#conclusion: tori's are still the best

[yume-fanfare]

though now that im looking at this more closely. there are a bunch of things shoe-wise that i didn't expect. tomoya's are orange

+ non height-accurate image i threw together of the guys missing here

[neeksparksg]

Not so Secret

Tori Vega had always believed herself to be good at reading people, and recently she had noticed something weird about Jade

It all started during lunch when Beck wasn’t there. He’d called in sick that morning, Tori had half-expected Jade to sulk in the corner, growling at anyone who dared approach, but instead, during a class she saw Jade quietly texting someone, a small, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips. And then there was Y/N.

Y/N had been friends with Jade since childhood, a fact Tori had only recently learned. It is not that Tori didn’t knew him, He tend to hang out with them quite often, but  He was the kind of guy who preferred to stay under the radar, but then he was sitting with Jade, a bit too close Tori found it odd, but she didn’t think much of it until later that afternoon.

It was during a lull in her day that Tori saw it: Jade and Y/N walking off together. she spotted them slipping out the side door of Hollywood Arts. Jade glanced over her shoulder, her fingers brushing against Y/N’s arm before they disappeared around the corner.

“Okay, that’s weird,” Tori murmured to herself.

Her curiosity got the better of her. After all, Jade and Y/N had always seemed close, but not that close. And with Beck out of the picture for the day, Tori couldn’t help but wonder what they were up to. She followed at a safe distance

They walked down the street, talking in a way that seemed far too casual for Jade. She seemed Relaxed. Even... affectionate? Tori’s eyes widened as she saw Jade playfully shove Y/N, a smirk tugging at her lips.

“No way,” Tori whispered. “She’s not... cheating on Beck, is she?”

Her heart pounded as she continued to follow them. She needed proof before she said anything. This was Beck and Jade’s relationship on the line, and she wasn’t about to jump to conclusions. Still, the way Jade and Y/N were acting set off all kinds of alarms in her head.

By the time they reached Y/n’s house, Tori’s mind was racing. She couldn’t see much from where she was, looking around she notice an old tree house near a window, she probably shouldn’t do it, but curiosity got the best of her, so she climbed it from inside there she had a clear view of what she assumed was Y/n’s room, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. She needed backup.

“Andre I need your help” she hissed into the phone after Calling Andre. “I think Jade is cheating on Beck.”

“What? Tori, are you serious?” Andre’s voice crackled through the speaker.

“I’m outside Y/n’s house right now. She’s with Y/N. They’ve been sneaking around all afternoon.”

“Alright, we’re coming,” Andre said, his tone serious. “Don’t do anything until we get there.”

Within ten minutes, the rest of the group had arrived. They all silently climbed into the three house, peeping through the window to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside. Jade and Y/N were in his room, they were sitting on his bed and to everyone’s shock, Jade leaned in and kissed him.

“Oh my God,” Cat whispered, her eyes wide.

“I can’t believe this,” Robbie said

“We have to do something” Tori said, her voice low but determined. “This isn’t right. Beck deserves to know.”

While they discussed on what to do Beck walked in, looking pale but otherwise fine. The group froze, they half expected him to start screaming or to confront them, but Jade and Y/N greeted Beck warmly. And then, to the group’s utter disbelief, Beck kissed Jade... and then Y/N.

“What the...” Andre whispered.

The group watched in stunned silence as the three of them sat down on the bed and start making out. Tori’s mind raced as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.

“Are they... all together?” Robbie asked, voicing what everyone was thinking.

“It looks like it,” Andre answered, they keep watching out of shock, they didn’t expect that, and soon stared wondering for how long this had been going on, however as thing started to escalate inside the room, Tori was the first to react

Tori shook her head. “We should leave” the others agreed with her, not really wanting to see what was happening

“do we? I mean we could-“ Rex started talking but Robbie was quick to shut him up, as Andre was going to step down the latter it fell down leaving them trapped, and if it wasn’t bad enough it was loud enough to alert those inside the room

The window opened revealing a very angry looking Jade “What Are you doing here?” she ask her tone ice cold, she glaring daggers at them, with both boys behind her, Beck looked confused, and Y/n had his arms crossed

Tori hesitated, suddenly unsure of what to say. “We, uh... we saw you guys through the window.”

“Why?” Y/n asked

“well, I saw you and Jade sneaking out” Tori said, her voice faltering. “and well We may have thought she may be cheating on Beck with You?” Y/n couldn’t help but laugh, he couldn’t blame them for thinking that, but he found the situation funny, the same couldn’t be said of Jade and Beck, Jade just seemed even more angry and beck was still as confused

“you thought I was cheating on my Boyfriend with our Boyfriend, how stupid are you?” she was clearly pissed, not only because they interrupted her but because of the accusations, however Beck was first to intervene, he gently pushed Jade towards Y/n arms, and looked at their friends

“you guys didn’t know we are dating?” he ask, as if their situation was obvious

“uh no” Answered Andre,

Beck, still calmer than anyone expected. "well, Jade, Y/N, and I have been together for a while now. We thought you guys knew."

Andre blinked, looking between the three of them. "but then why all the secrecy and and the sneaking around."

Y/N chuckled, his hands resting lightly on Jade’s shoulders trying to calm her. "We weren’t exactly sneaking, Andre. And neither have we been secretly, we have been very openly about it as far as I can remember”

"Wait, so how long has this been going on?" Robbie asked, still holding Rex mouth shut.

"About a year now," Beck replied casually, shrugging. "We’ve been figuring things out since Jade and I realized we both had feelings for Y/N. It wasn’t easy at first, but..." He glanced at Jade and Y/N with a small, genuine smile. "It works for us."

Cat tilted her head, her expression wide-eyed and curious. "But... how does it work? Like, do you all kiss each other? Or—"

"Cat," Jade snapped, her tone sharp though her cheeks flushed slightly. "That’s none of your business."

"But it’s cool, though!" Cat quickly added, her hands waving in front of her. "I mean, as long as you’re all happy!"

Tori shook her head, still overwhelmed. "I guess I just don’t get why you didn’t tell us."

"Maybe because it’s not something we owe anyone," Jade shot back, her glare unwavering. "And honestly, we didn’t think it was that complicated. I thought you guys were supposed to be smart and had figure it out, I have been making out with both of them all over Hollywood arts."

Andre raised his hands defensively. "Hey, no judgment here. We were just... surprised, that’s all. We didn’t mean to barge in on your business."

"Yeah," Robbie added nervously. "We only followed you because, well... Tori kind of thought you were cheating, and..."

Cat’s interrupted Robbie "um, can we maybe talk about this somewhere not in a treehouse? I’m kind of scared of heights."

Andre started down the ladder "Uh, yeah... About that..."

Beck raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you’re stuck up there?"

"Yeah, the ladder broke," Andre admitted sheepishly.

Jade’s eyes narrowed dangerously, a wicked smile tugging at her lips. "So, let me get this straight. You spied on us, invaded our privacy, and now you want us to help you?"

"Jade," Beck said softly, though he couldn’t entirely hide his amusement.

Jade turned to him and Y/N. "You know, we do have those plans, remember? We’re running late now thanks to this little... treehouse party."

Y/N caught on quickly, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Oh, right. Those plans. Very important."

Beck sighed, though there was a hint of a smirk on his lips. "Guys, you’re not seriously leaving them up there, are you?"

"Why not?" Jade shot back. "They can reflect on how stupid this was while we’re out."

"Jade!" Tori called after her as she began walking away, dragging Y/N and Beck by their hands. "You can’t just leave us here!"

"Watch me," Jade called over her shoulder. "We’ll be back... eventually."

[shiorimakibawrites]

Two Ships Passing in the Night (The Phantom #3)

Word Count: ~4600 words Pairing: Matt Murdock x Project Beagle! Reader Summary: You and Matt each go about your respective week. Warnings: Religion, Bible quote, referenced child abuse, referenced injuries, guilt, swearing, drinking The Phantom Matt Murdock/Daredevil Masterlist My Masterlist A03 link

Chapter 3: Two Ships Passing in the Night

Matt expected you to be gone when he returned from work but the empty apartment still stung a little. At least you didn't bolt the second you thought I was too far to give chase, he thought ruefully, shedding his suit jacket.

In fact, he observed as he loosened his tie, it seemed like you had remained here for several hours. Your scent trail leading away from the apartment indicated you had left…maybe in the afternoon? A conclusion supported by his apartment was clean as a whistle with the scent of his cleaning products lingering in the air. It wasn't quite enough to cover the lingering scent of hair dye but at least you had been courteous enough not to leave the used bottle and gloves here to stink up the place…

Courtesy or paranoia. Deposing of the gloves off-site and the cleaning also eradicated the bulk of your fingerprints from his apartment. But is it really paranoia when someone really is out to get you?

Matt filed that away as a potential clue about your hunter. Someone with access to fingerprint databases wasn't exactly a smoking gun but that's how cases were built. A little piece here, another little piece there until he had a target. Finding your hunter wasn't all that different from his own investigation into the shadowy figure crouched like a spider at the center of a web of crime.

Less attributable to paranoia was that you had done his laundry along with your own clothes, leaving the clothes folded and stacked on his bed in orderly piles. Another courtesy, perhaps, showing that you hadn't tried to snoop? Or just being polite enough not to mess with his organizational system? Impossible to know but it was nice knowing he didn't need to carve out time for laundry.

He opened the fridge to retrieve a beer and discovered yet another parting gift. A casserole? He trained his senses on it — eggs, cheese, herbs…potatoes and spinach? When had he bought spinach? He couldn't remember. Wasn't entirely certain when he had last gone grocery shopping either. He knew, logically, that eating in was cheaper than take out. Making his own food meant he got to control exactly what was going into his meals.

But he hated grocery shopping. Nothing was labeled in braille. Sometimes the shelves got completely rearranged so he ended with ten cans of dog food instead of black beans…or people just left things where they didn't belong. Add in the buzz of fluorescent lights, carts with squeaky wheels, lots of voices within a small space that often seemed designed to be as echoy as possible. Then there was the smells - bodies, perfumes, cleaning supplies, food….

By the time he got home, he often had a migraine pounding through his temples. Which killed any desire he had to eat, let alone cook anything.

Furthermore, between his long hours at Landman & Zack and his night job, Matt was often too tired to cook. Sometimes he managed breakfast but that was about it.

He didn't normally eat eggs for dinner but he wasn't fool enough to turn down a home-cooked meal. He cut out a square. It already smelled good cold but as it warmed up? Matt's mouth started watering. It was a simple meal, perhaps, but simple didn't mean. A simple meal well made went a long way in his book.

He had to hold back a moan at the first mouthful. It tasted as good as it smelled. As good as Mama Nelson's egg-bakes. He'd have to take Foggy some tomorrow. It was their last day at Landman & Zack and his best friend deserved a treat for that. Normally that would mean going to Josie's after work but Foggy had volunteered to watch his cousins Lori and Tori this weekend while their parents were out of town.

One more day, Matt reminded himself. Just one more day. Then he and Foggy would be taking cases that they could be proud of. Represent clients who needed their help far more than some large corporation or the wealthy did. No more clients or partners who made his teeth clench and his fists itch…

Just one more day…

Later, as he prepared to head out, he wondered if you had found his real name while you were here. And if he would run into you again tonight.

<scene break>

Your momentary bed wasn't nearly as fluffy as the Devil's. Which wasn't all that surprising considering the later was full-sized beast with a mattress topper while this was a simple cot. But it wasn't uncomfortable and it was clean. Both of which went a long way in your books. A little cot with a single mattress beat the hell out of a cold, hard floor.

