#I don’t think the Master is like. say. a Karen type.

[canisonicscrewyou]

WHAT WOULD KOSCH ORDER AT BUX

I need to think longer on individual regenerations. But. For the Master in general just….

Ungodly amounts of caffeine. Especially when he learns what to order. Like. A large uncut cold brew with x3 shots of espresso, no ice, and an unsettling amount of chai concentrate pumps. (Like, to the point where that shit must BURN. it’s spicy if you don’t mix it with anything.). No milk. Maybe an extra syrup. Cinnamon or toffee most likely. If there’s ice in the drink he chews it while he drinks it. It’s bitter and spicy and yet too sweet. There’s also a not-insignificant-amount of ginger juice in the chai concentrate, so I imagine it might give him at least a BIT of a buzz too. A bonus.

Extra Large Cold Brew, No Water, No Ice, 5 Blonde Espresso Shots, 20 Pumps Chai Concentrate, 10 Pumps Toffeenut Syrup. He can and will make you remake it if he’s in an even remotely bad mood. You know it’s a terrible no good horrible fucking dogshit day if he orders mocha syrup instead of toffeenut.

A large cup of whipped cream or cold foam on the side is not unheard of from the Master either. You’ll watch him drink both drinks separately. He won’t sit down, he won’t stay in the lobby long. Just enough to down his fucking concoctions and maybe hate on a barista who’s vibes he doesn’t like.

[kiirotoao]

Season 3 rewatch notes

Wait a minute, I just realized that Mike and Will are the only ones in The Party who’ve canonically been dungeon masters. Idk what that means for them, but, yeah. Another exclusive detail of theirs

Oh, lord. Mike’s arm being torn off in the D&D game better not be a prophecy. If those s5 notes are accurate about Mike being seriously injured… I’m scared.

GOD I’ve never noticed how hard Will breathes in the rain scene. Poor baby he was so stunned 😭😭😭😭

The thing that I love most about Jonathan and Nancy is that they’ve been through the real shit. Arguments and hardship through the supernatural and the struggles of discrimination and privilege.

I love how Max is usually the one who speaks after Will. It’s like she’s the only one brave enough to answer after he says something profound or important. I need more of Max and Will’s friendship and them having well-thought out arguments I swear

Omg I love Erica’s little green star on her cheek. It’s so cute 😭🩷

After watching The Princess Bride, I am fangirling so much over Cary Elwes - it’s so crazy to me that he got him to play such a character! I wonder if they thought of him because of all the physical stunts lmao

As much as Karen isn’t in the know of much of anything in the supernatural story, I love how she’s a picture of raw strength in the Wheeler family, the true head of the household. She takes charge. Stops at nothing to help. Not even in the face of temptation. Go Karen.

DAMN I forgot that Billy dropped an f bomb! I thought that the closest that the show got was when Max got cut off in the hospital, but nope. There it was

Shit, I’m tearing up at that scene when El collapses into Mike’s arms because I know that that was real exhaustion. Poor Millie 🩷🩷🩷. She did such a phenomenal job there.

I LOVE whenever Joyce is angry this season. Now that’s how you demand. Straight to the point, justified in her worry, and cutting past any unnecessary bs while still including the cherry on top “please” or “good day” of politeness out of basic decency. I want to be her when I’m upset.

I’m always so blown away by Maya’s performance when she comes out to Steve. Straight (haha) through the heart, so good. And I always, always smile at Steve’s reaction. So in character, so accepting. No questioning if she’s being honest, just immediately questioning her type and believing that she’s into girls. So, so important.

Oh, no. Holly saw the trees moving in the woods. Thus far, she’s noticed the demogorgon coming out of the wall, and now this. She’s definitely a target next season.

When El tells Billy the memory of his mom, I teared up a little! Something about the way that El says, “you were happy” breaks me, dude. Millie and Dacre did so well.

Also, thinking in foresight of s4, Max’s letter is so heartbreaking. The Mind Flayer made a huge show of killing Billy slowly and painfully. I don’t blame her for being too horrified to move. It really wasn’t her fault. That was traumatic. Sadie did amazing there, too. Ouch.

I’m never getting over the helicopter lights being blue, yellow, and red. Were starboard and port always blue and red? And isn’t starboard supposed to be green? It’s all intentional, I’m telling you

I love how Max and Lucas are supposed to be “butchering” Never Ending Story but those two theater kids actually sound amazing. I just wish they harmonized 😆

Oh my gosh Jonathan did the Byers hold to Nancy 😭😭😭😭 I am not okay 😭😭 I never noticed that

Okay wait. This is kinda horrible. I feel bad for saying this. But y’know how Mike has a Will voice? Well I just noticed that Mike definitely does not have a soft voice for El. I swear, he’s always so loud around her like nothing’s different about her 😂😭 Any time he’s sweet with her he’s just like YEAH. COOL. and it’s kinda hilarious.

Jancy is WRECKING me this season wtf. Charlie and Natalia are so cute 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Oh my gosh David’s voice kinda breaks at “doze off.” Fuck.

Erica has blue, yellow, and pink balloons plus a rainbow drawing on her door. I now headcanon Erica as pansexual/panromantic, thank you.

AHHHGHH I can’t wait for the original version of Heroes to play next season over Byler kissing when everyone thinks that they might be dead but they’re just surviving in the Upside Down, clinging to each other and having the highest moment of their lives!!!!!!!

This has been my s3 thoughts for the 6-8th time watching? I forget? And I missed a number of moments because I got too absorbed so, oops. Anyway, I love Jancy, I love Jopper, I love the Scoops Troop, I love Suzie, I miss Alexi, Byler is endgame, and this season was way more fun than I remembered and it always makes me laugh. My list of favorite seasons has been shaken expertly.

[monaisme]

Sicktember #23

#23- Under a Spell

Peter wasn’t going to complain. Nope. He was going to be the bigger person and accept the fact that he was technically a “Junior Avenger,” and that IF he was even going to be called out for a mission, nine and a half times out of ten, he was going to be tasked with civilian evacuation and securing the perimeter.

It was all good.

Yup.

No complaints here.

At all.

Peter sat on the edge of the now empty office building, feet swinging in boredom as he watched the battle between yet another wizard from some other dimension in the multiverse, Doctor Strange, and the rest of the team going on a dozen blocks away. 

“Hey, Karen,” Peter figured it was time to check in again. “Any movement on the perimeter? No crazy reporters trying to sneak in for a photo op, or dogs getting away from their owner or anything like that?”

“Nothing is showing on any of the CCTV footage, Peter, though I’m not entirely sure that Mr. Stark intended for you to be using me to hack into the city security feeds like this.” Karen replied.

“Relax, Karen. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Stark does the same thing, and if nothing else, Mr. Stark will appreciate my working smarter... not harder, right? Besides,” Peter’s spider senses flared, but he knew it needed to play it cool. “This way, I’m freed up if something else pops up that requires an extra set of hands!”

Peter jumped off the roof edge and away from the mystery threat just before a purple beam blasted away the brick he’d been sitting on barely a moment before. “Uh, Mister—shoot! I mean, Iron Man!” Peter called out as he swung out of the way of each subsequent blast, “I thought you guys said there was only one wizard?!”

“Yeah! Because there was only one!?” Iron Man replied even as Peter could hear his repulsor beams firing off in the background. “Are you telling me there’s another one of these guys?”

Peter zigged down an alleyway, then zagged back around the building, hoping the tighter corners would slow up whoever was behind him and switch up their positions. “Yup! And he’s pissed! I’m just trying to—” Peter swung around the third corner and caught a glimpse of purple cape fluttering as it entered the alley. The plan had worked! “Gotcha!”

“Gotcha!? Spider-Man! Do not engage with this guy! We don’t know who he is! I’m sending—” Iron Man paused, then, “Falcon and Widow are en route, kid! For the love of all—”

Whatever else Tony was going to say, it was lost in a haze of determination. Peter had committed to the plan. He was gonna catch this mystery player and finally show the rest of the Avengers that he could do the big things. He was ready. There was no way it could go wrong, right?

Peter practically careened around the corner, expecting to see the back of whoever this person was, but—

Peter stopped short, entirely against his will, suspended in the air and frozen still.

“Finally,” Peter’s eyes widened, as he glanced around trying to see who was speaking, yet unable to turn his head. He heard footsteps beneath him as his attacker stepped into his limited view. The wand caught Peter’s attention before noting the dour looking young man wielding it. He was dressed as stereotypically as one could be for a formal, wizard-like type; robes, cape, funny hat and all. “You’re here.”

Peter’s brow furrowed. He tried, but couldn’t move any of his larger muscle groups, so at least he could talk—though the intermittent crackling of his comm in his ear told him let him know that no one could hear him. He was on his own. It was time to hope... and stall. “Of course I’m here.” Peter replied, indignant. “You tried to blast me from behind! Do you think I’m just gonna walk it off? What the heck, dude? So not cool!” Peter struggled against his invisible restraints.

Peter’s captor snarled, “There’s no point in fighting the bindings. They will only release you at my bidding—or my death. You see, my master has taught me well, and I will finally prove that to him by bring him a...trophy, if you will.” The disgust on his face as he spit out his words only angered Peter more, knowing that he couldn’t act on it.

So de-escalation it was, “Buddy, look. If you’re trying to impress your boss, I get it. AND I’ve got a million different ways to do that that don’t include poor sportsmanship and invisible rope. C’mon, man!” Peter huffed. “I know a great coffee shop around the corner! Seriously, bring him a great macchiato and show up five minutes early, and you’re in!”

The man was not amused, “You mock my intent?!” The wand sparked and the wizard opened his mouth to speak.

“No!” Peter cried out, continuing to strain against the bindings, just in case he was wrong. “I get it! Trust me on that! Why do you think I’m here!?” Peter was getting worked up, so he took a couple of deep breaths before he continued, “My boss doesn’t think I can do anything either. Seriously. I’m fairly certain that I’m a full on embarrassment to him, but honestly, you just keep working hard, you know? He’ll see you eventually. It doesn’t mean you have to resort to something this.”

“I thought you were acting as a sentinel?” The young man, probably not much older than Peter, now that he could get a better look at him, seemed confused.

Well, if that hadn’t made the job Peter hated most sound so much cooler than Peter had originally considered it. Peter sighed. “I’m pretty sure I was just put there to not cause trouble and stay out of the way—and still, you managed to sneak up on me.”

The wizard immediately took offense at Peter’s interpretation of events, “There was no sneaking! I’ve worked quite hard to perfect transporting via time ripple. You, sir,” again, another look of absolute disdain, “should not have had any warning at all! How did you manage to escape my spell?”

“That was an actual spell?!” Peter gaped. While he had assumed, to receive actual confirmation was pretty astounding. The sound of Falcon’s wings came from the distance. It was time to keep him distracted. “Holy crap!” Peter started laying it on thick, “So you really are, like, a sorcerer’s apprentice!?”

The young man scoffed, “Apprentice!? You insult me. I am meant to be so much more than an apprentice. My master simply has yet to see my potential.”

“You’re preachin’ to the choir there, my friend,” Peter sympathized, trying to keep the guy’s attention away from Sam now that he’d come fully into view, “and speaking of friends...”

Redwing had set off from his base on Falcon’s chest plate silently and hovered behind the wizard as Falcon aimed both his gauntlets at him and called out, “Lower your weapon, Gandalf, and no one gets hurt.”

The wizard froze, then smiled slow... and devious. “Clever work, sentinel. Providing distraction while you wait for aid. I am impressed. Too bad it will do you no good.”

In a flash, Peter was released from his invisible prison and dropping gracelessly to the ground as the wizard’s focus turned to Falcon. His wand sparked purple and Peter knew that whatever was going to come out of that wand was something Sam could not handle.

“TAM GALAGHOSHAM KURUT!” The incantation left his mouth as he pointed his wand and tried to dodge the other superhero’s anticipated fire—

And with no thought, Spider-Man was back in play. With a thwip of his webshooters, the man’s wand was re-directed and casting wide.

Falcon acted immediately, firing both gauntlets and taking the wizard down. Red Wing had released a net of filament upon the prone boy, then circled above, now prepared to provide more lethal aid, if required.

And Peter assessed the scene while Sam nudged the wizard with his boot.

“Is he dead?” Peter had to ask. After all, he’d said...

“Nah, just stunned. I’m guessing this guy’s a newbie compared to the other one, ‘cause that sure as hell wouldn’t have worked on him.”

Peter felt restless.

Something was still wrong.

A small gasp came from somewhere above, not that Same could have heard it. Peter paled as he realized, “Shit.” 

“Spider-Man?” Falcon questioned, “Is everything—”

“Get medical to the roof!” Peter called out as he shot a web and pulled himself up to the roof of the building they’d been set beside. “Nat needs help!”

Peter couldn’t hear if Sam had responded and honestly didn’t care, as long as he was doing it. He only knew that he needed to get to Nat... and fast. He’d messed up. It was his fault that she’d gotten hit—his stupid plan, and if anything happened to her, Peter would never- ever forgive himself.

He found her within seconds, kneeling on the ground with her hands scratching at her throat as she tried and failed to breathe.

“NAT!” Peter called out to her, pulling his mask off as he ran to her. “What’s wrong?! Are you choking? It looks like you’re choking!”

Nat’s eyes widened with fear as she nodded a frantic ‘yes.’

“Okay!” Peter was trying desperately to not freak out. “I can deal with choking,” he said more to himself than Nat. “I’ve got this.” Never had Peter been more grateful for Sam and his insistence that they all take a truncated field medic course. He moved into position behind her. “I’ve got you, Nat. You’re going to be okay.” Why was he sounding so winded? It didn’t matter. “Okay, quick thrusts,” he whispered, not that it mattered. Nat was starting to flag. “One.” Nothing happened. “Okay, two...” Peter paused to swallow back the nausea, knowing he’d hesitated as he felt Nat’s ribs crack beneath his fists. “Sorry! Sorry! We’ve got this, Nat, promise—three!”

Peter could feel the air moving out of Nat’s lungs as he watched a glowing purple sphere eject itself from Nat’s body and hover in front of them, almost like it was making a decision. Peter eyed it warily.

This was not good.

Before Peter could decide what to do next, one of Doctor Strange’s sling ring portals flared open and he and Iron Man stepped out. “STAY BACK!” Doctor Strange ordered them all and, with a grace the dick of a Harry Potter knock-off down on the street could only wish to reproduce, conjured up his mystical mandalas, then bolts flew from his hands, and the purple sphere was gone.   

