#also like. if someone has the luxury of being completely oblivious then maybe seeing a random post on the topic would push them

[transyashiro]

hey you're a good artist and a generally good person but highkey throwing out posts regarding transandrophobia and trans men who may use the term that are really long and inscrutable to anyone not already involved in whatever discourse carousel is not really fun to see. i talk to trans guys in my real life and i've literally never even seen the word "transandrophobia" outside of tumblr. i don't think it needs litigating, and you're more likely just exposing an audience that very likely may not be familiar with whatever is going on there to some random, kinda extreme opinion for which they have just genuinely no reference point.

(that and, like, intersectionality exists and is useful and none of those posts ever use the word intersectionality ever so idk how useful their analyses actually are without that)

i'm pretty sure many transfems who follow me and all happen to be on the same damn site are aware of discussions of transandrophobia and transmisogyny in general, or ""discourse carousel"" as you called it, happening here. i can see my notes, you know. those of them who are uninterested in these posts for whatever reason can simply ignore them. and i genuinely don't give a fuck about trans guys who might find any of this offensive or worth getting defensive over. also, i happen to be a person with opinions and at the end of the day it's up to me if i want to make my position clear by reblogging something (that i know will resonate with a good chunk of my followers too, whom you for some reason decided to paint as ignorant). not sure what you were hoping to accomplish by sending me this, it's not like anyone's forcing you to follow me, nor is it your position to tell me what to put on my own blog

[fancyfeathers]

@luckycharm1 sorry I am getting back to this now 😭. Okay I still have quite a few chapter to catch back on because I am currently working my way through the Emerald Witch Arc, but I have had a bunch of spoilers, so please forgive any gaps in my memory. So for this I am just going to be going by when he still worked, if that’s the right word. as a funeral director.

So I am a florist and a botanists and my biggest clients are wedding parties and funerals so I had the idea of his darling being a florist because of how closely those two jobs work together like for reference I meet with about six different funerals directors and their clients about every two weeks or less than that sometimes like a week. So I honestly picture his darling having a little flower shop nearby so he goes to her little shop when she opens to introduce himself and I think it would be instant obsession. Honestly to literally everyone else it is painfully obvious of how obsessed he is with her, like in his shop he has a flower from every single one of the funerals she had helped with preserved, and that would be a lot of flowers, but she had worked with many eccentric individuals before and have had a lot more stranger requests for flowers besides a funeral. Her obliviousness to his obsession would only fan the flames even more, his darling is focusing on the positives in her life rather than the “negatives” of his relationship with her.

If she ever found out about his true nature and he was no human, it would be a rude awakening, like her seeing something like that happened in the Luxury Liner Arc and her finding out was completely by accident because he never wanted her to find out. I could see her being invited by one of her other clients, maybe a young couple she had done the flower arrangements for at their wedding and had became friends with, and there she sees everything first hand is absolutely horrified and her brain just shuts down because it was all a lie and just how could she be so blind. The other way I could see her finding out is someone like Ciel paying her a visit after the events transpired and informing her of what happened and the reaction would be quite similar besides the fear and panic of the situation. I could honestly also see the Phantomhive estate taking her in after that due to the shock and her own personal safety since given how close she was with the Undertaker she may prove to be useful.

[greenygreenland]

Home: Lloyd Garmadon x Reader

-I LOVE ASKS. plz keep them coming, they make my day -i’m sorry i write slowly, I’m a perfectionist. -it’s also better to have quality over quantity, am I right? -takes place after Tournament of Elements but before Possessed 

[REQUESTED BY ANON] Summary/ask: Maybe a reader with a "dark" power (like, not evil, but considered dark), and they were outcasted by it, everyone thinks they are bad and shit but they are just shy and insecure?

WARNING: MENTIONS OF VERBAL ABUSE (VERY BRIEF), BLOOD (BRIEF), INJURIES (ALSO BREIF), ETC.

Isolation. That was all you had ever known for the better half of your life. Most details were things you preferred to keep hidden away, locked up for good in that deep mind of yours. 

You never had a whole family, but that was fine by you. Why should that matter when you had a father who loved and cared for you? Growing up, he always told you this: ‘Ninjago is so much more than our tiny home, my dear. Why should we worry about what we don’t have when there’s so much to discover?’

Even now, you held onto his words with your life. Even now when you forgot what his face looked like. Even now when you couldn’t remember his voice, or how warm his hugs were. Everything eventually faded, but not the emotions he made you feel. 

Love, warmth, generosity. 

Those were the only pieces of baggage you carried. Although heavy, they kept you from the evil strings of bitterness. You kept your chin up, high in the air so you could look to the sky. It was the limit after all, the portion of which you had to reach and reach until you couldn’t anymore. The only problem was getting there. 

The alley was rather quiet today, a far cry from the usual bustling citizens looking for a shortcut or a food stand. You loved days like this, where no one would care to stare at you and whisper your name like it were a ball in a game. With your hood up, no one could see your face, and no one could cast you aside like the loner you were.

��What are you doing here?” 

You wish you hadn’t heard his voice. As subtle as he tried to be, his snarky tone caused passing stragglers to glance at you. A sigh escapes your lips. What was he doing here? Didn’t he have anything better to do than follow you around and nag? You were cast aside as it was by your mother, forgotten by your so-called friends, and left behind by your ascended father. 

He told you to stay away from that speedy idiot, the one your mother took away from you. The one who took after her with the same eyes, nose, and mouth. They had the same grin, too, the one where it looked like they thought they were better than you.

“If it isn’t Griffin Turner,” you grumble out. “What a pleasure.” 

His stare isn’t friendly. You know under those red sunglasses that he’s glaring at you. He’s probably thinking about how much of a monster you are too, just like every other Elemental Master you ever faced in your life. 

Griffin runs a hand over his oh-so-perfectly cut hairdo. “Oh don’t be a prick.” he spits out. “Have some respect for your older brother.” That grin doesn’t slide off his face no matter how dark your expression gets. He’s always been oblivious. First to your powers, then to your father’s death, and finally, to how terribly he’s been treating you. 

It doesn’t matter that he’s your older brother. Bullying does not discriminate, and neither do you, blood ties or not. “Just leave me alone, I’m not in the mood Griffin.” He raises a brow. “Not in the mood? Since when did someone like you have feelings? You’re cold-hearted, just like your dad.” 

You frown. “’Your dad’?” you echo. “What, so we’re only related when you choose?” Griffin shrugs absentmindedly. You know he’s trying to provoke you, get a reaction, but you just can’t help it. He was patronising you and your father. 

“I’m just glad I lived with mum instead of dad.” he adds. “At least I don’t have to run after the garbage truck with a shopping list.” He snickers to himself and you go rigid. “Take that back.” 

“What? Your last braincell?” 

“Well--you--you’re a...” You pause. “At least I had someone who loved me and actually payed attention to me! Sure, I inherited dad’s elemental powers, but he taught me something you’ll never get: kindness. You think I don’t know? Look again you pathetic waste of space!” That wasn’t supposed to hit hard and you both knew it. Griffin could have said a million other insults that burned like the sun itself, yet somehow, with your puny words, you hit a nerve. A nerve that wasn’t supposed to be punched in the first place. 

Griffin’s grin finally slides off his face. He stuffs a hand in his pocket and uses the other to adjust his bright sunglasses. He doesn’t say anything, but you can practically feel the air thicken between the empty distance. Griffin didn’t have lo self-esteem, but sometimes, his mum called him a waste of space. When you walked by the luxurious apartment, on days the kitchen window was left wide open, you heard what she’d say to Griffin--what she did to him.

Suddenly, you’re taken back to the age of six, when your parents were together and Griffin was more than your only brother. You were best friends. You did everything together. But then your father passed down his elemental powers to you, and it was then that everything changed.

Your father taught you that your powers were a gift passed down all the way from the days the First Spinjitzu Master lived among the people of Ninjago. It was a gift used to protect him when he was in need, a gift that possessed great power and majesty. Your elemental abilities had a double edge to it. Although beautiful, it possessed a great danger. 

One slip-up was all it took. One mistake you never meant.

That day, you were practicing control and discipline over your powers. You never meant for it to happen, and if you could go back, you would a million times over. That day, all the control, all the mastery you had over your abilities disappeared in an instant. You swore it was only for a second, but it could have lasted a millennia. 

Your element was more than a power. It was a living part of you with its own consciousness you couldn’t quite understand. When you slept, you saw him, the intangible person you never cared to learn the name of. He always sat in a plain of pure darkness, where you couldn’t touch or see him clearly. 

You knew he never meant to frighten you, but that day, you only saw a monster. Perhaps it was you, perhaps it was him. You never knew because the moment you lost control, your world went black. From then on, your parents split. Your mother took Griffin away from you, and as time grew, so did the distance between you. 

You wish you could change things starting from that day till now. Those forsaken words shouldn’t have left either of your mouths, but the damage had already been done. It cut too deep that not even magic could mend the wounds. 

“Griffin I--”

“So that’s how it is.” A bitter laugh escapes his lips and you flinch like you’ve been struck. Griffin walks toward you at a painfully slow pace. The alleyway isn’t part of the city anymore. It’s a battlefield of honour, of pride, of two siblings who have been torn apart. He doesn’t meet your eyes as he pulls something out of his pocket. “Here.”

The wad of cash presented to you between his fingers looks more like an insult than a gift. Was he trying to rub in your face how rich his mum was compared to your dead dad? Surely this wasn’t an olive branch to apologise for being a jerk for the past eleven years. 

He stares at your incredulous expression and yanks your wrist forward, slapping the bills into your hand and forcing it into your sweater pocket. “Look, I’m not patronising you, okay? Just...go to your friend or whatever and don’t spend that on drugs. Your financial situation sucks, I get it.” 

His tone is rather aggressive, but you know that speech pattern. The one where it’s soft and bashful because he’s embarrassed to be talking out loud like that--like an older brother. You run your fingers over the cash in your pocket and stare at Griffin. He looks the other way and begins marching past you, making sure to bump shoulders. 

“Griffin, wait.” You make a grab for his arm but he’s already gone at the speed of light. “Thanks,” you whisper to yourself. “I guess.” You aren’t sure how long you stay in the dead alleyway, frozen in your own thoughts. But as soon as you’re ready to make your way to the park, the alleyway fades, the honking of the cars disappear, and you’re completely alone in a surge of darkness. 

“That has got to be a least three hundred.” 

You heave out a long sigh as the darkness parts. Robes drag across the floor like liquid gold, sparkling and shimmering like the sun. “Such a coward, your brother. He shouldn’t have run away like that.” The man is a living contradiction, much like you. Although he lived in a world of darkness, that never stopped light from blooming in his cold heart. He cared for you as much as he cared for your father and those before him. 

The man adjusted the collar of his red robes, yanking the thick fabric into all the right shapes and places. His pale face was like a sheet of paper, but the calm smile made up for that and tinted his cheeks rose. “Here,” he said, waving his arm. The wad of cash drifted out of your pocket, mixing with the mist until it was all but a speck of light. It drifted into one of the man’s pockets, which he patted. 

“Honestly,” he says, “could you be more inconspicuous? Someone down the street looked like he wanted to mug you.” You frown and the man huffs. “When you need the money, come back. I’ll keep it here.” 

“Thank you.”

“Raijin.” he says. “Call me Raijin.” 

The mist began swirling like a whirlpool, twisting and turning until your hood whacked you in the face. The alleyway materialised as soon as your feet hit the pavement. The honking of cars sliced through the air, bombarding your ears in the cityscape sounds. “First Spinjitzu Master...” you grumble, rubbing your ears. 

“LOOK OUT!”

You whip around in bewilderment and flatten yourself against the brick wall. A group of four or five fruit-coloured boys fly from the fire escape above. If you hadn’t reacted quickly enough, then you’d be as much of a pancake as the blue one (he was under all of them). 

“I’m--gonna--die! Get off me Cole!”

“I...I can’t when Zane’s heavier than a rock!”

“Kai, move your stupid leg!”

“Everyone stop arguing! Lloyd is unconscious!”

The last bit sent the group in a rush of shouting, scrambling, and shoving. You wanted to do something to help, but these boys were the ninja, students of Sensei Wu and partly, Garmadon. In the world of elemental masters, they were known as the OG, the ones who defeated the Great Devourer, Garmadon, and so many more. 

The last time you saw them (together, that was) had to be half a year ago on Chen’s forsaken island. You almost died, but Lloyd saved you. He and his friends risked their lives to help everyone off that island. If thy hadn’t been there...

You glance at Lloyd. He lay on the pavement, faintly breathing and coughing as Zane wrapped gauze around his wrist. The blood smeared on his face sent your heart tumbling. Just what had they done this time? 

“Hey!” you exclaim. The boys remove their hoods and turn to you. Kai knits his brows together. “Aren’t you--?”

“Do you want help or no?” you gruffly retort. Zane’s bright eyes don’t leave your cold expression as you look between all the ninja. Cole and Jay look uneasy about the offer, but to even the blind, it was clear they had no choice.

“Yes.” Zane says. “We would be grateful for your assistance, (Y/n).” You nod and motion for them to follow you out of the alleyway. Kai carefully lifts Lloyd off the ground and onto his back. “Thank you for your generous offer.” 

“Don’t thank me until he’s well.” you quietly reply. As scary as it was inviting people to your tiny apartment, this was the ninja. You owed them this much for being Ninjago’s protectors for so long. “We’re taking the back route because I don’t want to attract unwanted attention. It’s clear you had a run-in, let’s not repeat that.” 

Halfway down one of the quieter streets, you heard Jay whisper this, “I heard she’s evil. Are you sure we should trust her?” 

You want to be offended, but getting upset would only make everything worse. You re-called your conversation with Griffin, and that look on his face when you called him a waste of space. 

He deserved the insult, you told yourself. Why should you feel guilty? 

You spot a beat-up door worn with age. The blue paint peeled off the wood, scattering along the doorstep in little piles. As much as you wanted to renovate, you couldn’t afford it. You had to save up for college and rent. 

You dig your hand inside your trousers’ pocket and produce a key. The scratches rub against your calloused hands as you stick it in the keyhole and yank open the door. “Bring him in.” No one says a word as you watch the ninja file into your home one by one. Like good guests, they remove their shoes and leave them in a little corner of the hall. 

You close the door behind you and lock it, tossing the key in its respective place. “Set him down on the couch. I’ll get a med kit.” When you come back with the med kit and freshly washed hands, you weave past Cole and sit on the floor by Kai’s side. “He’ll be alright.” you calmly state. 

Kai sharply meets your gaze. “His wrist is broken.” 

“Yes, but bones can be mended. He will be alright.” You ignore the stares, they were background noise, and place your hands around the wound. “Raijin,” you whisper, “I need assistance.” 

The last time you had to fix a broken wrist had to be about three months ago. It was a rather draining action, but for Lloyd, you would do anything. He needed you. 

Suddenly, your body goes completely rigid. Your hands are cold and you shut your eyes, allowing the icy sensations to wash over your being. A breeze passes over your face and settles around your hands. You imagine Lloyd’s bones mending back into place, connecting painlessly like a puzzle piece would. 

“What’s she doing?” you hear Jay whisper.

“I think she’s concentrating.” Cole answers. “Kind of...creepy if I do say so myself.”

You feel the bones clicking together, and once you are sure Lloyd is alright, you open your eyes and heave out a long sigh. “He...he will be...” You can’t finish that sentence. The world spins with dots and mingles in a flurry of colours and blurs. Someone was saying something, but you can’t make out what’s wrong with you.

The world fades to black. 

“Here again?” 

You frown uncomfortably as Raijin struts out from behind a curtain of shadow. It’s hard to disregard him, so you avert your gaze to the side. “I don’t choose when I come here, you know that.” He chuckles and it’s a low rumble. “You like him.” 

“Who?”

“Lloyd. It’s not everyday you let people into your home. When you saw Griffin walk by with a broken leg, you didn’t heal him.” You sigh loudly. “Well, that’s different Raijin.”

“Is it?” There’s a suggestive tone to his voice you don’t like, as if he’s looking inside your head and hearing all your thoughts bouncing around. Raijin probably did hear some of it. He was, after all, a part of you, both soul and body. Silence falls over your shoulders and it sits there like an old pillow: uncomfortable, flat, and irritating. 

The silence stretched and you felt small in the presence of Raijin. He had a way with his height and energy that somehow made him appear all the more regal. You can’t meet his eyes as you blurt out the dumbest question you could muster. “Will Lloyd be okay?” 

The answer is obvious, but Raijin doesn’t comment on it. He folds his hands together and softly nods, as if he’s afraid of making you shrink further into yourself. “Thanks to your efforts his wrist is healed. Why don’t you see for yourself?” You perk up. “What--?”

The darkness curls under your shoes, stretching like gum and absorbing you in nothing. It’s cold, it’s dark, and it’s filling you with adrenaline. 

You jolt upright. 

“I see you and Raijin had quite the conversation.” a crinkly voice states. You rub your pounding head, accepting the steaming cup of tea from Sensei Wu’s hands. It’s been a while since you’ve seen the monastery, much less your old room. Wait, Wu? Your old room from when you were eleven? “Sensei?” He smiles kindly, giving your shoulder a good pat. “If you were wondering, Lloyd has been healed. Actually, he wishes to see you.” 

“Me?” you inquire. “Really?” Wu chuckles to himself good-naturedly. He turns his back to you and slides open the door, revealing a red-faced Lloyd. He goes stiff like a board. “Uh--I--sorry--just passing--” 

Wu gently guides Lloyd into the room, paying no mind to the stuttering mess his nephew had become. It’s an odd sight to see Lloyd, the Green Ninja, tripping over his own feet, adjusting his sleeves, and picking at loose threads instead of meeting your eyes like he did that day. 

Lloyd had been like a gust of wind. He came to your rescue strong and fast, scooping your bloodied body in his arms with a gentle hold. When the time came and you all had to leave the island, you were still too weak to use your elemental powers, so Lloyd let you ride with him. Those crazy few weeks on Chen’s island had been traumatising. 

The fact that you weren’t trusted by anyone due to your powers made it worse, until you met Lloyd and his father. 

Wu quietly exists the room, gently closing the door behind. You silently thank him for his consideration. “It’s been a while.” you quietly say. Lloyd shuffles toward you with a bright smile, cheeks still tinted red. “I used to see you around Ninjago City a lot, but after a while, it was...I don’t know, like you disappeared.” 

It’s your turn to avert your gaze. The truth was, you weren’t sure Lloyd still wanted to be your friend after the Tournament. You saw him less and less with each passing day, only ever giving a small wave here and there whenever he went to Borg Tower. After half a month, Griffin caught you talking with Lloyd. He bullied you about it and told you Lloyd was only acting like your friend. 

Stupidly enough, you believed him. Your insecurities about being judged wore down your courage like a bath bomb in water. You couldn’t speak with Lloyd any longer, or give a simple wave that made him smile like the sun. One day, you decided to avoid him completely by taking a different route home. You never saw him again. Not until today.

“I-I’m sorry Lloyd.” you murmur. He blinks, knitting his brows together in confusion. “What do you mean you’re sorry? You didn’t do anything--”

“Yes I d-did.” You curse your wobbly voice. “I started a-avoiding you because I was scared we weren’t...you know...anymore. And a lot happened...and then...” Your eyes are burning with tears you know are filled with ages of stress and worry and anger. 

You wanted to blame Griffin for making fun of you that day. You wanted to blame yourself for being so stupid. You wanted to blame Raijin for not talking to you when you needed him most. But you couldn’t. How would any of them know this would happen? That you’d eventually cut Lloyd off altogether until you were in isolation in that tiny apartment by yourself? How could you have known?

The side of your bed dips and gentle arms bring you in tight. It’s warm and reminds you of meadows with flowers, butterflies, and better days. When was the last time you actually hugged someone? Much less allowed them this close in your proximity? You didn’t have friends at school, so you always settled for books as your comfort. Books could not hug like people.

“I should be thanking you.” Lloyd said. “You healed me even though it made you pass out.” You sniffle, hesitantly wrapping your arms around Lloyd’s middle. As soon as you allow your shoulders to relax, warmth spreads through your chest. You recognised the sensation as a mix of comfort and relief. 

To know someone else was here with you who cared and would sit with you as you cried your eyes out was new--but it felt good. When your dad died, you promised to never shed another tear. You couldn’t say you were good a keeping promises. 

“If you want to tell me more, it’s okay.” Lloyd softly said. You rested your head on his shoulder, savouring the way he smelled like life itself. If you were to describe it, you’d call it grassy, flowery, and fruity all rolled into one. 

“Well... You remember my brother Griffin?” you slowly begin. “He isn’t who you think he is. He always tells me things like I’m a monster because of my elemental powers, or that...” 

You aren’t sure how long you talk for, but Lloyd’s there, listening to every word and drinking it in like gold. Sometimes he pitched in, other times he sat still in a silent horror you couldn’t fully comprehend. It never occurred to you just how broken your family relationships had been when it was your norm. 

When your tears finally dried and you could breathe again, Lloyd took your hands and motioned for you to follow him out of the room. “Would you like to stay for dinner?” You smiled at him, enjoying the company his hand provided. 

Wu rounded around the corner and said, “Would you like to stay forever?”

There was no question in that. You still had your old room and memories of when you used to call the monastery home. Why wouldn’t you want to make new ones? “Yes.” you reply. “I’d love that--if it’s fine with you.” Lloyd glanced at Wu, who simply nodded in confirmation. 

Lloyd turns to you with a bright grin that you can only shyly match in response. 

TIP JAR

Please don’t forget to reblog!

[thewistlingbadger]

Mixed Signals

Summary: Emily and Spencer are trying to see if Derek likes Spencer. Derek is trying to figure out if he's gay with the help from Penelope. The 4 of them come to the realization that they are NOT on the same page at a club, where Emily and Spencer make out to see if Derek will get jealous.

CW: Platonic Spencer/Emily, friends who kiss, Derek has bi panic, gender non-conforming Spencer Reid, intimate friendship, inappropriate language, kiss in the rain, miscommunication, love confessions, first kiss. Y'all asked for me to post the stuff i got in my notes so here ya go. Enjoy.

Okay. So Emily and Spencer definitely came to the club with something up their sleeve. Spencer had always kept quiet about his crush on Derek. After all, the year was 2008. Gay marriage wasn't legal and if you were out you could be called slurs, or worse. And in the workplace? You could be terminated. The only person he ever came close to telling was Elle, but then one moment she was here, the next, gone.

Emily tried her best to be shocked at the news. It takes one to know one, she told herself. But nevertheless she made sure that he knew she was a safe space and that all she cared about was his comfort. He ranted to her about gender dysphoria and wanting to tap into his feminity, but being too afraid to do so. He asked her if she thought Derek liked him back, and tonight, they would find out.

Everyone knew Emily Prentiss was a lesbian. She made it no secret, while also making sure you minded your own business. She read queer romance novels on the jet, there was a pride flag on her desk and if you asked her what was on her calendar, she would tell you next Wednesday she had a meeting with her local LGBTQ+ advocates and that there would be a march next month, if you wanted to come.

In the same breath, she had no problem kissing Reid. They both knew that there was nothing romantic about the them. Kissing just...helped them both I guess. When Spencer would come over because he was having nightmares, Emily would scoot over in bed and make room for him. When she would get up around noon, Spencer would wrap his arms around her and kiss the side of her head as she brushed her teeth. Or when she could tell he was getting overwhelmed, she'd pepper his face with kisses till he'd be calm again.

Most people said I love you in words but for them, they had heard those words growing up from the mouths that did not mean it. Their kisses were tangible, real. They said I love, care, and respect you without even needing to pronounce a syllable.

Everyday, Derek came crying for help in Peneople's corner. He had never considered being anything but straight but his pretty boy got him second guessing himself. Derek didn't have the luxury of being able to figure himself out while young. And now that he was an adult, an established FBI agent, he feared it was too late. Penelope was his shoulder to cry on, filling his ears with positive affirmations. Giving him flyers to queer support groups and telling him when pride would be rolling into town.

