#and I agree; I love the message about not underestimating what ordinary people can do and the need to rely on/have allies you can trust.

[allbrainrot]

Oh hi! Can i ask for 💚 for felix with a female reader? Thank u! Those prompts were so cute btw!!

YES!! I’m glad you like them! Honestly this is the most realistic way I could imagine Felix confessing since he’d never outright admit it without a little prodding.. 🍄🖤

Felix:

- Felix would appear to be just as much of an asshole, but the other lions who know him well recognize that he is significantly less of an asshole to you. This is Felix code for ‘damn it I secretly love you’.

- In the academy days I could totally see Felix with unresolved feelings for a childhood crush on you, back from your little friend group in Faerghus. You don’t really remember anything out of the ordinary, but as the oldest kid I know Sylvain remembers everything that mini Felix did. Probably Ingrid too, she’s pretty perceptive, and I’m sure they eventually got Dimitri in on it.

- So flash forward to present day with all of you as members of Blue Lions, Felix has been trying just a little too hard to convince them that he definitely doesn’t have feelings for you. Faerghus squad has decided it’s been drawn out long enough, the truth has gotta come out before you end up married off to some other noble and it’s too late.

- Definitely says dramatic stuff like ‘you’re insufferable’ and ‘I have no idea how I’ve tolerated you for so long’ when he gets flustered to cover up what he really means, ‘damn it you’re adorable’ and ‘pining after you for a decade is getting frustrating’.

- Sylvain’s ability to evoke jealousy and Dimitri’s ability to elicit a protective response from Felix because ‘get the hell away from her boar’ are S rank weapons in the ‘confession war zone’.

- Step One: Get everyone to have an outing in town to “pick up something for Byleth.” Oh boy! Is that a pastry shop? Well Ingrid just has to force you all to go in! Everyone can sit at a booth with her while she eats~ Alright, time for Dimitri to sit right next to you! A success, he earns a mumbled ‘I don’t trust you for a second, boar’ and then Felix is wedging himself between the two of you. Oh man that’s a tight squeeze. Oh goddess you haven’t been this close to Felix since you were little. It is at this point, Felix realizes that he has been duped. And he is now focusing on suppressing his raging heartbeat while touching thighs and arms with the love of his life. Damn those scoundrels..

- Step Two: Lunchtime! Sylvain has engaged you in a ✨casual✨ game of hot or not, prompting you about your opinions on people at the monastery ‘innocently’ while we test just how hard Felix is capable of clenching his fists! Q: So, who’s the hottest house leader? A: Huh, I’ve never thought about that...I mean, Dimitri does have really pretty eyes! Felix is officially >:((((( and oh man when the boar stutters out a thank you Felix almost loses it..but he feigns cool and scoffs at the both of you.

- Q: Hmm ok..then what about everyone in our friend group? A: What? I mean, I think everyone looks pretty good?? Q: Welllll I don’t know man, Felix is hella scary, he has a permanent scowl! Stupid Sylvain!! Felix’s nails are full on digging into his palms now, how dare Sylvain talk shit about him with you?! Then you laugh..Goddess send help please your laugh is too adorable!! A: Quit being a jerk, Sylvain, Felix is totally attractive! OH MAN. Is it even possible for Felix to hide how red his face is? Can everyone hear how fast his heart is pounding? (Y/n) just called him attractive he feels like he’s going to explode!

- Step Three: Get everyone to cycle through sparring together and tell embarrassing stories about Felix. It’s a little evil but it’s a master plan..sparring is when Felix’s emotions show up the most. Everyone pray for my boy Dimitri who agreed to fight Felix while he’s worked up. You’re benched for this match, watching Felix because man he was impressive..when Sylvain and Ingrid engage you in an odd conversation about your childhood to pass the time. Including:

• Remember that time when we were little and Felix scraped his knee up super bad and came crying to you? He was sniffling so hard and he clutched onto you like a baby koala the whole time you patched it up!

• Oh, or the time that we went out by ourselves to go camping and when it got dark Felix was so scared! He kept crying and crying until you eventually let him share a sleeping bag with you!

• What about the time you sprained your ankle and Felix carried you the whole way home and told you he would be your knight in shining armor?

• There was also that time when you and Felix built a pillow fort and he told us that we weren’t allowed inside because it was ‘The Fort of Fraldarius’. And then we asked why you got to play inside the fort and he said that you were ‘Lady Fraldarius of the Fort’

- ALRIGHT THAT’S IT. Rip Dimitri, his sparring partner is in a frenzy of embarrassment masked by rage 💔 Shortly after hitting Dimitri with a sword over and over again Felix goes off to hole up in his room after being called out for his feelings. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t a little flustered, but it was ultimately overpowered by how funny it was to think back to little things like that and then look at present day Felix. You hadn’t thought about him like that in a while, he would always come to you and so you gave him space when he became more closed off.

- But you still mostly retained the ability to pick up on what the underlying meaning of your friend’s words and actions was. It seems he really hadn’t changed so much from the sensitive little boy who sought your attention..his adoration was still there, he just had no idea what to do with it. Truthfully, a part of you has always loved Felix and you had even wondered about the possibility you’d end up married to him, given the ties between your parents.

- The thought of Felix sulking behind you silently yearning for the rest of your academy days and then abruptly having to go into marriage with you was a mess. So, if you were certain Felix liked you despite his words, would it really be so daunting for you to make a move?

- Now you’re knocking on his door and hear a very muffled ‘go away’. The length of the chain bolt keeping the door shut allowed you to wedge it open just about an inch and you quietly peek inside and..Felix is on his bed, well, you can’t really see him because there is a heap of blankets piled over him. As if he’s building a protective barricade against your friends. Wait that’s exactly what he’s doing lol this is just the fuck off fort WAIT HOLY SHIT FORT-

- You whine at him to at least let you chill in his blanket fort because you didn’t do anything with the intention of teasing him. He groans at your childishness and informs you that this ‘fort’ is not yours to invade. Ok this could end up with a million different outbursts but the cards are all on the table-

- ‘But Felixxxxxx!! Even if I’m older I’m still Lady Fraldarius of the Fort 🥺🥺🥺’

- But he’s quick to quip back at you..damn so close!! ‘Well, (Y/n), given that you are 17 years old now I was inclined to believe that you realized that you actually have to marry a Fraldarius for that title. Perhaps I underestimated your idiocy.’ DAMN. He really went there. Ok, if that’s how it is, two can play that game..