“Peter!” The Iron Man mask flipped up and Mr. Stark’s worried face appeared before him. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Peter pushed him away. “No, it’s Nat! I—she’s—” Peter didn’t know how to explain. “Just take care of her! I’m fine!” He needed to pull it together. “She was choking on the ball and I—” He wanted to say that he’d broken her ribs and that it was his fault that she’d been choking in the first place but all he could get out was, “Heimlich.”

Doctor Strange was already with Nat, now lying in a sort of modified recovery position while he examined her. He had to know what Peter had done to her.

Her breathing sounded so bad.

“I’m going to transport her to your med bay, Tony, then I’ll pop back to deal with this other one. Alright?”

Mr. Stark nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a plan,” then put a comforting arm around Peter. “I’ll get things ready for you here.”

In a flash, the two had disappeared from the rooftop and Peter was left alone with his mentor, and his colossal mess. He’d let someone get the jump on him, he’d gotten captured, and then when he’d finally gotten free because of one actual Avenger, he’d manage to get another Avenger blasted with a spell and she almost died.

Maybe the wizard guy knew a trick to make him disappear...

How was this his life?

/-/-/

It was hours later and they had yet to call Peter in to debrief.

Maybe they were plotting how to fire him?

To be fair, Peter had holed himself up in a recliner in the corner of Nat’s room in the med bay—but only after checking to make sure Nat would be okay with it. No one would expect her to feel a hundred percent safe with him around. After all, he had broken two of her ribs and cracked two others for good measure, not that she blamed him... or so she said.

“I can hear you being stupid from all the way over here,” she croaked out.

Oh, yeah. How had he forgotten about the damage to her throat from the ball?

“I’m not being stupid.” Peter pouted.

“Yes, you are, and if you think I’m blaming you for the actions of an obviously disturbed young man, then you are mistaken. So stop being an idiot.”

“But you’re hurt!”

“I’m on the good drugs, Peter.”

“They made you throw up!”

“Those obviously weren’t the good drugs. Relax.” Her head lolled to face him. “I’m fine now.”

“But I broke your ribs...”

“And if you hadn’t, I’d be dead.” Nat looked him dead in the eyes and asked him, “Would you rather I was dead? Because those were the only options you had available to you, Spider baby.”

Peter harrumphed, his cheeks pinking in embarrassment. “Of course not. Now who’s being stupid?”

Nat smiled softly at the boy, then turned toward the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway. Even on the good drugs she was incredibly perceptive. “Someone’s here.”

“Knock knock,” Mr. Stark rapped against the door frame before entering her room. “Hey, Nat, I thought I’d stop by to check in to see how you’re doing and to ask if you’d seen Pete, but I can see that he’s here and if you’re making him blush like that, you’re apparently fine and I’ve managed to find his newest hiding spot!  So two birds, one stone—yay!”

Peter tried to shrink further back into the corner.

Mr. Stark couldn’t hide his concern at Peter’s reaction. “Pete?” He stepped closer to the kid. “What’s going on? Are you okay? I’ve been looking for you all afternoon.” He kept a little distance, for Peter’s sake, “I wanted to, uh, talk to you about this afternoon... and that Oscar guy.”  

Peter couldn’t help but ask, “Who’s Oscar?”

“You know... your wizard? Oscar.”

Peter couldn’t help but crook a half smile. “Oh, um, okay. He didn’t exactly introduce himself so...”

“Well,” Mr. Stark waved his response away, “it doesn’t matter anyhow. Strange is taking care of him and his boss right now, so once they have their little chat with all the other wizardy bigwigs, we won’t need to worry about them anymore.”

Peter looked guiltily over to Nat in her bed, “Oh, good. I’m glad...”

Now, Tony Stark was not known for his emotional intelligence on the best of days, but he was trying. And while he could accept that Pete was bummed about Nat being hurt, guilt was a completely unacceptable response after all he’d done today. “Hang on. Kid.” He pointed an accusing finger at Peter, “Are you seriously blaming yourself for what happened?”

The floor was suddenly the most interesting thing in the room for Peter.

Mr. Stark was not having it. “Whoa back there. First off, you were doing exactly what you were supposed to be doing and managed to detect him and report back to us before he could cause who knows what kind of mayhem. We’d have dealt with his boss, sent him back and called it done before even knowing he was here—not that he was even supposed to be here anyways!”

“We know that.” Peter replied, confused at the odd wording.

“No, he really wasn’t supposed to be here,” Tony laughed. “Apparently Oscar has some issues with authority in a big way, and had been relegated to rat spleen duty, or whatever it is they do as punishment back in his home universe. He decided to go against his psycho boss’s wishes and snuck through the portal without getting caught by anybody—until you.

“What?!”

“Oh, yeah.” Tony continued the story. “And I guess Oscar sneaking through a portal with him is a huge deal—all sorts of rules and regulations around portal travel, it would seem.  And, boy-oh-boy, Evil Boss Man was NOT happy when he and Oscar were reunited before transport.”

Peter shrugged, recalling Oscar’s words as he’d stalled. “Yeah. That jives with things.”

“Right?” Mr. Stark got quiet for a few seconds and then, “But—I mean, if you really think about it though, it maybe his boss just wanted him to be safe while he was out doing his evil world domination thing?—Like he wanted Oscar to maybe have some more experience under his belt before jumping into the deep end of the pool?”

Peter shrugged again and thought for a moment. “Maybe? I don’t know—wouldn’t Oscar have already had to prove himself to be there in the first place?”

“Maybe Oscar’s boss cared and wanted to keep him safe?”

Peter gasped as his heart dropped. Had Mr. Stark—? But the comm was— “Oh, no.”

“Peter?”

“Please, Mr. Stark. Tell me you didn’t hear what we were talking about?”

Tony squirmed at Peter’s discomfort. “I could... but I’d be lying.”

“Oh, no.”

“So did I, if that makes you feel any better,” Nat piped in from her bed.

Peter closed his eyes and banged his head against the wall.

“I wouldn’t advise doing that, Mr. Parker.” Doctor Strange entered the room. “A self-inflicted concussion would hamper your appreciation of the fact that you are the hero of the hour.”

Peter stopped immediately and his eyes popped opened, “What?” Peter asked in confusion. “I don’t understand?”

But Mr. Stark jumped in. “Forget about the ‘what’ for a minute! You literally just left! How can you be back already?”

Doctor Strange simply smirked, “Master of the Mystic Arts and Keeper of the Eye of Aggamoto, Tony. Keep up.”  

Mr. Stark glared. “Fine, be that way. Now, what are you talking about? We already know that Peter saved Nat.” He gestured toward the assassin on the bed. “Duh.”

Doctor Strange shook his head and turned his attention to Peter. “I am talking about the fact that you, Spider-Man-slash-Peter Parker, just unintentionally saved half of the planet, and I personally thank you.”

Peter looked between Doctor Strange and Mr. Stark. “Huh?”

“Well, Peter,” Doctor Strange explained, “It would seem that the spell Oscar had intended to cast on Sam was one he’d only found a few days ago, in a book full of the darkest of magyks—and one that his master had thought was hidden well enough to keep out of the hands of over eager apprentices. The spell itself had originally been created as a spell of war, made to wipe out an opposing village’s warriors, but its maker had realized it was too powerful to control and had hidden it away. Oscar was at the beginning of his studies, and had chosen to bypass some of the ‘less exciting’ aspects of his craft.”

Tony picked up what Dr. Strange had said, “’Was?’ Am I correct in assuming he’s no longer an apprentice?”

Doctor Strange nodded. “Even megalomaniacs intent on world domination need a population to crush. Oscar would have left him with something infinitely less enticing. I’m not sure that Oscar is even breathing.”

 “But he just wanted his boss to notice him!” Peter blurted out. His mind raced. Did he have another death on his hands? His breathing sped up.

“Peter, listen to me.” Doctor Strange moved to stand directly in front of the boy, hoping to cut off what looked like the start of a panic attack. “If that spell had been allowed to hit Sam, that sphere would have choked the life out of him, left his body, and continued on hunting down man after man, killing them all until there was literally none alive.”

“But—”

“But” Doctor Strange continued, “because our dear Widow here is NOT a man, the spell was confused and couldn’t complete its purpose until—”

Peter flashed back to that moment with the sphere as it seemed to be waiting... figuring something out. Not that it mattered, “It still would have killed her, I know it!”

Doctor Strange stepped closer to Peter, his tone softening. “It would have, but with no male anchor after that first death, it would have died with her. It hitting her at least gave you chance to save her... and me a chance to get there and deal with the sphere.”

Peter blanched and looked over to Nat, alive and breathing in the med bay bed. “I’d have done the Heimlich for Sam, though. I could have—”

“No, Peter. If it had caught hold in Sam, it would have physically anchored itself. There’d have been nothing you could have done for him... or any of us.”

Peter was glad he was sitting. “Oh.”

Doctor Strange put a comforting hand on the shaken boy’s shoulder, “Yeah. Oh.”

Peter sat with that for a moment, thankful that none of the others felt the need to say anything.

Soon enough, Doctor Strange excused himself to oversee the destruction of what was an impressive yet fully evil-imbued archive, leaving Peter alone with Nat and Mr. Stark.

“Well, it would seem that all of this was worth it in the end after all, wasn’t it, Peter?” Nat offered.

Peter thought on that for a minute. “I don’t even know what to say?” Peter looked lost.

“Maybe don’t say anything? It’s okay if you have to take the time to process the bigger stuff.” Mr. Stark offered. “I know the rest of us do from time to time.”

“I’m just...” Peter’s words trailed off into nothing.

“In awe of how amazing you are? Shocked that Strange can be an actual human being? Ready for a nap?”

Peter thought seriously about those options. “No?”

“How’s about being ready to hear an apology from your boss for not taking your strengths into account when we plan our missions?”

Peter stared up at Mr. Stark and blinked.

“But sometimes, we really will need you to do civilian evac and securing the perimeter!” Mr. Stark added hastily. “That really is a thing we do.”

Peter smiled a shaky smile, twisting his hands together nervously. “I know that, and that’ll still be cool... but...”

Mr. Stark put his own supporting hand on Peter’s shoulder, “But what?”

Peter looked over a Nat, then back at Mr. Stark before mustering up the nerve—

“What would you say if we called it being a Sentinel?”

[luchicm04]

lost in the forest - part 20

Masterlist

Summary: Our favorite OC is firm in defending one of her few but best friends, although not all news are that bad.

Pairing: Senju Tobirama/Original Female Character

Tag: #lost in the forest fic

posted on ao3

Word Count: 2.9k

Overall warnings: canon-typical violence, adult content, time skips, angst, kidnapping, implied rape

She can’t help but feel bad when this is ridiculous, so she crosses her arms upset on behalf of her friend when she knows this has gotten over her and she can’t do anything about it because she is a foreigner, civilian and doesn’t know the rules they have within this family. 

The clan is important... a bond that must be protected. 

Tobirama told her so and Karen may think bitterly that he can put their rules wherever they fit. She growls looking at the huge patio with the anger of the previous discussion being so recent... after seeing Mikami pregnant and under the oppression of her rapist’s family. 

She couldn’t help but complain to the leaders when her mental state stabilized. 

“Karen-san,” Kaori sighs sadly at her point. The old woman still looks touched... but resigned to the whole issue. 

“I know... I know that they’re your customs and it is the honor and life of a future member of the clan,” she repeats bitterly with a hard gesture. She leans on the ground, looking at the sky calmly. This world is unfair, and it makes a knot almost making the bile come out again. “Why hadn’t they told me?” It’s stupid to ask when she knows the answer. 

“It is difficult... I know it is not the same for a civilian,” the old woman kindly sighs standing next to her, looking at her from the top of her position with a sad shadow. 

“I don’t think it is as easy,” she states embittered, because she is oblivious to the type of injustices outisde this place. She experienced one that she’s sure many girls experience today... She sighs tiredly as she sits down and leans on her knees, not at all elegant despite having the yukata on. “Us civilians also have our problems... like these.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah... there is also a lot to do on that side.” 

“I see.” 

“But now... I just wanted to help, but I don’t know if I made Mikami’s situation worse with my big mouth.” 

“I do not think that is the case... Hashirama-sama and Tobirama-sama are very aware of the situation.” 

“Really?” She sounds incredulous at such a comment. 

“This hadn’t happened in a long time,” Kaori assures softly. “But ever since the young master rose to the position of leader, it has changed. The former leader, Butsuma-sama, would have had Mikami marry... that man,” she hesitates but reports casually. 

Karen frowns. She supposes it’s one of those things that is known... an open secret that she has no desire to face. “I see.” is the only thing she says without feeling exactly good. 

“I know it is difficult to accept for a young noble like you, but we are kunoichi. Bringing children to the clan is a fundamental part of our goal, apart from serving our duty as shinobi,” the old woman says with a tone of wisdom. “Changes are difficult,” she assures after a while. 

For being someone old... she sees hope in so little, which makes her feel bad when in her world this would be different. Of course, there is still injustice and many women, children and men disappear for many reasons, but to experience it in person without being a third party... 

It’s difficult... besides, Mikami is her friend. 

“I’m sorry for being like this,” the civilian sighs tiredly, looking at the old woman. “I’ll still be there for Mikami. If that woman lets her visit me, of course.” 

“Do not worry... I will take care of it,” the old woman laughs to look further and give a formal greeting. “Tobirama-sama,” she greets the person who appears after a long time on those grounds, which makes her snort, tired of dealing with the guy when she was sure he wanted to knock her out before. 

Her jaw cracks a little more. It is a symbol that she has spoken a lot even now... she needs to rest. 

“What do you want?” She asks in English, knowing that this guy is serious and sullen, surely coming to complain about the matter that she discussed almost even with the council itself. 

“You are annoying.” 

“It’s my gift,” she bites bitterly. “Tell me... does Mikami really have to be there?” She does not avoid asking when she is sure he would leave the point after listening to part of her conversation with the old woman. 

“Mmm...” 

“It’s complicated... a difficult topic, even in my world.” 

“Really?” Even standing next to her like a gargoyle, the man sounds honestly curious, but Karen is sufficiently depressed by this complication that she still looks ahead. 

“Yeah...” She sighs, lying carelessly on the grass. The fresh smell is natural, almost returning to the winter that tires her. She doesn’t like the cold here. 

“And that did not stop you from being less irritating.” 

“No... I was angry... it’s unfair.” 

“Mmm... it is a child of the clan.” 

“I know it is, but the decision was...” She doesn’t say anything, biting her tongue. “I don’t know... there must have been another solution than forcing her to be with that man’s family. I’ve seen how they treat her... they see her as something that only carries the grandson of their bastard son.” 

“The woman lost her son.” 

“A bastard,” she growls grudgingly. “The point here is that... couldn’t there have been another solution?” 

“The man was executed, and the family will take care of both until they die,” the man points out as if this were enough. 