"What if I don't like men and I just like pretty boy? Do I even like him like that? What if I'm just overthinking it?" "Well then you'll find out tonight." Peneople said with a wink. She ordered another round as Spencer and Emily found their way to the booth.

Derek tried to act normal but he couldn't help but notice how smug the both of them. Like they were inside a joke, and Derek wasn't. It made something rise in Derek, he just didn't know what.

Spencer still couldn't piece it all together. The looks, the touchs, the names, they had to mean something. Despite contrary belief, he wasn't all that oblivious. He knew Derek had been flirting with him for years. But why? Derek was always pulling girls whenever they went out to places like this and he never had shown interest in men. So why would he like Reid? Although, thought of Spencer being the only male that Derek was attracted to made his heart flutter, he knew it was unrealistic.

"Hey. Wanna dance?" Emily said putting her hand on his shoulder. He smiled. She always knew how to do that, pull him out of thought. As he got up he started to think about all the things he loved about her. Her gentleness without making him feel babied, her understanding without having the ability to understand what he was going through, the way she knew things about him that he didn't tell her that only he knew.

Like how he didn't need to drink to be a good time. As their bodies pressed together and they moved to the RNB beat, they laughed at each other. "Don't forget the task at hand Spence." She teased. "What task? The task of finding you a girlfriend? Because let me tell you, she won't come if your hair is looking like that!" He started to run his fingers through her hair which just made her laugh more.

Derek was watching them have fun while he was downing his drink. "What's wrong Derek, this is your scene! This is where Derek Morgan is Derek Morgan. And let me tell you, Derek Morgan? He does NOT sit at the booth like a sad puppy when the love of his life is out there dancing! Something that is a rare sight for our eyes!" He sighed, taking another sip from the glass, but he stayed glued to the leather seat.

"C'mon Derek! Do something! If you're not gonna go after Reid go after another dude! Or a gal! Scout out the area, look for someone who seems worth while! There's only one single friend out of the 4 of us and right now it's looking like it's gonna be me because Emily is having a grand old time with Reid."

Glad to know he wasn't going crazy, he responded. "Yeah, speaking of which, since when are they so close? Like you said, we barely get to see Reid dance. Then all of a sudden he's taking Prentiss's hand and they're grinding it up on the dancefloor?" He couldn't leave the irritation of his voice.

"Jealous much?" She wiggled her eyebrows. He rolled his eyes. "Don't you think it's weird?" Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. Of course not dummy! If you haven't figured out what Emily Prentiss was by now, you probably never will! Ignoring her thoughts, she asked "well what do you think it is?" He stared at the pair, trying to get get ahold of what it all meant but he turned away, empty handed.

"Did you see that? He was staring at us for a long time..." Spencer said looking over Emily's shoulder. "Do you think it's working?" "I don't know...he looked upset...he's drinking right now. Mil, I don't want to do this if he's drunk..." Emily could hear the doubt stirring in him. She didn't want to push him but she had the feeling that this would be the only chance. She wouldn't get Spencer to agree with her on this again.

"Hey." She tilted his chin down toward her. "It's your call." She smiled. God, you just gotta love her, he thought. He smiled and went for it.

"Hey, they moved away from the dance floor. Where'd they go?" Derek said sitting up straight searching over the crowd of clubbers. "I don't know..." Penelope now getting concerned. She stood up and-

"oh my god-" "What?! Are they hurt?! What's going o-" his search for them was interrupted by Penelope's hands clutching the sides of his face and directing it to the right side of the room, were he could see Emily and Spencer making out.

They both just stood there, jaws on the floor. "I thought she didn't swing that way..." Penelope said, shocked to her core. "Reid?" Morgan said, not as if he was calling for him but as if he was surprised that Emily was kissing Spencer. Or was Spencer kissing her? Unlike the last time he was staring at them, he was now paying attention to every detail. The way Emily's tight long sleeve shirt left nothing to the imagination and how she was pulling Reid in by the inside of his pants, then feeling him up after. She smirked mischievously into his lips, as if it were just a game.

Reid on the other hand, looked like he was about to cum on sight. He was still playing with he hair like how he was on the dancefloor, but this time his eyes were screwed tight. He barely moved his mouth meaning that A, Prentiss was doing all the work and B, when he did move his mouth it was in the smallest way possible and by god did he look amazing. Holy shit, did he just see some tongue?! Oh fuck, Derek thought, the realization hitting him like a truck. I like both of them.

He continued to watch them. Spence's hair was getting in his face and Emily was too busy teasing him by thumbing the hem of his sweater vest to notice. Derek could tell how much it was bothering him but he also seemed so carefree, so trapped in the moment, the sensations. He moved his head back ever so slightly, as if to ask for more but her mouth never left his.

When they parted, Derek could swear he saw a string of saliva in between them. Damn. This is not what I expected would happen tonight. He thought maybe he'd see a beautiful girl or a handsome dude, giving him an answer he'd been craving; Gifting him the knowledge he had wanted this whole time. But that? Whatever the fuck he just saw? Left him with more questions than answers.

"Derek? Are you okay?" He snapped out of it and looked at Peneople who had a worried expression on her face. That's when he realized that she hadn't been ogling at them the whole time like how he was. "Did that answer your questions?" She tried to approach in a different way. "I uhh." No words could form. "Oh, he's having a gay panic moment-" "No it was definitely for both of them." he blurted without being able to stop himself.

Penelope spit the shot out of her mouth. "You like them BOTH?" "No I-" He was completely out of his element. He started racking his brain, trying to process what he just saw. Why was that so hot? If he had a crush on Reid (like he thought he had the whole time) then wouldn't seeing his boy being kissed make him freak out? But somehow, seeing Spencer being man handled by Emily made him speachless. An "ohhhh" from Penelope was what broke him out of thought. "Well, congratulations Derek. I think you just might like guys and girls."

"Holy shit" they laughed hysterically. Spencer was about to fall to the floor. "What was that?" Emily laughed. "I was trying to make it look believable!" "Yeah by acting like a slut? Okay." She went off in a giggling fit. "Well I think it worked." "No shit?" She asked, looking to the booth. Both Derek and Penelope were standing up. "Well I'll be damned. I don't think I've ever seen him that red." she smiled "holy shit. I did that?" "Hell yeah you did! go get 'im lover boy." He hugged her and thanked her for her help, then made his way back to the booth. He got intercepted by peneople on the way there.

"So. What the fuck was that?" Peneople shouted over the music. "Go ask Emily! I'm going to Morgan." What? "oH!" The pieces somewhat clicking into place. "Oh my god how did I not know!" She gave him a hug. He gave an uncomfortable chuckle "thanks Penelope. But I really gotta go-" "But! He likes you too!" Penelope called after him but Spencer was already too far away to hear. God damn the level of miscommunication that's going on right now! Annoyed at the circumstances, she walked off to Prentiss.

Spencer slid the booth, "Hey." Spencer said. He shifted uncomfortably. A few seconds ago he was having the time of his laughing with a friend. Now he sat across from a different friend, a friend who he didn't want to be friends with. The person he wanted something more with looked down at the ground with a hand over his mouth.

Spencer frowned "what's wrong?" Reaching for the other's hand. Derek looked at him, doe eyed. "Boys." Was all he said. Huh? He had never seen Derek like this. "...Do you wanna dance?" He asked concerned. Derek nodded rapidly and they were off.

Whatever groove Spencer had while dancing with Emily had left because he was back to his normal stiffness. He wondered what was wrong with him but he couldn't decide what it was considering the amount of events that had just occurred. How do I make this less weird? What does he want? Spencer's thoughts reflected on his face.

Fuck. What's going on? Derek wondered. Sure, they were swaying and he had his hands on him, a big improvement on their relationship but he knew something was off about Spencer. So naturally, that's when Derek turned on his profiler mode and started pawing for answers.

"I was watching you earlier, you had some moves pretty boy. Didn't know that about you." There's a lot you don't know about me the genius thought. Instead he responded with "really?" "Yeah. I thought you didn't dance." "I'm not good at it." Spencer laughed. Derek couldn't resist rolling his eyes at the comments. You were practically fucking on the dancefloor talk about 'I'm not good at it.' Boy please. Spencer caught his eyes rolling though. Becoming defensive, he said "we were just being silly. It didn't mean anything." "That make out didn't look so silly. Looked pretty serious from where I was standing."

Spencer was taken aback. Was he mad at him? There was a hint of protectiveness but why would Derek be protective over him when he was with Emily? They've known Emily for a while now, they trust her.

Spencer didn't let him slide away with the snideness. "So what's your problem tonight. Had too many drinks and are now pissed you're not the only one who knows how to have fun?"

"I'm not drunk." Derek grumbled. "Oh really? Derek we've been here 2 hours now and the whole time all you've done is sit down with Penny and drink drinks. And all of a sudden you're acting all strange? How do you explain that hm?" Derek looked away realizing his error, licking his lips.

You're gonna profile me? Two can play it that way. "It's the fact that it's Prentiss huh. Do you like her?" Derek still couldn't meet his eyes. "Or did you just think I couldn't get her?" Spencer wasn't one who got easily mad but the bullshit Derek was pulling was infuriating. Do I just let the cat out of the bag or do I see how he plays it out?There's too many mixed signals going on.

Spencer scoffed annoyingly, letting go of Derek and storming off. "Kid wait!" God damn it Derek this is the one thing you're not supposed to fuck up. Emily stood up from the table that she was at with Penelope. "What's going on?" "I don't know!" They both watched Spencer leave. "Oh no..." "What the f-...he likes him Emily I swear! It's all he's been talking to me about for months! I really don't know what's going on!" Emily tried to make her way through the crowd but Derek was already out the door, trying to reach Spencer.

This is just fucking great. I go out to a club, a place that I already don't like just to try to make a move on some dude, some asshole, and now it's raining. Could it seriously get worse? "Spencer, c'mon man!" Derek heard him curse in a language he didn't understand. "I don't have time for bullshit Derek! Don't waste my time!" He kept walking back towards him.

Derek caught up to him, his feet splashing into puddles. "Look man, I'm sorry. Just let me explain!" Spencer didn't even look at him, he just kept walking. As a final attempt, Derek grabbed his hand, Spencer now facing him. "I'm not trying to waste your time pretty boy. Or bullshit you." The rain drops sliding down both their faces. Despite there being no light other the moon, they looked into each other's eyes. Derek didn't have a firm grip on Spencer's hand, but Spencer didn't feel the need to let go.

"You should start explaining yourself because I don't like dealing with nonsense." His chest rising and falling with every deep breath he took. "For the past couple of months I thought I was seeing you differently so I talked to Peneople about it. She suggested we go to the club to see if I liked you or if I only liked girls or maybe even if I liked men in general. When I saw you and Emily kissing, I- I can't explain it. I liked it. I liked watching you two kiss but then you came over to me and I started feeling jealous and I don't know what's going on with me-" "shut up." Spencer grabbed Derek by the collar of his wet shirt and their mouths smashed together.

It wasn't a pretty sight. It wasn't delicate like how most people want their first kisses to be. But it reflected every emotion that the both of them had felt that night. The rain helping their mouths slide together, the small droplets getting smushed when their checks or chins touched. Derek thought that getting kissed by Spencer looked good but oh man did it feel better to actually be kissed by him. Derek slid his fingers through his hair, imitating Spencer when he kissed Prentiss. The water droplets clinging to the ends of his finger tips. Their bodies closer than Reid's and Emily's ever were.

Spencer pulled away, resting his forehead on Derek's. They both felt the breath of the other, the rapid in and outs trying to get back to their normal speed's. Spencer still had his fingers on Derek's collar, still keeping him close. "Please tell me that that cleared up some stuff for you." Spencer breathed.

"We could be that. Friends who kiss but not romantically." Derek offered. All he knew was that he would die a sad man if that was the only time he'd get to kiss Reid. "If we kiss, I'd like it to be in a romantic way. I didn't spend countless hours watching you go home with countless women to not have you kiss me in a romantic way Derek." Derek laughed at his bluntness. "Alright kid. Good. Because I wouldn't have it any other way." He went in for another kiss, and Spencer happily kissed him back.

"I think it did." Derek panted back. Spencer moved his arms around Derek's neck, pulling him into a hug. "I've had a huge crush on you for forever. I didn't say anything because I didn't think you were gay. Emily and I only kissed like that to see what your reaction would be. I don't like her, she doesn't like me. We're just friends. There's no romance behind it." He explained, still hugging him.

By: Mic

[wannabemobwife]

Guns, Glamour, and Goodfellas - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Sucker for Pain

Dad!Mob!Tom Holland x Mom!Mob!Reader

Pairings: Tom Holland x Reader, Rosie Holland x Henry Osterfield

Warnings: Guns (its in the title lol), grief, a minor mention of blood, fighting, always angst (what I consider angst)

Words: 4.1K

Author note: Totally cried while writing this. Feel free to leave comments or message me directly your feelings while reading the chapter. Always love hearing from you guys.

Chapter 5: Sucker for Pain

Words: 4.1K

Word of Charlotte’s death had spread like wildfire, especially at school. Only Rosie was attending the past fews days. Parker set to join her in two days time, after the funeral, he was scared of what lied ahead. Parker was discharged from the hospital a few days ago, under strict instructions to rest. He started to go a little stir crazy, watching the days pass.

Most of the student’s attended the funeral. Charlotte’s demise was widely publicized which made Parker’s blood boil. No one knew her like Parker did. Who Charlotte actually was the complete opposite of the persona she put on in public and at school. Charlotte was secretly funny and enjoyed really cheesy corny jokes. Her sense of humor was one of things that made Parker fall in love with her.

All the Hollands attended. You, Tom, Rosie, and Parker, and hoped to pay your respects. Parker was exhausted, he had been going through the stages of grief. How could his life get so screwed in a matter of a few weeks. A couple weeks ago, he was a kid planning his promposal for his girlfriend and now he is a protégé of the biggest mob in London who was about to bury his girlfriend.

This was the final stage, the one he was dreading the most, acceptance. He didn’t want to let her go. Charlotte changed his world for the better. She was the first person he ever loved and loved him in return.

The denial didn’t last long. It was unfathomable how she no longer existed. How the world wouldn’t be blessed with her beautiful smile anymore. Or her corny sense of humor and gracious presence. How could someone so perfect just leave the world so suddenly.

Bargaining followed next, coupled with anger. Parker was angry at the world, God, himself, and the bastards that killed her. If they had only driven home when he wanted to, she would still be here. If he hadn’t gotten grounded and not overslept and cleaned up quick enough. If he hadn’t thrown that stupid party. If his dad never gave him an ultimatum. If he never turned 16. Even if he never existed in the first place, Charlotte would still be alive.

There are 5 stages of grief as if you move on from one to the next but no, they stick with people. Especially, depression and anger. How does anyone ever really get over death. Losing someone you love is greatest pain ever felt. Someone you held and protected. Losing Charlotte, in that moment Parker wasn’t good enough. Not enough to protect her or love her.

Bringing us up to date, acceptance. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye but since when did he start getting what he wanted. Parker stood like a statue as he watched Charlotte’s casket lower in to the ground. He knew he had to be strong not just for himself, but for everyone else, especially Charlotte’s parents. At the reception, Parker tried to speak to them but, he didn’t know what to say. How could he lie to them saying it was an accident when in reality he was the reason.

“You have some real nerve showing up here,” Mr. Owens said as Tom walked up to the grieving parents. “I was so sorry to hear about Charlotte, Mrs. Owens,” Tom explained. “You daft prick, you were there. You could’ve protected her,” screamed Mrs. Owens to Parker.

“Mrs. Owens, I just came to offer my condol—“ Parker tried to say.

“Fuck your condolences!” She yelled, throwing her daiquiri straight on Parker. Coating him, from head to toe, in a very potent alcoholic drink.

“I think what my son is trying to explain is that if you need anything, money or a favor, it would be our pleasure. Our family business has some important ties.” Tom exclaimed, hoping to bring them some peace. “You and your son end lives. That’s your family business. I want no part of it. Now if you don’t mind, please get out of my fucking way.” Mrs. Owens said, pushing her way past Tom.

“You people have too many strings. I just want my baby girl back, and you can’t do that,” screamed Mrs. Owens as she left the premises.

“Sir, you want me to take care of her?” asked William, Tom’s capo. “Leave her alone, she’s grieving. Parker come on, let’s go home and get you cleaned up,” Tom explained.

“She’s right. If it weren’t for me Charlotte would still be alive.” Parker said solemnly. Tom hated seeing his son like this, it was eating him up inside. Tom couldn’t do anything to stop it, it was up to Parker to face his inner demons.

The Holland household was starting to return to normalcy, at least what they called normalcy. Parker refused to leave his room for awhile. Staff and you would bring food up to his room each meal and take the untouched one from before. He was a shell of a person after the night. All the while Parker was getting over Charlotte, Rosie was getting under someone new.

Henry had been coming over frequently for two reasons. To comfort Parker in his time of need and to be with Rosie. Their love for each other blossomed rather quickly. Rosie was not one for big romantic gestures, but made an exception from Henry.

The day had come where Parker was to return to school. How could face all of them with the judgements and accusations. Charlotte’s death shook everyone to their very core, everyone was taking the news differently. It wasn’t common for the school community to lose on of their own. Maybe a teacher but never a student.

There were a multitude of mourners that ranged from the fake asses who say they knew her but didn’t, her former conquests who only saw her as a good fuck and her actual friends who were devastated. Posters were hung up and there were candles, teddy bears and “We miss you cards,” displayed all over her locker.

You drove them to school that morning, since Parker was still grounded. Arriving at school, all voices ceased to exist as the black Rolls Royce pulled up. Out jumped Parker and Rosie and all eyes shifted to them as they walked through the halls.

“Glad to see you are back Mr. Holland. You missed a few projects, you can make them up at a later time,” Ms. Erikson, Parker’s chemistry teacher, said. Parker just nodded in response.

Walking to his seat, he perfectly heard all the rumors being spread or was he supposed to. “I heard he was the one who killed her.” “I heard they were both at a gang bang” “I heard she died in his arms”. How could people be so insensitive to make snap judgements like that.

Charlotte’s parents’ opted for the cause of her death to remain hidden. But they were teenagers, they couldn’t help but, gossip. Rumors are just rumors, Parker would tell himself. They weren’t entirely wrong. He was the reason, he was there when it happened, and he held her as she died. Being in those hollowed halls was brutal. Parker was basically the new social pariah.

The student’s weren’t oblivious to the Holland family. They knew what most people knew. That Tom Holland owned one of the largest exporting companies in Europe, Holland Exportation and Luxuries. And they knew not to mess with the Hollands.

Once class was over, now came the hard work. Tom called it “Mobster Bootcamp,” Parker was currently taking lessons with his dad to carry on the legacy. Tom had a few tricks of the trade up his sleeve desperately wanting to pass on to his son. They had met in the Tom’s office to begin.

“Lesson 1: Always wear black or white.” Tom started with as Parker took notes, like the perfect student he is.

With one, blood will alter it completely and the other remains unchanged. It was a common theme, with the Holland legacy, wearing black or white. It was sleek, dangerous and classy all at the same time.

“The one big perk is that blood doesn’t show up on black fabric.”

“Lesson 2: Wives must be treated with respect, girlfriends are fair game."

“If you’re a good man, the only describable difference between a wife and girlfriend is that one has an unnecessary symbol on her ring finger. They both mean the same and don’t you forget it,” Tom concluded.

And Tom was a good man. Never has Tom even thought about cheating on you. Porn was pointless and strip clubs bored him. Why throw away the best thing that ever happened to him, you.

“Lesson 3: Someone brings a knife, you bring a gun” “Never be without a weapon. Anything can become a weapon with the right skill set, but always be prepared.”

Tom was a big fan of improvisation. Sometimes using what he had on hand, like his tie. Strangling wasn’t his most favorite method of killing but he liked to mix it up.

“Also find finesse in your kills. Your mother is a big believer in gun to the head, execution style. Me on the other hand, I prefer to roughen up a guy a bit, but you will eventually develop an M.O. (modus operandi). Another lesson, make sure you don’t always use the same M.O. mix it up a bit, otherwise they could trace it back to you,” Tom elaborated.

“That bring me to my next lesson.”

“Lesson 4: Blackmail is your best friend.”

Tom has had a few close calls in his day. Everything about running a mob had to be sneaky. Bodies couldn’t be found by any random person, they needed to be cleaned up and dealt with. The witness’s in a meeting were sworn into secrecy, he had enough dirt on them that he could get someone to fake their death if need be. Cops were never a problem with the Hollands. They were his puppets and he was the puppet master.

“Killing someone in a public place you risk being caught by an innocent bystander. Then one things leads to another and you are cleaning up two bodies instead of one.That’s why I have the warehouse and the police Captain in my pocket. Just remember everyone’s got a price,” Tom explained.

“Lesson 5: Have as little weaknesses as possible.”

Tom hated referring to the one’s he loved as weakness but it was the truth. He couldn’t be weak if he desired to be top dog. The moment you and Tom started a family, his liabilities increased. From that day, his only goal was to protect you and the twins.

“I would never call your mother a weakness, but I would die for her. Also for you and your sister. This makes me vulnerable. In the past, people have put her in danger situations for leverage against me.” Tom said, rubbing his temples. Parker just nodded in return. A long silence ensued.

“Dad, are you okay?” Parker questioned.

“Yeah. I’m sorry son, I have more for you but, just have a lot on my mind,” Tom apologized. “It’s alright. Any luck with finding Charlotte’s killer?” Parker asked, his voice tainted with hope.

“No, but I do have a meeting at the warehouse with a contact would you like to tag along?”

“How could I say no,” Parker said, kind of excitedly. They made their way out of the mansion and drove to the warehouse. Parker had never been here before. It was dark and cold looking. The walls were pure metal sheets and the floor had stains of blood scattered everywhere. “Good to see you, Jazz,” Tom said walking up to the mysterious woman tied to a chair. Jasmine Ramsey, a contract killer Tom was friends with. A little more than friends at one time, predating you.

“Fuck you, Tom. What’d I do to be graced with your presence,” questioned Jazz. “Nothing to piss me off, yet,” Tom chuckled. “Then why the fuck am I here,” she said a little peeved.

“My son, here, needs to ask you a few questions,” Tom said, pointing towards Parker who stood in the corner. “Aww a baby Holland. Following in your daddy’s footsteps, huh?” “Shut it, slag,” Parker yelled as he melded his fist with her jaw.

“Jesus. What the fuck was that for?” Jazz screeched. “Woah. Sorry Jazz, should’ve told him you were an old friend,” Tom says, holding his hands up in defense. “Oh, I’m so sorry miss. Could I get you some ice or something?” Parker exclaimed, surprised that he just punched an assassin.

“Its fine didn’t hurt that bad. Gotta work on your punch,” she said adjusting her jaw. “Really. Hurt like a bitch to me” Parker whispered, holding his aching hand. Blood began to seep out of the broken skin, staining his knuckles red. “Tommy you gotta tell your son to grow tougher skin” Jazz exclaimed. “What the fuck were you thinking Parker?” Tom said, grabbing Parker by the collar of his polo. “Sorry I just assumed with her being tied up and all” Parker exclaimed. “That’s how we do business boy. You’ll soon learn”Jazz explained with a shit-eating grin across her face.

“Anyway, I need info on a murder at The Luxe on the 11th. A young girl was involved.” Tom turned to Jazz.

“Oh I heard about that, poor girl, she was pretty too. What’s it to you, Holland?”

“That’s not important,” Tom hissed. “She was my girlfriend,” Parker interrupted.

“Sorry lover boy my hands are tied, literally,” Jazz said, rolling her eyes. “If I untie you will you talk?” Tom replied.

