#cause she believes she isn't a good person/doesn't want to be/is okay with it

[laser-tripwires]

i am occasionally reminded that parker knows how to shoot/handle a gun competently in redemption s1e3 and it's like, eliot, mr. "i dont like guns", why are you teaching people this.

(i am aware parker has a handgun in s1e1 but i dont think the skills are transferable to shotguns and its never really established if she can actually hit anything and also i doubt archie would train her in it bc its not a gentleman thief skill and by the same logic i doubt parker would teach herself bc its not particularly thief-y)

anon, this ask was like an early christmas present for me. i love when people are "wrong" in interesting ways, or if not wrong then... take a different view to what i do. so, parker and guns. i can't believe i've never made a post about this.

(heads up, i've stolen vast swathes of this post from conversations i've had with both @ghostlyarchaeologist and @aardvaark. words are all mine but ideas are mutually borne, so thank you both for being sounding boards at various points in the past. everyone go follow heather and adrian cos they're better at this than i am.)

right, let's talk about the pilot, becuase parker can absolutely hit things with that. both eliot and nate know immediately that hardison isn't a real danger, but the second nate hears the safety beng turned off there he whirls around and matches her threat; that's what you do when you know someone's not making pointless bluffs.

also, boiling this back to it's utter basics, what's the main skillset you use in order to handle a pistol competently? hand-eye coordination. which is something we know for sure parker has in spades; she's a master pickpocket and she learns fast.

we need to remember, also, that parker's initial sense of morality is completely fucked. or... not morality, exactly, but sense of what does and doesn't count as wrong, what does or doesn't count as harm? because there's that scene in homecoming, right, where everyone's protesting the concept of eliot having to do the thing they hired him for, and parker weighs in with "i never hurt anyone." except... like, the FIRST thing we know about parker is that she blew up a house as a child. it's canonical that the parents survived, but parker also spent six months in juvie and has broken out of prison multiple times and lived on the street for god knows how long and stork job shows she can fight pretty well pre-leverage, too. i'll come back to all this in a minute.

her being a crack shot with a gun is... not really incongrous with who she was pre-leverage. archie describes her when he found her as "a danger to herself and to others" and like YEAH no i buy that. i buy that completely.

next up, what about things that aren't pistols? well.

that's a fucking sniper rifle.

that's a fucking sniper rifle.

that is, and i cannot stress this enough, a fucking sniper rifle.

so yeah, i'd say that those skills are transferrable. she can take out an armed gunman and tie him up with duct tape, without causing a scuffle, and re-aim the gun. with enough consistency that nate knows for sure she'll manage it in less than three seconds. sure, we can chalk some of that up to parker at this point having had four seasons of eliot here's-how-you-take-out-thugs-with-guns fight training, but... i think at this point it's pretty fair to say that (regardless of the provinance of her skills) parker's kinda a good shot, actually.

okay, let's revisit that point about morality, because there are kinda a bunch of really important touchstones here.

so, john rogers once said that "parker is the second most dangerous person on the team, and eliot would argue first most dangerous." she's the team member with the least qualms about hurting people, always, and that's a detail that tends to get brushed over.

she would have killed tara here. she makes that extremely clear. i can't listen to that "Bye, now." and not get shivers.

talking of shivers.... "I want to do the right thing."

because, look, parker's not eliot. she's not thawing ice all the way through, and yet we're shown again and again that, despite that, "She has the nuclear winter inside her." there will always be a part of her who's first instinct is to jump, to hide, to run, to kill, to not care because caring hurts. but there's also a part of her that is softer than any of the team, that is a child who'll never grow up and yet grew up too fast. she grew up beaten, bruised, neglected and starved yet she's something wonderful - but she knows she's broken, she knows they all call her crazy, and it hurts. she wants to do the right thing, make the right choice, but she hates that it'll never be her first instinct. and the thing is? that's okay. she went through hell and back and turned out someone strange and weird and at times unkind, but... the team like how she turned out. hardison likes how she turned out. and that's worth the world - she just needs to remember it and believe it and use HER skills instead of trying to be something she's not. that is what parker and eliot's conversation in the ice cave is about, if you strip it back to it's bare essentials. parker doesn't want to be normal, she just wants to be normal enough for her friends.

has parker ever killed someone? i don't know. i don't know if she even thinks like that, in such clear terms - as i already talked about, parker's definition of 'hurt' is not the same as anyone else's.

so let's talk about broken wing job for a second, because absolutely everyone overlooks the reason why parker does the job in the first place - "You brought a gun? To my bar?"

because. yeah.

"Those guys are gonna rob this store, right? Which is fine. I don’t mind robbers who aren’t robbing me, or my friends, or kids or… But they brought a gun to the party, and that changes all the rules."

this is season five. she investigates the theives because she's bored - but she only decides to stop them because they brought a gun. that's the kind of very specific morality you only get after being the good guy for a very long time, and i do think that hanging around eliot probably helped affect that a bit.

actually, fuck it, look at what else she says about this whole thing in the broken wing job.

"No cops. No cops. That will actually increase the chances of people getting hurt. [...] Seeing a uniform in the middle of stealing something could cause you to panic, make bad decisions..."

"These guys aren’t that good, which is actually another reason why we should do this, ‘cause sooner or later, they’re gonna make a mistake. Someone’s gonna get hurt."

so. yeah. on the one hand, this is weapons safety 101, for someone in parker's position. "[The Leverage crew] don't use guns because - when guns come out, people die. This attitude very much comes out from traditional American crime literature, and also from talking to our professional criminal friends. Guns are messy, when they show up things escalate, you take a longer, harder fall when doing a crime with a gun - professional criminals are pathologically averse to carrying weapons." i'm quoting john rogers here, because i can, but you'll hear similar in any training manual, and it's especially relevant to parker's actions both here and elsewhere in the show.

on the other hand, mix up all those statements and it definitely implies parker has fucked up badly in the past. again, i don't know if she's ever killed someone. but.

well, for funsies, let's look at the rest of JR's above statement about gun safety (i'm quoting from his blog on the gone fishin' job, in case you wanted to find the source): "You do not point a gun at anything or anyone you are not willing to kill. [...] I had that drilled into my head at an early age. A gun has two settings - holstered and murderous. 'Wounded' is an accidental condition. Eliot in particular is aware of this, and one of the many reasons he does not use a gun is because he is trying to, well, not kill people anymore. Hardison is magnificently awful with weaponry. Although Parker is probably a fine shot, she's trying to play nice by the new rules, and only brought a weapon to the meet in the pilot because she wanted to get paid."

and all that is, more than anything else, the core and crux of everything i'm saying here. factor in how broken parker is, how we know she's made mistakes in the past, throw in archie's "a danger - to herself and to others" line, think about the tara rooftop incident... there's a picture emerging here. it's not a nice one, but it's unpleasantly clear.

so. where does that leave us?

well, it at least leaves me extremely certain for a vast number of reasons that eliot didn't need to teach parker how to shoot a rigged game.

[unclewaynemunson]

“I need to tell you something.”

Shitfuckno. Eddie doesn't even know why he's still surprised. This is how it always goes, after all. He should probably just give up and stop dating altogether – again.

Steve looks at him exactly as ominously as the words I need to tell you something require. Perfect Steve. Funny Steve. Sweet Steve. Sexy Steve. Steve, who Eddie had genuinely believed to be different.

Eddie sighs, barely suppressing a dark chuckle while he turns away from that perfect face. He doesn't want to look at Steve when he'll tell him the undoubtedly messed-up shit he's about to spill.

“Lemme guess, you're married?” That was what the last guy he dated told him, seven months after they got to know each other. It can't be much worse than that, can it?

Steve grabs Eddie's hand, causing him to involuntarily jerk up his head and meet his eyes.

“How did you know?”

Jesus H. Christ. Not again.

Eddie roughly pulls his hand out of Steve's grip and laughs a joyless laugh.

“Apparently I'm a good guesser.”

He stands up from the park bench the two of them had been sharing. “Well, Steve, this has been a blast. You should go back to your wife, or husband – don't tell me, I don't even wanna know – and I should um, get going. Maybe tell the next person right away what they'll be getting themselves into. Would save them a lot of wasted time, just in case cheating and going around other people's backs isn't really their thing, y'know.”

“Eddie, wait, let me explain!”

Eddie picks up his pace, but Steve, stubborn as he is, easily keeps up with him.

“I'm really not interested, man.”

“It's not – I'm not cheating on her!”

“Okay, so you have an open marriage, good for you. Still the kind of information you could've shared with me, say, three months ago, don't you think?”

“She's a lesbian.”

And that makes Eddie freeze on the spot. It takes Steve two steps before he realizes Eddie has stopped moving; he walks backwards until he's standing right in front of Eddie.

“She's my best friend,” he says, immediately using Eddie's stunned silence to his advantage. “Robin, my roommate – I told you all about her. We wanted to buy a house together and that turned out to be very complicated when you're not... Well, when you're not romantically involved. So we got married. For the, um, practical reasons. We never – we're like siblings. I love her like a sister. But she's also my wife. Platonically.”

It takes a few seconds until Steve's words sink in. Then, Eddie leaps forward and basically collapses into Steve's arms, needing to hold onto him to prevent himself from crashing to the ground.

Steve's arms are warm, strong, and as safe as ever.

“Eddie, are you okay?” Steve asks softly. His lips brush against Eddie's ear while he speaks, and worry colors his voice.

Perfect Steve. Too-good-to-be-true Steve.

“Jesus Christ, Steve,” is the only thing Eddie manages to say.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,” Steve says. “It's just – I've gotten some, um... Less than ideal reactions, in the past, whenever I told this when I was seeing someone. So I thought it'd be better to wait until things were getting serious.” He sighs, tangling his fingers in Eddie's hair. “I didn't wanna scare you off. Are we – are you okay?”

Eddie nods. He lifts his head from where it's resting against Steve's shoulder and raises his hands to squeeze them around Steve's face.

“We're okay,” he says. “And I'm sorry I didn't want to listen to you. I–” He stops; he can't find the words right away. It's still difficult to talk about those things; to let himself be vulnerable. But Steve has been honest with him, so it's only fair to return the favor.

“I've been hurt, Steve,” he confesses. “More than once. I've had some really shitty experiences with dudes not being honest with me. I thought that that was what was happening again, and I couldn't – I couldn't go through that again. Especially not with you.”

“Jesus, Eddie, I'm so sorry.”

“It's okay,” Eddie rushes to say, pulling Steve even closer towards him. “I trust you.” And as soon as these words leave his mouth, he knows it's the truth.

“I do want to be absolutely clear about one thing, though,” Steve says.

Eddie leans back in Steve's arms to give him an expectant look.

“Robin is my wife. I'm not planning on that to change anytime soon. We've been through a lot together. She's been the most important person in my life for years. We own a house and a dog together, and I love her more than anything. I like you a lot, and I promise you I'm all-in with you, but... Robin is still my number one. And that's not gonna change overnight. I need you to be okay with that.”

Eddie swallows. He looks into Steve's eyes. All he sees is a man who is honest, who loves his friends deeply, and who refuses to make any compromises when it comes to love – whether it be the platonic or the romantic kind.

It doesn't scare Eddie off; it only makes him fonder of Steve.

He smiles, glances around to check if they're alone, and presses a quick kiss against Steve's lips.

“I think I can live with that,” he says. “As long as I'm the only one who gets to do this.” He closes his eyes and lets his lips meet Steve's again.

The sigh that Steve breathes into their tentative kiss is one filled with relief.

[neverfilth]

"Bloberta made Clay drink so-"

OKAY, BUT DO YOU KNOW WHY?

Let me explain

'Help'.

A very important word when describing Bloberta.

First, it is integral to understand that Bloberta feels torturously alone and unwanted. Her friends are all getting married while she has no one.

She isn't clever enough to help Censordoll.

Her own family leaves her out of the family choir. 

And the only crumb of validation she is offered is from her mother.

“Why don't you help me out and… Clean your room?” Note even the slight pause her mother has, as if she doesn't even know what to do with Bloberta.

Next, we see her trudge to her room. And what does she hide under the covers of her bed?

A flask.

She turns to alcohol when she is confronted with how unwanted she is. But where did that draw to alcohol come from?

We know she comes from a home where she is ultimately ignored and seen as valueless by everyone except one person.

Her Father.

I have a lot of thoughts about Bloberta and Raymond's relationship (the one scene where they interact just UGH LIVES IN MY HEAD) but the main thing to get away from it is that she associates the act of drinking with her Father.

A man who, without alcohol, is unable to speak his mind at all. He drinks to better tolerate his situation and his wife, who clearly doesn't value his words or opinions.

But Bloberta is very receptive to her Father, she greatly values his company and his thoughts and she finds comfort in being around him. She feels like someone cares about her and values her even if she knows he can't change anything.

Notice that despite her desperation to speak with her father, to form that connection that would validate her, she can't even touch him because she knows doing so would break the frail connection they have currently. Her Father is so reserved that at this point, any unexpected emotional reach would immediately cause him to shut down and retreat. Demonstrated just by him closing up immediately after she told him she loved him.

So how does this affect Blobertas perception of alcohol?

Well she says it herself.

"I think it helps us to be better people".

This rationality was reinforced by the small acts of kindness her father would show her.

And we don't have any reason to believe she is lying about this because up until the night of the reception, she's experienced nothing that contradicts this belief.

Bloberta's reliance on alcohol can be seen as her reaching for a solution to her need to feel wanted. She knows she's left out, both by friends and family. But if she believes drinking can make you become a better person? Then of course she would drink, because maybe then someone will want her.

What does she say directly after that?

"My Father drinks.”

Further insinuating her belief that he is good and he is the main reason she sees alcohol as a positive force.

She thought it would genuinely help Clay.

There's that word again.

Importantly, notice her clear anxiety and tenseness in her beginning interactions with Clay. From her first question, their conversation began falling apart.

So what happened?

Just after the wedding, she was almost suave in the way she invited Clay to the reception.

Why was she so nervous now?

Well, in her eyes, this was her chance.

After an undisclosed time of having no luck she finally convinces a handsome single man to have some semblance of a date with her.

She NEEDS this to go well.

So she's obviously anxious and stressed, and that's showing, but she figures that some drinks will make it easier for both of them. She's full panicking because she feels it's just so normal to drink, especially socially, and she can't understand why he wouldn't drink. She has no frame of reference for that mindset.

Things are already awkward between them once they settle in, and its not getting better. So of course she is going to fall back on what makes things easier for her.

And initially things are looking up.

Suddenly Clay's more talkative, and more receptive to what she's saying.

He's complimenting her.

He says she helped him.

The one thing she wants more than anything is to feel useful, she wants to be able to fit into that role that everyone expects her to so that she can be of worth to someone.

