#and thus. what better form to change it to. then a god damned dog

[acaciapines]

oh boy making some BIG changes to toh daemon au fjkdg

like good changes. part of the editing process is chopping things up and incorporating ideas i had later down the line but this is changing a super huge aspect of the fic (what luzmari originally settles as) and while it is the right choice there is still a part of me like. damn.

but me writing this fic spanned through like, two other daemon aus (at least. probably more honestly but i think two big ones). and ive come away from them with a lot more ideas on daemons and what i want to say with them, and like...cmon. cmon. i HAVE to.

[themuseandantarctica]

* 𝒒𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒑𝒕. 3

change however necessary.

❝ modern art is what happens when painters stop looking at girls and persuade themselves they have a better idea. ❞

❝ the aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things , but their inward significance. ❞

❝ art disturbs , science reassures. ❞

❝ art is the only way to run away without leaving home. ❞

❝ art is a collaboration between god and the artist , and the less the artist does the better. ❞

❝ the naked truth about me is to the naked truth about salvador dali as an old ukelele in an attic is to a piano in a tree , and i mean a piano with breasts. ❞

❝ art is not a mirror with which to reflect the world , but a hammer with which to shape it. ❞

❝ impressionism is the newspaper of the soul. ❞

❝ there’s not a different set of rules for the artists than for other people.  artists are shit compared to people.  art is the coward’s way out , i think.  if you put what you put into art into other people , you’d have a much fuller , more brilliant life. ❞

❝ art is whatever you can get away with. ❞

❝ if that’s art , i’m a hottentot. ❞

❝ one of the earth’s monstrosities. ❞

❝ life is like eating artichokes ; you have to go through so much to get so little. ❞

❝ these things are just plain annoying.  after all the trouble you go to , you get about as much actually ‘ food ’ out of eating an artichoke as you would from licking thirty or forty postage stamps.  have the shrimp cocktail instead. ❞

❝ an artist cannot fail ; it is a success to be one. ❞

❝ a man is born an artist as a hippopotamus is born a hippopotamus ; and you can no more make yourself one than you can make yourself a giraffe. ❞

❝ god is really only another artist.  he invented the giraffe , the elephant , the ant.  he has no style.  he just goes on trying other things. ❞

❝ you can’t write a chord ugly enough to say what you want sometimes , so you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream. ❞

❝ a happy man may be a successful bishop , dog-catcher , movie actor , or sausage-monger , but no happy man ever produced a first-rate piece of painting , sculpture , music , or literature. ❞

❝ to be an artist at all is like living in switzerland during a world war. ❞

❝ the artist should never try to be popular.  rather the public should be more artistic. ❞

❝ to send light into the darkness of men’s hearts  —  such is the duty of the artist. ❞

❝ the stars , as i have already stated , are attached to the world and not , as the man in the street thinks , assigned to each of us , shining in proportion to our individual lot. ❞

❝ astrology is a disease , not a science. ❞

❝ a physician without astrology is like a pudding without fat. ❞

❝ that we can think of no mechanism for astrology is relevant but unconvincing.  no mechanism was known , for example , for continental drift when it was proposed by wegener.  nevertheless , we see that wegener was right , and those who objected on the grounds of unavailable mechanism were wrong. ❞

❝ i’m not very interested in other planets.  i like them where they are , in the sky. ❞

❝ there are countless suns and countless earths all rotating around their suns.  the countless worlds in the universe are no worse and no less inhabited than our earth. ❞

❝ damn the solar system !  bad light  —  planets too distant  —  pestered with comets  —  feeble contrivance  —  could make a better with great ease ! ❞

❝ that the world is spherical , in the form of a perfect orb , is shown in the first place from its name , i.e. that people all call it an orb , but also from the evidence of the facts. ❞

❝ astronomy is thus a four-legged animal standing on sound and false observations at the front and false observations at the rear.  amazingly , the beast can limp forward , and sometimes even gallop , from one discovery to the next. ❞

❝ among the repulsions of atheism for me has been its drastic uninterestingness as an intellectual position.  where was the ingenuity , the ambiguity , the humanity ( in the harvard sense ) of saying that the universe just happened to happen that when we’re dead we’re dead ? ❞

❝ if there were no god , there would be no atheists. ❞

❝ i’m still an atheist , thank god. ❞

❝ we tell ourselves that god is dead , when what we mean is god is dad , and we wish him dead. ❞

❝ he was an embittered atheist , the sort of atheist who does not so much disbelieve in god as personally dislike him. ❞

❝ a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism ; but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion. ❞

❝ most physicists are not sufficiently interested in religion even to qualify as practicing atheists. ❞

❝ an atheist is a man who has no invisible means of support. ❞

❝ the glaswegian definition of an atheist : a bloke who goes to a rangers-celtic match to watch the football. ❞

❝ when i told the people of northern ireland that i was an atheist , a woman in the audience stood up and said , ‘ yes , but is it the god of the catholics or the god of the protestants in whom you don’t believe ? ’ ❞

❝ the equal toleration of all religions .  .  . is the same thing as atheism. ❞

❝ with most people unbelief in one thing is founded upon blind belief in another. ❞

❝ nothing exists except atoms and empty space ; everything else is opinion. ❞

❝ when it comes to atoms , language can only be used as in poetry. ❞

❝ the atoms come together in different order and position , like the letters , which , though they are few , yet , by being placed together in different ways , produce innumerable words. ❞

❝ atoms cannot be proven to exist.  they can never be seen or touched , and exist only in our imagination.  they are things of thought. ❞

❝ the electron is not as simple as it looks. ❞

❝ it is probably as meaningless to discuss how much room an electron takes up as it is to discuss how much room a fear , an anxiety , or an uncertainty takes up. ❞

❝ the capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention. ❞

❝ life is denied by lack of attention , whether it be to cleaning windows or trying to write a masterpiece. ❞

❝ the moment one gives close attention to anything , even a blade of grass , it becomes a mysterious , awesome , indescribably magnificent world in itself. ❞

❝ tell me what you pay attention to and i will tell you who you are. ❞

❝ the greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind. ❞

❝ i am more and more convinced that our happiness or unhappiness depends far more on the way we meet the events of life , than on the nature of those events themselves. ❞

❝ attitude is more important that the past , than education , than money , than circumstances , than what other people think or say or do.  it is more important than appearance , giftedness , or skill.  it will make or break a company , a church , a home.  the remarkable thing is , we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  we cannot change the past.  we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  we cannot change the inevitable.  they only thing we can do is play the one string we have , and that is our attitude. ❞

❝ consider that everything is opinion , and opinion is in they power.  take away then , when thou choosest , they opinion , and like a mariner who has doubled the promontory , thou wilt find calm , everything stable , and a waveless bay. ❞

❝ only when one has lost all curiosity about the future has one reached the age to write an autobiography. ❞

❝ autobiography : an obituary in serial form with the last installment missing. ❞

❝ i don’t think anybody should write his autobiography until after he is dead. ❞

❝ an autobiography usually reveals nothing bad about its writer except his memory. ❞

❝ all art is autobiographical ; the pearl is the oyster’s autobiography. ❞

❝ autobiography is an unrivaled vehicle for telling the truth about other people. ❞

❝ all anybody needs to know about prizes is that mozart never won one. ❞

❝ every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers. ❞

❝ the only thing one can be proud of is having worked in such a way that an official reward for your labor cannot be envisage by anyone. ❞

❝ the council of the royal society is a collection of men who elect each other to office and then dine together at the expense of this society to praise each other over wine and give each other medals. ❞

❝ i have always felt there is something degrading in offering rewards for intellectual exertion , and that societies or academies , or even kings and emperors should mingle in the matter does not remove the degradation. ❞

❝ the nobel is a ticket to one’s funeral.  no one has ever done anything after he got it. ❞

❝ i believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. ❞

❝ a banker is a person who is willing to make you a loan if you present sufficient evidence to show you don’t it. ❞

❝ a banker need not be popular.  indeed , a good banker in a healthy capitalist society should probably be much disliked. ❞

❝ if you would like to know the value of money , try to borrow some. ❞

❝ i could never convince the financiers that disneyland was feasible because dreams offer too little collateral. ❞

❝ drive-in banks were established so most of the cars today could see their real owner. ❞

❝ when the candles are out , all women are fair. ❞

❝ all god’s children are not beautiful.  most of god’s children are , in fact , barely presentable. ❞

❝ remember that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless ; peacocks and lilies , for example. ❞

❝ the most beautiful thing in the world is , of course , the world itself. ❞

❝ it is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness. ❞

❝ what makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well. ❞

❝ beauty , to me , is about being comfortable in your own skin.  that , or a kick-ass red lipstick. ❞

❝ where lipstick is concerned , the important thing is not the color , but to accept god’s final decision on where your lips end. ❞

❝ there is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. ❞

❝ when i am working on a problem i never think about beauty.  i think only how to solve the problem.  but when i have finished , if the solution is not beautiful , i know it is wrong. ❞

❝ i do not believe in ghosts , astrology , palmistry , john cage , love , or god. ❞

❝ i never believed in santa claus because i knew no white dude would come into my neighborhood after dark. ❞

❝ maybe true.  maybe not true.  better you believe. ❞

❝ i do not believe in belief. ❞

❝ the average person today is about as credulous as was the average person in the middle ages. ❞

❝ as i get older i seem to believe less and less and yet to believe what i do believe more and more. ❞

❝ an idea isn’t responsible for the people who believe in it. ❞

❝ the dust of exploded beliefs may make a fine sunset. ❞

❝ there is a great difference between still believing something and believing it again. ❞

❝ there’s nothing that can help you understand your own beliefs better than trying to explain them to an inquisitive child. ❞

❝ the fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd ; indeed in the view of the silliness of the majority of mankind , a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible. ❞

❝ believe not because some old manuscripts are produced , believe not because it is your national belief , believe not because you have been made to believe from your childhood , but reason truth out , and after you have analyzed it , then if you find it will do good to one and all , believe it , live up to it , and help others live up to it. ❞

❝ a man’s got to believe in something.  i believe i’ll have another drink. ❞

❝ properly read , the bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived. ❞

❝ there are indeed secrets in the bible , and some very subversive ones , but they are so muffled up in complications , in archaic ways of thinking , that christianity has become incredibly difficult to explain to a modern person. ❞

[aellynera]

Enumerate (Nathan Bateman x Reader)

ENUMERATE

(hey hey. this is one of my submissions for @wasicskosgirl​ and her 800 follower celebration! congrats on your milestone, lovely! i wrote this in one sitting, which i rarely ever do, but the idea was immediate and persistent so this happened. i just made some final edits, and it was a lot of fun to do and i hope you all enjoy it!)

Word Count: ~1750 

Summary: You have a question for Nathan. He wants reasons. You have a secret weapon.

Warnings: Some language. Innuendo. Smooches. Nathan Bateman. No actual plot, just a thing. Hopefully decently proofread. Superheroes.

with the prompt - “Don’t give me that puppy dog face. How am I supposed to say no to that?”

“This is the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”

Nathan Bateman glares at you over his glasses. Or, he would if he bothered to actually turn his attention away from the monitors in front of him, which, of course, he does not.

On the other side of the room, you’re stretched out on the bed, on your stomach with your legs bent up and ankles crossed behind you, lazily flipping through a magazine.

For once it’s not a technical journal; you’d finally put your foot down a few months ago, told Nathan you’d had enough of the esoteric mumbo-jumbo he kept all over the house, and after a few pleas and a little please, he’d caved. He might make a case that, until now, these celebrity gossip rags were a worse idea, but he can’t bring himself to do it. As a thank you, you always make sure to hand him his favorite one when you’re done with it.

You briefly debate arguing that building an AI and pissing it off so much it thought it had no other recourse than to try to escape and then stab you in the chest is probably a worse idea, but you don’t want to actually fight with him. And you’re not mean.

“I don’t know, I think it would be fun,” you call back to him.

The clicking of the keyboard never stops. He gets so involved in his work sometimes - okay, all the time, if you’re being honest - that nothing else seems to matter. You knew it isn’t really true; the fact that you’re on the bed wearing nothing besides one of his old, soft henleys and a pair of wool socks proves that. The ability to occasionally engage him in actual conversation while his mind blazes through lines of code is rare.

“I’m pretty sure we have different definitions of that word.”

“Hmm, I’m pretty sure they more than occasionally overlap.”

He scans your voice for any hint of sarcasm, any tinge of facetiousness. When he can’t detect any and can’t determine your actual intent, his eyes narrow.

“Enumerate.”

Well, sort of actual conversation.

You toss the magazine aside and sit up on the bed.

“And for every step you take towards me, I want a good reason, not some bullshit half-answer,” he continues. Still typing away, still staring at his screens.

“How do you even know I was going to walk over there?” you mutter.

“I know your operating system, kitten,” he says, “so. Enumerate. And count those steps for me. I know you’re good at counting.” If he’d bother to look at you, you’d see the slight smirk on his face, but it doesn’t matter. You hear it in his voice. You know he’s mostly teasing you.

Then again, if Nathan bothered to turn around to look at you, he’d also see the giant, exaggerated steps you’re taking on the path to his desk. It isn’t very far from bed to desk. Nathan is nothing if not efficient, and one never knows when inspiration or insomnia will strike or you might need quick data access.

But you have a secret weapon and you are going to deploy it with as little delay as possible.

The secret weapon has never failed you before.

You roll your eyes. Smug asshole. “One. It gets us out of the house.”

“We have everything we need right here. Hardly a compelling reason. Try again.”

Another giant step. “Two. A little human interaction, other than verbally sparring with me and taking me on every imaginable surface of this house, would do you some good.”

The clicking might pause for a split second. You can’t be sure because it picks up and keeps going just as it had before, as Nathan replies, “False correlation. I hate most people, in large part because they can’t keep up with me. Not like the way you do.”

You smile, even though he can’t see you, and open your mouth to keep going, but he’s not quite done. “And, if I remember correctly, and I always remember correctly-” you swear you hear his eyebrow arch “-that other part does us both some good. You haven’t had any complaints thus far, and a few of those surfaces were actually rather un-imaginable. You gotta try harder, baby.”

Damn him.

Another step, another reason. “Three. It’s what normal people do.”

The clicking finally stops and Nathan spins around in his chair. He takes you in - one foot as far out in front of the other as possible without you falling over, arms held out awkwardly to keep your balance, wearing only his shirt and your fuzzy socks, hair still a mess from the evening’s previous activities - and gives you a pointed look. “That’s what normal people do?”

You giggle, then straighten your face. You take another step. Now you’re almost in his lap. “Four. You’d look really, really hot in some spandex and a cape.”

Nathan growls and pulls you into his lap. “I said no bullshit.”

There’s your opening. Secret weapon time.

You bite your lip and give him the widest, saddest looking eyes you possibly can. You think of lost puppies and kittens, the ending of Casablanca, that song in Coco that had you bawling. And you blink once, very slowly, just for dramatic effect. Not that you need to. Your trap is set.

Nathan groans and drops his head to your chest for a moment, and then looks back up at you, scowling under his glasses. “Don’t give me that puppy dog face. How am I supposed to say no to that?”

You grin down at him. “You’re not.”

“God damn it.”

“Nathan, it will be fun,” you insist.

In response, he stands suddenly, scoops you up and tosses you back on the bed, his body caging you underneath him.

“You really want me to go to, of all the fucking things in the entire known universe, a comic con with you.” It’s not a question.

“Well, I mean, you did already buy me the tickets.”

“Beginning to regret that decision,” the resignation in his voice is strong, but you can also hear some amusement. And maybe something a little more.

You pout at him. “And my sister can’t go with me now because of some stupid emergency work thing.”

His brow furrows. “Like I don’t have actual work to do?”

“And it would be a shame to waste them…,” You blink at him a few more times.

“I’ll donate them to a children’s charity or some shit.”

You smack him lightly on the shoulder, then your arms wrap around his neck as you lean forward and whisper in his ear. “And I still say you’d look amazing in a super suit.”

“Bull. Shit,” he leans up and nips at your neck.

You smack him harder this time. “Hey, those are good reasons.”

“Will it make you happy?” he sighs.

“Yes.”

He pauses for a few minutes with his face buried in your neck, then pulls back to look at you. His stern expression cracks, ever so slightly, at the hopeful smile on your face. And those damn puppy dog eyes. “You do make a compelling argument.”

You squeal in delight, holding his face and kissing him firmly on the lips.

“But...people. A lot of people. In public,” Nathan grumbles, narrowing his eyes and giving you the fakest stern look he’s ever given you.

He knows you know he was never going to say no to you. He can’t. He may know your operating system, but his own systems fail when you run this particular subset.

And the secret weapon never fails.

You smirk back, your grin and the light in your eyes threatens to throw his brain completely offline.

“That’s where the costume comes in, Mr. Fantastic.”

Nathan scoffs. “If I have to wear a costume, it is not going to be Mr. fucking Fantastic.”

“So you’re saying you will dress up.”

“No, but...there’s better options than that.” A lie. He was serious about being seen by thousands of people in public, and at this point, he’s not above wearing a ridiculous costume just so no one actually sees him at a fucking comic con.

“Isn’t he, like, the smartest superhero though?”

He pretends to think about it for a minute, lazily tracing a finger along your jaw. “True, but. What else does he do? I mean I know I’m flexible but…”

It takes every ounce of willpower you have to not burst into a fit of laughter as you stare back into his deep eyes. “Okay, fine. What about Wonder Woman? I’d do almost anything to see you with some golden wings. And those boots? Damn, that would be hot.”

“Jesus Christ, you’re a menace.”

“You haven’t had any valid complaints thus far.”

“Fucking hell,” he mutters, then sighs. “Almost anything, huh?” His hands have dropped down your torso, and his fingertips are gliding over your smooth skin under the hem of his shirt.

You can see the wheels start turning. Your lips purse and a smile forms. “Don’t change the subject,” you chide him. “What are your other better options, then?”

“Xavier. You could push me around for the day, it would serve you right for even asking me to do this.”

The laughter rises fully and bubbles over. “Even you’re not that lucky.”

“Or maybe Iron Man. I know I could make a working suit, and that would be pretty fucking cool,” he states, matter of fact. You’re honestly not sure if you should be amused or a little worried that he’s not kidding.

“Those are definitely better options than Mr. Fantastic,” he says softly.

You raise your head up to catch his lips, but stop just before you make contact. He makes a small noise of protest, but you just shake your head ever so slightly.

“Hmm, I’m not convinced,” you whisper, your breath fanning across his mouth. “I need some good reasons. No bullshit, Bateman.”

Nathan’s groans are silenced as you surge forth and capture his lips, kissing him fiercely and thoroughly. But his silence is only temporary, and the groans return when you pull away and hook a leg around his hip.

He stares down at you as you look back at him with the biggest, saddest puppy dog eyes he’s ever seen, and you smile innocently and bite your lip. He bites his own as you softly issue one more word into the air around you.

“Enumerate.”

~end~

Taglist:  @anetteaneta @autumnleaves1991-blog @be-the-spark-flyboy @deeandbobbymcgee  @itspdameronthings @jitterbugs927 @nathan-bateman @poedjarin @rosemarysbaby13 @sergeantkane @spider-starry @woakiees @writefightandflightclub @veuliee2 @yourbucky084 @waatermelon-sugaar

Nathan taglist:  @millllenniawrites​

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[yodawgiherd]

Rome pt.1

>>>Read on AO3<<<

Rating: M Setting: Historical Rome

Heyy, I'm alive! :D Having recently watched the Rome tv-series, I finally got an idea that I just couldn't shake. So enjoy the first part of this AU, which I will (most likely) continue!

The sun was hot on young Mikasa’s back, as she was hunched over the tub, dutifully washing the stained bedding. Taking a small break, she straightened, shielding her eyes from the merciless rays. The unyielding sun was one of the many things she didn’t like about Rome. That, and having her parents murdered and she herself being sold to slavery.

