Jazz: also my parents may be right about ghost biology and anti ghost technology but they suck at ghost psychology. It took us forever just to convince them that ghosts couldn’t simultaneously be non-sentient and inherently malicious.

Danny: Al least we got mom and dad to listen to reason, the government still want to dissect my dog just because he’s dead.

Red Hood: wait the government wants to dissect your dead dog?

Danny: no they want to dissect my dog because he’s dead as in he’s a ghost

Red Hood: why would the government want to dissect a ghost dog?

Jazz: probably for the same reason they want to dissect a ghost person

Red Hood: the government wants to dissect ghost people?

Danny: yeah they are a real problem

Jazz: especially because they cause more damage trying to catch ghosts than the ghost causing mischief

Red Hood: wait Deadman’s a ghost and no one can see him without magic, is there a magical ghost hunting branch of government?

Danny: who’s Deadman?

Red Hood: the JL hero whose a ghost

Danny: wait the JL has a ghost hero and they haven’t turned him over to the GIW

Red Hood: who are the GIW?

Jazz: why don’t we all go inside and talk, it seems we all need answers and I don’t think doing this in front of semi conscious mercenaries is a good idea.

Danny: plus we should probably save Nightwing from mom and dad

Okay hear me out..

Class trip to Gotham, class gets held up by Joker who actually can scare the class cause they are still teens and they know Joker has a high kill rate, like yes they're used to ghosts and junk but none of them wanna die yet or at least die outside of Amity, if they die they wanna have a chance of coming back as a ghost at the very least.

Anyways, Danny feels pure dread when Joker takes Jazz hostage, who was elected to be a chaperone for Danny's class since her volunteering would look good on college recommendations, and finds her little mutters about his mental health reminding him of Harley before she left him. He even jokes about needing a new partner and wonders how long it'll take to break her like he did to Harley.

Danny is frozen in his spot but something snaps when he hears Jazz cry out after Joker backhands her. Before anyone, even the Bats, realize it Danny is on top of the Joker beating his face in, he only gets up once, takes Joker's discarded crowbar and slams it over his head, barely grazing the dazed man but it does destroy the flooring behind him, while screaming to never ever touch his sister. That he will destroy Joker if he even thinks about coming after her. That even in the afterlife he'll never be safe from him.

All this happens so fast that by the time the Jocks from Danny's school, Red Hood and Nightwing get Danny off, Joker is beaten badly. He's still feral screaming at Joker though, calling him everything under the sun, spouting off about how the dead are ready to rip him apart when Joker (or you can have Danny call him by his actual name if you wanna strike some "the fuck? How'd he know that?") Finally passes away, that even death will not save him from Danny's wrath. Danny is squirming hard in their holds, nearly breaks free a few times when he hears Joker groaning, but only stops when Jazz, after getting looked over by Red Robin comes running over and just..

Hugs Danny.

And like a kitten getting scuffed by the neck he goes limp. Just breathes heavily, eyes burning from anger, fear, tears, and relief, before he returns the hug. He starts crying and mutters low that he can't lose her, that he almost lost her again and "is this even a fraction how Dan felt when he lost you?"

And Jazz just shushes him and does what she can to comfort him...

[lovebecomeshim]

hello! your zutara posting today has finally motivated me to ask this question because I came to atla very late(last year, to be specific) and I Love It Very Much but am 1000% out of the loop as far as why what remains of fandom (at least that I've seen among my friends) is so very strongly zutara. I'm not opposed to it per se I just don't really know what has driven it to apparently be such a popular ship? can you help me understand and maybe convert me a little bit?

Hey!! Your ICON! :D I can try but I’m not sure how coherent I’ll be; however I AM sure someone a lot more competent will be willing to add to this. Either way, I’m glad you asked because my plan was to drag down as many people as possible with me.

*smacks the hood of zutara* this baby can fit so much mutual love and support!

This got so long, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to put it under a cut on mobile and it already got deleted once so I’m scared to mess with it lol. Moving on.

I’m gonna start this with a disclaimer that im on mobile so formatting is tricky and I’m also really new to atla in that I only completed my first watch through in like 2019??? So some of my info is all just based on what I’ve picked up from Discourse 👀 so anyway the sparknotes version: zutara was wildly popular from the beginning. To the point where the atla crew internally disagreed on which ship should be endgame. (Ex. Bryke [showrunners] asked the writers to rewrite The Southern Raiders to make Zuko seem less ideal for Katara than Aang [which failed, depending on who you ask]; the animation team purposefully created a visual parrallel between Oma and Shu in the Cave of Two Lovers and Zuko and Katara in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se in the Crossroads of Destiny; etc.)

The ship was popular enough that Bryke actually chose to display zk fanart at a con for the sole purpose of mocking the fans, but that’s neither here nor there. The entire episode Ember Island Players, while a love letter to/parody of the whole show, was an opportunity to address zutara’s viability as a canon pairing (while, again, mocking zutaras for romanticizing that catacombs scene). Point is! It’s always been popular but with it not being endgame, there’s got to be something that’s given it staying power.

And that’s honestly got to do with three things: their dynamic, thematic cohesion, and potential.

(You know what... you know what, it’s four things. The fourth is they’re so aesthetically pleasing together and individually. Like, they’re just good looking people [specifically when they’re grown but they’re also cute kids] and that absolutely doesn’t hurt) (but it’s not the Point, it’s just nice to point out sometimes)

The dynamic is hard to get into without also looking at the canon pairings, but I think I can do that without unnecessary bashing. It’s just that part of the magic of zutara is really highlighted by what they give to each other that their other relationships don’t.

First off, it’s classic enemies to (would be) lovers. The absolute truest form of it. It’s not too different from how CS started out: a rogue antagonist with a job to do—but no personal vendetta against the future love interest—who is deeply and emotionally invested in his personal storyline (revenge/redemption) with little regard for how it effects other people after his entire life and genuine good nature are marred by suffering, and a fierce warrior girl with a strong moral compass and her own personal investment in stopping him (protect her family and save the world doing it). Obviously frustration and animosity grew between them by the nature of them being on opposing sides, but that just lends itself to the sweetness of their later reconciliation.

The thing is that while they’re wildly different on the surface (he’s a hot-headed prince of a fascist regime who is trying to capture the Avatar to please his father; she’s a nurturing daughter of the chief who is trying to protect and train the Avatar in order to topple his father’s throne) they find out that they have so much more in common both in their experiences and their personalities.

(What follows is an excessive use of the word “both” and I’m sorry about that)(I can edit it. I can do that. That IS an option............)

They both have an innate sense of justice that they are determined to see done (zuko, at the war meeting, sticking up for the Earth Kingdom kid when the guards torment his family, choosing not to steal from the pregnant couple despite his circumstances, abiding by his word to leave the SWT should Aang come willingly, etc.; katara, literally.... at any point). They both have pretty one-track minds at accomplishing certain goals once they’ve put their mind to it, regardless of a lack of support in that endeavor (it goes without saying I guess, but zuko’s entire hunt; katara’s determination to get the earth benders to fight back, her determination to absolutely destroy Pakku until he agrees to teach her, etc.). They both lost their mothers at young ages. Their worlds are war-torn and traumatizing to them both, if in different ways, but that ultimately forces them to grow up too quickly to be wholly independent individuals. They both have issues with their fathers (for WILDLY different reasons, but). They both hold extreme prejudices that they need to learn to overcome (which ties into thematic cohesion)(bit like Lizzie and Darcy in that way but magnified by a million). They’re both extremely emotional and empathetic—which can and often does result in loud outbursts. Katara’s a bit better adjusted and can temper her anger for longer than S1 Zuko can, but they both feel that anger deeply and have no compunctions expressing it (Katara is, usually, more justified, particularly in S1. Again, S1 Zuko is severely maladjusted but at the point when they could’ve feasibly become a couple, he’s so much better off with the way he carries himself). They both struggle with feelings of inferiority in their bending abilities when confronted with prodigal benders like Aang and Azula, but have the work ethic required to double down and become two of the most powerful benders in the three remaining nations. This is a little more minor but it is a parrallel that appeals to some shippers that they both have these alter egos in the Painted Lady (notably fire nation coded) and the Blue Spirit (water tribe coded) that are pretty different from who they are day-to-day and are useful in accomplishing a purpose that they as themselves cannot.

(I’m.... I just realized that this could potentially get very long. Should I have made a slide show with bullet points??????)

Anyway, similar. I know there’s more but there’s literally so much to love about zutara that I’ll drive myself a little crazy trying to compile all the ways they’re similar. (Just gonna say that at this exact moment I went back to add more similarities.... so okay then)

Once they’ve reconciled, we see how all of these things only lend themselves to a deeper intimacy together than they share with literally anyone else. There’s a steady partnership that positions them as the mom/dad of the gaang, while also providing the support necessary to allow the other to not have to carry so much responsibility. A lot of zutaras will point out how zuko is actually depicted doing the more domestic chores that are normally relegated to Katara once he joins the gaang, since the others in the group are two 12-year-olds and sokka. The one that sticks out the most is how he makes tea for the group and then serves them, while Katara is able to just relax with her friends around the fire. Fanon expands upon this a lot to Zuko helping with the laundry or the cooking or whatever else needs doing since he, as a once-refugee, is used to doing his own domestic tasks. Before Zuko joined, Katara was the one mothering everyone, sewing for them, cooking for them, etc. She’s always tending to the needs of the group, and that includes emotionally. She does the emotional labor for the gaang 99% of the time, but when she’s the one falling apart, she’s usually doing it alone and without the comfort that she normally provides for others. Until Zuko. And that’s before they’re even friends.

Which is WHY people romanticize the catacombs of Ba Sing Se so much. Katara is verbally attacking Zuko out of her own righteous anger but also her own prejudice when Zuko, surprisingly, chooses to be vulnerable with her. He’s been on a journey that’s opened his eyes a bit, but he’s never actively chosen to expose the rawest parts of his past to anyone. But for some reason he chooses to do that with Katara of all people. While she’s yelling at him. He sees her humanity, and for once can look past his prejudice and empathize with her. And this time, when she breaks down, she gets to be comforted. Katara normally talks about her mother when she’s trying to explain to someone else that she sees and understands they’re pain, as a form of comfort to them. Here, Zuko uses the exact same tactic. He sees her and he understands. And for zuko? He’s not being shut down. He’s allowed to articulate his pain regarding his mother without being ignored and made to internalize it, and he’s allowed to process how he feels about his scar out loud without being told that he deserved it. And then he lets her touch his scar, something we’ve seen him actively avoid before. He’s completely open to her and she’s completely open to him and all it took was one five minute conversation. She was about to use the little bit of Spirit water that she had, that she was saving for something Important, to heal the scar that still daily causes him pain just because they had, somehow, connected.

Plus there’s the whole parallel to the star-crossed lovers forbidden from one another, a war divides their people—

And then zuko messes up, he regresses, he gets what he wants and he HATES it. And the sense of justice he had as a child has been restored to him against his will and he can’t think of anything he wants to do more than the Right Thing, so he joins team avatar. Before he does that though, we get to see his relationship with Mai, which is where comparison really comes in. And what we see is Zuko, fresh off of his encounter with Katara in the catacombs, trying to be emotionally honest with Mai... and getting shut down and dismissed. Which is just how Mai is and it’s fine, but not for Zuko. Still, he keeps trying, and he keeps getting ignored or scoffed at or yelled at. Which is really a larger symbol for how he doesn’t fit in his old life anymore, but again that’s about thematic cohesion. He tries to articulate his anxieties about returning home, he tries to make romantic gestures, he tries to explain how morally conflicted he’s feeling—and Mai diverts to some kind of physical affection to shut him up and a parting comment that is pretty much always, in essence, “I don’t wanna talk about this.” So they don’t. On the other hand, once zuko and Katara are friends, we see him again emotionally distraught and caught up in his anxieties about facing Iroh, and it’s Katara who comes to him and listens to him and comforts and encourages him.

Similarly, we have Aang clamming up and getting uncomfortable whenever Katara shows any negative emotion, usually resulting in him making excuses or running away. Or, in the case of the Southern Raiders, lecturing her on how she needs to just let go of her anger about her mother’s murder. People have talked this episode to death and usually better than I ever could, so imma... keep it brief. There’s a serious disconnect between Aang and Katara in his ability to empathize with Katara and her needs that has her tamping down her vulnerability and amping up her anger. He tells her that he was able to forgive his people’s genocide and appa’s kidnapping (petnapping? Theft??), which is blatantly not true but also not an entirely equal parrallel to Katara’s situation, and continues making these little remarks throughout the episode. But it’s Zuko that Katara opens up to. It’s with him that she’s able to talk about the most traumatic day of her life, and it’s with him that she’s able to get the closure she needs, cementing their bond as friends and partners. This disagreement between Aang and Katara is then... never resolved. They just never bring it up and hear what the other is saying.

There’s a fic called The Portraits of Ember Island that has a line that so completely sums up the heart of the matter for why people love their dynamic. For context, zuko has woken up early to help Katara with the cooking and they spend the whole time just letting one another talk, and zuko stops to ask why she always just lets him talk. And so she stops to ask why he’s always helping, and it goes as follows:

There’s just... so much mutual support! Trust! Intimacy!! And it just continues like that from the Southern Raiders on, listening to each other, advising each other, watching each other’s backs! And then! Literally saving each other’s lives!! I will never be over the last Agni kai. Not ever. Zuko may have been willing to jump in front of lightning for anyone, but he actually did it for Katara. And in a show, that’s the thing that really matters. It’s a fulfilled trope usually exclusively applied to romantic pairings, and it ended up applying to Zuko and Katara. And then she ran out into the middle of a fight with tunnel vision just to get to him.

Also!! Also Zuko pushing Katara out of the way of the falling rocks at the Western Air Temple!! And Katara catching him as he fell from the war balloon that he fought Azula on!! Before they’re even getting along, they’re the ones reaching for each other. They come to this place of equal ground, as partners, who watch each other’s backs, call each other out but still listen attentively and understand, and provide the support that the other has been sorely lacking up until they knew each other (whether that be from lack of effort or lack of understanding from others, or an unwillingness to accept it for themselves).

Then, trailing along under the surface of this, we see the themes of the show totally embodied by Zuko and Katara as individuals and in their relationship to one another. There’s a YouTuber, sneezyreviews, who has a, like, 2-hour explanation on why she not only loves zutara but also believes that their endgame would’ve actually elevated the writing of atla to new levels particularly because of thematic cohesion and resolved character arcs. It’s the zutara dissertation I never knew I needed, and it’s funny and eloquent and effective, so I’m just going to sum up her section on thematic cohesion to the best of my abilities and then link it for whenever you have the time. And I HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you want a full understanding of what makes zutara so great and gives it such longevity.

Guru pathik has a line that goes something like this: separation is an illusion; things that seem different are just two parts of the same whole. Iroh also tells Zuko something similar: balance and strength are achieved when the different nations come together and influence one another and celebrate what makes them each unique. And this lesson is a massive central arc that both Zuko and Katara go through, moving past a black-and-white, good guys-vs-bad guys, us-vs-them mentality and into a greyer, more nuanced view of the world. Zuko sees the fire nation from an entirely new perspective and while he still loves and hopes for his nations future, he surrenders his blind loyalty to them in exchange for an unflinching loyalty to peace and love. Katara too had to come to terms with the fact that cruel people exist in the earth kingdom and water tribes, while some fire nation citizens are just regular, kind people who also need and deserve to have someone speak on their behalf. And this is honed in directly on how they view each other. They grow in their individual journeys to be open to the humanity in the other and then, once they’ve found that, they’re able to grow more in compassion for others in a beautiful feedback loop. And this is all matched in the symbolism repeatedly and intentionally associated with them in canon: sun and moon, fire and water, yin and yang, Oma and Shu who found love despite their warring nations. Their individual arcs are completed in each other and complement the themes of atla beautifully.

The canon pairs... just don’t. Which, again, is fine. But the very things that give atla longevity and popularity are anchored in zutara. Kat@ang doesn’t accomplish this. They’re... nice. Sweet. Especially when you erase a good portion of their interactions in S3. It could’ve been just a sweet love story. (Personally, the dynamic between toph and aang accomplish the same thing that zutara does, with complementary personalities that fulfill the theme of opposites blending in harmony) M@iko, on the other hand, is less sweet but I think wasn’t even supposed to last. Zuko’s relationship with Mai seems to represent his relationship with his old life as a whole. He can’t be emotionally vulnerable, he’s goaded into abusing his privileges, his agency and opinions aren’t respected. They just don’t have common ground with which to discuss anything that matters, so they don’t. As far as themes, the relationship doesn’t fit with atla. It’s zuko returning to and sticking with what is (on the surface) like him, what’s expected. Fire nation with fire nation. Fluid water bender with the flexible air bender. Like with like, separated from what is different and challenging and complementary.

And all of these things combined of course lead to the potential for the ship. I don’t know how familiar you are with the post-atla canon but... well, miss “I will never turn my back on people who need me”, miss “I don’t want to heal! I want to fight!” ends up living quietly in the SWT as a designated healer who turns a blind eye to the water tribe civil war happening right outside her front door. Which can be fine! People change! Some people just wanna stay inside. I just wanna stay inside! But the potential future for zutara is so much more satisfying, with Katara becoming the most unconventional Fire Lady the uppity old cads who are stuck on the old ways have ever seen. Fanon has her serving as a voice for the other nations within a kingdom at the point of its biggest political upheaval, as a confidante to Zuko who can actually help him while he’s trying to figure out how to move forward and make reparations. They have the opportunity, together, to accomplish what they both have set on their hearts to fight for: positive change that lends itself to harmony and balance. And the steambabies! A popular headcanon is that their firstborn daughter, the crown princess, is actually a waterbender, which causes such an uproar among the people who are adamantly clinging to the old ways. It’s just a future full of potential to be forces for good together, full of trust, intimacy, joy. The exact era of peace and love and balance that zuko announces that he intends to ring in with the start of his reign as Fire Lord is, again, magnified by the very personal zutara relationship. And we love to see it.

tl;dr zutara isn’t for everyone. Some people just don’t vibe with it. Some are nostalgic. Some love the canon they grew up with. Some have been disappointed for years. Some just see themselves in other characters and want their happiness instead. Whatever the reason, that’s fine. But for me, I love the way these two, from the moment they give each other a fair chance, are able to lower their walls and prejudices to see the other for the kindred spirits they are. They see each other’s humanity, and their response is to pour out love and support and compassion. I love that they’re a power couple in battle. I love the symbolism and, honestly, soulmatism that colors their every interaction. I love that they embody the whole storyline of atla in their relationship and how it develops, which is notably why their seasonal arcs always culminate in each finale with how they relate to one another. I love that zuko adopting a waterbending move is what actually saves his life and then katara’s. I love the chemistry! And I love the future they could’ve had, instead of the ones they were given.

So, in conclusion: I just think they’re neat and I hope you do too, at least a little bit. Even if it’s just respectfully from a disinterested distance cause you do you. And now here is the video I mentioned. I’m sorry this post got so long and then I gave you an even longer homework assignment, but I can’t recommend it enough. She says it all better than I can.

[themoonlily]

Hi! I found your stories on a ficrec list for Eomer/Lothiriel and WOW!!! MUCH LOVE!!!!! I can't wait to read more wonderful stories from you! Can I ask what got you into this pairing, and what draws you to them? Also: any headcannons about them? (Physical/personality/hobbies/etc.)

Hi there! I am so glad to hear you like my stories. :)

I would say that I got to Éothiriel thanks to Éomer. I can't say I fell in love with him straightaway - I was your typical Aragorn fangirl back in the day (mind you, he’s still one of my favourite characters in the legendarium). I had always enjoyed the bits with Rohan in particular, and the more I watched the films, the more I liked Éomer, and once I had read the books a couple of times, I realised there was so much more to this guy. I loved his integrity, his unashamed passion, his loyalty and devotion to his family and friends, and how he strives to do better and learn. 

His arc in the books is such a fascinating one. He starts out as a scion of one of the leading families of Rohan (and is a son of a princess, no less), but is orphaned along with his sister at an early age, and then raised by the King himself. What kind of a trauma did that loss leave him with, and how did it affect his relationship with his sister? Were his teenage years very difficult thanks to this? At the time of the events of LOTR, he’s a fairly young man - among the youngest of the entire cast - and yet he has this hugely important duty as the Third Marshal of the Mark. He’s passionate but also ready to put himself and his own needs aside in order to do what’s right. The whole House of Eorl dynamics are just so fascinating, even though a lot of it happens outside the actual narrative of LOTR. What are his relationships with his uncle, his cousin, and his sister? How does this partnership with Théodred grow (to the point of Saruman seeing these two as the chief obstacle of the easy conquest of Rohan)? What does it feel like to watch his beloved uncle fall under the influence of ill-intended counsels (not to mention the threat of Wormtongue against Éowyn)? Éomer is portrayed as a fairly temperamental guy, so I can only imagine the fury he must feel at the situation. 

But then Théodred dies, the noose tightens around everybody’s throats, and one may just imagine the desperation and dread he must feel at this point. He’s still figthing and trying to do the right thing, even if that may now mean treason. But he’s still friendly to Aragorn and co. when they meet, recognising them as an opportunity to help Rohan almost immediately. 

He’s so loyal to his family that even after he’s been disgraced and humiliated by Wormtongue by the proxy of Théoden, he still knows where the true malice is coming from, and is ready to fight again for his uncle the moment he’s released. And he slips straight back to being the King’s lieutenant without even blinking his eyes. 

There’s also how Éomer becomes king. I’m fascinated with what it would feel like to him. I mean, he’s been second in line to the throne his whole life, so he probably always realised there’s a chance he’ll be king one day. But the circumstances he comes to the throne - the near ruin of his country, the tragic and violent death of his cousin he might have been able to prevent if not for Wormtongue, the brief time he has with his restored uncle, and then the whole mess of the War of the Ring... all that must feel pretty surreal for him. And, of course, the Battle of Pelennor’s fields, and his scenes in it... wow. Him nearly losing his mind over thinking his sister (and whole family) is dead, charging like a madman over the field, composing some pretty amazing poetry in the spur of the moment, and then just laughing in sheer defiance against what seems like imminent death. What a dude. 

And then there are so many other interesting aspects: how he must have felt over those long years (was he unhappy? was he lonely?), what he expected his life to be versus what it turned out to be, and what it did to him to watch his family leave one by one. I could go on, but then we would be here whole day. 

So, enter Lothíriel. Of course I was eager to know what happens to Éomer after the war is over, and fortunately, Tolkien had an answer ready - although he could really have told us more about them! Not that in canon there is anything to imply it was a love marriage, but personally, I don’t think that a man with a disposition like Éomer would submit to a loveless or faithless marriage (or that he’d risk his relationship with Imrahil by being faithless). I just can’t see it happening. Also I just want him to be happy, and find someone who brightens up his days, someone who won’t leave him. It’s nice to imagine him having a new start with her.  

Sadly, of her personality I can’t say anything that would be indicated by canon, but if we imagine her being anything like her father, then she might be a proud, strong and brave woman. Well, she would probably have to be courageous to leave her homeland for marriage (another reason I think it was a love union, because I want her to be happy, too)! I like to imagine her finding some unexpected, unimagined freedom in Rohan, perhaps even fulfilment of ambition in her role as a queen. Also, maybe with her background and if she had access to some kind of education, she’d be uniquely qualified to helping Éomer to rule and counseling him. Perhaps she even feels some personal pride over the fact that together, they are starting a new dynasty (or a new line) to rule in Rohan. Also, having a fairly big family, I think she would be well equipped to show him the love he has missed most of his life.  

I recall at some point reading the appendix about the House of Eorl, and that Éomer married Imrahil’s daughter, Lothíriel, and thinking yes, this makes sense. It’s just the sense I gleaned from the interactions and circumstances of the story. Of course Éomer would have strong feelings for Imrahil, since he was the one who saw that Éowyn was still alive and hastened her delivery to safety. Being a man of strong emotions, I think Éomer would hold Imrahil and his entire family in high regard thanks to this. Maybe it’s even a ground from which some attachment did grow between him and Lothíriel. Also, Rohirrim are a culture based on horses, and apparently the Princes of Dol Amroth also maintain a cavalry (the Swan Knights who, with Imrahil, took part in the Battle of Pelennor fields). So I see there definitely being a lot of points of connection! 

Of course, it also fits the socio-political frame we are left with at the end of the story: the new unity among the Free Peoples, the task of rebuilding after the war, and this new blooming of the friendship between Rohan and Gondor. On a purely logical level, it is reasonable that he’d marry the daughter of a powerful house like Imrahil’s. But for my purely headcanonish “aesthetic” (if that’s even the right word) reasons I do like the contrast these two make: their different cultures (and all that they entail from songs and poetry to foods and habits), their union as the union of earth and sea, his gold to her silver, the warrior and the lady... also this is purely headcanon/tropes but I definitely think of them as tol/smol and embodying the pair where A is the reason B began to smile again. (Tol/smol is at least half canon because Éomer is apparently as tall as Aragorn, like 6 feet 6 if I recall right. Since he’s also a professional warrior, he’s probably built like it too.)

So, yeah - I guess that’s already a lot of reasons for why I love this pair! There’s just so much potential there, so many avenues to pursue, and so much food for imagination. If you’re interested in more of my headcanons, you could try searching the tag “Éothiriel” in my blog - I’ve got plenty of posts about them! 

Thanks for the ask, and sorry for this answer being so long! I rather got carried away and Éomer deserves every bit of the love he gets, and so does Lothíriel. 

[peeterparkr]

perfidy;tom holland|16

chapter 16: the closeup

enemies to lovers au/enemies with benefits

chapter summary: tom and y/n get close

pairing: tom holland x y/n

warnings:  fluffy, smut (skip the *), angst, New York

word count: 8.2k

here’s a playlist

and here’s another one

and here’s another one inspired by 1D

social media before you read (IMPORTANT FOR THE CHAPTER) :

tweets, instagram and texts: y/n and Tom are absent in social media

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Hi! 

It hurts to think that two people love each other and yet they never knew. That was the thought invading your head. They say unrequited love hurts, and it does, you had lived your whole life believing your love was one sided, and boy, had it hurt. You couldn’t deny every sleepless night, every heartbeat skipping, and you’d never deny every tear you had shedded. But realizing it had always been reciprocated and never knowing about it, because life liked to be a bitch… well, that’s just stupid. It sounded so cliche, though. The guy had always been in love with her. 

You first love ever, which, by the way he knew,  loved you back. But did he? You had trouble deciding it. But somehow, you believed it. Not sure if you believed it because of the situation or because you wanted to believe it. Still. 

It hurt. Because had all those tears been for nothing? Or maybe they meant more now. It was so… not what you had expected.

Maybe it had been what you had always wanted but never expected. A secret wish. 

But now that you had it, you didn’t want it. 

Did it make sense? No. Not at all. 

Except it did, in a way, or that’s what you were trying to figure out as you felt an unequivocal heartbreak. But why did this hurt? 

Because even if he loved you, even if he had loved you, there had been a stronger force pulling him away from you. 

A force that you knew looked very much like Tom and went by the name of Harry. 

You didn’t want to blame it on Harry. And maybe that’s why you’d shut Tom off when he’d tried to explain, because you had felt it coming, the unexplainable fear of him saying: I was just protecting my brother.

And you had been protecting Harry, too. 

Because it hurt, too. But you didn’t want to think about that. Not now. You didn’t want to think of the very complicated feelings you had once had towards Harry, which were very much alike to the feelings you’d once had towards Timothee. Knowing that it would’ve the best. But the heart wants what it wants. And your heart wanted that entitled moron that had been an arrogant idiot throughout his whole life but now, apparently had always had feelings for you. 

You really had to think about Tom right now. 

Your mind was helping with that, it had decided to hurt you in ways that you hadn’t been hurt before, your mind was roaming back to moments that proved he hadn’t loved you. Why were you trying to convince yourself of that? Why did your mind have to go back to your childhood when he’d push you off the swings, or to other moments, like him pushing you in the hallway, or him making fun of your braids, or your shoes or whatever he came up with that day. 

Which had you already questioning yourself, why did you fall in love with such a dickhead? This was to blame on you. But oh, who wouldn't fall in love with him? The whole world was at his feet, it made sense you were in love with him. 

Well, it made sense now, but back then? The scrawny annoying kid who never shut up. God, with that smile and the way he looked at you. 

Why were you trying to shut down your feelings now that you knew that he possibly loved you back? He had said it, right? He’d always been in love with you. 

Why were you trying to deny it? 

Or maybe you were trying to deny your own feelings. 

You had both fallen quiet after you had stopped dancing, your hands hesitated when he had offered you his hand, he then offered his arm instead. You took it, and you didn’t want to let go. Not now. Not never. 

And then your mind was reminding you of how all of this hard started. Revenge. 

But was it, really? Revenge? It seemed now like a faint memory, now the script was barely following your path, and you knew it had turned into something beautiful. You’d like the back and forth you were doing, it did have some potential. Starting with a significant event, based on your pain, on the damned yellow flowers. Which of course, you’d changed to a bouquet of lavenders. And then going backwards to what lead to it, building it down to the so childhood enemies you were, and the second timeline which was built to where you were standing now. 

It was good. An 80’s based love story, coming of age type of series. Changing a little bit the story so they’d be teenagers and have them roll around with shenanigans. 

The story of William, Tom. 

And Valerie, you. 

Two teenagers who hated each other. 

You walked with him, and it felt different. Somehow the people who had danced on the street were strangers to you. Because you saw Tom and you saw yourself and you didn’t feel like the children you once had been. Sure, there was a faint reminder of that scrawny guy you’d known your whole life with his silly comments and his overflowing energy. But… it wasn’t the same. To think that the—monster you had grown to know had never been one? Or he had, but only as a facade. 

However, it could be an act… but you were sure it wasn’t. Not from him. 

And not from you, either. Even if sometimes it felt like one. 

But now you saw his eyes, begging for forgiveness, tender and light. Eyes pleading you to say those words back. 

He was in love with you. And it… hurt. Why must it hurt? 

You stopped him before you got close to the hotel, the city felt like it was only for you. The lights were only a blurred memory now, you barely saw any stars. But it was still amazing, nothing mattered. The buzzing streets fell quiet, and the only light that mattered was that streetlight where you were standing by. He looked sad, too. 

It was bizarre. But you gave him a quick kiss, that told him it was alright. It would be, eventually. You liked to believe that. And seeing him there with those sympathetic eyes, and that gentle and tender smile, drove you completely insane.

But damn, you couldn’t put a price to the emotions you were feeling, it felt unethical and wrong. And quite confusing, actually. But the script was the least that mattered to you as you were trying to sketch the path your own heart was following. 

You knew it would still be different, throughout all of this.  

“Do we have a verdict?” He asked as you walked into the hotel. 

“I’m still deciding it,” you admitted. “What am I even deciding, again?”

“I dunno, you’ve been quiet and I only assumed you were trying to decide something.” 

You took his hand and locked your fingers. “Guess I am.” 

“What are you deciding? If I may ask?” 

“I’m having trouble believing it,” you confessed. “I—I am having trouble believing you were in love with me.” 

“Not past tense,” he cleared his throat. “I am in love with you.” 

“But why? What’s wrong with you?” You chuckled.

He nudged you. “A lot of things, but I am…”he stopped and then stared at you. “I am deeply, stupidly and annoyingly in love with you, y/n.”

You wanted to say it back right then. Even if being in love and loving wasn’t the same, you wanted him to know. You smiled. “Well, it’s difficult to believe it.” 

“Why?” 

“Because you are… you and I am me,” you explained. “You are Tom, and I’m just stinky and stupid y/n.” 

“You’re not as stinky,” he joked. 

“Dickhead,” she nudged him. 

He looked at you, “I thought you’d be deciding something else.” 

“Like what?” You frowned. 

He coughed, and ran a hand through his face. 

“Tom?” 

“Not sure,” he admitted but you were sure he lied. He probably was waiting for you to say it back. 