- ‘Damn, alright. Well if that’s what it takes to get into the cozy Fort of Fraldarius, where do I sign up to check off the qualifications?’ >:3

- OH BOY UMMM FELIX IS COMING OVER HERE REALLY FAST- Be prepared to be picked up and be thrown into the fort with Felix.. It’s actually quite impressive how many different ways Felix can find to call you an idiot..while still attached to you. Felix, too, has known that there’s a probability you would become eloped by your families, and brings that up now because ‘Whatever. I suppose if I must marry an idiot, it would minimize the negatives if it was an idiot that I’ve already had to tolerate for so long. But if I have to endure such for my family line, I guess I should build up as much of a tolerance for you as possible before then.’

- So basically, the heavily encrypted message you received was ‘Yes, I’ve always thought about marrying you. But, now you have to be my girlfriend and give me as much of your attention and affection as possible’ He gets a little better about covering things up and has at least admitted that he loves you and you’re official, along with that it makes him happy when you hold him like you did when you were kids. He’s gone a wholeass decade now without ever seeking out anyone else, just remembering your childhood affections, so once you’re alone and he’s gotten used to things enough he’ll be pretty touch starved. Now, he just sits and waits, glaring at you until you deliver your routine cuddles that he would never admit to wanting out loud..

WHEW OK I DID IT AGAIN AND WROTE A RIDICULOUSLY LONG HC ON ACCIDENT 🥺🍄 Followers pls let me know if you like the long ones I write or if you’d like me to start making them short! Also lmk if you want me to censor any cussing it’s just a regular part of my vocabulary so I always end up writing some! Tyty for all the support I really really appreciate it 🥰✨ Oh! also! this is a side blog so unfortunately I can’t really reply to comments without it getting confusing, but I read everything and appreciate comments so so so much!

[sansacherie]

Do you have any asoiaf fic recommendations? Specifically Sansa centric ones?

Sansa centric

1. lions and other beasts of legend by Sadhippie

Little dove…Have you come to watch me die?”

In the end Cersei survives, as she always does.

Daenerys dies before executing her, and as always, Sansa survives those who underestimate her.

2. You Can't Come Home (But You Can Come Close) by Sarah1281

The Starks and the Lannisters agree on a prisoner exchange after all that leaves Sansa travelling to Riverrun to reunite with her mother and brother. She may not know what her future holds but surely it's brighter than the fate of being Joffrey's wife she left behind. For now, all that matters is while she may not be at Winterfell she still found her way home.

3. A Shield Against Ice and Fire by adoljc

Executed through dragon-fire following the destruction of King's Landing, Sansa Stark awakes in the past, in the Red Keep...days before her own father's execution.

4. My kind's your kind by SecondStarOntheLeft

Sansa, her husband, and peace.

She never thought to have both.

5. The Lady and the Direwolf by turtle-paced

The Red Keep is not a place for direwolves, not that proper ladies keep direwolves for pets anyway, but Sansa won't let either stop her.

6. something tragic, something magic by thundersnowstorm

It is easy with Jeyne, to understand each other without needing to explain the grief, the pain. But it is very hard not to feel guilty.

7. he sings so nice, I guess he tries by judypoovey

After a handful of prostitutes give Podrick Payne a free round, he comes back with a message from Ros about a young northern girl being kept in Lord Baelish's brothel. When Tyrion removes Jeyne Poole from Littlefinger's clutches the game of thrones shifts dramatically, and so does Bronn's place within it as he becomes responsible for a girl who refuses to believe he's as black-hearted as he claims to be.

On the list, I haven't completed Shields/ So Nice but so far they've been good.

Shout out to other fics

1. Something Evolving by Rumaan

History is righted when Robb Stark crowns his Queen of Love and Beauty.

2. a tigress, not a woman by TweedStoat

“She is no ordinary woman; no one making an enemy of her will win an easy victory” – Euripides, Medea

Alternatively: Elia knows how to leave a shitty marriage with a bang.

3. let me grab your soul away by janie_tangerine

Robb Stark's ghost visited seven people. Five who wouldn't let him in, one who couldn't and one who did.

Or, have a nice old-fashioned 5 + 1 + 1 ghost story for Halloween.

4. in the darkness there'll be hidden worlds that shine by janie_tangerine

in which, when two girls disappear on a dark and stormy night, their friends and families must confront terrifying forces to get them back. (Just begun reading, but so far its good)

[noctusfury]

hi -- saw that you rb'ed a post from ao3commentoftheday and added your own two cents abt writing for a smaller audience, and i wanted to ask, if you don't mind: i started writing again last year 'cause i wanted to impress these big-shot fandom people and along the way, maybe befriend them. except one year later and that plan has spectacularly backfired in my face; to a point where i want to turn off commenting on all my fics so i won't be tempted to befriend anyone in fandom ever again 1/2

Before I start, I’d like to say thank you, anon, for coming by and sending me this. You’re officially the first person to send me an ask. So thanks for that.

And I’m sorry to hear about your struggles. But let me ask you something: Are you wanting to gain their attention to make friends, or are you trying to get their attention for other reasons?

The thing is, the reason why one must write for one’s self, rather than for others, is because if you don’t, you’ll end up having a great amount of stress and get angry, anxious, frustrated, or depressed because you’re not supposedly fulfilling the goals that you’ve set up for yourself. I, for one, am one of those people. There are still days where I get mad because I squander many hours daily on procrastination and on social media, when I was wanting to write fanfiction. The fact of the matter is... readers are greatly understanding of the struggles that a writer has and won’t judge you or pressure you needlessly. 

And trust me, friend, there’s been days where I’ve spent hours daydreaming about how popular my stories will become and I’ll have my readers gifting me fanarts and fanfics based on them. The problem is that in order to get that, one must earn it. And in order to earn it, one must sit down and write to the best of one’s ability, whilst ignoring peer pressure that shouldn’t exist. Only when fanfics get written that one is able to attract people of like-mind as yours. And, if you’re blessed enough, the occasional fan comes by and loves your story or characters so much that they gift you with something. But you have to get your stories on paper first. lol XD

But at the end of it all, at the heart of the matter, it’s an ego and pride thing. Most people WANT to be recognized and praised for their stories. It’s natural. But at the end of the day, it’s fickle and leaves you empty. It’s like gorging yourself on chocolate and getting yourself high, only for it to go and you’re left with nothing but the wrapper and no chocolate left to eat. :’( So, as annoying as it may sound to hear the “write for yourself” speech (as it did me), there’s a good reason to listen to that advice.

