#for a guy who's 'completely logical' he sure does have a lot of sass

[krscblw-2]

spock sketch studies bc he lives in my brain

[gr8otaco]

Time for another creepypasta au headcannon

Today’s headcannon is about Tim/Masky.

Just to clarify, I know marble hornets has nothing to do with creepypasta. And I also know that Masky and even hoodie are not proxies. But I love them so I’m involving them.

Warning ⚠️: mention of suicide.

Any let’s get on with the headcannons

Here we go

. I’ll elaborate on this at some later date but Tim, Brian weren’t proxies during the events of Marble Hornets, only afterwards.

. There’s no real difference between Tim and Masky anymore. Due to Slender Man turning him into a proxy “Masky” is just Tim wearing a mask instead of a separate personality altogether. Everybody uses the names “Tim” and “Masky” interchangeably and Tim will answer to Masky when he’s not even wearing the mask.

. He has schizophrenia, sometimes has seizures ( or used to anyway) anger issues, and like toby he also has amnesia.

. Tim’s strong as fuck. He can lift people up and throw them with very little effort. He’s picked up Jeff and thrown him headfirst into a dumpster before. He’d do it again.

. He’s not the most logical at times, but is fairly rational.

. Tim’s salty as fuck and sasses everyone. EVERYONE. This man has guts to even talk back to Slenderman.

. He gets easily annoyed by the others sometimes, because they can just be so ridiculous.

“2 am is not the time to climb a tree, Kate”-masky

. As I’m sure half the fandom has joked about by now, he has the strongest sideburn game.

. He's a natural heavyweight

. Masky has quite the dad bod. What I mean by this is, he's bulky. His muscles aren't heavily defined, but they're there, especially in his arms.

. He is n o t a morning person. At all. Try and wake him up before 9 and you’re signing your death warrant.

. He runs on caffeine and pure spite.

. His wardrobe consists nearly entirely of jeans, flannels and maybe a few plain tshirts

. Tim is very musically inclined. He can play guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, and piano. He also so sings, however he keeps all of this to himself because he is not a performer and refuses to play for anyone.

. he is currently a poly and is in a relationship with hoodie and skully (jay did die in my au, I will explain how and why he is alive at a later date)

. Knows a lot about cars

. Masky is actually a victim in the mansion and do mental breakdowns often because the others are just horrible with him cause it's so goddamn funny to watch him suffer-

Masky: “WILSON!!!SLOW DOWN!!SLOW THE F*** DOWN!

Wilson the basher fast and furious-ing though the woods

Wilson the basher: “ alright mr. panic at the everywhere you need to relax. Relaxing music?”

Starts blasting death metal trough the van’s speakers

Masky: “ THIS IS NOT SOOTHING! THIS IS MADNESS!!!!”

Wilson the basher: “ oh don’t worry I have a special song for you”

Proceeds to put on the gummy bear song and starts head banging.

Masky:”AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

. This guy has some massive bed head when he does wake up. I mean it looks like he got electrocuted it sticks up in every direction but it’s really soft and fluffy.

. This guy drinks his coffee black. No cream, no sugar, nada.

. Likes sunflowers.

. Smokes when he’s stressed. He hates when he’s chasing a victim and loses his breath, and coughs a lot.

. Every year Tim makes his new year’s resolution “quit smoking” and every year he ruins it by smoking literally the next day.

. Tim has a small collection of very expensive colognes ( of which he stole.) he prefers the expensive, strong smelling ones because it distracts people from the stench of cigarettes that constantly follows him.

. He cant STAND Toby, Cody, and Circe(partially, can't completely not stand her, because the kid looks up to him as a father figure), he always thinks that they shouldn't be proxies . Not because they’re annoying, but because they’re young. He also can’t stand how enthusiastic they are about killing.

. Toby is the one who started the rumors that Tim/Masky is obsessed with cheesecake, he did it to mock Masky’s build. Masky got toby back by spreading rumors that toby is obsessed with waffles.

. While he vehemently despises cheesecake with all his heart he does have a favorite food: pineapple pizza. He is positively obsessed with pineapple pizza and Hoodie is more disturbed by this than when Tim literally murdered him.

. Masky has a tiny (big)fear of dogs. He hopped into one of his targets backyard and ended up getting chased by a huge Great Dane. He now makes Hoodie go in first when hopping fences. Dogs love that man. Tis very strange.

. He can read emotions and teleport (powers he developed while being a proxy to the slenderman.)

. He can be overprotective over people he truly cares about. Like really overprotective. Not letting anything happen to them.

Though first you need to earn his trust and then he will give world to you.

. He vibes to Johnny Cash, John Lennon, Bon Jovi, ect.

. Masky for whatever, reason is scarily good at calculating percentages without the use of a calculator. He basically is the calculator. He’ll just be like:

“Oh yes, there’s a 76.632% chance that lady falling off the CN tower”-Masky

And he’s right. Every. Fucking. Time.

Even hoodie has no idea how he does it, but within 2 seconds he’ll have the exact answer, and it’s funny because he failed math classes when he was still in the hospital.

Bonus: he failed math on purpose to annoy his teachers.

. Still kinda has… issues with his leg. Sometimes wears a brace.

. hates if anyone mentions anything about his height since he’s one of the shortest of the male proxies . He is 5′6 tall.

. Masky owns a red truck with four seats, and he loves that truck so much.

. He makes lots of dad jokes and chuckles at them.

. Whenever he leaves for a few minutes he usually comes back to toby breaking a bone, x-virus passed out, Kate and Brian confused, rouge gone, Wilson crying over the fact rouge is gone, and Circe just recording all of this to post on TikTok.

Does he react?

No cuz he is the definition of everything is fine meme.

. Post- marble hornets Tim freaked out when the Slenderman came to collect him. Tim at the time did not know that the operator and the Slenderman were separate entities. So he assumed the Slenderman was the operator. In attempt to avoid being under the control of who he thought was the operator, he tried to shoot himself in the head with a pistol. A course the Slenderman man stopped him by knocking him out and proceeded to take him back to the slender mansion.

. He was hella confused when he found out hoodie was still alive but happy that his friend was alive. Turns out slenderman had found hoodie and brought him back to the mansion as well.

. Masky still has a hard time believing that the slender man and the operator are not the same being. Tho there are times he sees proof that they are not the same.

Slenderman carrying Circe: “ I have adopted a another human. And I have apple juice.”- slenderman

Masky: “ you what?”

Slenderman: “ I got more apple juice”

Masky:” yeah, let’s pretend that’s what I was talking about “

. He was never allowed to have sweets as a kid, some of the pasta’s think that’s why he’s so bitter all the time.

. Some believe that Masky has forgotten his past when he was still just”Tim” and only knows the life of a proxy but that is false. Masky remembers jay and Alex and his past as Timothy wright. He feels immense guilt over what happened to Alex’s film crew. He still thinks it’s his fault that the Operator began stalking the Marble Hornets cast. He also blames himself for Jay’s death.

. Every once in a while he checks up on Jessica to make sure she’s safe (don’t worry, she is). He tried getting BEN to do it for him but all he did was spread a rumor around the Mansion that Tim had a girlfriend. Tim retaliated by flushing BEN’s cartridge down the toilet.

Overall Tim/Masky just wants peace, but he’s not getting that anytime soon.

Well I hope you liked it.

P.s. just know this is a au, not every thing is canon. So don’t hate. If you don’t like it, go somewhere else, thank you. Bye 👋🏻

P.s.s. Go check out circe’s origin story on archive of our own. It’s called rabbits are not what they seem.

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: Find Us

Summary: (Y/N)’s sleep study goes horribly wrong.

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine

Taglist: @ubbesgirl, @shewolf2000, @tis-itheapplepie, @atequila, @demoncrypt1066, @greennightspider, @badbitsh13, @fireismysaftey, @minarawr, @laketaj24, @hvitserksgirl, @blahblahcookiesdoma, @fabulous-peasent, @sforsammmmmi, @minmiin1d, @courtrae89, @letsloveimagines, @tomarisela, @titty-teetee, @beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit, @mblaqgi, @whenimaunicorn, @chuflisworld, @mystruggledlife, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @syreni-dea, @trashqueenbitch, @alykatv, @mbaku-babygirl, @perfectus-in-morte, @beyond-the-ashes, @neeadinghugs, @readsalot73, @triumphantreturnofpies, @anarchy-is-coming, @tephi101, @alicedopey, @ivarslittlebadgirl, @jtrstp, @nejijjeoroo, @charlylama, @ivartheblessed, @captstefanbrandt, @fabulouschrissi, @ivarsrideordie, @3x5gurl, @the-writer-appreciation-blog, @lolabee9, @captainfoxy22, @young-ugly-god, @im5ftbutmythroat66, @bribyyy, @irishhiggins, @cadetomlinson, @keclleon101, @slutforragnarssons, @ltkeke, @meeeeeeeeeps, @lille-kanin, @opalscarab, @ssraven7, @ivarandersen, @concretewaywardangel, @funmadnessandbadassvikings, @sharon-is-tired, @cadetomlinson, @mystruggledlife, @chuflisworld, @justmarissa97, @lol-haha-joke, @weirdly-randomly-awesome, @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanim, @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers, @alexa040004, @buckythetinman , @burntmythroatskullingmytea,@jorunnravenslayer, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @buffy-the-vampire-blogger, @arses21434, @ltkeke, @captainfoxy22, @chinduda @letsshamelessqueen-m @my-soul-is-the-moon @we-are-transcendent

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six,Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine

Sitting at the table you had continued the research you had begun the day before, you had been knee deep in articles since you had sent your sibling off to school that morning and it was almost time for them to get out.

Not that they would be coming back home after school; your mother had to stay on location for a few days and for tonight you couldn’t hold down the fort because you had your own appointment.

Dr. Finehair said he had a specialist come in to conduct a sleep study to see if maybe it was a brainwave disturbance causing your sleeping problems and he wanted you to try and sleep as long as you could.

Without meaning to you had let your mind wander back to your phone call with Ivar yesterday.

After you hung up you spared a moment to think about how abruptly Ivar decided to end the call, it seemed like something was wrong with him.

You figured he would tell you when he felt the need to talk about it, so you went back to your research on Ivar the Boneless.

History was one of your favorite subjects because it’s like a story that really happened once upon a dark and twisted time.

The more you read the more you wanted to put it all aside and never look at it again, which was odd for you. Normally you loved the dark part of history, you believed that no country can ever grow without looking back at its history.

American history was your usual topic but this was a completely new ballpark, and Ivar the Boneless didn’t really feel like light reading. Especially when you couldn’t help but picture your best friend performing a Blood Eagle in order to avenge his father.

His father was another matter that needed researching, you had to look into as much as you could. Any small piece of information could be vital to figuring out this whole thing.

Whatever this thing was.

Your stomach growled and snapped you out of your own head, you sat aside your laptop and stretched before you stood up from your kitchen table.

The kitchen window gave your neighbor a good enough view that she could just walk by and see that you weren’t sleeping.

It didn’t surprise you that your mother didn’t trust you to stay awake on your own accord, because you also didn’t trust yourself to not take a nap.

God you needed a nap.

With a sigh you went and made yourself a quick bowl of ramen to ease your hunger without overfilling yourself.

It was about an hour before Ivar would be released.

He was going to drive you to the hospital and wait for you, meaning he would sleep in an uncomfortable waiting room or even worse his truck. It felt odd that he would do that for you, and even though you had asked him to, you thought he’d decline.

Suddenly your phone chimed with a message.

I’m leaving early be there in ten - Ivar

Cool, we can just chill until it’s time to go - (Y/N)

You looked at the phone and couldn’t help but second guess if that message was good enough, or if you should have added any emojis.

Ugh, this was not good, how could you have suddenly developed feelings for him; Ivar of all people. The guy you were trying to get to remember his past life.

A life in which he was married to you while being old enough to be your grandfather.

You groaned in mild annoyance and complete confusion as you went upstairs to change out of the pajamas you had been lounging in.

The minutes passed like seconds and soon Ivar was at your door.

Fighting the urge to double check yourself in the mirror you went downstairs to let him in.

‘Hey, I got your schoolwork.’ he said handing you a folder.

‘Boo.’ you whined as you looked at the assignments.

‘You’re welcome, not like I went out of my way to get them for you or anything.’ Ivar sassed.

‘Thank you, think you can help me with this...I hate math.’

‘I know, sure I’ll help.’

You led him to the kitchen and subtly motioned to the open window and waved at your neighbor who waved back.

The older woman looked at Ivar in confusion and Ivar waved politely before he sat at your table.

‘So are we starting with math first?’

‘Hell no, tell me about the man with no eyes.’ you said bluntly.

‘I don’t know much, man doesn’t like being in the public eye. Got rich through genius investments but he seems to come from old money despite the fact that no information on his family is available. My father said he was one of his first clients.

‘So it's not like he just time traveled to get here, he’s well established. Covered in mystery but still real, does that mean he’s been alive this whole time?’ you asked.

‘I would guess so but that doesn’t seem humanly possible.’ Ivar said back.

‘Maybe he isn’t human then, at this point we can’t afford to think too logically anymore, the new motto is if we can explain it then we can accept it.’

‘Inspirational.’ he hummed.

‘Thank you, I’m truly a poetic soul.’ you joked.

‘Yeah... there is more though, he knew too much.’

That got your attention, not because of what Ivar had said but the way he said it, like he wasn’t talking about something he’d experienced. It was as if he was talking about someone else he didn’t know.

‘What do you mean?’

‘He knew about my family, but it didn’t feel like he looked us up. He just...knew too much.’ Ivar tried to clarify.

‘What did he know?’

‘Dad was introducing us and he said this wasn’t all us...he knew two of us weren’t there and he was right. Bjorn wasn’t there and he knew about Gida...almost no one knows about Gida, Dad never talks about her except on her birthday.’

‘Who is Gida?’ you asked.

‘My sister, well half sister if you want to be politically correct. My dad’s first wife had two kids Bjorn and Gida, when his first company was just becoming successful he had to leave town a lot and on one trip he was told Gida had died of influenza.’

‘Oh my God, I’m sorry.’ you said sympathetically.

‘It’s ok, she died way before I was born, I’ve only seen a few pictures but I don’t know anything about her, but that guy did. He knew that none of us ever saw her and he knew she was sick, and I could tell that dad was surprised by him knowing.’

Now Ivar was looking off into the distance as if he himself wasn’t even here sitting at your table right now. It was as if he was mentally somewhere else, probably trying to come up with a scenario where his father would have talked about this girl named Gida.

‘Hey, calm down. We can put a pin in it for right now if you want to, I actually do need to get some of my homework done.’ you tried to comfort.

Ivar nodded and took in a deep breath and let it all out.

You actually managed to put most of your focus on stupid equations that no one would ever need in real life, but you couldn’t help but think about how hard this was all becoming now.

Ivar was in complete denial of who he must have been in his past life, anytime you brought it up he shuts down or starts bleeding. How much more proof did he need and what will he do when he can’t deny it any more?

By some miracle you finished all your assignments with mild confidence that it was at least a B+, Ivar was apparently putting all his focus on helping you.

Pretty soon it was time for the two of you to head out if you wanted to get to the hospital in time for your appointment.

The ride was uneventful, just casual talk about school and plans for next weekend; pretty much you talked about anything but the elephant in the room.

While you rode you were very proud of yourself for keeping things casual. It was as if you had pushed aside that mild panic you felt about the possibility of you having a crush on the guy next to you.

At the hospital you filled out some papers while Ivar was chatting with the lady at the desk, it was the same one from your first visit.

Her name was Helga, she was a blond woman who looked no older than twenty seven tops, but she spoke to Ivar as if she were an forty year old aunt.

‘Are you her ride home? She could be here for a while, your mother will worry.’ Helga asked.

‘Mother always does, I let her know I’d be home late if it makes you feel better.’ he assured.

‘It doesn’t.’

You felt kinda awkward interrupting to let her know you were done with the papers.

She took them and led you into an examination room where a male nurse took your vitals and gave you a gown to wear.

After a minute Dr. Finehair came in with another doctor who you had to assume was the specialist who would be conducting the study.

‘Hello Ms. (Y/N), I’m Dr. Finehair.’

You made a confused face and sent a looked between the two men.

‘My little brother, if it helps you can call him Halfdan.’ your doctor explained.

‘Don’t worry the smarter one is in charge.’ Halfdan smiled politely.

It was strange how easily his charm seemed to relax you, but you guessed as a doctor he had to have amazing bedside manners.

‘I’ve looked over all of your test results and it seems to be nothing physically with your body, other than what could be expected from an exhausted teenager.’ he said as he began placing little stickers on your temples, scalp face, chest and legs.