Technically you had hinted it, hadn’t you? The whole: you had been on my mind all the time. But… God, you didn’t want to say it out loud. Saying it out loud meant making it real. Your heart was beating so fast. So, so fast. But then again, your sane reasoning was reminding of the constant aggravation. 

But god that was stupid. 

You wanted to get in the elevator already, kiss him without any confrontation, because even if you were the only ones in the world right now, the crowds were still there, and they couldn’t know. You had to be alone, and you had to wrap your arms around him. You just needed another kiss for confirmation. And maybe some more just to make sure.

The elevator had been a safe space for both of you, since you’d arrived, every time you’d gotten into you’d share a kiss there. A new one each day. Never a same kiss twice. Tom had taught you that there were more than a million ways to kiss and that he’d be willing to explore a new one each passing moment.

But of course, life was a bitch and just as you thought you’d be alone in the elevator, an old couple walked in as well. 

You frowned but hugged Tom, at first you saw him hesitate but he hugged you back. He placed a soft kiss on top of your head, as you nuzzled into him. You felt safe, which you hadn’t been. Your mind started to shut up, and you were enjoying the moment, feeling him, as you could smell the remaining cologne from his neck, and you felt his fingers pressing against your back. 

The elevator door opened as the couple wished you goodnight and as soon as it had closed you smashed your lips to his, taking him by surprise. 

But his hands immediately went to your waist, as he tried to pull you closer to him. The kiss was… breathtaking, but not as the usual kisses you’ve had on this elevator, hot and full of passion, wanting to undress the other already. No. 

This kiss was soft, like a thousand butterflies. He was kissing your soul, it felt like an end of the summer breeze. Yet it felt… sad. As if he was apologizing, in a way. 

And maybe it was the look in his eyes, or the way he had warmed you with his embrace, or the fact that you felt like your heart was so close to his that you finally knew it, or… you finally accepted it. You loved him. That was undeniable. As stupid as that feeling may be, and as much as it hurt. 

The kiss lasted so long you were sharing each other’s breaths by the time the door opened again. And it felt soothing and inviting and thrilling and bright. 

He pulled away, and you gulped, as you slowly walked out. He chuckled nervously as he led the way. He kissed your cheek before opening the door. 

He seemed nervous, and you were, too, probably. You felt like your heart was about to pop off your chest. He cleared his throat before heading to the bed. 

You both were too quiet. But you both followed the routine, the teeth brushing, make-up wiping. Quietly this time. 

You saw him head to the bed, he checked his notifications but didn’t open them. You had noticed that about you both, you rarely picked up your phone when you were together. 

He took a deep breath and then stared at the city from the window, sitting on the edge of the bed. You wish this was the script, at least there you could control every tiny situation, but this? How could you control any of this. You could write a million pages and it would never be enough to explain how you felt towards him. 

“Tom?” You called him anyway. As you walked over to him. 

“Yeah?” He smiled at you. 

“I have a verdict,” you said. But did you really? 

He took your hand, nervously. “Yeah?��� 

“I… Me too.” 

That was the most stupid sentence that you could say and it didn’t come remotely close to everything you wanted to tell him. 

He furrowed his brows with confusion. “What?” 

“I—“you cleared your throat, the words didn’t want to come out. Not out loud. “I… what you’ve said before.” 

“I said a lot of things, y/n,” he reminded you as you sat beside him, he gave his attention back to the city. 

You kept watching him, tracing his side profile slowly, you feared saying it because if you said it, there was no going back for once. 

He pursed his lips, and then squeezed your hand. 

“You asked me why I said no to Tim,” you started. 

He frowned and then turned to you. 

“I thought we were done—“

“The real reason why I said no, was because I’ve also—“you stopped yourself. You had to say it. But it felt weird, the words didn’t want to come out, he only stared at you,“I’ve also been in love with you my whole life, and I still am even more deeply than ever.” 

You had said it. In a way. Because he knew this, you knew he was well aware of this. 

You’ve said it before. How he had been your first love, not the only one. But there was always something you had believed in: nothing is as truthful as the first love because it’s the most spontaneous one, you never plan it, or just...arrives. Over the years you learn, and you find love and we learn how to trick ourselves into believing it’s love, and we let ourselves fall into the routines and lies the world tells us about it, about how it should feel, but not with the first one. Because the first love is so magical, so real and authentic. You don’t plan it. 

And maybe that’s why it’s so easy to fall back in love with one’s first love. Because it feels real. Even if it isn’t. 

And you knew that when he was gone, you were still thinking about him, that you still got dressed up and then ended up crying on your couch again. 

Because you knew it, Timmy was...perfect. But Tom wasn’t, he truly wasn’t and yet… 

Tom watched you, as if now it was him who was trying to convince himself he believed you. You saw a hint of blush forming on his cheeks, and his eyes crinkle just slightly. 

“And—“now you couldn't stop yourself. “It hurts to think I’ve spent my whole life loving you, and that the feelings might have been reciprocated without us truly knowing, and it hurts to think we spent our whole lives pulling that kind of crap when I should’ve spent all my life kissing that dumb face of yours, because… I love you. And—Maybe, maybe that’s why we didn’t take it slow, you know?” The damned word slipped again, and again and again, as if once you’d said it it had to come out for every time you’d stayed quiet and kept it to yourself. You cursed to yourself mentally. He remained quiet. And you only wanted the world to suck you in and spit you elsewhere far away from him. Maybe this was after Rome all over again, maybe he’d said the words that you dreaded, he’d say that he didn’t love you back. That this was all an act, that you’d be in agony again. 

But you continued, because you are stupid. “Because—Why would I take it slow with someone whom I already know, flaws and all, and why would I take it slow with someone I love? Why the fuck should I waste more time if I love you? Why the fuck should I stop myself from feeling when I know you’re far from perfect but I still love you as you are—And why the fuck haven’t you shut me up with a damn kiss, idiot?” You demanded and he finally smiled. 

He chuckled before leaning over to kiss you, pushing you to the bed, laying down right beside you, with his hand on your waist. The kiss felt golden, if you could ever give color to a kiss, that would be it, golden, so bright and tempting. 

“I love you,” he admitted, as he stared at your eyes and then at your lips, he leaned down to place another soft kiss. 

Hearing it, was way too different from all the times you’ve said it before.You’d said the words before  but with different meanings. Purely as a sentiment obligated by the nature of your families’ relationship. Or maybe as a hidden—very hidden friendship. But not like this. Not this heart stopping “I love you.” Not this blushing and looking into each other’s eyes crap. 

Not this, that once it had come out of your mouth, it had been so easy to say. 

“And I didn’t shut you up because.. I just wanted to hear it from you—I technically said it first,” Tom said. 

You immediately frowned. “What?” You questioned. “No, you said you were in love with me, not that you loved me,” you stated.  

“Are you getting technical now, y/n?” He teased. The moment was ruined. 

“Yes.”

He chuckled. “Well it doesn’t count—I told you how I felt first,” he said. 

“No, I did-”

“I said I had been in love,” he said. “Falling in love and saying I love you is the same—” 

“No it’s not,” you frowned. 

“In this case, it is,” he laughed as he kissed your neck. And you knew what he meant. You already knew he loved you—just not in this way. 

“No,” you snapped. 

He chuckled. “You just want to take pride on believing that you said it first.” 

You smirked. “Yes, of course.” 

He brushed his lips against yours, butterflies invading your soul. “But you didn’t, I said it first, idiot” he sentenced. 

“You did not, frogface!” You pushed him, and then sat right on top of his lap, he laughed, laying down. 

“I did!” He grinned, before pulling the pillow from behind his head to playfully hit you. 

“You did not! And Oi!” You complained before taking the other pillow to hit him right on his face. 

The pillow fight continued, along with the whole: ‘It was me’ ‘No,me!’ bickering, until Tom pulled you back to kiss you yet again. 

“Are we actually fighting over who said I love you first?” He asked you. 

“Yes,” you grinned, as you played with his hair. 

“I can’t believe you, y/n,” he laughed. 

“I’ve been holding it back my whole life, I have the right to,” you complained, as you cupped his face delicately to pepper him with soft kisses. 

He closed his eyes as his hand travelled throughout your whole back. “You think I haven’t been trying to tell you my whole life?” 

“Hm,” you only looked up slightly, but kissed your way over to his collarbone, barely exposed. 

“And it’s different, because—We knew we loved each other just not in that way,” he whispered. He was right but you wouldn’t let him know that. 

You looked up, “So what?” Still leaving wet kisses across his whole exposed neck. 

“So I said it first,” he stated. You stopped kissing him. “Hey,” he complained. 

You sat back up. “But you knew I was in love with you before,” you reminded him. 

“But not right now,” he complained. 

You scoffed, “You actually didn’t know I was in love with you right now.” 

“No,” he tried pulling you back to him. 

You smirked, rolling your eyes. “So you think I was only kissing you because of—“

He shrugged as he placed his hands on your waist. “I’m hot y/n, I turn you on.”

You coughed, faking a laugh. “You don’t.” 

He pulled you back to him, his hands traveling down to cup your ass, pushing you against him. He connected your lips with his on a sloppy, messy but deepened kiss. He managed to turn you both around, now him on top. He kissed his way to suck on your neck. You only closed your eyes 

“Fine you do,” you admitted pushing him away giggling, as he only stared at you with a smirk. “but that’s not what I was—You’re saying you didn’t know I was in love?”

He smiled, shaking his head. “I did not, I swear.” 

“Well, I am,” you admitted. 

He beamed. “Hm, and I am too.” He placed a hand on the back of your neck, and pulled you into a long kiss. His hands toyed with the hem of your shirt. You helped him take it off as he kissed down from your shoulders to your chest. 

“You know you can’t kiss me away to change my mind,” you mentioned. 

He nuzzled into your chest. “Oh I know, I know you’re a stubborn ass.” 

“Hey,” you playfully smacked his head. 

“Oi,” he climbed back up. “But we also just said I love you for the first time which it’s a pretty big deal,” he whispered. 

You blushed. “Huh guess it is,” you beamed, pulling him for yet another kiss.

“Hmmm,” he hummed.  

You pulled away. “But I did say it first.”

“Sh,” he chuckled, kissing you. 

“I love you,” you said between peppers. 

“Hmh, I love you,” he said back. And it felt so weird but so nice hearing it. You could listen to him say it again and again. Your new favorite song. 

“There, I said it first,” you teased. 

Tom had to sit back up to hold back his laughter. “Oh my god shut up,” he said with a grin. 

You smirked. “Make me.” 

*

But he didn’t lean over as you expected him to, he didn’t lean over to kiss you in the way he had the nights before. Not with the hunger and lust burning  in his eyes. Not with desire. 

He leaned over with a quick peck, and with a gentle smile. Slowly, his fingers threaded up and down your stomach, as he stared at your eyes, only. He only smiled against the kiss, and you did, too. You barely were even kissing, it was only silly smiles clumsily bumping into each other. A deep kiss then, your hands brushing his hair and his hand on your waist pulling him closer. 

You took off his shirt then, with his help as he climbed up to you, slow movements of his soft and light fingers as they bristled on your skin. Soft caresses of his lips, so slow as he bit your bottom lip. 

You wanted to say it again, but you didn’t want to wear it out. But you knew that with your lips against his he knew it. And he knew he wasn’t perfect for you, and he knew you weren’t either. He probably wasn’t the guy whom everyone would think you’d end up, and you could definitely see the ending to this, but it didn’t matter. He was perfect right now. 

His soft fingers travelled on your body, he hadn’t seemed to notice you were still wearing the pink flowered lingerie, or maybe he had, but his sight wouldn’t leave yours, as your own hands were brushing his cheeks, slightly caressing his lips. 

He went down to your neck next, nipping at your skin gently, his hands tracing your sides, and your own hands pressing down from his chest to his stomach. 

“I love you,” he said hoarsely. 

His clothes were a burden now, as your fingers were silking down finding freckles as you were barely looking at his back. Your lips parted, as you looked at him, his hair falling down to his eyes. 

And though his hands were going down to your heat, it didn’t feel like teasing, it felt more like he was exploring, as if he was memorizing it, just like you were counting each freckle on his body. He slowly undressed you completely, the underwear now hanging somewhere in the room. Once your body was free from the clothes and as you were pulling down his own pants, he started to chillingly kiss his way down to your stomach. 

Soft and tender, almost unnoticeable kisses. You wrapped your legs around him, wanting to feel his warm body pressed against yours, you wanted to feel each and every heartbeat. Your body flushed with each touch, as his tongue slid up from your chest back to your neck. You pushed him slightly, shifting to be on top of him and kiss him, his chest, his stomach, your hands pressing his bulky arms and then back on his lips, as you smiled against each kiss. 

“I love you,” you said this time. 

And he was holding your body like he knew it completely, and he probably did. Since you both arrived in New York, he had probably kissed every single spot on your body, and you had kissed his. You probably were now memorizing each and every spot, the ones that were pretty and the ones that weren’t. But tonight, it wasn’t like every other night in New York, it felt like the city was quiet, and it felt like the lights that came in weren’t the buildings. 

He sat you both up, with his nips getting sloppier with each kiss, as he tried to grind against you, with sweat now dripping from both of your bodies. You were melting against each touch, and you were sure the only sound in the room were your lips pressing to each other and the sweaty skin meeting softly. Velvety soothing sighs each time you pulled away, with his hands massaging every inch of your body, and your hands tugging at his untamable hair. Both of you giggled every once in a while to the kiss, as your fingers tickled his body. You had reached for the drawer in the nightstand, which had just been restocked that day with condoms. 

Bodies wrapped around each other, as he finally looked at you, as if asking for permission and you only nodded at his hazy, hungry eyes. You helped him wrap up the condom and then positioned yourself. 

You took a deep breath as you sank down now getting your core close to his length, you’d felt it growing more and more with each kiss, and your own sex had been pooling but both of you had seemed to ignore it, too lost in each other’s lips. Your lips parted just slightly as you felt him enter you, you gripped to his back as his own hands settled on your waist. You slowly lowered yourself, as both of you exhaled with relief. 

You nuzzled into his neck, as you slowly bounced up and down, rolling your hips, as he thrusted in and out. Soft moans slipping out of his mouth, as he called your name and only your nme. 

A steady rhythm as he brushed your sensitive sweet spots each time he thrusted in and out. Your lips found his again, as she smiled against them. And you were sure you could feel your heartbeat, and through pleasure you both tried to chase down both of your lips, urging to be so close to each other. 

You rested your forehead against his as your bouncing was turning even lazier, and barely even rocking, your thighs were yearning for relief, and maybe Tom sensed it as he pushed her back into the bed, now his thrusts burying deeper, each time, as your hands cupped his head. The friction getting you exactly where you wanted to, and you knew he was close, too, his drilling had become sloppy. You reflexively closed your thighs but he opened them back up. It was building up in your stomach, the overwhelming sensation of both of you seeing stars. 

He kept moaning your name and you kept moaning his, and he’d slip out every now and then and ‘I love you’, as both of you were shaking. 

Tonight you’d been quiet, not like every other night here in New York. You were only loud enough for the other to hear, because that’s all you needed. 

You didn’t last much, and you only gripped to his shoulders, and he followed after, his hips pushing harder until his release sprung out. 

He laid on top of you, as you listened to each other soft breaths and heartbeats. Once you both caught your breath he pulled out, but turned you around to kiss you again. 

*

And that’s all you really needed, sweet pecks around each other’s bodies, soft and quiet ‘I love you’s and giggling and smiling, blushing each time you looked into each other's' eyes. 

You couldn’t remember how you had finally slept in his arms, so close to his heart. But you barely slept after that, you only watched him, and there was a part of you that really knew he wouldn’t fuck up, you would. You watch him fall asleep, and when you were sure he was out, you kissed his cheek and then headed to the small sofa, and then opened your laptop as the  bright script stared at you, you wanted to change it all. And you had to tell him, but how could you tell him? 

You had to change this, but could you change the entire series? When you had to give it back in a week. But maybe you could tell him it was only based on your life, slightly. Besides, it ended on a happy note. 

This felt wrong. But you couldn’t help but smile, watching him. And you wrote the happy ending, how you had had it all wrong and how stupid it is to doubt love. How the girl ended u falling in love with him, anyway. 

Eventually you were drifting off, so you closed your laptop and got back in bed with him, he pulled you close to him. 

You woke up to the sound of the shower and an empty bed. You could hear Tom singing from the shower. ‘I think we’re alone now’. 

And it was funny how you now had the perfect soundtrack to your relationship, a quirky 80’s song that probably wouldn’t be considered romantic, and it definitely wasn’t the type of song you’d expect to dedicate. But you had danced to it, and your hearts had synced to it. Stupid as it may be. 

You hummed along, and you took out your laptop again. You typed it in, as a reminder, to find a song. Just the kind of song that had the same undertone, a bright song with lyrics that fit perfectly.

“Morning,” you grinned as the door opened. “Lovely voice you’ve got there.” 

“‘M sorry you looked so peaceful, didn’t want to wake you up, dumbass” he said as he had walked out of the shower, towel around his waist, droplets falling down his hair. “Did I wake you up-?” 

“No, you didn’t. All showered up, I see,” you grinned, closing your laptop. “Any plans today, frogface?”

“I do, actually, want to go out with my girlfriend.” 

“Oh,” you blushed. “You have a girlfriend? Should’ve told me before all of this happened.” 

He laughed. “Idiot.”  

You blew him a kiss. 

“I wanted to take you to a museum,” he commented, making his way over. “We have all these two days to ourselves so maybe we could enjoy it, then only two days more filming and we’re back, so I wanted to take you out on New York.” 

“Hm, or we could stay in bed all day,” you suggested, as you pulled his hand, he sat right beside you. He leaned over to kiss you. 

“Hm, no, as much as I’d love that...” he laughed. “C’mon, you’ve never been to New York before,” he said. 

And he was right. 

“Fine, a museum then?” You grinned as you wiped off a drop of water falling down his face. 

“Yeah, Museum of Moving Image, it’s basically a film museum, it’s in Queens.” 

“Queens, huh?” you grinned. “We could visit Peter Parker.” 

He laughed. “You have him right here, babe.” 

“No, Peter is smart,” you kissed his nose as he laughed with fake pain. “But didn’t you have tickets for a game?” 

He bit his lip. “Yeah, but.. That’s not really your scene, so… First the museum and then go listen to the Philharmonic,” he chuckled. “Or something aesthetic” 

You chuckled. “Sounds nice,” you bit your lip. 

“And you’re not excited?” He tilted your head. “You loved to do that stuff with… Him.” 

“Which is exactly,” you closed your eyes. 

“What, now?” 

“Tom, you don’t have to… I love you for who you are, okay? Let’s go to the game, and have fun, and really, let’s just explore New York, alright?” You leaned over to kiss him. 

He grinned. “Fine, we’ll go to the game.”He looked down at your laptop. “Hm?” 

“Sorry, I was writing,” you admitted. 

He grinned. “Ah, right, your script,” he chuckled. “Completely forgot about that.” 

“Yeah, I kind of want to be a writer for movies and such and kind of am an aspiring director,” you chuckled. 

“And here I thought you were having the time of your life being my assistant.” 

“Am I an assistant though?” You laughed. “Kind of feel like a hooker now, this definitely wasn’t on the job description.” 

He burst out in laughter, blushing. He cleared his throat. “Now you know why Haz and I moved in together.” 

You playfully smacked him. “Idiot.” 

He finally laid back down on the bed. “So, what’s the script about?” 

You felt your heart stopping. “Um.” 

He chuckled. “Fine, don’t tell me,” he laughed. “I remember you used to write the best stories.” 

You rolled your eyes. “You never liked any of them.” 

“That’s what I made you think,” he winked. “But I remember all kinds of stories.” 

“Yea,” you gulped. 

“So?” 

“You’ll know it when I’m ready for you to know it, okay?” You pecked him in the lips and then quickly headed to the shower, too. 

The rest of the day was fun, you went to a baseball game, holding hands and having fun, you got a little bit carried away by the game as you cheered for whatever team was playing, you’d shared a few kisses, covered by both your caps. It felt so different from Rome. Though you still had to hide, there were people who had recognized him and you definitely didn’t want the world to know about this… relationship before you even knew what it was. Besides, if the word spread around it would get to your families and you definitely were not ready to tell them, yet. And you knew it would be a terrible way to find out. 

But that didn’t stop you from having fun, and from laughing and enjoying the time with him, as both of you showed a side to each other that you’d never shown before, a side where you both were trying to show your best side, your best smile and your best laugh. The nicest jokes and the best manners. And your heart couldn’t stop beating so fast each time you shared a kiss. 

And you explored New York, just letting the city drive you to wherever it led. Getting on the subway, admiring street art, searching through the loud crowds. Finding places that were barely noticed by the usual tourists, but that you both found fun enough. Sometimes he’d find random moments to whisper he loved you, and your heart stopped each time. It wouldn’t wear out. 

Somehow, you both ended up deciding to go to the Modern Pinball, where you both were trying to prove the other that they were better at the game. And it felt, in a way like when you were children, laughing and competing without trying to hurt each other, but of course beat the other. The arcade was magical, and romantic in a way. 

He won, but you didn’t acknowledge it. 

But he kept mentioning it as you sat down at a nice New York bar, beer on both of your hands. 

“I won.” 

“You cheated,” you commented, laughing. “I don’t want to talk about it, okay?” 

“Hm you’re just bitter because you suck at pinball,” he sassed. 

You felt it, again. The magic, the night changing. Fearing that it would change again, not now, not tomorrow but soon. 

“That’s no way to talk to your girlfriend,” you said, flipping him off. 

“Oh, she’s here?” He looked around. 

“Dickhead.” 

“Fartface,” he grinned. “So, you actually are my girlfriend, then?” 

“Dunno, feels like we’ve messed all the order up,” you chuckled. “We first broke each other’s heart, then we slept together, then you asked me out, then we said I love you and now we’re dating, what kind of order is that?” 

He snorted. “Hm, at this point we’ll end up getting a divorce first,  then a kid, go to our kid’s wedding and then  get married ourselves and right after that we’ll finally go to our third date.” 

You laughed, rolling your eyes. “Silly.” 

“At least we already broke each other’s hearts, we skipped the worst part,” he smiled. 

You looked down with a sad smile. 

But you were both quick to change the subject. And then he kept insisting on going to the museum the next day, and you were actually kind of excited for it. Though you both were laughing at how both Harrison and your brother were asking for an update on your relationship. 

“I think we should tell them,” he said. 

“Hm, really?” 

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I don’t want to hide this.” 

You smiled. “Really?” 

He chuckled, “Second date but, yes y/n, I want you to meet my parents, dumbface” he grinned. 

“I already know your parents, idiot,” you pointed out. 

“Not as my girlfriend, you don’t.” 

And you’d both gone quiet. That was fast, so so fast, and this meant he really was going serious, which meant you had to be quick with your own thoughts over the script. You had to back away. You had to give this up. Or tell him. Find a way to tell him. 

“So I am your girlfriend?” You teased chuckling. 

He seemed to realize it, though, maybe he was backing away. 

“No, but might be fun to make them think you are,” he cleared his throat before chuckling. “And we can pretend it, too, and just--” 

“Fine, I’ll meet your parents,” you smiled, kissing his hand. “And maybe you can meet mine, too.” 

But of course, the fairytale had to end, didn’t it? You didn’t even remember how it had happened, you only remembered crying on the edge of the bed. And Tom pacing around the room. 

The fucking film canister, a single damned prop had ruined the last 24 hours. Your stupid decision had made everything explode. Nothing that either of you’d said or felt or done mattered because he found the film canister. 

Of course you didn’t expect him to be calm about it. And he had been when he had found it. Initially, until he connected the dots. 

How had he found it? 

How the hell had he found it? 

Why the fuck had you forgotten it was on your purse? And then you were cursing yourself for not giving it back, why hadn’t you given it back? Why were you so confused towards Timmy? Were you planning on keeping it forever? 

“y/n, oh my god, I just… You just carry this around everywhere?” He frowned. 

“No, I don’t.” 

“Why--I… Please, sorry just walk me through this, please, I… You have his engagement ring? You kept the engagement ring?” 

“I told you what happened, alright? I wanted to say yes at that point.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were planning on saying yes, and were you planning on saying it right now-?” 

“I brought it to give it back to him, alright?” You snapped. “I was going to do it yesterday at dinner.” 

“And you didn’t,” Tom snapped. “Which has to mean something, I-” 

“I literally just said I loved you, you really think it means something?” 

“Y/N, yes!” Tom cried. “You said it yesterday, you’ve always believed he might be the love of your life.” 

“And I fucking said I was in love with you throughout my whole relationship with him, and I also fucking said I said no to that ring because I still loved you!” 

“Yet you still have this!” He pointed out. 

“Fine, give it to me, I’ll go right now and give it back to him,” you walked over, snatching it from his hand. 

Tim opened up the door to his hotel room, he had just showered you could tell, as he was drying his hair with the white towel. He smiled brightly at you, and you only wanted to forget this, get yourself out of this situation. 

And you wondered how wrong this was, because there was still that buzzing in your ear saying that he should be the one you should love, he was the guy whom you should end up with. Everybody saw it, the guy whom your parents had loved, the guy who was clean and who understood you, the fairytale, and the rom com, the guy who you were supposed to love. And yet, with everything your heart still belonged to Tom.  

“Hi,” he grinned. “You arrived early… I uh, want to head somewhere?” You had called him on your way. 

“No,” you answered quickly, and you had to hold your breath. “I…” You had been playing with the film canister all the way from your own hotel. You handed it to him as he watched it curiously. “I need to give it back. I… I wanted to wait until we were back in London but I need to get rid of this guilt, Tim, I can’t let you keep holding on to something that might never…” You started, and you had promised yourself you wouldn’t cry but then again you had promised yourself you wouldn’t love Tom again, you were very good at breaking promises. 

Tim looked up, slightly, and then he opened it, revealing the ring he’d once given you. He stayed quiet. “Alright.” 

That’s all he had said, but you knew it wasn’t alright. “I’m so sorry, Tim, I hope you find someone who will love you as much as you deserve to be loved and more,” you said, and the tears were already streaming down. You didn’t wipe them off, as if you weren’t acknowledging them. 

He pursed his lips. “This is it, huh?” 

“I.. I don’t know Tim, I… I’m so sorry.” 

He only stared at it. “Can I ask…. where did I go wrong?” 

“You didn’t.” And that’s what hurt the most, you guessed. That he had been perfect, just… Not for your heart. 

“I—I just want to know what I did wrong, what could I have done better?” He pushed, as he finally looked into your eyes, and you saw him hurt. And that’s the last thing you ever wanted, to see him hurt. He didn’t deserve to be hurt. 

“It’s not you,” you admitted. 

“I still—I feel like I could’ve done so much more,” he said as he walked out of his room to lean against the wall. “and—And I know, I know you never loved me like—”

“I loved you, Timmy.” Because you didn’t want him to think you’d never loved him. 

“Not the way you should’ve,” he scoffed. 

You tensed up. “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know I’m just—”He ran a hand through his face and then through his hair. “I’m sorry, I’m being annoying. I should get over you.” 

You didn’t answer. 

“I’ve been trying to understand what went wrong,”he said, mostly to himself it seemed. “We almost never fought y/n, we always—we were happy, and I thought we were okay, but it seemed like every Friday you’d get dressed up but then realize it was for me, as if it didn’t excite you, as if every time you picked up you wished it was him instead.” 

It felt like you were being stabbed on your stomach. “No timmy you did, I loved you, it was you…” 

“It wasn’t, y/n,” he gulped. “I only wanted to love you, y/n, and—And I don’t understand what happened. And—It was my mistake but I guess I asked for too much.” 

“No, Timmy, this is me.” 

“No, I know,” you saw his eyes were now starting to water but he discreetly wiped a tear off. “And I’m sad I ran out of chances because there is just so much love still waiting okay?”

You wanted to change this, you wanted to fast forward this moment, to know the right answer, read the spoiler and know how this would end. 

“And we never had a proper goodbye,” he continued. “And I understand that you wanted to be loved,” he smiled sadly. “That’s all I did, you only asked to be loved but—Maybe that was my problem, I never asked you to love me back.” 

“I did love you back, so much, and I still do, I’m just… I am so sorry I wasn’t able to love you like you deserved to.” Because he didn’t deserve to be feeling this way 

“And does he?” He closed the film canister again and played with it. 

“What?”

“Does he love you like he’s supposed to? Because I see you smiling, but you’ve—You've painted him as such a monster-” He sighed. 

“He’s not a monster.” 

“How long will it take him to break your heart again?” He asked, as if he was asking for an actual day, to be prepared. “Because maybe y/n—I won’t be there, fuck now I sound toxic…I am super toxic, fuck,” he closed his eyes. “I just have the right to be sad, okay? Or angry I guess,” he nodded and looked away. “I mean yoou were in love with another man throughout our whole relationship..” He said with poison. 

You scowled. “I wasn’t, I was in love with you.” 

“All the time?” 

You leaned against the other wall, crossing your arms. “It took me a while, but I did, I loved… I love you, alright? I’m just…” You paced around. “It’s so complicated, Timmy, I just… I want to be with him right now, okay?”You snapped. “And I’m sorry Tim, I’m just willing to risk it, I need to know what it feels like to finally be loved by him.” 

He nodded, and then silenced himself for a while. 

“Was there anything I could’ve done?” 

“Tim.” You squeezed your eyes shut, and he walked over to you, placing his hands on your shoulders.

“I just need to know.” 

“It wasn’t you, Tim, it was me, and it’s… “You walked out of his embrace. “It’s horrible because I know .. There's a part of me that knows that you’re… “You gulped and watched him, raising your voice. “You’re supposed to be the love of my life and I don’t get it, alright? And when you were gone, I didn’t want you to be another story, okay? I cried so much because I knew I had lost you...But… “You scowled. “My heart just keeps being an idiot, but right now I don’t care, okay?” You admitted. “If he wants to break my heart then it’s alright, I’m willing to get my heart broken one last time, maybe I’ll finally learn but right now, let me enjoy this,” you pleaded. “Let me have this, and I know it, everyone says it, you’re my endgame, you and I are perfect for each other but Tim, I can’t do this to you, I love him, right now I want to be with him.” 

Tim watched you. “And do you really love him? Or is he only the story you wanted to write?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“You tend to confuse real life with your own writings, and you tend to dream too much and often forget that life isn’t a movie, y/n,” he commented. 

“That’s not what’s happening,” you snapped. 

“I know, I’m…”He pinched the bridge of his now. “Guess I’m only trying to convince myself, sorry.” 

You stayed silent. 

“I’m sorry, it’s… I’ll see you at Harry and Emma’s engagement party,” he said as he was walking back to his room. 

“What?” 

He sighed. “Yeah, as much as it might bother you to see me, I’m still the bride’s best friend,” he shrugged. 

“I didn’t know they were having-” 

“Yeah, when we come back, Emma only told me, don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll tell you, after all you’re the maid of honor, aren’t you? Or maybe Harry…” Tim closed his eyes. “We really fucked up by introducing our best friends to each other huh.” 

You didn’t say anything. 

“Will you and Tom still be a secret?” Tim asked. 

“Dunno.” 

He sighed. “I know I’m asking too much but please, try to…” He gulped. “Keep down the snogging when you guys are around, I know it’s a new relationship but.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Yeah,” he gulped as he then closed the door. 

Maybe you were wrong, maybe knowing that someone was the love of your life but your heart not wanting them back was what hurt the most. 

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[darks-ink]

What We Are - Holiday Truce 2020

Happy holidays @dandan-phantom-blog, I was your Truce gifter this year! I wrote this for your prompt "Danny and Vlad Role Swap", with a touch of "Danny, Tucker, and Sam are all trans and they kiss sometimes" (except I didn't find a way to organically mention that Sam and Tucker are also trans in the context of this fic so hhhh). I hope you enjoy it!

Rating: Gen Genre: Hurt/Comfort Words: 8,276

[AO3] [FFN]

---

“Looks pretty clear from up here,” Vlad reported, hovering high above his friends. His cape flapped as the wind tugged at its edges, the red flashing repeatedly.

