#WHERES MY BOY. HES SO IMPORTANT WHY HAS HE NOT BEEN IN SEVERAL CHAPTERS

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

Do you think there is a way to ethically watch Sandman and Good Omens? What about Dead Boy Detectives?

Andddd this was why I originally turned off anons. I knew this was coming eventually, but I guess I'll respond just this once so everyone knows where I stand.

I don't love that I feel the need to disclose this, but I have personally experienced grooming and sexual assault in the past. So this post is coming from someone who has Been There and understands the importance of supporting victims. I also love all of the efforts NG-related fandoms have been putting into raising money for sexual assault charities. It's wonderful to see people rallying behind the survivors and supporting them so vocally.

- DEAD BOY DETECTIVES: NOT A GAIMAN WORK

I do not think that there is a world where Dead Boy Detectives would be unethical to stream. It has virtually nothing to do with Neil Gaiman, by his own admission, and is the brain-child of Steve Yockey.

Besides the first chapter where Charles and Edwin were introduced (with no development), he didn't even write the comics! Several artists did, including Toby Litt and Mark Buckingham - whose run the show is based on and who the sprites are named after.

Yockey was the sole person to pitch DBDA to Warner Brothers. Gaiman did not do that.

Streaming Dead Boy Detectives primarily supports its writers, cast, and crew - Gaiman, who only wrote 2 scenes, is getting essentially nothing in terms of royalties.

Someone on Twitter did a really good job of unpacking why Dead Boy Detectives shouldn't be lumped in with Gaiman stuff - I'll link it here.

But this leads me to the next section.

- HANDLING GOOD OMENS AND SANDMAN

I think that there are a lot of valid reactions to the way people handle the consumption of Gaiman's shows after what he has done.

Some people are going to be unable to stomach anything he has written, and that is okay. Others whose lives have been massively impacted by his work aren't going to be able to let go since - and I know people like to deny this, but it's true - the art you love more than love itself is going to have a serious material impact on your personality.

Both of these approaches are alright! The only incorrect approach is to harass those who disagree with your personal choices.

It also is, in my opinion, Bad to give Gaiman money. Purchasing his books and buying Good Omens official merch puts cash in his pocket.

Streaming the shows, though, is a little more nuanced to me.

I'm going to use Good Omens as an example here. I personally will not be continuing with Good Omens. It gives me a Yucky Feeling. I may one day change my mind and stream a pirated version, but I don't think so.

However, I don't think Sheen and Tenant's fans are wrong to stream it in support of the actors who have brought their favourite characters to life.

But this leads me into my next point, and the point that will probably get me Canceled.

- THE IMPACT OF SHOWS ON PEOPLE

The way that people handle their favourite shows post-allegations is going to depend on the impact that the show had on their life.

I like Good Omens. It's a fun show. I enjoyed it while watching it, and think (see: thought) positively of it. But it had no real deep impact on my life - it's not part of me. When I look at Good Omens now, I see Gaiman's work above the finished product. It puts a sour taste in my mouth.

But in a hypothetical world, if Dead Boy Detectives were a Gaiman production? I have the self-awareness to know that I probably would still stream it to support the cast and crew. I am attached enough to it that I think I would divorce it entirely from Gaiman (if he were the creator, which he is not.) My point is that other people who are still streaming Sandman and GO probably don't look at it and see Gaiman. They see something that they have absorbed into themselves.

The part that's going to get me canceled is that if George cameos in Sandman, I will stream that one (1) episode to support George Rexstrew (Edwin Payne's actor). This is because Edwin has had a material impact on my life (hilariously, because I am a sexual violence survivor who did not get justice, and Edwin did not get justice for his murder and fights for that.) I feel that Edwin is part of me and my life, because Edwin (and George's work as Edwin) has made me feel less alone.

A lot of people feel that way about Crowley and Aziraphale.

I think that asking people to ditch a show, characters, and performers that have had a deep impact on their lives is unfair to them. Like, yes, Neil Gaiman is a bag of shit! Anyone who defends him is also a bag of shit! But I don't think that it's fair to stop people from supporting works that have had big material impacts on their own lives.

- HOW TO PROCEED

TL;DR

My personal ideal outcome here would be:

Wrap up Good Omens with the 90-minute movie and nothing else.

Wrap up Sandman with season 2, and do not renew.

Revive Dead Boy Detectives WITH THE CAVEAT that Gaiman gets his name removed from it, even if he currently isn't making much money off it. Take the Sandman characters and references from DBDA and let it become its own standalone thing.

Cancel all future Gaiman productions and never hire him to work on television or anything else again.

Let Gaiman's career die entirely and let him fade into obscurity.

Arrest Gaiman, which will never happen but it should.

I think people should:

Stop giving Neil Gaiman money through books or merch.

Make their own decisions about whether or not to officially stream the shows in support of the actors and crew members who have worked hard on it.

Not harass anyone for either their decision to stream the show, not stream the show, or stream a pirated version of the show.

Engage as much as they want with fandom and fanworks, as they are divorced from the source material's creator.

Vocally speak up against Neil Gaiman. Amplify the voices of the survivors, and don't let fear for the future of your show get in the way of that. At the end of the day, real women were put through the most traumatic and horrifying experience of their lives, and that's what matters most.

[mapoeggplant]

skip to loafer chapter 62 analysis // spoilers

skip to loafer reiterated its message of "i love you as a person" in a soft and fun chapter. and with that, takamatu-sensei prepares us for a new arc that promises to be full of unforgettable moments.

(since the translation is still very fresh, i'll try to focus more on using the raws not to spoil anyone. i hope you understand that!!)

honestly, i find light chapters like this the hardest to analyze on their own, especially ones like chapter 62 that brings back several loose ends in order to tie up another knot before continuing the journey. so, instead of analyzing the chapter itself, i'm going to bring back some old debates and fit them into this new phase of each character.

even though friendship was the main point of the chapter, in my opinion mika also deserves her own spotlight since, in one way or another, she basically served as a bond between the two groups.

in the case of the boys, her name is brought up when shima reveals that he invited her to his travel group, without much thought of the consequences. this causes a certain amount of anger in mukai, who was the person who witnessed very closely mika's reactions before and after the confession (and even later, when she was talking to nao by the beach). however, he’s also one of shima’s oldest friends, so he knows exactly what he been through, which is te exactly reason why he acts impulsively. 

it's as if he were between two different oceans, not knowing which way to go, since both are too turbulent for him to navigate. it's hard for mukai to completely side with his friend, since mika's feelings are still very vivid to him, but he knows all the difficulties that shima went through regarding her own internal terrors, that’s why he holds himself back to not curse him or anything. what he ends up choosing is the safest rote, which is to scold him with an open heart, making sure to show that what he did was wrong. in the end, he won’t explain it to shima the exact reason why he’s mad because he knows he doesn’t have the rights to speak for mika, that’s why the message gets a little confusing for shima, who’s still learning and growing (and honestly, the reacting of stop to understand where mukai was coming from is actually a big step for him, which i appreciate). 

in the case of the girls, mika is also the only one who, up until now, knows about the events before and after the confession. she can see the sincerity and kindness behind shima, who continues to respect and see her as a friend, but it's hard not to assume a protective position when the new person to be affected by the same feelings is mitsumi, someone who she became so important to her. and that's where her growth as a character is slowly revealed.

mika has always created her own barrier and has had difficulty opening up to the girls. and that didn’t start recently, since she have been dealing with her insecurities for as long as she can remember. mika spend most of her childhood alone and had a hard time to make friends when she started her teenage years, which led her to have a very abrupt start when she met mitsumi, yuzu and makoto. for her, it has always been very difficult to see herself in a group of friends and to be comfortable with herself to the point of expressing her mind clearly. 

as the story go by, we can see how comfortable mika is now with the girls, but old habits are hard to erase. even with all her conversations with nao and the peace she feels around her friends, there are still a lot to be unfold and a lot to grow. 

however, for her to grow, she needs to keep trying. and that’s when she choses to shine in this chapter: she finally manages to open up to mitsumi and reveal the secret that corrupts her so much. 

ever since mitsumi confessed the relationship she and shima had, mika has been struggling with indecision about whether to open up or keep the event forever as a bad memory from the past. it's hard for her, since she doesn't want to lose mitsumi's friendship or the other girls', but she also needs to accept what happened in order to finally say goodbye to them. it's not that she doesn't have her feelings cleared up inside her or that they still have a chance to blossom again. what really hits her is the fact that she's hiding something she considers important from her best friends, which might results in a awkward situation later on. 

the moment mika admits out loud that mitsumi is much more important in her life than any past crush, mika is finally saying goodbye to this weight she's carried for so long and can finally start another chapter in her life. now, she no longer has anything hidden or needs to walk on eggshells — the love she embraced and the love she receives are enough for her to stand tall. 

the development of skip to loafer's friendships is indeed something that needs to be celebrated. throughout the narrative, we are constantly reminded that the story itself is built on the idea that love doesn't need to be romantic to be true, it just needs to be felt. loving someone is accepting their flaws and understanding their scars, like mukai and shima; loving someone is being vulnerable, like mika and mitsumi; loving someone is going out together to buy clothes for a trip they've been waiting for.

it's beautiful to see how the girls care about mitsumi and her feelings, but still root for her happiness and are excited for her. it's beautiful to see how they're always together in difficult times, whether they're big or small (or even medium, like what's the right outfit to wear on a date. that's very important for a teenage girl). 

and for shima and mitsumi, it’s cute to see how shy they are around each other and how they are allowed to slowly understand their feelings. the narrative doesn’t force them to anything at any point or rushes them to a resolution, what it does is explore the nuances and difficulties of dealing with your first ever romantic love, specially when you were never allowed to explore your own feelings in the first place (like shima), and the fear of losing a best friend that you cares so much (like mitsumi feels). 

i don’t think this is the calm before the storm, but i do believe takamatsu-sensei is getting us ready for what’s coming next. i do believe this will be a very decisive arc for a lot of characters, but it will also birth many more plots for us to explore.

thank you so much for reading 💛 don't forget to support the author if you can and also thank the translation group!!

and if you're interested, i wrote a while ago an analysis about skip to loafer's "i love you as a person" message. just click here to find it!

[jinxposting]

Jason Todd x Jinx! reader Chapter 5

Your Robin

"Batman and Jinx."

"Jinx and Batman."

"We'll work on it."

That was the last time you'd seen Robin. It's been roughly two years since then. It was a mystery amongst vigilantes and villains alike. One day Batman has his sidekick, the next they both go missing for months. When the Bat did resurface it was alone. Until now.

Your heart soared seeing the familiar color palette of the Bird. Only for it to sink when you came face to face with a stranger. Mask or no it didn't take a genius to notice the obvious differences in boys. This one was much smaller. Shorter, thinner, and relied more on redirecting than raw strength. Your Robin was tall, built, and liked to punch his problems.

Though props to the Bat, they appeared to be roughly the same age. Or rather what age your Robin should be, assuming he isn't dead. You frowned at the thought. No. He wasn't allowed to die. He has to become the new Batman like you planned.

This Robin wasn't as fun to banter with either. He lacked the dry sarcasm you were accustomed to. This one was too bright eyed.

You sat next to a gargoyle, overlooking the city. You sighed. "Where are you, Boy Wonder?"

"Aw, you missed me?"

"Not you, replacement." You didn't have to turn around to know he felt insulted by the term.

You weren't sure of the particulars when it came to Batman and his sidekicks but you were nothing if not loyal.

"You gonna come quietly or do we have to do this the hard way?"

From the corner of your eye you saw the boy brandish a bo staff. Another reason to dislike him. This one didn't even get his hands dirty.

"Please. As if you could catch me."

You'd taken Robin's - your Robin - words to heart. You'd been practicing your hand to hand combat these past few years. More importantly, you've been honing your skills.

You clicked the button of your remote trigger. Several colorful smoke bombs bursted to life around you. By the time Robin cleared the smoke from his vision you were gone. You had no reason to linger here. He's no fun.

You sat, tinkering away, at your workbench. Bomb after bomb, always decorated in colorful scribbles. This one resembles a bird. Didn't take a psychologist to figure out you'd grown attached to the masked boy. Didn't stop her from pointing it out though.

"You still mopin' around in here?"

Harley skipped into your room, bells jingling. She came to a quiet stop at your desk. You looked up with a sullen face.

"Come on, little J. Don't gimme those puppy dog eyes." She sat down next to you. "I know you miss your playmate but you'll find someone new to explode in no time!"

"But he's my rival. The Batman to my Joker."

"I hate seein' you so down... Tell ya what, why don't we have a girls night? Just you and me." Her grin grew wider. "We can hit the town! Try out those new glitter bombs you been workin' on?"

You gave a melancholic smile.

"That's the spirit!"

You spent that night covered in stolen jewelry and sparkles. One of your most fond memories. Harley had a more understanding side to her than Joker. A gentler one. You admired her for that.

You eventually did move on from your Robin blues. Of course you still miss him, but you knew it was out of your control. You still didn't take to the new Boy Wonder. Batman himself grew on you however. You talked, he pretended to ignore you, but given he always answered your questions of lesser importance you knew he was listening.

You'd also become better acquainted with your fellow villains. You especially like Selina - Catwoman - she always gave the shiniest gifts. Bane was cool too. For someone so roided up he made for a decent conversationalist.

Riddler could drop dead.

Man thinks he's funny. He's not.

You'd also made a name for yourself. People knew that with the name Jinx came explosions and spray paint. Legally you were labeled a terrorist. You blow up one banking building and accidentally erase thousands of credit card debts and SUDDENLY you're an activist. Not your goal but a happy coincidence nevertheless.

Joker was certainly pleased. You were a harbinger of destruction and chaos after all. You and your dysfunctional, mad family were on top of the world.

But even still, between everything at home being good (or at least what you're used to) and being one of the most notorious figures in Gotham you still felt something was missing. You knew what it was. Who it was. The only friend you'd ever had. You missed Robin. Your Robin.

Little did you know far from where you sat in Gotham, half way across the world, a certain boy laid in a vat of green waters. Ready to be reborn.

[abbyfmc]

[Yandere Time Traveler]

Chapter One:

[Narrator PO.V]

This is the story of a boy named Raymond Smith, a young adult who has been treated very badly by life since he was born, since he is the son of a pair of narcissistic and abusive parents who pressured him academically to be perfect in EVERYTHING, or else they punished him physically, psychologically and emotionally speaking.

On several occasions Raymond went to school in long sleeves, covering the bruises, scratches and physical marks his parents gave him when they were angry with him. At school things were not much different, as day after day he was cornered, mistreated, harassed and bullied by his classmates; the leading bully being an upper-class boy named Darius who took advantage of Raymond's weakness day after day.

He would insult him, hit him, slap him, push him, kick him and make fun of him; he would throw books, food and drinks at him, knowing that he would never fight back out of fear and low self-esteem. Even so, neither parents nor teachers cared about him, and he found himself totally alone in those dark years when he even considered committing suicide due to the despair, depression and loneliness he felt that year.

Even so, he was a smart and studious boy (even if it was because of pressure from his parents), but he didn't think that, since he had a bad perception of himself. Things continued like this until the 4th year of high school, which was when Darius was transferred to a different school (although his two friends stayed there), and at that same time a new cute girl arrived, named (Y/n) (Y/ln), being the ONLY one who approached him kindly.

She became his best friend and his emotional support, both in and out of school. They talked a lot during breaks, online, and she would invite him to her house for dinner. She also ended up being very important to him, both by supporting him and being a shoulder to cry on and by helping him to trust himself more and overcome, being his beautiful light in the middle of his darkness.

Time passed and they both graduated with honors, applying to good universities, although they parted ways. Eventually, Raymond graduated at the top of his class; he went to work for his current company where they met again at the office, which made them both happy.

But Darius wouldn't let Raymond get close to (Y/n), as he didn't want their past to come to light (also because he was very jealous, obsessive and possessive with [Y/n]). The latter escalated to the point where (T/n) herself broke off their engagement due to his toxicity, which escalated to the point where Darius kidnapped his ex-fiancée in his apartment after work.

Raymond noticed this, and called the police and followed Darius to his apartment, willing to do anything to save her.

Upon arriving, the police were nearby but he didn't want to waste any time, so Raymond stormed into the apartment, determined to get his beloved out before Darius did anything to her. They exchanged blows, with Raymond taking the brunt of the blow, and in the end, Darius beat him so hard that Raymond ended up falling and hitting his head hard on the corner of a table, which caused his death.

Raymond woke up startled and frightened in his bed. Sweat was pouring down his forehead as he tried to calm himself down.