Snuggled under a blanket, listening to the distant rumble of the streets, you fell asleep.

<scene break>

You were woken by footsteps. Brisk but soft enough that the walker was clearly trying to be quiet. Not sneaky quiet but more like respectful that someone nearby might still be asleep kind of quiet. Someone less paranoid than you might have slept through it. However you were that paranoid. So within seconds, you were awake but playing possum until you had a better idea of who was down here. Father Lantom might be a good egg but your paranoia was too well rooted.

The walker made a beeline for the washing machines. It wasn't hard to figure out why. Even from here, you could smell the faint but distinctive sour odor of vomit and sweat. Someone was sick? Luckily you were facing in the direction of the washing machines so carefully cracked open your eyes. A woman dressed in a black nun's habit was transferring sheets and child-sized pajamas from a laundry bag into the machine.

Seemed like a lot of laundry bags at her feet. Shouldn't someone be helping her?

Accepting that you were unlikely to go back asleep anytime soon — and this nun almost certainly knew you were here — you stopped pretending to be asleep and sat up in the bed.

It didn't take the nun very long to notice. She paused in her work, turning to face you. She was an older woman, somewhere between your age and Father Lantom, with dark eyes.

"Good morning," she said. "Ms.Smith, was it?"

"Yes, Mary Smith," you said. Maybe it was the habit or the nun thing in general, but the woman had air of strict sternness. "Good Morning Sister?"

"Maggie Grace."

"Nice to meet you, Sister Maggie," you said. You gestured to the pile of laundry bags. "Lots of laundry you've got there."

Sister Maggie shrugged. "Ora et labora, prayer and work, is the life of a nun. There is always a lot of laundry to do. We have many children under our care."

"And that means one person has to do all those kiddos laundry all by their little lonesome?" You asked, arching an eyebrow. That would expect the why Sister Maggie looked so tired.

"Well no," she said. "Normally we tackle it in pairs but some of my sisters are ill."

"Along with some of the kids, I'm guessing?" you asked, reaching for your shoes.

Sister Maggie seem to hesitate, studying you with sharp eyes. There was something vaguely familiar about that look but you couldn't put your finger on what. Maybe Father Lantom? He gave you the same kind of searching look yesterday…You didn't press her for an answer. But even your pre-coffee brain could appreciate someone who seemed to respect her charges' privacy enough to answer random questions about them from a stranger. Even if that question was something as innocuous as whether they had a cold.

"If you can point in the direction of coffee," you said. "I can give you a hand with that laundry, if you like?"

The nun looked surprised at your offer. But you made it for much the same reason that you had cleaned up the Devil's apartment and did his laundry — to keep the books balanced. Father Lantom might be a good person and Sister Maggie seemed like one but it was still better not to get into anyone's debt.

Besides, unless you were too sick to move or too exhausted to do anything but sleep, you weren't good at doing nothing. You always got restless sooner or later. Then you'd have to move, have to do something. Helping out was more productive than pacing around the basement like a caged tiger.

And, to be completely pragmatic about it, being helpful was beneficial for you. It tended to leave people with the impression of you as hardworking and nice, which often deposed them to find armed, shady men sniffing around or asking odd questions about you extremely suspicious. A reaction that had alerted you to trouble in time to escape more than once.

"We have a drip machine in the office," said Sister Maggie, before a mischievous grin spread across her face. "But if you want something fancier, Father Lantom is always looking for the chance to show off his latte skills."

<scene break>

One sip and you understand why Father Lantom wanted to show off. This was a top notch latte. And you would know – you had worked as a barista several times.

“If this Jesus thing ever gets boring for you,” you said. “You’ve got a bright future as a barista.”

"And you haven't even tried my mocha," said Lantom.

"You also do mocha?"

Brownie points for you, you managed to make that sound casual and mildly curious. Your last identity was a person who stopped by the coffee shop everyday for their sugary, extremely specific coffee order. Mary Smith, however, was mostly a drip coffee machine at home girlie. She'd take the occasional latte (or mocha) as a treat, especially if someone else was paying, but otherwise didn't see the point of the expense. After all, she had perfectly good coffee right here at home…

<scene break>

Matt felt a relief that he couldn't quite put into words. A tension, a tightness between his shoulder blades had been there for so long that he had almost forgotten about it, had eased. Besides him, he could sense the same release from Foggy. There was a spring in his step that hadn't been there in a long time, despite the late hour and that he was burdened with the box with their personal items.

"All on our own now, buddy," Foggy said with pretend mournfulness. "No more free bagels."

"There's more to life than free bagels, Fog."

"That's an easy thing to say when you've got a girlfriend making you delicious egg-bakes," Foggy retorted. "And why haven't you introduced me?"

"Mary's not my girlfriend."

Matt didn't need eyesight to know Foggy was leveling a skeptical look at him right now. "Sure, she isn't."

"We're just friends."

If we're even that much, Matt thought. He didn't even know your real name. And despite being obviously lonely, you had been very guarded. For a good reason, he reminded himself. She's being hunted. By someone you obviously considered powerful and dangerous. The fear had come through just as strongly as the loneliness and despair.

Foggy huffed. "Whatever you say, Matt. And you still haven't answered my question. Why haven't you introduced your bestest friend to your friend who just happens to be a girl?"

Despite Foggy's joking tone, Matt could hear the underlying hurt in those words. The fear that Matt would, like some of Foggy's so-called friends between middle and high school, decide that Foggy was too silly or otherwise embarrassing to be his friend anymore. Which was never going to happen. If anything, Foggy was going to realize that Matt wasn't good enough…

"Mary's skittish of new people," Matt explained, picking his words carefully. "And is dealing with some trouble right now that's eating up a lot of her energy."

Foggy made a sympathetic noise. "Well, let me know if there is anything I can do to help."

Matt had to smile. Foggy liked to tease him for being a bleeding heart but Foggy wasn't much better in that regard. "I will, thanks Fog."

"No problem," he said, all hurt gone from his voice and all was forgiven. Matt really didn't deserve him.

"Any fun plans with Lori and Tori?" Matt asked, changing the subject away from Mary. He knew being Uncle Foggy to the littles in the Nelson clan was one of Foggy's favorite things, something he could talk about for hours. And sure enough, he immediately took the bait.

"Oh loads! I'm taking them to the zoo tomorrow…"

<scene break>

You were in a holding pattern, waiting for your bank cards to arrive and for potential employers to call you back for interviews. You had spent what time you hadn't been helping Sister Maggie yesterday applying for what you could but you needed a break from entering the same information again and again. You needed time outside. And since Sister Maggie was taking the kids to confession, it seemed like a good time as any to skedaddle for a while.

You could have simply wandered around but you had learned the hard way that your powers had to be regularly used or you lost control over them. So you decided to give your abilities a workout by tackling some of the missing pet notices pinned to the church's bulletin board. Twenty was better at tracking — your thread abilities seem to gravitate more toward reconnaissance — but you weren't a complete slouch in that department.

And yes, the mention of a reward on some of them was a motivating factor. You couldn't depend on the charity of Father Lantom and the sisters at St. Agnes forever.

<scene break>

Matt stood in front of Clinton Church, arguing with himself.

He should go inside. Father Lantom was hearing confession. Matt didn't have to listen in to know that. The priest had been taken confession from parishioners on Saturday afternoon for as long as Matt could remember. It had been…far too long since Matt's last confession.

He had been using the excuse of being too busy. He had to study. He had to work. Neither had been a lie, exactly. His professors at Columbia loved catching students out on Monday for not doing any of the assigned readings. Professor Briggs, his Crim Law Prof, was especially good at sniffing out whoever had come into her classroom unprepared. One class and Matt knew that he never wanted to be that person. Ever.

As a very junior associate at Landman & Zack, he was expected to work late, on weekends, and any holidays deemed necessary. When the opposing council filed a motion at 11: 58 pm, it certainly wasn't going to be the senior associates or partners coming in on Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve to write the response. Matt had offered to do it himself so Foggy didn't miss time with his family.

"Buddy, you seem to forget that Mama Nelson adopted you the moment she laid eyes on your scrawny ass so it's your family time too. Besides if we work together, we can get it done faster and get home in time for pie."

Matt shook his head. Deep down, he knew those were just excuses. He could have made time and sometimes he had. But ever since he started wearing the mask, he had been avoiding it along with Mass. And Matt knew exactly why.

Father Lantom would know. Somehow, someway, he'd know that Matt was the Man in Black. The priest always knew when Matt was doing something he wasn't supposed to be like sneaking out or getting into fights. He always heard what Matt left unsaid during confession. He had never pressured Matt to tell him the truth but always made it clear that he knew and when Matt was ready for his guidance, he would be there to give it.

He wouldn't say that he's disappointed, Matt thought as he once again gave into cowardice and slunk away from the church. But I know he will be.

And Matt wasn't ready to hear that.

<scene break>

"Mary?"

"Yes, Father Lantom?" you asked, looking up from your laptop where you were writing some code. You were a little surprised to see him. Shouldn't he be getting ready for Mass? He seemed like he had been doing that — he was wearing the fancier version of his day-to-day wear with the green smock-scarf thing over top.

"May I ask you for a favor?"

"That depends," you said. If there was one thing, besides 'keep your mouth shut', that the lawyers you had previously hired had drilled into your head was to never agree to something without clearly defined terms. "What exactly is the favor?"

Father Lantom smiled. It was a fond smile with a slightly distant look in his eyes. Like you had just reminded him of someone.

"Reverend Kirk, the pastor at St. Luke's Lutheran church on 46th Street, has a small problem this morning. His cats Pumpkin and Snickerdoodle got into the cabinet with the communion wafers and made a mess of them. So he's a little short this week and asked if I had any I could spare."

"And you'd like me to run them over so you can keep getting ready for your thing?"

"Yes, if you would," Father Lantom answered. Then, as was apparently his custom, waited for you to make up your mind.

"No problem," you said, saving your work. His timing had been excellent — you were at a good stopping point. "46th Street?"

"Yes," Father Lantom said. "Thank you Mary."

<scene break>

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are—"

This is probably cheating, Matt thought as he listened to Father Lantom's familiar voice recite the Beatitudes. Not while seated in the pew as he ought to be but standing on the roof of his building. He could have slipped inside and sat in the back, then slipping back out before the priest saw him. He had even walked toward the church with that goal in mind but once again, cowardice won out.

As he slinked off, he thought he caught your scent but then a tourist a foot away from him dropped their bag. This had shattered a bottle of perfume. Very strong perfume that sent his head reeling and fighting not to gag. He couldn't get away from the smell fast enough.

His head was threatening him with a migraine but Matt still extended his hearing out far enough to hear Mass. His discomfort was unimportant. This was his penance. Both for what he had done and what he would continue to do.

<scene break>

His bruised ribs couldn't wipe the grin off of Matt's face. They had finally done it. After years of planning and saving, Nelson & Murdock was real. Yes, until their appointment with the realtor of Friday, their office was the backroom of Nelson's Meats. And yes, their sign was a piece of paper tapped to the door. But it was theirs, all theirs, and nothing could dim his joy over that.

The feeling was entirely mutual. Foggy might be grumbling a little that their only clients all day had been either his relatives or friends of the family but Matt wasn't fooled. He knew perfectly well that Foggy was just as happy as he was.

They were returning from lunch, having a good-natured debate about the Mets when Foggy abruptly stopped talking and jerked him bodily to the right. It was so unexpected that Matt stumbled a little and momentarily lost track of a bag of garbage. That moment was enough. He tripped over it and banged into the pedestrian traffic signal on his left side, right where his bruised ribs were.