“Yes, you know me. I don’t appreciate being threatened.” “Alright Jazz, just spit it out.” Tom said as Parker untied her restraints. “I was downtown at pub, called Harmon’s. Heard of it?” Jazz expressed. “Yeah, a big hotspot for Shaw’s men,” Tom said, nodding his head as he followed along. “Well, I was searching for my target and overheard some men saying “It’s going down tonight, word from the Merchant is that he should be there, with his little whore.”” “Fuck. The Merchant. Where have I heard that?” Tom said, puzzled. “Short for Merchant of Death. Surely, you’ve heard the old mob tales.” Jazz elaborated.

“Of course.”

“Well if it is him, I’d stop looking you don’t want to find him,” she warned. “Please, everyone knows I’m fucking top dog,” Tom asserted. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Tommy. You are now, but he used to be and if he is returning, watch your back. All he craves is power. If that’s it I’ll be on my way.” Jazz explained, asking for permission to leave. “Yes of course, Jazz. Thanks.” Tom muttered. “Give my love to your wife,” she said, pressing a cheek to his kiss as she strutted out. “Seriously dad?” Parker asked with a side glare. “Parker stop it. I love your mother and I would never cheat on her. Jazz and I are just friends.” Tom explained creating a “I’m watching you” look on Parker’s face.

“Jesus, one punch ripped open your knuckles. You're the one telling mom. Now come on or we’ll be late for dinner,” Tom said, inspecting Parker’s hand. Being the new mob boss was in Parker’s blood, but you were always against it. You loved the mob and being part of it but you wanted your kids to have a choice, unlike you and Tom.

Meanwhile at the manor, you and Rosie were making dinner. You appreciated all the staff to clean and cook but, enjoyed the satisfaction when doing it yourself. Secretly loving your independence. While you were dating Tom, you would try to ditch your security much to Tom’s dismay. You were a junkie for thrills.

Rosie and your relationship is what ever mother desired. You treated Rosie like a daughter first and a best friend second. As long as Rosie’s life was never put in danger you would keep her secrets. The major one being Henry.

“Hey honey. Since it’s just us here, how are things going with Henry?” You asked curiously. “Wait, where’s dad and Parker?” Rosie questioned cause nobody else knew. “Taking care of some business. Now spill, I want all the details.” “Well things are going really great. We kissed.” “Really? When? Where?” You have always wanted to have this conversation with her daughter. “At the hospital when Parker was hurt. I had a panic attack and Henry comforted me. He is really great, mom. I don’t know I’ve just never felt this way before,” she explained. Rosie had boyfriends in the past, never long enough for anything serious to perspire.

“Roo if you’re ready to take that step, I’m here for you. You can tell me anything.”

“I’m okay, right now, considering”

“Considering what? Did something happen? Has Henry been pressuring you?” You grew concerned of your daughter. “No. God no, nothing like that. On the night of the party, I got drunk and remember that boy Connor?”

“Yes, go on.” “Well he… he tried to rape me.” Rosie murmured, trying not to cry. “What? Roo why didn’t you tell me,” you whispered, your heart breaking on behalf of Rosie. “Henry was there to stop it and I just want to forget about.” “Roo, I’m so sorry you had to deal with this. I’m always here for you ok? I love you so much baby.” “Love you too, mom” Rosie replied. Their conversation soon quickly ended as Tom and Parker came barging through the front door and Rosie excused her self to the restroom.

“Ooo, something smells good. What is my beautiful wife cooking?” Tom asked, coming up behind you and kissing your neck.

“The only thing she knows how to cook, spaghetti and meatballs,” you replied, jokingly.

“How was your guy’s day?” You asked. “Great, Parker really showed them,” Tom said, kissing your forehead and pulling you into a warm embrace.

“Jesus Parker, does it hurt?” you questioned as he showed her his battle scars.

“What the fuck happened to your hand?” Rosie said, walking back into the kitchen. “Oh nothing,” Parker said, trying to change the subject. Rosie just gave him a puzzling glare as she dropped the subject.

“Dinner’s ready,” you announced as they all made their way to the dining room. There they sat at the long table, Tom at the head of course and you to the right of him. You all talked about your day, of course, avoiding any mob talk.

“So what really happened to your hand” Rosie asserted breaking the silence. “Drop it. Will you?” Parker barked annoyed at her persistence. “Fine,” she said staring at her plate until her phone buzzed. That noise put a smile across her face because it was always the same person, Henry. “Roo, you know the rules. No phones at dinner,” you remarked. “I know mom, just give me one second,” replied Rosie, holding up a finger. “Rosie, your mother asked you to put it down. Who’s got you so giddy anyway.” Tom said, defending you.

“Oh nothing” Rosie muttered, putting her phone down. “Ten bucks it’s a boy” Tom said directed towards you. “Deal” you responded, shaking his hand. He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a chaste kiss, theirs loving way of shaking hands.

“I’m done. Dinner was great, thanks mom. May I be excused?” Parker asked and Tom nodded in response. Rosie cornered him on his way upstairs. It had been a while since they had talked. Sibling to sibling. Twin to twin. They tried not to keep secrets from each other. He hadn’t of told her about the mob and she hadn’t told him of her and Henry.

“Now tell me what the fuck you did to your hand,” Rosie barked, cornering him.

“Why the fuck do you want to know so bad?” Parker responded. “Umm, I’m your sister.”

“Rosie I don’t have time for your bullshit,” Parker yelled. “What the fuck happened? There’s something you aren’t telling me,” Rosie accused.

“Dad wants me to be the next him.” Parker explained. “I’m not following. What like run the company?” Rosie asked, confused by his statement.

“No. Dad is a mobster. He runs a mob and he wants me to succeed him.” “What the fuck? When did this happen? Why the fuck haven’t you told me?” Rosie exclaimed.

“Our birthday. This is what I was trying to tell you at the party!” Parker yelling causing Rosie to yell back. “Sorry, I was a little preoccupied and so were you!” Rosie hinting at Charlotte. “Don’t turn this on me. What the fuck are you doing with Henry, by the way? You think I don’t see the two of you sneaking around.” Parker quipped, in reality he had never seen their antics. “Nothing, it’s none of your business,” Rosie said, shying away from him. “Of course, it’s my business he’s my best friend.” “Well he is mine too and the world doesn’t revolve around you. If you weren’t so busy breaking curfew and sneaking out, you would see that Henry is really good to me, ever since that night.” Rosie explained stopping herself before she said something she wasn’t ready to acknowledge herself.

“Rosie, what happened?” Parker asked noticing her quick change in demeanor.

“You won’t care,” Rosie quipped.

“Try me,” Parker said softly.

“That night… someone slipped something in my drink and tried to take advantage of me, but Henry stopped it.” Rosie explained, trying to avoid the brute of Parker’s rage.

“Who? Tell me who right fucking now!”

“Connor.”

“I’m gonna kill him” “No, Henry already took care of it. You already have enough blood on your hands,” Rosie chuckled, surprised Parker cared that much. “Thanks,” he said with sarcasm.

“Roo, I’m so sorry. I should’ve known.” “It’s ok. I’m just trying to put it behind me”

“So what you are a mobster now?” “One in training. I need you to know I’m doing this for one reason only, to avenge Charlotte, okay. Not looking to kill for sport like mom and dad.”

Rosie’s suspicions grew over the years that her parents did enjoy living above the law. It didn’t bother her, she actually hoped the mantle would be passed on to her. She had a more fiery spirit than Parker, he was just a big softie on the inside much like his father. Appearances can be deceiving.

Tom was currently in his office, finishing up work for the night. Buzz, buzz, buzz. The last person he thought would call him, his dad.

“So are you going to say thanks?” asked Dom.

“For what? I don’t time for your antics, dad. A hit was hired on Parker and I have to figure out who did it.” Tom sighed. He was frustrated he was getting no where, who was the Merchant of Death. “Umm, hello. Like I said you’re welcome,” Dom quipped.

“You fucking mean that was you.”

“Duh, told you he needed a push in the right direction. I wasn’t the one to pull the trigger but I knew where he was.” “I have a crushed kid over here wanting revenge on the bastards who killed his girlfriend.” “Problem solved, glad he is joining the family business.” Dom said and hung up. How the fuck was Tom going to explain to Parker that his grandpa arranged the hit?

“FUCK!!” Tom screamed smashing everything in sight.

Meanwhile, Parker made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water when he saw you sitting on the couch, consumed in your book.

“Hey mom?” Parker asked, needing to get something off his chest. “Yeah, honey,” you responded, drawing your eyes away from your book. “I need to tell you something.”

“I’m listening… wait what the fuck was that. Hold that thought.” You hesitated when you heard a large crash come from Tom’s office.

“Let me go check on your father,” you said, getting up from the couch. Parker couldn’t help but be curious. He followed her before she closed the door and listened in, pressing his ear against the door.

“Tommy, what happened?” You queried. “It was him,” Tom spoke with an unchanging expression. “Who, Carson?” “No, Dom. He arranged the hit,” Tom said.

Parker’s heart sunk to his stomach. His girlfriend was dead because of his family. He really did kill her.

Maybe he wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger but she was seen with him. As far as he is concerned it painted a huge red target on her back. What kind of life was he born into? He never wanted any of this and now all he is, is this.

Guns, Glamour, and Goodfellas Masterlist

Taglist: @thenoddingbunny-blog @adriannauni @dummiesshort

[qqueenofhades]

I am loving all the Fivan fics. Thank you! I feel like we may now need some good old fashion Fivan hook up. If you’re in the “mood.” Get it? Mood? See what I did there? :)

An excellent idea. So let's have some "yay I survived my interview!" smut. Below the cut for sexy, very NSFW reasons.

The moment he locks eyes with his husband across the dusty, noisy courtyard, crowded fit to bursting with otkazat’sya, Heartrenders, Healers, Fabrikators, Durasts, Squallers, Inferni, horses, pack animals, wagons, and the other detritus of the battalions finally returning from six months on the Fjerdan frontlines, Fedyor Kaminsky knows for an unassailable fact that they are not going to make it to the bedroom. He has been going out of his mind, even if he has been diligently focused on the equally important duty (or so he tells himself) of serving as a guard for the Grisha examiners traveling around the country, providing support for the supply lines to Shu Han, and otherwise trying not to think about the fact that this is the longest they have been separated since they got married. Fedyor is a good soldier, and a loyal servant. He has done his job exceptionally well, and so, off in the godforsaken frozen wastes of Tsibeya, has Ivan. But right now, in a crowd of thousands, the only thing the two of them can hear is each other’s heartbeats, and all they can see is their life.

Fedyor raises a hand, as if he actually needs to do this to let Ivan know that he’s there. Ivan glances at him, shucking his fur hat and ripping open the buttons on his black-embroidered red kefta, now that they’re back in the safety of the Little Palace and don’t have to worry about gunfire. Ivan, curse his contrary northern heart, then turns away to discuss something with the equally dusty general, as if Kirigan didn’t have all that damn time on the road. Fedyor wonders how much trouble he would get into, exactly, if he murdered his commanding officer. Or maybe just gave him a minor heart attack.

It probably only takes a few minutes, though it feels like forever to Fedyor. He is, he likes to think, normally a patient man, but not when he hasn’t seen Ivan for six months and is standing a dozen yards away with a hundred other people and not yet able to touch him. Finally he catches Ivan’s eye again, affects a nonchalant shrug, and turns to leave the courtyard, as if to signal that if Ivan would like to catch up, he should really get on it. Nothing to Fedyor himself, though. He has important things to do elsewhere, do svidaniya.

To Fedyor’s entirely unqualified smug delight, it takes barely thirty seconds until he hears the sound of pounding boots running up at full speed behind him, and breathes a strong smell of horse, sweat, and unwashed Heartrender. That part he is less thrilled about, but in the next instant, a pair of fiercely strong arms are around his waist, he is being pushed into the nearest room with a door that closes and locks, and Ivan growls into his mouth, “You are a little bastard, Fedya.”

Fedyor would answer, but he’s currently too busy making out with Ivan like their lives depend on it, their hands pulling and clutching and seizing fistfuls of each other, the usual desperate ritual that they have to perform after a lengthy separation, checking that everything is real and right and good. Ivan only pulls back long enough to start feverishly unbuttoning Fedyor’s kefta, and the reinforced material hits the floor with an authoritative thump. Fedyor then dives in to take his turn, except Ivan clearly thinks he’s going too slowly, and pulls it off over his head himself, which is not as easy as it looks. Underneath, he’s wearing only his linen undertunic, and then he shucks that too.

Fedyor lets his eyes roam luxuriously over the hard muscles of Ivan’s torso, searching for the subterranean lines of new scars. He can always tell when they’re there, even when the Healers have smoothed them away. He shrugs out of his own tunic, as Ivan has already started on the lacing of his trousers. He accomplishes the necessary revisions, then grabs hold of Fedyor and walks him straight to the nearest flat surface, which as it happens is a wall. A nice wall as walls go – it’s covered with a thick, soft tapestry of someone who appears to be Sankt Vladimir, who is about to get one hell of an eyeful that is probably not at all Saint-appropriate – but still a wall. Fedyor bites a grin, then pants, “Really, Vanya? Can’t even make it to a divan?”

“You want to go find a damn divan?” Ivan, distracted from his frenzy of lust just long enough to (barely) form words, looks vastly irritated. “Or do you want me to fuck you now?”

“I wasn’t aware it was an either/or – ah – situation.” Fedyor gets cut off as Ivan lunges in for another growly, possessive kiss, his big, callused hands clamping firm hold of Fedyor’s hips. They make out with luxurious sloppiness for another minute or two, but Fedyor can’t really wait much longer either. He fumbles for the laces of his own breeches, slipping them off his waist and kicking them free of his feet, as Ivan digs in the pocket of his fallen kefta for the small vial of oil he keeps there. (It’s usually for saddle leather, but it does also have additional purposes.) He flicks it expertly open with one thumb, pours in a palmful, and rubs his hands together to warm them up. Then he grabs Fedyor and pulls him close, slicks them both, and murmurs something incoherent against the back of his neck. Asking, as he still does despite the almost-decade they have been together, for permission.

“Saints,” Fedyor pants, pressing himself back against Ivan with desperate, starving need. “What do you think, you utter blockhead?”

He feels Ivan smile, the rough curve of his mouth against the tender nape of Fedyor’s neck, the scratch of the unshaven stubble on his chin. He takes a better grip on Fedyor’s hips, his knees sliding between Fedyor’s thighs to push them apart, and eases into him. Slowly at first, carefully. Then, all at once, almost savagely, to the hilt.

Fedyor hisses, moans, clutching ragged fistfuls of the tapestry in order to keep his balance, as Ivan presses against him and then into him at full length, joining their bodies in raw and naked and utterly intimate communion. Ivan bites the back of Fedyor’s shoulder and swears again, and Fedyor wriggles his hips to ease the fit, as one of Ivan’s oil-slick hands slips down between them to be sure. Then he reaches up again and clamps his hands over Fedyor’s where they grip the tapestry, crushing their knuckles together with almost bruising force. Then he thrusts with his full strength, pinning Fedyor flat against the wall, and both of them gasp.

Their mental connection, their utter attunement to the other’s heartbeat and body and breath and bone and space, doubles the pleasure like an amplifier, so they feel both their own ecstasy and each other’s, shared and reflected back and magnified until it’s no longer possible to tell which sensation belongs to who. Fedyor is himself, with Ivan inside him, and he is also Ivan inside Fedyor, and he is something both and neither, and whatever prayer he is mouthing now is one that even Sankt Vladimir has never heard. It is heat and hardness and madness, soft for a moment or two and then rough again, delightful, claiming, possibly only between two lovers who know each other as intimately and trust each other as thoroughly as they do. Ivan is hitting the sweet spot in him, over and over until Fedyor thinks his own heart will burst sooner than stand it. Then Ivan’s hands let go of his and grab his waist again, dragging him as close as can be managed as they both lose their minds, and then the rest of them. Fedyor loses his grip on the tapestry and slides down it to the floor.

They remain where they are, breathing wildly, entangled, Ivan still halfway inside him, slick with sweat and having utterly desecrated this nice drawing room that some unsuspecting Grisha will walk into later completely oblivious as to what it has just hosted. Then they hear an imperious voice in the corridor outside. “Ivan? Ivan!”

Saints absolutely strike him dead, it is the general. Even in his dazed post-coital haze, Fedyor is perfectly capable of wishing for it. How the hell has Aleksander bloody Kirigan not had enough time to talk to Ivan already? They’ve been on campaign together for half a year!

The footsteps come closer. “Ivan? Are you in here?”

Swearing for a rather different reason, Ivan pulls away from Fedyor, making both of them moan, and scrambles across the floor on all fours, frantically trying to get dressed before Kirigan barges in without knocking, as he has a bad habit of doing. (When you’re the Black General and this entire palace is your personal fiefdom, why would you bother?) Fedyor likewise does his best to grope wildly for his discarded clothing, but has only managed to lace himself back into his breeches and pull on his under-tunic before the door opens. “Ivan! I need you to check the requisitions for that last – ”

At that, Kirigan stops short, taking in their state of barely-habiliment, Fedyor’s mildly murderous smile, and Ivan’s painfully studied nonchalance. His eyes flick them up and down. “Mr. Kaminsky,” he says. “I’m glad to see you’re welcoming Ivan home?”

“Yes, sir,” Fedyor says, his smile now even more fixed. “Absolutely, sir.”

Kirigan’s dark gaze surveys them again, even as his face remains unreadable. Then he clears his throat and coughs delicately. “The requisitions can wait until after supper,” he says. “Presuming that you make it. Good day.”

(Fedyor and Ivan do not, very decidedly, make it to supper.)

[palmett-hoes]

what's your take on the foxes mbti?

oh buddy ur never gonna believe this but i wrote a foxes MBTI post YEARS ago

im also not into mbti anymore and haven't been for many years so that post is probably still more accurate and in-depth than what i could give you now. i’m just gonna copy the whole thing but i read it over and it still totally vibes w how i understand the characters, like way more than i was expecting it to. i only made one edit (it’s marked) and it was to add a detail not change anything

i hope you’re really really into mbti otherwise this’ll probably be gobbeldegook

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i used to be obessively into mbti so here’s an analysis based on cognitive functions mostly.

SKIP IF YOU WANT. for anyone with no idea how it works, here’s a quick rundown: cognitive functions are about the way people think, process, and prioritize information, not necessarily how they act, though people who think the same way often act the same. the 8 letters that make up a type represent how people process and prioritize internal and external stimuli. every letter actually has an ‘internal’ and 'external’ form so there’s Thinking (internal(ti) and external(te)), Feeling (internal(fi) and external(fe)), Sensing (internal(si) and external(se)), and iNtuition(internal(ni) and external(ne)) t’s always go with a corresponding and opposite f (like ti and fe always go together), same with s’s and n’s (ex: si and ne always go together). a set of  t, f, s, and n in a specific order makes an mbti type.

neil: intp (ti ne si fe)

neil has incredible analytical ability although it’s very programmed for survival but he’s also a fast thinker and very quick to adapt to new environments. he also approaches things from original angles that other people dont consider, all that sounds like high ti/ne. the lower functions fit well too. in times of stress, he returns to old habits and falls back on what’s familiar, that’s classic low si. his emotions are also very exterior. he’s bad with other people from lack of exposure, but he’s committed to harmony between those close to him and has an impeccable ability to read the emotional states of others while being completely oblivious of his own, and his sense of self is tied to exterior things like exy, friends, keys, and legal documents (lol) that’s fe

andrew: intj (ni te fi se)

ni is really hard to describe but it has to do with being able to draw conclusions from scattered input, which fits with andrew’s uncanny ability to spot lies and obsession with finding out the truth, especially with high te, which is about spatial order and logic, think of how prioritized he is with the physical order of things: who sits where, who wears what, etc. a lot of people want to make andrew infj i bet as like a “subversive reading” but he’s definitely not. i used to be really close to an infj and they have hyper-empathy, as in she would describe not just caring about other people and being able to read their emotional states but literally feeling the things the people around her felt. this is a common result of the ni/fe combo, and the reason why andrew is definitely not infj. tertiary fi fits very well instead because andrew is deeply attuned to his own inner emotional state. he’s self-confident and doesn’t care about other people’s perception of him, but he’s also very concerned with his own feelings and understanding them, even if they’re repressed. he’s also very aware of his physical surroundings, which plays into his deductive ability, although it’s not his focus. that’s low se

kevin: estj (te si ne fi)

kevin is a classic estj. he’s controlling, demanding, and driven. he tries to control the actions of those around him and gets very distressed when things dont run smoothly, as well as having strong feelings about improving efficiency. high te people make great managers. kevin’s whole story arc is about breaking old habits, which is a very si problem. it has to do with trusting and craving memory and familiarity, and explains kevins need for endless repetition. he’s innovative, though, coming up with new strategies and drills (ne), it’s just based on what’s already familiar, and you can see him spiral into creating all possible worst-case scenarios when he’s stressed (low ne stress reaction, they like to be prepared). finally, he’s a dick, but he cares about other people and wants to improve their lives, as well as being very reliant on other people’s perceptions of him to define his own self-image (low fe)

dan: esfj (fe si ne ti)

dan’s top priority, over everything else, is her team. she wants her team to improve, she wants her team to win, she wants her team to work together. it’s all about the collective. we also see that she’s very open with others and makes a lot of effort to both make new ties and maintain old ones, that’s high fe. she’s sentimental and attached to the past too (si)  esp the photo wall, but we also see her very unwilling to let go of the past ie the monsters but eventually willing to change and grow to mend team cohesion (ne). we also see the fight in underlying logic (low ti) with her: she knows the team needs the monsters to cooperate but she cant figure out how to do it

matt: enfj (fe ni se ti)

so enfj’s experience infj hyper-empathy too, but to a slightly lesser extent (primary fe is more group cohesion, secondary fe is more understanding others), and through this we see matt’s easy-going open friendliness and ability to befriend even prickly little neil, because he has an extremely good sense of what other people are feeling and need, it also explains why he doesn’t hold a grudge against the cousins in the same way dan does, because he understands where they were coming from. se is associated with a general boisterousness for life, as it’s about experiencing the world around you, which explains matt’s happy-go-lucky disposition and puppydog behavior. the ti aspects mostly go into supporting fe/ni empathic senses

allison: entj (te ni se fi)

i mean, allison’s controlling, both in that she orders other people around and in that her physical being and space are very planned and organized (her clothes, her hair, her makeup, etc) but at the same time there isn’t much sentimentality to her, like how she doesn’t care when her car was destroyed. she easily replaces things because she cares about the object’s purpose, not its history and that all smacks of high te/ni. and i mean, the se definitely contributes to her love of designer things and killer looks, because she cares about the world immediately around her, and why live if not in luxury? and fi? is there any character more aggressively self-confident than allison reynolds?? going against her parents’ wishes for her takes a really strong, independent sense of self, but we also see the problems that can come from not worrying about other people, in how she starts fights and can be abrasive and catty

renee: infp (fi ne si te)

okay this one was really hard tbh. a list of other considerations: isfp, istp, and infj. it’s very easy to read renee as high fe because she’s kind, but i think it’s a mischaracteration of why she’s kind. it’s not because it comes naturally to her, it’s because it’s a conscious choice that makes her feel better about herself. high fi people often read as fe because they’re so comfortable with themselves and in tune with their own needs that they can then go and provide for others. i associate her religion with ne, because contemplation and acceptance of the divine later in life is a very metaphysical undertaking that undoubtedly requires a lot of abstract thought. renee’s storyline also revolves a lot around using things from her past and putting a conscious effort into leaving things from her past behind (how she still uses the skills she learned from her past in new ways ie sparring with andrew and protecting the upperclassmen v/s how she held on to her knives even when she knew it was detrimental to her moving on) this sounds like si. her protective instincts also feed into the te need for order, but it’s a looser leash than say andrew, as it’s lower on her function stack but still present

nicky: esfp (se fi te ni)