--What the hell was that dream?!-- He asked himself. He couldn't explain how or why he had that "dream" or rather, "nightmare". Anyway, he decided to call (Y/n) to see if she was okay, but when he looked at her cell phone, he noticed something very strange.

Monday, August 10 - 2015

4:00 AM

--This… is my old phone, and this date… is not today-- He then tried to unlock his phone with previous passwords and failed, until he entered the birthday of his beloved (Y/n). He reviewed old photos and videos, old conversations, social networks and news from the year 2015, which began to give him the impression that he… traveled nine years into the past.

-The end.

So, wat do you think about it?

[lunafreya24]

A Passion of Ice and Fire

Pairing: Jacaerys Velaryon/Cregan Stark

Chapter 7: Jace reunites with his little brothers Joffrey and Aegon. Joffrey has a lot of questions and opinions for his big brother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Jace and Baela made their way back to the castle, the sound of children’s feet on the dirt trail grew louder and louder. 

“Jace! You’re home!” Joffrey exclaimed, running down the hill, followed by a toddling Aegon. Jace knelt down to embrace his little brothers. Their reunion was briefly interrupted by a tutor, her voice panicked as called after the boys. 

“Oh, there you are! I’m sorry to bother you, my prince, my lady.” She apologized. 

“That’s alright.” Jace assured, placing Aegon on his hip. “Come now,” he said to both children, “we need to freshen up before supper.” They started up the hill again. 

“Jace?”

“Yes Joff?”

“When will I get to eat with you and mummy again?” Joffrey asked. Rhaenyra had begun to let Joffrey dine with everyone else for unimportant dinners, but since the war started, every dinner was an important dinner. 

Jace chose his words carefully, knowing this would be one of many delicate questions his brothers would have. “I’m not sure Joffrey, only time will tell. But I can assure you, it’s much less fun without you there. Nothing but tedious politics and strategy.” 

“Why did our uncles make mummy so angry?” Joffrey asked, he had heard his mother and members of her council talking loudly about his uncles during his lessons, their voices dripping with disdain. Jace and Baela shared a worried look, searching for the right answers. Jace took a deep breath before answering. 

“Well…. Aegon stole something that belonged to mother, and Aemond took his side. It would be as if little Aegon stole your room when you weren’t home, and Viserys said he was right in doing so.” 

“That would make me angry.”

“Exactly. But Aegon stole something even more important than that, he stole her throne. Grandsire said that mother would rule the realm when he passed. But now, Aegon and Queen Alicent claim he changed his mind, and Aegon is the rightful king now.”

“But why?”

“Because the Greens think mother is not strong or smart enough to rule.” 

“But mummy is strong! And she’s smarter than any of those idiot Greens!” Joffrey exclaimed, his steps growing into angry stomps. 

“Yes, she is. And that is why we are going to fight for her and get her throne back.” 

“I can fight too! I’ll defend mummy, just like you!” 

“There will come a time for that, Joffrey. But right now, mother needs you to be good and brave. She needs you to listen and try hard in your studies and training. And when your time comes, you will be as fierce and noble as any of us.” Jace assured his brother, hoping it would calm his eagerness for the time being. As they came closer to the castle, Aegon, who had been sitting quietly, grabbed onto Jace’s necklace, grasping the pendant with surprising gentleness. 

“Pretty.” He said, staring at it, fascinated. 

Jace let out a soft chuckle, “It is pretty, isn’t it.”

“Where did you get it?” Joffrey asked.

“My….. friend from the north gave it to me, as a gift.”

“What’s her name?”

“My friend is a boy, Joffrey. His name is Cregan.”

“But he gave you a necklace. I thought that was something only boys and girls do.”

“Well, my friend is a boy and he gave me a necklace. It was a kind gesture.”

“Does that mean he loves you?”

That question made Jace stop dead in his tracks. Baela looked at Joffrey with a mix of shock, fear, and amusement.

“Where did you learn that?” She asked him gently. 

“In my book, the princess gives the gardener her favorite necklace. She says it so he can have a piece of her, because their love is forbidden.” The four of them stood in silence for several seconds. At that moment, the tutor, who had been trailing behind them, completely forgotten, spoke up. Her shrill voice felt like a shockwave, shooting down Jace’s spine. 

“I think I’ll take the young prince to clean up now. I shall return for Prince Joffrey when he’s finished.” She announced, realizing the princes’ need for privacy at the moment. 

“Thank you.” Jace whispered, handing Aegon back to her. After they left, Jace turned back to Joffrey. He and Baela took a seat on the rocks, with Joffrey nestled between them, his eyes bright with curiosity and confusion. 

“Does your friend Cregan love you, Jace?” 

Jace took a moment before answering, “Yes, Joffrey. He does love me.”

“Do you love him?”

“Yes”

“And is it forbidden? Like the princess and the gardener?”

Jace felt a lump in his throat as he said, “Yes, Joff. It’s forbidden.”

“Why?” 

“Because….” Jace struggled to find the words and keep his composure. 

“Because,” Baela intervened, “people don’t understand it. They don’t understand why two men would love each other instead of a woman, much like they don’t understand why your mother is meant to rule the realm. And when people don’t understand something, they get angry, make rules that were never needed so they can feel more in control. But you can’t control love, Joffrey. It happens when it wants, where it wants, no matter how many laws and dangers there are against it, it’s still there.” 

“So, what will you do now?” Joffrey asked Jace.

“Our love will have to be a secret for now. Baela and I will marry, our friendship will bind us. Cregan will take a wife soon, and I hope she is kind to him, understands him the way Baela understands me. We will find moments to hold each other close, before returning to what is expected of us.” 

“That sounds sad. I don’t want you to be sad for the rest of your life!” Joffrey exclaimed, his voice thick with emotion, his eyes filling with tears. Jace smiled sadly at his brother’s concern, gathering him into his lap.

“I won’t be sad forever, Joff. It’s not like the storybooks. It will be hard and sad at times, but I still have plenty to make me happy. You make me happy. Baela makes me happy. My family makes me happy. Vermax makes me happy. And Cregan and I still have our love for each other. We will find a way, even in the shadows.” 

“It’s not fair.” 

“No, it’s not. But such is the way of the world. It will do you no good to be sad for me.” He said, gently wiping Joffrey’s tears away. “Know that I’m alright, and I have all the love I could ask for.”

[syndrossi]

i love that seeing Daemon basically collapse in relief when he bursted into Jon’s chambers when he was asleep with Rhaegar and then the desperate kisses, the vague promises with no real explanation, and then the next morning when Jon is looking at him and comparing their similar war-front experiences and how exhausted Daemon must be from fighting is what really solidifies a little slot opening next to Jon’s “must protect at all costs” list and it goes right next to Rhaegar. Jon’s list doubled and i love that for him because he gets to experience family once again but his own version

BUT the boy needs to learn to BE protected and BE loved and BE cared for rather than the other way around.

i mean im pretty sure Jon’s initial plan to was to 100% sneak into the KINGS private chambers ready to stab him if he laid a hand on his father or ready to fight for his father to stay.

why must daemon targaryen’s lil family be SO self-sacrificing and willing to die to protect their loved ones, i love it but also VALUE YOURSELVES TOO MY LOVES

ALL THREE OF YOU

Yeah, Daemon was definitely making a meteoric rise on Jon's "most important people whom I love" list even before then, but that wasn't in the context of "needs protecting." Daemon was the wrathful force who would leap from a pier to follow Jon and half-bisect a man in the process with a scream of primal rage.

But chapter 23 was Jon seeing Daemon frightened and hurt and desperately tired. (I originally wrote the scene where he burst in from Jon's POV, actually, then swapped it to Daemon.) Instead of being just a protective force, he became someone who needed protecting, because who else is? And echoed again by Jon at the end of chapter 25 to Daemon: who's guarding him? Who will challenge the king on his behalf? (Rhaenyra, probably, but she's not here.) Who guards his happiness?

And seeing a gap, Jon immediately moves to fill it. He wakes up in chapter twenty-four and he's already in protection mode, guarding Daemon's sleep, seeking out the king, arranging as appetizing a breakfast as he can. (Funnily enough, it's not unlike being Mormont's steward, but done out of love this time, not duty.)

(You're right though, Jon is the king of self-sacrifice. Like you said, he's so unwilling to think he can have those things himself and he has no interesting in learning otherwise. So it's a good thing that both Daemon and Rhaegar are both the type of people who will provide those for him regardless of whether he thinks he can/should have them.)

Daemon's vulnerability also has a strangely similar (yet different) effect on Rhaegar. Daemon's fire and fury up to this point has been something he's slowly been coming to understand as born of love. This is the first time, however, Rhaegar has seen Daemon in a position like Rhaella's: hurting and at the mercy of a fickle king, all while desperately holding onto the one thing that belongs to him, his children. So Daemon gets slotted into Rhaegar's list of people to be shielded and comforted and reassured (and as someone safe to be comforted by).

Fortunately, Jon had several minutes walking through dark tunnels to cool down from any heated thoughts of regicide/kinslaying/treason. 😂 I'm sure Rhaegar explained that he was fairly convinced the king is vulnerable to psychic damage so they could probably just go in there and be disappointed in him.

We'll see what happens if Daemon is truly threatened someday...

[queen-of-writing-bad-things]

Henry Danger Reader Insert | Season 1 Episode 4: The Secret Gets Out

pairing: Ray Manchester/f!reader

summary: Henry's life as Kid Danger is threatened when Charlotte gets increasingly suspicious about the secrets he's been hiding.

rating: F - canon divergence, mutual pining, slow burn, friends to lovers, idiots in love, reader insert, very slight adult themes

word count: 5.8k

Thank you for reading! I (respectfully) yearn for likes, comments, and reblogs. Click for vibes

Last Chapter - Next Chapter - Season 1 Masterlist - Masterlist

~Henry's house~

"Here I come." 

"No, you don't." Henry and Charlotte were sat on the couch, competitively playing a videogame. 

"I'm gonna get ya!" Henry taunted his friend, as Jasper burst in through the door, interrupting the gameplay.

"Hey, guys." The curly-haired boy greeted them, dumping his back and showing them his phone.

"You gotta check this out." 

"Quiet!"

"We're playing a game!" The two teens on the sofa were too preoccupied to look at whatever Jasper thought was important. Still, he pressed on.

"No problem, I'll take over your screen." He smirked, flicking the news video on his phone to the T.V, much to the annoyance of Charlotte and Henry. The news showed a live report on Captain Man, who was being interviewed by a pretty reporter.

"Just watch the video." He insisted.

"What video?" Henry complained.

"It's called 'Captain Man's big fail.'" Charlotte liked the sound of the dramatic headline and told him to play it. Henry, however, freaked out, not wanting to accidentally say something about Kid Danger in front of them.

"Uh, hey, look. My belly button." He said, trying to distract them, but it only made them look at him in confusion.

"Play the video," Charlotte instructed Jasper, who did as he was told.

"We're live in downtown Swellview, where the Phone Shark has struck again. This time, the Phone Shark bit through a dozen of people's cell phones, then fled the scene, once again escaping capture from Captain Man." The reporter described what had happened to the camera, whilst the superhero next to her shuffled awkwardly on his feet. By the guilty look on his face, Henry knew he hated that he'd been beaten again.

"Captain Man, isn't it true that the Phone Shark has been attacking people's phones for over a year now?" The woman continued, passing the mic to Ray so he could splutter out an excuse.

"Uh, yes, that is true." He replied simply.

"So, why don't you catch him?" The reporter didn't understand how hard catching slippery criminals was. 

"Well, Kid Danger and I have been trying." Ray tried to tell her, but his excuses weren't working. Henry rubbed his eyes in panic and gave his friends the side-eye when he heard his alias being mentioned.

"Doesn't that bug you?" Henry knew it really bugged Ray. In the couple weeks, he'd been working with him, he'd heard him complaining to (y/n) several times about how he just couldn't catch him.

"Yes." Ray answered with gritted teeth. Jasper paused the video, and Charlotte expressed her sympathy for the poor man on the T.V.

"Aw, I feel bad for Captain Man." She said with a sad face.

"It's not Captain Man's fault, he needs a better sidekick." Jasper shared, not knowing about Henry's secret identity. His best friend looked at him in irritation as he sipped his drink.

"One more time?" He said, frowning.

"Just saying, I'd be way better at catching bad guys than Kid Danger." Jasper bragged, but Henry wasn't impressed.

"You couldn't catch butt warts." Henry scoffed back.

"Oh, yes he could. Remember fifth grade?" Charlotte reminded him.

"That was a rash! Big difference." The boy on her right defended himself as Henry stood up.

"Whatever, I think Kid Danger does a great job." Henry piped up, not letting his name get dragged through the mud. 

"Why are you getting all mad?" Charlotte looked over at him, confused as to why Henry was suddenly in such a bad mood.

"Because Jasper's being unfair. And I think it's unfair to criticise that-- that Kid Danger guy, when he's probably doing the best he can" He retorted, trying to seem less bothered than he was.

"And people should be fair, y'know? I'm pro-fair." He finished, sitting back down and not meeting their eyes. Suddenly, Piper burst in through the door, shouting at Jasper.

"What?" 

"Get up." She ordered him.

"Why should I?" The teen replied, not wanting to be bossed about.

"'Cause, you're gonna carry me to my friend Marla's house." She told him like she was royalty or something.

"I"m not going to carry you. I ain't no horse." Jasper sassed her. Big mistake.

"Fine, then I'll just upload the video so the whole world can see it." For a 9-year-old girl, Piper knew how to blackmail people to get what she wanted. 

Video of what?" Charlotte asked. Piper then proceeded to show them all a video of Jasper wearing a wig and sitting in his room, singing along to the Cup Song from Pitch Perfect, only he was really bad at it. His friends laughed as they watched him fail.

"Stop it, turn it off. Turn it off!" He pleaded, feeling very embarrassed. 

"Where'd you get that wig?" Charlotte giggled, thinking he looked ridiculous.

"You don't need to know." Jasper pointed his PearPad at her sternly. Piper revealed that she had obtained the video when she snooped around his ThumbDrive. 

"Oooo, you're so bad." The red-faced boy sneered. Henry scolded his sister, not wanting the entire world to see the video. Piper agreed that she wouldn't, but only if she could use Jasper as transportation. 

"Okay, fine. Get on my back." Jasper submitted, not wanting to be humiliated. Piper stepped up and leapt onto him, smiling because she had gotten her own way.

"If he goes too slow, just kick him in the side." Charlotte joked, which made Jasper turn around and glare. However, Piper didn't want to stop so she hit him sharply on the hip, making him waddle out of the door.

Henry and Charlotte were laughing together at the sight, when Henry's watch began to beep, notifying him that there was an emergency and Ray needed him. Charlotte looked down at the device, feeling suspicious.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask, why does your new watch beep like that?" Charlotte mentioned.

"Uh, It just means they need me at work. Bye! " 'Okay, that's a sensible answer.' Henry thought to himself as he got up and sprinted out of the door, leaving a confused and mistrustful Charlotte with her arms folded on the couch.

"There is something up with that boy." 

~The Man Cave~ 

"What's the emergency?" Henry briskly came out of the elevator, seeing (y/n) at the computer. Ray was next to her, leaning one hand on the back of her chair.

"There's a fire at the syrup factory, all that sugar is just burning up." She reported, pressing the controls and reading from the screen.

"Any people in the building?" Ray said in his hero's voice, which made goosebumps cover her body. 

"Yeah, I'm getting reports of up to 10 people still trapped in there. You guys better hurry."

"Oh man, we need to go." Henry prompted, thinking about all the civilians in danger. 

"There are firefighters on scene, they can give you equipment if you need it." She turned around in the chair, her face and voice demonstrating her professionalism.

"Right." The sidekick's face paled a bit, but he took his gum tube from his pocket, copying Ray.

"Things are about to get hot." Ray said coolly.

"ETA is 20 minutes, and don't take the main road. There's been an car crash, with delays of up to half an hour." She advised as they chewed and blew their bubbles. Once in their uniform, Ray gave Henry a fist bump and (y/n) waved them goodbye.

"Have fun!" Ray smiled at her, feeling thankful that he had her to help him out, as Henry sent them up the tube. 

~Later that night, Henry's bedroom~ 

Henry climbed through his window, feeling exhausted from his night out with Ray. He was going down the steps, glad to see his bed, but then the lights were switched on, revealing that Charlotte was in his room. He fell down the stairs, landing on his butt and looking at Charlotte with a petrified face.

"You're home late." She smirked at her friend.

"What are you... How did you get in my house? Why are you here?" He asked her, his heart slowly calming down.

"'Cause I'm suspicious." The dark-haired girl said to him. Her suspicion had reached its peak. 

"Of what?" Henry said looking away.

"Why did you climb in your window?" She stepped forward, squinting her eyes and analysing Henry's every move. 

