#NEW AROMANTIC CHARACTER DROPPED AND SHE'S ONE OF THE LEADS LET'S GO

[dengswei]

Konya Sukiyaki Dayo (2023) episode one

[ruckystarnes]

PLEASE READ BEFORE GOING ON!

A/N: Trying out my new pairing that I have been entertaining for the last few months. Now I am going to get this out of the way since this caused some issues a few weeks ago.

Yelena is ONLY confirmed asexual by Marvel and her character is HEAVILY contextualized to be aromantic, but that is not confirmed by Marvel, therefore, it isn't canon, and I am basing Yelena in my story on the canonic comic Yelena, who I know very well.

Asexual (and even Aromantic) people CAN have relationships, and can care for someone deeply. Relationships are not SOLEY based on sex. Ace and Aro is definitely a spectrum with different levels of attraction (have you heard of demi???) and reasons why a person would be in a relationship. You can find more about the Aro Spectrum here and Ace Spectrum here. Over all information can be found here

RELATIONSHIPS (aka SHIPS) DO NOT HAVE TO BE ROMANTIC NOR SEXUAL!!!!

Now, after all that, if you don't want to read this, fine. Move along. This is fanfiction, it's taking a creative dive into an established story, and it's been going around for decades.

Pairing: Yelena Belova / Bucky Barnes (Platonic)

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: swearing

Words: 1,373

Square Filled/Daily Challenge/Prompt: U4 - Bed Sharing

Written for: @buckybarnesbingo

Summary: Yelena and Bucky use the same safe house in Chișinău, Moldova.

Translations:

der'mo - shit!

zimniy soldat - winter soldier (duh LOL)

Solntsey- little sun

Brat, idi spat' - brother, go to bed

Idi - go

Yelena could hear footsteps outside of the door that lead to the hallway of the building. She dropped the book she was half reading, her hand reaching for the Ruger she had in her lap and pointed it at the door as she moved from sitting on the floor to kneeling on one knee, the other leg poised for her to move. The door knob jiggled slightly before she heard the familiar lockpick tools at the keyhole. She took a deep and steady breath before giving the trigger a gentle squeeze, ready to shoot whoever came through the door. Grumbling followed the click of the lock; if there were words said, Yelena didn’t hear it. She waited on baited breath as the door opened, shaggy brown hair appearing around the wood. Wide blue eyes stared back at her.

“Der'mo! Belova. It’s me!”

Yelena cocked her head at the brunet who entered the small apartment, her own blue eyes narrowing at the person.

“Soldat,” she muttered, her gun still trained on the intruder.

“Belova, would you mind lowering that? I only have a lock pick in my hand.”

“Why would the zimniy soldat need a lock pick? You could just turn the knob and bam, you’re in.”

“Because I need a safe house? And stop calling me that. Barnes will do just fine. Bucky if you want to be friendly.”

Yelena rolled her eyes as she lowered the Ruger, but her finger was still on the trigger. “Friendly isn’t in my vocabulary, you should know that Barnes.”

Bucky gave her a shrug and closed the door, turning the lock back in place. “I would have thought that Nat’s sister would be a tad bit more welcoming,” he mused, tossing the backpack to the side. “So why are you in Chișinău?”

“That’s classified.” She watched him head to the tiny kitchen and opened the friend. “There’s nothing in there. You?” she called to him.

“Classified.”

She could practically hear the smirk in the one word and it made her roll her eyes. She never understood why Natasha tolerated him. The thought of her sister made her heart ache with loneliness. She shook her head and moved back down to the ground, picking up her book again just as Bucky walked out of the kitchen with a granola bar in his right hand and a bottle of water in his left.

“Let me guess, Nat told you about this place?” he asked, mouth full of the stale cereal he found.

“How can you eat that?” She looked at him with knitted brows.

He looked down at the box, his shoulder lifting with indifference. “I was born in 1917...not much different than the food we had. Actually, I rather have this than half the foods I had during the depression. Ever tried a meatloaf without meat? Haven’t touched a raisin since I’ve got my mind back.” His gloved finger came up and tapped his temple. She watched him carefully, the gun she held at her side, but her finger was still on the trigger. He turned his back, not caring, and started to rummage around the kitchen

“I’m surprised you remember Natasha,” she called to his now disappeared form, “do you even remember me?”

There was silence. Yelena didn’t know if she struck a nerve with him or maybe he was planning on killing her anyway. Natasha said in her letters that the programming the KGB put into his brain was gone, but she was skeptical of a country that didn’t want anything to do with the world until it had a new king.

“There’s pieces that are still coming,” he finally spoke, his voice soft. “If I’d known that you were still in the Red Room, I would have came for you.”

Yelena scoffed and shook her head, her finger finally leaving the trigger.

“You and Natasha both believed that it was gone,” she stated, her voice wavering. She took a step back when he started to walk towards her. “She truly believed that she destroyed Dreykov and that place, but she didn’t. Did she tell you that?”

“She told me everything, solntsey,” he replied softly, a smile tugging at his lips, “the good and the bad, cliff notes versions really. Kind of busy trying to stop an alien force from wiping out worlds.”

“And we all know how that went,” Yelena glowered, her eyes shifting to the door. She wasn’t ready to have a sentimental talk with someone who she hadn’t seen in over two decades. “And I am not your solntsey, not anymore.”

“You and Natasha were the only light I had during that time, even if they made me forget each time.” His voice broke and when she looked at him, she could see the pain on his face.

“It was a long time ago, Barnes. We all came out of that with a lot of trauma and all that psychological bullshit people like to use to describe shitty pasts.” She set the gun down on the window ledge and leaned back against the wall. “Did you...you and Natasha…”

“I was snapped out before we could,” he replied sadly, “before that, I wanted all the programming out of my head, not wanting something she said to trigger the thing they created. She told me Dreykov had you and other girls under some kind of…” His finger circled next to his head. “...thing. Sucks, doesn’t it? Blindly following but have some sort of consciousness to know what you are doing but can’t control it?”

“So, you don’t know what happened to her?” Yelena asked softly, her eyes lowering to the ground.

“Steve told me.”

“That his buddy murdered Nat?”

“Murdered? God no, solntsey. I don’t know who told you that, but they’re wrong.” He looked her over, seeing how her body shifted, her breath becoming shallow. “Solntsey, are you the one that’s after Clint?”

“What makes you think that?” she defensively asked, her blue eyes narrowing on him.

“Why else would someone want Clint dead. Wait, nevermind. He’s a smartass. Someone else would get to him eventually,” he scoffed and took off his jacket. “As much as I love reconnecting, I’m tired. I assume there is only one sad excuse of a bed in there, so I’ll take the floor. Use to it anyway.” He threw the leather jacket to the floor, her gaze going to his black and gold arm.