Then there’s the fear of your stories not getting accepted because they’re about tropes or plots or characters or pairings that aren’t mainstream. (I actually have MANY story ideas that branch from the mainstream and there are times when I worry that they won’t be popular. Until I saw just how sorely the Fandom needed such content.) I mean, most of my “fanfics” are basically fanfic poetry — a genre few people are interested in. So I didn’t think that I’d get anybody. However, I’ve had a lot of people come by and comment how much they love them and there have been even a few that stated that they hated poetry because they usually weren’t written well, but after reading my poetry, they began to start liking poetry and even begin to have a love for it and urged me to keep doing it. That’s just one example.

Would you like to know how I overcame this?

1) I read fanfiction to learn what made a good fanfic, and what made a bad one. And what people liked or didn’t like. And I’ve learned a lot.

2) I made sure to leave long and quality reviews to authors I greatly liked.

3) I corrected my mindset and my goals and my motives.

Actually, if you’re looking to befriend “big-shot” authors, then simply going out of your way to send a nice PM or “ask me anything” message (like what you’ve done just now), or even a quality review. Never underestimate the power of a good review or PM. Don’t be surprised when you have a couple of “big-shots” come by and thank you and then all of a sudden you end up PMing each other and become good acquaintances if not good friends with that author. At the end of the day, they’re ordinary people like us — not gods. ;-)

There’s a good story that comes with that. I, myself, have had several instances where I’ve became good friends or acquaintances with popular authors by just the simple action of leaving a kind and quality and helpful review or a PM. Even had a couple from readers who liked my nonfiction for certain Fandoms. But oftentimes, I leave behind a really great review and then the author comes by and is just so grateful and then, without us knowing it, we grew to chatting and PM-ing each other and become great acquaintances or even friends. In fact, there was one such “big-shot” writer who, after reading my review, came to chat with me and eventually asked me to beta their updates, to which I agreed.

Cke1st, one of those authors whom I’ve become close with, was an author whom I had read almost since he first started writing fanfiction. First as a Guest Reviewer, and later once I had an account and followed him. If I remember correctly, I had sent him a PM to ask him a question concerning one of his stories, and then we eventually fell to chat and exchanged PMs. To this day, we’ve been good acquaintances, and I still read and re-read his works. And I am still writing him reviews and PMs when I get around to it.

.

The thing that we must all keep in mind when wanting to interact with this “big-shot” writers is this: Do we want to be friends with them? For me, I was lucky in meeting people who had similar views and passions as I. But not everyone is like that.

An important and old saying that my mother had taught me growing up at an age when I struggled to make friends was “in order to have a good friend, you must BE a good friend.” The same applies here. If you’re wanting these authors to befriend you, you must make the effort to befriend them. If you’re wanting to establish a bond with them, then continue sending them PMs or reviews. Make the effort to communicate. If you feel like you don’t want to continue a conversation, then end it and move on to another one. Or if you just want to not be acquaintances or friends with that author, then stop PM-ing — or even reviewing if you want to go that far.

Also, be aware of time and commitment. How much time and commitment are you willing to invest in building a relationship with that author? How much time do you have to spare? How much time do you want to socialize versus writing your stories? We need to remember that sadly, as “big-shot” writers, they’re going to be busy — both with their stories and with their personal lives. So if they decide to befriend you, that’s a BIG compliment. And then, of course, there’s US — we also have to think about our own lives. But like with me and Cke1st, to reuse an example, there’s a lot of times where we start conversations and he decides to stop replying. I don’t take it personally, because I know that he’s trying to get writing done between his job at the railroad with psycho co-workers, on top of having a family of his own to take care of. I, myself, am busy at times, and thus aren’t able to review as often as I would like. Plus, health and energy are also contributing factors in my day-to-day life. 

And because these writers will be busy a lot of the time, it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to read your stories. A lot of writers end up being too busy to read fanfiction anymore, and not many are able to do both. I, myself, have had to drop reading fanfiction often in order to write fanfiction (which I fail and end up procrastinating and end up getting myself distracted with socializing). So if you DO end up having a big-name writer coming by to leave a kudos or even a review on your stories, then treasure it and make sure that you THANK the person!

.

.

So, in conclusion, I would encourage you to keep writing and try your best, and write for yourself, or else it would be better for you to just remain a reader. If you still wish to attract people to your stories then make sure your writing is quality, that you take your time with it, use betas to help get second opinions and get your stories better, and breathe life into your stories. Trust me, a reader can SMELL and NOTICE when a writer isn’t taking their stories seriously and are being hap-hazard with it. They can even tell a writer’s motives just by how they write their stories or author’s notes.

So just be yourself. And be a good friend. And put yourself out there: leave a PM and/or a review, or offer a virtual “hey, how are ya, would you like to be friends” handshake. That is the only way to grow. :-)

.

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So sorry for this being so long, and I’m not sure if I’ve answered your question to your satisfaction or not, but I hope that this helps you. And thanks again, anon, for coming by and asking. That’s the first step. ^_^

[marshmallowatheart]

To All The Boys I've Loved Before (Part 45)

There's not much she learns at the office that she doesn't already know - and the things she does learn, she doesn't really want to know (see: Vinnie Van Lowe singing Private Eyes).

And so she asks him, simply and directly to let her help on a case or go on a stakeout, all she needs to do is know how to use a camera (she doesn't mean to brag but her photography skills are enough to be called skills).

She's not surprised that he's surprised, she's been here for all of three days. He tells her, emphatically, that photography isn't all that's to it before shrugging in agreement that she can tag along and learn the ropes.

She wishes she could learn from anyone other than Vinnie Van Lowe but Vinnie is all she has.

He plays the fool; get's people's guard down and let's them underestimate him to get the information he needs. She's always found it infuriating that her brain was judged by her petite figure and blonde hair. She learns now that it's not a weakness; it's a weapon.

--vm--

She meets Duncan at Java the Hut, she doesn't have much of an appetite - hasn't had much of an appetite since that night in Aspen - but she gets cake, the chocolate kind that should help make her feel better (she doesn't think anything would).

Duncan orders pie and coffee and it feels like it's been forever since they've hung out (it kind of has been).