“The scanner isn’t picking up any ghosts besides you, either,” Maddie reported from below, staring at the silver invention in her hands. “But the range isn’t great.”

“We should look into that some more,” Jack agreed from next to her, frowning up at Vlad. “You can’t pick up any invisible ghosts either, Vladdie?”

He sighed gustily, peering around a little more. “No, Jack. I can only sense the cores from pretty close by, and I can only see them if I’m really trying.” Rolling his eyes, Vlad started lowering himself closer to the ground. “If I don’t know there are any ghosts present, chances are I won’t see through their invisibility either.”

“That seems like a bit of a flaw,” Jack commented cheerily. “Too bad you didn’t just get a ghost-scanning ability with the other powers.”

“For all we know it would’ve been as strong as this tracker of ours,” Maddie pointed out, turning to face them. “At least this mechanical tracker can be upgraded.”

“And my abilities aren’t exactly the most reliable, either.” Vlad cocked an eyebrow at Jack. “I got the basics down, but ghost sensing seems a little more advanced.”

Maddie hummed thoughtfully, continuing on in the direction they had been heading. “Well, who knows. A ghost tracking sense could’ve been an expansion of your innate ability to sense ghost cores. That seems pretty basic to me.”

“And,” Jack jumped in, “If you could sense ghosts yourself, we could’ve spent more time working on weapons for me and Maddie!”

“I thought your ecto-guns were fine?” Vlad frowned at the guns either of his friends held. He’d been assured that they were both well-armed, perfectly safe if they ran into a ghost, but if that wasn’t the case…

“They work just as well as your ecto-ray,” Maddie assured him, not slowing down or looking up from the scanner. “But it could be useful to have more variation in weaponry besides the ray gun and the Thermos.”

“Ah.” Well, that was fair enough, Vlad supposed. More ways for his friends to defend themselves couldn’t hurt. “Fair enough. We can always focus on more weaponry next. The scanner is fine as long as we do regular patrols.”

The device in question pinged, and three pairs of eyes zoned in on it instantly.

“Looks like there’s a ghost nearby, boys.” Maddie grinned, turning towards the right. “This way!”

“Remember to mute it,” Vlad hissed, diving lower until he was just over his friends. “Let’s try stealth for once.”

Maddie snorted as she reached down to the mute switch. “You don’t have to tell me. It’s not my stealthiness we have to worry about.”

“Sorry,” Jack whispered, making a face. “But it’s not like it’s always my fault!”

Vlad pressed a finger to his lips, and Jack snapped his mouth shut immediately. Then mimed zipping them up for good measure.

The three of them snuck closer in complete silence, gathering on the corner of a building. According to the scanner, the ghost was in the small park beyond it.

Forcing himself invisible, Vlad leaned out. And saw…

“Nothing,” he reported quietly, dropping his invisibility. Maintaining it for long was too draining. “I don’t see it anywhere.”

Below him, both Jack and Maddie peered around the corner as well.

“Just two people kissing,” Jack agreed.

“And neither of them look like ghosts.” Maddie glanced down at the scanner again. “The ghost should be here though, it’s still showing up on the scanner.”

Vlad cast out his senses. “Yes, there is definitely an increase in ectoplasm. Must be invisible.”

Which was just such a joy. He could see invisible ghosts if he really tried, sure, but it was such a strain. His eyes would inevitably start hurting later from all this peering around.

Finally, though, his eye caught on a glimmer on movement. Immediately zeroing in on it, Vlad immediately recognized it as a ghost.

There was no time for a good look, however, as it was clearly preparing to move. And based on the way it was invisibly staring at the kissing couple, there was no doubt in Vlad’s mind as to what it was about to do.

He pushed off from the building, rushing forward to intercept the ghost. The moment he got his hands wrapped around the ghost’s upper arms he turned them both intangible as well, shoving the attacking ghost through a different building and onto the ground behind it.

His target, a male humanoid ghost, seemed briefly startled, dropping his invisibility as Vlad pinned him to the floor of the alley.

It didn’t last long, however, as the ghost narrowed his bright green eyes and promptly kicked Vlad off. The ghost kept moving up, white boots leaving the ground instantly, even as he brushed dust out of his white hair.

Vlad blinked at him, feeling oddly caught off-guard by the fact that the ghost had just kicked him off, rather than flipping them around so Vlad was the one pinned to the ground.

Apparently his silence lasted too long, because green eyes zeroed in on him. The ghost’s aura flared violently, angrily.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he hissed at Vlad, green ectoplasm sparking around his hands. “We could’ve been spotted, you absolute moron!”

Vlad, belatedly realizing he shouldn’t be lying on the floor with a potentially dangerous ghost right there, pushed himself up into a seated position. “We were both invisible, it was fine.”

“It was not fine!” the ghost snapped back, even as footsteps echoed through the alley. “See?”

Jack and Maddie appeared in the opening of the alley, and Vlad rolled his eyes, secretly relieved for the backup. “They’re just my friends, they already knew we were there.”

“Well.” The ghost drew himself up, muscles rolling underneath the tight black jumpsuit he wore. Bright green eyes moved over Jack and Maddie, clearly evaluating them—and the ecto-guns in their hands.

Instantly, Vlad scrambled up onto his feet, ready to shield his friends with his body if he had to.

“Good for you,” the ghost concluded, bitterly, eyes moving back to Vlad. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”

And before any of them could stop him, the ghost vanished into a puff of green smoke. Literally, he dissolved into a ecto-green cloud, which faded away almost instantly.

“Huh,” Vlad said despite himself, finding himself blinking stupidly once more. “I guess he wasn’t interested in fighting after all.”

Maddie hummed an agreement, pulling out the scanner with one hand, still holding her gun in the other. “Scanner says that he’s gone, too.”

Vlad lifted up further, peeking over the edge of the building. “And the couple he was watching is gone too.”

“Guess we have no clues left to track him down, even if we wanted to.” Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair. “That sucks. Hopefully he won’t be up to anything too bad.”

“Let’s hope so,” Maddie agreed, shaking her head. She clicked the safety back on, stowing her gun into its holster. “Maybe we’ll run into him again while we finish up patrol.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Vlad floated back to his friends. “Still, something about him was weird.”

“He’s a ghost,” Jack pointed out with a shrug. “They’re always a little weird.”

And while that was true, something about it just kept niggling at Vlad.

---

They finished their patrol before long, returning to Vlad’s home once more. Somehow it had become their go-to place over the years, and after his accident… well, the little time they spent at their own houses, they were usually at Vlad’s.

He figured it was because his house was a quiet place, full of privacy, especially compared to Jack’s and Maddie’s. Between Maddie’s sister and Jack’s overbearing parents, well… Vlad’s own house, with just his own mother, was a breath of fresh air to the both of them.

Which was, he supposed, the reason why they were all so shocked to see a stranger standing in the living room, talking to Danielle.

The man, pale skinned but with mussy black hair, had his back turned to them, which certainly didn’t help with recognizing the guy. His t-shirt and jeans were rather nondescript too, not anywhere near recognizable enough to place the man.

And then he turned around and, well.

He looked exactly like Vlad’s mother, except with shorter hair.

“Um,” Vlad said, eyes darting between the two. Standing next to each other, both looking at Vlad, it was undeniable: they were almost exactly the same.

“Vlad,” his mother said, sighing exasperatedly. “I told you that my brother was coming over to visit. Did you forget?”

Well, now that was just embarrassing. Between all the ghost stuff he had, indeed, forgotten about his uncle.

Luckily the man in question did not seem offended at all, laughing brightly. “Honestly, Elle, you should’ve seen that one coming. You know what it’s like being that age, not caring a whit about family members that you don’t know.”

Still laughing, Vlad’s uncle stepped closer, eyes moving over Vlad and to Jack and Maddie. As he did so, his laughter faltered a little, but before Vlad could process that, the man offered a hand, smile once more back on his face.

“Danny Masters,” he said, as Vlad accepted his hand and shook it. “Danielle’s identical twin.”

“He picked his name to match mine because he thinks he’s hilarious,” Danielle explained, rolling her eyes.

Danny released Vlad’s hand, turning to shoot her a wicked grin. “That’s because I am hilarious.”

“Don’t lie to my face, Danny,” Danielle countered, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Wouldn’t dare to, sister dearest.”

“How are you two identical twins, anyway?” Jack asked, loudly, breaking into their bickering.

As everyone turned to blink at Jack, Vlad could hear Danielle snort.

“Well,” Danny said, clapping his hands together to draw the attention back to him. “So sometimes when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much…”

He paused, then shrugged. “After Jazz our parents got tired of having so many girls so I decided to even it out a little.”

“Stop joking about it,” Danielle huffed, rolling her eyes again.

Danny snapped his fingers, cocking finger guns at her. “Never.”

“Wait. Did you actually name yourself after Danielle, then?” Vlad burst out, unable to hold it in anymore. Surely not? Names are a serious matter, right, especially for transgender people? He wouldn’t have—

“Oh, definitely,” Danny confirmed before Vlad could finish that thought. “I mean, we’re twins. It was perfect.”

“It was—and is—ridiculous, Danny.” Danielle shot him a withering look, but even Vlad could see the fondness badly hidden in it. “I still think you should’ve gone after Jazz instead.”

“There are no good male names that resemble Jasmine and you know it.” Danny stuck out his tongue towards Danielle, and Vlad was suddenly overcome with the realization that his uncle was basically a child.

And then Danielle blew a raspberry back and Vlad amended that thought with the realization that his uncle and his mother were both children.

Unbelievable.

It took another solid thirty minutes of chattering about everything and nothing before Vlad (and Jack and Maddie) managed to break away to Vlad’s room.

The moment he closed the door behind them, Maddie whirled around, a frown on her face. “Did anyone else notice that Vlad’s uncle kept throwing us weird looks?”

“Not really,” Jack admitted with a loose shrug. “Vladdie?”

“Yes, actually.” He thought back of the way Danny’s smile had faltered when he had first looked at Jack and Maddie. “He’d been smiling, laughing, but when he saw you two it fell. I thought that that was odd.”

Maddie hummed, thoughtfully. “How strange…”

“He could’ve just been afraid of our reactions,” Jack pointed out, quirking an eyebrow. “Since he looks so similar to Vlad’s mom, and because he’s trans.”

“Or maybe he wanted to make sure he made a good impression,” Vlad tacked on. “From what I remember of Danielle telling me about him before, Danny is a bit of a family-man.”

“Maybe it’s because Vlad could’ve been Danny’s own son.” Jack shrugged at their incredulous looks. “What, it’s true, isn’t it? If Danny and Danielle are identical twins, then Danny could’ve had a son just like Vlad, no?”

Vlad blinked at that. “I… suppose?”

“Hm. I don’t know…” Maddie sighed, then shook her head. “I just— He seems so familiar, I could swear I’ve seen him before. But I can’t for the life of me remember where or when.”

“Well, no point in fretting about it.” Vlad stretched, his spine clicking loudly. “It probably wasn’t anything important, anyway.”

“Probably,” Maddie agreed, before pausing, her eye caught on the clock. “Oh wow, is it that late already? I had better go home before my parents get worried.”

Jack turned to look as well, before making a face. “Yeah, me too. Man, they really kept us occupied for a while, huh?”

“We took our time with the patrol as well,” Vlad pointed out. “But yeah, wouldn’t want you, either of you, to miss dinner.”

They all walked back downstairs, where they paused at the door.

“And Vlad? If I remember, I’ll text you, okay?” Maddie said. “Both of you.”

“Don’t worry too much about it,” Vlad pushed, but she flapped a dismissive hand.

“It’s fine, I won’t stop thinking about it anyway. You know me, don’t you?” She laughed, stepping outside. “See you tomorrow!”

“I’ll get going too. See ya tomorrow, Vlad!” Jack shot him a brilliant grin and then, too, walked out the door.

Vlad waited for another moment, watching them leave, then quickly escaped back to his room before his mom spotted him. He had no desire to get trapped in another conversation with her and Uncle Danny. He’d had his fill of socializing for the day, thank you very much.

---

When Vlad came out of his room in the morning, it was to the sound of voices, only slightly muffled by the walls between them. It took him a moment to process, before he realized: his mother and uncle. Right, of course. They had obviously gotten up earlier than him, and were in the kitchen, talking.

Satisfied with this conclusion, Vlad made his way down the stairs to join them.

Until he heard his mother shout, “Stop being a fucking moron, Danny!”

He paused, hesitating, halfway down the stairs. Vlad didn’t think he had ever heard his mother swear before.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” he heard Danny snap back and, well. Sue him for getting curious.

Using the cover of the stairs—and the fact that the adults were clearly occupied—Vlad shifted into his ghost form, feeling his core surge up with renewed energy after a good night’s rest. Certain that he had plenty of energy for the moment, even without breakfast, Vlad turned himself invisible.

He pushed off from the stairs, floating towards the kitchen. Peeking in, he could see his mother and uncle Danny sitting at opposite sides of the kitchen table. Not their expression, however, since Danielle had her back turned to him and was, in turn, blocking most of Vlad’s view of Danny.

Silently cursing the small kitchen, Vlad shifted slightly in the doorway, but couldn’t cram himself into the kitchen and still keep an eye on both of them at the same time. Not unless he made himself intangible, but that would drain his energy too fast to risk.

Body language would have to do.

“I think I do,” Danielle bit at Danny, her shoulders visibly tight even with her clothes covering them. “Would it really kill you to talk to Sam and Tucker?”

“Clearly you don’t know, if you’re asking that!” Vlad kind of regretted not being able to see uncle Danny, now, because he sounded pissed.

Danielle huffed, shaking her head. “Just stop being an idiot and make up with them. Or, hell, just talking would be a good start. I’m serious, Danny.”

“And so am I!” Danny flung out a hand, gesturing wildly. “You know what they did! What happened to me!”

“You really think they don’t feel guilty as shit over that?” Danielle countered, also flailing her hands. “They love you, Danny. They don’t care about what happened with the accident at all!”

Well. This was becoming awkward. And it didn’t look like it would escalate into a proper fight at all, like he’d been afraid of, so… Time to make a hasty escape!

Before he could, though, Danny slammed his hands down on the table. Vlad found his eyes drawn back to his uncle instantly.

“Why wouldn’t they care?” Danny snapped at Danielle, his eyes glowing a bright vivid green. “I’m a monster!”

Vlad… froze. He could feel his mind grinding to a halt, even as the green left again from his uncle’s eyes, returning them to the cool blue they had been before.

How could that be? Was his uncle really part ghost like him?

And Danny considered himself a monster for it. What did that make Vlad, then?

He shook the thoughts off, watching as Danny slumped down on the table, his anger having apparently left him after the outburst. Danielle leaned in closer, patting his shoulder, comforting him.

Biting his lip, Vlad floated out of the kitchen again. He could ponder about this moment, about the ramifications, somewhere else. Better to give them a little privacy. He’d taken enough of it already.

---

After sneaking out of the house—an act made easy thanks to his ghost powers—Vlad texted Jack and Maddie to meet him in the park. Figuring it would take them longer than him to get there, Vlad made a stop on the way to grab himself some breakfast.

So by the time he’d made it there, both of his friends were already present, waiting impatiently.

“What happened?” Maddie asked as soon as he was within earshot. “You texted us to meet up early, so it must be important, right?”

“Definitely,” Vlad confirmed through the bite of donut in his mouth. He held up a finger for her to wait, then quickly chewed and swallowed the last bite away. “My uncle Danny has ghost powers too.”

Maddie frowned immediately. “Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent.” He glanced around to make sure no one was watching them, then shifted back into his human form, landing with a thud. “He was having a bit of a discussion with my mom this morning, and I saw his eyes glow bright green when he got angry. But it faded away pretty quickly, so it wasn’t possession or anything.”

“Well, it makes sense,” Jack said with a shrug. “You guys are pretty closely related, so you must share some kind of genetic predisposition towards becoming part ghost. And a family-bound bout of ghost interests, maybe?”

Vlad snorted. “When you put it like that… yes, I guess so.”

“Did your mom not comment on it or anything?” Maddie’s frown deepened. “Or did she not see?”

“Oh, no, she definitely saw.” Vlad ran through the conversation again in his head. “I guess she must’ve already known? They mentioned an accident a few times, and that Sam and Tucker didn’t care about that it happened, but Danny did, he considered himself a monster.”

Maddie sucked a breath through her teeth. “Yikes. That’s pretty harsh.”

“Sounds to me like they had an accident similar to ours,” Jack pointed out. “Danny turning into a half-ghost like you, Vlad, and his two friends present for it. And, hell, he might’ve been the ghost we ran into during our patrol yesterday. Maddie must’ve thought he looked familiar because we had seen him earlier.”

“That… sounds pretty reasonable, actually.” Vlad clicked his tongue. “But then what happened? Shouldn’t they have stuck together over it, rather than fall apart?”

“Anything could’ve happened,” Maddie pointed out, her frown smoothing out a little. “Who knows how long ago it happened, anyway. Maybe they just grew apart, maybe they didn’t. We have no way of knowing.”

“Besides asking?” Jack laughed at their incredulous looks. “Didn’t think so. But if Vlad’s mother and uncle were fighting over it, then clearly he must still care.”

Vlad hummed. “My mom seems pretty convinced they care for him still, even if he can’t see it. But I wonder… If he really was the ghost we saw yesterday, maybe Sam and Tucker were the couple he was spying on?”

“That sounds like a good reason to split apart, too,” Maddie agreed, brows creased. “You turning into a half-ghost, and your closest friends hooking up? I think I’d be miffed too. But to split apart entirely?”

“Well, it’s not really our business, is it?” Jack crossed his arms. “They’re all adults, they can figure it out themselves. They don’t need a bunch of teenagers to start meddling, do they?”

“No, I guess they don’t,” Maddie agreed. “But we should talk to Danny, anyway.”

“And admit that I listened in on his private conversation with my mom?” Vlad bit his lip. He felt bad enough about it already, he didn’t exactly want to get a scolding on top of it. Or see Danny’s doubtlessly stronger ghost powers from up close.

Maddie snorted, like she knew exactly what he was thinking. “He is another half-ghost, and one with probably tons more experience than you. He might have advice, or more knowledge. At the very least, he’ll be an older half-ghost to compare your stats to, no?”

“Maybe he’ll even be able to help with training!” Jack chipped in enthusiastically. “He must’ve done something to develop his own powers, right?”

“Ugh, I guess.” Vlad grimaced. “Fine, we’ll go and ask him.”

“Well,” Maddie said out as she stretched. “First we’ll have to find him.”

---

“Got a ping on the ghost scanner!” Jack reported, pointing slightly to the right. “That way!”

Finally. When they had set out to talk to Uncle Danny, Vlad hadn’t thought it would be such a chore just to find him.

“And I see him, too!” Maddie added on, her head angled back. Vlad followed her gaze and saw Danny as well. Or, well. The ghost they were fairly sure was Danny.

The white-haired specter was high in the sky, out of the eyesight of casual onlookers, and actively flying about. Vlad wondered if he was looking for Sam and Tucker, after he’d lost them yesterday.

“I’ll go bring him down.” Vlad tugged on his core, letting his transformation wash over him. Honestly, they were lucky that Danny wasn’t flying very quickly, because Vlad didn’t think he could’ve caught up otherwise. That was part of the reason why they always patrolled with him in his ghost form. Only today they had decided against it, worrying that Vlad’s presence would throw off the ghost scanner too much.

Vlad pushed himself up, feeling the wind tug at his hair, his cape. Before long he was catching up to Danny, and he cupped his hands around his mouth to shout the other ghost down. “Hey, wait up!”

And, surprisingly, he did. Danny glanced over his shoulder, then slowed to a halt in mid-air. His white eyebrows were creased as he frowned at Vlad. “You again. What now?”

“We just want to talk,” Vlad assured, holding his hands up appeasingly. “Me and my friends down below. You know who they are, don’t you?”

Danny’s bright green eyes narrowed. “Well, it’s not like they’ve offered their names. At all.”

They hadn’t? Vlad thought back furiously to the night before, and…

Yeah, no. Danny had introduced himself, but none of them had offered theirs in return. And Vlad couldn’t remember if they had referred to Jack and Maddie by name at all.

“Uh, oops?” he offered Danny, expression sheepish. “In our defense, we live in such a small town that we don’t meet a whole lot of strangers that we actually need to introduce ourselves to.”

Danny snorted, shaking his head a little. “And what makes you so sure that I am a stranger you need to introduce yourselves to?”

“Please, Uncle Danny?” Vlad pleaded, clasping his hands together in front of his chest. “From one half-ghost to another?”

Danny’s expression stilled, and for a moment, Vlad worried that the other might just go and beat him up for spoiling his secret. But then it softened again, and he sighed.

“You shouldn’t listen in on private conversations, Vlad. That’s not only rude, but also a terrible way to use your ghost powers.”

“I know, I know.” Vlad started slowly lowering himself closer to the ground, and Danny obediently followed. “Normally I wouldn’t have, but… I just heard you and my mom being angry, snapping at each other, and I guess I just got worried that it would, y’know, escalate.”

Danny quirked an eyebrow at him, catching up so they flew side-by-side. “And you didn’t think that Elle could take care of herself?”

“Obviously she can.” Vlad rolled his eyes. “I didn’t really think. I just… acted. And then just when I went to leave I saw… Well, you must know.”

The other ghost hummed, then twisted around to smoothly land on the ground in front of Jack and Maddie. “Greetings, teenagers whose names I do not know.”

“Look, I’m sorry for spying on your private conversation, alright?” Vlad darted around Danny to meet his eyes, putting on his most earnest expression. “It was a really shitty thing to do.”

Danny shot him an unimpressed look, then shook his head once more. “Listen, Vlad. I’m not mad, just… Ugh, I dunno. Annoyed? Frustrated? But not mad. I knew you were there. I could feel your ghost core appearing during the conversation, so I should’ve watched my words better. If I had, I could’ve avoided this entire situation.”

“How did you know it was me, then?” Vlad pushed, also dropping his feet back onto the ground. “Or did you just guess?”

“Well, gee, how did I know?” Danny asked, dryly, letting his eyes wander from Vlad to Jack and Maddie and then back to him. “It’s not exactly rocket science, kid.”

“I told you we should’ve invested in goggles,” Jack shot at Maddie, who rolled her eyes back at him.

Vlad ignored them completely, instead turning back to Danny. “But if you knew I was there, and you could’ve prevented me figuring you out, why didn’t you?”

“I…” And something about Danny’s expression just… broke. Shattered. “I guess I got too caught up in the discussion.”

“Right…” Vlad said, catching the unspoken undertone: Danny had been too upset. “Um. So what we actually wanted to talk about… You’re also half-ghost, right? So you must have way more experience with it than me, yes?”

“Yeah,” Danny agreed, slowly, drawing the word out. “About two decades of it.”

“Great!” Maddie clapped her hands together, a grin on her face. “Can you help Vlad train, then? Or at least teach us a little more about half-ghosts? We’ve been going by trial and error and it’s been…”

“Not great,” Jack finished for her, leaning around her to offer a hand to Danny. “I’m Jack, by the way. Jack Fenton.”

“Oh, right!” Maddie also stuck out her hand. “And I’m Maddie Walker.”

Danny reached out to shake both of their hands at once, his white gloves stark even against their pale skins. His expression was rather bewildered, Vlad thought. “Well, pleasure to meet you properly, I guess.”

“So will you help?” Jack asked, when Danny let them both go again. “It would be a huge help!”

“I…” Danny’s eyes slid back to Vlad, who stood up straighter as if for inspection. “I guess,” he finally conceded. “You’re family, and I know from first-hand experience how much it sucks to figure this out without guidance.”

Before Vlad could cheer, however, Danny added on, “And your mother would be incredibly upset if you get yourself killed, so.”

“He’s not going to get himself killed,” Maddie bit at Danny. “We might be teenagers, but we’re not that stupid!”

Danny just turned a cocked eyebrow at her. “Yesterday he suddenly pinned me to the floor, for no reason except that he thought I was up to something bad. Just that would’ve been enough to get serious retaliation from most ghosts, since you attacked first. And if you’re new to having these powers? That’s usually not a fight you can win.”

“So what are we supposed to do if strong ghosts attack?” Vlad asked, puffing up his chest and trying not to feel offended. Because Danny was right, damn it, but it still felt like an attack. “Just run for cover and hope the ghost doesn’t hurt anyone else?”

“If that happens, you’re supposed to call in experienced ghost hunters to come deal with it instead.” Danny rolled his eyes, crossed his arms. “But I doubt it would be a common occurrence, since there is no permanent door into the Ghost Zone around here.”

Danny stilled, then. Turned to frown at Vlad. “Speaking of which, though… How did you become half-ghost, anyway?”

Vlad thought back to the priceless ghost artifact they stole from Danielle and never recovered.

“That’s… not important?” he tried, shooting Danny a hopeful grin.

“It was a ritual we found in a book,” Maddie elaborated as Danny’s eyes started narrowing again. “It was supposed to bring a ghost into our world so we could study it.”

“We think it opened a temporary portal into the Ghost Zone and then went awry,” Jack explained. “The book was old and kinda terrible, so they might’ve noted down the ritual wrong.”

Danny heaved a deep sigh. “You three are lucky that nothing worse happened, then. Did you even have any plans on how to deal with the ghost if it had been volatile?”

“We built some containment devices, and weapons!” Maddie crossed her arms, glaring back at Danny. “We’re not stupid.”

“Well, maybe a little,” Vlad allowed, shrugging as Maddie’s glared moved to him. “We probably should’ve known better than to try a ritual like that first, instead of first validating the book with some less dangerous stuff.”

“Good to know at least some of you have learned from the experience.” Danny shook his head, running a hand through his hair and messing the white locks up even further. “Alright, how about this. Vlad, you go and tell your mother what happened—the complete story—because for some reason you haven’t told her yet.”

Vlad grimaced but nodded. That was fair; they should’ve told her before.

“And once you’ve done that we’ll arrange some sort of training,” Danny concluded. “Does that sound good to you guys?”

“Yeah,” Vlad agreed, as Maddie and Jack gave their assent as well.

“Good, good.” Danny nodded, dropping his hand to his side once more. “I gotta get going, but I’ll be around for dinner tonight. We can talk more then.”

“Wait,” Jack blurted out, holding up his hands. “We’ll tell Mrs. Masters, but you gotta tell your own friends too, alright? I just…” He paused, uncharacteristically, as if searching for words. “I’m sure they’re worried about you.”

Danny’s bright green eyes narrowed, peering at Jack. “How would you know?” he snarled, low and vicious, and Vlad immediately felt his hackles go up. “You don’t know my friends.”

Then, before any of them could stop him, or say anything, Danny pushed off. He rocketed away into the sky, his white-and-black form blurring into nothingness.

Vlad was suddenly very sure he never would’ve caught up to Danny if the man had actually been trying to keep away.

“Well, it was a good attempt,” Maddie tried, patting Jack on his shoulder.

Jack rolled his shoulder, shaking her hand off easily. “It was,” he agreed cheerily. “I’m sure it worked.”

Which Vlad highly doubted but, hey, he wasn’t about to get Jack down for no reason at all.

---

“So, uh, yeah. That’s basically it,” Vlad finished, trying to discretely read his mom’s expression. “Um. Surprise?”

Danielle’s eyes moved to the ceiling as she quietly muttered to herself, but then she shook her head and refocused on Vlad. “You’re—all three of you—idiots. I can’t put into words how unbelievably stupid that was. Did you three even consider everything that could’ve gone wrong?”

“Well,” Jack said with a sheepish expression and a shrug of his shoulders, “We kind of thought that summoning a powerful and malevolent ghost would be the worst case, and we prepared for that. We didn’t think of…” A vague gesture. “This.”

“And that you might get hurt, or even die, didn’t cross your minds at all?” Danielle clicked her tongue. “Never mind, I can tell it didn’t. Unbelievable. Is this sort of dumbassery genetic? Are all men in the family gonna be like this?”

She sounded angry, but Vlad knew his mother well enough to tell that it hid her concern, her worry.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, ducking his head lower. “It was stupid, we know.”

“Well.” She snorted, imperiously. “As long as you know.”

Then she sighed, mellowing out further. “You three are damn lucky nothing too bad happened. This… half-ghost stuff… might be weird, but it’s manageable. You’ll be fine, Vlad. But you might not have been.”

“I know,” he assured her, glancing back briefly at Jack and Maddie. After the accident they had spent a lot of time worrying about what happened. Even now that they knew that he was half-ghost, it was hard to dismiss the thoughts of how easily he could not have been. “I promise, Mom, we know.”

She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly, before pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Good. I’m glad.”

When she let him go and stepped back, however, her brow was creased. “Although I do wonder why you three decided to tell me now, of all times. Why not tell me sooner? Or wait longer?”

“So… It is possible that I might have listened in on your conversation with uncle Danny this morning,” Vlad admitted, grinning sheepishly. “Perhaps. Maybe.”

The disappointed look she gave him was truly without peer.

“I know, I know, it was a private conversation, I really shouldn’t have. But I heard shouting, and I got worried, and I reacted without really thinking about it.” He shrugged and tried to look apologetic.

“If it helps, Danny already chewed us out too,” Jack tagged on, and Maddie next to him nodded in agreement. “We talked to him first, to ask if he could help Vlad with training and such.”

Danielle sighed, shaking her head. “Oh, you three… And what did he say, my brother dearest?”

“That we should tell you first, and we could talk more about it during dinner.” Vlad scratched his cheek, idly. “But he did promise to help, so…”

“Sorry if this isn’t our business at all, but I can’t help but wonder… What happened to Danny?” Maddie’s violet eyes moved over Vlad and Jack before settling back on Danielle. “He just seems so… so upset about it all, and he apparently detests his ghost side, but I can’t imagine how he got it in the first place without caring about ghosts.”

Danielle stared her down for a long moment before sighing deeply, her shoulders sagging. “It’s… a long story. But you should know that it is possible for someone to be interested in ghosts while still detesting them, thinking them monsters.”

“You don’t have to tell us if it’s too personal,” Jack blurted out. “But it has something to do with his friends, right? With this Sam and Tucker?”

“Yeah,” she admitted, quietly. Danielle ran a hand through her hair, mussing it up and tugging on a few strands as they got caught up in the motion. “I guess I could tell you a little. It might come up if you’re gonna be working on ghost stuff together, and I don’t want you to get blindsided, just because Danny has issues talking about stuff.”

She sat down on the nearest chair, and Vlad, Maddie, and Jack followed her example by sitting down on the couch, clustered together.

“It’s important to know, for the rest of the story to make sense, that Danny, Sam, and Tucker had been close friends throughout most of their lives. Since they were kids, really, they’ve been best friends, even though their interests varied wildly and often even conflicted. In college, they decided to work on a project that combined their various skills and interests: an artificial portal into another dimension, the so-called Ghost Zone, which had not been proven to exist at the time.” She paused, then amended it with, “Or at all. It hasn’t been officially proven to exist at all.”

Danielle cleared her throat, then continued. “Between Tucker’s interest in technology, Sam’s interest in ghosts, and Danny’s interest in exploring the unknown, as well as their skills in engineering and inventing, they built a miniature ghost portal. But when it failed to activate, a fight broke out. Tucker was sure that it had failed because ghosts weren’t real, while Sam blamed Tucker’s technology. Danny, wanting nothing more than to stop his friends from fighting, decided to try and fix the portal alone.”

“And he succeeded,” Maddie gasped. “Right?”

“He did,” Danielle confirmed, her voice low and weary. “But he’d forgotten to unplug it. The device turned on while his arms were still inside it, a ghost portal forming before he could pull away. Sam and Tucker heard the commotion and managed to get him away, and the device turned off, but it was too late. Even though Danny was declared to be fine by doctors, who hadn’t found any injuries, it didn’t take long for the effects to show. Little by little, Danny developed ghost powers, and even gained the ability to turn into a ghost entirely.”