She doesn’t feel better. “I see.” 

Tobirama looks at her for a long time. “At least, he was punished.” He doesn’t know why he said that when he closes his eyes without wanting to continue the topic. The two are silent... like oil and water, she feels their relationship will never improve, but she stays there. She feels his eyes on her but doesn’t pay attention when she falls asleep in that space. 

Karen doesn’t want to think about all the what ifs... that are now worthless. 

But she doesn’t avoid feeling that guilt... when she could have done so much if she were something else... 

This is the human nature at the end of the day... a clumsy mania of a vicious circle of a complicated life... 

──

She has had a nightmare, which makes her look around cautiously... she can’t help but snort, tired of this topic when exactly today she celebrates another year in this place. So many things have happened... She begins to recover her previous form although she knows nothing will be the same. 

Karen calmly continues to look at herself in that small mirror that has been a gift from the Uzumaki clan, a detail that just arrived the day before from the prince of that clan. At least, she hopes that they have not realized what happened back then. 

She can’t help but be surprised to see her image... she noticed it before but now she clearly sees how she has changed in two years. 

She turns around. Having left behind the carb-based and gym-based job that she worked on so hard before falling into this place, she now has a thin, delicate appearance and the tan has completely disappeared, along with noticeably longer, brittle hair. 

Which makes her sigh audibly... she always wanted to lose weight, but not this way. 

“Karen-san?” 

“Uh... coming,” she declares to go out at the call of an enthusiastic young man. Today is an important event for her friend, since as part of the care and in the absence of this little one’s father, she has taken the lead of much of the work on her own initiative. 

To prove that what happened with Mikami is not shameful... her friend did nothing wrong! 

“Oka-san told me that when my brother... she was very afraid,” she sighs, remembering those yesterdays. Masarato is a somewhat talkative but kind boy in his own way, who has chosen to come either on errands or on his own volition to this place. 

Although many of his routines, as always, are foreign to the civilian, who laughs at this. 

“Of course, each pregnancy is different,” she points out subtly. “Although I don’t expect you to have this kind of things.” 

“Oka-san said it was to see when it would be good to alleviate... Mikami-san has a few days, and her stomach is already very big.” 

“I know... that’s why we are going to see her, right?” 

“Hashirama-sama will assist her...” He seems enthusiastic about seeing his hero up close. 

“Wow, you look excited.” 

“Today I will ask him to be his disciple.” 

“Oh, really?” She blinks this is important. He is now old enough to be able to have a different approach to his usual training, and she has also heard the skirmishes of the war have been distancing so much... although she does not understand why. 

“Yes. I will be a good healer and I will help you,” he says firmly, looking at her with bright eyes. She doesn’t want to tell him that since she does not have a chakra system, that is not possible, but she remains silent, letting him babble about his plans that are far from reality. 

It’s something that she doesn’t want to explain or clarify. 

“Good morning,” someone greets at her side. Kaori laughs amused. “Will you be going?” 

“Yes, today Mikami has a check-up,” the civilian assures. “So, I apologize for missing breakfast.” 

“Not at all, Hashirama-sama told me yesterday.” 

“Oh, really?” 

“Yes. Go on and say hello to Mikami-san.” 

“Of course.” Said woman smiles continuing her way, accompanied by the little shinobi. The cobblestone streets and the humble houses are a common sight when she has become accustomed to living this way, where technology is so far away, along with the comforts that it brings. She reaches a point where she ignores many of the looks, which are diminishing. 

The house is almost at the back. Many people look at them with contempt as always. They still don’t get over the fact that she is a friend of the woman who is guilty in their relative being executed. She doesn’t know what is going through their minds but she keeps walking, ignoring them. 

At least, hostilities die when the leader arrives. 

One who sees this peculiar situation in person. Mikami is in bed due to her delicate condition... it was calm for a moment... but for the next, she is immediately taken out due to some complications. 

The little child was coming. 

The baby has come early... 

──

She has a baby in her arms. Now watching said infant stir with a tired mother is noticeable... which makes her think that this was too fast. “He’s cute,” she can’t help but say because she always thought that having one is complicated... but now seeing him, that maternal instinct that she didn’t know she had resurfaces when she feels the little warmth. 

Karen feels a strange emotion springing up like a straw... one that she thought she had lost so long ago. 

Mikami laughs. “He is,” she says without rejecting him, a surprising thing but not impossible when seeing her maternal towards the creature that is still moving on her arms. Karen stands up slightly, moving gently in a memory of old teachings. 

“Sh... sh,” she gently rocks slightly, calming the newborn. She’s sure that it is not for food because Mikami gave it to him a while ago, just on his anniversary in this place... where he was born. “By the way... what will be his name?” 

“Tsuna wants him to be called like her sister,” she growls reluctantly. “But I would like one name from my family... maybe Hikaru or Matsuo,” she responds, remembering someone from her past. “What do you think?” 

“I think they both are very cute... he has the face of Matsuo or Hikaru,” she laughs when she sees the little reddish face of this little one again. Karen smiles with amusement, patting his chin a little. 

The atmosphere is more relaxed than before. 

“Hashirama-sama?” Mikami calls when she notices the man standing right at the door of the humble bedroom. The man, despite being the leader, has gone through a lot of trouble and she is glad that he has been in charge of relieving her friend. 

If not... it would be a different story. 

“Is there something wrong?” Karen questions, noticing his gaze fixed on her direction, which makes her raise her eyebrow. 

“No-nothing.” He looks embarrassed but takes a step forward. “The treatments are normal. I notified Tsuna-san.” 

“I see,” Mikami says with a hidden laugh. “Karen-san looks good as a mother, does she not?” She says without malice towards the man who blushes slightly. 

“I don’t have the makings of a mother,” the civilian complains without paying attention to the man’s reaction. “Besides, a baby is a responsibility that I left behind so long ago,” she sighs because at her age, it’s easy to start searching. It’s not impossible... she knows. 

But so far from home... she doesn’t know what to think. 

Even so, she has resigned herself to living in this place. 

“You look good,” Hashirama says seriously. “You would be a good mother.” 

“Oh... thank you?” The civilian laughs amused with a long sigh. The boy stirs a little more. “I think he went to the bathroom.” 

Tsuna enters like the owner of the place, taking the infant from her hands with slight warnings in her direction. “I will change him.” 

“Change him here, Tsuna-san. I must learn how to do it when Matsuo and I move to my house,” the kunoichi assures firmly with a decision that she made just at the moment when she noticed there was no longer any rejection at the product of rape. 

Perhaps it is because of the loneliness of not having anyone that Mikami has jumped into the only bond that, although forced and with a bad taste in her mouth along with traumas, is hers completely... HER son... HER family. 

Karen smiles. The old woman huffs something but does not say anything else under the careful gaze of a Hashirama firm in his position. She sees that this will be favorable with her friend and although she was angry at the type of solution, seeing the support of the leader of the clan, she feels a little lighter. 

This looks better than at the beginning. 

──

She has a strange scroll on the bed with a bag that she doesn’t know what it is. Arriving and finding this is disconcerting, so she doesn’t avoid sighing after such a tiring day of socializing. Hashirama, at least, was there most of the time, making the atmosphere of the place where Mikami stayed less sullen. 

Although the birth of the baby has come as a balm to the pain of many of those present. 

Not avoiding the gossip... but that can be worked on with more time. 

“What’s that?” She asks the old lady, who laughs. 

“Oh, well it was brought,” she says mysteriously with a strange gesture in her direction. “Just before you arrived.” 

“I see,” she frowns with a light sigh. 

“I will prepare your bath, so you can sleep,” the old woman assures after talking about the sudden birth of Mikami’s son. She purses her lips and remains awkward at that point because she is not sure how to interpret this... it is not a gift, she knows it’s not... but what does it mean? 

She unwraps the scroll and laughs, amused at being a letter from Aoki. 

“Seriously, that man doesn’t get a ‘no’ easily.” She feels less sullen than before but leaves it aside because in the entire letter, he doesn’t mention what he sent. That happened with the mirror that Kaori helped her unwrap from the storage parchment, that she easily explained and scared her. 

She sighs embarrassed by that slip. Nevertheless, she sits on the bed and sees that it has no scribbles other than a simple ribbon, so it is clearly not from the Uzumaki clan. It opens with a sound that she did not think she would hear in this place... one that she didn’t think she would see so she can’t help but get excited and open it. 

She smiles. She doesn’t avoid doing so when she notices her cell phone, although battered... along with more things that she thought she would have back or see again. “Oh,” she frowns when she takes her phone, which falls apart just as it leaves the bag... The glass is intact, but the entire case is destroyed. 

She laughs at the irony of hoping that they would be okay. She looks at the camera with sadness when she takes it out, expecting the same fate. Though it doesn’t fall apart with her touch... on the contrary, it looked better treated, although it had some scratches that surely weren’t there. 

She touches the power button. The screen shines with the battery that she remembers it had, which makes her surprised because it has been two years since she charged it. Why does it still have energy? However, any thought of suspicion dies the moment she comes across an image she didn’t remember. 

An event where she went and used this camera. 

Her family smiled happily... unintentionally uncovering the dormant emotion after so long... she misses them so much. 

Wanting to be with them a little longer... Karen cries in solitude, forgetting the bath. She sleeps perched with the camera between her fingers, hoping that it won’t disappear when she wakes up. 

She hopes not. 

A/N: A short delibery to say present!!

Thank you for your comments... and the story one was a bit clumsy at this point, but despite everything, something positive came out... one more anniversary of our poor OC far from home.

Author-chan out!

[rungigirun]

Façades of Loneliness

A lot of people say that when you feel chronically lonely, it stems from something missing from your soul. Something like troublesome upbringing or being surrounded by quarreling parents all the time. I sort of agree with that, but once we establish the fact that the adult feeling of loneliness is in fact a result of not being at peace with yourself, what are the remedies for it?

Well, I’m here to tell you that I have no idea. Because I have been experiencing those feelings for a long time now, and even when surrounded by people, and I still have no idea how to cope.

Hence, this essay is not a self-help article to get rid of your winter moodiness or seasonal depression, or to fill your ever-gaping hole in your soul with useless tips to keep yourself busy. It’s just as a personal chronicle and exploration of different types and aspects of loneliness I have felt over the years.

As soon as I moved out and started living in college dorms at 18, moving to a tiny rural Pennsylvania town from the giant metropolis of Istanbul, it took a while getting used to the tiny college community of 2000 people. However, my best friend Karen and I were inseparable, so even though the town was tiny and there wasn’t much to do besides vomit stained frat parties in damp and keg smelling wooden paneled rooms, I did not feel lonely.

The following year, I moved to the UK, and for 2 years straight I was in a long haul of partying at least 3 nights a week. That plus the hangover and classes prevented me from feeling any loneliness. However, with the last year of uni dawning upon us, of which in the UK makes up the most of your graduation grade, we cut down on partying and were studying in solitude more often. That was the first time I started having very bothering feelings of loneliness, even though I was living in a house with 6 other friends. Hours and hours in the room alone studying, and even after I left the room to go to the living room or kitchen downstairs to socialize with my flatmates with whom I had been sharing accommodation the past 3 years with, I did not feel socialized enough. Like, the social interactions I started having with them did not feel so satisfying as they once did.

I started finding them kind of boring and bland for some reason I don’t even know, but anything they did was annoying me- them watching Friends reruns on cable TV, which I did not find funny at all, their everyday conversations about classes or other people. The loneliness I felt surrounded by them really started getting to me.

Then I moved to London, started living with a different set of people, but still, even though I got along better with them I still had that gaping feeling of loneliness with me that I couldn’t shake off no matter what I did.

I was going to classes for my masters degree twice a week, and going out with my friends on the weekend, which was very much the norm for the majority of people, but somehow it wasn’t enough with me.

I missed the closeness I had with my college freshman roomie Karen with whom we did pretty much everything together 24/7, which kept me from feeling lonely. Again, I guess wanting to be with someone 24/7 signals that I am needy and I need to face my inner issues etc, but despite relentless therapy sessions and self-help I’ve read, to this day I have no clue about how to achieve that internally.

I used to think that living abroad in a foreign country caused a lot of my lonely feelings, but having been stuck back in my home country for the past 3 years showed me that it really isn’t. Yes, things are more familiar — however the friend circle I once had is gone.

I guess that is what being from a country in economic turmoil PLUS being a single woman in your 30s does to you — all your friends have emigrated and you’ve settled back at just exactly the wrong time. The wrong time meaning, the friends left in your country are the ones that cannot emigrate easily, the ones who are already married with kids. Which, again, means that you don’t even see them that often so, guess what, you are alone again.

I would have liked to say I am alone not lonely, but unfortunately, that is not the case.

Being back in my home country the past three years and watching close friends emigrate one by one, for a moment makes me think that I was happier and less lonely when I was abroad. Well, that is both right and wrong. I was lonely abroad as well, but at least I was meeting new people and going on dates, which is not even the case here.

Now, a lot of people would tell you to pick up a new hobby, join a new social circle, etc., which make me squirm. I actually squirm and feel so deeply cringe about forcing new social connections in places that I wouldn’t even wholeheartedly want to be in. Like I would dread joining the Rotary or Lions club or taking up sailing just to make new friends, because those things mean nothing to me.

On the other hand, it is painfully hard to meet new people that you actually have the same mindset with and share similar interests with, and rather than forcing it you’d be alone, so we are back to square one of loneliness: you are by yourself again.

Another thing that often happens to me is that during this cycle of loneliness, you get so used to it that often it doesn’t even cross your mind to do something about it. Maybe small things like going on a walk or going for a coffee by yourself would help, but in my mind it all goes back to: ‘what is the point?’.

What also happened quite often especially when I lived abroad was to keep entertaining and seeing people that were using me. When I used to live in Barcelona, a lot of people I know from before used to hit me up saying they wanted to come over and stay with me for a couple of days. I used to cheerily accept them, hosting them in my house and spending money to be with them for a couple of days. The problem is, the majority of these people wouldn’t even call me if I were back in Turkey or just to regularly check up on me to see how things were.

After a while, I understood bitterly that people were using me. However, there was a paradox. Since living abroad meant you naturally had less friends than what you collected in your hometown (which has now eradicated but once was the case anyway), I would still entertain these people and host them for a couple of days just to not feel lonely. It only materialized in my mind a couple of years later that they were, in fact using me for their free holiday means, so I decided to start saying no.

Except there was a problem: saying no meant even less people around me, which in turn increased my loneliness. However, with where things currently stand, I think I’d rather be lonely than entertain that kind of people.