"Uh-- Because the front door was locked and I forgot my key." He lied.

"You know your parents always leave a spare key under the mat." Charlotte saw straight through the lie and called him out on it with her logic.

"I like your shirt," Henry said, wanting to move off the topic. 

"Where have you been?" She quizzed him.

"Working. You know, just working." He replied, which technically wasn't a lie. He had been working, just not where she thought.

"Really? 'Cause I called Junk-N-Stuff. Nobody answered." Charlotte interrogated, wanting the truth.

"Okay. You wanna know where I've been?" Henry started as his anxiety levels through the roof.

"Yeah."

"You want the truth?" He went on.

"Yeah." She reiterated.

"I'm a jazz musician." Henry lied, trying to keep his oath to Ray.

"I don't tell a lot of people, but secretly, I play jazz and the only time the jazz clubs are open is late at night, so that's where I was, at a jazz club-- blowing jazz... on my horn." He continued the lie, hoping that if it was more elaborate, she would buy it. She didn't say anything at first, she just stepped forward and sniffed his hair.

"Why'd you sniff my hair?" He asked.

"I heard on the news tonight that Captain Man and Kid Danger put out a fire at a syrup factory." Charlotte told him about what he had just returned from.

"Did they?" He said, feigning ignorance.

"Yeah. And your hair smells like syrup." Charlotte knew she had him foiled.

"It does. I wonder why." Henry replied, checking his hair.

"Maybe because you're Kid Danger." 'Oh my god.' thought Henry. He started to scoff and laugh at Charlotte, but the look in her eyes told him that she definitely knew.

"Ha! I wish! I mean, that'd be nice. And I guess you must be Beyoncé." He chuckled and panicked.

"Henry." She pressed, looking at him intently, making him sigh and not believe what he was about to do.

"Okay. This is really big what I'm about to tell you." He started off seriously.

"What? That you're Kid Danger?" She teased.

"SHUT UP!" Henry shrieked at her, not wanting his parents or worse, Piper, to hear. He ran to the door and opened it to check if anyone was listening in the corridor. He slammed it shut and locked it, returning to his friend.

"I'm Kid Danger," He revealed in a hushed tone.

"I know. I figured that out." She'd always been a smart girl, but this was her biggest mental achievement.

"Just promise me you'll never tell anyone." He was desperate to keep his identity a secret.

"I promise," Charlotte swore, but Henry grabbed her by the shoulders, so she could really look at her desperate face.

"No, no, you don't understand. I took an oath that I'd never tell anyone that I'm Captain Man's sidekick." He had never been more serious.

"I swear, I'm never gonna tell." She insisted.

"Thanks." Henry breathed out a relieved sigh and dropped his hands from her shoulders.

"Can I tell Jasper?" She asked, not believing she was in on such a big secret.

"NO!" He shouted, Jasper wouldn't be able to keep the secret to save his life.

~The next day, in the Man Cave~

Watching the news from earlier, Ray and (y/n) were shovelling Chinese takeout into their mouths. She was perched on his knee and leaning back into his chest as she focused on what the reporter was saying.

"We're live in downtown Swellview, where Phone Shark has--" Ray rewound the clip, back to when the news reporter pointed out how he was still unable to capture the villain. The elevator doors opened, and Henry walked out of them, after getting up from the drop. He cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Ray? (y/n)?" He started in a small voice. They turned around, noodles hanging from Ray's face, as they smiled and greeted him. Ray put his carton on the control panel, as (y/n) stood up from his lap since they weren't alone anymore. She moved to the side, still picking through her food carton.

"Henry, I didn't know you were working today." Ray looked at him in surprise. 

"He didn't butt beep you, did he?" (y/n) joked with a mouthful of stir-fry.

"No, uh, can I talk to you two about something?" Henry said, walking to where they were.

"Uhhhh, babies come from the baby store." Ray stuttered out, not wanting to go into 'that' subject with a teenager.

"Shut up, doofus." (y/n) chucked a piece of carrot at him.

"It's not about that." He replied, much to the relief of Ray.

"What's up Hen?" (y/n) asked, digging in her carton again.

"You guys know my friend, Charlotte?" Henry began.

"Yeah."

"The not-bucket friend." They both said, not concentrating on Henry's nervous body language. 

"Yeah, well, she's like really smart. And-- uh, she.. uh.. kinda figured out that.." He didn't know how to say it.

"Figured out what?" Ray still wasn't picking up on his nerves.

"That--um... I"m Kid Danger." He chuckled, bracing himself for their reaction. Ray turned around and looked at him with a stunned face and (y/n) stopped mid-chew, feeling the gravity of the situation hit her. She looked to Ray and hoped he would keep a level head.

"Isn't that kooky?" Henry tried to make light of the situation, but his jokes fell flat.

"Yeah. What'd you tell her?" Ray said, hoping that Henry had been smart.

"That I am... Kid Danger." Henry swallowed, as the young woman in front of him choked on her food. She knew he was in deep shit.

"Ohhhh... interesting." Ray let out a squeal as he took in the information and Henry nodded with him.

"You're not mad, right?" Henry asked, confused as to why Ray looked happy, but (y/n) knew that he was actually livid by the sight of his tense shoulders.

"Mad? No.? Ray smiled sourly and shrugged the sentence off.

"Cool." For a moment, Henry thought everything was okay.

"You're fired." Ray's smile dropped and he let all his friendly feelings melt away. He stood up and walked to the middle of the Man Cave.

"What? Fired?" Henry felt his heart drop.

"Raymond!" (y/n) knew he was mad, but couldn't believe that her friend could be so cruel.

"You can leave your watch on the table there." His voice was monotone, and he was ignoring the wide-eyed glare the girl across the room was giving him. She moved towards him, hoping she could get him to calm down and change his mind.

"Ray, please think about what you are doing." She hissed at him from his side, as he mindlessly fiddled with some machinery.

"I swear, I didn't wanna tell her! She figured it out." Henry pleaded, desperately wanting to keep his job.

"Henry! You took an oath!" Ray looked at him sadly, upset that his sidekick had broken his promise.

"I know, but..." Henry whimpered.

"You promised me you wouldn't tell anyone and I trusted you to keep that promise." The superhero said, walking down the steps, (y/n) still following, but now, tears were welling up in her eyes. Henry had grown on her, and it didn't seem fair to fire him after one mistake.

"When trust is broken, it can never be fixed." Ray looked down at his shoes.

"Yes, it can. He's your sidekick." (y/n) put her hand on his bicep, hoping to get through to him, but he just shook her off. He grabbed a fortune cookie from one of the boxes of Chinese takeout and gave it to Henry.

"Open this cookie and read the fortune." He instructed. Henry opened the packaging and cracked the cookie so he could read the paper.

"'When trust is broken, it can never be fixed' He read aloud, wondering how what Ray said and the fortune could be the same. 

"Let's not argue with the Chinese." He whispered huskily. Her emotions getting the better of her, (y/n) snatched the paper from Henry's hand and tore it in half. She threw it to the ground and turned to Ray, tears now rolling down her face.

"I can't believe you, you're being ridiculous." She seethed, but Ray just brushed her comment away and walked off towards the sprocket.

"Goodbye Henry." 

With a broken heart, Henry glumly took off his watch and put it on the table. Turning around, his face matched (y/n)'s. She wrapped the poor kid in a hug, as he tried not to cry.

"I'm so sorry Henry." She whispered into his hair. Henry pulled back with a bittersweet smile.

"Not your fault." was all he said, before walking to the elevator and leaving the building.

~(y/n)'s PoV~

As soon as Henry left, I marched through the sprocket, down the corridor and into Ray's room, where I knew he would have retreated to. He was sat on the bed with his head in his hands.

"I've seen you do some dumb shit, but this is dumbest. What the hell were you thinking!?" I shouted at him, my voice breaking as I started to cry again. Ray didn't move, so I carried on.

"You wanted a sidekick and you got one. A damn good sidekick and a sweet kid, who didn't deserve what you just put him through." This time, he looked up and his eyes were red too. Seeing he was upset, I took a deep breath and sat down next to him, but I didn't touch him, I just waited to see what he had to say.

"I know, he's a great kid and an even better sidekick. But he told his friend about Kid Danger, he broke the oath!" Ray's eyes stayed on my hands, which were wringing together in my lap. I processed what he said, knowing that now I had scolded him, I need to be more gentle. 

"Yeah, he screwed up, but it was just one kid, you could've handled the situation better." I leaned into his side and hugged his arm, knowing it would make him feel a little better. His left arm crossed his chest and came to rest on where my hands joined on his arm. I smiled from the contact, the tears on my face drying. My head slowly dropped so it was on his shoulder, and he then rested his on mine. 

"What's done is done." He muttered hoarsely. I sniffed, thinking I'd never be able to joke around or watch stupid cat videos with Henry. 

"I suppose." I didn't know what else to say, so we just sat there in silence for a few moments.

"Sorry I made you cry." He mumbled into my hair, and I felt my heart flutter.

"S'okay. I'm sorry for yelling." I murmured back, glad we wouldn't carry our problems through the day. He untangled his arm from mine and wrapped it around me in a side hug. As my arms went around his waist, he pressed a kiss to my hairline, so I buried my face into his shoulder, meaning he wouldn't see my blushing.

I inhaled the scent of his cologne and felt so relaxed, I just wanted the moment to last forever.

~Back at Henry's House~

Henry had never felt so depressed. From his place on the floor, he popped the cap on the large bottle of chocolate sauce and let it drizzle into his mouth.

"And Captain Man fired you?" Charlotte asked him, pacing up and down his room.

"Mm-hmm." The sad boy just mumbled as he let the sweet sauce trickle down his throat.

"But-- But it's not your fault I figured out you're Kid Danger." She said, feeling guilty.

"Doesn't matter. I broke my oath." Henry said dejectedly, not caring about anything or anyone.

"Well, you gotta fix this." Charlotte tried to perk him up, hating to see how sad Henry was.

"How?" He asked, not seeing any hope.

"I don't know! But you're not gonna find the answer at the bottom of a bottle of chocolate." She chided, confiscating the bottle and throwing it onto the bed. However, to her dismay, Henry pulled a spare from behind his back.

"I won't know if I don't look." He said, smearing chocolate around his face, as he poured more of the sauce into his mouth.

"Jasper was right." Words that rarely left Henry's mouth.

"About what?" Charlotte looked down at him.

"I was a lame Kid Danger. I couldn't even help Captain Man catch the stupid Phone Shark." He sniffed, still wallowing in self-pity.

"I feel awful." The girl said from her place on the ottoman at the foot of his bed.

"It's cool. Still got ma jazz." Henry grabbed the sunglasses next to him and put them on so Charlotte wouldn't see his teary eyes. He grabbed his remote for the hi-fi and turned it to a jazz station.

"I got my ticket for the long way round, two bottles of chocolate for the way." He started to sing with the music.

"And I can't believe I got fired today." He looked so depressed, his voice deepening at the end of the line.

"But I did and it's kind of all your fault." He was too upset to care about Charlotte's feelings, as she bowed her head.

~Later that night~

Sprawled out of the couch, Henry was just scrolling through his phone, listening to Piper and Jasper argue, when a call from Charlotte came through.

"Hey, Char, what's up?" He addressed her.

"Henry. Come to Swellview Park right now." Charlotte whispered down the line, as she crouched down behind a bush in the park.

"No. I'm not in the mood for trees." Henry whined at her.

"Did I ask you what you're in the mood for?" She hissed back with gritted teeth.

"No."

"Come to Swellview Park right now." She repeated, needing him to get there urgently.

~Swellview Park~ 

After dealing with Piper and Jasper, Henry made it to the park and he saw Charlotte crouched down behind a bench. She was spying on a wedding with a pair of binoculars.

"What's going on?" He asked her, only to be yanked down.

"Check out that guy standing by the groom." She said, giving Henry the binoculars. He peered through them and saw one of the groomsmen smiling with a set of sharp, metal teeth.

"The guy with the crazy teeth?" He asked Charlotte.

"Yeah, he's the Phone Shark." She revealed, shocking Henry.

"Whoa yeah, that does look like him." He commented as he squinted to get a better look at him.

"It is him. Now, do Captain Man a favour and go catch the Phone Shark... Kid Danger." Charlotte encouraged, knowing he was more than capable of taking the villain on. Thanking his lucky stars that he forgot to give it back, Henry pulled out his tube of special gum.

He popped a gumball and ran to a secluded corner where he could transform safely, much to Charlotte's amazement. 

"Whoa, how does that whole costume fit inside one little gumball? She asked, but that was a question Henry would have to ask (y/n) if he ever saw her again.

"Just--Just wait there, all right?" He said, sprinting around the other side of the wedding tent. He watched as the couple were taking the vows, before walking a few steps down the aisle and interrupting the ceremony.

"Hey, congratulations." Many shocked whispers and comments were heard around him, as no one expected the intrusion.

"Young man, this wedding isn't over." The officiator said to him, as the bride frowned. 

"I know, I just wanted to show that hairless guy my brand new phone... that's never been bitten." He said, whipping out the new PearPhone (y/n) had given him a couple of weeks earlier.

"Come on, yeah, you know you want to bite it." He taunted the Phone Shark, waving his device around to tempt him. He even sniffed it, which seemed to really entice the weird criminal.

"Gotta love that new phone smell!!" He teased, the villain chattering his teeth.

"Yeah, yeah, come on!" All Charlotte could do was watch.

"Give it to me!" The Phone Shark yelled as Henry threw it into the air.

"Catch it!" As the man looked up at the phone, Henry used the distraction to jump on his back, starting a brawl in the aisle.

"Give me the Phone!" He shouted again, as people cleared the area, realising who the evil man was. Henry was spinning around on his back, making him accidentally kick the bride in the face, sending her to the floor.

Falling to the floor with the Phone Shark, the guests tried to help him, which gave him a minute to get back on his feet. The criminal threw the guests off him, snarling and roaring at them all with his razor-sharp teeth.

"Hey! Hey! Come on! Come on, Phone Shark!" Henry showed him the phone again so he could get him away from the guests. The criminal was so desperate to sink his teeth into the phone, he charged at Henry, who at the last minute ducked out of harm's way. The man's momentum sent him hurtling into a table of gifts, rendering him unconscious and Henry victorious. The crowd applauded his brave actions and he smiled at Charlotte, who was clapping along. 

~The Man Cave~

"Kid Danger, how were you able to locate and finally apprehend the Phone Shark?" The onscreen reporter asked Henry. (y/n) and Ray were both so absorbed into what Henry was saying on the computer. 

"Well, I'd love to take all the credit, but it was really my boss, Captain Man, who made it all happen." He smiled, knowing the public would be praising Ray again.

"Interesting. Can you tell us more?" The woman asked.

"No." Henry answered curtly, not knowing what other details he could share. (y/n) paused the video there, knowing Ray had seen enough to be impressed with Henry. He was wearing his Captain Man suit, as Henry had brought Charlotte back with him, but he kept his focus on the teen.

"You gave me all the credit." Ray said, flabbergasted. 

"Well, everyone's been giving you a hard time about not catching the Phone Shark, I figured I'd help you out." He said solemnly to the man, which made (y/n) give him a warm smile.

"Told you he was a good kid." She bent down and whispered in Ray's ear and a smile grew on his face, both from her comment and how close her lips were to his ear.

"Uh, excuse me?" Charlotte called from her seat near the elevator. She hated to break up the sweet moment, but she was bored of waiting.

"I'm the one who found the Phone Shark." She bragged with a smirk.

"It's true she did." Henry told them both. Ray let out a long groan and threw his head back into (y/n)'s stomach.

"Ughhhhh, Charlotte, Charlotte, what are we going to do with you?" He said as he stood up and the three walked to the young girl.

"Uh, I think it's pretty obvious," Charlotte responded, standing up too. 

"What's that?" Ray didn't understand what she meant. 

"Give her a job here, you idiot." (y/n) said, smacking his arm from how dense he was sometimes. 

"We need another smart person around here. I can't do everything, I'm one, very tired girl." She continued, smiling at Charlotte.

"I'm (y/n), by the way, nice to meet you." She added in and leaned over to shake Charlotte's hand, which made Ray roll his eyes.

"Nice to meet you too. Are you his assistant?" She smiled and pointed at Captain Man.

"I prefer the term 'helper'. 'Assistant' makes him think I have to do everything for him." She joked and the two laughed, knowing that if Ray gave her a job, they'd become firm friends.

"Ok, no more laughing. First, I want to know how you found the Phone Shark." Ray said, still not fully trusting Charlotte. 

"Well, I figured no guy with normal teeth can bite through a phone, right?" She started off, and (y/n) tilted her head as she listened.