She isn't worth it to her peers,

she isn't worth it to her family,

but she could be worth it to him.

This only reinforces her resolve. 

This is it.

She is going to finally find her place to fit in, and everyone will welcome her with open arms as she finally finds her place in the role society has chosen for her.

But it's not that simple.

Things go south quickly, Clay doesn't want these things that Bloberta has to have. 

But she needs them.

To Bloberta, those things are proof of your value. The value society, friends, and family place on you.

Who would she be if she couldn't attain that value?

We again recognize that Bloberta has a fixation on being helpful. Helpfulness is the clearest indication of one's value, after all.

After being turned away by Clay, she immediately returns to a default ‘helpful’ act, cleaning. Just like her mother would tell her to do. But this was still her only chance, and Clay had already told her she had helped him. If she could only help him again, then maybe she had a chance at the real value she craved.

Once her anger passes and Clay sobers up, she returns to him and paints herself as ‘helpful’ as possible. She's desperate for that validation again, and if he would agree to her help then everything would certainly be fine.

She is practically begging him, help becomes a plea for him to save her from the pain of her day to day.

She hopes more than anything he will accept her and make all her pain go away.

He does accept, but in exchange, her previous world view is shattered.

Drinks don't help you become a better person.

They just help your true nature come out.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

hey, sex batman! i recently found out that im like, super into hurting people. like, Super into hurting people in a sexual context. does that make me, like, a bad person?

hi anon,

I'm not really interested in declaring who is and isn't a bad person, because I'm not a cop. let's work with something a little more actionable, like "what impact are my actions having on others?"

now, broadly speaking, many people would hear "I like to hurt people" and have the knee jerk reaction that that's bad a scary. but let's pump the breaks and consider nuance and context.

you know who loves to hurt people? my tattoo artist. she punctures my skin, makes me bleed, and causes permanent damage to my body, and she takes great pride in her work. I don't know if you've ever gotten a tattoo, but your body does very much react like you've been hurt, because you have. it doesn't matter that I sought out the pain and willingly paid for it; I was very much injured.

so does that make my tattoo artist a bad person? most people would say no, because she's only hurting people who ask her to do so and are aware of the risks, sober, and of legal age to consent to body modifications. she also follows appropriate guidelines to make sure that while she is hurting me she's doing it as safely as possible, minimizing the risk of infection or other complications that would cause me unnecessary pain or make my healing more difficult.

so we can agree that under these circumstances my tattoo isn't a terrible pervert unfit for society, right? she's a person doing something she likes to people who eagerly seek her out for exactly that purpose.

okay, now let's look at you. you want to hurt people sexy style. that alone is a neutral thing; desires are neither good or bad. thought crime isn't real. but if you want to enact this with real people, what's your move? are you planning to find people who want to be hurt sexy style (an abundant population, I assure you) and talking out the ways in which you could hurt them that would be pleasurable and fun for everyone involved? or are you going to hide in the bushes and assault people like a villain of the week on SVU?

only one of those is bad, in my book, because only one of those options involves victimizing another person and taking away their ability to consent to having sex with you.

so idk dude, I don't really believe many, if any, people are just fully irretrievably Bad. but a lot of people treat others badly. you can't really make that call based on sexual proclivities! there are people who use kink as an excuse to be shitheads the same as there are real assholes who only have married missionary sex with the lights off every other Wednesday. the only deciding factor is how you treat people.

and how you treat people is up to you!

[denwritesandcries]

YJS HCs – body types

Pairings: Yellowjackets x fem!reader

Summary: Okay so, I was thinking about body types so I could add details to my Shauna fic, really small things like skin marks and other stuff and that made me think about the other yjs too. I'm not used to writing headcanons, but here are a few that I couldn't get out of my head.

Word count: 1,9k.

Content: my personal headcanons, cursing, suggestive, fluff, insecurities, hurt/comfort, recent pop culture references so i guess modern!AU??

Note: This is so random and specific I don't think anyone will read it but I wanted to write it so badly.

English is not my first language.

shauna shipman

- I think Shauna is the most athletic of the girls, since in the first episode it’s said that she is the fastest on the team. Not necessarily thin; she is solid. Solid and warm. A warm wall seeking your touch all the time.

- She would always try to keep one hand on you and every time she touched you, her skin would be scalding hot, as if she barely needed gloves in the winter and only wore them because you told her to.

- Big spoon! She likes to wrap her arms around you and let her body wrap you completely when you cuddle or sleep together, her weight relaxing against you.

- Shauna is strong, like really strong and she knows it, her arms and legs are toned from training and she takes advantage of this to tease you at any opportunity, carrying things for you willingly (your backpack, shopping, whatever, she would be exactly like the *aggressively moves all groceries to one hand to hold yours* meme), rolling up the sleeves of her flannels ‘cause the muscles stand out, pressing you against walls/counters or simply carrying you during makeout sessions and nothing you do will take away the smug smile on her lips – well, barely nothing.

- She would also wear tank tops and shorts frequently just to make you nervous and receive compliments. It's ridiculous ‘cause she really thinks she's being subtle (she isn't).

“Shaunie, you sure you don’t want a jacket?”

“No, I’m good like that.” She's not, but she won't admit it.

“It’s raining.” You insist.

“The cold doesn't bother me anyway.” She shrugs, but leans back against you, placing her chin on your shoulder.

You snort, “Sure thing then, Elsa.”

- Shauna has a happy trail! Little baby hairs going up to her navel where she melts into a puddle when you caress her, goosebumps covering her skin in the same second.

van palmer

- I believe Van has rough hands from her goalie gloves! They're always warm even if the rest of her body isn't ‘cause of the constant movement – she expresses herself a lot with her hands too. She likes to run them down your sides just to see how your skin crawls, sometimes she does it out of nowhere just to scare you because she thinks it's funny.

- I think her skin is very sensitive, the kind that's full of moles and burns easily in the sun – you're constantly reminding her to put on sunscreen, but it's no use – she loves it when you trace patterns on her spots before bed or when you're bored somewhere.

- Her skin being so sensitive also means that hickeys and scratches are really hard to hide on her. She doesn't mind, in fact she seems to enjoy it a lot, you catch her a lot of times watching the marks spread across her shoulders and neck as they take days to disappear. That doesn't stop her from teasing you tho.

“It's been a week and there's still a purple mark on my neck. What are you, a damn vampire?” She mocks.

“Nah, you act like you wouldn't love me to be your Edward Cullen.”

She lifts her chin at you, “A leech then.”

"Van!"

- She has a belly and is very proud of it! She says it's the best for defending the goal and that it makes her fall to catch the ball less painful; She'll flex her muscles like a gym athlete when she's changing playfully just to seduce you (it works every time). She loves it when she lies in your arms after a bad day and you squish her tightly, it helps her calm down.

- She also has a happy trail, but she is too ticklish, like really ticklish. Many of your makeout sessions end up interrupted by her giggling when you drag your hands too softly under her shirt, she prefers firm touches.

- Van definitely has lots of small scars spread across her body from accidents over the years, that little weirdo (affectionate).

nat scatorccio

- Nat is as pale as a ghost, it would be impossible not to notice when you made her blush for any reason. She would try to distract you so you don't pay attention to it, but it wouldn't put off anything.

- The dark circles under her eyes are extremely pronounced, both due to her paleness and the heavy makeup she wears, so you always know when she's had a bad day or simply hasn't slept enough. She will complain incessantly about you making her stop and rest, but she will always do what you ask.

- I truly believe that she has lots and lots of moles all over her body, especially on her back.

- Some are bigger than others, large spots on the skin and she pretends that her heart doesn't warm with the fascination you have for them, but the prominent red face says everything you need to know.

“They look like small constellations, Nat," you sigh dreamily, hands soft on her naked skin, “Man, I wish I knew a single shit about stars so I could name them.”

“I’m shirtless in front of you and that’s what you’re thinking about?”

- I think she would have a lot of acne, especially on her face from sleeping and forgetting to take off her cheap makeup often, you would have to do a skin care routine together for her to really start taking care of it.

- She definitely has a tattoo scar that she got from one of those shady professionals before she was eighteen and didn't take care of it properly. You almost freaked out when she showed it to you out of fear that it would get infected. In the end she ended up with a weird drawing and a skin failure, but for Nat it was totally worth it, she says it makes her look like a badass (it's definitely not just because you kiss the mark every time you see it).

lottie matthews

- Alright then, let me tell you, this girl is FREEZING from head to toe. No matter how well she dresses up, her whole body will remain strangely cold, which worries you at a certain point, so what better way to keep her warm than to have her glued to you like a koala all day?

- She would place her cold hands on your neck just to bother you and then smile innocently when you took them in yours to rub them and blow warm air on them. That smartass.

- Lottie is tall (at least a lot taller than me) and I think she would have a lot of growth marks, you don't grow like that as a teenager without some.

- Light streaks on the back, hips, legs and thighs that would vary in tone over time. I think she would have the habit of hiding them so that people wouldn't comment, wearing long stockings with her skirts at school parties.

- She would be so flustreaded if you showed that you liked them by running your hands up her inner thighs, scratching her back gently to feel the smooth texture of the taut skin. It makes her feel so loved.

- She has sun spots on her face, around her eyes and cheeks. You think it's so beautiful that you could admire it for hours, anywhere, but you usually do it in bed in the morning.

“Are you watching me sleep, dear?” Lottie mumbles as she wakes to find you giving her a love gauze.

“Hm-hm,” you deny quietly, “‘Not watching you sleep. I’m watching you.”

“Oh.”

jackie taylor

- Now, Jackie would have stretch marks and be completely insecure about them. The girl needs constant validation about everything that concerns her and you better give it to her, she just wants to feel loved.

- Marks on her hips and chest that most of the time wouldn't even be visible, but she would still remember they were there. You run your hands down her sides as gently as possible and she will have tears in her eyes as you snuggle, heart warm.

- Your support helps her feel more comfortable with her own body over time, but she still wants compliments every day and will give you hints ‘til you comply with her requests.

- Jackie has freckles! This is actually one of the things she likes most about her face, the trail of dots around her nose and eyes. She’ll melt into a puddle on the floor if you start to kiss them one by one, but will lose patience if you decide to count them and stop the act of leaving wet kisses on them. She's not very good at waiting.

“Babe!” She whimpers.

“Just a second, sweetie, I’m almost finishing.” You continue, a look of pure concentration on your face, muttering “35, 36, 37…”

“No.” She says, hand grabbing the collar of your t-shirt and pulling you against her, “Come back now.”

- Jackie isn't necessarily icy, but she gets cold very easily and isn't shy about asking for your coat or jacket when you're together. Your girlfriend is a princess, better treat her like one. She'll squeeze her body against yours in bed and steal the blankets to stay warm.

- She has spots on her arms! Hundreds of light spots on the outside of the wrists to the shoulders, it's almost imperceptible, but so cute. Make sure to always let her know how beautiful she is.

misty quigley

- I think Misty has acne scars on her shoulders and cheeks, little red dots spreaded. She don't mind it most of time, but can be very insecure about it.

- She would be really suspicious if you just showered her with compliments out of nowhere just ‘cause you think she’s upset, so acting is better. Actions speak more to her.

- Place soft kisses on her shoulders, gently bite her cheek so she rolls her eyes in that nervous way she does. Make her feel beautiful as she is – because she is.

- She would be so pleased with you spoiling her that she would pretend to be sad about it a lot of times just to get your attention, she is an evil little genius. It’s captivating.

- She has freckles too! Little dots on her face so lightly that you only see them when she takes off her glasses, but they are there.

“I kiss you everyday, how did I never notice your freckles before?”

“Oh, I don't know.” She shrugs innocently, “Maybe you should take a closer look, baby.”

- She thinks she's so smooth but in reality she's a mess, the girl can't pick up social cues to save her life.

tai turner

- Okay so, Tai is the type who takes the football really seriously and works hard to win and to do that she would try to stay in shape as much as possible. I can easily imagine her doing extra training sessions and her friends teasing her about it, ‘cause Tai, it's a high school team.

- Because of this, I think she would have stretch marks on her back and calves, light fine lines that stand out against her dark skin. These are marks of her effort, so she shows them with great pride.

- She gets very smug and her skin crawls when you run your nails over the marks on her back.

- Tai is strong, strong enough to break someones leg on the field (sorry not sorry allie) and will show off for it whenever she gets the chance. She likes to wrap her arms around you from behind and lift you off the ground when she's passing by.

- She has sun spots on her face and arms! You think it's so cute, but if you say something silly and cheesy about it she'll roll her eyes and tell you to stop embarrassing her.

You sigh, “You are so, so pretty, Tai.”

“And you are so, so lame.” She echos, “...Come here, let me kiss you.”

- Happy wife, happy life. Always make her feel appreciated, she deserves it.

[antianakin]

I feel like I need to make it clear that when I talk about how Mon Mothma isn't fully committed to the Rebellion yet, it's because that is quite literally a massive part of her whole character arc. It's not a condemnation of her character or an attempt to belittle the things she HAS chosen to do for the rebellion and what it has cost her.

Mon Mothma says in Rebels that she finally hit a point of no return in recognizing that politics IS NOT GOING TO WORK and so she chooses to leave it all behind in order to be full in on the rebellion and do it day in and day out. At this point in Andor, she hasn't yet hit that point of no return. Some part of her still believes she can do something helpful through politics, even though we as the audience know that she CAN'T. There is no effort she can make politically that will actually change anything in the Empire.

And it's OKAY to recognize that Mon Mothma still has places to go as a character and room to grow as a rebel. She's not all the way there yet. Much like Cassian was against the Empire and had no issues stealing from them last season but wasn't fully committed to the cause until the end. He had to hit a point of no return before he could let go of the idea that he could still have a normal life of some kind before he could truly become the rebel we all know he needs to be.

Mon Mothma was ready to sell her daughter, yes, but she also tries to convince Leida OUT OF IT in the last episode which would've had pretty major consequences not just for her but for Luthen and Kleya and the rebellion. She is still prioritizing her family over the rebellion. And that's not a bad thing, necessarily! She's a good mother and that's why she says what she does, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that! But I do think it is a signal that Mon Mothma ISN'T fully committed to the rebellion yet because there were still things that she would prioritize over it if push came to shove. There were lines she still wasn't willing to cross and things she wasn't yet willing to sacrifice in the name of the cause.

Similarly, her conversation with Luthen where they're talking about Tay and he says he needs to protect her and Mon responds with "I don't know what you're talking about," is another signal that Mon was just not really ready to make those sacrifices. She doesn't want to acknowledge it, she can't make those choices on her own. She can still pretend she has no idea what Luthen is saying to her or what he's going to do to protect her as an asset. She can go off and get drunk and try to forget it all so she can get up the next day and just be Mon Mothma the politician. Luthen can't do that. He made an entire speech last season about why he can't do that anymore. Cassian can't do it, either, because he had to make this same choice a year ago.