Danielle paused, running her fingers through her ponytail. “We didn’t know, back then. Jazz and I, I mean. He didn’t tell anyone. The only ones who knew were him, Sam, and Tucker. They grew even closer, somehow, trying to figure out what had happened to Danny, even with how little they knew. But there were always concerns, they were always worrying. What if Danny was slowly dying? Gradually becoming more and more ghost until no human part remained?”

“So what happened?” Vlad asked, startling himself. “If they all got closer afterwards… And it was Sam and Tucker who were fighting, before, not Danny. How did it end up like this?”

“It… Something happened. Something I’m not gonna tell you guys about because it was personal, but anyway, Danny ended up lashing out in anger.” She dropped the hand she was tangling in her hair, her expression dropping along with it. “The anger didn’t last long. Almost immediately, he got worried about him falling into a ghostly rage, about it escalating and him hurting his friends. So he left, cut contact entirely.”

She laughed, humorlessly. “It took forever to get the story out of him, between me and Jazz, and… I guess he sees himself in you, Vlad. And Sam and Tucker in Maddie and Jack.”

“But clearly he no longer thinks he’s slowly turning into a ghost, or worries about the ghostly rages,” Vlad pointed out. “So why hasn’t he reunited with Sam and Tucker?”

“Who knows?” She clicked her tongue. “He cares about them, deeply, and I’m sure the feeling is mutual, but Danny doesn’t seem to think so. And once he has set his mind… He’s too stubborn for his own good, really.”

Jack hummed. “I think we might’ve caught him spying on his friends, a few nights ago, before we met him as Danny. During patrol we found him in his ghost form watching a couple.”

“A dark-skinned man, probably wearing a barrette, and a light-skinned woman with black hair?” Danielle asked, and at their nods, she made a face. “Yeah, that sounds like Sam and Tucker. I hoped he wouldn’t realize that they lived in Amity too, but this seems just his kind of shitty luck.”

Vlad thought back to the couple. He admittedly hadn’t paid too much attention to them, too occupied with watching the ghost, but still… If they were kissing, if they were together… was that the reason why Danny had gotten angry in the first place? He couldn’t help but think that, if Jack and Maddie got together while he was becoming half-ghost, he probably would’ve been pissed too.

“Anyway,” Danielle said, clapping her hands together. “None of this is your business, and I probably shouldn’t have told you guys in the first place. I’ll talk with Danny about ways to help, once he gets home, but I don’t want you trying to get involved, okay? Let me and Jazz handle it.”

“Okay.” Vlad pressed a kiss against his mom’s cheek, trying to hide how increasingly troubled he was feeling. “We’ll be in my room. Thanks, Mom, love you.”

“Love you too, honey.” She ruffled his hair before he got the chance to distance himself, and her laughter followed them all the way to Vlad’s room.

This time it was Jack who stepped into Vlad’s room last, closing the door behind them. “We should try to get those three together to talk,” he immediately declared.

“Why? Mom just said to stay out of it.” And clearly Sam and Tucker had decided to be happy together, rather than with Danny, Vlad thought, but did not say.

“Well, clearly nothing that they have tried is working,” Jack pointed out, with a tone of voice like he was being totally reasonable. “And it was super obvious that Danny is not the only one pining, right Maddie? You saw it too?”

Maddie stood with her arms crossed, rolling her eyes. “Yes,” she admitted, finally. “Yeah, they didn’t look very happy. But for all we know there’s something else going on with them. It’s been decades. They might have moved on.”

“But it’s worth a shot, right?” Jack dragged big hopeful eyes back to Vlad. “Can’t you imagine, Vlad, if it had been us going through that? I mean, we’re not in love like those guys, but still. Losing our friendship like they lost theirs…”

But it was not the same at all. Not really.

Would it be crueler to make Danny face what he had lost, or to let him pine from a distance forever?

Vlad swallowed past the block in his throat.

“It’s worth a shot,” he agreed, quietly.

At least Danny would be able to move on, then. Just like Sam and Tucker had.

---

In the end, Jack and Maddie decided that there would be too much risk of people backing out if they knew what the meeting was really about, and Vlad agreed. If Danny knew he certainly wouldn’t show up, and if either Sam or Tucker (or more likely, both) backed out, there wouldn’t be a point to the meeting at all. So instead they arranged it with everyone separately, somehow managing to track down Tucker and Sam when they were alone.

Danny, of course, was the easiest to meet with. As promised, he had agreed to start training Vlad, setting up a meeting for just that purpose. For Sam and Tucker, they had to get a little more creative.

Luckily Danielle had told them about their prior interests, which were gladly taken as a jumping off point. Tucker proved interested enough in the ghost hunting tech the three of them had developed, agreeing to come meet them to talk a little more about them, and to have a good look at the tech. Sam, on the other hand, was lured in with the offer to take a look at some of their rare books about ghosts.

Which brought them here. Vlad, Jack, and Maddie were there first, settling down in the grass. They had picked the meeting spot with care, a quiet corner of the park where no one ordinarily came. The large trees surrounding it should give them privacy from potential onlookers, too.

Not long after they got there, they were joined by uncle Danny. He hovered over them for a moment, then shifted back to his human form as well, his sneakers softly touching down on the grass. “Ready, Vlad?”

“Almost,” he answered, and tried not to feel too bad about what was coming. It would all be for the better. Even if things didn’t improve, likely as it seemed, then at least Danny would be able to move on.

Before he could worry too much about it, however, the bushes rustled and their last two guests appeared in the clearing as well. Sam and Tucker had apparently realized they were invited to the same place at the same time, and thus came together.

Uncle Danny stilled instantly, his eyes locked onto the forms of Sam and Tucker. They, in turn, also looked rather surprised to see him.

“Danny?” Tucker whispered, voice quiet with… shock? Surprise? Vlad didn’t know him well enough to tell.

That was enough to snap the elder half-ghost out of his frozen state. In the blink of an eye he shifted back to his ghost form, pushing off from the ground.

But he wasn’t fast enough.

In the short moment he had needed to turn ghost, Sam had crossed the distance between them. Had caught Danny’s wrist with her own hand.

And Danny… stopped. Instantly, immediately.

Tucker, not far behind Sam, caught up as well, grabbing Danny’s other wrist. And, like it was nothing, pulled him back onto the ground.

“Stay,” Sam commanded him softly, and Danny nodded meekly.

What on Earth was happening? Vlad honestly didn’t know anymore.

“We missed you,” Tucker told Danny, voice still quiet. “You won’t believe how much we’ve missed you, man.”

“But you two are—” Danny started, his vibrant green eyes wide and darting between the two people holding his wrists, like he couldn’t decide whether to pull away or to come closer.

“It’s not the same without you,” Sam interrupted, her fingers curling tighter around his wrist. “Danny, it’s not just Tucker I love. I love you too. Always have.”

“And the same goes for me,” Tucker tacked on. “It was never just the two of us, but all three. We’re not the same without you, Danny.”

Danny’s mouthed opened and shut several times, but no words came out.

Luckily, Sam took mercy on him, adding on, “We’ve been so worried about you, Danny. For two decades, we heard nothing. You never answered our messages. Avoided us completely. We only knew you were okay because Jazz and Elle would tell us if we asked.”

“Well, yeah,” Danny said, subdued, with a shrug and a meaningful look between Sam and Tucker. “I mean…”

“You thought we’d cut you out.” Tucker shook his head, his voice strained. “Danny, we tried to tell you. It’s not the same without you. But you never listened.”

“But I’m—”

“Not a monster,” Sam snapped at him. Then, suddenly, she pulled at his wrist, dragging him closer to her.

And then they were kissing.

No, really, Vlad wasn’t sure how that happened. One moment they were talking, and then suddenly they were not.

The kiss didn’t last very long, but was promptly followed up by Tucker kissing Danny, mimicking Sam’s move to drag Danny closer.

They broke away again, Danny blinking stupidly at Sam and Tucker. Then at their hands, still around his wrists.

With a short movement, he turned his arms intangible, pulling them free. Except, instead of fleeing like Vlad was half expecting, Danny grabbed onto the hands he had just freed himself from. Wriggled his fingers between those of his… his friends? His love interests? His crushes?

Either way, Danny then promptly used the hands he held to drag both Sam and Tucker closer to him, until they were all mashed together, melting away against the sides of his long-lost friends.

“I’m sorry,” Danny murmured against Sam’s shoulder, where he had tucked his head.

“So are we,” Sam answered him, equally muffled. “We should’ve talked to you first.”

Vlad watched them for a moment longer, feeling increasingly awkward about being there. Next to him, Maddie cleared her throat, apparently just as uncomfortable as him. “We, uh. We’ll get going.”

“Sorry for being present for something so… personal,” Vlad tacked on, nodding quickly. “Uh. Congrats?”

“Congratulations!” Jack shot them a bright, cheery grin. “See, I told you, Mr. Masters!”

Somewhere in the pile, Danny groaned, his glow flickering visibly. “Now I feel old.”

“Ah, cheer up, you’re no older than us,” Tucker comforted, before twisting partly out of the pile to face Vlad, Jack, and Maddie. “And hey, don’t worry about it, kids. Without you three we never would’ve managed to pin Danny down to talk.”

“Besides,” Sam added on, turning around despite Danny still leaning his entire weight on her, diminutive as it was in his ghost form. “You were looking for training, right? Tuck and I got plenty of ghost hunting tech of our own, so we can definitely help.”

“Why do you have ghost hunting tech?” Danny asked, lifting his head slightly to squint at her. “Have you two been hunting ghosts?”

She snorted. “Well, someone had to keep an eye on you. God knows you weren’t doing it yourself.”

Vlad felt a tug at his elbow, and turned out to see his friends leaving. With a nod he followed, hearing an offended squawked “Hey!” behind him.

Yeah, those three could figure the rest out on their own, he was sure.

[kikiscastleinthesky]

THE SOKKASM ZUTARA

I’ve seen a lot of tumblr blogs that ship zutara and I decided that is time for me to open mine too. So, yes, I’m a zutara shipper. And for the time being, my posts are going to be dedicated principally to analyze the ships in ATLA. 

Disclaimer alert:  I’m not forcing anyone to ship zutara. And I won’t accept hate because I (and many others) may have a different opinion, If you are one of those persons I invite you to leave, don’t waste my time and yours, because I’m not even going to reply. Everyone has the right to ship whatever they like and want, without been mocked, harrassed and humiliated. 

Well... now that everything is settled: 3...2...1 go!

I’m starting with this small analysis, because every zutara shipper has been attacked on why zutara and zutara is horrible yada yada but, this ocassion I’m gonna use all the attacks we get and defend it. 

I. Zutara is way the worst toxic relationship:

You call Zuko the abuser, the toxic and the bad tempered? Then you     didn’t get a clue of his redemption arc.

You call zutara toxic for:

a)     giving your mother’s closure and final acceptance into the group?

b)     saving each other’s life?

c)     being the “leading co-parenting” of the group?

d)     support you when you’re about to beg for his uncle forgiveness?

II. The cave scene didn’t mean anything, and just think about it, they would never ever get along well:•      

  Of course, I misunderstood Zuko confessing his own grief, probably he just hates her.

When Katara opens to her mother sorrow like she never did with anyone was like no big deal.

 That part when she offers to heal his scar with SACRED water was totally illogical.

And being the first person who he let touch his scar really said to me that they were absolutely toxic.

 Yes, he betrayed her initial trust. And it hurt, but guess who betrayed worst? The man who for three years was his father. But nope, Iroh, should never forgive Zuko, for what he did. (Right? Katara was betrayed and she should bever have interest in him, so Iroh would never forgive his abuser, right?)

III. Zutara is about getting in love with your abuser:

The abuser love? When did Zuko abused Katara? When did he forced to do something she didn’t want? Did he ever physically abused her or sexually assaulted her? Even if he tied her to a tree, he never humiliated her, he never hurt her or overpass against her. Or are you trying to make up his whole plot to eliminate all his attacks towards team avatar only rest in the female character? (Have you forgot how he betrayed his uncle? Or even himself?)

IV. Zutara is an age gap, it would be underage thing. “You don’t like Aang because he is a child and still pair Zuko, being a minor.” You want to hypersexualize two kids (Aang and Katara) into having sexual interest.

Katara would have been dating an underage guy too. She would have been 18 and Aang 16. I know! Age gap only matter when the man’s older. Both Katara and Zuko had gone through puberty, and both were in adolescence, both shared the same maturity level. Yes dude, there a huge difference in being a CHILD and being a TEENAGER, yes, still minor, But with puberty hit already.

Actually, I still believe even being 11-12 you can get like a… spark… a hint. Even if its not a relationship whatsoever, and not having sexual interest of any kind. If you really want to see what closest we get to a “real” attraction and potential between kiddos that age, you get S1Mike and Eleven (stranger things) / you get Chihiro and Haku (Spirited away) / you get Pazu and Sheeta. (The castle in the sky) –Wooo, that really changes things right?

But yet there are people that believe shipping zutara is “pedophile” I thought in seriously not replying to this stupidities but, here I am, dismantling their theories.

So, this is real life. An adult person trying to sleep with a prepubescent kid. So… there is no support on this. Because a ship is about two fictional characters in a fictional story.

What about fictional pedophilia? Well, we can change that: Fictional pedophilia is a psychosexual disorder when you ship an adult fictional character (+18) to have a sexual interest in a fictional prepubescent child (-12) and / or attempt to engage both characters in sexual acts.

So step one… are either Zuko or Katara either an adult or prepubescent child? As you can see in the image at the right, both have gone through puberty. Step two, are you trying to a couple of minors to get sexually involved? No, this is a love story, not porn. And before you yell at me for the porn zutara comics/fics on the web, I guess you should see the porn Kataang /fics comics on the web too.

But I don’t hate any ship. So, technically, neither Kataang, nor Sukka, nor Yukka, nor Jetara, nor Maiko is pedophilia.

Ok, yeah yeah its not pedo, but is statutory rape, so yet it’s illegal.

Oh yes, if we state that 18 is the age where you are considered an adult (at least in my country) both are minors, your term is partially correct. But guess what would be statutory rape too?

Sukka (15) and Maiko (16-17), both implied to have sex relationships and canon during the series.

The episode "The Southern Raiders" became (in)famous among the fandom for what is a truly epic instance of this trope. Zuko bumps into a very flustered Suki on the way to Sokka's tent, and she hurriedly excuses herself. He walks into Sokka's tent to ask him a question and finds him pants-less and surrounded by flowers and candles. He even greets Zuko with a suggestive "Well helloooo..." before he realizes who itis. After a short talk, he rushes Zuko out and sticks his head out to call for Suki. And if there was any doubt, Sokka is shown the next morning fiddling with a flower necklace for no apparent reason... except to indicate that maybe Suki had been “deflowered”.

And yet, if Kataang had sex, it would be statutory sex at some point too: 16 and 18 -Conclusions: Statutory sex takes all ships equally.

V. Poor Aang he would be devastated.

Kid, he’s 12, in the comics he’s 13-14. Or what? Haven’t you guys had a broken heart ever? Your high school sweetie? Or Aang’s so frail to not be able to find love? To close himself for a better opportunity? Seeking your own happiness in not selfish. What is selfish is seeking your own happiness at the other expenses.

And even that, we all know what would Aang do if Katara starts a relationship with Zuko. (Even if it wasn’t Zuko, I highly doubt he would like Katara dating someone else) He would go on avatar rampage. That is NOT healthy, that is NOT romantic. That is extremely possessive and selfish to do. It’s psychotic. Because Aang cares more about himself than Katara’s feelings, even if she would be happier without him.

VI. Zutara is all about sex interest.

Well once more you mistake chemistry with sexual needs. Wanting me to sleep with my husband means I only use him for sex relief? If I find myself sexually attracted to anyone probably means I just want to sleep with that person and nothing else.

VII. A hug is all zutarians have to acknowledge zutara:

We have a complete extended analysis in all the small details, but we like to use that forgiveness hug because in that hug you have more potential that all the kataang scenes all together. We have thousands of complete analyses, pages dedicated exclusively zutara. 

VIII. Katara “fell in love with Aang” and it’s not one sided.

Uh... Nope, just because two persons are good friends it doesn’t mean they are a good couple. Yes, the way the both of them interact is absolutely beautiful, But not romantically.

Do we see Katara’s view on romantically being drawn towards Aang? Yes, we see it, and yes, unfortunately, is one sided.

How Kataangers complete this:

·       The fortune-teller: I didn’t see like “Wow omg the avatar is going to be my future husband!” But… was like “uh… really?… well, I guess it’s him” Zutarians and Aunt Wu are the base for many backs up theories. ;) Aang is not the only powerful bender you know? And actually, that episode is way trying too hard to demonstrate the crush Meng has for Aang and Aang has to Katara. How is even healthy to accept that sometimes persons don’t like you back and it’s not the end of the world.

·       The cave scene: I forgot that Katara is telling him to be her boyfriend and they will live happily ever after. And really, it all gets us to a real Oma and Shu theory. Not to mention that they were “forced” to kiss because their kids innocence believed if they kissed, they wouldn’t die, and that Aang messed up things as well. But if you see it beneath, if she was truly interested, she would have told Aang: “wow omg we kissed, ok. let’s give him a clue…” nothing, she goes back in treating him same as always.

·       The headband dance: Well that’s a fair point yes. Actually, I felt something different…unfortunately Katara later had to tell him not to kiss her.

IX. Zutara is because you projected on Katara and had a crush on Zuko, because Katara and Zuko were your favourite characters and because is the bad boy style romance.

My crush was Jet <3, and zutara was the most logical endgame for girls. Ask any girl, ANY 14 yo who would like to date: A high school, nice and handsome guy or a 7th grader that had potential to be her best friend. (See the logic) 

And nope is not like “Insert fav characters of the opposite sex to ship them” You need to see real development.

I don’t know why they stereotype Zuko as the “bad boy” – relationship archetype. Zuko is never seen to be the classic fuck boy who treats girls like shit and suddenly there comes a lady to change him. Maybe he is a “bad boy” (confused though) in S1 and S2, but his redemption arc is literally the answer of why he is not “bad boy” anymore.

If Katara was truly and really romantically interested then she wouldn’t have friendzoned Aang. Once? Nope 4 times. And also… are we forgetting kind of imagery…

Friendzoned  

 When Aang fixes her a small necklace with the fishing  thread.

 When he kissed her at the invasion. She didn’t  reciprocate it. (I’m not even mentioning the mommy proud speech)

 When he wanted to talk about the kiss in the western  air temple (Comic love is a battlefield)

 When he kissed her at the play and she had to told  him to back off.

 Strange imagery

 She was June Pippinpaddleopsokopolis (Aang’s  granddaughter)

When Aang got shot, she held his body in her arms in  the exact way Mary held Jesus in Pieta’s sculpture.

 She was Sapphire Fire. (Aang’s pregnant mother)

After they got married, in the book legacy, she said  she enjoyed most seeing Aang becoming a man. (Honestly ladies if I got a BF  the least I want is seeing how the kid transforms into a man)

I’m looking forward to watch you grow into manhood  as I did to your father (Katara’s letter to Tenzin)

 I’m really  trying to deny Oedipus complex here.

Still hard for me to track Katara’s love interest for little Aang since all we see is more a relationship mom/sister or Harry/Hermione. I have heard rumours that Bryke wanted to give the ship “mystery” and “expectation” but I think they really messed up, I didn’t see expectation or mystery, I saw a child insisting to a girl that didn’t reciprocate. It wasn’t even like she didn’t have much of a chance, because her love interests:

Was killed by Long Feng

Gave him a hideous mustache and disappeared him after Azula’s attack in the western air temple.

Forced to be attached to a toxic relationship.

Apart that all those points I’ve mentioned, Kataang is not a relationship for me. Staying in a formal relationship with the first person they met of the opposite sex at 14 -12 (guys not even Disney does that, jeez not even studio Ghibli) and not having any chance to experience any other relationship. Never experiencing a broken heart, or someone better. I think that it gives the wrong idea, telling guys that no matter how long they are placed in friendzone, eventually the girl will fall for them. They just have to keep insisting.

You could say, but what a hypocrite! Snow White was 14 years old when she went to live with that prince! Many princesses are 16! And not to mention that many men were the first they met! Like Aurora, Rapunzel, and Cinderella. Well, you are right at one point. But ... the interaction of these characters changes radically, mainly because they never "give cute kisses" to their future husbands, nor do they treat them like their brothers or their children and ... the men were never friendzoned, except for Naveen at the beginning. You see the real attraction of teenage girls with an older boy. And I'm not saying that they should never be friends or support each other. Mulan and Chang were allies, friends, they supported each other, they saved their lives. But at no time was there the kind of interaction Katara and Aang had.

If Kataang was to be endgame, we would see Katara’s reaction to Jet, totally different, THAT kind of reaction was what I was waiting. (That kind of reaction is what every princess do, at least one time)

The same chemistry we saw in Yukka / Sukka. Honestly, I saw more chemistry between Haru and Katara.

Or at least give us some character development like: Aang, I know my feelings where not as you wanted but now I decided I want to be with you because (list everything here except he being the avatar), I really like you, perhaps we can give it a shot. Or like several things that could clue us that she is interested (come on people, two persons can kiss/hug/ have sex and that doesn’t imply they will be together in a formal relationship) But all we got was: Oh, right, he’s the avatar... suddenly I fell for him and I’m gonna kiss him fully in the mouth and that’s how I’ll tell him and that all my confusion has magically disappeared.

X. I’ve never saw that kind of spark between them. Again, it was “Just a hug”

Yes! That’s initially the whole point of it, a friendship hug, the truth of why we don’t need silly blushes. Because that forgiveness hug shows their initial relationship, they are friends! All their love needs to come first from a truthful friendship, by the contrary of calling the “immediate falling” like Aang did for Katara, it shows us that friendship love can evolve into something more beautiful, and that’s why we like the ship, because all zutara shippers know Zuko and Katara wouldn’t fall in love like that all of the sudden, they have to create the romantic relationship, and that’s what we portray in the fics.

What makes Zutara exceptional is that he, sees her, he hears her, he listens what she had to do, at anytime he forced her to do something she didn’t. And before a “teenager adolescence ship” he sees her as a human, with feelings with own ideals and goals.

And there is a complete and extremely well based analysis in: The crossroads of destiny + The southern raiders + The lighting saving.

XI. The comics show us how toxic they really where.

Their interaction in the comics was something I like to call: destroying a character. Not only Katara, who turned to be that awesome badass to the submissive girlfriend. From how I see it in the series to the comics there’s all I have to say: That’s not my girl.

XII. How Katara could be queen of a country that almost aniquilates her tribe and killed her mother? It would be a betrayal.

I think this argument is out. Not valid. Is like saying a Jew can’t date a German because of the holocaust. (German doesn’t mean nazi, just as Zuko, who was from the Fire Nation and didn’t order Katara’s mother assassination, and not every citizen of the fire nation means a ruthless killer). Is like saying that a Japanese can’t date a us citizen because of the bombs in WW2. And even if we see it “political”, is like… an aphrodescendant can’t rule a country that is racist, then Mr. Obama would have never reached the presidency.

Two persons can unify them, because they can demonstrate that being from different country that initally has not good terms can reach peace. The union between those countries represents the power of maturity, of overcoming adversities and the power of forgiveness. *Our lands now connected by love* And I want her to be queen, I want her to rule, I want her in charge, I want her in power. Imagine all the potential she could have (politics, business, negotiations, rebuilding, restoration, education, public health!! ***faints***) Not only for the fire Nation but for the whole world! Imagine that once Zuko abdicated they left to the south pole and she opened a fighting school and a healing school of her own (like master Pakku, but now her students are given a medical license that acknowledges them as professional healers) And this is just an idea. Like these ideas are hundreds. It would have been the perfect feminist role model!

XIII. Since the beginning, Katara was always interested in Aang and she always supported him and was for him when he needed her. That’s proof they were meant to each other.

If a girl expresses faith in your abilities, she loves you, she hugs you, and she supports you clearly she’s completely into you. Because obviously female best friends don’t exist.

[theorynexus]

Time to Continue with part 83!

Dave is correct. Such matters are never simple. The ways of the heart are extremely complex, and while it wants what it wants, whether it has the heart to actually go through with whatever that is is an entirely different matter altogether. But that, and the wonderful weird silliness aside, I believe Dave was suggesting that there was more to it insofar as there are other factors than just his own “gay awakening” involved with the current difficulties. We shall see just what they are, and how much they have to do with Jade... now.

100% on the money. I am not sure that technically qualifies as incestuous, though, my man.   I am also not 100% sure that you are correct in this matter, other than the fact that it may make her rambunctious and more confident that she is playing a successful role as whatever strange matchmaking hate girlfriend she envisions herself as.  (Not that I don’t think that humans could successfully play the part of a kismesis; rather, I am simply nooot sure Jade is actually doing well at it, or that she has quite the “stuff” for it, at this point. We’ll see.)

***laughs hysterically at this wonderful awkwardness***

That she has.  And honestly, from a Trollish lens, it would seem that she’s had the “hots” for Karkat’s black concupiscent quadrant for quite some time, as well.  (Man, that is sortof weird of her, to go out of her way to exclaim that to John... .    Especially with the distance between her and accomplishing that goal. You’d think she’d at least want to get them to show some interest before doing that.  Does seem very puppy-like of her, though. Hmm~)

Honestly, John is right in that thought.  Mind you, trying might not be the worst idea in ideal circumstances (because at least he could say he tried, and it wasn’t working out for him; thus hopefully become able to get Jade not to push further, and salvage the friendships of everyone involved), but at this point, it’s honestly a great big gamble for Dave. He doesn’t have much romantic experience, and he’s not really sure 100% what he wants.  Not only that, he clearly feels pressured and uncertain with regards to the matter, and that is not a good point to embark on any relationship.  It leaves the door open for all kinds of potential abuse, because things aren’t starting out with firmly established boundaries and the necessary mutual respect for the desires of each person involved upon which all healthy romances are founded.  If it were me, I would most certainly advise against Dave bending to the pressure from Jade like this. If she wanted to make a potential situation between the three of them work out, Jade needs to understand that patience will need to be involved. She’s immortal, Dave’s immortal, and while Karkat may not be, they do have quite a bit of time before they’ll have to worry about him aging too much to make it work, I’m sure.  This is simply a horrible mistake from all parties involved, if it’s going to swing into effect as things are now.   Of course, mistakes do not have to be totally damning, and learning from them is necessary for growth, so... we’ll see how things work out.

...  I guess Megalodon MIGHT have technically been classified as a paleolithic megafauna, technically, though its existence mostly extended much further back.   I do appreciate his continued enthusiasm about paleontology, though, and I understand that his metaphors can get convoluted and distracted, though.  On that note?:   Is that reference to the Meg supposed to be an association with Karkat’s mouth, and how his teeth are apparently quite disorganized, sometimes sticking out of said mouth when it’s supposed to be shut?   I mean, that DOES give a bit of a shark-like image.  To be fair, though: no. It was to eat whales, not other sharks. Big Game Hunter. (I really do appreciate the double meaning of his last line of the above quote.  His uncertainty and circuitous path through the conversation really does show how anxious love can make a person, especially when things are rocky.)

I don’t necessarily think that that is correct---   that is to say, I am not sure that e actually was “leading her on” by dodging the issue for so long.  This would require him to imply he did in fact have that same sort of desires as her, or at least that he was willing to reciprocate.  Based on what we’ve seen, at the very least, I am not sure that he has actually done that. (Man, it must have been weird for Game Over Continuity!Dave to see Davepeta once they joined the fight--- to know on some level that he could sense something familiar, there, but to have no idea what the heck was going on with them~) That said... no. I’m not certain that even if he had been leading her on (that is to say, showing interest, but never committing), he would actually owe it to her unless he had been using that to exploit her in some way.  Particularly, if this was done because he was uncertain if he’d be able to go through with anything, and then he then decided/will have decided to just tell her he’s not interested, I don’t think that this would be wrong at all.  Certainly, she’d have good reason to be upset, but while she’d have lost a significant deal of time, at least he’d be being true to himself instead of potentially doing her, himself, and Karkat greater harm by forcing himself into something that has a good chance of failure+painful consequences. Sorry if this seems overly negative. It’s just... these are not the ideal circumstances, and honestly it’s sortof making me uncomfortable.

(H3H3H3~)    Dangit, that “ghosted” business is sortof painful, given the natural association with John’s death in the Meat Epilogue. @w@ I am not 100% sure John’s mind is fully realizing the implied 3 person relationship that is being talked about as a potential possibility, by the way. With the way he’s talking, it makes it sound like he’s saying to use the coin to choose Karkat or Jade, rather than yea or nay to a situation with both of them.   Particularly with the reference to his logic, and the “same chance” business. Either that, or John is sortof wishy-washy and weird, and is in fact not keeping a constant goal/argument/side as he proceeds in this conversation.

It’s beautiful to see Dave suddenly becoming confident, now that it’s in his wheelhouse.   And sortof awkward and sad, seeing John flail about like this.  But he’s always been that sort of silly jokester, so I will embrace this and accept it.

It’s funny how one can get these intuitions about things, yet be unable to properly explain them, at times.   Of course, this rarely happens to me, because I’m a bit of a windbag (joke at Egbert’s expense), and am willing to look up words that may or may not fit in order to help me organize my thoughts, but it *is* certainly a phenomenon which I am familiar with.  Particularly, in the context of attempting to make connections with others, by which they may or may not latch onto and be able to infer the true meaning you’re trying to get at.

... Yeah, that is definitely one of the things being a friend is all about.  And sadly... I think Dave is right.  He probably does need to talk to Dirk.  Not that it is likely to do all that much good. Dirk’s not all that great, as far as Heart players go, and as a brother, he’s been remarkably distant with Dave, but... well, it somehow seems right, even if it’s something dreadful and somewhat repulsive.  Given that Dave is having a hard time figuring this matter out, and he’s not able to properly latch on to John’s nonsense, this is probably the best option.

I mean, it got Caliborn out of a particularly nasty bind, one time.  ;D

Yeah...  I wouldn’t necessarily suggest that “cracked” will apply to all situations, but having someone who knows and understands you-- how vibrates on the same wave-length, you might say --is absolutely necessary for some issues.

This is incredibly silly. I don’t think that is appropriate on the part of the proprietor, all things considered.  Moreover, it strikes me as curious insofar as I don’t think anyone ever came to try and help them order?    I don’t know. Maybe I just don’t understand how the fanciest restaurants work.  Or something might have happened while John was gone.  Them noticing he was gone probably had something to do with it, but... still pretty ridiculous, regardless.  I mean, who even kicks out a pair of gods? XD

(Super cute.)

How very true.   Time is something difficult to properly hold onto even in the best of times. That one is unequipped to do something that might make a difference does not necessarily mean it’s your fault that bad things happened. For example: one should not blame terrified bystanders for not mobbing a lone gunman in a mass shooting and forcibly stopping them before anything can happen, or at least partway through.  At times, life will present you with barriers of that sort that are almost impossible to overcome, and one has to think of what can be done for the future, rather than dwelling on the past. Of course, the cataclysm is in Dave’s future at this moment, and John could technically do a whole lot of other things to make events work out; yet as the narrative subtly suggests, while the possibility technically exists, it may not be something that is feasible--- for not only is Gamzee’s presence passively screwing with everything, now (and in particular, messing with characters’ abilities to make important choices well, probably), but there is the issue of the narrator potentially manipulating things, as well.   If they are being subtle enough, rather than trying to force certain actions like Dirk did at certain points, it is difficult to oppose such a being’s control. Man, I wish I knew for certain who was doing said narration, right now.

>:

[pack-the-pack]

Any thoughts on the aftermath of mating bites? I have a headcanon that taking care of the other's bite until its healed is a huge part of strengthening a pair's mating bond. Do you think Alphas would take pride in changing the Omegas bandages every day? Or feel guilty for for causing them pain? Would Omegas fret over using the best salves and anti-inflammatory medicine?