"'K." Ray said, feeling dumb since he hadn't been the one to work it out.

"So I started calling every dentist in Swellview until I found one who told me he had a patient who asked a whole mouthful of titanium teeth." She explained like it was obvious. 

"We should've called some dentists." Ray said to Henry, slapping his hands together. 

"Totally should've." Henry agreed, also feeling stupid.

"You guys had one year, she had one day." (y/n) whispered in their ears, smiling at how smart the teen girl was.

"Then I hacked into the dentist's computer files, got the guy's name and searched him online." Charlotte said sweetly and simply.

"OH, we should've gone online." Ray looked to Henry again.

"What is wrong with us?" Henry couldn't believe how blind they'd been. (y/n) rolled her eyes, these two were meant to be superheroes, but one girl managed to outsmart them.

"Oh, and his last update said, "Off to my brother's wedding in Swellview Park, hope they serve phones for dessert, LOL.'" She read out, confirming how intelligent she was. 

"And then she called me." Henry said to Ray.

"She's good." The superhero said to his best friend.

"Yeah, she is." She replied, looking back at him.

She could really help us out around here." Henry piped up looking at him hopefully and nudging his side.

"Us?" Ray took a moment to think about Henry's words and the events of earlier that day flooded back into his mind. (y/n) placed a hand on his arm to remind him that she was still next to him and she wasn't going to take his crap.

"Oh, right. You fired me." Henry's eyes dropped to the floor.

"Well, you broke the oath." Ray's voice was wobbly from emotion, so he turned his back on everyone.

"And he caught the Phone Shark." (y/n) wouldn't let him make the same mistake of letting Henry go again.

"Come on, you big doof. Hire him back." She smiled up at him, using her best grin to win him over. 

"Alright, you're re-hired." he said to Henry, not being able to say no to (y/n)'s face as it stared up at him. Henry jumped up and down in happiness and ran to give (y/n) a hug to say thanks for her help in persuading Ray. Letting her go, he then jumped into Ray's arms, glad to be his sidekick again and by his smile, Ray was happy too.

"Ahem, ahem, cough, cough, cough." Charlotte cleared her throat, reminding them that she was still there.

"Oh right, and what are you gonna do about Charlotte?" He asked the pair. Ray clutched his forehead and groaned, looking to (y/n) about the decision.

"She knows he's Kid Danger." The woman mentioned.

"She knows who I am, and she knows where the Man Cave is 'cause you brought her down here." Ray listed everything off looking at Henry.

"So, what does that mean?" She asked tentatively.

"That we either have to kill you, erase your brain or give you a job." (y/n) said, which Ray nodded along with.

"I vote job." Charlotte said, not liking the other options.

"We can really erase her brain?" Henry wondered, which caused his friend to whip around at him in offence. 

"All right, she can have a job here." Ray conceded. (y/n) went to put her arms around him, but he carried on speaking.

"IF! She can pass the pickle test." (y/n) stopped mid-movement and looked at Ray in confusion. Not even she knew what a pickle test was.

~

As per Ray's instructions, (y/n) had set up a table with a pickle hanging in a jar, which was now being tightly screwed shut by Bork, a giant man who worked for Ray.

"Thanks, Bork. Now, grunt and exit." Ray said, making the man retreat to one of the back rooms.

"Charlotte, you must now prove you're smart enough to work for Captain Man." Ray explained, which made (y/n) furrow her eyebrows. 'I never had to pass a stupid pickle test.' She thought.

"Uh, I found the Phone Shark." She pointed out, believing that was enough to prove her intelligence. 

"Well, anyone could do that." Ray retorted immaturely. 

"You couldn't." (y/n) smirked at him, sticking up for Charlotte. He didn't like it when she sassed back.

"Okay, let's not go there." Henry quickly interrupted their banter.

"Now... to prove your worthiness, you must get that pickle out of that jar that Bork just power-screwed shut." Charlotte inspected the jar, quickly formulating a method.

"How much time does she have?" Henry asked Ray, who took out his timer.

"Exactly five minut---" Ray was disrupted by the young girl smashing the jar against the table. Her ingenuity meant that the pickle was free.

"Here's your pickle." She said, which (y/n) accepted happily. She knew she'd figure it out, the test wasn't that hard.

"That was Bork's favourite jar." Ray said gravely, impressed that Charlotte had figured it out so quickly.

"Wait, wait, does that mean Charlotte's hired?" Henry asked (y/n), an enormous grin erupting on her face.

"Yeah, it does!" She exclaimed excitedly, as Henry lept over to Charlotte and gave her a celebratory high five.

"Wait, you wanna see something cool?" Henry said to Charlotte.

"Yeah!" They ran over to the tube area together.

"Hug me." Henry told her, which grossed her out a bit.

"Just trust me." He said, so she wrapped her arms around him. Henry slapped his belt buckle and the tube came down, shocking the girl.

"Up the tube!" They shot upwards, causing Charlotte to scream all the way to the top.

Meanwhile, Ray was still sat at the supercomputer. After watching the two kids leave the Man Cave, she went over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind.

"Thank you for that. You did a good thing." She murmured to him gently, leaning down to press a kiss to his cheek. Ray felt like his heart was going to explode, as she removed herself from him and walked up to the sprocket, going to her room.

He raised his gloved hand to his cheek, stroking where her lips had briefly been only seconds before. As he sat there in shock, he knew that if she asked him to, he'd do anything for her.

[himevampirechan]

Vanishipping Fanfic: Duat Chapter 1

Hi. It's wonderful to be able to take the time to post on Tmblr!

Life keeps moving forward and, honestly, it's been dragging me down like an old rag; because of that I've decided that, for the sake of my mood, I must force myself to fight my writer's block. I was happy to receive feedback on the ‘prologue’ of this fanfiction, although slow it is one of the stories I am most excited to continue writing and for that I thank you deeply.

Before continuing with the first chapter, I would like to point out that this story is set after the end of the series; it even takes place AFTER the events of the movie: ‘Yu-Gi-Oh: The Dark Side of Dimensions’.

Atem is NOT in the past, nor has Anzu travelled back in time; Atem is in what, for the Egyptians, exists at the end of life. I understand it can be a bit confusing but, as the story progresses, it gets better explained; don't forget to check the notes at the end of each chapter!

IMPORTANT: Tomorrow, I will upload the English version of this chapter; likewise, I plan to upload later this week chapter 3 of my other REVO fanfic: ‘Part Time Job.’

Enjoy!

(...)

Chapter 1

Dawn surprises Atem outside the room where the hekas and nuns are checkup to Anzu. Between giving instructions to the guards and being interrogated by isolated members of his council of priests, the young pharaoh has refused to leave.

Hours before and after discovering the identity of the young woman, the pharaoh left the temple struggling with hysteria. After summoning his horse with a whistle and covering the girl's nakedness with the riding sheet, he had hurried back to the palace for help.

`As soon as I entered the palace´ he thinks, watching from his position the movement of the servants going in and out of the room. `Siamun and Isis brought her into this room. ´

They had taken her from his arms, and the thought of getting away from her had hurt so much that Mana had to restrain him from slamming the door in anguish. Suddenly exhausted, Atem sits on the floor with his back against the wall, hiding his face behind clenched fists.

“I've been waiting all night and I don't know…” He whispers, staring at the door as if he can tell what's going on inside. “I don't know if she's all right.”

The sound of footsteps brings the young man out of his thoughts, standing up he watches several people leave the room, one after the other. In their arms they carry vases, bottles, linen bandages and sheets; his anxious heart leaps as he notices that a few are stained with something than looks like blood.

He takes two hurried steps towards the door as Isis and Siamun are in sight. Atem stands firm on his feet, staring at them with a thousand questions in his crimson eyes; the old man takes his forearms in a fatherly gesture.

“She is fine, my pharaoh,” he says, trying to calm the young man's anxiety, the old man's words lifting an invisible weight from his shoulders. “She doesn't seem seriously injured, she's been checked and is asleep.”

“Thank you," he whispers.

Siamun smiles at his gesture, affectionately stroking the boy's cheek with the palm of his hand. After a few seconds the pharaoh's eyes shine with determination, he straightens up and takes two steps into the room; no one notices the smile on Isis' face who, stepping sideways, steps between the door and the boy.

“You can't come in, Pharaoh,” says the brunette, her face serious, her gaze piercing him. Atem looks at her in surprise.

“Why?” asks the young man, his eyes darting from the priestess to Siamun in confusion. The old man slowly shakes his head in a resigned gesture, sensing a growing irritation in the ruler.

“The lady needs rest,” the priestess replies with a sympathetic smile on her face. Atem opens his mouth to complain, but the old man again taps his shoulder paternally.

“It has been a long and intense night for all of us, my pharaoh," he says once Atem looks at him. “It would be best for you and your friend to regain your strength. Besides, I think you need to go to the throne room and clarify the situation with the members of the royal council; especially if your plans involve the girl staying as a guest inside the palace.”

Atem frowns as he analyses the old man's words, after a few seconds he lowers his face in resignation, knowing that even his concern is overridden by his duty as the Pharaoh of Kemet.

`We still do not know what really happened in the temple of Osiris. And Anzu, who is the only one who possibly knows, needs to rest´ Atem reflects, knowing that he cannot afford to risk Anzu's recovery by showing the council a poor choice of priorities.

Isis and Siamun stare at him as he thinks, can't help but feel a pang of pride as they see him stand tall and strong like the ruler he is; Atem looks back at them, his scarlet eyes full of confidence.

“Siamun: Meet with Seto, see that the saru are complete in the throne room, including my father. I need his presence during the meeting.” The old man smiles and bows before leaving to carry out the order. “Isis,” continues the boy with a more serious expression. “Considering the nature of the situation, we must be discreet: I need you to wear the millennium necklace, because you and Mahado to double security inside and outside the palace until we can figure out what happened tonight. After that, sends someone for Mana: I need her to look after my guest for the duration of the meeting.”

They stare at each other for a few seconds, a slight smile creeps across the woman's face, Atem returns the gesture with confidence. With a nod, the priestess bows and walks down the hall.

“I'll see you in the throne room," Atem whispers, watching her walk away, unable to take in the woman's mischievous look and the sudden gleam of the millennium necklace.

A few seconds pass before Atem notices that he's alone in the place; he resolutely starts walking towards the throne room, but an anxious feeling fills his stomach. He looks over his shoulder at the entrance to the room where Anzu is.

`It's not an illusion´ he thinks firmly, trying to convince himself. “It's not a dream.”

The desire to see her becomes unbearable, closing his eyes he remembers the warmth of her skin, the feel of her silky hair, her smell. Anzu is in there, a few steps away, and for a few seconds, the young ruler considers the possibility of entering the room. The memory of Bakura's manic smile flashes through his mind.

"She is safe," he shakes his head, trusting the words of Siamun and Isis. Bakura is gone and the appearance of her friend from the future must have a logical explanation; it's something they need to find out, but to do so he must be able to keep the girl safe in the palace. Anzu needs to rest, regain strength and he must prepare to lead the meeting with the council.

Atem looks one last time at the door of the room over his shoulder, taking a deep breath he begins to walk down the hallway.

"Wait a little longer, Anzu," he thinks, clasping the chain hanging from the millennium puzzle around his neck in his right hand. “I'll keep you safe.

(...)

“...Witnesses mention that the light fell directly on the Temple of Osiris; however, we have found no damage to the building, and no injured people among the civilians. Neither Hem netcher, nor the Sem noticed anything strange before it happened and only understood than something was happening when they saw Pharaoh Atem arrive at the sanctuary.”

Glances and whispers are exchanged among the council members. Atem, seated on his throne, listens intently with a serious expression.

“This is strange” he thinks, watching the council members exchange questions and gestures. “Shada mentioned that the speakers were inside the temple, but I didn't see anyone on the premises.”

“Was there any damage, unrelated to the event in the city?” asked his father in an attempt to lessen the restlessness in the room. “Any sieges, injuries?”

“There were none, Your Majesty,” replies the man in charge of notifying the measures taken during the early hours of the morning. “Regardless of the confusion, we can be sure that the people of Kemet are safe.”

There are whispers again among the people present. Mahado glances slyly at Atem, who nods in return.

“You are discharged” the priest says with a wave of his hand; the military captain nods and, taking three steps back, heads for the exit.

"Despite its intensity, the glow was harmless.” Immersed in his thoughts, Atem ignores the gazes on him. What was its function? Where did it come from?

The doors close, snapping Atem out of his thoughts. The council watches him intently, and he can feel the tension in his father's body; he can be sure that most of the people in the throne room are as confused as he is.

“Priestess Isis,” Atem calls after a few seconds, startling those present. She takes a step forward, kneeling in front of the throne, "Did your millennium item alert you in advance to the situation we found ourselves in?”

“No, my pharaoh," the young woman replies, her eyes fixed on the ground. Surprised murmurs rise in the room.

“Priest Seto," he continues, watching his cousin mimic the brunette's position “Same question.”

“No, my pharaoh," the brown-haired man replies, taping the golden sceptre to his chest. This seems to surprise the members of the council even more. The question is also put to Karim and Siamun, the refusal is absolute; new whispers fill the room.

Atem stares at them in silence and exchanges a glance with his father, who nods his head in a gesture of confidence. The young ruler takes a breath before standing up to speak.

“It is obvious that we do not have all the information we need about what happened last tonight," he says confidently, the council members watching him carefully. “However, that the millennium items showed no alteration from what happened is a clear proof that the kingdom is not in danger. Still, we must continue to look for evidence, in case another unexpected event should occur.” His deep, rich voice echoes in the silence with authority. “Shada!”

“¿Yes, my pharaoh?” replies the priest, kneeling in front of him.

“Mobilise more soldiers to increase security inside the city; please be discreet, we don't want to create panic among the people.”

“Yes, my pharaoh," exclaims Shada before quickly leaving the room followed by the senior military leaders.

"That will keep the civilians safe, but it doesn't rule out some internal danger," Atem thinks sternly. Lifting his gaze, he meets the piercing scrutiny of the wielder of the millennium eye. “Ankhnadin!” Atem continues, confident that his uncle knows his concerns.

“¿Yes, my pharaoh?” The old man takes several steps forward without kneeling. The boy does not take his gesture into account, the betrayal by the older man is in the past.

“I need to you, Karim and Mahado to check the other temples near the area where the light fell. We must rule out any other occurrences during the night.”

Several voices whisper in the room, Atem can sense their hesitation with a decision that seems unnecessary. The three priests begin to stir as an idea occurs to the pharaoh.

“One more thing!” he exclaims, the priests pause to listen to the rest of the order. A dark, authoritative smile creeps across Atem's mouth, startling some of those present. “Questions the speakers of Osiris again.” A few surprised gasps are Heard “I leave it in your hands Ankhnadin.”

A terrifying tension fills the throne room, filling the council members with chills; Atem sees, out of the corner of his eye, his father's approving smile. The message has been sent and it is clear: Interrogate them, see into their minds and verify that they are not lying. If they lie, they must be punished.

“Yes, my pharaoh," replies the bearer of the golden eye with understanding and a satisfied smile. The three priests return and head for the exit.

Mahado watches the young pharaoh out of the corner of his eye as he walks away, Atem's cold expression turns to a pleading look; the wizard nods. So many years of friendship have given Mahado the tools to know his concerns perfectly.

He leaves knowing that his childhood friend and ruler will confidently wait for the priests to return with the answers they need.

As the door closes, not a single person dares to speak. Ignorant of the young pharaoh's doubts and worries, those present wonder whether the changes that night signal a shift in the balance of the Maat, and how the orders taken by the ruler might affect them.

“The rest of us..." Atem continues after a few seconds, "will wait.”

Expressions of surprise flood the room, Atem squares his shoulders and surveys those present in a gesture that leaves no room for doubt.

“I refuse to take action without some clue as to what is happening. I will not put my kingdom at risk until I see the entire game board!” There are whispers in the room. Mostly from the weaker parts of the council: nobles, scribes, priests and sons of military men who, even in the afterlife, do not cease to question his authority.

“Pharaoh," one dares to speak, Atem observes him, having a bad feeling about his conciliatory voice. “Maybe if we force her to speak, the woman from the temple...”

Atem interrupts him by standing up and slamming his fist hard against the throne, the metallic clang of his rings on impact forcing those present into silence. The nobleman cringes under the young ruler's furious gaze.

“KEMMET'S SAFETY IS OUR PRIORITY!” he exclaims in a voice so full of anger that its sound reverberates off the walls. “I will take no further action until the city and the people are safe. THAT IS MY ORDER!”

Feeling the oppressive tension in the room, Atem sits back down with both arms firmly at his sides and one leg crossed over the other; a distinctive gesture that makes him exude authority, elegance and confidence, yet his angry face makes several present feel the need to run away.