Both doctors were very nice and the small talk did help to pass the time while Halfdan was placing sensors on your body.

‘The main purpose of the study is to see what your brainwaves are up to when you go to sleep. If there is anything unusual then we can know what to focus on and see what tests need to be run on you. OK?’ he explained.

‘I understand, how long do I need to sleep?’

‘As long as you can, did you need any sleeping aids, I see it’s been prescribed to you.’

‘Not necessary, I’m ready to crash whenever you give me the go ahead Doc.’ you smiled.

‘Oh well don’t let me stop you, we are going to leave the room, the sensors are connected to a machine, we will monitor the room as well record video.’

‘What if I have to use the restroom? I guess I should have asked before you started.’

‘It is fine, we can disconnect you, all you have to do is let us know.’

‘Alright you are all set to go, we will leave you to it ma’am.’

The two men left and it only took you about thirty seconds to go to sleep.

******************************************************************* Ivar’s POV

The hospital was unusually quiet today, not empty by any means, but it seemed nothing horribly urgent had happened since he’d gotten here.

Every person that came in was calm and in good enough shape to explain why they were here and what they were feeling.

Of course that would be expected because this hospital was a bit out of the way, too far from the busy highways where most car accidents tend to happen.

There was also the fact that this was a very expensive hospital, with amazing security, top of the line technology and the best doctors you can get.

All of his surgeries had been done here, because on top of all those other great qualities this hospital assured each patient complete privacy. No matter who the patient was or how much money their secrets were worth.

Ivar was sitting there, in one of the uncommonly comfortable waiting room chairs, scrolling through social media on his phone when a sudden wave of lightheadedness hit him.

His vision blurred to the point where he had to sit his phone aside and shake his head in an effort to clear his head.

‘I see you Boneless.’

Ivar flinched at the sudden voice, but more than that he flinched at the name.

He looked up and what he saw was impossible, so very impossible that even the thought of it made him think that he was going mad.

There is no other explanation for what was sitting in the chair across from him.

It was himself.

His own face, slightly hidden behind a thick and graying beard, but all the same it was obviously his face. His eyes, nose and teeth...his face.

‘No.’ he breathed.

‘But yes, you wouldn’t believe what all had to be sacrificed for us to chat, and I’m sad to say that my being here is not good news.’

‘You aren’t here.’ Ivar whispered.

‘No, not really; neither are you, not completely. Neither of us can ever truly be anywhere until we are together. Until you accept that you are me, I did my part; I died...and I waited.’

‘Waited for what? For two teenagers to meet to clean up a mess you made thousands of years ago?’ he snapped angrily, barely managing to keep his voice down.

‘I didn’t want to do this, I saw no point in it. I was fully prepared to accept the punishment the Gods felt I deserved, but it wasn’t just me...and it isn’t just you. Everyone you love and care about, they are all being punished for my deeds, our deeds.’

‘Your deeds.’ Ivar spat.

‘Our...deeds.’

‘Ivar.’

This time Ivar jumped clean out of his chair, partially due to being so suddenly startled but mostly to look away from this thing with his face.

Herald was there and just the look on his face told him something was wrong; horribly wrong.

‘What happened?’

‘Helga is calling her mother now, Ivar I need you to be calm. I can see how much you care for her and I know you will worry, but losing your composure won’t help anything do you understand?’ Herald said seriously.

‘Tell me what happened.’ Ivar repeated quietly, almost certain he didn’t want the answer but he needed it all the same.

‘(Y/N) is brain dead.’

‘What? She was just here for a sleep study. What the hell happened?!’ Ivar hissed.

The hairs on the back of his neck was standing up and he couldn’t think of a time where he had been this scared.

‘We don’t know. I wouldn’t even be saying any of this to you if her mother hadn’t listed you as one of (Y/N)’s emergency contacts.’

‘Tell me!’ Ivar snapped.

Herald sighed in mild annoyance but his look remained professional.

‘Her vitals were excellent, no sleep aids were administered. Neither me or Halfdan can explain what happened, I was monitoring her on camera and he was watching her brainwaves. Out of nowhere the waves flat-line and she is seizing up.’

‘She had a seizure?’

‘Yes. A non epileptic seizure, but a seizure nonetheless; we had to risk sedating her before she hurt herself. I wish I could tell you something, anything to explain what went wrong, but I don’t know. I checked her for every physical condition I can think of as a medical doctor and there is nothing to see.’

Ivar was speechless, he didn’t know what to say, even if he did he wouldn’t trust his voice to say it without breaking.

‘When her mother arrives I will explain it to her and what happens next will be her decision.’

‘Can I see her?’ he asked softly.

‘Yes, but do not move her. We are not sure what is causing the problem and we won’t know until we can get her in a CAT scan.’

‘CAT scans, do you think it’s cancer?’ Ivar asked, his eyes wide and his heart filled with dread.

‘I can not say, even suggesting it with no test done I could lose my license. For right now I need you to keep calm while we try to figure out what exactly is happening.’

Ivar nodded in understanding, he listened to the room number and made his way there; all the while thinking about everything.

He thought about the imaginary creature that spoke to him in the waiting room.

“My being here is not good news” that’s what he said and he was right.

He remembered when he had first met her in the hallway; he couldn’t stop thinking about her in class, when he saw her at the table with his brothers he was happy to see her. Even happier that he liked her and saw her as a great friend.

A friend was something he’d never had before and he had thought this was why he wanted to keep her so close, but it wasn’t.

Ivar knew that now, he wouldn’t be this worried and concerned for a friend.

He loved (Y/N), he loved her and right now she was brain dead because of the actions of a dead man.

Because of his actions.

[quicksilversquared]

The Substitute Ladybug: Chapter 5

After Lila takes things too far and Marinette ends up with a broken leg, Paris is going to have to deal with a different superhero arrangement for a bit. Having to share her superhero identity with her parents before Hawkmoth can be defeated isn’t something that Marinette had planned on doing, but- well, it might end up being a bit of a blessing in disguise.

links in the reblog

"Why do you always put Sass away when you get Tikki back for the evening?" Mrs. Cheng asked curiously one evening as she and Marinette worked together to make dinner. "Surely it wouldn't be that hard to have both of them out, would it? They seem to get along just fine."

"Wearing more than one Miraculous tends to drain the energy out of whoever is wearing them," Marinette told her mom. It was still weird to be openly talking about the Miraculous like this, even two weeks after her leg broke, but Marinette was slowly getting used to it. Besides, despite how strange it felt, it was nice to be able to talk with someone besides Tikki about the Miraculous again. "I've done it before, of course. For only a couple hours is fine, but I don't want to risk slowing down how fast my leg heals at all."

Mrs. Cheng's eyes grew wide, and she stopped chopping up vegetables for their dinner, slowly setting the knife aside. "Oh, my. Yes, I can see where you maybe wouldn't mess with that."

"Marinette has worn over a dozen Miraculous at once before," Tikki said proudly, settling down on Marinette's shoulder next to Sass. "And handled it throughout an entire akuma fight! Most people would collapse and lose consciousness at once."

"Most people would collapse with far fewer Miraculous," Sass agreed. "It was really impressive!"

"That sounds dangerous," Mrs. Cheng fretted. "Who knows what that could do to your health in the long-term?"

Tikki giggled. "As long as our holders aren't multi-wielding long-term, it's fine! We give our holders enhanced healing abilities, since it's never good for them to be out of commission for long. So maybe people are tired in the short term, but they start healing as soon as they go back down to one Miraculous."

"And if they take on too many Miraculous and pass out?" Mrs. Cheng worried, glancing at Marinette. "And can't take the Miraculous off? Could the kwamis-?"

Sass shook his head. "No, not unless they had given us express permission before collapsing."

Mrs. Cheng looked even more worried. "Have- have people died from that before?"

"I was careful, mom!" Marinette protested, knowing what her mom was so worried about. After all, Master Fu had been concerned as well, and had insisted on checking in with her every day for a solid two weeks after the Kwami Buster fight. "Splitting myself with the Mouse Miraculous made the effects a lot more spread-out and easier to bear. And Master Fu was there when I put them on, he could have pulled off some Miraculous if I couldn't take it!"

"It's a sign of a strong spirit," Tikki said proudly. "I'm very proud of her."

"We are, too," Mr. Dupain boomed cheerfully, bursting into the room with a basket of leftover loaves of bread. "What exactly are we discussing here? Marinette, of course, but specifically?"

Marinette tried not to sigh as her mom and the kwamis filled her dad in. Her parents had always been proud of her, but now that they knew about her double life as Ladybug- well, they were impossibly more proud not and they weren't at all hesitant about showing it. That she was able to juggle even more than they had originally thought and still be managing as well as she had- well, they had been impressed.

"Papa, what's the bread for?" Marinette asked as soon as they had finished talking, eyeing the basket. It wasn't unusual for her dad to bring up a single loaf or a few buns for them to have with their dinner, but this was more than their usual amount unless they had company. "Are there people coming over?"

"No- oh, I forgot to tell you, dear, I'll be going out on a bit of a patrol with your partner this evening. Not late, since I need to stay on a baker's schedule, but if Hawkmoth is going to scale back to only harder attacks, I need to get in more practice." Her mom smiled. "And Chat Noir loves it when I bring snacks, of course. He's a growing boy who's getting plenty of exercise. Did you know, the last time I brought treats, he managed to identify what bakery I had gotten things from just by taste? I had made sure that I didn't bring anything that had our logo on it, but apparently he's familiar enough with the bakery that he can pick out our products just by tasting them!"

Marinette blanched. "Maman, what about secret identities?"

"I didn't say that we had made them, just that I brought treats and then he guessed where they were from. I'm being careful with secret identity stiff, dear. It's really more your partner who isn't, but- well, I won't share too much of what he's said." Her smile turned sad. "Not all of it would be mine to share, either."

Marinette blinked, considering that, then decided to push it out of her mind for now. She had known for a while that Chat Noir didn't have a great home life- he had never said anything specific, but there had been a good number of hints and offhand comments- but she didn't want to pry.

"That's very cool that he knew where you had gotten things," Tom said, nodding in approval. "A lot of people go 'oh, if it's just bread, there's no difference'-" he made a face "-but he must be one of those people who slows down and properly enjoys his food enough to pick up on what makes us different." He shot a sly look towards Marinette. "I don't suppose you've changed your stance on making Chat Noir our future son-in-law? Absence is meant to make the heart grow fonder, after all!"

Marinette promptly turned bright red. "Papa!"

"To be fair, Adrien also seems to really enjoy what we make in the bakery," Mrs. Cheng chimed in, only making Marinette's blush grow worse. "And what we cook at home, too."

"Ah, yes! That's a fair point." Her dad tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe we should expand the range of things that you bring with you to share with Chat Noir. I know he liked the things we made for brunch, but he didn't gush like Adrien sometimes does."

Mrs. Cheng huffed. "Oh, the boy was just nervous and put on the spot! It's not fair to compare them, really, is it, Marinette?"

Marinette could only bury her face in her hands and groan, already looking forward to dinner being over and being able to escape this whole conversation by hiding in her room.

It was weird enough for her parents to know about her double life. For them to apparently be so shipping her- Ladybug-her- with Chat Noir...

Seriously, when had her life gotten so strange?

  Two and a half weeks into her superhero sidelining, Hawkmoth appeared alongside Mayura and both a sentimonster and an akuma. Marinette considered that, considered the odds, and then took the temporary chair lift they had installed- a rented one, courtesy of Lila's bank account- down to the bakery to fetch her dad. It was nearing the end of the day, so it wouldn't be hard for one of the back bakery workers to cover the counter for ten minutes- five for the superheroes to move on-site, five for the actual fight- and then Marinette could take over until her parents returned.

A Turtle Tom would be-well, no one in their right mind would want to cross him.

"I'm sending the Bee, too," Marinette told her dad, pressing a second box into his hands. "Chat Noir has done fusions before, he can handle it. Then you guys can take one fighter out in one shot and have it be three against three instead of three against four."

"And you don't just want a fourth fighter out there?" her dad asked. Marinette shook her head.

"It's too many people to keep track of. That, and- well, Queen Bee was Chloe, and she never should have been a Miraculous holder in the first place. I just went back to her because she had experience." She made a face. "But with the hissy fit she threw when Chat Noir and I told her no more- when she joined Hawkmoth for the day without being akumatized first- she ended up revealing almost all of our teammates' identities. So we're definitely not going back to her. And I don't want to have two completely new people out there at once."

"Solid logic," Mr. Dupain said cheerfully. "All right, I'll deliver the Bee to Chat. I'll see you- no, sorry, hear you out there?"

"Of course, papa!"

Marinette watched him leave- he was going to find an alleyway to transform in, since he would be a bit too noticeable leaving the bakery already transformed- then took the chair lift back up to her temporary room to transform, taking several deep breaths to steady herself as she did.

This was going to be the biggest fight that she had guided as Vipera. There were going to be a lot of moving parts to remember and keep track of, and that was pretty intimidating. The akuma and sentimonster were the biggest priorities- she knew from experience that once those were defeated, the supervillains tended to flee pretty fast- but she had to make sure that whoever was fighting Hawkmoth and Mayura stayed safe, too.

As soon as Vipera pulled out her lute to get set up, she could see her three teammates were out. Her dad was still moving, racing to catch up with Coccinelle and Chat Noir, who were clearly waiting for instruction. Vipera hastily pulled up her video feeds, doing her best to catch up on the situation as fast as she could. Soon enough, the news would break that the superheroes had been seen out and about and where they had last been spotted, and they would lose part of the element of surprise.

"Ah, nice choice on the Bee," Chat Noir said cheerfully as soon as Tanker arrived and handed over the box. There was a crackle of static as he transformed. "A very a-bee-ling choice."

Vipera groaned. "No."

"And I look un-bee-lievably handsome," Chat Noir continued, the smug grin clear in his voice. "In fact-"

There was a muddle of muffled words on the other end of the line and then mercifully, the puns stopped.

"Right, so use the Bee right away to take someone out," Chat Noir said after a moment. "Got it, my Lady. Are we ready?"

Vipera took a moment to breathe, falling into her normal state of- well, focus, but also connection with the Snake's powers. "Ready. They're moving south- if you can circle around to the north, you might be able to surprise them. Da- Tanker, maybe hang back a little. You're a little more. Uh. Noticeable."

Tanker laughed. "Okay. If you say so."

Onscreen- thankfully, Sass had been more than fine with accommodating her request for more screens, so that she could have multiple views plus a map of Paris with where her partners were all up at the same time- the akuma and a sentimonster raged on. Hawkmoth and Mayura were staying largely to the side, sometimes not even visible. Clearly they were banking on the superheroes not seeing them- or perhaps they were assuming that Ladybug was out of town and so the superheroes wouldn't have access to the backup Miraculous, so in turn it wouldn't matter if they knew about the supervillains being there. Coccinelle and Chat Noir would have to come out either way, after all.

The supervillains were going to regret that assumption soon enough. After all, the trio out in the field was carrying not one but two extra Miraculous with them in their initial push, something that rarely ever happened. Normally Ladybug ended up retreating to grab an extra Miraculous or two mid-battle, since she and her partner could generally handle the akuma battles themselves.

Hopefully it would give them a serious edge this time. It probably wouldn't be able to happen often, since Marinette was often at school when akumas attacked, but this one time everything just seemed to come together perfectly.

"Getting close," Chat Noir murmured in his earpiece. "And- oh! Sting!"

Vipera bit back her already? when she spotted her partner on-screen He had managed to sneak up on Mayura and, as she watched, slammed his trompo into her back. Mayura froze up with a cut-off squawk. Hawkmoth let out an angry yell, and Chat Noir was forced to dodge away from Mayura as the akuma of the day wildly shot beams of light in his direction. As soon as he had an opening, Hawkmoth dashed over to Mayura and grabbed her up, hauling her stiff body away over the rooftops as the akuma covered his escape.

Vipera blinked. Well. That was one way to kill two birds with one stone. Now they just had to finish up the fight with both the akuma and the sentimonster before Hawkmoth could stash Mayura somewhere out of the way and come back.

"I see the possessed item- it's the belt!" Coccinelle announced, peering over a rooftop. "Vipera, can you activate the timer? I want to know if our weapons and deflect those blasts, and that's the safest way to do it."

"Of course. In five, four, three, two, one- set." Vipera gave a sharp nod to herself as she set time zero. Onscreen, her teammates surged forward, weapons spinning or- in Tanker's case- simply held out in front of him. The akuma fired, and several seconds later, Vipera hastily reset.

"Okay, the weapons do deflect the beams, but then they reflect off wildly," she told them as the surge repeated. "Dodging is better, so you don't accidentally send the beams at each other!"