“I see they gave you an upgrade,” she stated, pushing off the wall.

“Half the weight,” he mused, giving her a smirk as he sat down on the floor with a heavy sigh.

“You know, the bed is big enough for the two of us.”

“I already imposed on your safe house.”

“Brat, idi spat',” she groaned, “It’ll be like when I was ten and Varya had me sus-sous until I practically broke my ankle.

“You didn’t break your ankle,” he groused as he rolled his eyes. “Your toe broke and I promised Natasha to look after you when she was gone. And solntsey, you were ten then. I’m not going to share a bed with you.”

“Fine, take the bed now, and I’ll wake your ass when I get tired. You don’t have to sleep like an animal if there is a halfway decent place to sleep. You’re Bucky Barnes now, yes? Not some mindless weapon anymore? Idi, brat, I want to finish my book anyway.”

“You’re lucky you’re solntsey otherwise I would just lock you in that room,” he muttered as he got up off the floor and walked past her to the sorry excuse of a bedroom.

A car horn woke Bucky from his dreamless sleep, but when he went to turn, there was something against his back and draped over his midsection. It took only a second to realize that it was Yelena, wearing his jacket, face pressed against his back. It brought back the few times he was able to give her some solace from the Red Room before he was wiped. He smiled and shifted so he could be on his back, letting her sleeping form adjust as she needed, His flesh hand moving the flaxen locks away from her face.

“I got you solntsey,” he whispered.

[adrinoir]

Adrienette is....interesting

Ohhh boy. Here is my last analysis for the love square ships!

I hate to say Adrienette is my least favorite in the square - but it is. It’s ironic that I’m ranking them in the first place considering it is two of the same people for all 4 ships.

I feel like there is SO much to unpack with this. So let’s get into it.

How it got started

Marinette stupidly thought Adrien wasn’t a good guy at first. Chloe’s friend = bully. There was that miscommunication of Adrien taking the gum off of Marinette’s seat, but she thought he was putting it ON the seat.

Then the classic umbrella scene happens after Nino pushes Adrien to talk to Marinette.

Master Fu creepily watches them from afar and is like These two are made for each other.

It’s cute and wholesome because Adrien giggles at her and is so happy he finally has a new friend.

“She’s just a friend”

Shut up, Mr. Adrien “she’s just a friend” Agreste.

Thomas ass truck obviously likes to annoy the fandom here and there and one of the most annoying things is HOW MANY times Adrien feels the need to confirm aloud that Marinette is just a friend.

Despite the amount of times Adrien says this, there’s a good chance that he doesn’t realize he has feelings for Marinette since he’s so wrapped up in his infatuation for Ladybug.

Adrien hasn’t had too many friends but I like to think either he’s not clueless enough or not on the aromantic spectrum to not know the line between friends and lovers. Or maybe I’m giving him too much credit and he IS super oblivious.

It’s clearly in Adrien’s personality to be caring of others, very much so of his friends. However, he seems to just randomly really care a lot about Marinette even though they aren’t really super close friends. He also does things that cross the line into being more so romantic, and that’s why he likes her as more than a friend.

He has slow danced with her TWICE now, and not awkwardly as if she’s “just a friend.” Very tightly and romantically.

He cuddled with her on the train when she was sleepy when he easily could’ve just pushed her away.

He smiled a lot when she thanked him and kissed him for calling her “their everyday ladybug”.

He STARES at her very longingly.

He was willing to kiss Marinette for Nino’s short film (but not even Chloe).

He compliments her a lot, he can be overprotective of her, he’s willing to help her when she needs it, he’s asked HER for advice, he’s silly and has playfully teased her on multiple occasions.

In the Oblivio episode, he didn’t even REMEMBER who Marinette was but assumed she was his girlfriend. And he realized a bunch of reasons WHY he loved her when they spent time alone in the tower together. To not even know her and realize he loved her just says it all.

In Chat Blanc, there was the timeline when he actually DATED Marinette. Like I said in my Ladrien analysis, we could speculate a couple different things, but it is certainly possible that he DID realize he has liked her all this time.

And truthfully, we know how he treats her as Cat Noir, which is very telling - the flirting, how he carries her to a safe place when she’s close to an akumatized villain, how he confides in her.

I know I’ve said it in two of my analysis posts already, but it works here too - Adrien cares enough to ask Marinette how she feels about Cat Noir. He wants to know if she likes him for his true self.

There’s definitely even more signs than what I listed but even what I wrote is a long list (and it’s just moments I remembered all off the top of my head!) Adrien is just so sweet to her and I love it.

Thomas has made Marinette too creepy

You don’t even have to watch the show to know Marinette is hardcore crushing on Adrien. Similar to Adrien/Cat Noir’s feelings for Ladybug, she’s infatuated with him and doesn’t know about Adrien’s raw personality (well, knows it but thinks Cat Noir is a completely different person.)

The show centers a lot around Marinette’s crush on Adrien and it is obsessive.

In the first season, I thought Marinette was weird for having his whole schedule, having pics of him in her room, and stealing his phone, but I still liked her character. However, Thomas has made Marinette progressively more and more obsessed with Adrien in the unhealthiest ways possible.

She has reached full-on stalker level behavior at this point in the series. The one I think of is when she went as far to stack up trash cans to get over the fence to Adrien’s house when Lila was there, and then crying to the firefighter nearby when she couldn’t get in. Or, when she revealed that she has an ENTIRE chest filled with presents she made for Adrien for like the next 50 years. Or, when she tried kissing the “statue” of him. It’s gone too far.

I mean, I HOPE Thomas Astruc doesn’t think this is normal behavior. I’d like to believe he’s just writing it to exaggerate Marinette’s feelings for Adrien and make it more ridiculously silly for the kid portion of his audience. But it’s hard to say for sure. No matter what, it still shouldn’t be in the show because it could be normalizing this behavior for the younger kids, and I know for a fact it’s just making the teenage/adult audience feel uncomfortable and cringy.

Will Marinette make good progress?

Well, possibly. The show has had its share of issues with continuity in character development, but to be fair, in some ways we have seen Marinette progress.

Despite still being awkward at times, she’s able to have more conversations with Adrien without stumbling over her words. Where as before, she could barely get a proper sentence out.

She’s also kissed Adrien on the cheek and given him notes and gifts (even though they aren’t signed except the one that was Master Fu’s stool prescription).

And - even though Marinette was acting a bit over the top about it - she at least made a little bit of effort to see if she could drop her feelings for Adrien. Naturally, she couldn’t. It can be difficult to get over romantic feelings for someone, especially if they’re a friend you interact with a lot.