And I think it's honestly a really cool narrative arc for Mon Mothma. I think it works really well as a parallel for Cassian and as part of the theme of the passing of the baton/torch that is so integral to the story of Rogue One and Andor. Mon ISN'T fully committed to the rebellion yet, she ISN'T ready to be a rebel entirely yet, she ISN'T the person who can lead the rebellion yet. She's getting there, she's reaching her point of no return, but she's NOT THERE YET. As much as she's doing, there's pieces of herself she's holding back, pieces of herself and her life that she's not willing to let go of yet. And we're watching her give them up or lose them until she finally recognizes the same thing Cassian did last season. She either dies, or commits herself fully to this cause she's been one foot in and one foot out of for years. That's it, that's the choice they all ultimately end up having to face, and it's a choice you only get to through a lot of hardship and pain and loss.

[hellonerf]

this post is going to be my depository for the caname yandere notes i wrote a while ago and im finally posting. below this line is it. if you want you can just ignore the walls of text for this image of ame as miyuki from you and me and her or read through it for my yandere caname braindead details

straightforwardly, they'd be different in approach. dumb in their own ways 🤤 loosely using yandere here okay i know the meaning has changed a lot okay(snoreee)

for a yandere cana, in context to caname. a mumbling withdrawn yandere… just a general big fan of how it can come off as shyness. well i personally love a really messy sadled-by-internal-conflict kind of yandere… i think there’d be a weird type of shame there. always has the feeling that he’s afraid to be perceived. a weird overlap… with his ame-related frustrations “he won’t even look at me… (seethe)” and “ohhhmygod he CAN’T look at me (shaking)”. like he feels in the right but feels afraid simultaneously. and he knows so much about ame but ame doesn’t reciprocate such effort? unfair…(grits teeth).

he can confidently say he knows everything about ame, and then mumble about how ame barely knows anything about him. i want to him to rage internally about that that it bubbles up (>_>) entitlement and yandereness kind of go together anyways. she’s glaring at her with such intensity and she won’t even turn around to notice… can't she at least have this... she rarely gets anything for herself... at least this... i like any case of someone being yandere for ame where they take on a kind of caretaker role. he’s so stupid he can’t do anything he doesn’t know what’s good for him etc… (happy)(happy anytime ame loses control in some way)(ties him to cana like a balloon). loveee the idea of cana hitting him or something and then doting on him right afterwards like he didn’t cause it. HOW’d you get such an INJURY…… so irresponsible 🤦‍♂️

another thing is cana is more comfortable with femininity than ame. this is factual and ame i’d imagine to be tenser about it. i don’t know what this means guys. anyways i think his feelings build up into a climax more... turned into action! whatever it is he does to ame

a yandere ame is harder for me to put into words. because i okay. i like her a lot. i think he’d be so rage jealous upset internally, but also so much so that he can’t keep it in (i don’t think his control on how much of his emotions leak out is very good, i don’t think he has a good enough lid on it) so he’ll come off very spiteful, controlling, accusatory. she’s keeping track of where you go where she can’t see you. she doesn’t believe what she can’t see. ame’s high and fragile ego i think… deep down he can be insecure and paranoid. it’s frustrating for him to feel unsure at all. especially if it contradicts what he believes he heard. and it’s an insult that someones even making him feel so unsure. she’s like stomping her foot… wants her full attention at all times… she won’t and can’t let you get away with fooling around.

in a caname nationverse… i think there’d then already be a lot of interactions ame would consider “the ultimate betrayal” lol… similar in cana that he’d want reciprocation for the attention given, but i think he’d be 10x more blatant in the rage and entitlement. it'd cause more lashing out to the perceived betrayal i think. he's stuck between wanting affection and being so mad that he's not getting it already. demanding of cana's time loyalty and reciprocation... yandere that seethes that the one they love isn't as crazy about them lol... paired with all this… complexes about doing things “right”. communicating “right”. i think ame doesn’t really have a natural intuition in communication, relying on imitating social customs while not understanding them fully. so it'd be even more upsetting to him that he's "done it right" and he still doesn't get what he wants.

and also with that i think he’d be lacking in self awareness so hard… gets into antics… thennn i think he's more explosive in this, feels a white hot jealous rage and acts based on that, but its easy to forget outside of those moments.

in these descriptions i think cana's works prior to dating... if dating ever starts at all lol i think he thinks of it less like a romance endeavor and more like a... well he's already always right next to him! its been building up for forever... for ame's i think these only really get prominent with something "established". he already demands your time but if cana like specifically promised something, or he had some epiphany, that'd cause all these wants to be much more visible. i feel like he tends to need a catalyst for some feelings to come to the forefront

the switching pronouns is cause saying all this im imagining them yandere girl-like no matter what because i have personal feud with male yandere

[shaampoo]

OMG!?!??! I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS SONG (and AU), RIGHT NOW!!!

(By Lydia the bard

TINKERBELL VILLAIN SONG - Fall Little Wendy Bird Fall | Song by Lydia the Bard and Tony | Animatic

The title^)

First of all the cover art is AMAZING, Tink is SO pretty, the sparkle and lines on the wings, her grin, HER HAIR, HER EARS, HER DRESS,

Also, "Fall Little Wendy Bird Fall" is a great title

Now the video itself and its lyrics, i really REALLY want to just compliment every single frame of this video, its so beautiful, so well done, its like it was blessed by The Muses of greek mythology,

Okay so the lyrics at 0:45

"You dont seem to quite understand what is at stake,

This messed up little family that i had to make"

Not only is this line so beautiful with the way her voice sounds, its pretty much a nod to the fact Tink and her friends kidnapped peter pan and the lost kids to keep her and her friends alive

(0:55) \/

"If i could let them all go home please know that i would

But it'd do more harm than good"

Just Tink expressing her guilt that she and her friends kidnapped the lost boys so that they could keep existing, but like, JWHSEAJKHWED, she ofc doesn't want her or her friends to die, and since people are slowly not believing in fairies anymore, they're slowly going extinct, ALSO, Fawn and Silvermist are DEAD, so yeah, that messes with someones head

AAAALSOOOO, i LOVE their silhouettes, the height and weight differences instead of them all having the same height and weight like in the movies, plus, i LOVE that despite not looking like how they do in the movies, you can probably still tell who is who,

ALSO

Even if it wasnt intentional, i like how in kinda faraway shots, Tink has a more cuter roundish look, while in closer shots shes more edgy and more intimidating(? if that's the right word), kinda showing how others view her (kinda?) as a cute fairy, maybe underestimated, but yknow, close up, shes plotting to kill a child

(1:15)

I love how Tink is gesturing in this scene, cause 1. It conveys to the audience what she wants from the lost boys and 2. Canonically, when fairies talk, people usually just hear jingling of bells, so shes gesturing because shes also conveying what she wants to the lost boys

1:23

"Swear its nothing personal, its a necessary evil"

I just love this line because it is a necessary evil, she needs the lost boys and peter pan in neverland to believe in fairies so that they exist, and Wendy is pretty much a threat, since she makes the lost boys want to grow up with families,

Also, the lost boys look so cute in here, i cant remember their names tho, one is holding a slingshot, aiming at wendy, one is holding rocks , and one has a stick , so Tink just told these children to assassinate Wendy, or at least attack her.

1:35

I love how the kids explain that Tink make them do it, and Peter Pan just glares at Tink, and i love that I'm pretty sure that Peter isn't mad/doesnt blame the lost boys

As seen in this scene where Pete is smiling and stuff at the Lost Boys and/or at Wendy

1:55

I love how Tink refers to Wendy as a "Nasty little spark" because, a spark can turn into a fire, damaging a lot of stuff and people, pretty much saying that Wendy has to be snuffed out before she causes a fire,

"Setting fires inside my house is just not allowed"

Pretty much referring to the fact that Wendy, the spark, is creating a fire, aka, making the lost boys want to grow up and go back to the real world, making them not believe in fairies anymore, thus, making her and her friends die, which is, not allowed.

Also. the fear in Tink's eyes is so fear, her expression is on point, the mix of concern and fear is just, so beautiful, also i love her pointed ears

2:17

First of all, this screenshot does not do justice to the actual design of the mermaid (siren?), cause they are AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, GORGEUS.

Also, the fact that Tink is persuasive enough to convince someone to kill Wendy in such a short amount of time is impressive, and the fact that the mermaids agreed so quickly is also impressive,

When it failed, the absolute horror and shock on Tink's face? Shes horrified that another plan of hers failed, and shes scared that her friends might die, like, wow

The despair on her face is just so...asdjwoaijdoiwajd

3:38

The fact that Peter Pan (i cant even give him a nickname cause Pete sounds different and P.P. is just wrong and Pan is just A Thing), first at the gust of wind that blows away the pixie dust (which keeps the ship afloat) he covered his eyes, maybe cause the dust or his hair in his eyes, then he looks at Tink in anger and shock and probably some confusion, then looks at Wendy, in concern and fear,

Theory: Pan knows that, since Tink doesnt want the lost boys to leave, and he knows that gust of wind was from the fairies, and Tink's dislike and hatred to WEndy, that Wendy was probably the only one not going to be saved, which is why he only looks at her and tries to save her (that or he's a SIMPPPPPPP /j)

3:50

The fact that you can see Wendy screaming??? Chills,

And the black screen right after, signalling Wendy's death is just amazing

Anyways, overall, what im saying is

THIS SONG IS AMAZING GO CHECK IT OUT, GO CHECK OUT THIS PERSONS CHANNEL, THEY HAVE GOOD VILLAIN SONGS, THEY EVEN HAVE ENCANTO!!!!

[silenceofserenity]

BNHA GIRLS as book tropes - PART 1

Pairing (s): bnha girls x gn! reader

↳ Includes: Uraraka, Ashido, Yaoyorozu, Tsuyu & Jiro

Part 2 includes: Hatsume, Neijire, Toga, Mirko & Midnight HERE

OCHACO URARAKA

↳ LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

there's a 24 hour convenience store down the road from u.a that you absolutely love

it's late and you're out of your favourite snack, so you walk down there to restock

making it to the snack aisle, you hear the sound of something falling and a girls soft gasp

"oh!"

you turn to see a girl with short brown hair and big, startled eyes bending down to pick up a candybar

being the good civilian you are, you also bend down to help her pick it up

"oh thank you! i can be a bit clumsy sometimes, sorry" she says, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly

"that's okay, i love those ones too"

glancing at the shelf, you realise the candybar you just put in her hands is the last one left

"did you want it?"

smiling at her question, you ask "are you offering it out of kindness or because you feel bad?"

"a little bit of both?"

you shake your head and refuse her little gesture, making her frown slightly but she doesn't argue

she picks up another snack, "well, i guess i'll see you around!"

as she walks past you, you feel a light weight in your pocket causing you to look down

she left the store with a small smile while you look down to see the candybar now in your palm.

MINA ASHIDO

↳ "I DON'T BELIEVE IN LOVE"

you've never believed in love. i mean sure the love stories in books and movies are fun, but you think those just give people unrealistic expectations

mina, on the other hand lives and breathes romance, being the biggest 'soulmates are real!' believer

so naturally, when she overhears you saying "love isn't real" she almost spits out her drink

"excuse me!? love is like, the most powerful thing in the world!"

"love is just hormones and bad-decision making"

after hearing you say that, she clutches her heart dramatically as if you've just shot her

"that's it. i cannot let you live your life believing that, i'm going to prove it to you."

you're intrigued. although, you don't believe she can, but it's still amusing to watch

she opens her bag, bringing out a notebook and pen

"by the time i'm done with you, you're going to be buying flowers and writing love letters everyday."

continuing to write who knows what in her book, you raise an eyebrow

"good luck with that."

she shoves her notebook back in her bag and skips off, shouting behind her

"i don't need luck. love always wins!"

and just like that, your life was now owned by mina ashido's personal mission to make you a romantic but, the question is... how and who will you fall in love with?

MOMO YAOYOROZU

↳ REUNION ROMANCE

you and momo had history back when you were little kids

it wasn't anything official but there was always some sort of quiet, unspoken spark

but nothing ever happened, life moved on and you went your separate ways.

it's now your first day at u.a and you walk in the classroom excited for the years to come, only to lock eyes with the one person you thought you'd never see again

"well, if it isn't the one that got away"

momo's hair falls in front of her face, covering the blush forming on her cheeks

"didn't think i'd see you here"

you smile, a little hesitant on how to react, "no, neither did i"

she looks at you and pauses, almost questioning what to say next

"it's been a while," she looks up, "i've been thinking about you"

your eyes widen in surprise, not expecting to hear that

you open your mouth to say something but hear someone calling her name instead

she turns her head to see who it is, sighing in disappointment

"i guess i have to go."

"i'll see you around then?"

she smiles, turning to look at you one last time, "i'm expecting you to."

TSUYU ASUI

↳ VOICE OF REASON

you've been on edge all day, overthinking and snapping at people accidentally

tsuyu notices, she always does

at first, she doesn't say anything, but that was before she sees you sitting on the couch looking like you were about to explode

"y/n, are you okay? you've been acting weird all day"

"i'm fine."

tsuyu isn't the type to bullshit or soften the truth - she says it how it is

"no, you're not. so are you going to tell me what it is or are you going to pretend like it never happened?"

you think about getting up and leaving, but she's right. if you don't tell her what's been bothering you now, it'll never be brought up again

"it's just... been a rough week, and people kinda suck right now."

she nods her head, listening intently

"people do suck sometimes, but luckily for you... i'm technically a frog."

your head lifts in amusement, making eye contact and finally giving her a small smile

tsuyu always knows what to say in situations and she has always been there for you

"well, aren't i lucky to have such a perceptive frog?"

"the luckiest. *ribbit*"

KYOKA JIRO

↳ FAKE DATING

denki has been relentlessly flirting with jiro for weeks, despite her constantly shutting him down

it's not that she hates him, but he can be a lot sometimes - especially as someone who can't take hints

one day you're lying on her bed, listening to her complain about the newest proposal denki has given her

"at this point, i might as well fake a relationship just for him to shut up"

you think her idea is funny, so you make a joke

"well, i'm always available"

you did not think she would take it seriously.

she pauses and looks at you... really looks at you

"you know what?" she smirks, "that's not a terrible idea"

before you can ask her what she means, she's leaning over to you and taking a photo of the two of you

"wait what are you doing with that?"

ding.

"well, that was fast"

you look down at your phone to see, 'kyoka jiro has tagged you in a post'

your jaw drops, "did you just hard launch our fake relationship?!"

she looks at you with a cheeky grin, "fake? i don't know what you're talking about."