They were nothing back home, just another tiny tribe that got crushed under the unyielding boot of the roman empire, trampled and absorbed to be forgotten. The legionaries killed her father, then her mother when she tried protecting her, and almost killed her too before the commander barked a few orders in a language Mikasa didn’t understand. Sheathing their bloody short swords, they threw her in a cage, where a few other members of her tribe already were, and after a long and very unpleasant journey, she arrived at the capital of the empire, the beating heart of civilization.

And it was filthy.

For all the supposed grandeur, Rome had enough dirt in the streets to fill a sea, the sewers smelled and there were annoying flies everywhere. Insects were one thing, but the people, that was something else altogether. Never in her short life had Mikasa seen so many in one place. Thousands and thousands moving around on their business, ignoring the cage that rattled past them towards the slave market. Watching them one was thing, being watched was other, she realized once the slaver ushered her up on the stage. Dozens of hungry eyes scanned her, made her wish that the earth would just open up and swallow her whole. But as usual, the gods ignored her.

In the end, Mikasa was sold to a bald, corpulent man whose name she quickly forgot. Her new owner managed a chain of brothels, or “houses of pleasure” as he called them himself, and was hoping that her exotic look would attract customers. That was, once she matured enough. Sure, there would be clientele for her even now, as any sort of demand had to be satisfied, but it was decided that ruining her now would be a waste of investment. Mikasa was thus put to work, cleaning and maintaining the house that quickly became her prison.

Over the first few weeks of her captivity, she learned a great deal, besides being taught the language. Trying to escape was useless. Just two days after she was transferred to her new home, one of the other slaves did escape, only to be brought back mere two hours later. Then, the master of the house called everyone and made them look while his dogs tore the poor fellow apart. After she was done throwing up what little was in her stomach, Mikasa realized that following the escapee’s footsteps would be suicide. She didn’t know Rome, she had nowhere to go. Worst of all, the people of Rome would never help an escaped slave, that was beneath their station as free citizens.

So what was Mikasa left with? Survive, that was her only objective. She knew that for now, it was easy on her. Cleaning and housework were easy, even back with her tribe she had to work. But deep at night, when she curled up beneath her flimsy blanket, she could hear the disgusting noises coming from the rooms all around her and knowing that was her fate made the bile in her throat rise. To not lose hope, she focused on the present, taking it in day by day. Maybe something would happen to free her from that terrible fate, maybe something… anything….

Shaking her head, Mikasa lowered her eyes back to the tub, once again taking hold of the dirty bedding, stained by those activities that the brothel existed for. Pressing extra hard to get the wine out, she worked in peace until there was a shuffle of feet behind and suddenly the sun was not the only thing staring into her back. Thinking that it was most likely her owner, coming to see what’s taking so long, Mikasa turned with an apology on her lips but that died when she saw who was standing there. Not the fat man who held her life in his hands, but a boy, no older than she was. Yet the age was about the only thing they had similar.

Mikasa was dressed in rags, understandably for a slave, while the boy’s clothes were fresh and clean, bearing the marks of high-quality material. His skin was amazingly clean, a feat that Mikasa didn’t understand how he accomplished. How come he didn’t get dirty while working? But work was the last thing on the intruder’s mind, as he scanned her with his forest green eyes, taking a bite from whatever he was holding in his hand. She had no idea what it was, but it smelled damn tasty.

“Your eyes are weird.”, the newcomer said out of nowhere, the carelessness of a child in his voice, “All tilted. Why?”

“I was born that way.”, she said, shuffling from foot to foot.

He nodded at that.

“I guess the gods made a small mistake with you.”

For some reason, those words hurt, but before she could truly feel it, he continued.

“I like it.”

Surprised, Mikasa looked up, but her eyes were once again drawn to that thing in the boy’s hand. It really did smell good, and to say that she was underfed would be an overstatement. As long as she didn’t die from starvation, the master was happy. He must have noticed her hungry look because taking a step closer, he offered her the thing.

“You want some?”

Mikasa knew that she shouldn’t take candy from strangers, but she was hungry and couldn’t imagine why this boy would ever want to harm her. And to top it off, there weren’t any ways to make her situation even worse. So throwing her better judgement out of the window, Mikasa leaned in, taking a  small bite of that thing. And damn, it was worth it. She couldn’t say what it was made of, but it was sweet and tasted even better than it smelled. Opening her eyes, she could see that the boy was watching her with a smile, teeth like small pearls shining.

“It’s good right?”

Robbed of words, she simply nodded, making his smile widen.

“I could bring you some more, we have this at our villa every day and…”

Whatever he was about to say would be lost to history, however, as there was a shuffle of feet and then someone was shoving Mikasa violently away from the boy. She landed on her back, hitting the ground hard, the air in her lungs pushed out by the impact. There was a scrape of steel, and suddenly she was staring at a large man in front of her who was holding a sword in his hand, the point angled towards her chest.

“What are you doing? Stop!” the boy screamed, but the man ignored him.

“Young master, what are you doing here? Running away from me and associating with this…”, his eyes travelled up and down Mikasa, mouth twisting in disgust, “filth.”

“She’s a friend!”

“She’s a slave. What would your father say if he saw you with her?”

The boy seemed to deflate when his father was mentioned, but then he took a deep breath and straightened his back.

“My father is not here now, and as far as I know, you work for my family.”, the tone of his voice changed too, suddenly being much more commanding than before, “So sheathe your sword this instant!”

Surprised by the sudden man-up, the guard took a step back but his eyes never left Mikasa’s fallen form. As if she posed some sort of threat to the young master. The boy passed his guard and walked over to Mikasa, offering her his hand. Under the older man’s piercing gaze she took it, letting him help her to her feet.

“I’m sorry about Hannes, he’s just careful.”, the boy mumbled, embarrassed by his retainer’s behaviour. Not sure how to apologize, he thought for a moment before taking her hand and pushing the rest of the treat into her palm.

“Take it.”, he said, “And forgive me, please.”

“Young master, this is very noble of you, but we really have to go. Your father is waiting.”, the guard interjected once more, making Eren sigh and nod.

“Very well.”

Turning around, he took two steps away before turning back towards Mikasa, the old smile on his face.

“I’ll definitely come and see you again!”

Before she realized what was happening her face was mirroring that smile and she even returned the wave he gave her before disappearing in the streets with his guard in tow. And when Mikasa fell asleep that night, with belly full of honey, she dreamed of those green eyes. But dreams are not for the waking world, and her life quickly took a turn for the worse.

Worst of all, the boy never showed up again.

[gayregis]

ok i'm actually worried that the hansa won't be in the show at all. like everyone in the hansa has very specific roles and relationships with each other and they've already really changed cahir and dandelion and geralt and i don't think they're going to put in the effort or even can reverse all the changes that they made.

i dont think theyre going to be in the show, and i think thats a good thing... i do not want to see people shipping cahir x milva milva x regis regis x cahir geralt x cahir cahir x angouleme jaskier x cahir x milva x jaskier x geralt x angouleme. if someone even looks at the hansa weirdly, i’ll just throw a fit. we’ve already got people shipping jaskier x yennefer and that is fucking Enough that i’ve ever seen from any fandom... i know that they have no qualms with shipping anyone together, no matter what kind of relationship they have in canon, and i do not want to see any of it. i know the hansa will not be a family to them and instead just be an opportunity to make some ridiculous and god-awful ships for fun, and then i will have to see every single post that is made about them because i’m already being forced to see every single geraskier post out there.

i also don’t want to see netflix cahir ever again since he is not worthy of the name cahir mawr dyffryn aep ceallach, and also joey does his best and acts well but the writing for jaskier is incredibly out of character and terrible, and this geralt is not worthy to have ANY friends or company because he’s an all-around jerk.

i literally just don’t want to watch anything having to do with farren-cahir or cavill-geralt because they’re just literally not anything like the characters they are in the books, not even a shadow of their former selves. cahir is an imperialist maniac who’s in his 30s and not a youth who’s been indoctrinated into the military due to societal and familial pressure from a young age. geralt isn’t a good person at heart who’s been forced to withdraw from society and live on its fringes since people fear him due to prejudice. they did a little better with jaskier, but it’s only because joey put effort into combating the bad writing imo, it’s mostly his performance that makes me feel like this jaskier is jaskier-y, the writing completely removed why he’s important to geralt and how he acts generally, how he’s arrogant, how he’s a scoundrel, how he’s an artist...

based upon how the series represents women, i do not trust them to handle milva’s characterization or arc, especially because of how they handled yennefer’s infertility... they would just make her an angry woman and then angry because she was pregnant... they would make her arc just fucking bizarre like they did with yennefer’s, give her absolutely no depth beyond feeling slighted and pissed off all the time, without ever examining why she might feel pissed off at geralt for not taking her advice and being a damned fool

and based upon how the series represents or lacks representing how monsters are supposed to be treated (like... it literally begins with geralt slaughtering the kikimore without a second thought, torque got none of his characterization, borch got none of his characterization, dudu is not even there bc they skipped eternal flame) and also really misrepresented how geralt interacts with post-conjunction creatures in general and also the male peers important to him in his life, i don’t trust them to do regis. i will watch the episode that adapts a grain of truth during the next season to see how they handle vereena, and thus vampires in general, but i don’t believe that it is going to be good... they’ve already sexed so many things unnecessarily up, i have a feeling that they’re going to sex vereena up and the thought makes me upset.

but yeah i mean can you even imagine netflix trying to tackle the nuance that milva and regis have as characters. not even their nuance but the messages that they carry. and explaining why they are like how they are... i mean they couldnt explain geralt and yennefer and ciri, yennefer i might be persuaded to understand a little because she’s incredibly complex, but really how hard is it for them to give depth on their very main characters and say that they are traumatized and because of that they have difficulties with forming relationships

i would hope they would get cancelled before they reach tower of the swallow, but if they do do angouleme they’d likely age her up and also give her heavy makeup and just generally ruin her character by making her less scampy and scrappy, make her more into a “proper girl” like they did with ciri, they didn’t even let ciri be a kid and have funny moments, how can angouleme be funny if ciri wasn’t even allowed to be funny...

tldr: netflix ruins any nuance and kindness in the witcher’s characters, if they come near the hansa i’ll begin to bark like a rabid dog

[animegenork]

Fruits Basket Season 2 Episodes 21-25

So obviously life happened and I never finished out season 2 with my not-so-reflective analyses of the Fruits Basket episodes. Well, season 3 has officially started (and this is the one time in my life I waited for the sub before watching it) and it’s about damn time I did this.

Hold on to your pants--

Episode 21

I would like to make it very clear that Baby Yuki is Baby and most be protected at all costs. With that in mind, let’s begin.

The episode starts with Yuki meeting Akito for the first time, back before he became a mess and way before he ever met Tohru. There is already an internal conflict here with what he wants versus what the zodiac spirit wants, and that is to see Akito. Due to the “God” role Akito plays, Yuki wants to see Akito... but Yuki himself knows deep down that he does not.

We see Yuki spending more and more time with Akito, which makes sense, since we’ve known for a while that they were “friends” of the childhood sort. Perhaps new information is Shigure comforting Akito whenever he was upset, but that’s not important to the storyline at hand. Everything was all fine and dandy until, Yuki notes, Akito became twisted.

This is where it starts to get bad for Yuki.

Sometime during the latest tantrum, Akito begins turning his inward self-hatred to Yuki, telling him that the Rat is hated and no one wants him. Of course, we’ve seen similar poison towards Kyo, and frankly, I’ve always loved this juxtaposition toward them. Kyo and Yuki’s zodiac spirits are hated in similar ways, and while they hate each other superficially because of this, they also hate themselves more than anyone else. Both of them have remained on the “fringes” of things for most of their entire lives, which is probably why we get to see more of them than really any other zodiac member.

Naturally, this causes young Yuki to seek Kyo out when he hears about someone else who’s on the outside looking in. They meet, and Yuki’s all gung ho to try to make a friend. Unfortunately, Kyo has seen his own shit and is convinced Yuki is to blame for his suffering. So he tells Yuki he should just disappear from this world.

[A moment to cry over Baby Yuki’s expression. *sob*]

As most children do when faced with something awful like that, Yuki goes to his mother for comfort. Instead, she slaps him. (I just really hate her.) This leads into a scene of Akito spouting his usual poison at Yuki, brainwashing him into thinking everything is hopeless and bleak and that he’d be better off not going outside (to paraphrase). It doesn’t help that when he reaches out to his brother, or to anyone else really, he’s rejected. So, really, it’s no wonder he became such a mess, when the whole world has been working against him from the beginning.

Following this, we get to see Yuki going to school and attempting normalcy, even making some friends. Of course, we all know how that turns out, because Yuki has told us before: his friends’ memories were erased when his curse was revealed. Props to Hatori, I guess, for not succumbing to Baby Yuki’s cuteness when he begged the older boy not to do it.

Yuki reveals, in another interaction with Kyo in which our resident cat boy refuses to take back his hat because Yuki touched it (while I can’t blame him, I’ll always be a little mad at Kyo), that he really just wanted a home. A place where he was happy. Even Kyo had friends and a foster father, despite any verbal abuse launched his way.

When he falls ill, Akito tells Yuki more about Kyo, heartbroken over the loss of his mother and swearing that he’ll kill the Rat and make amends. If possible, Yuki falls into a greater despair and decides to run away, donning the hat that once belonged to Kyo. In a way, this is where we see Yuki’s selfless side, which has always been there--he ran away in order to alleviate some of Kyo’s sadness, which he believes he caused.

GIVE. THIS BOY. A HUG.

So he runs and runs until he finds a woman talking to the police. Her daughter is lost. Now, obviously this is Kyoko--who else could it be--but Yuki doesn’t know that. However, he had seen a little girl crying somewhere and went to find her again. The girl, our lovely Tohru, follows him when he tries to go find Kyoko again to tell her, so he begins to lead her home. When they get there, before they can meet or hug or anything that would put her in danger, he gives her the hat and runs away.

Thus endeth the story of Tohru’s “prince.”

In some ways, this one event helped alleviate some of Yuki’s pain. He was useless and needed. He’d helped someone feel better. That can be the best feeling in the world for someone like Yuki.

Now, the funniest part about all this is Yuki was caught up in a memory. He’s not telling Kakeru any of this. Kakeru himself is a little weird, so he’s not terribly surprised. Yuki finally explains that he met Tohru once and didn’t realize that he had until sometime after they met again. Through her influence, Yuki decided to perservere, as he says, and keep trying to live for himself. Unfortunately, Akito’s influence is strong as well. He became twisted once more.

Poor Yuki. All this time, he wanted that stupid Cat to be his friend. That is one of the most interesting revelations, I think, that we ever see in Fruits Basket. I don’t think we ever find out if Kyo feels similarly, but the fact that Yuki, the one always insulting Kyo, just wanted to be friends is him, is somehow mind-blowing.

Then in comes Tohru again. She was there for him, time and time again. “She accepted me time and time again.” And really, that was all he ever wanted. To be accepted. To have someone care and give a shit. “Like how the sky feels so close, yet so far.”

“Like a mother.”

So, yes, folks, that’s the truth of it: Yuki sees Tohru as the mother he never had. I feel like for some this isn’t the type of truth you ever wanted to see, but here’s the important part to remember: for Yuki, romance wasn’t entirely important. He needed a parent. Someone to care for him. And Tohru gave him that time and time again. Perhaps, at one point, his feelings skewed toward the romantic, but over time, he realized that Tohru wasn’t that for him. She was something he needed much more.

Kyo has his father. Yuki has his Tohru.

And that’s all I’m going to say on that. Because the rest is a matter of what you think.

Episode 22

Y’all forgive me it’s so hard to find gifs months after the episodes air a;lsjdkf;ajsdfas this gif is NOT mine

Hi, I love Kyo.

Anyway.

We pick up right where we left off with the series-changing revelation that Yuki considers Tohru to be his mother. Kakeru is the voice of “lol what do you mean she’s our age”. Yuki explains that he’d always yearned for a parent’s love (haha it’s like I knew that) and valued Tohru’s care so much that it just seemed natural to consider her that way. His inner monologue realizes that’s what Rin was looking for, too.

And like I said before, it takes him a while to realize this is the particular feeling he had prescribed to Tohru. It started when she went after Kyo, the night we see his true form. Of course, as with all the zodiac members, he probably hadn’t been able to put voice to the feeling just yet. It happens. But he even admits that he tried to be romantic with her, but eventually, it just felt too wrong to do. I get it, since I have a friend I consider my father, and when people told us we looked like a couple, we were grossed out beyond belief. So yeah. Makes sense.

Kakeru goes, “Well people look for romance with people like their mom all the time.” First of all, Kakeru, Tohru is nothing like Yuki’s mother. Okay. Second of all, Yuki clarifies that he doesn’t see her as a woman. But Kyo does. The Cat always knew how he felt about her. And you can see the same feeling radiating from Tohru.

*sobs* Okay. Sorry.

Yuki resolves to live on, spurred on by Tohru’s encouragement and love. Kakeru responds by throwing a soccer ball at his face.

I’ve mentioned before I love their relationship, right?

Shenanigans ensue, and Yuki says he might be able to tell Tohru precisely what he told Kakeru, but not right now.

BACK TO THE PLAY! Tohru is attempting to memorize her lines, and Shigure finds out Kyo is the Prince. This angers Kyo, naturally, because no way in hell does he want that Dog to embarrass him. He confiscates Tohru’s script (I cackled at this part) and tells her not to tell Shisho (but she obviously did already). Basically, we get some unintentional flirting between these two until Yuki cuts in using the classic Fruits Basket slapstick.

Yuki tells Kyo that Tohru has the hat in a moment of just sheer understanding passing between them, and Kyo goes to his room to sulk. Cuz Kyo.

A lot of what happens next is pretty self-explanatory: Ayame is Ayame, Yuki is the resigned brother, Tohru can’t play an evil stepsister to save her life, yada yada. The class eventually decides to rewrite the play because obviously a non-evil stepsister ain’t gonna work. Kyo is nowhere to be found. Tohru offers to find him, but Yuki takes over.

Ah, yes. The classic.

Here we see a classic rival clash, but it’s not physical. It’s verbal. Yuki’s very good at putting on a certain face in front of Kyo, but it’s always when Kyo needs it most. Kyo yells that Yuki has his parents. He’s loved and praised. What it all boils down to is that Kyo doesn’t think he’s worthy of being a prince. That’s always been Yuki’s crown to wear. It’s a case of the simplest thing triggering a much deeper emotion. Kyo claims Yuki doesn’t understand, but we all know that’s not the case at all. Yuki understands all too well. So Yuki asks if he really wants to achieve this impossible thing (defeating the Rat), if he really wants to not have anyone to hate.

Kyo punches a window.

We have a brief scene of Machi coming by and saying something about Yuki not being a prince. While the other classmate with her is appalled, Yuki is just stunned. Because that’s probably exactly what he’s wanted to hear all these years. (Go Machi!)

Returning to the classroom, Kyo finds the ever-cheerful Tohru with the revised Cinderella. As she babbles about how he’ll probably be able to do the play better this time around, he reflects on Yuki finding him sulking. Tohru notices his injured hand, and he just leans on her. He’s very good at this, I’ve noticed. The leaning. Makes my heart pound every time. And clearly, it worked on Tohru, too.

Kyo tells her she better not laugh at his performance, and they go home.

And scene.

Episode 23

To be frank, this episode doesn’t need much analysis. It’s mostly comedy and shenanigans and everything one could love about Fruits Basket.

Also, woof. Kyo with long hair.

We’ve got a narrator telling the classic Cinderella while the play goes in an entirely different direction. Cinderella Hanajima loves her Stepsister Tohru deeply but fears the prince taking her away. (Oh wait this is an allegory or something isn’t it.)