Additionally, Alya deserves a lot of credit for creating situations for Marinette to talk to Adrien and literally pushing the two of them together. I could name the things she did but she does this in just about every other episode. Even though the success rate hasn’t been fantastic, Alya is still the real MVP for helping Marinette (and just putting up with her in general.) There’s a lot of things that wouldn’t have happened without that extra push from Alya.

But, for Marinette to make better progress with Adrien, she needs to learn to stop being so weirdly obsessive and jealous, and to just go for it. Take the risk and confess to Adrien. Tikki has told her “there will never be a right time!”

It has been 3 full seasons and Marinette still has yet to confess to Adrien. Ugh.

And, just my own feelings, but Marinette should start to grow an attraction for Cat Noir’s personality as well, seeing as how it’s Adrien’s true self. Because, as of right now, she’s liking him based off of his timid, more model-like facade and not his silly, charming self.

Or, she also has the option to date Luka, same with Adrien and Kagami. However, both of them can’t decide on the right thing to do and just kinda lead Luka and Kagami a bit. So decisions need to be made to progress, too.

Will Adrien make good progress?

When he sorts out his feelings and understands how he feels about Marinette, yes.

Adrien’s not really creepy or jealous, he just seems like the type of person who acts on how he feels but doesn’t pick up on it.

He hasn’t done anything to hurt Marinette and would never intend to. It hurts Marinette that he MIGHT like Kagami, but he’s obviously not intentionally doing it to make her jealous (even HE is unsure of his relationship with Kagami.)

Like I said, the boy just needs to figure it out. Then things could start to move forward.

Final Thoughts:

1. Adrien has feelings for Marinette (but can’t recognize it), Marinette likes him but is too scared to say anything - they both just need to sort their feelings out in a healthy manner in order for it to work.

2. Some progress between these two is there, but it should move quicker - it’s been too many seasons of Marinette having failed attempts to confess.

3. The ship will be more wholesome when they DO sort their feelings out, and Marinette becomes less obsessive and jealous, and likes Adrien’s true personality.

If you read this analysis, if you’ve read my others, thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed them! I had a really great time writing them all.

[elenajohansenreads]

Books I Read in 2019

#101 - Blackout, by Mira Grant

Virtual Mount TBR (31/48)

Rating: 2/5 stars

[spoiler heavy. heavier than usual for my reviews, anyway. please read at your own risk.]

You'd think, when one of my major complaints about Deadline was that I didn't care for Shaun's narration, the reintroduction of Georgia to the mix would make this a better book, and it does in some ways. But not enough. While this does fix some of my issues with the second book, there are enough new problems that on the whole, I'm pretty damn disappointed. The narrative style, no matter who's talking, remains incredibly repetitive. Now, I'm not saying it wasn't in Feed, only that I probably didn't notice it as much because I was so drawn in by the shiny new world-building so I gulped down every word without complaint. But there's nothing new here in that regard. Some of the rules of the world have changed over the course of the story, because medical research keeps dropping in their laps at every turn, but I didn't find any of it as fascinating at the original setup. This book isn't about zombies, it's about the world that living with zombies created, and the political conspiracies surrounding that, and that just got old after a while. Let me break that down a bit. I was impressed, back in Feed, with Grant's extrapolation of what American government would become in response to the crisis. I saw parallels to the non-zombie surveillance state we're approaching (or are already in, depending on where in the country you live, how much technology you're surrounded by, and how paranoid your perception of your environment is. That's not a argument I want to have through this review, though.) I was impressed. By the end of that book, it's clear that, as with most zombie-based media, the zombies aren't the point. They're a condition of the world that causes other things to happen, and they get progressively less interesting and less important as the story goes on. Blackout doesn't do this differently. The entire plot is a lather, rinse, repeat cycle of Something Important Happens which then gives our heroes information the government doesn't want them to have or share, then the conspiracy engineers a zombie outbreak to put our heroes in harm's way so hopefully they get killed, either by the zombies or by the cleanup to suppress the zombies. Sometimes the outbreak is just a few scientists in a lab, sometimes it takes out a city, sometimes it takes out Florida, because why not? Why not destroy an entire state to prove just how serious this conspiracy is? (Yeah, so that was a mistake in planning on the conspiracy's part, but not on the author's. If the stakes are that huge, why did I not feel more invested, like I did back in Feed?) I won't say the conspiracy itself was fully predictable, though I'd guessed some of its parameters. But the plot structure was incredibly predictable. Coupled with the insane amounts of repetition (Shaun still has to constantly remark on his craziness, the cans of Coke, every blood test has to be shown and always uses the same language to describe it, and so forth) I found myself skimming a lot of the non-dialogue, especially in the second half of the book, especially in Shaun's chapters. If I ever ran into anything that confused me, I paged back until I found what explained it, but I feel like I have a good handle on the story now that I've finished. And I'm just not particularly impressed with the payoff. It felt anticlimactic, honestly. It shouldn't--I understand the importance of the themes involved and the choices made, and in summary, it's a great ending. But I didn't feel it while I was reading. It took too long to get here, and I had to wade through too much crap on the way. I didn't feel much when a character died near the end, because developing side characters has never been a strength of this series, it's all the Shaun and Georgia show. I can appreciate seeing the return of key figures we haven't seen much of since Feed--the Masons, Rick, Ryman--but they're still essentially bit players, and the moral conflicts their appearances create are brushed past really, really quickly. The best parts of the book, to me, were Georgia's chapters in the first half, before her escape from captivity, only I didn't fully appreciate that at the time because I was so impatient for her reunion with Shaun. Which led to the plot twist that I hadn't predicted, because who goes there? Even though I know, intellectually, that it's not incest, and that it explains so much, I couldn't find myself fully on board with them being a couple. Not because of the faux-incest moral quandary I might have been suffering, but because of those very anomalies in their relationship that the story has spent two and a half books skirting around. We've had the pleasure of living inside both Shaun and Georgia's heads for over a thousand pages at that point, and neither of them ever thought about this until now? It's simply not creditable. Yes, they were keeping their relationship secret from those around them. Yes, they never wrote anything pertaining to it down. BUT WE THE READERS HAD ACCESS TO THEIR INNER LIVES AND WE STILL WEREN'T EVER TOLD? Sitting on that for two and a half books just to make it a big reveal was ridiculous. The first book had so little relating to romance or sex in it, I was wondering if Shaun, Georgia, or both weren't intended to be read as asexual (or aromantic, or both.) Shaun's one-night stand with Becks in the second book made me wonder where on earth he'd gotten any sexual experience at all, because as far as I knew he was a virgin, since the narrative had never taken the time to explain that he might have been having casual sex with random women in his younger years or anything similar, but also never hinted he was sleeping with his "sister." Hindsight now shows me all those anomalies were leading to this revelation, but when I look at them together, my brain doesn't go "okay, so it's incest," it still says "these two simply aren't interested in romantic or sexual relationships because their unusual upbringing pair-bonded them as co-dependent siblings instead" and I think I can be forgiven for not spinning that myself into the faux-incest, what Georgia later claims is close to an obvious taboo, when she reflects on how almost no one figured it out. I HAD ACCESS TO YOUR INNER LIVES FOR A THOUSAND PAGES AND I DIDN'T FIGURE IT OUT. HOW COULD YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES POSSIBLY HAVE DONE IT? I honestly think this twist is a real failure of storytelling. Even though I didn't figure it out beforehand, when it was revealed, I didn't smack my forehead and go "Of course!" I was still pretty much, "huh?" about it, and if that's honestly the lay of the land, the story Grant wanted to tell, I would have been much more interested in knowing from the start and watching the two of them struggle to find time for each other while both keeping it a secret under dire circumstances and also trying to save the world from the zombie-government conspiracy. I truly think that would have been a much more engaging story, with another layer of conflict that would make the stakes more personal.        