“Yes, Your Highness," the nobleman whispers, ducking his head. After a few seconds, Atem glances sideways at Siamun, nodding his head. The vizier nods slightly.

“all of you are discharged" the old man orders as usual. Silently the people begin to leave, some whispering among themselves and watching with interest the distant, shadowed gaze of the young ruler.

Soon the throne room is empty. Atem drops his head, wearily massaging the bridge of his nose.

“Well done, my son," Aknamkanon whispers, approaching the young ruler, Atem lifts his head back with his face unhinged in concern.

“Thank you father," he whispers with a frown. “But we haven´t another choice right now.”

Only the two rulers, the priest Siamun and Seto, remain in the room. Atem closes his eyes, dizzy, breathing irregularly.

“Pharaoh, are you all right?” asks Siamun in a low voice, looking at him with paternal concern.

“Hai, Daijoubu Oji chan," he whispers in a trembling voice without looking at the old man; realising his mistake, Atem feels his chest tighten with an emotion that makes him want to hide his face. “I'M FINE!” he corrects embarrassed. “Really, SIAMUN, there's nothing wrong.”

The old man looks at him with a confused look on his face at his strange words. Atem looks away from the others, biting his lip in a clear sign of stress; a voice in the back of his head reminds him that Anzu is a few rooms away and that he should go to her before the girl wakes up, alone and confused in that unknown place.

“Pharaoh Atem," a curt voice calls out to him. Atem comes out of his thoughts with a start, turns his face and looks at his cousin who glares at him with his cold blue irises.

“What's wrong, Seto?” he replies, watching the chestnut with a raised eyebrow, aware of the unspoken meaning of his penetrating gaze: Seto wants answers and immediately.

The priest hisses in annoyance with a tense jaw.

“ I think it's time you told us about your host and her relationship to what's happening" he exclaims coldly, taking two menacing steps towards the tricolour.

“SETO!” cries Siamun, scandalised by the priest's tactlessness towards his king; however, both young men ignore him and observe each other in a long and silent discussion.

It is no secret that the council finds interesting the mania of both boys to challenge each other in duels of will; always ready to push the other to the limits of his reasoning.

Being both young and talented they seem to positively strengthen each other using their born rivalry. However, there are rare occasions where there is real annoyance during these interactions and Seto's sudden aggressiveness seems to show that he does not completely agree with the decisions made by the young pharaoh.

“This is the second time I've seen that expression on his face," thinks Atem. “The first time was shortly before I sealed my soul inside the millennium puzzle."

Atem sighs, looking away resignedly and losing his battle with the brown man.

“You're right, Seto. I will tell you everything, however, there is one person I need to visit first” The young pharaoh looks up to meet the serious face of his father, who looks at him, aware that his son needs to speak to him alone.

“Siamun," says Aknamkanon, keeping his eyes on his son. “Inform us when the priests return from their missions, and we will meet you in the strategy room when that happens.”

“Yes, Your Majesty," the old man rasps, bowing and hurrying out of the room. He can't help but glance over his shoulder at the three men remaining in the room.

“Seto," Atem calls, rising from his throne. The chestnut, still wearing an annoyed expression, takes a step in his direction. “Send one of your servants for Mana and Mut-nisut Nubet, i need them to be present in the strategy room when everyone returns.”

After a few seconds of surprised silence, the chestnut nods at the young ruler's command; with a resigned smile, Atem places a hand on the chestnut's shoulder.

“I trust you will find someone to keep her safe, on her way to the strategy room," the pharaoh whispers, watching him with a deep, gentle expression. Without looking away, Seto deciphers some of the emotions his cousin is trying to hide: confusion, anguish and fear.

“Yes, my pharaoh," he replies, returning his gaze confidently, his gesture seeming to reassure the tricolour; after bowing, the chestnut-haired man makes his way out of the room.

The rulers, father and son, watch him leave without exchanging words. Once alone, Atem can feel his father's curious glance upon him; for a moment he feels again like a small child who has been caught playing where he shouldn't be.

The sun has risen across the sky on a bright morning, the light inside the room reflecting off the walls and dazzling the boy's sleepy eyes. A young adult who refuses to look at his father.

“Your mother is not part of the council, to let her be part of a meeting in the strategy room is against tradition. You know that, my son," Aknamkanon reproaches calmly, watching his son's serious face finally return his gaze; the crimson eyes, so much like his wife's, seem to stare into the void with deep concern.

“I know," the boy whispers, clenching the millennium puzzle around his neck in his fist, "but I think that perhaps she and Mana are an important part of what is happening. Just like us.”

Aknamkanon's chest sinks with pessimism. Ah! Then his son is indeed hiding things and seems to be suspicious about the arrival of the girl from the temple. What can be going on inside the young pharaoh's head to have such concern in his eyes?

Aknamkanon has never seen such desolation on his son's face. Since his arrival in the fields of Ialu, Atem had enjoyed a time of peace and contentment; as if, after millennia of darkness and loneliness, he was trying to make up for lost time in the land of his birth.

The reunion between him and his mother had been so emotional that most of the inhabitants of the palace had been unable to hide their tears. Atem's arrival had made a great impression on everyone; the serious but kindly man who had entered at the end of his maaty had filled those who waited patiently for him with pride and admiration.

After the reconciliations the young man's character had come to the surface, and as time passed it had become recurrent to find him in the garden, dozing peacefully under the shade of the papyri, safe and sound, as if nothing else mattered in the world.

He rarely spoke of his experience in the world of the living, but when he did he was so nostalgic that, by night, they had grown accustomed to seeing him sitting by the river, speaking softly to the stars; whispering things to them that only he could remember.

Feeling a hint of sadness, Aknamkanon takes the boy by the shoulders with both hands, bending down to look directly into his face.

“My son, what are you thinking?” asks the older pharaoh with genuine interest. Under the weight of his hands his son feels small, yet when Atem lifts his face he has the cold, determined look of a ruler who has fought in war most of his life.

“A part of me suspects that the millennium items are related to what happened tonight,” he replies, staring at him. Aknamkanon's sudden surprise at his words quickly changes to analysis of the situation.

“And your guest?” He asks again patiently “Is his arrival also related to the millennium items?”

“I don't know yet, but I'm afraid it's related to the final duel” adds Atem, nodding at the curiosity and understanding on his father's face. The man notices his son's body trembling unconsciously, and with deep surprise Aknamkanon watches as the young man, sinking into his thoughts, seems to become a dark version of himself.

“I will not allow Anzu to be harmed” Atem whispers, his jaw clenched, staring at a distant point in the room with deep, spiteful eyes. “I will destroy anyone who tries to harm her”

Overwhelmed by his dark essence, Aknamkanon releases the boy's shoulders, forcing him out of his thoughts with a blink; Atem watches him in confusion for a few seconds, a shiver running through the older man as he realises that his son was unaware of his words.

“Why would anyone want to hurt her?” he asks, trying to understand his son's emotions. The boy's breath hitches and he silently averts his eyes, trying to find the best words to explain the situation.

Aknamkanon looks at him tensely, while Atem meditates; after a few seconds the young pharaoh lifts his illuminated face with a tiny crooked smile.

“Because I'm in love with her.” he confesses quietly.

NOTES ON THE CHAPTER

Kemmet: Egyptian name for the Pharaonic Egyptians.

Heka: Sorcerers.

Sunu: Physicians.

Saru: Local council of nobles

Hem netcher: Prophets.

Sem: Priests who acted in the ceremonies of resurrection rites.

Maaty: Term for the justified in the judgement of the Maat at death.

Fields of Ialu: Egyptian paradise.

Mut-nisut: Mother of the king.

[felice-jaganshi]

His Pet

Alastor X OC

Chapter 9

They started to walk home, her hand in the crook of his arm, looking like a proper old timey couple. Zariah started zoning out again though, having too many thoughts running through her head from all the sights and sounds and everything that just happened. So many new story ideas! New dark romances she could write!

Alastor noticed her eyes glaze over and chuckled, “ah darling~ you're lucky I have a hold on you. Who knows where you'd wander without my arm to guide you home.”

They passed by the Vee's tower, and Vox rushed out, blocking their path. “Alastor! Out and about after such a humiliating defeat to Adam?! And with a little paid whore on your arm too?! Hah! I would have thought you were above something like that, but I guess not.” He was grinning like mad, excited to slander Alastor publicly at every turn.

Zariah spoke up for him next, “Hey, Alastor is a true gentleman and doesn't need to pay anyone to want to be around him!” She smirked, “Even you ran to come see him, didn't you?”  Vox cracked with electric fury, and Alastor patted her head,

Alastor laughed as well, however, “Ahahaha.. Voxy boy, you should know by now that I do not go out with just anyone. They must be quite special for me to show interest, and my dear pet here definitely fits the bill.” 

“Now dear, let me handle this. Box is just jealous that I'd rather spend time with you than him.”

Suddenly a blast of electricity shot towards Zariah's face, only to be blocked by Alastor's cane. “We'll see if you still want her on your arm after I rip her stupid tails off!” She squeaked and moved to stand behind Alastor, freeing his arm to do as he needed to fight vox.

(I can't actually write fight scenes to save my life~~ so we'll skip that~~)

Vox's screen was cracked and he took several steps back towards his tower. “Fortunately for you, I have an important meeting, so I'll have to kick your ass another day!” He turned into electricity and jumped into a security camera. Alastor chuckled softly and turned to Zariah, offering her his arm again. She gladly accepted, and though he didn't look injured at all, she used some subtle healing magic on him just in case. 

“It seems our little Voxie can only handle so much before he has to bow down and retreat. You did quite well today my dear. I'm proud of you.” 

She purred at his words, “really? I'm glad!” 

He smiled fondly at her, “Remember when I said I'd take our bond seriously? Well, I realize I haven't been keeping good on that promise lately. I've been questioning your intentions and brought shame upon myself. I am… not the best at trusting others. But I will make more of an effort with you. Because you've earned it.”

She blushed and looked at him, her heart fluttering and butterflies in her gut. This was the most romantic thing he'd ever said!

Alastor felt a little weird about the way she looked at him, but decided not to comment on it as they made their way back to the hotel. They entered and Angel Dust was immediately pulling her off of Alastor's arm.

“Z! Hey, you okay?!” He held her shoulders and looked her over. Charlie had told him about Alastor yelling at her when he got back from work.

“Yeah, I'm fine Dusty. Why wouldn't I be? Oh, did you hear about the Vox fight already?” She asked with a head tilt, that was fast if so…

“What? No, I heard about…” He looked over at Alastor, then threw an arm casually around her shoulders and acted casual, “Listen, tomorrow night I'm going out clubbing with some friends, I want ya to come with me okay? I just know you're gonna love it!” He was trying to play it cool. If her situation was like his and Valentino's… he wanted to help you, but knew he'd have to be careful about it or he might make it worse…

She smiled and hugged Angel, “Sure! I've never been to a club!” She turned to Alastor, “Al, I'm gonna go out with Dusty tomorrow, okay?” She wasn't asking permission, just stating a fact.

His eyes half closed, considering telling her no… then thought better of it, “hm, alright. But I'm sending Husker with you.” He then left them alone.

Angel's face lit up, and he called out to Husker, “alright! Yo Whiskers! You're getting tomorrow off!”

Zariah smiled, “oh, you had work today right? Want me to massage out any sore spots while ya bitch about it?” 

Angel sighed and leaned his weight into her, “yes, puh-lease! Your hands are magic! Literally!” He laughed at his own joke.

Lucifer watched them from a doorway, speaking to Charlie in the other room. “She seems alright… you said she sometimes goes hazy eyed and spaces out? That I think might just be trauma from getting kicked out of heaven… that kinda thing really messes you up. I would know.”

Charlie sighed, “she also locks herself in her room for hours on end some days and won't tell any of us what she's doing in there. I'm trying to respect her right to privacy and hoping she'll tell me when she's ready, but I'm still worried.”

He nodded, “hm, I think I can get in. If we can get her to open up to everyone, rather than shutting herself away, we'll be able to see easier if he does try anything with her.”

“You're right… but, maybe she'll unlock his softer side. If she can touch his heart, she may be the key to his redemption.”

“Heh, you're an even bigger dreamer than me. I don't know if I can be that optimistic.” 

Content warning: there be Valentino shenanigans from next chapter onwards. It will all be less than what's in episode 4. But, proceed with caution anyways if you are sensitive like me.

[almadesarrollo]

MLB SEASON 6 FELINETTE'S BIG TRACK IN JEREMY ZAG'S VIDEO (new Miraculous scenarios via Instagram) ANALYSIS AND FELINETTE CLUES FOR S6 PART 1 CUPID'S FOUNTAIN.

Very good, as promised, I am going to analyze the video that Jeremy Zag posted on his Instagram, if you are new here let me update you, a few months ago Jeremy Zag uploaded a video of the new scenarios of THE MIRACULOUS SERIES to his Instagram, the changes that there were going to be and the quality that it was going to have in season 6 and I comment on analyzing.

If you are a fan of El Felinette and a fan of Miraculous, stay, this is going to blow your mind hahaha.

And even if you don't believe it, the few things that Jeremy showed in this sequence give a lot to analyze and see, AND THE THING IS THAT WHEN THEY MAKE SUCH CAREFUL DESIGNS WITH CERTAIN ELEMENTS IT IS BECAUSE THEY TRY TO TELL US SOMETHING, BUT THE THING IS ALSO THESE ELEMENTS WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN THEM, SO WITH MORE REASON, IT GIVES US WHAT TO THINK.

In these shared scenarios, there are 3 specific places that we are going to analyze:

[1] Cupid's fountain: one of the most significant changes we have seen is that a new font design has been added, this is a fountain where we can see a cupid riding what appears to be a carp or koi fish and at Around a lot of frogs, there are 2 of these fountains, one is between the Cafeteria on the corner and the bakery itself, forming a roundabout on the road, this same fountain is also in the Place des Vosges, replacing the previous fountain design that it had before.

There is a lot to analyze here, LET'S GO BY PARTS:

The first thing to say is that of all the modifications that are being made that precisely choose a source near Marinette's area, it is already Felix's clue, and if you have been paying attention to my posts, you will know that there is a monument that also represents him, which coincidentally is a fountain (Plaza de la Concordia) and at the time we said that water is an element that presents him, since water represents emotions, so the fountain In itself, in that area it is already a clue THAT FELIX, BEING AS A FRIEND OR SOMETHING ELSE, IS GOING TO BE CLOSE TO MARINETTE, SO WE WILL HAVE FELNETTE WHATEVER (IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ROMANTIC) BUT WE ANALYZED THE SOURCE IN IF ONE ALREADY GOES CRAZY.

well let's now analyze the source in parts-------

HERE YOU HAVE A SCHEME

1 FROGS: we have frogs in both fountains, through which water comes out pointing to Cupid, the frog is an animal through which he does not speak about Argos and Felix and their emotions, since they move in an aquatic environment (the emotions) ... let's think: Where have we seen frogs or elements that look like frogs? in 2 very important chapters,

These chapters are connected to each other, because they premonize the event of S5 and S6, in Feast, we see a sentiser, created by fu and it has the shape of a frog, if one analyzes the sentiser itself, one can realize that they have several references to Félix from the fact that he is a very powerful sentiser, to the color, indigo blue,

The Feast chapter was a chapter that gave us a clue to the introduction of Félix as Argos in subsequent seasons (season 5) in fact, this sentiser wanted to eat the entire box, why? Because he created it with that misguided intention of creating that, and that was the same reason why he lost the miraculous, does that sound familiar to you? Of course it sounds familiar to you because in the final episode of season 4 the same thing happens to Marinette, and what makes her lose the box? Felix, a sentiser! Félix is ​​Argos, he is indigo blue, he lies to her,

so the frog is a symbol with which they tell us about Argos, but let's talk about the other chapter and its connection with Festin, Risk chapter 25 season 4, literally we have a boy with a frog aesthetic who is later akumatized, I want See who he looks like.

but the big thing about all this is that in this chapter, Félix is ​​the protagonist, and in practically the entire end of season 4, we can see them temporarily teaming up, (as if it were flarmidable) so this chapter not only gave us more clues about the previous if not that Argos officially, (in fact it is seen that in the exchange with Gabriel it is for that reason, so that he can have control of that miraculous).

Now, the clues lead us to this chapter because all of this would confirm information for season 5 from there to season 6 since all the seasons are connected ,that he would join the group of superheroes forever, as happens at the end of S5.

So what clues does this give about SEASON 6? Well, it will replace chatnoir and there will be argonette.