[creamco]

caitlyn kiramman is a cheater, an abuser and a racist.

hater for life! if you like racists, cheaters and abusers, good for you!

vi is a person with many traumas; loss of her biological parents, loss of her father figure and best friends, this loss being caused by her sister, loss of her sister, then learning that her sister is alive but enemy, 7 years full of abuse in prison, no one to trust around.

she needs therapy, thats for sure, but she also needs people who'll take care of her, who'll show affection and love to her, who'll comfort her. vi deserves them.

but cait is all about her "kiramman family" household, the commanding power she has, the enforcements, the discrimination and the racist propaganda against zaunian people she infuses in piltover poeple.

about abusing, vi was abused in jail for over 7 years, NONSTOP. and guess, where did they had their first time?

in a cell. in a fucking cell.

OH NOT TO MENTION cait used vi's emotional state and manipulated her into having sex.

"you've grown a bit predictible." wtf? isn't this provoking?

also, what about she continuously hitting vi? she hit vi many times with her gun(riffle?).

"you look like an angry oil slick." thanks babe i didn't realize you were mocking the way i look.

she is racist to zaunian people, she has many words talking about how zaunian people are low, uneducated and ignorant.

it is true that they are uneducated, like duh, you guys never gave them the chances to study in a school. they had to fight to exist, they had to build the undercity to stay alive. cait is criticizing how bad zaunian people are, discriminating vi and her environment for this but she is okay with killing zaunians for the sake of piltover. fucking racist, i say.

about cheating, ofc, there's this whole oil&water thing going on but vi never actually said that oil&water couldn't exist near each other.

a relationship doesn't mean that you have to do everything with your partner, you must have a personal time too. you need to exist and live your life with your partner added into your life; not your partner being your life.

in the oil&water concept, this idea of mine means oil shouldn't mix with water BUT exist near water. that's why i think the oil&water talk was NEVER EVEN a breakup conversation.

relying on and believeing in this idea makes me think that they never broke up, but went into a break. (because they didn't see each other for A WHILE) vi meant to say that cait should give her space to exist, not try to turn vi into a piltoverian.

since cait didn't give vi her space to exist as the way who she is, vi left.

but even during this break, vi coped through alcohol and fighting, but caitlyn preffered fucking other women and cheating. INTIMACY WITH OTHERS COUNT AS CHEATING if you're in a break with your partner, no matter the gender or sexuality.

i hate maddie for the way she is, but i can understand her as a spy sent by noxus OR a basic officer who is in love with her boss. CAITLYN USED MADDIE AS A BANDAGE and no one can deny it.

even if maddie wanted to seduce caitlyn, cait is far more higher ranked than her. if cait weren't to accept or want maddie in her bed, maddie wouldn't even stand a chance BECAUSE maddie is lower ranked than cait and has no rights to refuse a commander + the leader of kiramman household.

caitlyn knowingly and wantingly cheated on vi. she enjoyed that sick relationship with maddie. she cheated on vi and used maddie as a prostitute via corruptly using her power.

and oh god vi is so stupid to accept caitlyn back, mf are you for fucking real???? she cheated on you, are you blind??????

so yes. hater for life!

i have been playing league of legends since pool party zoe came out, i am a morgana main and i'm familiar with caitvi for a long time. i like this caitvi relationship ingame, but for arcane i'll never ever forgive nor like caitlyn kiramman.

[ilikekidsshows]

After watching the latest seasons, I'll be honest: I don't think Marinette is that different from one of Adrien's crazy fans. I know the show wants us to believe she truly loves him for him, but they never really show this. Five seasons later, she still puts him high on her pedestal as the most perfect person ever, only gives reasons like he's nice and pretty for why she likes him, is openly annoyed with his other personality as Chat Noir, and doesn't think he's capable enough to make his own choices about his life and has to be coddled.

---

Yeah, like, the show insists they're made for each other and soulmates but, rather than give them fun chemistry like they had in the original seasons, they just have characters say Marinette's love for Adrien is totally different and more pure. The show, due to how badly its main romance is written, implying things like “Marinette objectifies Adrien but she does it out of love so that makes it okay!” are exactly why I’ve started viewing Adrinette as the “are the straights okay?” ship. The people defending what this ship has become say some absolutely bonkers stuff is what I'm saying.

A big underlying problem that causes this, even before the retool exacerbated it, is that Miraculous is both a love story and a wacky comedy. The Miraculous writers feel the need to focus on Marinette’s crush a lot, but also to include wacky comedy hijinks. Because of this, Marinette's love for Adrien gets played for wacky comedy hijinks more than it gets depicted actually seriously, so we can't take it seriously. When something can't be taken seriously, it comes across as really shallow.

Miraculous has a tone problem that’s only gotten worse the longer it's gone on. The same things get treated as sources of comedy that are also supposed to be the emotional core of the story, sometimes within the same episode. The series almost simultaneously expects the audience to laugh at the things that are also supposed to be the reason to even care about what happens. I’m surprised it isn't causing people emotional whiplash.

But, like, that's the problem with the writing being consistent about the wrong things. The elements that are supposed to be comedic are also present in scenes we’re supposed to take seriously. That’s how we get Marinette trying to defend Adrien against her grandmother simplifying him as just “pretty”, but Marinette can't come up with anything else about him she's attracted to. Is this supposed to be a hilarious joke? Like, are we supposed to laugh that Marinette can't tell her grandmother why she loves her boyfriend, the endgame romantic partner of this series?

Miraculous' idea of comedy and humor ruins its romance, and, when it's not the comedy, it's the cheap drama that makes Marinette look like a terrible human being when she's supposed to be an aspirational hero. It makes it hard to get invested in its main couple or sympathize with its main hero, the two things that are necessary to enjoy the story the writers want to tell. The fans have to be willing to do all the work and go “I can tell what the writers are trying to do, so I’ll do my best to view the story the way they want me to”, but, like, we can only tell what the writers are trying to do because we've seen better shows than Miraculous that do these things well. Why should Miraculous' writers get credit for not only being subpar, but failing so utterly they depict the opposite of what they intended? What good things have they actually given us that warrants this much leeway?

Especially when the small kids watching won't have a deeper understanding of genre conventions to tell them “the writers are trying to break conventions and aren't replacing them with sensical story decisions and that makes the story fail so much”, they can just see the bad morals and either reject or internalize what Abuse Apologia the Show is teaching them. And, like, considering how much abuse apologia this show’s and it's hero’s most insistent defenders are spouting, I’m not sure even all of the older kids or the adults in the audience can tell that this show's morals are rancid and should be rejected.

[galaxymagitech]

Guide to Jaybin: Thief of the Night

Pre-Crisis - Detective Comics #529, Batman #363, Detective Comics #530

Summary: Batman battles a night-themed pseudo-incestuous criminal duo. Meanwhile, Jason runs away to rejoin the circus, meeting his clown friend Waldo at the docks. No, I am not making this up.

Jason's Personality: Jason still desperately wants to fight crime with Batman, and he will follow a villain on his own to try to track her down and help. Eventually, he chooses to run away and return to the circus with Waldo.

Bruce's Parenting: Uh. Not the best. Despite going to one (1) movie with Jason, and being pictured on the trapeze with him early, he doesn't pay much attention to Jason. Jason may be a priority over Vicki to him (as is...pretty much everything else), but not over Batman.

Jason views being Batman's partner as the only way he can get attention. I thought from the trapeze moment that precrisis would be different, but apparently not. He knows that his home isn't dependent on being a vigilante, but he still believes that being a vigilante with Bruce is the only way he can have his father, and Bruce is offering nothing to disprove that. And eventually, Jason feels neglected enough to run away.

Oh, and apparently this entire time, Bruce was not officially Jason's legal guardian because the paperwork hasn't gone through. So he's just had a kid at his house without legal permission for at least a month, although Jason was going to school somehow. Oh, and after Jason runs away, Bruce decides to track Jason down himself without involving the authorities because he's not actually Jason's legal guardian yet.

Bruce is not in favor of child vigilantes, which is always a good thing, but he is clearly failing at actually parenting. Holy Kidnapping, Batman!

Notes:

Bullock is still around causing problems.

Nocturna is Natasha Knight, although her name will eventually be retconned to Natalia Knight. [EDIT: Apparently “Natasha” is a nickname for Natalia, despite being shorter. Okay then. Sorry about that.]

Vicki seems to think Bruce is cheating on her and was lying about cancelling their date to go to the movies with Jason. She makes her publisher reassign her to the field in some random country because she wants to leave Gotham.

Selected Panel(s):

Jason's bedroom at Wayne Manor (unusually clean for a preteen boy, but he has books!) and Jason using the "holy [insert thing here]" phrase in the Robin tradition.

[lightningant]

I saw your thing with Snape being aro/ace and I wanna hear more about that. Specifically the reasoning behind it and then with the dynamic of him and lily :3

My reasoning is that I am aro/ace and he's my little princess.

Okay, seriously. He's derided a lot for being an incel, but what he felt was most important about his history with her is that she was the most valuable person in the world; that she was the new life he was running to, that he'd get a good job with Voldemort so he could establish magic supremacy so people like Lily and himself could cast off their muggle upbringing and flourish. He wanted to share his new life with her.

If we look at the memories, what Snape selects to describe what their relationship:

His fumbled attempt to connect with Lily over his magic, hungry for her attention

Him mentoring her with what his mother taught him (again he is hungry for Lily's attention) and his inability to understand her love for Petunia [muggles].

The splinter of Petunia and Lily's relationship, and the grounds of the Snape-James rivalry and what about James grated on Lily

Lily sorted to a different house, completely breaking down their dynamic

The beginning of Lily and Snape's splinter; that he has become obsessed with the Marauders specifically because James is in love with her, and she is frustrated Snape isn't interested in what his own friends do. Snape prioritizes Lily not being taken away over what she has to say. See above; he doesn't understand the worth of muggles, just fantasizes about muggleborn and halfbloods like them getting to shuck their heritage and go on to greater things. Very Fuck You Got Mine philosophy.

Snape repeating his worst memory on purpose. It is humiliating but core to what happened; he is the one in the wrong, he reacted poorly, he is the cause of their parting.

And a memory of him grovelling to hammer it home. She catches him out on his Fuck You Got Mine attitude; that muggleborn who love their muggle families and indulge their muggle culture are just mudbloods, but he refuses to believe that about her, because Lily's so smart and talented and superior and destined to outgrow them. 😬

So the purpose of these memories is pretty clear, that she had been very consistent while Snape kept trying to introduce her to his fantasy of a better life that she (rightly!) didn't think very highly of. When he loses her, he goes back to live at Spinner's End, wallowing in the world he was trying to escape, because escape was no longer possible. The wizarding world no longer had anything to offer, because uplifting her was so core to how he understood it. He just didn't understand her.

I think Snape's paternalistic treatment of Lily and obsessive attitude towards James would result in more signs of desire; in fact, he is at his most ravenous for her when he is like, ten years old. After that, the one who reacts with attraction is Lily, because she's flustered by Snape being byronic and hormonal at her.

This is all to say I just think there's solid basis to read Snape's love for her as platonic, and that not undermining what he is trying to convey by selecting these memories. I'm not crazy.

Narrative-wise, as in, "what does Snape's love for Lily being platonic add to the character": I do think that this is often a cop-out to make him a more appetizing character and rescue him from incel allegations, which is kind of a bummer because... I mean, he's obsessed with James Potter's sexual fascination with Lily and is paternalistic towards her.

I think it would upset him he's not attracted to Lily.

I think he would be pretty conscious that he is a boy and he is fascinated and enraptured with a girl, and how ~obviously compatible they are~ (🙄), and that should mean they start a romance and become more intimate, but...that desire does not exist. He doesn't want to date Lily, he just wants to... [vague gesture] have her. There is no way to process his adoration of Lily; the only way to make her exclusive to himself is not something he actually wants, but that means she can't be exclusive to him, and so James Potter is free to take her in ways he can't.

I'm even willing to assume Lily was waiting for Snape to express sexual interest in her, because every word out of his mouth since the day they met has been worshiping her and talking mad shit about her suitors. And I can definitely see a lot of her dejection and hatred of him as that like, oh, so its okay to consort with mudbloods, but you could never touch one.

Which he can't really refute; what exactly is the end state of being so deeply devoted to someone platonically? Not dating, nor marriage, nor "like a sister to me" (which is just a way of saying you aren't going to date, and anyway isn't true because he's never seen her in a familial way), an eternally open, hanging question of a relationship without a knot to tie the ends together, dooming them to eventually unravel. He wants her to love him as much as she loves her future husband. That's not how things are meant to work.

And he's afraid of it, but resigned to it, and ends up just letting it unravel. He doesn't bother to understand or listen to Lily, or express what's radicalizing him (when she told him off for being friends with Mulciber, it seemed to be the first time it's ever come up), or share his vulnerabilities, because he's always viewed her as an opportunity to show how worldly and wise he is.

And as an adult, selecting those memories for Harry...He's keenly aware of that, and regrets how poorly he treated her, and yet for all the clarity he's gained... that frayed, open strand of their relationship is still drifting and unresolved.

Which is, of course, nothing like how Aberforth or Aurelius experiences aromanticism in herringverse. See what I mean about these specific headcanons being an ecosystem. They're all chewing on each other to power their own hangups. Beautiful.

[note: this can all also apply to a gay reading, but part of the terrifyingly ephemeral nature of this dynamic is that there is no new direction to head in. There is no new catharsis that explains this more-than-friendship. There is only the fact of his love, which he nonetheless bore for a lifetime.]

A bonus theory on Snape's unabashed haterism; he is not really interested in Harry because he's not interested in Lily's bloodline; she was always a future, and now that future doesn't exist, so James Potter gets to pass down his superb genes and superb pureblood privileges and superb legacy, while unremarkable inconsequential muggleborn Lily Evans dies as the wife of a pureblood bully and a scar on her son's brow.

[mooneggtarts]

Okay what I think about Alastor's mother and both her and Alastor's dynamic that affect him in general (PERSONAL HC)

Now, Alastor's mother; I don't think she's a shit mom, but I also don't think she's a "perfect angel" mom either. She's a mother with a lot of flaws of her own, either from her husband, the society's view in people of color, the year era they live in, or other things.

My thought is that she probably killed her husband when Al was in an age where he doesn't even remember his father's face, but remembers clearly of what his mother did to his dad. And she definitely tries to tell him that what she did was wrong and should not be put as an example.

("Why did you do it if it's wrong then?" "I... because I..have..to... your father isn't a good person sweetheart" kinda thing)

His father *could* actually be bad, which drove his mom to the point of murder, remember the *red* on his mother's hands and on the body laying motionless behind her. (For a moment, Al thinks that red might be his fav color)

Because again, where does Al's sudden murderous tendency come from? I kinda suddenly thought how "your parents are your first teachers" and stuck with that. There COULD be a possibility that she does it to protect him, amongst other things. But it has been stuck in my head for a while.