Chat Noir snorted out a laugh as he dodged straight into a roll. "Let me guess- last time, we did just that?"

"Yeah, two of you were taken out." Vipera winced at the memory. "That wouldn't have gone well- Chat, dodge left!"

With three on-site fighters and only the sentimonster and akuma to deal with, it only took a half-hour's worth of corrections to turn the battle into a four-minute smackdown. Most of those corrections had to do with stray reflected beams- those were just annoying to deal with, she didn't envy the superheroes out there- and because of that, most of her comments had to do with ducking at certain times.

"That was great," Chat Noir said cheerfully, once everything had been set to right with the Cure. "Really good job, my Lady. These fights are going so smoothly- or at least on our end they are. Did that take many tries?"

"Not really," Vipera told him. "Nothing awful, at least, and I really only had hints that were easy to remember this time." It really was sweet of him to worry. Her mom had mentioned more than once before how concerned Chat Noir was about her using Second Chance, and she could understand why. If the full five minutes- or almost full five minutes were reset again and again and again, that could add up to a lot of time, time that only she really remembered.

...somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if it would be considered abuse of the Miraculous if she used the Snake in the morning to snag a few more minutes of sleep after her alarm went off.

(It probably wouldn't work.)

"And really good job with that Sting first thing," Vipera added quickly. "That was smart thinking, taking Mayura out. I thought you would go for the akuma or the sentimonster, honestly, but what you did was much better."

She could imagine the small smile and the slight blush on Chat Noir's face as he murmured, "Thank you, my Lady."

Praise almost always made him strangely bashful, or at least when it was coming from her. It was pretty adorable, actually.

"I don't think I was really needed at all," Tanker commented with a booming laugh. "Better safe than sorry, though, I suppose, and it was an interesting experience to be able to jump from roof to roof. I don't think that I would want to do that on a regular basis, though."

Chat Noir laughed. "I'd say it grows on you, but I actually really enjoyed it from the start, so..."

"I want to be out running on the rooftops," Vipera said grumpily. It was funny, really- when she had very first started being Ladybug, she hadn't wanted anything more than to be back on solid ground as soon as possible, her feet solidly under her and not dressed in magical spandex. Now? "Or running at all. Crutches are getting old really fast."

"I'd offer to carry you on a piggyback loop around town, my Lady, but your parents have already forbidden it," Chat Noir told her. "Something about the jostling probably not being good for your leg?"

Vipera pouted, then sighed. Even with as antsy as she had been feeling, it wasn't worth risking injuring her leg further. Her parents were right. "I'll survive without it." Her Miraculous beeped again, and she added, "I have to go, but good job, everyone."

"And to you, too!" Chat Noir chirped again before her transformation finally gave out. Marinette grinned at Sass, handing him a treat before hauling herself out of bed and reaching for her crutches. She had to get downstairs and cover the counter fast, before her parents' employees started wondering about them.

As she did, though, her mind returned to the problem she had thought of earlier, before the fight really started. Today they had been lucky, and she had been at home to fetch the extra Miraculous. If she had been at school instead...

Well, maybe she could have called her mom up, but that depended on Mrs. Cheng not having left yet. Coccinelle could always turn around and go back to the house, of course, but... well, it was probably better if they minimized the number of times that Coccinelle returned to the bakery while transformed. The risk of someone seeing her...

Maybe that should be a last resort sort of thing.

Marinette frowned in thought. Really, she needed to be able to get to the Miraculous Box quickly, and then get whatever bonus Miraculous they needed to her teammates so that they could either double up or bring the Miraculous to a temporary holder. And that would be impossible-

-except it wasn't. After all, the Horse existed. She would have to charge up between portals, of course, and then her mom could bring the Miraculous back after the fight. All Marinette would have to do would be to always carry the Horse- in a super-safe spot, of course; even if Lila was no longer at the school, she didn't want to risk Chloe or Sabrina digging through her bag, or Alya accidentally stumbling on it- and she would be able to get back to her room right away.

Another bonus: not having to direct a fight from a random closet or study room. It would be much safer and more comfortable to sit at her desk.

It would probably be less risky if she made a secret pocket in her bag, maybe one protected by a small lock. Marinette could make that tomorrow, probably, and have it in place by Monday. Then she would really be ready for anything.

Marinette smiled to herself as she took over the bakery counter, her mind already whirring with ideas of how to install the pocket without it being obvious. She had fabric that would match the lining of her bag, so that was easy enough, but she would have to hide the stitching from the pocket on the outside of somehow. Maybe some applique flowers would be just the thing, a fun little touch to really make the backpack personalized while hiding the seam lines and distracting from any odd shapes in her bag. Add in some embroidered vines that would twist and turn between the flowers, and any odd seam stitches left visible would soon be forgotten. It would all have to be hand-stitched, since her sewing machine was upstairs and it would be difficult to use inside of the backpack anyway, but that was fine. The stitching would be even easier to hide that way.

Hopefully her parents would get back soon. Marinette was already itching to get upstairs and start sewing.

[hoffkk]

Spilling Secrets

A Brightwell Fanfic

Story By: @hoffkk

Prompt Request: Gimme a question to start with, and I’ll give you a Brightwell fic that ends with a kiss.

Question: What is THAT supposed to be? from @getyourselfaunicorn

Summary:  When JT and Tally come over to check out Malcolm and Dani's new place, stories are shared and secrets are revealed. Some intentionally, some not so much. Let's just say Malcolm has a big mouth.... but can a very pregnant, very hormonal Dani forgive and forget?

**********

JT and Tally came over to take a small tour of Dani and Malcolm's new apartment. Since they were dating and having a baby together, it was logical that they should move in together. It was a pretty nice place overall with three bedrooms, two baths, and a spacious open kitchen/living area. However, coming back to the living room, JT spotted an unusual set up in the corner and blurted, "And what is that supposed to be?" Initially, he noticed the yoga mats and the stability ball and assumed it was a little fitness area, but now that he was closer, JT took in some other details. He observed a small shelf filled with child birthing and rearing texts, posters of birthing techniques and the formation of a fetus, and, on a table underneath them, a plastic doll with diapers and a blanket.

"That is our birthing zone. It has everything we need to prep for the big day." Malcolm said proudly. "You like it?"

"It's... something." JT answered vaguely, staring at the poster of the birthing process. It gave him flashbacks to the birth of his own child a year and a half ago, both amazing and disgusting. Feeling squeamish, he added, "I'm gonna need a beer." then headed off quickly to the kitchen.

Following behind, Malcolm joined JT in the kitchen. By the time they made it back to the living room, the women were out of the nursery and relaxing on the sofa. Sitting in the chairs perpendicular to the couch, the men passed over drinks to their significant others. JT and Tally enjoy a cold beer, while Malcolm and Dani stuck with some refreshing bottles of water.

"I love what you guys have done with the place." Tally chirped. "The birthing zone is a nice touch. I'm guessing you guys got inspired by the Lamaze class I recommended?"

Malcolm smirked as he flicked a glance to Dani and said, "Something like that."

Dani rolled her eyes and took a sip of her water to avoid answering.

JT, being the astute detective that he was, picked up on their nonverbal cues and smiled, "You got kicked out, didn't you?"

"Yep." Malcolm spilled.

"Malcolm!" Dani scolded, throwing a pillow at him. "You promised not to tell anyone."

"Technically, he figured it out." Malcolm tossed back."I just confirmed it."

"I'm sorry," Tally interrupted. "how exactly do you get kicked out of Lamaze?"

"Yeah," JT agreed. "This is a story I gotta here."

"We had a difference of opinion." Malcolm said lightly.

"Yeah, Instructor Shelly thought she was god's gift to child birthing, we thought she was a quack." Dani sassed.

"I actually thought she was insightful with her breathing techniques." Malcolm tried to defend.

"Seriously?" Dani challenged. "Go to your happy place? Pain is only a state on mind? That lady is whacked."

"So, you disagreed with Shelly, then what?" JT noted amusingly, waiting for her to continue.

"Yeah, she always seemed so sweet and understanding to me. I can't see her kicking you out of class over that." Tally commented thoughtfully.

"It wasn't just that." Malcolm asserted. "Dani also cussed her out in front of the entire class."

"The woman had a c-section. A C-SECTION!" Dani stated exasperatedly. "She is up in front of everyone, telling us that child birth is painless with the right tools when she's never even given birth naturally. What does she know?"

"I take it you told her that." JT chuckled.

"Along with where she could put her happy place." Malcolm remarked. "Then, we were promptly escorted out of the building by gym security.

"Wow." Tally stated with a laugh of her own. "That's quite the story."

"Yeah, it wasn't exactly my finest moment, but Shelly had it coming." Dani admitted, rubbing her stomach soothingly. She was a few days into her third trimester and was quite large already. The more she grew, the harder it was to get comfortable and keep control of her emotions, though it didn't stop her from trying. It's just too bad trying didn't always mean succeeding.

The couples talked for a while longer until the drinks were gone and the laughter subsided. Itching to get back to their bouncing baby boy and wanting to let Dani rest, JT and Tally called it an early night and headed home. Once they were gone, Malcolm cleaned up the bottles, disposing of them in the recycling bin under the kitchen sink, then returned to his girlfriend who was now stretched out across the sofa with hands cradling her protruding stomach. With a small smile, Malcolm walked over, picked up her legs, and sat down, placing her feet atop his lap where he began massaging them.

Dani's eyes were closed as she moaned, "That feels so good."

Malcolm didn't feel the need to respond. Instead, he kept working, kneading his thumbs into the balls of her foot. He didn't notice, but Dani started to watch him with an appreciative smile. After a couple minutes, he switched feet. That was when she spoke up and said, "I don't deserve you."

"What are you talking about?" He queried, meeting her eyes with a furrowed brow.

"You've been so great this entire pregnancy, literally waiting on me hand and foot, and I'll I've done is yell, complain, and make a grown woman cry." Dani explained then quickly added, "By the way, thanks for not telling JT about that part."

Pausing his massage, Malcolm sighed, "First of all, you don't have to thank me. Second of all, you are entitled to your emotions. You know why? Because you are creating a human being inside of you."

"I know, but I'd understand if you were angry or annoyed with me." She told him.

"Dani," He retorted. "you are carrying our child, and, as long as she is inside you, I could never be angry about anything you say or do."

"Fine, so I--wait... " Dani paused, moving her feet off of her boyfriend and onto the floor, so she could shift back to a sitting position, which was more difficult than anticipated with her belly, but she managed then finally finished, "did you just say she?"

Malcolm sputtered, "N-No... I said it. As long as it is inside you."

"No, you said she." Dani said certainly. "Did you call the doctor behind my back? Are we having a girl?"

Seeing the twinkle in her eye, Malcolm wasn't sure if it was from excitement or anger. Either way, the jig was up. He couldn't and wouldn't lie any longer, so he answered, "Yes. We are." but before she could say anything, Malcolm ranted on, "Listen, I know we agreed to wait and be surprised, but this entire pregnancy was a surprise. It through me for a complete loop and gave me anxiety like crazy. I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't do well in situations where I have no control. "

"No, stop it..." She trailed off sarcastically.

"Anyway," Malcolm pushed on, ignoring her teasing and the smile it evoked on his face. "knowing the gender was just a way of getting some control back and calming my nerves... just like with the books and posters. The more I know, the more I can prepare and the more confident I'll feel about all of this."

"It's a lot to take in. I get it." Dani said seriously, taking his hands in hers and giving them a loving squeeze.

"Good," He returned gratefully then went on. "because I really am sorry about lying to you and spoiling the surprise. "

"It's okay." She told him. "The truth is, when the doctor first asked if we wanted to know the gender, I only said no because I was scared."

"Really?" Malcolm asked, not expecting to hear that.

"Yeah," Dani nodded. "You said knowing the gender of the baby made you feel under control. Well, it just made me feel overwhelmed. It meant that this thing inside me was more than just a concept to wrap my head around, that it was an actual little person."

"Knowing the gender would make it real." He reiterated, understanding crossing his face.

"And I wasn't ready to admit that." She confessed. "Not then."

"And now?" He queried.

"And now," She repeated before adding, "My stomach is way too big to ignore, so..."

"Funny." He humored. "But in all serious, are you still feeling scared?"

"Not so much." She nodded then continued delightfully, "I'm too happy to be scared. We're having a daughter."

"We're having a daughter." Malcolm beamed back at her then raised a hand to cup her cheek and pull her in for a tender kiss. Pulling back after a moment, he moved his hand down to Dani's stomach. Splaying it across her belly button, Malcolm felt her warmth penetrate the oversized cotton t-shirt followed by a light kick then another and another. For the rest of the evening, they lied cuddled on the sofa, feeling the baby kick, and talking names for a baby girl. They quickly agreed for the middle name to be Jessica. The first name, however, was taking longer to decide. That was okay though. They had a few weeks left to decide. For now, it was enough to know that they had a daughter and that they weren't alone in their fear.

Having someone to lean on, to understand you, and to cuddle with was a powerful thing, and Dani was glad that Malcolm was that someone for her. She was also grateful to be that someone for him in return. And together, they would be that someone for their little girl.

[daisylincs]

staticquake, 16 and 66? i look forward to anything you make!!

16 = Prison AU, 66 = It's Not You, It's My Enemies 

Hello, new friend, and thank you so much for the prompt!! I'm awfully flattered that you've liked my works so far - sending this one out to you with big virtual hugs 🤗

Daisy isn't sure how she ended up here, either. As shitty futures go, this one is pretty much a record. 

She was supposed to be, well, basically a princess. Her mother is the leader of the Inhuman people, and her father is one of the world's most brilliant scientists. 

When her mother revealed her plans to broaden her leadership to the rest of the world, Daisy didn't think it was such a bad idea. I mean, look at it logically. Jiaying was a good leader, and the world was a mess. Two plus two. It made sense. 

It also made sense, a little, that the rest of the world wouldn't really like this at first. They hadn't lived all their lives in Lai Shi, after all. They didn't know Jiaying was a really good leader who just wanted the best for them. 

Daisy was happy to use her powers to help her mother secure her leadership. It was the right thing to do, after all. She was helping the entire world. 

But then. 

But then, as more and more people resisted against their new government, Jiaying asked Daisy to make an example. 

"Make an example" meaning kill the people who were fighting back.

 Daisy would do a lot of things for her mother, but killing innocent people is not one of them. 

In retrospect, she's kicking herself over how stupid and naive she was. Jiaying never wanted the best for anyone - she just wanted to rule. How didn't she see it? 

It's too late for regrets now. She's here, in her mother's special prison for war criminals, quake-absorbing cuffs strapped to her wrists, and all she can do about it is kick herself. 

She was so stupid. 

And now she's stuck in prison. Yay. 

There are some good things about being here, though. Case in point: the friends she meets. 

Because it turns out, all those people Jiaying had locked up because they were "threats to the world we're trying to build?" Yeah. They're all actually really, really great people. 

Take Fitz and Jemma, for example. He's engineering, she's biochem, and they're pretty much the cutest thing Daisy has ever seen. Seriously - the way they talk over and around each other is pretty much what makes this prison bearable.

 Then there's Hunter and Bobbi, who are basically the polar opposite of Fitz and Jemma. They bicker constantly, about everything, and while they're also annoyingly in-sync, it's in knowing exactly how to push each other's buttons. 

Last but definitely not least, Coulson and May, who Daisy is 99% sure are married. Or partners. Or something. Because you do not get to act that much like parents and not be involved in some way. 

They're a ragtag, motley group, but Daisy surprises herself by how much they begin to feel like home.

Prison, she decides, is shit. 

But it's the kind of shit that bonds people. 

So she wouldn't say her life is good. Dear God no. She's still not even sure how exactly she ended up here. 

But it's not bad. 

So when there's a disturbance in the normal prison routine one day, Daisy can't help but be intrigued. 

This isn't just the usual offloading of prisoners. It's... almost like the day she arrived here. 

She and the rest of the gang gather in the courtyard to see just what, exactly, caused this big of a fuss. 

And when Daisy sees the guy, she can't help but snort. "Seriously?" 

This guy is about as far from threatening as you could possibly imagine - all blond hair and blue eyes and this overwhelming air of niceness that makes Daisy want to puke rainbows. He's the dictionary definition of the boy-next-door love interest in one of those cheesy rom-coms her father used to love. 

All Daisy can think is, dude, what the hell are you doing here? 

She asks him exactly that. (She's never been shy.) 

He looks up and smiles at her, all innocent and cheerful, and oh dear God but he's nice. It's just pouring off him in waves. "I got arrested," he tells her. 

She rolls her eyes. "Thank you, Captain Obvious. Why?" 