[in fact, the image above already gives us a clue as to how this will not please chatnoir, which will generate problems in the future for the team]

So, the frogs in the fountain are indicating this with more force, surely to compensate for everything that Felix screwed up with the box, he will redeem himself by fighting with Ladybug at the end against Lila in the final battle knowing that she will be monarch.

CONCLUSION---FROGS IN THE FOUNTAIN= ARGOS AND FELIX WITH LADYBUG TEAMING UP, HELPING HER, EITHER AS FRIENDS OR SOMETHING ELSE, SURELY THIS WAS AT THE END OF S6 fighting against lila, that's why she appears in these scenarios.

Now, we see that the frogs are pouring water on the figure above, which becomes Cupid over the fish. If the water represents emotions, this indicates that in some way the friendship of Argos or Felix with Marinette is going to be very beautiful. , but it will also "nurture Marinette" so to speak, that is, by helping her on an emotional level, it will give her a lot of peace, a lot of security, a lot of affection.

and this brings us to point 2.

2 KOI OR CARP FISH: we can see higher up in the fountain Cupid in what appears to be a fish, this type of fish, according to what I have researched, is called carp or koi fish, and here we go in parts.

To begin, we are going to talk about the koi fish themselves, these fish are of Chinese origin and represent prosperity, longevity and good luck in both friendship and love, but also, there is a legend about which says that it is the the only one capable of crossing the current and overcoming the obstacles of life, and thus he finally becomes a dragon fish.

Here we already have data that connects us to Ladybug, 1st the Chinese origin, 2nd the good luck like the Ladybugs themselves and finally that strength of never giving up, for me this is clear, it means that in the same way that Ladybug gives luck, Argos is going to be too, he is going to be a good luck charm for Marinette and this will happen when Marinette little by little becomes the best version of herself and loves herself,

(something that we are seeing non-stop in the series, and whether directly or indirectly like the reverse special)

Now where do we find koi fish? in the series, in 3 places.

And what do all these places have in common? that everyone connects with Félix and with the felinette ship itself.

} Master Fu's house: Fu represents Felix (look at my origin analysis) and the protection that he is going to have with her, that is, with Marinette since he has Wayzz and Wayzz represents this, so it confirms the presence of felix and felinette and his dedication to marinette.

} Marinette's house: this confirms the koi fish, and the fact that it also appears in the kitchen, the place where meals are made, says more about the connection between Marinette and Felix, (tea and cookies) but We will see that at the end of the post, so again felinette, they are made for each other.

} chrismaster chapter: fish not only appear in painting but also physically. which confirms the materialization of the felinette shipp, it will be something real, this would also indicate that from now on, there will not be so many clues in the series (types of Andre's ice cream, types of foods with certain colors, flowers and symbols, etc.) so abstract, if not more direct, we will see them physically coexisting, in the chapter these fish appear flying, who is the bird and is it connected to the sky? Argos, so this ship will also be with Argos, which would also confirm the ship Argonette or Argobug, good friends and battle companions.

Now, we see, as we have said above, that the frogs throw water at the figure above bone the cupid in the koi fish, simulating in some way that the water in which it swims is the lake, this would indicate to us that the echo of That Félix is ​​so emotional will be good fortune for Marinette, this will make the relationship easier since there will be empathy, (let's go with what we said above with the frogs).

CONCLUSION--- KOI FISH= FELIX AND ARGOS IS THE LUCKY CHARM FOR MARINETTE, A GREAT COMPANION AND FRIEND WHO UNDERSTANDS AND SUPPORTS HER.

3 CUPID ANGEL: we see the figure of Cupid with an arrow pointing to the sky riding the koi fish, let's talk about Cupid...

Cupid is considered the most important symbol or figure of Valentine's Day. It is represented by a boy who has wings and a bow with arrows, which he shoots at couples with the aim of making them fall deeply in love. There is an expression that is used that is "struck by Cupid" which means that when Cupid somehow hits you, love has arisen between 2 people instantly, which is connected as "love at first sight." .

Now knowing what we know, for me the fact that this figure is more than obvious, that it is not confirming that felinette is going to emerge in the romance field and that there is going to be a crush between the two, now, you will tell me , "but the series has not shown us this", well in fact yes, but they have done it through other characters,

There he is telling us about Adrien's infatuation with Marinette and Felix with Marinette, at first sight, so the series was giving us a clue about this, (that's why I always say, look closely at everything in the series. )

So for me it is more than clear, Cupid is going to "arrow Marinette and Felix" Felinette will become canon in the series, TO FINISH THIS, LOOK WHERE CUPID IS POINTING WITH HIS ARROW?

CONCLUSION ---CUPIDO=SHIPP FELINETTE, FELIX AND MARINETTE FALL IN LOVE AND BECOME A COUPLE.

SO TO CONCLUDE AND SUMMARY WHAT DOES CUPID'S SOURCE MEAN? IT TELLS US THAT FELIX AND MARINETTE ARE GOING TO FALL IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER, THIS WILL HAPPEN IN PART BECAUSE THROUGHOUT THE SERIES (s6) FELIX WILL BE THERE FOR HER, HE WILL LISTEN, CARE FOR AND PROTECT HER, THIS IT'S GOING TO BE BOTH IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP AS CIVILIANS AND BEING HEROES.

Now let's look at the location of the sources because that IS THE CLUE THAT CONFIRMS ALL THIS.

There are 2 as we see, the 2 point to Marinette's balcony, so clearly there we have the message from before, but the source that for me GIVES the final verdict is the one that is in the roundabout when the girl with the bike appears, now We saw at the beginning where it is located, the fountain is between the cafe on the corner and its bakery.

What are cafeterias for? to drink coffee and tea, right? Who is the one drinking tea? FELIX!! but more importantly, what is used to accompany tea or coffee?! buns, cookies and sweets in general. Who is the one who cooks all this? MARINETTE!!!, tea is the companion with sweets, Félix is ​​ideal for MARINETTE, so, we can say that in the same way that the bakery is representative of Marinette, the cafeteria is representative of Félix, and in the middle From these 2 establishments Cupid appears shooting Marinette, love at first sight will emerge between these 2 but not only that, all this is telling us that, unlike Adrien, THEY ARE SOUL TWINS, THEY ARE FOR EACH OTHER, THE PERFECT IDEAL PAIR, in the same way that sweets and cookies are ideal for tea/coffee and vice versa.

[do you remember in the part about the koi fish how we said that painting in the kitchen is connected with tea and pasta, that would confirm what I am going to say next]

In the same way that Marinette is a baker, Felix could be a waiter at that cafeteria and even both establishments collaborate, and in fact, both the PV and the movie show us Marinette drinking coffee so he is probably a waiter, serving coffee or tea and from time to time help in the bakery, which would make them even closer.

And I want you to see in the video when the scene shows that Marinette is doing it on the balcony, she is with a book. Who is the one reading? Felix.

the felinette will become canon, this is how it is planned and this is how it will be, it will be the most beautiful couple, and this seed will be sown in S6 so that at the end of this and moving towards S7 THIS FLOWERS (I don't think there will be romance in s6, it would be a lot of running)

Well, we are going to leave the analysis here, in the next part we will look at: MARINETTE'S BALCONY AND ITS AESTHETICS.

Thank you very much for reading, follow me so as not to lose details of the analysis, reblog and give it a like.

See you in the next part.

[karume-selfshipper]

Anyone ask for my scrabmled thoughts? No? Oh well here they are anyways.

All for BNHA OC called Inari Yagi all under the cut cause it gets long. Also only half of a convo with my friend.

Background/context/to be on the same page:

All Might is a single (half absentee) father to Inari. She has several complexes around Hero Work, All Might, and herself due to being exclusively called "All Might’s Daughter" since she was 4. Her quirk developed at 2 and caused All Might several panics about having accidentally passed OfA to her. Torino was against All Might keeping Inari, trying to get AM to do what Nana did. AM thinks Inari will be safer is he keeps her because he doesn't know what AfO would do to her. Nighteye only came into the picture when Inari was 4 and doesn't think he gets a say in this argument. Nighteye becomes honorary uncle. Torino is *technically* grandpa but he's a grumpy grandpa, so no wholesome moments. Inari has Main Character Syndrome with a twist! Meaning she gets to do most of the main plot stuff without kicking anyone else out. Inari has gone through nannies and given up on friends because everyone who got close to her only wanted to be close to AM. And everyone outside of AM's inner circle have been pressuring Inari to be the next AM since she was in school.

Also the fic is gonna be call Struggle in Shadow.

Chapter 1- The Father's Ghost

Basically setting up AM and Inari's relationship, Inari's mindset, main themes, central conflict, and some hints to what Inari really thinks about being a hero and what she can or can't do with her life.

So the scene where AM freaks out and has guilt eating him alive plus some of Inari by herself to begin fleshing her out.

Chapter 2- Boy Meets Her

Turns out Inari has been transferred to Deku and Bakugo's school for her last year in middle school and she half witnesses Bakugo throwing the notebook put the window. She picks it up before it can get damaged and tries to figure out who it belongs to just as Deku approaches. The two talk with Inari being notibly cold even as she tells Deku he could get a Hero adjectent job even if he can't be a Pro. AM meets Deku and saves both him and Bakugo from the sludge before deciding Deku is his successor.

Chapter 3- Fatality

AM calls Nighteye to tell him about his choice only to get yelled at. AM explains that he doesn't want to pressure Inari and that she hasn't shown any interest in Hero work so AM's decision is final. Cut to AM getting home, seeing a training schedule and learning that Inari *was* (somewhat) interested in being a Hero. Though he doesn't find out why.

That obvious huh? It's gonna be set up as Inari's (and Deku's) first real, healthy friendship due to circumstances.

But I plan on having the chapters flow from one perspecive to the next (depending on if a character change is even needed). So AM's part in chap 1 might be extended a little but Inari's part will be far more important.

Chap 2 is gonna go from Inari to Deku to AM basically following the scene just prior. So Deku is contemplating everything Inari said and contrasting it with everything else he's ever heard when he's attacked and AM is wondering if he were too harsh on Deku, going so far as to compare Deku to Inari before sharply deciding that isn't a fair comparison into the second sludge attack.

Chp 3 is shaping up to be strictly AM's pov unless I figure out something else to jam in there

Pretty much all of it. Recency bias already has the return of Nighteye/Eri plot half written as well as the very very end (war arc and time skip) but I'm gonna try to write it in order so I don't have so many plot threads dangling around

And of course I gotta write out the personal history and details so I can implement those as well. Things like AM and Nighteye at the hospital when AM got hole punched and other small background things that only pop up briefly

Only thing I have that does nothing for the plot is that Inari likes bell peppers and is the main thing she would bond with Bakugo over. They are the only ones in 1-A that do. Everyone else silently judges them

She "got away with it" before the dorms because its chopped in other things. But then in the dorms she gets "caught", offers the person some bell peppers, and gets lightly smacked with reality that she is in fact weird for liking them. Todoroki leads the class to a theory mood board to thinking its because AM's health. Someone overhears Aizawa talking to AM who straight up outs Inari as just always liking peppers. The class goes half crazy and only gently teases her about it

Then Tsu catches Bakugo eating a bell pepper like an apple. He goes to Inari over it because of top 5 bias and she points out that the way he was eating it was weird. But they are being given all the space because they are monching bell peppers while they discuss

No but Mina is a persistent bitch so she, Tsu, and Ururaka form her girl squad. While Deku, Iida, Shoji, Todoroki, Shinshou, Kirishima, and Sero form her male friend squad.

Or well at least not yet besides thematic parallels with Deku, Todoroki, and Shinshou

Deku is her first real friend. So Iida, Ururaka, and Tsu all fall in easily as people who respect each other and trust each other on the battlefield. Mina is just overly friendly and great at getting Inari to open up about things she likes. Kirishima and Sero follow that vein. Shinshou is the first person she makes a snarky remark to about judging someone before knowing them and ropes into playing a prank on Karminari and Mineta at the Sports Festival. Todoroki starts as a rival, then a good friend with a brief period of dating in the blandest sense, they split on amicable terms while remaining friends. Shoji is just someone she has a little too much in common with so whenerver they are paired up for training it looks like they share a brain.

Aizawa starts off having beef with Inari because she "um actually"'s him when he tells Ururaka that she isn't here to make friends. For this, he is very tough on her and lowkey deeply upset every time she exceeds even his lofty expectations. Then during Study Hall he sees Inari 20 pages deep in an essay because she's going into detail over every tiny nuance of the situation. He starts trying to push her into taking easy, even getting onto AM for it. To which AM defends himself saying he doesn't pressure Inari. This is an argument that goes nowhere no matter who starts it... until after the Eri plot.

Her hobbies are writing, doll customization, and collecting posable action figures and miniatures. She has custom dolls for her OCs of her favorite shows (so she's a nerd in the same vein as me). And she writes various stories about them, as well as posing her dolls for pictures to pair with the stories.

AM got her so many Barbie dolls when she was 4-6 before he realized she likes the posable action figures more. Only learning about that when he was splurging/rewarding her for good grades. Then he turned and started getting her every Pro Hero he could. He has trouble threading the line of spoiling her and being a good father, especially when he starts giving her an allowance.

And co templating how chap 4 & 5 are gonna go. Think to have Inari catch AM training Deku while she's enjoying a Saturday off and burying her feelings as deep in denial as she can as the stinger of chap 4 and spend chap 5 with AM & Deku apologizing and offering for her to train with them (separately) and she only responds to Deku because she sees that he is genuinely trying to be HER friend and not just get close to AM.

[yumedoca]

"Manga Kosuke" shows up in the anime more than once, including several episodes and at least one of the ovas, I think once he even got dialogue albeit in a crowd and not important dialogue.

Similarly curly haired stormtrooper shows up several times too, like once the Stormtroopers are throwing a party for Lum and he's just there with them and Ataru. Maybe it was the storyline where Lum left the earth and gave Ataru a doll of herself.

I also believe one Urusei Yatsura video game for the original Gameboy featured Perm and Kosuke; humorously they were an edit of the same base sprite!

Hai again, hope you're doing great!!

Since these were all sent by the same anon, I figured it was best to answer them all together..

Firstly, relating to the first two asks, I'm aware of Kosuke's cameos in the anime, the wiki has stated which all episodes it is and I very much know the most obvious cameo he made which would be in the 'Goat and Cheese' OVA, aka my favourite of the OVAs after 'Inaba the Dream maker'. I also do think I've seen Megane pop up sometimes in the manga, albeit it's very rarely and it's really hard to miss, but I do remember spotting him for at least one or two cameos (didn't know about Chibi though, I'll keep an eye out next time). The video game fact is really cool though!! Onto the next few asks...

Actually, I'm pretty sure that Megane was actually the one who got most of Kosuke's roles, funnily enough, in the last Kosuke ask I answered, @superamatista said this as well..

..one example being in electric jungle, the one who joined AtaMenShino in saving Lum was Kosuke in the manga but in the anime it was Megane. The main and obvious reason for this is because in the manga, Kosuke is Ataru's closest friend, but in the anime, Megane is given that role instead (while still having the antagonistic side to him), so naturally a lot of his dialogue is given to Megane instead. It's been a while since I've binged the original anime all together, but I've watched a bunch of UY episodes from the original series a while back after reading the manga chapters for them since I was curious how the anime would've adapted those chapters and literally most (like around 80-90%) of the lines and role belonged to Megane, even if he has added original bits. Now that I think about it properly, I think the other three stormtroopers mostly get their lines from Hokuto and the other nameless boys in the class, mainly Chibi and Kakugari (but there might be a rare chance where they do get Kosuke's lines I don't really remember though). Perm's lines are a combo of the nameless boys and a little bit of Kosuke, while Megane's is mostly Kosuke. Of course, they have added original lines which would suit their character added to the dialogues as well. I feel like the cases where they don't give Megane Kosuke's role and give it to Perm instead, is either when Megane already had a large original role or when the role doesn't fit Megane's character. The best example of the latter is the double date AtaLum went with Kosuke and his girlfriend, while in the anime it was Perm and his (not really) girlfriend because Megane WOULD NOT ever go a date with another girl, he's too dedicated to Lum and I think they even lampshade this.