[fourohfourrealitynotfound]

Trust Fall

An original short story inspired by Imagine Dragons’s “The Fall”

When someone turns 25, they get a tattoo of their soulmate’s name.

This story explores the thoughts of Ollie and Lou on the night before Lou’s 25th birthday.

Read it on Wattpad or below the cut.

On that particular evening, they were watching TV together in the living room. The lights were off, causing the room to be illuminated to match the show’s current scene. Ollie, curled up in a blanket on one corner of the sofa, was completely engrossed with the program. Meanwhile, Lou was lounging with her feet by Ollie and her head resting on the opposite sofa arm.

The arm draped somewhat dramatically across her face combined with her frequent fidgeting led Ollie to believe that Lou wasn’t entirely focused on the show. “Penny for your thoughts?” they asked her, after turning the volume down a touch.

”It’s nothing,” Lou grumbled rather unconvincingly. She undid her ponytail to fluff and toss around her hair for a moment. The gesture was a nervous tick that Ollie recognized from three years of living with their best friend.

Lou was, in fact, quite nervous. In just a few hours, she would be 25. She didn’t normally concern herself with her birthday, but this year was destined to be different.

In this world, my dear reader, 25th birthdays are special. Most people have a special tattoo of their soulmate’s name appear on their skin at the midnight beginning their birthday. The soulmates do not always meet or end up in a romantic relationship, but that is the societal expectation.

I’m sure you can imagine how Lou, a closeted aromantic, would be concerned about the prospect of a soulmate. Her lack of romantic attraction created a lack of interest in a romantic relationship. In her mind, this could not possibly turn out well.

One possibility was that there would be no tattoo. This would relieve the pressure of possibly having to find and introduce a new person to her life with society’s ever-present expectations, but it would also make her a social outcast. Lou has read one too many stories about people without tattoos experiencing prejudice for being soulmateless.

Lou was even more afraid of having a soulmate. What if they wanted a romantic relationship? What if they weren’t understanding of her orientation? Any number of things could go horribly wrong with this new person in her life. Even worse, what if it was someone she already knew? Lou realized that she was in no way emotionally prepared to come out as aro to someone, a stranger or otherwise, in less than 24 hours.

She knew she shouldn’t worry. Soulmates were designed for each other, after all. Her soulmate couldn’t hate her or be incompatible on the basis that they were her soulmate. Or at least, that’s the way she hoped it worked.

”Hey, Ollie?” Lou said to catch their attention. Even though Ollie hadn’t yet found their soulmate, they were bound to know whether or not your soulmate couldn’t possibly hate you. At the same time, they started to say her name. The pair laughed for a moment, before Ollie motioned for Lou to continue. “Do you know if it’s possible for your soulmate to be . . . incompatible with you?”

Ollie frowned as pity for their friend washed over them. “Oh, Lou. You don’t have to worry.” Their expression turned into a somewhat forced yet reassuring smile. “There’s a reason they’re called ‘soulmates,’ ya know? I’m sure your soulmate will find you positively perfect.”

”I’m just . . .” Lou broke their eye contact to pick at her fingernails. “I’m worried that we won’t, like, want the same things.”

”I’m sure that you’ll work it out.” Lou didn’t look back up, and Ollie could tell that she was slipping into her thoughts again. “Hey, look at me.” They waited until she did. Everything is going to be ok. Nothing has to change if you don’t want it to. It’s your life and you get to choose how you live it.”

Lou didn’t look entirely convinced, but she at least tried to put a smile on her face to disguise her misty eyes. “Thanks, Ollie. It means a lot to me that you’ve stayed here instead of looking for your own soulmate.”

”Don’t mention it. You’re the only best friend I’ve ever known, and I don’t intend on loosing you, ever.”

They turned their eyes back to the TV, but this time Lou has much lighter thoughts. Ollie was right; her life didn’t have to change because of some ink on her skin. For the first time, she was ready for her 25th birthday.

Ollie, on the other hand, began to doubt their own reassurances. Their eyes were drawn away from the TV and down to the long sleeve that covered their right arm. After glancing to make sure Lou wasn’t looking any angling their body away from her, they slipped up the sleeve to reveal the tattoo. In bold calligraphy font were the letters L-O-U. Ollie traced them with their finger as they worried about everything that could go wrong.

What if Ollie wasn’t Lou’s soulmate? Obviously Ollie would be happy if she was happy, but they didn’t want Lou to drift away because of someone else. What if Ollie was Lou’s soulmate, but she wanted something more? They liked the relationship they had with Lou now: they were two best friends against the world, for better or for worse. Ollie hoped that nothing could change, but they’d be lying if they claimed to never doubt it.

They felt guilty about keeping this secret from Lou and leading her to believe that he was destined to be with someone else. Ollie only had the best of intentions; they wanted Lou to not be concerned with the name that would appear on her 25th birthday. She did end up concerned about the name, but not because she was worried about it not being Ollie. She was worried like any other person would be worried on their 25th birthday. Ollie may have been guilty about keeping secrets, but they were happy that her emotions had been spared.

What about their emotions, though? Ollie was now the one worrying about what Lou’s ink would say. They had to stay strong and listen to their own advice: everything would be ok, because soulmates are soulmates. If Ollie was Lou’s soulmate, then they’d work it out. If they wasn’t her soulmate, then presumably the pair would remain friends because Lou was Ollie’s soulmate.