"Well, because I didn't agree with what Jiaying was doing," he says, adding as an afterthought, "and I'm dangerous." 

Daisy can't help but snort at that. "Sure you are, Pikachu, sure you are." 

(She blames Hunter for the sass rubbing off on her.) 

"I am," he tells her quite seriously, lifting up his wrists to show her a set of cuffs very similar to her own - only these seem to be made of some kind of insulating material. 

Daisy blinks. "You're an Inhuman?" 

He nods, pulling at the cuffs. Daisy knows from experience that they won't budge an inch, but she feels for him. 

He looks up at her, a hint of frustration in his eyes. "If I had my powers, we'd all be out of here in a second," he says. 

She knows the feeling. "Same," she says, showing him her own cuffs. 

His eyes widen. "Whoa, you're an Inhuman too!" Then, because apparently he speaks well before he thinks, he adds, "I was starting to think I was the only Inhuman who had a problem with murder." 

His cheeks flush pink right away. "Oh, er, um," he stammers. "I'm sure you're a lovely person, really -" 

She rolls her eyes, but there's a grin tugging at her lips. "Okay, Sparky," she says, going for an educated guess as to his powers. (Hey, she is the leader's daughter.) "What's your name?" 

"Right, sorry," he says, blushing redder, if that's possible. "I'm Lincoln." 

"Daisy," she says. "And I would shake your hand, but…" 

"Cuffs," they say at the same time. 

And Daisy would probably have stayed there smiling at him for an embarrassingly long amount of time if Jemma didn't clear her throat. 

"Daisy," she says in an oh-my-God-Daisy-met-a-boy kind of voice. "Who's your friend?" 

"Right," Daisy says, and great, now she's blushing. That won't make Jemma suspicious at all. "Guys, this is Lincoln. He's an Inhuman, too." 

"Is he, now," Hunter says, and Daisy doesn't like his emphasis at all. Far too much like an asshole older brother, that one. 

"We are delighted to meet you," Bobbi chimes in, and all Daisy can think is really, you too? Because, apparently, nobody's immune. 

Poor Lincoln looks as awkward as hell. "Um, thanks," he says, shifting from foot to foot. 

Before anyone can say much else, though, May warns sharply, "Incoming." 

And, oh, shit, Daisy can already see the guards approaching. 

Lincoln looks more confused than ever, and Daisy grabs his arm, yanking him off to one of the quieter corners of the prison yard. "If the guards catch you in a group, you're toast," she explains quickly. "No more than two people are allowed to talk for extended periods of time. They're afraid we'll make up an escape plan or something." She squints across the yard to watch the guards warily. "They're especially paranoid when it comes to me." 

He tilts his head. "Why, what do you -" 

"I'm Quake," Daisy admits, dropping his arm and determinedly studying her feet. 

He blinks. "Whoa. Quake, as in Jiaying's daughter? That Quake?" 

“That's me," she agrees, hearing the sting of bitterness in her voice. She's not proud of the things she did for her mother, not even a little. 

"Whoa," Lincoln says again. And then he takes her completely by surprise by saying, "so, wait, your powers - they're vibration-based? Do you hear it in your head, or…?" 

Daisy doesn't know what to say for a second. She was expecting… fear, horror, disgust, revulsion, and honestly, she'd deserve it. 

But instead, she gets… curiosity? 

"Sorry," Lincoln says, ducking his head. "It's just… I haven't had the chance to talk to another Inhuman for a long time." 

His frankness surprises her, and so does his genuine, enthusiastic curiosity. It took all of her friends a while to accept who she was and what she had done, but Lincoln didn't need to question it. 

It's a nice feeling, being accepted immediately. 

And, look, she isn't saying her friends weren't great. Because they were. Great. 

But there's something about talking to someone who is like her, who understands her right down to a molecular level, who is curious rather than afraid. 

So she tells him about her powers, about how it feels like she has a hangover made of bees after she uses them. 

His whole face lights up, and before she knows it, she's swept up in an entire conversation. 

And Daisy is surprised to find how much she's smiling as she lies down on her crappy cot that night. 

Being Inhuman… it's a part of her. In her blood. 

And, okay, talking about it can never compare to the real thing. 

But Lincoln is Inhuman, too. And there are all these things, little things, she couldn't tell her friends because they just wouldn't get it. 

Now, though… well. There's a reason she's smiling up at her ceiling. 

She specifically seeks him out the next day at breakfast, and the happy-surprised look he gives her as she sits down next to him is enough to make her decide immediately that yeah, she's staying. 

He's just so… nice. 

Everything about Lincoln is nice. Spending time with him reminds her about all the good things in Lai Shi. 

Plus, the two of them can really talk, for ages and ages - tucked away in a little corner of the prison yard where the guards can't see them. Daisy feels like they've covered everything from their favourite board games to what it's like to use their powers (and how much they miss them), and it's really nice. 

Her friends are absolutely amazing, but there are times when she just feels like SUCH a third wheel. (The heart eyes Fitz and Jemma can send each other sometimes, honestly.) 

But now she doesn't have to feel awkwardly sidelined anymore - she can just go talk to Lincoln. 

And she does. All the time. 

She doesn't realise what's happening until one day when she's hightailing it away from Fitz-and-Jemma and Hunter-and-Bobbi and May-and-Coulson, all of whom have decided to, er, have some couple time. At the same time. 

And she catches herself thinking, well, at least I've got Lincoln. 

That's when it hits her like a ton of bricks. 

She was just trying to get away from all these couples, and then her brain automatically jumped to Lincoln?!?! 

That doesn't make any sense! 

Unless… wait. 

Wait, wait, wait. 

Oh, shit. 

Oh, no, no, no. 

This is really bad. 

Daisy's not stupid. She knows her mother's got people in this prison, watching her all the time - it's why she hasn't tried to escape yet. 

Spending too much time with anyone is a risk - if she gets too close to anyone, her mother could use them against her. 

But she knows her mom. Jiaying doesn't think friendships are nearly as strong as they can be, so as long as Daisy doesn't give her an explicitly romantic bond to exploit, she's fine.

 Well, shitty shitty fuck fuck. She had very nearly gone and done just that. 

Daisy takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and tries her very hardest to convince herself that, no, she's just imagining things, they're just good friends, that's all, finished and done. 

But then Lincoln's voice breaks into her thoughts. "Daisy?" He sounds concerned, and she feels his warm hand on her shoulder, just a little awkward because of the stupid cuffs, but there. "Are you okay? You look worried." 

She swallows hard, opening her eyes slowly. The look in his eyes… he cares so much. 

She knows, then, that she definitely wasn't imagining things. This - their friendship - is hovering on the edge of more. 

She also knows that she has to end it. Immediately. 

But, oh, God, how does she say this? 

Lincoln's eyes are full of concern as he searches her face. "Daisy?" His hand on her shoulder is still there, soft and warm and reassuring, and right now it burns like a brand. 

She steps sharply away, already feeling awful for the hurt and confusion that flickers over his face. 

"I'm fine," she says, and her voice sounds off, even to her own ears. "I just… I can't do this anymore." 

Lincoln blinks. "Can't… what?"

"This," she says, gesturing sharply between them and trying to ignore how the hurt in his blue eyes stabs her straight in the stomach. "I can't do this. It's too much. Too close." 

She turns away, because she doesn't think she can look at him right now. 

But he catches her arm, tugging her around to face him again. "I'm sorry," he says, and she almost laughs, because he's the one apologising? What. 

"I'm so sorry if I pushed you too far, or too fast," he continues, his blue eyes genuinely anguished, and oh God this is tearing her apart. "I just thought we were friends, and I never meant to push, I swear. I just thought maybe… But, Daisy, if you're not comfortable with it, I'll step back as far as you need me to. Just please don't leave, I -" 

Daisy shakes her head, unable to find any words.

 This is all just so massively, monumentally unfair. In any other life, they could have been together. They could have been happy. 

But because of her mother, they can't.  

Daisy can almost feel the tears prickling at her eyes, which shocks her, because she never cries. 

But then again, she's also never been in a situation like this before. 

She wants to tell him it's nothing like that, she'd like nothing more than to kiss him right now. 

Instead, she forces out the words, "I can't." 

His eyes are almost disbelieving for a second, then so hurt and betrayed it physically stings, then… nothing. His gaze goes completely blank.

It's far, far worse, and she immediately wants to take her words back, every single one of them. 

But she can't. 

"Okay," he says, clipped, and turns away. 

Daisy buries her head in her hands. She wants to tell him it's got nothing to do with him - she'd give anything to take this step with him. 

But she can't. It's better for him if he doesn't know the truth, because then he won't ever come after her again. It's better this way. 

Only, it turns out, it's really not. 

Apparently one of the guards saw their little confrontation, and somehow twisted it up so that Jiaying heard a story about a lovers' argument. 

She comes to collect Lincoln the next day. 

The worst thing is, Daisy wasn't even there when it happened - they took her away for a "special inspection." 

She had to hear about it later from Jemma. 

And when she did, the dam cracked. 

Jiaying had manipulated her into doing her dirty work for years. Then she had thrown her into a prison. Then she had kept her apart from probably the first decent boyfriend Daisy would ever have - and now she had taken Lincoln away, when Daisy hadn't even actually told him how she felt?

 It's too. fucking. much. 

Daisy feels a kind of buzzing in her head as a slow, boiling anger built up in her body. 

How dare Jiaying. How dare she? 

The buzzing sound in her head grows louder and louder and LOUDER, until she can't take it anymore and let's it out in a desperate, furious scream. 

The cuffs on her wrists shatter into a million pieces - along with every single window in the building. 

For a moment, there's perfect silence. Daisy stares at her free hands in wonder, and gasps out loud as she feels a a wave of vibrations ripple through her body. 

Oh. Oh, but she's missed this.

 This is who she is. 

Then the screaming starts, and it jerks Daisy sharply into action.

 Right now, she doesn't give a damn how the hell it happened. She's got her powers back, and she's bloody well going to put them to good use.

 When the first wave of guards comes pouring in, she's ready for them - blasting them across the compound and into the far wall with a hugely satisfying CRASH. 

She walks through the door and into the yard slowly, and it's as though her every step is singing with power. 

Quake is back. 

Wisely, nobody tries to stand in her way - one of the guards even stammers, his eyes literally squeezed shut in terror, "J-Jiaying's in the summerhouse." 

"Thank you," Daisy says, cold and calm. But just before she leaves, she turns to her group of friends, who are all gaping at her, slack-jawed, "well? Are you coming along?" 

They all move after her as one. 

And Daisy has never felt more powerful as she does that moment when she blasts down the doors to her mother's summerhouse. 

Lincoln is lying on the floor, barely conscious by the looks of him, with Jiaying standing over him. 

Daisy had thought she would hesitate to attack her own mother, but this?

 She will not allow this. 

She blasts Jiaying with a shattering shockwave, knocking her into the far wall, where she falls down, limp and unconscious. 

Daisy is vaguely aware of Coulson and Jemma rushing over to Jiaying's side (Jemma with a stethoscope, and Coulson with handcuffs) but all she can really focus on is Lincoln. 

She rushes over to crouch down next to him, holding her hand over his cuffs to shatter them. And before he can do much as thank her, she's talking. 

"Lincoln, I am so, so sorry," she says fervently, reaching for both his hands and lacing her fingers tightly with his. "I thought I was protecting you by pushing you away, I swear I never meant for this to happen, I would never -" 

"Daisy," he interrupts, untangling their hands so he can cup her face. "Daisy, it's okay. I know you wouldn't." 

She leans forward and presses her forehead against his, letting her actions do the talking for her. 

It seems to work, because his grip on her face softens. "I figured that's why you did it," he tells her in a lower voice. 

She blinks. "You did?" 

His gaze is wry. "Well, it did take me a while, but yeah, the whole kidnapping thing kind of helped me figure it out." A small smile tugs at his lips, and it's the best thing she's seen all day. "And, you know," he says, and his voice is almost playful. "I didn't think I was that bad at reading your signals." 

Daisy can feel herself smiling as she echoes his actions, cradling his face in her hands. "You're not," she says. "Bad at reading me." 

He's smiling, too, and the blossom of hope in her chest it gives is the most wonderful feeling she's had in a long time. "Good," he says. 

And then they're kissing. She's not sure who moved first, or even how exactly they got there, but she kind of suspects it was a mutual thing. 

And, in some far-off corner of her mind, she knows that there's going to be a lot of work to do. The world's governments need to be rebuilt. Jiaying needs to be locked up in her own prison. The Inhumans are going to need a new leader. 

But right now, she really doesn't care. 

The world can suck it up and wait a little bit. 

Right now, she's busy. 

The End.

[nathalie-sancoeur-assistant]

Emilie Agreste

(Note, I do NOT remember if I have made an in-depth post on this before and if I have my apologies but I want to put this out there)

Okay so I know I say that I hope Emilie is going to be a villain but this is my OFFICIAL post on it, and I'm going to call it right here, right now, in front of everyone, that Emilie Agreste is not only going to be a villain, but she's going to be a force to be reckoned with (I mean, you can't just have the main-bad of the series NOT be ruthless, cunning and hard to beat, right?)

She's going to be charming. How else would she get Gabriel Agreste to fall for her and practically worship the ground she walks on if he's going to not only tear Paris to shreds for her, but risk the life of, most likely, his only friend in the world and one true ally, Nathalie Sancoeur?

Lemme take some time to break this down okay. Now I've spent a lot of time on this, didn't even initially type it out on Tumblr, mkay? I took this baby to sticky notes on my laptop.

First we gotta look at Adriens past just to get a feel for the type of person she was.

Adrien spent his childhood alone, isolated from other people, homeschooled, sheltered beyond whats normal or, even what can be considered extreme and his social life....well, it wasn't even dead, because something that never existed can't die. His only friend was, of all people, the bratty, entitled, snobbish and selfish person we know of as Chloe Bougeoirs (not to anger any Chloe fans out there, she has her pros and cons and I know its a result of a bad childhood as well, but she still uses people, manipulates them and hurts others purposefully to get attention and I don't care how bad of a childhood you've had, that's not okay and she needs to mature because at this rate she's going to stay an ignorant child for as long as she lives). Now, any normal parent might want their kid to have someone their age who was a good influence- and Chloe probably would have benefitted from Adriens present if he wasn't such a...for lack of a better word, a pushover. The poor boy didn't know what friendship was until Nino came about, before that his expectations were probably very low and he had nothing to compare it to. He was isolated for 14 years. Socially, he's dumb as a pickle and it's not his fault. He fits the perfect stereotype that people who are homeschooled are socially inept. So really, his nature as a pushover is a direct result of his upbringing- he doesn't know how wrong it is sometimes.

Now tell me, what kind of decent parent- especially one that needs their child to be able to put on a good image- would be okay with this? They might think "Oh he has Chloe" but I can guarantee you as they got older they could see more and more how bratty Chloe was getting and what a terrible influence she could be on their son- so why did they not attempt to help him socialize? It's not impossible for homeschooled kids to socialize and have a bunch of friends. There are libraries, parks, churches, social gatherings, community events, etc. that you can bring your homeschooled child to for a healthy dose of social interaction with the possibility of making friends- and with how well off these guys are you know darn well they could have gotten him to one at least once a week. Why go to so much effort to keep your kid behind closed doors? It has serious psychological effects that I'm sure people who are smart enough to get so far would know about. Heck you don't even have to be smart to know it- human beings are social creatures, even if some of us are introverted as heck and never want to leave our house, we still need human interaction otherwise we will get sick in some way shape or form. Emilie had a huge say in Adrien's upbringing and could have easily gotten him out of the house- and the reason I say she had a huge role is because, as soon as she was gone, Gabriel started doing what Nathalie suggested. This man relies on the women in his life to help raise his kid, because he knows he's not good at parenting to a certain degree. He trusted that Emilie, as Adrien's mother, would be able to know what was best and likely went along with it because "She'll know what to do. She's his mother and I trust her. If she says it's what is best, then it's whats best and it's what I want." But then as SOON as she was gone, he didn't have that to fall back on and in comes Nathalie, the second best thing. She knows Adrien, she's helped raise him. She's been around for a long time, surely not all her suggestions are going to be wrong. So he goes along with it. (And note while I stated that SEEMINGLY as fact, it was less FACT and more OBSERVATION on my part. I could be wrong! But based off what I've seen and my own intuition, this is how I PERSONALLY have interpreted the situation). But to clarify- no decent mother is going to allow their child to be so out-of-touch. Its perfectly normal to want to protect them but when its to that degree....something just isn't sitting right. (Not saying that Gabriel is off the hook! He could have influence if he wanted too! He has the power to step in and say no- but he doesn't. He does deserve to be shamed for it, just don't forget that EMILIE IS NOT PERFECT)

Now we move on to her personality. We don't know a lot about it, at least we haven't been directly told, but at one point in Simon Says it is insinuated that she had a temper. What a strange first thing to reveal about how she acted, when she's supposedly the ideal mother and woman? (My own personal opinion is that she is going to have that temper, and be bold, intelligent, strong, cunning, charming, and eventually shown to be ruthless, but that is ONLY because I feel that those are traits that accompany a main villain well. I'm not saying that for a fact and I could be COMPLETELY wrong- I thought Duusu was going to be a bitter bipolar ball of sass but from the small clip we've seen she's sweet as a strawberry. So don't take this as fact, PLEASE.) What a strange trait to put any amount of emphasis on for someone painted as ideally as her.