Honestly I adore this idea. But as in most of the asks I answer my response is not just “yes, pretty much” or “No” lol Yeeea, sorry about that guys… I do think that overall the biting and the care for it is an intimacy majority of couples take pride on, but I also think the process and importance itself might change depending on personal preference of the couple, culture, time period and social and economic status. Yes We are going there again, fasten your seat belts kids, cause it’s time for a History lesson, Pack style!!!

Warning: Mentions of death, abortions, mental illness, sexual stuff and all sorts of ancient hi jinks in an incredibly lengthy post (cut possibly unavailable on mobile cause tumblr is garbage).

Disclaimer: A lot of what I’m basing these fictional concepts in is very eurocentric because that’s what I know best, I am not a historian, I am not an archaeologist or a biologist, I have no degree on no nothing let alone an specialisation on anything relevant enough to be used as educated sources for what I’m about to write. This is just for fun okay, guys? So no need to rub your years of hard work and experience on my face or be like “well actually-!”, cause it will be like just, cool to know? But very unlikely taken into account past that, so just, relax m’kay? Thanks…… Also a lot of my knowledge on these things just comes from the “History of the entire world I guess” video so yeaaa.

So first and foremost, the types of things one would use to treat mating bites. Again, I think there are variants regarding time period and culture, but I think every culture would end up coming up with rather similar things, or overlapping methods of treating such scarring, and I made a little drawing for it :3 Nothing, great, nothing awesome, but because this ask inspired me to draw something. 

(Kind of messy, my pottery is kind of crooked and I totally intended for the background to be grey and didn’t just  fuck up cleaning up on the wrong layers and had to pretend that was the original plan, you’re imagining, but it’s from the heart c’mon).

Before people had this fancy thing called modern medicine, they had to rely solely on instinct, anecdotes and superstition to make their medication, and of course, bite treatment wasn’t any different. 

Whenever an Alpha would bite an Omega or a Beta or vice verse, the glands around the bite area would get irritated, itchy and achy. The most ancient method of soothing these aches was mud, just plain out wet dirt, applied to the area and left there to dry and reapplied only when the entirety of the first batch cracked and fell off naturally during daily activities. It was the hottest trend amongst packs 50.000 b.c. - Though there is also evidence of animal fat being used for the same purpose as well as snow. 

With the end of the Paleolithic period and the invention of agriculture things started to get more advanced, now people have bowls, and lots of seeds… and grains! Grains and seeds that they can squeeze really hard and it makes residue come out of them. This is when various types of oils started to pop all around along with various simple mixtures of flour and water. Many clay statues and other rudimentary paintings from these periods show a variety of deities and rituals that existed around the manufacturing of these products and there are indications that the importance of treating bite wounds only then started to become somewhat of a significant part of mated couples’ lives. It was believed that these smaller human settlements created by the first sedentary packs, aka warrens, didn’t make distinction between the Eleusinian¹ and Asterian² dynamics when it came to mating bites and the treatments of such. Omegas would bite and care for the marks they inflicted on Alphas just as much as Alphas and Betas to one another or other Omegas. It was only when these warrens started to grow into full blown villages and subsequently distinctive cities that these differences started to develop. 

Once these villages and cities started to gain shape and power, social hierarchy took on a new dimension beyond sole survival. Alphas no longer concerned themselves solely with the survival of their own small pack and hunting food to provide for their mates and children, Betas no longer concerned themselves with just assisting Alphas and Omegas in their daily activities as well as primarily caring for crops and animals, and Omegas no longer only cared to make sure their children and pack were in good health and cared for. Farming and the domestication of animals allowed everyone to have more time for architecture, writing, laws, politics, dancing, music, religion and most important of all: Figuring out how to divide people in a way that totally doesn’t benefit everyone equally, as one do. So now you got social classes and cultural diversity, and these come with different ways of treating mating bites. So around the period of the Bronze age to when the Greeks were like really important (specially cause a lot of the terminology and ideas about the dynamics carried nowadays comes from them and the Romans in western society) methods and materials started to shift a bit, but not drastically. Herbs like mint and parsley, flowers like lavender and aconite, roots like ginger and marsh mallow, and oils like that from olives, frankincense or sesame seeds as well as animal derived products such as wax from bees or blood and fat from animals and sometimes even metals like iron started to pop up all around from east to west as cures for all sorts of ailments and diseases. Brought through the sea or through land by merchants (rhizotomiki) who crossed nations and continents, carrying with them they brought all sorts of new superstitions and beliefs about mating bites. Flowers said to be born from rivers or lakes of eternal youth, roots and spices made of fire itself, honey directly from the mouth of deities or roots that’d kill any spiritual disease started gaining popularity quickly with pretty much everyone seen as a lot of these were said to provide for good fortune and happy and prosperous marriages if incorporated on biting rituals. Oracles and religious leaders would advise their followers and rulers to consume certain things before mating and to care for their bites and their partners with extra amounts of care because all of a sudden they started to become super important. Deaths, famine, bad luck, abortions and mental illnesses started to be blamed on the lack of care or the improper care of mating bites, said to either cause the body to perish in account of some malignant aspect of a specific plant or to have angered the gods in some manner. 

The high mortality that could come with infected mating bites became more and more apparent the more society advanced, but they didn’t know it was because of the infection itself yet, so surviving these was not only a sign of strength or luck, but a sign of status, power, money and higher spirituality. Emperors, Empresses, feudal lords in the orient, etc. All took pride in having enough money to buy rare ingredients from merchants from far away lands as well as hundreds of slaves and servants to care for their gardens, plantations and animals which provided them with an immense diversity of always available plants, herbs and roots that gained favour in aiding with biting marks. To be the chosen mate of one of these people would grant one with a similar status and privileges, such as not dying and having better flavoured bread or something. 

This also meant that they didn’t really want other people but them using these miracle medicines, because they thought that for the common people to use “divinely provided” forms of care would inevitably result in corruption of said methods and subsequently the fall of society. So now you had:

The rulers of nations and cities/nobles: Using and manufacturing refined powders from roots, grains and metals from far away nations in order to bind and cure mating bites. Rare Oils from plant eradicated anywhere but the palaces and gardens belonging to the highest circles, bandages made from the finest silks and sown and painted with all sorts of religious meanings. Concoctions that took hours, months or even years to be finished for a single claiming treatment, with recipes and processes kept secret and many times lost forever with trusted doctors/shamans that’d tend to royalty only. 

Generals, Priestesses, Shamans, Politicians: Using plants and roots that were common, but difficult to come by, expensive, difficult to use or “required” a specific ritual that’d grant them some sort of untapped potential from these plants otherwise, providing them “enlightenment”, “strength”, “wisdom” and “spiritual clearance” in order to win all things from wars, to new knowledge and insight on the gods’ wants and needs to political feuds. Alcohol and other fermented blends such and wine and grape must with marsh mallow, made to clean and close wounds as well as soothing burns were prioritized here. The immediate pain was considered cleansing and efficiency. Mandrakes were rather popular as well, but for treating “deep spiritual diseases”, such as when ones mate falls ills some hours or a day after the bite is consummated, or to ensure healthy and strong offspring coming from the union since it was considered to aid on sexual prowess. However given its “immense” power and magical properties it was rarely ever given or prescribed to the masses without the supervision or blessing of a highly spiritual attuned authority. 

Lords and wealthy merchants: Using, manufacturing and selling all sorts of blends, mostly creams and perfumes said to help with pain and itching. These would change depending on the city and the deities they worshiped and superstitions they carried as well as the plants naturally available in the lands (the ones that haven’t been eradicated or hogged by other classes of people). These were the ones usually gifted by acquaintances, and friends of the newly mated couple as offerings of good fortune, prosperity and fertility. These varied hugely in ingredients and price as well. Though there were other ingredients and recipes guarded with an amount of secrecy by these as well, gifted and used just by the family to other members of the same, these tended to be tended to and made with a higher degree of care, utilizing plants one would have at their disposal in their own home.

Common soldiers, artisans and lesser merchants, sailors and farmers: The people that didn’t really have much money, time or social status to dedicate to bite wounds would resort to simpler and cheaper methods of soothing their pains. Simply dousing the wounds with olive or fish oil was a common practice, as well as using salt water to wash the area. Clay of various kinds as well as coal and ground up seashells were popular on various cities as ingredients for lotions and creams and many times were offered to the gods as well as a form of prayer for good health and happy mateship. Lamb and goat fat was also very popular with the poor for its healing and relaxing properties, people would collect an array of herbs and flowers that’d fancy their partner or the both of them to incorporate into it, in order to symbolise their union as one as well as to mask the strong foul smell from the fat.  

Slaves: Slaves were usually prohibited to mate by their masters, but the ones that happened to mate someone or being mated would be punished with not being able to treat their wounds. It was seen as a disgrace and distasteful to not treat ones bite wounds, and people thought only fitting that slaves who step out of line would have their favour taken from them entirely on the eyes of their gods or polite society. As a result slaves had to resort to only using water and cool mud, many succumbing to the infections and fevers that were attributed by most as a corruption of the spirit and not worthy of pity. 

So as you can see, there was a divide in how they treated their wounds based on many things, and while some of these methods and rituals sometimes overlapped between classes the distinction was stark enough that you could clearly tell what type belonged to whom. It was around that time as well that the Eleusinian and Asterian dynamics started to get divided more and more as time passed. Omegas were treated as borderline property and in many places like Athens were not granted the right to mark their mate back, with exceptions occurring just in certain occasions (such as the soon departure to a losing war on the mate’s part, or to save the mate’s life though a spiritual treatment), Beta females and poor Omega females being forbidden to use certain plants and to take part in certain rituals by law claimed to be belonging solely to Omega females of higher social status, Omega males being prohibited of using any sort of soothing agents if not prohibited of being bitten altogether. Alphas having or not marks as a form of weakness or a show of strength varied ridiculously from city to city and from nation to nation (So much so that to this day there is not full agreement on that in society). And a whole lot of other rules and random crap just around mating bites alone. 

With the invention of modern medicine, these things started to change obviously, people had a better grasp of what helped and what just made things worse, creams, pills, oils,,and ointments started being patented and people would gradually only look to more naturalistic methods of treating claim bites as an element of a different all-natural life style or a belief (misguided or not) that natural = better. With all that said one thing has remained true: Yes, caring for ones wounds is something that is and was believed to strengthen and solidify ones bond with their mate. People always tended to care a great deal for it, doing everything in their power to provide for their mates in the best way they knew how, if it were through giving them private care by more servants then they can count, with the best ingredients in the world at the moment, or simply by choosing smells and things that they’d like in order to show how much they care, they took and still take great pride in caring for that very fragile wound in their necks. As whether or not this is more an Alpha thing or a Omega thing, or if Alphas hate or take pride in causing pain to their partners, that varies in belief, culture and time period. I particularly think that overall it’d be a mixture of both. They don’t want to cause excessive pain to their partner but they also want their bonds to be solidified forever. The Eleusinian dynamics were always the ones more intimately connected with the production and rituals surrounding bite soothers so to me it makes sense they prioritize its quality more than Asterian dynamics, but that also is a highly individual thing. 

Overall I hope this wasn’t a complete departure from what you asked >.> But I really wanted to explore this a bit more and your ask gave me the opportunity to. Remembering this is all just my interpretation and applies to my verse (PTPverse) which is completely open for creative use in fanfictions, RP sessions and others, so if you don’t agree with what I said here that’s 100% fine, to each their own, I just hope this somehow was able to help anyone ;) any lingering questions try checking out my other history posts such as the Ancient Greece Headcanons one or make another ask on my inbox for clarity. Peace. 

¹ - Eleusinian dynamics: Referring to Omegas (of either gender) and Beta females.

² - Asterian dynamics: Referring to Alphas (of either gender) and Beta males.

[kendrixtermina]

Voltron Season 7 Reactions

EP1

So we seem to be going for a slow start

Keith as a schoolboy is just super relatable

Romelle appears to be a snarky one

So the language evolved and the Paladins have been using old-timesy profanity this whole time. Shakespearetastic

Interesting how Keith’s dad had a relatively ordinary profession that still makes perfect sense. Also puts an interesting spin on Keith’s own potential heroic sacrifice moments

So this is Adam. It’s interesting to see a dude in the situation of the “girlfriend back home” like just being the sort to care more about the relationship than big abstract goals. Makes sense that’s Shiro would go for some homely down-to-earth teacher type of person though in this example we’re kind of seeing it Not Work

Coran Coran the Gorgeous Man

EP2

Amusing nod to a classic riddle

Baby Allura and baby Allura’s grandma <3

The Altean Alphabet Song

Keith & Krolia’s identical expressions

Turns out Romelle isn’t really Lance’s type, perhaps due to being a wee bit too much like him. Bit of a gambit backfire there

This is starting to get spooky, did something big happen to the coalition forces while they were chasing Lotor? Why am I even asking, there needs to be a plot

It sees the Wolf has its own opinion about passenger re-shufflement

Though I’m glad to see Allura interacting with Romelle

Not enough power to form Voltron? Now that’s interestting

This way it really feels like they’re a small group without a base

Ooo invisible LabhyrithLots of callbacks paying off

Whoever took charge of the Empire is GOOD

w0000 hunk got an upgrade, dats my boi

nice idea to show the secondary cast kick some butt while the paladins are busy flying

oh, its zetrid & ezor

way to vary up the format and scale between the seasons

EP3

ALL HERE FOR THE MICE STEALING cORAN#S SHOW

Wait, are we to understand that Zethrid and Ezor are an Item? That came out of nowhere. Or are we supposed to understand that it took place during the timeskip

Let’s appreciate Lance 

Apparently a lot happened, wasn’t Auxia the leader?

She must’ve been reluctant to kill him since he saved her life earlier

Stil lthe teasing here is not necessarily the best way to do it

IDK I recall her mostly taking care of the others and being their leader even after Lotor bailed on them so what happened? Most likely scenario might be Auxia getting fed up with Haggar

For ages they don’t touch romance elements and now it seems like they want to get everyone neatly paired up or what

Well that’s an interesting maneuver tho, Keith’s really grown into his role

That, I guess, explains it

EP4

WTF was that even?! I’m not even going to dignify it with a comment

So Bob is basically Q?

At this point it got too engaging for me to bother life-writing this. 

After having large ressources in the coalition or Lotor’s splinter faction it was really interesting to go for a survival game with limited ressources, the whole tale of the Earth resistance was particularly epic and makes me think the studio should try doing an original Sci Fi schow one of these days. 

Admirtal Sanda had an interesting arrc and just in genereal being able to pursue one location and one storyline for 

As for the future, we can probably assume that Haggar napped Romelle’s colony. 

The Shadam thing was kinda overhyped, I don’t even know if it was the studio or the fans but it was kinda barely there. I think they would’ve killed that character in a hetero context as well just bc Shiro gets handled as a tragic character, it was after all a relationship that was already over. 

Eh, that said I’ve already accepted that this is more of an “okay nice” show than a groundbeaking, mindblowing once since the Lotor thing didn’t really go that far into the “Complex villains” direction.

 I’m not saying a better writer or just one with a different focus couldn’t have squeezed more juice out of it but ultimately this has never been a romance show, even the thing with Lotor & Allura ended up mostly as an extra tragedy plot device. 

That said, I can wholly understand that people are miffed tho, from how they promoted it you might have thought it would be a major thing. 

[hazellvesque]

Some Kind of Miracle - Chapter 3

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: G

Pairing: Adrien/Marinette

Summary: If Marinette had her way, she would have had nothing to do with Alya’s latest celebrity crush. So how did she get roped into stalking him around Los Angeles? When fashion icon Adrien Agreste quite literally crashes into Marinette’s life, they have no choice but to put up with one another or risk ruining both of their potential careers forever.

An AU based on the iconic Disney Channel Original Movie, Starstruck.

Read on Ao3

Chapter 3 - Incredible

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Marinette’s right hand was sore. Grey graphite smudged the entire length from her pinky to her wrist, but the result was all worth it. Fifteen pages of new menswear ideas were detailed on the pages in front of her.

She had spent majority of the flight – aside from meal and bathroom breaks – furiously sketching in her notebook. She’d been so concentrated on the steady flow of ideas streaming from her brain onto the paper in front of her that she almost didn’t hear the pilot’s landing announcement.

Alya roused next to her, having entered her third nap of the trip about an hour prior. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and stared out the window, grinning maniacally.

“We’re here!” she mouthed, making no effort to hide the pure joy on her face.

Marinette took a quick peek past her friend to look out the window, immediately regretting the sinking feeling in her stomach that resulted. They were still so high up in the air that even looking out for a fraction of a second gave her intense vertigo. She was glad she hadn’t been assigned the window seat.

All around the aircraft, people were bouncing their legs, fidgeting with magazines, or trying to stealthily reach for their bags early. Normally Marinette would have been just as irritable as everyone else, but she had had a welcome distraction for the past twelve hours.

“Is that who I think it is?” Alya half-whispered, taking a glance at Marinette’s drawings before she could stow her book away.

Marinette could feel the blush rising to her cheeks as she realized – it was exactly who Alya thought it was. Every single clothing sketch had been accompanied with a mop of blonde hair and huge, curious eyes wearing it. She’d drawn Adrien Agreste’s face in almost as much detail as the outfits, over and over again.

“He’s a model,” Marinette squeaked. “I needed something to work off of. And since you wouldn’t stop talking about him all morning-“

“Someone’s in denial,” Alya smirked. “He’s gorgeous and you know it. You’ll come to your senses eventually.”

The pilot came over the intercom once more, sounding sterner than the last time as he reminded passengers to store all personal items away for landing. Marinette sheepishly tucked her sketchbook away as other passengers reluctantly stored their belongings as well.

Two rows up, a flight attendant was having an altercation with a passenger. She and the teenage girl bickered back and forth at each other.

“Miss, all phones need to be powered down completely for our landing,” she gently tried to explain, but the girl was having none of it.

“I need to make sure my driver is going to be there when we land,” the teen insisted. “I am not going to be late getting to my destination.”

“The plan can’t land at all if our safety is compromised from your cell phone signal,” the flight attendant said with finality before walking to the back of the plane and taking her seat.

The blonde girl across the aisle looked oddly familiar, and not just because she was attached to her phone the same way Alya had been all day. Maybe Marinette had seen her around school somewhere? Regardless, she finally decided her conversation was less important than the lives of the hundred or so fellow passengers surrounding her, so she powered her phone down and tossed it aside, grumbling under her breath the entire time.

“I don’t blame her,” Alya whispered. “My fingers have been itching to check my blog, it’s been driving me crazy.”

The remaining twenty minutes of the flight passed without incident aside from slight turbulence. Disembarking the aircraft and heading towards the exit were equally as mundane.

Marlena Césaire walked ahead of the girls as they left the building, her carry-on bag trailing behind her. She stood at the curb and waved frantically in an attempt to hail a cab. Marinette and Alya, on the other hand, were too busy gaping at the scenery to do anything productive.

There were real live palm trees. Actually growing from the ground, not in a pot. And they were massive; at least over a dozen meters tall. Taxis and personal cars alike swerved wildly in and out of traffic, picking up travelers and making their way down the long stretch of motorway ahead. In the distance, the giant LAX sign was bright white in the sunlight. More incoming and outgoing flights passes precariously close over their heads. And the people: men and women in business suits, families with children wearing mouse ears, and travelers of all ages looking much less lost than they did.

Marinette didn’t see the blonde girl from the plane, again. She guessed her driver made it on time after all.

And judging by the man who had just walked up behind them with a sign, asking if they were the Césaire party, apparently their driver had made it too.

“Oh,” Marlena was taken aback. “We didn’t order a car.”

“You are here for Ms. Sancouer’s events this week, correct?” The man asked.

Marlena nodded slowly, looking absolutely dumbfounded.

“As part of her payment, she has gifted you service to your hotel,” the man smiled and gestured to his left. A sleek black car was pulled off to the side of the road with its doors wide open, waiting for them.

This Sancouer woman had apparently thought of everything, even so far as to hire a driver who spoke French. Props to her, Marinette thought.

Alya shrugged – as if to say ‘this may as well be happening’ – and hopped into the backseat of the car, with her mother and Marinette following close behind. The man walked the perimeter of the car, closing each door as he went, before getting behind the wheel and entering the traffic of the city.

And then they were off. And this city was massive.

There were too many things to see all at once. Marinette had complete sensory overload, trying to take in the sights and sounds and smells of Los Angeles.

The beaches had been one of the things she was looking forward to most. Only she hadn’t expected to see so many sandy shores right off of nearly every street they sped down. Seeing the ocean from the ground was even more surreal than flying above it, not to mention much less terrifying. The blue water sparkled in the morning sun and stretched out as far as the girls could see from their tinted car windows and beyond.

Before they knew it, they were pulling up to the front doors of their hotel. Alya bolted out of the backseat and through the hotel’s massive glass doors, her phone camera snapping furiously.

Marlena glanced back at Marinette from the front seat. “Go,” she said. “Explore, have fun. You have your key, right?”

Mme. Césaire’s clients had conveniently already checked them in as well, so their driver had their keys ready as soon as they arrived. Marinette nodded and patted the front pocket of her bag where she’d tucked the key earlier before running in after her friend.

She stepped inside and was immediately taken aback. The hotel was beautiful – far more extravagant that she had expected it to be. The soaring ceilings were covered in incredibly detailed murals. The furniture consisted entirely of sturdy dark wood and marble pieces accented with what was most likely real gold. The crystalline chandelier hanging in the center of the room probably cost more than Marinette’s entire house.

Whoever had hired Mme. Césaire and paid for this trip must have been swimming in extra cash.

By the time she caught up to Alya, the other girl had worked her way through the hotel lobby and into the gift shop, where she held half a dozen different very expensive looking candy bars.

“Do you know what any of these things are?” Alya seemed absolutely giddy. “I’ve never heard of any of these brands before!”

The store clerk stared at Alya, looking mildly terrified. Now that Marinette thought about it, she realized that most of the people here probably couldn’t understand a word Alya was saying.

Marinette could only imagine what everyone in the lobby was thinking about this teenage girl staring at the walls, taking photos of the lamps, and screaming French exclamations at the top of her lungs.

The endless foreign babble didn’t end for hours, even after they’d settled into their suite.

Their room was just as unnecessarily lavish as the rest of the hotel. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full kitchen and dining area were just the beginning. The television had over three hundred channels and a full gaming system set up. Mme. Césaire’s room had a bottle of expensive-looking wine and a welcome note sitting on the side table. Marinette and Alya were each given their own fruit baskets.

The bags they’d checked on the flight, which had been picked up from the airport for them, sat waiting for them inside as well. They’d even paid attention to the luggage tags, Marinette noted while tilting her head to get a better look at the inside, as all of her belongings were seated at the foot of the right bed, and Alya’s at the left.

The three women had stood gaping in the doorway for what felt like ages.

Marlena cleared her throat. “The woman that hired me is vey generous,” she said weakly.

“No kidding,” Alya was the first to enter the room, where she and her phone camera went to work, documenting every last inch of luxury.

Marinette stepped inside next, feeling completely overwhelmed. Her fingers itched to take out her sketchbook again. There was so much to take in. The surrounding colors and shapes and patterns jumped around in her head, begging to be eternalized in a sketch.

Their driver stood politely outside of the door, allowing the girls enough time to get used to their new environment before interrupting once more.

“Mme. Césaire,” he began, “when you are ready, I will escort you to your venue to begin preparing for tonight, if you would like.”

Marinette could practically see the word ‘trouble’ flashing behind Alya’s eyes. No doubt, the other girl was already scheming about what she’d do once she was out of her mother’s watchful eye.

If Marlena suspected anything, it didn’t show on her face. There was no hesitation as she began collecting her things and preparing to leave. Alya was practically shaking in excitement.

Marinette hoped her disapproving look was enough to silently communicate to Alya that she very much did not approve of her scheming. She had been awake for far too long today. She wanted to unpack, and take a nap, and watch American dramas on television that she didn’t understand. She wanted to relax.

Alya Césaire and “relax” didn’t even belong in the same sentence, as far as she was concerned. Especially not here in the Golden State. Alya had a mission and she was determined to set it in motion.

Once Alya’s mom and the driver had left for the night, Marinette asked, “You’re going to look for Adrien, aren’t you?” Though she already knew the answer.

“Of course,” Alya winked at her. “And you’re coming with me.”

Chloe Bourgeois arrived at the Agreste house precisely when she said she would.

Her chauffer had given Adrien an apologetic look as he dropped Chloe’s bags off in the upstairs guest room. He only dealt with the girl once or twice a year, but he knew what a terror she could be. Lucky for him, he only had to drive her around. Adrien had to be the one to keep her entertained.

And out of the press, he reminded himself.

It was going to be a very difficult task, seeing as she nearly tackled him to the ground in greeting on his front lawn, in full view of the entire block.

“Finally!” she cried, planting a kiss on each of his cheeks. “I felt like I was going to drive myself crazy waiting to see you!”

Adrien firmly placed his hands on her shoulders and held her just out of reach. “Listen,” he started, “I’m happy to see you too, but you can’t do that. Not out here.”

She frowned. “Why not?”

Adrien turned back and forth, checking his surroundings. Thankfully, he didn’t see a flash go off or any bushes rustling in the distance.

“I told you, most people here aren’t that…affectionate with their friends. Someone might see you do that and get the wrong idea. Come on.” He kept one hand on her shoulder, loosening his grip so that he felt friendlier and less forceful. They walked together through the house to the main lounge room.

“What kind of wrong idea?” Chloe asked, plopping down in the seat behind her.

Adrien had to hold back a groan. “People might think we’re dating.”

“Is that so bad?” At Adrien’s exasperated look, she rolled her eyes. “I’m kidding. I’ll stop, I’m sorry. I’m just really happy to see you.”

“I know,” Adrien said. He took the time to hug her properly before standing back up and offering to get her something to drink.

By the time he’d returned from the kitchen with two glasses of water, Chloe was practically bouncing out of her seat from excitement.

“So what’s our itinerary for the week?” Chloe asked. “Last time we talked you had said something about a bonfire on the beach. Or a music festival. Or a music festival on the beach with a bonfire.”

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Well, um…”

“Oh, I hear that there’s still some fireworks left over from this place’s Independence Day and they’re going to set them off tomorrow night, can we go see them?”

“Nathalie’s hosting a cocktail party here tonight,” Adrien said quickly. “How about we go to that first, then decide what to do later?”

Chloe shot him a disappointing look. Adrien had a notoriously bad poker face.

“You can get all dressed up,” he continued. “And she’s getting some really fancy food catered. There’ll be lots of big-shot Hollywood types here to talk about business and-“

“You should have started with that,” Chloe interrupted. “You know I’m a sucker for a stuffy middle-aged guy talking business. Look, I’m already swooning.”

Adrien knew he was being a bad friend. First, he’d forgotten all about her arrival, then he was already making excuses for the next few days about why she couldn’t enjoy her time here with him. The guilt was almost enough to make him forget all about his promise and let Chloe have her fun.

Almost.

He took her hands in hers and got very serious. “Listen, Nathalie wants me to stay out of trouble. I’ve got a huge opportunity coming up that rides on me being on my best behavior. Just promise me one hour? Two, tops. Just enough for me to make a good impression with everyone coming. And after that, I promise we can do something you want.”

She didn’t quite look convinced. She pulled her hands away and crossed them over her chest, sticking her nose in the air stubbornly. Adrien decided to try one last thing.

“Nino will be here tonight too. You wouldn’t miss an opportunity to insult his fashion sense, would you?”

Despite trying her best to stay stoic, Chloe smiled. “I do enjoy seeing that look on his face when I tell him his hats out of date. Fine. Two hours of your posh little party. Only because I’m such a nice person.”

And this was why Chloe Bourgeois was still his friend. For one, she would always come around and make sacrifices for him when he needed her to. And two, she couldn’t resist a chance to schmooze with socialites for a night.

Perhaps this little visit of hers wouldn’t be so bad.

“Even the wall outlets are weird here!” Alya shouted from inside the bathroom, where she had been straightening her hair for the past hour.

Marinette could still hear her camera’s flash snapping every couple of minutes.

“Don’t tell me you’re taking selfies with the electrical wiring,” she called back.

Marinette had just finished emptying her last suitcase. All of her clothes were stored away in the drawers and closets that they’d live in for the next two weeks. Only the essentials – her cellphone, her keys, and of course, her sketchbook – were packed away in a small backpack that she could also squeeze a few snacks from the fruit basket into if she decided to venture off and needed fuel.

She sat back on the plush bed, feeling extremely satisfied with herself. The sun had set a little over an hour ago and she felt absolutely exhausted. She could fall asleep sitting up if she tried.

As soon as she saw Alya emerge from the bathroom dressed to the nines, however, she had a good feeling that she wouldn’t be sleeping much at all.

“Why are you wearing that?” Marinette asked, dreading the answer.

“I told you, we’re going out!” Alya said, as if it were obvious. “The sooner we start looking, the more ground we’ll cover. Come on, get dressed!”

“Your mom said not to get in trouble,” said Marinette. That outfit definitely looked like trouble.

Not only was Marlena Césaire gone for the night, but her schedule was practically booked up this entire trip, and that left the girls far too much unsupervised time to get into mischief. She had made them promise to follow a few rules on their vacation: stick together, spend money carefully, and don’t do anything that will land you in a cell. Oh, and don’t forget to have fun!

Clearly Alya was disregarding the three former statements for the latter.

“We won’t,” said Alya. “Everything I plan on doing tonight is completely legal in this country. Now come on!”

Alya practically dragged Marinette from under the covers and into the bathroom, painting her face in a flurry of cosmetics and colors without so much as asking whether or not Marinette even wanted to go anywhere. She guessed this was Alya’s way of following rule number one: they couldn’t stick together if she didn’t pull Marinette along for her joyrides around LA.

At least Marinette had a say in what she got to wear; she chose a sensible pair of white jeans and flats, so she wouldn’t end up like Alya who would most likely be shoe-less and complaining about how much her heels hurt by the end of the night.

Marinette barely had time to grab her backpack before Alya dragged her from the room, shouting giddily the entire time about what Adrien’s eyes would look like in person.

It took them fifteen minutes to figure out how to hail a cab. Another twelve minutes, and they had pulled up to a building with far too many neon lights and what looked like nearly a hundred rowdy teenagers standing outside of it’s doors.

Marinette’s face paled. “Alya, where are we?”

“Calm down,” Alya said. “There’s a concert going on inside in an hour.” She opened her phone and started reading from her extensive list of notes. This place looked like the first on an incredibly long list of possible locations she was looking to scout. “Adrien’s been seen here attending shows seven times in the past year, plus, he’s been spotted hanging out with the lead singer of one of the bands that’s on the schedule tonight.”

After scanning just a dozen faces in the crowd, Marinette already felt pretty hopeless. “And you’re sure you’re going to find him here?”

“He’ll be wherever the most camera flashes are going off, most likely,” Alya said. After seeing Marinette’s doubtful face, she added, “And think of it this way: if we don’t find him, we can still enjoy the concert.”

Alya pulled two bluish slips of paper from her bag and handed one to Marinette. Judging by the dates on the tickets, Alya had purchased these far in advance. She really had every step of this trip planned out.

When they exited the cab, Marinette took Alya’s hand as a security precaution. Alya ducked and weaved through the crowd like a pro, leaving Marinette to wonder where she’d learned to be so confident. They pushed their way to the front of the red-roped area, gotten their hands stamped by the doorman, and rushed inside with the rest of the concertgoers.

The first act of the night had just begun their sound check. Endless snacks and drinks flowed at a bar area to the far right of the venue. The massive space filled immediately with eager teens and young adults ready to dance the night away and sing along until their voices were long lost.

The clock on the wall read 10:00pm, and the party was just getting started.

“Adrien, I’m bored,” Chloe whined.

Honestly, Adrien couldn’t blame her. A cocktail party full of adults standing in circles with wine glasses humble-bragging about their lives wasn’t exactly the place that three teenagers wanted to be on a Friday night.

At least Nino was entertaining himself with the chocolate fountain.