And yes, I am aware Kosuke (and Hokuto) were in the first chapter, and then they disappeared for a while and reappeared permanently in chapter 26 I think. As to why I think Perm and Kosuke are different (and why I like Kosuke more) is mostly based on opinion really. And I'll be honest now, I've never really cared much about the stormtroopers (so sorry anon but it's true), I don't hate them but I don't really love them all that much either, Megane is the only one I like and it's mostly because of Shigeru Chiba's performance (great guy). The stormtroopers to me is just 'Megane and the others' because it's literally mostly Megane and to me at least, the others are just the one dimensional members of his gang. Since they show them off as 'mostly Megane' because favouritism, it's only natural that I don't pay much attention to the others. The only thing I remember Perm doing is going on the double date and that's it. But it isn't like that for Kosuke! To me, Kosuke has a sort of charisma that all of Rumiko's characters have, even the nameless students of class 2-4. I feel like the stormtroopers don't have this specific charisma since they are mainly Oshii's characters, not Rumiko's. I get Kosuke may not be the most noticeable character, but once you start paying attention to him, you'll get to see what a great guy he is. He's silly and a goofball and a very friendly guy, a good friend to Ataru and even though he does simp over Lum a bit, he isn't stormtrooper level obsessed, he only really is against Ataru when he does or thinks he'll do something wrong (unless he's a part of his scheme lol). He's decently popular with girls, he has a girlfriend (which even Mendo and somewhat Ataru don't have) and has got chocolate from a junior on Valentine's Day and he seemed to be getting along well with the girls at Asuka's school as well. His horny level is on average since he has been shown to read porn mags and such but he doesn't disrespect or grope women in real like like Ataru does. On his date with his girlfriend, they wore matching clothing and he seems forgiving of the fact that she's a huge eater and that she's a burden on his wallet, showing he does really love her (I distinctly remember Perm in the anime version stating he'll throw his girl off a cliff or something for Lum but I'm not sure if it's a real scene or not, I can't remember). Kosuke is one of the biggest menaces in the class with Ataru and Mendo, and teams up with Ataru and on rarer cases Mendo too to take Onsen down. And Kosuke just have a lot of moments I remember, the time where he was indirectly the cause for AtaLum to fall for the other (Megane did this in the anime), the time when he and Ataru and Mendo got drunk at school late at night, the time he got kidnapped by Mendo's giant octopus, all the times Kosuke and Ataru whack the shit out of Onsen and his little comedic remarks which feel much funnier in the manga than when said in the anime cuz the anime exaggerates the bigger jokes causing the smaller ones to fall flat (the jokes in the manga remain in a good balance and most of the jokes are around the same level of funny) Kosuke just has a lot to him which Perm doesn't have because only some of these things were either mostly reserved for Megane or split among the other stormtroopers or if you are talking about friendship, the stormtroopers together are much worse friends to Ataru than Kosuke. And like that, I disagree with the Perm is much more complex than Kosuke bit too. The manga omakes literally have an entire huge analysis on Kosuke (which makes me love him even more) and that's says a lot.

I think if I had paid more attention to Perm and the other two, maybe I can get more things to be interested about? But I feel like the average viewer would pay the most attention to Megane and just regard the others as extras. And I'm so sorry if any part made it sound as if I was insulting them cuz I didn't mean to and was only stating how they seemed to me personally. And it's cool if anon or anyone really, loves the stormtroopers or Perm over Kosuke, whatever it is, I know how it is to love small underrated characters and we're all different and have our own perspectives and that's what makes us unique, and in the end, we are fans of the same series.

Considering I've answered five asks at once, I am going to declare that this topic is closed (I'm sorry, I have other stuff to do). Microsoft Word says that this entire post is over a page long so do me a favor and reblog this if you love Kosuke :)

[dropitlikeapeong]

Waiting for You: Chapter 3- It's okay... I'm okay

Genre: more angst (i apologize in advance)

CW: use of they/them pronouns for Y/n cause I got confused but yall can replace those if necessary, Y/n's slow asf at one point and having a lot of self-blaming thoughts at another, crying(a little), arguing(a little), Swearing? mentions of death(no one dies), Manager Park is dramatic as hell, so is the CEO, allergic reaction, Seeun's still a jerk (I'm sorry), Minjae's a saint. Idk how to write statements/announcements

A/n: This probably would've been up last week already if not for that bitch procastination.

JUST TO BE CLEAR: I do not know the severity of the mentioned human's allergies, so the reaction might be slightly exaggerated, its all fictional at the end of the day.

As always, likes, reblogs and comments are very much appreciated. Hope ya'll enjoy.

You get to the practice room where Manager Park and the rest of the Xikers members were waiting for you, looking quite unhappy. Did something happen?

"You wanted to see me sir?" you asked trying to ignore the uncomfortable stares you were receiving from the eight boys.

...Eight? Why are they eight? One is obviously still on hiatus, so who is missing?

Your thoughts are interrupted by Manager Park shoving a paper into your hand. The list for the boys' food. Did they need you to get more?

"You're the one who was responsible for fetching their meals, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"And you ordered everything on this list correctly, right?"

You read through the list once more. Everything's there, you even wrote down the brownies you had promised them as a bonus treat. Yeah you didn't make them yourself like you promised you would but it's the thought that counts right? You can always make them next time, today just happened to be a bad morning.

"Yes sir, I checked the all take-out bags three times before leaving-"

"-the sandwiches aren't the problem, Y/n" Minjae speaks up next to you holding the box of brownies.

"You said you'd make these yourself and you bought them."

"I know, I am really sorry. I..." you sighed trying to figure out how you'd explain yourself without giving out too much info.

"I had a terrible night yesterday and I missed my alarm this morning, I just didn't have the time, but still I didn't wanna disappoint you guys. So I figured I'd buy them this time, then make them myself on a different day."

Minjae nodded at your words and looked to Manager Park, who was staring at you with a bored expression.

"Lovely excuse. Tell me Y/n, what's one of the main ingredients in a brownie?" he asked, you stared at him in confusion. Why is this important?

He sighed shaking his head.

"Flour, Y/n. Brownies have flour in them."

You nodded slowly, still confused, Minjae huffed in irritation.

"Did you forget? That you promised Hunter flourless brownies?"

Your eyes widen as realization sets in. Hunter has a flour allergy.

"Oh my god... Oh my god- Is he okay?"

"Look at you acting like you care." Seeun muttered, rolling his eyes.

You glanced at him and turned your attention back to Minjae and Manager Park. You had no idea what his issue is, but you tried not to give him a reaction. You had more important things to worry about right now.

"He had already eaten about three or four of them. A few minutes later he started coughing, and complaining about how he can't breathe." Yujun explained.

"He's on his way to the hospital as we speak."

You rubbed your temples in frustration. How could you forget?

"Oh my god, I am so sorry! It slipped my mind completely-"

"-Slipped your mind? Are you crazy?" Manager Park cut you off, glaring at you.

"Do you have any idea what could've happened if Yujun didn't warn everyone in time?! If the ambulance didn't arrive as soon as it did?! And all you can say is it slipped your mind?!"

You lowered your head in shame.

"I really am sorry." you uttered. Manager Park scoffed in disbelief.

"He could have died. And all you can say is you're sorry?"

Hana came and stood next to you, rubbing your back in an attempt to comfort you.

"Mr Park, I think that's enough now-"

"-You understand we can fire you for this right?"

You froze up at those words.

"You do understand that we can ensure no company in this country ever picks up your resume?"

Your lashings from Manager Park are interrupted by a loud ring in the practice room. His phone.

"You'd better pray that's the hospital staff giving us good news." He says, leaving to go answer the call. Once the door slams close you let out a shaky exhale. Hana pulls you in for a hug but you gently push her away.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay."

"No it's not Hana, we both know it's not."

This could cost you your job, and all future jobs you might want. How could you mess up this badly?

Losing Seeun was pain that you'd never imagined you'd experience, especially since he not only refusing to explain why, but is also acting like a dick for no reason. But to lose your internship? After being rejected by several other companies? After waiting for so long to receive a call-back? After nearly giving up and just going back to your home country? You couldn't afford to lose this job, but what could you even say?

You could've simply told the boys they'd have to wait a bit longer for the brownies, or you could've toughened up, wiped your tears and just made them last night as promised, you could've told Seeun it'd have to wait when he told you 'We need to talk'. You could've just not offered them anything to begin with!

This was all your fault.

You drew in a steadying breath to try and calm yourself down. Hana approached you again to hold your hand.

", it's gonna be fine-"

"There you go again with the theatrics." Seeun scoffed. You had forgotten the rest of the boys were still in the room with you. Hana narrowed her eyes at him.

"Can you stop now? Seriously, you've been on their ass since this morning and they weren't even here."

You didn't hear that part from Jiwoo. She just said he was mad, but didn't say it was because of you.

Minjae comes up to you and pats your shoulder in comfort.

"It was a simple mistake Y/n, if it makes you feel better we forget he has allergies too sometimes."

"It doesn't change the fact that I screwed up."

"Yeah, you really did."

"Seeun, stop it. Also to be fair, we all saw that these were store-bought brownies-"

"-You cannot be serious!" Seeun cuts him off. "Are you trying to say this is all Hunter's fault?"

"Of course not! But I'm just saying he could've used a little of his common sense. All brownies have flour in them, Y/n just happens to know a recipe that doesn't need flour, and said they'd make them, but they couldn't because..." he stops himself, and glances between you and Seeun.

'Does he know?''

"Because of... personal reasons. She could've told you guys there are no brownies, but she chose not to disappoint anyone-"

"-That's enough Minjae. You don't need to defend their stupidity." Manager Park shuts down the arguments quickly.

"Fortunately he's okay. But they recommended that he stay there for a few days, just to be sure."

"A few days? We have a show in Japan this weekend!" Hyunwoo complained.

"Unfortunately he will not be joining you." He looked at you and Hana.

"Hana after your lunch break get the van ready, you're driving them to their offline fan-meeting, As for you," he looks you up and down.

"You will be going to the CEO's office before the day ends, to explain why Hunter won't be in Japan with the rest of the group. Is that clear?"

You gaped at his demand, and he gave you a stern look.

He definitely wanted you out of here. But unless you want to get into even more trouble, you have no choice.

"...Yes sir."

●・○・●・○・●・●・○・●・○・●・●・○・●・○・

"Manager Park can be a real asshole sometimes honestly" Jiwoo mutters after Hana had finished relaying the events from 20 minutes ago back to her, while you quietly ate your lunch, trying to prepare yourself to speak to the CEO.

"Also what the fuck is he even talking about, they can't block you from future jobs." She looked at Hana "They can't, right?"

She shrugged and Jiwoo carried on ranting angrily while you both ignored her.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. Just explain to him that it was accident and that you meant no harm, okay?" She said patting your back.

"...What was Seeun saying about me this morning?" she blinked at you

"What?"

"Earlier, you said He'd been on my ass even while I wasn't there. What did he say?"

"Well... He said-"

"-You're fucking kidding me." You both looked at Jiwoo who was staring at her phone screen in shock.

"Is everything okay?" Hana asks her, she looks at you worriedly then shoves her phone into her bag.

"Yea, yea Its-I'm-I'm fine. Its fine. Lets just eat our food." She says but only stares at her half-eaten sandwich.

"Jiwoo what's going on?"

"It's nothing Y/n, just eat your food."

"Jiwoo why are you acting weird-" Hana's sentence is cut off but the loud announcement on cafe's TV;

Meanwhile for news of the entertainment industry, YG Entertainment has released a statement confirming that 19-year-old model, Shin Areum is in a relationship with Seeun of the boy group Xikers, under KQ Entertainment. The statement had recently been published after photos of the two being spotted together were released last night. YGE's statement confirms that they have been dating for a year now since March 22nd of last year. KQ Entertainment also released a statement, to confirm the news and ask fans to respect their artist as well as his partner's privacy. Congratulations to the young couple.

While the cafe is filled with murmurs of excitement or disappointment, your table is dead silent.

"Was that what you saw on your phone?" Hana hissed. Jiwoo looks at you guiltily.

"I'm sorry, Y/n... You've already been having a bad day, i didn't wanna make it worse-"

"...It's fine." You responded quietly. Her and Hana look at each other awkwardly before glancing back at you.

"...We have to go back to work soon, will you be okay?"

"Yeah like I can ask someone to cover for me-"

"-No, you should go. I'll be fine." you give them a weak smile.

They give each other a worried glance and then look back at you.

"I'll be okay, I promise." Hana sighs, but picks up her bag to leave.

"We'll see you later okay?" Hana says making her way to the door.

Jiwoo gives your shoulder a comforting squeeze and follows Hana out.

'They have been dating for a year now since March 22nd of last year.'

March 22nd. The day Seeun asked you to be his girlfriend.

●・○・●・○・●・●・○・●・○・●・●・○・●・○・

"So Hunter won't be going Japan this weekend because, you poisoned him?"

You frowned at that. Poisoned is such a strong word. Your boss hadn't even looked up at you as he spoke. he simply carried on with his paperwork.

"I didn't poison him."

Yea you were definitely in the wrong but to say you poisoned him? That makes it sound like you did it on purpose! which isn't the case here.

"You bought him food that contains something he's allergic to, yes?"

"Yes but-"

"You had forgotten about those allergies when you bought this food right?"

"Yes sir-"

"You didn't warn him that this food might not be safe for him to eat?"

"No sir, I was-"

"You forgot he had allergies and didn't warn him about the brownies. Then he ate them and now he's in the hospital due to your negligence. So, you poisoned him." he said with a small smile.

You sighed at his explanation, but didn't argue futher.

"Yes sir."

He put his paperwork aside and finally looked at you, giving you a kind smile.

"You were also late this morning too and yesterday you had left with the office key so there was no way for your colleagues to enter. The lock had to broken because there's no spare key."

"I'm sorry sir."

"I know you are. You're usually on your A-game, you seem to be a little off today. Is something wrong?"

Although this doesn't really clarify whether you still have your job or not, you can't help the slight feeling of relief that washes over you. While your lovely manager, assumes you're just makng excuses, at least your CEO is willing to hear you out.

"I'm just, kind of going through something right now."

He nods, clasping his hands in front of him.

"I take it you have seen the statement already."

Oh.

Just when you thought you had forgotten the news of Seeun and Areum.

"...Yes, I have."

"I am very sorry Y/n. I know this arrangement must be very uncomfortable but for now, it's our best option."

Your brows furrowed in confusion. What arrangement?

"On the plus side, it is only temporary. At least until-"

"I'm sorry sir but, can I ask what arrangement you're talking about?" you interrupted. He went silent for a moment.

"...Seeun didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

It was now his turn to look confused.

"Seeun said he would speak to you yesterday evening. what exactly did he say?"

"He broke up with me last night."

His mouth formed an 'O' as if he had just realized something.

"So that is how chose to handle this."

Does he know something about you and Seeun breaking up?

"Sir, what's going on?"

He straightened himself in his seat with a neutral look on his face.

"Y/n, I hope you are aware that the counselling facilities we have here are for all of our staff, not just the idols."

"Wait but what's going on with-"

"Y/n. If Seeun feels it's best you don't know, then i will respect his wishes. Please, never ask about this again."

He cleared his throat and handed you a card.

Kim Minji Counselling & Therapy Seoul St. Mary's Hospital +82 46 5675 1877

"You will need to see Miss Kim for the rest of the month."

Is he serious?

"Sir with all due respect, I don't need a therapist for a breakup-"

"If it's affecting you to the point where you nearly poison one of our idols, I think you do." He cut you off picking up his pen to start on his work again.

"I've asked Manager Park to set up an appointment for you. You will see her every Wednesday at 10am, and your progress will be reported back to your supervisors."

"Wednesdays at 10am? When will do my work?"

He looked at you at you smiling.

"You won't. You'll have all the time in the world, because you're suspended."

You felt your heart sink.

"...What?"

"Until Dr Kim confirms it's okay for you to come back. You will still be paid don't worry, I can't stop you from getting your groceries for the month. Think of it as a little vacation. To help you relax your mind a bit."

As much he was trying to make you feel better about this, you still felt tears well up in your eyes, with an uncomfortable heavy feeling in your chest. He sighed, looking at you with remorse.

"It's either this, or we fire you and press charges. I know it was an accident, but it is an accident that could've been prevented if you were more careful."

You quickly wiped at the tear that ran down your cheek. 'Don't cry.' you thought to yourself 'You're not a victim here. This is your fault.'

"You're done for the day. Go home and get as much rest as you can, okay?"

"Yes sir."

At least you still have your job right?

<previous chapter :: next chapter>

[actual-lea]

WHO COULD FORGET DEAR RAT BOY

AO3 | First chapter | Previous chapter

“There's a bag of potato chips in the backseat if you're hungry, Daniel.”

He looks up from rubbing at the deep indentations the handcuffs left behind on his wrists to stare at Ben, who glances over at him and then shrugs.

“Or not.” He readjusts his grip on the steering wheel and accelerates to blow through a yellow light.

Daniel exhales and drags a hand across his face. Of all the places he thought he might end up tonight, the passenger seat of a carpet van driven by Ben Linus was certainly not one of them. “Why did you bring me here?”

“You’re part of a deal that I made.” Ben doesn’t look away from the street ahead. “And in the meantime, I could really use your help.”