Also- why was she interested in the Miraculous? She knew about them, we know that for a fact, because she gave Gabriel the book. She, I believe, is the one who started this whole miraculous endeavor. I mean, Gabriel by himself I doubt would have any interest in traveling completely out of the country on some off-chance that these so called "magical trinkets" might exist, would he? That doesn't sound like him to me. Not something he'd partake in by himself. Not to mention, we know the miraculous are directly tied to her coma, and without any villains to fight, why on Earth would she be using the peacock miraculous so much? I don't recall it ever being confirmed but we all basically assume it's canon now that Emilie is in a coma because of the damaged miraculous. What on EARTH could she have been doing that required her to use the broken of their two miraculous so frequently? And not even cause any past of sentimonsters in the city (we know that because of how surprised everyone is about the sentimonsters beforehand, how even Ladybug questioned it when we first saw one) And in the end, the book was her last gift to Gabriel. It was hers, not theirs, hers. So that leads me to question- did Gabriel even know about the book until Emilie gave it to him? And if that's the case, why would she wait until she was THAT sick to give it to him? Something just feels off about that.

Now we go on to think about everything Gabriel says when he talks to her. Now there have been MULTIPLE episodes, I can't give exact quotes or even tell you what episodes they were, where Gabriel said something about ruling the world...yeah nah someone like him isn't interested in governing a world of idiots, I've heard that that was simply bad translation and we can also just chalk it up to him getting carried away and less referring to actual world-domination and more just showing exactly how much power he'll have if/when he gets his hands on those miraculous and make his wish. But Gabriel has said things about "promises" they made and "Righting their mistakes"- there is obviously more going on here than meets the eye. There has BEEN more going on here than meets the eye since day one. And we're still in the dark as to the Agreste's full story. Obviously Gabriel and Emilie have made mistakes and his goal isn't just to wish her back, but I'm going to say to potentially wish away the very mistake that caused the miraculous to be broken and Emilie to go comatose in the first place. Perhaps there's more to it but that seems like the most logical route to me. Again, we don't know the full story yet, which just leaves open so many questions and leaves Emilie up to even more suspicion. What was she doing that needs wished away? What broke the peacock miraculous? What did they promise each other?( I think I've mentioned that before and someone said Astruc addressed it or something but I digress, unless I hear something solid and concrete disproving it Im going to wonder about it forever. )

It's been insinuated I believe that the whole reason Gabriel became Hawkmoth was BECAUSE he wanted to bring Emilie back and right those past wrongs. His whole motivation to keep going could be that once he gets those miraculous and changes the past, he will never have had to have even become Hawkmoth in the first place and therefore his current actions don't matter so long as he succeeds and erases that part of his life completely. The ENTIRE REASON he became the supervillain Hawkmoth is because of his wife. And if he succeeds he could potentially wipe it all away and have a clean slate at the expense of someone else taking his place, of course. That may be what he is relying on to keep himself going and justifying his actions for all we know. People didn't know about Hawkmoth before origins, they were all surprised, so that's more proof that...he wasn't really Hawkmoth until his wife fell ill.

Not to mention all the symbolism we see. In Adrien's post on Instagram with Nathalie helping him with his homework, we see Nathalie, working hard to be of service to the Agreste child and fill the role of a mother while his biological mother's portrait, in all its "perfect" glory (Also a picture that clearly idolizes her, making her look almost like some sort of Goddess) sits blurry in the background...watching. That is the best example I have right now but if anyone else has more, feel free to let me know! I'm sure there are plenty of things here I forgot to mention that can be addressed, and if anyone thinks of any, PLEASE, send an ask my way and feel free to discuss it. But this has been my argument, and official "called it!" post on how Emilie is not all she's cracked up to be.

Also a side note- I'm also calling Gabriel succeeding. I believe he's gonna get the miraculous. Its just the twist the show needs, the 'bad guys' for once seeming to win, but they're all pawns in Emilie's game....that last line may be a bit drastic but Im not going to say I don't believe it to some degree.

[lovelyirony]

Emotional TonyNat fic? Either's POV. One tryin to avoid the other because the feeling's so deep, it's already scary..

Tony failed two literature classes in college. Two. Both times, it was kind of only maybe sort of his fault. 

But not really. 

Kind of. 

Yeah. 

The problem with a guy like Tony is that he sees everything logically. He doesn’t get how literature is set up, why he has to read a play as pointless as Macbeth. It was obvious that he was ill-suited for the throne and due to that, his wife tried to take over but also realized that neither can do it, went crazy from a morality crisis, and then it went on for ages. 

He doesn’t do small talk, which is partially why he takes the business world by such a storm. If you’re boring, Tony will not talk to you. He will tell you that he wants to get to the point, and you better do it. 

Natasha Romanoff is the same way. 

She knows what she’s meant to do, what is expected of her. She will not do more than that, will not do less. 

Being a part of a team that you have an emotional stake in causes complications, they both come to find out. When you care about people, nothing is exact. 

Natasha finds herself sliding over a box of tea for Bruce just because she remembers that he was saying he was nearly out, and he didn’t want to deal with the crowds that much, particularly. 

She stares at herself in a mirror for a long time after that. 

Because she’s Black Widow. She’s heartless. She’s a picture of perfection, stone cold down to the gaze. 

Tony’s becoming the same way. Soft. He keeps making sure that Steve doesn’t fall asleep on the couch and complain about how he slept the wrong way, and that Natasha’s bike is still in top condition. 

“I know how to care for my bike,” Natasha snaps one day, Tony rolling his eyes. 

“Your bike has never received the special Stark Treatment. I’ll have her practically jumping to go.” 

“Fine,” Natasha snaps. “But I get to drive the Audi anywhere I want to go.” 

“I hope you know if you crash my car, that’s four million,” Tony says. “Custom work doesn’t come cheap.” 

Natasha gags as she looks at the car. 

“That for four million?” 

“Clean energy when it wasn’t a priority,” Tony says. “Hell of a dent for pocketbooks to take.” 

“And I’m sure yours handled it with grace.” 

Natasha comes back at night. She doesn’t tell anyone where she’s been, although she throws a paper bag for a bookstore in the recycling, according to Jarvis. 

“Do you always have to keep tabs on me?” she asks, not even looking up. She’s the only one who has resolutely made herself not do it, finding it completely stupid. 

“Only when one is hellbent on world domination.” 

“I’m only a little bent.” 

“My mistake, Agent Romanoff.” His damned AI project sounds amused. Has sass. She’s frustrated with how good he makes things. She doesn’t understand how he does that. 

Tony’s in his lab. He has on an old tank top, eating a smoothie and gagging because “Kale? You put kale in this, Dum-E? God, I bet you got that from your mother, Rhodey-dear--” 

“Bike. Where is it.” 

Tony looks up, posture straightening as he takes in the sight of Romanoff. 

“Looking good. I see you kept the top down.” 

“You might have a speeding ticket.” 

“I swear if you sped by the police station and they find out--” 

“You’ll be proud of me?” she cuts in, smirking. He’s getting up off the couch, going to the actual garage area. He throws open the door, revealing the bike with some new parts and a brand new kickstand. 

“I don’t know what you heroes do to your bikes, but your tires were about to give out,” Tony says. 

“Don’t forget you’re a hero too,” she reminds him. There’s a look on his face as he looks towards her that says he’d forgotten. 

Her bike runs like it was made for just that. Like she could go anywhere, even though she just got back. 

After that, she pays a lot of attention to Tony Stark. 

He has an annoying attention to detail. Everything has to be exact, everything has to be according to what will happen in the future or even as it’s going on. 

“Because he took architecture classes,” Rhodey says. “Bunch of annoying people, but they’re damned good at perfecting everything. As long as it functions, engineers call it good.” 

She starts finding Tony in her quiet haunts, the kind that leave a bit more haunting behind each time until she has to face it. 

They both realize that they’re not good enough to be heroes. So they’ve been pretending at it, but they also don’t know how to play pretend. 

It’s a rather frustrating thing, then. 

Natasha likes to be exact. 

Emotions are the exact opposite of that, which is why she hates that her heart races and she wants to be imagining what it’s like to be in his arms, his hands tangling through her hair, and--

Look. She doesn’t want this. She doesn’t want to imagine love and imagine smiles that aren’t meant for anyone else because...

Black Widows aren’t made for that. She’s not made for that. She’s meant for killing people, for being cold. To look at people and not form personal connections, to put hearts out for the taking for anyone else. She lets people fall in love with her, but she’s never done it herself. 

And so she runs. Running away from problems is actually a feasible solutions. People just tell you that because they want you to stay. She remembers running in Russia away from people she thought she owed loyalty to. She ran from Clint, for a time. 

But Tony’s different. Because it’s Tony who makes her laugh and who takes her to shitty diners so they can say dialogue from Pulp Fiction verbatim, and they annoy Sam and Bucky with their taste in music and the various quotes they pull from movies. It’s Tony who jokes around with her and asks about Russian movies and everything that she wasn’t supposed to know. 

Her heart hammers in her chest as she imagines certain disaster, herself falling in a whole different way, but landing this time. 

Falling in love--the concept and what people think of--doesn’t count landing. They never tell you that you have to land. Now, whether that’s on concrete or onto grass is not up to you. There are multiple exit strategies, but you either crush yourself or you roll and get back up. 

So she doesn’t want to think about it, she doesn’t want to see him. Because there are the heady thoughts of it all, the ways she knows him and the way that she wants to know him. 

For the first time, Black Widow is unsure of her power. 

[serpent-face-and-flowering-heart]

Lets start at the end- Chapter 2

As he entered his room, Deceit ripped off his mask throwing it across the room. He strode across the room to the large oval mirror, studying his reflection. If he hadn't he wouldn't have noticed his chest heaving quicker than it should be. 

“What does Virgil do again. 4, 9, 5?” Deceit asked the empty room. He heard no objection so followed the pattern a few times before giving up, now he just felt even more desperate for air. There is only one thing that helps him during times of unwanted feelings. He searched through his bed, piles of clothes, drawers and desk but couldn’t find it. Deceit yelled in frustration covering his eyes with his hand. He curled into a ball on his bed. The last time this happened, he had someone who knew about him to help him through it.

If Anxiety’s technique won’t work then he will have to use Logic’s, reasonably think about the situation. “I went to a therapist. I meet someone. We were both together, I took off my mask, going against the very thing a was made to do. Ignoring the fact I exposed myself and the others to Thomas, now complete strangers know of our existence. People will come after Thomas to experiment and try to discover how we work. We’re going to die test subjects and It’s all my fault!” That was the very opposite of what he wanted, now he was even more terrified.

As tight as he could, Deceit clenched his teeth together as death gripped his hair. He felt as though he was frozen in place, hopeless, until a familiar ‘whoosh’ sound rang out around him, a familiar figure appeared before him. “Hey Deceit, look at what I found in my room.” Roman had a long soft snake plushy around his shoulders.

“Give her back. Now!” he growled, already getting off his bed preparing to pounce.

“You’ll have to catch me first!” As quickly as he had come, he disappeared. First guess would be that he is in the mindscape commons, and assuming this is some game, he probably is there.

Once appearing, Roman gave him a beaming smile. “Before you ask, I don’t have it, he does.” he nodded his head towards the couch.

Deceit spun around to see that The Other were in the room, sitting down. However seeing that there was a newly familiar face sitting beside Virgil made him freeze up. “Dee! Omg, your a side!” Remy squealed, the toy snake clung to his chest.

As soon as he unfroze, he ran, disappearing into to his room. “No no no nonono.” Deceit paced his room, high on anxiety. “He will tell them, he has told them. I’m in so much trouble. Not only did I leave the mind, but I also took off my disguise, in front of a… real… person.” He slowed his pacing and breathing. “How is he here, only one real person has entered but that was Thomas. Remy? I don’t recognise the name but now that I think of it he does look like us.”

The answer to his questions was knocking on his door. “Hey, can we talk?”

“I’m not here!” Deceit face palmed at the stupid and obvious lie, he could do so much better.

“So, does that mean I get to keep my prize.” Remy lit up at seeing the door crack open. A hand snatched the plushy out of his arms and the door was slammed closed again.

“Why did you bring her back? Did Roman tell you to? Is he there with you?” The voice on the other side, despite being muffled, was quiet and hopeless like a little boy who just escaped a gang of bullies.

“No, it’s just me here... Roman was disappointed when I told him I was giving it back.” Remy felt bad having to say that. “How do they treat you? Good, bad or-“

“Every hero needs a villain. Think Anxiety still plays that roll?” Both Deceit’s voice and Remy were heartbroken.

“Please tell me that they’re not that bad.” Remy knelt in front the door.

“They’re not that bad.” Deceit sat on the other side of the door with his arms wrapped around his legs, wondering if he was convincing despite putting not effort into the lie.

Remy let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad, it was hard keeping Virgil together. Should of guessed that Anxiety would trouble sleeping.”

“What’s that got to do with you?”

A laugh escaped Remy, “You don’t know who I am.”

A groan came from the other side of the door. “No, I know who you are that’s why I didn’t recognise you earlier, and am asking right now.”

“Well, hello Deception, I’m Sleep.” Remy changed his position from kneeling to lying on his side, trying to peek under the door.

“What the hell does that mean? Why do you even exist? It’s not like without you there wouldn’t be sleeping.” Deceit winced at how harsh it came out, it wasn’t like he was angry at him, he’s not sure who he is angry at.

Remy got back up leaning against the door. “I know right. Like, my existence is the same as yours. We only exist so there is someone to blame, no offence.” He chuckled sadly. “It’s an endless blame game and he doesn’t know it. Will he ever understand that we’re real people. Firstly, it’s anxiety he puts the blame on for everything, then once that was taken away from him it was me, recently he hasn’t been as bad on me.” The was a small pause, a sigh and a quiet voice following. “But then I found you. I wish I could help, but everytime I try to tell him, something stops me.” He said, defeated.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. But the truth will only hurt him.” Remy could hear how the others voice shook. “I didn’t know that you had been thrown under the bus as well. It’s best for Thomas that he doesn’t know, and if that means playing the bad guy, it doesn’t matter.” he said the next part much quieter, with a slight sigh. “It’s all I’m good for.”

“You’re so much like Virge, it’s painful.” To impersonate Virgil he made his voice lower. “I need to keep them safe even if it means being the villain. What else am I good for?” Remy went back to his normal voice for the next part. “Like do you guys realise how alike you are?”

“I know how similar we are because we were friends. But he got new ones, better ones...”

“Let me guess you haven’t really talked since?”

“No we haven’t. He doesn’t need me around, he hasn’t been as anxious with me gone.” Once again his voice was back to small and shaky.

“What’s her name?” Remy decided to lighten the conversation, this was worse than the last. “You said your toy was a girl.”

“Oh, her name is Lya, like liar. If you say liar in a certain accent it sounds the same.” Deceit was a little thrown off and embarrassed but the change in topic.

“That name had a lot of thought put into it, I would’ve just called her slithers or something.” Remy laughed at his own joke but lightened up after hearing a slight chuckle from the other side of the door.

Footsteps came from down the hallway, stopping near the door. Remy looked up a Roman, who had his arms crossed over his chest. “What is taking so long? You said that you were just going to give the toy back.”

Remy gave him a mildly threatening scowl, his voice laced with sass. “What does it look like i’m doing? I’m talking.”

Roman smirked as he rolled his eyes. “Well, hurry up, we’re waiting for you!” He turned and left, walking briskly down the hall until he saw he wasn’t being followed. “What are you waiting for, come on!”

Remy wanted to retaliate, but heard Deceit mumble, “go with him, I don’t mind being alone.”

“Fine” He couldn’t help the sigh as he got up. “Later Bumblebee.”

After hearing his footsteps slowly fade away Deceit let out a happy huff. He held the toy tight to his chest, a smile snaking across his lips. The first person to have a conversation with in months.

