#good luck to both contenders i guess

[worstvideogamesong-poll]

Worst Video Game Song Tournament - Quarterfinals Match 1

This is Where You Are Caucasian Destination Boy - Project Sekai - Colorful Stage! feat. Hatsune Miku

VERSUS

Title Screen - Crazy Bus

FIGHT!

I would recommend listening to as much as you can of each song before voting, but how you choose is up to you! Remember to be civil in the tags and replies!

Propaganda under cut:

This is Where You Are Caucasian Destination Boy:

"holy shit this song was suppossed to be what vivid bad squad (one of the bands in the game) was trying to surpass their entire first story arc. also this song was pulled out right after taiga (guy singing this song) told them that their idol is dead. and then they lost to Caucasion Destination Boy. jesus christ."

"[This is Where You Are Caucasian Destination Boy] is so bad lyrically it's funny. Like, truly a monsterpiece."

"#I'M SORRY THAT'S THE SONG VBS IS TRYING TO SURPASS???? 💀"

"#I KEEP FORGETTING ABT THIS 'SONG' #same energy as im in the house like carpet"

"#HAHA YES IM SO HAPPY CAUCAISAN DESTINATION IS ON HERE #NO WONDER TOYA’S DAD HATES MODERN MUSIC 🔥🔥🔥"

"#HOLY SHIT THIS IS WHERE YOU ARE CAUCASIAN ON THE DASH #AHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA #EVERYONE LOSING THEIR SHIT OVER THAT SONG WHEN IT DROPPED WAS SO FUNNY"

"#[This is Where You Are Caucasian Destination Boy] brought me to tears"

#i thought the title of [This is Where You Are Caucasian Destination Boy] was a joke until i played it

"#LETS GO CAUCASIAN #TIME TO THROW YOUR FURB"

"#oh god [This is Where You Are Caucasian Destination Boy] sounds like if imagine dragons had a lobotomy"

"#THIS IS WHERE YOU ARE CAUCASION DESTINATION BALLING SWEEP"

"#dude This Is Where Youre Caucasian is just so bad"

Crazy Bus Title Screen:

"couldn't even listen to three seconds of the crazy bus music. god fucking damn who QA'd that"

"#crazy bus better sweep this tournament hi crazy bus"

"#crazy bus title screen is so fucking funny#i lose my shit every time i hear it"

"#literally just. listen to the crazy bus title screen #for literally a second"

"#is there any real contender against crazy bus?"

[papaya-queen]

Soo I was looking at the future line up possibility for Prema… I thought I could share my thoughts.

Ollie Bearman – Announced to drive for Haas F1. Pretty predictable after his performance in Jeddah. Baky confirmed that he is ready for F1 and for the car he’s gonna get.

Kimi Antonelli – Announced to drive for Mercedes F1. It was almost certain with Toto pushing him. I’m kinda worried we’ll end up with a Logan type of situation but I’m still confident in his skills.

Arvid Lindblad – Announced to drive for Campos F2. It appears that Redbull Junior team and Campos have some sorts of arrangements so it’s a logical thing.

PREMA 2025 LINE-UP

F2

Gabriele Mini – Remarkable drive this season, I’m still gutted about the championship. Prema will likely keep him.

Dino Beganovic – I know it’s unlikely, the streets are saying that he’s going to less expensive team because of a lack of fund. But Prema might still try to keep him since they don’t have anyone else to sign in F2. (I’m trying to manifest it)

F3

Rafael Camara – He is absolutely crashing the FRECA championship so it’s just a logical step up for him. Plus, the Ferrati Driver Academy seems to be close with Prema.

James Wharton – He is in a really good position in the FRECA championship and has already made his F3 debut.

Alex Powell/Freddie Slater – Okay so this the complicated part. Freddie is MaxVerstappen2023-ing the Italian F4 championship and should go directly to F3. But he doesn’t have an academy backing… I think it’s by choice and good for him but without an academy backing him, trying to skip a level might be hard. So, my second guess is Alex Powell. Mercedes junior since a long time, he made his debut in single seater this year in Italian f4 and has shown really good results. He has multiple podiums in overall championship, several rookie wins, he is now leader of the rookie championship and 5th in overall. For comparison, Arvid Lindblad had 8 rookie wins, 4 pole positions and 6 wins in the whole season. Right now, with still two rounds left, Alex has 8 rookie wins, 5 podiums and 1 pole position. My other argument is that Mercedes might not want two drivers in the same championship which leads me to the next point.

FRECA

Rashid Al Dhaheri/Kean Nakamura Berta – Rashid had a good performance from him in F4. Good contender for a freca seat. Kean also had a really good performance especially for a rookie and with the help of Alpine he might go up.

This is where it gets complicated again.

Doriane Pin and Maya Weug could continue F1A since they are only in their first season. But they both had FRECA experience (Doriane currently, Maya in 2023 plus a round this year), and looking at their results in F1A this year, they could manage a transition towards FRECA. Doriane is likely to do so, continuing with Iron Dames or maybe switching to Prema. Maya could maybe transition with PREMA also.

And this where my point from earlier could take place. If Doriane continues in FRECA, Alex might not be on the FRECA line up especially if she continues with PREMA. Mercedes might not want two drivers in the same championship.

So third seat, either Alex Powell/Freddie Slater– So for the first two it’s the same argument as before. Freddie might not be able to jump directly to F3 and Alex might go here if Freddie get the seat.

F4

Honestly here guys, I have no idea. Tomass is likely to stay maybe with Kean and Dion. Prema might do the same as they did recently with Oleksandr Bondarev and bring Luna Fluxa in after she turn 15.

F1 Academy

Tina Haussman – Likely to stay for a second season. She hasn’t had the best luck in this season so she couldn’t prove her talent.

Nina Gademan – she’s likely to take a seat in F1A after her impressive debut.

??

So yeah, that was my little rant about Prema. Feel free to reblog or comment to add your opinion.

[wisteriagoesvroom]

when you watch lando's old footage back with his different teammates you can see his chemistry is so different with each and every one of him. you can see the observant and maybe nervous first year f1 racer that he was around carlos. the fire-meets-fire vibe that they brought, all the overflowing energy of being early 20somethings.

then you get the daniel era where it's honey and butter. both of them warm and charming and lando still learning from the other. but also lando also coming into his own as a racer and realising that he's not an imposter - he's on the level, if not better at that point, than the person who raced for red bull and has 8 GPs under his belt. even if that same racer seems a shadow of his former self at mclaren.

then you get the 2022 merry go round, and oscar. might as well be night and day when they first meet.

oscar, who keeps to himself, puts his head down and works. oscar, watchful and careful after the silly business with alpine. who probably knows he's coming into a buzzy environment with big personalities and huge expectations too - because who is this kid who had the audacity to basically flip off alpine? and via social media of all things (how very modern for an old-fashioned sport). how is this kid gonna make his mark on such a storied team, where the last win is almost now as old as him? what is he going to do with all that potential, right?

we love the machine, because we love watching the potential of a bright young thing fighting their way out of its jaws. lando was in there too, not so long ago, and the poison from that bite might still seep.

nobody knows what to expect. but lando gets to be the elder in the duo for the first time. lando's also going through a process in 2022-23 where he also seems to be entering a new phase of his life and realising some stuff about himself as a person too and what his priorities are. we'll never truly know what that process is (nor should we), but i think on this side of 2024 you can already see how he's handling himself out of it.

and we saw it maybe, in a bit of a smirk at oscar's first day for the car launch and oscar being late. a bit of wonder at oscar, who when suited up seems physically larger than what he remembers.

but then! oscar puts in the work. good chatter surrounds newbie and his working style, and oscar demonstrates maturity. he shows what a contender he is. that he's got his own approach, and he's ready, and – once the car comes – he starts backing that up with good results.

lando is competitive as hell on his own terms. but seeing a twenty one year old from the Reserve bench come in under er, fraught circumstances, then smashing out result after result from Suzuka onwards - surely that puts some fire under your ass in a big way. and! lando is someone who, i think despite his bad luck and lack of a win yet, is incredibly driven and has it in him to be a proper WDC contender. he has that quality. if his teammate is pushing him he's just going to push himself harder.

which culminates, interestingly, in soundbites we're getting recently. like the peter crouch interview, where lando says he's stopped DJ-ing because he's prioritising racing. not an easy decision to make i'm sure, and maybe one that would've happened without oscar's presence at mclaren anyway– but just one signal of where his headspace is probably at now and into '24. lando is also much more reserved about the soundbites he's giving lately (like "i'm not making any race or win predictions anymore and i'm taking things as they are because predictions haven't come true for me in the past, there's too much expectation on myself" etc etc.).

you might even describe it as... maturity.

and guess who has been described as incredibly composed and mature by the mclaren team?

exactly.

[fantasy-things-and-such]

OC questionnaire

Thank you for the tags Here, here and Here by @the-golden-comet, @the-ellia-west and @willtheweaver. sorry for being late >~<

My questions:

1. What is one hobby you have that may surprise others? 2. What is one possession that you would not part with under any circumstances? 3. What is one supernatural ability you wish you had? 4. Who do you trust the most? 5. Where would you like to live, if you could choose? 6. What keeps you motivated 7. How much water do you drink on average? 8. Favorite phase of the moon and why? 9.Who's your favorite person and why?

Lets get started!