Flash forward to the ball, Prince Kyo wants nothing to do with all of this, and Buddy Uotani is telling him to get the hell up. Kyo doesn’t budge, refusing to dance with anyone, until, of course, Tohru approaches. He wigs out, because that’s what Kyo does, and tries to call her back. It’s almost like he forgets this is a play or something as he deflates from rejecting Tohru.

Cinderella arrives, she and Kyo clash, she leaves, wishing she’d eaten more meat. Naturally, a glass slipper is left behind. Kyo says he doesn’t really want to go find the girl, and Uotani begins the second most important scene of the episode.

With passionate urging, Uotani tells Kyo not to waste this chance to see her, saying that some people don’t get to see the people they want to. Then she screams, “COME SEE ME, DAMMIT” and we all know that’s aimed at Kureno.

We got to the classic glass slipper scene, and Hanajima enters and pulls quite the badass move. She asks Kyo if he plans on deceiving himself forever and keeping himself locked away. Most of the audience doesn’t really know that she’s referring to his feelings for Tohru and, to us the viewer, the way he’s going to willingly give up his freedom after high school ends.

Kyo: “So what if I do? Does that hurt anyone else?”

Tohru knows precisely what conversation is happening, and she starts to say that she doesn’t want to lose him. But, being Tohru, she’s not quite able to put it into words. But Kyo picks up on this, and he’s taken off guard. He’s an idiot, not picking up on her feelings for him in their entirety despite all the hints thrown his way. Even Momiji and Kisa know what’s going on here.

Awkwardness ensues, Yuki swoops in and tells Kyo to make his wish come true on his own in a classic “Broheim you better FUGGIN do it YOU HEAR ME” way.

The play ends, we see Shisho, Kyo tells him not to get married (because Hanajima is swooping in), and we find out Haru told him about the play. Obligatory reference to shirtless Kyo. Shisho picks up on Kyo’s conflicted feelings about Tohru while Kyo tells himself Tohru probably wasn’t trying to say what he thought she was.

Shenanigans ensue again, this time with Haru and Hiro, which is pretty funny, and then we check in on Yuki and Kakeru, who see Machi getting bullied. Petty girls being petty about a girl who’s not petty. How petty. Machi makes it clear that she thinks Yuki’s an airhead (which hits him like a brick LOLLLL) and then she says he seems lonely. That gives him pause, because she picked up on the one thing no one else at the school (besides other Sohmas and Tohru) have picked up on. She’s amazing like that.

BACK TO KYO I LOVE HIM. He meets up with Tohru and they start walking together. At the exact same time, they tell themselves that it couldn’t be, the other doesn’t have feelings for them. “I won’t let myself think it.”

And they break their own hearts in the process.

Pardon me, I have to sob again.

Episode 24

Once again, the gif is not mine. Apologies, y’all, I’m bad at this.

MACHI TIME!

The student council is going out to party--er, not really party, but just have lunch, I guess. Machi doesn’t really want to come, and Yuki tries to get her opinion on things so they can make everything more amenable. She tells him he doesn’t need to make such a fuss, that her opinions aren’t his concern. He says she’s right, and that he just wants to see the world through her eyes.

Does he REALIZE when he does that??? Probably not.

Anyway, everyone goes home, Yuki and Kakeru are THEM at its finest, and Machi goes home. Her mother calls, and we see a little bit of her past, where her mother pressured her to be better than Kakeru at everything. This suppressed her personality to a point of what her mother calls dullness. And Machi agrees. She knows she’s dull, that she struggled to make people happy, only to be abandoned and left an empty shell. 

She then reflects on how Yuki’s changed. Even when he smiled before, it seemed lonely, not genuine. But now he’s changing to smile for real. While he’s changed, she’s remained stagnant.

Machi ends up going to the student council gathering, reflecting on how she’s not sure if she means something to the world. She’s stopped in her tracks by Yuki calling out to her, saying he’s glad she came. And she drops everything.

What happens next is typical rom com. Yuki notices she kept the maple leaf and says he’s happy, Machi yells that there wasn’t any special reason behind her keeping it. Understandably, Yuki is confused. Kakeru makes her embarrassment worse by popping in, but it’s a cute moment, because Yuki finally gets the answer to the question, “What’s your favorite color?” Because of course he remembered.

We cut over to Tohru, who’s staying with Shisho for New Year’s so she’s not lonely. Good call on the part of the Sohmas. Yuki and Shigure really just didn’t want to leave Kyo alone with Tohru, which is funny in itself since Kyo is a harmless kitty, but alas.

But they’re not alone with Shisho; Rin’s there! And Tohru goes in for a hug only to splat against the wall. Poor thing. We find out Rin and Kyo don’t exactly like each other, but they don’t dislike each other either. Very confusing, but I don’t question it.

We cut over to the banquet and a riveting shot of Hatori (fanservice for Hatori’s fanclub hehehehe) and we get some Ayame and Shigure shenanigans. I love them dearly, ridiculous as they are. We see Akito try to do the thing with Yuki again, saying he forgives him for his transgressions, and Yuki just says that he forgives Akito as well. He’s tired of blaming others, sick of it. He needs to move so he can change.

Akito sees something in his eyes, and she has a flashback to something involving Kureno. So he attacks, demanding Yuki apologize. The rest of the zodiac is stunned and confused. Ayame mobilizes to get Yuki some medical attention, and Hatori helps him out. Yuki takes a moment to apologize for blaming Hatori all those years for what happened when he was a kid. We see that Hatori felt indebted to Yuki for that as well and had resolved to keep an eye on him. They have a brotherly moment.

We see Tohru resolve to wish for the curse to be broken this year, and Momiji gives Kureno the DVD of the play where Uotani yells for him to see her. Haru goes to see Rin, who’s fallen asleep. Overall, Tohru says, she wishes for change.

Dun dun dun.

Episode 25

The plot thickens.

So we start off with Kureno and Akito, where Akito feels kinda sick after the episode with Yuki (episode as in incident, not---anyway). Kureno promises to stay by his side, and we immediately cut to Uo still missing him, but not saying so in so many words.

Tohru reflects on what happened during New Year’s, including Yuki coming back with a bandage on his forehead. He explains that he stood up to Akito, and he asks her if she thinks he did a good job. Now he’s just milking the mom thing, but she doesn’t seem to notice as she says yes.

Back to the present, we see that Shigure and Akito are fighting. He says something snarky about how Akito’s the one who’s always with Kureno, and Hatori treats this like it’s a childish argument. It is. Because Shigure’s a bit of a child. But it’s a bit deeper than that. They discuss how Kureno feels different than the rest of the zodiac, but they don’t say exactly what it is. That’s for later.

Kureno watches the DVD of the play, and he struggles with his feelings for Uo and his loyalty to Akito. He calls Shigure’s house and gets Shigure, and then we see Tohru come home and go right back out for an errand. She ends up at a park and sees some sparrows (AH YES, THE SYMBOLISM), and Kureno walks over to her, causing the sparrows to fly away.

What’s important here is to remember that members of the zodiac attract the animal they have the spirit of. We see it most often with Kyo and the cats. So why is Kureno chasing away the sparrows, the bird he turned into? Even Tohru is confused, until he hugs her and nothing happens.

That is to say, his curse is broken.

Kureno explains that he’s not sure how it happened--which disappoints Tohru, considering her quest to break the curse--only that it did. Now he’s resolved to stay by Akito’s side, meaning he can’t see Uotani anymore. He tries, unsuccessfully, to make himself feel better by saying that he doesn’t need to see her--their meetings were flukes. Then Tohru puts her hand on his face, and he admits that he fell in love with Uo.

And thus, we reach the crux of Kureno’s conflict: he’s free to do whatever he wants now, but because of that, he needs to stay by Akito’s side. And really, it’s because he can’t stand to see that child cry again over an ancient bond. He needs to be there for Akito, so that he can always be there and never abandon “that sorrowful girl.”

Tohru is shocked, and yet something seems to fall into place when she realizes Akito is a girl.

And that’s where the season ends.

~ ~ ~

That was a long boy, so sorry about that, folks! Now I’m off to finally watch the first episode of the new season! See y’all next time!

[wigwurq]

WIG REVIEW: DOLLY PARTON’S CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE

You guys. The movie event of the holiday season is finally here! We all know that Dolly Parton is the queen of everything but also specifically the queen of Christmas (I even did a presentation on this very subject back when movie theaters existed!!) and Dolly is only upping her Christmas output this year. Not only did she release A Holly Dolly Christmas (her first Christmas album in 30 years!) but also Dolly Parton’s Christmas on The Square which debuted November 22 on Netflix. If you like Christmas movies with just a little bit of Christmas and a lot of choreography, wigs, and of course DOLLY, this movie is for you! Let’s discuss.

First off, Dolly’s Christmas content exists on a whole other plane of reality so any review of it must also accept that this is completely divorced from real life/time/space/seasons/logic. If you found either Mamma Mia! film too grounded or verite, Dolly Christmas content is definitely for you. Also good and bad don’t exist in these movies either: JUST DOLLY.

Much like Dolly’s last (narrative) Christmas movie, Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, I watched this with my 5yo daughter who had as many feelings about this as I did. Thus, we begin our journey on THE SQUARE which is not so much a town (or part of a town?) but a mood created on a film set populated by high kicking people outfitted entirely by J Crew. My daughter compared it to Cinderella 3 (her codename for the 1997 TV version of Cinderella) which similarly begins on a TV set square where too many people are doing choreography in preparation for a seasonal event. Note: also this movie was directed AND choreographed by none other than Debbie Effing Allen. SO.

In THE SQUARE, we are also introduced to Dolly herself, disguised as a homeless woman asking for change and most definitely greenscreened into the choreographed melee. Dolly does exist on an entirely different existential plane from the rest of us garbage people so she can greenscreen into whatever choreographed mess she likes!

We also meet Christine Baranski (praise be!) who plays a businesswoman who once lived in THE SQUARE but now has only returned to it RUIN EVERYTHING! Much like any businesswoman in a TV Christmas movie, she has no time for feelings, small towns, or lunch and has an assistant who feels the brunt of all her meanness. This character also relies on the convenient TV conceit that towns can be owned by one person, and she is that one person! And is gonna sell this town! She is basically The Grinch and Scrooge rolled into one and cares not for Christmas or real estate laws and has set out to evict the whole damn SQUARE (the town and the actual town square) on Christmas Eve!

This somehow also includes these FABULOUSLY COSTUMED holiday dogs in a wagon (which can definitely be rolled out of town...or anywhere.....) but whatever real estate laws and logic laws, Y’ALL ARE EVICTED, DOGS!!!!

I have said before that we should all be blessed enough to have Christine Baranski’s wig budget but I have to say - it ain’t as great here as it was in the Mamma Mia movies. Sure, it is better than about 99% of all TV wigs but it does have some texture and seam problems (look at that part!) which make it look far too unrealistic (because this movie IS SO REALISTIC). Clearly the wig budget in this movie went directly to Our Lady of Perpetual Wigs, Dolly.

And of course it did! Dolly demands only the best and finest wigs for her performance as ANGEL and I honestly cannot disagree with that! These wigs are MADE FOR AN ANGEL. Also when this part of the movie happened, my daughter confided in me that she’s always wanted to sit on a cloud (SAME, GIRL) but only Dolly can sit on clouds. Truly, Dolly is an angel in real life and maybe this movie actually is grounded in reality because I don’t even think Dolly required costuming or CGI effects. This is just how Dolly enters every room. ANGEL ELEGANZA! 

In the context of the film, however, Dolly is all the ghosts of a Christmas Carol rolled into one angel, sent to show the evil Christine Baranski the real meaning of Christmas and not being a person who wants to evict an entire town. 

She is aided by Christine Baranski’s put-upon assistant who is somehow an angel in training (a very realistic job title!!!!) I have to say that my very favorite parts of this movie are when Dolly shows up either in life or green screen just sitting on random furniture or appliances in Christine Baranski’s house in her pristinely white open toe heels with pantyhose underneath. THIS IS THE DREAM. Also her wigs are absolute perfection. Please take note, all wig budgets: GET YOURSELF A DOLLY WIG BUDGET OR NAH.

ALSO JENIFER LEWIS IS IN THIS!!! I think she plays a hairdresser and also Christine Baranski’s long lost best friend but mainly she plays my fashion, afro, and jewelry icon who I absolutely never want to be apart from ever. Much like Christine Baranski’s wig budget, may we all be blessed by Jenifer Lewis saying “it’s ok baby” to us at least once in our stupid lives. 

Anyway, the attractive townspeople in J Crew literally have ONE DAY to pack up all of their earthly sweaters and find new sweater barns to inhabit and roll all their Christmas dogs away THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS but instead decide to just RESIST (whatever that means, amiright?) and form a calming circle (which is actually super not calm and involves a lot of choreography) and just try to will Christine Baranski to do the right thing somehow.

BUT CHRISTINE IS AT A LOCAL BAR WHICH LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE’S LIVING ROOM AND WHICH HAS A BARMAID WHO IS AN ACTUAL CHILD. God bless this beautiful mess of a movie and Christine Baranski’s wig budget which somehow got better or maybe it’s just the lighting. Anyway, Christine Baranski finds out some terrible truths from this alcohol swigging child and also they share beautiful harmonies in a duet which I couldn’t possibly hum for you ever again. 

Also Treat Williams is in this!! He plays Christine Baranski’s old flame who she broke up with because she saw him with an engagement ring (FOR HER) near some lady at the most dodgy 70s disco nightmare in a school gym and decided to hook up with someone else and (!) have a secret baby which her dad made her give up! WHAT. Also, her dad had a lamp from THE SQUARE which now exists in Treat Williams’ olde curiosity shoppe and has a convenient bible in it which explains that her long-lost baby is now the preacher of THE SQUARE.

IF YOU ARE EVEN TRYING TO FOLLOW A PLOT AT THIS POINT I SALUTE YOU. Also much like everything Dolly touches, there is for sure a lot of Jesusy stuff here but the kind where black people and LGBTQ people go to the same church as the boring white people and everyone loves each other so fine? 

ALSO THERE IS A TERRIBLE SUBPLOT INVOLVING THE NEAR DEATH OF THAT BARMAID CHILD! My daughter found it very triggering and I found it beyond the valley of unnecessary but this is also a movie in which Christine Baranski almost runs over her brain doctor with her car TWICE AND ALSO DID I MENTION CHRISTINE BARANSKI MIGHT HAVE A BRAIN TUMOR IN THIS MOVIE YES REALLY.

In the end, absolutely nothing involved in this ramshackle nonsense plot matters at all because everyone decides to make the right life decisions and also not die from brain tumor or injuries OR sell a town BUT ALSO become angels in whatever your definition of angel is! And I hope your definition is: DOLLY PARTON.

I AM EXHAUSTED BY MY LOVE FOR THIS MOVIE AND DOLLY PARTON. 

Truly, nothing about this movie exists in reality but this year has been the most surreal year ever so I’m pretty sure this movie saved 2020? Or at least 2020′s Christmas.

VERDICT: WURQS

[nikkzwrites]

Yesterday Once More | Dark Fix-It Fic Series | Chapter 12

A/N: This fic is one that I started with my OC because honestly, I personally didn’t like how season 3 ended. So I am rewriting all of Dark with my OC Annalise Dahlheim. I hope you all like it. Some things will be expanded more on just for more depth to Dark that season 3 kinda skipped over so…. yeah.

CW: Canon Typical Triggers: Smoking, Sex, Language, Drugs, Drinking, Death, Violence, Suicide Mentions, Cutting, Violence.

Word Count:  6.9k

[First Chapter] [Previous Chapter] [Next Chapter]

“We have managed to stabilize the God Particle and the resulting mass,” Claudia’s recorded voice echoed through the empty power plant, “In a stable state, it seems to create a kind of portal which allows for time travel. If the matter is supplied with sufficient voltage, it can be kept in a stable state in the long term. Sending objects through the stabilized matter has already proven possible.” Jonas stared at the swirling dark mass before him as the recording continued, “A generator has to supply sufficient AC current for that. Even after lengthy observation, we’re not sure what the energy source of the unstable matter is. Measurements indicate there is no form of energy loss.” Jonas looked down at his sheet as he continued to work on the machines trying to make a portal for him to go back home. “It appears to be a type of self sustaining recursive system.” Jonas stood back and threw the switch. Frustratingly, the system still didn’t work as the prerecorded Claudia droned on, “The matter’s radiation levels exceed control values. Still no sign of decay has been observed. This is consistent with the laws of conservation of energy, yet contradicts the second law of thermodynamics. Moreover the matter seems to exist independent of external temperature, in solid, liquid, and gaseous states at once. And the molecules seem to be in a constant cycle.” Jonas tried once more. Only this time the machine actually powered up. The ball formed into a perfect sphere causing Jonas to start awestruck at the dropping sphere only for the power to stop. He turned around annoyed trying to find the source of the problem. There, the generator lacked the proper oil to continue.

The sun rose on the 22nd of June 1987. It was five days until the apocalypse. Mikkel shot up in his new bed. There on his wall was a picture of the Goonies. He squeezed his eyes closed and slowly opened them again to study the ‘Captain Future’ and ‘Nuclear Navigators’ comics scattered across his floor. He slowly pulled himself out of bed and shook his head. He could almost feel like Annalise was there. Like a phantom of her fleeting across his imagination. He slowly made his way downstairs where Ines was working on making a sandwich for him. 

“Hey, sleepyhead. We’re running a bit late today,” Ines commented. She packed his lunch into his bag. When she saw Mikkel just staring at her, she sighed and said, “Come on, everything will be fine. Just one more week and it’s summer vacation.”

Part of him wondered if this was what it was like for Jonas on his first day back to school. He sighed and recounted to Ines, “It’s my mother’s birthday today.” He longed to be there. He knew in his heart that had he been in his time, Magnus and Martha would be rushing around downstairs decorating as Ulrich swooped back into the house with the last of the needed icing for the Black Forest gâteau Annalise was making. His heart yearned to be on the counter kicking his legs as he stole some of the cherries that were going to decorate the top of the cake. As punishment, Annalise would place a bit of Ganache on the tip of his nose while licking the rest off her finger with a smile that lit up his dreams. Ulrich would then place a bit of the left over batter across her cheek using one of the spatulas that she had used to stir it and wink at his son as if he knew how much Mikkel loved her.

Ines slowly put down her keys and cupped the boy’s face, “You know what we said about that.” She tried to reason with Mikkel, “The past is the past…” She brushed his hair away from his face.

Mikkel nodded, “The now is now.” 

Ines caressed him before asking, “Shall we?” At Mikkel’s shrug, she stood up and told him, “Come on.” She led him outside so that he could go to school without any more talk or thoughts of his past life.

Claudia called through her house, “Regina! You’re going to be late!” She turned to Egon and told him, “The French delegation is visiting the plant. I just can’t do it.”

Egon shook his head and explained, “No problem. I don’t have anything else to do.”

Claudia stormed to try and find her daughter, “Regina!”

“I can really do this more often,” Egon told his daughter. When Claudia walked back Gretchen followed her. Something in the back of the man’s head tingled with familiarity. “Where did you find this little one,” he asked Regina. He scooped the dog up into his arms as Claudia stared at him in panic. “Looks like Gretchen,” he commented.

Claudia shook her head quickly lying, “Nonsense.” She took the dog from the confused man and called for her daughter once more, “Regina! Where are you?”

“Listen,” Egon confessed wavering, “I actually wanted to talk to you. There’s something I have to tell you.”

Regina, who was finally ready to go from straightening her hair, walked out right at that moment, “Hi, Grandpa. Can we go?” She was in a rush to go and she walked around with her head held high and a newer self confidence that could only be led back to her meeting the boy Aleksander.

“No need to say bye.” Claudia yelled, “No problem!” After hearing the door slam, she turned back to her father and asked, “You wanted to tell me something?”

Egon bit his lip and shook his head. He, then, nodded and told her, “Never mind. Alright. I will see you later.” He walked out following his granddaughter. 