Everything would be ok. In just a few hours, Ollie could tell Lou their secret and move on with their lives as friends.

Or at least, that’s what Ollie told themself to feel better. Did it work? Not entirely. Then again, neither did their kind words to Lou.

Ollie could tell she was still worried by the incessant pacing at 11 PM, after they had both gone to bed early. They had to resist the urge to go to her room next door to drop her from wearing a circle in the carpet. They could repeat their earlier wisdom about nothing changing if she didn’t want it to, and they could gain some reassurance from seeing her face. The only problem with that plan was that they wanted to let Lou be alone with her thoughts when the clock struck 12. Ollie believed that no one should intrude on such a private moment.

So instead of going next door to comfort their friend, Ollie laid down and tried to sleep. Eventually, their eyes began to feel heavy to quiet rustle of Lou’s feet shuffling against the carpet. As they began to drift off, memories of Lou cycled through their brain like a PowerPoint presentation. Ollie smiles and relaxed into the pillow, their earlier words echoing through their mind as a final reassuring whisper. “Nothing has to change if you don’t want it to.”

As Ollie dreamed about Lou and Lou thought about Ollie, one could almost imagine their souls reaching out and twining together, much like the strings of fate. Just as Ollie did in their dreamland, I ask you to follow their thoughts through the wall to Lou.

Unlike the warm, fluffy clouds that filled her friend’s mind, Lou’s brain was a thunderstorm of thought. Ollie’s earlier reassurances were swept away as a newfound whirlwind of doubt ravaged her earlier peace. At 11:45, as suddenly as the whirlwind had appeared, Lou finally seemed to reach the final realization at the eye of the storm: she knew the identity of her soulmate.

Lou was amazed that she hasn’t seen how obvious it was earlier. Whom else could it be but the one who cheered her up when she was sad or helped her feel clarity when all seemed lost? Whom else could it be but the one whom she told all of her secrets (except one) and listened in return? Whom else could it be but the one person she knew would understand her lack of romantic interest, because they had introduced her to the term in the first place?

This person was the only one Lou had ever imagined herself spending the rest of her life with. It only made sense for them to be soulmates. Sure, there were still things she doubted (Why did they not tell her that she was their soulmate? What if she was not their soulmate but they were hers?), but she pushed those thoughts away. They were the only true friend she had ever known. Things were going to work out fine if she just had faith in their friendship.

Lou had so much faith, in fact, that when the clock struck 12 and her shoulder itched with magic, she made a decision that she never before though possible. She made a leap of faith (a trust fall, if you will), and decided to not even look at the new ink on her skin. She burned to confirm her suspicious and gaze at the tattoo, but her desire to wait until she could confront them was even greater.

She went to bed with her shoulder still covered.

As they slept, these two characters grew in their shared uncertainty and conviction. They both were sure that things would turn out ok, but both secretly doubted it. Two troubled souls with interlocking destinies rested only a wall apart; it must have been agony for the ever-watching Fates.

When Lou woke up in the morning, she immediately went to the kitchen to find Ollie. “Hey there,” they said. “Happy birthday.” They offered her a mug of hot chocolate with an outstretched hand.

Instead of accepting, Lou lingered in the doorway. Before Ollie could attempt more awkward smalltalk, she pulled down her shirt collar to reveal the ink on her shoulder.

The world was silent as these two souls, bound by fate, took a leap of faith and fell trustingly towards the uncertain future.

[skysteelsun]

idk if you have any more but give me ten fact about cuddlebu- I mean Kuja. Gimme ten facts about him

Drop one of my characters’ names in my inbox and I’ll tell you 10 facts about them

Kuja goes by “Urha’to Nelhah” after coming to Eorzea, as he is taken in by a Keeper woman from Gridania and quickly learns that “Khuja” is a female Keeper name. Being a trans man, this raises questions he isn’t interested in answering, and he owes much to his new adoptive mother - he gladly takes her name, considering it an honor. (His older brother Neirin does not go by “Urha’a,” for the curious, though there are doubtless those who call him that just to needle him.)

He has a body type that can only be described as strange. He is 7′9″ (which tends to draw some stares, as he reads as a Midlander Hyur), very thin, very knobby, broad-shouldered and wide-hipped. He wears clothes that mask it reasonably well, but still tends to stick out. He slouches. A lot.

Though his skills lend themselves handily to rogue/ninja, Kuja initially trains as an archer because fighting with knives reminds him too much of who he was on his own world - a life he’s trying hard to grow away from.

He maintains his interest and skill with poisons and toxins, however, and this interest inevitably leads him to alchemy and botany as he seeks new ways to create poisons... which he does not intend to use on anyone. Honest. He swears. It’s just a hobby. A very, very deadly hobby.

Even he isn’t really sure how he wound up working with the machinists’ guild. He visited out of curiosity - he does have an interest in machines and mechanical devices, particularly because his enemy on his own world was the primary source and user of magitek devices - and the next thing he knew, he was in La Noscea trying to prove a point to an irate Roegadyn pirate. Stephanivien confuses and bewilders him, but - in spite of everything - he does like the odd man. 

He feels a kinship of sorts with Joye, who has the self-appointed task of keeping Stephanivien restrained within reality and safe. While Steph might not be nearly as prone to dangerous recklessness as Neirin is, Kuja nevertheless sees enough similarities to be deeply sympathetic.

Kuja is aromantic and asexual, but does have a QP relationship with Bhalnrael Rhenentwyn - he feels she understands him and the things he’s gone through, the things he had to do to survive, better than anyone in this world save perhaps for Neirin, and even Neirin may not entirely understand what it did to Kuja’s mind. He met Bhalnrael when she made him shoes that would actually fit his enormous feet. It was uncertainty at first sight.

Kuja tends to sit down when he’s interacting with people significantly shorter than he is, just out of habit. Really, anyone shorter than Neirin (who is 5′11″) will have Kuja sitting down by default, no matter where they are. Middle of the street? He’ll sit or kneel, force of habit. He really, really doesn’t like looming over people. In particular he tends to sit immediately around Miqo’te women, as he knows this puts his sister Qhota at ease.

He loves braiding hair. For someone so ruthless, Kuja’s gentle streak runs narrow but deep - he loves braiding hair and will play with almost anyone’s hair, even if they’re a complete stranger, if they’ll let him. He also loves cuddling, and will cuddle indiscriminately. This is, strangely, something he’s only really picked up since coming to Hydaelyn; back on Terra, it was something he only did with Neirin. Here? Here he’ll cuddle with strangers, he doesn’t care.

He’s very, very, very protective of kids who’ve had to grow up too fast. Kids who have to take care of their siblings, kids who have to take on responsibilities they shouldn’t have to, kids who have to fight and kill before they’re old enough to really understand it - because he was one of those kids, and because he knows what it’s done to him, he is savagely protective of them. 