1. What is one hobby you have that may surprise others?

Lilli: "I weave. People aways find that surprising 'cause my hands are soft."

Tira: "uh... I play the guitar! I don't come off very musical, though."

Camellia: "Singing." *Lilli laughs* "What?! Cheverouse likes it too."

Erain: "Hobbies? man... Its not really a hobby, but I dooo bake."

2. What is one possession that you would not part with under any circumstances?

Lilli: "this pendant. It's the only thing i have from my mother."

Tira: "hmm... oh! Probably this

Camellia: "don't be ridiculous."

Erain: "one thing? Practically, the E.S.K- but if we're talking personal belongings, this little doodle that my baby sister drew before i left. I keep it right here, in my shirt pocket. For good luck."

3. What is one supernatural ability you wish you had?

Lilli: "healing."

Tira: "Flight! well, i guess its not really a wish anymore."

Camellia: "Foresight, i guess."

Erain: "healing. by far the most useful, in my eyes."

4. Who do you trust the most?

Lilli: "...Millie, my sister."

Tira: "the most? mmm... Lilliwiess is a contender, for sure. I think she's number one, actually."

Camellia: "is 'myself' an acceptable answer? no? fine... i guess anyone in my squad, then."

Erain: "Jayson. He's a good leader."

5. Where would you like to live, if you could choose?

Lilli: "with Tira, so probably Eastern tarn."

Tira: "With Lilli! ...she said with me, didn't she."

Camellia: "er... i dunno. home? I've never thought about it."

Erain: "Northern or eastern tarn. actually, Kjerag might not be too bad...hmmm."

6. What keeps you motivated?

Lilli: "my squadmates."

Tira: "My unborn sister. or brother, i don't know, actually. I'll get to see them once I graduate here... I cant wait."

Camellia: "spite." *Tira and Lilli both laugh.* "of these two fuckers. i swear."

Erain: "Family. gotta keep pushin' for them, y'know? its the least i can do after everything they've done for me."

How much water do you drink on average?

Lilli: "uh... alot. im not sure. I drink when I'm thirsty and after sparring, so..."

Tira: "oh, probably... 4 liters? rough estimate? that feels like alot, is that a lot? I'm probably totally wrong."

Camellia: "fuck if i know."

Erain: "based on the amount of excercise we do as knights, probably alot. i'd say alot, though, mabye somewhere in the ballpark of 3-ish liters."

Favorite phase of the moon and why?

Lilli: "mmm... Full. its majestic."

Tira: "...I dont like the moon, actually. it.. has some bad memories. so New moon, i guess?"

Camellia: "probably half moon. I was born under a half moon."

Erain: "Half moon, mostly for practical reasons... it gives light on a good night. Plus, it's damn pretty to admire."

Who's your favorite person and why?

Lilli: "Tira. why is this a question?"

Tira: "...Why is this a question...? my answer's obviously Lilliwiess, but..."

Camellia: "favorite person? fuck me... Cheverouse isnt too bad."

Erain: "uhhhh.... My baby sister. she's just... so cute."

Your questions:

What's your favorite letter? do you read? if so, what's your favorite book? Who's your favorite Least-favorite person?

Tagging(gently):

@wyked-ao3 @aesthetic-writer18 @emilynotfound @agirlandherquill +open tag

[balanceoflightanddark]

I just started reading “the monsters we create” and have been loving it so far. I’ve binge read to chapter 15 after the fallout of the Godzilla v Roman fight. Which was epic to read.

I also read the voices Azula is hearing are not quite hallucinations after all. Which is interesting. I wonder if Mothra will help heal Azula of this… entity? Also I would contend that the voice is wrong about this part “if even you regain your former strength, you don’t stand a chance against the Avatar’s cronies”. I would posit that if Azula regained her strength and even exceeded it like she did in the comics (which is about the only good thing about those miserable works) she would kick the Gaangs ass (sans Aang of course) in any one v one fight. And if it ever comes to a fight between them in the Future, I’m eagerly looking forward to Azula proving that voice/enrity wrong!

I also wanted to ask about the concept of luck and fortune. Since Azula and the voice/entity’s conversation mainly was concerned about her supposedly “being born’ lucky”. In your story, what does Azula believe about the concept of fate? Of destiny? Does she accept the notion, reject it? How does her opinion of Iroh, of Ozai, and of Zuko influence her views on the concept of destiny? Especially when all three espoused its nature.

Looking forward to the next update! (once I get up to that part in my read😀)

Hey! Thanks for the ask! I would've gotten to it sooner, but school was a mess this course. Hopefully, I can clear some of these asks out.

Anyways, the Voices. No, they're not just hallucinations. They're an entity who are going to be the ultimate evil in the series. There has been a common consensus on what they are. And while I can't exactly confirm them right away since that would absolutely ruin all the build-up, I can confirm they're going to be a nightmarish threat. Plus, I want people to really HATE the Voices. Not right now since we're so early in the trilogy. But as we get further, they're going to get worse, more malevolent, and more detestable. I didn't want a situation where some underling is more hated than the big villain (remember how more people hated Umbridge than Voldemort or hated Azula more than Ozai?). I want to avoid that here and give this thing the dread and vitriol they richly deserve.

I can also hint that the Voices do, in some way, have some connection to Azula's blue fire. Her fire here is one of the lynchpins of the whole story. After all, she and Godzilla share it. Thus this means her fire is a lot more than just a sign she's a better firebender than most. And she is going to get stronger. I'm trying not to give her the Mary Sue treatment by making her overpowered, but definitely strong enough to give the heroes pause. Which they ARE going to find out the hard way in a few chapters. Not the Gaang, but it's not going to be pretty.

Now as for luck. One of the things I wanted to tackle was the myth of Azula "being born lucky". She wasn't. Canon proves that both in the show and in the comics (if you consider them canon). I wanted to deconstruct that along with a LOT of misconceptions about Azula. It's something that I've touched on with Toph's storyline in this fic as well. As for fate, I AM planning on having a conversation in the next chapter touching on that. Azula does believe in fate, and there have been a few allusions to that. Basically, Azula and Godzilla are foils. Being seen as monsters, wielding blue fire, having their actions shaped wholesale by the war, etc. Now Zuko's introductory arc is that of him trying to be a monster slayer given that he "defeated" Azula. I drew parallels to Sozin claiming to have "conquered" Godzilla, as well as the dragon and mosasaur hunts mentioned in the first hunt. In his eye, his "destiny" was to defeat monsters like Azula and Godzilla. Guess how well the latter panned out for him.

So yes. Azula does believe in fate which I'm going to get into, but it's a lot different than Zuko or Iroh's. She sees herself as a monster, nobody has proven her wrong, and monsters like her tend to get slain in the Fire Nation. It's only gotten worse. But I don't want to get into that. Just know that I also want to deconstruct the concept of destiny in ATLA and build it back up to something that speaks a lot truer to what the core themes of the series say. Mainly that people should strive to be better and write their own fate. You can blame BIONICLE for my idea of what destiny should be.

Thanks again for the ask! I got a good portion into the next chapter and I hope to get more done this week. Should be easier without school breathing down my neck. Feel free to ask more if you want.

[the-almighty-bling]

In denial that col has come to an end.. A long journey indeed for me as before col aired I was worried that the story would immediately assumed Vee as Khun Vad reincarnate and San would come to fall in love with Vee by connecting certain quirks/habits/behaviours to his previous lover. This would mean that Vee is merely a replacement of Khun Vad. I have seen some old bls do this and I didn’t like it. Of course, if the “replacement” plot is just the icing on the cake and there will be other developments I can accept that but it’s long winded. Col didn’t go in that direction. We saw San fell in love with who Vee is - his good and bad like San said.

Personal thoughts ramblings about the ending again

(Though I felt that at the end of episode 7, San’s love seem to be fuelled by his personal assumption that Vee must be Khun Vad reincarnate as he told Tao to cease the search for Khun Vad reincarnate as he now believes it is Vee. But this is not to say that San didn’t love Vee for Vee, it’s more like San believes that Vee must be the Khun Vad reincarnate because he fell in love with him - destiny led Vee to him/destiny led him to Vee, so Vee must be Khun Vad reincarnate. Interestingly, at the beginning of episode 7, San was feeling bad that he “betrayed” Khun Vad by falling in love with Vee. Hence, I contend that San didn’t actually think that Vee is Khun Vad reincarnate but rolled with the idea that Vee can be since there is no contention. I think this helped to keep the peace in his heart (that he did not betray Khun Vad). Hence the appearance of Khun Vad lookalike at the end was a big blow to him (and to us too lol). Moving to episode 8, when the stone reacted to both Vee and Khun Vad lookalike, San was flabbergasted like most of us were. But what’s interesting is that later we know that San told Khun Vad lookalike that he cannot love her because he loves Vee now and Khun Vad lookalike demanded for the stone and he gave it to her because he felt that he owed it to her. Logically speaking, both Vee and Khun Vad lookalike are potential candidates of the reincarnate but in the whole episode we see San feeling guilty towards Khun Vad lookalike from start to end. Even before Tao made the statement that Khun Vad lookalike has a higher chance of being the reincarnate due to appearance and family background. This really makes me think that San never thought of Vee as Khun Vad reincarnate. I guess not even the fact that when he held Vee in episode 4, his nightly episode was relieved and he slept the best he ever had in the last 100 years lol.)