godd nicky is like a prototypical esfp. i mean nicholas “sex, drugs, and parties” hemmick cant be anything but se dominant. nicky is all about living it up and living in the moment. like he’s sporadic and ive seen it lead people to think he could be enfp but he doesn’t think enough about the meaning of things to be ne dominant (like how he makes somewhat predatory jokes and such, he’s all about the here-and-now while ne is about the past and future simultaneously). also he of all characters has incredibly prominent fi, as his whole character is about living unashamedly as himself as a gay man and the immense self-awareness and inner strength it takes not only to come out to unaccepting parents but also to leave and start a new life when they rejected him. however, fi is also indicative of his communication problems with his family, as he’s unable to tell that the cousins are fundamentally different from him in their needs and boundaries, leading him to pushing them, making them uncomfortable, and being unable to help them, because he’s unable to understand them. the rest are much more hidden, but a party boy shopaholic like nicky would probably need some amount of te order in like an organized chaos fashion (and he’s often headcanoned as liking to throw parties) and you do see him become somewhat pushy, even controlling in those scenarios. ni is the hardest but could maybe be seen in how he’s attuned to the cousins reactions for all that he cant predict them/doesn’t do anything on his own part to prevent them (the way he handles andrew is like if someone poked a rattlesnake knowing damn well what it would do and then freaked out when he got bit)

aaron: istj (si te fi ne)

im a little iffy on this one and worry it might be an analysis based on his trauma instead of complimentary to it, but aaron’s arc is about breaking out of his habit of holding on to the past. he refuses to work towards moving on from his mother’s death, refuses to listen to things that contradict his preconceived notions, and refuses to make changes in his life that could improve it. that’s unhealthy si. he’s really a very unhealthy istj, and most of his traits manifest through his unhappiness with his life. take his te. that would imply that he needs control over his surroundings, but aaron is incredibly bitter and unhappy BECAUSE he doesn’t have control of his surroundings. he doesn’t get to make his own choices, he doesn’t get to control his space, and he hates it. his relationship with katelyn is also indicative of being an istj. it’s stable, not a passionate fling, but aaron is mocked for wanting that white picket fence, married with kids in the suburbs kind of life, and his relationship, which is his primary source of happiness, is built on stability, which is a very si thing to do. in terms of fi, it is aaron that ultimately forces change between himself and andrew. he may have been pushed but he ultimately came down to him knowing what made him happy and what made him miserable and acting on that. also, he’s an ornery asshole who clearly doesn’t care what other people think of him. fi. i dont really have anything to say in terms of ne, probably because he’s so unhealthy but also because he’s not too explored. heyy istj’s make great doctors

wymack: isfj (si fe ti ne)

okay this one was genuinely the hardest to decide on but ultimately i came to the conclusion that wymack, much like renee, is such a developed person that he loses many defining traits of the functions, and can be read in many different ways. so: wymack’s primary goal is the safety and betterment of other people (ie his team). he wants to help people overcome their pasts, which is a very atypical approach to si, but is si nonetheless. on a personal level, too, he’s never able to move on from people, and specifically never moved on from kayleigh,  continuing their shared dream of an exy team for abused kids long after her death. as ive said before, fe in a secondary position is about deep understanding of other people, and wymack’s ability to understand what other people are struggling through is legendary. the ti mostly serves as support to the fe, serving as the analytical backup in allowing him to understand others. as for ne: he is most definitely an innovator with unusual ideas, or the foxes wouldn’t exist

riko: estp (se ti fe ni)

riko is basically what happens when an estp goes bad down to the core. he’s obsessed with personal glory and immediate self-fulfillment (se) he has no impulse control or fear of consequences. interestingly, high se is often associated with athleticism, because high se people are intensly focused on their surroundings (exy). his ti is also super unhealthy as he gets obsessed with ideas that dont really work with objective reality, like his obsession with ownership and power dynamics despite them not actually being efficient, even backwards. the tertiary fe he uses to manipulate. he doesn’t empathize with others, but he can tell their emotional state and what’s important to them, and uses it to coerce them and destroy their sense of self, like how he knew he could get neil to the nest by threatening andrew. EDIT: /additionally, fe people especially in the lower half of the function stack tend to derive their sense of self from the perceptions of others around them, which riko very much shows in how he needs to be acknowledged as the best and won’t allow any competition for his title, as well as his desperation for acknowledgement from his family/. finally, that ni allowed him to keep multiple plans in place focused on one ultimate goal: getting kevin back. the sheer amount of schemes he sets up in order to fool and push people the way he wants is honestly kinda impressive, but he’s a toxic shithead and im glad he’s rotting. definitely not representative of all estp’s

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this is honestly SO funny to read back a few years later bc HOOOOO boy was i way too into this stuff. and this was written a couple years after my Peak MBTI Obsession, which was honestly scary

[bestworstcase]

farran rereads lost lagoon: chapters 5-6

- mixed feelings about eugene’s first impressions of cassandra here. on the one hand, she did make a snide remark about him being a thief, which must sting when he’s already making an active attempt at self-improvement and attending classes in criminal justice. this isn’t tts eugene - who spends 6-7 months loafing around the palace basking in luxury until cass drags him for being self-absorbed and lazy. this eugene has a work ethic and seems to feel some actual responsibility regarding his new role as rapunzel’s consort. it’s not fair for cass to make a snap judgment about him based on his past and decide to be rude to him because of it.

on the other hand… he and rapunzel did just barge into her space against her will and her subsequent prickliness was reasonable, which eugene doesn’t seem to have any awareness of. and taking into consideration the likelihood that this cass is supposed to be about 17 while eugene is an established adult, that isn’t a fun vibe.

- sort of amused by the role reversal of eugene, in the licensed fanfic cassunzel s1 au, is the one who introduces rapunzel to the library. i guess the key to unlocking rapunzel’s romance option is to not show her the books. but also, why is eugene the one showing her around lol

- did he steal from the coronan palace so much that he just knows where everything is

- the dialogue in this chapter is… hm

“You can take these books back to your room if you want,” Eugene said.

“I can?” I said, staring at the stocked shelves around me.

“I think I’ll open a window,” Eugene said. “It’s a little musty in here.”

like what’s going on here? is this a dialogue bug introduced by spot editing that didn’t get patched before publishing? does eugene have adhd? is this a romance novel™ thing to demonstrate that while eugene and rapunzel talk to each other plenty they’re not on the same wavelength to such an extent that raps asks a question and eugene responds with a complete non-sequitur, which will be contrasted with how completely rapunzel and cass ‘click’ together later? hello?

- one point in favor of the romance novel™ theory is that immediately after this eugene conks out instead of sharing in rapunzel’s discovery and exploration of the library and it is implied he is having a fun flynn rider dream ie he’s lost in his own fantasies and oblivious to rapunzel’s. symbolism!

- anyhoo, this is when the plot device of the ‘lost lagoon’ book of poems turns up. i will say that, having spent the better part of my teen years working in an actual library, it beggars belief to say that a book got shoved behind other books in a popular section (sports) by mistake and got left that way for so long that dust blooms out of it when it’s finally cracked open again; likewise, anyone who attempted to intentionally hide the book this way is an idiot. my dude, you are in a palace riddled with secret passageways. maybe hide the secret book there?

like it’s not even well-hidden. rapunzel pulls out one (1) book from the sports section and immediately spots it. which also just feels dumb. like… there’s a million other ways this book could have been hidden. inside another book would have been more believable. rapunzel rips a bone-dry book of census records off the top shelf because she’s insatiably curious about corona’s people and surprise! it’s got this slim little book of poetry crammed inside it. like ??? i know it’s juv fic but make an effort

- coronans canonically speak english according to this i’m die

- rapunzel hides the book from arianna just… because, and i can’t help but feel this is another case of anxiety written by someone who doesn’t quite get it. she’s ‘just not ready’ to share this book of poems that means absolutely nothing to her yet except that she thought it sounded pretty.

but like. this girl grew up with gothel, who made a habit of belittling her interests, thoughts, feelings, and desires. everything rapunzel had she had because gothel deigned to give it to her, and anything she valued could have been snatched away just as easily. in the film it’s made clear that rapunzel hides pascal’s entire existence from gothel, and while the reason for this isn’t spelled out, it’s clear to me that she was afraid gothel might hurt or get rid of pascal should she learn of his existence. so, like. this is all a recipe for rapunzel having this general anxiety about things being taken for her and with this fear being linked to mother figures it makes sense that arianna would tend to trigger it especially. there is a perfectly obvious, understandable reason for rapunzel to be terrified of sharing anything she found by herself and sees value in or is excited about with her new mom, even if she knows rationally that arianna would never take it from her.

as it is, it really comes across more as an arbitrary plot device to keep the lagoon a cassunzel-only thing.

- there’s a lot of odd characterization decisions in this book but i think rapunzel being resistant and reluctant with regards to the idea of having a human companion is probably the weirdest. ??

- arianna feels like she’s characterized the way a lot of fanworks characterize her, i.e. the authorial mouthpiece who (in the case of cassunzel fic specifically) overtly ships cassunzel and does things to facilitate that relationship. don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to see her doing stuff at all, but… i dunno, i find this brand of arianna doing things just a little wearying. let her just be her own character.

- implication is that arianna and the captain agreed that cass would be rapunzel’s lady-in-waiting, arianna okays this with rapunzel and then tells rapunzel to announce it to cassandra at this public holiday feast. with no prior warning. wow. i think the kindest possible reading here is that the captain has been telling arianna that cass would be delighted and honored to receive this position and arianna assumes he’ll give cass a heads-up as a courtesy beforehand, but that paints the captain in a pretty bad light on account of him lying and essentially manipulating the queen in order to force his teenage daughter to accept this huge responsibility that she vocally does not want. in any case, absolutely nobody involved in this shitshow gives a damn what cass wants.

- lagoon comes in hard with the saporian!cass symbolism l o l. rapunzel reads a saporian poem out loud, not knowing what it means but loving the sounds, while daydreaming about becoming friends with cass.

- arianna seems to genuinely believe cass will be thrilled to have the lady-in-waiting gig sprung on her, which seems to lend credence to the theory that cap has been talking it up as something cass wants. or the intention here is to paint arianna as an out of touch noblewoman, but i don’t think that’s what howland was going for. i don’t know, it’s an odd conversation.

- eugene calls cassandra “sport” lmfao

- lagoon cass has never read a book in her life, apparently

- i don’t want to keep harping on this too much but it keeps leaping off the page at me; cass’s behavior throughout this dinner scene really just bleeds teenagerhood. eugene and rapunzel both make actual stabs at conversation by asking her about things they know she’s interested in, and cass brushes them off/stonewalls them. in tts, on the other hand, cass is actually pretty open to deep conversations with both rapunzel and eugene—it’s just that they never. ask her about herself. eugene goes 6-7 months before he asks cassandra a personal question in cassandra vs eugene, which if i remember right is the only time he asks her a personal question. rapunzel gets very invested very fast in becoming friends with cassandra, but she does it by strong-arming cass into being her partner in a contest, and when cass decides to open up to her it isn’t in response to rapunzel asking her things. the dynamic is totally different.

- actually now that i think about it - lagoon cass feels a lot like the cranky new dreamer version of cass (you know, the flavor of new dream fans who resent cass for ‘being mean’ to eugene, ‘being controlling’ of rapunzel, and ‘stealing’ eugene’s narrative spotlight). this cass is rude, she does come off as a bit spoiled and very bratty, she is nasty to eugene for no good reason, and while i do sympathize with her on the grounds of her evidently being a child i don’t find her to be especially likable or compelling as a character. if cass acted like this in tts i think the cranky new dreamer contingent of the fandom would have a much stronger leg to stand in - especially if she was still supposed to be 22.

like… this:

“So,” Eugene said, distracting me. “What’s it like to be the daughter of the captain of the guard? You obviously have a thing for weapons.”

“So,” I said.

“Have you been training since you were a little kid?” Eugene pressed on. “Do you have friends in the castle?”

“No,” I said. “Who needs friends?”

“Jeez!” Eugene muttered while Rapunzel whispered with the queen. “I don’t need just any icebreaker here, I need a pickax.”

I rolled my eyes.

this is way more interest in cass as a person than eugene shows in tts… like ever. at this point, eugene has met cass ONCE for a few MINUTES and he already knows more about her than he does in cassandra vs eugene, after six or seven months of frequent contact. yet cass scoffs and gives him monosyllabic answers and radiates way more hostility for way less reason than she displays even in tangled before ever after. i think eugene is totally justified in going, yeesh, what’s this kid’s deal?

- rapunzel goes straight from “i’d like you to be my lady-in-waiting” to “you’re my new lady-in-waiting!” without waiting for cass to answer. and i mean, at this point it is a done deal, queen’s orders and all, so i can’t hold this against rapunzel at all. but man, the adults involved in this decision sure aren’t concerned at all about making sure rapunzel learns how boundaries and consent works.

How was I going to train? How was I going to live the life I was born to live?

Fury heated my blood as I stared down the moon.

heh.

i wonder how much howland knew regarding the planned villain arc, because on the one hand lines like this are drenched in foreshadowing, and she’s done a much better job establishing cassandra’s belief in destiny than tts did. but on the other, had she known about the gothel twist, she would surely have known that cassandra is several years older than rapunzel, and that doesn’t square with how cass… acts.

this is half-remembered hearsay so take it with a grain of salt, but i seem to recall something about cass, in her original conception, being younger than rapunzel (and also aware of her parentage, and secretly villainous all along). could howland have been working from information given to her during the transitional stage between that proto-cass and tts cass? that would explain a lot.

- the last paragraph of 6 is the most effective passage in the book thus far:

This was a decision that had bars around it. I couldn’t protest without falling out of favor with the king and queen, and then there would be no way I’d ever be allowed in the guard. I couldn’t argue my way out of this with my father. A royal assignment was the final word. My fate had been sealed. I fell to my knees and stifled a scream.

[sugar-petals]

18+ Tarot Reading: BTS In Bed

↳ Caro’s Note › decks out for the end of spooktober! here goes a different type of content aka my lil’ hobbyhorse. even if you’re new to tarot or find it quirky, i hope i can interest a curious soul or two. late september i gave in to temptation and pulled 5 cards for yoongi, asking what sexual style he could have. it was so much fun i did it for ot7 & want to share the results with you. besides listing the card names i don’t use tarot-specific terms so anybody can understand. i also scanned the spreads so you can see the imagery i take clues from. ignore that they’re labeled in german, it’s all in english below. enjoy! 

⇢ disclaimer ♡ this is subjective interpretation; there’s no guarantee for precision and things aren’t definite. divination relies on perspective, believing in tarot is a choice. the reading is for entertainment purposes only, all portrayals are fictive/speculative. 

WARNINGS ⚠️ smut ahead, not suited for minors.

↪ kim taehyung

⌈ THREE OF CUPS ⇁ romantically, more parties could be involved than just two. he might meet his partner in autumn. there will be a lot of upbeat and luxurious activity around sex, especially drinking and eating. his partner could feed him delicious fruits for dessert. 

⌈ QUEEN OF PENTACLES ⇁ taehyung likes to be taken care of. sex might go down in the kitchen. his partner likely has the same vintage fashion sense as him, perhaps even more extravagant. taehyung could become shy but his lover will dissolve all doubts. 

⌈ FIVE OF WANDS ⇁ playfights or roughhousing are common, as is copious teasing and making jokes, it’ll be lighthearted. particularly in a group sex setting, this tendency will come out. sex standing up or even one carrying the other might take place.

⌈ QUEEN OF SWORDS ⇁ his lover can be assertive. it could be a battle of the wits. teasing is all good and well, but at one point, it’ll get serious. he’s the type to really enjoy sex in marriage, particularly with female partners (three cards in his pile have women with long veils).  

⌈ THE HIGH PRIESTESS ⇁ sex is intuitive. he’ll be head-in-the-clouds, almost dreamy in the sheets. he prefers to do it at nighttime. taehyung might often find himself indecisive between trying two new things, eventually deliberating to choose either: the more, the merrier. 

↪ park jimin

⌈ JUDGEMENT ⇁ bragging about his partner isn’t rare, as a fan of praise he also loves to praise right back. when jimin has sex, his friends will know. it’s something he can’t hide, deliberately or not. he’ll have a lasting positive reputation for sex and many suitors.

⌈ EIGHT OF WANDS ⇁ toys, toys, toys. also: jimin needs it fast, one position can sometimes suffice. he makes it so good and cuts to the chase, foreplay won’t draw out. drives it home like no other. might get it on with his partner on a plane or in a car, again, speed is key.

⌈ SIX OF SWORDS ⇁ jimin often moves from one kink to the other. he enjoys deep and tireless penetration, can go on for a long time. to him, sensuality is relief and a restart for the next day. might like sex on ships (yachts, sailing boats, cruise liners) or by the water.

⌈ SIX OF CUPS ⇁ jimin can create an almost fairy tale-like life for his partner. he’ll woo them with flowers. he enjoys sex in the countryside and at daytime. there, it will be playful, spontaneous, and often vanilla. it’ll elicit a lot of his innocence and bring both partners great joy.

⌈ QUEEN OF WANDS ⇁ he likes energetic, determined, and bold partners who are social butterflies just like him. summertime is jimin’s favorite season to make love. a vacation in a hot country (i’m getting egypt from the card) will ignite a lot of sensual activity.

↪ kim seokjin

⌈ THE MAGICIAN ⇁ the type to give roses to his partner in a gentlemanly way, but he’ll also be cheeky. loves using many toys at once, particularly at the beginning of a relationship or during foreplay which can get very heated. does multiple rounds, perhaps on a table. 

⌈ FIVE OF CUPS ⇁ cum has to spill over. any play with semen and saliva excites him. it has to be messy. there might be one partner who’s into contortionism. any stimulation of the back is possible, or positions that involve looking at his back in its full glory. 

⌈ PAGE OF SWORDS ⇁ sex is always dynamic, jin likes quickies. things are guaranteed to rarely stagnate, he keeps it all moving. sometimes, he might enjoy engaging in a one-night-stand via online services, or meet a permanent sexual partner through a respective app. 

⌈ THE HERMIT ⇁ might masturbate a lot in the evening when he has time for himself in a dark room. even if sex is frequent, there will be days to recharge. jin loves cooling off after pleasing his lover. the card also tells me that he’s got a long dick that he knows how to use.

⌈ EIGHT OF PENTACLES ⇁ could meet his partner at work. sex means business. puts effort into all things intimate. fucks good, can really make a nailing save the afternoon. like jimin, jin might have an affinity for sex in rural areas. it could happen on vacation close to a village. 

↪ min yoongi

⌈ THE EMPRESS ⇁ scent and taste are important to yoongi. he’ll set up a lot of pillows, candles, cook nice food and bake. he likes a person who’s really feeling themselves. always winds up with calm, and dignified partners who have a lot to offer and a ton of sex appeal.

⌈ NINE OF WANDS ⇁ big on defining boundaries and fairness. resilient lover. likes rough sex/playing hide and seek with his partner as a form of foreplay. a hunter or huntress-prey dynamic might be part of his repertoire, although he might be hesitant to suggest it. 

⌈ ACE OF WANDS ⇁ yoongi is potent. the guy can keep his cock hard for you. no issues with staying power. enjoys handjobs and primal sex to the max, has a lot of semen for his partner. any penetration is going to end up refreshing and fiery. prone to morning wood. 

⌈ TEN OF SWORDS ⇁ he wants to be pinned down, wrestled, defeated. penetration by several men or toys is possible. he likes doing anal. a position that will occur often is prone bone. sex might take place during late dawn. yoongi also loves to fuck during thunderstorms.

⌈ SIX OF PENTACLES ⇁ a giver, but also knows how to appreciate being pleased on the other hand. one partner will be kneeling or begging, with the dominant party being jovial to the submissive. sex wrapped in blankets might take place, in that case, a third party joins. 

↪ jung hoseok

⌈ PAGE OF CUPS ⇁ hoseok likes to get it on in the shower, bathtub, the sea, or a pool. hoseok admires his partner, there will be a lot of body worship involved. he is curious about a variety of kinks and is likely very creative with postions. his partner will never be bored.

⌈ TEN OF WANDS ⇁ unafraid of strenous romps. he’ll mobilize all his endurance to please. especially after a long day, he’s still ready to give his lover everything. nobody has to worry about not being satisfied, there will be release. hobi is responsible, especially with protection.

⌈ KING OF CUPS ⇁ he knows how to make sex and relationships work out like a pro. loves to make his partner hot and bothered, dripping wet. hoseok is the number one guy to splurge on lube and vibrators. will fancy wearing necklaces or other jewelry during sex. 

⌈ TWO OF SWORDS ⇁ he’s a big fan of orgasm denial, giving or receiving is possible. there might be blindfolding involved, or one orders the other to stay completely still while pleasing them. hoseok likes to have sex sitting up, particularly on a chair. 

⌈ NINE OF SWORDS ⇁ hobi will dream about making love a lot. waking up in the middle of the night and going down on each other won’t be a rare occasion, especially when either partner is stressed. sex in pjs happens often. loves to have his face cupped and fondled. 

↪ kim namjoon

⌈ FOUR OF SWORDS ⇁ a part of him needs to rationalize sexuality, rm takes time to retreat and think things over in silence every now and then. as far as positions are concerned: he’ll be on his back a lot of times. it’s the most comfortable to him. might enjoy erotic art on the walls. 

⌈ WHEEL OF FORTUNE ⇁ sexting is a huge forte. also, he might read erotic books or know a lot about sex in mythology. he tends not to initiate, things develop naturally— namjoon’s appearance and charisma bring it all to him, he doesn’t have to crook a single finger. 

⌈ THREE OF PENTACLES ⇁ joon will do a lot of planning around sex. he might write down a list with kinks to try. there might be an old and sophisticated building involved, or sex on a bench. clothed sex could be his thing, dry humping, threesomes, making out in the dark. 

⌈ FOUR OF CUPS ⇁ has sensual daydreams, could be oblivious to actual advances. masturbates a lot. again, there’s a connection to nature, intimacy outside might take place. likes to be woken up by his partner’s hands gripping him. sleepy sex is frequent.

⌈ EIGHT OF CUPS ⇁ there’s a certain calm to his style. escapism is a frequent topic, sex brings him to a different time and place. he likes to fuck with the moonlight coming through the window (yes, the tarot knows he’s a moonchild), or when he hikes with his significant other.   

↪ jeon jungkook

⌈ KING OF SWORDS ⇁ jk might enjoy giving or receiving butterfly kisses. he is confident and smart with sex, or enjoys someone who embodies these qualities. intercourse is something he takes seriously and likes to be 100% clear about what he wants to do. 

⌈ ACE OF PENTACLES ⇁ big on stroking, caressing, tickling, mutual masturbation. hands are so, so important. all things lavish in the bedroom are great. he is very keen to establish a constant in his life that involves regular sex. hasn’t to be asked twice, he takes chances. 

⌈ THE SUN ⇁ jungkook craves harmony and romance in bed. smiling is important during sex. physical contact brings him tremendous happiness, jungkook is carefree when he’s naked. might enjoy warm places for sex, maybe a sauna or hidden garden. favorite position: riding.

⌈ DEATH ⇁ meeting a sexual partner wil reprogram his entire life. it’ll be like rebirth. jungkook will stop at nothing to create a good time and discard a lot of old habits that get in the way. because he’s a keeper. sex isn’t just sex, his partner will impact him greatly. 

⌈ TEN OF PENTACLES ⇁ spends generous amounts of money on intimate activities. it’ll be the good life, making love is wholesome. all erotic things can easily be discussed in relaxed, domestic settings. will be sexually active for a long time in life.

× end note feel free to ask any questions 👋 the deck i used is the classic rider-waite one, no card reversals. i might do a post like this in the future should i pull another relevant reading. if you’d like to learn tarot yourself or want an overview of the cards, i can link you resources, just give me a quick shout. 

[multishipperlove]

Prompt #13 with Caleb and Essek (romantic) please?

(Certainly, Anon! This, uh, got a lot longer than expected. Also there’s not much actual sleeping going on, but the phrase is in there so it defintiely counts! xD Hope you enjoy it!)