At the police station in 2020, Charlotte stared at the picture of Noah and Sic Mundus. She turned it over to confirm that on the back it indeed still read, ‘8. January 1921. Sic Mundus Creatus Est.’ She looked up and rolled to her search engine on her work computer and typed in ‘Sic Mundus Creatus Est.’ When she searched it she came across the meaning, ‘Thus the world was created.’

Clausen walked into Charlotte’s office and informed her, “The interview with Mrs. Tiedemann. Already forgotten?”

Charlotte shook her head, “No. I thought you might do it alone after all.”

“Why,” Clausen raised his brow, “Do you have something better to do?”

Charlotte’s hands raised defensively, “No. I just wondered why we’re starting with Mrs. Tiedemann. She has no link to any of the missing people.”

Clausen sighed, “Everyone disappeared near the caves and the nuclear power plant grounds.” He walked in as he explained, “Your colleague Ulrich Nielsen’s brother disappeared in that area in 1986 as well. And then… There’s also the door in the caves leading right to the nuclear power plant.” He leaned over the desk and asked her, “How long have Aleksander Tiedemann and his wife been married?”

Charlotte furrowed her brow then shook her head looking at him, “I don’t exactly know. Regina was… in her mid twenties. Why?”

“Don’t you find it unusual,” He asked. 

Charlotte asked for clarification, “What?”

“That Aleksander Tiedemann took his wife’s name,” Clausen spoke. 

Charlotte shook her head, “No.”

“Shall we go,” He asked her again.

Charlotte, taking the hint, stood up and started to walk out. When Clausen didn’t make an immediate move she called to him and asked, “Are you coming?”

“Yes,” he called to her as he walked away still curious about what his colleague was trying to hide from him.

Elizabeth stared at her book that she got from her great grandfather’s old shop. She was completely absorbed in it that she nearly didn’t notice her sister standing up to go get the door. She was a bit confused because their parents weren’t supposed to be home yet.

Hearing the doorbell, Franziska stood up and walked to the door. She opened the door to reveal Magnus. Annoyed, she asked him, “Hey, where have you been?” He paced inside with the girl hot on his trail, “Why didn’t you call me back? I was trying to reach you the whole time.”

Magnus turned to her and scowled, “Last year, I know where you got the money.” He shook his head and quoted Bernadette, “ ‘Blow job 40 euros, anal 85. Kinky stuff costs extra?’ Who did you do it with, huh? Who did you blow in this damn shithole?” Franziska’s face contorted in confusion and hurt as Magnus continued, “Nothing has changed. Everyone lies. Everyone cheats.”

Franziska shook her head. Her face reddening from trying to hold back tears, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I followed you,” confessed Magnus, “I know who you get your money from.”

Franziska took a large breath and angrily asked, “So your first thought is that I prostitute myself?”

Sneering, Magnus replied, “What else?”

Franziska yelled at him, “I don’t sell my tits or ass! I sell hormone therapy prescriptions, you idiot! My father used to use them to pay for his visits. He stopped going and now I’m the new supplier.”

Magnus stared at her and shook his head, “Why do you do it?”

“I help her, she helps me,” Franziska shouted at him, “It’s that simple!” Magnus started to shake his head causing the girl to continue, “The secrets aren’t the problem, it’s the shit we all project onto others. I said it’s none of your fucking business, and it isn’t! I can’t believe you spied on me. How messed up are you?” She stormed past him to go back into the den to sit on the sofa. 

Magnus stared at her for a second before storming out the house.

The older Jonas watched as the girl started to cry in her sleep. He reached over to her and started to wipe her tears away. He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her pulling the girl on top of him. Her hair stuck to his beard as he kissed the top of her head once again. He held her closer as she started to thrash and scream.

Annalise was drowning in the void. It felt as if someone, or something, was dragging her down deep within the depths. Before, she was on a small makeshift raft with Bartosz, Magnus, Martha, Regina, and Aleksander, a storm hit causing her and Martha to be thrown overboard. But now she was in a deep, black void.  As she cried out, it only felt as though the dark liquid rushed into her mouth and lungs. Every turn she saw another cold, swollen, lifeless face there with her. Mikkel, Erik, Jonas, Ulrich, Yasin, Helge, her own father Lukas, and when she looked down, there smiling up at her, each holding an ankle was herself and David. Every fiber of her being was on fire, yet ice cold.

Jonas winced at her scratching at him as if she were a caged animal. He called to her, “Annalise, my love. Wake up.” He squeezed her a bit tighter in his arms, “Darling. Wake up.” 

Annalise shook awake. Her body convulsed as it coughed up air as if she was choking. Her eyes released more tears as she tried her best to breathe. She buried herself into the man’s neck and wrapped herself around him.

He slowly pulled her close to him and lifted them out of bed. He cradled her as he walked with her still crying into his shoulder. He cooed, “I know. I know. It’s okay. You’re safe now. You’re right here with me. Everything’s okay.” As he comforted her, she only responded by wrapping her arms around his neck tighter. He sauntered to his bag and wobbly bent down to place it on the chair so that he could grab a clean shirt out of it. After placing the clean shirt onto his arm, he slowly started to walk them to the shower. Jonas started it running. He whispered into her ear, “I’m going to slip if I keep holding you like this. Are you okay?” When he felt her nod, he placed her down gently and grabbed her face. He kissed right in the middle of her big puffy red eyes. Jonas told her, “It won’t take long okay?” He put his shirt in the sink.

Annalise nodded. She looked at his chest finally to see tiny red scrapes that seemed like claw marks. 

When Annalise reached to touch the scratches she gave him, Jonas turned from her and chuckled, “don’t worry about it.” He said, “As you can see, you have to do a lot more than that to hurt me. I have thick skin.”

Her lips trembled as she nodded and waited for him to be done before going in herself. She washed away the cold sweat off of her. She could feel him still there in the room with her, yet she just focused on the warm water carrying all the fear from her.

Jonas stared at her form hidden from him by the curtain. He didn’t want to leave her alone just in case. He knew what trauma did to people all too well. He turned to face himself in the mirror. He stared at his face wondering how, if things were different, would he still be the same. Would he still look like this? He tried to imagine what Annalise herself would look like. He only ever knew her at this age. Would she still love him if she were able to go past this?

Annalise slowly turned off the shower. She dried herself off and walked out. She noticed him looking distressed. She smiled gently at him, “Is there something wrong?”

He shook his head, “No. I’m sorry for worrying you.” He watched as she stole one of his old hoodies and slipped it on. A smile spread across his face. His heart was young and light once more. His eyes lit up. His troubles felt so far away seeing her in his clothes. He couldn’t believe he took all of this for granted so long ago.

Annalise gave him a hug and asked Jonas, “Should we head downstairs? Get some breakfast?” She kissed his hidden jaw.

Jonas nodded, “Yeah.” He watched as she walked into his room to place her phone to charge. He started his way downstairs after grabbing his suitcase. 

Hannah sat at the table looking at pictures of her son. She felt at a loss. He was here with them, yet her Jonas was off in the future. Annalise seemed to have moved on very quickly to this new Jonas that actually burned inside of her a bit. She placed the picture down when she heard his heavy steps go down the stairs.

Jonas silently placed his suitcase on the table and opened it up for his mother. He took out his time machine to show to her.

“What’s this,” Hannah asked.

Annalise answered from the stairs, “A time machine.” She walked down stairs and kissed Jonas’s cheek. She told him, “I’m going. I will see you later.” She pulled away from him after he gave her a small acknowledgement nod and walked towards the door.

Hannah looked back at Jonas, “Since when? You know what… Please continue.”

“This machine takes you 33 years into the past,” Jonas explained as he finished opening up the box, “and 33 years into the future.”

Hannah stood up and examined the box, “You’re both serious?”

Jonas stared at her then sighed, “I did it all wrong. I tried to keep a secret. The truth is, that is exactly what’s destroying us. The secrets. Mom, I know that sounds insane. That’s why I want you to see it for yourself. With your own eyes.”

“What do you mean,” Hannah asked her son.

Jonas whispered, “Dad’s secret.”

Mikkel walked up to the school. He zoned out for a second only to get shoulder checked by a black eyed Katharina who told him to, “Get out the way dork.”

Hannah stopped to look at him giving him a small smile before getting called back by her friend.

“Hannah, come on!” Katharina commanded. When Hannah hurried up to meet her, she asked, “What are you staring at?”

Mikkel sighed and turned away from the school to walk away.

Claudia power walked her way through the power plant with Gretchen in toe. Her heels clicked against the concrete floors.

Her assistant rushed to her and said, “Thank God you’re here. Someone’s waiting for you in your office. I didn’t know… It was about the dog. She says it’s hers.”

Claudia looked up at the woman in shock. She then walked into her office to see an older lady with long gray hair. The small poodle trotted up to the woman proving that Gretchen did indeed know who she was. 1986 Claudia looked at the woman and asked, “Is that your dog? I’m so sorry. She ran up to me. We called the shelter and no one reported her missing. And she resembles the dog I had as a kid.”

“Gretchen,” the older Claudia told her younger self.

Scared, the younger Claudia asked, “How do you know that?”

The older woman shrugged a bit with a playful look in her eye, “Because it’s my dog. Just like it’s yours.”

The younger Claudia took a step back realizing the full scope of what the older woman had said. Breathing hard, she asked, “Excuse me?”

“And the blood test results,” Egon asked the doctor, “So it’s already spread. To the hospital? This Friday? No. Yes, that should work. Don’t worry. I have someone. Yes.” He hung up the phone and slowly walked himself to his chair to sit and contemplate his life. Seeing Mads face in the newspaper reminded him of his missed appointment with Helge. He looked up knowing what he had to do.

“I know it’s hard to believe,” The older Claudia told her younger self, “But I remember.”

“What,” 1987 Claudia shook her head.

The older Claudia clarified, “this precise moment. Go to the blinds. Trust me.” She watched as her younger self followed her instruction then stated, “two people are sitting at their desks, Hermann and Kowaltschik. Our secretary will approach the desk on the right in a moment. She’ll fan her face on the way. Watch Kowaltschik. He’s about to drop his pen.”

Everything happened just as the older woman described causing Claudia to turn to her and ask, “How did you do that?”

“I experienced it all,” The older Claudia explained while holding the small poodle in her arms, “Everything you’ve ever experienced and everything you ever will. I am you. And I was told by me that you and I are the same person.”

Claudia shook her head, “That’s impossible.”

Her older self sighed and watched as she moved to sit back down again. “This is Gretchen,” The older self explained, “The day she ran into the cave. I was there waiting for her. She recognized me at once as if I hadn’t aged a second. I brought her to the other side so that you would find her. Some things have to happen as they always have.”

Claudia nodded, “The cave. The incident last summer. Something else happened after all!”

In 2053, Jonas walked through the empty foggy streets to grab some more fuel. He then set up a small music player in the school to distract everyone from what he was doing. The ghost form of Annalise danced around him with a smile on her face and an arm around her own waist as she twirled. She beckoned him to join her, Martha, and Bartosz in having fun. Bartosz was there with her dancing with her with one of his arms limp to the side as Martha sat on the desk with a hole in her heart bobbing her head to the music. He walked past their phantoms and grabbed his things to continue his work so that he could actually join them in their time rather than just seeing distant memories of them. Just on time, the patrol truck passed. The group hopped out to prepare their raid on the building. Jonas, then, jumped over the wall so that he could syphon its gas into his canister. He quickly ducked behind the wall scared out of his mind as the person guarding the tank had started to move over towards the side he was previously on. There beside him as he breathed quickly was a hazy form of Annalise. As if a memory of her sitting pressed a wall. Her breathing slow. Her eyes were closed helping him slowly close his eyes and calm his breathing so that he was less likely to be heard.

“Do you believe in ghosts,” The young Regina asked.

Aleksander replied, “What do you mean?”

Regina laughed, “The book we’re reading at school. It’s about ghosts and demons” They sat facing each other tangled up in the other’s legs. She continued, “that we inherit from our parents.” She lifted up their held hands and explained, “And...that you pass them on. Dark stuff. From generation to generation.”

Aleksander shrugged and shook his head, “Maybe.” His thumbs grazed the back of her palms. He chuckled and smirked, “I’m sure you inherited your mother’s best features.” He folded his arms so that her arms were even more intertwined with his.

“I didn’t know if she had any,” sighed Regina. 

“No,” the lovestruck boy teased.

Regina smiled as she shook her head, “You have no idea. She...She’s never around. And when she is, all she does is gripe about me.” Aleksander let out a large breath and started to trace his loved one’s scars on her wrist as she continued, “She has never once said, ‘I love you’ to me.”

Aleksander sighed. His eyes held her hostage as he told her, “I love you.” He held that moment between them before they both leaned forward to press their lips against their partner’s.

Clausen asked the older Regina, “How would you describe your relationship with Ulrich Nielsen?”

“I think it’s known that we have no relationship with the Nielsens,” the woman explained.

Clausen heckled, “Yet he showed up at your hotel the day before he disappeared. What did he want?” 

Charlotte stared at the box on the table as Regina explained, “He wanted to know what really happened in 1986. Because I was the last one… to see his brother alive.”

Clausen looked around the room and commented, “Your husband. How long has he lived in Winden?”

“Since 1986. Why do you ask,” asked Regina right back.

Clausen then asked, “Why did he take your last name?”

“What does one have to do with the other,” she asked while shaking her head.

Charlotte threw up her hands and started to act as if getting up, “If we are done here--”

Clausen shushed her and motioned for the  woman to stop. “There is still something,” He commented to his coworker. He turned towards Regina and asked, “Isn’t there?”

Regina nodded and said, “Last year, a stranger came to the hotel. Those are his things.” Charlotte nodded and opened the box as the other woman continued, “He wanted to rent a room. He looked like a homeless person. He paid cash. He left after a few days, but he wanted to keep the room. He never came back.” She watched as Charlotte started to spread out all of the older Jonas’s things across the table. Regina told Clausen, “These were all over his walls. As he was leaving he asked me to mail a package for him. ”

“To whom,” asked Clausen.

Regina took a baited breath and then told him, “Jonas Kahnwald.”

Annalise stared down at the lake beneath her. The stone ledge was the only thing keeping her from it’s depths. She swallowed down her anxiety and started to strip down. She hung her borrowed clothes on a tree branch. She walked a little away from the ledge, turned, then sprinted right off. As her feet left the hard ground, she performed a dive straight into the lake below her. Her eyes closed. Her heart beat faster than she ever knew it to beat.

Magnus happened to be passing by as he sulked in the forest. He saw Annalise run, then, jump into the water. He started to panic. The boy knew how she was about water and swimming. He threw off his shirt and pants hurrying to get into the water. “Annalise,” yelled the boy as he swam out towards where she had jumped.

Weightlessness was a melancholic memory. Annalise opened her eyes feeling herself submerged in the water. She needed to get deeper. She spread her legs much like a frog and forced them together propelling herself farther into the lake. Her hair flowed behind her as she tried to force her way into the darkness. She kept swimming down until she started to hear thrashing near the service of the water. She turned her head to see a pair of legs there. It wasn’t long until she saw Magnus dive down as well. He looked so scared. Annalise swam over to him and grabbed his shoulders.

Magnus flailed beneath the water looking for the girl. He couldn’t spot her until she grabbed onto his shoulders and turned him towards the surface once more. She pointed upwards indicating that they should go up to talk. He nodded and swam up after her. Once he was out of the water he watched her breathing deeply and screamed, “What the fucking hell?” He pushed his hair out of his face.

Annalise turned toward him, “What are you doing here Magnus?” She had finally caught her breath. Her eyes burned from trying to transition from water to air again causing her to repeatedly blink.

“What am I doing here,” He yelled at her, swimming them towards the rocky edge for them to sit, “What the hell were you thinking? That was so fucking stupid! What if I weren’t here?”

Annalise smiled at him as she pulled herself out the water and wrung out her hair. She giggled for a second and slyly commented, “I’d probably still be trying to see how far I could go.”

He growled at her, “You could have gotten seriously hurt.” He watched as she sprawled on top of the sun-warmed rock. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt a little proud seeing her so nonchalant about the water now. He ended up laying down next to her and asked, “But seriously, what made you do this?”

“Honestly,” Annalise sighed, “Everything is just so...crazy right now, that I might as well have done it, right?”

Magnus nodded, “Yeah. I know what you mean.”

The two lay there in the sun letting its heat dry them from the darkness they were once surrounded by. They were there in silence for several minutes before Annalise spoke up again, “You never told me why you were here.” With her eyes still closed absorbing the warmth of the light, she raised one of her eyebrows.

Magnus nodded with his closed as well, “Franziska and I got into it because of some dumbass thing I did.”

Annalise nodded, “Ah.”

Silence overcame the moment once again as they just tried to process their life. They both enjoyed being with each other not having to say anything at all sometimes. Their friendship allowing them to feel the passage of time and their responsibility to it without words. Magnus didn’t realize how much he was going to treasure this memory with her as his life would continue without having her physically being around him.

After a while, Annalise turned to her friend and asked, “Do you hate me?”

“Sometimes,” Magnus admitted, turning to look at her. He huffed and explained, “I sometimes think that you do actually know more about what happened to my father and brother, yet you are refusing to tell me or anyone. Then, I remember that you would never do that to us.” He lay back onto his back and stated, “You love us far too much to ever do anything like that.”

Annalise lay back down as well, “Yeah.”

The older Jonas led his mother through the Winden caves. He periodically looked back to make sure she was still there with him and not hurt. When they got to a large cavern within the space, he set up his machine.

“What is this,” Hannah asked the older version of her son. She breathed heavily and asked, “What are we doing here?”

“It’s safer to travel from here,” He explained to his mother. He knelt down and started to fiddle with the box to start up the machine. He looked up at his mother and told her, “I told you it would be easier to understand once you’ve seen it.”

Mikkel was walking his way back home on the outskirts of the woods just as the box in 2020 was powering up.

Stranger Jonas turned to his mother and told her, “Don’t be scared.” He held her shaking hand as they prepared to travel.

Mikkel continued his walk through the woods avoiding school. Then he heard it. The noise he recognized. He ran his way to the caves hoping to find his way home. He walked closer towards it only to be stopped by a man’s voice.

“Should you be in school,” asked Noah. He walked towards the boy as he continued to cut and eat his apple.

Mikkel looked at him, “I know you.” The boy said, “You were in the hospital.”

Noah strolled over to the boy and explained, “I like coming here. Special place. So...Why aren’t you in school?” When Mikkel didn’t reply, the man smiled, “I see. Sometimes we don’t really know where we’re supposed to be.” He pointed with his knife towards the caves and said, “But I wouldn’t go in there. It’s like a maze in there. Some have never returned.” Noah put away his knife and started to walk away.

“At the hospital,” Mikkel said to the man, “you said something. The thing about God and that he has a plan for everyone. But what if God has no idea what he’s doing? What if the plan is wrong? If God is mistaken?”

Noah shook his head, “God doesn’t make mistakes. Sometimes we have to have more faith that everything will be okay again.” He turned away and tossed the apple to the side as he walked away.

Egon smiled at Helge, “I’ve been wanting to come by for quite some time. Now that I’m retired, I have time.” Helge looked up at him then started to make his little nature soldiers once more. Egon continued, “I… Mads’ disappearance. I can’t stop thinking about it. On that day… you had a shift at the nuclear power plant. You said you took the country road home, but that’s a detour. Why didn’t you take the forest road?”

Helge slowly spoke, “He… He said… He can change everything. He can change the past, and the future.”

“Who said that,” asked Egon.

Helge replied, “The man with the stone.”

Egon asked, “But that was 33 years ago. What does that have to do with Mads?”

Helge took a deep breath, “But no one can change it. No one. Not even the White Devil.”

“The White Devil,” Egon asked, “You’ve said that before. Back then, as a child.” 