So here we are, with a multitude of façades of loneliness throughout my life at different stages, and each time maybe even making decisions that are making me inherently more lonely in the end. Which leaves me with no option but to keep waiting for people who share my mindset to naturally appear in my life and make me feel more loved. Don’t know if or when that will ever happen, but I seem to think and think about it in circles and I cannot find any other way to relieve myself of these emotions.

[crystalelemental]

With the announcement of EX without color changes, there’s a lot of talk about whether or not this will apply to other characters than MU.  Usually, it’s the whole BP roster that’s speculated, though I’ve heard events (doesn’t make sense because Blarcanine, Swimsuit Misty, and Classic Giovanni, but maybe the NPC trainer classes) and Lodge units speculated too.  In the interest of filling time before I go to bed, I figured I’d talk about each of these units and whether I think EX will make a substantial difference or not.

MASTER BP I’m not even going to do this separately.  Every one of the Master BP units would be a godsend at EX, because they’re all support.  Of particular note, Cobalion, Regirock, and Evelyn all have Synchro Healing, which matters a hell of a lot more when you have an EX sync backing that up.  All five of them will love this kind of improvement.

That said, I think some are bigger winners than others.  Mesprit...actually isn’t a huge win, because its primary F2P partner, Giovanni, needs to take first sync for mega evolution.  You can probably skip it okay, he’s pretty strong on DPS too just based on his stats, but it stings a bit.  Regirock gets blasted though.  Being Rock-type focused, but unable to seriously help F2P, means it partners with largely premium, and you’re stuck with mega evolving options like the Diancies or Aerodactyl, or you’re stuck with really bad DPS units who want sync like Gordie and Olivia.  Regirock has it tough.  Cobalion, by contrast, has a lot of high DPS Fighting types on its side, and even Wally doesn’t need the mega evolution because Focus Blast is always there.  Evelyn’s a bit rough by F2P standards since Ho-oh’s DPS isn’t great, and issues with like SS Red and SS May exist, but with units like Leon who have no concern for sync?  All upside.  Nita’s another rough one, since Courtney and Cynthia both live off of sync.  Cynthia in particular feels rough.

REGULAR BP

BP Morty - As arguably the best BP unit broadly, Morty goes to the next level with the EX.  Synchro Healing is on the table, although his grid energy costs are already pretty tight.  The big thing is just...he’s so good already and doesn’t need to spam attacks.  He’s gonna do great for himself.

BP Surge - Surge can now justify Synchro Healing.  It’s not even particularly hard to get.  And as a crit/attack buffer, he’s going to be a great option all around.

BP Erika - Erika’s function is stall, which...is a dying art, sadly.  Her sync nuke is pretty middling, with poor multipliers and no DPS to back it up.  So like.  It won’t really do anything for her.  BP Erika fell off really hard and it’s kinda sad.

BP Zinnia - I mean...I guess I’ll say it.  Her natural condition is the foe has to be flinching.  That’s such an unreasonable condition to set up, I hate it.  She has a decent attack stat, but I feel like the condition should really speak for itself, given how much I dunk on Grant and Crasher Wake as just flinch bots.

BP Karen - Okay now this could matter.  In CS, and maybe Latios fights.  Her DPS lives entirely off Double Edge, which isn’t viable in Gauntlet, and can get her killed in CS.  But a spread nuke would solve a lot of issues for her.  She’s got reasonable offensive presence, and has four sync damage nodes with Crit Strike 2, she can make it work.

BP Sophocles - Speaking of making it work, this kid’s honestly really strong.  I’ve used him pretty consistently over Hau, because I can’t justify EX Hau.  If Sophocles gets the EX, I feel like there’s no longer any reason to even consider Hau, barring Electric-weak Aaron.  This is a bit unfair, since he has a way worse sync multiplier, but I think the DPS speaks for itself.

BP Candice - Yeah, she’s gonna be good now, right?!  No.  No, her stats are still pretty bad, and she doesn’t get the best multiplier for a nuke.  I guess it might truck sides enough with Blizzard for a denial at least, but I don’t think it’s life-changing, especially with the upgrade to 2.5k.

BP Janine - Janine has no additional benefits from sync, but the support EX is still sufficient to justify.  Her main problem is she doesn’t last long enough to reach it half the time.  Janine is such a wild unit.  Great buffing potential, evasion shenanigans, but too inconsistent at the latter to ensure the former.

BP Clemont - Synchro Healing and a support EX buff, what’s not working?�� Outside of Morty, he’s probably the best pick for it in the whole BP roster.

EVENTS

Naomi - 80% sync multiplier isn’t too bad at all for on-type.  Naomi honestly would do fantastically well.  She’s not too bad at DPS, and would get a much easier time breaking down sides in CS.  She can sometimes struggle a little, so I think it would be pretty significant there, even if it’s not helping in Gauntlet.

Helena - Tech nuke suddenly matters a lot more.  Smarty-pants as a sync multiplier is nice, and as long as that’s accounted for she’ll do really well in Gauntlet stages.  Though I think her issue is more her frailty than anything.

Kali - I mean, it’s not going to be life-changing because she’s not that great, but support EX is something?

LODGE

Lodge Blue - Support EX, automatically great.  Synchro Healing is present, but VERY hard to justify unless giving up MPR on trainer move, or Pep Rally, both of which are major features on his kit.

Lodge Silver - Hey, maybe his sync nuke can deal actual damage now!  Haha...ha...no.  Probably not.  My major problems with Silver all center around poor damage, and while this definitely helps him in Gauntlet and denials in CS, I’m not convinced it will be enough.

Lodge May - I mean.  Double Down 5 and Shower Power 3?  It’s something, at least?  I feel like she could deal with CS stages a lot better, which would be a godsend, since she’s...not good at that mode right now.  At all.

Lodge Cynthia - Support EX, Safety Tether, those are some really good traits to suddenly have access to.

Lodge N - It changes nothing, he’s a sleep bot.

Lodge Rosa - See Silver.

Lodge Sycamore - His multiplier is Virulent Toxin.  This is a difficult one to get applied AoE, while also getting other tools he wants in place.  It’s a challenge.

Lodge Lillie - Her sync nuke has always been just short of clear KOs on center in CS, and now she will have her due.  This is one I’d legitimately consider.

Lodge Marnie - I think the bigger problem has always been spread DPS and a sync nuke whose natural multiplier is debuffing accuracy of all things.  It won’t save her, but it’ll be something.

Lodge Raihan - Synchro Healing on a guy with natural Endurance and a support EX buff.  Not bad at all.

Lodge Serena - I think this might solve a lot of her CS problems.  The multipliers are still a bit tricky to set up, but she’s always come close to denials in CS; this would likely create a guarantee.  Functionally, I’d need to see it to say if it were seriously life-changing.

Lodge Dawn - She’s already so stupidly good, I can’t imagine letting her be even better.  Like okay, if you want to drop Shielded on stages where it’s not essential, you can now get gradual healing and +3 evasion every sync.  Sure Dawn.  Radical.

Lodge Morty - Synchro Healing 1 on a guy who work on evasion play, and is a support.  EX would be delightful.

Lodge Gloria - I think what makes me hesitate to say it wouldn’t be that much is the combination of Double Down 5 and Super Syncer.  Like you explode a CS stage and then get SEUN to smash center.  I feel like that’s a pretty nasty combo in the works.

FINAL THOUGHTS By and large, if they’re support, they make out like bandits, especially if there’s Synchro Healing on grid, as now they’re much more valuable in Gauntlet.  The tech options depend on just how much gets improved, with a unit like Lodge Lillie really just needing a bit of a buff to be able to OHKO center in CS to suddenly be fantastic.  Strikers are highly dependent on multipliers and what their follow-up is, but mostly they just appreciate it for CS purposes.  It’s an odd world we live in, where the Striker EX is kinda the worst option.

If, and this is a big if, but if they all get EX.  I think I’m most excited about Lodge Dawn.  Her kit seems to just get stupid the instant you allow this nonsense.  BP Morty is wildly free, and I’m of course upgrading my baby Mesprit the instant I have that option available.  But beyond that, I dunno.  I’d probably do it for Lodge Rosa just for fun, and Lodge Lillie for F2P necessity.  But I can’t say there’s much else I’m like chomping at the bit to get.  Maybe Lodge Cynthia, just because she’s not the best.

[hong-kong-art-man]

The Young Woman Leader In Hong Kong Karen Chan Picks The Cultural Battle Of Preserving Cheongsam: “I Don’t Want Cheongsam To Become Another Collective Memory Of Our Generation!”  

German Pool has been a famous brand of electrical appliances in Hong Kong since 1982. It is a family business and the prominent figure is Karen Chan(陳嘉賢)—not only for her contribution to the industry of Hong Kong, but also for her cultural offerings in the form of ‘Cheongsam’(長衫) or ‘Qipao’(旗袍).

Cheongsam is a Chinese dress worn by women and men which takes inspiration from the ethnic clothing of the Manchu people in the North. For woman, cheongsam is most often seen as a long, figure-fitting and one-piece garment with a standing collar, an asymmetric left-over-right opening and two side slits, and embellished with Chinese frog fasteners on the lapel and collar. It was developed in the Ching Dynasty and evolved in shapes and design over years.

Karen said, “I love cheongsam in its traditional form but want to make it respond to the modern life too.” She runs a cultural rather than fashion business ‘Sparkle’ which designs, makes and promotes cheongsam.

Karen studied in Sacred Heart Canossian College. She went to University of Washington for her first degree and New York University for her second degree. In 2000, she returned to Hong Kong to work but soon moved to Vancouver and got hitched. In 2006, she came back to Hong Kong with a family to assist in the family business. In 2009, Karen obtained the master’s degree in Marketing from Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her son is 12 years old now. Karen is tall, slim and represents 2 things, character and competence.

She, as usual, had an unweary smile on her face, “Time flies and I am making up for lost time. I have too many things that I should do.” I stared at her, “Karen, you work too hard! Apart from being a businesswoman and taking care of a family, you sit on government consultation committees and governing boards of universities.” Her eyes were twinkling with mirth, “Don’t worry. The great consolation that I have is making beautiful cheongsam for others and myself.”

She said, “Our past is never dead to us, until we have brushed it aside. I respect traditions especially the old arts and crafts of Hong Kong. Tradition does embody valuable accumulated knowledge, and provide a sense of belonging to our great city. But, I think tradition is not a way of saying ‘we must do it this way’. If you want to keep something old, you will have to let it somehow grow younger and newer. Great cultures in Hong Kong like dim sum, architectures and kung fu are always a fantastic combination of old and new. I really don’t want cheongsam to be called another ‘collective memory’ after it is gone forever.”

I asked, “Why is cheongsam culture uniquely Hong Kong?” She patted her head, “During the 1910s to 1920s, cheongsam commanded her cultural prosperity in 2 major cities, namely Shanghai and Hong Kong because people there were rich and fashionable. It was important for ladies to look trendy and classy. Shanghai was later under communist rule. Fashion basically disappeared and the focus was on the communist cadre look. Clothing available was mass-produced and functional, leaving little room for individuality or femininity. Hong Kong remained a free city. Cheongsam continued to flourish here and it never died out. We had cheongsam of uniquely different designs, styles and materials in the golden days of 1950s to 1970s. Almost all women wore cheongsam. It is sad that since the 60s, western clothes were seen by women as a sign of modernity and liberation. Fewer and fewer women wore cheongsam. Luckily, we still got a small circle of ladies who loved cheongsam and it has become a specialized type of clothing that fits only a niche market. My mission now is to keep cheongsam alive and through my public education effort, I want to tell people in Hong Kong that removing our misconceptions of and prejudice against cheongsam is an important cause!”

I put my final question to her, “What is the future gauntlet that you have to take up?” She sighed, “Wow! Too many challenges ahead. There are 4. I want to prove that even westerners, given their bigger body size, can wear cheongsam and look pretty. Then, I wish to ensure that the knowledge and skills associated with this traditional artisanry can be passed onto the future generations so that the art will continue to survive. Thirdly, I want to be a respectable fashion designer who can create cheongsam as a piece of up-to-date beauty. My last wish is humble: I would be able to keep my cheongsam business from falling. It is expensive to make a cheongsam due to many factors, for example, that the best cheongsam must be handmade and the fabric must be 100% silk. Cheongsam market is however small and a lot of customers are experts in cheongsam. I do hope I can meet their expectations.”

Karen Chan aspires to be a defender of Hong Kong’s cultural heritage. Hong Kong is no more just an international financial centre in Asia. Our civilization is already a rich pool of brilliant beliefs, customs and knowhows accumulated in the course of 19th to 22nd Century.

The problem of modern life is the claim that, for the sake of progress, we have to lose local traditions at a faster pace than that of preserving, not to mention the extra loss accelerated by forces such as globalization and national assimilation. A woman’s greatest asset is her beauty and cheongsam is the wonderful dress that helps a woman capitalize on her physical and emotional beauty.

MLee

Chinese Version 中文版: https://www.patreon.com/posts/chen-jia-xian-de-76769559?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Sparkle Collection Fashion Show  https://youtu.be/1SqDDu_MJZM  Acknowledgement – Sparkle Collection

Sparkle Collection Cheongsam 2023  https://youtu.be/RSQGXX-R-7E  Acknowledgement – Sparkle Collection

Cheongsam Etiquette  https://youtu.be/dx5d2hQKiWs  Acknowledgement – Sparkle Collection

Maggie Cheung’s Cheongsam in Movie《In the Mood for Love》  https://youtu.be/KloZiML4jQ8  Acknowledgement – San Shi Ma

Karen Chan Interview  https://youtu.be/SP5LuLssrlQ  Acknowledgement - hkfederation

[fific7]

Dangerous and Divine - Part 13

Billy Russo x Reader

Summary: Billy Russo is an itch you don’t want to scratch. But he’s all over you like a rash.

A/N: This does not follow canon, it’s mainly fluff & lemon zest 🍋 The GIF is from Exposed, unreleased pilot show in case you’re wondering 😌... Billy vibes.

Warnings: 18+ NSFW due to sexual content including oral and unprotected* sex between consenting adults. Some drinking & swearing.

*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.

(My GIF)

His dark chocolate eyes appeared above yours, a soft look in them. He kissed you long and slow, and then you heard him whisper, “But she’ll never catch me, sweetheart. You already got me.”

You gave a low laugh, “You are such a big sap, Russo!”

He laughed back, eyes crinkling up at the corners, “Ssssh! Don’t keep sayin’ that, angel! You’re ruinin’ my rep,” before kissing you again.

He pulled back, eyes gazing into yours, “Wanna pick up where we left off? Before we got rudely interrupted?” You smiled, “Might do.” He unwrapped his towel with a flourish and threw it onto the floor. Your eyes slowly roamed over his masterpiece of a body, and excitement sparked in your veins.