For a heartbeat, sharp pain ate his world. Breathing hurt but Matt pushed through it. He was aware, in a distant sort of way, of Foggy shouting something extremely vulgar and possibly anatomically impossible at someone.

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" he asked.

"My mother would be telling that fucking bike messenger the same thing," Foggy retorted. "He nearly plowed right into you!"

Foggy took a deep breath, clearly trying to reign in his temper. His best friend generally had a long fuse that Matt did but for certain things that fuse was significantly shorter.

"Sorry about yanking you like that buddy. It happened too fast to warn you."

Matt waved it off. "It's okay."

If anything Matt was more upset with himself than Foggy. He should have been aware of the bike messenger's approach long before he became a problem. Shouldn't have let himself get so distracted. Shouldn't have let his guard down just because he trusted Foggy to guide him.

"Dickhead should have been paying more attention," Foggy grumbled, stooping down to pick something off the ground. "Doesn't look like your cane got damaged. Here you go."

Oh. I hadn't realized that I dropped it, Matt thought, accepting the cane. "It's fine, Foggy. No harm, no foul."

"This time," Foggy huffed. "Looked like you smacked into the doohickey pretty hard. You okay?"

"I'm fine." That answer came out more terse than he meant. He forced himself to smile. "Probably just gonna be a bruise."

Bruises and one of those ribs is now cracked, part of his brain snidely corrected. But since Foggy trusted him, he accepted that answer without question. Which, as they resumed walking, brought about the usual pang of guilt. He hated lying to Foggy. It might be necessary but it didn't feel good. Didn't feel right, like putting a shoe on the wrong foot. He had been ignoring this discomfort for years now but it never got any easier.

Logically, he knew Foggy wouldn't hate him for being enhanced. He knew Foggy wasn't like that. But every time he opened his mouth to tell him, it was like something was choking him and he couldn't say the words. He could not convince that irrational part of his mind that he wouldn't hear a disgusted 'freak' spat at him before Foggy walked out the door.

It didn't help loosen his tongue that both his logical and irrational mind were in complete agreement about how Foggy would react to the knowledge that he was a vigilante: anger, fear, hurt, doubts .

And he'd have every right, Matt reminded himself.

But Matt couldn't keep listening to that little girl cry and beg her father to stop…couldn't just keep standing by while the system failed her night after night… And now he couldn't just listen. He couldn't ignore the pain and the blood in these streets anymore. He just couldn't.

The toll it took on his body didn't matter. The growing list of people who would like him dead didn't matter.

What mattered was making one less scream in the night. What mattered was making his streets, his people, just a little bit safer.

Even if that meant continuing to lie to his best friend.

It's too dangerous, he reminded himself as he settled back into his desk. It's safer for him if he doesn't know.

If Matt was ever discovered…if Foggy was genuinely shocked and horrified by this revelation, then maybe, just maybe, everyone would believe the truth. That he hadn't known. And maybe, just maybe, they'd leave him be.

He ignored the twinges of doubt like he did the guilt. He had a lot of practice.

<scene break>

You perused the clothing on the rack. You had job interviews scheduled but you needed something that looked more professional than the clothes in your go bag which was mostly a pair of jeans with a couple tee shirts. The blouse you had fled Tampa in was the right kind of dressy but it didn't match your current persona.

Besides three months on the run had a little rough on that blouse. The hem had come loose and half the buttons were…somewhere. When things got more settled, you'd fix it. Just because you couldn't wear it anymore didn't mean it couldn't be worn by someone else with a little TLC.

So far, you had pulled out a small collection of colorful blouses that would mix and match with neutral-colored slacks and a skirt that you had already picked out. If your mental tally was correct, you should have funds to get one more blouse here. The benefits of shopping for clothes in a thrift store.

Even if your bank card had arrived today, you still would have gone to this store. Mary Smith, you had decided, was a frugal gal. The kind of person who preferred to buy things second-hand and attempt to fix things before replacing them. Very different from the last Mary Smith you had been, the little rich girl who turned up her nose at anything that wasn't brand new and often expensive.

The bank had said your card should arrive after two to five business days. Today was a little optimistic but you had gone over to Matthew…the Devil's apartment to check anyway. In the middle of the day when — knock on wood — he'd be at work and — hopefully — unable to investigate any tugging on his threads he noticed. He had put on a suit before he left the apartment so he probably had an office job. They frowned on people taking off in the middle of the work day.

It seemed to have worked. You were able to get in and out without any Devil appearing.

I wonder if the Devil has realized his set of spare keys is missing, you wondered idly. Probably not. Surely he would have paid you a visit if he had. It wasn't like you had left Hell's Kitchen. And if your guess about his enhancement was correct��why hadn't you returned to the church basement to find an irritated Devil waiting for you?

Too much respect for the Church? You idly wondered as you made your final choice and headed toward the check-out counter. He did say he was Catholic.

Well, it wasn't like you were going to keep the keys. As soon as you had your card, you'd put the set back where they belonged. And the Devil of Hell's Kitchen would be none the wiser.

<scene break>

"To Nelson & Murdock!" Foggy said. "The best damn avocados in the world!"

"To Nelson & Murdock," Matt agreed as their glasses clinked together. He ignored the whiskey sloshing over the lip and getting on his fingers in favor of the happy little beat of Foggy's heart, the warmth in the hand on his shoulder. "The best damn avocados in the world."

<scene break>

He needed to get off the couch. Suit up and protect his city. But he had drunk more with Foggy than he had planned to. That or Josie's rotgut was stronger than usual. That would explain why the room kept spinning…and might be why he thought your scent was by the mailboxes. Which it couldn't be. It had been almost four days and he had yet to run into you once.

Granted Hell's Kitchen had a lot of people in it…

Or maybe, a nasty voice whispered. You ran her off. Just like you do everyone else.

You had made me food, he argued with himself. You hadn't taken off as fast as you could. The brief whiff he caught on Sunday hadn't smelled fearful… Neither did the maybe-you smell by the mail boxes…

Maybe he should go to bed. It was late. He had drank too much. He had clients to see tomorrow….

And maybe, if crime was slow tomorrow night, he'd see if he could find you. Just to make sure you were okay.

Notes

In this verse, Foggy and Matt have worked at Landsman & Zack for a couple of years, a combination of needing to pay rent between taking the bar (in late July) and getting the results / actually getting admitted to the bar (late October or early November at the earliest), internship, as well as building up a start-up fund & supplies for Nelson & Murdock. Matt hated every second of it.

Reader is worryingly used to referring to herself in the third person, an artifact from being unable to be herself because being herself has seldom been safe.

Ever seen Legally Blonde? Remember Elle's first day of class where the professor immediately picks one student and drills in on him? Imagine that but the kid hadn't even tried to be prepared so ten times worse. Matt witnessed it and went 'nope, nope, nope'.

The smock-scarf thing is the vestments. The smock part is a alb or surplice - a long over tunic that kinda looks like a smock — the scarf thing over over that garment is called a stole. Since it is currently Ordinary Time (not Easter or Christmas season or other special day/time), those vestments are green.

St. Luke's Lutheran on 46th is a real church in Hell's Kitchen, according to the internet.

The Beatitudes is part of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5: 3-10

I'm told that bike messengers in NYC can be a hazard.

Yes, you did swipe Matt's spare set of keys. And no, Matt hasn't noticed yet.

Taglist: @loves0phelia, @nowheredreamer, @beezusvreeland, @pastafossa, @yarrystyleeza, @justvalkyrie, @xoxabs88xox, @flynnethenerd, @spn-reader

[freyafrida]

rilla of ingleside, chapter twenty-four

“I spoke of him to Rilla at the last Junior Red meeting—of how fine and brave and splendid he was—and I said life could never be just the same to me again, now that Walter had gone—we were such friends, you know—why I was the very first person he told about having enlisted”

More evidence for the "Irene regularly tried to pretend like she knew Walter/the Blythes better than she really did" headcanon! Also upon further thought, Irene was definitely not the first person Walter told? It sounds like the family knew before the day of the concert and was keeping it from Rilla, at least.

Also, Betty Mead+Rilla friendship! I still wish we had more of Rilla with other girls her age, and her making more mature friendships than what she had with Irene -- especially as it seems like some of them used to not really like her, but think more highly of her now.

“When news came in the morning that after all Wilson was re-elected, Susan tacked to catch another breeze of optimism.”

Very much Susan throughout this book, basically, believing whatever she has to in order to stay optimistic -- it can be kind of unintentionally dark in some places, but is thankfully just funny here.

Also Cousin Sophia wanting them to elect Theodore Roosevelt is so funny to me, maybe just because I'm sure he's probably the only name she recognizes. It sounds like Roosevelt did want the US to enter the war much earlier than we did, so I can see why supporters of the war effort would have wanted him as president. (Also apparently Henry Ford was also a candidate in the 1916 election? Insert your own jokes/conclusions here about parallels to current-day politics, etc.)

“Bucharest did fall—and Germany proposed peace negotiations. Whereat Susan scornfully turned a deaf ear and absolutely refused to listen to such proposals. ”

IIRC this wasn't an uncommon sentiment, and perhaps one of the reasons the peace proposals were rejected? I'm sure someone else knows more details -- my understanding is that 1) Germany's proposals were too ambitious (they were like "let's stop fighting everyone 🥺 but also let us keep all the land we captured"), and 2) everyone was in too deep and still wanted a decisive military victory (whatever that looked like) -- I believe at some point Susan rejects "peace without victory" and says Canadians mean to have both.

“All at once I was tired of keeping up and pretending to be brave and cheerful, and I just gave up for a few days and spent most of the time lying on my face on my bed, crying.”

Aw, Rilla 😢

Everyone has already rehashed the best bits of Mary saving Jims -- the echoes of Anne saving Minnie May in Mary's rougher, more realistic take on the orphan character; Mary being obnoxious but good-hearted and getting her time to shine here. Honestly, I haaate feeling like I'm being talked down to, so I admit I probably wouldn't like Mary Vance either -- but I do love, again, how she's a more abrasive, more difficult character than Anne and the Blythe kids, and it's nice to see her get some flowers.

“Shirley continues to read the exploits of the aces.”

Leading up to the one chapter focusing on Shirley across three books! Praise! As mentioned before, I do imagine Shirley would probably be interested in flying as a new form of combat -- I can picture him being, like Gilbert, interested in new technology and advances in knowledge; he's also practical and perhaps thinking about how serving in the front lines hasn't done much in the past few years, from a civilian's perspective -- but also kinda love the idea that he might have a kind of boyish fascinating with flying aces, thinking it seems exciting. The most famous ace is obvs the Red Baron (who was German, so can't imagine he was hyped up too much) (did I learn about him from that Tori Amos song, maybe). The most famous Canadian ace is Billy Bishop, but he wouldn't have been active yet (looks like he started training in fall 1916 and received his VC in 1917). Looks like there were some British/French/Canadian pilots who had started winning victories around this time, though (Raymond Collishaw, Georges Guynemer, etc?)

glossary:

Readying Rilla bits:

Cut mention that Irene is gossiping to Olive Kirk, specifically.

Interestingly, the protest that Rilla doesn't wear colors originally comes from Olive, "who thought Irene was" (cut off -- Irene-Olive falling out?). Betty is also originally mentioned as "Betty Clow" instead of Betty Mead. (Also, "Mead" is spelled as "Meade" multiple times.)

Cut mention after Rilla thinks that Irene's remarks don't matter: "To help mother and Susan and father -- to look after Jims -- " (I think this might've been the start of a list of things that did matter, or things she has to do.)

Cut line after Susan mentions Democrats and Republicans: "We may well be thankful that we have no such things in Canada. A Conservative I was born and a Conservative I hope to die and my own opinion is that Sir Robert Borden is" (cut off there -- what does Susan think Robert Borden is, I must know!!)