Having only interact and living his childhood mostly with his mother made him a gentleman and easily/perferably befriended the ladies.

Now about his bitterness towards men, well, I don't think he's *that* bitter with them, considering we knew that he and Vox *used* to hangout before things went south, not to mention his respect towards Zestial. I don't think he knows how to even get along *well* or be comfortable with most males considering, again, his mother being the only figure in his life thing, And well, most of the male cast seem to not really like him, or like him *too* much, or generally doesn't make a good first impression. 

Though I don't think it stems mainly on how his mother killed his father in either defense or resentment of how awful his father had treated her. But I suppose it does involve in some way.

Anyways, I don't think Al's mom really pay any attention to Al's struggle and mostly perhaps told him to just "suck it up" kinda deal during his childhood (Im projecting so hard in this). Cause I think, with him being a mixed, in the 19's on south? Definitely would experience some bullying or being pushed away by another group, kids nonetheless.

Even when Al got home with scars and bruises, his mom would just told him not to fight back, to just take it, cause if he fought back then he'll only make the situation worse, and told him to just endure it and wait, that one day things will get more bearable and perhaps something would change into his favor. Not wanting her son to turn violent like his father, and taint his hands red like her's. Not wanting him to change.

(I have a feeling that the more he grown, the more he feel how.. wrong it is? A slight feel of uneasiness. The feeling of captivation, The way he felt he was held back whenever his mother lovingly embrace him (as if not willing to see him change or grow, afraid of the unknown to who will he became, not ready to lose him if he did, cause she had lost the man she once thought would love her))

I also believe she has that mindset where "big boys don't cry" or "boys are suppose to be strong", which could largely explain Al to have a hard time in expressing his emotions and bottling or repressing them seem like the easier way (which, ofc, led to him unmanaged to properly expressing his emotions- and would be quiet defensive with it). And explained as to why he roughs up the male casts more than the females cause by his view, again, guys could handle a bit of a rough-housing better.

And so for years he had kept his mother's advice, enduring and just let them do whatever they want with him, bearing the loneliness, bottling up his frustration and sadness, forcing himself to keep on standing tall upfront.

But things changed after his mother's death. Things are more confusing for him.

Cause he can recall the pain- he *felt* the grief, the moment when he saw her finally kicked the bucket, but suddenly it's different when it was her funeral.

For some reason he felt numb- detached, for lack of better word. Which I suppose what bothers and confuses him. For how quick he got over her- DID he got over her? He's not sure, he deeply cared and respect her for taking great care of him for years, but he isn't *suppose* to move on so quick yes?

I think that's a whole worth of spiralling breakdown of questioning himself that will never gain an answer of.

Then the house are too empty and too big for him, the first time living without the presence of his mother. Somehow, it felt both uncomfortable and... relief?

Guilt settles in afterward. Somehow everything seems a lot more suffocating than how things are when she's still with him. Like hoping that her lingering shadow of a presence would accompany him, but he doesn't want it to be near him.

I think he'd shut down those kinds of thoughts, cause it disturbs his daily living, and do what he was best at. Repressing everything, ignore them. And just go on with his life pretending to be unbothered.

It bothers him because, he believes he cares for his mother. Loved her even. But there is a part at the back of his mind where he felt... free. Like nothing was holding him back anymore. And thats what bothers him. And I guess at some point, he feels like an ungrateful kid. Cause his mother has done nothing but the best for him, the only person that ever cared about him too. And here he is, feeling a bit of the weight on his shoulder shifted after her passing??? What is wrong with him? 

I feel like he's in denial how the way his mother been teaching him had been wrong, and would DEFINITELY be VERY MUCH REALLY defensive when someone call her out on how wrong she is. Cause she can't be wrong, he doesn't (want to) believe that she's wrong.

I feel like the moment he make his first kill in his human life, and I believe, that his first kill could be either someone that bullied him or some guy that harrassed someone else (my thought went to mimzy for a moment but it makes good sense for that could be how they first met)

And when he painted his hands red, a short flash of image of his mother's first murder as well, and it dawned on him. He had waited all this time, that fate will turn it's favor on him. For years he held back, in the end, the only way for things to turn, is if he *himself* change.

Feeling a strong surge of power like never before. Looking at the harrasser's fear induced face. It felt *good*. To be the *predator* instead. How the tables have turned.

Emotions running through his veins along with adreline, there was guilt that he had disobeyed his mother, there was hatred (which feeds his guilt) how much his mother has held him back from this, there was an overpowering sense of addictive of how much control and power he has in the situation for the first time.

And he finds himself unable to let go of the feeling. Wanting *more*.

I think at this point, he is willing to let go of the love that held him back, he loves his mother dearly, but he is unable to stop breaking every promises and lessons his mother taught him. By then, he hopes, that his mother would forget about him in wherever her soul went. He doesn't seem to mind if his mother doesn't love him anymore, he finds it better that way, she shouldn't be burdened by him cause there is no way he will stop.

He doesn't care if that made him unloved (Love is what holding him back in the first place, held him captive, making him doubt, making him hesitant, pressuring him), or that it made him into a monster. Because for once, despite him drowning too deep into the trench surrounded by his piling up hatred and rage against everyone that wrong him, he can breath.

He felt free.

[fandomrewrites]

Legends Chapter 8: Signets

Hello Riders! Sorry for the late update, I head to rethink a very important part of this chapter at the last minute because I didn't want to go with my original thought. Which meant deleting a section of what I already wrote and having to figure out a good place to put my new idea-after I figured out that new idea. Anyways, I hope you all like this chapter!

Chapters 22-24 in Fourth Wing Pairings: Xaden x Younger Sister, Liam x best friend Warnings: Mention of death, swearing, violence, *Big spoilers from the book series* Word Count: 9,894

Legends Masterlist

Signets usually say a lot about the rider. It's why I'm not surprised my signet is shadow wielding. I keep a lot of secrets, I need to in order to survive. But what do you need, (Y/N)? Whatever it is, I have no doubts that you'll be among the strongest. -Recovered correspondence from Cadet Xaden Riorson to (Y/N) Riorson

Once battle brief ends, I quickly pack up my things and rush out the door, the sound of my squad calling after me fading in the distance. Nyx and Aether are silent for the moment, waiting for me to reach my room.

I rush through the halls, mind racing. I know what's happening, but I don't want to believe it. It can't be true. I make it to my room and lock the door behind me, throwing my bag on the floor by my desk. "Nyx, please tell me my signet isn't what I think it is." I say through our bond. I need confirmation.

"I will not lie to you, Night Orchid." Nyx's velvety voice floats into my head.

"Please say it. I need to hear it, because if I don't I'll keep trying to deny it."

"You're an inntinnsic. You have telepathy to be exact." Nyx answers, voice strong.

"They'll kill me."I whisper aloud, falling to my hands and knees in shock. Knowing it's telepathy doesn't even register in my mind. I only focus on the fact that being inntinnsic is a death sentence and even though I usually put on a brave face, I don't want to die. Not yet.

"I will not allow them to harm you. I will destroy every human and dragon in my path if they even breathe wrong in your direction." Nyx assures.

"But-"

Nyx cuts me off, "You will learn to control it in secret. You are strong and smart, I would not have chosen you if you weren't." My breath hitches at her words, "No one will know except those you choose to tell, though I recommend keeping it to yourself. Now rest, you need it after developing your signet."

"I have still have one more class, and I'm already late." I try to argue.

"Skip, resting is more important at the moment." I don't argue anymore. I slowly stand up, kicking my shoes off and climbing into bed. I'm asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

*_*_*_*_*

I'm awoken by knocking on my door. "Go away!" I yell. I'm terrified of who could be on the other side. Of the possibility of the person finding out.

"(Y/N), open up." Liam calls back. I groan but untangle myself from my sheets. I hesitate, my hand hovering over the door knob. "(Y/N), come on." I can't ignore him, even though part of me really wants to.

I crack my door open, "Finally." I hear Liam's voice but his lips don't move. "Are you okay? You skipped the last class. And you missed dinner." He holds up a plate of food, "I brought you some in case you were hungry. Gods I hope she's alright."

I keep my mind carefully blank as I watch his lips move. Making sure the only words I acknowledge are the ones actually coming out of his mouth. "Thanks." I mumble. "I have a really bad migraine, it started in battle brief. Nyx said resting was more important."

"Did you go to the healers?" Liam asks, causing me to shake my head. "Maybe you should, they could give you something-"

"Liam, I love you. But all I want to do right now is eat and go back to sleep. So thank you again for the food, but leave me alone." I step back, closing the door in his face before he can say anything else. I hate being rude to him but I'm so nervous he'll find out.

I can't slip up, telepathy is more than just being able to read other's minds. I can project my thoughts into their head as well. One slip up and I'm dead. I sit down at my desk, beginning to eat the dinner Liam brought me as my mind races. I doubt Liam would tell anyone but I can't put that burden on his shoulder's.

Once I finish eating the food Liam brought me, I pace my room. Mind still racing, thinking of all the ways this can go wrong. "Enough, Night Orchid. You're driving me insane." Nyx huffs. "Burning alive sounds more fun than having to hear your worrisome thoughts. I already told you no one will harm you."

"You can't promise that, Nyx." I sigh, shaking my head. "You can't be with me 24/7. Carr snapped a kids neck the other day because he was an inntinnsic."

"That kid was weak, he showed his signet to everyone and was killed for it. You managed to hide it and will continue to hide it for as long as we live." Nyx growls.I groan in frustration, but I know I need to hide it or I'm as good as dead.

I bite my lip, closing my eyes and stepping into the library at Riorson house. I focus on the window with the comfy reading nook below it. Through that window I see the shimmering white light that represents Nyx's power. I slam the window shut, locking it, then open my eyes back up, keeping one foot in the mental library.

I need to block Nyx out or she'll try and talk me out of this. But I need to do this, I can't do this by myself and there's only one person I trust with this information. I pull my shoes on and rush out of my room, passing by Liam who sits outside of Violet's door. He quickly stands up when he see's me. "(Y/N)? Where is she going?" There's a pause between his thoughts, "Fuck, I can't leave Violet."

I ignore his call, climbing the stairs and heading towards Xaden's room. I knock once, then open the door before Xaden can answer. Xaden, Bodhi, and Garrick all turn to look at me.

"What is she doing?" Xaden narrows his eyes, his voice sounding in my head. Clearly, I'm struggling to block out all of Nyx's power.

"I need to talk with you. Now." My eyes are wide as I look Xaden in the eyes. My gaze flickers to Bodhi and Garrick, "Privately."

"Come on, 'cuz. It's just-" Bodhi starts, a playful smile on his lips.

"Out. Now." I glare.

"You can't just order them out of my room, (Y/N)." Xaden rolls his eyes.

My glare turns to Xaden, "I just did." I turn back to Garrick and Bodhi, "Now get out before I resort to violence."

Garrick stands up, "Well Chradh just told me to leave unless I want to get eaten by Nyx so…" He trails off, clapping Bodhi on the shoulder, "I suggest we leave."

"What did Chradh say to you?!" My eyes widen in panic. Logically, I know Nyx didn't tell Chradh anything. This is a secret she's keeping between me, Aether, and herself. But I can't help the panic that seeps into me. But somehow I control the power enough to not let my worries reach anyone in the room. Probably with Nyx's help.

"Exactly what I said," Garrick exchanges looks with the others, worry evident on his face. "He didn't tell me why Nyx would eat me, he just said to leave." Garrick shrugs. "What the fuck is going on? Is she okay?" His eyes are focused on mine, begging me to tell him what's going on, but instead of asking he pulls Bodhi with him, heading for the door. "See you in a bit, Xaden."

Xaden nods, turning to me once the door is shut behind Garrick and Bodhi. "Well?" He asks, eyebrow raised. "What is so secretive that she had to kick them out of the room?"

I start pacing in front of my brother, "Will anyone be able to hear us if they're trying to listen in or do we need to find some place where no one can hear us?"

Xaden's eyes narrow, "My room is warded so no one can hear what's going on in here with the door closed. What the fuck is going on?"

"Good, good." I mumble, "I got my signet today during battle brief."

"Okay? Why is that a secret?"

My lip wobbles, the minute I tell him there's no going back. I stop pacing, turning to look him in the eye, "You know why." I can't bring myself to say it out loud.

Xaden tilts his head in confusion, "A secret signet. She's panicked. Oh my gods, is she an inntinnsic?"

"Yes," I say, answering his unspoken question. I force the word through my mind, into his.

Xaden's eyes widen, "How did she? No, she can't be."

"I am. Nyx already confirmed it. I'm telepathic, inntinnsic." A tear falls out of my eye before I can stop it, "They're going to kill me, Xade." I say out loud, voice cracking.

"No." Xaden says, moving towards me and gently grabbing my arms. "No, no one will lay a hand on you. How many people know?"

I shake my head as more tears fall, "You're the only one I told."

Xaden pulls me into a hug, he presses my head against his chest as I sob. He slowly lowers us so were sitting on the couch. "You'll develop a second signet, no one will have to know about this." His hand brushes over my hair, trying to soothe me.

"What if I don't?" I choke out between sobs, "People will begin to wonder why I haven't exploded!"

"You will!" Xaden's arms tighten around me, my head tucked under his chin. "And if you don't we'll sneak you out of here, to Aretia. You'll be safe. I promise."

"Even if that works, how am I supposed to learn to control it? I'm already on the verge of going crazy from having to keep my mind blank so I don't talk to anyone!"

"I'll help you learn."

"How are you supposed-"

Xaden's voice floats into my head, cutting off my panicked question. "I'm an inntinnsic too."

I finally pull away from Xaden when I hear his thought, "What?" I ask confused, tears finally slowing down.

"I developed my second signet not too long after the shadows. I knew I had to keep it a secret because they'd kill me if they found out. I can't read thoughts but I can read intentions. It's a form of inntinnsic." Xaden pauses, "I can- will. I will teach you."

"Who else knows?" I whisper.

Xaden shakes his head, "No one. You're the only person I've ever told." I blink, shocked by this new information but happy I'm not alone. He reaches up a steady hand, brushing away the last of my tears. "Now the first lesson, you need to know is control. You already learned grounding, correct?"

I nod, muttering, "Carr taught us."

"That light that connects you to Nyx, there should be a line flowing from it. That's your signet. You need to block the flow from that line. That way you block the signet but not her full power." Xaden gives me clear instructions, making sure I understand every word.

I take a breath before thinking back to the Riorson library. I find Nyx's power and the line of magic flowing from it. I snap the door shut, blocking the signet from being used. "Okay, it's done."

