#and they're discussing the limits of her invisibility

[oh-no-another-idea]

WIP extract

Tagged a looong time ago by @druidx here--check theirs out! Here's some early Invisible Girl I worked on/rewrote today. Whew, the draft 2 business is trickier than I guessed!

“Say,” Antonio said, setting his glass down. “Can you eat oysters? They’d be alive—they wouldn’t disappear! Just think of it, you’re eating, and everyone can see an oyster slipping and sliding down your invisible throat and into your stomach.” He looked up to find Paris staring at him in horror. Velia’s expression was much the same, but of course, he couldn’t see it. “I thought it was interesting,” he said weakly. “When does a live oyster perish in the esophagus?” “No one normal would find that interesting,” Paris said, looking towards Velia for confirmation. Velia studied Antonio down on the rug. “No,” she agreed, even though she had no meter by which to measure.

And on that delightful note, I'll send out a gentle tag to @indecentpause @eccaiia @revenantlore @pandoras-comment-box @cee-grice @autumnalwalker @writernopal and also to anyone who'd like to join from the Invisible Girl taglist, which I will tuck below.

@a-sunflower-at-night @blind-the-winds @drippingmoon @elgringo300 @thats-my-type-writer @sleepy-night-child @writing-is-a-martial-art @viskafrer @croctears @talesfromaurea @necros-writings @ashen-crest @conundruminprogress @teaflint @princeofthecactus @imaginationxlost @fiercely-raging-writer @memento-morri-writes @josephinegerardywriter @outpost51 @jellybeanswriting @stuffaboutwriting @reneesbooks @charlesjosephwrites @yejidoesthings @sparrow-orion-writes @somealienquill @ember-writer @theunboundwriter​ @lady-grace-pens​ (ask to be added or removed!)

[onlyonetifosi]

The Leclerc household was buzzing with activity on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of dishes clinking together filled the air. It was a typical day for the Leclerc family, except for one member who stood silently in the corner of the kitchen, observing the chaos before her. That member was Y/N Leclerc, the youngest of the Leclerc siblings.

Y/N was only seventeen, still in high school, while her brothers, Charles and Arthur, had already made their mark in the world of motorsports. Charles, the middle child, had achieved great success in Formula 1, while Arthur was steadily making his way through Formula 2. Y/N, however, was never given the opportunity to pursue her dreams of becoming a race car driver. The family's financial limitations forced them to prioritize Charles and Arthur's careers.

As Y/N watched her brothers and mother, Pascale, engaging in animated conversation, she couldn't help but feel a pang of longing. She desperately wanted to be a part of their world, to share in their victories and defeats. But fate had chosen a different path for her, one that she was still struggling to come to terms with.

"Y/N, can you pass me the sugar, s'il vous plaît?" Charles's voice interrupted her thoughts, his eyes focused on his phone.

Y/N snapped back to reality and reached for the sugar, placing it in front of him. "Here you go, Charles."

"Merci," he replied absentmindedly, already engrossed in his social media feed.

She glanced at Arthur, who was discussing race strategies with their mother in rapid French. He occasionally shot her a sympathetic smile, aware of the void in her heart.

Feeling a surge of frustration, Y/N mustered the courage to speak up. "Maman, I don't feel well can I go to my room?" she said, her voice wavering slightly.

Pascale turned to her daughter, a concerned expression on her face but still let her. "Bien sûr"

Y/N found solace in her bedroom, sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at the wall adorned with posters of her brothers' achievements. It was a constant reminder of the path she couldn't walk.

A soft knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and her mother, Pascale, stepped in. She had a gentle smile on her face, but Y/N could see the sadness in her eyes.

"Ma chérie," Pascale said, her voice filled with love and concern. "Are you okay?"

Y/N fought back tears and nodded, unable to find the right words.

Pascale sat beside her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's difficult, Y/N. But your time will come. We couldn't afford to support all three of you at once, and it broke our hearts to make that decision."

Y/N's voice trembled as she spoke, "I just feel so invisible, Mom. Like I don't matter compared to Charles and Arthur. They're living their dreams, and I'm stuck here."

Pascale hugged her tightly, her voice softening. "You matter more than you know, my dear. You're our pillar of strength, our hope for the future. We couldn't have made it this far without you."

Y/N clung to her mother, tears streaming down her face. "Je sais, maman, mais c'est difficile. J'essaie de trouver ma place, mais j'ai l'impression que je ne pourrai jamais briller comme eux."

A few days later, Charles, Arthur, and Lorenzo found Y/N sitting in the garden, lost in her thoughts. They exchanged worried glances before joining her, taking a seat on the bench.

Lorenzo, the ever-protective older brother, broke the silence. "Y/N, we need to talk. We've noticed that you've been feeling down lately, and we want you to know that we see you. We love you."

Y/N looked up at them, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry. I don't want to be a burden. I just can't help feeling left behind."

Charles placed a hand on her shoulder, his voice filled with remorse. "Y/N, you're not a burden. We may be racing, but you're racing in your own way. You're still fighting, still pushing through, and we admire that."

Arthur chimed in, his voice full of conviction. "You've always been our biggest supporter, Y/N. Your presence gives us strength. We wouldn't be where we are without you."

Y/N wiped away her tears, a glimmer of hope returning to her eyes. She finally felt seen, acknowledged, and valued by her brothers.

"Merci," she whispered, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Je vous aime"

In that moment, they all understood the true meaning of family. It wasn't just about racing or achievements, but about being there for each other, supporting one another through the highs and lows of life.

The Leclerc family stood in a tender embrace, a silent acknowledgment of the love and bond they shared. In that moment, Y/N realized that while her dreams of becoming a race car driver may have been put on hold, she had something equally valuable—her family's unwavering support.

From that day forward, Y/N pursued her passion for motorsports in her own unique way. She became an avid spectator, cheering on her brothers from the sidelines, and found solace in other hobbies that sparked her creativity and brought her joy.

In the shadows of the track, Y/N Leclerc discovered her own light, finding fulfillment in the love of her family and the pursuit of her own dreams, however different they may be.

[leonidas1754]

So last night I had a bizarrely vivid dream about a video game, so vivid that I had to google it when I woke up to make sure it wasn't some real game that my brain was reminding me of (It's not, apparently). Even now, half a day later, I remember a bunch of it, and I almost never remember my dreams. (Read More because LONG)

Also for a slight bit of context: I don't play many horror games, but I do watch people talk about them/stream highlights sometimes. However, what I usually watch isn't super similar to the type of horror I was dreaming of. I also barely know celebrities; I know a few names, but even the names I know, I couldn't typically tell you anything they've done or even any descriptors of them, they're just names I've absorbed through cultural osmosis.

Yes, both of these things are relevant, I promise.

So in this dream, I am playing a video game on one monitor and watching a video on the other, something I do very often. The video is, specifically, one of The Spiffing Brit talking about this new horror game, and about how he finds it really, really enjoyable but it definitely has some flaws (and not in his Perfectly Balanced(tm) sort of way, more like an informal review, which is not his usual style of content). This game is, in fact, the same one I'm playing in the moment.

The game is a third person survival one that has graphics akin to Nightmare Creatures (a game I've watched a review of like... once, half a decade ago, so I'm amazed I remembered what it was called).

At the start of the game, the protagonist, a teen girl, is at her high school with her two friends, up on the roof. They're setting up a 'warning' for the Girl's bullies, with fake blood involved. (I've been playing SMTV:V so if you've played that game you know why this sort of plot point was in my head.) While they're doing this, they're also discussing a Boy from their school who's apparently gone missing.

The next morning, however, the girl wakes up somewhere else. You know those really shitty tourist trap gift shops where you know the owner is just trying to scam money out of stupid vacationers and the cashier couldn't give any less of a shit about their job? Yea, it's like that, except the walls are entirely wood with no windows and a single door and everything feels just a little bit wrong.

When the Girl wakes, the cashier explains to her, with that same bored tone of every minimum wage employee putting in no effort, the rules of the game she's apparently now playing. I don't remember all of the rules, but two were these:

You may only go outside when let out, and you have a very specific and limited amount of time to be outside. If you're still outside past that limit, you will be shot.

You may not leave the sidewalk. If you do, even if it's only to cut a corner or jump a gap, you will be shot.

The Girl is told she needs to complete certain tasks in a time limit or she will die (although there are hints/implications that she will be killed at the end even if she does complete all the tasks, and completing them just buys her time).

Outside the shop is extremely dark, but not naturally, it's more akin to Silent Hill Fog, limited render distance and whatnot. The store is still entirely wood on the outside as well, and it appears to be on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere, with patches of trees, and the sidewalk The Girl restricted to is extremely windy and splits into different paths and such, all very nonsensical.

As she starts her tasks, she hears of someone else also seemingly trapped her: a Boy, specifically the missing boy from her school. Apparently, he found a way to become invisible/unseen (no clue how) by those in charge of this 'game' and has been running around causing havoc. While the Girl completes her tasks, the Boy continues to do so in the background, and as she hears about it, she starts to get a crush on the Boy? Which is... weird, but alright I guess.

About halfway through the whole thing, the cashier answers the phone on their desk/counter (as they have done several times throughout the events to hear about what the boy's been doing). Suddenly, the cashier's expression finally changes into something grave, and they tell The Girl that The Boy has apparently stopped causing havoc and took the risk to warn someone that he smelled sewage coming from deep, deep underground. (I don't know if this would actually happen, but I think? the implication was intended to be that it was a warning sign of a massive explosion or something that would kill everyone including the Boy and Girl, but I can't say for sure.)

And then I woke up.

Like I said, I had to google it when I woke up because it was so vivid, I thought maybe it was a real game I'd forgotten about. Because I could also remember from the dream that the game had a very specific name:

The Recasting of Reese Witherspoon

I am so mad at my own brain right now because I have so many questions and somehow it left me on a fucking cliffhanger, and because I know the game isn't real I also know I'm never going to get those answers. And I feel like I'm losing my mind because that's so specific?

What was going to happen next????? Who was running this weird game and why? WHY IS IT FUCKING CALLED 'THE RECASTING OF REESE WITHERSPOON'!?!?!?!?!?!?!

[yandere-fics]

I kind of imagine their spirit stuck in the item and being a looming spirit, but the reader and the OC are linked mentally. Like in the field while fighting their more focused of keeping reader safe and guiding their actions so they're in the item. While when it's calm, maybe walking through a market then they come have a "body" and loom.

I also have the idea that they have very limited control over the readers body. As well as having different kinds of control due to them being different items.

Like if Abigail sees reader do something that puts them in danger she jerks their arm hard enough to make them stumble back. As if she's grabbed them by the wrist. And when they try to leave to go on some dangerous adventure the hand that she's worn on grabs the other to stop reader from opening the door.