Cut line that "Poultice and doses did no good", re: Jims 😢

"Aunt Christina MacAllister" was originally "Aunt Mary Crawford."

Cut line after Gilbert says Mary Vance will expect to be consulted on his cases: "That girl has a nerve." (It's outside Gilbert's quotes, so it seems like Rilla's commentary.)

"Shirley continues to read the exploits of the aces" was originally "Shirley reads all the aviation stuff he can find." Bro the image of Shirley hunting down aviation magazines and pamphlets and devouring them is so charming.

[purplerakath]

Cobra Kai Season 6 - A bunch of Little Things

So Eps 11-15 are... good, minus the wedding which was stupid, but the kind of stupid that's okay. It's not really a... problem so much as a sign the writer's room was all dudes. It's bad, don't get me wrong, but it isn't... narratively bad. Just a kind of tacky feeling.

The rest of that five ep block is very solid conclusions to every story, that are good enough to pass as a happily ever after. The overall main narrative flows and the path of events is followable and workable.

Eps 1-10 are another matter. There's a lot of stuff wrong there that doesn't work, it detracts from where we're going, and generally hurts the overall season. Time to go through a bunch of them.

Spoilers, etc, you know the vibes.

Kreese's Redemption

So they set up Kreese was realizing maybe he was wrong with Johnny back in Season 4, during the All Valley. Where he choose to back Tory's plan over pushing for Silver's cheating. It's a small moment, but a noticeable shift in the character. And, with the right plot beats over Eps 1-10 would make his realization in Ep 11 work very well (it works, but it feels unearned).

Kreese needs to feel shady without actively being shady. Which you can do by having him back both his students differently. He backs Tory's desire to win on her own skills and merits, and back Kwon being a little shithead to everyone off the ring to mess with them in the ring. He's not actively antagonizing Daniel or Johnny, but he's not- undermining their assessments of him either. Keep his general motives vague, and his specific goal (to win the sekai taikai) on point.

Now to keep the Silver reveal surprising, of course, there's still a guy with a cobra tattoo messing with Daniel, and Daniel distrusts Kreese because Daniel's never met a grudge he couldn't nurse for 50 years. But Kreese isn't egging it on, he just exists and Daniel's a little shit about it.

It'll smooth the path between Season 4's finale to S6 E11 out to be a more gradual path of Kreese learning he made mistakes.

Tory's Relationships

I'm not going to try to fix Robby and Tory's relationship (that's a lot more work I can't do here), but they can buttress it by putting more focus on Tory's other relationships in the first five episodes. Showing more of her and Amanda, or her and Devon.

This is not just because Devon needed a better plot, she is a pretty solid shadow to Tory as a character and easy to work into this.

Showing other characters caring about, and noticing, when Tory is off, and checking in on her. Which will help sell her big speech at the end of the series. Also showing them advocating for her while she's not there. (The difference between Johnny blaming Daniel for messing up with Tory, and Amanda doing the same thing? Huge.)

During 6-10 you can have Sam and Devon put a little more time into checking in on Tory. If you wanna get spicy you can give a scene to Miguel or Johnny. The lack of Johnny and Tory comparing notes on Kreese is honestly criminal.

Hawk - Past, Present, and Future

So Hawk's whole 'I don't know if I want to go to MIT because I'm not who I was a few years ago' is good. It's a shame it got tossed aside so Demetri could be a victim in all thi- wait, no, that's next section.

This section is that they could have spent more time focusing on who Eli is now, vs. who he started, and who he was in Cobra Kai. This probably would be best served by giving him time with Kwon. Kwon attempting to mess with Hawk, and Hawk just- no selling the whole affair. "You think that shit is going to work on me? I've been you. You're going to wake up one day with nobody having your back, alone with all that anger you have and for what? I have better things to do than waste time on you."

There's no real capstone on Eli's arc over the series, and they could have put one into 6-10 to really seal the deal that Hawk (the bully) is gone, and Hawk (the hero) is here to stay.

Free Space - Demetri whining

So I've done a whole thing about Demetri here, and I am always ready to complain how badly this character is handled. Still, Eps 1-5 put a lot of effort into his 'mad Hawk has decided to explore other colleges than the one he promised to go to when he was like six' plot that, all told, did barely anything for Hawk and nothing for Demetri.

Also, just, my read? 'They agreed' was 'Demetri insisted' and Eli, being absolutely terrified of being alone with all the bullies, agreed to anything Demetri said because that was their pre-canon relationship.

The easy answer is don't do this plot. At all. Honestly the easy answer is don't have Demetri be part of the team going to the Sekai Taikai. He doesn't like Karate, every part of him in 1-10 is generally worthless and also tacky and they don't really build off of it.

If you have to, give him any motivation to compete that isn't 'fucking over his friend Eli' or 'fucking Yasmin.'

Any. Motivation.

Ghost of Miyagi Past (AKA Free Space - Daniel whining)

So the whole 'mystery of Miyagi' thing didn't do anything. It could have done something though, and I'll talk about that first. So the big problem with Daniel this series has been refusing to see change unless it matches his perfect view of karate. This is his general big character weakness the show refuses to scrutinize and there is a way to work this.

If Miyagi did a crime thing in the past, because at one point he was hot headed arrogant, mad at the world due to systemic issues that are preventing him from being happy, and he moved past that to a state of peace and contentment... it could teach Daniel to cultivate that sort of change In Johnny instead of the 'Johnny will never change he'll always be my high school bully' thing Daniel had going on.

Because the biggest threat to Daniel and Johnny working together has always been Daniel being like this!

Now, doing this doesn't fix the deepfake'd Miyagi face they did (which is tacky and bad). Or the... white person absolving a nonwhite person of his crimes done during a time where being visibly Asian was the crime. But it'd at least be a Daniel character growth moment and I'd take that.

Devon Taking her Chance

I don't, for the record, hate the Devon drugging Kenny plot, innately. I do think it needs to be better set-up to make it work. I think the best answer would be that she did it based off of something Johnny said to her she interpreted in the cruelest way possible. Something along the lines of 'life doesn't give you opportunities, there are the ones you take for yourself. If that asshole isn't going to notice you, make him notice you. Make sure he can't help but see you.'

And then realizing that doing that sucked and she hates what it meant and maybe she shouldn't be there.

Alternatively you can, hypothetically, cut Demetri from the squad in the tournament, give Kenny his spot, and give Devon a better plot. Devon's insecurity as being the newest to Karate, also letting her act as Johnny's proxy in any argument among the kids, would work really well.

Robby get your Head in the Game

Robby has two problems, not counting the SA shaped problem I talked about here. I don't need to talk about the Zara thing anymore so this post is safe on that.

The message that 'Robby already won he has a real family now' needed more groundwork in 1-5. Instead of focusing on him and Tory (for the... two scenes they got), give him moments of Carmen, Carmen's mom, Miguel, and the LaRusso's geniunely being there for him. And especially Johnny. Show Johnny giving Robby 1 on 1 training in 6-10. Things to make it clear he has a family.

The other problem is that in 6-10 while he's spiraling over Tory, it'd help if he got some support from anyone. Prior to Miguel standing up for him at the end. Sam is probably the right call for this, alternatively having Kenny there from the start (in place of you know who) means that Kenny can advocate for Robby (sowing the dissention needed for them to suck that early in the tournament).

Miguel and the-

Okay, listen, the whole 'fly home to fly back' thing? That? Don't do that. Just- no. That was not needed. Do anything else.

Sam's Drive to Win

Once Tory leaves, centering Sam's whole arc on what her desires for the future are seems good, so that when she forfeits in the semi-finals it has a narrative backing. That she's not enjoying proving herself in the tournament, and that she's stopped having fun now that everyone is bickering with each other.

That her drive to win was more tied to the situation than anything else. And that the only time she really enjoys Karate is with her dad, her boyfriend, and her future wife rival. Anything outside of that just... no longer fuels her.

I get one SamTory joke, I am showing restraint.

So she's still motivated in the tournament (to make her dad look good, to protect her boyfriend in matches, and to get her last round with Tory) but she is so over all the petty drama Kwon and Zara are trying to stir up.

[a-legacy-not-to-be-forgotten]

Undertale Yellow Car Headcanons 2

People liked the first one, so I figured I'd go do a few more to cover some folks I missed and add some extras for ones I already covered. Kudos to a friend on Discord who's a massive car nut and suggested quite a few of these. First one in case you haven't seen it. This one's a bit chonkier, so grab a snack or something.

Martlet: Electric Bike

Even if Martlet getting her hands on a driver's license is nigh impossible, we figured she should at least have something, even if she doesn't use it that much. Electric bikes seem to fit her style. Dunno if she'd use it often, but if the surface has no-fly laws or whatever, it'd probably help her out some.

Toriel: 2CV

...okay, Tori isn't really a UTY-exclusive character, but she has a minor role in the game, so does she count? Anyway, my friend had the idea of her using what they described as 'everybody's favorite little wine snail' and I think it fits her too well.

Chujin: Loud Ass 90s Tuner Car

If Chujin didn't inject raw Mountain Dew Voltage into his soul and survived to see the surface, he'd probably drive something like this. It ties in with the whole Ben 10 thing and it's a great way to express himself, as obnoxious as it may be. Usually, Ceroba makes him drive the family sedan.

Ceroba: If She Owned the Hummer (Semi-Joke one)

I meant for it as a shitpost, but we thought up an idea if she actually did own the car. Don't worry, she always looks before merging. Anyway, we figured she got it mainly because it's pretty cool. However, it is a massive waste of gas money, so she only uses it for camping or driving Kanako and Clover around on their birthdays. Otherwise, it mainly collects dust in her garage while she uses the more fuel-efficient sedan.

El Bailador: Lowrider

Kudos to @cheddarchandelure for suggesting this and it couldn't fit any better. Lowriders fit him like a glove. You know he just has this thing modded like crazy. It's nearly 20 feet of car, too. You don't get much more expressive than that.

Feisty Five: GMC Vandura

I gave the Feisty Five individual vehicles, but they also kinda need a car for the whole gang and what better vehicle for a group of crime fighting dinguses. Perfect for missions, lassons, or just hanging out as a group together. Starlo technically owns it, but usually Moray or Ace drive the thing.

Ace: Antique Mercedes

Okay, I know I technically already did Ace in the first part, but my friend suggested an Antique Mercedes, which I think fits a lot better than the Porche. I'll let you guys draw your own conclusions, tho.

Moray: SLK Roadster

Still a convertible, but I didn't like the image I used in the last one. So now we got a specific model for our favorite fish with no gender.

Mooch: Pretty Much Anything, but here's a Corolla

On the chance that Mooch somehow gets her license back, she'd be willing to drive whatever. Hopefully more responsibly this time around.

Dina: 5th Gen Mustang

My friend suggested that a classier style of muscle car would fit better than the more aggressive model I used in the first, and I think it suits her more laid-back nature well.

Blackjack: Antique Flatbed

It's been in his family for generations, and he's way too attached to the thing to get rid of it. Generally, he just fixes up anything that breaks down on him.

Starlo's Family: Uh...Trucks

The main workhorses for the Sunnyside Farm. Sure, they got a few dents and aren't the cleanest or most advanced, but hey, they get the job done. Mainly driven by Solomon and Orion, occasionally Starlo. The Cabover (bottom) is generally used for the big harvests and the pickup works for everything else.

Mo: C4 Corvette

The perfect car for a sleazy businessman! Well, not sleazy, but you get what I mean. He likes to act stylish with his choice of car, but his is constantly breaking down mechanically, since he doesn't really bother fixing the thing, just detailing it. Doesn't leave the best impressions for shoppers.