Itwas the first time Caleb was back at Essek's house since they triedto give Nott her halfling form back, and- it felt weird. Notnecessarily because of what had happened, that wasn't it. It feltweird because he was alone this time, no one there to distract him orinterject if a conversation got awkward. When he had left theXhorhaus he'd thought it would be nice, but now, actually standing infront of the imposing house of their closest contact in Xhorhas, hewas suddenly nervous.

Essekhad send a message to Jester earlier, asking if Caleb would like tocome over in the evening for another dunamancy lesson. Or at leastCaleb was sure that's what the message had actually been, he didn'tquite believe Jester that Essek had invited him for “a super hotdate no really I swear”.

Witha soft sigh he finally knocked, and it didn't take long before heheard footsteps approaching (and wasn't that an interesting sign allby itself) and the door opened. Essek greeted him with a gentlesmile, quickly inviting him inside. “Ah, I am glad you could makeit. My apologies for the rather short notice, but something in myschedule cleared up and I was sure you would appreciate theopportunity.”

“Certainly!”Caleb assured him quickly, leaving his coat at the door as hefollowed Essek inside. “And no apologies needed, I'm glad you wouldhave me.”

“Always,”the drow replied, still smiling. Caleb wasn't sure what to make ofthat reply. “Jester did not mention if you had eaten yet, so I didprepare something. But you might remember from the last time, mycooking skills are not exactly... well, let's just say I have othertalents.”

Calebchuckled, having to admit that he rather enjoyed the blush that creptover Essek's face at his reaction. But he quickly tried to put thedrow at ease again. “Do not worry, I admit that Caduceus' cookinghas spoiled me a bit, but I'm far from picky. But I actually did eatalready, your message came right as we finished dinner.”

“Let'stake it upstairs then, just in case the lesson takes longer thanexpected. I wouldn't want you to get hungry while we work.”

“Certainly,”Caleb replied gently, slightly amused that the blush was stillrefusing to leave Essek's face. It was kind of endearing.

Aftera brief stop by the kitchen, where Essek did indeed pick up the foodhe had prepared (and part of Caleb could have sworn he recognized therecipe, but surely there was no way someone in Xhorhas could accessthat specific variety of Zemnian turnips, so he ignored it), theymade their way upstairs.

Oncethey were in Essek's tower though, the food was quickly forgotten.Between new spells and long-winding discussions of theoretical magic,the pros and cons of spell components versus a spell focus, and allthe other intricacies that Caleb hadn't gotten to ponder over withanyone else in so long, time flew by.  

Beforehe knew it, it was way past midnight, and his lack of sleep over thelast few days caught up with him all at once. Essek was still tellinghim about the first spell he had tweaked by himself, after they hadsomehow landed on the topic of Caleb's modified cat's cradle, whenthe human felt his eyes shutting down on their own accord.

Hebarely stifled a yawn and tried to focus his attention back on Essek,but it wasn't really working. And Essek seemed to notice. “Everythingalright, Caleb?” he asked, his voice surprisingly gentle. “Shouldwe maybe pick this up another time?”

“Hmm,maybe,” Caleb mumbled, running a hand down his face. “I'm reallysorry, I would love to continue this. But I shouldn't ignore mybody's desire for sleep.”

“I'msure your line of work forces you to do so often enough, get somesleep while you can,” Essek assured him, getting to his feet andoffering Caleb a hand to do the same. “Rest assured, I am notoffended.”

Calebtook the offered help and followed him out of the room, though somepart of him desperately wanted to stay longer. It was foolish,though, and Essek was right. They didn't have any world ending threathanging above them at the moment, and he really should use that timeto catch up on sleep. Surely, this wouldn't be his last opportunityto talk with Essek more privately.

Justas he was thinking about that, he stumbled, his feet missing one ofthe steps in front of him and sending him tumbling down. He wouldhave gone ass over teakettle if not for Essek's quick reflexes, soinstead of splitting his head open somewhere on the marble staircase,he suddenly found himself suspended in air. Frozen.

Hehung there for a second, before Essek caught up with his unfortunateform and, gently, carefully, helped him back into a standing positionbefore ending whatever spell he'd just used.

Calebwas the one to blush this time, a deep crimson red as he stammeredout an apology for his careless misstep. But Essek just placed hishand against Caleb's cheek, giving him a worried look as he searchedthe human's face for... something.

“Areyou alright?” he asked.

“I-yes, I'm alright. Thanks to you, most likely,” Caleb muttered,still mortified. “I wasn't paying attention, that's just... youknow, being tired.”

“Iactually don't know,” Essek chuckled, lowering his hand again butstill giving Caleb that look. “I know exhaustion, and fatigue, butI fear I have never been tired in the same sense as you have been.”

“Right.Drow don't sleep, I tend to forget that,” Caleb replied, smilingagain as well. And Pelor, Essek was still so close to him. Why was heso close.

“Isuppose not, a few hours of meditation are usually enough to keep usfunctioning,” Essek agreed, and to Caleb's surprise he took him bythe hand and started to tug him towards a corridor that he hadn'tseen before. “I do, however, keep a bed around, if for nothing elsethan the comfort it brings. And with the state you seem to be in, Iwould feel bad sending you all the way back home if you can justsleep here.”

“I-wait, what? Essek, I can't possibly accept that,” Caleb stammered,watching as Essek opened one of the doors with a quickly mutteredspell, and revealed a small bedroom in front of them. It wasn't much,but it was certainly nice. The bed looked comfortable, with a thickquilt on top and what looked like silken sheets. Certainly an item ofluxury for someone who didn't require it.

Besidethe bed was a night stand with a candle and some books stacked up onone side, leaving no doubt that Essek, too, spend some of his nightsrestless, meditating or not. It was a strangely comforting thought.

Still,he couldn't- it was ridiculous. He didn't need to sleep here. “Essek,my house is only a few minutes up the road. I will be fine, I swear.”

“Well,I can certainly not force you,” the drow sighed. And was that ahint of regret in his voice? Not quite regret, but there wassomething akin to sorrow. “Consider it, at least. I would feel alot better if- well, if I knew you were save.”

“Icould always ask Jester to send a message once I get back.”

“Surelyshe is asleep by now.”

Calebdoubted it. The way she had acted when he'd left, she was waiting upfor him, hoping for some kind of gossip. Not that she would believehim either way if he told her that all the two of them had beendoing, had been poring over spell books for hours.

Actually,that made him think. Maybe, just maybe, it would be worth it to keepher and the others waiting for the night. If nothing else, he wouldbe able to lean back with a smug smile while they all tried to getsome kind of information out of him.

“Youknow what,” he finally said, “Maybe this is a good idea afterall. If you are sure that I'm not imposing on you, of course. Are youabsolutely sure you're okay with me staying?”

“Iwouldn't have offered it otherwise,” Essek assured him. “Please,get comfortable. Do you need anything, clothes, perhaps?”

“Iwill be fine for one night,” Caleb sighed, content with sleeping inhis smallclothes for once. Honestly, he was too tired to really care.“Do you, uh- I mean, it is still your chamber. Would you like tostay?”

“Stay?”

Calebcould have sworn Essek's eyes went wide for a second. “Just, youknow, for meditation,” he clarified quickly, seeing his own blushmirrored on Essek's face, and he briefly wondered if this had been abad decision after all. Somehow, they didn't seem to be able to havea proper conversation without making it awkward.

Buthe didn't want to change his mind again either, a bit worried that itwould hurt the drow's feelings.

“I-suppose I could,” Essek mumbled, averting his gaze now. “Itcertainly couldn't hurt, the last few days have been hard on me aswell. But I can do that somewhere else if it makes youuncomfortable.”

“Please,it's your house,” Caleb insisted again, maybe a bit too quickly.

Sothey ended up sharing the room for the night. Caleb tucked under thecovers, in only his boxer shorts and a linen shirt, and Essek sittingrigidly on a chair against the wall, still fully dressed. Caleb had afeeling they were both slightly uncomfortable with the situation, butsomehow had talked their way into this in a mix of forced politeness,insecurity, and social obligation.

Still,somehow, Caleb fell asleep rather quickly. In less than two minuteshe was fully asleep, completely oblivious to anything around him.

Asalways in Xhorhas, it wasn't the sun that woke him up. Rather hisintrinsic knowledge of time, and yet he still woke up much later thanhe usually would have. As he slowly blinked awake, taking in hissurroundings again, he realized with a sudden start where he was.

Carefullylooking around, he could see Essek, still on his chair but looking alot more relaxed now and with a book in his lap. As if he knew thathe was being watched, he looked up as well, briefly catching Caleb'eyes.

“Hey,”he greeted him softly. “You are awake again. How do you feel?”

“Honestly,sleeping with you was the best sleep I've gotten in years,” Calebmuttered, rubbing his eyes as he sat up properly. His brain seemed tocatch up with his mouth one second later.

“Imean- God, that's wasn't- I didn't want to imply-” he started tostammer again, awfully close to panicking, when Essek just- startedto laugh. And sure, he'd seen the drow smile before, even chuckle afew times, but this was different. It seemed to come straight fromhis belly, and he even threw his head back slightly, somehow avoidinghitting the wall.

Itfinally slowed down to a chuckle again, and Essek gave him a lookthat Caleb could only describe as fond. “Don't worry, I do no takeoffence. It seems you are not really awake yet.”

“Sure,let's use that as an excuse,” Caleb mumbled, not able to keep asmile off his face either. “You look like you've been awake for abit longer. Did I keep you here?”

“Notat all, I was quite enjoying it actually,” Essek assured him,finally placing his book aside. “I took the liberty to inform yourfriends that you are safe, by the way, I hope you do not mind. ThoughI certainly got an interesting reaction.”

“Ohno. Who did you message?” Caleb groaned.

“Jester,”he got the amused reply. “And all I got in return was screaming, Ithink. Or at least I wasn't able to make out any words, but she wascertainly cut off at some point. Just to prepare you for what youmight be returning home to.”

“Ihad a feeling it would end like that,” he muttered, falling backagainst the mattress again. He was just so comfortable right now. Andhe kind of didn't want to leave. “Before I do that, how about youinvite me to breakfast?” Feeling like that might have been a littlebit too bold, he quickly backpaddled again. “Unless you havesomething you need to take care of, of course. I can see myself out.”

“Don'tbe ridiculous, of course you are invited for breakfast.”

Hesmiled slightly and nodded, righting himself again, and for a moment,they just sat there in silence. Neither of them made a move toactually get up. Until Essek eventually moved from the chair to hisbed, getting a lot closer to Caleb. He reached for the human's hand,and the Caleb could feel his heart rate picking up.

“Ihave to admit,” Essek started, voice gentle again, “it's beenquite a while since I took this much time for myself. It is... nice.It was even nicer to spend it with you, actually. And I do apologiseif that sounds creepy.”

“No,not at all,” Caleb assured him quietly, his gaze flitting down fromEssek's eyes to his lips, just for a second. So awfully close. “Iwas thinking the same.”

“Well,then, when you leave today, would you maybe be interested in joiningme again some other night?” His voice was nothing more than awhisper now, and just like Caleb a moment ago, he was avoiding eyecontact.

Calebhesitated for a second. Instead of answering he carefully movedcloser still, until their lips were almost touching, and with a lastlook at the drow's eyes, and the tiniest nod he received in response,he closed the distance between them completely.

[coasamt]

Ghost/Roach for the ship headcanon meme 👉👈😳

Holy shit- I didn't think someone would really ask me this 😂😂 But here we go, I guess:

Ship headcanon meme: Simon "Ghost" Riley/Gary "Roach" Sanderson Edition

1. Who makes the first move and how?

Tbh I think Roach would make the first move...but subtly. Like, he knows that Ghost is a bit detached from everyone else and only gives concise response when he's being asked about something. So Roach kinda tried to get to know Ghost first (his feelings are genuine, I swear, he really admires Ghost; kinda why he wants to know about the lieutenant more and apparently it grows into something completely different). Roach would occasionally greet Ghost when they cross each other's path, sometimes he'd sit with Ghost on the mess hall during lunch or dinner (with Ghost's permission ofc).

2. Who is the most insecure and what makes them feel better?

I'd say Ghost is the most insecure? He's not sure whether he's the right someone for Roach because he's afraid he'd be like his damned father–afraid that he'd do nasty things to Roach and all. All he needs is for Roach to be there, either holding his hand or embracing him as Roach tells him that Ghost is not like his father (which is wbk it's true btw). We know Ghost wouldn't talk about his feelings much so Roach would have to kinda pry on it a little. No force though.

3. Who is the most romantic?

Ghost ftw!!! I mean, look!!!! He's super compassionate when it comes to the people he loves! I'm sure as heck he'd try his best to spoil Roach on special occasion, or just giving small gestures like rubbing Roach's arm when the younger's anxious before an op, etc etc. There's too many in my head and I can't write it all here so just come to my DM if you'd like to discuss about this, Anon-san ❤️

4. Who can’t keep their hands to themselves?

I'D SAY BOTH, AHAHA. I MEAN, Ghost likes the feel of Roach's presence and when they're standing or sitting side by side, Ghost would probably give small touches to Roach like gently patting his thigh (no intended meaning, I swear 😂), patting his head, patting his back, and so on–just gentle innocent touch like that when on public; Roach would kinda do same thing dgshhdj bet he'd deliberately brush their fingers or smth and then giggles out of it–he'd also give light pat on Ghost's back as a gesture of "good luck today" every single morning just before they start the PT.

When in private 🌚, wbk their hands would freely roam each other's body. Ghost likes to learn about his partner more, and Roach really admire how Ghost's body is defined (in conclusion: muscles 👀 /SLAPPED).

5. Who says ‘I love you’ first?

Would be Roach, honestly. He's the one who's able to identify what he feels. Ghost is rather uncertain of what he was feeling until Roach say the L word first 😳.

6. Who would they ask if they ever had a threesome?

Ghost and Roach: Threesome? Never heard of that.

(Ofc they know, they just don't like to share 🌚).

7. What do they get up to on a night out?

Either they visit a cafe and talk all night long there until the cafe is about to close, or they visit a local park and just sit there, enjoying the breeze while catching up on things 😳

8. What do they like in bed?

Both like spooning tbh, with our Ghost here as the big spoon. Sometimes, they'd just lie on bed facing each other, staring at each other's face and tell themselves that this is real, that they're here together, that they're alive and loved, and that this is more than enough.

Also, hot make out session 🌚

9. What is the most embarrassing thing they have done in front of each other?

For Roach it would be him slipping on his feet when he's on his way to Ghost and fall face first on the mud after PT just outside the base 😂

For Ghost, it would be him having a slip of tongue when he talks with Roach because his mind is elsewhere. Like when they're in the middle of discussing their next mission in the rec room when Ghost was exhausted and Roach said "don't forget to bring the additional ammo/equipment", Ghost would accidentally say "yeah, I'll bring the pillow" , then fell silent, before the silence was broken by Roach's laughter 😂

10. What two songs, two books and two luxury items do they take to a desert island?

Roach:

Songs: Not Ready to Die - Avenged Sevenfold; M.I.A. - Avenged Sevenfold. These are pretty much his jam.

Books: Would be a book about survival and a book about plants/animal that can be eaten.

Luxury items: his cot and a pair of fresh clothes.

Ghost:

Songs: No Destination - Hoobastank; War - Poets of the Fall. Kinda represents himself and is his comfort songs (probably).

Books: The Life and Adventure of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, and a book about survival.

Luxury items: his cot and a compass

As long as it's useful for them, those items are luxurious 👌🏻

11. What do they hide from one another?

I don't think Roach would hide anything; he's pretty much an open book, wouldn't be able to hide something from Ghost anyway. As for Ghost, maybe he'd hide his feelings when he's uncertain about what he feels (if this counted). Other than that, Ghost doesn't have anything to hide from Roach; he doesn't really like to lie to his s/o unless he really has to (for urgent matters).

12. What first changes when it starts getting serious?

It's about the relationship right? I think what changes first would be how both Ghost and Roach even more aware of their fear of losing each other. Military life is full of unexpected deaths, so...that's pretty much it.

13. When do they realise they should get together?

I think it's some time after Loose End event, during their recovery times. And yes, they're alive. No one can tell me otherwise.

14. When one has a cold, what does the other do?

Ghost would tell Roach to just rest on bed, preparing the meds and food, then left him to finish things at the house. If they're on base, Ghost would visit Roach's room to tale him to the med bay before escorting Roach back to his room, then he'd bring his meds and meals.

Roach would pretty much do the same as Ghost. He'd bring Ghost his meals and meds, and leave to finish things around the house before getting back to accompany him.

15. When they watch a film what do they choose and why? Who gets the final vote?

Ghost would choose zombie apocalypse kind of movie (like World War Z) and Roach would choose military action (like Black Hawk Down, etc). They don't really watch romantic/drama/romcom movies unless it really catch their interests. Roach would get the final vote because he's surprisingly good at rock-scissors-paper HAHA

16. When the zombie apocalypse comes, how do they cope together?

Just like how they always do during mission, I guess? They'd professionally cope to find a settlement first, watching each other's back, remain alert and all. Once they find a good settlement for the night, they'd take turn on an overwatch.

17. When they find a time machine, where do they go?

Honestly? They'd go back just before the Loose End mission starts to tell the Ghost and Roach from past to set up a secret plan B and to tell them not to go to the General's chopper.

18. When they fight, how do they make up?

By apologizing tbh. They're not children and mature enough to know where they did wrong and they'd have a talk about that matter like just like how adult supposed to do before apologizing to each other.

19. Where do they go on their first date?

Roach's favorite cake shop 😳😳 Ghost wants to witness how his bug eats his favorite cake...and he'd take picture of it and keep it on his phone dhsjsjdk.

20. Where do they go on holiday?

They'd go and hike a mountain and have a camp night out there, or to a unvisited lake/forest. They like to spend time in nature.

21. Where do they get nervous about going with one another?

This question is really confusing tbh 😭😂 But hopefully I don't answer it wrong:

Roach is quite nervous when he's engrossed in something he found interesting in front of Ghost since he'd go "Ohh!! That's cool!! How could that happen??"–it's like he behaves like a curious child and he's just afraid that Ghost would find that annoying (hint: Roach is just easy to amuse :9).

As for Ghost... I don't think he'd be nervous about himself in front of Roach. He's a confident bastard lmao. If being nervous about how he'd look vulnerable in front of Roach counts, then that's probably it.

22. Where does their first kiss happen?

In the armory, just after they finished cleaning their weapons on a nice evening. This takes time probably a few days after Roach confessed to Ghost and vice versa 😳

23. Where is their favourite place to be together?

Back on the base, their favorite time to be together would be just outside the barracks; it's quiet out there especially on the evening. They like to just be there, standing or sitting next to each other while talking about things.

Outside the base, it would be the local park. At house, their bedroom is just the ultimate favorite place for them to be together 😳

24. Where do they first have sex?

At the base's shower room honestly. Takes a few days after their first kiss, it was after training and they both just happened to be the only ones in the shower room since the others scrambled to their rooms right away aha-

25. Why do they fight?

Usually it's because out of concerns towards each other's safety and well-being, like when Roach did something risky during a mission and vice versa. They don't fight much, but then they do it's because of this kind of thing.

26. Why do they need to have a serious chat?

Because they need to get things straight such as after they're fighting, or to discuss something that would lead their life to a completely different level or to discuss matters regarding their relationship.

27. Why do their friends get annoyed with them?

Because they're such an ass when it comes to PDA AHAHA; sometimes they're purposely being all lovey dovey in front of their teammates just to see their reactions shsjskjd. Another thing that'd make their teammates annoyed is how oblivious they are towards each others' feelings, I think. 141 boys are so supportive towards each other ok.

28. Why do they get jealous?

They don't usually get jealous, but when they do, it's probably because there's this someone that flirts with their either Ghost or Roach and this someone has crossed the line by either touching their s/o or whatnot,,,, That's when they'd step in.

29. Why do they fall a little bit more in love?

Honesty it's because how attentive and caring they are towards each other...like they just love the fact that their s/o really does care about them. Kinda "action speaks louder than words" thing here. Also, how could they not fall a little bit more in love when every little thing always remind them of their partners 😳

30. Why does it work (or not work) between them?

I believe it works between them because of how they are truly understanding towards each other....and because of how patience Roach is when he has to deal with Ghost's fears and insecurities. They both take it slow, enjoying the ride, not rushing things out. Believe it or not they're that kind of couple who have quite a good communication between them despite how bumpy their road is. (aight what am i talking abt???) They always manage to talk things out and sort things straight (gay) between them.

OK Y'ALL IM DONE. Hopefully this doesn't seem OOC :( Sorry if this turns out super long 😂 Thanks for the ask, dear Anon!

[miraculouscontent]

I can't be the only one who was bothered by the ending of the latest episode. Not the memory wipe thing, that part was obvious. I mean how smug Cat Noir was when he found out he kissed Ladybug. I swear, every time he says he's entitled to ladybug, I just want to punch him in his smug face. There's no way MC Cat Noir would act like this, right?

*deep breath*

I’m sooooo tired of Chat acting like that. I was already lukewarm at the episode (not because it was “bad” or anything; as I stated early, I have a bias against fanservice and memory loss plots), but that ending made me livid.

Chat is so unbearably smug about the whole thing. They just got their memories back and Chat wastes no time in flirting with Ladybug and insisting that they “make a good couple.” Ladybug is clearly annoyed and tells him to stop, but Chat doesn’t even care.

And you know, this honestly isn’t even out-of-character, nor does it take any “mental gymnastics” to understand the mindset here. Chat has been consistently ignorant of Ladybug’s feelings.

“Prime Queen” is easily the best example (though I could’ve thrown “Syren” and “Frozer” in here too). Ladybug keeps insisting that they’re not a couple, but Chat eggs on the idea that they might be. He continuously stays oblivious to the fact that Ladybug is uncomfortable with the personal questions that Nadja is asking, to the point where Ladybug has to drag him out and Chat still doesn’t get what she’s doing. Even after Ladybug makes it clear why she left, Chat brushes her concerns off and acts like they’re TV stars instead of superheroes. He keeps seeing his superhero status as a luxury and not a job.

And, I don’t know, maybe that’s what he sees Ladybug as too: a luxury. He certainly seems to care when Ladybug is about to be eaten alive (”Animan”) or made to not exist (”Timebreaker”), but when she’s implied to have vague problems of her own (”Glaciator”) or has specific emotional problems, Chat disregards it.

In this episode, once he knows that Alya has a picture of them kissing, Chat just stares down Ladybug with a grin, leans forward, touches her face (which is lowkey rude because Ladybug pulled away in discomfort after she realized they were holding hands post-Miraculous Ladybug), and turns her head to a giggling Alya holding up the picture.

Because of course, Alya doesn’t care either. Ladybug said outright that she loved another boy, but Alya either didn’t hear or didn’t care (which she should because that’s a major scoop), instead posting the kiss to the Ladyblog without context.

(By the way, if I may derail for a bit, that is possibly the most stupid thing Alya has ever done. Ladybug isn’t just some superheroine who Alya doesn’t know on some level. Ladybug trusted Alya with the fox miraculous three times, yet Alya risks throwing that all out the window just to get some views on her blog. Ladybug said that she loved someone else and I simply do not believe that neither Alya nor Nino heard that. Even if they didn’t, no one knows if Ladybug has a boyfriend and that picture would put a giant thorn into everything if she did.)

And Chat just... stares in delight, completely unaware of Ladybug’s feelings and even using the opportunity to brag about how they’re completely meant to be (while Ladybug glares at him, I might add).

Ladybug basically said, “I’m not in love with you,” and Chat responded, “Yes you are.”

That’s not right. That’s not respect. That’s ignoring Ladybug’s feelings for what he wants to see.

Speaking of which, I said before that Chat doesn’t care when he’s loitering around battles because Miraculous Ladybug fixes it, but this scene really proves it.

When Ladybug points out that it’s Chat who got them in trouble in the first place, Chat laughs. He thinks it’s funny. He doesn’t take her seriously because any “trouble” that happens is easily remedied by Ladybug’s powers.