(tagging @mootablemimic for Qhota, Urha, and Bhalnrael mentions)

[ifishouldvanish]

To Be Found (1/6)

An aromantic and asexual character study of Rumplestiltskin for @needcanonasexualcharacters

PART ONE: MILAH

CHAPTER SUMMARY: Rumple navigates being in a loveless marriage of convenience. RATING: T WORDS: 1,969  [ Read on AO3 ]

“How is this?” Milah asked, holding out a length of the yarn she’d been working on.

Rumplestiltskin looked at his wife and smiled. “You’re getting much better.” He said, sitting beside her at the wheel. “You see how smooth it is?” He explained, tracing a finger along the thread. “You’ve a few lumps, but I can tell you’re getting your tension down, and that’ll only improve with more practice.”

She pressed sheer lips into a thin line for a moment, her eyes outside the window of the hovel. “Is it good enough to sell at the market, do you think?”

He inspected her work more closely and nodded. “Aye. I believe it passes muster.” Her eyes darted back to the yarn and a little smile crept across her face. Rumplestiltskin watched on as she began working the wheel again, seeming a little more sure of herself this time.

This was easy. He enjoyed it, even– sharing his craft and talent with another person, teaching and passing it on to them. Living in the shadow of his father’s reputation didn’t leave Rumplestiltskin with many things to feel proud of– but he was a gifted spinner, and in this area alone he could feel content with himself.

He knew their marriage was merely a thing of necessity– but they all were, weren't they? The women in his village needed husbands to provide for them, the men needed wives to rear their children– children who in the end would care for them both as they grew old and weak.

After the news of their marriage had circulated throughout their small village, Rumplestiltskin had come to find that people treated him differently. Less the outcast, more the welcome member of society. He blended in, the neighbors greeted him with polite smiles instead of scowls, he was invited to games of cards when he stopped by the tavern. In this capacity, he enjoyed the role of husband. It made him feel useful, wanted, valid, and with purpose.

He didn’t care for the comments some of the other men made about Milah and his marriage bed, but he quickly learned to brush them off by feigning agreement with a chuckle and a nod. It was in this capacity that his role as husband felt like a weight on his chest. Something that smothered and gnawed at him.

To not marry was to die poor and alone.

That was the mantra he had repeated to himself from the moment Milah’s father introduced the two of them. No one wanted their daughter to marry the village coward– and while it hurt to be cast out as such, Rumplestiltskin found a certain comfort in it the knowledge that it was a repellant. People couldn’t leave him, give up on him, reject him as his father had, if they never bothered with him in the first place. However, as time went on– as he saw the younger people in his village being paired off– he knew a life by himself wasn’t sustainable. At least, not in this world. And so when the opportunity to court a woman presented itself, he told himself he had to take it.

He supposed Milah was an attractive enough woman, with her raven hair and blue eyes. But to his relief, she seemed about as enthusiastic about the match as he was. She smiled at the appropriate times, behaved the way a betrothed woman ought to, but otherwise, she kept her distance from him. He knew she didn’t care for him– marriages in their village weren’t about something as frivolous as love and passion, after all– and the fact comforted him in the same way that his reputation did. It was like a shield, a thick blanket, something that protected him and made him feel safe.

Despite that knowledge, the week leading up to their wedding, Rumplestiltskin hadn’t slept. He’d tossed and turned, visions of their wedding night clutching his heart in a vice grip, leaving him hands cold and clammy and his nerves tightly wound.

To not marry was to die poor and alone .

He’d fulfil his role as husband, and with any luck, Milah would be with child and he’d be spared from having to repeat the act for the foreseeable future. Few were the men in his village who hadn't made some comments to him about the thrill of bedding one's wife, but to Rumplestiltskin, the thought loomed over him, clouding his thoughts and casting a shadow over his days. It seemed more like a chore he just wanted to get over with.

Perhaps you might enjoy it after all, he’d dared to hope.

And so on their wedding night, he’d played the part– his body a willing enough participant despite the apathy in his spirit.

He wasn't sure what he had expected, but he'd felt ill afterward. Not with a cough, or an ache, or a rash– but with a dry mouth, continued sleeplessness, and the constant replaying of the night's events in his mind's eye. He'd avoided Milah for weeks, unable to stomach the sight of her, and felt a unique sort of contempt for his own anatomy whenever he dressed, or bathed, or used the chamber pot. He supposed it was well enough though, as she seemed to keep her distance as well. Perhaps it was normal.

It was the spinning wheel that ended the stalemate. It was his duty to teach her, and she proved to be a fast learner. It was easy to ignore the distance he was putting between them when he was preoccupied with demonstrating the proper way to tease and comb the wool. Over time, he could muster a fondness– an affection, almost– for the way she furrowed her brows as she plucked bits of grass and debris out of the wool, or the sharp exhale she did when she’d lose her momentum at the wheel, causing the thread to snap or become lumpy.

She was determined to learn and be good at something, and he admired that about her.

“I think I do better if I feed it in like this,” Milah said, pulling back on the wool with her right hand, rather than nudging it toward the orifice with her left. It wasn't the way he handled the wool himself, but her movements seemed far more fluid and graceful now than they did when she handled it the way he had taught her.

Rumplestiltskin nodded. “Aye. Whatever works best for you.”

“I think–” she glanced up at him and that was all it took for her to lose her rhythm. “God dammit!”

He winced and darted his eyes back toward the bobbin, where the thread had snapped. The fifth time today.

“I can't do this.” Milah sighed, slouching her shoulders and dropping the wool into her lap. “Not like you.”

Rumplestiltskin stared at her blankly for a moment, the corners of his mouth pinched as he thought what to say to her. In truth, she was probably right. The chances of her ever being as proficient as he was were slim, but he did still believe she could get good enough.

“You can't sell this.” She said. “I'm just wasting all of your wool.” She made an exasperated gesture at the bobbin and rolled her eyes. “Look at it– it’s rubbish!’

He looked and frowned. She'd been doing solid work, truly. But by now he knew her well enough to know how thin her patience was. How little it took for her to lose interest.

Whenever he grew discouraged as a boy, the spinsters who'd raised him would lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, or wrap him in a hug. Plant a kiss on the crown of his head to let him know that it was okay. But in this context, the context of husband and wife, those gestures came with an added sentiment he didn't want to express, for he felt an inexplicable aversion to where they might lead.

He cleared his throat. “No, no. You're doing quite well.” He said. “You've much improved. Just... try to stay focused on the wheel. It'll be some time before you're able to carry a conversation and spin at the same time. Go on, try again.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay,” she exhaled, starting to feed the wool through again. She struggled to get it started– as she often did– and with each failed attempt, her movements became more hasty and erratic.