They're across each other with badly sung karaoke as background noise. "Is it me or does karaoke night attract every Tritons reject?"

"We've got to put our musical aspirations somewhere," he cracks a smile with his joke.

"I still can't believe you wanted to be a Triton, am I gonna see you on America's got Talent next?"

"Oh, so you don't think I've got talent?"

"Prove me wrong, Kane."

"Like you're so much better."

"Child, please, I could give the Tritons a run for their money."

He laughs. "So how's it feel to be a part of the working class?"

"I feel more like a trainee than anything else. It's different," she says. She wants to add, the realm of ethics doesn't seem to exist, manipulation is a rite of passage and being a girl has more perks than she's ever taken credit for. But she knows she can't tell Duncan any of that. He wouldn't understand this part of her, she's not even sure she understands the lengths she'll go to to find out the truth.

"As long as you're happy," he says, sweet smile and caring blue eyes.

She nods, offering an assuring smile and then asks, "Is everything going alright at home?"

Duncan shrugs. "Same ole' same ole'. Lilly's lashing out. Dad and mom fight about it. I've kind of tuned it out."

"Ah," she lets out, fork carving out a piece of her chocolate cake. "The perks of having your mother run off on you. No more middle of the night arguments."

Duncan gives an uncomfortable chuckle as he agrees with her. "Is everything okay with you and Logan?"

She bites her lip, despite all her efforts, Logan never left her mind. Logan's partly the reason she asked Duncan to hangout. She wanted to know the truth behind Lilly's actions. She wants to understand. She knows it wouldn't fix everything between them but needs to know for sure what had happened. She isn't all that surprised that Duncan doesn't know anything - if he did, he wouldn't be asking her that.

"We broke up."

Stopping mid bite of his pie, he stares at her with widen eyes and his mouth half open. She can see that he doesn't know what to say, so she continues, "In Aspen. Lilly was there. They were hugging, well past midnight. I freaked. Then Wallace said Logan had been gone all night. Logan wouldn't tell me why."

She hates that her breath stammers over Logan's name and that her heart betrays her all over again because all those feelings still rush up and she can't seem to get rid of it - no matter how hard she tries.

It takes him seconds to pull out of his thoughts "We have a cabin there," he says. "Not too far from the Casablancas. Dad went to LA so we decided not to go. Lilly must have decided that she really wanted to go. I'm sorry. But Logan never deserved you anyway. You were always too good for him."

She tries to smile and thank him but she can't get it out. She knows he's trying to make her feel like she'd made the right choice but it hurts. Despite it all, this isn't want she wants to hear about Logan. She doesn't want him to insult Logan. She doesn't know what she wants but she doesn't want that.

--vm--

Duncan drops her home and she waves him goodbye. At the very least, she's got her friend back.

"Honey, I'm home," Veronica calls out as she closes the door.

"So am I, honey," Meg says, bright smile and even brighter eyes.

Veronica turns, surprised eyes and growing smile. "Meg, you're home!" She laughs, disbelieving as rush to hug each other. "Oh my God. How are you here? I thought you were getting in on Friday."

"I finished my exams early," she grins, brushing Veronica's hair from her face. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"I missed you so much," Veronica lets out, hugging her sister tight.

"I missed you too," Meg says, soft and heartwarming. "Why didn't you tell me you've got a job? With Vinnie Van Lowe, no less?" She asks, quizzing, the softness turned curious with a head tilt that hides none of the judgement.

"I was planning on starting next year. I was gonna tell you about it when you got home," she offers as retribution. "A job's a job. What does it matter if it's serving coffee in a restaurant or in an office?"

Her sister's brow arches up, doubting her words. "Is serving coffee really all you're doing?"

"The more the better, right?" Veronica shrugs as though she's indifferent to it but the more is the reason she decided on this job. "I spoke to dad about it, what's with the Spanish Inquisition anyway?"

"It's Vinnie Van Lowe. His work isn't all that kosher."

"We're not Jewish. Besides, in the grand scheme of things, he isn't even the worst person we know."

"These late nights are gonna affect your grades, did you even think about that?"

"My 4.0 GPA is still intact. Stanford's been my dream since elementary, Meg, I'm not gonna screw that up." She doesn't want to fight with Meg, she doesn't know why she this feels like a fight. She takes in a deep breath and lets out, "So how was your flight?"

--vm--

Veronica is happy Meg's home. She's missed her sister, she's saved up things she'd wanted to tell her. But maybe that's the problem.

It started with her job - which she hadn't meant to keep from Meg - it all happened so fast and it got to the point where she thought it'd be better to tell her once she came home.

There's a lot of things Veronica stored away in the back of her mind under things to share with Meg when she came home.

It doesn't go the way she plans; they don't eat ice cream and gossip or bake cookies and catch up. Meg notices changes and comments and all Veronica could think is I meant to tell you about that.

She feels bad about it. She does. But does Meg really have to get so snippy with her about it? It's hard remembering every little thing over the phone (and she admits that her getting a job falls into the list of big things but she doesn't know how to explain that working in the underbelly of Neptune is the only thing that makes her feel like she's doing something worthwhile).

There's nothing she can do about it now, she can't press rewind and include Meg in all of those moments that's passed. She thinks, she should have messaged her right away, taken pictures and shared these things with her.

Maybe then Meg wouldn't be staring so intently at Alicia and Keith during dinner. Maybe then Meg wouldn't flinch at her and Wallace's bunk mate jokes. Maybe then when Duncan came to return her bag she'd forgotten in his car, Meg wouldn't have stormed off into her room.

"I didn't know she was home," Duncan says, helpless.

"She came back early," Veronica lets out a heavy sigh.

She hadn't meant to not tell Meg that she'd hung out with Duncan. The whole situation with Duncan was awkward because there's so much between her and Duncan that Meg doesn't know about. There's so much in her life that Meg doesn't know about and she doesn't know how to explain any of it; the letters, Duncan, Logan, Lilly. She can't explain any of it. She just wants her sister back and for things to go back to normal - the way it was before she'd left to New York.

--vm--

"Hey, Sam," Veronica says to Vinnie who's leaning back on his chair with his legs up on his desk and a flyer in his hand as he chews on the last piece of his sandwich.

"Hey, Ralph," he grins. "Did you bring me gummy worms?"

She rolls her eyes and digs into her bag as she throws the small packet to him. "You're such a baby."