Honeydew Shopkeeper: Figaro

Why? Well, simple, it's small and cute, just like she is! Not much else to say beyond that.

Kanako: '70 Dodge Challenger

Kanako's still a bit too young to drive, but we settled on this for a dream car of hers, with both a road and track package. She got the idea from both the racing games she plays and Dina's own muscle car. Nobody understands why, But she really wants to visit San Francisco with it

Clover: Ford Galaxie Convertible

Figured we should do Clover's dream car as well. Not much a reasoning, we thought this just fit their style. Once they come of age, you know darn well they'll be racing Kanako.

Warned ya that would be a big one! Anyway, lemme know what y'all think!

[thetypedwriter]

Solitaire Book Review

Solitaire Book Review by Alice Oseman 

I’ve loved every book I’ve ever read by Alice Oseman. Granted, that’s only been Loveless and Radio Silence, but both of those books were fantastic. I never read Oseman’s infinitely popular graphic novel series Hearstopper, but I did watch the first season on Netflix and really enjoyed that too. 

So going into Oseman’s book Solitaire, had me filled with high expectations and eager anticipation. Unfortunately those expectations and excitement dwindled to something I’ve never experienced with Oseman before: disappointment. 

Apparently, Alice Oseman wrote Solitaire when she was seventeen-years-old. I’m a little confused on the history, but I’m assuming she wrote Heartstopper first and then Solitaire as a follow-up side novel.

Again, I didn’t look into the details. All I know is that she wrote this book twelve years ago, that it was her debut novel, and that it shows. 

Instead of focusing on Nick and Charlie, Solitaire focuses on Charlie’s sister, Victoria Spring. The best way I can describe Tori is that she is Wednesday Addams embodied, which is ironic seeing as Tori dresses up like Wednesday for Halloween in the novel (very on the nose, Alice). 

However, people seem to like Wednesday Addams’ despondent and cynical attitude (I don’t get it, for the record). I abhor Tori Spring. Maybe abhor is too strong of a word, but she was not a likable narrator. She’s pessimistic, apathetic, rude, judgmental, callous, and mean. 

Her whole schtick is that she thinks other people are “fake” and dislikes that people don’t act in the world, allowing the world to happen to them and only being bystanders to violence, hate, and toxicity. 

And yet…Tori does nothing? The entire novel? The person she supposedly hates the most describes the person Tori is herself.

Which I guess is fitting because Tori seems to despise herself more than anyone. You think as a reader that Tori will grow out of her depression by the end of the novel and come to some sort of understanding or epiphany. 

Spoiler alert: she doesn't. 

If anything, she spirals worse and worse, becoming increasingly sleep-deprived, paranoid, despondent, and obsessive. I get that Oseman wanted a more realistic portrayal of mental health perhaps, or maybe she didn’t think it was realistic for Tori to have a happy ending. 

However, she didn't really get any ending at all. 

Before I get to the conclusion of the story, I guess I should actually explain what the novel is about. 

Tori’s childhood best friend, Lucas, suddenly reappears in her life years later. Around the same time, mysterious pranks start occurring around Higgs, Tori’s school.

Harmless at first, the pranks pulled by the anonymous group Solitaire continuously grow in popularity and in danger, eventually leading to a boy getting beat up, Tori getting hurt by a firework exploding near her, and then, at the end of the novel, Higgs burning down. 

You might ask: why did the school burn down?

I wish I could tell you, but I have no idea. 

Apparently, Lucas was in charge of Solitaire and was doing it all to impress Tori and to bring some “joy” back into her life before the jokes spiraled out of control.

However, Lucas comes to understand that Tori is no longer the girl he knew back in primary school and that she’s drastically changed. He did it because he was in “love” with her, but then admits at the end that he was more in love with the idea of her. 

Okayyyyyy. 

Then, for some inexplicable reason, other people are at Higgs at 5am, including one Michael Holden, Tori’s new fiend and resident “weirdo.”

The ending of the novel then churns out nonsense after nonsense. Tori and her ex-best friend Becky confront Solitaire and persuade them to not burn down the school.

But then, inexplicably, Tori walks out of the room and a classroom is on fire. How? Why? I don’t know. 

I’m unsure if the insinuation is that Michael did it or if Lucas or Solitaire still managed to do it, but all I know is that I was confused. 

Instead of getting better it gets decidedly worse. 

Somehow, Tori thinks she’s going to put out a raging inferno with a single fire extinguisher and chooses now to act instead of evacating a burning building, is lead to believe that Michael is dead from the fire, and then decides to go up to the roof to contemplate suicide. 

Somehow, though, her brother Charlie, Nick, and some other people are outside telling her not to jump. Why are they out there? Some kind of reason.

Apparently Lucas tweeted about it or blogged about the fire so the whole student body is there at 5am to witness the school burning down and see Tori standing on the roof. 

But no fire trucks, police, or authority were there originally, because that would be too logical. 

Alas, Michael is not dead and shows up on the roof to tell Tori that she’s his best friend, they kiss out of left-field, and Tori is convinced not to kill herself. 

The novel ends with them driving to the hospital and with Tori realizing she’s not alone. 

….what? 

The ending was such a jumbled catastrophe that I don’t understand what really happened. It was too climactic and intense in a way that was completely at odds with the tone and plot of the story.

You don’t get any kind of meaningful resolution with Tori other than realizing that she needs a lot of help and care. 

This book was a mess. 

Tori was unlikeable, has no discernible growth as a character, and other people weren incomprehensibly drawn to her and wanted to be friends with her, despite her flat out ignoring them, blowing them off, or being uncommunicative. 

The plot involving Solitaire was ridiculous and uninteresting, culminating in an ending that made no discernible sense and lacked purpose and logic. 

I know people love Heartstopper and Alice Oseman (myself included), but this book is not it. If they decided to publish this novel written twelve years ago simply because the show is popular and they said, “Hey, why not?” they chose wrong. 

I know publishers these days have the mentality of milking a series for all its worth, but this book didn’t add anything of substance, purpose, or heart. 

If anything, it detracts from the Heartstopper universe and makes me appreciate how much Oseman has grown as a writer. The Heartstopper universe is doing just fine on its own. It doesn't need side novels about Tori or about any other character.

Leave it alone, please, I beg of you. 

Recommendation: Solitaire is a poor man’s crappy version of Catcher in the Rye—a book Alice Oseman herself mentions at the end of the novel, stating that none of her characters have read it. Well, they probably should have. It’s a much better story than Solitaire.

Score: 4/10

[terrence-silver]

Oh, I so agree with you about the lack of Terry in promos being... unsatisfying. So many things they're playing with this season were set in motion by Terry. Terry mentioned Kim Sung Young first, who they now have cast. Terry wanted to go to the Sekai Taikai. Terry introduced Kim Da Eun. If they can get Kreese out of prison with a box of Jell-o, no way can they keep Terry in jail for more than three hours. If he can spin heading Dynatox into being a green philantropist, he can doctor this. If Kenny still has a major part to play, well who mentored him?

I could have understood it if they wanted to shift away from the Terry storyline and focus on what the show started as, reclaiming your life through karate. But then, it would have made much more sense to keep Kreese in prison, send Chozen and Da Eun home, and not focus so much on Tang Soo Do. But if they're setting that legacy up as the überthreat, it makes no sense for Terry not to be involved. The Sekai Taikai was his baby, moreso than Cobra Kai, even. Maybe the CK brand has been compromised, but so what? Hearsay. Simply rebrand.

Terry completely revitalised a show that had milked everything out of Johnny-Kreese there was to milk, keeps shying away from consequences with Robby and Miguel and would never give Sam and Tory the gay awakening that drives them. To dump him and keep Chozen and Da Eun around makes no damn sense!

Exactly. Precisely.

Terry Silver is the lifeblood that keeps this show running.

Because what else is there to do with this plot?

A lot of storylines got tragically milked to completion seasons ago.

And I don't think for the life of me Da Eun, who quite literally got flown into the plot during the penultimate mid-season is a strong enough character to be the end all-be all final boss villain. She doesn't have the charisma to pull what Thomas Ian Griffith pulled in TKK3. She was just introduced pretty much last minute and our attachment to her is at best nonexistent to miniscule with her only connection to anything going on in the plot at all is through Kreese, Silver and their mutual history with the sport. In the plot itself, girl even seemed like she was begrudgingly in the States in the first place and had to be talked into staying by Terry. To carry the whole endgame conclusion of this show and well over forty years of lore between the characters as the ultimate bad guy? Yeah, nope. Don't see it. There's just no development there. No meat.

As you said. It makes no damn sense.

And I will be in the minority here, which is entirely alright for me, but I really have an abject allergy for fan concoctions like brining back Julie Pierce in Season 6 or having Chozen and Da Eun have a showdown to fill in plot gaps. Shoehorning in Julie Pierce for a random, out of nowhere cameo when the one attachment she had to the plot was vaguely through a character dead for well over forty years just so she could tutor female character x and y for a short period of time is unnecessary at this late stage and I don't think Chozen and Da Eun warrant enough stakes to suddenly become mortal foes that take up space like that in the last season, but hey, that's just me; like, where are these rivalries even coming from? They met like yesterday. Do you two even know each other's full names!? Like!?

Terry Silver, John Kreese and the Sekai Tekai are sole the points of interest left.

After all, show's called Cobra Kai and they are Cobra Kai.

[sillyguy99]

There is no fear in love

(Mafiafell Sans x Reader)

Chapter One: Rude Awakening

[Index | Next]

Notice:

(The reader has a nun name, meaning: a holy name given to be used by others in place of a real name, such as “Sister Magdalene” instead of just “(Y/N)”, in this specific case.)

(Also, if this work seems familiar, that is because this is the definitive version of Pray that you will not fall into temptation, since I merged various, similar plot ideas for a Mafiafell fic into one, in order to make the story more fleshed out + provide more consistent, weekly updates!)

• • • • •

       "Mom!"

       The watering can falls from your hand at the sound of that voice. It clatters and the little water left splashes your shoes as it hits the rocky floor, yet you can't care less about picking it up when you see Frisk running towards you, their arms outstretched, smile radiant, and eyes glossy. You push yourself off the ground, though with struggle as your legs shake and give in from anticipation. It takes a few more seconds of stumbling until you're finally able to stand up straight, and – by the time you do – they're already in your arms, their light weight barely making you budge regardless of your current, weak self. Everything around you: the garden, the fountain, the picnic table, and even your own body feel unearthly, and you're certain it'll all end the moment you take too long to blink.

       "Words can't describe how much I've missed you, dear," you state, almost in a whisper when you fail to raise your voice, sorrow making it difficult to do without breaking.

       You hug Frisk as tight as the knot on your chest. Tears rush down, staining your arms until you hide your face against their shoulder and squeeze all your distress away. They feel fragile in your grasp, and fleeting, too – like letting go will cause them to crumble, then disappear. As much as you don't want to, you still begin to loosen up bit by bit until your embrace is a gentler touch, almost ghostly. Then, you pull back and wipe your face with a handkerchief you retrieve from your pocket, and offer your child another when you notice they're in a similar state, although not as bad as your own. Even if it isn't real, the last thing you wish is to let them see you somber. That's about the least you can do to make up for how many faults you've found while analyzing the reasons they went missing under your care.

       "hey, kid. where'd ya run off to? ya can't just-"

       Your arms act instinctively at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, these wrapping firm around Frisk again, like a snake with a hamster, minus the intent to cause any harm.

       "oh."