With Elisha who's a hair tie or a choker she might have slight control over the readers mind since she's so close the readers head. Same thing with Theanna and Ainsly.

I also think that when you realize how toxic they are they have ways to stop you from removing them.

Abigail constricts around you hand so tight she might end up breaking it. Veronia just wraps around you like a cocoon. If Elisha's a choker she tightens until you either tap out or pass out. If she's a hair tie then twists and pulls on your hair so hard it feels like you're being scalped. Ainsly makes the pendant untouchable whether it her heating it up or electrifying the thing. And Theanna squeezes around your temple harder and harder it feels like she's going to cave your head in.

Again this is just spooky brainrot so if you have anymore ideas feel free in hopping on bus. I'm interested in what you think too.

(I'm so sorry this took so long since I had to gather my thoughts on it but it's finally here, please enjoy.)

♡ Them As Cursed Objects ♡

Perhaps putting on the faintly glowing crown of the former leader who rose to power through mysterious methods was a bad idea, but with your fellow rebels gathering around you, you could deal with the after effects later. For now the kingdom needed a symbolic leader and you could always relinquish control to a real leader later so you put it on.

She didn't appear immediately, which now you realize was the crown luring you into a false sense of security. She wanted to make sure she got it right with this ruler so it started with your dreams being invaded. Dreams with brilliant ideas for how to lead the kingdom towards peace. Things that made you feel as though it were destiny for you to take control since you saw the perfect way to run things as you slept.

Then the specter from the corner of your eye. She looked to be a noble woman, dressed in the garb of a prince but when you turned to look at her, she was gone. It started as being in the corner of your dreamscape, weird dreams that you always remembered when you woke up and were way more comprehensible than before.

It wasn't long before she appeared in court, invisible to those around her, except you. Almost as if giving the message that she was behind all the peace in your kingdom, that you shouldn't allow the power to taint you. And you, well you were far more respectful than previous kings, it only seemed fair that you leave offerings for the spirit that was so generous to guide your decisions.

You weren't aware that she was tied to the crown until one day you were set to meet another noble, someone who could be your consort, when the spirit appeared and your crown felt as though it was tightening painfully. She glared in your room, and you obeyed, afterall she must have some reason that this one will not work out.

So you tried again, and again, and again, and it was always the same thing. There wasn't really any way to ask the spirit who you should marry since she never seemed to talk except for in dreams, and well in dreams you always seemed to forget to broach the subject.

It wasn't until two years into your reign when you began to discuss replacements, that she finally spoke and you almost wish she hadn't because it seemed the spirit thought of herself as the king and you as her queen. Like you two were romantically entangled and now that you knew that, she was only more persistent in her advances.

"I can not allow MY queen to retire, I swear anyone that you attempt to give the crown to share perish by my hand until you resume wearing the crown." It was in the library, you were looking through books of noble families who supported the rebellion to find a suitable candidate, when those words came out, the spirit shredding your book to pieces.

"That book was property of the royal library, please don't damage any property." You stood up and rushed out of the library, realizing it was kind of stupid considering that the spirit would always be at your location but you had to get out when you considered how possessively the spirit spoke to you.

She seemed to subsist until later in the day when she approached you in your chambers, you now being acutely aware of how the spirit watched you sleep at night. All her gazes as you danced at balls made sense now. When you laughed and got close to your rebel buddies. How angry she looked at your proposal letters, taking them and throwing them in the fire as she read them from behind you.

"I refuse to allow anyone else to be my queen, as long as the crown lasts, you shall be my queen and we shall rule together, darling." Her cold lips gave you a kiss on the cheek as she sat on your bed for the first time since this had begun and beckoned you. And of course, like a fool you followed, afterall who could disobey the spirit who made your kingdom so prosperous.

The hair tie was intoxicating, cursed artifacts always were but this one particularly so. It had made it's way into your wares and well, you had to know what the item was before you could sell it to your customers. You knew a curse object when you saw one so you felt it was best to try it on to see the effect.

It was only a day after that you generally seemed happier, your sleep was better, you seemed healthier, and your mind was clearer than ever. It was magnificent. Yet, you knew it was cursed for a reason and you didn't want to be responsible for a death by giving someone a product that they don't know everything about. It had to be tested by you, especially as you had warding devices around to ward off anything too malicious.

Some days it changed form, to a simple choker, like it could anticipate what you would want to wear that day, as if the object almost aimed to please? Cursed objects never usually were so friendly but you surmised this wasn't the typical object that you were dealing with.

Perhaps something cursed by accident without malice, an object made for nefarious purpose that had a will of it's own and didn't want to hurt people. Well that thought was disproven quickly, so quickly that you might have gotten whiplash.

There the spirit stood, in the middle of the market place, smiling as she killed the guards that stole all of your wares. Sure your wares were illegal but the only reason you got them confiscated was because you didn't want to pay a bribe. Well now you figured out why the object was cursed, but strangely, you didn't feel the need to take it off, even after seeing her tap the guards with her cold hands and causing them to instantly fall to the ground.

Your first impression of the spirit was that she was clearly loyal to her master, it would make her a great object to keep around, you couldn't sell this, it was too good for protecting your business. The second thing you noticed was she looked cute, the kind of girl that doesn't look like she would do these things, she didn't seem to fit the setting, as if she was born in another world.

You barely spoke to her but she spoke often, sitting next to you at your stall and telling you little secrets about every customer who passed. She never seemed to harbor bad intentions towards your customers either, sure she was protective but otherwise she seemed non-violent.

Or maybe that was the hair tie manipulating you to justify all of her actions. Either way, your life was better now so did it even matter if the spirit was made with malice or not? You couldn't even bring yourself to care about how it had made it's way into your wares or why it looked somewhat unfamiliar to this world. Why the hair tie came with a cute spirit with the power to kill in a single touch. It never mattered to begin with.

At least until a fling of yours visited your room at the inn one night, someone with no malicious intent but the girl didn't see it that way. One tap was all it took and you had a big mess to clean up. Oh well, it really didn't bother you, afterall things were so much better than before, right?

Coming from a family of sword fighters and not learning to sword fight made you the black sheep of the family. You were much more interested in becoming a proper lady and obtaining the love of a knight, but at the current moment you were from a lesser family ans so the only way to earn your way to court was to be exceptional. That was how you would be able to catch the eye of a pretty knight.

You did have one skill, and that was lore on magical items. Ones that made the wielder invisible on the battlefield, one that would get you exactly what you needed, fame and glory. A handsome lady who would swear a knight oath to you.

And thus began a year long journey to visit any old dusty caves that you could in order to find any object that called to you. Still you found nothing until you were alerted to a cave that had been caved in near your families property. And what is any desperate lady to do except to take a pickaxe and bust your way in there.

Your family would forgive you when your hard work paid off, and paid off it did when atop a pile of untouched goodies sat a beautiful knight, holding a glove and seemingly looking at you.

In truth she had been buried there for years and was unable to wander far from her glove, but before the cave in she would go to the edge and see you reading books of love letters in the meadow, hoping that when you got to court that a lady would swear and oath to you.

Abigail never got to have that in her human life before she was bound to the glove, but if she got you to put the glove on then you'd both get something that you wanted. She knew that knights were rarely loyal even after and oath of loyalty, and she knew your chances of going to court were slim to none, so she'd have to give the pretty maiden what she desired.

It's only fair since you pulled her out of the cave, and this way, you'd be protected no matter what. She'd always be able to guide you out of danger and she'd have complete control over her precious lady so she could guarantee that you wouldn't be meandering with any foolish squires, desperate for a crumb of attention(coochie).

The spirit, she called herself Dame Parley, though said you could call her any name you liked as it had been so many years that she forgot her mortal name, you decided on Abigail, wrote you lover ballads almost every day. You presumed she was just so grateful to be free from the cave.

Sure it was nice to have the attention of a knight but this wasn't what you were expecting, she rarely even allowed you out on the battlefield despite now having enough skill to become a hero. She didn't seem to want you to make your name known, content to stay on your small family estate.

You were the one who wanted a knight to swear their oath to you, and what was a more permanent oath than a cursed glove that promised you would be the only lady in their life and that if you ever died, they would have the glove thrown into a flame to go with you.

Veronia, the spirit, made a very nice travel companion. She said that she was bound to the coat in order to maintain the original masters health but now that you were the owner, she had to help you wherever you decided to go. You thought of her as a companion that others were unable to see.

She liked you far more than any other fool she had been made to serve, putting in more attention to detail than she had done prior. You actually spoke with her and bantered with her on your journeys, unlike the previous adventurers who had worn her.

Adventurers did tend to be a selfish bunch, you knew that all too well, your travels had been filled with strife before your luck changed and you met Veronia in an equipment store. You got a wonderful deal too since no one seemed to notice she was attached to the coat.

Your most common complaint on the road was having to cocoon in Veronia's coat temporarily so the other adventurers who were destroying your camp would see you, and so you wouldn't see when Veronia made her appearance and slaughtered them brutally.

You always wondered why that was the only time she showed herself to people other than you, but otherwise you weren't too bothered. She was just your companion until you reached the quests end after all and she was good company, minus the murder.

Veronia didn't see it your way. How could she? I mean despite being a spirit, she also had a destined mate and it was you. It did take her longer to discover that then it would have if she had her physical form still, but all that mattered was that at the end of the day, she had finally found her mate.

Now she just had to find a way to broach the news to you. You'd understand right? She was your only companion on the trip, at least consistent companion, others tried joining but were often unsettled by her aura being all around you.

You were also the exception to the people that found her aura to be haunting. Previous users wanted her off as fast as they could, often thinking using the coat was more trouble than it was worth but you had been wearing her for months now so surely you'd accept her as your eternal companion.

Of course, you couldn't even find any complaints with this, being on the road was dreadfully lonely and having permanent company would be a blessing, right? Yeah, let's go with that.

Ainsley had come to you with the bargain first, the pendant dangling from her hands. You had limitless potentially when it came to the study of magic but very little mana. Ainsley had infinite mana but no body anymore to continue to use it with.

She was property of the magic academy but no one had been allowed to wear her until she decide she wanted you to be her wearer and the academy had to oblige though they were warned not to warn you of any of the side effects.

She'd fallen in love with you as she saw your study, the way your mind worked when it came to magic was incomparable and she knew that you two must be destined for each other. She just had to make the circumstances to make it happen.

It wasn't hard to make the choice to wear the necklace, although you were a little bit bothered by the flirtatious spirit inside, a spirit was all she was so it wasn't like anything could actually happened and you wanted to progress your research before marrying your wonderful fiance so it was a win in your book.