@witch197

[sometipsygnostalgic]

xenoblade chronicles  2 rapidfire review

π after i started writing up a 5000 word review and was still on the “character” section ive decided to make a rapidfire version to get to the fucking point. 

Story - at the end of the day, it’s a tale about how to deal with all the pain and insecurity that life throws at you. how to dig down deep and find a way to continue in what you may interpret as a dreadful world. it also has some of the most satisfying mysteries and plot resolutions i’ve ever seen in a videogame. utterly touching themes. unfortunately gets a bit too shonen at points especially with the protagonist. also quite possibly a lowkey harem anime.  

Story rating - 8 out of 10.   

Characters -  mostly all amazing in the english version. 

Rex - a top lad. your best mate. however, becomes a total flawless gary stu pretty quickly. better than many protagonists out there. i like the way he gets people to open up by acting so casually friendly around them. 7 out of 10.

Pyra - unfortunately the weakest character in the main cast. has 3 forms that are treated as different characters for some reason, and no emotions beyond “sad” and “in love with rex”. her mythra form is a slightly better character who will talk to other cast members and sass down people. however mythra also comes across as weak and overly emotionally fragile at times, considering she is supposed to be the Master Blade. i suspect she exists for rex to have 4 3 girlfriends at once.   

Azurda -  dragon grandpa. subversive in that when he dies for the hero to move on from the homeland, he immediately resurrects himself as a cute furry thing that sleeps in rex’s helmet. best videogame decision ever. gives top advice.

Nia - welsh. double furry. how old is she? 6? most useful NPC. swears a hell of a lot. hilarious sassmaster with an intriguing story and well-rounded motivations. consistently interesting relationships with other cast members up to the end of the game. even remains the same after receiving her compulsory magical girl transformation. has the most awesome magical girl transformation. gives the main villain super cancer, causing him to blow up like harry potter’s aunt. probably the best character. lightly orbits the black hole of the rex harem, struggling to maintain geostational stability against the powers of fanservice.  

Dromarch - a good dad cat. there is not a lot else to say about dromarch, except that you can ride him, which is badass. he and azurda are the old dad types babysitting the kids. 

Tora - meh meh. actually likable mechanic child. why is this furry cat thing a key member of my party. despite rarely ever upgrading his blade he has made me basically immortal many times. nopon mask is underrated. masterpon is same at start of game as at end of game. that is to say he is an ambitious child, and a bit of a pervert. however, has terrible taste in upgrades. has many IRL blades pointed at him.  

Poppi - poppi artificial blade who speak like masterpon. poppi α has cool design. poppi α adorable and cool. due to being newborn blade, poppi have refreshing and truthful view on world. poppi have tragic artificial sister who almost die terribly after evil nopon brainwash!  poppi have most sad heartbreaking scene at end of game. however, poppi QT and poppi QT π designs can die in big fire.  poppi good at throwing shade. it endearing and special trait. 

Morag - technically the group normie. however, very weird. when you first see morag she reeks of pure chilled badassery. logical and with a strong sense of justice and compassion, morag starts off as an intimidating antivillain but becomes a staple member of the party. even though rex and the gang are fugitives in her city, she lets them leave because she senses they weren’t crooked ruffians and they had a purpose of their own. but she comes back to kick their ass when she thinks they’re causing more trouble, and is actually quite pissed off about rex and pyra holding back on her. has a sweet relationship with the emporer, her distant cousin/adoptive kid brother. morag learns on her adventure the value of the optimistic views the kids  around her have of the world, and says multiple times if more people thought like they did, maybe there wouldn’t be so much political nonsense  stopping people from living together peacefully. morag has a lot of pride and cannot deal with being oneupped. i love her.

Brighid - Morag’s wife blade who is one of many that struggles with the thought of losing her identity after regenning. has a diary of her past lives. uses it to taunt mythra about that one time she kicked her ass. pretends to be a little distant but low key super emotionally invested in the cast’s development. literally asked a main villain if she was like her past self that he knew, causing him to reconsider his entire philosophy on blades becoming completely different people when they’re reborn. bitchslaps rex that one time. Owns everybody at some point. such a beautiful character design that i never even noticed her chest is basically bare. 

shellhead Zeke - the prince... of NOTHING. wishes he was still a student. that one time he nearly died, he was probably impaled by a falling twig. enjoyed playing Team Rocket. surprisingly wise for a teenlike NEET. does not look after his precious turtle. potentially does have a thunder powered eye. however, definitely requires second contact lens. unfortunately not comparable to rex in combat especially as his Luck stat means using a legendary crystal on him is like throwing it away. 

Pandoria - i often forget pandoria is a blade because she is zeke’s girlfriend, also i never use her in battle due to his redundentness. well reknowned for also not looking after turtles properly. also well reknowned for slam dunking the prince over his nonsense while being equally silly.  

BAD GUYS

Jin - apparently has special people-drawing trait that makes all the good cast who know him shocked he is ordering such evil bastard things to happen. not entirely sure what that trait is. emo about much bad stuff that happen to him and his driver. wishes to never forget his life with his driver. dirty child killer.very aniime. why is he the only flesh eater whose core turns red?  okay character with decent enough motivation. was confused as to why Malos was following him until the very end. 

Malos - evil bastard. cheesy villain. you can kick his ass many times and he will get back up 3 minutes later and laugh at you while swallowing back the bile of a bitter defeat. is actually a little tragic by the end of the game. dies for no reason. makes morag jealous because he found his purpose in life, though im not sure what that is.  

Akhos - N3RD. probably the most likable member of Torna. had a silly Blade companion who he was really upset died. i like how he was sentimental about his ‘sister’ blade. 

Patroka - most forgettable Torna member. a little bit tsundere. 

Mikhail - grew on me significantly at the end though like Akhos and Patroka his backstory was unceremoniously dumped on your lap at the last second. must be a great fan of Prince Zeke as he’s heard of the term Blade Eater. also why has Mikhail got awesome blade powers and immortality when Zeke hasnt? maybe Mikhail is “possessing” the blade per se.  

Amalthus - emo bitch. stared God in the face and raised his middle finger. hypocritically creates flesh eaters then sends witch hunts out for them. i like that he reminded himself every day about how bad humanity was by doing his best to help people. so despite the praetor being this “benevolent” figure he had somehow manifested a being of pure hatred. 

Theres a lot of other people I cant be assed talking about right now.

Character rating - 9 out of 10. Even though some important characters arent as impactful as they should be, everybody is memorable and I can remember all of their damn names and backstories.  

Gameplay - not particularly amazing. battles are alright, RPG-wise, with orb breaking combos and cancelling being fun to use. but they’re highly limited by the fact you can only control 1 character at a time and there is no Co-op feature. they also take an incredibly long time, even for just one enemy encounter, and there can be unfair Spike damage moves that oneshot you. my most satisfying moment battling ever was when i was fighting Aeon, the final boss, and got a Full break for the first time... I decimated the fucker when he was at 60% health. 

Of course, those are just the battle mechanics. 

The game is full of complex mechanics that do nothing but add tedium. Every single quest in the game forces you to farm for certain “collectibles”, plants that grow in specific unlisted locations that respawn when you fast travel. Many character “affinity” upgrades, which can lock out certain areas of the map, special skills, or unique interactions, also require you to do this shit. A guide is NECESSARY for this.  There’s also the Merc Missions. Little did you know, you will need to complete Merc Missions to reach the end of many blade quests!!!you know what’s FUN? Waiting for a timer to pass after 25 fucking minutes!!!! this game has NO RESPECT FOR YOUR TIME WHATSOEVER. 

the biggest bullshit of all is when you’re locked out of the main story because a specific character on your team hasn’t unlocked level 3 of a specific skill, because there’s no way that you’d be able to unlock that by naturally playing the game as you have to go out of your way to fill the criteria and grind something or other for 20 minutes. 

This makes sidequests absolutely worthless.

The saving grace for the gameplay is probably the customizability of the blades themselves. Not so much the skills you can attach to each blade, but that you can unlock a number of fun characters to use, and they will have their own unique dialogue. The drivers and blades talking during battle also makes a 20 minute fight feel a lot quicker. 

Battle gameplay mechanics: 6 out of 10. Fun but could be better.  Sidequests, crafting, and field skill mechanics : 1 out of 10. Worthless trash that should never have been greenlit. 

Considering that you will be spending so much time on the gameplay, why even bother playing the game at all?

It’s very much the story that pushes the player to move onwards. If this game didn’t have such a fun cast and meaningful plot then I’d probably not have gotten past the first act. 

Music and Environments - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is filled with vast, beautiful and diverse environments. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of interactivity with them other than killing monsters or foraging those bloody collectibles, but they’re beautiful enough with a diverse range of monster inhabitants that give them life. The MUSIC is godlike. My favourite track in the game would be the song used for the city in Tantal. Very ominous and beautiful hymn, sung in English. 

Music and environment rating - 8 out of 10.

Localisation - While many sneer at the localisation choices for this game I thought it brought it to life. Granted I have great bias as being a Welsh girl who is familiar with the differences in UK regional dialect, but it felt like the dialogue the characters were saying also had a heavy makeover to fit the new voices... I really don’t believe that Rex’s Japanese voice actor also sounded like a Top Lad, or that Nia’s japanese voice actor sounded as much like she was ready for a valleys bar fight.  However there are some clear obstacles as well - the characters seemed to have no idea of the context of their lines. This is obvious when they shout something for a long time. Rex’s “HIYAAAAAAAAH” and Nia’s “NOOOO MOOOOORE” sound comically off-tone when they are supposed to be epic. It’s the works of someone who read those lines off a script without knowing what was going on. Tora’s actor saying “meh meh” sounds like it was meant to be a COMPLETELY different noise. Morag and Zeke never go off-course, however. I think either they had an advantage with more visuals being completed by the time they were cast, or they just don’t have diverse enough dialogue in the game for it to have been an issue.

Localisation - 7.8/10 too much Meh. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Xenoblade chronicles 2 is a highly addictive game that pulls you to the finish line with an interesting plot and a cast you just can’t let go of. While Pyra is certainly the weakest link of the characters, and the game has some extremely goofy shonen scenes that it’s hard to take seriously, and oh dear me that’s an awful lot of boob shots, I had a lot of fun powering through it. I’m going to have a tough time letting go of this story and these characters. 

Unfortunately the gameplay itself is not similarly addictive, and becomes more of a chore for you to get to the next cutscene or funny interaction.

Final rating - 6.5 out of 10. While a worthwhile experience, the greatest story in the world cannot save this game from piss-standard design choices. It is probably better to spend your time on a game that doesn’t have anti-fun mechanics. But I’d be hard pressed if any had a cast that touched your hearts quite like that of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. 

[supergirlspurgatory]

I am a hoe for Super kidfics

That being said, in honor of father’s day because I have mommy issues, not daddy issues, I’ve decided to make you guys a list of my favorite fics featuring SuperCorp/SuperCat with kids and the occasional baby Supergirl.

SUPERCAT FICS

Best of the Best by supertrashcompator

20 chapters, 30K+ words, completed Rated:M

SuperCat sans the Kryptonian powers. This was the very first Supergirl fic I bookmarked on AO3. Features Kara Danvers as the kickass taekwondo instructor(a retired Olympian), who recently opened a new studio just a short walk away from Cat Grant’s apartment. The kid in this fic is none other than Carter Grant who is a 3-year-old in this AU and totally in love with Kara before Cat is.

Aura by supertrashcompactor

8 chapters, 14K+ words, not complete Rated:G

SuperCat established relationship, features both Carter and a new little bundle of joy. When a Kryptonian pod crashes to Earth, Supergirl brings home a surprise for Cat. Fluff and adorableness ensue. Also, includes some fun nods to Kryptonian culture.

SUPERCORP FICS

The Little Luthor series by swanqueenfic13

10 installments featuring a total of 11 chapters, 52K+ words, Each work is complete, Rated: G-T (Depending on the work)

AU where Kara is a preschool teacher rather than working at Catco, and has yet to come out at Supergirl. Lena has an adorable daughter and has yet to take over L-Corp. Also, features married Sanvers with an adorable daughter Jamie. 

Supergirl in Training by wtfoctagon

13 chapters, 53K+ words, not complete, Rated:T

THIS IS MY FAVORITE FIC of all the fics. 

When Lorelai L. Danvers gets kidnapped from the future by Lillian Luthor, she does the only logical thing she can think of. She tracks down her mom Lena Luthor. In the future, Lena and Kara have married and had a child. This is super beautifully written. It’s got fluff and it’s got angst. The entire time you are rooting for everybody. I don’t much want Lorelai to go back to the future, but I know she has to. IF YOU ARE NOT READING THIS, YOU SHOULD BE!!!!

Also, check out: Kids Will Be Kids by wtfoctogon

It’s a partner fic to go with Supergirl in training. It is also incomplete but is Lorelai and some other special superkids in the future where they belong.

The Fifth Wall by Black_Tea_and_Bones

8 chapters, 23K+ words, not complete, Rated:M

A fifth dimension break of some sort, likely an Imp, decides to toss Kara and Lena’s lives into chaos. After going to bed in different apartments on differents sides of town, the duo wake up, naked, in bed, together, in a completely new apartment. Only to be even more confused when they hear a child screaming for its mother from another room. Said child turns out to be theirs and according to all of the pictures in what appears to be their apartment, they are married. Just add in that everyone including J’onn and Alex believes the two are married (a spell that is broken more easily for some than others). As the two try to figure out what is causing the changes, what they assume is an imp causes more and more chaos. Not much is clear, but one thing sure is, the Imp really wants Kara and Lena to live happily together. A fantastic, cute fic. If you aren’t rooting for these two the whole time, I don’t know what you’re doing here.

The Lexington Chronicles by JediFighterPilot2727

12 chapters, 19K+ words, not complete, Rated:T

What started a one-shot for the author’s SuperCorp one-shot compilation series, turned into a multi-chapter fic. Most chapters are pretty stand alone. They revolve around the story of a little girl, Lexington, that Lena and Kara adopt from an orphanage. It is fluffy and sweet and the little girl is witty. Doesn’t just focus on her being young, some chapters focus on a college age Lexington. I highly recommend this.

you and me by bs13

7 chapters, 40K+ words, not complete Rated:T

This is an AU fic. Kara is not Kryptonian but still really amazing. After having a short affair with Cat Grant’s son, Adam Foster, Kara finds herself pregnant. The story picks up as the child is being born. This is a fix-it(ish) fic, the infant is ‘Mike’ a Mon-el replacement. Kara move into one of Cat Grant’s apartments in National City, to live with Adam who she is not with, just wants to have him near for his son. After taking the baby home, a stranger comes into her apartment, the stranger is none other than Lena Luthor. They start a friendship and are slowly falling in love. This is a hardcore slow burn, but it burns SOOOO good. 

Child of Our Golden Sun by LePetitCroissant

13 chapters, 35K+ words, not complete/chapters are standalone one-shots Rated:G

This is a future fic, where Lena and Kara are married and have had a son (Sawyer), eventually a set of twins are added into the picture. It is super adorable and they are such a great little family. There are also snippets including Alex and Maggie. Every chapter ends happy, and the author is AMAZING!!!!

listen closely and the stars will sing by celaenos

10 chapters, 84K+ words, not complete (projected for 14 chapters) Rated:T

Rather than Mon-El the Prince of Daxam being in the pod at the beginning of season 2, this fic features Mon-El Princess of Daxam, a sweet little girl that Kara takes in to raise. Taking on the name, Myka Danvers, the little girl is adorable and has an instant connecting with on Miss Lena Luthor. It doesn’t take long for Kara to reveal that both her and Myka are aliens, but it does take a little bit of time for Kara and Lena to acknowledge their feelings for one another. Also, features awesome Aunt!Alex and her partner in crime Maggie the coolest Sawyer falling in love.

Double the Trouble, and Twice the Fun by awkward_alien

4 chapters, 5K+ words, not complete (This is a super new fic), Rated:G

After he is arrested and put away for the rest of his life, Lex Luthor’s little sister Lena is left to take on the most daunting task of all: Motherhood. It’s what’s been keeping her from pursuing a relationship with everyone’s favorite Kryptonian, mostly because her new role is kept under wraps. This is just starting out, and it is ADORABLE!

Shadows of the Past by witchofink

9 chapters, 46K+ words, not complete, Rated:M

Kara Danvers AKA Supergirl has been keeping a secret for 6 years, the only people who know the truth as Clark Kent AKA Kal-El who helped her figure things out and Astra In-Ze, who was willing to trade J’onn’s safety for Kara’s deepest secret. When that secret runaway to be with her mom, Kara must figure out how to balance being Supergirl, a cub-reporter, and parenthood, not to mention trying to figure out her relationship with Lena. Features super-douche Mon-El, who gets kicked to the curb pretty dang quick. Supergood!