       The person behind that voice stands at the entrance of the garden, and – while you try your best not to – your mind ends up jumping to negative conclusions when you see just what type of monster he is.

       "Stay back!" Fearing the dream has become a nightmare, you close your eyes and squeeze Frisk harder, yet you soon loosen when they gasp for a breath. "And state your reason for visiting first."

       "well…"

       You hear footsteps, but you refuse to look at him.

       "i'm sans, one of your kid's friends from the underground," he says. "frisk told us they couldn't stay with tori, since they've got another mom up here, and now here i am. they gave me your address, we gathered some info to make sure you were still around, and then i drove us here. the rest of the convent interrogated me before they told me to go straight to the garden, so you can ask 'em if you're suspicious." There's a brief spell of peace and quiet as you hear him debate about something with himself. "sorry if this's kinda nosy, but…" There's a long pause in his words. "how does that work, exactly? you havin' a kid, i mean. aren't nuns supposed to be married to, uh, god, and not, well… a husband?"

       You scoff and feel your face form a glower on its own. "I'm not married, and Frisk isn't my biological child, though… I don't really see that detail as relevant to my love for them." Your fingers bury into Frisk's hair as you stroke their bangs away and kiss their forehead. "It matters not whether they're biologically mine."

       They shift, kiss your cheek, and push you aside, then tug at your sleeve persistently, insisting without a word for you to address the elephant in the room.

       You sigh, breathe back in, and open your eyes.

       It's impossible not to flinch when you take a better look at the monster: far less daunting than you were expecting, but still the most unnatural thing you've witnessed since having to interfere with a violent human at the front of the orphanage. The skeleton wears a black suit with hints of red, and the grin he carries appears shielded with dishonesty, contrasting with his direct and unwavering stare. Though the feeling of uneasiness differs from peering into the eyes of someone who has no fear of taking a life away, gazing into his irises still brings about uncertainty. You can't digest how detailed his body is, and how what little bones are exposed from his suit move in sync with each step he takes. It's like watching the most realistic, computer-generated creature in the real world rather than in film. What makes it a chilling experience is that he's actively acknowledging your presence, and that his irises follow your movements as you dust your clothes and fix yourself up after the messy hug. 

       He's not much taller than you or even Frisk, and yet...

       You feel small, and how broad his body seems contributes to that.

"They had gone missing three months ago, and I…" You bring your hands together and bite back another tear, then face the ground to avoid meeting with what looks like Death, but formally dressed. "I can't express how much I grieved over their disappearance." Momentary courage allows you to look at him directly. "Who are you to my child? And… Who is this 'Tori' person?"

       A chilly breeze of awareness arrives when you unclasp your hands and stare at your palms to see traces of soil smeared on your skin, most of it you believe is now wiped off on Frisk's attire.

       "Frisk!" you exclaim, eyes broadening as you look next to you. "I forgot I-"

       They're already standing in front of the skeleton, with their arms fully extended as they wait while he searches through his suitcase.

       He retrieves a full set of clothes, a hair pin, and a stuffed teddy bear, then pats their head before they run off inside the church.

       If you were jumpy before – even with the company of Frisk – now being alone with the skeleton leads to your body turning awfully rigid, and for a stiffer silence to build up between you.

       "do ya have some time to spare, miss?" he asks, zipping the suitcase closed and throwing it over his shoulder. "i needa talk to ya 'bout Frisk."

       This has to be a dream, at least.

       There's no way you're staring at a breathing, moving, talking skeleton who'd somehow been left in charge of sending Frisk off towards you.

       You should've known today wasn't real since the local news announced that a large crowd of monsters of all shapes and kinds had emerged from the Underground, like some sort of Halloween Horror film.

       "It's my first time seeing them in months," you reply, narrowing your eyes at him. "Of course, I do!" You stare at your hands again. "But... Could you allow me a minute to wash up?" Then, you glance at your uniform. "I've been gardening since early morning."

       Whether this is all a dream or a nightmare, you should at least look presentable for either outcome.

       "sure." He shrugs. "take your time."

 • • • • •

       You throw half a strawberry at a bird in your garden, lured by the sweet scents of the food you've set up on the table.

       It flies off back into a tree when it picks up the treat, and – when you're positive there's no other hungry animal waiting nearby – you throw the other half on the flowers and watch as the leaves rustle and stop when reaching the spot.

       Your next chore is to wash your hands by the faucet near the garden and continue setting up the rest of the table when you return.

       "ya know," Sans says, sitting on the chair you gesture him over to. "from what frisk told me about you, i was kinda expectin' a lady older than tori herself."

       You finish pouring tea to look at him and lift an eyebrow. "Pardon?" 

       Although left without an answer, you push on by arranging some shortbread cookies and thinly sliced fruit on a pair of ceramic plates while you wait for him to say something.

       He's observing your every move, and there's a limit to how much of that you can tolerate, but fear causes you to keep your mouth shut and carry on.

       "and it makes a lotta sense."

       "...Care to elaborate, sir?"

       Still being out in the garden is what has kept you sane this whole time. Were you in an enclosed space with the skeleton, you wouldn't have lasted a second. There's just something wrong about looking at him and being aware he's a living creature – that he has a human's level of intelligence, and that he's judging you for acting like an old lady in spite of being in your twenties. You want this to end, yet if this is your punishment for not being a good enough mother, then you're bound to push on. You just have to be patient. And you just have to try not to… widen your eyes every occasion you figure out anything new about him. The basics – while covered – are already overwhelming on their own, but actually seeing him laugh and joke around like any other human drives you mad.

       "you're makin' me tea, servin' me cookies, insistin' ya do every little thin' yourself," he says, touching a finger from his right hand with his left index finger for each observation he lists, "you're good with birds – probably other animals, too, and you're wearin' a type of dress only someone over her sixties would wear," he remarks, unwinding with a breath out when he shows all those statements take up his entire hand, "that's already five things, and i'm barely just gettin' to know ya. when did ya start out as a nun, anyway?"

       Porcelain and ceramic clink as you set what's now unneeded away and leave only the cookies, fruit, tea, and communion items out on the table.

       "Since my eighteenth birthday. It's been thirteen years."

       You prepare the communion, first by setting aside a piece of sacramental bread, and then a small portion of grape wine in a paper cup.

       "whoa." He whistles. "since that early?"

       You ignore his comments while you finish setting everything else up, the last thing being to bless both the food and the communion. You then stand up, pick up the tray with the bread and wine, and offer it to him. How fast your heart races makes it so that your fingers shake as you grab the bread.

       "Open your, um…" You frown. "How does your skull work?"

       "you can touch, if you wanna."

       Your eyes glue to his face, and inordinate curiosity fights with basic decency. He's a stranger, and yet he's being as casual as you would expect an old friend to be. You want to ask him to stop – that his existence alone as a skeleton is still something you're barely getting adjusted to, but common sense and more than enough years of your work in the convent have taught you better than that. Just as you're adjusting to him, he's likely doing with you and Frisk. Expecting him to act all formal would be rude, as would be him asking you to be casual around him. That's for friends, not strangers. Though if this really isn't some sort of Telephone game version of the classic Alice in Wonderland tale, then you hope you can both get used to one another later on.

       "I shouldn't." Your gaze stays on his face. "But, then again…"

       He chuckles, and his irises lighten up, something you've now associated with him being either happy or amused.

       "Are you sure?"

       "go wild."

       You touch his cheekbone and press your thumb against it. The texture's similar to semi-hardened clay, and you leave a mark on his skull, though it fades after a few seconds. Worry stays at the thought of hurting him, so you brush your fingers at that spot again, softer this time. 

       "That's…" You pull back. "That's... interesting?"

       He winks. "and you're great at describing it."

       You stay quiet and shake your head, at a loss for words for what you feel to be the third occasion today – and it's still only one in the afternoon!

       His teeth part as you move on to what you were doing. Despite physical contact, your heart's calmed down more, and you can stare at him for longer without questioning reality and science. With a long and steady breath, plus the reminder to keep calm, you pick up the bread again and drop it on…

       …his tongue (?), then watch as he chews it and passes it down with the wine.

       This is normal.

       You're not delusional.

       And the news report is completely legitimate.

       What you have to do is convince yourself to believe all that.

       "thanks for sharing a part of your world with me." He grins. "and for the blessin', too."

       "It's not much, sir." You smile. "I'm... only thankful you've brought Frisk here, safe and sound."

       His expression glooms on par with his posture. 

       Meanwhile, you set the tray back down and sit on the bench across from him.

       The garden feels too calm now, as if nature itself has sensed the monster's shift in mood. You're tempted to ask him directly about what's brought about such a sudden change, yet you know you're in no place to do that. Frisk is sleeping off the exhaustion from their journey in the security of their bedroom, meaning that asking them to do it is completely out of the question – not to mention, you don't want them to do the work for you, nor impose anything as complicated as this on them. Growing restless, you pick up a cookie from your plate and munch on it during your wait. The amount of time that passes on is sufficient for you to eat two more, and even drink your first cup of tea.

       "uh, yeah…" he says, mumbling. "'bout that…"

       His gaze lifts from the grass to your eyes. 

       "frisk might've technically... died a few times during their journey through the underground. the only reason they're still alive is cuz of how things worked down there. didn't wanna pull that sorta bandage off so quickly, but i figured you should know this first before they tell ya about their experiences."

       "...Wh- What?" you snap, standing up. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

       "afraid it isn't."

       The last thing you can register as anger overcomes your heart is the sound of the tea cup hitting the ground with a crash, sending shards flying across the floor.

       You march off towards him, stand in front, and point at the door leading out of the garden.

       "Get the hell out of my church, you sick-minded beast!"

       "please, let me explai-"

       "Get. Out."

       All you see is red as you lunge at the monster and grab him by his shirt's collar, lifting him off the chair.

       Him weighing no more than Frisk allows you to take him to the nearest wall and slam him against it.

       "...A bandage?" You cackle, disbelief manifesting through the noise. He doesn't struggle, so you pick that up as a sign for you to tug at him harder. "My child died, and you call that ripping off a mere bandage?" You press yourself against him when he starts to shift.

       "there's more i-"

       You cut him off again by tugging his tie along with the rest of his shirt.

       "Shut up," you shout. "If this is a nightmare, you're more than welcome to disappear and let me go back to sleep. I... I want you out of my damn sight the second I release you!"

[Index | Next]

• • • • •

Tag List:

@itsberrydreemurstuff

[canonmisogynyvictimstournament]

PROPAGANDA

KOTORI MIZUKI/TORI MEADOWS (YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL)

1.) first: ygo zexal is directed (and partially written) by known misogynist shin yoshida who is on record as saying that he would Never write female characters if he wasn’t being forced to by higher-ups. kotori’s voice actor signed a legal contract forcing him to include her character in Every Single Episode. she gets no duels that aren’t tag duels (2v2 duels), one of those is interrupted in the middle and all others she both loses, aren’t even shown in full, and all happen in the same episode. she is literally contractually required to be a major character and the dude in charge still point blank refuses to do anything with her despite the fact that she’s supposed to be the female lead of the series. please take pity on her for being handed to one of the worst people in the world and how despite the active attempts by other people to make her relevant in the story she was still denied that

2.) She only dueled once in the whole show and it was when she was brainwashed. Her main role is to only cheer the male protag on and say his name during his duels I guess.

IRIS SAGAN (AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES) (CW: Inappropriate Age Gaps)

1.) Listen I'm sure other ladies have it worse but Iris… and as an extension several other girls in AITSF… she deserves so much better. First of all she's a DANCER and she's wearing HEELS AND A TINY SKIRT character designer can you please go easy on her. She's suffering. Give her shorts at least. Second of all she's 18 and she has not one but TWO adult men who want to date her and constantly make comments about it!!!