Xaden nods, "Now you just need to get used to holding it all the time. You can't let it slip. And if it does you need to close it as quickly as possible." I nod in understanding.

*_*_*_*_*

It's an hour after curfew and I still sit in Xaden's room practicing my shielding. We've been talking and playing games, trying to distract me so I can practice holding my shields in place for everything. Spoiler alert, it didn't go very smoothly, but at least I'm letting it slip with someone who already knows what's happening. And the longer I practice the better I get.

"Okay," Xaden says, standing up and stretching his legs, "I'll walk you back to your room. I need to meet with Garrick and Bodhi."

"Are you guys doing a weapons drop?" I ask. Xaden told me about helping the fliers a while ago. They need more weapons to fight the venin so the marked ones have been making the weapons here at the school then periodically meeting with them to hand them over.

Xaden nods, "We need to leave soon so we can make it back in time."

"Let me come with you." Xaden opens his mouth like he's about to argue, "Please?" I ask. "I don't want to be alone right now, and it will be great practice."

"What if you slip?" There's a brief flicker of worry behind his eyes before he quickly masks it.

"Then I slip. I can't hide in my room forever. Nyx blocked me before, if I can't get under control quickly enough, she'll do it again." I reassure. Of course I'm nervous about others finding out, but I need the practice and I trust Nyx to help if I need it. Plus if I slip in front of Bodhi and Garrick I trust that they wouldn't say anything, though ideally they won't find out.

"Of course I'll stop you from using your powers if I need to." Nyx says to me, "I'll meet you on the flight field. It will be nice to fly with Chradh for one of these weapons drops."

I smile at her words, "Nyx already said she'll meet me at the flight field, so no arguing."

Xaden sighs, "Fine." He opens his armoire, pulling out two flight jackets. He holds one out for me. I grab it, slipping it over my shoulders. "There should be an extra pair of flight goggles in the pocket." Sure enough, I stick my hands in the pockets and feel the flight goggles.

"Thank you," I say, smiling once more. We quickly make it out to the flight field. Sticking to the shadows so Xaden can hide us if necessary.

Garrick and Bodhi are already waiting with the dragons, "How are you feeling?" Bodhi asks once he sees me.

"Better now. Sorry for how I reacted earlier. It was important." I say, looking between the two riders.

"We figured," Garrick replies, shrugging. "At least you're alright now."

"Let's go." Xaden says, stopping Bodhi, Garrick, and I from continuing the conversation. He runs up Sgaeyl's leg, settling on her back.

I run towards Nyx, mounting without issue. "Aether was worried, he wanted to come but for once in his life he listened." Nyx says once I'm settled.

I pull my borrowed flight goggles down, "I'm alright, Aether. I'll visit you tomorrow." I call out to him.

"You better." Aether huffs, making me smile. Nyx launches into the air, she allows Sgaeyl to lead the way, flying close to Chradh. It takes three hours to get to our meeting spot. It's the longest I've ever flown and my legs are starting to go numb. We are just beyond the wards, the magic is wilder out here. It's something you don't notice when you're not bonded.

"Stay." Xaden says, eyes meeting mine.

I scoff, but do as he says. That is until I see the fliers coming towards us. I scan the group, and immediately notice Syrena. "Syrena!" I yell, I quickly stand up, jumping from Nyx's back, rolling so I don't hurt myself.

I stand up quickly, rushing towards the flier, and fling my arms around her. "Wow, (Y/N). You've gotten even more beautiful then were when you were 15." She says, hugging me back. I may not be able to stand Syrena's sister Cat, But Syrena is amazing. She definitely got all the good traits.

Before I can reply, Xaden scolds me, "I told you to stay mounted."

I roll my eyes, pulling away from the hug, "I'm not a dog. And Syrena is a friend." I turn, looking at the other riders, "And any friend of Syrena's is a friend of mine." I lean forward, towards the other fliers and drop my voice to a whisper, "She has good taste, she likes me after all."

The fliers all smile at me, "This the infamous (Y/N) Riorson?" One of the fliers asks.

"At your duty," I playfully salute with two fingers. Despite the distraction, I've been doing really well with keeping my shields up. I only had one slip up during the flight, and luckily it was only into Xaden's mind. I take a moment to remind myself to keep a mental foot in the library to continue to block the power.

"No wonder Syrena talks so highly of you," Another flier says, "Older Riorson should take some notes." A playful smirk pulls at the fliers lips.

I shake my head, "I tell him all the time, he's just always so… broody." I poke Xaden's cheek on the last word. Bodhi snorts at my words and Garrick's lip turns up into a smirk.

Xaden slaps my hand away, glaring. "Here's the weapons, we'll reach out in a few weeks about another drop." Xaden says, bringing the conversation back to why we're here. There's four bags of weapons. Garrick, Bodhi, and Xaden drop the bags at the fliers feet. "We have to head back."

"Thank you." Syrena calls out as we turn away, heading back towards our dragons, "(Y/N)." I turn to look at her. "It's good to see you. Especially on a badass dragon like that," She nods her head at Nyx. "We all knew you'd amount to great things."

I smile, "Thanks, Syrena. It's good to see you too. Stay safe."

"We'll try."

*_*_*_*_*

As November turns to December, I make sure to practice with my telepathy every day. Because if I don't I will be greeting Malek sooner than I would like. I don't slip up anymore. My shields are incredibly strong, the strongest in my year. And I've been practicing reading minds without letting my thoughts enter the other person's. Which I've also excelled at, though it takes more focus than just shielding myself from using the signet.

I still haven't manifested a second signet which is making me incredibly worried. Xaden keeps having to reassure me that I will and nothing bad is going to happen to me. Nyx and Aether try to reassure me too, but I have my doubts. I mean why hasn't the second signet manifested yet? It's been a month since the first one showed up, and if it doesn't manifest soon people are going to start questioning me.

Currently the squad is in the gym, practicing hand-to-hand. Dain made mandatory practice sessions every Tuesday night to prepare for the Squad Battle. Not that Liam or I need it. I'm still undefeated in challenges and the only time Liam lost was to me.

Rhiannon and Violet are practicing together with staffs. The staff is far too big a weapon for Violet but it's a practice session so I say nothing. Rhiannon stops short from hitting Violet, "You're distracted tonight." Rhiannon says, backing away. Her gaze flickers to Liam who is sitting next to me carving a new piece of wood.

I have a book in my lap, a romance novel about a princess who falls in love with the knight tasked to be her personal guard. It's a cliche but it's cute. I go back and fourth from reading to watching the practice matches around me.

"But you're faster than you used to be." Rhiannon continues, "Whatever Imogen has you doing is working."

"As if there was ever any doubt," Imogen calls from the mat next to them. She has Ridoc pinned in a headlock. Jack and some of the members of his squad are a couple of mats over, also practicing. It's why Liam isn't practicing himself. And because Liam's out, I don't have a partner.

"You're taking it easy on me." Violet says. Sawyer and Quinn are circling each other, Emery and Heaton are coaching the new members we gained after Threshing, and Dain is watching the matches unfold.

Dain's eyes meet mine, "(Y/N). Join someone. We're here to practice, not read."

I roll my eyes, then look around the room before bringing my attention to Dain once more, "I'm sorry, is there a new squad member we magically acquired? Because if you haven't noticed, everyone is already paired up."

Liam smiles, but continues to focus on his carving and Violet. Dain glares at me, but before he gets the chance to answer I speak again, "Unless you're offering to be my partner, squad leader?" I smile innocently.

Dain's jaw ticks, "Fine." He gestures to the open mat beside Imogen and Ridoc, "Let's go."

I smirk, placing a dagger in my book then gently putting it on my chair. "This will be fun." I mumble, just loud enough for Liam to hear me. One of the reasons I've been practicing reading thoughts with my signet is so I can hear my opponents thoughts when fighting. If I can hear what they're thinking without sending my thoughts back to them, matches will be even easier to win than they already are.

I walk towards the mat, standing to face Dain, "Weapons?" He asks.

"I'm fine with anything. Or nothing." My smirk widens, "Choose whichever you think will help you win. I don't mind being at a disadvantage."

Dain rolls his eyes, "You're already at a disadvantage, I'm taller, stronger, and have more practice than you."

"Maybe so, but I'm faster and more agile."

Dain sighs, "No weapons. Just our hands."

"And mouths." I grin, "What makes you tick, squad leader?" I slowly start to circle him, "I'm very good at pushing buttons if you haven't noticed."

Dain takes a deep breath, clearly trying to make sure I don't rattle him. "Don't give her a reaction. That's what she wants." Dain's eyes follow me around the mat. "Are you going to talk or are you going to fight?"

I raise an eyebrow, "Have you never heard of a verbal battle? A battle of wits?" Out of the corner of my eye I see Garrick and Xaden enter. Xaden does a double take when he sees who I'm facing but doesn't interfere, instead he focuses on Violet saying something to her as he passes.

"This is hand-to-hand combat. Not a debate."

"True. But that doesn't mean I need to move first. Especially because the conversation is so… stimulating." I shrug, indifferent.

"She's so irritating. She's really not going to make the first move? She does this almost every match." I cross my arms, waiting for him to move. Dain's jaw ticks. "You're seriously just going to stand there?"

"I'll stand here all night, Aetos." I raise a brow in challenge.

"This fucking woman. I swear to the gods." Dain's frustration is palpable. Even if I couldn't read his mind, it's easy to tell he's annoyed with me. Good, just let that annoyance come out in the fight. But I know Dain is smart, and it's going to take a lot to get him to react. "Fuck it. Looks like I'm offense."

Dain moves quick, trying to kick my legs out from underneath me. But he's not quick enough. I uncross my arms, jumping out of the way, we circle each other before Dain moves again. I block his punch, interlocking are arms. I swipe his leg, making him fall to the mat.

Dain rolls away from me, quickly standing back up. "Still feeling confident, squad leader?" I taunt. We dance around each other again, throwing punches and kicks. Dain's a good fighter, but I know I'm better. Even without my secret signet.

I move my right arm up, blocking another blow. Then I switch, too quick for Dain to keep up. Instead of fighting on defense like I have been, I move to offense. I attack quickly, pushing Dain towards the edge of the mat. I aim low, sweeping his legs from below him. He lands with a thud. I quickly move on top of him, pinning him below me, in a tangle of limbs.

My grin widens as I watch him catch his breath, "Fuck me." He takes one more deep breath, "You're fast." He whispers. "I yield. Only because I need to get back to watching everyone else."

I roll my eyes, "Sure, that's the only reason why. Just admit I'm better than you." I tease, still not letting up.

This time Dain rolls his eyes, "Probably in more ways than one. Just let me up, Riorson."

I pout, "What's the magic word?"

"Fucking- Please." He says through gritted teeth.

"Actually the magic word was, 'you're right'. Technically though that's two words, three if you count the-"

"(Y/N)!" Dain scolds, still laying beneath me.

Our eyes meet, "Fine. Fine. I'll let you up." I stand up, offering Dain my hand which he accepts. When we look at all the other matches, everyone is distracted by either us, or Xaden and Garrick, who are currently sparring shirtless.

"Get back to work." Dain orders, "We still have another half hour." I reclaim my seat next to Liam as Dain goes back to watching the matches.

Rhiannon and Violet start back up again, but Rhiannon quickly sweeps Violet's legs from under her. "Shit, I'm sorry, Vi." She drops beside her. "Just relax and give it a second."

"And yet that is the rider Tairn chose," Jack sneers, "I'm starting to think he chose wrong, but considering I haven't seen you wield any powers, I bet you're thinking the same thing, too, aren't you, Sorrengail? Shouldn't you have twice the ability to channel with two dragons?"

I roll my eyes, it doesn't work like that with feathertails but of course no one but Violet and I know that. Liam and I stand, Liam puts himself between Violet and Jack while I hang back but make sure I'm available to do something if I need to.

"Simmer down, Mairi. I'm not going to attack your little charge. Not when I can challenge her in a couple of weeks and accidentally snap her scrawny neck in front of an audience." Jack folds his arms across his chest, "Tell me, though, you are getting tired playing nursemaid, aren't you?" His squadmate offers him a piece of orange, Jack shoves his hand away, "Get that noxious shit away from me. Do you want me to end up in the infirmary?"

"Walk the fuck away, Barlowe," Liam warns.

"She's only alive because of you," Jack spits out, eyeing Xaden who moved closer to the group.

"Right, because I'm the one who buried a dagger in your shoulder during Threshing." Xaden sarcastically replies.

Violet scrambles to her feet, finally gaining back her breath. "We could settle this now," Jack says, sidestepping Liam to look at Violet. "If you're done hiding behind the big, strong men." I roll my eyes at his words. Garrick steps towards Violet's left. Imogen has also inched closer, Jack knows he can't do anything with all of us around. "That's what I thought." Jack says, blowing Violet a kiss.

"You ran," Violet snarls, "That day in the field, you fucking ran when it was three on two, and we both know when it comes down to it, you'll run again. That's what cowards do."

Jack's face flushes. Dain mumbles, "For fucks sake, Violet."

"She's not wrong." Xaden says. Garrick laughs, and a smile pulls at my lips. Liam maneuvers Jack off the mat. Jack's shoes squeak against the floor as he fights, unsuccessfully to hold his ground, and Liam forces him from the gym.

Xaden flicks his hand, shutting the doors with his power, locking Jack out. "What the hell were you thinking, egging him on like that?" Dain scolds, marching towards his childhood best friend.

"Oh, now you feel like talking to me?" Violet lifts her chin in defiance.

Xaden steps in between them, eyes meeting Violet's, "Give us a second." Rhiannon and Dain step back.

Garrick walks towards me, pulling his shirt over his head, as Violet and Xaden begin a heated discussion. "Did you win against, Aetos?"

I smirk, "Of course I did."

"Wingleader Riorson," Dain calls, "She's just not used to the bond yet. She'll learn how to block it out."

Xaden rolls his eyes, "You choose the oddest times to defend her, Aetos, and the most convenient times not to." I bite my lip, damn Xaden, go for the throat.

Xaden turns back to Violet, "Do us both a favor and put the fucking armor back on." He turns away from her. When Violet's eyes see his back, she gasps. Violet noticed the 107 scars littering his back. 107 scars to represent the 107 marked ones.

Xaden tenses for a brief moment before grabbing his shirt from Garrick's outstretched hand. They leave the gym together, not looking back in any of our directions.

*_*_*_*_*

It's the next day and Violet has pulled me into Rhiannon's room to talk with us. "So, what's up?" I ask when we're all seated.

Violet awkwardly rubs the back of her neck. "As you know, Tairn started channeling last night." Violet told us this at breakfast but we could all tell she was holding something back. "Something else happened but before I say I need to ask you a question." She looks me directly in the eyes.

"Shoot." I say, waiting for her to continue.