Col is very interesting in this manner as the idea of who is the reincarnate forms the backbone of the plot and then we have love as the crux of the story - which makes sense as this is a bl. The mystery behind who is the reincarnate challenges our main characters to see beyond appearances and when our main characters manage to do it, in this case - San, it makes the love between San and Vee all the more authentic and beautiful. It moves from the emotional longing and waiting of my past lover for 100 years to the reincarnate no longer matters, all I know is that I choose you (San chooses Vee). Both are romantic in their own ways but the latter is more bold, less passive and in line with the idea of writing our destiny (more inclined to be well received in this time).

Therefore, when the director/col writers leave the identity of the reincarnate open for interpretation and hints that it is not that important, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth? San waited 100 years for his past lover and Vee was tormented by this “Vee VS Khun Vad lookalike” fiasco. Vee was dragged into San’s life because of they thought Vee is Khun Vad and can bring San luck. Simply reducing the identity of the reincarnate to a plot device when everything is in placed is just lacking accountability.

This is giving action packed sequences and great story going but the author ends it with “it was all just a dream” and in elementary school over here, we were all marked down for it due to the anti-climactic feeling it gives.

[f0point5]

Calling the anon disrespectful was for the condescension in her statement, pretty much saying ‘babes maybe you never had any skill’ which is very disrespectful given his achievements, i am sure he is more aware of the skills and talent that goes into being in f1 and then winning races more than that anon does. You might understand where the anon is coming from, but that doesn’t make it any less misinformed and disrespectful.

He has only said ‘i never left’ once, when he won monza on merit after being hounded by the media and haters that entire season. He hasn’t said it again, and if other people do, i don’t think he has any control over it. Lando mocking max is not comparable to daniel being self assured in his capabilities after a rough start to 2021.

As for george, daniel and carlos, i think george’s career is on the same trajectory as daniel i.e having all the talent to win a wdc but other factors don’t align, which is disheartening as someone who likes both him and daniel (these are literally 3 of my top 5 drivers lol) but hopefully things workout for george. Carlos, imo is a tier below daniel, i would put charles in the same tier as daniel and george rather than carlos. Carlos is good but not great enough to be a contender.

As for going against a seasoned champion and winning without a significant car advantage, i don’t really know what you mean by that because i don’t recall anyone in the recent past who did that. Max in 2021 maybe but rb was faster than mercedes for atleast half the year iirc. Given the right car, i think both and daniel (atleast 2 out of 2014,16 and 20) and george would be champions, and i hope george gets the opportunity that daniel never got.

In conclusion, for me personally tier 1 would be max, lewis, fernando, etc (multiple wdc), tier 2 would be great drivers that had the talent to be in tier 1 but right place wrong timing i.e daniel, george (currently), charles maybe, i would also add drivers like jenson in this category, tier 3 would be really good but not great drivers i.e carlos, checo, bottas etc very skilled and talented but maybe not enough to win a championship.

This is just my opinion, i am open to discussion :))

Well, I think skill and talent have subjective measures, and we’re all prone to a bit of hyperbole when we’re trying to make a quip so from my side it wasn’t that deep.

You said getting the ick over a driver’s radio is not a thing, and I said it is. I’m not saying the situations are the same, I’m just saying sometimes you hear people say something and you’re like…nah can we not. Not even for any big reason, sometimes you just think it’s not cute.

I don’t think Max had a significant car advantage in 2021 (debatable I guess but even though the rb was definitely a championship contending car I don’t think at any point it was head and shoulders above the mercedes). I would argue the first half of 2022 the advantage over the Ferrari wasn’t significant either, only the other factors like strategy. My point is, you put George in the current McLaren, without Lewis as a teammate, I think he could win a championship. You put George in the red bull in 2021, I don’t see it happening. I think Daniel could have done the same if he’d had a capable car and the right teammate at the right time. But in a tight fight I think he would likely be edge out by a better driver, because he wasn’t undeniably the best driver on the grid at any time, imo.

I guess it just comes down to how you assess drivers. Because for me, I go Tier 1 (undeniable skill and talent, WDC winners, best drivers on the grid at one time or another) - Max, Lewis, Fernando. Then Tier 2 (can hang with the best on their best day, wrong place wrong time) - Charles (and I think Oscar will slot in here if he stays at McLaren). Then Tier 3 (with the right car at the right time with the right luck in the right year, it could be them - George, Lando, Carlos. And like I said, I think Carlos is not the best of the three but for me he still makes it into that tier narrowly. And I think that’s where Daniel would have sat in his prime.

But hey, everyone’s got their thoughts.

I do see so many similarities between George and Daniel though and I really hope the trajectory goes differently for George. Namely, I hope he doesn’t leave Merc over Kimi thinking he will get better treatment elsewhere.

[huntsvillegossip]

Happy New Year Lovelies!

Well, happier for some than for others, it seems. Eagan Connolly is raising quite the fuss about the disappearance of someone named Will Monroe—details are light on who exactly Will is but apparently he's known to some as a local prostitute. If you see her hobbling around, maybe keep a wide berth, since they’ve been heard muttering to themselves in public. If it was something worth worrying about, the police or Mayor Nat herself would have informed us, of course.

We have multiple witnesses having seen what looked like a very upset Christopher Winters and a very concerned Jim Dunford in town the other day. They were arguing about what sounded like a cheeky New Years Eve kiss that they shared. Jim seemed to be trying to placate Christopher, who was not having it, shoving the man away and stalking off. No news yet as to whether Emma Dunford is aware of this. For all we know, this might be her way of having her cake and eating it too. Christopher and Emma are also expecting a child, which begs the question, is now really the time to try something new?

Speaking of their upcoming adoption, the baby’s birth mother has also been on her own romantic adventure. Josie Reigh and Gabriel Westfall are official, at least if the people overhearing her referring to him as her boyfriend are to be believed. The two seem to be quite happy with each other. Alas, not everyone seems to be as over the moon as they are. Nico Garcia stills seems hung up over Miss Reigh, which is no surprise, since he always was the more sensitive brother. He has repeatedly been seen intoxicated at the Sasquatch and was even heard propositioning one of their bartenders. One lucky contender who took him up on the offer is Jessica Sinclair. That girl's taste has always been questionable—but perhaps this is the one who will break her streak of heartbreak?

The younger Garcia brother isn't the only one moping and drinking his sorrows away at the bar. Theodore Collins has become the latest member of the lonely hearts club. Many have remarked he's been overly temperamental at work with some adding in that he and Kirby have officially called it quits. However, seems they're both quick to move on. Theodore was spotted hitting on Morgan Vovk, who took him home "as a friend"—you can take that as you will. Meanwhile, Kirby has been seen multiple times leaving the drive-in with Edward Langston. Now, sonsidering he should be focused on helping raise his goddaughter, you would think he'd reconsider his priorities. Kirby is fun but they're hardly the person you'd want around when you're trying to be responsible.

That's all for now, my lovelies. Remember: drink and flirt responsibly! You never know who's watching.

Love, Auntie G

“Is it just me, or do the old folks at the retirement home seem happier lately?  Is it just because of that new doctor working there or what?” - Anon (37M)

“So, I hear there’s an angry bounty hunter in town, and word on the street is he’s after a big score. Guess it makes sense that he seems to have joined Val Moreno’s harem. He seems like her type. Good luck and godspeed to Connor Hastings, I suppose.” - Hopeful Future Harem Member

“It appears like Duck Romero has been lassoed by Claire Forbes and is officially off the market. I saw the two of them on what appeared to be a date after New Years looking mighty cozy. Third time’s the charm, folks!” - Town Bird Watcher

“Declan Sullivan seems to be sowing his wild oats, as he was seen kissing Peyton Wilson soon after a love confession to him by Artemis Hayes was overheard at a construction site. Never seen a boy high tail it out of a conversation so fast. Hey, I'm willing to be her shoulder to cry on any day.” - Bob the Builder

"You'd be surprised how much shit gets talked about at the construction sites. You know that circus guy? Mercy Wainwright? Might've overheard him bitching about not getting to see his kid. That he might actually try to get custody of 'em. Not sure how the baby mama, Josie Reigh, gonna feel about that one." - The 4th Property Brother

“Yeah, so I was having a drink at the Sasquatch when Hope McGillivray threw a drink in Floyd Blackward’s face. Guess he made a pass at her but you can’t blame a guy for trying. Dude’s still stuck in second place it looks like.” - Day Drinker

“Although Halley MacGillivray and Saffron Aubert are now officially dating, Halley has been seen hanging out with Felix Berkowitz, Saffron's ex-fiancé. Like mother, like daughter, I suppose. Loyalty seems to be a concept that family struggles with.” - Anon (22F)

"Hey, so I don't know if it was the eggnog at the party or what. But Edgar Wayne had a full meltdown at his own party. Looks like it was cause of Beverly Torrance, she went skinny dipping in this freezing ass weather with Elijah Atkins. I thought the rangers were suppose to help out folks not nearly kill 'em." - Eggnog Lover

[underwater-i-will-go]

the raya / ramsdale situation over at arsenal surely is messed up in terms of arteta basically just straight up disrespecting ramsdale, a class keeper who's been their number one for quite some time now.