Ainsley really wanted to give you privacy to begin with, she really did, she swears, but seeing you giggle and kick your legs like a schoolgirl when you received letters from home, was just pushing her limits.

For a genius, you were so blind to her advances so she should have seen this coming. She needed to work harder, after all you two were soulmates and with your weird circumstances, it meant she had to push for the relationship much harder. You'd come around.

She had almost free roam of the academy but usually chose to remain at your side, near the necklace so she could guide you in the right direction when you needed a firm scolding. Her free roam would work to her advantage.

The kingdom was desperate to keep her infinite well of mana on their side so they'd do her almost any favor, including sending a woman to seduce your fiance and then send you proof of the seduction so you'd realize that being with mortals when you were on the cusp of immortality, was extremely foolish.

The immortality was just a fun little surprise she'd tell you about later once you finally were rid of the mortals who were holding your studies back. Afterall, only those with a use were good enough to be near her baby girl.

[animehouse-moe]

The Ancient Magus' Bride Season 2 Episode 12: A Small Leak Will Sink A Great Ship II.

Well, the Spring season has been winding down as of late, so it means we get to add another series to the pile of completed (for now) seasons with MahoYome. Though, unless I lived under a rock and missed the original announcement, we've found out that MahoYome S2 will be re-appearing in Fall with a second part! Regardless of continuation though, this part of the season ends on solid ground, with promises of interesting stories to come, so there's certainly plenty for me to chat about.

Okay, so with the end of this part of the season, I am actually going to talk about the production quality of the episode a little bit.

Yes, it did end on a high note, and that's expected really, but I want to break it down a little more. When you're watching the episode, there's hardly any scenes that feature a large amount of movement of motion, save the piece with the principal and her cat-sìth. You'd think it might be a bit more noticeable than it is, really, but it's not. When you're well aware of your constraints, you're able to play further into your strengths.

The strong use of first person, aggressive angles, and narrow/empty space gives Kafka a lot of respite from the more challenging tertiary pieces to animating an episode, and as they're used intentionally, they produce a very cohesive visual style that plays well with this season's overall approach.

So there you have it, when Kafka's aware of their limits the episodes themselves are always well done. If I were to hope for one thing with the second part of this season, it would be for Kafka to better understand their limits. It'd be great if they could suddenly get better, but I'd think that unlikely in comparison to reflecting on the work done on this season and pivoting to provide a stronger second phase.

Anyways, the actual episode! Lots to chat about, particularly in regards to character arcs. Quite a few get tied up neatly in this episode, but just as many are further exposed and left to be explored in the fall.

We start the episode with Fabio Zacheronni (what a corny name) and introducing an invisible/imaginary plant to our group of students. Right away, I was wondering what was going on as Zoe and Isaac are the only ones reacting to it. I thought it was a really well done piece that immediately got gears turning in regards to what it is the other 3 were exposed to that caused them to be different. Was it their potential or ability for magic? Was it something about their families? I did correctly guess why it was that Zoe and Isaac couldn't see the plant, but I'm going to save that for later and leave it as a very well done question posed to viewers.

Following this sequence though, the students split up based on their abilities, with Philomela, Chise, and Rian forming a group. It's interesting to see Rian antagonize Philomela right away though. Not even just with his dialogue that challenges her and her passivity with the situation, but his gut reaction to her. From the start, he wears a scowl on his face in regards to the girl, and betrays a deeper frustration and distaste for her than what arises from just this moment.

Also, an early example of the strong use of first person perspective. We watch Rian (sort of) storm off, and it's really well done. The framing with the cave mouth in front of him works perfectly, and I love the small light shaft shining down on him and the slight depth of field applied to the scene, the latter is such a nice little detail to ensure viewers understand how it is we're looking at Rian.

Anyways, we shift from the Waste Tower back to the college itself and find Ailce getting the jump on Renfred and entering another discussion about Alice's future and dream.

I think it's a really great piece that further deepens the differences in how Alice and Renfred see each other, but work together to find common ground to share in regards to it. I particularly like parts like this were Renfred continues to treat Alice as a child, so she likens her dream/aspiration to how a kid might dream of becoming a firefighter.

The downcast expression that they share with this moment really speaks volumes to how the pair interact with each other. Alice feels like her dreams and desires are being discounted by the father figure in her life, while Renfred feels like he's failed his adoptive daughter by placing faulty dreams in her head.

And of course, the interaction ends with an endearing first person perspective that shows what Alice looks like through Renfred's eyes. Overall though, the use of height and space through conversations like these (and the next one with Lucy and Steph) is well used, both inside and out of this first person view.

I really like how they don't just perfectly solve this miscommunication between Renfred and Alice, but that they allow Renfred to move things forward in his own way by trying to relate to Alice a little bit. I'm really looking forward to what we'll see when Alice learns more of Renfred's past.

Alright, back into the Waste Tower where we find Zoe happy collecting minerals/gems in a cave, though not for long. In the cave they find themselves in, Zoe's confronted by a pair of demi-humans that provide interesting hints and questions as to why they exist within the Waste Tower. Though the highlight of this interaction is Zoe's confidence in themselves. It's a simple and short piece, but concludes their character arc through this season quite comfortably as they release their snakes on the pair of inhabitants.

Following this brief interlude with Zoe, we return to the college to find Lucy and Steph in an argument of sorts. While this isn't the meat and potatoes of their conflict/interaction, I just wanted to point out how well they use the layouts to convey the scale of these two and show Steph as the more mature one, as well as how similar they remain as siblings despite the differences of each (how they both look down to avoid the confrontation of the moment).

Now, for my favorite interaction in the episode, Chise and Fabio. I found this one incredibly interesting, as Fabio attempts to sympathize with Chise's "monster" side, rather than Chise herself. There's not much to say aside from that, really. Fabio believes that Chise's "other half" is shunned by the people around her and seen as an object of distaste, so he tries to play into that side of things to win over a Sleigh Beggy for himself, but is met face to face with one of the monsters inhabiting Chise.

First though, this super cool still of Fabio confronting Chise. Love the aggressive camera angle and perspective.

But anyways, Cartaphilus. I thought this was the perfect piece to effectively end Chise's story with this season. I had mentioned in earlier episodes that you could see just how much of Chise's mannerisms have stemmed from Joseph's influence on her body, but this scene takes it to another level.

It's really interesting to actually see Cartaphilus as Chise in this scene, as it shows just how far Chise has fallen into him as a person. Coupled with her disgust and fear from the moment, it creates a really interesting sequence that plays right into the hands of what Joseph had said before.

Similarly, I love this pair of scenes in regards to Chise as Fabio talks down on Elias. Frozen in fear of herself, she listens to Fabio's words as he disparages Elias. Chise is very quick to deny these words however, and step out of Fabio's shadow that he tries to trap her in. Simple, and easily missed, but a very well done piece of symbolism that integrates effortlessly with the scene at hand.

Okay okay, last thing with this interaction I promise, there's just so much great stuff going on. It's actually here that Fabio reveals why Chise could see the plant he was holding. Chise, along with Rian and Philomela, have killed someone. Not a massive shock given Philomela's involvement and Rian's dispositions alongside his actions while at the overnight camp, but one that's placed right where it needs to be to garner the most effect. It takes a rattled and cornered Chise and shakes her up that little bit more after she had just steeled herself.

Her conversation with Fabio ends here though, as the students return from the Waste Tower, and we move back to Lucy and Steph.

Somewhat similar to Renfred and Alice, it's a conversation about the elder attempting to understand the struggles of the younger that they attempt to save them from, though marginally different.

What I love here is how they start them. Steph hasn't been a part of his family for a long time, and hasn't seen Lucy for much at all of his time away. Because of that, he treats her differently, he hesitates to reach out to her, he sees her as a different person than she is. But underneath that ghost costume, beneath that white sheet is the same fragile little sister that he once knew. (once more a solid use of FPP)

Once he sees his sister is still that little sister he always knew, he no longer hesitates to embrace her, and we get this wonderful pair of shots, with Lucy's being one of the highlights of the episode. Such an incredible idea in regards to framing.

Following this embrace, the siblings have a heartfelt moment which repairs the threads that bind them together as family. It's a really sweet moment between the pair that allows them to be vulnerable, but isn't something that really translates well to sharing your thoughts on, so I'll just leave it at it being a really great moment that brings the pair back together.

And that brings us to the end of the episode. I'm a massive sucker for stuff like this conversation between the principal Lyza, and Philomela's grandmother Lizbeth. Two super powerful people toying with each other to coax out a reaction is just something that's so enjoyable. Knowing and understanding where their abilities lie, and seeing them playfully dance around using them just seems like such a fun thing to me, and it's executed quite well here.

Though before I share the clip for that moment, I just wanted to say how nice it was that Lyza wants to protect Philomela. Even if she was a part of the theft of the book, she's a student before she's a part of the Sargant family, and so she's treated as such in comparison to being a tool in her grandmother's hands.

But anyways, the cat-sìth. They definitely saved a lot of the "budget" of the episode for the scenes of them, and I think it paid off incredibly well for how smooth and expressive these part shadow, part cat faeries are.

And this is where the first part of this season ends. Overall, I think they do a really outstanding job of providing neat conclusions to plenty of stories and character arcs, while ensuring viewers that a mountain of content remains to be explored. The book still hasn't been found, the purpose behind its theft and the spiders of the Websters is yet unknown, there's some sort of past or history to explore between Rian and Philomela, and we're just starting to see Chise struggle with the others that exist within her.

As a first full scale production, Kafka definitely proves they're worthy of taking over the mantle of handling MahoYome, but also show their immaturity in regards to production through small-scale challenges that appear on a per episode basis. Having a season off to regroup and refocus on the second cour feels like a great idea for them, and I'm incredibly hopeful for them to come out of that break refreshed, and ready to handle the second cour even better than they did the first for this season.

[lizethvillavicencio]

My current hyperfixation is Lab Rats.

Not the animal, but the show. You know the one. Leo Dooley has just moved in with his Step-Dad, Donald Davenport, and discovers a secret lab in the basement, where he finds three kids with incredible powers that they call Bionics. He forms a bond with them and brings them out to the normal world for the first time in their lives, which sets up four seasons of wild shenanigans, villains, and self discovery.

And a constant laugh track.

I always thought that Lab Rats had such an amazing concept. The idea that someone made three regular people super with advanced technology, leaving room for morals about self identity and family along the way; I eat crap like this up every time. But Lab Rats was very limited in what it could do because it was a Disney Sitcom. There was no room for character growth that lasted more than an episode or discussions about the trauma that would come with being raised by a narcissist in a lab, never knowing the light of day until your late teens. The neurodivergent and queer coding was never brought up, and just over all, darker themes could not be explored.