Let's take a break. The words were on the tip of his tongue as he watched her grow more and more frustrated. But this– spinning– was the only time he felt useful, the only time things between them felt somewhat right. He hated to end their lessons on a low note, because it left Milah in a sour mood, if not a morose one– and he never knew how to behave around her or make it better.

He learned quickly, the sort of things she might expect after he comforted her– a kiss, an embrace, a coupling before bed– and he wished to avoid them. He wouldn't be in the mood, and he could tell her heart was never in it, anyway. He knew she didn't love him, and it vexed him that she continued to try. After all, shouldn't she be relieved that her husband didn't make any demands of her body? But instead, she seemed to take offense. That it was due to some fault he'd found in her.

He supposed he had to give her credit, however. She was playing her part, still committed to her role as spouse in all the areas that he shied away from. In this way, he considered her a far stronger person than he ever was. No one in this village married for love, yet he seemed to be the only one who couldn't play the part anyway.

“Let me–” he said, reaching for the wool on her hands so he could get the thread started for her.

“I just can't do it. I don't know why, but I can't–”

“Because you're getting impatient.” He said bitterly, beginning to feel frustrated himself. He took a deep breath, refusing to let his emotions get the better of him. “We can work on this part later. Just focus on spinning and getting your tension right.”

She rolled her eyes and took the wool back from him once he'd gotten the thread started. “Sorry.”

“It's no matter.” He said, getting up and putting on a tight-lipped smile. “I… I'll see if the next batch of wool is dry yet.”

“I checked it this morning.” She muttered. “It's still wet.”

“Oh?” He frowned, feeling his heart sink in his chest. “Well, i-it's a nice day out. The sun might've helped, ye know?”

She shook her head and shrugged before starting the wheel again. “Yeah. Maybe.”

He was relieved to find that the wool was, though not completely dry, dry enough for him to start teasing. He would have an excuse to get away from her until she found her concentration again. Then they'd wrap things up, and she'd be in a well enough mood by then that he wouldn't have to concern himself with making her feel better.

He often felt as though he was walking on eggshells with Milah. He wanted their marriage to work. Wanted a family, children. But certain things didn't come naturally to him, and he wasn't sure he even wanted them to. Whatever distance there was between them, he'd created himself. Any attempts she'd made to close that distance, he'd pulled away from.

Marriage wasn't about love and happiness, though. It was about necessity. Perhaps he only needed more time. Perhaps he still could learn. Because the alternative would be to die poor and alone.

[irkimatsu]

Talking about OCs makes me miss my old crew... would anyone want to read little profiles on them? It's been a long time, so this is just little things I remember about them as I try to regain contact with them... this post has a main plot summary and profiles for one of the teams, the main team the story focused on. I think it'd take two more posts to cover my entire cast; one for the other plot relevant team, and one for a bunch of side characters that weren't as fleshed out, but that I still had fun with.

One issue with this is that a lot of plot and character details did come from two other people I used to roleplay with... I’m still in contact with both, but we stopped roleplaying years ago. I sometimes struggle to remember what was my idea and what was theirs...

LONG POST ALERT

The main setup of the story was, there's an alternate dimension that's a lot like ours. Everyone looks human, and they developed pretty much the same way we did, with a similar technological level. (For better, and for worse. People are assholes no matter what dimension they're in, sadly.) The main difference, however, is that the people here have the power to manipulate things around them. The elements, objects around them, human bodies... (I had a lot about how this influenced certain major events, including their technology, but alas, those notes are lost to time.) I called these people "Mages", but was always trying to come up with something better. A high-level Mage called Sura discovers the secret to inter-dimensional travel, and gets the idea to travel to other dimensions and see what she can find out there - valuable treasures, powerful secrets, just raid these places with no regard for the people living there. And... the rest of the Mages didn't really have much regard for other people from other dimensions, either. They were generally a very snobbish sort, regarding their magic and way of life as better than any other dimension could possibly have. But they knew on an intellectual level that this was probably bad, so a large number of adult Mages regardless of skill level ended up drafted by the government, known as the Council, and sent to these other worlds to recruit armies and stop Sura. These armies weren't treated very well, more like pawns than anything, but they must listen, it's for their own good, don't they understand? There was very much a "no side of this is innocent" element to the whole thing.

One particular dimension involved in this was Earth. Earth was a curious case; unlike most other peoples, the population here doesn't seem to have any inherent magic at all. Oh, those poor things, how do they survive? But they have one unique trait; they may not have any inner magic of their own, but if they can ally themselves with a magic user - the exact details of this allegiance varies depending on where the magic user came from - they can wield any sort of magic imaginable. They may not be much innately, but when it comes to magical potential, they're the most diverse population anyone has ever seen.

No wonder Sura's interested in studying these people, even if that means tearing their auras apart in the name of science...

Ven:

-A Mage who was drafted to be sent to Earth to train an army. He wants nothing to do with this, but his hands are tied. Responsibility is not his favorite thing in the world.

-Back in his dimension, he worked as a bar host. A total social butterfly; loves talking to and meeting new people, and is very good at modifying his behavior to blend in with groups. ...for the most part. He's also a hopeless flirt, and his social skills drop the more attracted to someone he is. He can be incredibly brazen. Some people like his straightforward style. Others smack him. He's never deterred, though. ...well, he'll probably stop flirting with that particular person once he reaches the smack point, but that's fine, he'll happily skip off to the next possible prospect. He doesn't dwell on missed opportunities for long.

-In general, he's a total perv and slob. Having him as a roomate is... exhausting. Prepare to fish his late night guest's underwear out from the couch cushions and to accept regular deliveries from Internet porn shops...

-Skilled at elemental magic, particularly wind, but that's more from innate talent than actual effort. He could have happily grown up in a world where he didn't have magical powers, and barely uses them in his daily life if he doesn't have to. It's more of a chore than anything. Not very good at anything else at the start. He honestly never expected to be drafted in the first place, given his poor skills, but it seems the higher-ups didn't have many qualifications for the people they chose besides "pulse". Ven is of low status, so he's cattle.

-Doesn't generally agree with his society's high-and-mighty act; would actually love to travel to other dimensions and meet the people there. That's the main reason he doesn't fight against his drafting. He doesn't normally pay attention to politics, though, so it's not like he fights against their bigotry, and he tends to be out of the loop when it comes to more complicated political issues. As time goes on and he learns more about the war, though, he becomes more and more frustrated, to the point where he'll denounce his people entirely if it means protecting Earth. He's met people here that are very worth protecting.