"You're gonna want snacks on today's case," he says, already ripping the packet open. "Tailing and stakeouts, VMars. The only thing worse is the paperwork."

"Which you never bother to do anymore," she points out, looking pointedly at the growing paperwork on his desk.

"It's what I got you for," he quips, getting up on his feet.

"So what do we have?"

"Classic, cheating spouse."

--vm--

She gets a flask full of coffee as preparation for the stakeout and an apple if she gets hungry.

"You had to bring your dog, huh?" Vinnie shakes his head, looking at the brown pitbull who stares at him, daring him to move.

"Dad's condition is to take Backup," she shrugs, she has a bag set for Backup; water, dog treats and his rope to chew on while they waited.

She should have taken a look at the case, asked for more details but she'd been fidgeting with equipment and learning about bugs, tracers and hidden cameras in ordinary objects.

So it takes her by surprise when she realizes that they've stopped in front of Kane Software. She's completely thrown when she learns that their target is none other than Software Billionaire Jake Kane himself.

Veronica scoffs, disbelieving. She knew that their family had their issues, Duncan used to come by just to get away from it all but she never thought that Jake Kane would do something like this to his family. Wasn't he the poster man for family guy?

"Are you seriously telling me that the beloved Jake Kane is cheating on his wife?"

Vinnie shrugs, unphased. "You'll be surprised what people are capable of."

She blinks, staring at the large glass window and the silhouette of a man leaving the office. She's lived with an alcoholic until she abandoned them without so much as a goodbye. She shouldn't be surprised of what people can be capable of. But here she is, still surprised.

"Why would Celeste even think he's cheating on her?"

He shakes his head, eyes in front as he starts the engine to follow Jake Kane. Vinnie had lo-jacked Jake's car, so they could follow him without being seen.

Lo-jacking was convenient like that. She thinks if regular people knew how to use them, private investigators would be out of a lot of work.

"Wrong Kane," he cocks his head. "Lilly Kane is the one that hired us."

Veronica's brows crease, eyes stare wide in surprise but Vinnie doesn't notice or care as he continues, "Says she caught him in Aspen with some hussy, wants us to find out who it is. She left before he saw her. Lucky for us she didn't get any pictures to go along with her accusations."

Her heart thumps wildly in her heart and everything starts to make sense. This was why. This had to be why. Lilly hated her mother but she loved her father. If she saw her father with another woman, that kind of betrayal would make any girl cry.

She wishes Logan would have told her, cleared it up that the reason he was with Lilly was because she found out her father cheated. She wouldn't have expected Logan to turn Lilly away when he's been through the same thing.

Why couldn't Logan have just trusted her and told her the truth? She would have understood. She understands. How could she begrudge them for this? She knows what it's like to be betrayed by a parent too. Why couldn't he have just trusted her with the truth? Fight to clear up the misunderstandings she had instead of letting her walk away - walk away from him - them.

They follow him all the way to Camelot and Veronica knows that Jake Kane is guilty. You didn't have to be a private detective to know what goes on at the Camelot motel.

"Guess the girl was right," Vinnie remarks. "Not a lot of high powered business meetings take place at the Camelot at one in the morning."

She angles the camera to face the motel, ready to get the money shot, she doesn't know how long it would be and she figures this is what Vinnie means when he says it's boring but she watches the door like a hawk while Vinnie yaps at either her or Backup and eats his candy.

She doesn't say much of anything as she tries to concentrate because all she can think about is Logan.

"Keep the camera, ready, Mars," he reminds, chewing on liquorice when he sees Jake exit the room.

"All right lady, let’s see ya," Veronica blows out, snapping several pictures but the woman in question never comes into view. It's only when she snaps pictures of Jake climbing down the stares and driving away that she sees a familiar car. She snaps a picture of the license plate and sucks in a breath. She knows this car. She knows this license plate; 4VG-000.

She stares back at the room, takes another deep breath and says, "I know who he's with."

"You do?" He arches a brow, staring at her expectantly to share the information.

She meets his gaze and lets out, "It's my mom."

She jumps out of the car, ignoring the sound of Vinnie calling her name and she's racing up the stairs. She takes a moment, staring at the number on the door before she knocks.

She doesn't know what to expect or what to say but her mother is here in Neptune. Anger guts at her, she's here in Neptune for Jake Kane and not her - for their family. Did Lianne even qualify as family anymore?

The door opens after two knocks and even though Veronica knew her mother was on the other side of this door, she feels the air being knocked out of her.

"Veronica," her mother says, stunned and then repeats her name in that motherly tone that she has no right to use anymore.

Veronica's words are caught in her throat and she just stands there, staring and Lianne shifts uncomfortably at the door before offering her entrance.

"What are you doing with Jake Kane?"

Her eyes strain with unsheathed tears. This woman abandoned them when they needed her the most. This woman that decided to get her life together for another family instead of her own. Only to apparently rip it apart for Jake Kane.

Why would she come back to Neptune for Jake Kane and not for us? That's the real question she wants to ask.

"Why don't you sit? Do you want some water?" Lianne asks, evasive and nervous as she fidgets about.

"No, I asked you a question," Veronica stares at her, trying to reign in her emotions and look as intimidating as possible.

"I'm sorry, honey," Lianne says, soft whisper and helpless look in her eye as she reaches to touch her.

Veronica jerks back, breathing turns into a ragged mess that she has to concentrate on to not fall apart. "Don't," she warns. "All we ever did was love you. And all you ever did was love yourself," she can't hide the disgust in her voice.

She'd spent all her years thinking of questions for her mother that she'd laid them to rest when she saw her with her new family - but here Lianne was; lying, cheating, drinking and falling back into old patterns.

"Do you know that Meg lives in New York now? She's studying journalism and she's been more of a mother to me than you ever were. Heather's top of her grade, she's funny and smart and she'll be just like dad and nothing like you. We're all doing fine without you," she tells her, angry tears falling down her face as she gets the words out.

She shouldn't feel guilty when Lianne starts to cry. She shouldn't listen to Lianne’s excuses and life's regrets. But she does. She stands and listens to what Lianne has to say; she talks about how her husband was a con artist that's imprisoned and her step daughter's following in his footsteps. She talks about Hunter; the half brother she's never met. She talks about Jake Kane, how they were so in love as high school sweetheart and a man she could never stop loving no matter how hard she tried. She talked about leaving for herself and not because of any of them. She talks about her addictions and not being strong enough to fight it.