some technical part first: ever since the rumours of arsenal signing raya on loan sparked, i just lost my mind. no sane club does that, not with a keeper that's fit to be someone's first choice, not everyone can be city and regularly rotate keepers when the potential outcome of the game isn't that important (it always is, however, when guardiola plays ortega and he concedes one or two, it makes no real difference since city's defense is the best in the prem and the strikers always score, no matter what) and with arsenal being title contenders every season, (before they bottle it) the outcome always matters. arteta trying to follow guardiola's match plan of basically having a number two that could be number one when they play against smaller clubs MIGHT work, he tried that at everton and now with psv, clean sheets both games. maybe it's working. still challenging ramsdale unnecessarily nevertheless.

aaaaand that's where ramsdale comes in. conflicted i've always been when it comes to him, he's good, then bad, then mid, then class. the bad again. raya was class for brentford, basically someone i'd have considered first choice for a club such as brighton or chelsea. but no. number two over at arsenal it is for him. fairs i guess.

but now to what really matters! the non technical / fun part, as follows;

but come on now. that building rivalry between these two? sweet. they make quite a pair, too. playing friendly on the pitch post game, then not even looking at each other in the dressing room. jealousy. questions arise. "does the gaffer think i NEED to be challenged? does he think i'm no longer good enough to play every game? to be the clubs first choice?"

some photo that is. boy oh boy. matching kits, brunette and blonde. ying and yang. the 1 on aaron's glove, he's holding the ball, it's his game but he's not the one playing it. david is.

david has arrived, it's his first game as arsenal's number one. name on his gloves, he's made it. aaron wishes him good luck, david recognises the bitterness in his voice, feels bad for aaron. doubts arise. is he ready for this?

aaron watches him closely from the bench, he wishes for him to fail, wishes he concedes and proves arteta's plan wrong so he can step up again. no shots on target. aaron knows that when arteta wants to see david prove himself, he'll have to play him against psv as well, that's the plan. his blood is boiling, he will not play at their first champions league game. aaron wishes he could hate him fully, wishes he'd really mean the things he's said during the international break. but he doesn't. david is nice, wants to be friends. doesn't want rivalry. neither does aaron. but he's fought for this. won't let a loan keeper take it from him.

remembers his last game as their number one, david on the bench, how tables have turned. now he's the one watching someone else do his job. he feels helpless, gets calls from other clubs, offering big money, the chance of being someone's sole number one again. other clubs eyeing his situation. he feels pressured. david is kind, he's not faking it. martin says he's having a little crush on him - aaron thinks that's ridiculous. martin insists he's heard someone say it, aaron begins monitoring him more, his mannerisms when around him, his behaviour. notices he's avoiding eye contact when talking to him. maybe he's just shy? has he always avoided looking at him? he starts feeling paranoid. is martin just taking the piss? or is what he's heard true. aaron finds himself thinking about david all the time now - but for different reasons. can't keep him out of his head, his dark eyes, black hair. his accent, the way he sometimes mispronounces words or makes no sense at all, it's sweet really. he seems innocent. easy to manipulate. sweet nonsense.

david did 4 saves, kept a clean sheet. their first champions league game of the season and aaron wasn't playing. just a couple months ago he was sure he would - now it's all been ruined, all been taken from him. by a man older, someone with more experience. pressure. the game is over - david goes in for a hug, tells him how happy is he. aaron says he's proud, wishes he was lying but he's not. conflicted. david's body against his, his arms welcoming. aaron looks up into the stands, wonders what the fans think of all of this, of his performance tonight. they'll say he's better than him. lost in his thoughts. david lets go of him, eye contact avoided, voice cracking, cheeks flushed.

"thank you for being a friend, i haven't found many here yet. and a mentor too, someone i can look up to." his accent thick, his voice trembling. aaron's heart skips a beat. fuck. he's looked into his eyes a little too deeply tonight. saw something he wishes he hadn't seen. and he's afraid david might have seen the same in his own eyes. brown meets blue, ying and yang.

[wisteria-lodge]

bird primary in flux + bird secondary (badger model)

Hi, I really love your help in sorting submissions so I thought I may have some luck here. Also, to wisteria-lodge, I love your writing tips, it really helped especially with the character building one. So for me, I've always been a little unsure on what’s the correct primary for myself. Every time I take the quiz by sortinghatchats, I always get Badger primary to which I agree with but there is always a strong either Bird or Lion primary as a contender and it confuses me so I hope you can help clear some things I am confused with.

Let's sort you out.

For primaries first, I strongly believe that I could be a Badger primary as I do believe that every person is a person (this phrase jumped at me when I first read it because it just felt right for me because I feel this is the right way to view human beings). Even if I dislike that person and strongly disagree with their opinions, they are still a person nonetheless so sending death threats or hate bugs me.

Okay, sure, I'm definitely seeing the Badger. You clearly like Badgers and have very Badger values.

If a person sending death threats is reasonable and lists out the reason that person’s opinion is wrong, I’m not against that.

Reasonable death threats! I'm not sure if that's exactly what you meant or if the sentence got away from you, but there is something hilariously Bird primary about "I guess death threats be okay if you really thought out and spelled out the reason behind the death threats.

A person is a person but it doesn’t mean I have to agree with them or have the same opinion either. I used to believe that I have to compromise with people and their opinions in order to not upset them.

Hmm. HAD TO compromise. I think that what we're looking at here is a slightly oppressive Badger primary model.

I don’t want them to think that I’m not hearing them out but I could never change my views (unless their opinion makes sense to me with evidence that their view is the correct way to approach a topic/social issue, etc.)

Yeah, I think you're an Idealist who likes Badgers. Probably a Bird, or at least you're using Bird language here.

it just feels wrong to me to compromise or change my opinion itself as it would be like I’m lying to myself to please them. I don’t like doing that because I think I may be a people pleasing person

Either you used to have had a VERY Badger looking system/truth or were surrounded by Badgers (probably both.)

but I don’t want my authentic self to get lost because of that so I don’t try to compromise unless the other person is actively trying to compromise with me as well.

That's just a good policy in general. This talk of "authentic self" is sounding pretty Lion though. I wonder if you're a Bird whose system is moving in a more Lion direction, or if you are actually a Lion, or just really like Lions, or if stressing about being "authentic" is more something that's coming from your secondary...

I do like to give people the benefit of doubt because we don’t understand everything and the reasoning behind something may need to be considered before we make a judgment on whether this person did it intentionally or perhaps it was an accident.

Hanlon's Razor - never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity.

All of us make mistakes and it feels wrong to just put/view someone in a bad light because of one mistake. Here’s something that often trips me up: It states from sortinghatchats that Badger will most likely come to an enemies’ aid but not forgive. I do agree that hypothetically if someone is hurt, even if I dislike them, I will give aid because they’re a human being nonetheless but it mentions that Lion will be most likely to forgive if they see that their enemies change and repent to Lion’s side of the issue which I think may fit me as well.

OG Sortinghatchats calls it a Lion thing, but personally I think that the whole 'forgive your enemies after an idealistic shift" is just an... idealist thing.

You do say that things "feel wrong" a lot, and this is a very emotional ask. I wonder if you've got some interesting stacking thing going on - like if you're a Lion primary who uses Bird primary language to talk about a Badger truth.

(you could also be an emotional Bird)

I think that if someone is repenting and seeing that what they were doing is wrong, it’s important to see that too that that person had personal growth and acknowledge that even if they had done things in the past. This is no way in shape or form disregarding what they had done in the past, there will certainly be consequences regarding their past actions but I dislike the judgment that a person who has done wrong is a bad person forever.

I mean, to me one that the utilities of systems like this that don't preference one single morality. Expressing the idea that there are no good and bad people, only good and bad actions.

Anyone can grow into a better person, they just need to choose for themselves. And being a good person doesn’t mean you have to save the world, you can help an elder cross the street, you see someone lose their $20 bill, you let them know instead of pocketing the money, etc. It’s a choice.

Okay, I'm doubling down on Bird for you. This whole section read like instructions, and had caveats and rebuttals. "Realizing what you are doing wrong is always possible, but needs to come with changed behavior, and doesn't erase past bad actions which do still needs to be dealt with."

Also that very Sartre "goodness is a choice" bit is something I tend to get from Birds. And usually, I only end up talking about formal logic tools and specific philosophers when talking to Birds.

Anyway, I don’t think that I’m a Snake primary at all. I do have loyalty but right now, I do have a small share of people I deeply love whom I will put before others if I have to because they are the people that I love and it wouldn’t be fair to not help them first but I do deeply feel guilty about it. There is nothing I can do because I need to protect and take care of my loved ones first because I know they would put me first too.

I agree that you're not a Snake primary, but you're definitely interested in their morality and the way they see the world. You read like a Bird primary in flux, building your system and trying bits of others on for size.

I would like to do the same for everyone but I can’t always save everyone no matter what (though it doesn’t mean I don’t try) and there is a chance that everyone won’t care for me if I get left behind. Perhaps I’m a little selfish but I do think it’s important to value myself. I deserve to be happy too. To me, this statement is right in my gut feeling but I feel a tiny bit guilty saying that I value myself so at times that I choose to put myself first than the other person who may also be going through a lot as well.

This is some leftover Exploded Badger gunk. Burning yourself out trying to save everyone, being guilty about being a person who deserves to be happy, need-basing... but kind of using that as a way not to value yourself? "But the other person could be going though more than me." It's not a competition.