And in that respect, yeah, Chat sacrificing himself can really only benefit him. He’s not needed for Miraculous Ladybug, he looks like a perfect self-sacrificing sweetheart to Ladybug, and all is fixed by the end of it anyway. There are no consequences for him throwing himself into danger when is it blatantly not necessary or there’s a much better and much more obvious solution (”Zombiezou” and “Chameleon”).

So, it makes sense, totally, but that does not mean it puts him in a good light.

Not that it would surprise anyone, but I might as well admit it right now: when I saw that kiss, I felt nothing. It was a completely hollow feeling.

These amnesiac characters spent maybe a half hour together before deciding that they’re in love enough to kiss, and… honestly, I get that. They’re emotional teenagers, they’re isolated, and they’re forced to work together to escape. They saw things that made them believe that they were a couple and it made them much more open and convinced of the idea. Aside from their kwami, they only have each other, and the desperation and want to survive keeps them as a duo.

But they don’t know anyone else. They don’t know their parents. They don’t know their own lives. Ladybug can’t remember the stuff Chat has done to her that made her uncomfortable and annoyed.

They only know each other in the vaguest possible sense because any more than that might not lead to a kiss in the end.

Adding onto the kiss specifically, if all the two know is what they’ve seen during the episode, those aren’t grounds for Chat to kiss Ladybug; it’s more the other way around.

They both know that Marinette has pictures of Adrien in her phone, but they were confirmed to not be a couple (or at least not had their identities revealed yet) by Fu. Adrien saw the video where Ladybug yelled loudly about her and Chat not being a couple, yet once Fu explained that they haven’t revealed each other’s identities, he must’ve brushed off any thought of why Ladybug was so adamant about them not being a couple before getting her memory wiped.

It didn’t matter if he could’ve hurt Ladybug as Chat at some point. It didn’t matter what their feelings for each other were pre-Oblivio. All that mattered is that they were “in love” now and Chat wanted his kiss.

He asked permission, certainly, which is much better than Chat’s standard behavior, but I would much rather them reassuring each other that they’d find a way to fall in love again instead of kissing.

The kiss isn’t anything except for a tool to embarrass Marinette. That kiss will only lessen the effect of a potential true non-amnesia kiss at the end of the series. I talked about it with “Gigantitan,” but showing the audience something they wanted to see yet having it be a lie is just a way to lessen the impact when the real moment happens.

To some degree, I get why this episode exists. It’s almost right in the middle of Season 3, which is around the halfway point if the show is stopping at Season 5.

It’s basically the writers going, “Here’s how things would go without the love square,” and also, “We know there’s still a lot of time until an identity reveal, so we’ll release this to tide people over.

But if they need an episode full of fanservice to tide people over, that’s a blatant sign that they know they’re stalling without substance.

A memory loss episode is the easiest way to appease the fanbase, and I can understand why the fanbase would be appeased. The majority of salt typically agrees that almost all of Season 3 is either garbage or lackluster.

So, naturally, when an episode that has shipping value comes out, right when expectations are at their lowest, of course there would be a reaction.

But I didn’t feel anything. I knew where they were going with the constant teases. The second Chat asked for Ladybug’s permission, I knew that something was going to happen. I knew Chat was going to go nuts and ignore Ladybug’s feelings yet again.

That’s just what Chat does. That’s what he’s done consistently, and I can’t support the supposed dynamic between them when it’s not as balanced as Chat thinks it is. I can’t support the canon love square in any capacity when Chat behaves that way and never learns.

And, to refer back to the anon, no, MC Chat Noir would never act like that. He would’ve shaped up by “Prime Queen” and been upset at Alya for taking a photo of something so personal and without context. Even if he had been thrilled that he and Ladybug had kissed, that moment should be private and between only them; it wasn’t for anyone else to see.

But… ugh, it’s not like I planned to write any sort of fanfic, but I honestly am not sure if I could even have the love square be canon to MC stuff, even if it’s different. I’ll give it a few more episodes or wait until the end of the season, but as someone who’s had personal experiences with being confessed to (and who’s had people assume emotions and disregard anything said otherwise), Chat’s behavior makes me so uncomfortable…

[quicksilversquared]

Superhero Lessons

Every superhero needs a nudge or two to keep growing, and Chat Noir is no exception.

In which Master Fu actually mentors and Adrien gets the positive adult guidance that he so sorely needs.

Some people were born natural heroes, while others need to be taught and molded. Some needed to be pushed to act, and others needed to learn restraint. Some were quick on the uptake, while others were slower to learn.

Still, all of them had something in common- they needed occasional nudges in the right direction to make sure that they developed to their full potential.

And it seemed as though Chat Noir perhaps needed some guidance to stay on the right track and let go of some of his less desirable behaviors. Master Fu had had his eyes on the young heroes, and he had been getting concerned about letting the superheroes continue as they were, especially with how Hawkmoth seemed to be getting stronger.

Now was not a good time for the superheroes to trip up. Normally Master Fu would encourage self-discovery and letting the superheroes learn how to better themselves on their own, but they didn't have that luxury with the Butterfly Miraculous out and attacking the city, and with the Peacock also on the supervillain's side. Ladybug and Chat Noir's partnership would have to be flawless with the deck stacked against them- and Master Fu had a nagging suspicion that Chat Noir might need his partner's support before long.

It seemed as though he would have to extend his tutoring beyond strictly Miraculous-related lessons.

"What are you going to cover, Master?" Wayzz asked curiously as Master Fu scribbled out a quick outline of his thoughts. He could feel his kwami settle down on his shoulder. "Helping others? But Chat Noir already does that!"

"Yes, but I want to ease into it. If we start with the things that Adrien struggles with, he might catch on that we're talking about things that he needs to improve on and be more resistant to listening. It is like the frog in a pot of water: if we drop him in at a boil, he will want to jump right back out. If we start at a cool temperature and work our way up, he will stay and listen."

Wayzz giggled. "I've never heard of a frog in a pot of boiling water being a positive thing before."

"Yes, perhaps I could find a better example." Master Fu smiled at his giggling kwami before turning back to his page. "I might have you duck into the school and do a small bit of spying for me. Talk to Plagg, too. I know that he is normally obstinate, but he does care for Chat Noir and will want to see him grow."

"Of course, Master!" Wayzz said at once. "And should I talk to Tikki as well? She might notice different things."

Master Fu didn't even need to think about it. "Yes, that would be wise. She was the one who mentioned her initial concerns to me, after all."

"I can do that tomorrow!" Wayzz promised. Then he glanced towards the door. "But for now, I think you have a customer here, Master."

"Ah, yes. Thank you, Wayzz." Master Fu waved his kwami into hiding and then headed for the door. Before he opened it, he glanced back one more time at his notebook.

He hoped that this would work like he wanted it to. Otherwise, all of Paris could be in trouble.

  Master Fu's meetings with Adrien had moved out of Adrien's house, partly for safety reasons and partly because neither of them much liked being in the mansion. Rather than having Adrien come back to his shop, the two of them met up in a private room in the library.

He had persuaded Adrien's normal Mandarin teacher to do the same, just so Mr. Agreste and his assistant wouldn't be able to track how many times the "substitute" took over the lessons. It made things quite a bit easier.

After all, Master Fu didn't want his friend fired for excessive absences. There would be no easy way for him to meet up with Adrien then.

"Wait, everyday superhero lessons?" Adrien asked as soon as Master Fu had introduced the topic, his brow furrowed. "Not more lessons on Miraculous superheroes and our powers? Wouldn't that be more useful?"

"Being an everyday superhero can diffuse or prevent situations where someone might otherwise get akumatized," Master Fu explained. "Having the knowledge means that you can teach others, and you might even be able to talk an akuma down or prevent reakumatization. Now, when I say everyday superhero, what kinds of actions come to mind?"

Adrien hardly had to think about it before he was off, listing things like listen to other people's problems and cheer people up and help others resolve fights. It was quite a good list, though sometimes a little skimpy on the details.

(Sometimes a lot skimpy on the details.)

No matter. Everyone had to start somewhere, and Adrien certainly had a good base.

The lesson went by smoothly, with the two of them discussing ways to help others in class, in lessons, and on the street. After his initial confusion, Adrien had jumped into the lesson, listening and contributing ideas instead of checking out, as Master Fu had feared he might.

"That went well," Master Fu told Wayzz as they watched Adrien leave. They were going to stick around in the building for a while yet, to ensure that Adrien's caretakers didn't make any connection between Master Fu and Adrien, just in case. "We still have a lesson or two to go before we can get to the lessons that will make a real difference, but he's interested, at least. He's open to listening."

Wayzz nodded. "But we need to balance a careful approach with speed. Tikki has said that there have been a few near-akumatizations with Ladybug, and Chat Noir has been oblivious. Tikki said that if he had acted, it is likely that Ladybug would not have gotten as upset as she did."

Master Fu let out a long breath. "Ladybug had mentioned at least one of those. We may have to switch from taking over one Mandarin lesson a week to two. My friend will not be pleased, but if things have gotten to that point, it is critical. Chat Noir will simply have to pause his progress with learning the language."

"Doesn't Ladybug's mother speak Mandarin?" Wayzz suggested. "We could advise that he add conversing with a native speaker to Adrien's homework. That's most of what he's missing out on when you take over lessons."

"That is good advice." Master Fu started packing up his things, tucking his notebook back into his bag and slowly getting to his feet. "And it's possible that I'll only have to do two lessons a week for a couple weeks."

"So we're decided?" Wayzz asked, ducking into Master Fu's collar as they started making their way towards the door. "Two lessons a week, until Chat Noir is at Ladybug's side in both civilian and superhero forms?"

Master Fu nodded. "Let's hope that it's soon enough."

  Lesson Number Two moved into discussion about other forms of helping people, when it wasn't just too much stuff to carry or a bad day that was causing bad feelings. They talked about addressing the root of the problem, and Master Fu brought up bullying. He started listing ways to recognize most bullies- the insults, the name-calling, the threats and intimidation and trying to make people feel bad about themselves. He could see Adrien's expression turn a little uncomfortable, and it only took a moment for Master Fu to figure out why.

Ah, yes. The childhood friend had turned into a bully, and he seemed unwilling to completely disassociate himself with her.

Well. Perhaps they had to cover when to let go of old friends who were no longer good influences, too, and how continued association with bullies could affect his new friends.

Undeterred, Master Fu continued. He mentioned how important it was to intervene when he saw someone bullying another person, and how repeated rebukes and consequences could potentially change a bully's ways, reducing the number of akumatizations that they caused. Even if not, seeing that they had another person's support could keep the person being bullied from getting upset and akumatized.

"And what if they don't change?" Adrien wanted to know. "Are you just supposed to give them up as a lost cause?"

There was a muffled "Yes, idiot" from Adrien's shirt pocket. Master Fu chose to ignore that.

"It depends on what you mean by giving up on them," Master Fu told Adrien. "Give up on correcting them and protecting their victims? No, never. You must continue sticking up with the bullied, clearly and loudly. Give up on them becoming good friend material? Yes, that would be smart. Trying to become or stay friends with someone who insists on bullying others also hurts their victims, because then the message that you're giving off is that you're minimizing their pain and saying that it doesn't matter."

"But if they could become a better person and you know they have it in them somewhere, deep down?" Adrien pressed. "If they used to be a go- a decent person?"

"I believe that then, the best course of action would be to inform the bully that you will not be friends with them again until they change their ways for good- and then stick to that," Master Fu added. "If they relapse, they will not have your friendship. Refuse to turn a blind eye to what they do to other people. It is not a personality quirk to ignore."

Adrien worried his lip, but didn't protest further.

"If they truly value your friendship, they will make the steps to become a better person," Fu assured him. "And if they don't- well, there are plenty of people out there who don't bully others for you to befriend. It is not your duty to put in a ton of work to try to change someone when they have no interest in changing."

Adrien was pretty quiet for the rest of the lesson, but the toothy grin that Plagg flashed Master Fu and Wayzz as Adrien packed up at the end of the lesson encouraged him. Adrien would no doubt do some self-reflection tonight, and maybe tomorrow he would do better.

"I will pop in late tonight and check in with Plagg on how Adrien is responding," Wayzz told Master Fu once they had returned home. "If we can continue forging forward, or if we're perhaps moving a bit too quickly."

"I want to get to the next lesson soon," Master Fu said, frowning slightly. "The one that would address Ladybug's biggest threat at the moment. After that, we can maybe take a step back before approaching the issue that could drive Ladybug and Chat Noir apart."

"Hopefully he'll still be open to listening by that point."

Master Fu glanced at the gramophone hiding the inactive Miraculous. He could remember his worries when he had stood in front of the chest, hoping that he would choose good candidates. "I think he will. Chat Noir isn't perfect, but we have to believe that he will be open to improving himself."

"After all, Paris could depend on it."

  Adrien couldn't help but be nervous as he headed into school. Today was the day that he would confront Chloe about how she hadn't gotten better at all, and if it didn't go well- and who was he kidding, it wasn't going to go well- then he would stop being her friend, full stop.

He didn't want to lose a friend. But he had talked to Plagg last night, after getting home from his time with Master Fu, and his kwami had pointed out that if he hung on too hard to a friend that was a bully, he could risk losing his other friends, as they were a target of Chloe's bullying, and he could miss out on making other friends in the future because of her, too. And Adrien didn't want that to happen.

So even though Chloe had been the one to get him enrolled in public school in the first place, he had to admit that she only cared about a few people and treated the rest of the world badly. He couldn't tolerate that any longer.

He really, really wanted to put it off. He wasn't good with confrontations. He had been encouraged to avoid them for his whole life, but he trusted Master Fu.

And then the first thing that Adrien saw when he stepped through the school doors was Chloe bullying a younger student, sneering over her outfit.

"When was that in style?" Chloe was saying, gesturing to the ruffled skirt with a sneer on her face. "Sometime last century? Or never, probably. It's super ugly."

Adrien felt the superhero blood in him boil. Frowning, he made a beeline over to where Chloe was. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Marinette approaching, too.

Good. Maybe they could tag-team the situation. Adrien would deal with Chloe, and Marinette could comfort the girl.

"That's enough, Chloe," Adrien scolded as he drew closer, crossing his arms. "Cut it out. Everyone has different taste."

Chloe sniffed. "Yeah, and? She has terrible taste."

"So do you, if you think that shade of lipstick really goes with your complexion," Marinette chimed in, glaring at Chloe. She rested a hand on the bullied girl's shoulder, gently drawing her away. With the two of them gone, Adrien turned his full (very displeased) attention back to Chloe.

"Don't act like I wasn't right, because I was," Chloe sniffed, turning her attention to her nails. "Absolutely atrocious."

"What is your issue?" Adrien demanded, scowling at her. "Did you really need to make any sort of comment at all?"

Chloe actually looked startled. "No, but- they're ugly, someone needed to tell her that she was being an eyesore-"

"No, you didn't," Adrien told her, crossing his arms for emphasis. "No one did, so don't act like you were doing the school some sort of service. Her outfit wasn't actually hurting anyone, andI think even you knew that. You just wanted to hurt someone, because you think that it's fun. That's not cool, and- and that's not what a superhero would do."

For once Chloe seemed at a loss for words. "It- I mean-"

"And I'm not interested in being friends with a bully, I already told you that," Adrien continued. "So I'm done being friends with you, Chloe."

That shook Chloe out of her shock, and she sniffed, turning up her nose. "But you promised that we would always be friends, remember? I was better. You're not breaking your promise, are you?"

Adrien nearly flinched because, yeah, promises had been a big thing for them. But he was on a mission, darn it. He was being an everyday superhero, and he had to stand strong. "You broke that promise first. As soon as I said that we could be friends again, you decided to be awful again right away. That wasn't what we had agreed on. Not being awful meant in the long term, not just for a day."

Chloe looked at a loss for words.

"So I'm not being your friends again until you can show that you've actually become a better person for good," Adrien finished. "I'm not interested in being friends with a bully, Chloe. You've hurt too many people for me to turn a blind eye to it anymore. And I should have realized that a long, long time ago."

And with that, he turned and walked away. He didn't stop until he had reached his locker.

He was shaking with nerves.

"You did a good job, kid," Plagg encouraged him, peeping out of Adrien's jacket. "Now you just have to stay strong. Chloe'll probably try to win you over again, just like she did last time, but don't fall for it. And don't forget- if you see her bullying anyone, step in."

Adrien nodded, trying to think past his buzzing nerves.

That was why he didn't like confrontation with his friends. Akuma attacks? No problem at all. Making small comments to Chloe? Not bad at all. Scolding people like Lila- well, being disappointed in them, at least- for what they did? She wasn't his friend, so it wasn't hard.

Or, well, it didn't feel bad. It was hard to argue with her, since she tended to manipulate the conversation into making him trip up.

But Chloe? She had a much more dominant personality than he did. She was pretty intimidating, and after her being his only friend for years, he hadn't wanted to upset her. She was a lot less approachable than his other friends, even.

But he could do this. Maybe it made him feel a little ill, but that- that was something he would have to improve on.

He hadn't picked up many new ways to be an everyday superhero from his first lesson from Master Fu, but this- this was new to him. It was something that he could do differently.

Adrien was still off in his first class, distracted and trying to calm his nerves. His fight-or-flight response had really kicked in, and then he had chosen fight when his natural instinct in those circumstances had been flight. Still, he was resisting the urge to glance over at Chloe and see how she was faring.

If she was going to change, he would notice it over the course of several weeks, not over the course of an hour.

"You all right, dude?" Nino asked as they headed to their next class. "You're acting weird."

"I'll be fine," Adrien assured him, flashing a quick smile. "There was just some stuff that I had to deal with this morning."

Nino nodded wisely, probably assuming that Adrien had had trouble with his father again. Adrien wasn't going to correct him.

Hopefully whatever suggestions Master Fu had for next time wouldn't be so nerve-wracking to actually implement.

  "This is starting to feel a little heavy-handed," Wayzz commented as he watched Master Fu put together the last of his outline for Adrien's next lesson. "We're essentially pointing a big, flashing arrow at the major issues Adrien has had, without any filler. At some point, he's going to see these lessons as a criticism of his personality, and then we might be dealing with an akumatized Chat Noir situation."

"I can emphasize that most people do not do as much as he does, and we're focusing on going above and beyond what normal people do." Master Fu sighed, massaging his temples. He should have maybe started with these lessons earlier, spacing them out more so that he could address issues as they came up, instead of needing to rush through things now. But hindsight was 20/20, and he shouldn't beat himself up about it. "Plagg can warn us if Adrien starts feeling down, and we can emphasize the he should not beat himself up over the learning curve. That's what the teenaged years are for, to learn and grow and improve oneself. He just needs the process helped along a bit because he is a superhero."

Wayzz said nothing.

"I would not push so hard if it weren't for Ladybug being in danger," Master Fu added. "Tikki has been quite concerned about this whole thing, and so I'll take my cues from her. Chat Noir is in the unique position of being able to help, and so he should."

"That is true," Wayzz admitted. "If Ladybug gets akumatized, we will be in trouble. And Chat Noir does need to learn many of the things you have on your plan. I just worry."

"That we could cause a disaster through our intervention? I worried about the same thing." Master Fu let out a long breath. He did not want to think about the consequences of either of the city's main superheroes getting possessed by an akuma. But the fact remained that Ladybug was the only one capable of purifying akumas, and so he had to take that into account when planning his lessons. If Chat Noir did get possessed, they could always call on the three temporary superheroes to come to Ladybug's aid.

Adrien seemed to be in good spirits when he joined Master Fu in the back corner of the library, which was an encouraging sign. When they got settled, Master Fu found out why.

"I confronted my friend- well, my former friend- who's a bully a couple days ago," he reported. "And I told her that we weren't going to be friends unless she improved. She did the same thing that she did last time, with trying to 'prove' that she could be good, with doing something nice for our classmates to try to win me back right away, but I didn't fall for it." Adrien's smile grew. "So she's had to keep doing it. She's slipped up a few times, but she catches herself."

Plagg snorted. "Sometimes."

"Well, it's better than before!" Adrien protested. "And I'm not going to count her as a friend again until she keeps it up for a longer time."

"Good, good." That was a good sign. Adrien was willing to change his behavior and confront outside bullies. "And people seem happier around her, I'm sure."

"There's fewer tears," Adrien agreed. "And less frustration from- from my friend who usually tries to stop Chloe's bullying. I should have done this ages ago, but I- I just didn't want to lose her as a friend, I guess, and I don't like confrontation, and I let that get in my way." He made a face, then refocused his attention on Master Fu. "So what are we covering today?"

"We're continuing our discussion of how to recognize and deal with bullies," Master Fu told him, smiling. "As they come in many shapes and sizes, and they cause a lot of distress to people. So we have the normal schoolyard bullies, who push others around with words and actions that have an obvious and immediate negative impact. They're also the easiest to confront, because the people around you can also recognize the bullying for what it is and also want it to stop."

Adrien nodded.

"There are also bullies that are craftier- they do veiled threats, or abuse positions of power to get others to do that they want, or use their words to try to alienate others. They aren't always as direct, but their impact can be just as bad." Master Fu waited for Adrien to nod before continuing. "Do you know of any examples?"

"Chloe's father," Adrien said immediately. "The Mayor of Paris. He always throws his weight around to get what he wants. He's pretty obvious about it, though."

"Any others?"

Adrien frowned in thought before shaking his head. "I- I don't think so? I don't know that many people."

Master Fu let out a considering hum. "All right. Well, we can't quite approach the Mayor's bullying in the same way that you approached your friend's, but you can still can out that kind of bullying. For a public figure like the mayor, calling them out in a group or crowd will have the most effect, because they can be shamed into backing down."

Adrien frowned. "Shamed? Isn't- isn't that a bad thing to do? Since they could get upset and get akumatized?"

Master Fu frowned. He could see where Adrien was coming from, but it was important for him to be able to recognize when that wasn't the case. "In this case, the Mayor knows full well that what he's doing is wrong. He might get embarrassed, but hardly to the point of becoming akumatized. Here, speaking out lets others know that you noticed the same thing, and they'll not be alone if they speak up about it. It's hard being the first person to stick your head out, but someone has to do it if there's to be any change."

Adrien nodded, looking nervous.

"There's no need to go seek out confrontations, but if you're there, speaking up can make a world of difference." Fu smiled at him. "But that can come later, really. It's easier to start at school and work up later."

"Unless I'm transformed," Adrien spoke up. "People might not listen to a teenager protesting something, but if Chat Noir says that something isn't cool… well, people would listen, right?"

Master Fu nodded. "Right." He checked his notes. They had gotten a little sidetracked with the discussion about the mayor, but that was fine. "There are also bullies that use emotional manipulation to get what they want. They try to make people feel bad for them or feel bad about what they said, particularly if that person said something in opposition to what the bully wanted."

Adrien nodded. It didn't look like things had quite clicked yet, so Master Fu had to be a bit more heavy-handed, it seemed.

"Those kinds of bullies may lie a lot to establish themselves in a higher position," he prompted, trying not to sigh in relief when the light finally went on in Adrien's eyes. "And in that case, it's important to call out both the lies and the emotional manipulation and make it come to an end."

"But isn't it important to take the high road sometimes and let them get caught up in their own tangle of lies?" Adrien asked earnestly. "Because if you call them out, they might get akumatized, and that wouldn't be good. You should encourage them to change, because what they're doing will end up backfiring on them, and then if they don't- well, they're bound to trip up on their own web, right?"

This was what he had heard from Wayzz, and it was what Fu had most wanted to address. This high road of Adrien's wasn't that at all, and it needed to end.

"Even if it's not immediately apparent, the emotional manipulation and lies is not without consequence," Master Fu started out. "Liars like that will go to great lengths to keep the fact that they're lying a secret. If people protest, they might try to threaten them into secrecy. And there is a very fine line between taking the high road and simply being inactive."

From Adrien's shirt, Plagg snorted loudly. "He means there's a fine line between taking the high road and being a doormat. And you're being a doormat."