Experiment 13 by Rhino (Rhino Mouse)

7 Chapters, 12K+ words, not complete but slated to finish at chapter 8, Rated:T

Supergirl and Superman find an experiment in one of Lex’s old labs, something that Superman wants nothing to do with. The experiment is a little boy that is a Luthor/Super hybrid, a clone that is half Lex half Kal-el/Clark. Rather than let the country take him and potentially have him destroyed because no one has decided if a clone has basic human rights, Kara wraps him in her cape and flys him to a National City children’s hospital when Lena meets her and takes the steps to adopt the boy as she is his closest human relative. Fluff ensues that finds Co-Moms Kara and Lena who fall in love. 

BABY/TODDLE KARA FICS

The Littlest Supergirl by swanqueenfic13

9 chapters, 20K+ words, complete Rated:T

No relationship pairings in this one. Supergirl gets hit by purple Kryptonite which in this fic causes Supergirl to be transformed into a toddler. Features lots and lots of sickeningly sweet fluff, Cat and Alex take turns babysitting the newest little bundle, also a little bit of everyone’s favorite sass-master, Lucy Lane.

Baby Kara: The Kryptonian Menace by BeaMoraes and TowandaBRA

7 chapters, 15K+ words, not complete, Rated:G

After the DEO recovers a Kryptonian device, Kara messes with it and is turned into a much younger self, in fact, a 9-month-old baby version of herself. This is a Sanvers fic and I LOVE IT! It is super fluffy and super adorable. Also, it features most of the DEO squad.

It Takes a Villiage by swanqueenfic13

5 chapters, 13K+ words, not complete, Rated:G

After going off earth/dimension for yet another mission, Kara is returned via being dumped on Alex’s living room floor in the middle of the night. The catch? The Supergirl that is returned is not the one that left, instead, it is a toddler version of the Kryptonian, who is sad and confused. The icing on the cake is that Maggie is super down to handle a toddler. Alex on the other hand? Not so much. Add in Lena Luthor coming to search for definitely not her girlfriend and stumbling upon a tiny blonde Supergirl, who is definitely attached to the L-Corp CEO. 

[flowerfan2]

Somewhere Only We Know - 2/4

Bruce/Bucky, M, A03

It’s a rare pair... give it a try! 

Chapter Two

They develop a bit of a routine over the next week.  Bucky is apparently in remarkably good shape for someone who hasn't moved in five years.  He refrains from pointing out that if he hadn't been able to retain muscle mass during previous cryo periods, he wouldn't have been much good to Hydra.  But every day he goes along with physical therapy anyway, then spends a few hours in the gym sparring with T'challa's people.  If nothing else, he's getting used to moving with only one arm.  It's challenging, but not as bad as he had imagined.  

By mid-afternoon he showers and changes, pulls his hair back into a bun, and waits for Bruce to stick his head around the door from the living area they share.  While  Bucky was in cryo T'challa had converted a whole section of the compound for the otherwise homeless Avengers.  There's a good sized room with couches and a table, with six bedrooms surrounding it in a half circle.  It's even got a little kitchen.  The room that Steve had used is almost empty, but there's a framed street map of Brooklyn on the wall, and a folder in a drawer with some sketches - of the Wakandan skyline, and of Bucky in the cryo chamber.  Bucky stops looking after he sees that one.

Most days Bucky goes go for a walk with Bruce before dinner.  Wakanda is beautiful, and Bruce has found all sorts of places he eagerly shares with Bucky, from corners of the noisy and modern city to peaceful clearings in the forest.

Bucky's been awake for a few weeks when he finally gets up the nerve to move beyond small talk and ask Bruce about something real.  They're sitting next to a shining pond, right where a waterfall runs into it, and the sound of the water striking the pond's surface is soothing, like rain falling on a roof.  

Bucky looks at Bruce, who is staring into the falling water, and taps his knee to get his attention.  "Bruce?  Can I ask you something?"

Bruce turns to him, raising an eyebrow.  "You mean, in addition to what you just asked?"

"Ha ha."  Bucky nudges him with his leg.  "You're a riot."

"That's what people say."  Bruce shrugs.  "Sorry.  Can't help it.  Go ahead, ask."

"Why are you here?"  Bucky asks.

Bruce doesn't seem surprised at the question.  "Do you mean cosmically, or...?"

Bucky laughs.  "Does Steve know you've got sass?  He likes people with sass."

Now Bruce's expression falters.  "Steve... well..."  He rubs the back of his neck.  "He's part of the reason, I guess."

 Bucky's stomach clenches.  "Did he ask you to - to babysit me?"

 "What?  No.  Definitely not.  It, um, it actually took some convincing for him to let me stay."

 "Why?"

 Bruce looks uncomfortable.  "He, um, wanted to make sure I was safe."

 "Oh.  Guess he's right.  I'm pretty much the worst, when it comes to pissing people off.  And if you get pissed off, I guess that's bad."  Danger to everyone, it might as well be Bucky's tag line.

 "I think it was the other way around, actually."

 Bucky shifts, moving to catch Bruce's gaze.  "What do you mean?"

 Bruce sighs.  "I had been hiding out for four years.  I didn't help with the whole accords mess.  I didn't help get Natasha and everyone out of the raft.  Steve was a little suspicious of me.  Wasn't sure of my motives.  He didn't want anyone that might hurt you getting too close."

 "He thought you'd hurt me?"

 "He's a little protective of you, you may have noticed?"  Bruce hazards a grin, which disappears as quickly as it came.  "Anyway, Steve came around.  We talked a lot.  And Steve saw how I was able to make a lot of progress with the other guy while I was away.  We're on better terms now.  No surprise visits."

 Bucky huffs and shakes his head.

 "What?  You don't believe me?"

 "No, um - until this conversation, right now, I had, um, forgotten."

 "Forgotten?"

 Bucky feels like an idiot, but it's true.  "About the - other guy."  Bruce looks sort of stunned, and Bucky rushes to explain.  "Not like brain washed forgot, just, you know... you're not like him at all."

 Bruce's expression has shifted from stunned to simply mildly dazed.  "I am him.  That's part of what I figured out."

 "Well then he's obviously not so bad, either."

 It might be the sunset, but Bucky thinks Bruce's cheeks go just a little pink.

 They're back at T'challa's compound, saying goodnight in the hallway outside Bucky's room, when Bucky realizes it.  "You never answered my question."

 Bruce frowns.  "Yeah.  Sorry."  He wraps his arms around his waist.  "Rain check?"

 Bucky doesn't like the troubled look on Bruce's face.  "Of course.  Hey -"

 Bruce turns back to him, still nervous.  

 "You don't need to tell me," Bucky says, searching for the right words.  "It's obviously... personal?  You don't need to tell me anything."

 "It's not that big a deal, it's just-"

 "Bruce.  You don't have to tell me."

 Bruce's whole body relaxes, his hands falling to his sides.  "Thanks."

 They say their good nights, again, and Bucky goes into his bedroom.  He may not be the poster boy for tact, but he understands privacy.  He's not going to push.  If Bruce has his own reasons for wanting to hang out in Wakandan wonderland with the the misfit toys of Cap's team, that's his right.  Bucky's just glad he gets to enjoy his company in the meantime.

 And before he can think about how sad he will be when Bruce leaves - because everyone leaves, eventually - he closes his eyes and counts backwards from a thousand in Swahili until he falls asleep.

 *****

 A few weeks later, Bucky comes back from the gym to find Sam and Natasha are there, sitting in the living area with Bruce.  Sam gets up from the couch and bounds right over to him, a warm smile splitting his handsome face.

 Bucky tenses as he gets close, nervous all of a sudden, and Sam slows to a stop.  "I'll give you a hug when you're not so sweaty," he says lightly, obviously seeing Bucky's discomfort but not wanting to draw attention to it.

 Natasha doesn't notice, though, or maybe she just doesn't care.  "Hey there, soldier," she says, giving his cheek a quick peck.  "Nice to see you up and about."

 They all settle back down, urging Bucky to hurry up and shower so that they can go get dinner.  Sam has a favorite place in the city he insists Bucky will love, although Natasha rolls her eyes at his exuberance.  "He just likes it because it has a jukebox," she drawls.  "The man would eat frozen dinners if he could listen to crappy hits from the 60's at the same time."

 Bucky sighs a breath of relief as he closes the bathroom door behind him.  Despite himself, he wonders how long they'll be staying.  He's gotten used to his quiet time alone with Bruce in the evenings.  Bruce has this air of calm about him that works its way into Bucky's skin just by being nearby.  And Bruce, for whatever reason, seems to like being around Bucky, too.  His eyes lose their hint of sadness when he sees Bucky.  Making him drop that serious demeanor and laugh... well, it feels pretty nice.

 He puts on some of his new clothes - a pair of slim fitting jeans and a dark blue button up.  The shirt doesn't look quite the way he had hoped it would, with the left sleeve rolled and pinned, so he tugs it off and dons a more familiar black t-shirt.  At least his ass looks good, he thinks, giving himself a once over in the mirror before going back out to join the group.  

 Bucky catches Bruce giving him a look as they head out - Bruce apparently thinks his ass looks good too.  Bruce is dressed up a bit as well, wearing a tweedy blazer over a blue shirt, with gray slacks.  Bucky smiles at him, straightening the collar of his blazer as they get into the car.  Bruce gives him a shy smile back.  It's almost enough to take Bucky's mind off the fact that he has to get through the rest of the night with Sam and Natasha.  

 It's not that they're bad people.  He knows they're not only more than decent, they've both risked their lives to help him - or help Steve, and as a result help him.  But they're still strangers.  Bucky's used to most people feeling like strangers, but that doesn't mean he likes it.  Somehow Bruce managed to slip right through and become a friend.  Bucky knows, logically, that this can happen with Sam and Nat, too.  He's just not all that thrilled about the process.

 The restaurant does indeed have a little jukebox at every table.  They slide into a booth, Sam and Natasha on one side and Bruce and Bucky on the other.  Bucky winds up on the inside, which makes him a little claustrophobic, but has the advantage of being next to the jukebox.  He messes with Sam, racing to program random songs that they are forced to listen to before they get to Sam's picks, and it cracks everyone up.

 After their food comes and Sam finally stops pouting, Natasha asks the question Bucky has been dreading all night.  "So, Bucky.  Any plans?"

 Natasha winces, and from the frown on Sam's face, Bucky's pretty sure it's because Sam kicked her under the table.

 "It's only been a little while, Nat," Sam says.  "Geez.  Give the guy a break."

 Bucky feels Bruce's hand land lightly on his thigh, a reassuring presence he hadn't known he would welcome as much as he does.  "No plans yet."

 "Gonna go join Steve on his mission to save the universe?"  Nat asks, undeterred.

 "Don't think I'm invited."

 That silences the group.  Not even the arrival of their oversized desserts can completely lighten the mood.

 Walking back to their car, Sam falls into step next to Bucky.  "Steve cares a lot about you."

 Bucky huffs out a laugh.  "I know, Sam."

 "He just..."  Sam pauses, struggling for words.  

 "I know, believe me, I do."  Bucky's been through this a million times.  "Steve's gotta go where the bullies are.  He needs to fight the good fight.  If things were getting cloudy here, if he wasn't sure which way was up, I'm not surprised he went looking for a less abstract big bad."

 "Even if it means leaving you?"

 Bucky looks at Sam, a little surprised.  "Despite what that Smithsonian exhibit said, we're not actually attached at the hip.  I'm not in mortal danger, he's not in mortal danger... we can probably stumble on without each other for a while."

 Bucky knows the next question Sam's going to ask before it comes out of his mouth.  "You mean... You and Steve aren't... together?"

 It's funny the way things have changed.  Back in the forties, it would have been shocking to confess that he and his best friend were banging - now everyone is more surprised that they're not.  "Nope.  Never were. Not like that."

 Bucky stops as they reach the car, and Natasha almost crashes into him from behind.  Bruce is next to her, looking shamefaced.

 "Eavesdrop much?"  Bucky asks.

 Bruce starts to apologize, but Bucky interrupts him.  "Nah, don't sweat it.  It's no secret."  He looks around the group.  "All this time, if you were curious, why didn't you guys just ask Steve?"

 Sam sighs.  "We did.  He told us you weren't together, but we just thought he was being shy, or respecting your privacy."

 "Or still closeted," Natasha adds.  "Even though we kept telling him it was okay."

 "And showed him every LGBTQ-friendly show on the planet," says Sam.  "Have you seen Queer as Folk?  It's a little outdated, but it's awesome."

 "How about we continue this conversation back home?"  Bruce asks, shepherding them into the car.

 Sam keeps talking about Queer as Folk on the way back, and some musical called Hedwig that he starts playing the music from, but Bucky tunes him out.  He's watching Bruce, who is twisting his hands together, staring unhappily at his lap.

 He leans over and bumps his shoulder against Bruce.  "Hey.  You okay?"

 Bruce nods.  "Yeah."

 Bucky wasn't born yesterday, he thinks, then laughs internally at his own joke.  "Bruce?  Don't stress.  I'm not upset."

 "That wasn't right, they shouldn't have..."

 "What?  Asked about me and Steve?  I'm kind of surprised you haven't asked."

 Bruce's head snaps up and he stares at Bucky, eyes wide in the dim light of the back seat.  "Wh-why would you say that?"

 But before Bucky can answer - and he has no idea what he would have said, so it's just as well - Natasha is twisting around in her seat talking about plans for the next day, and the moment, whatever it was, is gone.

[vexley]

Just  Things About Riverdale, Chapter Eight: The Outsiders, Part 2

I said I’d be back to add more, because I was super tired the first time I posted about Chapter Eight. So, I watched it again, and it made me just as angry as it did the first time around. Enjoy!

Honestly not at all invested in Fred & Hermione’s relationship. Sorry, not sorry.

Ngl, I kind of ship Polly and Cheryl???

Dude, could you IMAGINE?

Still fucking furious at Sheriff Keller.

Am I the only one who keeps comparing Sheriff Keller and Kevin with Sheriff Stilinski and Stiles??

I really need more Beronica screen time. Honestly, just.

They’re playing video games, that is so adorable.

Oh my god, was this what they were like B.G. (Before Grundy)?

I think maybe I need some flashbacks.

Jughead is so snarky in this episode, I love it endlessly.

I bet Jughead has daydreams about sharing a college dorm with Archie. I mean, c’mon. Or had, I suppose. I really don’t think he’s completely forgiven him yet.

Scooby Gang meet-up.

Veronica comforting Betty.

Kevin & Veronica’s friendship.

I still think the baby shower was a terrible idea.

I was right.

BOYFRIEND.

Am I the only one who thinks Archie looks more jealous of Betty than Jughead?

Not sure how to feel about Alice Cooper anymore.

Veronica jumping to Betty’s defense.

Veronica giving Betty the elevator eyes.

That head-tilt though.

I’m still pissed at Archie.

Family dinner, and Betty is sitting right next to Veronica rather than her sister?

Yes.

I could not care less about this dumbass Blossom vs. Cooper bullshit.

Omg, does the entire town belong to the Blossoms?

Everyone gtfo while you still can.

lmao

Richest Man In Riverdale.

Honestly, who gives a fuck? It’s Riverdale--some tiny ass town that no one cares about.

HA! Kevin and Hermione’s shoes.

That sounded less weird in my head.

Aaaaaaahh, Jughead’s smile.

Archie and Jughead just talking!

Is Kevin sipping beer???

Poor Moose.

I guess.

Honestly, I’m not that invested in him as a character.

I’m really fucking sick of these Buick commercials.

I’m really starting to wonder if Sheriff Keller is the only cop in town.

Veronica being totally happy for Betty!

Sorry guys, it’s Beronica, I can’t help it!

Does Archie really not understand why talking shit about the Serpents would upset Jughead? I mean really? They’ve been friends for years, right? Jughead has lived in South Side for years--you would have to be really fucking dense not to pick up on something like this.

Same with Betty?

Everything about this scene just pisses me off.

Joaquin’s fucking EYES though.

I just.

Archie really is a dumbass.

Like, there is no logic behind this plan. He has absolutely zero proof that the Serpents are involved. How did they even become suspects? There is no evidence, and Veronica and Betty didn’t even try to talk him out of this.

The writers must have thought this was the necessary way to reveal that FP was a Serpents member and allude to his involvement in regards to Jason’s murder, because I just cannot see how else this could possibly be relevant.

Where exactly in the hierarchy does FP weigh in? Because all he has to do is tell another member to stand down, and that’s it.

I have a whole lot of questions.

Get the hell off my screen, Max Greenfield.

Fucking golf clubs.