So, Tumblr, I've decided to pull a Thanos and do it myself.

I want to make a story about what the show couldn't. I want to write about how the Davenports' relationship will be effected after they meet other people and learn what normal family dynamics are like. I want to write about Donald's emotional neglect and narcissism and how this would be the main key towards Douglas' redemption. I want to write about Adam, Bree, and Chase, exploring their genders, sexualities, masculinity and femininity. But, most of all, I want Donald Davenport to face consequences for his actions.

You may be asking, "Person, why announce this to Tumblr when you can just post the story to Ao3 and/or Wattpad and be done with it?"

Because I wanted to ask the people what they want.

This story isn't just self indulgence, it's for the fandom, whom has already done so much to add more depth to the Lab Rats world. So, I want to know what you want to see. Here is what I have planned to add so far:

1. Chase has D.I.D

I am a firm believer that Spike isn't just some Bionic that Douglas gave Chase. I believe that because of the practically endless trauma that Chase has gone through(going on missions to save the world and Adam's abuse) he developed a D.I.D. system and Spike is the protector. I know that people with D.I.D. usually have multiple alters, but it's not impossible to only have one. Or I may add more. Let me know what you think.

2. Adam, Bree, and Chase are triplets.

They still have the same birth order, they're just triplets now.

3. The main three have less bionics

Oh my god, these kids are so overpowered. To help fill some plot holes, here are the bionics they're going to have:

Adam: Super Strength(his limit is a ton)

Super Durability

Heat Vision

Blast Wave(but he becomes

incredibly exhausted after using it,

so he saves it for emergencies)

Bree: Super Speed(her highest speed is

70 mph, but she becomes

incredibly exhausted after using it),

Super Durability

Super Agility

Invisibility

Vocal Manipulation

Chase: Super Intelligence

Super Durability

Force Field

Laser Bo

4. Douglas has more kids

I'm planning on making Daniel WAY more involved in the plot and Douglas having another daughter. I don't have a name for her yet, so I'm gonna call her E for now. My plan is that after Adam, Bree, and Chase are taken from him, Douglas and Krane just relocate and make more kids. Daniel and E are definitely going to be there, but I might add more. Daniel's bionics are going to stay the same, and I'm deciding between giving E geo-leaping or molecularkinesis. The main purpose for the two of them is to further the I-Am-Your-Father arc, as I like to call it, and to open up new perspectives on Douglas as a father figure.

5. Douglas and Krane are/were in a relationship

Every scene with them is just them being an old married couple.

6. Mighty Med and Lab Rats existing in the same universe is a lot bigger to the plot

I don't want to reveal how I'm gonna execute this, but trust me, it'll be there.

7. Adam has ADHD and Dyslexia

After watching the show fiftyleven times, I can say with confidence that Adam is not dumb. He has a short attention span, sure, but he can think quick on his feet and is actually quite clever. He may not excel in the classroom, but unlike what a lot of parents will tell you, grades are not a good reflection of someone's intelligence or skills. And while Adam's spelling skills are below average, this doesn't usually occur to someone in their late teens unless they a) didn't have access to a good education, or b) they are lazy and incredibly spoiled, and Adam is none of these things. But, something that neurodivergent people tend to do in situations like these is uplay their "dumbness" to the point where it's OBVIOUSLY a joke, except it's not. They just don't want people to think they're actually that dumb.

I wouldn't put it past Donald to just label Adam as dumb and not get him assessed.

8: Bree also has ADHD

Bree also seems to have trouble concentrating and waiting, but where Adam hyperfixates for months at a time and is innatentive, Bree's hyperfixations last for a few days at most before she moves on to the next thing.

9: Chase is bisexual

Do I even have to explain this one?

10: Chase has autism

Listen, this man does not get social cues and info dumps like crazy.

And last, but certainly not least,

11: Krane's story is going to go beyond the every Disney Villain motivation of wanting to take over the world

I always wished they had done more with Krane than the simple, "I wanna take over the world," crap that most Disney villains do. I wanted more lore, more backstory, more motivation. Now, I'm finally getting it.

Please let me know what you think and have a great day!

[gratisdiamanten]

17,34

Send me a weird writing ask!

Going to do 34 first, because 17 is gonna get partially thrown under a cut (apologies for being a complete and total freakazoid "invisible to users with no account" "wiped from search results" blog):

34. Thoughts on the Oxford comma, Go:

In casual and academic writing, necessary. In prosey writing, I really only put a comma where it fits the kind of pause I want to convey. So in stream-of-consciousness type writing, you might see commas missing where they grammatically should be, and in places where they normally aren't!

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

I can't do this in a reasonable length of post... and I think I have like 3 active WIPs. But I will take this opportunity to talk about one of like, my dark-dark fics "Go in Fear of the Sun" which spawned off the idea of like. Missing-person cases I read where the family suspected foul play but the police closed it as suicide because of mental health history. Anyway, TW for all kinds of insane bad shit, CSA/SA, SH, suicide, murder, depression, I don't know:

Daniel and Max live on the outskirts of Buffalo, NY, and it's like, mid-late 2000s. Max is a auto mechanic in his early 20s, Daniel is a diner manager, about 30, subbing in for waitstaff because they don't have enough workers. Max gets his lunch there like clockwork, every day, nothing changing, not curious to try anything else.

Daniel flirts with him a little, Max's weird but seems harmless, severe looking face but big soft eyes. Gets Max to try a new dish (which he hates, and then tips Daniel anyway, which he barely has the money to do). Daniel likes him. They talk often. They go to each others apartments, they're friends, Max plays Madden 04 on his PS2 and explains play strategy to Daniel, whose knowledge of football is limited to Fuck The Patriots, But Also The Dolphins Especially. Max is a sweet guy. He shouts at his games and then his face goes soft, he doesn't throw anything. Sometimes his head falls back onto Daniel's knee from where he sits on the floor. Max has pretty hands that are often still black under the nails. They send good morning good night texts.

Daniel is falling in love with him. It scares the shit out of him. And he's increasingly getting this gnawing sense that Max has issues he won't discuss. He rarely talks about his family, except for his sister, who looks like him if Max were round-faced (and he thinks Max looks better the way he does, strong brow and wide cheekbones sloping into a soft pout. I mean, wow, what a contrast). Even of her, he only has a few photos with him, although he looks at them often. His arms, when his long sleeves ride up, are streaked with old chalky marks, pink lines. Brown stitchy scabs, some of them fresh of them enough to have those spots of red-yellow ooze. It feels freaky. He remembers kids like this, in high school. They ended up in the psych ward. Freaky.

Some days, Max is very quiet. He has dark circles under his eyes, and while Daniel feels he always looks like that, bruisey and like everything's been drained out of a tap at the base of his spine, it looks wrong on Max. Max should be bright faced and flushed. Other times, he's frightened. He never wants to talk about it much, but he manages a short "my dad" that he fails to elaborate on. Daniel worries. But these times pass, even if overall they increase in frequency. Max says once his father keeps getting in his business. He says once that his father is a fucking creep. But he almost always softens his tone by the next day about it. Daniel tries to check in with him when it's bad, bookended by, rise and shine Max, sweet dreams, Max a million.

Despite all this, they're getting closer. Max is gentle, they cook together, watch games together even at the expense of Daniel meeting with his other friends. Daniel feels like he won a million dollars every time he draws a bright and real smile, wrenched from place hidden safe inside Max. He feels like he's doing something right. He listens to Max's detailed lectures on trick plays, on the value of a good rushing game. Daniel cooks him his breakfasts at home, even earlier, before he leaves. Walks over extra early just to do it for him. One day, they spend the weekend snowed in, as so often happens. It's good. It's fun. They drink a lot.

In spring, really, more late May or so, Max and him sleep together, and it's so good. Daniel's never had sex that good, most detached little bathroom fumbles in bars. Never felt like going steady, like his dad called it especially if going steady meant a nice girl. But he feels like it, with him. It's crazy, they go the whole night. He's so in love. He loves Max all over. He doesn't see a thing wrong with him except for his unhappiness, which his whole body aches to help soothe. He can't, though, because this all runs so deep. Daniel doesn't know, and even if he did. A sweet boyfriend can only do so much. They still make plans to go for drinks, properly, as a date-date, the next Friday.

Wednesday, Max doesn't come in for breakfast.

He might just be sick, but he always texts Daniel. On his break, he goes down the street to the garage where Max works, and asks if he's been in or called. Neither. So he goes to Max's apartment. He knocks and knocks to no response. And when he tries the door, it opens.

Nothing wrong inside except for the dinner that hasn't been cleared away, or the chair tipped over.

On the grounds of a hospital stay a year before, the police suspect suicide. Despite Daniel's cold cold dread and suspicion of his father, they say his alibi checks out, out for dinner with his wife.

They don't find anything. And years pass like this.

[ithappensblog]

when life gives you lemons

My life has provided me with a ton of different roles and responsibilities that I wear with pride. But beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect exterior lies a hidden world of struggles that often go unnoticed.

Between balancing the roles of a full-time employee, mom, wife, homeowner, business owner, sister, daughter, friend, etc – it's a fucking demanding existence that I pour every ounce of strength, both physical and mental into. On the outside, I may appear to have it all together, an impression further complicated by societal expectations and appearances. But the truth is, each day is a battle against invisible physical disabilities and mental health struggles.

While my weight might seem to provide you with the most visible aspect of health problems, it's merely a fraction of the complexities I face. My weight is something I've always wrestled with and something I most likely will wrestle with like a WWE superstar for the rest of my life. However, what you can't see is that I often struggle to find the energy to complete simple daily tasks, let alone face the day's demands. Yet, I continue to push myself, driven by a society that dictates that anything less than perfection is not enough. The expectations are relentless, the standards set impossibly high. And before you roll your eyes and say, "well Jenny, just lose weight then!" like I said above, that's just a fraction of the shit I deal with. I know it doesn't help, but it's not the root cause of all my problems.

I strive to be the best version of myself in every role I play – not only for my own sake but also to set an example for my daughter. The fear of her resenting me for not giving my all looms behind me like a shadow, urging me to put on a brave face even when the weight of the world feels unbearable. I pour my energy into everything I do because I know that to do otherwise would only result in a deterioration of my health, both physical and mental. The struggles are real, and at times, they're consuming. Battling with your health while fulfilling numerous responsibilities is an exhausting juggling act, and the line between self-care and self-preservation becomes a tightrope I navigate every day. I'm not complaining by any means, just trying to give you a little bit of insight into what I know other's struggle with but aren't so open to discuss.