Helge started to work once more. He kept repeating to himself, “Tick-Tock. Tick-tock.”

The older Claudia stood in the cave with her younger self. She explained, “I would like you to trust in an idea that’s bigger than you. Bigger than any of us.” She started to unscrew a canister of the God Particle.

“What’s that,” the younger self asked.

Older Claudia explained, “This is humankind’s greatest discovery. And also its doom. It allows you to travel through time. Thirty three years back. Thirty three years forward. And it will take exactly 33 years for the cycle to be completed again. Until you are standing where I am standing now and accept your role in this never-ending dance, and every sacrifice it requires. In five days, everything will start over. You must stop Adam.”

The younger Claudia shook her head, “Who is Adam?”

“You don’t understand it yet,” She explained then took out some diagrams, “But you soon will.” She let the younger version of her take it then continued once more, “Until then, everything will happen as it always has. As it must.” She started up the machine allowing herself to back way, “In the end, life is just a collection of missed opportunities. You don’t have much more time with Regina. But if everything works out… she will live.” After that, she disappeared in a black sphere leaving Claudia alone in the cave.

Jonas trekked back to his secret place in the nuclear power plant. As soon as he crawled under. Silja and her group were there with guns pointed at him. Elizabeth walked out from the woods and the boy knew he was in trouble.

Charlotte drove and called Peter. She explained what she had learned to him in a panicked tone. She looked over to her grandfather’s book next to her then back onto the road. She started to break down with her husband asking, “Why did he never tell me who my parents really were?”

Jonas stood there with the noose around his neck and his feet and wrists bound. He glared out at Elisabeth as he shed a tear.

Silja translated for her once more, “You know the rules. Do you think they don’t apply to you?”

Elisabeth held her gun up at him then Jonas asked her, “Why are you lying to them? Why don’t you tell them what’s really in the dead zone?” She shot his leg causing the boy to cry out in pain. He yelled, “In five days, in my time, everybody is going to die! I have to stop that. There is no prophecy! The passage will never open. Your paradise does not exist! But behind the wall-”

Elisabeth had enough of his desperate pleas and kicked his stand from under him. Silja couldn’t even watch as she heard him choking. After a short while, Elisabeth shot the rope allowing the boy down from his hanging.

Egon sat at his home and answered his phone, “Hello? Egon here. Yes. Listen, in 1953 we arrested a man. What happened to him after 1953? He killed two kids back then. Then he abducted Helge Doppler. Yeah. I wanted to know what happened to him. Yes, I’ll hold.” He stared at the picture of Ulrich then when he heard a reply, “Yes? Okay, that’s the case. What? He’s still here? Where?” 

He then went to visit the mental hospital where Ulrich was staying. When the nurse led him to the man, he slowly approached. “Excuse me, please. You may not remember me anymore. My name is Egon Tiedemann. I arrested you 34 years ago.”

Ulrich turned towards him and said, “Egon Tiedemann.” He stood up and asked, “How could I ever forget you?”

“I…” Egon stumbled over his words, “I wanted… I have a few questions.”

Ulrich leaned over and sniffed the man. He then quoted in English, “‘My only aim is to take many lives. The more the better I feel.’”

Egon moved back, “I know that. You’ve said that before. What does it mean?”

Ulrich shook his head, “It means that you, you moron, still haven’t understood a thing.” He sat back down at his table, “But now you have to hurry. You don’t have much time left. I know when you die. It was in the paper.”

Egon moved closer to him, “I don’t understand.”

“No,” Ulrich told the man, “Of course you don’t. But maybe that is also your fate. To die as clueless as you were when you were born.” Ulrich laughed, “Everyone gets what they deserve.”

A storm brewed in Winden causing Mikkel to walk back home to an awaiting Ines. She sat at the table smoking. She ran to her son and asked, “Where have you been?” She held him and told the boy, “I was so worried.” She sniffled, “I called the school. They said you never showed up there. Did something happen?” When Mikkel didn’t reply, she looked down, “You know what? There are days it’s best to just forget. But… There’s no better comfort food than ‘Toast Hawaii.’ We always had it at home when I was little, with two maraschino cherries. And my dad used to dance like Elvis.” She put down the can of pineapples.

“Do you believe in God,” asked Mikkel.

Ines made a face. She remembered back to the handsome boy who made her interested in the church. His strong sense of will, right and wrong, and how his smile reminded her of a sunset. He always knew exactly what to say and could make her laugh even on her worst days. He would clown around and end up just hurting himself trying to make her smile, but he would always pop back up with a large goofy smile. He was like that with nearly everyone though. He was constantly making Helge feel better about himself. She remembered one time he really made her heart race though. They were helping the community kids learn how to dance. David was sitting out initially and was there to help demonstrate with the Pastor, but no one wanted to partner with her, so he walked over to her. He smiled oh so gently at her and held her close as they danced. He leaned down and in a low voice sang the song just for her, into her ear. After he pulled away, he, in a husky voice just loud enough for prying ears to hear and with a devious smirk, said, “Here’s looking at you, Kid.” He made her feel like the most desirable person in the room. It worked on everyone else too because boys stopped bullying her and girls started to be a bit nicer to her in school. In fact, the group of girls pulled her and Jana to cluck with the rest of them about the boys and question her about David. She started to go to church a lot more after that just to see the older boy. He would walk her and Jana home. After dropping Jana home first, he’d always leave her just like how he pulled away from her after dancing and adding a sweet chaste kiss where her forehead met her hair line. She could remember how lonely he looked walking away. As if, his happiness was simply a mask to make everyone else happy and there was some darkness lurking beneath the surface.

Ines looked at her son and nodded.

“Do you believe he has a plan for us,” Mikkel asked. 

Ines sighed. She thought back to David and her own life after trying to chase the feeling of what he left her...then the feeling of losing her birth son… She nodded once again, “I believe… he does. I believe, for example, that God saw to it that you came to me. And that his plan for me is to be there for you.” She smiled at the boy and rubbed his shoulders, “Right, let’s make ‘Toast Hawaii,’ okay?” She sniffled back tears, “Will you help me?”

Mikkel followed the woman and gave her a much needed hug to comfort the both of them.

In 2053, Jonas sat in his cage. He struggled with his leg and breathing. When he heard Silja, he backed himself more into the corner. His breath hitched as she pointed the gun at him. 

“Why didn’t she kill you,” She asked. She stared at him and asked, “Who are you really?” When he didn’t reply, she yelled, “Who are you?” Jonas stared at her debating for a second before she knocked off the lock and opened his cage. She told him, “I want you to show me. What’s really in the dead zone.”

Jonas agreed and they snuck into the dead zone as Charlotte in 2020 looked for answers of her parents. The older Hannah walked towards the 1987 version of her house. There in the window was Ines and Mikkel laughing. Ulrich looked out of his window as Egon looked over his files. The older Jonas held his mother as she realized her husband was Mikkel. Peter rushed to his wife’s side holding her knowing that she needed it. Annalise walked Magnus home and held him close as tears fell from her eyes. Jonas showed Silja the mass. Claudia trekked back to her house and dug up the time machine her older self left for her 33 years prior. 

Jonas put the gasoline into the generator and cranked the machine to life.

“What is that,” Silja asked.

Jonas said, “She said it’s a portal.”

“Who,” asked the girl.

Jonas explained, “I have tapes with a woman speaking on them. Her name is Claudia Tiedermann. I know none of this makes sense, but that may be the only way back home.” He pointed to it, “No clue if it works.” He turned the electrical on to see the blob turn into a sphere.

“You want to go in,” Silja tried to reason with the boy.

He turned to her and explained, “It doesn’t matter if I die inside of it or out here.” He walked his way to the sphere and slowly let his hand be consumed for a second. He took it out to see if it was okay. With that, he stepped in with the girl calling for him back in 2053.

[smutfornerds]

Sucker // Ralph x Reader

A/N: Yay finally got this one done! No lies I only think of Ralph when I hear this damn song now so I had to write this to get it outta my brain. It was taking up too much space lol. Hope you enjoy my dears!!

—

The shuffle button had earned it’s way into your good graces this morning. Your favorites new and old blasted through the speakers of your house while you heated the water for yourself and prepped your counter with a towel. Just as you pulled the shower curtain back you heard the lock of your front door click and the door creak open after it. Before you could even think otherwise Ralph’s voice boomed through your apartment. “Just me! Key fingers and all.” Hearing the smile in his tone you chuckled to yourself thinking of him shimmying his elastic hand into your door every time he came over. “Gimme twenty!” You hollered over your music. The speaker was just outside the bathroom but you’d left the door open as you were home alone. Well, until now. Taking note of the running water Ralph kept himself preoccupied and busy in the living room and flipped through the stack of miscellaneous books you had piled on the table.

Your music lulled over the water as you stepped past the curtain and the steam filled your lungs. A soft hum drifted along with it into the air as you scrubbed yourself clean. As the songs changed you started mumbling to the tunes. A few times you caught yourself singing along a bit too loud when you’d catch Ralph snickering or chuckling from the living room. “Don’t judge me Dibny!” You called to him, giggling to yourself afterwards letting water drip down your shoulders as you rinsed your hair. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” He’d poked his head into the steam filled room to not have to yell anymore but the closeness of his voice startled a small squeal out of you as your eyes had been closed. Again you heard him huff an amused breath at you before his footsteps retreated. A silent sigh left your lungs out your nose and you shook your head rapidly to exit any all taboo thoughts from your head. It was bad enough you’d had such a puppy dog crush on Ralph when he worked at CCPD, but these last few months fighting metas you two had become the closest friends can get without becoming anything more than just that - friends. It didn’t matter what any of the others tried to tell you, the only way you’d believe he felt the same way was if he made a move. He claims to be such a stud with the ladies so it’d be easy for him, right? But here you were, just a few feet from him with a thin sheet of plastic between you, and he walked away. That was answer enough to you that he wasn’t interested but Caitlin and Cecile tried to vehemently convince you otherwise. Even having a telepath tell you he radiates love and adoration whenever you’re near him wasn’t enough to convince you, you retorted with some made up logic about him just really caring about you because you’re so close. Truthfully you weren’t even sure you bought it but it’s all you could come up with when they had you so flustered and cornered.

“Hey-“ There was Ralph’s voice at the doorframe again. You jumped this time but no noise, too lost in thought to respond before he continued on his own. “I’m gonna order food, anything specific you want or can I just get your usual from wherever?” His voice hovered through the steam to you and you pondered for a second, nibbling your lip before peeking your head and shoulder out from the confides of the shower. “What’d you have in mind?” As you spoke your hair slipped off your shoulder and you watched as Ralph’s eyes followed a singular droplet of water trickle down your neck to your chest before he cleared his throat. He hadn’t been expecting to see you, wet and dripping and naked just barely past that damned curtain— and it wiped his mind of any thoughts let alone food. “Uh- I uh, I figured ask you to see if you w-wanted anything before I just..” He trailed off again as his eyes wandered to your exposed skin. The way his gaze lingered on you made your heart flutter in your chest. “Okay well lemme rinse myself off a little more and we can work it out yeah?” Of course you realized the hint of suggestion in your words but part of you wanted to see what he would do if you took your playful banter up a notch to playful flirting. Only one way to find out. His eyes snapped back up to your face when you spoke and he nodded, curtly at first but when he realized the tenseness of his shoulders he relaxed them and nodded slower. “Yeah, yeah that’s fine, you finish.” He froze for a moment and blinked his eyes tightly closed, mouth gaping as he tried to recover from that one. You let a bit of a sultry giggle float over to him and he opened his eyes just to see the shower curtain sliding closed again fully.

“Funny, I’m actually used to guys leaving so I can do that.” You teased back at him, and a laugh finally forced its way past his still open lips. Nibbling at your own you silently wished you could see his reaction but settled for starting to rinse off a final time. Ralph cleared his throat but you’d yet to hear his footsteps leave. “Wait- for real? Or was that just a joke?” His tone had shifted now and he seemed a genuine cross between shocked and concerned. For a second you stood and thought about it, how to answer it. Sighing and shrugging to yourself you brought your hands up to your hair to comb through it a bit as the conditioner rinsed out. “I mean, I guess I was only half joking.” You paused to let water flow over your face and rubbed at your skin a bit before wiping the water from your eyes. Beside you, Ralph scoffed and you could hear that he’d come fully into the room now. Whether he was leaning against the counter or had planted himself on the toilet seat you weren’t sure of. “So you’ve been with a bunch of fucking losers that don’t know how to get- Uh,” he stumbled a bit, his imagination getting the better of him as the words he was trying to say played themselves out in his mind’s eye first. You simply figured he was fumbling for how to phrase it so you took over for him. “How to get me off?” Your tone came out softer than you’d meant it to so you swallowed thickly, tilting your head forward so the water rushed down your back and heated the chills that were threatening to rise on your skin. Ralph recovered quickly now, forcing a nervous laugh past his lips to give you any kind of verbal reaction. “Uh huh, that.” He shuffled around and you heard him clear his throat again once you shut the water off. You twisted and rung your hair as you responded. “Not every time, but I’d say probably over half.” Admitting that didn’t seem to phase you but on the other side of the curtain Ralph let out a scoff that almost sounded choked.

Again you peeled the thin vinyl back and raised a brow at him, standing against the counter with his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans. He was dressed so casually today, stark contrast from his work week attire of blazers and slacks. As dapper as he looked in those outfits, you loved getting to see him dawn an oversized flannel and bum around the house with you. Simple little things like that were what made up the list of reasons you laid awake at night. Finally catching your gaze Ralph shrugged with a grin on his face that edged just shy of smug. “I guess I’m just.. surprised by that. And I gotta say I’ve never had that problem in all my rendezvous with women.” He placed his hand on his chest to feign a humble gesture and you didn’t even bother fighting the breathy chuckle that left you. “Yeah yeah, you talk the talk but can you walk the walk?” Posing the question you tilted your head towards the towel that sat to the left of him on the edge of counter. Before he could even form a response you cut into his thoughts as you spoke up again. “And can you walk yourself over here to hand me that?” You flashed him a small smirk and he stumbled for words but moved for the towel. Before he took the step to hand it to you he averted his eyes to the floor as to not glance at anything. Taking the towel you draped it around your frame tucking it securely under your arm before pulling the curtain fully open. The music was softer now and you realized he’d turned the volume down while you were talking. Hearing the lyrics ring through the room made a hint of pink hit your cheeks and a smile grace your lips. A small giggle escaped you hearing I’m a sucker for you so clearly as you stepped out of the bathtub and laid your eyes on him again. From the first moment you’d first heard the song Ralph was the only one you’d though of. Taking in the words himself, Ralph’s lips curled up just as he turned on the ball of his heels and strolled from the room with a nonchalant whistle along to the tune that played over your lowered speakers.

“Let me get ready and we can figure out food okay?” You called to him after a moment and he grunted back lazily in response, and you peeked out to find him scrolling through TV stations with his tongue poked out from the corner of his mouth. You couldn’t help but giggle again and thus snagged his attention to you, where you leaned against the door frame with your damp hair leaving droplets over your shoulders. His eyes followed a small line of water just for it and his gaze to collide with the towel that was still at your chest. Ralph blinked and shook his head hastily to snap himself back to the conversation. “Right yeah, food later, first get dressed.” He turned to the tv again before mumbling what he thought was to himself, “For the love of god please go get dressed..” With his eyes away from you he couldn’t see the wide and playful smirk that covered your face as you turned towards your bedroom. Shimmying your way into a pair of tight yoga shorts, you pulled a lacy bralette on with a loose off shoulder sleep shirt over. It hung low to one side, exposing more than enough lace to insight a reaction from the already flustered male on your couch. You kept your hair tousled in damp waves to dry on its own, running your fingers through it slowly as you returned to the living room having filled his prayer to dress yourself. “Okay, so, food?” Instead of strolling to him you made your way to the kitchen as you spoke, never once meeting his eyes when he turned to you but catching his double take and his brows raise out of your peripheral. “Uh-huh.” Was his only response as he shifted to look you over, now facing you but sitting backwards on the couch. Opening the fridge you pursed your lips to the side in false thought. Squinting quizzically you leaned into the door, purposefully arching your back and making sure the shorts hugged you as you bent in Ralph’s direction. “Couldn’t find anything here you wanna eat, hmm?” You pretended to shift a few things around on one of the shelves just to lean further in, and Ralph all but groaned at the way the shorts tugged between your legs to just about expose you fully to him. He felt his pants tighten and cleared his throat rather heavily before standing. “I mean, maybe, but I uh..” He gave a shrug and eyed your figure with a lick of his lips while you were still preoccupied. “I just figured we could order in.” He finished as he made his way around the side table and into the kitchen. His words made a comeback pop into your brain and you fought a smile. You let out a dramatic sigh and stood again, letting the cold door finally close before you hopped onto the counter beside it. “What, didn’t want to eat out tonight?” As you spoke you swung your legs in a mindless fashion, knowing all too well that your words and the subtle direction where to look would get his blood pumping.

Sure enough his mouth faltered for words and his eyes even fell to your freshly shaved and lotion covered legs. Again the giggle that fell from you brought a grin to Ralph’s handsome face, and he narrowed his eyes at you briefly. “I’m always down for eating out.” He stated plainly, but the inflection to his voice and the glint to his eyes made you think your little game had been figured out. Instead of folding however you pushed the envelope further. “Yeah? Why don’t we tonight then?” You tilted your head innocently and tried best you could to fight the corners of your lips twitching but Ralph caught a glimpse of it. That’s all the confirmation he needed that this little conversation of yours wasn’t one sided with intentional innuendo. He took slow steps over to you, all the while his eyes narrowing more and a slow hum coming from him. “Hmm.. I think I’d much rather stay here.” Ralph reached a hand out to you and you took it a bit too quickly, but he didn’t notice or mind, he was trained on your eyes. “Right here sounds perfect to me.” You quipped back, giving his hand a gentle squeeze that made his smile grow to fully show his teeth. A huff of a laugh left him and he purses his lips afterwards. “Actually, I think there’s somewhere I’d rather be..” Before any kind of negative connotation could come of it, he slid between your legs to settle there with his free palm against your thigh. “Mm, yeah that’s much better..” he murmured, nuzzling his face closer to yours. Once he brushed his nose to yours you lost all self control, hastily closing the minimal space and bringing your hand up to cradle the back of his neck and keep him pressed to you. As if it was a reflex he snaked his arms around your waist to pull your bodies flush together, simultaneously deepening the kiss while his tongue curled against yours. Your arms moved to wrap around his neck and Ralph let out an audible sigh at the action, gripping his hands to your backside tightly and lifting you from the countertop. He didn’t walk just yet, letting you get your legs secure around his waist and even more so not wanting to stop kissing you.

The moment he’d began stepping back there was an abrupt rat-a-tat at your front door, the familiar pattern of knocking making both of you groan in protest as you reluctantly broke apart. “I’m gonna kill Cisco. Wrap around him like a boa constrictor and—“ Ralph began moving for the door with you still in his arms and you gasped, smacking his shoulder. “Ow! I’m not actually gonna—“ To shut him up, and truthfully because you just wanted one more, you pecked his lips briefly. “Shut up and put me down before you open the door and we have to explain.. this.” You gave a small bounce and his jaw dropped open, his grip tightening sharply to lift you from his waist. “Ooh you’re gonna have to do that a lot more later, but for now, yeah, good call..” he rambled as he placed you on the edge of the couch, just as Cisco beat a fist to the door. “Both of your locations are on, I know you’re in there!” He hollered and you both chuckled as Ralph jogged to the door and opened it. “Hi to you too, little buddy.” Ralph moved to ruffle Cisco’s hair and he smacked his hand, gaining a puppy dog pout from the taller male. Making his way inside Cisco removed his jacket and slung it over the back of the couch. “So what’re we watching?” He nabbed the remote and you watched Ralph’s shoulders square up a bit before he spoke. “You literally just came over to hang out? There’s no meta emergency or family meeting or something?” The impatience and annoyance prevalent in his tone made you have to fight an amused chuckle. Cisco made a confused and equally annoyed expression, scoffing at his friend’s assumptions.