This is… emblematic of a writing problem, because they KEEP MAKING MEN WHO WANT TO DATE 18 YEAR OLDS. This is partially a character trait thing for the two men, sure, but like. The game also makes jokes about her forcing the main character Date (who is 30) on dates even though she's later revealed to (unknowingly to either of them) be his relative slash daughter figure, kind of sort of. It's complicated. And like, part of the game is recovering his lost memories from amnesia and he gets these rapid heartbeats whenever he remembers, and because his past is tied to Iris I've had to reassure people playing the game the first time that his heart is NOT rapidly beating around her because he's attracted to her. I shouldn't HAVE to do that because the game should be NORMAL about her, but. no. The writing of the game is very clear that men in their mid-20s and later are attracted to this girl, so how should we expect Date be different? Astounding how shitty the writing is regarding that, especially because one of those men (Moma) isn't even creepy until the epilogue AND THEN IN THE SEQUEL HIS ENTIRE PERSONALITY IS THAT HE WANTS TO MARRY HER. SHE'S HALF HIS AGE.

As for her writing itself… She does get a lot of focus overall in the first game (she has an entire route of the game focused on her! Yippee!) but a lot of it is based on said forcing Date to date her, and she dies at the end of her route. I actually like her route but it IS the least conclusive of the route in the first game. In the SEQUEL though oh my god. I'm still bitter that they HEAVILY advertised her as being in the game and then she was BARELY IN IT she was just there to a) have her shitty father be relevant for 0.5 seconds and b) have men creep on her. Okay maybe that's an exaggeration but ONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS IS SOMEONE SHE SEES AS A SISTER. TWO OF THE OTHER MAJOR CHARACTERS ARE HER BEST FRIENDS. WHERE DID SHE GO. They barely show her with her friends too like her friends are hanging out ALSO with shitty adult men with romantic interest in them (see. writing problem.) BUT LIKE I'M SO PISSED OFF FOR IRIS ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I LOVE HER. The first game literally has her have delusions about a secret society Naix hunting her down. The second game has The Real Naix be a major organization and antagonistic force. It just feels wrong to not have her… be important… at all… when she's the only reason Naix was mentioned in the first game at all…….

But like. Mostly the issue is that JESUS CHRIST THESE ADULT MEN NEED TO LEAVE HER ALONE AND THE WRITERS WON'T LET HER TELL THEM OFF OR EVEN REALIZE THEY'RE INTERESTED IN HER HALF THE TIME. IRIS PLEASE GET BETTER PEOPLE TO HANG OUT AROUND, LIKE YOUR FRIENDS WHO YOU'RE ONLY SEEN ONSCREEN WITH FOR 5 MINUTES.

2.) (AITSF Spoilers) The male characters often make unnecessary and uncomfortable sexual remarks towards Iris, especially with her status as an 18-year-old internet idol. These men include her close friend (24), an ally yakuza boss (48), and the protagonist (42), who is later revealed to have been her surrogate father figure.

There are also smaller but baffling choices around her writing, such as her framing tagging along with the protagonist as a date, and her route centering conspiracy theories in contrast to the relatively grounded and emotional stories of the other characters. (The latter part is contextualized in-game but is still a jarring tonal shift for the first-time player).

3.) Iris, like almost all returning characters from AITSF, is a victim of the sequel - The Nirvana Initiative - being afraid of spoiling the first game and letting the characters keep their development from the first game and grow past that. It just so happens that the hit Iris' character takes makes elements of misogyny from the first game all the worse. So, Iris in the first game at first glance can be dismissed as a dumb internet idol. This is particularly reinforced by her belief in outlandish conspiracy theories. However, the game gives her depth by revealing that she has a brain tumor (which has caused delusions) and knows that her time is limited as well as delving into her backstory and the impact it has had on her. She gets the tumor healed at the end of the first game, there's a 6-year time skip in the second, and she… acts the complete same and has basically the same beliefs. And she has so few scenes that she really is reduced to a shallow, vapid character. I'm not even sure she had a chance to react to her father figure 'dying.' The first game had an issue with male characters being creepily into Iris the idol. Ota, who is 24, endears himself to the 18-year-old Iris by making sock puppet social media accounts that insult her only for him to swoop in with his main account and defend her. The main character does not think that it is important to tell her about this breach in trust. Moma, who is 48 years old, is also a big fan of hers. While it's mostly (mostly) an endearing character trait in the first game, in Nirvana Initiative, Moma has mainly been reduced to his interest in Iris (who he refers to once as his "future wife"). His only plot significant contribution is made by using a voice changer to sound like her. The implications of his original plan for that voice changer skeeves me out. The other characters, by the way, are pretty ambivalent about this.

[pixiedust-poppers]

can you do an infodump about one of your jatnlp au’s or headcannons? Make it one of the dark ones!!

IM SOOO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG FOR ME TO INFODUMP ABOUT I had an idea VERY MUCH typed out and i showed a friend and then they said some criticism back for a scene that made me stall and realize i need to work it out more and the more I thought this I realized it was dark but.... not entirely unhinged (and you asked for dark so. I will bring the unhinged factor to my aus) so I bring you one that is a bit shorter dark and unhinged.

To note: This takes place in alternative version of cdbazemore98's Jake and Tori Stories series but focused more on Izzy and she is SO mentally ill and has been for such a long time. So, the credit for the main series goes to her. (Please. DO NOT go after her)

note 2- This takes place in J&TS4 a week or so after chapter 25: Spouse betrayal and to give a short gist of the emotional side of this . Jake was overtaken by lust and forced himself (for a kiss) on Ally (an oc of the author) with her husband and his rival Blake (also an oc of the author) there and Izzy watched to whole thing go but didn't reveal herself until Blake and Ally left. She rightfully slapped him and when he revealed why he did what he did (he saw her mother in her; Tori (as is Victoria Vega)) and she screamed "oh so your still in love with tori?" and then proceed to dig into abt him probably wanting to fuck her (she is in her sixties) and her daughters and when Jake couldn't get a word in + very upset at these conclusions she came to he raises his fist at her and threatens to knock her out if she doesn't shut up. Both he and she are shocked at this, and when he tries to explain himself 5 secs later, she is not having it, so she leaves and tells him that her and their youngest daughter won't be at home when he gets there and that he is dead to her.

There is some ongoing mystery plot in the story itself but for this alternative time-line that doesn't matter, and you're going to see why💀

SO once again DISCLAIMER: I do not Own Jake and Tori stories series. I do not own Ally, Blake, Troy, Maia and Kari they belong to cdbazemore98. DO NOT harass or go after the author.

CW: suicidal ideation, suicide, OOC FOR SURE.

--

Isabella Green was a miserable woman; she has been for a loooong time and her week just got even worse. A few days after Jake forced himself onto ally and she leaves him to stay at tori's with their youngest daughter Hikari (kari for short). Tori being mostly team Jake although she "hears her out" for her side of things she talks to izzy in a way that makes it clear to her that she's moreso going to believe Jake's side of the story. She never liked her anyway, but she continues to stay because free rent is free rent.

The more kari whines about wanting to see her father and be kissed goodnight by him instead of her, she begins to reflect. "Does anyone really give a shit about her?" "How did her life turn out like this?" "Why didn't she do the deed sooner?", she's been unhappy for a looooooooooong while in her life, even from the age of 11. Depression and low self-esteem have had this girl in a chokehold for a long time, the choke is less or more depending on the day but it's always in the back of her mind. She thought that staying and marrying jake would help that; it does! ...depending on the day. She thought having children would make her happier; It does! though it was unconditional when they were younger... and sure she wasn't always the best mother, but she has noticed that Jake can do wrong in their eyes meanwhile, she isolated from immediately the moment she fucks up.

She doesn't have many friends, she hates the way she looks, any time she tries to do anything that will make her happy, everyone is suddenly a critic. what's the point of being here anymore if she can't be happy? She knows she can't convince Jake to go to couple therapy, everyone will tell her to get over it and what's the goddamn point??? Her kids will probably be smitten to just be with her dad, Jake can find a wife he actually wants to fuck and she can be happy in death.

So after kissing Kari goodnight, she answers Jake nightly call for once. Goes to the bathroom and basically trauma-dumps and chews him out, then after he gets his "I love you my fair maiden please" She traumatizes him for life by shooting herself in the head while he's on call.

Now because she married him, and bore his children, she does get into this Super pirate heaven. Homegirl is vibing, she LOVES it. Got her nice lil tiny home set up and everything and now she can start getting into hobbies she genuinely enjoys without anyone's judgement and she is safe

Meanwhile on earth, they're um ehhhh… Tori and the other's don't really give a shit, they're sad for Jake's sake(Cubby is genuinely sad though). Troy is more devastated than Maia over her death considering he was a momma's boy, Kari is traumatized as she was the first to find her mother's body and Jake is in Tatters, because he knows fucked up majorly to point where he actually doesn't date (he does the occasional prostitute) again despite others recommending he does, but he doessss get into drinking abit more, but he does like his job so.. not really.

Months pass and things have calm down, Jake obviously isn't over his wife's death so he's just semi-misrable and desires to see her again but then skylar so kindly reminds him "Hey what if u use super pirate powers? you can use those to see her like you did with me and maybe bring her back!" Eureka moment there. So he tries, but to no avail she doesn't want to connect with him. After complaining back and forth to the Og Super pirate spirit is like "Ok lemme talk to her... I'm sure we can come up with something." He goes to talk to her and she's like "No i don't want to see them, I doubt they give a real shit" and then trauma dump to him too and tells it about all the things she wished to have done with Jake and her life if not for the twins and having to settle down so early in their 20s. it's like "wow... hmmm you suffered alot.. I think i might have a deal for you." and she was like "??? I'm not a super pirate though?" And he's like "You wish for a new life and your husband wishes for a life with you in it, I can help with both." And he tells her of the plan if she agrees which is, for them to "start over" and take her back to the night where the twins are conceived but she can put a stop to that happening, and with changing that turning point in her life to possibly never or a later date, she can hopefully get the adult life that she truly wants. And while she personally wants it to be younger, she thinks about and realizes she can still do what she wants since she'll still be young with all of the amenities she’s grown accustomed to and agrees. And so with this Izzy is responsible, for the unbirth of her children, de-aging basically everyone and significantly pushing back time. She wakes back up again, as 19-20 year old izzy who is a nervous very uncomfortable wreck because Jake is about to walk in and they're going to have the sex they agreed to do earlier in the week (it was consensually dw) and this time instead of going along with said sex, she works up the courage in her to say no and actually explain to Jake why she isn't interested in sex as whole. She didn’t do so the first time mostly out of fear that it would significantly hurt their relationship or that Jake would leave her or that Jake would just snap and force himself on her, she was scared. And with this no twins are created so you have now a whole new sandbox of conversations that should be haved and therapy to fuck about with.

[acti-veg]

is the BBC unbiased

The BBC strive to be impartial because that is their mandate, the problem is that nobody seems to agree what impartiality actually means, and true unbiased coverage of all issues would be wildly offensive to most people.

It is generally agreed that some topics, like the climate crisis, like racism, like sexism, don’t require dissenting voices. When it comes to more contested movements though, like trans rights and animal rights, the BBC will still hold views from both sides as if they’re worth the same. There is also the fact that the BBC, as a taxpayer funded organisation, can be unduly influenced by the government, which we’ve seen many times, such as the blatantly biased coverage they have Jeremy Corbyn and his policies. They sometimes just choose not to report on some things, particularly anti-establishment protests and politics, for obvious reasons.