As I glance around at those my age, it's hard not to feel a twinge of longing. The carefree experiences and opportunities my peers enjoy seem like distant dreams for me. I remind myself not to fall into the trap of self-pity, but the reality is that sometimes, it's hard to escape that feeling. I wish for things to be different, to have the freedom to chase my dreams without all of these issues dragging me down. However, I've learned to find solace in the idea that the universe hands us challenges for a reason. These challenges, though they may be difficult, have shaped me into the person I am today. They've granted me a unique perspective on life, teaching me empathy, resilience, and the importance of self-acceptance. The journey I walk is marked by pain and triumphs, by exhaustion and moments of inexplicable joy. I push myself while also recognizing my limits. It's about finding strength in vulnerability, embracing the complexities that make me who I am, and acknowledging that the battles fought behind the scenes are just as significant as the achievements celebrated on the surface.

The roles we navigate come with challenges that often remain unseen. The struggles may be invisible, but they're real and demanding. It's important to remember that with every battle fought, every step taken, I am a fucking warrior. And while I may not have the life I imagined, I choose to embrace the path I've been given, facing each day with the hope that my challenges will ultimately serve a purpose greater than my own.

One day, maybe, I'll elaborate more. But until then, know you're not alone.

[krawkpaladin]

Minor Plot/Gameplay Spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3, Act 2 below the cut, but it's mostly discussion on the mechanics of a specific encounter with some plot.

So when you enter the temple of Shar by the House of Healing and get down into the Gauntlet of Shar, there's a gauntlet (heh) of trials you have to go through in order to get these magical gemstones to be used later, pretty typical "test of skills/character" stuff. There's a lot of cool things you can do, including scouting out the rooms if you pick the locks before starting the challenge, disarming traps in advance, that sort of thing. One of the challenges, however, is called the Self-Same challenge and is... a clone fight.

If you've played a lot of CRPGs or JRPGs (or lots of other games, say hi Ocarina of Time!) you've seen this type of gimmick fight before. The party (or character, if it's a solo deal) is confronted with a clone/dark reflection of themselves that is a perfect copy in every way and you have to defeat the clone(s). The in-universe intended solution to this sort of gimmick combat is generally superior skill/tactics, but D&D 5E's combat is swingy enough that even superior tactics can't save you from rolling a fat 6 for damage on Guiding Bolt only for your clone to turn around and hit you for 30 damage at a time when you likely have a max HP of around 40. On top of this, your clones have several additional abilities that you normally don't: like many Act 2 enemies, they turn invisible when not standing in a light source, they are immune to being pushed/moved around, and they are immune to spells like Hold Person. The last component of the fight is that you receive a stacking debuff (-1 to all ability scores until your next long rest) from attacking your allies' clones until you defeat your own. So your tactics end up having to be a lot of "hit your own clone and hope they die first" since you get a debuff for doing the reasonable tactical action of, say, using your rogue to gank the wizard clone first thing.

Of course, there are ways to reduce the difficulty of the fight, partly because it is a video game. You can do this in a couple ways, usually by manipulating how the clones generate. The most straightforward is to strip your party of all their equipment, generate the clones, and then put all their gear back on and beat the snot out of a bunch of naked people. I... I don't particularly like this solution. The logic is overly video-gamey, as it's hard to imagine how anyone would make the connection between a clone fight and removing all their equipment without already knowing the conventions and limitations of the encounter. The other way is that you can send in only one person to start the challenge, and then have the rest of the party follow by breaking into the room after it is sealed so you're only fighting a single clone. I do think that this solution is actually pretty clever, and given the nature of the dungeon and Shadowheart's storyline, can be a fun little potential thematic rejection of Shar's faith in her own temple.

Though to be perfectly honest, I just don't like clone fights the way they're implemented 90% of the time in RPGs. It's either a slug-fest where you hope you roll better on average, or you strip down naked and then get back in your armor faster than the Dragonborn Skyrim eats 10 wheels of cheese to recover from a sword stab mid-battle. There are some interesting ones out there; Final Fantasy 4's Dark Knight fight comes to mind, where the solution is not to attack at all. (It is also, strictly speaking, not a real clone fight, as it doesn't scale with Cecil's level, but it is very much thematically a clone fight.) This has got me thinking though of how to make clone fights interesting, especially in the context of TTRPGs, but I'm still sorting my thoughts on that so I'll probably make a follow-up post assuming I don't get lost in more BG3 or prepping for my group's Sci-Fi Campaign 2 Space Theft Boogaloo.

[college-girl199328]

The media artist and professor of hybrid media at the University of Waterloo currently lives in Lethbridge, Alta. I will lead a talk and open discussion at the Galt Museum and Archives on critical map making. This is a discipline that looks at how maps are influenced by existing power structures and social issues.

Her project Borderline uses data to map and highlight the often unseen boundaries that divide cities.

"While you could say that maps have been used to colonize and control others, knowing how maps work and knowing how to create meaningful maps is very empowering," said Thompson.

She and the team at the Urban Borderlines Research Lab compare census data in dissemination areas — the smallest geographical area census information is available in — to calculate the degree of difference between adjacent areas. The broader the difference the thicker the border. This helps identify where invisible borders exist in cities and within neighbourhoods.

Most people consider maps factual, but Thompson says they can often blur information. For example, United States electoral maps painted states as either red or blue after the 2016 election.

"But of course, once you got closer and zoomed into the electoral districts and then re-framed the data so that you looked at each electoral district, you realized that America is varied."

As part of her visit, Thompson led a workshop at the University of Lethbridge for students in the art department. There, they were introduced to mapping software and designed their critical maps based on Lethbridge census data. Those maps were part of the discussion at her museum talk.

"I never would have thought that map making would be a form of artistry," said first-year studio arts student Natasha Farkas who decided on a bright pink colour scheme for her map.

Beyond the technical and artistic elements, one of the session's goals was for students to gain a deeper understanding of Lethbridge.

"I think that once you see your city through data, you don't see it in the same way, said Thompson."

The data students used focused on people who spent more than 30 percent of their income on shelter. This is often used as a financial measure of housing instability. Through their maps, students were able to identify areas in Lethbridge where people are struggling to pay rent or keep up with their mortgages.

Areas like the neighbourhoods surrounding the university and college where many students like Farkas live.

"That was very upsetting because this is arguably one of the cheapest places to live and so many people are [having] a hard time making ends meet, including me," said Farkas.

She took a drive with Galt Museum curator Tyler Stewart to one of the borders identified on the city's southern edge. When they got there they saw an upcoming development with "brand new, expensive" homes on one side and empty fields on the other.

"So the reason why we had that big thick line is that there was nobody. There was no income to report because nobody was living in the middle of the fields. If I hadn't been there, I might have made an assumption."

The project focuses on invisible boundaries but Stewart was struck by how physical ones divide Lethbridge. The coulees and the Oldman River separate the north and south are cut by train tracks and Highway 3.

"Here in Lethbridge we often talk about this like the north Lethbridge, south Lethbridge divide, like they're almost two different cities … But when you start looking at maps you are reminded [of] how much that is a physical separation," said Stewart.

These physical separations act as barriers that restrict people's movement. They can limit their access to opportunities in other parts of the city, especially if they do not drive or have limited mobility.

Thompson says data can stay invisible unless it's mapped. For example, cities boast about population growth but may not be prepared to deal with it.

Neighbourhoods can grow too quickly without adequate infrastructure to support them. Cities may build condominiums to appeal to new wealthy residents, but ignore the needs of existing residents.

She believes maps are a form of social commentary that can communicate significant information to the public that otherwise would be ignored. But she wants people to be aware that they can also be used to misinform.

[corditeheart]

It takes hours, where Leonhart emerges from whatever hole he's been hiding in (turns out it's the caf, judging by how much his breath smells like coffee), and Martine appears, and they are fighting over her, and Xu has to remind them both that no matter what, she's still Lieutenant Commander of Balamb Garden, and therefore not eligible to be held like a fucking prisoner without really good reason.

And nowhere in the guidelines does it say succession as a really good reason. She has the bangle. She has no interest in taking it off, unless it means she can give this shit right back to Rinoa.

Squall, stressed, tired, dark-circled beneath his eyes, vouches for her repeatedly, until he finally gives up, tells Martine to go eat dicks, and jerks his head briefly in the direction of the exit.

Xu knows a cue to leave when she sees one, and yanks out her own IV, snatches up the bag of personal possessions--her phone, wallet jewelry, wedding and engagement rings, her goddamned gun-- and it's only when they are out of the room, and up to the main level, does she allow herself to exhale even slightly.

"Call me if you need anything," is all Squall says, and she can tell he wants to talk about the situation as much as she does, which is less than absolutely not, somewhere down around the realm of never in this life, but it's an unspoken agreement between them that this will be a discussion later. Tomorrow. Monday. She doesn't know.

She just wants to go home.

Fang drives well above the speed limit the entire way home-- Xu has a feeling she'd gone twice as fast on the way to Deling City.

She sits in the passenger seat, fingers digging into the washed-out red scrubs of her own, replacements for clothes that were obviously destined for the garbage, soaked in blood.

She doesn't begrudge Galbadia for that. She does begrudge them treating her like a prisoner.

And if her fingers are digging into the scrubs, they're not picking at the nearly-invisible seam on the bangle, trying to rip it off of her wrist.

She doesn't speak until they're home. Until they're safely inside, until Fang has locked the door, until she's upstairs and stripped out of the scrubs, standing in the middle of the bathroom naked. Until someone walks into the bathroom while she's sitting on the floor of the tub, hyperventilating into her hands beneath the spray of the shower.

"I'm fine," she manages, somewhere between sharp breaths. "I'll be out in a minute."

Fang remained steady at her side where she could hold to her and be her anchor. "I don't know how long you are in here, but I want you fucking out and with me where you belong," Fang remarked only to shift to spot the medic moving in closer. Before they could stab her with it, Fang grabbed the wrist with it and pushed the medic back using her own strength for a moment. "She is right in not being a fucking animal." she snapped. "Don't fucking touch my wife." Fang was ready to kill if need be to protect Michele from any more torture of any kind. "Get Squall here."

[surplus-of-sarcasm]

Pt.2

Le Number 17

TW: Issues with parents ig?

Villain lets out a breath they didn't know they were holding as they pull into their driveway. They get out and fumble with their keys, fitting them into the lock as fast as humanely possible.

All they want to do is collapse on the couch, but they're currently covered in a disgusting mixture of blood, most of which is not their own and sweat. But more importantly, they don't live alone, and they can't risk being seen in costume, even if everyone's asleep right now.