Veronica silently listens (despite her need to scream and fight every sentence that comes out of her mother’s mouth) and then tells her to never come back into their lives and to never come back to Neptune.

She always wished her mother would come back. She knows now that she never wants her to.

The bridges between them had burned to ash a long time ago. She couldn't go back in time. She couldn't fix what had gone wrong. She couldn't make Lianne love her more than her addictions.

She doesn't want anything to do with Lianne Mars or Lianne Scott or whatever she goes by now and she doesn't want her to come back into their lives only to mess it up again. Her family deserved better than that.

--vm--

She sits on the hood of her car outside of Logan's house with only the moonlight and streetlamps to give her light.

He hurries out in a track pants and hoodie, face etched in concern, rightly so, considering she hasn't spoken to him in days, ignoring all points of contact and now she's outside his house at three in the morning - she’s sure she’s woken him from his sleep but he looks as alert as ever.

"You knew, didn't you?" She accuses, wounds fresh and eyes vengeful. "You knew about Jake and my mother and you didn't tell me."

"I'm so sorry," Logan says, anguish and concern behind brown eyes. "I didn't know if it was really your mom. I needed to know before I told you anything," he confesses. "How'd you find out?"

He says I but she knows he means we (the we being him and Lilly).

"It was my job to find out," she grits, she sounds harsh and she knows it's unfair because she's not angry at him, she's angry at her mother. She's angry at this situation. "I started working for Vinnie."

He stares at her, soft and concern apparent. "I thought you were starting next year."

She takes a breath, trying to calm herself down. "I needed to focus on something that wasn't you," she confesses, voice dipped low but the words come clear in the silence of the night.

Hope resides in his eyes, he steps closer to her, hugging her and she lets him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I let things get this way. I'm sorry about your mom."

"I know," she whispers, warm breath sinking into his chest.

"All I care about is you, Veronica," he whispers, forehead resting on hers as the warmth of his hands comfort her. "All Lilly and I did was talk about her dad, her family, she thought the person he was with was your mom but it's been years since she's seen her. I needed to be sure, to have proof before I said anything about it which is why I told her to go to Vinnie."

"I wish you'd told me," she lets out, exhausted. "I wish you'd came to me and let me help figure it out."

"I didn't want you to get hurt." He tucks her hair behind her ears and rests his palm on her cheek.

"I got hurt anyway," she says, voice quiet. "I get it now that I know the truth but all you had to do was be honest with me and you didn't do that. I need honesty, no matter what. I need honesty so I can trust you."

He nods, head on hers, promising it all to her. "I hate that I hurt you when all I wanna do is protect you."

"I don't need protecting, Logan,” she says, tired breath escapes her as she looks into his eyes. “I just need you."

He pulls away slightly, kissing her hair and he can’t help himself but to ask, "Does this mean we're okay?"

She sighs. "We're going to be,” she tells him. “I just need some time."

"Take all the time you need," he presses a kiss to her forehead. "Just come back to me, please."

"Always," she leans into him and his arms wrap around her like he's welcoming her home. Like he is home.

[systemfailuresunshine]

“That Could Be A Problem” - Elsa Chapter 7

Author: @systemfailuresunshine

Summary: Year-round fluff for a soldier who just needs a hug, starting at Christmas! You and the Avengers face an old problem, and a new one...

Word Count: 1725

Warning(s): None? Joint pain, if that’s a thing (you’ll understand if you read it)

A/N: 800 hits on Elsa!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! That’s insane and I love you all so much. A little later than planned because I forgot yesterday was Monday, here is Chapter 7

Silence settled over the group before you heard the sound of gunfire in the distance. The silence shifted as Tony and Steve locked eyes at the noise. Nat stood, ready to grab the gun that was hidden behind a nearby rock.

“Now that on the other hand,” Tony sighed. “Could be a problem.”

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

Bucky turned to you as the others got to their feet.

“Stay here,” he said, concern marring his features.

“No, I’m part of this team too. Let me do this!”

“(Y/N), I can’t…” he stopped.

“Can’t what? I can handle myself!” you argued.

“I just… I can’t lose you,” he whispered.

“You won’t.” You squeezed his hand.  

Bucky looked up when he felt a pressure on his shoulder. It was Steve.  

“Time to get to work, pal,” he smiled sadly before leaving you alone again in the midst of the new chaos.

Bucky squeezed your hand back, and pressed his lips lightly to your cheek.  

“Please just stay out of sight,” he said, pulling you up by the hands.

You mock-saluted before you bent down to change out of your skates into the combat boots that someone had cleverly thought to bring. Can’t be too prepared if you’re an Avenger. Not that you were, but you hoped there was some good you could do. He smirked at you for a moment before jogging over to Steve and Tony. You sighed as Wanda came to stand beside you.

“So much for a perfect first date,” you whispered.

“It’s part of dating an Avenger,” she said, thoughtfully before adding. “And being one.”

You held eye contact for a moment, before breaking off when you heard someone calling you.  

Nat called again, as you walked over to the huddle. Tony had already headed back to the Tower, but the others were discussing strategy.

“There can be no rushing in,” Vision stated, calm and measured as usual. “We do not yet know what we’re up against”.  

“Vision’s right,” Steve agreed. “We need to scout out the area before we put each other in harm’s way. The first thing to do is to assess the damage so far, and see where the ordinary citizens are. We need to minimise the number of casualties as much as we can”.  

Nat put a hand up to her ear, listening. A faint crackle could be heard.

“Tony says there’s hostages. In one of the office buildings. Sounds like HYDRA to me”.

Steve nodded slightly before glancing at Bucky, who was pulling on a bulletproof vest.

“Clint, I need you to find a nest”.

“Got it,” Clint nodded, slipping his quiver onto his back, as he walked away from the group.

“Sam…” Steve started.

“I’ll get Redwing,” Sam said solemnly, moving to join Clint.  

Steve turned back to the rest of the group. “Suit up,” he instructed.

Half an hour later and the group, minus Sam and Clint, congregated at the bottom of the Tower.

“What took you so long?” Fury demanded. “It’s outside your front door!”

“It’s not like the Bat Signal,” Tony quipped. “We need some sort of warning before we can just fly into action”.

“What do you think we had, Stark?” A greetings card?” Fury said, incredulously.  

“I need men in those buildings,” he spoke directly into a comms unit.  