Also, in my experience, not taking care of yourself puts you in a rather precarious situation. Because now you are expecting other people to take care of you when you eventually fall apart (since you are human.) BUT... that's something the other people in your life might not know they're supposed to do, or even be able to do. And so resentment builds up on your side ("I ran myself into the ground taking care of you, and now you can't step up when I need it") and on their side as well ("I have no idea what they need, I thought I was doing a good job but I guess I was wrong. Did they really have to dump a huge problem in my lap with no warning?")

And it's just a bad situation all around.

The next option is Bird primary and I feel like I fit in some ways so I’m always bouncing between Bird and Badger. Bird: From the sortinghatchats, they state that Bird looks for the correct way to look at the world which I agree with. I do think that there are correct answers and then some answers that don't make sense at all. But the truth does not have the finalized truth, it’s just a functional truth as things can change with new information.

The way this is laid out is very, very, very Bird primary.

But Bird pokes at something rather than just believing it is just wrong. I do believe there is a reasoning behind why something is just wrong if I look into it but some things are just wrong unless get proven otherwise for me so I don’t quite think that I fit Bird primary perfectly either

Look, you've got to start somewhere. You are clearly in process of building your system out from this Badger thing you had when you were younger. You're deciding which parts to keep, but some of the major structural poles ("all people are people") get to remain unexamined. I would be prepared to be that when you talk about how "some things are just wrong" you're talking about like, serial killers and child molesters.

And then even with all that, you STILL say "some things are just wrong... until proven otherwise." And that's a Bird.

so I fall onto my default as a Badger but I guess I don’t want to lie or pretend to be a Badger just because I couldn’t figure out which primary matches me the most thus me reaching out to you. 

Yep.

For secondaries, I do not fit with Lion or Snake again. I don’t think I ever charge in impulsively because to me, that’s impulsive and while it’s not wrong, what if you need a backup plan because that doesn’t work or what if the situation changes?

Agreed, you're probably a prep-work secondary, or at least have a strong model.

How are you going to convince someone to be on your side

Consciously convince people to be on your side? That's Bird or Snake.

or figure your way out of the situation now? What if you end up getting caught when that could have been avoided if you took two more seconds to think?

Well you definitely don't like Lion secondaries.

I don’t think that Snake fits me either, I don’t believe I’m an improviser at all. I can improvise if needed because I f up and my plan or backup plan doesn't work so I’m just going along until the situation is over and I can run (often berating myself for messing things up). I often just hope that in the moment my face doesn’t reveal that I’m feeling flustered and that I did not expect that to happen instead of my original plan.

Okay, so we've got *backup* plans now (Bird.) And sometimes you lose control of the situation, which you hate and have to flail in an in-the-moment sort of way (or run and regroup) until you get your feet under you again. Still Bird.

But I don’t quite feel like I’m a Bird secondary either. I do have knowledge about certain things but like I have to do something with the subject before to thoroughly grasp it. For example, I have just begun working in the medical field  and have been gaining a lot of knowledge regarding medical terminology but I only have the knowledge about medical terms because I work at a hospital. I didn’t necessarily collect the information out of collecting it.

My friend, on the other hand, has knowledge about almost everything. For example, there was an incident in Seoul where there was a crowd crush, I couldn’t wrap the information on how that was possible and I knew to go to her because for some reason, she has some knowledge on why crowd crush occurs and science behind it. I admire this ability of hers’ and anyone who does have this ability in general because it’s so weird but cool how they have some much knowledge even if they are not an expert on the subject itself but they know enough to be able to explain it to me.

Hmm. The Sherlock Holmes-type person who knows everything about everything is very much a movie Bird secondary thing. Many birds have a lot of random knowledge that they find ways to use, but some birds are... learning. You've just begun working in this new field. You're learning, and problem-solving, and you're doing it in a Bird way.

The thing is that Badger and Bird secondaries are planners and I don’t think I plan well at all.

Planning *well* doesn't make you a Bird. Sometimes things just happen, no one is perfectly magically competent. You're a Bird if planning things out makes you feel secure and comfortable.

Like I do plan but a loose version of the plan because anything can change and I need to accommodate the changes in my plan to achieve the best results or my end goal, it does annoy me if the accommodation needed is someone, who is included in the plan, was running late even if it was unintentional. But my inner voice tells me a loose version of a plan means no plan because you didn’t cover all the bases. The prepwork isn’t complete and you just have to improvise half way through essentially, how irresponsible. I have a conflict between the want of having a thorough plan and the need to be flexible. 

I don't know what to tell you, you're a planner. You actually sound like this Bird secondary, who wrote a funny little POV of "no I can't be a Bird secondary, I just plan the normal amount."

I do think I fit again as a Badger secondary as I do think I’m useful to the people that I’m surrounded by and do my work thoroughly. I just want to be dependable, like someone at work can go “Oh, give that to her. She can do it.” or what my manager had told me, “I trust you to sort the items correctly so I don’t have to recheck later. I don’t trust other people.” This was due to many items being incorrectly sorted into wrong bins (I also work in retail FYI if this example doesn’t make sense).

You've worked in retail, and now the medical field, two REALLY Badger secondary fields. I'd be surprised if you didn't have at least a model.

I admit that I felt very proud of myself that I worked hard enough so my manager trusted me that much and I’m glad we are close enough for him to feel like he doesn’t have to double check things with me (because I’m dependable and useful).

That's human stuff. It's nice to feel recognized and trusted.

I do agree that slow and steady wins the race but suddenly I wonder if I'm being too slow that my usefulness goes away. I don’t like to cheat either because there is a right way  to do something, why do it the wrong way? Why cut corners? I only understand if you are desperate, if you don’t cut corners or cheat your way to get something, someone may die or you will be late to class, etc.

I love it. "You can cut corners if someone's dying or you're about to be late to class." You don't cut corners... unless you want to cut corners. Yeah, sometimes the Badger way of doing things absolutely is sort of slow and plodding, but that feels correct and comforting. To you, being too Badger too long seems to get you feeling anxious and twitchy.

I don’t think I am good with emotions overall and this may be a reason I doubt myself as fitting into any of the secondaries or primaries.

You sound like someone in a transitional period using this system as a tool to sort though your emotions. That's what this system is for. You're /fine./

I want to take care of the people around me and the ones I love but struggle to show it properly. I often see Badger characters so easily showing another character how much they care or love them and I guess I see that I lack that ability itself.

There might be little tiny bit of secondary burning going on here, some "I'd like to do this thing, but I can't." But it might also be "I like people who do this, even though I am not that way myself."

I do agree with how I don’t like being the center of attention, I do like for 2 seconds. It feels nice to feel like the main protagonist for once and then I immediately go back into the support role because the attention is too much for me all at once.

That just sounds like a personality thing, rather than a sorting thing.

I don’t think people tell me their secrets often at all so I don’t think I quite fit in Badger but if they do, I promise myself that I wouldn’t use it against them even if they had wronged me.

^ that's your Bird primary system talking.

I use petty ones like you took the toothbrushes from the second floor but not like you dropped out of college and you're a failure because that’s not true and too harsh to use someone’s personal issue against them when they trusted me with that vulnerable piece of information.

You haven't talked about it much, but I'm positive that you've got a fairly robust Actor Bird who is good at building different personas to correctly navigate different situations. That is not something that everyone does.

I’m not sure if I model anything and I probably am burnt but it’s really late so I’m going to stop here since I have bombarded you with my rambling enough now. Thank you for reading my submission if you do get around to reading this. 

You're good. And if you're even burnt at all - which I'm not even sure you are - it's so light as to be basically not worth mentioning.

[thewertsearch]

GA: Im Not Surprised To See You Endorse His Paranoia Without Hesitation [...] GA: These Events Are Inevitable And Regardless Of Whatever Emotional Entanglements Obfuscate Their Significance They Will Ultimately Serve An Important Purpose [...] GA: And Karkats Notion Of A Curse Is Inseparable From His Perception Of Events As Intrinsically Negative And As Tailored To His Personal Dissatisfaction

Sure, Karkat’s taking it a little personally, but let’s give him a little credit here. When he complains about how badly things are going, he’s correct. The literal apocalypse is at his door, his whole species is going extinct, and he and the other survivors are watching their parents die before their eyes, before being spirited away to an uncertain fate. And this is all, apparently, business as usual, as far as fate is concerned. 

Sorry, Paradox Space, but I have to second-guess you, here. Why, exactly, are the lusi dying? Why does everyone keep dying in alt-timelines? Why is Sburb designed to destroy civilizations?  These events are ‘inevitable’, alright, but why? Why are these specific, tragic events inevitable, and not others? 

Sure, maybe these things are needed to fulfil time loops, way down the line. But that just pushes the question down the stream, doesn’t it? Why do we have the time loops we have, and why do they all seem to suck so bad?

This is all to say - whatever important purpose GA seems to have heard about, it’s going to be a pretty hard sell. 

GA: And Your Bad Luck Is The Same Way GA: I Believe Anyway [...] GA: What Would Happen If You Just Cleaned Up A Bit GA: Dont You Think You Would Step On A Few Less Hard Triangles

Good advice for the real world - but in Homestuck, as always, things aren’t so simple. Whitetext was quick to take credit for Vriska’s bad luck earlier on, after all.

Plus, in the real world, ‘luck’ is when random events fall in one’s favor. The Homestuck universe might not even have random events, so luck might work very differently there. We just don’t know yet. 