“Don’t mind when you look,” smirked Billy, but then an angry scowl flitted across his face. He looked away from you, “You know when she was stood in front of me?” he looked back as you nodded, “She was looking at me like I was a prime fillet. Covered my equipment cos she was starin’ right at it.”

He leant back as you sat up, saying angrily, “Yeah, I saw you! - that was why?!!! I thought you were reverting to ‘Marine’. Or something.” You huffed out a big breath, “That!... that....!” you were momentarily lost for words. Billy smiled at you, and laid his hand on your cheek, “Yeah, that was why. Look, forget I mentioned it, I just got pissed off again and shouldn’t’ve said anythin’. C’mon, angel - c’mere.”

You let yourself get folded into Billy’s arms, and settled yourself back down on the pillows. Feeling his lips on your neck, you put your head back slightly to give him better access. Those sensuous lips travelled down onto your collarbone, and your eyes closed in pleasure as he nipped at your skin before licking it slowly. His mouth made its way slowly but surely to your breasts, paying close attention to your nipples as it went, circling them with that tongue of his and then sucking until you gasped out little breaths in quick succession.

You were already as wet as the ocean and he’d hardly touched you. Long fingers trailed over your pussy before two pushed inside you, and a very long moan escaped your lips. Billy’s mouth was at your ear, whispering, “D’you like that, angel? How about this?” A third finger joined the other two and you felt the stretch immediately, giving a little squeal, then his thumb was rubbing your clit so firmly you just couldn’t be quiet.... at all.

Then Billy was slinking his way down your body, tongue trailing over you, the feeling of his scratchy beard against your inner thighs announcing the arrival of his head between your legs. Oh my, your brain screeched, this is gonna be very... ! His tongue joined in with all the other action below decks, and your brain fizzled up like a sparkler somebody’d just lit before it could finish the thought.

You grabbed two large handfuls of Billy’s hair and pulled on it for all you were worth, hearing a muffled chuckle from below. “Angel,” you heard next, his voice husky and breathless, “....watch the hair, huh?!” But needless to say, you ignored him. His tongue returned to the fray, and before you could even tug on his hair again your orgasm hit. You felt like you were about to pass out, seeing stars, then could hear a voice chanting his name over and over like a mantra. Oh okay, that was you. You tried to shut your mouth up but it just kept going.

Finally, your head sank right back into the pillows and a long, slow exhalation of breath left your lungs. Billy sat up after flicking his tongue over your pussy and thighs, carefully gathering up all of your juices before smirking at you as you stared back at him, still dazed. He was just getting his breath back, “Did your boyfriend eat you out till you were breathless, sweetheart? Hmmm? Is he a good boyfriend?” You nodded, still not really able to collate your thoughts into words. “Can’t speak, huh? I think your boyfriend needs a really big reward for that. But first he’s gonna give you somethin’ else to think ‘bout.”

His hard length was between your thighs in a heartbeat and he’d assertively guided himself inside you before you could take another breath. Your feet drew up until they were flat on the bed, knees raising themselves of their own accord. The intense feelings of pleasure rolled over you like breakers on the beach. Billy took hold of your ankles, balancing them on his shoulders with his hands going to your hips, pulling you even closer to him, kissing you passionately. One hand came up and laid itself on your cheek, his thumb stroking your skin. Your mouths parted and his forehead gently touched yours, then he began moving on you, setting a furious pace with his thrusting.

You gripped his biceps to start with, before heading back to your favourite place - his hair. Running your fingers through it, that made you happy for a little while until you grabbed some with each hand. Over the sighs and moans both of you were making, you heard a low laugh from Billy, “Gettin’ ready to pull my hair, angel?” You gasped as he thrust deeply while he spoke, then ground out “Yeah I am and you can just shut up, Russo,” between your teeth. “Don’t...” he said, breaking off to softly grunt as he thrust at the same time, “...leave me with bald patches, goddess,” he finished.

Which was just as well, because you thought he’d been about to tell you not to pull his hair! That would’ve been a very dangerous thing for Billy to do, ex-Marine or not. So you immediately began to tug on said hair, which brought great contentment to your soul, and you heard Billy’s soft laugh as you did so.

“M’gonna...come, angel,” you heard next, wrapped up in a breathy moan. His hand went to your clit, all the while hitting your sweet spot with each stroke. You could feel your climax building and building, and gave his hair one last loving pull as the orgasm slammed you. Billy fastened his teeth onto your neck where it met your shoulder and bit down, not too hard but still enough to make you yelp, and you felt him tense against you as he came. He collapsed onto you, huffing as he caught his breath before lowering your trembling legs to the bed. He rested his forehead on yours, kissing your nose.

“Holy hell,” he whispered, “that was mind-blowin’, angel.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The two of you slept a little late the next morning, having a leisurely shower together before ordering a big breakfast to the room, your appetites being very healthy indeed after your exercise regime the previous night. The plates and coffee cups were soon clean as whistles.

You were lying on the bed, busy having a giggling fit as Billy peered into the big mirror while angling his head and parting his hair this way and that.

“I swear, angel, if I find even the tiniest bald patch....” but his eyes, meeting yours in the mirror, were twinkling with suppressed laughter. “Oh, Russo...” you gasped, breathless from laughing, “...you really are a big dork!” “Hey... this head of hair’s my crownin’ glory! If any’s missin’, I’ll need to get weaves! An’ you can pay for them!”

You had just launched into more giggles, when there was a loud knock at the door, followed by a gruff “S’Frank, open up Bill.” Scrambling to get into your hotel robe - which you’d earlier dropped on the floor so that Billy could smooth the hotel’s complimentary high-end body lotion over every inch of you - he started heading for the door but was looking over at you with a raised eyebrow. You hastily tied the belt round your waist and nodded at him. Luckily Billy had already been in his robe.

“Bill!” came Frank’s voice again, “...get your lazy ass out of bed and open the door!” “Yeah, yeah, Frankie,” Billy yelled back as he reached the door.

But then you noticed that Billy was holding a big black gun behind his back. Oh. Right. The seriousness of the situation last night came back to you, and a little splice of fear ran through you. But soon a big bear of a man was striding into the room, and him and Billy were exchanging manly shoulder grips. Yeah, you would guess they wouldn’t exactly be ‘huggy’ types. Then you saw Karen following in his wake with a big smile on her face, and you jumped up and rushed over to hug her.

Billy introduced you to Frank, and you returned the favour for him and Karen. More coffees were ordered, along with some toast (you were still peckish, okay?) and you all lounged around and chatted while you waited. The guys still couldn’t tell you two very much about the ‘op’, and Karen soon decided to start in on Billy.

“So, Billy,” she began, and he politely turned his head towards her, “....everything still fully intact downstairs?” nodding towards his crotch. Frank snorted, while Billy’s mouth opened and closed, then he looked beseechingly over at you, eyes wide, while you tried not to burst out laughing. Billy had actually gone quite pink, and you found this hilarious. Karen was a past master at this of course, ace reporter that she was. And you hadn’t seen or updated her since the Lunch Incident, so you relented and replied, “Yes, he still has all his equipment, Karen. Luckily for him, Billy was able to explain the situation to my satisfaction, otherwise he might’ve indeed been missing a couple of appendages at this moment.”

Frank snorted again, and Billy shot him an annoyed look before saying, “It was a misunderstandin’, Karen, an’ I fully explained it all.” You added, “He’d been stringing her along so these two were kept in the loop about the case. But then she came to the Chelsea café twice the next day, the second time to interrogate me about me and Billy’s relationship...” Frank butted in, smirking, “Never thought I’d hear the words ‘Billy’ and ‘relationship’ in the same sentence, lemme tell ya!” “Frankie!” yelled Billy, “look, will you all just stop givin’ me a hard time here!”

You and Karen grinned at each other, before you carried on, “So... during this little chat she was having with me, she told me her and Billy were dating.” Karen said, “No way!” “Yeah, she did. Obviously she was there just to find out what was going on between me and Billy! I went home afterwards, and Billy was still at his office. She headed straight over there and basically jumped him! He shoved her away and she fell over on her butt.” You all shared a grin at that. “Billy came over to mine and told me all about it.”

“Yeah,” put in Billy, “and then we both came over here the day of the op, and uhh... we were a little busy... I’m sure you know what I mean, when she came bustin’ in on us using a master key, then just stood watchin’ us for fuck knows how long. So I yelled at her to fuck off and she went.” His face was pink-tinged again, and he continued, “Then she turned up again last night, but knocked this time which was somethin’ I s’pose. Looked me over like a piece of meat cos I just had a towel wrapped round me.” He shook his head, “She’s unreal. Got a few screws loose,” twirling a finger next to his temple.

Karen smiled at him, “Nah, Billy - not crazy as such, but a woman scorned, y’know? Just think about it for a second. You must’ve really got her all stirred up, and then BAM!”, she yelled, and Billy jumped a little, “...you shut her down so fast her head must’ve been spinning.” He looked suitably chastised, and glanced guiltily over at you. “Now my girl here,” she carried on, pointing at you, “...when she saw you in that restaurant with another woman, she was gonna shut you down faster’n a jet engine on landing. Totally different approach with her. No stalking, no contact, no jumping you, she would’ve just cut your balls off and walked away.”

Billy squirmed in his armchair, looking wide-eyed at you. Even Frank looked slightly uncomfortable. “You know, you’re really lucky she gave you a second chance, Billy.” He gulped a little, “I know... I do know that, Karen. I was so dumb to string Madani along like that, but she made it obvious she was interested, so y’know, I...” he spread out his arms, “...thought I’d use it to my advantage and make sure we were kept in the loop.” He again looked over at you, regretfully, “Yeah, not my finest hour.”

But Karen still wasn’t finished, you could tell by the look on her face - “Relentless Terrier with Bone.”

“Would you have gone so far as to sleep with her?” she shot at him. Billy slouched back in his seat and looked down at his fingers, which were fidgeting in his lap. You knew that Karen was just trying to - she thought - get you some honest answers, but you decided it was time to bale him out. Billy looked like he was under attack from all angles, he wasn’t used to her interrogatory style. If it had been back in his Marine days, about a mission or troop movements or suchlike, it would’ve been a cakewalk for him, no doubt. But this was about relationships and feelings - not familiar territory for Billy in the slightest.

“We discussed that, K,” you replied to her, “..and yeah, he would have. For sure.”

“Before I met her,” Billy quickly added with an apologetic smile at you, before saying, “And before I met her, yeah - I’ll admit I would’ve sat back and let her jump my bones when she came visitin’ me at Anvil.”

You caught sight of Frank’s amazed face. He was looking at Billy as if he’d just fallen clear out of the sky into that armchair. His eyes suddenly met yours and you grinned at him, and he shook his head, laughing over at you, “Wow. Russo’s whipped!” “Shut it, Frankie,” grumbled Billy, but he had a small shit-eating grin on his face.

There was a knock at the door as the coffee and toast arrived, and Billy leapt up to answer it, looking relieved to be off the ‘witness stand.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

A couple of hours later, checkout completed, the four of you split up to head off in your various different directions.

You to Chelsea, Karen to a meeting uptown with a ‘source’ as she termed it, and the two guys to Homeland’s HQ for their final meeting with The Scorned Woman - as she would now forever be known to you and Karen - and which they couldn’t wait to get over and done with.

Billy - very aware of Frank and Karen watching as well as smirking close by - almost shyly pulled you to him and kissed you softly. However he couldn’t help himself and fairly soon his kiss became much more heated, one big hand snaking round the back of your neck as he nuzzled his face closer to yours. The two of you pulled apart eventually to a round of wolf whistles and catcalls from your so-called ‘friends’.

Billy was chuckling and running a hand distractedly through his hair as he let go of you. You flipped the two of them an affectionate finger along with a smile just as you spotted your Uber drawing to a halt outside the hotel entrance, and made a hasty exit into it, stage left.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Madani looked across her desk, firstly at Castle, then after a moment let her gaze slide over to Russo, lingering on him. He looks just divine today, she thought. She took in his shiny immaculate hair, sullen face, dark seductive eyes, sensual mouth and angular jaw covered with his trademark light beard. It looked to her like he’d shaved it down just a little bit - not that it had ever been thick - but she could definitely see more of his jawline. She watched as his long fingers slotted and unslotted themselves, his hands resting on the desktop. She then observed that he was dressed in a leather jacket, grey t-shirt, pair of black jeans and combat boots. Everything about the tall marine just screamed ‘sex’, she mused.

A tiny shiver went through her as she imagined those fingers running over her body, and despite the case being more or less closed, she knew she wouldn’t be giving up on this apparently lost cause anytime soon. She’d find some excuse about missing evidence or statements to call him back in, or something along those lines. He was too good a catch to let him escape, and she wasn’t prepared to allow that to happen. And Dinah Madani, as anyone who knew or worked with her soon found out, was one very determined lady.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

@blackbirddaredevil23 @galaxyjane @omgrachwrites @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead

[padawanlost]

What's Anakin's relationship with Bail?

There was no  ‘relationship’. They knew each other, they worked together a couple of times but that was it. They got along well the handful of times they worked together but Bail was closer to Padmé and Obi-wan, not Anakin. And even with Padmé and Obi-wan, he wasn’t super close, sharing all the secrets type of friend.