Adrien was on full alert, making sure to remain on his best possible behavior. Some might call it paranoid, especially since the security team had made sure that no paparazzi or unauthorized guests were within a thousand feet of the house, but Adrien was still on edge. There was no telling who here may have loose lips and let something slip from tonight. So he had to make sure there was nothing to slip.

“It’s been more than two hours,” Chloe reminded him. “I kept my promise, it’s time for you to keep yours.”

There goes the guilt again. It reared its ugly head time and time again throughout the night as Adrien watched his friends work to fight off their boredom. They were itching to do something – anything – more exciting than this, and honestly, so was he.

Nino walked up behind them, the tiniest bit of chocolate still smeared on the corner of his mouth.

“So we’ve conquered the hors d’oeuvres and listened to some snazzy piano music. What’s next on our agenda, kids?”

“Oh, I’ve got a good one!” Chloe said. “Let’s leave.”

“I think that’s the best idea you’ve had in your entire life,” Nino said. He turned to Adrien. “I hate to admit it, but she’s right. I can only eat finger foods for so long. We can have one night out without you getting in trouble. You’re not under house arrest, dude, you’re allowed to leave.”

It was easy for him to say. Sure, there was no official order or locked door keeping him in, but he still felt the weight of his reputation pulling him back behind closed doors at all times.

Both Chloe and Nino pleaded with puppy dog eyes. Damn them. Alone, one of them could be convincing, but when they teamed up against him, it was impossible to say no.

Then again, glancing around the backyard, it seemed that no one was really paying any mind to the teens. Maybe they’d be able to get away for a little while without anyone noticing.

“Fine,” Adrien said. Nino opened his mouth to let out a cheer, and Adrien immediately muffled it with his hand. “But be subtle.”

“I’ll get my keys!” Nino ditched his paper plate in a nearby trash bin and took off into the house with Chloe hot on his trail.

Adrien was stealthier about his exit. He trailed his way down the dessert table, pretending to be deliberating between options. He took one last paranoid glance over his shoulder and realized that his acting chops could rest for the time being. No one was paying him any attention whatsoever.

Freedom. Nino pulled up his car and Chloe plugged coordinates into the GPS by the time Adrien had made it out of the front door.

Luckily, when they pulled up to the club half an hour later, the second band’s set was just starting, leaving everyone in the venue too distracted to notice their entrance. Chloe made a beeline for the V.I.P. lounge upstairs and wasted no time ordering the most sugary, caloric drink on the menu.

Nino settled into a couch in the far back corner. He closed his eyes and swayed to the music, looking and feeling like he was in heaven. Places like this were his natural habitat.

Adrien, however, couldn’t help but notice the sinking feeling in his stomach that appeared the moment he stepped out of Nino’s car. There were so many cellphones. So many potential fans who could notice him and stop him at any moment. So many things could go wrong. He picked up his pace, taking the stairs two at a time and keeping his head ducked down until he was sure no one could be following him.

Two more weeks of this. No problem at all. He’d let Chloe and Nino have their fun for a bit, then they’d duck out before the crowds got too thin. With how the party had been going back at home, no one would even notice he was gone.

A smile crept to his face. Nathalie’s reaction to this would be priceless. There might be actual smoke coming out of her ears. That alone would be worth it.

And yet, he still couldn’t help but feel like he was being watched.

Chloe dropped down next to Adrien on the small couch, practically sitting in his lap, taking extra care not to spill her drink. The doorman hadn’t stopped to stamp their hands, Adrien noticed.

Chloe was thinking the same thing, apparently. “Don’t worry, it’s just juice and soda,” she said. “Americans and their silly drinking laws. I’m not going to get you in trouble. Here, take a sip.”

Not that he had much of a choice – Chloe practically shoved the straw into his mouth. The blue slush concoction was way too sweet and gave him brain freeze. He didn’t want to think about how much sugar was in even one sip of it.

His dietician was going to kill him. It was wonderful.

“Dance with me,” he said to Chloe.

“Now?” she had just enough time to put her drink down before Adrien grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

“Why not?” The rest of the V.I.P. lounge was empty aside from the bouncer, the band downstairs was playing some ridiculous rock song, and the Adrien who had scaled his rooftops for fun had returned ready to have some fun.

He spun wildly in circles, taking advantage of all the extra space around them. He was completely off beat and he was bound to trip over his super squeaky dress shoes, but for just a moment, he didn’t care.

The three of them radiated pure joy. Why wouldn’t they? They were living the teenage dream – sneaking out late at night, hyped up on sugar, adrenaline, and the company of amazing friends.

Swaying along to an album’s worth of rock ballads and downing slushies all night - it didn’t get much better than this.

Moments like this made the stress melt away. He’d sit through a million photo shoots, try out dozens of ridiculous diets, and sit in stuffy vehicles for hours if it meant he got to let loose and have the time of his life with his best friends at the end of it all.

Once he got out of LA, this could be his life every day.

Of course, leaving LA would mean there would be a lot less days like this one, with Nino and Chloe by his side. It would probably mean a lot less clubs like this one, which he’d grown to love over the years. He’d likely have to move somewhere with a lot less beaches; somewhere where the sunsets weren’t nearly as breathtaking.

Plus, he couldn’t get away at all if he screwed up tonight and did something reckless. One misstep and he could kiss that dream goodbye.

Adrien immediately felt very dizzy, though he and Chloe had stopped spinning long ago.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “You have this weird look in your eye. Here, sit down.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted. Chloe led him back to his seat and helped him down gently. He made a point to lean back and shut his eyes, thinking only the happiest thoughts and hoping that it showed on his face. “See? Nothing to worry about.”

And then a flash went off behind Adrien’s head.

Adrien’s seemingly cool smile turned panicked in an instant. It might have been an accident, or maybe someone was taking a photo of something else, or maybe a light bulb blew out. Honestly it could have been anything. But the paranoia had been running too high for too long.

His guilty conscience was back in full control now. Goodbye Rebel Adrien, hello Anxious Adrien.

“Come on, let’s go,” Adrien was glad that Nino had said it so he didn’t have to. “We’ve been here long enough. You look miserable, dude.”

Chloe didn’t hesitate to agree. Her feel-good vibes were lost as soon as she’d seen his face. At this point, they had had their fun for the night. The sooner they got Adrien back home, the better.

“Can you pull around back?” Adrien asked quietly. “I don’t want to be seen.”

“We’ll meet you in ten,” Nino said, fishing his keys from his back pocket. “The usual spot, okay?”

He didn’t know what he’d do without Nino. Leaving him was going to be one of the hardest decisions Adrien would ever have to make. He’d have to work extra hard to remember today. It might be one of the last nights they’d have like this.

He watched Nino and Chloe disappear down the front steps before making his way down the back stairwell. It was time to face reality once more.

Marinette wanted out now.

The heat was absolutely stifling inside the club. The third band of the night was in the middle of their set, the bass booming loud enough to shake the floors. Somewhere in the midst of dancing bodies, Alya was probably having the time of her life. Marinette wouldn’t know, since she’d been pushed far into one of the back walls and trapped, unable to make her way back to the front of the stage where she’d lost her friend. She could barely move an inch without getting her feet stepped on or her bag snagged on someone’s jewelry.

So far the Adrien hunt had been a total bust, and Marinette honestly couldn’t tell if Alya cared or not. When they first walked in, Alya had been balancing on her toes, scanning the crowd for a glimpse of blonde hair and making a beeline towards anyone who even mildly resembled the model from the back. Her cellphone had stayed tight in her grip, ready to record anything and everything she may see that was blog worthy.

Then the band onstage played a song she remembered. And a boy at the juice bar had offered to buy her some colorful concoction (“It’s not alcoholic, I promise,” the bartender had said as he slid it over). In no time she blended right in with the local girls who were just so ready to let loose and have some fun. It was like she had gotten so swept up in the night that she had forgotten all about her mission.

Marinette wished she could forget about everything right now. The too-loud music, the sickly sweet smell in the air, the pure frustration she felt after essentially getting left alone in a corner in a strange country surrounded by what could have been very dangerous people.

She needed some air. She silently promised herself she’d only be gone for a second. No way she was leaving her best friend to fend for herself in a place like this.

Attempting to escape to the women’s bathroom was an absolute bust – it was full of girls reapplying makeup and spraying obnoxious amounts of perfume into the air, clouding everyone’s senses with the scent of cherry blossoms.

The upstairs lounge area was no better. Dozens of chairs and couches sat in semicircle formations, all crowded with boys who were guzzling down bar snacks and yelling at an American football game on a nearby television.

There was no chance of her passing off as a celebrity to sneak into the quieter V.I.P. section, either.

Slowly but surely, Marinette wiggled her way to the front of the venue and back out through the doors they’d entered an hour prior. Even outside hadn’t offered enough peace, as large groups gathered on the sidewalks to smoke and discuss their other plans for the rest of the night.

Holding her breath, she put her head down and tried to seem confident as she walked away as quickly as possible. There was no need to draw attention to herself, especially not by sending herself into a coughing fit.

Part of her wanted to try getting another taxi and heading back to the hotel on her own. Alya had done it the first time, it couldn’t be too hard, right?

Of course, she and Alya were supposed to stay together, and leaving Alya inside a club while she got a ride to somewhere miles away was definitely not one of the rules she’d promised to abide by.

After another minute, Marinette slowed to a stop, feeling like she was far away enough to finally breathe. The booming bass was still audible, but just barely. She glanced up and blinked in confusion. The neon lights of the club’s sign were nowhere to be seen. Had she really gotten turned around that easily? She couldn’t have walked far.

Great, she thought.

She could feel her eyes start to well up with frustrated tears. Why had she even let herself get talked into doing this? She could have had a nice two weeks, lounging on beaches and drawing in her book, but instead, she was here. Lost in an alleyway with no idea how to get back to her friend. Her friend who could have gotten in all sorts of danger while she was alone in there.

She was too busy letting her anxieties get the best of her to notice the door to her left, much less react quickly enough when it swung open violently, landing a direct hit to her face and turning her entire world to black.

[nighttimefjaeril]

Shipper manifesto (or "why do I ship Houmei/Jyoan?")

Welcome to rareshipping hell, grab a seat, grab a drink, ‘cause this is gonna be a long one.

So, I’m pretty sure that anyone that has ever the slightest interaction with me, can at least tell two things about me: 1. I’m incredibly, borderline insanely passionate about Saiyuki Ibun 2. I love Jyoan and Houmei the most.

Now, I’m sure that most of you also know that I not only I love them separately, as their own characters, but also together. ‘Cause I ship them, you know. Hard. I’m probably not very subtle bout that, am I? But at the same time, I have to say that, unless I’m in an environment where I know people are gonna be accepting, I don’t feel extremely comfortable talking about it. Why? I’m not sure to be honest. This is not a problematic pairing by any stretch of the imagination, the guys are roughly the same age and there are no signs of dub or non-con in their dynamics. I guess that what it all boils down to is my fear of having people come up and tell me “But WHY?”. Which, to be fair, it isn’t an offensive question at all, per se. It’s probably that people wanna know the reasons behind me shipping these two characters. Gosh, they probably never thought about it, they’re just curious, and understandably so. It’s just that my silly, insecure mind can’t help but perceive this otherwise innocent question as judgemental. As in like “How can you ship these two as they barely interacted in the first volume??” , “How can you ship them when you should ship Koumyou with Ukoku (I do) and in his Houmei-form with Toudai (I also do, I’m a shameless multishipper) and Jyoan has Ganpuku (I…sort of do?) as his go-to shipping partner!”. Again, I’m not saying that these are necessarily the other person’s thoughts behind the question, it’s just how my mind perceives it most of the time, and I feel like I have to justify myself for liking it, in a way. Well, today I thought I try and leave my insecurities behind and explain once and for all why not only I ship Houmei and Jyoan, but it’s also probably my OTP. For now. Until Minekura gives us more Ibun and you know, things may change…

Why do you ship Houmei/Jyoan?

There are many ways I could start this… it’s a combination of things really. The easiest way to put it is this: I’m in love with the potential dynamics of their relantionship, based on the chemistry of their personalities… which is definitely the most developed thing about Ibun characters so far. Not the estabilished history with each other, as there is very little of it at this point as the story has just began; not their backround, which is hinted at best, and not their motivations, which in most cases are still pretty murky. But their personalities, their well-roundness… for characters that have only appeared in one volume, they’re all incredibly developed. This is one of Minekura’s greatest strengths: being able to create intriguing and memorable characters within their first apperance. Of course there is room for further development for all Ibun characters (including Houmei, we may have seen more of him compared to but we still know so little about it) but as far as the core of their personalities goes they’re incredibly well-constructed and adaptable for many, many scenarios.

We know that Jyoan is a proud, ambitious, tsundere-like character that wants to be at the center of attention at all costs; we know that Houmei is a free-spirited, kind but sneaky, incredibly gifted boy that succeeds in everything he does with very little effort. With these canon elements in mind, I think it’s only natural to imagine a scenario where Jyoan, who is probably one of the most driven candidates, would feel nothing but a devouring envy towards Houmei, who pretty much surpasses him in everything (hell Minekura even pointed out that Jyoan is one of the best with spells… only second to Houmei :’D) without even trying. We haven’t seen this yet, true, but to me it’s just a natural progression of the premise we’re given with these two. Actually, we have proof  that Jyoan is well aware of Houmei’s incredible talent, as he has shown towards the end (he basically wants him out because he knows he’s the biggest threat, and goes as far as to saying that “Whatever they test they put him through, Houmei will manage”. He states that in front of everyone too, and guys, this is Jyoan we’re talking about, someone who would put anyone down in favor of himself at any chance!). So, knowing Jyoan’s pettiness and… not-so-understated personality, I can’t expect nothing but obsessive jealousy towards Houmei. And once the object of his obsession realizes that, after wondering for quite some time why does that purple-haired weirdo keep looking at him like he wants to put a hex on him, wouldn’t you think that Houmei wouldn’t pass the chance to take this to his advantage, or at least have some fun with it at Jyoan’s expenses? 'Cause let’s face it, Jyoan is lthe perfect victim for Houmei’s trolling, more than anyone else; he’s touchy, petty, resentful and while I wouldn’t call him dumb nor exactly naive, I think… he would fall for it? :’D At the beginning at least; I stongly believe that at some point he would be able to tell that Houmei is full of shit, and why you ask? Easy: because Jyoan hides his true personality behind a mask as well. A narcissistic and self-confident façade that hides his insecurities and weaknesses, just like Houmei hides his real nature behind his ditzy and goofy persona. I think that, once they get to know each other a little bit more, it would be pretty apparent to both, and the discovery would lead to some tense and perhaps dramatic moments between them (you know, like “Bitch you fake” “LOL bitch look who’s talking” xD).

So yeah. We have Jyoan’s obsessive jealousy towards Houmei, and Houmei taking advantage of that for his own enjyoment. They both may be calling each other fake at some point and may get into a twink fight. So where does romance come to play in all this?

To be fair, I’m not even sure if I ship this romantically or not. I mean, I do I guess, but not in a “and they lived happily ever after” kind of way (do I ever lol). I will say this: I definitely believe that,given the premises aforementioned, I don’t think it’s hard at all to imagine some romantic/sexual tension building between them as a natural progession. Because you see, obsessiveness can lead to attraction pretty easily, in a “love-hate” kind of way. Isn’t “being attracted to your rival” one of the tropes as old as time (from Jyoan’s pov that is)? Besides, it may be a pretty weak point to make, but Jyoan is obsessed with beauty, too, and well, is there anyone more beautiful than Houmei around the temple (beside Jyoan himself, of course, of course! :’D )? Let’s be honest, Jyoan is a bit shallow that way, he would be attracted to the prettiest person… second to him :p I do however believe that his attraction wouldn’t be limited to that: it’d be a mix of awe and jealousy towards Houmei’s talent, his intelligence, his popularity, his good looks… would Jyoan ever admit that? No, but deep down, would he want to (get) hit (by) that? Probably.

This took only Jyoan’s side into consideration, so what about Houmei? Why would he be attracted to Jyoan?

First of all, I would like to make a point about Koumyou that comprises every other ship revolving around him: usually, it’s pretty easy to tell how the other person involved feels about Koumyou. But how about him? Do we really know how he truly feels about Ukoku, Goudai or whomever? We can imagine that he cares about them, sure, but does he really show it? I think not, at least not to the extent that the other person does. That’s because Koumyou is an incredibly aloof, distant person, with a very complex and detatched attitude towards life itself. His Houmei-form isn’t that much different, quite the contrary: he may hide it more behind his goofball façade, but his thoughts and attitude aren’t less enigmatic than his more mature self.

Having said that… based on what was said earlier, I think that Houmei wouldn’t think much of Jyoan at first. The “rival” narrative doesn’t really hold up for him. He would definitely find Jyoan odd (which he is), maybe irritating even, and perhaps him and Toudai would make fun of him a little, 'cause remember, Toudai doesn’t like Jyoan and viceversa (they would never bully him of course, but maybe commenting something along the lines of “Oh that weirdo is making a fuss again, how did he even end up here?”). But after playing some practical jokes on him and getting to know him better, I feel he would warm up to Jyoan quite a bit. He would find his tsundere-ness and over-the-top-ness pretty endearing, probably because it would make him laugh. He would have fun around Jyoan, in a way or another. They’re both pretty strange, “extra ” kind of people, not in the same way of course, but they do share some similarities and who knows, they may discover they have more stuff in common than they think (like c'mon, like they wouldn’t love spending their evenings with clad in robes, face masks on, catching up with some ridiculous gayass program that only them would be into :’D). Also, I feel that Houmei would be able to pick up on Jyoan’s attraction (or well, weird mix of contrasting feelings and “I-it’s not like I like you or anything, b-baka”) towards him pretty soon, and would he go for it? Sure, why not? I feel that Houmei would be…adventurous that way and would basically go with the flow, it the premises are right. Knowing him, he would definitely take pleasure in teasing Jyoan and well, basically play with him a bit, unless… things turn into a nuisance. If it takes too much effort, Houmei is likely to lose interest fast, leading both parties to frustration and unresolved sexual tension. Which, I don’t know about you, I’m all for. (Also, I have no problem picturing Houmei finding Jyoan attractive, he’s a pretty boy, just like he is. Unless he’s solely into big, masculine dudes, which I think not *cough*Ukoku*cough*, I think that there are good chances that he would find him fuckable. I don’t think he would have a “type” anyways).

Ok, now that we’ve roughly estabilished how their dynamics and chemistry work, what’s next? Would they fuck? If yes how?  Would it be hot or not (Hell yeah it would!)?

And then what?

Alright, let’s talk about sex. I don’t know about you, but the temple of hot dudes in fundoshi scenario just works for me. Much like prison, the military etc., it’s one of those things where sexual frustation may lead even the straightest man to… exploration (I don’t think it’s Houmei and Jyoan’s case, BUT). Without elaborating too much on it, I think that, if these two would reciprocate attraction, it’s most likely that they would end up doing it. Why wouldn’t they? They’re young  men in their prime and probably suffering from the worst case of blue balls ('cause you know, forced celibacy), it’s only natural that they would find a way to release some tension. I have a thing for Koumyou as a top in general, and with Jyoan, well… Jyoan definitely strikes me as a bottom. I’m not saying he wouldn’t top like ever, but… yeah, it’d be definitely a very rare occurance. Ok, one could argue “the feminine one as the bottom cliché”, but actually, I don’t think it’s quite the case with these two: in fact, they’re both pretty feminine dudes. Dare I say that, between the two, Houmei could be actually the most feminine? Appearance-wise Jyoan has a more androgynous look, but who speaks like a schoolgirl and uses “watashi” between the two? Minekura mentions that Jyoan can be surprisingly masculine at times, and I can honestly see that, as in his demenor is definitely more aggressive and imposing. Despite all that, Jyoan in my eyes would still be the world’s biggest bottom, and a very submissive one at that. Me and others have often referred to him as a “pillow queen”, too, which I think it’s very fitting: Jyoan makes you work for it, only then he would reciprocate…maybe (I headcanon him to be pretty skilled at oral though, blame it on the illustration where he’s licking a lollipop: goddammit Minekura, be a little bit more subtle about it :’D). But all the attention must be on him, all the time. As for Houmei… he would be happy to oblige :D He’s the most adaptable and creative of the two, and he would get a kick out of dominating Jyoan, for sure; no matter the position or role, he’d be the one in control all the time. And Jyoan would be totally ok with it, whether he admits it or not. Also, I could picture them being into some light kink stuff, nothing too extreme, but you know for sure that ropes would be heavily involved (well guys, Koumyou would have had to practice on someone before going all out on Ukoku, wouldn’t he? ;) ). To put it shortly, I think that they would have very good sexual chemistry. Would that reduce their relantionship to the one of two fuckbuddies? Eh, don’t think so. Perhaps it could start that way, you know, once they overcome all the confusing feelings and tension (which may take a while lol). But I do believe that they would definitely manage to estabilish some form of emotional connection and bond, once they get to know each other better. And since we know that they’ll spend at least two years together living under the same roof, I’d say that there is more than enough time for that.

Having said that… do I think that their relantionship is meant to last forever? Probably not.

…

“BUT YOU SAID IT’S YOUR OTP AND YOU DEDICATED THIS UNREASONABLY LONG POST TO THEM AND-” Ok, ok, I know, but hear me out. Not all otps are meant for an happy ending. Some of us prefer some… contrasting and unbalanced dynamics that would lead to drama. Tormented lovestories. Awful people doing awful stuff and making each other suffer. Perhaps it’s one person loving the other more and receiving less in return? Perhaps it’s a crippling inferiority complex leading them to believe that? Or perhaps it’s simply a matter of incompatibility, despite all the love and the good that it’s there? Or it could be also for reasons that go beyond their will. Or it could also be just that Jyoan is an egoistic and childish piece of shit and Houmei is a manipulative insincere bastard, you know. I do sense a certain degree of dysfunctionality between them, of the kind where being together doesn’t bring up the best but the worst in them. I’m not saying that there is no other way to interpret their relationship, and I’d be lying if I said that I wouldn’t dream of a universe where Houmei and Jyoan would grow to become just like the guys from Vicious (if you have never seen it, look it up and tell me that Sir Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi’s characters aren’t Jyoan and Houmei respectively in their sixties :'3 ). But I do believe that, in a way or another, their relantionship is probably not going to be a long-lasting one. Probably too much drama. Too much instability. Lack of trust and fear of committment could play a role in it, too (no I’m not blaming everything on Houmei, like can you imagine how it must be being around a perpetually pissed primadonna for a long period of time? Yeah, can’t really blame him). Even with this conviction in mind, do I still love it and ship it to death? Heck yeah. If anything, this only reinforces my devotion, as it’s said that the most beautiful things are meant to be short-lived…you know, like a butterfly (insert JYOAN IS GONNA DIE IN IBUN!!!! conspiracy theory).

I think that I covered everything. I guess I could get into the whole symbolism topic, bringing up the fact Houmei being very often surrounded by butterflies in Ibun illustrations, including a black one, and well, Jyoan has been associated with both butterflies and the color black (the black kitsune mask illustration and his “mundane” clothes are always monochromatic, too); I could also point out that butterflies are attracted to light  (Houmei = light ; Jyoan = buttefly), until they burn themselves to death; I could bring up the fact that their birthdays’ numbers are basically flipped (Houmei -> 29/08; Jyoan -> 28/09 = 29/08 28/09) and more. The thing is, I don’t think I necessarily need to bring any evidence to the table in order to make this pairing acceptable. Or any other pairing, for what it’s worth. 'Cause at the end of the day, it’s all a matter of taste. My reasons for shipping a pairing are personal and legitimate, and don’t require any justification for that. I wrote this so-called manifesto mostly for myself, as a way to rationalize why I like Houmei/Jyoan so much. If, at the same time, this can help others understand my fascination behind it, and who knows, maybe appeal some into learning more about it, then even better. I’m not trying to convince anyone to ship them or that they’re canon, not at all; I just want to prove that it’s totally ok shipping two characters just based on potential and personal, subjective feelings, and that rarepairs aren’t less “legit” than more universally accepted ships, canon or not. If you look deep enough into the characters and use your own imagination as a way of filling the gaps left empty by canon, anything it’s possible. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

So… could all this gigantic amount of text be summed-up as: “I ship it because I like it”? Well, yes. I’m very sorry.

[warnercreations]

“Ignorance is bliss ‘tis a folly to be wise”

These words by Thomas Grey referred to the inevitable suffering that resulted from “growing up”, he urged youngsters to stay innocent as long as possible.

But this is no Neverland, here we DO enter adulthood.

I love reading, but I am also a huge movie fan, and in my personal collection I own copies of “The Matrix” and “Pleasantville”. If there are any who have not watched both of these movies, then I would urge you to make a plan to do so. I was recently inspired to write a blog entry based on “Pleasantville”, but I’ve made dozens of false starts with this entry, and the words have not flowed… Then I realised something the other day, “Pleasantville” and “The Matrix” actually share a common theme.

Let me start closer to the beginning of this story;

I’ve been sorting out my life, reducing the clutter, organising those things that I choose to keep. I’m sure everyone who lived in the era of film photography has a box of photo prints lying around? Mine has been with me since the last photos I had taken somewhere around 2001, many of them have been water damaged during my homeless times, and others were of memories that up until recently retained enough painfulness for me to shy away from exposing them often.

But things change, and I’ve got to the point where I don’t mourn the loss of those “good times” as much as I enjoy the memories of them, so I started organising them into collages, and as I did I took photo’s of some of them and shared them with friends on social media.

Many people responded with “you looked so happy then”

I immediately got on the defensive!

It was my self analysis regarding WHY this got me on the defensive that led to this train of thought.

“You looked so HAPPY then…” ;

These days we have a camera embedded in a little device we carry with us all the time, not only that but the pictures it takes are of a high quality, instantly available and free! Back in the Jurassic Era I grew up in, cameras were not always on hand, film was expensive and so was processing that film into prints, and to top it all off, one waited a week for the film to be processed after handing it in at the newsagents or pharmacy. So having a photo taken was an occasion! And you only really took the trouble to carry the camera when there was a REASON to. And no, we didn’t take a photo to show how miserable we were! So largely old photo’s were a record of the good times! This accounts for a proportion of the apparent “happiness”…

In my reality MANY of the “occasions I refer to above were the times spent with my now ex-wife as we progressed from dating, to courtship and into marriage. She and I were separated by 1,100km (700miles) for the first 7 years of our relationship, not only that, but the cult religion she and I were born into forbid dating among those “not yet ready for marriage”; so for much of that time we conducted our relationship in secrecy. We would spend a few weeks together every six months during school vacations, and obviously these were wonderful times as we made up for the months of pining and misery in-between, and we took photos during those happy times to remember them and each other. We didn’t take photos when we cried during farewells, nor of the stress and worry inflicted on us by the punishment from the church elders for indiscretions like “holding hands”. So many of these photo’s were of short periods of intense happiness separated by months of misery and despair.

But, eventually we married, and set up home together, we progressed in our respective careers, we accumulated material possessions, and took full advantage of the glamour and entertainment available to a pair of yuppies in Cape Town during the 1990’s. We drove sports cars and motorcycles, we lived with a sea view, we dined at some of the finest restaurants in the world, we frequented the theatre, the Opera House and the music concerts. We hobnobbed with the rich and the famous, the beautiful and the talented. There was little reason NOT to be happy!

Some people pursue that lifestyle their whole lives, they sail through mild seas and keep close to the shore, where life is easier and safer, and more secure. They come home to the boring spouse and hide the secret lover, they live cautiously and retire comfortably. There is nothing WRONG with these choices, except that these individuals generally lack the imagination to empathise with what the “other people” go through.

I speak from experience here, I used to judge others harshly, as compared to my own frame of reference. I knew a girl who had had an abortion while she was a teenager, illegal back in the puritan “Old” South Africa, she lied to her parents and the authorities and claimed to have been raped by “a Black man”, which of course ensured a legal abortion. My then Wife and I were extremely judgemental towards her and her morals. I would publicly attack smokers whose smoke intruded into my space. I would proudly assert that our Christian morals and stance against blood transfusions made us immune to the AIDS epidemic of the time. I judged those who were unfaithful to their spouses as hypocrites and sinners. I believed that only those of my Religious Sect would be saved from imminent destruction! Those who were not able to pay their monthly bills were wasteful and undisciplined.

When my wife admitted to having had an affair, I felt somewhat less invulnerable to STD infection. When I was comforted by that same woman who had had the abortion and ended up in her bed, I felt less self-righteous. When the divorce blew down the house of cards of my debt-based finances, I felt less fiscally disciplined. When I got hooked on tobacco during a drunken party I felt ashamed of how I shouted at those whose smoke drifted my way. When I ended up in a relationship with a separated, but still legally married woman, I felt hypocritical.

Unlike Neo in the Matrix, I never made the conscious choice to swallow the Red Pill, someone must’ve slipped it into my drink while I wasn’t watching!

“Spirituality” is somewhat of a fad at present, people wear it like a religion and they believe that “Spiritual Awakening” occurs wearing Yoga Pants, sitting in the Lotus Position chanting Ohmmmm.

In my case it came disguised as depression and self-destruction.

For Me, “Spiritual Awakening” wasn’t building a temple in the mountains, it was tearing down and setting fire to everything I owned so that something new could be built on the scorched earth left behind.

I found a major flaw in much of the teachings of The Law of Attraction, it is this concentration on consumerism. Much of the focus of many of the teachers is on Material Wealth…

Actually, maybe that is all as it should be, because again, I must correct my line of reasoning, The Law of Attraction is of itself not about spirituality, it may borrow from many of the practices of Spirituality such as Meditation, and entering into elevated states of consciousness, but at the root of it all, it is about manifesting change in our lives, rather than about embracing change in our lives. Do you pick up the difference? MANIFESTING change is about making a choice as to what we choose, EMBRACING change is about adapting to changes in our lives.

We live in a global society that has manufactured a set of standards to which we are expected to conform. This I guess is what we refer to as our “civilisation”. Consumerism is the central ideology of this global civilisation, and it is imposed upon us from the moment of birth, some may argue that it begins even before that.

The best neo-natal care and nutrition creates physically superior bodies

The best educational toys creates superior intellectual abilities

The best dental care creates an attractive smile

The best juvenile nutrition ensures a pattern of healthy eating

The best schooling ensures qualification to attend the best Universities and Colleges

The best Universities and Colleges ensures superior earning potential

The best Looking, best educated and higher earning individuals attract the best Looking, best educated and higher earning spouses.

The best Looking, best educated and higher earning couples have the potential to breed superior offspring…

The unfortunate results of the rutting of the less privileged start life with a disadvantage…

And how do we show that we are successful in this civilization? By what we own, by what we drive, by what we wear, by whom we mate with.

A year ago, I found myself in a very dark place. I was chronologically in the middle of a conflict with a family member, what started out as a simple disagreement over taking sides in a couple’s divorce escalated as neither of us was prepared to back down. Insults were traded until eventually he struck the blow below the belt that knocked me for the count… He asserted that I am a failure in life, and while I intellectually knew that to be rubbish spouted by an ageing narcissist, I saw myself through his eyes and that was very painful for me.

For some time now I believe that I have seen through this whole Zeitgeist, I see how we are manipulated into what to wear, and how to act, who to have sex with and where to live, what to drive and where to drive to. I came to understand how we are manipulated into religious, nationalistic, racial and cultural divisions so that we can be controlled and played like the pawns that we choose to be.

Once you understand these things, then clothes become something to keep us warm and protected, covering our nakedness because the alternative is legally and culturally unacceptable. A vehicle becomes a tool, a means to travel and transport goods from place to place. A cellphone ceases to be a status symbol, but becomes a communications tool and portable computer. A dwelling becomes a shelter. A life partner is chosen on merit rather than the standards of physical beauty created by the fashion industry.

But this person asserted that I was lazy, that my “messing around building furniture” was not an acceptable vocation, that my vehicles and my appearance are a disgrace. More than that he announced these things on public forums from where I conduct business.