AG: Meddler. Why you so meddley, Miss Meddlesome McFussyfangs???????? GA: Because Youre Dangerous [...] GA: And Dangerous People Can Be Really Important GA: Maybe Even The Most Important Sometimes

Vriska will be a key player in the session. She’s got powerful psychic abilities, she’s full of drive, and she even has experience with optimizing game systems. 

There are dozens of ways I could imagine her putting her psionics to constructive use, but the question isn’t whether she could do so - it’s whether she would. Maybe losing Spidermom will help her to grow beyond the life she’s been forced to live... or maybe she’ll start maiming players that don't try hard enough.

Aw, fuck. It’s going to be both, isn’t it? 

GA: But It Just Means Theres Got To Be Someone Around To Keep An Eye On Them GA: And If Not Me Then Who

Why just you, GA? It feels suboptimal to assign only one troll to Vriska Duty. That’s a lot of pressure for GA alone, especially given she’s going to have her own Quest to contend with. 

It really feels like keeping Vriska reined in should be a team effort - I’d pick Terezi, Aradia and GA. Admittedly, I doubt Aradia would be up for it, but we should definitely figure something out, so GA isn’t stuck doing this on her own. 

AG: Or you know, if you're so h8gh 8nd might8 an8 th8nk you're so gr8at, m8y88 you c8uld oh I d8n't kn8w........ AG: TRY AND ST8P ME FROM DO8NG B8D THINGS???????? GA: That Wouldnt Work GA: If I Tried To Stop You You Would Regard Me As An Enemy

We’re finally seeing those extra 8s, so it seems Vriska is genuinely bothered about this. I have a couple guesses for what’s going on here. 

Vriska wants to be seen as a real threat. GA isn’t trying to stop her, so she feels like she’s being underestimated. 

Vriska is desperate for someone to rein her in, because, on some level, she recognizes that her behavior is wrong, dangerous, or destructive.

Vriska sees GA as a threat. She’s only pretending to be agitated, and wants to provoke GA into dealing with her alone, so that she can take her out of the picture. 

Option 1 feels too simple, and Option 3 doesn’t feel like Vriska’s style. She seems to wear her emotions on her sleeve, and I don’t know if she could fake a reaction like this. 

Does Vriska actually want to be stopped? That might explain why she’s so intent on making an enemy out of everyone she talks to.

AG: 8ut I'm starting to think you are full of shit, and I am quite sure she will 8e QU8TE FIN8! GA: Youre Right Anything Can Happen I Guess GA: But Just So You Know Im Sorry For Your Loss In Advance

Damn, dude. 

arachnidsGrip [AG] ceased trolling grimAuxiliatrix [GA] arachnidsGrip [AG] began trolling grimAuxiliatrix [GA] AG: Aaaaaaaah! AG: Man, why d8dn't I just get th8 last w8rd and sign off real qu8ck like I usu8lly do????????

Unsurprisingly, social interactions are just another thing Vriska has to ‘win’.

[attemptsonherlifepdf]

fantastic mr fox: humanising animals, animalising men, and an exploration of masculine identity

‘this story is too predictable.’ / ‘predictable? really? what happens in the end?’ / ‘in the end, we all die. unless you change.’

mr fox, the titular character of wes anderson’s 2009 stop-motion adaptation of roald dahl’s children’s book, is a portrait of two conflicting manifestations of masculinity. he is built to demonstrate the crossover between tradition and modernity, between wild and civilised. characterised as a charming gentleman, almost renowned for his recklessness, mr fox combines his undomesticated instincts with a carefully crafted domestic life. he appears to spend more time manufacturing a perfect home and family than he does actually participating in it. the events of the movie serve to strip away his facade and present both the audience and protagonist with a harsh reality to deal with: the juxtaposing aspects of his identity that he must contend with in order to survive his situation. these aspects are demonstrated through the use of anthropomorphic animals. in essence, the text attempts to convey the message that while you can associate your actions with animal or human traits in order to characterise and frame them, you cannot change their value and their consequences. it serves as a critique of how the nature of male identity is exploited to shunt responsibility, and the movie specifically promotes a more collectivist mentality.

there are four key scenes that mark mr fox’s journey in terms of his identity. initially, we first see his identity openly questioned once he has moved into a new home (a large and expensive tree), just prior to him revealing his ‘master plan’ to kylie, who becomes his assistant of sorts. he asks, ‘why a fox? why not a horse, or a beetle, or a bald eagle? i’m saying this more as, like, existentialism, you know? who am i? and how can a fox ever be happy without, you’ll forgive the expression, a chicken in its teeth?’ he attributes his identity with the ability to fulfil his base desires, like he could in his youth. aspects of his later life such as employment, family, and safety restrict his ability and leaves him feeling untethered from himself. the movie opens with his youthful vibrance and recklessness, and is quickly contrasted with his dissatisfaction with his job, home, and life in general.

MR FOX

i dont want to live in a hole anymore. it makes me feel poor.

MRS FOX

we are poor, but we’re happy.

MR FOX

comme ci, come ca...

does anyone actually read my column?

having been moved out of the hole and into an expensive tree, mrs fox asks her husband:

MRS FOX

do you still feel poor?

MR FOX

less so.

constructing the ideal domestic space for himself and his family does not satisfy mr fox and he yearns for more, which is where is existentialism and ‘master plan’ come into play. domesticity was never going to satisfy mr fox, as he yearns for something youthful and risky and dazzling, adjectives not usually applied to a quiet and content home life. the consequences of this dissatisfaction are drastic and almost immediate.

soon, having been forced out of his new home and underground by an attack from the farmers, mr fox is faced with a situation he cannot charm his way out of. he attempts to apologise to his son and recite a speech to raise the morale of his family, and both of these attempts are shut down by those around him. the facade of his elaborate home, his monologues, even his suits, are abruptly stripped away leaving him with only his actions which he cannot charm his way out of. the reality is that he and his family, his neighbourhood, is stuck underground with no means of food as a result of his selfish actions. this prompts yet another key scene; his argument with felicity, which begins with her viciously hissing and scratching his face.

MRS FOX

why did you lie to me?

MR FOX

because im a wild animal.

MRS FOX

you are also a husband, and a father.

MR FOX

im trying to tell you the truth about myself.

MRS FOX

i dont care about the truth about yourself. this story is too predictable.

MR FOX

predictable? really? what happens in the end?

MRS FOX

in the end, we all die. unless you change.

mrs fox’s physical attack on her husbands face serves as a display of genuine animal ferocity, making mr fox’s claim to being a ‘wild animal’ appear as a flimsy excuse for his behaviour. his chicken theft, which he was insistent upon regardless of the consequences, was motivated not by animal instincts but a selfish desire to feel a particular version of his own masculinity. disregarding the safety of his family actually seems like a natural byproduct of his master plans because he is trying to reclaim his masculinity from a time before his family existed, and in his eyes, restricted him. the very recent loss of his tail, combined with this conversation with his wife, is a harsh reality check for mr fox in terms of the dangers of his masculinity.

the audience sees the outcome of this conversation later on, in the waterfall scene. here mr fox admits to his insecurities and suggests sacrificing himself to the farmers to save the local community.

MR FOX

darling, maybe they’ll let everyone else live!

…

MR FOX

foxes traditionally like to court danger, hunt prey and outsmart predators, and that’s what im actually good at…i guess at the end of the day im just-

MRS FOX

i know. we’re wild animals.

the difference between this admission to animalism and the one from his argument with felicity is that here, both parties gain some acceptance of their animalism without using it as an excuse for their behaviour. the inclusion of others in animalism – ‘we’re’ wild animals, rather than ‘i am’ a wild animal – contributes to illustrate how wildness is not specific to masculinity. it is not femininity vs masculinity but animals vs man.

the movie also questions the nature of an animal in the final key scene known as ‘canis lupus.’ wes Anderson referred to this scene as ‘the reason im making this movie.’ throughout the movie, mr fox alludes to his ‘phobia of wolves’ and shuts down any conversation surrounding them:

MR FOX

scared? no, i have a phobia of them!...a wolf? what’s with all the wolf talk? can we give it a rest for once?

arguably, these reactions are representative of mr fox’s aversion to competitive masculinity. he shuts down any opportunity for those around him to discuss something he sees as more masculine than himself in order to feel secure in his own masculinity. critic shana mlawski argues that ‘the wolf is described as the wildest, most frightening, and yet most beautiful creature in the world. mr fox fears the wolf and yet wants to be exactly like him. we can thus say that mr fox fears pure, wild masculinity yet also yearns to own it himself.’ the scene holds an eerie familiarity to it; mr fox is recognising something that he thought would be a reflection of himself, but the wild animal is no longer familiar to him anymore. he now accepts his role as a husband and a father and no longer fights to overtly express his animalism in the same way as the wolf. the most he can offer the wolf is raising his fist in solidarity. he calls out to the wolf, ‘i have a phobia of wolves!’, which is an interesting moment to admit this in. it’s his acceptance that allows him to admit this. the scene is entirely compromised of male characters: mr fox, kristofferson, ash, kylie and the wolf. mr fox’s admission to his fear allows him to be vulnerable in front of these people he cares about, and to use this as a teaching moment for the young boys.