“We’re here,” Sam and Clint ran over to Fury.  

“Took you long enough,” Fury muttered.

Sam turned to Steve.  

“There’s something you’ve gotta see.”

More gunfire could be heard as the source of the destruction rounded the corner of the street ahead.

Bucky stiffened next to you, and you grabbed his hand as you turned to face his source of discomfort: HYDRA agents, and they were surrounding something… or rather, someone.  

As the group got nearer, you could see a slim, dark haired woman. Nat gasped beside you as she sunk down into a crouched position. Clearly, there was something about this woman that was putting everyone on edge, and it wasn’t just because she was HYDRA. Steve held a hand up to his ear and the other group slowed to a halt just metres away from where they were standing. Two of the agents fanned out, leaving the woman exposed. There was silence. Everything seemed to have stopped: the gunfire, the shouting, the sound of footsteps running in every direction. It all seemed to be because of her. Who was she? And why did you get the uneasy feeling that you were missing something?  

The two groups stood facing each other for what felt like hours, but was only a few seconds. As quickly as everything had slowed down, it picked up again as though nothing had happened. You watched as the woman lifted two fingers up to press on a device in her ear, almost in slow motion. You felt the motion of the others around you before you heard the voice: “Now!”  

It only took a second before you sprang into action. Although you weren’t trained as an agent, you regained your footing easily from the kick to your shin from one of the agents that was now not surrounding the woman. You lost track of the woman as you took down the agent before you but after that, you couldn’t help but be distracted by this woman who appeared to be circling. Nat noticed it too and disposed of her agent, with a swift roundhouse kick to the head before aiming her gun at the agent in front of you and firing. As the agent fell, Nat came to stand by you, watching all around as you surveyed the woman. You looked around at the others; Steve jumping up to avoid a gunshot aimed at his thigh, Tony flying down to help Wanda who appeared to be making an agent relive his worst nightmares, Sam soaring backwards with a gun in each hand with bullets dropping to the floor. You could even make out Clint hidden behind a car firing arrows at anything that moved. Then there was Bucky. Your poor Bucky. No matter how hard he tried, it seemed his past wasn’t through with him yet. There had to be some reason he had stopped. In all the time you had known him, Bucky had never hesitated. Whoever this woman was, she was someone not to be messed with. Whoever this woman was, she was someone Bucky knew. As that thought popped into your head, you heard a voice you didn’t recognise. You turned to look at the dark-haired woman walking purposefully towards you and Nat. She stopped mere yards away.  

“Natalia,” she said, coldly. Her thick Russian accent added to the mirth she conveyed in her voice. The woman stepped forward a little more until she was practically in front of Nat.  

“Anastasia,” Nat retorted, voice steady and even.

“I can see why you joined the good side,” she sneered, looking over at Steve and Clint, who were now standing back-to-back, battling incoming HYDRA agents.

Nat jabbed her fist into the woman’s, Anastasia’s, ribs while she was distracted. She looked a little stunned, but only momentarily.  

“I take it your bruised ego was needed. Explains why you came out of hiding.” Nat’s voice was flat.

“I was still wanted by the Red Room after you’d showed your prowess. And your true colours.” Anastasia pursed her lips.  

Nat scoffed. Anastasia glared at her slightly before continuing.

“But I needed a new challenge. After the tragic death of Mr and Mrs Stark,” she paused, taking in Nat’s reaction. Nat stood stone-faced.

“I heard about HYDRA. I’ve been working for them ever since.”

“It always ends in murder.”

“That’s how we were trained.”

Nat and Anastasia stood facing each other. They circled slightly before standing still again. It seemed as though they were trying to size each other up without the need to fight. It was the first time you had seen Nat like this but you knew that old friends, or people she used to know from long ago, seemed to know just how to keep her talking while not provoking her enough to make her attack. It was a dangerous trait, and one that Nat was realising.  

“When the helicarriers,” she paused, trying to think of the correct word. “Failed, they had to come up with a new plan.”

“And you just happened to fit the bill?”

“You underestimate me Natalia. You always did.”

You watched as Anastasia finally made her move and swept low, kicking her leg out, knocking you off balance.

However, it wasn’t until you felt your arm being pushed up behind your back that you realised now why Anastasia hadn’t seemed to want to fight Nat. Nat was never the intended target. While the two women were talking, you were distracted, and Anastasia knew and took advantage of this. You should have been more careful, you should have been watching, but you weren’t trained for this. Bucky was right, you thought, as you felt the grip on your arm get tighter. You should have just gone back to the Tower with Vision and Rhodey. You may be trained, but you weren’t experienced in battle.  

You heard a growl-like whisper in your ear.

"Too weak for your own good, little one,” Anastasia smirked, as she pushed up on the hand that was trapped behind your back. "Give my regards to James."

You screamed as you felt your shoulder dislocate. That was going to take time to heal. Time that you currently didn’t have. You could faintly hear a shout as you felt your vision darken. It seemed that, along with the dislocated shoulder, you were also going to have concussion. You felt yourself falling out of Anastasia’s grip, and onto the hard concrete below, before becoming slightly aware of a pair of strong arms holding you up. You couldn’t see who it was but you heard a calming voice telling you to hold on.  

Taglist: @buckyywiththegoodhair, @buckys-shield, @justkeeplaughing-nevergiveup, @itscooltobehappy, @the-renaissance

If anyone else wants to be added, just message me on here (@systemfailuresunshine) or on @story-prompt-lyrics!

Enjoy!!