...well, Fu supposed that it could be said that way, too. From the irritated look on Plagg's face… well, he would wager that Plagg was rather fond of Tikki's Chosen and wanted to make sure that she wasn't at risk of being akumatized.

"I am not a doormat!" Adrien protested. "But Lila's already been akumatized- what, three times? Four? More than that? I've lost count. And her lies are so outrageous that people are bound to pick up on them eventually."

"Do you not think that people might be upset when they discover the truth and find out that not only they were lied to, but you knew all along and didn't warn them?" Master Fu prompted. "I feel like that would be prime akumatization potential there, particularly if your liar implied that she would get people connected to others."

Adrien's expression dropped at that. "She told Nino- my friend who wants to maybe go into movie production- she told him that she knew a bunch of movie and music producers. And I know that he was really hoping that maybe she could arrange some Skype meetings or something so that he could pick some hints."

"If you let the lies grow for too long, there will be more disappointment at the end, when people have built up dreams and have had them for a while." Fu let that sink in, then continued. "If the lies are clipped, perhaps there was a momentary hope, but people won't have the time to base all of their hopes and dreams on that one lie. It hurts momentarily, but heals more easily."

The determined look on Adrien's face as he nodded made Fu's spirits lift. "Okay. But what's the best way to address that? She's just going to cut me off and deny everything if I try to call her out in front of other people. I already tried talking to her in private, and it didn't do anything. She just basically told me to stay out of it"

"I'm glad that you asked." Master Fu set his notes aside and sat up straighter, smiling at Adrien. "We can spend the rest of the lesson discussing strategies for dealing with your situation, if you like."

  Adrien had to admit that he hadn't been entirely convinced that the "everyday superhero" lessons from Master Fu were entirely worth the time when he had started. He already knew how to be helpful and kind, didn't he? It was what had gotten him the Miraculous in the first place. But with every passing lesson, Adrien found himself learning things. Big things.

He had cut things off with Chloe, of course, and ever since there had been less bullying than before. She seemed a bit down most of the time, but she was doing better. People were more willing to work with her and help her now that she wasn't going to cut them down.

Approaching the Lila situation was taking a little more time and planning. Since Master Fu had suggested not doing it alone- and it would feel wrong to not include Marinette in the process, since Adrien had told her before that they should leave things alone when she had wanted to expose Lila's lies right away- Adrien had pulled Marinette over and they had ended coming up with a plan over lunch at the Dupain-Cheng house.

Instead of trying to confront Lila directly or in front of a crowd, they had decided to take the approach of quietly spreading doubts about Lila's stories. It wasn't hard- there were a lot of loose ends to her lies that were easy enough to point out when they had a bit of time. They had gone to people individually- Max, Alix, Nino, the teachers- to point specific things out, places where the stories didn't quite make sense or match up. There were a lot fewer rapt faces listening to Lila now, though there were some people who just didn't seem willing to listen.

(Like Alya, for example. She seemed so used to dismissing Marinette's concerns about Lila that she waved Adrien off before he could finish talking. He and Marinette had exchanged an exasperated look over Alya's shoulder at that.

If she wasn't willing to listen, Alya would have to deal with the crushing disappointment of discovering Lila's lies once that time came. And it would come soon, if Adrien was right in how seriously the teachers had taken what he and Marinette had told them. They had shared their doubts about Lila's so-called trip and presented what evidence they had, and the allegations that a student had been skipping class….well, those weren't going to be taken lightly.)

Marinette seemed a lot happier now that people weren't listening to Lila, practically glowing as they went through their day together. Adrien wondered if maybe Lila had been trying to keep her silent, and that had been affecting her.

He should have noticed earlier. He should have helped earlier. But now they could be their own little everyday superhero team together. Marinette was fun to hang out with, and as someone who seemed to already have the contents of Master Fu's lessons down pat, she was a fabulous influence to be around.

Besides, hanging out in the Dupain-Cheng living room to work on their homework together was so much fun.

Adrien made sure to tell Master Fu about his progress at their next lesson together.

"Between Marinette and I, I think we've gotten half of our class to stop listening to Lila," Adrien reported. "My friend, Marinette, I mean, since I guess you wouldn't know her. She was the one to come up with most of the plan, really, after I suggested taking a less direct approach. We just keep track of Lila's lies and then go to the people most likely to listen and happen to mention that hey, that doesn't sound quite right, does it? And then we mention that we looked it up, and what we found instead. And then people think about it, and kind of go-"

Master Fu exchanged an amused look with Wayzz as Adrien kept talking, telling him who in their class they had already approached and how there were still some people who weren't listening to them, and how that was super frustrating but they had gotten to the point where there were other people talking about Lila's lying, so he and Marinette weren't the only ones. And the more people there were who talked about it, the more the original naysayers were willing to listen.

"Marinette's been making sure that people don't directly approach Lila, so that Lila doesn't try to make them a target," Adrien continued. "Which is super-smart, and I wouldn't have thought of it. I think she's persuaded people to talk to their friends and classmates, too, so that we don't have to try to hit everyone up individually since that would look weird. I wouldn't have been able to do it without her, really."

"She's a good leader, then?" Fu asked, even though he already knew the answer. Marinette was a fantastic leader, and she was still growing into her full potential.

Adrien lit up. "She really is! She already knows everything that you've been teaching me, so that's been super-helpful to have. When I get lost or confused about what I should do in a situation, I just ask her and she helps! She can be a little impulsive at times, maybe, or gets stuck on how she wants to do something, but I think we balance each other out really well. She would make a fantastic superhero if we need to add another person to our team," he added. "Maybe with a longer-range power, since she can be a little clumsy sometimes, but that's just part of who she is! It's really cute, actually-"

This time, the look that Fu and Wayzz exchanged was full of amusement. Even if Adrien hadn't admitted it to himself yet, someone definitely had a crush.

Plagg's head popped out of Adrien's collar as his Chosen continued prattling on about his friend and how she kept so many people from getting akumatized and how she was so much fun to be around and how Adrien was glad that Marinette seemed to be relaxing around him now because they were great friends and had a ton of fun hanging out. When he was sure that Fu was looking, Plagg heaved a dramatic (but silent) sigh, rolling his eyes before slowly sinking back down into the jacket.

Fu hid a smile. No doubt Plagg didn't appreciate having to hear Adrien's gushing about not only Ladybug but also Marinette. Still, it was a good sign that Adrien seemed so attuned to his friend now. No doubt he would catch it right away if she was feeling upset at all about anything at all. In that way, the gushing was quite sweet.

Still, Fu could barely resist the urge to whack his head against something when Adrien referred to Marinette as his "everyday superhero partner". After all, even a Turtle had his limits.

  Fu's lessons continued, and now Adrien was paying rapt attention. It was clear that being homeschooled and only allowed out for photoshoots and sports had made him miss a decent amount of social lessons, and a lot of the stuff that Fu was teaching him hadn't exactly been shown in his movies and animes. Fu and Wayzz worked with Adrien to make sure that he could recognize when his own words or actions could hurt others, teaching him how to distinguish when he should get involved in something and when it was something that he should really leave alone.

Adrien hadn't thought that he had needed that lesson, really. Surely he could distinguish when something was wrong or right, right? But it turned out that the line was maybe more blurred than he had thought. Or not more blurred, necessarily, but he needed to take into consideration other people's points of view before fully judging a situation.

That- well, Adrien was working on that. It was a hard process to change to automatically thinking about where other people might be coming from. There weren't that many opportunities to practice that, really- especially not with Chloe working to be on her best behavior- and Adrien didn't have a lot of free time that he could use to try to think of past examples and reconsider his position on them. But he was trying to keep it in mind.

"What do you think will be this week, Plagg?" Adrien asked as he jogged up the steps to the library. "And how many more of these kinds of lessons d'you think there will be?"

"Learning is a lifelong process," Plagg droned boredly. "I don't know, kid, I don't make up the lesson plans."

"Yeah, but I know that you and Wayzz talk. Don't think that I don't see him in my bag at school sometimes." Adrien smiled at the librarian before heading up the stairs and into the private study rooms in the back. "And don't try to tell me that he just wants to hang out. I know that's not true."

Plagg yawned. "Oh, so now kwamis can't just hang out? We have to stay isolated, all on our own? Rude."

"You know that's not what I meant."

Much to Adrien's surprise, when he reached their back room, Master Fu was reading a newspaper instead of waiting for him at the table. Adrien hovered uncertainly for a moment, then entered, closed the door, and settled gingerly in his usual chair.

"Good afternoon, Adrien," Master Fu said after another minute, finally putting the newspaper down. Adrien chanced a glance downward at the article that Master Fu had been reading. He recognized it as one that he had skimmed himself over breakfast, but he didn't remember much about it other than the fact that some politician was being forced to resign over inappropriate behavior. "How are you today?"

"I'm doing pretty well," Adrien responded automatically. "And you?"

"Well, well. Business has been good, so no complaints there." Master Fu smiled, then gave the newspaper a pat. Now, down to business! I was reminded today that there was a form of bullying that we have yet to fully cover- harassment. We've spoken about some forms, but the big one in the public eye at the moment is sexual harassment."

Adrien nodded, glancing down at the newspaper again.

"The politician in this article is getting in quite a lot of trouble for just that," Master Fu added, noticing where Adrien's attention had gone. "He was on the severe end of the spectrum, as far as these things go. Have you read this article?"

"I skimmed part of it," Adrien admitted. "I don't remember much. I was in a bit of a hurry to leave for school."

Master Fu nodded as he turned the newspaper around for Adrien to read, pointing to one section of it. "This is what a number of women have accused him of doing, and he's going to be going to trial for it."

Adrien leaned forward to read the list. He winced at the things listed- those poor, poor women. That was awful.

"If you ever see those kinds of things happening- that's one of the times when punching someone in the face is entirely the right thing to do," Master Fu told him. "Anything physical should have immediate and painful consequences. If necessary, call for the authorities."

Adrien nodded seriously.

"I would hope that you won't have to deal with anything quite that severe for at the very least a couple years," Master Fu added. "But there are some less severe forms of harassment that might be affecting your age group already, so maybe we should focus on those for the time being."

Adrien nodded, eager to start the day's learning.

Ten minutes later, he was feeling a lot less comfortable with the day's lesson.

Master Fu had talked about inappropriate touches, and that had been fine. Then Master Fu had continued into how to recognize when a girl was uncomfortable with flirting or other advances, and how to avoid pushing to that point in the first place. That was followed by how to recognize rejections both verbal and not, and how important it was to actually listen to them.

And much to Adrien's growing horror, some of those things that Master Fu was talking about- they sounded like him. He was doing some of that stuff to Ladybug.

He hadn't ever wanted to recognize himself as the aggressor in any of Master Fu's lessons, and somehow he had ended up doing just that.

He didn't ask too many questions for the rest of the lesson, and it was definitely a subdued Adrien who bade Master Fu good-bye and left the library.

"My Social Studies homework is going to have to wait for tomorrow," Adrien told Plagg as soon as they got back to his room. He squared his shoulders, determined. Master Fu hadn't gone super into depth about some of the stuff they had talked about- there hadn't been the time- but now that Adrien knew that it was an area that he needed to improve on, he wanted as much information as possible to know what he should be doing before he next saw Ladybug. "I have some serious research to do."

  Plagg couldn't help but smile as he watched Adrien work at his computer, two days after their last meeting with Master Fu. He had been concerned for a while there about his kid's behavior, but Adrien seemed to have his head back on straight now. He was standing up for what was actually right now, and it was clearly taking a load off of Marinette's shoulders to have the backup. And Adrien had chattered at length after one patrol about how he and Ladybug had talked about boundaries, and what kinds of teasing almost-flirts were okay and what wasn't, so that was all good, too.

Plagg had to thank his lucky stars that they had Master Fu to serve the role of mentor. It they didn't, he would have had to take over the task and heaven knew that that would have been an utter disaster. He just didn't have the right approach.

(After all, Adrien hadn't exactly been very happy about the "doormat" comment, and that was just Plagg's teaching style, really. Blunt and direct and to the point. Some people didn't want to respond well to that, and that was their problem.)

He knew that there might be relapses at some point- Adrien had had an image in his head about how to woo a lady thanks to all of his movies and animes and whatnot growing up, and reality tended to have a bit of a different view on persistence when going after someone who had turned them down- but Plagg was sure that Adrien would correct himself before long. He wanted to do his best, after all, and he definitely didn't want to lose Ladybug's friendship.

Adrien was well on his way to being a balanced, happy superhero. Now, maybe Master Fu should turn his attention to Ladybug and do some lessons on figuring out when she was actually to blame for something and when the adults (or people around her in general) were just being stupid and needed to take responsibility for their own darn selves, because he had seen that she had a habit of heaping all of the blame on herself and that was not healthy.

On second thought, maybe Plagg should do that himself. Fu and Tikki were too hung up on taking responsibility and being self-aware and yadda yadda yadda. What Marinette needed was a good dose of Plagg's laissez-faire attitude and a bit of Plagg's Patented Scathing Social Commentary on how dumb people were behaving instead of Tikki's thou-shalt-not-do-no-wrong scolding.

Plagg sniggered a little of the thought of him teaching anyone. He generally let the obvious teaching fall on someone else's shoulders and prodded his own charges to change via throwaway comments and sarcasm instead. Still, he could probably figure out some way to convey what he wanted to without changing and having to pretend that he was all wise and responsible. Ladybug was smart. She would pick up on things quickly.

Maybe he could find some way to suggest that Ladybug and Chat Noir switch Miraculous for a day or two so that they would improve their understanding of each other or some other mumbo-jumbo like that. If he just flat-out suggested that, Plagg knew that his motivations would be regarded with suspicion. But if he found an opening to sort of sarcastically make the suggestion, then they would probably be all over it, and Plagg would have his chance.

Look out, kid. As soon as I can manage to figure out how to spend a decent chunk of time with you, school will be in session.

[commentaryvorg]

Danganronpa V3 Commentary: Part 6.1

Be aware that this is not a blind playthrough! This will contain spoilers for the entire game, regardless of the part of the game I’m commenting on. A major focus of this commentary is to talk about all of the hints and foreshadowing of events that are going to happen and facts that are going to be revealed in the future of the story. It is emphatically not intended for someone experiencing the game for their first time.

Last time…

…Kaito went to space. That’s all. He was in space, and he was happy.

Now to start chapter 6, which I am not quite as excited to get into – can’t possibly imagine why. There’s still definitely a lot I want to talk about, though.

We open the chapter with… Makoto. Not the Makoto we knew (he doesn’t exist), but a kid who’s called Makoto nonetheless. That’s almost certainly the most popular thing to name your kid in this universe, even probably for cultures that aren’t Japanese.

We also have some bizarrely cheerful music. Originally my feelings about this was just that it gave a very weird mood whiplash from everything else that had been going on. But now all it makes me think of is this game’s bonus board game/RPG mode that this music is actually taken from, which I may have got rather addicted to played an inordinate amount of one point. Hearing this now just makes me want to roll some dice and optimise my characters’ stat spreads, dammit! (And by “my characters”, obviously I mean Kaede, Shuichi, Kaito and Maki, who else.)

Makoto:  “I don’t have any talents or anything. I’m just a regular teenager…”

…

Makoto:  “Getting into an elite school like this was just the start of my bad luck.”

The writers (entirely out-universe here, of course) really just wanted to drop all these similarities to Makoto Naegi here just to mess with us and make us wonder if this kid really is him despite looking different, didn’t they.

Makoto:  “I want to run away from my daily life… I want to run away and just forget all this…”

This is considerably less like Makoto Naegi, though. He may have been ordinary, and a little daunted at getting into an elite school, but he was ultimately pretty chill with it and didn’t really want anything to change.

Makoto:  “But I’m okay! I have a reason to live!”

Remember the Monokuma Theater last chapter where Monokuma said he’d be thrilled if Danganronpa was people’s reason to live? Apparently it really is, for probably way more people than just Makoto here.

Makoto:  “I’ve got something to look forward to! That’s why I’m gonna be okay! Thanks for the courage! Thanks for giving me something to get totally obsessed with! Thanks for the strength to keep going!”

This is extremely relatable to me! This is what genuinely loving and caring about a work of fiction looks like! I can’t tell you how many times in my own life I’ve felt like things are going great for me almost entirely because there’s a work of fiction that I absolutely love that makes me happy just to think about.

Makoto:  “I’ll keep on rooting for you, so please keep trying your best!”

And look, he cares about the characters! Obviously, somewhere inside him he is hoping to see bad things happen to them, but that’s because he wants to see them overcome those trials! On the level on which he is actually engaging with the characters as if they’re people, by cheering them on like this, he just wants them to succeed.

It’s kind of like the way I’ve been doing this commentary. On the one hand I’ve been very unabashedly appreciating all the horrible suffering everyone’s gone through and the ways in which it’s been emphasised because that’s what makes this fiction so enjoyable. But when I talk about that, I take the more detached, third-person-pronouns approach, like they’re elements in a well-crafted work of art. Whenever I use second-person pronouns as if I’m engaging with the characters myself, imaging that they’re real people I could talk to, I almost never say anything about how I appreciate their suffering. I’m not engaging with them because I want them to suffer. I want them to suffer so that I’ll end up caring about them even more and therefore will want to engage with them more. Which would all still be thoroughly fucked-up if they really were real, but this is how engaging with fiction works.

(I am making a big point to stress all of this about Makoto here because, oh boy, the next time we see the in-universe audience, things are not going to be remotely this way and that is my biggest issue with this chapter.)

Makoto:  “And—! One day, I’ll also—!”

…audition for Danganronpa and hopefully probably get myself killed in one, is what he’s about to say.

No, Makoto. You were doing great at being a healthy, wholesome appreciater of fiction (aside from the part where it’s not really fiction and you’re watching real people die) until now. Genuinely wanting to be a part of your favourite works of fiction is usually quite an understandable sentiment… but not when it’s Danganronpa, what the actual hell.

We have suddenly jumped from Makoto being a reasonable example of someone enjoying a work of “fiction”, into him being an example of how utterly fucked-up this outside world actually is. People – specifically, teenagers – will apparently willingly throw their lives away to be on Danganronpa if they don’t think their life has much else going for them. That’s why this Makoto hates his life, to make him someone who’d want to do this. If Danganronpa really is his only reason to live, then it does make some kind of twisted sense that it’d also give him a reason to die.

Something important to note about this scene is simply the fact that we’re seeing it. This is in a context entirely removed from anything happening right now in the Academy and is for our eyes, the out-universe audience, only. So there is no reason to doubt that what we’re seeing here is the truth. This Makoto kid really is watching “Danganronpa V3” unfold like it’s basically a work of fiction and having a great time.

I’ve seen some people propose the idea that sure, the killing game was put on as a “fiction” for people’s entertainment, but only for a shady illegal underground audience of people who should know they’re being shitty, probably hidden away somewhere in the deepest darkest corners of the internet. On some level, I might like to believe that, because it’s nicer and easier to buy than thinking the entire world is this obliviously twisted. But Makoto here is a completely ordinary teenager who would be very unlikely to have any idea how to access something like that, and he doesn’t seem to have any conception of the fact that what he’s watching and enjoying so much is illegal and frowned upon and he needs to keep it secret. So I don’t think that can reasonably be the truth here.

Anyway, back at the Academy, Keebo is busy destroying everything. He’d better leave the training spot alone, though – that place contains precious memories of Kaito and deserves to remain undamaged.

Also bear in mind that this is still the same evening after Kaito’s trial. They are not getting any time to rest here.

Keebo:  “Did you call for me? Please keep it brief. I have other matters I must attend to.”

Geez, Keebo. “Keep it brief, because I’m busy getting all of us killed”? Yeah, maybe that’s why they won’t want to keep this brief.

Maki:  “What’s with that weapon and the jet pack?”

Keebo:  “I obtained this equipment from my lab.”

Maki:  “You had equipment like that… in your lab?”

Implicit in Maki’s words here is the sentiment of: then why the fuck didn’t you use it *sooner*? Which, yes. Very much.

Keebo:  “I made some modifications to drastically improve their power output and functionality.”

Tsumugi:  “Since when have you been able to do that? You didn’t level up or anything, right? Did… something happen?”

The fact that it’s Tsumugi asking him this suggests that he really wasn’t supposed to be able to do that at all. It would be pretty stupid of Team Danganronpa to have someone that potentially dangerous here. Obviously they figured he’d never do anything drastic because his inner voice had him on a leash, but the suggestion from Tsumugi’s words here is that he shouldn’t even have been able to make those modifications, inner voice or not, and he just figured it out himself somehow by being a smarter person than she’d written him to be. Maybe he learned a thing or two from his time with Miu?

Keebo:  “I wanted to be treated like a real human. A creature of flesh and blood like you all. But I no longer have the luxury of clinging to that wish anymore!”

You never had that luxury, not while abandoning that wish (and only temporarily, mind you) would have saved your friends’ lives!

The writing is trying to present this like it’s some kind of character development, but there’s been absolutely no build-up to Keebo realising something like this. And there’s no reason that the seven people who’d died before his lab opened up wouldn’t have been enough, such that he somehow needed to see four more deaths before finally making this decision. The only actual change now is the lack of his inner voice – but that never had anything to do with the part of his character that felt awkward about not being human and shouldn’t be making a difference to this supposed character development.

Tsumugi:  “If you do something like that… we’ll all die too, y’know!? There’s no oxygen in the outside world… There are no living things…”

Tsumugi would like to remind us all that there is definitely 100% not anyone alive out there, even though Kaito's efforts just proved that there almost certainly somehow is.

Shuichi:  “Our hope is… everyone here. Our friends who are still alive.”

Shuichi is good. He’s not going to forget the last thing Kaito said to him!

Keebo:  “We simply do not have the power to change the outside world on our own.”

Well that’s very foreshadowy of you, Keebo. He’s only talking about making it less uninhabitable, but.

Keebo:  “All we can do now is refuse to submit to despair!”

Shuichi:  “And you would be willing to let all of us die to accomplish that?”

Yeah, doesn’t sound very not-despairing, does it, Shuichi? Keebo’s just gunning for a different type of despair right now.

Keebo:  “Kaito and Kokichi gave their lives to end this killing game… We should follow their example! We should be willing to give our lives to end this killing game!”

Okay, so to be fair, this might sort of count as following Kokichi’s example, since he wanted to ruin the audience’s experience (even though he went about it in literally the worst way possible by giving them two incredibly entertaining trials). Killing ourselves to give them a boring ending is actually along the lines of what Kokichi at least should have been trying to do, and is in fact what everyone will attempt in the end once they realise what’s going on.

But fuck off with your implication that Kaito would have wanted this, Keebo. Kaito gave his life so that everyone else could survive and escape, not so that they’d all do the same as him! Kaito’s sacrifice was only ever about “ending” the killing game so long as doing so would save everyone!

Maki:  “…Is that what your inner voice is telling you to do?”

It’s interesting that Maki considers this possibility. I wonder what she thinks his inner voice is, since she’s pragmatic enough to not believe in hearing voices, especially not for a robot.

Keebo:  “We can never submit to despair! Because we are students of Hope’s Peak Academy!”

Keebo may have lost his inner voice, but he’s clearly still very much a thrall to the other kind of brainwashing that’s been going on here.

Shuichi:  “Because there might still be hope. There might still be a place to call home.”

Keebo:  “And what are you basing that claim on?”

Shuichi:  “…Nothing. I just have a feeling.”

Shuichi just has a hunch! He’s doing a Kaito and he knows it and it’s so lovely that he’s able to say that with a smile!

Maki:  “Just a feeling…? You sound like that idiot right now.”

Maki knows it just as well, of course. She’s smiling, too! I love how her calling him an idiot has become a thing of affection now. They really are his sidekicks.

(I am going to bring up and be delighted by every single moment in this chapter of them fondly remembering Kaito like this and you can’t stop me.)

Shuichi:  “…Kaito said so. […] There can be no killing game without an audience.”