MR FOX

what a beautiful creature. wish him luck out there, boys.

here mr fox openly admits his admiration for someone else’s masculinity in front of others without showing signs of his own insecurity. he can admire the wolf for what he is without seeing him as competition. the scene allows the audience to see and directly compare two forms of masculinity and animalism, and to understand that there is no one true expression of either of those traits. the wolf has connotations of violence and ferocity, whereas mr fox and his suit and display of multilingualism are entirely modern, but both are masculine animals who are valid in their own right. either way, both animals rely on violence for survival at times.

kupfer frames violence in three ways: symbolically, structurally and as a narrative essential. there are various forms of violence within this narrative, namely mr fox killing chickens and squabs, and the three farmers’ attack on the animal community. symbolically, mr fox’s chicken theft is attributed to his masculinity. while it is often presented as thought-out ‘master plans’, his desire to enact this violence in the first place supposedly stems from his ‘wild animal’ instincts. he associates a time where he felt secure in his masculinity with his actions at the time (violence). structurally, we see the potential for this violence in the opening scene, where mr fox takes his wife chicken-stealing and they become trapped. he is stuck in a fox trap with his wife when he receives the news of his impending fatherhood, a relatively obvious symbol for his view of fatherhood in general. the news of his wife’s pregnancy disrupts his ability to continue stealing chickens, not just on this specific occasion but through the coming years as well. mr fox appears to view family life as an unfulfilling, less raw expression of his masculinity, and is shown to be wholly dissatisfied with his life.

the violence on the farmers’ behalf is almost always in reaction to mr fox’s violence, already giving it a structural framing. boggis, bunch and bean are referred to early on in the film as the ‘meanest, nastiest and ugliest farmers on the side of the river.’ their violence against mr fox and subsequently the local animal community is an attempt to gain back power and status. mr fox’s actions are “humiliating’ and the local news coverage of this exchange between the farmers and animals raises the stakes as now the reputation of these farmers is on the line as well as their power. violence here serves as a narrative essential because it drives mr fox into a situation that forces him to confront his issues with masculinity and splitting between his animal and human traits, giving the text/movie a fulfilling arc. violence is

introduced as inherently masculine, but is decoupled from masculinity by the ending. mrs fox also plays a small but significant role in this; at various moments in the movie she exhibits her own displays of aggression equal in intensity to the men around her, suggesting to the audience that forms of violence should be categorised as human vs animal rather than male vs female. examples of this behaviour include her clawing at her husband’s face, and a parallel between her and a male human character wherein they both connect two wires and shout ‘contact!’, causing an explosion. while this moment is brief, it highlights a distinct difference between animals being violent and men. humans’ aggression is driven by the need for power, whereas that of animals is driven by the need for survival. the man paralleled with felicity only sparked the explosion to destroy mr fox’s home and assert the dominance of the three farmers, while mrs fox used the same form of violence to enact a plan to save her nephew’s life. petey’s song even alludes to this sentiment: ‘well he stole, and he cheated, and he lied just to survive.’

mr fox’s tail becomes a symbol of power; bean wears it as a necktie, and mr fox feels emasculated by his loss.

MR FOX

one of those slovenly farmers is probably wearing my tail as a necktie right now.

…

BADGER

i cant even imagine how painful, even just emotionally, that must be for you… oh but foxy how humiliating, having your tail blown clean off by-

MR FOX

can we drop it?

the use of the tail as a necktie is a symbol of the power that mr fox and the farmers end up jostling to achieve: at first it belongs to mr fox, then to the farmers, and is eventually reclaimed once more by the fox.

MR FOX

you shot off my tail.

[through gritted teeth] i’m not leaving here without that necktie.

when he reclaims his tail towards the end of the movie, it has been torn to shreds and needs ‘dry cleaning twice a week’ to maintain itself. this can be interpreted as a symbol for his evolved definitions of masculinity and power: his masculinity is no longer defined by impressing people or stealing or killing chickens, but in the quiet satisfaction of having a family. the final scene reveals that mrs fox is pregnant again, and instead of her glowing and her husband giving an awkward grin like in the opening scene, both of the spouses ‘glow.’ the structural framing of these pregnancy reveals bookending the events of the movie allows anderson to demonstrate mr fox’s growth and change in his priorities. the domestic life appears to be enough for him, and he no longer seems to find it emasculating,

what stands out as particularly modern about mr fox is how he unconsciously separates himself from both his wildness and his suburban self in his effort to combine them. he uses his ‘wildness’ as an excuse for his violence and selfishness, but is ultimately not willing to participate in truly wild forms of violence and selfishness, such has hunting. his chicken thefts always include infiltrating a human site, like boggis, bunce and bean’s farms, and the fun of it is in outsmarting them, rather than finding those animals himself out in the wild. the local animal community essentially functions as we would expect a rural village occupied by humans to function: everyone knows everyone, there is one local school and various small and quaint homes. while the setting reflects anderson’s signature style, it is also reflective of dahl’s framing of the community in the original text.

mr fox comes across as an individual who believes himself to be above the somewhat backward mentality of his village, that he is the most civilised and dazzling and original, and he exaggerates these traits in himself out of insecurity: ‘if they arent dazzled and blown away and kind of intimidated by me, then i dont feel good about myself.’this is also reflected in his consistent ‘trademark’, his whistle-and-click combination that he uses to set himself apart from other foxes. his home is also a reflection of this:

MRS FOX

you know, foxes live in holes for a reason.

MR FOX

[grunts and tilts head in disagreement]

yes and no.

this insecurity and desire for outsider approval and individuality is inherently human, a quality of his that cannot really be associated with his animalised parts. this precarious sense of identity and self doubt separates him from his ‘wildness’ as it stands, which is only intensified by the fact that he compensates by exaggerating his human traits in order to be liked and feel worthy, as those are the traits he believes have the most value. towards the end of mr fox’s character arc, he is forced to admit that his need for external validation is flawed and unsustainable. when the façade of carefully constructed grandeur is literally washed away by bean, he is left with nothing but his actions and their implications for those around him. foxy reconciles with the relative insignificance of an identity based on other’s perceptions of you when rat dies soon after, reacting to the suggestion that he redeemed himself last minute by revealing ash’s location:

MR FOX

redemption? sure. but in the end, he’s just another dead rat in a garbage pail behind a chinese restaurant.

this moment is also used to inadvertently allow the audience to evaluate the significance of motivation and intention to the value of an action. although rat did reveal useful information to aid the group in saving Kristofferson, mr fox recognises that he only did so because he realised he could not win this fight.

MR FOX

would you have told me if i didn’t kill you first?

RAT

never.

mr fox’s own motivations throughout the movie have devalued his actions as they have mostly been self-serving. as his motivations evolve to centre around his family, he gains the perspective to understand why one’s intentions are so important. while intention does not entirely dictate how good one’s actions are, they certainly characterise the person who’s action it is. your actions have value and consequences as they are, and that cannot be changed by dressing them up or animalising them to distance yourself.

in essence, fantastic mr fox is a lesson in the value of including those around you in your mentality and worldview. it paints masculinity as something that is inherent and complex in nature, but promotes the idea that it is not stuck with its traditional connotations of violence and egoism. mr fox’s emotional development throughout the text mostly centres around his own insecurities surrounding his masculinity and how that causes him to overcompensate in ways that harm those around him. by the end he recognises that more tame and domestic forms of masculinity are just as valid, and that basing his self-worth on how ‘dazzled’ his peers are by him is immature and not constructive. his family now liberates him and allows him to be vulnerable rather than restricting how he feels he can express himself, and as a unit the animals beat the farmers in their game of power-seeking. mr fox recognises and appreciates both his human and animal traits, without using them as a means to excuse his behaviour or to feel bad about his worth.

MR FOX

i guess my point is, we’ll eat tonight, and we’ll eat together. and even in this not particularly flattering light, you are without a doubt the five and a half most wonderful wild animals ive ever met in my life. so let’s raise our boxes – to our survival.

i.k.b

[harley-sunday]

North Star [bonus]

Summary: Charles Leclerc just won his first Grand Prix since Monza 2019 and he knows exactly why his luck has changed. 

Pairings: Charles Leclerc x reader

Chapter warnings: None

Word count: 1.1k

AN: Surprise, I guess :) This is just a short drabble I wrote after Charles’ first win of this season because this fits into the North Star timeline perfectly (after Part 4 and before the Epilogue). You could read this as a standalone, but I think it makes a little more sense if you read North Star first :) 

eL, this one’s for you. Consider this your official welcome to the Sharl fandom, my devious friend. ♥

Sakhir, March 20, 2022

"Charles Leclerc, congratulations," the reporter nods at him to emphasize his words even though Charles knows the sympathy would have been the same no matter who would end up finishing first. They're pretty interchangeable, race winners. Or, at least for the press they are. Still, he smiles because that's what Silvia, his press officer, would want him to do. Smile, sit pretty, and win races. Well, guess what? Check, check, and check.

"-started first and finished first," the reporter's voice interrupts his thoughts and even though he missed the first half of the question, it doesn't matter because he already knows how it will end, "and got fastest lap at the first race of the season. How does that make you feel?"

Charles runs a hand over his face to buy him some more time, a trick he learned from his first press officer back at Alfa Romeo. Not that he needs more time, because he knows exactly how he feels - like he's on cloud eight, or nine, or whatever the expression is - but apparently it's better to tone it down a little, to not show the world your entire hand, or something like that anyway. And so, when he looks back at the reporter he smiles a somewhat fake smile and says, "It is a great way to start the season, for sure, but we still have twenty-two races to go and I think it is only after the last race we can truly see where we stand."