We shouldn’t forget that the BBC itself is often the subject of headline news itself, and is then expected to report impartially on its own existence, which is absurd. It’s no less silly that they’re expected to report on the issues created out of thin air by the tories culture war distractions, as if they don’t know full well why the tories have chosen to make sure the media focus on that rather than the failure of our economy or their own instability.

The BBC writers themselves obviously have bias, and more than that, I think that the idea that there is any such thing as an unbiased viewpoint is a bit of a fantasy. I think they mostly do their best to remain impartial within the political constraints of their role, but it is naive to think of any news organisation as the unbiased arbiter of truth.

You can generally rely on the facts of any given BBC story being accurate, but you should account for any vested interest and recognise that there may well be wider context that they’re not reporting, there may be cherry picking of what information is ‘relevant’ and what is not, and there are often alternate views they are not airing. We should always be willing to look at more than one source and draw our own conclusions.

[mainstoryarchive]

Ensemble - 129: Decisive Battle

Tori: But my opponent is the weakest guy in Trickstar, right?

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Location: Auditorium (LIVE)

Tori: But my opponent is the weakest guy in Trickstar, right?

That means he's the weakest of the weak, damn small fry… I can't even brag to the prez about defeating this kind of opponent.

Makoto: A-Aren't you being pretty cruel!? It's true that I'm the worst at both singing and dancing in Trickstar, but…!

(But to be honest, I'm glad…♪)

(Compared to the other members of fine or someone like Izumi-san or Koga-kun, he's not scary at all!)

(I'm really glad that my opponent is a cute and small kid…!)

Makoto: (With this, I can also bring out everything I have without freaking out!)

(Just watch me, kid! I'll prove that even I can do what I put my mind to, I'm gonna do my best! There's no way I would lose to a child after all ♪)

Tori: You over there, aren't you thinking something really rude? You're way too cheeky, I'll crush you beyond repair, you piece of trash!

Yuzuru: Young Master, we're on stage right now. Please refrain from using any inappropriate language. The people in the audience will be able to hear you, how embarrassing.

Tori: You're so annoying, even though you're just a slave. I'm in a great mood right now, so just shut up ☆

But well, even if the impossible happens and we lose, we've still got the prez.

Whatever happens, he'll be able to turn things in our favor for certain ☆

Those low-classed mountain monkeys won't be able to overthrow our student council's unshakable emperor!

Eichi: Fufu. It's exactly as you say, my cute Tori.

Well then. I'm still a little bit perplexed as of right now, gentlemen of Trickstar. About the fact that we are facing each other on this stage that is.

We might have been able to become friends, why did things turn to this?

Even though we're all students from the same school… or such. Keeping up a pretense like that seems forced I suppose.

To be honest, I've been thinking that this day would come soon.

From the first time I saw you… From the time I witnessed your show-off with AKATSUKI.

You are special, that's why you were able to climb up to this stage. This Eichi Tenshouin will give you his stamp of approval, you guys are the best!

If I were to have your dreams, your drive, I would be able to become even stronger…!

Wonderful! It's an incomparable tribute for the 'Emperor'! I'll make sure to have a good taste of them, of your dreams…♪

Subaru: You won't be able to take it easy for much longer, president. You can't consume all of our dreams! They're enormous, they're limitless!

We'll prove it to you, on this stage!

We're overthrowing you, no, it's a rebellion! From tomorrow onwards, Yumenosaki Academy will be filled with brilliant smiles ☆

Eichi: A rebellion, you say. What are politics, what is a regime? You're making some bold statements for someone who doesn't know of the loneliness of the ones standing at the peak.

Subaru: Ahaha, just saying it doesn't cost anything after all ☆

You really are amazing. You're a genius, the strongest, you're a top idol.

But. No matter how strong your light is, it won't reach down to the earth!

If everyone has the chance to shine, Yumenosaki Academy will become much brighter! No one will have to tremble and freeze due to the cold anymore, because it'll be like the sun has finally risen!

I will make Yumenosaki Academy into a place like that! With this live!

I will win against you and prove it! I've come this far just for that!

(That's right. We've finally made it this far.)

(Hokuto, Makoto, Mao, transfer student! We've made it this far!)

(All that's left is to sing, dance and make a miracle happen ☆)

Eichi: Fine, there's no need to talk any more. Whose ideals are more right… Whose beliefs are stronger? Only God knows.

Let's bring this to a conclusion, Trickstar.

Eichi: Let's begin it, our performance.

Let it resound, our ensemble.

[ ☆ ]

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[grandhotelabyss]

Favorite Yeats poem? I can't get enough of him.

"Easter, 1916." He does everything he could do there; it's the greatest political poem in English of the 20th century. First, simply from a "craft" perspective, there is the propulsive but unobtrusive accentual (but not syllabic) meter, the pulsing three-beat line. Then the deceptively simple abab rhyme scheme—except that the even lines only ever off-rhyme. Sound mimics sense in this mingling of the beautiful and the terrible: our march song is never quite in perfect rhythm. We can never quite get the steps right as we march toward our sublime deaths. This isn't "The Charge of the Light Brigade."

For one thing, it's not public rhetoric, or not just public rhetoric. There is the quiet, personal opening of the first stanza, the "I" in its humble self-deprecatory historical setting, when we know what modern life and all its calculating mediocrity meant for Yeats. Then, enacting in language the transformation it proposes of public life, the first appearance of the refrain lifts the poem into epic.

In the second stanza, we find an epic catalogue of the flawed vessels of historical force, made more poignant by a knowledge of what it probably took for Yeats to praise MacBride ("a drunken, vainglorious lout") who had, in his mind, robbed him of Maud Gonne. Small-nation politics lends itself to such gossip. "Great hatred, little room," as he had it elsewhere. But that farce is past. Comedy has turned to tragedy in the national epic of the uprising.

But this, again, is poetry: not propaganda. You don't write the best political poem of the 20th century by celebrating emancipatory violence without subtlety, without nuance, without irony. Here we have the irony of a conservative revolution—again, recall the etymology of Tory—revolution not as the forward movement of history, as the benighted progressive thinks, but rather as the obdurate force that blocks history from engulfing the whole of the lifeworld. He sounds oddly like Benjamin here, as well as like Eliot, showing how vain it is to explain the most serious art and thought by shallow labels like left and right. "Enchanted" as it is, though, the stone is also opposed to nature, to the "living stream" figured most vividly in the prospective mating of hen and cock. As in "Sailing to Byzantium," another favorite, Yeats is worried about the conflict between the art and the life, between raw life and the artifice of eternity. The refrain does not appear, the poem's own flow broken.

Our bard, who as a member of the Protestant upper class favored negotation with England rather than violent revolt, expresses misgivings. Homer didn't have misgivings, for all that Yeats would later want to model himself on Homer's "unchristened heart." He has misgivings about more than just resistance tactics. He identifies with women, he fears for the nation's children, for the nation's very soul. The trope of the stone becomes disenchanted, no longer the Arthurian romance's source of political power but the Old Testament's hardness of heart, inviting divine chastisement. The cause of the revolutionaries itself comes into question for a moment. Was their violence part of the vanity, part of the "motley," with which the poem began? Have we really ever left the comedy, the 18th-century farce? But the motive spiritualizes the event: "excess of love." We think of Antigone, we think of Lear. Tragic heroism is still heroism. And in conclusion, the epic catalogue proper, before the refrain comes around again for our cyclic poet, itself changed utterly: "terrible beauty" no longer a political slogan but the aesthetic credo that will guide the rest of the poet's work out of the bee-loud glade and the Celtic Twilight and into "the desolation of reality," "gaiety transfiguring all that dread," the gaiety that is the achievement of form in the midst of terror.

[griffinborn]

Samtory had the best relationship arc!

Sam was there for Tory and understood her at every point, encouraged her always, and brought out the best (and the worst) in her the boys were just there!

The post show timeline should be:

6 months later

In Okinawa

Tory & Robby are there for a promotional tour and things are rough between themTM cause you know:

Robby has always been a scapegoat for others’ agendas and now he has this relationship that was built on nothing but trauma and perpetuated on the basis of constant struggle against a shared enemy and just to belong somewhere to someone. Now there are these execs who are marketing their relationship and he has to again conform to someone else’s ideals obviously he doesn’t have enough therapy to understand this and is just regularly irritated disproportionately.

Tory for the first time has financial security and is appreciated for who she is but also she’s street smart and knows that this job hinges on her relationship with Robbie and can see him falling apart distancing himself. That leads to conflicting feelings cause she wants him to stay with her for the contract but she has dealt with sexual harassment in return for monetary gain so knows that this is dirty, she loves him and is still insecure with abandonment issues, also she loves him and has matured and wants the best for him.

Now in Okinawa:

Sam comes in. And this is the most well adjusted person ever. Brought up with Miyagi patented balance and going to therapy after the season 2 fight. She’s more Miyagi than Daniel.

It ends with Sam and Tori down dirty on Chozen’s fighting wooden platform.

And we still have no conclusion to Sam vs Tory cause they end up jumping each other before every final point.

Now with part 2

No because showing Sam/Tory and Eli/Demetri during the wedding vows is WILD

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony's Stupid Daily Blog (778): Sat 4th May 2024

My mother normally votes Tory but she forgot that it was voting day on Thursday. This morning she asked me if I voted and I told her that I did. She asked me this afternoon why I didn't remind her that it was voting day and I told her that I forgot which is true I did forget.. in the same way I forgot to spray paint my bank details on the roof of my unlocked car. The big takeaway from the election other than the Tories rightfully getting fucking mauled and Sunak actually having the balls to say that the forthcoming general election result is not a foregone conclusion but rather the fact that Boris Johnson forgot to take his ID with him to vote. This was especially noteworthy because it was Johnson who actually introduced this rule while he was Prime Minister. Someone fuckwits on Twitter were saying he did it on purpose in order to get attention with one user declaring "Unbelievable stage managed publicity stunt and the media fell for it" to which I responded "Right. Kind of like the time you “pissed” yourself during the school play and everyone laughed at you. Those idiot kids, teachers and parents had no idea you deliberately poured water on your pants to make people think you’d pissed yourself. Bunch of marks".

I started re-reading Philip K Dick’s Solar Lottery in the garden. When I decided I was going to read all Philip K Dick's books about a year ago I started with Solar Lottery because I thought that this was his first novel but I later found out it was the first published in his lifetime but not the first he ever wrote. Indeed there were half a dozen stories he wrote before Solar Lottery came out so I decided to go back to the very beginning, read those half dozen books then go over Solar Lottery again. I still think that the plot is one of the best of all PKD's novels. It's about an alternate Earth which has decided that the only way to have true justice in the world is through random chance and as such every leader of the world is chosen once every five years via a lottery. To coincide with this new president the lottery process also selects one person randomly to try and assassinate this leader and if they do they become the new leader or "Quizmaster". The current Quizmaster Verrick is coming to the end of his term and has survived his assassination attempt but does not want to give up his leadership role. The new leader Cartwright has his own personal medium that he intends to use to thwart any potential assassination attempt. In order to prevent the handover of power Verrick has built a robot that can be controlled by numerous people and has hired a group of around thirty assassins to mind control the robot and plans to switch assassins at random intervals which he thinks will confuse the medium and make it impossible for them to predict the robot's behaviour. My favourite part of the book is where the robot is walking through the offices where Cartwright is and someone is screaming over the PA system "THE ASSASIN IS IN THE BUILDING!" as pandemonium is happening all around. Some of Dick's works seem to be begging to be adapted for the cinema and I can totally see this scene being the most memorable if such a cinematic adaptation of Solar Lottery were to happen.