-Sexual preference is "Sure, how much?" Will screw anyone who'll let him, gender be damned. He'd never dream of violating consent, but the second you do consent, Ven can't get to the nearest soft, stable surface with you fast enough. He can be wild and pervy, but he's still a respectful partner who wants to make sure you have a good time, too. He does have a flaw here, though - he's aromantic and doesn't form any particular bond with anyone he sleeps with. He's had plenty of partners he'd never seen before or since. This in itself isn't a flaw, but the idea of bonding through sex is such a foreign concept to him that he tends to ignore the possibility that the other person might not feel the same way. He's upfront about his intentions and believes that's enough; if his partner later ends up developing feelings for him, this can lead to awkward situations that Ven takes no responsibility for, because hey, weren't they warned? Will hopefully get better at this through character development. Will always be aromantic, but could stand to learn some sensitivity toward people who aren’t.

-Short blonde hair, white skin, average height. Usually wearing a white suit. Looking proper is a good way of fitting in with social situations and setting people at ease, you know. (Until someone hot walks in and he turns into a drooling idiot, anyway. And when he's not lounging around on the couch in his boxers. His public and private presentations are VERY different.)

-In an alliance with two Earth girls. They’re teenagers at the start, but some adventures progress through their adulthood. He regards these two as his family and can be very protective of them. They are...

Nicole:

-Hyper!!! Loud!!! Stop!!!

-Actually a bit of a jab against "weeaboo" culture - she definitely had some pretty bad traits there. Random Japanese, shipping people who she had no business shipping... she meant well, she could just be... kind of annoying. She grows out of it.

-The second she's offered the opportunity to be a magical girl she's right on that, hell yeah, gonna be an anime hero! Is stunned to realize it actually takes effort. Comes to like that effort as part of her growth, though.

-After she grows up a little, is the nicest friend you could ever meet. Would give you the shirt off her back, unless she already gave it to someone else, in which case she'll go buy you one. Even if you didn't ask her. Even if you'd rather she didn't. She doesn’t expect anything in return, she just likes helping. It’s what magical girls do! Even if sometimes her ideas of helpful are off the mark.

-Tends to jump into things without thinking. Whether this makes her brave or stupid is your call. You know things have gotten bad when even Nicole is showing hesitation and concern.

-Has a bit of a rave girl aesthetic. Isn't involved in drugs or anything, but she likes going to raves and wearing bright colors. (Her friends don't let her go out to party alone, though. Love her dearly, but they don't trust her recklessness. She'd be way too easy to take advantage of...)

-Her main specialty is in elemental magic, particularly water and ice. Kind of okay at defensive/strength enhancing spells. Crap at healing.

-Pan, and poly in a sense. Romantically monogamous, but doesn't mind physical intimacy with friends, including sex. Wouldn't sleep with a stranger, but could end up with some friends with benefits. Wouldn't mind the same from her partner. As long as everyone's clear on the expectations. Intimacy is good! Love is good! She loves her friends! Why not make them feel good?

-Her skin tone was kind of... ambiguously brown? I never fully settled on an ethnicity for her. My initial instinct is Latina, but given how loud and obnoxious she can be... don't want to fall into stereotypes. Need to think about this one.

-Short little chubber. I used to have an idea where she'd lose weight from her strenuous magical training... but, you know what, fuck that, actually, Nicole's a chubber and always will be

Alice:

-Very different from Nicole. Quiet, hesitant, wants to fade into the background. This is difficult when you're tall and big-chested.

-I purposely tried to design her as a "conventional beauty" - long legs, large chest, long blonde hair, thin... but frankly, she hates it. Dressed very conservatively. Long skirts or pants; thick, high-cut sweaters in a desperate attempt to hide her chest. No case of "and then one day she learned to embrace how very beautiful she was and everyone loved her". No. She'd rather people notice literally anything else about her besides her chest. She didn't ask for the stupid thing...

-Very kind in her own way; is the sort of person who will talk gently to you and listen if that's what you need. She’s a good person to be around if you need someone who seems safe and not intimidating. But on the other hand, if you're loud and brash like a certain someone, she has very little patience. She's easily overwhelmed around obnoxious people, and can very quickly become sarcastic in that case. She didn't so much befriend Nicole; rather, Nicole latched onto her one day and wouldn't leave, constantly yapping at her during lunch and walks home and such, then they ended up on the same magical team and bonded that way. She eventually reaches a point where she'd do anything for Nicole, but at the start, she's more likely to just want to... not kill her, she's pacifistic. But go far, far away from her.

-So much of a pacifist that there's no capacity for combative magic at all in her aura. She can't control the elements like Nicole can; it's just not possible. She's one hell of a healer, though. This makes training her very frustrating for Ven, since he has no idea how healing works. They may need to ask someone else...

-Vegan. Not high and mighty about it, just doesn't like the taste of meat or dairy, so she doesn't eat it.

-Loves reading, especially mystery novels. (Nicole takes this as her cue to get Alice into mystery anime. It actually works.) Anything that involves logical puzzle solving, Alice is into. She's the planner and thinker while Nicole rushes at things. However, this does mean she's generally hesitant to act - nothing would get done without Nicole as the doer.

-Rejected the call to be a magical girl initially. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with the whole mess. But after her parents were kidnapped and killed for Sura's experiments, she felt she had no choice. Ven uses his natural charm (and probably some magical trickery) to convince people that he's Alice's adult brother who'd been living abroad, but came back upon the death of his parents to pay his final respects and to raise Alice. He's moving back into Alice's childhood home so that Alice doesn't have to move halfway across the planet and disrupt her studies and friendships.

-Being on the same team as Ven and Nicole soon becomes frustrating for her. The two of them have so much in common - similar magical specialties, an affinity for socializing, "doer" type personalities... they don't seem to be taking this seriously at all, and Alice feels left out. Ven doesn't even seem to believe they'll ever have to do anything major; let the Council take care of that stuff, he's just here to mess around and because Nicole seems to enjoy learning. Of course they can afford not to take this seriously, they haven't lost someone... one of Sura's minions manages to use Alice's frustrations to manipulate her and turn her against them for some time. It takes them a while to realize this new dark magical girl is Alice, but once they find out, they do eventually snap her out of it.

-Panromantic in the sense that she'll date someone if she really, really likes them, but not too worried about it and wouldn't mind being single forever. She'd rather be single than date someone who isn't perfect for her. Asexual. Not sex-repulsed, but finds it very boring. Might perform some very vanilla acts if her romantic partner really wanted her to, but honestly, that's just time she could be using to read a book or wash dishes or something. Their happiness during the act is nice, but that's all she can get out of it.