I love how Moose and Kevin are just like, ��Fuck it!”

“All these years.”????

Jughead said that his dad fell off the wagon after Fred fired him, and FP is saying that it’s been years. When was the last time that Jughead saw his mom and his sister? How long has he been homeless?

No, but seriously, that sweater. I want it.

lol The way he holds the fucking cupcakes.

That sass.

LMAO I did not misspell anything there, I do mean sass.

I still love Cheryl Blossom, just so everyone knows.

I still hate Penelope Blossom, just so everyone knows.

I was not joking about the weird chemistry between FP and Fred.

I think I ship them?

It’s never not going to be funny that FP just watched Archie sneak off into the night.

Archie just fucki

Okay.

Okay, you know what? I’m just going to stop here for a minute and talk about this thing that Archie seems to love doing...

If you honestly want to read all about my fury on this subject, click here.

Jughead looks like maybe he’ll cry, and I’m not okay with that.

I definitely need to write some Polly/Cheryl AUs.

Peryl? Haha. Chery?

I’ve never even been to Chili’s, tbh.

Omg. I’m starting to hate this fucking car.

Alice Cooper looks like she’s about to give in to some of her rage issues.

Fred deserves so much better than this town.

CONFRONTATION.

“I should’ve told you about my dad when I had the chance.”

Dude, this kid has been living alone for who knows how long. He has only just reconnected (more or less) with his friends, after quite a bit of time spent keeping the fact that he’s homeless a secret.

I don’t really blame him for not laying all his cards out on the table.

I realize it’s a strange thing to say, but some times it feels like Betty is more invested in her partnership with Jughead for the Blue & Gold than she is in their actual relationship.

Now that I’m watching this again, FP’s behavior strikes me as really odd. During his talk with Fred, he seemed to be completely sober. At the trailer, once Jughead and Betty walk inside, it’s almost like he’s putting on a show of being “the drunkard.”

The way he looks at Jughead; his eyes seem very clear, and his speech isn’t slurred. It’s a huge difference from way he was acting at the Sheriff’s station the day that Jughead was taken in.

This is some fucked up shit right here.

This scene (between the Coopers) is such a major contrast in comparison to the one between Jughead and his father. I feel like it really illustrates the fact that, while both families are broken, it’s often the people you expect the least who fight the hardest for the ones they love.

[screams internally, externally, and eternally]

I really just can’t stand the fact that Jughead feels like he’s in the wrong in this situation.

“You can talk to me about anything.”

What a fucking joke?

Look at how you reacted to finding out, asshole.

“You’re like...You’re like my brother.”

Yes, you have definitely been giving off that vibe, all season.

I love the fact that they’re cementing the “bro” thing so early on.

It took the writers of Teen Wolf, like, 4 seasons.

“You are my brother.”

I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING!

Okay, I know this is wicked suspicious, but I’m still not convinced that FP had anything to do with Jason’s death.

“He really likes me now.”

Okay, that’s another thing that really pisses me off. Like, I know I joked about the Romeo&Juliet thing is part 1, but that is basically what they’ve turned Joaquin and Kevin’s relationship into, and I fucking hate it.

FP Jones, swooping in to save his man.

Yup, shipping it.

Party 1.

[thedramafilesblog-blog]

Appearing before The Dramacourt: While You Were Sleeping Eps 3 and 4

***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

***Disclaimer***: This analysis based on Canadian law. This is also NOT LEGAL ADVICE for anyone and this drama is FICTIONAL.

Issues:

Whether there is some serious meta going on in these episodes.

Whether Jae Chan’s rationale for not wanting to believe Hong Joo’s ability to see the future is logical.

Whether a defense lawyer can force a prosecutor to go with a lesser charge.

Whether there is a distinction between Injury and Assault.

Whether defense lawyers can fudge medical reports and “get rid” of evidence.

Whether this episode highlights some of the issues faced by victims of domestic violence.

Whether it is acceptable to have workplace religious practices.

The Rule(s):

Totally. And even in this version, poor Shin Jae Ha doesn’t seem to be getting the girl.

Yes. It is logical.

No. That’s not really how prosecution works.

In Canadian law, the distinction is between Battery and Assault.

No. This means you have violated your ethical and professional responsibility as a lawyer and that you should be disbarred at the very least.

Absolutely. Battered Women’s Syndrome is a very real thing.

No. Unless your workplace by definition is some religious thing.

Analysis:

RedRosette J: This episode had a lot going on and we have a lot to talk about but first thing is first: Suzy. Honey. Take an acting class. Your acting has not improved since Dream High. Seriously. I’m honestly having trouble connecting with this character. (Also, my bad, I thought this drama was about people seeing visions of future deaths, but Jubiemon corrected me. It’s about people seeing visions of the future). I don’t understand her quirky/perky obnoxious Candy vibe. I really really wanted a more nuanced character. Someone with some depth and feeling and emotion that is more than just forced fake crying. Seriously. I also don’t really feel, at this point, a connection between Lee Jong Suk and Suzy. Sorry guys. It falls flat for me. If the super obnoxious OST and the intense close ups weren’t there to shove it in my face that this was supposed to be some fated love story, I wouldn’t buy it. Sorry.

Jubiemon J: I found this episode to still be a good setup for what’s to come. However, I do have a few areas that I didn’t quite enjoy so much. I also don’t like the character type they’ve set out for Suzy. This character doesn’t suit her and she hasn’t been able to fit well with this quirky character. (This is an aside but if you want to see a quirky personality, go look at one of the clips of “I Live Alone” with Sunghoon. He’s definitely 4D in a cool way.) Aside from her, though, I also felt like Jae Chan’s younger brother looks far too old to be a high school student. (Sorry pal.) I wished that they had placed him as a university student instead.

Having trouble finding the chemistry guys

Developing crushes like…

Serious talk

Being lowkey creepy

Cool art though

Being creepy on the subway like…

RedRosette J: On other notes, Lee Sang Yeob is doing a fabulous job as a sleazeball lawyer Yoo Bom who you just have to hate. He’s so irritating to watch and makes you want to just be like ugh stop. Which is great because that’s the character. The introduction of the second female lead (the prosecutor woman) also fell a bit flat for me. I don’t know anything about the actress but there was nothing really special about her introduction.

Jubiemon J: I agree so much! Lee Sang Yeob has been great as the evil criminal defense lawyer. I get so irritated when I see him! I kind of wish that Jae Chan was less upfront about things and had more EQ, but I guess that’s part of his journey of learning to act smarter and it does make a good contrast between Yoo Bum’s and Jae Chan’s personalities.

Oh my goodness! I completely treated the 2nd female lead as a minor, minor side character. My bad.

Don’t be fooled by this face

Did nothing for the plot

Breaking up with a piece of shit guy like…

RedRosette J: I also keep loving the interactions between the two brothers  and I’m curious to see how Jae Chan and Hong Joo stop Seung Won’s (yes, that is Shin Jae Ha’s character’s name. I knew there had to be reason why we weren’t told his name thus far!) impending fact. I am also curious to see how fate ties up loose ends in terms of the policeman who didn’t die (It’s all very Final Destination-ish). The side characters in the office are really awesome and I really really hope they don’t under utilize these actors who have so much potential for comedy.

When you really don’t want to wake up for work

Breakfast with the fam

When your sketch neighbour tries to be BFFs

You’re cute too. Who are you?

Sassing your boss like…

Spreading office gossip like…

Hearing office gossip like…

RedRosette J: I continue to really really like the plot though and the way it is written. I like that the writers don’t infantilize the viewers and keep the information going consistently. I really liked that Hong Joo’s past warnings to her dad and her backstory was being shown concurrently with the events of the present and Jae Chan’s future visions. It means that your brain is actively working while watching trying to figure out how the pieces fit. It’s been awhile since a drama has been able to do that for me, so I really appreciate that. One thing I’m not too excited about is the childhood trope. Really? You had to use the classic “they met when they were kids at a funeral home” trope to derive the future dream connection? Ehhh….I hope the writers sell me on a stellar reason for why they did this or I’m going to be super disappointed.

Jubiemon J: I did like the flashbacks mixed with Jae Chan’s dreams too. That was an interesting approach. I totally agree about that . . . fated to meet someone since childhood . . . Overused. Honestly I haven’t heard of any stories in my life where someone realized that he or she met his/her partner a long, long time ago. The most would be something like . . . oh they have some random mutual friend.

Issue 1: Whether there is some serious meta going on in these episodes

RedRosette J: I have two words for you guys: Page Turner. OMG. Kim So Hyun as an angry pianist and Shin Jae Ha with a closeted crush on her? Really guys? You’re going to do this to us again? Last time, Ji Soo got the girl, this time, I think external forces (and the fact that Kim So Hyun is only doing this as a special appearance) is going to keep poor Shin Jae Ha from getting the girl. I’m so not cool with this. He’s such a cutie patootie. Like total puppy vibes. Please let him have the girl. But real talk: this story line, although we could do with less of Kim So Hyun yelling at poor Shin Jae Ha because well, see above sentence. But either way, the meta was real folks.

Jubiemon J: I’m honestly tired of the angsty kid. Sure, I understand that you’re super frustrated about your family’s situation, but do you have to push away the nicest guy ever? Kim So Hyun’s character was just super rude here . . . It reminded me of Mean Girls. Twisted Regina George vibes with some crazy fam stuff going on.

RedRosette J Aside: For those of you who haven’t seen Page Turner, go watch it right now. Its three episodes of cuteness that you won’t regret. 

I still doubt he gets her

Issue 2: Whether Jae Chan’s rationale for not wanting to believe Hong Joo’s ability to see the future is logical

RedRosette J: I think what Jae Chan was saying to Hong Joo was totally rational and totally logical. Jae Chan says he doesn’t want to believe her even if it’s true because that means he will have to save everyone and when he cant he will be super torn up about it and he doesn’t think that he can handle it. I think it is totally reasonable to refuse to take on a responsibility that you are sure that you can’t handle. I think it’s irresponsible to take on something and then fall apart when you can’t do it. So yes, I agree with his line of reasoning. Whether this works out in practice and reality is a different story.

Jubiemon J: I actually felt kind of annoyed that he was being a hypocrite. He did save her . . . so why wouldn’t he believe in her ability to see the future? I felt like his reasoning was poor because he just didn’t have the guts to face the guilt or the courage to try to change anything. However, he did have the guts to save Hong Joo so . . . what is this sudden turn of events? I didn’t like it. I’m in the camp of . . . if you’re being given responsibility, you just take it and do it. It’s just like at work. You still have to do the stuff you’re assigned even if you don’t like the work. I also see this as a scenario of a doctor. If the patient comes to see you with some illness, you don’t just ignore and turn them away. You try to find a cure even if you know it might be futile.

Trying to rationalize things

When you’re irrational and you know it

Poor Seung Won!

Issue 3: Whether a defense lawyer can force a prosecutor to go with a lesser charge

RedRosette J:  Uhhhh no…..that’s not really how it works. A defense lawyer can’t just walk into the prosecutor’s office and be like “oh yea btw, these are medical records which show assault, so go with an assault charge….” No. The prosecution works independent of the defense lawyers. The only time they are in contact with each other is during pre-trial conferences and to request disclosure (the documents that the prosecution has against the person being charged). It is a gross miscarriage of justice if the defense gets to walk in and make demands about what charges to lay on a suspect. That’s not how the law works and I’m pretty sure that regardless of whether it’s Canada or anywhere else, that’s how it’s supposed to work. Of course, reality could be very different when you taking into consideration things like corruption and bribery etc.

Nope. Not how it works.

Issue 4:  Whether there is a distinction between Injury and Assault

RedRosette J: In Canada, there is a distinction between something called Battery and Assault. Assault generally deals with the threat of force and the person looking to act on it. Battery is when the victim actually sustains physical injuries from said violent threat. I think what might have happened here is that it probably got lost in translation and when they said “Injury” it probably translates to Battery or the equivalent of that. Kim So Hyun’s character raises an interesting point, where she says that in the case of assault,  charges are laid only if the victim agrees to press said charges. This would explain why Yoo Bom was trying to get the lesser assault charge which would mean that they could coerce the victim into not pressing charges. But generally, there is a distinction and there weren’t wrong in clarifying that.

Jubiemon J: What Redrosette said is in regards to the area of torts. In Canada, battery falls under the area of torts, which is civil law. If that were the case, then prosecutors would not be involved. It’d be the mom vs the dad and damages could be awarded. Also, battery is easier to fulfil than you would think–just has to be intentional, harmful/offensive, direct, force/contact of a person/body/purse of another. I remember our professor saying that even if you touch someone’s shoulder, that could potentially be battery.

Canada’s Criminal Code doesn’t list battery as a crime. Instead, the Code has an offense of assault and assault causing bodily harm. Canada’s Criminal Code lists here what assault would be:

265(1) A person commits an assault when

(a) without the consent of another person, he applies force intentionally to that other person, directly or indirectly;

(b) he attempts or threatens, by an act or a gesture, to apply force to another person, if he has, or causes that other person to believe on reasonable grounds that he has, present ability to effect his purpose; or

(c) while openly wearing or carrying a weapon or an imitation thereof, he accosts or impedes another person or begs.

Different countries characterize their charges differently, so in the US, there is criminal battery. I did a quick look at the South Korean Penal Code and I think this would be one of the potential charges that the dad could face.

CHAPTER XXV CRIMES OF INFLICTING BODILY INJURY AND VIOLENCE

Article 257 (Inflicting Bodily Injury on Other or on Lineal Ascendant) (1) A person who inflicts a bodily injury upon another shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than seven years or suspension of qualifications for not more than ten years or by a fine not exceeding ten million won. (2) When the crime as referred in paragraph (1) is committed on a lineal ascendant of the offender or of his spouse, one shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than ten years or a fine not exceeding fifteen million won. (3) Attempts to commit the crimes of the preceding two paragraphs shall be punished.

Pretty sure this is Battery at this point

Issue 5: Whether defense lawyers can fudge medical reports and “get rid” of evidence.

RedRosette J: Uhhh…..MOST DEFINITELY NOT. That is not a defense lawyer’s job. You don’t “clean up your client’s messes” in that way. This would be a blatant violation of the rules of professional conduct and the ethics of being a lawyer. It could effectively mean being disbarred and even prosecution and jail time. Defense lawyers exist to ensure that everyone has access to the law and to make sure that accused persons are given a fair right to be heard having access to all the information and rules pertaining to their case. This is a far cry from a defense lawyer who goes and commits more crimes to get their client out of jail. WTF. No.

Jubiemon J: No! He also used to be a prosecutor too and from Jae Chan’s comments, he was already acting dirty back then. I remember glancing at the Penal Code for South Korea and there was a section for charges against corrupt public officials, so . . .

You could be disbarred bro

Issue 6: Whether this episode highlights some of the issues faced by victims of domestic violence

RedRosette J: I think we discussed this in a previous review too, but yes, this episode highlights some crucial things about victims of domestic violence. It is usually categorized as Battered Women’s Syndrome where the women are too afraid of the abuse to leave or stand up to the abuser. It’s a form of physical and psychological abuse. Kim So Hyun’s character says that her mother is more afraid of her dad than the law when the scene shows the mother agreeing to drop the charges against the husband. I think it’s important to realize that domestic violence is a very real and live issue and that it’s a good thing that dramas highlight these things.

Fear is a very real thing

Issue 7: Whether it is acceptable to have workplace religious practices

RedRosette J: Generally, workplaces should be secular so as not to alienate or exclude co-workers. I’m not really a proponent of religion in the workplace or anywhere involving communal stuff because I think that religion is deeply personal and should be observed in your own time. However, it makes a difference, if your workplace be definition is a religious place or organization or community. If everyone has the ability to participate that is fine, in my view. In this case, Jae Chan, not having a religion, was isolated from his co-workers who were praying at lunch. If one does have a religious requirement that has to be carried out in a communal place, it should then be done with respect to those who don’t and not in such blatantly alienating ways. So, in general, I don’t think that workplaces should have religious practices.

Jubiemon J: I also don’t think workplaces should force people to have religious practices, but I do remember that in South Korea, many citizens are Christians. Then again, I doubt that’d mean that religious practices would be obligatory at work. Somehow I’m reminded of that Canadian case regarding a Charter right and how there was some praying that would always happen before this meeting and there was a Charter violation (I think–putting that there b/c the Charter is definitely one of my weaker areas in law…).

Not cool.

Conclusion: Appeal Allowed.

Rating: 3 = MM. Okay. Fine. (Suzy please get some acting tips and step up your game girl)

File No: While-You-Were-Sleeping-EPS-3&4 Appearing before The Dramacourt: While You Were Sleeping Eps 3 and 4 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read