“Nah dude you would’ve gotten an alert on your phone not me just showing up. Why so pissy? Not like I’m interrupting anything.” For a second your eyes widened and you felt your face heat up, so you swallowed thickly before moving to the kitchen for a drink. A stiff one would’ve been preferred but you opted for a cold glass of water. Ralph glared at Cisco and raised his brows, tilting his head towards you and motioning his eyes from Cisco to the door. Finally catching on after the third rather aggressive nod in your direction, the seated male grinned ear to ear with bright eyes, clattering the remote to the coffee table and standing with jacket in hand. “Ya know what, I think I’m gonna go see what Caitlin’s up to instead.” Ralph nodded vigorously to Cisco’s words and even brought a hand to his shoulder to hurry him out the door. “Tell her to call me later!” You called to him and he managed a wave from outside the door before Ralph closed and latched it. “Now..” He started before he turned sharply towards you with a wide smirk. “Where were we?” You fell into a fit of giggling, practically skipping back over to him and wrapping your arms tightly around his torso. Immediately his hands cupped your face and he crashed his lips back to yours, and the blissful noise between a sigh and a moan that you released lit Ralph’s stomach on fire.

Before you could take a breath he lifted you and dropped you gingerly onto the couch. Without missing a beat both of you started stripping, your shorts being the only fabric you had on your bottom half and once he realized that he was stripping in double time. You peeled the tee shirt off and before your hands could fall to reach the lace Ralph was pulling it up over your shoulders following close after your shirt. With both of you now bare he settled back between your legs, much like he had in the kitchen but now he hovered over you and he brought his lips to your skin to cover you in loving and hungry kisses. Letting your head rest against the cushions your eyes fluttered closed. All your mind could focus on was how delicious each and every kiss was, how hot every inch of your body felt pressed up against him like this. You could almost feel the months of tension melting off of you with every reconnection of his lips to your skin. Involuntarily a blissful sigh parted your lips and Ralph released a long breath of his own. Feeling his hands snake up your legs you opened your eyes just as his touch settled at the bend of your waist. You were met by the thin ring of hazel still left behind his blown out pupils. The dopey smile that adorned his face was full of love and adoration, the very same way he radiates it around you was clear to you now. Without a thought you stole his lips again. He didn’t mind one bit, letting one hand roam up to warm your side and back as he positioned himself better between your legs. Bringing your arms round his broad shoulders you pulled him down to you, latching your legs tightly around his waist in the process. Ralph’s length slicked up against your folds and he let out a strained groan feeling your wetness that was just waiting for him - but not for much longer. He lined himself up to your entrance with ease and slid into you, never once disconnecting your lips. A whimpering moan slipped into the kiss and he kept his movements slow at first as to warm you up to his girth. He was bigger than you were used to and the way he stretched you without even trying made a gasp fill your lungs.

Finally he broke from you to read your face, but seeing the way you went straight to chewing at your lip was all the answer he needed. Keeping his body pressed close to yours he rocked his hips back and into you again with more force, this time gaining a breathy whine to leave you. Ralph kept this motion for a few thrusts, taking his time just to watch every little change in your expressions. One particular movement made you clench around him and that was when he knew he was down for. The arm around your back tightened to your waist, and he began flicking his hips up into you with every buck of them. This newfound angle hit you perfectly, lighting the nerves inside you to make your back arch up off the couch and press your bare chest to his. Another grainy moan escaped his parted lips and he brought them down to your neck, this time sucking gently at the skin as he continued his rhythm. Every grip you had around him tightened, your legs clenched at his waist just as your arms clung to his neck. The hand he’d kept on your hip slid between you now, and he slipped his fingers to where your bodies met and slicked them into your wetness. The move surprised you and you couldn’t help the dainty gasp you made, and you felt the way Ralph’s lips twitched against your skin at the sound. Quickly he found your aching bundle of nerves, causing your legs to twitch at the contact. A much needier whine left you now and the raspy sigh Ralph let out was nearly a growl. Hearing your pleading and desperate little noises flipped a switch in his brain, and he began rolling his hips in tighter and faster swivels. Your jaw dropped open just for him to start rubbing firm circles against your clit. A gaudy moan erupted from you that made your eyes screw shut.

Ralph hovered above you now as he worked you closer and closer to the edge. One of your hands held a tight grip to his shoulder while the other braced his free arm. Every few thrusts he would pick up the pace, along with that of his fingers. With the added motivation of your symphony of pleasured noises, soon Ralph was railing into you with such vigor it was scooting the couch back. His fingers flicked relentlessly at your nub and you felt the way your vocal chords screeched out a final moan before you released around his length. The sudden flush of euphoria was met with a guttural groan from the man above you, and he panted a bit as he tried to hold off. Catching your breath finally you brought a shaky hand up to push his hair back and gain his attention. The moment your eyes locked you nodded hastily up at him to signal the green light. Almost like he’d been waiting for approval he released a hard sigh and his hips jerked out of time to erupt himself into his orgasm. The warmth of him filling you made an involuntary sigh push past your lips, and that only caused Ralph to shutter as he all but collapsed onto you. His arms rested on either side of you to brace himself but he laid pressed tightly to you as he panted his way back to steady breathing. Both your chests were still pounding against each other when your eyes finally met again, and all the two of you could do was laugh together. You brought your hands up to your face and hid it, giggling into your palms as he nuzzled himself back into the crook of your neck to pepper playful kisses all over your skin. In between every little attack of affection he’d mutter sweet nothings to you. “I knew you were beautiful but I never knew you were this beautiful.. You’re amazing you know that?” He placed an especially tender and slow kiss on the mark he’d left on your skin, and you chucked a bit before turning to peck his cheek. “If anyone here is amazing it’s definitely you.” Now that he’d turned to face you, you stole another chaste kiss before he could give a rebuttal.

Ralph grinned lazily but peeled himself up from you and the couch. “Alright, we still need to figure out food.” He stretched as he stood, and you unabashedly stared at every rippling muscle. Admittedly it felt nice to do it without being afraid of getting caught. Now, you smiled proudly when his eyes landed on you and yours were still gazing at his arms. The smirk that spread over his features was to die for. “As much as I’d rather just eat what’s here,” he shot you a wink before continuing. “I think I might pass out from lack of calories. And cheese.” He quirked a brow and moved about the room gathering his clothes. Before he was even dressed you were dialing the number for delivery. “Hey Gina, Ralph’s usual for two?” The words brought another grin to Ralph’s lips and he flopped over the back of the couch to wrap himself around you. Playfully he coiled his arms over and over and over until you were covered by his outstretched limbs. You scoffed teasingly and tried to wiggle out of his grip but he only tightened it. “Like a boa.” He beamed cheekily as he retracted his arms back to normal, but keeping them just as tight around your still naked frame - which is how you stayed even when the delivery guy came with your massively stacked nachos. Ralph made sure to throw a blanket over you when he answered the door, and he gave the guy a generous tip for keeping his eyes to himself in the few seconds he was there. Just as you leaned to grab a chip the blanket fell from your chest and simultaneously you saw a camera flash pop off. “Ralph! Really!?” You squealed as you tried and failed to scramble for his phone. He held the device extra high to the ceiling to avoid losing this battle. “Nope, sorry I’m gonna need that photo as physical evidence.” He wore a smug and flat-lipped expression but his eyes sparkled mischievous. Narrowing your own at him you wrapped the blanket back up around you as you took a bite. Not bothering to fully finish you chewed between words. “Evidence?” A chomp and a half swallow as you arch a brow up at him. “Of what exactly?” Swallowing fully you sat back awaiting his explanation. His lips curled up ever so slightly as he slid his phone into his back pocket. “Physical evidence dollface.” He flopped next to you and planted a slow, sensual and enticing kind of kiss to your lips before so rudely pulling away. “Evidence that we’ve been physical.” His coy smile was full on now, and his chest puffed with silent chuckling as he watched you roll your eyes. Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt you pulled him to you, nose to nose, your eyes narrowed to slants but looking into his. “Well that’s private evidence. That only you have the security clearance to look over. Right?” He caught your tone and scoffed, pushing you back down with his lips on yours to shut you up, giving you all the answer you needed.

[sweetchcolate]

fandom: Inuyasha

words: 2934

inukag week, day 6: alternate universe

a/n: inspired by this post by @nokaninja, especially the bit with “the flowers were his moms idea.” For some reason, I pictured Izayoi calling her son “nunu” and it all devolved from there.

@inukag-week

-

“Inuyasha? Inuyasha?” A pause. “Nunu?”

“Gah, ma! Quit it with that nickname! I’m a grown ass― erk, I’m grown up now!” he yelped, ears flattening against his skull.

“I’m sorry, honey.” His ma’s smile was anything but apologetic, amusement hanging on her lips. She was fuckin’ teasing him about this old ass nickname he got for himself back when he was a brat and badly lisping: whenever his ma called him by his name, he tried to mimic her, but with little success. Eventually, he shortened “Inuyasha” to “inu,” more palatable to eleven-months-old him, and completely dropped the “I” over time, thus creating “nunu.”

Unfortunately for him, the nickname stuck. Since that fateful day, he was forever referred to as “nunu” by his parents, and and it didn’t change even as he turned into an adult.

His ma sighed, as if she could read his thoughts. Her eyes were glazed, faraway and nostalgic, seeing something that couldn’t be seen. “Oh, Inuyasha, you could be one hundred years old and have three thousand grandchildren of your own, and you’d still be my baby nunu. I remember when I could hold you up in my arms: you weren’t longer than my forearm.”

“That one of those ‘you’ll understand if you have kids of your own’ lessons, huh?”

His ma nodded. “Right. Today’s is ‘my child is hiding something and I’m wondering what.’”

“W-what makes you think I’m hiding something?” Shit, was he that transparent or was that just his ma’s mom senses?

His ma sipped her coffee calmly before pointing out, “You keep looking at the time and brushing your hands through your hair. Also,” she grinned, impish, “your ears were twitching all day long.”

Of fucking course! He covered the traitors with his hands with a low growl. “These damn ears stand out too much…” he muttered.

His ma laughed. “So, I was right, you were hiding something. Let me guess…” she brought a hand to her chin, supporting her elbow with her other hand, a gesture she had taken from his old man.

He was going to have to tell her anyways, so might as well be now since they were on the subject. “I’m meeting someone,” Inuyasha explained.

“Ooooh,” his ma cooed, clapping her hands in anticipation, eyes bright. “Who is it? Tell me, tell me!”

“Uh…” He looked away as heat crept up his neck and cheeks. Suddenly, he was way too warm, palms sweating, his heart thudding in his chest like a jackhammer and his mouth dry. “It’s… y’know…  Higurashi Kagome.”

“Higurashi?” she repeated, something in her tone making the hair at the base of his neck rise and a shiver crawl down his back. “From the Higurashi shrine, near the park with those swings you loved so much?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh…” was all his ma said in answer, face frozen into something impassive, but eyes glinting with dark memories.

Fuck, he thought, nails digging into his palms as his heart gave one last throb before dropping to his stomach. That wasn’t the reaction he was expecting: he thought she’d be surprised, excited, supportive. Anything but this half-hearted, half-disappointed “oh”.

Worse is that he genuinely liked Kag― spending time with Kagome, but he also wanted his ma to be happy with his choice of partner: she was a good judge of character, and all the previous people he associated with that she didn’t like turned out to be shit.

His past relationship with Kikyo was another mess of its own.

“So, you don’t… approve?” he asked at last, voice tight because of the hard lump that had formed in his throat.

His ma blinked, as if she had woken up from a nightmare. “Oh no, not at all! It’s just…” she bit her lip, brows furrowing in worry and sadness, “little Kagome’s said to have the most spiritual power in her family in generations.”  

Ma… She really was afraid of a repeat, wasn’t she? “Don’t worry, ma. Kagome can’t purify my ass― erk, my butt.”

His ma reached for his hand, rubbing a thumb on his knuckles like when he got sick as a kid, but Inuyasha thought this was more for her comfort than his, this time around. “I know being half-human protects you from total purification, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not painful or unpleasant.”

“Bah,” he drawled, waving a nonchalant hand, “it aint too different from the new moon nights. I trust Kagome not to zap me.”

Hi ma smiled a bit at his choice of words, slightly cheered up. “So, how did you meet her?”

He scratched the base of his ear, flushing a bit at the memories. “Eh, it ain’t nothin’ too glamorous. Her little brother Sota’s in one of my classes and it’s usually his ma who picks him up.”

-

“Oi, Sota! Ya still here?”

The boy looked up from where he was sitting, smelling of dried sweat and fresh tears. “Mama’s not here,” Sota said with a little smile, trying to appear strong, but his wobbling voice betraying his worry and fear.

“She’s probably late or somethin’, kid,” Inuyasha crossed his arms, pointing with his head at the mess left behind him. “C’mon. Since ya’re here, help me clean up.” That would distract the kid and change his mind until mom came to get him.

It was a good hour later, when it grew dark outside and Sota babbling away, that a girl barged in, clearly out of breath. “Sota!” she called, pushing her dark hair away from her face with both hands, revealing worried blue eyes and flushed cheeks. “I’m sorry I’m late!” she breathed.

“Kagome!” Sota yelled, flinging himself in the girl’s arms. “You really came for me!”

The girl, Kagome, placed a hand on Sota’s shoulders, patting his head. “Yeah, Mama’s had a problem with the car and I wasn’t home until recently. I’m sorry I took so long to come, kiddo.”

Sota shook his head. “It’s okay, sis! I helped Inu-sensei put away the benches and he said he would teach me a new move next time!”

Kagome tilted her head. “Inu-sensei?”

“That’d be me,” he drawled, finding it a good time as ever to inject himself in this conversation.

The girl looked up, eyes first stopping on his face before continuing their way upwards, catching… “Dog ears?”

Inuyasha bristled, the hair all over his body rising. Fuck, he forgot to put back his cap after the parents left earlier, having picked up their children from their martial arts class. Sota was a good kid and didn’t mind his dog ears: if anything, kid seemed to have a bit of a hero worship going on with him. Inuyasha’s half-demon status was, in his eyes, something amazing rather than fearful.

That didn’t mean it applied to his sister.

Kagome approached him, the top her head barely coming up to his clavicles. She even had to tilt her head a little, curled hair fanning over her shoulder and held back by a plaid headband (which matched her shirt), to look him in the eyes properly, crystal blue against his yellow-gold.

Well, at least she had the decency to face him, instead of avoiding his gaze. He’d give her that.

Suddenly, without warning, Kagome’s hands shot up towards his ears, fingers tweaking them this way and that. Her brows rose and her eyes shone with surprise. “Wow! They’re real!” she exclaimed with child-like joy.

He didn’t even have the time to react before she flushed, pulling her hands away. “Oh my god, that was so rude! I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me!”

-

Inuyasha’s words tapered off as his ma broke into a fit of laughter, doubling over and strands of dark hair pooling over the table. His ears stuck to his skull in his embarrassment and he carefully pulled her hair away from falling into her cup of coffee and the plates of food. Eventually, his ma straightened up, brushing tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes.

“Oh, nunu,” she said at last, shaking her head in amusement. “This is priceless.”

“Glad to know you get a kick outta your son’s ear misadventures,” he huffed, not really hurt by his ma’s reaction.

“That’s not why I’m laughing so much. It’s just… when I was pregnant with you, your father and I didn’t know what you’d look like. We knew you’d be half-demon, but we didn’t know which features you’d inherited: his hair or mine? His eye color or mine? His demon strength or mine?”

Inuyasha raised a brow, a bit interested in hearing about his early days and how this tied in with Higurashi Kagome tweaking his ears and getting his ma to laugh her ass off.

“When I first held you, I was a mess. It took me over a day to give birth to you, I was exhausted, hungry, half-loopy from all the painkillers, and couldn’t tell your dad from the nurses. And apparently, the first thing I did when I met you was blubber “puppy ears!” and nuzzle them.”

A groan left Inuyasha’s lips and he smacked his face in exasperation. This damn obsession with his ears… It cursed all the women in his life! Even his freakin’ stepmom, his old man’s first wife, slipped a comment about it when they first met! His ma, for her part, never failed to give him funny looks when it happened: he thought that she had grown desensitized to her son having odd features, even for someone part demon, but nope.

Turned out she was the fucken original Inuyasha’s ears fanclub member!

“So, how did you react?” his ma asked and he rolled his eyes.

“Y’know exactly how.”

“And yet, if you’re meeting up with her now, it means your grumpy attitude didn’t discourage her,” she teased.

Kagome was stubborn and gave back as much as she got. While most people cowered when his temper made an appearance, she had yelled right back, claiming he was “rude” for exploding on her when she had apologized for tweaking his ears.

Despite their rocky start, Inuyasha got to know Kagome better, since she became responsible for picking Sota up once his classes were done: she was stubborn, she was reckless, and she drove him absolutely nuts. Kagome was his total opposite: an optimist to his cynic views, openly kind to his gruff attempts at comfort, cheerful to the almost permanent scowl on his face, and so on.

Worst of all?  She was a master sneak: slowly, so gradually he didn’t realize it, she had slipped past his walls, picking a spot in his heart and nestling there as if she owned the place. It wasn’t long before he had her name on his lips almost every day and before the syllables “ka-go-me” made his ears perk up in interest and his heart beat hopefully.

Inuyasha from a year ago would have been disgusted at his open vulnerability when it came to Kagome. Inuyasha of the present wouldn’t have it any other way.

“She gets attached too easily,” he answered in the end, voice fond and eyes soft, unable to find the words to properly describe Kagome.

His ma raised a brow, one corners of her mouth tilting up not quite in disbelief, but more like she knew something that he didn’t.

“What?”

Her smile grew wider, like the cat that ate the canary. “Nothing. I’m just glad you seem to be looking forward to that date. Speaking of which,” she said, tone pitching at the end, “when are you leaving?”

“Uh…” he took a quick look at the clock. “In an hour or so. I’m meetin’ Kagome at her place.”

“And what are you going to do?”

He shrugged. “Eat a bit, see a movie, hang out.” Honestly, he hadn’t planned this far ahead: being in Kagome’s presence was enough. He didn’t mind following what she had in mind as long as she was happy.

His ma pouted, tracing the rim of her coffee cups, as if disappointed he didn’t give her more meat to chew on. “And are you bringing her a gift?”

“Why would she need one?” Inuyasha blinked, genuinely confused.

“To commemorate, to show you were looking forward to that date, to show you care or simply to make her happy. There are many reasons, honey.”

To show I care… to make her happy… the words looped in his mind. What could he get for her without acting like that Hodo guy from her middle school days?  Well, for starters, nothing related to illnesses or “get better” gifts! He could also scratch shrine/priestess-related stuff: she already had all a girl could dream of in that matter, thanks to her family.

“What about jewelry?” he asked his ma, looking for advice. Yeah, that sounded good: a necklace, to match with the black pearl hanging around his neck!

“Mm, it might be my own experiences talking, but I think it’s better to keep jewelry for later dates or for when you’re in a stable relationship,” she answered, fingering the thin silver chain around her wrist, a memento from his old man. She looked up with a small smile, “But what about flowers?”

-

“Inuyashaaaaa!” Kagome called from above, waving his way before she went down the stairs as quick as she could.

His heart lurched at the sound of her voice and he clutched the bouquet tighter behind his back. Shit, hope she didn’t see the flowers!

In the end, he had picked them as a gift, per his ma’s suggestion. They were a deep pink, almost red, their smell soft and their petals velvety. He also made sure to pick sturdy flowers which needed little care, so that Kagome could keep them for a long time.

Or at least, he hoped she would.