Or they were supposed to be asleep.

Villain's mother is sitting on the couch and at the sound of them coming inside, she snaps her book shut.

As she walks forward and looks them all-over, her face slowly hardens into a picture of pure and unbridled fury. Villain's train of thought consists of nothing but an infinite amount of rather filthy expletives that they would probably be disowned for ever using. How did she recognise them, even with the domino mask on?

"So this is what you've been doing? This is where you've been getting your money from?" She gestures to their costume. And her tone is disappointed, repulsed even. No sign of concern at all. Villain doesn't understand why they feel a sharp pain in their chest because of it.

"Well, I uh, I was actually at this party, lost track of time, and sorta broke curfew. Costume party, won second place for accuracy," they lie through their teeth, nervously rubbing the back of their neck.

"Cut the crap! I've had doubts when I saw the news, and I've tried to convince myself it wasn't true. But of course, you never fail to impress me," she spits coldly.

They feel their cheeks burn, and their heart skips a million beats. But they keep their expression level as they rip off their mask. Which was ultimately a terrible decision, considering how exposed they currently felt. "Mum, I'm really tired, can I just go clean up and turn in for the night, and maybe we can discuss my alter ego in the morning? Or preferably not at all." They mutter that last part under their breath.

"Oh, you think it's that simple? To know that I've been raising one of this city's worst criminals. I thought you had a legitimate job!"

"And is legitimacy really important when we almost got kicked out of this place? We were going to sell the car, God, we didn't even know how we were going to eat." They try their hardest to keep their cool, but they can't help the fact that some irritation sneaks into their tone.

"You've always been such a goddamn disappointment, but this? It's just extreme."

Villain's breathing becomes quicker and shallower, and it feels like an invisible hand has a vice-like grip around their throat, slowly choking them. They've always been the 'yes ma'am' child, the one who never talks back, studying late into the night to get perfect grades, pushing themselves through sports practice and babysitting practically raising their younger siblings. But it was never enough, and finally their mother had managed to push them to their limits.

"So you know my little secret," they hiss, their voice becoming dangerously low, using the same tone that terrified some of this city's strongest heroes.

"And what are you going to do about it? Kick me out of the house that I pay the rent for? If you're so concerned about legality, maybe you should've tried finding a job. You know full-well that no 'legitimate' job a college student can get would pay for anything." They walk forward slowly, eyes narrow as slits and expression stone-cold.

She backs away from them slowly. "You-you're a monster!" she screams, slapping them hard on the cheek and storming out of the room.

The sting of the hot shower water on their fresh wounds doesn't hurt at all compared to the sharp ache in their heart. They've never been struck before, and sure, they're used to being their mother's dumping ground, till they were knee-deep in her crap. But the words they'd just heard felt worse than being shot. And they've actually experienced the pain to be able to boast such a comparison.

Wiping away furiously at their teary eyes, they dry themselves off, bandage their wounds and get dressed in their pajamas. They. Should. Not. Care.

As they step into their room, they find a figure perched on their window sill, reading one of their favourite books. Hero.

"Get out of my house," they snap, not bothering to ask how their nemesis got in, their exhaustion overpowering their survival instincts.

"Well that was rude," Hero muses, closing their book and smiling slightly. "But after what I've just heard, I can't really blame ya." They get off the window sill.

"Just go to he-"

"I know a thing or two about parents that are never satisfied, even if you bend over backwards for them." They let out a long-suffering sigh, and they suddenly age years in a matter of seconds. They're only a year or two older than Villain themselves though.

They sit down on the surprisingly soft carpet, resting their back against the wall and they motion for Villain to come over.

"What do you want?"

They gesture to their lap, and even when they cock a confused eyebrow, they're still adamant about it.

So, that's how they find themselves lying on their enemy's lap, with Hero's fingers in their hair, nails gently scratching their scalp. They follow up with working away the knots in Villain's sore neck and shoulders, the criminal relaxing completely under their touch.

Not much later, they pick up their sleeping nemesis's form and tuck them into bed. They feel their heart flutter at the sight of how peaceful they look.

If only someone had been there to give them the same treatment when they'd needed it most.

[marvel-m-lee]

Can I humbly request Ler!Hagakure and Lee!Bakugo? It’s a little unconventional i know. I can see Toru wrecking Bakugo for snapping on her like he does to everyone. Dude angry as hell for no reason he gotta chill lmao.

Communication

Words: 2992

Fandom: MHA

Characters: Lee!Bakugou, Ler!Hagakure, Lee!Midoriya, ler!Ojiro

Summary: Bakugou and Midoriya against Hagakure and Ojiro. Turns out Bakugou needs to learn some manners.

A/n: KEIDUDU ANOTHER FIC OVER 2K WORDS I LOVE IT AHHH sorry btw, if this is the same person who sent this twice, I was doing it, hope you enjoy! ♡

---------------------------------------------------

It was another field training day. Everyone was in pairs and put against each other in their own areas. Much like some of their first field training with Midoriya against Bakugou, both teams were villains and both teams were heros.

Each group was left to their own devices while Mic and Aizawa went to go do some paper work. If anything got too serious, they'd know by the cameras they'd set up in office.

Each group was set to capture the other, they all had half an hour to do so.

Teams were simple, though today we're focusing on two teams; Bakugou and Midoriya VS Hagakure and Ojiro.

One team, heavily over powered yet nearly no communication skills though having grown up together. The other having great communication skills along with a good friendship since starting but limited skills to their bodies.

The two were placed in an abandoned city with two buildings to work with. Currently Bakugou and Midoriya both stood arguing about what to do, of course Bakugou wanting to kill his class mates while Midoriya trying to come up with a plan to defeat them.

In the other building Ojiro and Hagakure stood around chatting casually, hearing Bakugou's screaming from tens of meters away.

"Honestly, he needs to learn how to chill out!" Hagakure stomped her boot.

"Yeah, yesterday I saw him and Midoriya screaming about toast. Do they ever not argue?"

The two spoke for a bit and tried discussing different ideas to get the other two captured. The idea was to get both villians captured, if one was free then they lost. Simple as that.

There was a bell that signaled the timer had started, half an hour to capture the other team. Either a win or a lose. And Bakugou wasn't loosing.

"SHUT UP DEKU"

"Kacchan..." Midoriya gave the boy a weak look, tired of fighting.

"We're gonna go find those extras and we're going to kill them!" Bakugou yelled, of course then storming off down the hall.

Midoriya followed along, not wanting their duo to split and get caught off guard.

"I don't know Kacchan- Hagakure and Ojiro are a really good team, they get along really well and have been training together more recently, I think if we-"

"doesn't matter! I'm the strongest. They're weaklings, I bet I could take them on even without you!"

Midoriya just rolled his eyes and followed along with the angry pomeranian.

"If we-"

"We don't need your stupid plans Deku!"

"But Kacchan!-"

Blah blah blah. The two bickered back and forth back and forth while walking down their own building. The team had nearly no communication skills, which came in handy for the opposing team.

"So what should we do?" Ojiro asked, a hand on his hip and looking to his invisible friend for answers.

"Im not sure... Bakugou and Midoriya are both crazy powerful!"

"Yeah but don't you remember half of their training sessions? Five minutes ago we heard them arguing about killing us!?"

The two went silent for a minute and just heard Bakugou screaming die over and over again. Giving each other a deadpan look.

"So no communication with them two"

"We can use that! We're great at communication!"

Ojiro and Hagakure then began to walk down their own halls, coming up with a plan to capture the other two. Granted their powerful, but they just needed a steady plan to stop them from using their quirks.

"All we need to do is handcuff them right?" Ojiro asked, holding up a pair of handcuffs. Hagakure held up her own pair.

"Yep! And keep them in their handcuffs for 3 minutes minimum!"

"Alright, so we'll need to distraction them somehow, Bakugou will definitely blow our heads off if we just walk up to him. We'll have to stop him from using his quirk at all" Ojiro thought aloud.

"and Midoriya is super quick!" Hagakure added, the two now walking down a flight of stairs.

Ojiro nodded and tried thinking for a moment without much luck. "For Midoriya, we should just try to be careful, he's really smart but if Bakugou won't listen-"

"Then they won't have a plan" Hagakure finished the sentence for her friend and slid down the banister of the staircase, jumping off at the bottom.

Ojiro ran down quickly, nodding with a smile at their quick and easy communication skills.

"So if we attack quicker, it would still be pointless, it's best we make a plan and go slower as Bakugou's more likely to do better if he pushed us into a head on fight"

The two talked about different strategies and ideas, only to be interrupted by a loud noise followed by a screaming Bakugou.

At first they though he had brought them into a headfirst fight, which in that case they would have most likely quickly lost, but instead they ran to the nearest window and saw a hole blown out of the others building. No doubt that it was Bakugou's temper.

"I CAN DO IT MYSELF NERD!"

"But Kacchan! I have multiple plans that could work-"

"But we don't need any of them because I'm going to KILL them!"

Ojiro and Hagakure could see the two arguing by the massive hole created in the wall, Bakugou stomping his feet and Midoriya putting up his hands, trying to compromise.

Bakugou then turned around, luckily not noticing them in the window but still stomping and screaming, "YOU HEAR THAT EXTRA'S? IM GONNA COME OVER THERE AND KILL YOU SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL HAND YOURSELVES OVER NOW!"

"Kacchan!"

Hagakure and Ojiro just watched silently from the window, not having been spotted but watching as Bakugou has another fit.

"Someome should really teach him some manners! And to laugh every once in a while!" Hagakure complained, crossing her arms. Ojiro turned to look at her, as much as he could look at her, and agreed. Nodding his head.

"I heard him laugh in training once and he's got such an evil laugh! His eyes were all red and glowing and he looked ready to kill!" Hagakure shook her hands, trying to get rid of the though in her head and squealed a little.

Ojiro put a hand to his chin for a minute though and laughed, "actually I heard him laughing the other day, Kirishima was chasing him and he actually has a normal laugh when he wants to- I guess he just likes murder?"

Hagakure turned to boy with a tail and raided her eyebrows in surprise, not that he could see, though somehow he still knew she was surprised. "Really? Why?"

"Oh Kirishima was just chasing him around trying to tickle him, the two ran into his bedroom and while I was taking plates back I heard them laughing" Ojiro thought back on the memory, shrugging it off as normal but also nice to know Bakugou wouldn't actually completely murder them.

"He was actually begging Kirishima to stop too, it was definitely something" Ojiro laughed as he turned around and continued walking down the many halls of the building. Hagakure looked out the window again to see Bakugou stropping like a child and then ran after Ojiro excitedly.

"I have an idea!!"