"Do Nyx and Chradh ever…" She trails off, "You know? Get intimate?"

I crack a smile, "You want to know if my dragon and her mate fuck? Of course they do."

Rhiannon smiles, but Violet's the one who responds, "Have you done anything because of that?"

"Wait? Did Tairn and Sgaeyl have sex after he started channeling?" Rhiannon asks.

Violet nods, "It felt like I was on fire, I'll never look at Liam the same."

I blink in shock, smiling faltering, "Did you and Liam-"

Violet cuts me off, "Gods no! But when I looked at him I wanted to." My shoulder's sag in relief. Liam and Violet can do whatever they want. I don't know why I'm happy that they didn't, but I don't focus on that. "I slammed the door in his face before I did something I would regret."

"So what? You want to know if I've ever done anything I regret because of Nyx's emotions?" Violet nods at my question. "Luckily no. The first time it happened, it woke me up in the middle of the night. I just got out of bed and went for a cold shower when I realized what was happening."

There's a brief pause, "The second time it happened, I locked myself in my room and handled things myself. I don't need someone else to please me."

"You didn't even go to Sawyer?" Rhi asks.

I shake my head, "Even though I enjoy my time with Sawyer, I'd feel guilty if we had sex because of Nyx's emotions. It wouldn't feel like I was 100 percent in control. And that's not fair to Sawyer."

Violet sighs, "That's what I'm nervous about." She pauses, looking down before looking back at Rhiannon and me. "Gods this is awkward… but last night after I slammed the door on Liam and told him to go to bed… I ran into Xaden." I raise an eyebrow waiting for her to continue, "We kissed. I don't even know what I was thinking."

"Well you weren't. At least not clearly." I shrug, "You find Xaden attractive, Xaden finds you attractive-"

"He does?" Violet interrupts.

"I mean… he didn't actually tell me that but I'm not dumb, and he's not either. He absolutely finds you attractive he just doesn't know when to admit his feelings… Fucking men." I roll my eyes. Most men never know when to admit their feelings, at least not until months, possibly years, of pining. "But anyways, your dragons emotions were adding on top of your own, it made it more difficult for you to resist, especially when the channeling is so new."

"I can't believe you waited this long to tell us." Rhiannon says. "And that's not judgment. Far from it. I'm all for you exploring… whatever it is you want to explore."

"Agreed, I approve. Xaden could use someone like you." I smile.

"I've been with Liam from the second I walked out the door this morning, and last night I was a little too discombobulated to put it into words." Violet rolls her shoulder, adjusting how she's sitting, "Between Tairn channeling and then everything else, it was just a night."

"Good point." Rhiannon says, then her smile widens, "Was it good? Tell me it was good. That man looks like he knows exactly what he's doing."

I laugh, "Oh gods, do I want to hear this? You know what? Just don't give details, yes or no?"

Violet's face flushes, "It was just a kiss… But yeah. He knows exactly what he's doing." Her brows furrow in thought.

"Second thoughts?" Rhi questions. "You look like maybe there are third thoughts, even."

"No," Violet shakes her head, "Well, maybe? But only if it makes stuff weird between us."

"I don't see Xaden letting a kiss become weird." I say.

"Yeah." Rhiannon agrees, "You guys are stuck together for the rest of your careers. Lives, too. Have you guys talked about what happens after he graduates?" Rhiannon turns to me, "Or you and Garrick for that matter?" She turns back to Violet, "Oh, I bet you get the choice of duty stations. Wingleaders always get to pick."

"He'll get to pick." Violet grumbles. "I will have to follow. Tairn and Sgaeyl haven't been separated for years. Her last rider died almost fifty years ago, and as far as I know, she flew wherever and whenever she wanted to be near Tairn before Naolin - his last rider - died in Tyrrendor. It's a two-day flight to that part of the border, depending on where he's stationed, so what are we going to do next year and the year after that?"

"He'll probably choose somewhere close so it's easier to get Sgaeyl and Tairn together. I don't know what Garrick and I are going to do." I reply.

"Not sure," Rhiannon shrugs, "Feirge said we won't be able to be apart more than a couple of days, so does that mean one of you always has to follow the other?"

I shrug as Violet answers, "No clue. I think that's why most mated pairs bond within the same year, so they don't have these issues. How am I - we -" She changes her words, looking at me, "supposed to stay competitive next year if we're constantly flying off to the front line with Tairn and Nyx? How is Xaden and Garrick supposed to be effective if they have to fly back here all the time?" Violet's face scrunches, "Xaden's the most powerful rider of our generation. He's going to be needed on the front, not here."

"For now," Rhiannon stares at Violet, lifting her brows. "He's the most powerful rider in our generation for now." She turns to look at me, just as intensely. She's indicating that Violet and I are going to be more powerful.

"What-" Violet starts but a knock stops her from continuing.

"Rhi?" Liam asks through the door, panic evident in his voice. "Is Sorrengail in there with you? Because-"

Rhiannon opens the door causing Liam to stumble inside. He catches his balance, eyes sweeping the room, stopping on Vi. "There you are! I went to the bathroom, and you disappeared!"

"No one's trying to assassinate her in my room, Mairi." Rhi rolls her eyes. "You don't have to be with her every second of every fucking day. Now give us five minutes and then we'll start walking to class." She pushes his chest and he retreats. His mouth opens and closes, trying to form an argument. But before he can, Rhiannon closes the door on his face.

"He's…" Violet sighs, "dedicated."

"That's one word for it," Rhiannon mutters, "You'd think that guy owes Riorson his life or something, the way he sticks to you like glue."

I look down avoiding eye contact, "He does." I whisper, "We all do." Violet and Rhiannon's gaze flicker to mine. The unasked question floating between us, "Don't worry about it. Story for another time." I wave my hand, brushing off the lingering looks.

Rhiannon hesitates but decides against trying to ask more, "Oh!" Her eyes light up, "Something happened with me last night, too."

"Do go on." Violet says, intrigued.

"All right," Rhiannon takes a deep breath, "I've only done it three times. Twice last night and once this morning, so be patient for a second."

"Of course," Violet says, nodding.

"Absolutely," I agree.

"Watch the book on my desk." Rhiannon says, nodding towards the book.

Violet and I both turn, focusing our gazes on the book. A minute passes but nothing happens, just as I start thinking that nothing will, the book disappears from the desk. My jaw drops open as I stare at the empty spot. Violet jumps up, whipping around to look at Rhiannon, "What the hell, Rhi? What just-"

I turn to look at Rhiannon as well, she's holding a book with a wide grin. "Is that the same book?" I ask, standing next to Violet.

Rhiannon nods, "I guess I can summon!"

"Holy shit!" Violet grabs Rhiannon's shoulders, "That's amazing! That's… incredible! I don't even have words for what this is!"

My smile stretches across my face, "Fucking brilliant!" I laugh.

"Right?" Rhiannon clutches the book to her chest, "I can only to it from a few feet away, and I can't go through walls or anything."

"Yet!" Violet and I say in unison.

"You can't go through walls yet." Vi continues, "Rhi. That's the kind of rare signet that's going to make your entire career!"

"I hope so." Rhiannon stands, putting the book back on her desk, "I just have to develop it."

"You will." I say. Minutes later, the three of us plus Liam are joined with Ridoc and Sawyer as we walk towards the academic building.

"I finished this for you." Liam says, handing Violet a wooden figurine.

It's Tairn, "That is… incredible. Thank you," Violet says.

"Thanks," Liam smiles, dimple popping. "I wanted to carve Andarna first, but I'm not around her as much, you know?"

"She's pretty private," Violet says.

"Unlike Aether, who always needs to be nearby. He's very clingy." I grin.

"You love it." Aether huffs.

"Of course I do." I reassure.

"Really, I love it. Thank you." Violet says again. The hallway clears as we walk closer to Professor Carr's room.

"You're welcome." Liam replies, he turns towards Rhiannon, "I'm starting Feirge next."

"Make sure to get her full badassery." Rhi jokes. Violet looks behind us, lost in her own thoughts. "We're going to be late," Rhiannon says, bringing Violet back into the conversation.

"Vi, can we talk?" Dain asks, coming up behind us.

"Now?" Violet asks.

Dain grimaces, nodding, "I tried to catch you after formation, but you disappeared pretty quickly, and after what happened last night, I figure now is better than later."

"It might be convenient for you to want to talk after weeks of ignoring me, but I have class right now." Her grip on her bag tightens.

"We have a couple of minutes, please?" He doesn't look at the rest of us, choosing to stay focused on Vi.

Violet glances at Rhiannon and I. Both of us glaring at Dain, "I'll be right in." We nod, Rhiannon turns around, walking into the classroom. I hesitate for a brief moment before following Rhi, and making sure to grab Liam to bring him inside the classroom too.

We wait just inside the door for Violet to finish her conversation with Dain. Once she walks through, her eyes scan the room. "Finally ready to join us, Cadet Sorrengail?" Carr asks.

"Yes, sir." She nods.

"Signet power?"

"Not yet." Violet shakes her head, we slowly make our way to our seats as Violet and Carr exchange words.

"I see." Carr clucks his tongue, "You know your siblings were both gifted by extraordinary signet powers. Mira's ability to manifest a ward around her and her squad has been an absolute asset to her wing, and she's been highly decorated for her valor behind enemy lines."

Violet forces a smile, "Yes. Mira is an inspiration."

"And Brennan…" Carr continues, "Menders are so very rare, and to lose one so young was tragic."

"I think losing Brennan is the tragedy." She lifts her bag higher, "But the loss of his signet was a definite blow to the wings."

"Hmm." Carr hums, "Well, it seems the Sorrengail line is blessed, even in a rider as… well, delicate as you are." What an asshole. "With Tairn having chosen you, we'll expect nothing but an earth-shattering signet from you. You can start with the lesser magics through your relic."

"No pressure." Violet mumbles.

"He had a very similar conversation to me when I started the class because of Xaden's powerful signet and Nyx being powerful." I roll my eyes.

"Don't stress." Rhiannon mutters back, "That's what I was trying to say earlier. You are Tairn's rider. And you Nyx's."

"What do you mean?" Violet asks.

"You're all worried about the integrity of the wing because Riorson might have to visit to keep his dragon happy, but Violet, he's not the most powerful rider of our generation. You both are. Bonding not only extremely powerful dragons but two dragons."

Violet looks at me in shock, "She's not wrong." I shrug, indifferent.

"Now let's begin." Carr says from the front of the room.

*_*_*_*_*

December has turned to January and I still haven't developed a second signet. It's been three months since I first started channeling which means I have three more months for a second signet to develop without people questioning me.

Violet is also still waiting for a signet to appear but at least she only started channeling last month. She still has five months before she needs to develop a signet. Ridoc can wield ice, a common signet but badass nonetheless. Liam has farsight, he can see an object or person from miles away. Rhiannon and Sawyer both practice their signets daily, and the growth in their power shows.

Xaden helps me with my telepathy as much as possible, usually 2-3 times a week. I've grown so used to shielding that I don't need to think about it anymore. I can easily infiltrate others minds without sending my thoughts to them as well. But I don't usually do this unless it's during a fight. The only person I practice sending my thoughts to is Xaden. No one else knows about my secret signet and I plan on keeping it that way.

There's no flight field today, the dragons have deemed it too cold. I'm not the biggest fan of the cold but I hate not having flight lessons. We'll need to know how to fly in all types of weather once we're out of the quadrant. Plus no flight field means I don't get to see Nyx and Aether.

I stand beside Liam, Ridoc, and Violet. Emetterio is calling out matches. Rhiannon is already on a mat fighting a first year from Second Wing. Sawyer is on another mat fighting a first year from Third Wing. "Mat seventeen, Jack Barlowe from First Wing versus…" Emetterio's brows raise, "Violet Sorrengail."

"Absolutely the fuck not." I say, eyes wide as I look between Jack, Violet, and Emetterio.

"No fucking way," Ridoc mutters.

"Finally!" Jack throws his hands in the air.

"Let's do this." Violet says, rolling her shoulders and heading towards the mat.

The three of us follow Violet towards the mat, "Tell me I can break my promise." Liam says to her.

My eyes narrow in confusion, "The third years are off doing third year things," Violet replies, "You can't get to him in time, but I know what it means to you to keep your word. Especially with him. Go ahead."

Liam turns towards me and Ridoc, "Guard her like you're me."

"You mean like I'm six inches taller and built like a bull?" Ridoc gives him a thumbs up, "Sure. I'll do my best. In the meantime, you'd better run."

"Quickly." I add.

Liam looks back towards Violet, "Stay alive."

"Working on it, and not just for my sake." Violet smiles at him, "Thanks for being a great shadow." Liam rushes out of the room at her parting words.

"He's going to try to kill you, you need to go for the weak spots. Knees, throat, eyes, and groin." I say before she walks on the mat. She nods in acknowledgment.

"Barlowe and Sorrengail," Emetterio calls from the opposite side of the mat. "Weapons?"

Jack bounces on the balls of his feet, "Anything she can hold in those puny hands of hers."

"No wielding," Emetterio reminds them, eyeing Jack. "Tap out or knockout earns you a victory." Jack is going to go for killing blows and we all know it.

Jack and Violet face each other. Jack only has one knife in his hand, "You're kidding, right?" Violet asks him, "Only one?"

"I only need one." Jack replies, a sadistic smirk on his face.

"Keep it clean." Emetterio warns, "Go." I watch with baited breath. Ridoc is tense beside me. Jack lunges for Violet, she slices her dagger across the back of his hand, earning first blood.

"Shit!" He jumps back, out of striking distance.

"Come on, Vi." I mutter.

Jack kicks out, aiming for Violet's midsection. She narrowly avoids the blow. "Bet you wish you could throw that blade, don't you?" Jack taunts.

"Bet you wish you didn't know what it feels like to dig out one of my knives, don't you?" She retorts.

Jack's lips tighten. He surges forward, using his strength and size to his advantage. He easily kicks Violet's dagger out of her hand. I suck in a breath, she needs to win this. She uses her speed, ducking and diving to swipe her other dagger at him. "Damn it!" He yells in rage.

Jack catches Violet off guard. He flips her over his back to the mat. He keeps her arm locked, thrusting his knife at her chest. Thank gods he doesn't know about her armor, it just saved her life.

"He's using death blows!" I call out.

"That's not allowed!" Ridoc shouts.

"Pull it back, Barlowe!" Emetterio bellows.

Jack has Violet pinned, but then she listens to my advice, kicking him right in the balls. He falls to his knees allowing Violet to stand up. Where the fuck is Xaden and Liam? "Tap out." Violet says, she picks up the dagger she dropped. "I can cut you open at any second. Both you and I know if this were real life, you'd be done."

"If this were real life, I would have killed you the second you stepped foot on the mat." Jack seethes.