[ionica01]

The power of friendship in shounen manga (part 2)

Delayed, I know, but today I'll be turning my attention to Karma and Nagisa and how their relationship developed. Let's start with a well-needed Nagisa characterisation. He is obviously the main character of the manga, the one whose perspective we see, and also the one who seems to just naturally blend in. He's not great at anything, appearantly: unlike Karma who's good at fighting, school and bullying, Nagisa is the feminine boy who seems ordinary. Except for his strangely feminine physique, nothing else defines him at a glance. And yet, in the very first chapter, we see his assassination attempt. You may argue that of course, he's the main character so the first assassination we see is his, but there's more to that. I've previously argued that Matsui-sensei is great at foreshadowing and what this very first chapter has: there's a certain something about Nagisa being able to mask his killing intent and his smile right before he attacks. Throughout the series, he is quiet blend except for the Takaoka-sensei arc. The first thing about Nagisa is that he is a great background character, so the contrast is that much bigger. He is smart, but not outsanding, and exactly in the fact that he doesn't stand out is his hidden talent. Nagisa has an extremely keen sense of people: he can pretty much sense their qi and realise who they truly are and what they feel. What's more, he's very goid at hiding his own feelings: he is able to mask his blood lust extremely well, but what truly makes his remarcable is his ability to not fear death and danger. That's something Karma noted for the first time and it scared him, and this fear of becoming fearless will be quite the important motive in their later fight. Now I'd like to talk some time to talk about Karma and Nagisa's frienship. What I found vexing is the fact that their friendship has always been mentioned, but not really examplified. The fact that they get along has always been taken for granted, showing few of their interactions. Sure, Karma spends a lot of time with Nagisa's group and Nagisa is the only one who isn't scared by the red-headed... But that's pretty much it. So when you see Karma reacting to Nagisa's words, it's a spectacle. You see, you've gotten used to seing Karma being the bully and Nagisa the bullied one (in a friendly way) but when Karma finally tells Nagisa that he's the better assassin, that he should shut up and just stop denying it, he doesn't lose an ounce of that confidence we all love. In fact, he grows even more confident: all he does is state the truth. And he still challenges Nagisa to a fight, proving that he believes in his chances if winning; cause let's be serious now: Karma isn't the type to fight a losing war. And here comes the next, even better part: what they chose. Being the assassin that he is, Nagisa still choses to be on the save faction. And that's totally on the "right" side, you may say. Of course the reader has grown attached to Korosensei too, of course we want to save him. Why have a kill faction? But this is so accurate... Karma is the one who always thought things through, tge objective mind: after hearing Korosensei's story, something clicked. The teacher was an assassin himself and yet he taught them assassination and taught them how to kill him so that they'd surpass him and, through that graduate from assassination. In other words, korosensei's education was defined by assasssination and could ONLY be fullfilled through the act itself, in order for the students to realise what it means to take a person's life and the gravity of the fact. What koro strived for was to teach his students how to kill and be afraid of killing at the same time. How to make harsh decisions, how to have a heart of steel and yet remain childish. And then there's the matter of survival: would Koro really want to survive? Would he really be able to live with himself? Let's suppose that he was never killed, would he be happy? Would he really continue leaving? He agreed to do so for a year, only for teaching the class: for him, there is no other reason to live. So you see, Karma's resolve isn't selfish or agressive: in fact, it may be even more thoughtful that Nagisa's. And then comes the question of their actual fight, which was truly executed marvelously: what's best for korosensei? It's not a matter of who wins or loses, this is a matter of getting their point across. They've come to the point where words aren't enough to express what they truly want, so fighting is the only way to get their feelings across. You know how each has its own disadvantage: Nagisa looses to Karma when it comes to one-on-one fights, while Karma is afraid of Nagisa's bloodlust and his way of not being afraid. And yet Karma proposes this battle not because he wants to prove that he is stronger, but to both kill Korosensei and take back their friendship. And then Nagisa takes it on despite having the clear diadvantage because only winning while being weaker would have any meaning. Only so could he make Karma understand. So their battle is amazing because of how they both fight head-on despite their drawbacks, but how about the execution? The whole battle is from Karma's point of view. At first, I thought that was because he would win (you know how usually, you see the hero's perspective, and not the villan's) but then I realised the reason is that much more different. When challenging Nagisa, Karma's face is moking, but not in a way that underestimates him, but in a way that makes his opponent do his best. When fighting, Karma has the upper-hand and what he talks about is less so the actual battle and more sonthe meaning behind it: how he and Nagisa used to hang out until he sensed danger, and how he wants to get that back. It's friendship that drives this battle, and not karma's agressive side. It's not only about Korosensei, but also about their outlooks on the situation. It's about Karma trying to overcome his fear of Nagisa, and that's exactly why he has to kill. And it's about Nagisa proving a point to the Karma that's always bullying him, speaking up to him without words. This is the only instance in which they are equals, in which they both set their insecurities aside and give it their all. Their faces during the battle even have animalic features, proving that this is a fight that exceeds ration, cause that isn't enough anymore. To prove my point, I wanna highlight the scene where Okuda says she wants karma to win, despite being on the save faction herself. That's because she doesn't want an ideology to win, but she wants Karma to regain his friend and to overcome his inferiority feeling. That's why it has to be a one-on-one battle, and that's why the class should just look on and accept the outcome. As for the outcome... Despite having the opportunities to cheat, neither of them does that: not even the trickster. That's because this is a fight where they have to overcome the obstacle with their own powers, with their own hands. The fact that Nagisa doesn't narrate could also be proof that he is so focused he can't talk, because all he wants is to save korosensei TOGETHER with Karma. I actually think that being united is one of the manga's main messages, so the entire fight and how ready each team is to accept the outcome is only natural. They could have just divided and do everything on their own, but they chose one fair and square competition to settle it, and that's great. The last scene, with Karma admitting deafeat, holds several meanings: One: he accepts his weakness and loss to Nagisa. No, he doesn't give up! He just learns that sometimes, some people will be more gifted than him. But that also means that he aknowledges Nagisa as an equal and more, with his arrogance now gone, which means a lot to nagisa. Having defeat karma, they can now share a stage again: and that's Nagisa overcoming his inferiority complex. Two: he accepts the bloodlust as part of nagisa and learns that he should not fear it, and that's no reason to stay away from a friend. Three: he understands how important both korosensei and their relationship are to nagisa. He understands that they're both sorry for being apart. Four: nagisa is finally on equal footing with Karma, and he can finally drop the honorifics. He can now open up to karma as a friend, as shown by karma's "half-hug" Five: they both agree to save korosensei, but if that goes wrong, they'll complete their assassination Classroom by killing. The end, when Nagisa musters: "please listen", talking for the first time since the fight's start, just proves how much it means to him. And the dropping of honorifics (along with a mean joke) proves that Karma is still himself, but wants to remake their friendship. Their resolve is the best way to end the fight: to save korosensei, but yet to assassinate him. And you may now wonder: what's the point of the fight if they'll assassinate him either way? But that's exactly the point: both their opinions have gone through and they all love korosensei, so that's why they have to kill him: to graduate from assassination, in a metaphorical way as well. To overcome assassination while having learnt a great deal from it and from their target: that is the point of Assassination Classroom.