Midoriya had finally somehow convinced Bakugou to get back inside the building and try to come up with a plan. Not like the blond was listening much, but it was better than the constant screaming.

"That way if we- Kacchan what are you doing?" Midoriya looked up for a second to see Bakugou walking off down the halls without so much as a signal for him to follow.

"Im going to go win, you can stay here" Bakugou replied nonchalantly. Waving Midoriya off.

"Kacchan! We were finally getting somewhere!" The broccoli boy replied.

"No we weren't, you were going on and on about your stupid plan when I can easily win without it!"

Midoriya followed along, wanting to pull our his own hair and throwing his head back with a loud whine.

"Ahhhhh Kacchan! Hagakure and Ojiro probably already have a plan!"

Bakugou didn't care in the slightest though, making his way through the building to perhaps the 4th floor. Having started at the 7th, and blown up the 6th.

"Im going to go blow up them extra's, you're just waisting my time Deku"

Midoriya really just couldn't be bothered at this point, having only been 13 minutes in and already spent most of them arguing.

That's when something felt off to Midoriya. He looked around but didn't see anything as Bakugou droned on and on about how amazing he was and that he didn't need Deku's dumb plans that probably wouldn't even work anyway.

He couldn't spot anyone, but the feeling alone was enough to tell Midoriya someone was here. One opponent was quite literally invisible so he wouldn't put it past them to use it to the other teams advantage.

"Kacchan-"

"What Deku?!"

"Someone's here"

"Huh?- sHiHit!"

And right then, the most unexpected thing happened. Bakugou burst out into laughter, but not his murderous intent laughter, no but his childlike normal human being I'm not a phyco laughter.

The blond jumped and made a strange move before doubling over into loud laughter, trying to stop the funny feeling on his torso.

Midoriya just stared for a moment, totally and utterly shocked at what was happening. He didn't even attempt to help Bakugou, he just starred at the scene.

"StAhAHaP! STOhOhOp It!" Bakugou couldn't help but laugh and yell, trying to look for the culprit who he couldn't see.

"I never knew you were so ticklish Bakugou!" Hagakure chimed in, her voice bright and bubbly with a hint of teasing.

The blondes face went a little red but ultimately began threatening the girl who just continued to tickle his sides and anywhere she could reach, forcing him to try to cover himself and unable to fight back.

"You should really learn some manners Bakugou, you're always so rude!"

"IHIHI WIHILL FUuhCkIhihN- STOHOP IT!" No one could see Bakugou's face as it was hidden by his hair and hiding in his chest, he dropped to his knees and tried to curl up to stop the tickling.

"YOHOURE DEHEAHAD HAGAKURE"

"im so confused" Midoriya stood on his own, watching as Bakugou was quickly taken out by a couple tickles. Of course he knew Bakugou was ticklish, but wow. This was the last thing he expected today. There would have been no way for Midoriya to prepare for such a random tactic.

Along with that though, he had no clue where Ojiro was, and didn't really want to get captured. Yet he couldn't leave Bakugou like this.

"WaHAiHIt! StOhOp!" Bakugou shook his head as Hagakure tickled his torso and up to his ribs, he didn't know he was so ticklish, sure he knew he was but it was so much worse having it been a surprise attack and not being able to see anything.

Bakugou couldn't even think, his head was so confused. Could he blow her up? Sure yeah but also it was like his body didn't know whether this was a game or a threat. So he kept his arms wrapped around his body and continued to laugh into he floor without control.

Then suddenly Midoriya jumped and pushed where he assumed Hagakure to be off of Bakugou, sending her to the floor and giving Bakugou just enough time to get up, though his wonky smile didn't crease, though he tried to wipe it off.

"She's dehead." Was all that he said, standing up and pointing one arm to where he believed she was, though she was totally invisible, without her gloves nor boots. A blast was sent but right after Midoriya began laughing himself, making Bakugou swiftly turn around to see Ojiro standing there, holding Midoriya captive while tickling his neck with his tail end.

Ojiro had a grin on his own face, Midoriya struggling but giggling and trying to pull his head away, ultimately failing being one of the most ticklish in the class.

"Waiait! Ojhijiro!" Midoriya's giggles were light hearted and joyful, more so due to his friend teasingly tickling him during a suppose to be serious training day.

Bakugou grunted, fixing his hair quickly as he watched Ojiro speak.

"You can come with us now or we can take you laughing- tickle Tickle" Midoriya giggled and laughed, held awkwardly in a headlock type hold, trying to escape by grabbing Ojiro's arm with his own but laughing from the neck and ear tickles.

Bakugou wore a nasty grin on his face, half from the tickles and half knowing he was gonna kill these extra's for embarrassing him.

"How about you die" he insisted, holding up a hand ready to blast Ojiro without caring that Midoriya might get a little hit too.

But instead of a blast, the boy jumped backwards and tripped, falling onto his back and pushing up at the thin air, laughing hysterically.

"FUHUUCK GeT OhOfF HAGAKURE!"

"Nope! Not until you get some manners and we win Mr Grumpy Pants!" Hagakure was really enjoying this as Bakugou tried to escape but kept failing as she would strike under his arms or his sides and even wherever she could reach his neck. His kicking legs really told the two all they needed to know.

Midoriya then felt Ojiro's other hand on his stomach which began scribbling, immediately he reached one hand down and quickly was placed into the handcuffs, along with more tickling following so he could barely even think about it.

Bakugou however was loosing it, Hagakure really tried to wear him out, which was a smart plan seeing as how quickly he managed to get back up to attack previously. Luckily his hero outfit left a lot out in the open so she was free to trace his abs, scribble into his armpits and run her hands up and down his ribs which made him burst out into loud giggles.

Admittedly, Ojiro, Midoryia and Hagakure were all taken a back by hearing Bakugou giggling, especially so loud and like that. He hugged himself best he could and struggled, feeling weaker than expected at the tickles.

Hagakure must have worked out that the surprise attack on his tummy would have worked well because he couldn't get a clear thought in his head. A large smile across his face while laughing at such a silly thing.

Due to his suit being so skin tight, it meant Hagakure was free to do as she pleased and it would feel as if it was on his own skin, so when a sudden raspberry was blown onto his ribcage the blasty blonde lost it and began screaming in laughter, shaking himself. He hadn't laughed so much and so hard in a long time, even Kirishima would have given up by now.

But Hagakure kinda needed to make sure Bakugou couldn't get back up or they'd all be dead. At least this way she and Ojiro can say they defeated Bakugou in a fight.

"PLEHEHEASE! HAHAHARGA- HAGAKURE! STOHOP IT I CAHAHANT!" Bakugou pleaded for the first and last time he ever would to anyone ever.

In a swift move Hagakure had him in his handcuffs but still didn't give up, just somehow managing to hold his arms above his head and tickle his ribs and armpits, making him almost cry with laughter while shaking his head, begging for her to stop as she placed more raspberries on his tummy and even managed to around his neck behind his hear costume.

The two boys were tickled for about another 3 minutes, both having given up at such playful antics and just giving in. Holding their stomachs or shaking their heads.

There was another bell that went off to signal that time had run out and Hagakure and Ojiro RAN out of the training areas, leaving the keys to the cuffs so that Bakugou and Midoriya could still get out without killing them.

"Sorry Midoriya, cya!"

"Bye Bakugou! Bye Midoriya! Don't kill us!"

Bakugou just lay on the ground whist Midoriya just tried to scramble what had happened together in his mind. He waddled over to Bakugou to see whether the blonde had actually died or not and unlocked both of them from their cuffs.

Back in the entrance, most of the class had already made their way there. Kirishima and Ashido saw as Hagakure and Ojiro ran out of the training grounds, turning back to see whether they were being followed or not.

Everyone had known each others teams, so the two stopped them.

"Where's Bakugou and Midoriya? Did they loose?" Kirishima asked confused.

"We heard a bunch of shouting and assumed they'd cuffed you, sorry guys, but are they okay?" Ashido laughed but still asked concerned.

Ojiro and Hagakure looked at one another, smirking and grinning in excitement but knowing they didn't want to embarrass their class mates.

"It-"

Just then something came blasting through the air and everyone in class 1A turned to see Bakugou flying through the air at insane speeds, his hair was messed up and cheeks flushed pink. But the scariest part was the massive grin on his face while he screamed for the two to run.

"YOURE GONNA PAY FOR THAT"

Hagakure's smile wobbled on her face but she nodded at Ashido and Kirishima, "gotta go- bye!"

"Cya!" Ojiro grabbed Hagakure and the two bolted it as fast as they could. Bakugou blasting above everyone and following them ready to kill.

All the teachers at the time were stood in the staff room, watching one of the camera's. It showed Midoriya appologing and then scurrying off to join the others.

All Might looked at Aizawa and Mic, looking utterly surprised having just seen what had happened.

They were all speechless. Well, until Bakugou blasted past the windows and all of them had to rush out to stop him from killing his class mates.

DIE

[velvetgenshin]

liyue girls as dere types! pt.2

a/n: here is the second part that tumblr wouldn't let me post together-

genre: fluff

warnings: beidou likes to drink

note: reader is genderneutral!

ningguang

a kuudere

ningguang appears cold and distant to most, with her having built up many walls to keep potential political threats away from her by creating an invisible line between her and other people

as ningguang tends to make herself rare to those around her, she wouldn't act much different around her love interest, except for some unknown benefits coming their way the moment they set foot in liyue (if they are a traveler or has caught her attention)

on the other hand, ningguang gets what she wants and will probably invite you to her jade chamber once the timing is right and to not create suspicion when she wants to see her love interest (although i don't think anyone would expect ningguang having romantic interest in them)

ganyu

a mix of a dandere and a nemuidere! 

if ganyu ever happens to be freed of her duties and gets to spend her time with her love interest, she might appear very shy and timid up until the moment she manages to open up to you

ganyu has troubles to fit into the human world, but would feel different around her love interest, which makes her more talkative around them whenever they meet

ganyu enjoys talking about plants and vegetables, and literally has notes full of scribbled notes about how to properly take care of them

i kind of imagine ganyu would write things down she notices about her love interest, simply so she can remember them well and will bring them up during a conversation

she also enjoys to take naps like a nemuidere, but is also very diligent about her work and what she is passionate about

keqing

also a tsundere!