"Tap. Out." Violet repeats.

"Fuck off!" He yells, throwing his dagger.

Violet throws her hands up, the knife lodges in her forearm, blood falling from the wound. "No throwing!" Emetterio scolds. My heart is beating fast in my chest, I swear I can hear it. Jack's fist slams into Violet's cheek. His knee rams into her stomach. His hands clasp her face. A scream, guttural and loud, rips from her lips.

"He's using his powers!" Ridoc yells. Ridoc, Emetterio and I all stop forward. They both try and grab Jack's arms to pull him away, but when they touch his skin, they hiss in pain, tearing their hands away. Violet shakily reaches her arm up, shoving her closed fist at Jack's mouth.

Jack jerks away, falling to the ground. But he can die for all I care, my focus is on Violet. I catch her as she falls forward, gently laying her on the mat. I feel a sudden surge of power as I gently cradle her face. I watch as the scrape on her cheek closes, then the knife wound on her forearm where Jack's knife once was.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Someone asks from behind us. Ridoc is kneeling at Violet's other side, watching her wounds close in amazement.

"Oranges," Violet whispers. Her breathing is coming a little easier, but I can tell she's exhausted. "He's allergic to oranges." Ridoc relays the information to Emetterio and not a moment later, Xaden and Liam come through the door.

I look up at them, "She'll be fine. Or at least I'm pretty sure she will be." I look towards Ridoc then back at Violet, before finally looking back to Xaden and Liam, "My signet manifested… I'm a mender." Xaden's eyes light up.

For a brief moment I open my mind to him, "Focus on Vi, we can talk about this later."

Xaden kneels beside Violet, picking her up, "We'll definitely be talking about this later."

*_*_*_*_*

Liam

It's a couple hours before curfew, a week after Violet's match against Barlowe. She's gone to bed early because she's been training nonstop with Xaden. I knock on (Y/N)'s door, we haven't had a lot of time to hang out, just the two of us, since I've been told to watch over Violet.

She answers after a few seconds, "Hey," She says, looking past me, "Where's Vi?"

"Her room. Said she was tired, wanted to go to bed early." I reply.

(Y/N) nods, then grabs my wrist, pulling me into her room. "Xaden's been really working her. I'm not surprised she's tired. But she needs it."

I nod, "It's only going to benefit her in the end. She's stronger than she gives herself credit for but…"

"She's still not as strong as she should be as a rider." (Y/N) finishes for me, "What she lacks in strength she makes up in intelligence. If it wasn't for her weaponizing oranges she probably wouldn't had survived. Though I do wish she just let Jack die."

I chuckle, "Definitely would had made the rest of our lives easier." I sit down on the edge of her bed as she reclaims her spot against the headrest. "So, how's your mending practice?"

She rolls her eyes, "You know how it is. We sit next to each other in Carr's class."

Before I can reply her door opens, Xaden walks through. He pauses as he looks between his sister and me, "Where's Violet?"

"Her room, she went to bed early." I reassure. Xaden nods, his eyes lock on (Y/N). They're both silent but it looks like they're communicating. There's subtle changes in their lips and eyes.

Finally Xaden moves, he grabs the chair at her desk, "So… mending." He pauses, "I haven't gotten the chance to talk with you about it."

(Y/N) shrugs, "It's a signet."

I roll my eyes at the casualness of her words, "It's an exceptionally rare signet. One that's powerful and important."

"Exactly." Xaden agrees, "How's it coming along?"

"Fine, Carr wants me to start working with Nolon. Instead of going to the classroom, I'm going to be going to the healers quadrant. I start Wednesday." (Y/N) replies.

"You didn't tell me that, is that why he held you after class today?" I ask.

(Y/N) nods, "I'm not sure if I trust Nolon. I mean I'm sure he'll teach me fine, and what better teacher than someone with the same signet? But I don't know… he gives me bad vibes."

"Well, you don't need to trust him, just learn from him." Xaden says. "I'm glad the signet is working out for you. You're going to be in high demand. Once you graduate, Garrick is going to have to follow you whereever you're needed."

I involuntarily tense at Xaden's words. I know Garrick is going to do everything he can to keep (Y/N) safe, not that she necessarily needs the protection, but knowing that they're bonded for life…

Deigh huffs, "When will you admit you love her?"

I roll my eyes, "Of course I love her, she's my best friend."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

"How's the farsight coming?" (Y/N) asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I nod, "Good." I pause, rubbing the back of my neck, "Actually, I wanted to tell you both something."

"What's going on?" Xaden asks, back straightening.

"I developed a second signet… I can wield ice. I've been practicing on my own, but I'm not very good yet. It only showed a couple of nights ago."

"That's amazing, Li!" (Y/N) exclaims, smile lighting up her face.

"Keep working on it in secret," Xaden says, "The leaders don't know about the marked ones second signets, it'll be used to our advantage when it really matters."

"But not all the marked ones get second signets, right?" (Y/N) asks.

Xaden nods, "Most do, but not everyone." He pauses, "We should all get to bed, it's getting late." Xaden stands up, walking towards (Y/N)'s door.

I stand up too, following behind him, "I'll see you tomorrow, (Y/N)."

"Goodnight." She says back, waving from her spot on her bed.

*_*_*_*_*

(Y/N)

February flies by in a blur. I'm still keeping up on telepathy practice with Xaden but now on top of that and my usual course work, I also am required to complete hours in the healers wing with Nolon to train my mending signet.

I've also been taking a lot of time to keep up with sparring practices. I've defeated everyone in the squad, and even got the help of some of the other marked ones to continue my training. Once it clicked that my signet being mending wasn't going to help me in battle, at least in the sense of fighting, I wanted to focus on my own strength without my signet. Well, without my second signet. My telepathy is still very helpful when fighting and keeps me at an advantage against my opponent.

We stand in formation as Captain Fitzgibbons reads off the death roll, "Sharla Gunter, and Mushin Vedie. We commend their souls to Malek." I shiver as a cold gust of wind sweeps past.

"Vedie?" Violet asks. He was a Second Wing first year.

"You didn't hear?" Rhiannon says, pulling her cloak tighter around her neck, "His signet manifested in the middle of Carr's class yesterday, and he burst into flames."

"He… he burned himself to death?" Violet's eyes widen.

Rhi nods, "Tara said Carr thinks he was supposed to be a fire wielder but it just overwhelmed him in that first rush…"

"And he went up like a torch." Ridoc adds, "Kind of makes you glad your signet's still hiding, huh?"

"Please, I was where Violet was not too long ago, and I was internally panicking the whole fucking time." I say, puffing warm air into my hands.

"You? Panicking?" Sawyer asks, "Unlikely."

I roll my eyes, "I'm just good at hiding it. Can't let anyone know my weaknesses."

"Smart to hold any weakness close to your chest." Nyx's voice enters my head.

"If you have any…" Liam mutters.

"You didn't just pick me for my good looks." I reply to Nyx.

"We chose you because you're brilliant." Aether says.

I smile. "Way to feed my ego."

Rhiannon waves her hand at Liam, "Exactly. He's known you since you were kids and even he doesn't think you have any faults. I'll say it again. Not. Human."

I giggle, "I'll take that as a compliment."

Rhi rolls her eyes, "I will say though, knowing what happened to Vedie, kinda makes me want to skip class today."

"No skipping class," Dain snaps, "We're weeks away from the Squad Battle and we need every single one of you at your best to win."

Imogen snorts, "Come on, Aetos, I think we all know Second Wing has that squad in Tail Section that's going to smoke the rest of us. Have you ever seen them sprint up the Gauntlet? Pretty sure they've been out there even though it's still covered in ice."

"We're going to win," Cianna, the squad executive officer, proclaims, "Sorrengail here might slow us down on the Gauntlet," she wrinkles her nose, "and probably in the wielding department, too, at the rate she's advancing-" I narrow my eyes in a glare.

"Gee, thanks." Violet deadpans, crossing her arms.

"But Rhiannon's skills more than make up for that." Cianna continues, "And we all know Liam, (Y/N), and Heaton are going to decimate on the mat for the challenge competition. That only leaves flight maneuvers, which from what I hear, (Y/N) is doing incredible at. And whatever the wingleaders come up with to judge this year."

"Oh, is that all? Man, I thought it was going to be hard." Ridoc says, sarcasm dripping from his lips.

Dain glares at him, "We're down to eleven of you," he glances at the group, "Thirteen of us in total, which puts us at a slight disadvantage against a couple of other squads, but I think we'll manage-"

We lost two of the new additions last week when the smaller one's signet manifested in battle brief. They both froze to death in seconds, nearly taking out Ridoc. It was a perfect opportunity for me to practice my mending. I healed Ridoc's frostbite in seconds, which he was very thankful for. Now Nadine and Liam are the only two left from the group we acquired after Threshing.

"But in order to manage, I need you guys to get to class." Dain nods at Violet, "Especially you. A signet would be great, you know. If you can make that happen." I roll my eyes, yeah because it's that easy.

Xaden walks up to our group, "She's going to miss Carr's class today." Sawyer clears a path for him, stepping closer to me.

"No I'm not." Violet shakes her head.

"She needs to go," Dain argues, "I mean, unless the wing has more pressing matters for Cadet Sorrengail, her time is best spent developing her wielding skills."

"I think we both know she's not going to manifest a signet in that room. She would have already if that was the key." Xaden glares, "And yes, the wing has more pressing matters for her."

"Sir, I'm just not comfortable with her going a day without at least practicing her wielding, and as her squad leader-"

"For Dunne's sake." Xaden interrupts. He reaches into his pocket and takes out a pocket watch, holding it in his outstretched palm, "Pick it up, Sorrengail." She glances between the two before stretching out her own hand, holding it above the watch.

"You got this." Rhiannon encourages.

"Let her concentrate." Sawyer chides.

The watch plummets to the ground, but Violet snaps her hand back, yanking the watch towards her. She catches it with her left hand. "See? She's practiced. Now, we have things to do." He places a hand on her back, guiding her away from the squad.

Taglist: @littleemissperfecttt @galaxystern08 @thegirlwiththepurpleshelves @lagrandeourse @justannadahfanfictor

[changingplumbob]

Day fifteen - Chloe group part 2/2

@belsasim, @igglemouse, @invisiblequeen, @paracosmic-sims, @perolesims, @simscici

Apolline: *Satisfied smile* Oh, maybe I do have some talent for it, no?

Hana: *very happy* The solo date is going to be great!

Apolline: *flicking her hair* Of course it will. I cannot fail

Hana: Not that I want anyone to but I mean you could... accidents happen

Apolline: *giggles* So funny. I will not fail. You will see Hana

Solo dates were two hours long. Deanna arranged for a beach trip and made some ice cream as a snack. She then did one friendly and one romantic interaction. The rest of the date was whatever happened autonomously.

Hana is happy to be at the beach and enjoys the views. Choosing alternative music she settles down by Deanna to have some ice cream.

Deanna: When you were a kid did you enjoy school?

Hana: Yes, I loved school; I always worked hard to be an A+ student, and it was still fun!

Deanna: I worked super hard for my grades to

Hana: *smiles* It's a nice thing to have in common, work ethic

Deanna: Did you have a dream job as a kid?

Hana: My dream has always been to be a painter

Deanna: I admire that so much. It took me ages to figure out what I should do post high school

Hana: Any memorable ideas?

Deanna: I sort of wanted to be a pirate

Hana: *smiles* You are free to be whatever you want, as long as it makes you happy

Deanna and Hana exchange cooking stories that happened as they learned their heritage cuisines.

Hana: I remember spending some afternoons with my Halmeoni in the kitchen, helping her prepare mandu (Korean dumplings). My Halmeoni patiently showed me how to fold the dough, and we would always laugh when the shapes came out awkward. It was nice, the sound of her laughter.

Some bees crashed the date causing Apolline to flee! Luckily Deanna doesn't fear bugs and managed to get the situation under control for a grateful Apolline.

Apolline (voiceover): Bees! The thick horizontal stripes are a crime towards fashion *scoffs* Obviously one of my siblings is allergic. I don't need to chance death for pistachio gelato

Okay back to the date!

Apolline is happy to be at the beach, once the bugs were cleared off set. She chooses to listen to classical music, a like she and Deanna have in common.

Deanna: When you were a kid did you enjoy school?

Apolline: Certainly. I mean… I tried every extracurricular available in collège, had incredible tutors and was overall pretty respected

Watchers note: collège is middle school in french

Deanna: Did you have a dream job as a kid?

Apolline: I've always wanted to be a fashionista. Personally, I blame Barbie dolls and movies

Deanna: *laughs* There were so many Barbie movies

Apolline: Et toi? What did kid Deanna dream of?

Deanna: I may have wanted to be a pirate

Apolline: It's… Certainly a choice *Polite smile* I suppose viability isn't something very regarded by children, yes?

Deanna: *smiles* definitely a short term plan

Apolline: I believe my first lost tooth was in a recital? I remember being in the middle of a maternelle Jazz routine when I was accidentally pushed to the ground by this other girl, and I hit my mouth. *She smiles, fondly* I never finished the presentation, they had to take me backstage to soothe me. I hated that girl for so long after that. And somehow she… Became my best friend

Deanna: That's sweet. Are you still in touch?

Apolline becomes flustered and her accent gets thicker.

Apolline: We do talk, still. I'm her baby's… Godmother

When everyone was back at the villa contestants had three hours of skill gaining time. Room doors were locked and autonomy turned off to give everyone a fair go.

Elise and Callie decided it was smart to look in to rock climbing while Billie and Hana felt like sharpening their comedy skills online. Lara and Apolline both picked to work on their logic skill.

Devin: Last two solo dates from party frenzy completed. How are you feeling about them?

Deanna: Pretty good. No gold level or anything but bonding happened for sure. And they both flirted back which was lovely

Devin: And how are you feeling about all ten dates if you look back on them?

Deanna: It was great to spend some solo time with contestants. I'm hoping that some of the others will win other challenges though. There's so many I'd love to know more about

When skill time was over room doors were unlocked, autonomy was put back to full, and contestants were instructed to eat dinner. Needs decay had been on the whole day. Deanna was not instructed to talk to anyone so interactions happened autonomously, she was also locked out of rooms so she would be available for contestants to interact with.

Things were calm over dinner, it seemed like playing games together had helped them all become closer friends. Hana didn't seem to mind Lara now (but perhaps that's because Hana had won two challenges in a row?), and most had gotten used to Apolline being... herself. Callie was lovely and did the dishes for everyone.

Surprising me all contestants chose to sit at the table and talk until 10 (Billie did make herself some coffee though). Some bonded with Deanna but it also allowed them to bond with each other, several times someone would say something and the +friendship icon would appear over most sims heads. Working together may be a good strategy to help these contestants long term.