Kagome skipped over the last few steps, her momentum carrying her forward. Inuyasha stepped in front of her to catch her, breath knocked out of his lungs when she collided with his chest with an oof! He had to place a hand on her back to steady her, fingers sinking into her fluffy green top and drawing her closer instead.

“Thanks for stopping me, Inuyasha!” Kagome chirped, tilting her head back to catch his eyes.  Her red lips curved up into a pleased smile, blue eyes soft, the tip of her ponytail brushing his hand.

He flushed. “Ya’re welcome.”

Kagome glanced at him up and down, taking in his outfit. “You clean up real nice!” she said. “I really dig your jacket too. I’m almost jealous!” she laughed, tugging lightly on the lapels, teasing.

Inuyasha never really had much of a reason to wear his red bomber jacket in the past, despite it being his favorite. It was one of his old man’s mementos, and he didn’t want to risk ruining it during fights with arrogant demon punks who got too frisky with him.

He also avoided wearing the thing, as its vibrant color would draw in people’s eyes and bring out scowls. It was like painting a big fat target on his back, turning himself into a matador’s red cape and the crowds into enraged bulls, as if he didn’t get enough flack for being half-demon.

It figured Kagome would enjoy his jacket: she seemed to appreciate about him what other people derided him for.

“Thanks. You… uh,” he swallowed, mouth dry and ears twitching. “You look good too.” Real cute.

She beamed, blue eyes glittering, twirling on the spot to show off. “Thank you! I almost didn’t wear this top, because Sota said I looked like ‘a green caterpillar’.” She mimicked her brother’s voice at the end. “The brat!”

Inuyasha smirked, teasing. “He ain’t wrong.”

Kagome mock-gasped, bringing a hand to her chest. “Well fine! Guess I will go back home to change into another shirt, since some people don’t have an eye for fashion.” With a huff, she whirled around, ponytail swinging, hands on her hips. Her brown skirt clung to her legs as she took the first few steps towards the shrine.

“Oi, Kagome,” he called, following after her. He waited until she turned around, a questioning look on her face. Inuyasha swallowed hard, throat working, heart damn near vibrating in his chest. His hand shook behind his back.

“If you’re going back up, t-take this too!” he managed, voice breaking at the end. Inuyasha whipped out the bouquet of flowers as his face erupted in flames, blushing so hard he was sure he was as red as his jacket. He avoided looking at Kagome, eyes settling on her bright earrings instead.

The blood rushed in his veins and his heart pounded in his head like a headache, so loud his ears barely caught Kagome’s faint gasp, a small hitch in her breath. When her hands wrapped around the bouquet, cool fingers brushing against his, he almost flinched, the muscles in his arms spasming.

He risked a quick glance at Kagome’s face: she was staring at the flowers with stars in her blue eyes. Her mouth was slightly open in wonder, cheeks as red and bright as the flowers he had offered her. Inuyasha was pretty sure he also saw sparkles shining around her.

Kagome brought the flowers to her face, inhaling deeply a few times. “They smell so good,” she whispered, as if afraid to break the moment. She then touched his hand and when he didn’t pull away, slipped her hand in his, squeezing.

“Thank you, Inuyasha,” she told him, voice gentle and full of feelings. “They’re wonderful.”

“Ya’re welcome.”

He squeezed her hand back.

[judesowndaughter]

TAGGED: stolen from @iimpulsivity​ TAGGING: steal! steal! steal! steal!

layer one : the outside

Name -  katherine beverly marsh. Eye colour -  hazel. Hair style / colour -  blond, usually kept in a bun, wavy & all-around fluffy. Height -  5′3″. Clothing style - kate dresses herself in stereotypically feminine clothes. her wardrobe almost entirely consists of skirts, button-ups, canvas shoes, and cardigans. this style isn’t completely her choice: she dresses according to helen’s preference, not her own. when kate is finally free from her mother’s control, she prefers to dress casually in soft fabrics and pastel colors. jeans, leggings, beanies, long-sleeved shirts, and large, comfy sweaters all find a home in her closet.    Best physical feature - her floofy hair, her smile.

layer two : the inside

Fears -  her mother, being outed to her parents, losing lynn and emily, alice getting sick. Guilty pleasure -  the naked gun---totally inappropriate and silly, but kate loves it.  Biggest pet peeve -  people who talk over her when she’s in the middle of a sentence.  Ambitions for the future - become an animator, get her siblings away from helen, illustrate/author a children’s book, have a wife, a child, and a cute little cottage.

layer three : thoughts

First thoughts upon waking up: “oh god, i’m so tired.” What you think about most:  gay thoughts. What you think about before bed: kate has insomnia, so she’s up tossing and turning and thinking about a lot of different things. common thoughts include meal prep for the coming week, her next art project for class, the crushing weight of being alive, and what outfit she should wear for the next day. What your best quality is: her kindness and empathy.

layer four : what’s better ?

Single or group dates -  single. call her a sap, but she really wants to focus on the person she loves. To be loved or respected - loved---kate believes that love goes hand-in-hand with respect. Beauty or brains - ...is heart a valid answer? Dogs or cats - take a third option: bunnies.

layer five : do you…

Lie - as much as is necessary to survive. if that means lying about the color of the sky to appease her mother and thus spare herself or her siblings from pain, she will do it. Believe in yourself - she really doesn’t, but she’ll be damned if she doesn’t try. her mantra is ‘fake it till you make it’. Believe in love - yes, in a multitude of forms: family, friends, the divine, soulmates, etc. Want someone -  absolutely. she would love to have a wife, she’s just not sure if that will ever be a possibility for her due to the pressure from family and her struggles with suicidal ideation.

layer six : ever been …

Been on stage: many times; usually for a violin recital. Done drugs:  yes, against her will. Changed who you were to fit in: kate does this at her mother’s urging. 

layer seven : favorites

Favourite color -  pastel yellow. Favourite animal -  rabbits. Favourite movie -  paprika. Favourite game - animal crossing: new leaf.

layer eight : age

Day your next birthday will be - september 12th, 2014. How old will you be - 19. Age you lost your virginity - still a virgin. Does age matter - yes, without a doubt. anyone interested in kate that is younger than 18 or older than 21 is an automatic ‘no.’

layer nine : in a person

Best personality - someone loyal, with a weakness for puns and a soft side that they aren’t afraid of showing to the people they love. Best eye colour - kate doesn’t care about that but blue eyes on girls are gorgeous. Best hair colour - that doesn’t matter to her except her knees go weak when she sees girls with jet-black hair.    Best thing to do with a partner - walking along a lonely hiking trail together---no one else is around, and they’re free to be content in themselves and each other.

layer ten : finish the sentence

I love -  “my sisters and alice.” I feel -  “nervous.” I hide -  “my mistakes.” I miss -  “feeling rested.” I wish - “i had a childhood.”

[thenixkat]

Working theory on Andalite morph technology

Does not use DNA (/and RNA) to make morphs.

-BIGGEST EVIDENCE is the ability of people to morph clothing. Clothing is not part of one’s genetic code.

-lesser evidence:

a) just b/c this scifi’s so soft that there’s no such thing as biochemical barriers doesn’t mean that the genetics of creatures from very very far away worlds are in any way comparable other than they have some sort of genetic material. Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid is a specific and very fucking complicated molecule. Even Ben 10 acknowledged that kinda shit.

b) Jake morphed a neutered dog

c) the kids don’t lose their belly buttons nor does Rachel lose her piercings and Marco’s hair doesn't revert back to its original length.

d) learned skills like flying are not encoded in DNA 

More likely?

Morphing uses scans influenced primarily by the user’s thoughts.

-the kids can morph skintight clothing b/c they think they can

-Jake morphed a neutered dog b/c he thought at the time that he’d just turn into a copy of the animal he’d acquired, his dog Homer

-The kids don’t have to learn how to fly b/c from their perspective flight is something inherent in a bird (also acquiring copies info from a creature’s mind too)

-The kid’s hair doesn't change every time they morph nor do they lose their scars (navels and piercing holes) because they have a pretty solid idea of what they are supposed to look like in their default form.

(and yes their default self is effectively a morph, it get altered into other things as they transform and the process of morphing itself would certainly heal injuries giving they’re already pulling and shuttling mass to and from Z Space. Its just the morph that they can’t get locked into)

-emotions can have morphing side effects

-the reason the kids fucking lose their shit with ants and termites but bees are ok

-giant anteater morphs

Morph data storage would be on the Z SPace anchor. WHy would the data be stored anywhere else? How would it be stored anywhere else?

-Acquiring is basically a full-body scan of the creature. Plus a sensory and mental record of the thing to shape the morph and trigger the transformation.

-A frolis maneuver is lit just activating multiple morph scans, mixing them together and saving that as a new scan. SOmething that’s easier to do with multiples of the same species  or very similar species of critter (like Ax’s human morph) and really damn hard to do with very different critters (Marco’s stress morph hybrids)

*side note Marco probably could have a knack for hybrid morphs if he ya know did it consciously and picked things that can both thrive in the environments he wants to use them.

Estreens are good at morphing b/c they have a better grasp of anatomy, physiology, and directing their thoughts.

There is no real time limit. The kids very much go over timelimit a few times and are still able to morph back to default. The longer they are in morph, however, the more likely the morphing tech is to just fucking malfunction.

-getting stuck in morph is just like a program on a computer just ‘isn’t responding’ and there’s no way to access the task menu and stop it. Unless you’re a god/much more advanced alien

Andalite morph tech is buggy af.

Andalites don’t particularly give a shit about it b/c they don’t really use it like that and thus can’t be bothered to improve it.

No one is allergic to morphing or morphs. Their Z SPace anchor is just buggy and glitching due to random chance. Either it just doesn't work or just creates morphs without actually transforming the user and loses the data.

[saibugs]

Her head was throbbing as she opened her eyes. There was little light—the only source was a candle—and she was laying on a bed. She didn’t feel particularly well-rested, but she was better than she had been before she’d fought that… thing, whatever it had been.

Humming beside her alerted her to the presence of another, and she looked over to see Preston there, cleaning his musket. A short cough from her startled him, and he looked over before beaming. “Hey, you’re awake.”

“Wh…” Her throat was too dry to form anything more than sounds. He reached beside him and picked up a white can, cracking it before handing it over. She took it, nodded at him, and sculled it. Water dribbled down her chin but she didn’t care, she was that thirsty. When she set the can down, and wiped her mouth with her arm, she tried again. “What happened…?”

“You were pretty beat up in the fight.” He furrowed his brows. “You… You took on a Deathclaw. That isn’t an easy feat.” His eyes trailed to her forehead. “And apparently, the Power Armour beat you up too. Sturges is doing what he can to fix it, but…”

“It’s likely ruined,” she chuckled, throat dry. “That beasty—Deathclaw, you called it?—wrecked it. It’s screeeeeeewed.”

“Just a bit.” He looked over as Codsworth floated in, closely followed by the dog. “Ah, hello. Codsworth, was it?”

“That’s correct, sir,” the cheery Mr Handy said, his three eyes studying everything. Cristina was glad to see him, and see that the dog was intact. “Hello, Mum, good to see you alive and well~! I must say, though, you were in a right pinch back there!”

“I probably was, but I’m alive, and that’s what matters.” She sat up, flipping the blankets off her body and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. “I still need to find Shaun, though, so I can’t just lay around in bed.”

“Mum, please, you need to rest—”

“Coddy, sweetie, I can’t do that.” The bandages around her head shifted and she blinked, reaching up and brushing her fingers against them. “Wh-What…?”

“You copped a nick from one of the Deathclaw’s claws,” Preston said, standing and picking a nearby hand mirror up. “Here, hold this, I’ll get those off you.” He reached over and pulled them off, letting them fall as the red wound on her eyebrow reflected in the mirror. Cristina swallowed, eyes widening as she reached up and ran her fingers over it. Preston watched her, studying her face, wondering what she felt. Codsworth floated over and nudged her, giving her support in his own way, and the dog whined, nuzzling her legs.

“That’s… one hell of a battle scar,” she mumbled, setting the mirror face down. “I guess I can’t let it bother me too much.”

“No. If anything, you’re lucky you only have that. Deathclaws are the embodiment of death. I say you can use that as a way to intimidate people into… not shooting you.”

“That’s something I have to worry about?” Cristina furrowed her brows and bit her lip. “Good grief, this world is… actually messed up.”

Preston studied her, but decided to leave it, just setting her equipment down on the end of the bed. “For when you’re ready to head out.”

Cristina nodded and picked the gear up, hefting her backpack on and holstering her 10mm. Her switchblade was tucked into the pocket of the bag, so she left it there, and looked between Codsworth and the dog. “Alright. Coddy, I want you to stay here, hold down the fort. Are the people from Concord here?”

“They sure are, Mum!”

“Then please help them with whatever they need.” She touched his body plating. “And stay safe. I’ll be back before you know it.”

The dog barked, wagging his tail, and she smiled at him. Preston laughed. “Dogmeat, don’t leave her side, okay?”

“Dogmeat?” Cristina laughed. “That’s his name?”

“Yeah, don’t know where he got it,” Preston laughed. “You be safe out there, okay?”

“I will. Try. I will try.” And with that, she set off, heading towards a location her Pip-Boy was registering: Diamond City.

The walk had been long, and filled with bloatflies, bloodbugs, and a woman named Trashcan Carla. Cristina hadn’t really seen many other people, sadly, although she was hoping that would change when she reached Boston’s outer suburbs. Before the bombs had fallen, when she’d been able to drive into the city, she’d had the radio loud and pumping, but now she was too frightened to even set it on her Pip-Boy. She had no idea what was out here, if another one of those Deathclaws was lurking, or if something somehow worse was waiting for her behind the next rock or car.

Dogmeat was constantly by her side, sniffing out things for her to search or leading her over to interesting things. Thus far, they’d found a couple of stimpaks, some food and water, and a few extra bullets. Most of the bullets they’d found were .45 ammunition, so Cristina was considering—if she could—picking up a rifle. Will serve me better than a damn handgun. Of course, that was if she ever reached Diamond City.

As the sun rose higher into the sky, the Pip-Boy began to pick up a radio signal. She blinked and peered down at it, noticing it was marked as a distress signal. She stopped walking. Her mind began to whir. She could go and help these people in distress… and in return, perhaps they would help her find Shaun.

She flicked to her Pip-Boy’s map and checked where the signal was coming from. Cambridge. The police station. “Alright, boy, let’s go,” she murmured to Dogmeat, who gave a happy bark in response and trotted along after her.

The closer she got to Cambridge, the closer the sound of laser fire became. Her eyes widened and she crouched, sneaking over to the back alley that took her direct to the station. She could hear growling and inhuman groaning, and her brows furrowed as she peered around the barricades that had been set up.

A man wearing black Power Armour was firing as fast as he could at a bunch of… zombies? They looked like zombies. Dogmeat growled and went to rush out, but Cristina grabbed his fur gently and shook her head. She took in the scene: the man in armour, protecting a wounded man in a skin-tight orange suit and a woman tending his injuries. The zombie people just kept coming, even as their extremities were blown off or they were turned to ashes.

I have to help them! She ran out without thinking, ripping her 10mm from its holster and firing at one of the zombies that shambled towards her.

“Civilians on the perimeter! Watch your fire!” the man in the armour yelled as he fired over her head. The zombies groaned and one clawed down her arm, tearing the bright blue Vault suit open. She yelled and shot it once, twice, three times in the head, then took down another with Dogmeat’s help.

Her breath was short when the zombies finally stopped coming, and she looked over to see the man in the armour staring at her, his deep brown eyes stern and cautious. She approached carefully, slipping her pistol back in its holster before raising her hands and asking, “You okay?”

“Thanks to you.” His tone took her by surprise. It wasn’t necessarily cold and aggressive, like she’d expected him to affect. Rather, it was warm and husky, filled with gratitude but also edged with a warning. “However, forgive me for saying, but you must be either stupid or brave to come running in here with little more than a dog and a 10mm.”

“Both.” She looked over at the pair on the steps of the police station, but she also caught something in her periphery, and when she turned to face it her heart sank. A dead soldier was hanging off the walkway. “Oh God…”

“May Steel guide him.” Danse walked over to his surviving two men and knelt beside the wounded one. Cristina watched from where she was, unable to hear them speak, and blinked when Danse stood and approached once more. “Come inside, please. I wish to speak with you.”

“Ah… okay…” She was reluctant, but watched the three soldiers enter, the wounded one affecting an obvious limp. Dogmeat licked her hand, calming her, and she swallowed before entering.

The Cambridge Police Station brought back memories she wanted to quash, and her breath caught in her throat. So much of her childhood had been spent here, with her mother and brother… She shook her head and noted the three were staring at her. The man in armour had steely eyes despite their warm brown, and she almost blanched under his gaze. But she didn’t.

“Are you well, miss?”

“I’m okay. Okay as I can be. Place brings up stuff.” She furrowed her brows. “Sorry, doesn’t matter. What did you want to talk about?”

“I’d like to ask for your help, if you are willing.”

“A soldier? Needing my assistance?”

His lips pursed. “Yes, although it seems an odd request. My Brother and Sister here are in no condition to assist; Knight Rhys is wounded, and Scribe Haylen… I cannot lead her into a dangerous place without knowing I am completely able to protect her.”

Cristina furrowed her brows. “Where do we need to go?”

“ArcJet Systems.”

“Why…?”

“Scribe, can you explain?” He looked over at her.

Haylen smiled. “Sure can, sir.” She came over and stood beside the soldier. “We are in need of a deep signal transmitter, something I’ve been able to track to ArcJet. So we can get some help from our Family back in the Capital Wasteland.”

Cristina nodded. “Sure, I’ll help you. On one condition.”

“And that would be?” There was that caution again, but there was an edge this time.

“You help me, too.”

“We would not be Brothers and Sisters of Steel if we did not assist those who needed us. We would be glad to help.” He peered at her. “But what assistance would a Vault Dweller need from us?”

“I’ll tell you later, after we get your… thingymabob.”

The soldier’s lips set into a thin line, and Cristina saw him suppress a sigh. “Of course. Before we depart, you should prepare yourself. Take whatever you need.”

“Of course… um…?”

“Ah. Right. I am Paladin Danse.”

“Cristina. Pleased to meet you.” She moved away and began to search around in some of the rooms, picking up whatever she knew she could make use of. She also collected a spare holotape or two, and some ammunition. In the evidence locker she found some clothing, and she donned them, disappointed that she had to discard her Vault suit but relieved at the same time. They made her stick out like a sore thumb.

When she stepped out, Danse looked her up and down before nodding. “Better. You fit in more.”

“Thanks for not telling me I was basically walking around with a neon sign strapped to my body.”

He simply ignored the jab and grabbed his gun. “Are you ready to set out?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she sighed, making sure her gun was still on her hip. Danse said nothing else as he left the station, and Cristina could do little else but follow along. She just had to hope she didn’t die on this insane mission…

[werevulvi]

I've been thinking a lot lately... about my detransition. That in some sense I kinda want to look manly, physically, but not be a man. Like I don't wanna be bio male even if I could. I'm happily female. I love my wide hips, vagina, soft skin and other female sex traits, but I also like looking a little manly, with male secondary sex traits. Like it gives a nicely rough edge to my otherwise softness that I can't help but adore. I do like looking a little... fugly. Like a ragged pet cat or dog with odd features that's still totally adorable.

Just like that ragged pet cat or dog, I don't wanna look like a propped up, plasticky and dolled up version of my human species. I may be feminine but not like that. For me femininity is creativity, and the moment it starts limiting my life negatively, I need to take a step back and review my priorities.

My dysphoria seems to change again. Becoming less intense, more bearable. Which allows me to take a step closer towards it. Thouch it with less panic and sadness.

I still love my beard, and that I have the ability to grow it. I can't part with it. I can go weeks, even months, completely hating it and just wanting it gone, but then I always end up breaking down, exclaiming to myself in panic how much I love it and don't ever want to lose it. That means something, even if it's seldom.