“Are you telling me you’re being watched?” said Obi-Wan, incredulous. “Bail—” “I know,” he said. “I’m sounding paranoid. But I’m not. I promise. So you need to keep this Lanteeb thing quiet.”  “Of course,” said Obi-Wan, nodding. “Although—I’d like to bring Anakin to our dinner meeting. He has excellent instincts and a unique perspective.”  Anakin, the wonder boy. I wouldn’t mind a closer look at this paragon. “Sure. But don’t tell anyone else. Not yet. Not even Master Yoda. All right?”[Karen Miller. Star Wars: Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth]

Grinning, Bail took down another wineglass from the wall-mounted rack beside the small window above the sink. He half filled it with some of the finest vintage his family’s vineyards had ever produced then handed it to Anakin. “To your excellent health,” he said, lifting his own glass in salute. Anakin returned the gesture. “And yours, Senator.” “Why don’t you make that Bail? This is my home, after all, not the Senate.” [Karen Miller. Star Wars: Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth]

Bail passed around the fragrantly steaming plates, poured the wine and juice, then took his own seat. He raised his glass, his eyes warm with affection. “To friends,” he said quietly. “And an end to this blasted war.” “Friends,” she and the Jedi echoed, and drank. After that, while they ate, Bail regaled them with the latest gossip from the Senate. They laughed, they poked fun, they dredged up tales long-buried and worth retelling and for a couple of rare, precious hours the war receded. They were just four friends enjoying fine food and fine company … and pain was a dim memory from a long time ago. [Karen Miller. Star Wars: Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth]

Really it was too early to see Padmé, but she’d never forgive him for holding back his news of Obi-Wan and Anakin. Well—of Anakin in particular. He was almost convinced now that if her interest lay anywhere, it was with the younger man. And if that doesn’t stir up a nest of gundarks, I don’t know what will. Oh, Padmé. [Karen Miller’s Clone Wars Gambit: Siege]

“Of course not,” [Padmé] snapped. “What I want is them home again, on Coruscant, safe and sound. What I want is—” She turned her back to him, her shoulders shaking, as though she were weeping, or trying very hard not to. Stang. “Padmé,” he said carefully. “Talk to me. Whatever’s wrong, if it’s a secret it’ll stay that way. Please. Let me help.”He didn’t dare say anything more. The truth had to come from her. No matter what he suspected, she had to be the one to cross that line. For the longest time she didn’t speak. Then, at last, she turned. Her eyes were dry, her face composed and self-contained. She wasn’t smiling, but there was a warmth in the steady look she gave him. “You are so sweet to care, Bail. Thank you,” she said, her voice low and steady. […] In other words, Bail, mind your own business.  [Karen Miller’s Clone Wars Gambit: Siege]

But as he navigated the traffic streams to his own apartment, only vaguely aware of yet another glorious Coruscant sunrise, he found himself praying hard it was a yes—and praying even harder that somehow the two impossible friends he and Padmé had in common would manage to find a way out of their latest predicament. Because he did not want to think about having to give her bad news. Oh, Padmé. Dear Padmé. It’s such a big galaxy. Was there nobody else you could fall in love with? [Karen Miller’s Clone Wars Gambit: Siege]

Could Vader actually be Anakin Skywalker? the two men wondered. Based on Obi-Wan’s account of what had occurred on Mustafar, Anakin’s survival didn’t seem possible. But perhaps Obi-Wan had underestimated Anakin. Perhaps Anakin’s peerless strength in the Force had allowed him to survive. Was Bail, then, raising the child of a man who was still alive? What alternative was there? That Palpatine—that Sidious—had dubbed some other apprentice Darth Vader? That the black monstrosity Bail had seen on the landing platform was merely a droid version of Anakin, as General Grievous had been a cyborg version of his former self? If that was true, would stormtroopers like Appo allow themselves to be commanded by a such a being, even if ordered to by Sidious? The questions had gnawed at Bail without answer, and events such as the refugee march only served to place him at greater risk on Coruscant and heighten his concerns for Leia. James Luceno’s Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader

Aristocratic Organa was Anakin’s height, dark-haired and handsome, and always meticulously dressed in the style of the Republic’s Classic era, like the Naboo, rather than in the ostentatious fashion of Coruscant. But where Padmé had earned her status by being elected Queen, Organa had been born into wealth and privilege, on picture-perfect Alderaan. Mercy missions or no, Vader wondered whether Organa had any real sense of what it meant to live in the outlying systems, on worlds like sand-swept Tatooine, plagued by Tusken Raiders and lorded over by Hutts. He felt a sudden urge to put Organa in his place. Pinch off his breath with a narrowing of his thumb and forefinger; crush him in his fist … But the situation didn’t call for that—yet. Besides, Vader could see in Organa’s nervous gestures that he understood who was in charge. Power. He had power over Organa, and over all like him. And it was Skywalker, not Vader, who had lived on Tatooine. Vader’s life was just beginning.JAMES LUCENO’S DARK LORD: THE RISE OF DARTH VADER.]

[leefi]

Starira MBTI IV - Rinmeikan

Seisho

Siegfeld

Frontier

Tamao Tomoe: ISFJ

Bitches be like "can't help being an Si Dom!" *Fixates on a past inferiority complex and lets it define her worth until inferior Ne finally snaps and goes full rambo*

I’d put Tamao up there with Akira in terms of characters who have grown the most throughout the game’s arc (+ Maya if we’re including the anime). And you don’t really need me to tell you why. I find her so so relatable because she’s evolved from being a passive observer who feels as if she has no power or agency in her own life to flipping in the COMPLETE opposite direction and, well...going full rambo. She's shot way too far in the other direction, though, and risks burning up upon re-entry if she isn't careful.

Above all the edgelord, though, we know that she's a dork with a big heart who adores her school and friends. That commitment to preserving the past and those who came before her is such a gratuitously Si-dom thing, and we're all rooting for her because we can see how hard it is to go against her sweeter nature and take Kaoruko head-on. But that aux Fe and inferior Ne give her no breathing room to figure out what she's going to be doing after all of this - she's so focused on her mission and what she must achieve, and that single-mindedness slingshotting out of prior passivity is...so scary to see. It reminds me a bit of her extroverted xSFJ sister's arc in the anime - Nana.

Fumi Yumeoji: ISTJ

Now that I’ve thought about it more, her type is pretty clear. Some commenters on her PDB page made REALLY strong arguments for Fumi being an ISFP in a Te grip (Te, extroverted thinking, is ISFP’s weakest function - when they’re caught in its grip, they become overly critical of the world around them and turn into control freaks). But I feel like her Te is just too strong, even if she’s in a grip, for it to be her inferior. And, more importantly, I see zero Se in her. There’s no way it could be her auxiliary function. But I get why people think ISFP! She definitely has a ton of Fi - she left her bright future behind at Siegfeld because of it. She’d compromised a value extremely dear to her (her love for her sister!) in her stress, and that sin was so unforgivable to her that she abandoned Siegfeld completely. That screams Fi. But seeing how the other ISTJ in Revue Starlight (Junna!) uses her Fi, arguments for Fumi being one as well get stronger and stronger.

ISTJs have Fi as their tertiary function. And tertiary functions can be super strong, especially if she was caught in a Si-Fi loop! Here’s what an Si-Fi loop looks like:

“The ISTJ in this loop becomes hyper critical of past events and can see all of the negative things which have occurred and are likely to occur again. Seeing these negative patterns and past events becomes tied to the ISTJs emotions, which makes them fixate on these things and the fears they have of what might happen in the future. Normally logic would present itself for the ISTJ and cause them to reevaluate, but during their loop this becomes impossible...The ISTJ in this loop becomes hyper critical of past events and can see all of the negative things which have occurred and are likely to occur again. Seeing these negative patterns and past events becomes tied to the ISTJs emotions, which makes them fixate on these things and the fears they have of what might happen in the future.”.

Overall, Fumi is strict, incredibly hard on herself, and in a very stressful position for an ISTJ to be - but she also has some of the strongest values and inner sense of integrity in the series, and that can’t go understated.

Ichie Otonashi: ESFP

“Tamao...TAMAO…”

“What is it?”

“Doesn't it seem like Kiryuin-sensei is glaring at me?”

“She’s just looking at us.”

“YOU’RE LYING SHE’S DEFINITELY GLARING AT ME”

The “stereotypical partner” for ISFJs and ISTJs! While I wasn’t thinking about MBTI at the time, this was what I was referring to when I said that Ichie brings the light to Tamao and Fumi’s more serious personalities - they’re very lucky to have her around. Se-dominance shows up less in a jock-way like it does for the other Se-strong girls and more in Ichie’s lackadaisical and fun-loving attitude. She’s like a little puppy, excitable and eager to experience all that life has to offer her. Se-Fi means that she’s quick to get back up on her feet when things go wrong (just like her ExFP cousins Karen, Aruru and Lalafin), but don’t let her easy going personality fool you - she has a strong sense of values that she holds very dearly to her heart (auxiliary introverted Feeling), and we see that lash out when she’s the first to get truly, visibly angry and driven (loud Se dominance supporting passionate Fi aux with tertiary Te leading the charge) over the loss of the department (compare to Tamao’s quieter Si dominance supporting socially-conscious Fe aux with tertiary Ti withdrawing and mulling things over for itself before acting). There is sooo much to Ichie that I love that I’ve already talked about twice and feel like I’m being redundant at this point, haha. But she has such an inner fire to match that outer love and passion, it’s incredible to see. She really is like the sun.

Also - please see this tweet about Rinmeiki and the Rinmeikan seniors. It's such a succinct way of summarizing their worldviews.

Rui Akikaze: ISFP

We really see a more innocent side to Fi dominance with Rui - see how she doesn’t immediately pick up on the cold atmosphere at Rinmeikan during the early AA story because she’s just so excited about the Performance Festival (until Fe-user Yuyuko comes in and gives her a rude awakening). She’s really similar to her IxFP sibling Mahiru! It’s that shared unhealthy Fi not having confidence in her own capabilities that makes her project onto the girl she has a crush on (and not saying her crush is bad or not valid, just as there’s nothing wrong with Mahiru’s for Karen either - it’s just that she has a tendency to chase Tamao as this ideal because she hasn’t embraced herself yet when she really is a phenomenal person in her own right!). But it’s also that dominant Fi that fuels her passion towards catching up to - and keeping up with - (and eventually surpassing, but don’t tell her that) her senpai! It’s so, so strong! IxFPs are their passions! I see stronger evidence for Se over Ne aux, which is why I typed her as ISFP. When you compare her to her extroverted sister Ichie, you actually find quite a few similarities between the two! Rui’s passion and excitability shows up in albeit more awkward ways due to her introversion, but she’s just as powerful beneath the surface! There is so much light and fire there that I think even her senpais fail to pick up on - truly only Yukko so far has seen the full breadth of her potential (that’s the power of lesbianism). Like other Fi doms can tend towards being, Rui sometimes has an issue of getting stuck in her own head and being her own worst enemy (this is typically more common with INFPs, who are “dreamier” than their ISFP siblings, but it isn’t impossible for an ISFP to be feeling the same things). But like Mahiru and Kaoruko, there’s so much untapped potential that she’ll gain access to with time and support!

Yuyuko Tanaka: INTP

“If only I had the Magician’s knowledge...then it’d be so easy.”

Her inferior extroverted Feeling showing up when she and Rui talk in Arcana Arcadia is SO SO PREVALENT - Ne and Fe pick up on the actual dynamics of the situation much faster than Fi-dominant Rui, but that inferior Fe also struggles to communicate that change in a diplomatic way, and she ends up really scaring/basically bullying Rui. We also see it in her ardent refusal to be a burden and immediate initiative to put herself to work, in such a similar way to what I pointed out with INTP sibling LGY in my ORV post:

Yuyuko: We have to be the ones to shoulder it - Tamao-senpai, Fumi-senpai, and Ichie-senpai’s wish.

Rui: …!

Yuyuko: Our seniors have already been shouldering this dream. That’s why they can’t afford to carry you too!!

All of this is INTP inferior Fe. It's also why it was such a surprise to a lot of us when Yukko admitted she had feelings for her because, as I mentioned with Misora, IxTPs have a really, really hard time communicating what they’re actually feeling, even if they have developed Fe!

Yukko really is a hidden genius - she has such a talent for scriptwriting which was kind of easy to miss before AA because INTPs are the champions of being the literal best at a thing...then not advocating for themselves at all (I have to harass my INTP friend into letting me advocate for him all the time because THEY WOULD LITERALLY RATHER DIE THAN ASK FOR HELP). They aren’t really focused on prestige or gaining power like their INTJ cousins might be - what lights their fire is diving fully and wholeheartedly into their passions (like Rakugo), and everything else comes second. Stop distracting them with other things -- who cares if they haven’t eaten in eight hours. They want to keep focusing on their work! But if you catch them in their passions - or working towards anything they’re extremely invested in (like she is with making Rui the lead) - they are unparalleled strategists and geniuses. They throw themselves FULLY into the things they care about and easily become masters in their craft. INTPs are the classic example of asking a stoic person about their special interest and immediately seeing their faces light up (buckle in, too, because they’re about to launch into a two-hour lecture about it).

I’m not familiar with Rakugo so there isn’t much I can say with it, but dominant Ti-auxiliary Ne-tertiary Si is such a wonderful set of functions to have for scriptwriting or visualizing a story, so it’s no wonder that on top of her many talents, she’s already working with her seniors.

I also really love that she’s buds with Nana - they’re polar opposites, too (ESFJ/INTP), and having Fe-dominant Nana to advocate for her talents and genius is really going to help her shine in the future! If they teamed up with Michiru and Misora I think the four of them would be able to take over the world in about twenty minutes.

[books-are-my-life-stuff]

CYRUS SMILED!!

See, having emotions isn’t always so bad, right?

Also, another highlight for this week’s run, to celebrate Sycamore being permanently available:

I decided to have fun with this week’s run, since I only need Ice-type to unlock Master Mode, and afterwards I need to start getting serious. I also have decided to wait until the eventual Ice-weak stage to finally unlock it instead of playing a risky game by off-typing it (especially considering my team’s Winter Leon is still 1/5 and all). Besides, I want to have fun one final time with a certain Steel-type sync pair that I haven’t had much chance to use at all...

As always, everything’s under the cut.

Will:  I know Swimsuit Misty is weak to Grass, but I went on anyway. That was kinda rough because Misty went down when Will used sync, but afterward, it's all good. Allister dealt awesome damage with multipliers from his Max Move and Erika's Toxic+Trap helped the battle to end quicker. I dunno, I just like putting BP Erika at the same team as Allister. He didn’t get to use much of the Hostile Environment, but Badly Poisoned is always better than regular Poison.

Koga: I don’t have great flying-type DPS, so my Steamroll team that is.  I will either use my Steamroll team or use my Stall team for Flying-type stages like Koga as long as I don't have Blue. By that I mean, please, please come home, Blue. His Classic version is very nice to come home in first pull, why can't his OG version do so? Off-topic rambling aside, nothing much to say about the Steamroll team since the fight went pretty much like you’d expect.

Karen:  The next parameter is infinite field-effect, which calls for Halloween Caitlin and her superb barriers and move-gauge acceleration. I went with Skyla as a healer, and Classic Blue since he doesn't really need Sandstorm. 

Going with Classic Blue and Halloween Caitlin was a great decision. Halloween Caitlin's move gauge acceleration lasted indefinitely, making Blue able to spam his Hyper Beam. Plus, Blue is a mixed attacker, and Karen set up Physical  Barrier, which also lasted infinitely thanks to the parameter. Had I gone with Olivia (who doesn't have Crit Strike yet) she'd probably have a tough time since she's a physical attacker. 

Karen went down before sync, which was amazing. Blue also could finish up the sides pretty quick with one or two Hyper Beam. He is especially helped with Caitlin's infinite barriers, especially since his trainer move buffed his offensive stats but lowered his defenses (which was mitigated as well by defense buffs from both Skyla and Caitlin). Anyway, that was great. Classic Blue might be frail, but he thankfully never dropped to half health this time.