…So actually, Shuichi was basing his claim on something after all and just wanted to act very Kaito about it anyway, and that is adorable. Well, maybe he felt like it was appropriate because this still isn’t very concrete evidence, but.

Look at him being really sure of this argument, though! Kaito gave everything to prove that and he succeeded, and Shuichi is not going to let his efforts go to waste.

Shuichi:  “There’s still a possibility!”

Keebo:  “True, we cannot say there is absolutely no possibility. But even a mere possibility—”

Shuichi:  “That possibility is our hope!”

Finally, someone gets it! The actual meaning of the damn word! They don’t know for sure that it’s true, but so long as they can keep believing that it’s possible there’s a home for them out there, that is hope.

Monokuma finally shows up with his Exisals in tow. (I wonder what Monotaro makes of the small mountain of screwed-up bloodstained toilet paper in the recesses of his cockpit.)

Monokuma:  “Huh? Is the robot malfunctioning? He must be – why else would he try to defy me?”

Haha, yeah, Keebo is very much meant to be part of the workings of this killing game and not someone who should try and fight against that, isn’t he?

Goodbye Danganronpa

Wow, geez, that was late for a title card. I forgot we hadn’t even had that yet. Of course, this title is pretty straightforward, yet a lot more literal than anyone would be expecting it to be on their first time through.

Maki:  “But why did Monokuma leave a weapon like that in the research lab? He’s… pretty careless, isn’t he?”

Good question! The way Maki’s actively asking this suggests it’s something that actually has an answer, but I’m still not convinced it’s anything but lazy writing.

Maki:  “If the outside world is destroyed, then the mastermind must be in this school, right?”

Makiii, Kaito proved to you guys that the outside world probably isn’t as destroyed as it seems! Don’t you believe that too? (I mean, yes, the mastermind is in fact in this school, but there’s no reason to necessarily think that right now.)

…Actually, Maki still buying the lie about the outside world despite Kaito’s efforts to discredit it might be down to her in particular being very subsceptible to the Flashback Light’s manipulation. There’ll be some more indications of that in this chapter.

Tsumugi:  “Someone… You mean a Remnant of Despair, right?”

Tsumugi is very quick to keep things on-script and remind everyone that this is definitely about Remnants of Despair.

Maki:  “If we can find them and kill them, then this killing game should end.”

Shuichi:  “Ah, I don’t know about *killing* them…”

Yes, Maki, listen to Shuichi! Remember that the last time you tried to kill the “mastermind”, you nearly got Kaito killed instead! Kaito risked his life because he didn’t want you to kill anyone else, even if it was the mastermind!

Maki:  “…Hope?”

Shuichi:  “Our home. Where we’re going to live after this killing game ends. I know there is hope out there. We have to find it before we leave.”

This is what Kaito was talking about when he said Shuichi could find “something beyond the truth” – something beyond that destroyed world they saw at the end of the tunnel. Kaito sacrificed everything for the plan to give them this hope!

(And again since I must nitpick: they wouldn’t be finding the “hope”. The fact that they’re even looking means they already have hope, thanks to Kaito.)

Himiko:  “This isn’t some fictional story, so I don’t think things’ll work out that well…”

Hoo boy. We’re in chapter 6 now, all gloves are off, hints are being dropped left and right and they do not care about being subtle.

Shuichi:  “But if we look for it, we just might find it. If we don’t try… we’ll never find anything.”

This is also quite Kaito of him! Kaito never specifically said anything with this wording, but he was always advocating the idea that you’ve got to put in the effort to be able to get anywhere.

Maki:  “No matter how impossible it seems, we’ll accomplish it.”

Speaking of Kaito! This… is awkward localisation. Maki’s phrasing here is a close match to the Japanese phrasing of Kaito’s “The impossible is possible, all you gotta do is make it so” catchphrase. Evidently, Maki’s localiser is a different one to Kaito’s, and they never got the memo about what Kaito’s catchphrase was changed to in English and just translated this directly.

This is still clearly reminiscent enough of Kaito to get across the point that she’s thinking of him anyway, but Maki is meant to have straight-up said that the impossible is possible, and, awwww! That’s adorable.

Shuichi:  (Maki…) “…Yes… that’s right!”

Shuichi agrees! He’s happy for the reminder! They are such good sidekicks.

Hope Searching time, again! This is still an appropriate title, because, like Shuichi just said, they are searching for proof that they have somewhere to return to, and that is hope.

A sudden tremor causes part of the entrance hall’s floor to collapse and reveal a staircase downwards that leads to Kokichi’s lab. Shuichi guesses that this was meant to open with a mysterious item, presumably if things had been proceeding as normal and Monokuma had happily given them their “presents” like at the beginning of any other chapter. But, awkwardly, there was never any mysterious object around here that looked like something that could have opened this. Yet again, anything which is not directly meant for the player to interact with simply doesn’t exist in the game world, even if it’s something that should exist as part of the story.

“Now it is time to test your bonds with your friends!”

DID YOU KNOW THIS DANGANRONPA GAME IS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP.

…Okay, this whole Friendship Power mechanic for this investigation is actually a very thinly-veiled way to force you to investigate places in a completely linear order by restricting where you have access to until you’ve reached a certain point in the story. But since they were going to have to do that one way or another, I love that they flavoured it to be about this.

“So work hard to end this killing game before dawn breaks!”

Oh, boy, this, though. This whole time limit mechanic is really badly-implemented.

The first thing is that it’s not a real-time time limit at all. I’m leaving my game running as I type this and it’s not going to make a difference. The timer just ticks forwards a small amount every time you examine something or talk to someone, as is appropriate for what is after all a visual novel and not an action game. I’ve seen several blind LPers assume it was a real-time time limit (because the game is very vague about it) and get instilled with a sense of urgency because of that, so I guess that was meant to be the point.

What the real, ahem, “challenge” of this time limit is is that you’re supposed to try not to examine anything nonessential. Which is really not an okay way for a mystery visual novel to be! Half the fun of these sorts of games is seeing what kind of silly bonus dialogue you get for checking things that don’t matter, to the point that many people’s approach when investigating a room is to figure out what object will progress the plot when they examine it and then examine that one last. But here, the developers are telling us we’re “failing” at playing the game properly… when we’re trying to play the game as much as possible. That’s quite frankly rude. They went to the trouble of writing a bunch of bonus dialogue for this investigation, and yet they apparently don’t want anyone to see it.

There’s also the fact that, from my experiments, there is extremely little leeway. You can examine at most two or three nonessential things while still remaining within the time limit, and anything more than that causes you to run out of time before the end. Even if someone is actually trying to examine only the essential objects, on a first run through they’re not going to know exactly what’s important, because sometimes the relevant thing is not that intuitive, and they’re almost certainly going to make more than just a few “mistakes”!

And the punishment for “failing”? I’m sure literally everybody has already seen this themselves, but all you get is Shuichi briefly going “Oh no, I took too long!”, a brief cutscene of the Academy exploding… and then it puts you back at the beginning of whatever room you were in with the timer wound back far enough that you can hypothetically finish from here. It’s the most petty of slaps on the wrist, but of course it shouldn’t be any more than that, because having to replay the entire chapter for the crime of not knowing exactly what was important, or, gasp, wanting to see more dialogue, would be incredibly obnoxious. So what’s the point in even having it be possible to fail in the first place?

What they should really do is have the timer tick forward only when you examine something plot-relevant. That way you’d get the illusion of being in a hurry to anyone who’s on a first time and hasn’t realised how it works, but none of the annoyance of meaninglessly “failing” or of it being incredibly inconvenient to actively go looking for bonus dialogue.

…Also. Uh. Turns out I was partially wrong about it not being a real time limit. I assumed that because the timer doesn’t seem to visibly move when you’re standing around, yet you can notice it tick forwards a small chunk whenever you finish examining something. Buuuut, as I left it running while typing this, with Shuichi just standing in the hallway, the timer has progressed a bunch. Some quick science, namely staring at the screen for a while, confirms that it does actually move in incredibly small pixel-by-pixel increments that are hard to notice unless you’re looking for it. So I guess also don’t go leaving your game running during this part either! Geez. …And, turns out it also ticks forward outside of dialogue if you’ve had the Monopad open for a while. It doesn’t even let you pause the game to pause the timer! Rude.

The timer does however completely vanish during actual dialogue, meaning that it is presumably actually paused then. …Yes; I did some more science to confirm this, this time sitting on a dialogue box for probably something like half an hour and seeing the timer still only tick forwards a little bit once I finally clicked through the dialogue. Talking (or thinking) is a free action, apparently, even though standing around without talking or thinking isn’t.

Anyway, here’s the method I used last time I played this chapter to be able to see all optional dialogue anyway while still technically not “failing” because fuck you too, game: Save as soon as you enter a new place. Go nuts examining everything you want to, while noting which ones seem to be necessary to progress and which ones aren’t. Before leaving for the next place, reset back to your save and this time go through the room while only examining the correct things (fastforwarding the dialogue if you want, not that it matters), so that the game thinks you did so in the minimum amount of “time”. Then head to the next place (as quickly as you can, apparently), save as soon as you enter it, and repeat. Doing this last time I played was how I learned that there was so ridiculously little leeway for “mistakes”, because even then I only just barely made it.

And of course I’m going to be doing that again on this playthrough to get all the optional dialogue, because that’s what this commentary is here for, dammit.

---

[Next post]

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Hi! Could you maybe compile a list of your favorite fics that have Stiles or Derek pining after the other? Thanks for your hard work as always!!!😙😙

AND

Anonymous said:Hiiii how are u do you know any fics with derek in a relationship with someone else and stiles pining or the other way around

AND

Anonymous said:Hey do you know any fics where everybody knows that Stiles and Derek are in love but they are totally oblivious?

Here’s so much pining. - Anastasia

Bitch, Bite me! by abexz

(1/1 I 546 I Explicit)

Stiles is bitten by a vampire and is excited to stretch his wings.

Derek is stupid smitten with Stiles and does a poor job at hiding it.

And John Stilinski IS ALLOWED TO HAVE SOME HAPPINESS IN HIS LIFE THANK YOU.

(I'll be) Anything You Need by ElStark

(1/1 I 904 I General)

Derek smiled. A small, little thing that barely betrayed the fondness that he felt for the person in front of him. But fondness, maybe wasn’t the right word. There was that, and so much more. Too much. And Derek battled a war with his wolf every day and every instant he spent with Stiles, since the moment he’d caught his scent that day in the woods, barely a year ago.

Because, it was him. And he knew it would feel- it felt right. But it wasn’t the right time.

Stiles was too young and still figuring out who he was and Derek… well, he was trying to figure out who he was without all the people he’d loved most his entire life.

So, yeah, it wasn’t the right time, not now. Not with everything that happened and was going on.

But he'd wait.

Partners in Crime(fighting) by A_Diamond

(1/1 I 1,842 I Explicit)

Derek Hale has had a lot of bad luck in his life. More than his fair share, it often feels like, and that’s not even counting the acts of intentional malevolence that shaped his life and drove him to a career in law enforcement and the FBI. Bad things just happen to him, flukes ranging from strangers’ spilled coffee to the paths of ricocheting bullets. With all that in mind, it shouldn’t be a surprise to be partnered with Agent Stilinski on this case.

robin) by orphan_account

(8/? I 2,306 I Teen)

Stiles disappears one night.

He returns ten years later, barely what he was before and nothing like he pretends to be.

Rules by abluevixen (knightofbows)

(1/1 I 2,556 I Mature)

Stiles is a heart-breaker.

CD by abluevixen (knightofbows)

(1/1 I 2,747 I Mature)

Derek fucked up, and he knows it.

(Shyness is Nice) Just Ask Me by dansunedisco

(1/1 I 3,225 I Teen)

Attention had never been Derek’s drug of choice, but his performance had shot his name straight into the stratosphere. He should have known listening to Laura was a bad idea. Now the entire lacrosse team hated him, the nicest guy in school thought he was a jerk, the object of his awkward affection wanted nothing to do with him, and, worst of all, he was popular.

The one where Derek wowed the crowd at the talent show, pissed off the lacrosse team, and got his man.

(Don't forget to) Breathe. by Pixilated

(3/? I 3,272 I Mature)

Stiles is unaware he is Derek's mate and leaves for college after one night with the man who has held his heart for years.

Or

In which both Stiles and Derek are idiots and could have avoided a whole lot of manpain and emotional constipation by just talking to each other.

(5+1) How Stiles Realized He Was Jealous and Maybe in Love With a Certain Sourwolf by scarlettletterr

(1/1 I 3,317 I General)

Stiles is in love with Derek. He’s also a virgin, and ace, but Derek… Is not. Derek is hot, and has a very active sex life. Stiles knows that even if Derek would lower his standards enough to date him, he would never be able to give him what he wants.So he observes from afar, jealousy overwhelming him every time he sees him with someone else.

Waiting Games by Jerakeen

(1/1 I 6,315 I Explicit)

Being an only child and heir to the throne, Stiles had always known he may not have the luxury of marrying for love. When he’d realized he was an omega to boot, things had taken an even more uncomfortable turn for him.

Omegas are rare. An omega as the heir apparent is almost unheard of.

Which is why there is no wiggle room when it comes to the tournament.

Five Mornings Derek Really Needed His Coffee and One Morning He Didn’t by 42hrb

(6/6 I 11,492 I Teen)

Everyone knows that Derek can't be considered a real person until he has at least two cups of coffee.

Theory of Overprotective Canines by rosepetals42

(1/1 I 11,798 I Teen)

Stiles is totally looking forward to living alone in his super cool apartment off-campus. He is. He is also very excited to bike to school every day, ready to set up an awesome game room, and definitely over his crush on Derek Hale. Completely over it.

Or at least he is until Derek decides he's moving in with him. And then turns out to be the perfect roommate. And then starts attending all his classes. As a wolf.

This is not going according to plan.

an exaltation of larks by llassah

(1/1 I 25,372 I Explicit)

There are times when he feels as if they could fall into bed together, easy as breathing. If Stiles were not highborn, if he were an omega without connections, Derek would be sorely tempted. As it is, he resists. Derek wants, he yearns, but he resists. Still, the sight of Stiles in his cot is enough to test him, even now that it is familiar. At the end of each lambing season, he sleeps for a week, worn down by months of hard work, of relentless struggle. He doesn’t know how he’ll feel by the time Stiles leaves, how he’ll feel after long days and longer nights spent resisting the insistent tug of Stiles’s scent and the inclinations of his own foolish heart.

All Derek wants is to get through the lambing season with his body and spirit intact. He had thought that the blizzards would be the main danger, not a highborn omega with beautiful eyes and a stubborn streak.

(not so) Pure Imagination by theroguesgambit 

(11/11 I 33,185 I Explicit)

"There is a world where whenever someone fantasizes about you, you can physically feel it, but you have no idea who is thinking it about you."

Stiles knows it's wrong, but he's been Fantasizing about Derek and he can't bring himself to stop. Derek doesn't know who's taken an interest in him, but he's enjoying it way more than he probably should.

#librarynerd by yodasyoyo

(1/1 I 7,742 I Teen)

“I’ll likely get far more done in the group if I’m not distracted watching you with your pen--”

“My--My pen?”

“Pens. Drinking straws. Don’t act like you don’t know,” Derek says darkly. “You know.”

____________

In which Stiles follows Scott into his Spanish study group, takes one look at the hot nerd who runs it and then decides to stay... even though he doesn't actually speak Spanish.

Weave Soft Spells Over My Sight by AgnesBlue

(2/2 I 51,424 I Mature)

Derek had blossomed steadily over the past year, growing into his ears and turning even more handsome, if that were possible. But instead of going out and melting the panties off the girls, suddenly he was coming to Stiles all bashed in, demanding that he patch him up like Stiles was some freelance nurse. It was a familiar pattern by now.

AU in which Stiles has been living with the Hales for a few years as their assistant and friend. He needs to deal with Derek, who keeps coming to Stiles with bruises and cuts to be treated, while trying to figure out what the elderly alpha of the Hale pack is up to.

The Darkness Inside by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella)

(1/1 I 51,974 I Mature)

The sheriff watched him for a moment, then he sighed and turned slightly. He reached out to open a cabinet door beside him, and pulled out a shelf. It was on a track, so it rolled out of the cabinet fairly easily, and held a small CCTV. Derek frowned and inched his chair to the side a little bit so he could get a better angle.

He was looking at a teenager, or someone at least young enough to be the same age as Scott. He was sitting on a bed in what looked to be a larger room, the area he was in surrounded by four glass walls, with his legs crossed and head tilted.

He was also staring directly into the camera, as if he knew someone was watching. A creepy smile slowly slid onto the teen’s face, and he held up one hand, wiggling his fingers in a slow, eery wave.

Derek felt his mouth run dry. He didn’t know who this kid was, but he didn’t like him.

“Who is that?” he asked quietly.

“That,” said the sheriff, “is my son.”

Go Big or Go Home by Chubstilinski

(5/5 I 348,325 I Explicit)

That’s the moment that Stiles knows he’s not going to stop, that he craves this more than he’d even realized, and he knows, deep down in his bones, that he’s only going to get fatter.

Stiles had always been a skinny kid, but the unlimited buffet on a post-graduation cruise introduces him to the pleasures of gluttony, and before he knows it, he's consumed by the idea of getting fatter. By his senior year in college, a guy Stiles meets online starts giving him gaining encouragement, and soon enough, his weight is exploding... But so is his crush on his friend's older brother Derek, who seems unusually interested in getting Stiles to indulge himself.

[nemossubmarine]

Warhammer 40k: Wrath & Glory RP #30

We start this session with a bit of a look back, namely what Uffe and Saef talked about on the ship while others were talking with other folks. And they did talk! Saef asks Uffe if Gorm is okay, and Uffe asks if there’s a reason why he’d ask. Saef says he’s just worried, and Uffe comments he should be more worried about Gimlet. Saef says he can worry about multiple people. Uffe says Gorm is fine. Saef thanks him. Uffe then asks about Saef’s warlock-y skills, specifically he is interested if Saef can somehow manipulate minds. Saef says he can’t and he won’t if he can help it. Good talk.

Back on the ground with Ivar’s friend Gracia, Gorm grabs the woman and demands that she takes them to their base stealthily, so Gorm can kick Ivar’s ass. Gracia seems quite devoted to the people, and says she’d rather die than sell out her family and her saving angel. Gorm says Ivar is no angel, but Gracia digs her heels to the ground. Saef drops into the conversation, attempting to make it seem like Gorm is just very, very excited to meet an old friend (Gorm doesn’t make it easy, but Saef is a very persusive person). Gracia starts leading them towards the base.

Gorm and Uffe step back a bit, and discuss the situation. Gorm seems very eager to get his hands on Ivar, a bit too eager to be honest. Uffe asks what’s the plan and Gorm says to get his claws through Ivar’s back. Uffe points out that the woman seems oddly devoted, and there’s probably around 50 more oddly devoted people waiting for them once they arrive. Gorm reprimands him for attempting to pussyfoot around the issue. Uffe wants them to have a damn strategy. He also isn’t sure about the woman, and asks if Saef could attempt to find something out about her. Gorm asks Saef to do so, stealthily, if at all possible.

Saef does so, and (poor boy rolls another 1 on his wrath dice) gets staggered (Gimlet notices this and asks if he’s okay, Saef says he’s fine). He confirms to Gorm and Uffe that there is something influencing Gracia, she has a second face that noticed Saef and said ”The God hungers, the God feeds, the God hungers, the God feeds.”

Gorm says that they should kill Gracia when they get close enough to Ivar’s base. Saef argues, saying that Gracia is not possessed, just influenced, and Gorm says, fine Saef can knock her out then.

Uffe asks if Gimlet should be informed of this plan, and Gorm says nah, he better know what side to be on, when things get rough. Saef takes this moment to bring up that he also witnessed the shooting of Vivek, and that it was totally an accident, Gimlet wasn’t even looking at Vivek. Gorm says that’s what Gimlet would like Saef to think, he’s just hiding his sniping skills. Saef flat out says that Gimlet is a fucking awful sniper. Gorm says that they have worse things to worry about.

Gimlet meanwhile, completely oblivious to all this has been texting someone. Gorm points this out to Uffe, saying he’s probably texting his supervisor to let him know how he had failed in his mission and how he is going to get spanked (?). Gorm expresses happiness that Gimlet didn’t kill Vivek, and Uffe agrees, saying that he is happy that Vivek is alive (noticeably not mentioning Gimlet at all). Gorm says that Uffe is getting soft, and Uffe grumbles, saying maybe he’s always been this soft and Gorm just didn’t know it, and then saying he is not soft.

While walking, Gimlet approaches Saef and asks if he could forward a message to Vivek from him. Saef says sure. The message is an apology from Gimlet, where he makes it clear the shot was an accident, but he’s sorry and owes Vivek a drink. Saef forwards the message and adds that he also thinks that Gimlet’s shot was an accident.

They near the sawmill that Ivar is keeping base at, and Gorm gives Saef the signal to knock Gracia out. Which he does. Gimlet, very confused, says that’s a bit harsh and, upon being explained she is a cultist, says she doesn’t look like a cultist. Uffe grabs Gracia, ties her up and stuffs her in a bush.

Our heroes reach the sawmill in the cover of the forest and see people (humany humans and AdMechy humans) around. And then there’s Ivar, who’s clearly back from a hunt, carrying couple of boar-like animal carcasses, dressed in fine clothing and fur. He turns so that our heroes catch a glimpse of his face, and… Gorm suddenly gets this big grin and walks out of the bushes, cheerfully greeting his brother. Gimlet is also out of the bushes, so happy to meet this new, nice-looking fellow. Ivar is a bit surprised to see Gorm, but greets him warmly. Gorm introduces Gimlet and is about to introduce Saef and call Uffe over only to notice that those two have not followed them. Well, nevermind that.

Ivar invites Gorm and Gimlet to join him for a spot of food, and drink, and merriment, which they more than happily agree to. They settle down in the luxuriously furnished lodge and get offered drinks and food. Ivar asks Gorm about the other packmates. Gorm tells what he has been up to, hunting for packmates, and hey he’s promoted (and that means Ivar is promoted as well). Ivar mentions couple of interesting things. Firstly he is also hunting for Knut. Apparently they were traveling together, planning on stealing a book originally belonging to Space Wolves from the Black Library (a legend regarding the daughter of the dragon goddess Skrinneir, and her imprisonment by Leman Russ), but then Knut got into weird stuff and Ivar is now saving people and hunting down Knut. Secondly, before Ivar and Knut left, Ivar asked Uffe help dealing with Harald, which Uffe refused. Ivar is very disappointed in that. He speaks of Rolf especially very harshly, saying that him dealing, or rather, not dealing with Harald showed his true colors. Gorm admits that Rolf did always play favorites. Ivar inquiries about Gimlet, who happily tells that he’s ex-Inquisition, friend of Gorm, and a friend of Gorm’s is Ivar’s friend, as well. We leave the scene with Gorm suggesting Ivar’s friends (little brothers and sisters he calls them) sing the story of his saga as written by Gimlet.

Uffe did attempt to stop Gorm, but as soon as he realized that something was up and also that Saef was not affected, Uffe grabbed Saef and bolted. They get away, and Uffe demands to know what the fuck happened back there. Saef says he caught a glimpse of a second, definitely not-human face on Ivar’s face, so that’s that, woops, it’s just the two silent guys now. Saef thinks Gorm and Gimlet are not completely gone, but if they stay in Ivar’s presence for too long, they will, so they have to act fast. Saef reaches for his phone to call backup only to realize that it dropped from his pocket when Uffe was running off with him. Uffe loans Saef his phone (and has to show Saef how to open it, since it’s a very old model) and Saef calls Vivek to let him know what’s up. Yikes, says Vivek, and goes to inform Elucia Vhane, who gets her people and meets up with Uffe and Saef (Vivek stays with the Harlequins) to talk strategy. And that’s what they do, but I shan’t report it here, because that ol’ plan is going to be put into action next time!