Back in my transitioning, when I still lived as a man, I really loved my beard and showed my love to it. I grew it out to a couple of inches and shaped it into a "ducktail" style (pointy and neat full beard) that took a long time and many trials and errors to learn how to get it right. It grows thick and very evenly all over. Even where it's thinner it's faded and symmetrical. I know I've wanted to be able to grow such a beard ever since I was 12 years old, but thought it was a pipe dream. It wasn't. It became my reality. I bought tons of products for it: schampos, conditioners, oils, brushes, even jewellery. I loved caring for it, brushing, washing, trimming, styling, dyeing. And when at home alone I loved just stroking it and resting my hand in its fluffiness.

It was both a comfort and an accesory.

No matter how many times I've said since my detransitioning that I hate my beard... the truth is I don't. I hate my skin problems that get way worse because of my beard no matter what I do with it. I hate the societal shit that comes along with having it as a feminine woman. The pressure to be hairless is impending. Not just to be considered "attractive" but to be flat out "not ugly" or "gross." Gender confines me, as it does for probably most women. Trying to be feminine as I want to be while still retaining my freedom to be natural feels like society is telling me I can't both have the cake and eat it at the same time. Oh the irony, am I right?

Just because I'm maybe 80% feminine, the 20% of me that isn't is a struggle in this world. That 20% that loves having a beard, a deep voice, refuses to wear high heels, grow long nails or wear a wig to cover my receeded hairline. That wants to take space, spread my legs and pick my nose in public, that takes pride in being scarred cause it's a sign of my survival, that curses like a sailor even in front of children, wants to learn how to fight and defend myself, and won't ever say "I'm sorry" for shit I have not done wrong or stay silent when men are being shitty. That is a lesbian and doesn't care much for men.

The ruthless warrior in me that needs to exist just as much as the princess in me. I am the yin to my own yang and both sides need to be able to co-exist peacefully together.

My clothes, makeup, beard, deep voice or my breast forms don't determine or define if I'm a man or a woman. My bio sex does, and it says female. Then it doesn't, or shouldn't, matter that other people think I'm a man in drag or a fake detransitioner... cause apparently I did so well in my efforts to appear male during my transition (and god knows I put in a lot of effort) that now the irony is I'm not believed to really be a woman in my nervous detransition when I'm finally ready to embrace my bio sex, after many years of trauma that made me try to escape my reality.

I may laugh and shake my head at the irony in that, but the actual situation is quite horrible to be in. I try to shake it off and ignore however I'm perceived by random strangers that I don't give a fuck about, but the world around me affects me against my will. How can I freely choose to not pass as female when I don't want to be or see myself as a man, or even as masculine? And no, I don't think of myself as non-binary at all. I'm not even trans, the way I see it. I'm just a hairy, deep-voiced woman without tits, that's all. I think of it as that I don't have a gender at all, and I don't think gender as an innate thing is real. Although I'm sure people feel whatever they feel. But I'm just a bio female person who's finally made peace with my natal anatomy to have for myself to love, but also detransitioning and struggling to figure out what I really want with that.

I only have one body and one life. I need to make the best and most of it, to the best of my ability. And if I can't, then it's better to do nothing.

I need to avoid making more permanent changes that I'd end up regretting. I know that if I'd get my beard lasered off I'd regret it, with no way of getting it back. I can't put myself through that pain. But is the pain of living with the beard worse in the long run? That's what I can't figure out. So I'm kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place about that.

I don't know what I want to do with my body, or my life. I can't put the two together. How to implement my body into my life and make the two work together. What to do with this half transitioned, masculinised mess that my body became, I do not know. What kind of activities I want to fill my life with and how. If I could ever have a job, or even cats. How to manage practicing karate or go swimming with the massive inconveniences and insecurities that my face and chest are. How to manage a relationship and sex with all this grief and fluctuating dysphoria weighing me down and killing my mood. How to deal with any and all kinds of social interactions, private and public ones, when my body is what it is.

I created this god damned mess and I don't know how to detangle it.

Cause it makes me feel so many painful things about the way I look. The very visible, life altering effects of my traumas. It's hard to face, it's hard to love. My transition traits feels much like scars from abuse... but who would I be without them? They're part of me now, thus they are lovable, and they don't make me ugly. What is it even that I regret? That my traumas made me dysphoric so to the point I thought I was trans and that transitioning was the only way I could survive? That I didn't figure out earlier that transitioning was the wrong move for me? That I forced myself, despite my alarming doubts, to go through with top surgery, because I saw no other way?

It's a tragedy and I do grieve, but I only tried to do the best that I could with what I knew about myself back then, and unfortunately it was the wrong route. I forgive myself for that. Because no one should be beat up for such a mistake. That I don't look clearly either male or female puts me off, but I also don't want to change it, other than my chest.

The more I think of it, it's not so bad and I can make art with that too. I want to make art of my pain... not erase it.

Would the gender clinic grant me new tits and let me change my legal gender marker back to female, if I decide to keep my beard, though? I'm a little worried about that. Also if they'd medically classify me as non-binary due to wanting to have both male and female sex traits, I'd fucking raise HELL. Medical praxis my ass, no one mis-labels me with bullshit that goes against my beliefs, against my will. Just saying.

It's been almost 9 months since I began my detransition at the beginning of July last year, and I've been on and off about almost every trait/part that I changed to appear more male ever since then. It seems my chest is the only thing I've been sure about all along. But I'll need to challenge that too. Would going out without a bra under my dress really be so bad? We'll see. I seem to be morbidly fascinated by my own misery.

Detransitioning is such a strange experience.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 015: Some Antics on a Boat

Previously on BnHA: Field trip from hell. Ride of the Valkyries played while about 200 villains appeared out of nowhere and tried to murder our beloved superpowered children and split them all up, thus setting the stage for lots of mayhem.

Today on BnHA: We meet the U.A. principal. Deku hangs out with Tsuyu and Mineta on a boat. Mineta gets a lot of focus, and I was prepared for it to be the worst thing ever, but it mostly isn’t, except for about once every four pages or so, when it kinda is.

(ETA: Yeah so he officially took it Too Far in chapter 17 and as of that chapter is now in fact dead to me. But I’m not gonna bother changing the recap, so you can all come along on that journey with me if you are so inclined.)

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 19 23 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

I really have to hunt down these color pages one of these days. I tried a brief google search the other day but it brought up too many pages I hadn’t seen yet, and I didn’t want to spoil myself by accident. guess I’ll have to be patient

son of a bitch All Might is in the break room all the way back at fucking U.A.??

here I thought there was a break room hidden somewhere in USJ. I mean, you’d think they would have one; rescue training has got to be tiring

he says he should be fine in another ten minutes. then he says he’s going now

but he immediately coughs up blood orz

HEY IT’S THIS PANDA WITH A SCAR!! I KNOW THIS GUY! well I don’t know him but I’ve seen him before!

holy fucking SHIT he’s the fucking principal??

what the fuck kind of I’ll-fuck-your-shit-up powers is he fucking hiding behind that cuddly face then

because I know it’s just an assumption, but surely the principal of U.A. has to be a stone-cold badass, right?

I can’t believe this fucking little gerbil knows Deku’s secret

now he’s fucking plugging the fucking superhero vitamin shoppe I can’t

and he’s holding up a tablet with a yahoo news article about All Might saving everyone and their fucking dog earlier that morning

that’s a nice little plug for you, tumblr. yahoo still owns this shit, right?

so this fucking rat praises All Might for being his good heroic self, but then gently tells him off and reminds him to take it easy

I’m glad he’s reminding All Might to take better care of himself, but...

you would fucking think so! and yet!!

oh my god now this guy is sitting down to have tea with him. he’s never going to make it to USJ at this rate

I have to assume the principal isn’t secretly evil, since if he was, he could take down All Might all too easily since he knows all of his fucking secrets. but he sure does have the worst fucking timing, jesus

though again, we still don’t know how much danger All Might would actually be in if he did go to USJ. those villains seemed pretty damn confident. maybe he should just stay here and enjoy some tea

he calls him “Sensei”... not sure if that’s just because the principal outranks him, or if he actually was his teacher at some point. it’s probably the former, but. hmm

and now we’re back at USJ! Thirteen and Iida are on the run along with Still Too Many Arms and The Bulky Guy with Slightly Racist Lips. (do you guys think they’re racist? idk I just think it’s 2018 and there are other ways to draw POC, Japan)

anyway, they’re fighting Dr. Neck who at this point really needs a new name because he’s still a shadowy blob and now he’s looking more like an octopus but Dr. Octopus is already taken, so

for now I’m just gonna call him Not Today, Satan. you know. cuz of all the Swirling Evil

Thirteen is sending Iida back to U.A. to let them know what’s going on since the communications and alarms are down! good thinking to send the guy with super speed. I just hope he has the stamina. they never really mentioned anything about that but I’ll assume he’s good to run however many miles back to the U.A. campus

that is, assuming he’s fast enough to dodge Not Today, Satan. but I have faith

Iida’s trying to argue that he should stay, but clearly this is the most useful thing he can do at the moment, especially considering that he’s the only one who can do it! just go, Iida.

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT, CLASS REPRESENTATIVE

lmao and I was actually thinking the same as NTS here:

oh, just, everyone. in shounen manga, ever, since the beginning of time. but I’m so fucking happy you pointed that out lmao

back on the boat, Mineta is still freaking out very unhelpfully. he thinks they should all just hide somewhere until the grown-up heroes come to save them

meanwhile, Deku is being smart and useful and brings up a very good point that hadn’t even occurred to me:

basically, he deduces that the bad guys don’t know what the kids’ quirks are. so they have the element of surprise on their side, AND the bonus advantage of the villains underestimating them

I’m super impressed with this kid’s leadership and planning skills right now. I know he’s already showed them off, but I’m still mad about him not utilizing Ochako’s powers properly the last time lol. but this time he seems to be off to a great start

also, what a contrast from his first time facing a group of intimidating “villains” back during the entrance exam! he’s come such a long way so quickly

Tsuyu starts listing all of her gross frog abilities (sorry, I love her, but “I can spit out my stomach” is not something I ever needed or wanted to know and now I kind of want to spit out my eyes from the mental image).

so gross

Mineta becomes derangedly fixated on her usage of the word “secrete” and just. why

I actually kind of wish they weren’t loudly explaining all of their strengths and weaknesses to each other within possible earshot of the baddies (some of whom could possess super-hearing for all they know), especially barely three pages after Not Today, Satan chewed out their friends for doing the same exact fucking thing. but whatever

now Mineta’s doing something. what’s your power then, Mineta. something to do with grapes I’m guessing??

how did this kid make it past the entrance exam

LMAO

THEY’RE SO MAD. EVEN DEKU. THAT’S THE MOST STERN I’VE EVER SEEN HIM. HE LOOKS LIKE LUFFY AFTER SOMEBODY HAS JUST TOLD HIM THERE’S NO FOOD

sob now Mineta is crying

this is quality fucking comedy

oh shit the villains are getting tired of waiting

um this unsettling man with a grasshopper face just fucking broke the boat in half

so Mineta shoots out a bunch of panic grapes for absolutely no reason

literally Lambo and his grenade trigger-response

I confess, I really think Mineta is cute and somewhat hilarious when he’s not being a perverted shithead

(ETA: I was young and naive and I didn’t expect him to actually go and start feeling people up holy shit)

Deku berates him at first but then realizes that the bad guys are avoiding the grapes out of an abundance of caution!

Mineta freaks out again, and I was this close to writing down a paragraph about how I really empathize with him, since he’s just a kid and only like four days into high school, and all of a sudden he’s just thrust into this situation where he might fucking die (and probably die horribly at that). this close. but then he has to ruin it with a line about how much he wishes he could have sexually assaulted Momo before he kicked it

so that’s... great

but Deku saves the moment by quoting All Might while simultaneously doing That Thing I Fucking Love where someone tries to be brave and determined even though they’re also clearly scared. look he is trembling

Deku my son you are a constant delight and a gift to the world

oh my god

sure, just casually mention Kacchan as your inspiration for whatever heroic and probably very stupid thing you’re about to do next. go ahead, do that. don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine

...that is very Kacchan-like. like, the face and everything. he knows his shit

also, what exactly is he planning to do?

so he’s thinking that he can’t take out all of them no matter how extreme he goes. and then he says something about not sacrificing his whole arm, so is he gonna pull another stunt like he did with the baseball and his index finger?

GASP HE’S THINKING ABOUT THE EGG IN THE MICROWAVE

IS HE GONNA DO IT? CLENCH LIGHTLY DEKU!!!! I BELIEVE IN YOU

HE’S PULLING BACK HIS MIDDLE FINGER OH MY GOD IS HE GONNA FLICK THE WATER AND CREATE SOME SORT OF TIDAL WAVE

AHHH

THE WORST FUCKING STATE, LITERALLY MY LEAST FAVORITE!! BUT!! ALSO ONE OF THE SMALLEST SO IT’S FITTING!!!

YESSSS

EVEN BETTER THAN A TIDAL WAVE OMG. DUDE CREATED A FUCKING VORTEX

OH FUCK ME I DIDN’T NEED TO SEE THE AFTERMATH. WE ALREADY GET IT, JESUS

lkshdgk it’s not supposed to do that fuckk

Mineta is inspired, somehow, but doesn’t know how the fuck to direct it so he just throws more grapes

but now the grapes are actually coming in handy!!

looks like team rocket’s blasting off againnnn... *ping*

yay! and Deku’s not crying even though his hand is mangled! such a brave strong boy.

and then shawarma after

BONUS:

interesting that he thinks this is somehow “the right balance”

(ETA: hey Horikoshi, psa, literally committing sexual battery is not “balance” in any way, shape, of form. jesus christ. I love Japan for the most part, but the rampant misogyny there is completely ridiculous and I really need them to get their shit together already. #metoo needs to get the fuck underway there like yesterday.)

one thing I DO like though is that Horikoshi actually gives a very thoughtful and detailed explanation for exactly how he passed the exam! thank you for that! now I can stop wondering. I still have no clue about the invisible girl though lol

[beatrice-otter]

Nixon was also the one who screwed over US healthcare by allowing for-profit companies in (HMOs). Reagan facilitated things and shoved them further along in that direction, but he didn’t create the problem.

The thing to remember is, Reagan was good at giving speeches, and he was great at getting (white) people to like him and agree with him, but he was not an original thinker. He put in place policies that others had come up with, that were very broadly popular with large swathes of white Americans, and he made those policies more popular because again, he was great with speeches, but he did not come up with those policies. He did drag the whole political Overton Window to the right. Part of that is that politics in the US is a pendulum that swings back and forth, and the first half of the 20th Century was the pendulum mostly swinging to the left on economic issues, and from the 70s onward it swings back to the right on economic issues, and now it’s swinging back to the left again (thank God). Reagan didn’t cause most of the things he is blamed/credited for; but he was damn good at putting himself at the front of the parade to make it look like he was the ringleader, and he was also really good at pushing the pendulum further in the direction he wanted it to go.

So what were the things Reagan did or championed that made the biggest difference? Here are a few of the biggies (a non-comprehensive list):

*Trickle-down economics. What’s good for GM is good for America. When the wealthy and the big corporations have money, they hire people to do jobs. The money therefore trickles down to all of America, so everyone’s life is better because they have more money and more jobs. The more wealth a person can accumulate, the more incentive they have to work hard and do things that benefit both the economy and their own finances. When someone gets rich they will invest the money and form new businesses which will form new jobs which will benefit everyone. The absolute worst thing you can do is anything that prevents a corporation or a rich person from getting richer. (Of course it doesn’t work that way, when the rich get richer they keep the money for themselves, they don’t use it to create businesses or jobs.)

*Deregulation. Because the worst thing you can do is prevent a corporation from getting richer, any regulation that cuts into company profits is bad. So any regulation that protects workers from exploitation should be eliminated, along with environmental regulations, along with industrial standards. Making money is the highest good and will lead to all other good that society might need. Regulations do nothing but slow things down and hurt the economy (and thus Americans). (This led to environmental devastation and lots of exploited people.)

*Small government. The government should do as little as possible. The nine most dangerous words in the English language are “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” People should be able to live their lives without the government forcing them to do things they don’t want to do. Therefore, we should get rid of every government program that is not an absolute necessity. (Of course, if you’re doing great and have lots of resources and the social order benefits you, that sounds awesome. Until something bad happens to you and you need one of those programs that got cut. Until you wonder “why didn’t anyone do anything in that horrible situation that everyone knew needed to be fixed?”)

*Dog-whistle politics. You can’t say that you hate Black people or poor people, it’s no longer considered polite, but most middle-class white peoples’ beliefs hadn’t changed. Reagan was a master at finding ways to talk derogatively about lots of groups without using things middle-class white people would recognize as slurs. So they could still be as horrible to PoC and poor whites as ever, without getting called on it. Black men were “thugs” and poor women (especially poor Black women) were “welfare queens” and all sorts of other things.

*Moral Majority. “Whether or not a literal majority of the country supports our beliefs, we are the true arbiters of morality, so therefore we should be the majority whether or not most people agree with us.” (This came out of Christian Fundamentalist circles, btw.) We are Pro-Family. We are Thinking Of The Children. If you don’t agree with us, you’re evil and immoral and you hurt children.

*Cut taxes. Everyone wants tax breaks, right? Tax breaks for everyone! Small government means there aren’t as many programs to pay for, which means you pay fewer taxes! (Of course, he carefully didn’t say whose taxes were getting cut or for how long. Lowest tax bracket got a cut that lasted for a couple of years, but by the end of his time in office they were at almost double the rate they’d had when he was elected. Middle-class tax brackets got a tax break that lasted until the election cycle after Reagan was out of office, i.e. just in time for them to blame the Democrats for “raising taxes.” The wealthiest tax bracket got a PERMANENT tax cut.)

*Terror about the national debt. Because the national economy is just like household finances, don’t you know, and if you have too much debt you’ll go into bankruptcy, therefore if the US has too much debt we’ll go into bankruptcy as a nation. Therefore, the Democrats with all their social welfare programs are dangerously irresponsible because they can’t fund all these programs and the national debt will rise and doom us all. (Of course, the Republican mania for cutting taxes was what ACTUALLY drove the national debt; it has ballooned under every Republican president from Reagan to the present, and shrunk under every Democratic president; but the Democrats are the ones who get blamed for it. Also, all those “irresponsible” social programs that cost too much? Most Americans--even most Republicans!--are fine with paying the taxes to fund them if you phrase it as “would you pay an additional $X every year so that Y will happen?”)

*Judges. Liberal judges will force their liberal immorality on America through judicial rulings that change the law, so we must stack all Federal courts with as many conservative-leaning judges as possible to protect ourselves and our children from the horrors of liberalism. Judges shouldn’t exercise discretion, but only apply the law as it already is. (Of course, when you look at things like Supreme Court rulings, things that change the law on social issues like Brown v. the Board of Education and Roe v. Wade and Obergefell v. Hodges are never done with a split vote Republican appointees vs. Democrat appointees. Economic rulings, however, such as Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission, regularly are.)

*Special Interest Groups are Evil. Straight white men are the default “normal,” therefore anyone who is not a straight white man who complains about problems they face or tries to lobby for changes doesn’t care about real Americans, they just want special perks while making things harder for ordinary Americans. Therefore, feminist advocates and racial minority advocates and disability advocates and queer advocates are all “special interest groups” who are selfish and destroying America. Politics based on any of those identities is inherently divisive and destructive. But politics based on straight white men is normal, good, and neutral. Appealing to and focusing on straight white men is not identity politics. Appealing to any other demographic is identity politics.

*Monopolies are good. Monopolies are efficient. The race to become a monopoly is a good incentive for corporations to thrive and grow. Therefore, we should weaken regulations preventing monopolies and hamstring the bureaucracy that enforces what regulations remain.

I know there were a bunch of other things, but these are most of the biggies.