Now as I said before, INTELLECTUALLY I understand that all of what this person was accusing me of was based on his own desperate clinging to the illusion he believes to be reality.

“Those still invested in the illusion hate those who have woken up” – Kim Warner

But my own self-esteem was fragile enough to take this to heart, and I did!

Healing was a slow process because as ones self-esteem is damaged so things collapse, and no matter what we may or may not believe about the Law of Attraction, when we feeling bad about ourselves, bad things seem to happen to us.

Self-Love is not vanity, that was something I had to teach myself ever since my mother and her Cult indoctrinated me to the contrary. No, Self-Love is vital, it it taking care of yourself first because when you give everything to someone else and have nothing left for yourself, then no one is there to help you. Self-Love is taking a vacation so that you become recharged. Self-Love is spending the money to go to the Doctor and the Optometrist so that you can function better. Self-Love is building something beautiful for YOURSELF

Self Love is making Collages out of your old photos so that you can remember the happy times.

This brings me back to those two movies, The Matrix was about seeing through the artificial, superficial illusion that we are conditioned into believing to be real. Pleasantville is about two modern teenagers who are transported back into the black and white world of a 1950’s television sitcom. In Pleasantville, everything was “pleasant” the Fire Department’s only task was rescuing cats out of trees, because fire did not exist, sex didn’t exist, art didn’t exist, not as a form of expression anyway, music was “pleasant”, everybody was “pleasant” to each other and even the weather was “pleasant” all the time, it never even rained in “Pleasantville”.

As these two teenagers interacted with these “pleasant” people they caused a chain reaction. The girl, played by Reese Witherspoon was a stereotypically sexually promiscuous cheerleader, and she introduced the “Pleasantville” teenagers to sex, Tobey Maguire, who played the nerdish boy introduced the citizens of “Pleasantville” to such concepts as art appreciation and taught the Fire Department how to extinguish a fire…

As people were influenced, they appeared in full colour, some were ashamed of this and tried to hide their “colour” behind makeup and clothing, others flaunted it. Life became less and less “Pleasant” in “Pleasantville”, adultery, rioting, fires, mob-justice, segregation all became part of life in “Pleasantville”, but the other side-effect was that people grew, that while life was no longer always “pleasant”, it could also reach heights of bliss and valleys of despair.

The hero of “The Matrix” chose to take the Red Pill, and as a result he was ejected from the comfortable illusion and subjected to the harsh life of a resistance fighter. Like me, the residents of “Pleasantville” never got to consciously choose, but each of them grew exponentially as a person.

I reacted SO defensively to “you looked so happy then”, because that was the bliss of ignorance, not the satisfaction of being fully awake in a world of sleepwalkers.

Go Forth and BE AWESOME

All My Love

Kim

Happiness and the Illusion “Ignorance is bliss ‘tis a folly to be wise” These words by Thomas Grey referred to the inevitable suffering that resulted from “growing up”, he urged youngsters to stay innocent as long as possible.

[bronzeflower]

Who The Fuck Writes A Ten-Page Rant?????

Also on ao3

-----

Chapter 10: Romantic Advice And The Greatest Rap Battle In History

-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling turntechGodhead [TG] --

CG: HEY, DAVE. CG: I TRIED TO TROLL YOU YESTERDAY, BUT IT SAID YOU WERE IDLE. CG: ARE YOU HERE NOW?

TG: you bet your bottom dollar im here TG: sorry for not answering yesterday btw TG: got distracted by a bunch of other people pestering and trolling me

CG: IT’S FINE. CG: WE ALL GET BOMBARDED BY OTHERS AT SOME POINT OR ANOTHER. CG: WHO DID YOU TALK TO?

TG: some of my friends who you also apparently know or knew TG: i learned a lot of shit yesterday TG: namely that all of my friends know who you are TG: jade knows who you are TG: john knows who you are TG: terezi knows who you are but that was kind of expected but i did not expect that you were friends with her since fucking kindergarten TG: and then also aradia apparently was friends with you in middle school????

CG: WHAT? CG: YOU TALKED TO ARADIA? CG: GEEZ, I HAVEN'T TALKED TO HER IN AGES. CG: HAS SHE DIED YET?

TG: not that i know of TG: as far as i know she is as nice and cheerful as ever

CG: CHEERFUL? CG: CLEARLY WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE SAME ARADIA.

TG: so you arent talking about aradia megido here

CG: I AM, BUT CHEERFUL IS PROBABLY THE LAST WORD I WOULD USE TO DESCRIBE HER. CG: SHE WAS ALWAYS KIND OF CREEPY, AND SHE ACTED DEAD HALF THE TIME. CG: SHE ALSO DID A BUNCH OF CRAZY SHIT AS IF SHE COULDN'T DIE. CG: IT WAS, FRANKLY, EXTREMLY CONCERNING.

TG: that doesnt sound like the ara i know at all TG: except for the crazy shit part TG: she still does crazy shit TG: the ara i know is super fucking cheerful and happy TG: wait when you say she acted dead what do you mean

CG: I MEAN SHE ACTED LIKE EVERYTHING WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN. CG: IT WAS HONESTLY SUPER CREEPY. CG: THE ONLY TIME I REMEMBER THAT SHE SHOWED SOME EMOTION WAS WHEN EQUIUS TRIED TO ASK HER OUT. CG: TO BE FAIR, HE DIDN'T EXACTLY DO IT IN THE BEST WAY. CG: HE KIND OF DESERVED TO GET BEAT UP.

TG: holy shit TG: i dont know who the fuck equius is but what was the damage

CG: HE HAD A BROKEN BONE OR TWO, AND HE ALSO HAD TWO BLACK EYES. CG: WHICH WAS REALLY FUCKING IMPRESSIVE SINCE HE WAS SUPER FUCKING BUFF AND KNEW MARTIAL ARTS.

TG: can a middle school child be buff

CG: YES. APPARANTLY. CG: AND, AS MUCH AS NEPETA THOUGHT THE PAIRING WAS CUTE, SHE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO ADMIT THAT THE WAY EQUIUS ASKED ARADIA OUT WAS CREEPY.

TG: how did he even ask her out

CG: IT'S A MEMORY I PREFER TO KEEP REPRESSED.

TG: that bad

CG: YES. CG: IT WAS HORRIBLE TO WATCH, AND THEN ARADIA GOT SUSPENDED FOR AN AMOUNT OF TIME.

TG: she did it at school???

CG: SHE DID. CG: SHE ALSO DIDN'T OFFER ANY MERCY. CG: THE ONLY REASON THAT SHE STOPPED BEATING UP EQUIUS IS BECAUSE A TEACHER MANAGED TO PRY HER OFF HIM.

TG: jesus christ TG: i wasnt even sure that aradia was capable of being angry TG: she was clearly a very different kind of person when she knew you

CG: CLEARLY.

TG: also i dont know who nepeta is either

CG: SHE WAS EQUIUS'S MOIRAIL. CG: SHE STILL IS, AS FAR AS I KNOW. CG: I TALK TO HER SEMI-OFTEN. CG: I SHOULD PROBABLY TALK TO HER MORE.

TG: how many of your friends from middle school do you still even know and talk to

CG: WELL, I STILL TALK TO NEPETA, KANAYA, TEREZI, SOLLUX, AND ERIDAN. CG: SOMETIMES I HAVE THE DISPLEASURE OF TALKING TO EQUIUS. CG: GAMZEE STILL CONTACTS ME SOMETIMES, BUT I TRY TO AVOID TALKING WITH HIM BECAUSE OF THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST. CG: I'VE BARELY HEARD ABOUT VRISKA SINCE SHE WENT TO JAIL FOR SOMETHING. CG: I CAN'T, FOR THE LIFE OF ME, REMEMBER FOR WHAT, BUT I THINK IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN FOR STEALING SOMETHING. CG: AND THEN I DON'T REALLY TALK TO FEFERI, TAVROS, OR ARADIA ANYMORE. CG: I THINK THAT'S BASICALLY EVERYONE I WAS FRIENDS WITH IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.

TG: holy shit thats a shit ton of people TG: when i was in middle school i was only friends with john jade and rose TG: and rose was my fucking twin and john and jade lived miles and miles away from me TG: and you still talk to a bunch of them TG: even if i dont know who most of them are but will probably find out eventually TG: i think john once dated a girl named vriska TG: dont know if it is the same one

CG: WAS SHE WEIRDLY OBSESSED WITH SPIDERS AND THE NUMBER EIGHT?

TG: she was actually

CG: THEN IT WAS THE SAME ONE I KNEW.

TG: shit TG: john still has lingering effects of her influence TG: like typing out eight characters when drawing words out

CG: WELL, SHE WASN'T DATING JOHN WHEN I MET HIM, SO SHE MUST HAVE GOTTEN OUT OF JAIL.

TG: well i guess that development is settled TG: i apparently know a fair amount of the people you knew TG: who would have guessed

CG: PROBABLY ANYONE WHO KNEW BOTH OF US CG: ALSO, COULD I ASK YOU FOR ARADIA'S TROLLHANDLE? CG: I WAS BEING SERIOUS WHEN I SAID I HADN'T TALKED TO HER IN AGES. CG: AND I DON'T KNOW IF SHE STILL HAS THE SAME TROLLHANDLE.

TG: sure thing dude TG: her trollhandle is apocalypsearisen

CG: I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S STILL THE SAME. CG: I COULD HAVE CONTACTED HER AT ANY FUCKING TIME.

TG: i wouldnt worry about it that much TG: you probably just didnt want to risk contacting someone super weird who you didnt actually know anything about

CG: I GUESS, BUT STILL.

TG: besides it is super hard to get a hold of her at all so i only really ever talk to her like once every few months TG: she does all this archeology shit so half the time she is in a place with no internet

CG: OH. CG: I GUESS THAT MAKES SENSE. CG: ARCHEOLOGY IS PRETTY COOL THOUGH.

TG: yeah she gets to lead expeditions and shit now its pretty fucking awesome TG: going around licking shit to see if something is a rock or a bone

CG: WHY THE FLYING FUCK WOULD YOU GO AROUND LICKING RANDOM THINGS TO SEE IF IT IS A ROCK OR A BONE?

TG: because if it is a bone then your tongue will stick TG: thats how you know its not going to be useless if you shove it into a museum

CG: THAT'S REALLY WEIRD.

TG: you havent even heard about licking some thousand or something year old honey to see if it was still good TG: spoilers TG: it was because honey never spoils

CG: THAT SOUNDS LIKE BULLSHIT.

TG: no man its one hundred percent true TG: complete and absolute fact

CG: I'M STILL GOING TO CALL BULLSHIT.

TG: dont say i didnt warn ya TG: one day youre going to be arguing with someone and then youll both look it up on wikipedia to see whos right TG: and low and behold you were wrong TG: you will have to live with that humiliation for the rest of your life

CG: I THINK I'LL GET OVER IT.

TG: wow okay

CG: ANYWAY, I'M GLAD ARADIA IS DOING SOMETHING THAT SHE PRESUMABLY ENJOYS WITH HER LIFE. CG: SHE DOES ENJOY HER JOB, RIGHT?

TG: hell yeah she does TG: every time i contact her we trade stories about things that have happened in the past few months TG: sometimes really dumb shit happens that we tell to our other friends TG: while others are closely guarded secrets that we only tell one another and they never see the light of day

CG: WHAT KIND OF SECRETS?

TG: secret secrets TG: the most secrety kind of secrets you could ever conceivably have and share with another living thing that has the capability to tell others your secret TG: except that you trust them enough not to tell anybody about it

CG: ARE YOU SURE YOU ONLY TALK TO HER ONCE EVERY FEW MONTHS?

TG: yeah i would like to talk to her more but she is a busy person and so am i TG: our schedules dont always line up TG: particularly because of her going to places where she doesnt have internet and is therefore unable to contact anybody

CG: THAT SOUNDS PRETTY SHITTY. CG: I CAN'T IMAGINE NOT TALKING TO KANAYA FOR MONTHS AT A TIME.

TG: its a system that works just fine for aradia and i TG: it would be nice to see her in person every now and then tho

CG: WAIT, I HAVE A QUESTION. CG: HOWEVER, IT MAY BE KIND OF PERSONAL, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER IT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO.

TG: ill answer depending on the question so go ahead and shoot

CG: ARE YOU MOIRAILS WITH ARADIA? CG: BECAUSE A LOT OF THE STUFF YOU DESCRIBED TALKING TO HER ABOUT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING YOU WOULD ONLY EVER TELL YOUR MOIRAIL.

TG: oh um TG: moirail is like the intimate best friend right TG: like pale and shit

CG: YES. THAT IS THE QUADRANT I AM TALKING ABOUT.

TG: ... TG: i actually have no idea

CG: OKAY, SO IF YOU TWO AREN'T OFFICIAL MOIRAILS YET, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT HER?

TG: shit man i dont know TG: i just kind of think that shes a cool person who i would prefer to hang out with more TG: but like i know that her job is important to her

CG: YES?

TG: i dont know its just like TG: it would be nice to hear more from her TG: just to know that shes alive and doing well and safe and shit TG: you know

CG: YES, I DO KNOW. CG: BECAUSE I HAVE A MOIRAIL, SO I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT HERE.

TG: oh TG: huh TG: i feel like my previous definition is an intimate friend was kind of correct then TG: but like also kind of not TG: im not exactly sure how serious this kind of relationship is though

CG: IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHO YOU DECIDE TO BE MOIRAILS WITH. CG: FOR SOME PEOPLE, IT'S A VERY SERIOUS COMMITMENT, BUT, FOR OTHERS, IT'S MORE CASUAL. CG: SOME EVEN WANT TO HAVE AN OPEN RELATIONSHIP, WHICH IS MORE COMMON WITH HUMANS, BUT WHATEVER. CG: REALLY, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY TALK TO ARADIA ABOUT THIS AND TELL HER HOW YOU FEEL. CG: IF THE TWO OF YOU HAVE BEEN SHARING SECRETS LIKE YOU SAID YOU WERE, THEN SHE PROBABLY FEELS THE SAME WAY. CG: ALTHOUGH, THE RELATIONSHIP MAY BE DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN BECAUSE OF DISTANCE. CG: ON THE OTHER HAND, YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HER HASN'T BEEN DIMINISHED FROM TIME AND DISTANCE, SO IT MIGHT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO TURN INTO A STRONG MOIRALLEGIANCE.

TG: i think im going to think on it for a bit longer TG: but thanks anyway for the relationship advice

CG: OF COURSE. CG: ROMANCE IS MY FORTE.

TG: speaking of romance though TG: talk to me about your novel TG: it sounds pretty interesting from what little i have heard about it TG: and based on the amount of writing i have read from you its really good TG: so you should totally yell at the top of your lungs about it TG: shout your passions to the world and if anyone gives you shit about it punch them

CG: I DO THAT ANYWAYS. CG: I HAVE PUNCHED MULTIPLE PEOPLE. CG: THERE IS REALLY NO NEED TO ENCOURAGE IT.

TG: thats the spirit TG: so novel time TG: lay out your outline of novel in amazing detail for me TG: or whatever amount you feel comfortable with TG: really there isnt any pressure or anything

CG: FINE, IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE SO INSISTENT. CG: THE BASIC SETTING OF MY NOVEL IS THAT TWO INDIVIDUALS MEET WHILE IN COLLEGE. CG: THEY MEET IN A TEA SHOP BECAUSE I CAN DO WHAT I WANT. CG: SO ANYWAY, WHEN THEY FIRST MEET, THEY FUCKING HATE EACH OTHER. CG: THEY'RE JUST COMPLETE OPPOSITES, BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT A BUNCH OF THEIR FRIENDS ARE FRIENDS WITH EACH OTHER, SO THEY END UP SPENDING MORE TIME TOGETHER. CG: THE MORE TIME THEY SPEND TOGETHER, THE MORE THEY REALIZE THAT THEY ACTUALLY LIKE THE OTHER PERSON. CG: WHICH EVENTUALLY LEADS TO THEM FALLING IN LOVE AND BEGINNING TO DATE.

TG: that sounds super interesting TG: infinitely better than that bullshit in romance novels where they fall in love with each other instantly and then spend most of the novel skirting around each other and beating around the bush TG: i havent actually read any romance novels but im pretty sure that is how it goes

CG: THAT'S PRETTY MUCH HOW IT GOES USUALLY. CG: AS MUCH AS A LOVE ROMANCE BOOKS AND MOVIES, THAT TROPE IS PRETTY FUCKING ANNOYING. CG: IT'S LIKE, JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER, YOU COMPLETE DOUCHNOZZLES! CG: OKAY, SO I MAY NOT BE THE BEST PERSON TO SAY THAT, BUT STILL! CG: I GOT BETTER! CG: I ASKED OUT KANAYA, AND IT WAS GREAT!

TG: really

CG: YES. CG: PEOPLE ALWAYS SEEM TO THINK THAT KANAYA WAS THE ONE WHO ASKED ME OUT, BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE. CG: I GATHERED UP THE NERVE, AND I TOLD HER THAT I WAS PALE FOR HER. CG: YEAH, *SOME* PEOPLE MAY CALL MY APPROACH A TAD BIT EXTRA, BUT I WAS TRYING TO BE ROMANTIC, GODDAMNIT!

TG: how exactly are you supposed to be romantic with pale romance

CG: I GAVE HER SOME FLOWERS, WHICH CAN BE USED TO EXPRESS FEELINGS FOR ANY AND ALL THE QUADRANTS. CG: TYPICALLY PEOPLE JUST WRAP THE BOUQUET OF FLOWERS IN A COLORED WRAP THAT REPRESENTS THEIR FEELINGS. CG: RED FOR RED, PINK FOR PALE, BLACK FOR BLACK, AND GRAY FOR ASHEN. CG: I HAPPENED TO ALSO CHOOSE FLOWERS THAT WERE MEANINGFUL AS WELL, SO THE BOUQUET OF FLOWERS I GAVE KANAYA HAD YELLOW ROSES, AND IT ALSO HAD SOME CHRYSANTHEMUMS.

TG: what do those mean

CG: YELLOW ROSES MEAN FRIENDSHIP, WHILE CHRYSANTHEMUMS MEAN SUPPORT. CG: I TRIED TO AVOID ANY FLOWERS THAT MEANT LONGEVITY AND STUFF LIKE THAT BECAUSE THOSE CAN MAKE YOU LOOK DESPERATE. CG: YOU ONLY GIVE THOSE SORTS OF FLOWERS TO SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN YOUR MOIRAIL FOR A REALLY LONG TIME. CG: IT IS ALSO TRADITIONAL FOR THE BOUQUET OF FLOWERS TO BE TIED WITH TWO RIBBONS, ONE WITH YOUR BLOOD COLOR, AND THE OTHER WITH THE OTHER'S BLOOD COLOR. CG: SOME PEOPLE DO DIFFERENT KNOTS TO REPRESENT DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT I WON'T GET INTO THAT.

TG: this all sounds really fucking complicated

CG: YEAH, WELL THAT IS PROBABLY WHY PEOPLE CALLED ME EXTRA. CG: BUT, IN ADDITION TO THE FLOWERS, IT IS ROMANTIC TO BRING THE PALE ROMANTIC INTEREST THEIR COMFORT FOOD, ALONG WITH ONE OF THEIR FAVORITE MOVIES OR BOOKS. CG: IT SHOWS THAT YOU ALREADY KNOW THE PERSON FAIRLY WELL, AND WOULD LIKE TO PURSUE A PALE RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM. CG: SO, I BROUGHT KANAYA HER COMFORT FOOD AND HER FAVORITE BOOK.

TG: i assume she responded positively since you two are now moirails

CG: YES. CG: WE HAD A VERY ENJOYABLE DATE.

TG: are there any nuances about the other quadrants i should know about

CG: IT DEPENDS ON WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE WILLING TO DO A BLACK OR ASHEN RELATIONSHIP. CG: MOST PARTICIPATE IN THE MORE RED QUADRANTS, BUT MANY FEEL WEIRD ABOUT THE DARKER ONES. CG: TO BE FAIR, THEY ARE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO KEEP UP BECAUSE THEY REQUIRE A PROPER RIVALRY. CG: THE BASIC STIRRINGS OF BLACK FEELINGS IS A FEELING OF RESPECT FOR THE OTHER PERSON. CG: YOU CAN'T HAVE A PROPER RIVALRY IF YOU DON'T RESPECT THE OTHER PERSON AND RECOGNIZE THAT THEY HAVE GOOD TRAITS. CG: THE MORE MAJOR FEELINGS THAT TEND TO GET UP PLAYED ARE THE FEELINGS OF ANIMOSITY TOWARDS THE OTHER PERSON. CG: HOWEVER, PEOPLE SEEM TO FORGET THAT THE RESPECT PLAYS A HUGE PART IN BLACK ROMANCE. CG: THE ASHEN QUADRANT IS EVEN MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE IT TAKES THE BLACK QUADRANT AND ADDS ANOTHER PERSON TO MAKE SURE THAT THE KISMESISES DON'T KILL EACH OTHER. CG: SOMETIMES, THE HAPPENINGS OF A PITCH RELATIONSHIP IS DEPENDENT ON HOW GOOD THE AUSPISTICE IS. CG: AND THERE ARE VERY FEW GOOD AUSPISTICES, MUCH LESS PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY INTERESTING IN BEING ONE. CG: KANAYA IS ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE I KNOW WHO ACTUALLY HOLDS AN INTEREST IN BEING AN AUSPISTICE, SO SHE KNOWS MORE ABOUT IT.

TG: well thats a shit ton of information TG: i think i need my info a bit more spread out and a bit more simply worded TG: although it might just be because i have a hard time wrapping my mind around this black romance stuff TG: i think ill stick with the red quadrants thank you very much

CG: WELL, IF YOU EVER NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT QUADRANTS AND THE ROMANCE ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF THEM, THEN I'M THE PERSON TO GO TO.

TG: i think i got that with the first word about quadrants that decided to waterfall out of your mouth

CG: THAT IS BECAUSE I AM SUPERIOR WHEN IT COMES TO KNOWLEDGE ABOUT QUADRANTS.

TG: yes you are TG: bow down to the great king of quadrants everybody TG: his greatness and might are too glorious to behold TG: youve got to fuckin look in the corner of your eyes to even begin to behold his beauty and glory TG: all hail the king of the quadrants

CG: FUCK YES. CG: BOW DOWN TO ME, PEASANTS, FOR I AM YOUR GOD. CG: QUIVER BEFORE MY MIGHT.

TG: they quiver before you my liege TG: they are fearful of the power you possess

CG: OKAY, THIS IS SOUNDING WAY TOO MUCH LIKE ONE OF NEPETA'S ROLEPLAYS, SO I'M GOING TO PUT A STOP TO IT HERE. CG: JUST, STOP.

TG: oh shit if nepeta does this kind of roleplay shit im going to need a way to contact her

CG: WHY THE FUCK WOULD I EVER WANT TO GIVE YOU THE MEANS TO TALK TO HER.

TG: because you want your friends to meet each other

CG: NOT REALLY. CG: ANYTIME THAT HAPPENS, THE TWO END UP GETTING ALONG INSUFFERABLY WELL, AND THEY END UP MAKING ME SUFFER.

TG: i guess ill just have to find another way to get her contact information

CG: GOOD FUCKING LUCK WITH THAT. CG: BUT SERIOUSLY, IF YOU END UP TALKING TO NEPETA, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TALK TO EQUIUS AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER. CG: THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS EXTREMELY SERIOUS. CG: THE TWO ARE SO PALE FOR EACH OTHER IT'S ALMOST SICKENING. CG: YOU MIGHT END UP WITH A BROKEN HAND.

TG: what for talking to nepeta TG: that seems like a dick move

CG: NO, IT WON'T BE FOR TALKING TO NEPETA. CG: IT WILL JUST BE FOR MEETING HIM. CG: HE HAS A REALLY STRONG HANDSHAKE. CG: DO NOT USE YOUR DOMINATE HAND WHEN GIVING HIM A HANDSHAKE.

TG: ... TG: ill keep that in mind TG: btw i want to know something TG: has rose pestered you yet

CG: WHY WOULD SHE PESTER ME?

TG: so she hasnt TG: she found out it was going to be kanayas bday soon and she was freaking out about it TG: because she didnt know what to get kanaya TG: i told her to contact you since you are moirails with kanaya

CG: KANAYA WOULD BE OVERJOYED JUST BEING GIVEN A GIFT FROM ROSE. CG: I DON'T KNOW WHAT ROSE IS FREAKING OUT ABOUT.

TG: thats what i said TG: but yeah you should probably message her just to make sure she hasnt gone into solitude about it

CG: HAS SHE ACTUALLY GONE INTO SOLITUDE FOR THINGS LIKE THAT?

TG: no TG: she mostly goes into solitude near a book deadline TG: but still TG: it is a concern of mine

CG: ALRIGHT. CG: I'LL TRY TO TALK SOME SENSE INTO HER. CG: WHAT'S HER HANDLE?

TG: tentacletherapist

CG: I GUESS I'LL GO MESSAGE HER NOW. CG: I'LL TALK TO YOU LATER.

TG: see ya my dude

-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling turntechGodhead [TG] --

You begin to brainstorm ideas for possible videos for your channel in the future, and you kept this up for about an hour before someone started messaging you.

-- grimAuxiliatrix [GA] began trolling turntechGodhead [TG] --

GA: This Is Dave Correct GA: I Am Kanaya Just In Case You Did Not Recognize My Handle

TG: yep this is dave TG: whats up kanaya what do you need

GA: I Do Not Actually Need Anything From You GA: I Simply Wanted To Make Sure That I Had The Handle Right Before Contacting You In The Future GA: However I Would Not Be Adverse To A Conversation

TG: well lets see what could we possibly talk about TG: there are a shit ton of potential topics we could discuss TG: and yet my brain is coming up blank TG: despite all my swank this shit aint ready to bank TG: the topics at hand are inside the void TG: were reaching for them grabbing at them TG: but we miss more than a storm trooper droid TG: we pick up a topic and were like oh shit we grabbed it TG: only for it to slip out of our hands and end up cracking it

GA: Do You Happen To Partake In The Art Of Slam Poetry

TG: thats like the troll way of saying rap right TG: hell fucking yeah i do TG: do you want to do a rap battle with me

GA: I Do Not Do This Sort Of Thing Very Often But I Would Like To Accept Your Challenge GA: Would You Rather You Or I Go First

TG: if youre feeling up to it you can go first

GA: If You Insist GA: Here I Go GA: The World Was Created A Long Time Ago GA: And Yet It Has No Time For Your Parlor Tricks GA: All They Do Is Make Us Sick GA: The Stars Align And They Make Me Shine GA: Far Brighter Than The Sun That I Have Claimed As Mine GA: You Seem To Have The Belief That You Are Better Than I GA: But I Regret To Inform You That I Will Make You Cry

TG: holy shit that was great TG: but frankly i have to reiterate TG: my rhymes are slick and holding to a beat TG: theres not a lot of thinking that goes into what im bringing TG: theres no time to think no time to meet TG: just listen to the words here that i here am singing TG: youve got to have more than rhymes to kick my ass TG: and frankly based on that youre not gonna last TG: cause my beats are sick so sick in fact TG: that my old raps are practically some cool artifact

GA: That Youre Raps Are An Artifact You Have Correct GA: But I Have To Inform You That You Need To Double Check GA: What You Think It Means At Least GA: For I Believe They Were Thrown In The Garbage Yesterday GA: You Should Feel Horrid If That Is The Case GA: That Is Where They Were Meant To Be Anyway GA: Mine However Are The Hottest You Ever Will See GA: And If You Say Otherwise All Will Disagree

TG: my rhymes may be trash but theyre ironically shitty TG: just wait and see if you can reach my level of petty TG: my beats made of coal and with enough pressure and heat TG: my beats will be the most beautiful diamonds on the street TG: ill be forever engrained in the earth TG: youll be the one always waiting around for a rebirth

GA: Im Going To Have To Say I Agree Your Rhymes Are Shitty GA: Theyre Gritty And Im Pretty GA: And Im Worth More Than Being Just Petty GA: Youre Admitting That Your Trash GA: You Might As Well Be Ash GA: Ive Won Already So I Hope That You Are Ready GA: Your Diamonds Are Fake As Is Your Declaration GA: Just Pack Up Your Bags Youre Leaving The Station

TG: okay okay i yield TG: leaving the station now TG: didnt even pack my bags thats how roasted my ass got TG: your rhymes are too sick for me to handle TG: like holy shit where did you learn to rap like that

GA: I Dabble In The Art Of Slam Poetry And The Art Of Poetry Alike GA: Not As Often As I Would Like Though GA: Perhaps We Can Do This Again Another Time

TG: i will totally take you up on your offer TG: its been a while since ive had a worthy opponent TG: especially one that beat me into the ground so soundly

GA: I Will Continue Honing My Skills

TG: and ill do the same over here

GA: It Was Enjoyable Talking With You GA: Or In This Case Slamming With You GA: I Will Contact You In The Future

TG: wait hold on before you go TG: karkat mentioned a friend named nepeta and i want to get her contact info TG: do you have this information

GA: Her Trollhandle Is ArsenicCatnip GA: However I Do Not Know Why Karkat Would Withhold This Information From You

TG: i think he might have been worried how well we would get along

GA: I Still Do Not Understand GA: I Should Be Going Now GA: I Will Message You Again In The Future

-- grimAuxiliatrix [GA] ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG] --

Well, you guess it’s time to message Nepeta for the first time.

-- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering arsenicCatnip [AC] --

TG: yo youre nepeta right TG: i heard about you from my friend karkat who is also your friend TG: i got your handle from kanaya tho because karkat refused TG: he said he didnt want to bring the powers that we have together TG: well i said fuck that and so here i am pestering you

AC: :33 < i am nepeta, but who are mew?

TG: oh shit TG: i guess i completely forgot to introduce my awesome self TG: im dave TG: nice to meet you

AC: :33 < its nice to m33t you too! AC: :33 < how did you and karcat meet? AC: :33 < he doesnt really talk to anyone outside his furiend group

TG: i met him at his work and i kinda rambled a shit ton like i always do TG: and i made him laugh and i gave him my chumhandle

AC: :33 < ! AC: :33 < you made him laugh? AC: :33 < i almost nefur hear him laugh beclaws he just wants to be all grumpy all the time

TG: it might of just been because he was at work and didnt feel like risking yelling at me TG: which he does all the time TG: anyway i heard you like roleplaying with people

AC: :33 < i do! AC: :33 < would mew like to rolepurrlay with me?

TG: hell yes

AC: :33 < i usually rolepurrlay as a cat AC: :33 < what would mew like to be?

TG: shit if were going to be doing animals and shit then i want to be a crow TG: crows are the shit TG: you can start if you want to

AC: :33 < *ac crouches behind some bushes, watching her unsuspecting prey*

TG: *tg stands there pecking at the ground or some shit*

AC: :33 < *when ac is sure the crow isnt suspecting it, she pounces!*

TG: *tg squawks as ac attacks him he is completely fucking oblivious to how this could have possibly happened*

AC: :33 < *ac successfurlly holds the crow in her claws, purrparing to eat her dinner*

TG: *tg begs that ac does not eat him over and over he shouts to not be eaten by her*

AC: :33 < *ac carefurlly considers not eating the crow* AC: :33 < *in the end, howefur, ac opens her maw and asks if the crow would like to watch a documentary about animals!*

TG: *tg stares in disbelief at his tactic of begging actually working* TG: *not wanting to give ac any reason to eat him he accepts her invitation* TG: *he says that he would love to*

AC: :33 < *ac says that this rolepurrlay was furry fun!*

TG: *tg says ditto and would like to do this again sometime*

AC: :33 < *ac agrees but must go now so she will troll you again in the furture*

-- arsenicCatnip [AC] ceased trolling turntechGodhead [TG] --

Well, that was pretty fun. Soon enough, you both will be able to use your powers for evil. And by evil, you mean to annoy Karkat, at least a little bit. Maybe you could invite them both out at some point.