being the yuheng she has to keep up a certain image and with her being a very sceptical person it might become hard to strike up a conversation with her in the first place

if keqing is interested she will probably make the first move but keep a certain distance because she doesn't want to let her pride down and get hurt in the end

same as ningguang though, she tries to make herself rare for her image

keqing will only leave her guard down once she can fully trust her love interest and thus it might take some time to get used to her distant behaviour

i think having political discussions with her could be very interesting, simply because she is sceptic and has her own beliefs in liyue about rex lapis

xinyan

probably something of a tsundere

xinyan enjoys having them close and often plays her guitar whenever they're nearby because she wants to impress them

they also gain a huge bonus when her love interest is just as interested in rock n' roll as she is and even more if they can play a instrument on their own

the tsundere part of her mainly kicks in the moment they compliment her and praise her for her skills

while xinyan won't get any violent though, she just denies it and just is embarrassed about them thinking they are great, but appreciates every single bit of appreciation she can receive from her love interest

xiangling

a deredere!

doesn't really hide the fact she likes someone, and especially not in front of the person themself

when you visit wangmin restaurant it is to be expected that xiangling will top by your table and talk to you, while giving you some of the best recommendations she can make

being near xiangling as her love interest can be kind of exhausting, especially when she wants to search for new ingredients with you, mainly to spend with them and find new culinary dishes she can create

but xiangling knows her limit and is able to respect boundaries, while still wanting to be present in your life

they say love goes through the stomach so

beidou

a tough one actually, but i decided on her probably being a yottadere!

a yottadere is someone who usually drinks a lot and though beidou isn't wasted all the time, she definitely likes drinking

so her love interest either belongs to her crew or is one of her drinking buddies she made on her way through the ocean

beidou is a tough woman and follows her own rules, so her love interest is either similar to her or even the complete opposite, which makes beidou still appreciate having drink together after a long day of work

beidou might probably be confused about her feelings at first, but eventually understands and is a lot more open towards them afterwards

[transporttoanotherplace]

I've read a lot of takes on the ending of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. A lot of them boil down to people who didn't like it because a) they preferred Henry b) Luc and Addie are toxic or c) we should've gotten an ending where Addie was shown to be at peace with Luc. Or people did love it and imagine that Addie just stops fighting one day and accepts peace with Luc. I'd like to address a lot of these points and throw in my take because I haven't seen a version of my take out there yet. Pretty long analysis:

Even though Addie "surrenders" in a way I realized that Luc wouldn't be happy with that. He loves the chase. She enjoys being the mouse. If Addie fully submitted I don't think that push-pull dynamic that makes their relationship so addicting would continue and Luc would get bored. Also, Addie would too. This game they're constantly playing with each other? I think that is Luc and Addie happy. It's not one many of us approve of or can fully understand but it's what works for them.

"That's not healthy!" No shit. Addie and Luc can never achieve healthy. He's a God and she's not entirely human. She's almost God-like (or half god) in that she has eternal youth, eternal health, limited contact with humans, and is more of an observer in life versus a participant since she can't have healthy, human connections. Even like the Gods, the only way Addie is able to leave a physical mark is through other humans (artists and writers) as a muse. We are placing human standards on a couple that is not human. It's like Luc said when he revealed to Addie that he'd put Henry in her path. He is very aware that he and Addie cannot have the love that we humans have. It's why it doesn't bother him that she falls for Henry or that she sleeps with so many other people. He knows at the end of the day she will return to him. He is the only constant in her life and she in his. What is a relationship with a human that lasts a few decades versus a relationship that is forever? What bothers him is that she can't see it and in her quest to find it she pushes Luc away and that's what he doesn't like. He wants her to stop denying her love for him. Unfortunately, he's also the entity that took her ability to have a human connection and by admitting her love for him she fears it would read as her outright saying she is okay with her curse and she's not. So the discussion if they're healthy or not? Not worthwhile. They never will be.

(Please do not mistake my dismissal of the toxicity of their relationship as permission. No human should idealize the love between these two. Yes, there are aspects of the relationship you can want. It is possible for me to love reading about Luc and Addie's relationship but also admit that it is not a love I would want for myself or wish for another human).

"Luc could just give her what she wants." He could. But he's a God and he's not dumb. Also, I think at this point Addie is too far gone. She steals without a second thought. Lying is now her first nature. Feels no guilt as to the ramifications of her actions. And Addie's actually okay with it. Admits she would take the deal again even though she knows that deal means her entire family forgetting her, never being able to form relationships, and a loss of ethics and morals. I wholeheartedly believe that if Addie were given her wish she'd regret it. She would have left Henry eventually because he is so beautifully human (and I truly mean that; he was the character I saw myself in and I think many of us could relate to him most) and she is not.

Now Luc isn't aware at the end he's being "played." There's this general assumption that Luc is unaware of Addie's intentions. Question: What if he isn't? We've seen time and time again that he knows Addie. He watches her even when she's unaware. He sends her Henry because he knows Addie is in love with Luc but needs to experience the love she's idealized. Even though she constantly rejects Luc he knows she is lying to herself. We only have Addie's POV at the end after all. Why are we assuming Luc doesn't have an inkling. Because he's arrogant? Yes. But he's shown to be extremely wise and intelligent. And even if she is playing him like I said I think Luc would be fine with it. It's a truth Addie has not realized--Luc will never tire of her. He actually is in love with her. There is nothing Addie could do that would get him to give her up. That constant push-pull? That is when Luc fell in love with her. He fell in love with her before New Orleans when it was just them. Luc is patient and the only time you see real fear in Luc? It's when he believes she is about to ask him to end their deal. He would rather spend eternity chasing her than never be able to see her again.

There's an argument that could be made he just doesn't want to be alone again. Which valid. Luc is lonely and touch-starved. But I mean he didn't have to fall in love with Addie. They could have just been friends but he does fall in love with her so I think it's a bit of both--not wanting to be lonely and also he does love her. Besides, I can fully admit as someone who was with someone for 8 years that not wanting to be alone actually plays a huge part in falling in love.

"Addie's right back where she started. Back in this constant tug of war with Luc. So where's the character growth?" Actually, Addie grew a lot. You see once Addie realized she could be an idea she set out on a path to find a way to influence artists to capture her. The reason the book ends where it does is that Addie has accomplished her goal. She will forever be remembered by her book and is no longer invisible. Addie's very goal oriented and now she has a new goal: to break Luc. Which funny thing and I address in my next point, she won't be able to do it. Anyway, another area of growth is selflessness. Addie is extremely selfish but what she does for Henry? She lets him go because she loves him (Yes, Addie loved Henry. Not just because he remembered her but because he's also just an incredible person. But in comparison to Luc? No, she does not love Henry as much. No matter what Addie would have left Henry, either of her own volition or Henry's realization that they could not have a true relationship in the real world.) Her growth is accepting she is not fully human and that her desperation to have normalcy is what was making her sad.

"I wanted an ending where we see Addie happy. Even if that was with Luc." But Addie is happy. She just doesn't quite fully know it yet or is unwilling to admit it because she sees Luc as an obstacle. She has the freedom to continue traveling and seeing the world and finding new art to love. That is what makes her happy.

What is Addie's happy ending?

She doesn't have one actually. Addie and Luc are tragedies. Their love story is a tragedy. Addie is a tragic hero. Tragic Hero-a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. The day Addie can no longer sustain herself in art? That is the day she gives up. She already is happy. She has Luc and will always have him. She thrives in her life. The only fitting ending for her is when she gives up and that is both beautiful and awful. When you make a deal with the devil well there is no happiness in the end. She didn't fully understand the choice she was making and that is unfortunately why she is destined to not have a happy ending. But she will have a very happy-during and the good news is that I think she is someone who has the spark to go a millennia before giving up. But seeing Addie give up? It’s not and ending I think anyone would have wanted nor was it fitting for this book.

[bushs-world]

I am literally copy pasting this entire post word to word from @ladylowkeyed (with permission) because I want to post this amazing interpretation without reblogging the strange post this was written as a response to

#anyways if anyone wants to give me a kinder read pls do i am curious

ooh i'll take a stab at it. get it? because daggers lol

okay SO my interpretation, strictly in-universe as if it were a reality of its own, based on what i know about the characters and story, is that it works as a metaphor because it's a metaphor imagined by someone who does not believe the love they have received has ever been real.

at this point in loki's story, post avengers assemble, thrown into the TVA, he doesn't believe his father really loved him. he doesn't believe his mother really loved him. he doesn't believe his brother really loved him. he discusses past love affairs with sylvie, but he doesn't seem to think much of them, and agrees with her assessment that they were never 'real'.

and yet, loki badly wants to receive and give love -- but he's afraid to trust that love will be real for him. he's afraid to open himself up to being hurt again. so, he says love is a dagger. and this man LOVES his daggers (if only they could love him back ;_;)

so what does he say about it exactly? quote courtesy of themarysue:

“Love is a dagger. It’s a weapon to be wielded far away or up close. You can see yourself in it. It’s beautiful until it makes you bleed. But ultimately, when you reach for it,” Loki says as he makes the dagger vanish, prompting Sylvie to finish: “It isn’t real.”

so, line by line because i'm feeling thorough today:

"It’s a weapon to be wielded far away or up close." -- you can love from afar, perhaps unknown to the object of your love. check. or you can love up close, intimately with the person you love. check. Similarly, you can throw a dagger or get up close to go stabby stabby. so that all checks out.

"You can see yourself in it." -- very poignant! loki longs to receive love because through that he will be able to see that he is worth loving. i feel like this line is VERY resonant with wanting and yet distrusting love. And daggers, if you maintain them well and keep them clean like you know loki does, are highly reflective. so that checks out too.

"It’s beautiful until it makes you bleed." -- i'm still with him. love is beautiful. the way you view love when you want it desperately but are not sure you've had it puts it up on an even higher pedestal. and yet, it can be very painful. loki has experienced a lot of pain with his love. and a dagger, well... loki clearly loves him some daggers so he thinks they're beautiful. but the aforementioned stabbiness will make you bleed for sure. i think we're three for three now in metaphors working.

"But ultimately, when you reach for it, It isn’t real.” --and there's the rub, for someone who has not been able to trust in the love he received before. he's not sure love is real. he's not sure love will last. so he uses his powers to make the dagger disappear. and dagger-wise, this is where the metaphor falls apart a little, and sylvie calls him on it. (although i do wonder if loki has ever considered using invisible daggers as a weapon? hold on let me note that in my story ideas folder...)

so we're three for four in the old metaphor department, and to me that's not bad for someone who is a) painfully drunk; and b) is not sure he believes love is real to begin with.

i think on a character level, it works very well to explain to us how loki is thinking when he thinks about love, to illustrate the limitations he's placing on his perceptions of the love he has received, as well as his mindset towards the possibility of future love. his feelings are mixed! and i think it's because he's started to realize he feels something for sylvie, but is not yet sure if he should trust it.

imma not comment on the whole waldron aspect you've mentioned except i think he did a good job overall on the series and i'm looking forward to season 2 :)