Bruno:  Bruno was weak to grass, and...y'know what? I probably wouldn't be able to pull this off in Master Mode since I’m still pretty terrible in this game, so I should enjoy this while I can. Fortunately, I have prepared Horn Leech build with Double Master Healer on Sycamore just for this (and Battle Villa, and Legendary Arena), so I tried to make him solo! 

Bruno had Gyro Ball, which was kinda scary. Fortunately, it didn't hit really hard and he stopped using it after first sync for some reason (if he had continued using it, Sycamore would have been done for, so thank you, Bruno). MPR proc on the trainer move, and I also grabbed a Move Gauge refresh to help restoring move gauge, which is needed in solo fight like this. Amazingly, Sycamore's health only once dropped to below half (because Bruno combo-ed Rock Tomb with his sync move and even with Imprevious and Geomancy buff, the move gauge isn’t restored fast enough to get that combo), and even after that, he could restore his entire missing health just by one Horn Leech. 

It was a long, long fight, but damn I'd be lying if I didn't feel so satisfied after finishing it.

Lance: I think Lance is a mixed attacker. He could probably have both Outrage and Hyper Beam at the same time, which might be dangerous for Hop if Lance gets that Hyper Beam off (I’m still traumatized at how Mars’ Bronzong used Hyper Beam to Dawn and one-shot her from 85%-ish health in Extreme Battle), so I brought Morty as the second healer should there be an emergency situation, and to restore Cyrus' health after using his recoil-inducing trainer move. Besides, Morty's trainer move buffs both defense and special defense, which really helps Hop who's primarily a physical tanker, can flinch occasionally and can confuse. He's just so damn good. 

Gushing aside, the parameters chosen for this fight is both an advantage and disadvantage to my team and Lance's team. Along with physical debuff as first parameter, I decided to choose special attack debuff as the second parameter, which might affect Cyrus, but since he has Crit Strike and Hop buffs his crit, I think he'll be fine. 

Even without  Dragon Zone, Cyrus somehow did pretty good damage and crit-ing a lot, though I'm sure he'd be awesome if I had Lucas. Since I had double healers (who had double Master Healers as well on each one of them), the battle was pretty smooth, and Cyrus smiling certainly makes me happy too.

All in all, that was a great run, mostly experimental and for fun. I hope I can clear the next one! Thanks for reading!

[witchvspatriarchy]

Feminism vs Female Empowerment vs Feminist Exemplification

In the past years this thread of labeling anything that’s female positive as feminist has really skyrocketed and it bothers me greatly. Great female representation and female empowerment does not make a thing feminist. Something that illustrates, explains or describes a feminist value or point of view does not make that thing feminist.

What defines something as sexist or empowering or feminist is the context and the message or objective that it wants to convey.

There are men in the industry who are progressive and works towards equality by hiring more women, and actively trying to give us better female representation. There are women who direct women in films about women and who try to maintain a crew or team of mostly women. In both cases, none of this makes their project or them feminists.

The majority of the entertainment industry responds and caters to The Male Gaze – it does so even if there are no men operatively involved in the project, because 99.9% of people in the industry do not make art, they are here to make money.

And although it is based on what we commonly call artistic careers, that does not mean that there is a really artistic background or objective in the things being made – it’s purely commercial in a vast majority.  The ultimate goal of the entertainment industry is to sell. Therefore, much of this "art" is not progressive, thought-provoking or subversive in any way, specially if the person in charge believes that this could cost them money. The main objective is to market to the consumers and they do so at the expense of everything - this includes quality, values, points of view, consciousness and self-awareness. And this is when two very interesting things happen: Faux Feminism & Female Exploitation.

Female Exploitation is when the person in charge believes that what sells is quiet, beautiful and sensual women – this is the main thing, and the character's story is secondary (so much that most end up being just eye candy or as a manic pixie dream girl). In this case they think of subversive and thought-provoking as something that can harm their income. So the actresses talent and creativity doesn’t really matter, as long as they’re pretty and sell.

Faux Feminism is when the person in charge believes that the money is in the feminist pov and they make films that could pass as feminist and with strong female characters that follow closely and/or represent the political climate and feminist discourse of today – but that does not make the product feminist, mainly because in most cases they do this in the most superficial way for a monetary gain. Keep in mind, in this cases they don’t explicitally use the word feminism in attachment to whatever their selling, but it’s very obvious.

And sometimes is neither of these, but instead Casual Feminism - when something could represent, stand for feminism but that wasn’t the intention at all. Feminists saw it and were like HECK YEAH.

Is feminist a project in which mostly or only women participate? Is feminist a project where the main roles are 99% female? Is feminist a project that addresses sexism? Is feminist a project that’s inclusive? Is feminist a project with independent and empowered women? Is feminist a project that criticizes the way in which society treats women? The answer to all this is NO.

What defines whether something is feminist or not, is first and foremost if whether its exhibitors/creators are feminists or if it was written to represent/stand for feminism explicitly and consciously. If I wear a shirt that says I am feminist, that does not make me feminist. Being a fan of Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Emma Watson or any other feminist does not make me a feminist. Reading one feminist book does not make me feminist (it’s the start, if so I decide). I'm just wearing something, following a person, consuming a product. And many artistic products are attributed the term feminist when they are not in the slightest. If you assume that it is feminist because it exemplifies feminism or is potentially empowering for women, that does not make it feminist. Talking about self-love, girl power, sorority and sexism does not make you a feminist - it makes you self-aware of your rights, strengths and weaknesses and that is excellent and encouraged, but it does not make you feminist.

Why? Because Feminism is a philosophical, social, political, economic and artistic current. What makes a feminist person a feminist, above all, is that they identify themselves as such, with all the awareness of what feminism is because they have studied it or are constantly studying it or have the intention of studying it.

We can long and dream for a feminist awakening in the entertainment industry, but precisely because of that we should not label just anything as sfeminist, because labeling something or someone as feminist when it is not is a disrespect to the person or product and misleading; and it is harmful to the people and products that are feminist and that are mostly ignored, criticized, received in a negative way and usually overshadowed by pseudo-feminist products with better marketing, plus it only helps to preserve the misinformation and misunderstanding of what feminism is and superficializes it. Not to mention it can perpetuate some misconceptions.

Something or someone not being feminist does not mean it is sexist and there IS feminism in the entertainment industry, but very little and it usually suffers from detractors from the industry itself; so what we find mostly is female empowerment, in an initial and often diluted facet.

So no, we can't call it feminist but we can call it empowering since many women feel that spark of strength, they feel identified and reflected accurately, maybe they even feel understood - and that is something very valuable. We can also use them as an exemplification of feminism, there are many artistic projects that are not feminist but serve to explain, illustrate or describe a feminist point of view because they showed it excellently.

Let’s see some examples of what I’m talking about:

Mean Girls is a great example of a feminist movie. It represents and portrays feminist points of view and feminist values consciously and with the intention and awareness of doing it directly from a feminist stand. It has the feminist label very big and very visibly. It was written by a feminist (Tina Fey), inspired on the novel of another feminist (Rosalind Wiseman). The director is not a feminist, as far as we know, but that doesn’t take away from its value as a feminist piece of work in any manner.

Legally Blonde is another great example of a feminist film. The writers, Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith are both feminists, Kirsten notably being a Riot Grrrl. It is based on a novel written by a feminist (Amanda Brown). And just as Mean Girls, it represents and portrays feminist points of view and feminist values consciously and with the intention and awareness of doing it directly from a feminist stand. It has the feminist label very big and very visibly. Also, it is very female empowering.

Now let’s talk Harley Quinn, because is a very interesting one.

First, let’s talk about her in the comics. She wasn’t created by feminists. She isn’t coded as feminist. She is not written as a feminist character. She is not female empowering for most of her story. Nor she or her story are an exemplification of feminism. The character is not meant to represent or embody feminism in any way. So is she a feminist character? No.

Now, in the movie Birds of Prey. Again, she wasn’t created by feminists. Was the script written by a woman? Yes, but not a feminist woman. Is the movie directed by a woman? Yes, but again, not a feminist woman – the director even said in an interview that she didn’t want to “sound too much like a diehard bra-burning feminist”. The film had an all women crew. Again, Harley isn’t coded as feminist - she is not written as a feminist. The character is not meant to represent or embody feminism in any way. BUT is it female empowering? HELL YES. And the movie as a whole is a great exemplification of feminism, this is another quote from the director: “a harlequin’s role is to serve, they’re nothing without a master and so the movie is about Harley Quinn becoming her own master. And not just Harley, but the Birds of Prey as well. All these women go through something and they’re all trying to break free from their own chains”. So is the movie feminist? No, and so are not it’s characters. But we can and should embrace and celebrate Harley Quinn from a feminist point of view.

Is Hermione Granger a feminist character? No. But she is female empowering and an exemplification of feminism. The actress who plays her, Emma Watson, is a feminist but that doesn’t magically makes all the characters she portrays feminists or well written female characters.

On the other hand, Lisa Simpson IS a feminist. Is the voice-actress a feminist? I don’t know. Are the creators feminists? I dont know either - but it doesn’t matter because Lisa is a feminist and she is explicitly portrayed and written as such, she voices feminism and is meant to embody and represent a feminist (even if it’s an 8 year old one) – and she does so very well if I might add.

So stop calling everything “feminist” and stop telling people that if they believe in equality they are inherently feminists even if they dont want to use that label themselves, stop this specially towards people (I’ve seen this in comment sectons). In my experience, there are three types of women who refuse the feminist label:

1) The Closeted Feminist: a woman that’s not afraid to speak up about their opinions but doesn’t describe themselves or their povs with the word feminism even though their arguments and discourse has a feminist stand that is based on feminist theory to the point where it’s obvious this person has immersed themselves in feminist books, podcasts, films, documentaries, etc – this could be because labeling oneself as a feminist is dangerous. Either in their house, or in the society they’re a part of – and with this I mean that it could actually lead to abuse or active persecution. Not everyone has the same freedom, background and opportunity you do.

 2) The Double Agent: they say they don’t need feminism and they don’t believe in it but they still stand for equality and justice. Usually this person doesn’t really understand what feminism is because they have never cared to learn about it and yet they go round commenting on feminist blogs about “how feminists are wrong” – this person believes the patriarchy’s version of what feminism is. This person is aware of the injustice and inbalance but thinks feminism is sexism towards men, hatred of men and that is used for women as a women-victimizing campaign to get pity points and advantages. This are the people that said Taylor Swift played the victim for 13 years.

 3) The Free Woman: she doesn’t believe in feminism, she probably voices hate towards feminism and feminists and thinks very low of them because “she doesn’t need feminism” because she loves the men in her life and has “never suffered sexism” first hand so it doesn’t exist. The Free Woman and the Patriarchal Feminist have in common that they feel feminism victimizes women and is sexism towards men. The difference is one thinks inequality is a myth and the other one knows it’s still a thing.

If ya’ll read all of this KUDOS TO YOU and THANK YOU. I’ve been thinking about this for almost a year and it took me a long time and effort to write this and put my thoughts into words cause I’m really bad at expressing myself and lack communication skills. I’d like to write too about the difference between Feminist Icon – Feminist Woman – Iconic Women, just because I’m tired of that mess too.

[the-record]

Love at First Sight

Hey! This is my first fic so please don't come at me for the absolutely horribleness of it bc I suck at writing. (Also if you notice mistaken in the beginning its bc I’m writing on my phone bc I’m to lazy to get my laptop)

Category: FLUFF ABSOLUTE FLUFF

Warnings: None (In this part.)

Spencer Reid x Fem! reader

A/N: Hey! This is a totally fluff slow burn. There will be multiple parts bc I suck that way. Enjoy!

Part 2

You stop right outside the doors, an old gym bag and a cardboard box in hand. You were totally qualified for this job, a masters in criminal psychology and a PhD in forensic science. Not to mention your IQ of 185 and photographic, more properly eidetic, memory. Yet as you stood outside the glass doors of the bullpen, your heart was racing and you felt like you were going to pass out. As you were about to open the doors you hear a voice and a hand grabs it for you.

"Hey, careful there, might drop you stuff." You look up to see a tall, dark, muscular man staring down at you. You smile at him and nod.

"Thanks." He nods as you walk through the doors. "Hey, do you know where Agent Hotchners office is?" You turn around to face him as you ask your question.

"You must be Emily's replacement. Just up the stairs, his door is open. Good luck." As you flash your smile as a thank you, he turns away to his desk and you walk up the stairs, knocking at the door in front of you.

"Come in." As he looks up at you, he shows a slight smile but not much. "Ah, SSA Y/L/N. Please sit down, you can put your stuff on the floor next to you." You set the box and bag inches away from the chair that you sit in. "Now, normally I would brief you on the job, but as you worked in the New York office before and we have a case, that will have to be put on hold. Welcome to the team, you will fit in nicely." You smile at him as he stands up to lead you to where they would brief the case.

You have finally started to calm down, but as you walk through the whole team stares at you, apart from a man sitting reading a book.

"Good morning, sorry for the early start. This is SSA Y/N Y/L/N. She will be starting today." As you bite on you cheek a kind voice speaks up.

"Hi, I'm Jennifer but you can call we JJ. Welcome to the team." She gives you a warm welcoming smile and you return with yours.

"Derek Morgan." It's the man who opened the door for me just minutes ago. "Good to put a name to a face." Your smile doesn't fade, you feel welcomed for once, and thankfully it's not a boys club.

"David Rossi." You look up excited at the man introducing himself.

"Wait, really? I have read your books, you are a great writer." He chuckles as you look at him, remembering the lines from his book.

Before he can say anything else a peppy, bright colored women steps in. "Well hello! You must be Y/N. Good to meet you! I'm Penelope Garcia but you can really call me whatever. I think you will make wonder boy over there have a run for his money." You look at her confused. "Sorry dear, I may have read up on you, I do it for every new addition to our team. You laugh a little as she says this.

"Baby girl, what do you mean by Reid is gonna have a run for is money?" She looks at him.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you guys. Y/N over here is incredibly smart. What an IQ of 185 and eidetic memory? And I think it said you can read 16,000 words per minute, right?" You smile and nod. You have always been very proud of your gifts but never boasted about them, that's unkind.

"Well well well pretty boy," The man reading the book finally looks up as Derek ruffles his hair. "Looks like you might need to move aside as resident genius. Go ahead, tell the girl about yourself." He looks up at you. You try not to blush as he looks at you, the most handsome man you have ever seen.

"Uh hi. I'm Dr. Reid. Spencer. I have an IQ of 187, an eidetic memory, and can read 20,000 words per minute." You two are so alike but so different. Your talents are similar but your personalities are definitely different. He barely looks up from his book and speaks softly, while you look people in the eyes when talking and are a loud talker, something you need to work on.