“A deal with who?” he asks, and then, when it's obvious that he's not getting an answer to that, “My help with what?”

“I’ll tell you everything when we get there.”

He lets out a heavy sigh. He can feel the bruise forming on his jaw, and his shoulders ache from being trapped in one position for hours. His lips taste like rubber, and his shirt is still damp with sweat. He wants a goddamn shower. “So, I guess you’re the one that’s been sending people after me?” It’s a theory he developed during the flight – among several, since there wasn’t much else to do, but it’s certainly the most important one. Ben nods, and Dan continues, hesitantly, “Can I ask…why? Why do you want me dead?”

“I don’t.” Ben casts a quick glance in his direction. “I’m sorry, if that’s the impression you’ve been given from all this, but none of those people ever had any intention of killing you.”

Daniel almost wants to laugh. Almost. “Right, of course not,” he says quietly. “So, the guy at UMich who poured gasoline on me and tried to light me on fire…”

Ben makes a face. “What happened in Ann Arbor was…unfortunate. He didn’t realize who he was dealing with.” He looks over at Dan again. “Would it make you feel any better if I told you how relieved I am that you survived?”

“Who he was dealing with?” he repeats. “What does that mean?”

“Like I said, I’ll explain everything. You’ll just have to be patient.”

Dan sighs again. He’s never going to get any answers, and he’s sick of trying. “Do I at least get my stuff back?” he asks after a moment, gesturing toward the back of the van where Ben stowed away his pack before letting him out of the handcuffs.

Ben shoots him an odd look, but nods.

The rest of the drive passes in uncomfortable silence, until the van finally comes to a stop in the back alley of a residential neighborhood, a short distance from the largest house Dan has ever seen. “This is it,” Ben states as he shifts into park.

“This is…” Daniel glances back and forth between him and the house. “…What, exactly?”

“This is Hugo's house.”

He blinks and looks up at it again, a bit awestruck; he knew Hurley had money, but never realized he had that kind of money.

In his peripheral vision, Ben watches him closely. “I thought he was your friend?”

“He was. He is. I've...never been to his house before.” Daniel turns back to him and asks, again, “Why are we here? Last time I checked, Hurley was still in–” He cuts himself off when he remembers who he's talking to.

“In the mental institution?” Ben finishes anyway, and Dan sighs and nods. “You're right. He was, until last night.”

He waits for elaboration. “And...what happened last night?”

Ben picks up a folder from the dashboard and flips through it as he speaks. “It seems there are some people after him.” He pulls out a photo and hands it to Dan. “This man was parked outside of Santa Rosa for nearly a month straight, watching Hugo.” He pauses, then adds, “Since right around the last time you visited him, actually,” and Dan feels sick to his stomach.

“Who is he?”

“Doesn't matter now,” Ben says dismissively. “He's dead. Along with two other people, and the police think Hugo was the one that killed them.”

He almost laughs. “They think he killed someone?”

“They do.” Ben nods to the house. “That's why we're here. Because now he's in hiding, and we need to get him to somewhere safe, with someone he can trust.”

“And... What makes you think he's gonna trust you?”

“He won't. That's why I need you to talk to him,” Ben says.

Daniel sighs. “Of course it is.”

“I'm not asking for much. All you have to do is convince him to come with you, and then you can have your things and be on your way.”

He eyes Ben suspiciously. “You’re not gonna hurt him?”

Ben chuckles at that. “What kind of a person do you think I am?” When Dan’s expression doesn’t change, he adds, “Believe me, the last thing I want is for anything unfortunate to befall Hugo. Or you, or any of your friends.”

Daniel isn’t convinced, but he doesn’t see another choice; with one more heavy sigh, he gets out of the van and approaches the house.

Slipping through the back door is simple enough – it isn’t even locked, and he cringes at that, at how easy it would be for Ben himself to waltz right in – and he closes it quietly behind him. Immediately, a shrill beep reaches his ears, and for a split-second he’s sure that he’s set off some security alarm and ruined everything; but no, the sound is distant and short-lived, and he cautiously moves forward, searching for its source.

He rounds a corner into a spacious kitchen to see Hurley retrieving a Hot Pocket from the microwave. He turns around and nearly drops the entire plate when he sees Daniel. “Aah!”

“Hi.” Dan waves awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Uh…” Hurley gawks at him like he’s seeing a ghost. “What are you doing here?”

“I'm...” He laughs, once, and drags a hand across his face. “I'm not really sure,” he says with a weak shrug, and Hurley watches silently as he starts pacing back and forth, unsure of where to begin. Finally, he sighs, and turns back to Hurley. Might as well rip off the band-aid now. “Ben Linus is parked behind your house.” 

His eyes go wide and dart toward the back door.

“Yeah, I know,” Dan adds before he can say anything. “He, uh. He had me brought here, because...he wants me to talk you into going with him. Or...with us? I guess.” He shakes his head. “He says he can take you somewhere safe.”

Hurley stares at him with suspicion. “And what do you think?”

“I don't know.” Daniel gives another helpless shrug. “I don't even know why I'm here, but he... He thought that you would trust me, so...” He looks up, a bit sheepishly. “Do you?”

“Do you trust him?” Hurley asks, like his answer will depend on Dan's.

“I don't…” He exhales. “I don't know. He hasn't tried to kill me yet, but, that's…a pretty low bar.”

“Don't.” Hurley shakes his head, his voice intense. “I'm telling you, do not trust that guy. Whatever he’s trying to get you to do, just don’t do it, man.”

“Okay.” Dan rubs the back of his neck. “But I don’t really know if he’s gonna take no for an answer.”

Hurley frowns and steps past him to peer through the window of the back door. “What did he say to you?”

Daniel laughs humorlessly. “Nothing helpful. He, uh, he did tell me that you’re…wanted for murder?”

“I didn’t kill anyone. Sayid did.”

He blinks. “Sayid?”

“Yeah, but only ‘cause these guys were trying to kill us first, and now the cops are staking out in front of my house, and…” Hurley paces back and forth between the front door and the back and then stops. “Ben said… He wants to take me somewhere safe?” An odd look of resolve forms in his eyes.

“Yeah.” Daniel follows him to the front door. “Why?”

With a deep breath, Hurley puts one hand on the doorknob, turns to him, and holds out the Hot Pocket. “Later, dude.”

“What...” Dan takes it, thoroughly confused. “Where are you going?”

He opens the door. “To get arrested.”

------

Daniel exits the house the same way he entered and gets into the idling van. Ben stares at him in silence, his face intermittently lit by the red and blue flashes from the formerly undercover police cruiser parked in front of the house.

A thin wisp of steam rises from the Hot Pocket in Dan’s hand, from the single bite now missing from one corner. Distantly, one of the cops can be heard reciting Hurley’s rights.

Dan closes the door, finishes chewing, and turns to Ben. “I don't think he's coming.”

(next chapter)

[yuri-is-online]

Sho lover anon back from yesterday LMAOOO but I just finished the jabberwock story and IT WAS SO GOOD AAA I LOVED IT SO MUCH

I freaking love the jabberwock boys so much. Ren honestly reminds me of Midori Takamine from ensemble stars a bit. But the story was very good (and my precious calamari😭)

I got a few chats from kaito and sho, and it makes me so sad to see how much kaito kind of downplays himself so much😭 like my poor boy honestly. And sho was over here asking me to look at the sign for his food truck.

Anyway besides all of that, at like the second to last chapter of jabberwock (I think?) Hyde says something about how much these missions kind of affect the ghouls moral conscience. How do you think this might feel for some of them? I remember kaito talking about wanting to be a normal person (I think either in the prologue or episode 1, I’m not quiet sure) I feel like it might’ve been hard for some of the ghouls who wanted to live normal lives but made a deal with a demon in exchange for something precious, and now being looked as like some hero who’s supposed to protect human kind, and some of them even question why they have to put their lives on the line for such things too (Leo, Ren, and I think Kaito as well?) What are your thoughts on that?

Calamari, Peekaboo, the Capybara bus... Jabberwock best dorm no one else can compete (Taiga when I catch you for stealing the baby when I catch you).

We don't really know how making a pact with a demon works, which sounds a bit silly to say but I think it is important to think about. Did the ghouls seek out their demons? Did the demons finds them? Were they fully aware of what they were doing the whole time or did they get tricked in a way similar to how Slender was using those kids in the first Case? How long have the boys been Ghouls? Do they get immediately taken to Darkwick or an affiliated school/location once being discovered as a ghoul? I feel like we might learn more about that once we get Hotarubi's case, as Haku and Subaru seem to have some very strong feelings about being ghouls and their place at the school. But to answer your actual question, Hyde seems very aware that a lot is being asked of the ghouls. Fighting monsters is a lot to ask of anyone, add in the pressure of the school's prophecy that no one really believes in, the fact that you got your powers from a demon so everyone thinks you are a heartless bastard anyway and yeah I would say that would make you start to question some things. Kaito says he "never asked for any of this" at several points in the prologue and book one, Sho repeatedly points out that the deals the ghouls made are likely very sensitive topics people would want to keep private, a chat between Tohma and Rui where Tohma takes a shot at him for having his whereabouts closely monitored by the school, and Haku's entire conversation in Book One with the MC the second time they try to escape about how little freedom the ghouls have doesn't really paint a happy picture of what life for a ghoul is like. All of which are things I think Hyde is trying to point out in his conversation with MC as the end of Book 3, he wants a world where humans and anomalies can live together happily after all, and that includes ghouls.

I find it interesting how Leo uses the word "pact" while Chancellor Cornelius uses the word "wish." To me, a "pact" implies a level of seeking out the demon knowing full well what you were getting in to where as the word "wish" leaves more room for plausible deniability. To avoid giving specific spoilers for Amnesia (the otome) there is a theme that repeats throughout of gods granting human wishes without thought of the human consequences, Ikki and Kent both make wishes that aren't fully realized thoughts but are granted almost to the letter to disastrous consequence. It's a scenario I can see happening with Kaito, where he wished for something and accidentally did so with a demon and now has to live as a ghoul because of that. I could see it really messing with your mind if you really were just some guy who had no business being involved with anything supernatural and now you're being asked to fight horror monsters almost daily. Makes you wonder what the end game for a ghoul is, are they allowed to live normal lives after they graduate? Or are they forever bound to the organization that runs Darkwick. And perhaps more importantly, what happens if you don't cooperate with them...

[indelen]

This is my reread of the Lockwood and Co. Books, organized by @blue-boxes-magic-and-tea, I'll make a general summary of several chapters and then post bits and pieces that jumped out at me.

Part IV: Chapters 15-19

General stuff:

First off, the entire section in the abandoned house is so very intensely creepy. I’ve said this before, but this is the sort of thing that the TV show did not have the time (and funds) to do properly and it’s a damn shame. With enough CGI the rat ghost reassembling could have been very visually striking and with better pacing and more episodes the Wilberforce reveal could have been stretched out into a very effective, tense, two-parter. This is not the fault of the show creators or actors who did their very best with what was allowed. The blame lies squarely with this industry we’re all stuck with at the moment.

The other thing I noticed is how consistently Lucy and Lockwood express concern for George in the books. I get why this was changed for the show, since George’s character was changed significantly and him being left behind and overlooked is much more of an arc than in the books. But I found it very sweet how in the books Lucy and Lockwood intentionally place themselves with Geroge in the middle for his protection in the haunted house and in general wonder and worry about him a lot. This has the double benefit of both showing how the trio has grown to care for each other and build tension by constantly reminding the reader something is wrong with George so we’re always hooked because we want to see the resolution.

Odds and ends:

Relic men try to create an aura of danger around them but when you strip all that away they are only very vulnerable unhoused people left behind by society as it circles the drain. I like how the main detail Lucy notes is that Jack looks starved. This is a recurring theme with people in his position. That doesn't mean they are harmless, the will to survive can make people do ugly things, but Jack does illegal stuff just to get by, he “wears the threat of violence” out of desperation. This is important because it contrasts with other characters like The Winkmans and later Rupert Gale, who choose to live among violence not out of desperation but out of greed.

No one wants to die alone. Everyone must. That death is a terrifying prospect and yet also so easy to miss - this is actually a repeating theme. In one way or another Lucy, George, Lockwood, all “just miss” death in the books, like it’s an old acquaintance who dropped in when they were out to the corner store and couldn’t stay.

It’s ok George, maybe you and Flo can bond over them.

Bwaa-ahahahah Lockwood’s greatest poker face test is not anything client related it’s THIS!!

As Flo established beforehand (and this was I think intentional on the part of the author), in certain regards Lucy is pretty innocent and I think Lockwood is less so - he’s way less sheltered, he’s older and he was not raised in a rigid controlled environment as Lucy was. His issue is more that he’s incredibly repressed in that Sherlock Holmes Victorian way where he views anything that’s not his ultimate goal of making his agency, and therefore family name, succeed, as not worth his time. But he’s still a teenage boy, he’s maybe around 15 here, George was probably needling him about Lucy a lot in the last year (since he does the same with Lucy and if anything he’s known Lockwood longer and they’re both the same age and both boys) plus she’s on his mind a lot and he keeps telling himself it’s because she’s just so gosh darn great for the agency even though literally no one saves a co-worker from a Murder Well like that and here is a Type Three (the best thing to ever happen to his agency and his totally platonic innocent country girl coworker discovered it!) and it’s vocalizing some things that are actually pretty explicit for preteens … so he’s just looking off to the side praying for the sweet release of death and I think that’s just so funny. I also love George’s grin of vindication.

Again on my Sherlock parallels nonsense, but this reminds me of "the adventure of the greek interpreter" where a plot point is that a man translates for a group from a language only he and another (a captive) speaks and so chooses very carefully which parts he passes on and which stuff he keeps to himself. Incidentally that story is the first in which Sherlock mentions he has a sibling.

The sad thing is George’s contact with Joplin is perfectly natural for someone with an academic mind. If you’ve ever had to do any kind of research, if stumped on something the first thing any scientist or academic does is throw it to their peers or colleagues to look over. This is such a natural thing to do and it must have felt great for George to have someone he could consult with. Doing research by yourself is actually very unfulfilling because it’s meant to be communal. Sharing information and pooling resources is very natural when you’re studying basically any field. And George later in the books makes some of his best advances through cooperation, no matter how reluctant. Cooperation and not brute forcing experiments until you get the result you want is the way to solve a problem scientifically.

Lockwood is simply never beating the “repressed Victorian” allegation in my mind because what kind of wording is this? Holmes took it out on the violin so I suppose George and Lucy should be thankful.

Lockwood’s past and his level of education is such a mystery. He’s pretty clearly self taught when it comes to history, anthropology, etc. he admits casually that it’s all from the books left by his parents in the house, but this last bit is such a weird little detail, like why does Lockwood know what surgical tables at the Royal College of Surgeons look like??? Maybe a case with Gravedigger Sykes when he was young? Also, this is a prime example of Lockwood still being completely clueless about his feelings for Lucy and how he over compensates for them by having an enormous amount of blind faith in her, sometimes to her detriment. Because what he is saying here is that it’s a real same she can’t Touch the Dead Body Dismemberment Table in the a Creepy Murder Torture House because she’d be just so great and amazing … at getting useful info from it for the case and bringing glory to the agency I swear. He’s overcompensating for his personal feelings by putting more praise but also pressure on Lucy in the professional setting because it’s the only way he can really express his admiration for her and it helps that Lucy is also really, really good so it sort of works in the short term, but only for a while. Only until there is any kind of snag that breaks this very tenuous balance.

The absolute smarmy pettiness of Lockwood here, in deadly danger and still goading Ned and then shredding Ned’s jacket in retaliation for cutting up his precious stylish new coat a little bit. Priorities!

Aw ain’t he a lil stinker? the absolute Id of the group and a showcase of what happens when you let Id rule in your decisions making! According to Freud - Id, Ego and Superego are all components of the human psyche. Id is basic instinctual desire. Superego is all about the consequences. Ego is the balancing force that tempers both the demands of the Id and the restrictive views of Superego. In this case Skull is 100% Id so potent Freud’s spirit would rise from the grave just to psychoanalyze it. Lockwood is superego, repressed and at all times hyper aware of how his image and name is perceived by the outside world. Skull and Lockwood were always going to be at odds in the same way your base desires and code of morality are always at odds. But the interesting thing is that this theory posits that either side “winning” or “defeating” the other is not healthy. Id needs to be allowed to feel occasionally since it’s what saves us and drives us onward, Superego needs to be around because it allows us to remain a functioning part of society. A person is at their best and most productive when the Superego is not overly represented and the Id is not too constrained. Again, in a way, the ending of the book has already been given to us.

Lockwood smile count: 7