You hear the doorbell ring, and you go to the door to find a package at your doorstep. Sweet. More stuff to review for your channel. As if you didn’t have enough shit already.

You set up your recording stuff and start recording. You open the box in absolute silence and slowly pull out the merchandise. It’s a rug. A very, very soft rug.

“The first carpet industry was made in 1791 by a dude named William Sprague in Philadelphia. However, it isn’t the United States that make the best rugs. Eastern counties actually have the best carpets, like India. They make a hell of a lot of rugs. This rug isn’t from India though. It’s just a really soft rug. Look how soft that shit is. Softer than the nicest goddamned silk in the world.”

You rub the carpet against your face.

“Just be sure to take off all the tags so you can get the full sensory experience of the rug. Now, of course, I can’t just keep rubbing my face against this lovely carpet. I’ve got to put it on the floor where it can do what it’s supposed to do. Be a rug.”

You place the carpet on the floor and step on it. You wriggle around your toes.

“Still just as amazing on my feet as it was on my face. Though, you might not want it to rub your face against it once you’ve rubbed your feet on it. Unless you’re into that sort of thing. I’m not judging. But you might want to wash it.”

After a few more minutes of rambling on about the texture and color and other sensory stuff about the carpet before stopping the recording.

Time to edit the fuck out of this shit. After you find a place for the pink carpet you bought. It was way too nice to throw away, and pink is a great color.

[stellacarrierimaginationbuilders]

Shocking Adventures of Futuristic Culinary Employee Spencer Truman

Start time by 519 pm Sunday June 2 2019

Completion time by 558 pm Sunday June 3 2019

Shocking Adventures of Futuristic Culinary Employee Spencer Truman

 Hi My Name is Spencer Truman and I work as a culinary assistant to university chefs in the Hampton Roads Virginia area in the Year 2105 cooking for Old Dominion University in Norfolk Virginia, Tidewater Community College in Norfolk Virginia and sometimes assisting my brother Damion Truman at some of the events he is asked to set up for on the University of Maryland College Park campus. I reside in a completely paid for home that is a mile from the Norfolk Virginia naval base that cost 99000 American dollars in early 2000s money. I was born June 14 2070 and I have an older brother named Damion Truman born June 13 2060 who currently resides in a paid for home less than a block away from the College Park metro station in College Park Maryland. Damion Truman paid 100,000 dollars in early 2000s American money for his home.  He works as a caterer on the University of Maryland College Park campus and he sometimes invites me to help set up events with him on a volunteer basis once or twice a week. I Spencer Truman am about purchase a car within the next two weeks. We are able to easily see each other at least weekly because of a high speed train station system that was built by the year 2065 that opened across various parts of the United States. This changed the U.S. economy a lot because a person living and residing in the Washington D.C. area could now go from taking a train from downtown Washington D.C., northern Virginia andor certain parts of Maryland and be in let’s say California in the span of just an hour andor even all the way across England andor Iceland in the same timeframe more on that in a future session.

 I Spencer Truman have been asked if me and my brother are direct descendants of President Harry Truman and/or members of his family. To be honest, both my brother and I have yet to know because we were both adopted by the time we were 5 years old and by the time we both worked up the courage to ask both of our adoptive parents (by the year 2090) they both mysteriously died the same day as our biological mother who died a year before (in 2089). This is important because we both have been told by our adoptive family members that only our adoptive parents know the complete information on who could be our father because our late biological mother was a popular prostitute who mingled with men of various backgrounds and socio-economic classes by the time prostitution was legalized across the United States by the year 2060. Neither my brother or I judge her for her lifestyle, however we have yet to find out our full backgrounds on our full racial ancestries because we found out through a past boyfriend of our biological mother that she was still immersed in the field of prostitution before and after she gave birth to the both of us averaging at least 8 to 20 clients a month that netted her an income of at least 2000 dollars a month in early 2000s money. However, yesterday before this interview someone who says they were one of the coworkers and a relative of one of the regular clients of  my late biological mother contacted me after seeing me and my brother featured on a popular newspaper article of high society in the Hampton Roads Virginia area and interviewed on a news channel. My brother and I were featured as part of a summer camp teaching other adults psychic abilities and cooking demonstrations at a week long summer camp that is available for men and women of ages 17 on up by the year 2080. We were both interviewed because of our side business that we were offering both as matchmakers to traditional couples and matchmakers to non-traditional couples for a fee to 500 dollars in early 2000s money. We grew in popularity because we had a high rate of success in matching people who were mutually attracted to each other after just one try (i.e. over 90 percent of our clients only had to invest 500 dollars). Over 80 percent of those pairings resulted in long term relationships andor partnerships andor long term love affairs spanning at least 10 to 15 years and at least 60 percent of them resulted in marriages. We both became millionaires in the span of just 5 years because of the high demand for our services particularly from people who controversially it would have been considered taboo for them to seek out such services, i.e. a high percentage of married women and men of various ages ranging from 21 to 120 of various incomes and backgrounds and men and women of various ages backgrounds and income looking to discreetly meet these women. Yes many of these successful pairings were at our Virginia Beach summer camp along with our traditional couple pairings and oddly enough in a positive way many people got along with each other. A coworker who is connected to my potential father noticed the physical similarities of my brother and I to one of his friends that he knew and at first he admitted to not wanting to contact us until the late friend’s sister insisted that he at least lets me and my older brother know for closure even though my rumored biological father already passed away (the sister is offering up her dna). Both I Spencer Truman and Damon Truman decided to stay working in our culinary fields for now for the enjoyment of it. Apparently the rumored biological father kept my late biological mother a secret from many of his friends and family members not because of her profession but because he was married and worked in a field that necessitated he keep relations with my late prostitute mother a secret (he was a high ranking navy intelligence officer). The sister offering up her dna to see if her married brother was our father has worked as a food publicist both across the Norfolk Virginia and Virginia Beach Virginia areas in addition to multiple parts of the metro Washington D.C. area (College Park Maryland, Arlington Virginia, Wheaton Maryland Mclean Virginia etc.)Anyhow, I Spencer Truman plan to speak with you more on the feature on this exciting summer camp that opened in Virginia Beach by the year 2080 and rumor has it that a similar camp is going to open in College Park Maryland by the year 2108. I Spencer Truman admit that both myself and my brother have been told that we resemble  Sting from the Everything She Does is Magic era which helps in our side business as matchmakers. However, I must be on my way because one of my career psychic coaches just texted me and is letting me know that he thinks that we both won a 200 million dollar lottery that we both purchased and shared lottery tickets for.

Resources

https://www.randomlists.com/boy-names

Washington D.C. area and Hampton Roads Virginia area stories

 9  Virginian Pilot

I have eaten at Shake Shack in at least 3 different locations within the metro D.C. area since Shake Shack came to the metro D.C. area after the May 2011 timeframe. My favorite burger is the shack stack burger which comes with a hybrid of a cheeseburger and a fried mushroom burger stuffed with cheese. I am guessing that the new Shake Shack location in Virginia Beach is probably going to be popular for at least a while if their food is just as good as the locations I have been to in the metro D.C. area. I admit that I intend to eventually try the Virginia Beach location Shake Shack.

https://pilotonline.com/business/consumer/article_1eb4e6d0-7c81-11e9-b682-6326ddaa780c.html

Shake Shack Fans  Early To Line Up For Famed Burgers and Fries by Robyn Sidersky staff writer May 22, 2019

https://pilotonline.com/business/consumer/article_1eb4e6d0-7c81-11e9-b682-6326ddaa780c.html

online Virginia schooling college network

https://onlinevirginia.net/onlinelearning/

A six dollar pricing for a cranberry meat and brie sandwich sounds fine. The fact that a new chef is going to test out their foods each Monday sounds interesting.

https://pilotonline.com/life/flavor/article_ee758982-35f1-11e9-8401-b3d0d1a9aed8.html

At One Norfolk Space, Diners Can Try A Brand New Restaurant Every Month by Matthew Korfhage Staff Writer February 25 2019

https://pilotonline.com/life/flavor/article_ee758982-35f1-11e9-8401-b3d0d1a9aed8.html

I am taking a wild guess that these coworking spaces referenced in this article are going to become even more popular by the July  2019 timeframe especially with the multiple businesses referenced: Old Dominion Norfolk State Novel Coworking City Center etc.

https://pilotonline.com/business/real-estate/article_77539218-7c05-11e9-8b68-0b2ebca27592.html

Co-Working Office Space Continues To Pop Up In Norfolk Here’s Why by Briana Adhikusuma updated May 28 2019

https://pilotonline.com/business/real-estate/article_77539218-7c05-11e9-8b68-0b2ebca27592.html

Novel Coworking City Center

https://novelcoworking.com/locations/virginia/norfolk/city-center/

The Poketastic place seems pretty unique from the detailed description of the eating experience and sounds to have a combination of nourishing and tasty ingredients with the references to scallop salmon  pineapple seaweed salad cilantro mixed greens salad  etc . I pre-ordered the book Classic Restaurants of Coastal Virginia by Patrick Evans Hylton back in April 2019 and I wonder if there are any restaurants similar to Poketastic that are going to be referenced in the Classic Restaurants of Coastal Virginia book.

https://pilotonline.com/life/flavor/restaurants/peake-eats/article_874480d6-7aa4-11e9-a273-f3225a3fc867.html

At Poketastic, Possibilities Abound With Tender Toppings From Raw Seafood To Seaweed Salad by Patrick Evans Hylton

https://pilotonline.com/life/flavor/restaurants/peake-eats/article_874480d6-7aa4-11e9-a273-f3225a3fc867.html

I unexpectedly saw the University of Maryland College Park Robert H Smith school of business ad advertised online via the Patrick Evans Hylton Poketastic Virginian Pilot story

University of Maryland College Park Robert H Smith School of Business

https://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/programs/part-time-mba/?utm_campaign=f17-ptmba-choozle

http://virginiaeatsanddrinks.com/

https://barryartmuseum.odu.edu/

This article that showcases a multiple number of items that are available in the Barry Art Museum of Old Dominion University in Norfolk Virginia and from the collection of Richard Barry and Carolyn Barry is informative. However, the only caveat I feel is that I wish that at least a few pictures of the art available in the Barry Art museum were included with this Virginian Pilot article.

https://pilotonline.com/opinion/editorial/article_5c4beb0e-e84a-11e8-8be3-c7c4ce9c5275.html

See Artworks At ODU For Free by The Virginian Pilot Editorial Board November 15 2018

https://pilotonline.com/opinion/editorial/article_5c4beb0e-e84a-11e8-8be3-c7c4ce9c5275.html

I do feel that it is both worthwhile and helpful to discuss broadening the increase of grocery stores in modest income neighborhoods across the country. I am fortunate in the sense that I have enough free time in my schedule to travel to certain grocery stores for necessary food items where I live. However, I have been in areas within the U.S. that Warner refers to that could benefit from more grocery stores with affordable foods.

https://pilotonline.com/opinion/columnist/guest/article_58fa07a6-824b-11e9-8984-b37945cf96b8.html

Congress Food  by Mark Warner U.S. Senate

https://pilotonline.com/opinion/columnist/guest/article_58fa07a6-824b-11e9-8984-b37945cf96b8.html

 Washington Post

This Washington Post article helps remind me to eventually check out the International Spy Museum sometime before the end of this year.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2019/05/09/things-do-dc-area-this-weekend/?utm_term=.4a2025859e8f

17 Things To Do In The DC Area This Weekend by GoingOut Guide Staff Friday May 10

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2019/05/09/things-do-dc-area-this-weekend/?utm_term=.4a2025859e8f

Each of the Events in this Washington Post article seem interesting in their own way. However, I admit to being curious to research more information on the By The People Festival referenced in this article.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/the-best-things-to-see-drink-and-do-in-june-in-the-dc-area/2019/05/29/2ec3bea2-7e2f-11e9-8bb7-0fc796cf2ec0_story.html?utm_term=.e73864f7e0f5

The Best Things To See Drink and Do  In June In The D.C. Area by the GoingOut Guide Staff May 31 2019

https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/the-best-things-to-see-drink-and-do-in-june-in-the-dc-area/2019/05/29/2ec3bea2-7e2f-11e9-8bb7-0fc796cf2ec0_story.html?utm_term=.e73864f7e0f5

The Washington Post features a good mix of concerts in this article. However, I respectfully disagree with the Something In The Water Festival being in the Washington D.C. Area not having a note listed of the transportation arrangements to make because it is actually in the Hampton Roads Virginia area with the festival taking place in Virginia Beach. Something In The Water Festival affiliated with the talented Pharrell Williams is actually connected with the Hampton Roads Virginia area. Both the Hampton Roads Virginia and the Washington D.C. area are fascinating places to live. However, the well meaning inclusion of the Something In The Water Festival must accompany a note that such a festival would most likely need to be accessed via taking an Amtrak train, airplane or greyhound bus even with the inclusion of a Delaware festival in the article for Washington D.C. readers who might have resided in the Washington D.C. area their whole life and might be led to believe that all of these festivals are public transportation accessible.  I am adding that note with also admitting that I do intend to eventually attend the Something In The Water Festival in Virginia Beach in ideally 2020.Still, I am a proud Washington Post subscriber and I intend to be for years to come especially because a multiple number of the Washington Post articles are fascinating to look at andor read.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/music/summer-music-festival-guide/2019/04/17/2734977a-4fda-11e9-8d28-f5149e5a2fda_story.html?utm_term=.f69c84cf35a0

Dozens of Music Festivals Are Vying For Your Attention This Summer by Chris Richards Hau Chu Rudi Greenberg  Stephanie Williams April 18 2019

https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/music/summer-music-festival-guide/2019/04/17/2734977a-4fda-11e9-8d28-f5149e5a2fda_story.html?utm_term=.f69c84cf35a0

Obviously as an Amazon fanatic, I do believe that Amazon moving to Arlington Virginia is a good move both for the overall state of Virginia and for the metro Washington D.C. area. The Hampton Roads area of Virginia would have been the next best area for Amazon. However, I can understand why the Crystal City Arlington Virginia area was chosen because of the top notch public transportation in both Crystal City Arlington Virginia across the metro Washington D.C. area  that helps even car-free male and female career professionals easily get around.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/awaiting-the-amazon-influx-crystal-city-savors-its-urban-feel-and-dc-views/2019/01/24/4099b834-0f62-11e9-84fc-d58c33d6c8c7_story.html?utm_term=.b3aed7163377

Amazon Influx Crystal City Arlington Virginia

https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/awaiting-the-amazon-influx-crystal-city-savors-its-urban-feel-and-dc-views/2019/01/24/4099b834-0f62-11e9-84fc-d58c33d6c8c7_story.html?utm_term=.b3aed7163377

I feel lucky that I came across this honest/truthful Washington Post article. My husband and I both have a goal to own a completely paid for home ideally by the time we are in our 50s and this article helps me understand why I must try harder towards that goal. However, I hope that the seniors featured in this article go on to prosper andor find a place andor area/region within the U.S. that they both like to live and is affordable for the money that they have.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2019/05/28/middle-income-seniors-risk-falling-through-cracks-housing-market/?utm_term=.94ee9a7f0025

Middle Income Seniors by Tara Bahrampour May 28 2019

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2019/05/28/middle-income-seniors-risk-falling-through-cracks-housing-market/?utm_term=.94ee9a7f0025

Congratulations to Manuel Franco for his lottery won and his newfound millionaire status. I believe that this was the same person referenced in another article who bravely/courageously admitted that he was just trying to save up at least 1000 dollars or more when he unexpectedly won the lottery.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/04/23/how-winner-million-lottery-jackpot-nearly-lost-his-ticket/?utm_term=.693a010f5aca

How The Winner Of A $768 Million Lottery Jackpot by Michael Brice Saddler April 23 2019

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/04/23/how-winner-million-lottery-jackpot-nearly-lost-his-ticket/?utm_term=.693a010f5aca

    Youtube Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

I am fortunate to have had the chance to visit the National Air and Space Museum in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area multiple times within the past few years.  One of the visits that influenced me to check out the National Air and Space Museum multiple times was when my husband and I visited around the November 2014 timeframe for my birthday. We also have had a chance to recently visit less than 2 to 3 months ago.

I admit that the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. is another museum that I have been to with my husband multiple times. There are  good mixes of a variety of exhibits there. However one of  the few caveats is that on each visit I have yet to find anything related to the Menominee Indian Tribe. I was naturally a little curious to see if there was anything about the Menominee Indian Tribe because my late biological mother, my late maternal biological grandmother and multiple members of my biological mother’s family have Menominee Indian ancestry.

youtube link of  National Museum of the American Indian via Cspan   One of the multiple beneficial/positive things to living in the metro Washington D.C. area are easy proximity to public transportation and places to go to including the malls. I happen to find out that the Tysons Corner Center mall (in Mclean Virginia) is easy to get to after  a friend told me about where Tysons Corner Center mall is at by the 2014 timeframe. Despite this mall being a distance from where my husband and I live this mall has a great mix of places inside it. Youtube link The New Tysons Corner Center via the youtube channel the Tysons Corner Center   My husband and I are both at least somewhat familiar with Arlington Virginia because since around the 2010/2011 timeframe we have at times went to the Pentagon City mall in Arlington Virginia plus some of his college classes that he attended between the 2010 to 2012 timeframe were in Arlington Virginia. However, I still found this youtube video of Arlington Virginia Exploring Memorials Events Dining and Neighborhoods Near Washington DC (via the Visit the USA channel) very informative. I am glad to have spotted this video on youtube featuring the Westfield Wheaton mall in Wheaton Maryland. There are a strong variety of grocery shopping places to go to with the inclusion of Costo, Giants and Safeway plus multiple options of places to eat and shop at. Youtube channel of Wheaton Mall Lara Findeisen   This youtube video is pretty brief though it does capture a good view from above the University of Maryland College Park campus. I feel fortunate that I have been a University of Maryland College Park staff employee for 2 years and 9 months.   Maryland From Above via UMD youtube channel  

Songs for me to keep in mind: Case of Loving You by Robert Palmer, Rebel Yell Billy Idol, Move Along by American Rejects, Natural by Imagine Dragons, Ocean Avenue Yellowcard, Riptide Vance Joy, High Hopes Panic at the Disco, Fame David Bowie, Everything She Does is Magic Sting,Wheel In The Sky Journey

[daveywankenobie]

There are times when I really am my own worst enemy. I worry and stress about such silly things.

My recent internal struggle with what weight I must or must not be sits squarely in this camp. It really shouldn’t be on my mind though because life at the moment is good.

Very good.

Sure – there are things I still need to fix – such as my employment status – but even this seems to have an unexpected sense of impetus surrounding it all of a sudden.

Maybe it’s just the right time of year.

Sunshine is becoming more and more a feature of daily life as the seasons gradually change and winter cements itself into spring.

The now longer days seem to have had a subtly dappled light within the last week or so and the keenly awaited warmth they’ve brought has been reaching deep down inside me.

With this I have a sense that my soul is slowly being replenished.

On Thursday I was out and about with a friend who likes to occasionally go ‘off piste’ and capitalise on rare moments of good weather.

It was a good day to get outside.

She had suggested we try a new walk (found on the National Trust website here) that we’d not done before. This stared at Upton House and looped around Edgehill – somewhere I’d only previously seen in the distance before from another place that I’ve regularly visited – Burton Dassett (link) (another link) (yet another link).

We started our walk in the corner of the deserted car park of Upton House.

It’s a National Trust property, and (unlike many I’ve been to over the past few years) the parking is completely free. You just hop out of your vehicle, through a small gate and into a field to begin.

Initially the walk was anything but spectacular.

The field next to Upton House had recently been ploughed and although the light was nice the surroundings were flat, featureless and brown.

It wasn’t until we’d passed over a road, through another field and down a little dirt track that the glory of where we were slowly came into view.

This is the site of The Battle of Edgehill – fought on the 23rd of October 1642 – and it marks (at least from a military engagement perspective) the starting point of the English Civil war, where Royalist forces first engaged Parliamentarian troops.

According to the National Trust site the Malvern Hills could be seen in the distance to the left – but I couldn’t quite make them out with my naked eye.

I’m beginning to think that I need to get myself a little pair of trekking binoculars, because sights like this would provide an excellent justification for spending a few pounds.

Vistas like this make you both reflective and thoughtful – and as we stood pondering both the natural beauty and the significance of what had taken place all those years ago the conversation shifted to my feelings about the future and what it may hold.

At the moment all I see is potential and promise stretching out before me – and the marvel of this is that I’m in no hurry to do anything or make any decision about what my next steps should be.

I’m just trusting that everything will become apparent – and whatever is meant to happen will just naturally unfold over time.

The sky seemed to agree.

The clouds were lazily floating by on their way to somewhere else without a care in the world.

After marvelling at the view for a little while we continued along the top of the (soon to be tree covered) ridgeline.

Fortuitously it benefits from a deciduous canopy and is therefore (at least for the moment) completely defoliated – which means there are currently wonderful views to be found all the time as you walk.

All you have to do is stop and peer between the bare branches and tree trunks surrounding the well worn path.

After about three miles of walking our mid-way (ish) marker came into view.

It was the turret of the Castle Inn – and as pubs go it’s a pretty nice looking one.

According to the sign outside, the turret contains fully ensuite guest quarters.

Therefore if one should so wishes they can stay here overnight, get treated to some (apparently delightful) hospitality and then wake up to a glorious view in the morning – which would look a little something like this.

It’s a delightfully and very characterful little pub – and aside from the suit of armour on the wall, just inside the doorway is evidence that they like to think of things slightly differently.

On the wall to the right are the loveliest coat hooks I’ve seen for ages.

Where you might hang up your jacket isn’t the only thing of interest mind you.

The castle is dripping with history – and as we sat sipping coffee and ginger beer (you can probably guess which of the two belonged to me) I noticed a little piece of card by the drinks menu.

I love little touches like this – and as I read it I was reminded that this is why certain items are considered collectible antiques that become particularly valuable and others do not.

Provenance.

Without it a building would just be a pretty collection of bricks and none of them would be listed for preservation. With some knowledge of the past though we begin to look at inanimate items or localities differently and build an image in our minds that forms part of such an experience.

Ultimately nothing is valuable unless we choose to place importance upon it.

It’s all transient. Everything is either new or old, rare or abundant – and significance is completely subjective.

We can see beauty in many things and for some that may be a reason to ascribe importance – but the history of a place or object adds context.

It’s here the much of the value we ascribe to any object lies.

Just like my thoughts regarding the future – my happiness and satisfaction in life are completely based on my perspective and imagination.

I’ve decided that it’s bright because I have a narrative history in my mind about what preceeded it and what’s currently within it.

I see the present as better than the past and therefore I appreciate the present even more.

Together they give my life context and meaning and I choose to see that as positive.

To any casual observer nothing is different.

I still have the same head, the same brain sits within it and my body trails along behind it as it always has.

The positivity or negativity we experience when we consider the future are much like our imagination creating provenance in an object.

Sure – it might be truth – but it’s also the past. It’s gone forever and what remains is what we choose to see.

We continually construct our own reality and choose to live within it.

How many times have you told yourself you’re meant to be a certain way because you’ve always been like that – or that someone abused or treated you badly, and that this narrative still dictates your choices in later life?

Maybe this is why you’re unhealthy or feel unfulfilled?

What if your reality was different?

What if your own personal provenance was as easy to shift as writing a new history on the back of a piece of card and slipping it in between the menus of your life.

It’s totally possible.

The power of imagination and belief is within all of us – yet many choose to view it as dried cement rather than clay that they can still mould.

Not me.

As we left the pub and continued on our way I couldn’t help but admire the little splashes of beauty everywhere.

Much of the walk took very little in the way of perspective and provenance to appreciate. 

It was fabulous.

Sometimes all you need is a spot of sunshine, a handful of fruit and nut that your friend has given you – and a nice green field to stop and eat it in.

As we came close to the end of the walk and reached Uplands Farm it appeared that at some point either an overzealous landlord had covered up the right of way (or we took a wrong turn) because the path completely disappeared.

We were trying to figure out exactly how to correct our course when the yappiest (and cutest) little Jack Russell came out from the farm to ensure that we moved along.

It continued to ineffectually bark and growl at us for a good five minutes until we finally submitted to it’s surprisingly compelling argument and moved along – choosing instead to hop over a locked gate and head for the country lane we new we had to be on slightly further down.

All in all the walk came to around 6.4 miles and was absolutely delightful.

Although we didn’t go in I also believe that (as well as the Rose and Crown pub along the way) further refreshments can be found at Upton House, should anyone wish to pop in.

Either way – it was a lovely little trek, and it helped me re-set and re-centre my perspective.

I’ll be going back there soon.

Davey

Ley line walk from Upton House There are times when I really am my own worst enemy. I worry and stress about such…

[captainignatiuspigheart]

Midweek Confusion

OK, so this next week thing has slightly got away from me. As ever, by this point in a new week my recollection of the seven days past is blurring… Since my Google calendar stopped syncing with Facebook, even that once reliable tracker of things I expressed zero interest in has faded in its utility. Alas, I’ll have to go by memory; apologies in advance. 

  Alright, I’m genuinely stumped for the first couple of days, as far as the evenings go. I went back to the doctor’s – as I’ve been doing with frightful regularity since last July when we accidentally discovered that I have horrifically high blood pressure. My general understanding based on video games is that a high score is good, but apparently this does not follow in medicine. In order to prevent me from spontaneously stroking out (apparently a genuine risk even at my sprightly forty-one years) I’m being loaded up with various ACE and calcium channel blockers, but to counterbalance their potential for good, the ACE blockers offered a chance of trashing my kidneys, prompting fortnightly blood tests to make sure they hadn’t dissolved and begun circulating. They aren’t! Huzzah. But the ramipril didn’t do much on its own, other than not kill my organs, so now I’ve also got amlodipine (I may or may not verify these spellings… ) to work its mysterious way through the calcium channels. It’s all really quite interesting, to me at least since this is my frail puff-paste meat sack I live in. No more blood tests, and at a much higher dose is bringing my blood pressure down into merely prehypertension range, instead of the top end of stage 2 hypertension (down from my max of 180/109 to 140/90). Win. Plus, I’m now taking a proper Smarties assortment of pills, so that’s nice. Looks like it has a genetic cause, since I’m really quite healthy with my daily cycling and swimming routine, and my cholesterol is fine. In your face three kilos of Quality Streets and another three of cheese in December. Drugs for life – which is cool since I’ve been on asthma meds since an unknowably young age.

  For those uninterested in such health wranglings, tough: your body will begin to fail shortly, as I push these pins into this charming mannequin with a crude rendering of your features. But that can’t be all I did last week, right? Indeed, no. 

  Building: Lego

I have advanced a little with my pretty golden gates. I’ve expanded upwards, in adding mostly extra gold pieces. That’s a minor challenge because, as an inveterate hoarder, I feel like I should use them very sparingly and not deplete my stores. This is idiotic. The whole reason I’ve got the damn things is to use them! And that they look very pretty and they live in a box, and that makes me happy… As you can see I also greebled the fuck out of the walls, and gone way too far. I’ll find pics next week, but I’ve dismantled them in an attempt to make plainer walls which won’t detract so much from the magnificent pearlescent gold. 

    Watching: October Faction

We finished up watching the second-latest comic book adaptation to slide onto Netflix’s new releases bar (before Locke & Key, which unfortunately looks exactly the same but in Miss Peregrine’s Miserable House of Whatever instead – I’m sure it’s somehow different, and we’re bound to watch it eventually). Best described as Grimm crossed with Mean Girls, October Faction follows a family of monster hunters as they, um, hunt monsters and learn DARK secrets. Pretty chipper performances and casting made this a lot of fun, despite the incredibly predictable plot (not all monsters are monsters, your monster-killing organisation is surprisingly not all that chill). The high school stuff with a pair of twins trying to fit into the new town their parents have dragged them to works well, at least until they discover their own powers and the rest of the story unfurls. Very sexuality positive stuff too, which is always satisfying. Look, it’s not amazing, and the ending is a bit unsatisfying, but it’s a fun watch while you’re eating tea. I guess that’s a recommendation… 

    Watching: Birds of Prey, or the Film with a Whimsical Title about a Murderer (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

I know, I know. It’s a DC movie, why do we even try to enjoy them any more. This is about Harley Quinn, Joker’s recent ex (I mean, literally at the start of this film} and how everyone hates her and wants to kill her, because she is, as I think they say, “just awful”. In the process of people trying to kill her she makes some friends, including a fairly amusing child pickpocket and somewhere in here there’s a story about a massive diamond with encrypted passwords carved in it. There’s several different people’s back stories in here, and they all weave together quite ineptly, constantly tripping the film up. We meet Huntress, who has no character other than being a crossbow wielding lady sad that she saw her parents get murdered (it’s OK, they were mobsters – there’s no reason why you should care at all) by another gang of mobsters, under the instruction of Ewan McGregor, who plays some twat who wears a mask for the final action scenes. I should mention that this might be a career worst performance for McGregor, even counting the Star Wars prequels. Fuck knows what his character is supposed to be. And that’s the tone really, none of the characters have any consistency or make sense (except possibly the pickpocket girl). We veer from snarky comic stuff with Harley, to McGregor’s minion slicing off people’s faces. Everything happens fast, or in pointless time-skipping. Jurnee Smollett-Bell’s Black Canary is pretty cool, except that her having superpowers seems totally irrelevant until she knocks some folks down in the finale. Rosie Perez’ Renee Montoya is described as speaking in cop cliches, and that’s what they give her in lieu of a character. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn gets to do some genuinely splendid action scenes, and it’s the fighting throughout that makes this mess of a film endurable. Lots of people seem excited by the glitter and beanbag gun scene on entering the police station, but it’s the fight as they leave which is truly splendid. Oh, Arkham looks good – suitably grim and filled with ridiculous architecture and funfairs. I’d rank this as the third best DC movie (of the recent crop, barring Wonderwoman none of their films are even as enjoyable as Batman Forever), after Wonderwoman and Shazam (smoky grey CGI baddies are so Green Lantern) but some steps ahead of fucking Aquaman with it’s ghastly rubbery Sea World. I’m perplexed by this film all round. It grows clearer and clearer that I have no grasp of DC properties at all. In fairness, it’s about as good a grasp as Warner Bros’… 

  Doing: Creative Mentoring

Every month, for the last seven years (I think), I’ve spent a few hours with my delightful creativity client. We write stories, play improv and inspiration games, all with the aim of simply being mentally and creatively stimulating. And because it’s fun. Not too much to report on this occasion, other than to note (and remind myself) that’s always a genuine highlight of my week. I deeply enjoy the time I spend with Rebecca, and find it inspires me creatively too. What lovely reciprocity!

  Doing: the Glowstick Trials at National Justice Museum

After a number of rehearsals we finally got to play for real! Seven improvised courtoom dramas, back to back last Friday evening. The chaps directing it this time around (Richard and Ben) rejigged it very smartly from our previous version, putting it much more opportunity to freely extemporise in our various roles of Judge, Defendant, Prosecution, Defence and Witness 1 & 2. A small tight cast, with lots of quasi-legal nonsense. I was lucky enough to end up playing most roles, not least because of the hideous traffic jams that marred the whole of Nottingham for hours, delaying a third of our team. It might have had some effect on audiences too, as we saw far fewer folks in the streets that in previous years. Ho hum. I had an absolutely marvellous time. Hearing Judge Duncan screaming away behind closed doors, myself mounting a vigorous defence (against Marilyn’s thorny prosecution) for poor Alistair accused of thinking about stealing birdseed (he couldn’t possibly have done – he never thinks!), waxing lyrical as a defendant in my maudlin teenage diary, and countless things I’ve forgotten. It was a blast, and I really want to do it again, somewhere, soon… Any offers? 

  I am the LAW

I am a felt-tip pen

Last Week, Sunday 9 February 2020. I've been doing things, honest, I just can't always remember what they were... #lightnight #Lego #birdsofprey #octoberfaction #diary Midweek Confusion OK, so this next week thing has slightly got away from me. As ever, by this point in a new week my recollection of the seven days past is blurring...