"Well, I guess you guys are right. Watch out Dr. Reid, I might just steal the spotlight." In his eyes you did that the moment you walked in. He had looked up for a moment but got shy when he saw you. And when he heard how Penelope had spoke of you, he could barely contain a smile.

"Ok, Garcia go ahead." You sit down next to JJ as she points to the empty seat next to her.

"Portland Oregon. A dj name Jay Johnson was on his way home after leaving the club. He was cutting through an alley when bludgeoned by a club. He was stabbed 31 times and his watch, cell, and computer were stolen. That was 2 days ago." As she continues you read the case file in front of you, quickly getting in all the details.

"Early this morning a Karen Heywood a 30 year old nurse, she died during a home invasion being stabbed 40 times after being bludgeoned by weapons of opportunity." You look at her.

"The file says that there were 8 weapons."

"So we are looking for a group?" Rossi speaks up.

"Most likely, we only have 9 hours until night fall. We can discuss more on the jet. Wheels up in 10." You stand up as Hotch finishes talking. JJ grabs your arm.

"Hey, slow down. Sit." You look at her confused and slowly sit down. "I saw you blushing at Reid." Your jaw drops as she says this.

"I was not!" She looks at you brows raised and smiling.

"Don't even deny it. I saw it with my own eyes, but be warned, Derek and Garcia will make fun of you if you don't stop being so obvious about it." I smile and walk away to go get my stuff only to see Derek carrying it to a desk.

"Oh. Thanks." He smiles at you.

"No problem kid." You grab your bag and head to the jet following the rest.

***

After Hotch finishes and we are all left to do what we want I go to sit by Spencer noticing the book he is reading. "Do you like Arthur Conan Doyle?" He is reading 'The Narrative of John Smith' a classic.

"Hm? Oh, uh yeah. You know his books?" You smile and nod.

"I love them. My favorite writings of his are the Sherlock Holmes ones, I'm a kid at heart, what can I say." He laughs a little closing his book. "Oh I didn't mean to interrupt you. You can keep reading. I was actually going to come over and read too I just-" He stops you talking.

"No, no you're fine. I was just finishing it anyways." You smile at him, your face starting to burn. "I was going to get some coffee, do you want anything?" You nod.

"A green tea would be nice."

"You know green tea is really beneficial. It helps improve brain function, helps prevent cancers and type 2 diabetes, can help with weight loss, sorry. I tend to ramble." You smile at him.

"No, don't worry. I do the same. Continue. Please." He smiles and continues but you don't listen. You're to busy looking at his features. Beautiful honey gold eyes that could put you in a trance. His hair was wavy but well kept. His cheek bones and jaw were strong. All you could think about was him.

"Y/N?" Oh shit, you had been practically ignoring him. "Are you ok?" You nod.

"Yeah sorry, just spaced off." He lost his smile. "Oh, Spen- Dr. Reid, it's not you. I just tend to space off a lot, ask any of my friends and family." His smile came back to his face. It's your favorite thing about him.

"I will got get you that tea. Honey?" You nod.

[faustonastring]

Hello! May i request headcanons for main 6 taking bath with mc?

Hi thanks for requesting! I’m not good at writing šøft stuff but I hope you like it regardless!

Main six taking a bath with MC

Asra

Very romantic. Very sensual. Very nice. If taking baths is like a normal thing th two of you do, he picks up diffrent soaps and salts from his travels, some of them give the both of you rashes, but hey! It’s the thought that counts.

It’s full of gentle feel ups and massages, it’s almost impossible to get him to stop touching you so you can wash him. And when it is you’re turn to wash him, his hands are running up and down your sides and he has that look in his eyes

Baths don’t always lead to sex, espically if it’s something the two of you do often, but I would be lying if I said they didn’t put him in a mood. It all really depends on you, and if you’re not into that particular day he doesn’t mind. Bath with asra are either super sexy and sensual, or nice and soft. There is no in between.

Nadia

Taking a bath with her is like the only alone time the two of you get when’s she’s particularly busy. Please let her vent too you while you wash her hair and back, and let her take her anger out on you by teasing you and pampering you.

She has the most expensive soaps, salts, bathbombs, etc. you make it, she has the luxurious version of it. And if you don’t know what something is or how something works, she’ll gladly show you how, In the sexiest way possible.

Baths with her are mostly full of teasing, and no matter how far you think you got she’s going to make you wait till later to get what you really want. It could honestly be days depending on how much work she has to do. Don’t blame her, blame the bath. The chemicals must have messed with her head-how could she resist you for so long?

Julian

Bath time is equivalent or equal to story time. It all depends on the mood. The setting. The time. And the conversation. Like you could be trying to have bath sex with him, and then some how get a three hour story out of him instead, and when you two are drying up, he still isn’t done-

He likes to relax in the bath with you after a stressful day. Like Nadia, let him rant too you. He doesn’t like talking bad about people but on days when the vesuvian equivalent to Karen comes in for a check up, he kinda needs too.

Also massages are a must. His shoulders get all knotty from being hunched over his desk asks day. Plus he likes the way you give massages. Would also return the favor in any way shape or form you want it. You just gotta say the magic word~

Portia

She can finally relax. Thank god. Baby girl was gonna over work herself again if it wasn’t for you pulling her into that bath to wind her down. You’re a life saver. Now please sit back and relax, it would be her pleasure to return the favor. She insist! (It must run in the family huh-)

She is the type to poor all the bath bombs she has lying around the house into the bath to see what happens. Yes it overflows with thin seconds. No she doesn’t regret. (Asra is the type too but this ain’t about him) And yes. It does take the two of you over an hour to mop it all up

Other than that baths with her are always very playful and flirty. Playful water splashes, putting clumps of bubbles on each others heads like hats, gossiping, eating chocolates together while gossiping. Making out. Her trying to go down on you underwater. Ya know, cute playful couples things.

Muriel

This man loves bath time. Whenever you say your going to take a bath, he just follows you to the bathroom like a lost puppy, and if you give him a look, he stutters and tries to explain or ask if he could take a bath with you. Your obligated to say yes sorry I don’t make the rules around here.

Massage him during bath time. Well massage him in general. But bath time makes him feel very vulnerable and turned on and a nice massage puts the cherry on the cake. No scratch that. Washing his hair and particularly massaging his scalp on top of a regular massage makes him loose it then and there.

Baths are a very nice after sex ritual. He’ll carry you there don’t worry, and he’ll pamper you with the little energy he has left, until the two of you pass out in the tub, only to wake up when the waters cold. He also likes to hold you in his lap during those times. No matter how big you are.

Lucio

Ahhhhaha. You’re gonna wanna be careful with this one. He’s the type to innocently ask you for a bath and then when you get too the bathroom it’s some weird fancy bath you’ve never heard of before. Honorable mentions are: caviar bath, goat milk bath, wine bath, and pomegranate bath. (If you’re afab, you’re more or likely going to get some type of UTI, so on behalf of lucio I’m sorry)

Bath time = sexy time. Not necessarily sex time, he respects you and you’re boundaries he would never want to force him self Ontop of you. So that means it’s sexy times instead. It’s like the pg13 equivalent of sex time. And if you’re into it, then it’s sex time (that’s what he refers to it as. Mans got a time for everything istg)

If he’s having a bad day though, he likes it when you let his hair while the both of you eat expensive chocolates and drink wine, while you cuddle together in the bath. With his dogs. He thought they were lonely okay-

Thanks for reading! If you liked what you read and want to read more of my trash you can find my master list here! (I’m updating her soon be paitent)

Next headcanon: main six playing animal crossing

Request are open!

[crystalelemental]

@books-are-my-life-stuff posted this thing yesterday, and I’ve decided to distract myself by filling one out too.  Here’s the blank form, for anyone wanting to play along.

I actually wasn’t 100% sure about those first three boxes, but sorting by time says Roxanne was the first 3* (nice), Siebold was the first 4*, and Blue was the first 5*.  He and Karen showed up before Caitlin in that initial list of 5, go figure.

“Best Pair Ever Pulled” is kinda hard to quantify, but I’m putting it as SS Kris.  She’s ridiculous.  I love the design, they did the correct partnership, and she’s just an outrageous support with fantastic role compression.  I use her all the time.

Favorite Support’s still SC Jasmine though.  Second favorite character, second favorite Ultra Beast.  It’s going to be really hard for Masters to top this one.  They basically have to give me Lusamine and Nihilego, or another thing that better happen.

Favorite Tech is Renegade Cynthia.  It’s the combination of design, power, and ability to support Ghost-types so good.  I love this alt so much.  I did debate Champion Iris for a bit though.  Didn’t go with her, because I haven’t used her as much, but I still like her a lot.

Favorite special striker is obvious.  I love Anni Lillie.  Moon Bat is great, and the ideal partner.  This is a fantastic design.  She’s pretty decent except for all the ways in which she’s not but don’t think about that too much.  I’m always excited to break out Anni Lillie.

Physical striker was a lot harder.  In part I just didn’t have as many as I thought, but also...a lot of them aren’t favorites to begin with.  So SC Hilda kinda won by default.  Again, great design, but Diancie.  I love Diancie, it’s one of my favorite mythical Pokemon.  And as a Rock-type, it’s basically my only go-to for Rock damage right now.  I really love this unit.

Favorite free pair’s Cyrus.  I was pretty pleased to hear that Cyrus had been made a free unit, and that he was apparently one of the best in the game with his outrageous Water-type damage.  He’s one of the few F2P units I break out and am like...happy to break out.  A lot of the time they can be more frustrating than they’re worth, and while I’ll do it for challenge at times, Cyrus has always been just a good consistent damage dealer.

Okay listen.  I know this means “Which unit do you hope you can get?” but I’m a whale.  I have the units I want.  I have many units I don’t particularly want, but who are good.  It’s a problem.  But in light of that fact, I didn’t have anyone I’m specifically waiting on returning so I can get them.  So instead, here’s what I want most in the game right now: give me SS Caitlin and Gothitelle.  I’m going to scream.  You assholes gave Grimsley a Sygna Suit but we haven’t gotten another for any of the other E4 members, I want my SS Caitlin damn you.

Clair deserved EX.  We got the Johto VA, and they gave it to Pryce.  Not that Pryce didn’t need it.  But come on.  Clair fans, we were robbed.  When’s Clair EX?

At this point, most characters I’m really excited about are already in.  There are exactly two exceptions: Anabel, and Drasna.  Anabel is less likely, but also runs a greater risk of being something I don’t especially love.  I’m worried she’ll specifically not synergize with Looker that well, which is a problem.  But Drasna getting in is just a matter of time, with two fantastic options in Noivern or Dragalge.  There’s no failing.  So I’m more excited about Drasna, admittedly.

[ninja-muse]

Hey, so I came across your review of ‘because internet’, and I know it’s a p old post by now but I saw the lil “doing linguistics research and stumped for ideas?Hmu”-comment and well I recently received a v unexpected email about having to have an idea for my master’s figured out by mid-November so to say the least I am beyond stressed and looking for inspiration all over,, ,,,I’m desperate so if the offer is still up, pls do hit me w some of your thoughts 😭 this is v unconventional ikno🙇‍♀️

The offer is definitely still up! (And wow, that is absolutely not a lot of unexpected pressure on you or anything.) Here are a few of my thoughts, from back then and since then. I don’t think any of them were covered in Because Internet, but if they have, that’s because like you said, it’s been a while since I read the book….

diminutives like smol and snek and pupper - What are the phonological and/or morphological and/or orthographic rules? Is there agreement as to pronunciation? (E.g., does smol have the same vowel as small? Does snek actually take less time to say, like it feels like to me, or is that just because it has a short vowel?)

A recent caption I saw on a video of a puppy: "He come”. I’m also fairly sure I’ve seen “she trying” and “it him” in a similar context. What exactly is English doing there and why?

internet acronyms irl - I’ve heard people use lol and wtf and maybe imo. I have not heard people use brb or hmu or iirc. Which acronyms make the crossover? Has the prevalence of phrases like “be right back” or “I know, right?” gone up, down, or stayed the same? Is it a generational thing?

when features of internet English cross into spoken/written English, how often are they used ironically? Unconsciously? Consciously but sincerely?

Related: how many people use phrases like “hashtag-blessed” or “at me“ when speaking? Is that different online (Facetime, Zoom, Youtube) and offline?

when people speak internet English (out loud), are there distinctive features? Is there an internet phonology or prosody that crosses over? Is there a difference if it’s someone reading a Tumblr post out loud vs. someone using Internet linguistic features natively?

how do people pronounce lolcat or dogge or lik the bred? Is there consensus? Are there tonal, prosodic, or phonetic differences to regular spoken English? to other spoken Internet English? to the diminutives I mentioned above?

when novelists write internet language, what do they get wrong and why? are these the same mistakes news pundits and other detractors of the dialect make?

has the rise of memes and/or Twitter-length posting limits and/or texting and/or internet language in general facilitated a shift towards English becoming a pro-drop language? I’ve noticed I’ve started using fewer pronouns, for myself and others, and am curious if that’s a wider thing, or even an internet thing at all. (i.e., “Cold day. Want blanket and cocoa.” and “Customer says we lost order. Was actually chill. Not a Karen.”)

are there any features of pre-internet fandom English that influenced or became internet English? How much has internet English influenced spoken fandom English?

how long do people pause or enunciate for Emphatic Capitals? How long can a string of those get naturally? Does where they get placed tell us anything about syntactic structure or conversational salience? Like, how often do we see “The Important Thing” vs. “the Important Thing” vs. “the Important thing” (vs. “the important thing”)?

you know those “text posts over screencaps” posts? Are there certain types of text posts/drunk tweets/Onion headlines that get used more than others?

what are the salient features and uses of internet German? Japanese? Russian? Arabic? Etc. How much are they their own dialects, and how much have they borrowed off English?

youtube! What are the features, if any, of vlog English? Is there a different syntax? Pronunciation changes? Are people speaking slower, faster, the same? Does anything distinguish vlog English from informative Youtube English (think CrashCourse, It’s Okay to Be Smart, VSauce) from, like, school presentation English? Does informative Youtube English differ from newscasts or documentaries?

fanfiction! Yes, I know it’s not exclusively an online thing but also it sort of is. Are there linguistic features of fanfiction, period? What are they? Why are they? Are we seeing much crossover to a) online “original” fiction b) printed novels and short stories? How can people tell when something used to be a fanfic and then had the characters changed? (After, Fifty Shades of Grey, etc.)

As you can maybe tell, I’m both a massive nerd who spends far too much time online and a morpho-phonologist in an alternate universe. Stress patterns are fascinating. :) I hope these inspire you and I’d love to hear whatever you learn!