Next to him, Silvia nods, letting him know she's pleased with his answer. Good.

"Ever since testing in Barcelona," the reporter continues, "there's this buzz that has been going around when it comes to Ferrari, saying you might be serious contenders for the Constructors Championship this year. Do you share that sentiment?"

"It is no secret we have a good car this year," Charles offers easily enough. This is one of the easier questions, not in the least because he knows exactly what the team wants him to say. They even spoke about it in the briefing on Thursday. "And it's performed well here on track but like I said, it is a long season so let's wait and see."

Silvia holds up one finger then, to let both Charles and the reporter know there's only time for one more question.

The reporter nods and clears his throat, "There's also a bit of a buzz going around when it comes to you, Charles. After a not so great twenty-twenty season and an, only, slightly better season last year, it looks like you have found your way again. What changed?" 

XXX

Les Côtes, January 1, 2022

You listen to Charles play the piano, trying to understand the piece he's composed in the two years you spent apart. It starts out rather dark and gloomy, the notes feeling rather disconnected, which you suppose represents the first few weeks or maybe even months after your breakup, but it ends much lighter, the notes now complimenting each other and the tune he's playing almost hopeful.

“If it’s about us,” you say once he's finished, leaning in and resting your chin on his shoulder, “then it sounds like you. Like you’re helping me find my way back.” 

“Hmm,” he agrees quietly, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

You let out a content sigh and softly whisper, “I think you should call it North Star.” 

"Maybe I should," he teases, taking one of your hands in his, "but only if you promise to let me guide you home."

You lean back and look at him, biting your lip because his words seem to hold a promise you rather hear him say out loud, "What do you mean?"

"Come with me this year, Flo. Let's travel the world together like we did before." He squeezes your hand and there's something about the way he looks at you that lets you know what he's going to say next is important.

It is.

"Now that I've found you again, I don't ever want to let you go."

XXX

What changed? 

Everything, he thinks, and yet nothing at all.

What he says instead is, "I think that after my last win in Monza I felt like some things were starting to slip away from me a bit-" he doesn't dare to look at Silvia because he knows this is nothing like the answer she expects him to give. She wanted him to say how hard the team has worked over the winter break, how hard they worked to develop a car that might be a championship contender again, and how this is very much a team effort. It'll probably earn him a firm talking-to from her in the debrief later but he doesn't care. He wants to answer this as truthfully as he can without giving too much away and so he continues, "It took me two years but I think I found what I was missing again this winter and I couldn't be happier."

"Which is?" The reporter asks even though technically his time is up.

Still, Charles is glad he does, because he gets to look into the camera and tell the world, "I finally got my Flo back."

"Your flow?" 

“Yes,” Charles looks back at the report and smiles. 

"Sorry," Silvia interrupts, holding up her hand. "That's all we have time for."

Charles nods at the reporter as a goodbye before he turns around and follows his press officer, ready for another carbon copy of the same interview he's already given five times in the last ten minutes. To say he's a little surprised when she leads him back to the garage is an understatement. He should know better than to question her, but still he asks, "No more interviews?"

Silvia shakes her head, "I told you, only five, no?"

She must have, he thinks, but he doesn't remember. Not that he wants her to know that and so he nods, Yeah. Sure."

"We have a team photo with you and Carlos in five minutes," Silvia reminds him when they reach the garage. "Please don't be late."

"No, ma'am," he mutters under his breath but only because by then she is out of earshot and he doesn't risk a reprimand for making fun of the situation. Just as he's about to continue on to his driver's room someone grabs his hand and pulls him into a corner.

"You got your Flo back, huh?"

He lets out a laugh at the way his girlfriend seems so very pleased with herself and so he presses a kiss to her lips before he tells her, "I did."

She lets go of his hand and puts her arms around his neck, pulling him into her as she lets her lips ghost over his, "Yeah, you did."

[aliensunflower-fics]

Marinette The Perfect Daughter In Law: A Prompt

[ I've seen a few ‘everyone loves Marinette AU’s’ and a couple Marvel DC ‘all the mentors want THEIR kid to end up with Marinette AU’s’ and well frankly! I felt inspired! So I present to you my new prompt / AU thing! In which all the most powerful / rich / popular people in Paris decide to play matchmaker… ]

It starts when Adrien and Kagami have a less than AMICABLE break up according to their parents and the media anyway in reality it was a really REALLY dull break up. The pair have been ‘dating’ (using each other as an excuse to go out and experience normal teenage stuff) since they were 15. Now at 17 soon to be 18 the pair decided to publicly break up in order to pursue other people and interests. The problem is they never told their parents the truth so both Gabriel and Kagami’s mother Tomeo feel protective and concerned about what must surely be an upsetting first heartbreak for their child. And okay maybe both parents take that out on each other and both get a bit defensive and protective. And MAYBE it ends with Tomeo vowing to get revenge for her daughter. Enter, Marinette. Up and coming fashion designer for the rich and famous! She’s single, talented, and as far as Tomeo knows Gabriel is interested in the girl for her talent. So what better revenge could exist but having Marinette take an interest in Kagami!

Kagami has no idea why her mother suddenly has an interest in Marinette but she wont complain about having more time with her very cute designer friend. And all the outfits Tomeo is paying Marinette to make for Kagami is giving the young fencer plenty of up-close and personal moments with Marinette. And okay Marinette is VERY cute and Kagami wont question why she suddenly has all this tine with Marinette, eating ice cream with the girl and having brunch. But she knows shes absolutely head over heels when Marinette shows up at her fencing tournament gives her a luck charm and cheers her on wearing HER colors. Obviously Kagami wiped the floor with all the competition she cant be seen hesitating in front of Marinette!

On Tomeo’s side of things she makes sure that the paparazzi still lurking around after Kagami and Adrien’s breakup catch photos of what could easily be interpreted as dates between the girls. After all this is a revenge ploy but also Marinette is fantastic so Tomeo is 300% down with Kagami ‘bringing her into the family’ something she tells Kagami after the first paparazzi ‘date photos’ leak into the news. Kagami still has no idea this was an orchestrated affair and just thinks her mothers caught on to her feelings and is overjoyed that Marinette is approved of because after the cheek kiss Marinette gave her for winning the fencing tournament Kagami was preparing to fight her mother for the right to pursue the young designer seriously. After all she never hesitates! 

But Tomeo never realized Gabriel isnt the only one interested in Marinette. Audrey Bourgeouis has been keeping an eye on Marinette trying to find a way to get Marinette on to her side and away from Gabriel. So when she sees the photos of Kagami and Marinette she sees an opportunity. After all if Marinette isnt exclusively into men (and those photos of her flushed cheeks as Kagami cleans ice cream off her bottom lip are a clear indication shes not) then Audrey smells opportunity. After all Marinette was Chloe’s first crush! How cute would that be! The next day Marinette is being offered yet another opportunity to intern under Audrey this time with much looser restrictions. When Marinette accepts she suddenly finds herself working with Chloe… A LOT. The pair are modeling together, often paired together for shoots in perfect complementary clothes that screams ‘opposites attract’. Chloe is also helping manage Marinette’s brand and the two start to get along very well. The model photos and their business lunches are soon plastered alongside the Kagami and Marinette outings with parisian gossip blogs finding their interest picked by this potential love triangle.

Chloe for one, was confused at first. Sure she knew her mom was interested in Marinette but she never thought SHE would be working so closely with her first crush. And Chloe tries to ignore it, after all those are dead feelings! And Marinette woud never forgive her anyway so why even- Wait. Is that Marinette in a downright gorgeous golden dress? A-and she will be posing right next to Chloe for their shared shoot? Well… Chloe always thought herself deserving of royalty and damn if Marinette aint the princess of her dreams. Sorry Adriken’s you had your chance to get the girl, but now its winner keeps all and Marinette is the only prize shes interested in. For the record Alya is freaked out by Chloe being nice, but shes more weirded out by Chloe being protective and handsy and downright shamelessly flirty with Marinette. Audrey is pleased when she hears the news and is quick to give her daughter encouragement acting as if none of this was premeditated at ALL.

Oh but they have no idea that this is just the beginning. Because guess who's moved back into town. Adrien’s favorite cousin and aunty. And Felix’s mom is quite the busybody and dammit Felix needs friends! And maybe a cute girlfriend! And oh whos that pretty girl on the magazine cover? Marinette? The one her celebrity connections have nothing but praise for? Perfect! Shes invited to lunch with Felix and herself on friday to discuss movie costumes! And oh Audrey dear dont you think Marinette would look fabulous sandwiched between TWO blondes! Felix hasnt modeled in a while but come now. So suddenly Marinette is being spotted with Felix guiding him about paris and modeling with him AND Chloe under AUDREY’s brand NOT Gabriels.

Felix thought hed really hate Marinette; he tried to ignore her he really did. But shes funny, witty and sweet. Not to mention trustworthy, so a good candidate for a business partner. And thats it, but then he has to admit hes impressed when he rolls up to a photoshoot and Chloe! The definition of brat personified is acting… Bearable. Yes, somehow Marinette has done the impossible! She has tamed the beast known as Chloe. And yes fine he will admit shes drop dead gorgeous and how intelligent of her to learn all sides of the fashion industry and boost her rep with modelling! Soon hes spending more time with her, he tries to argue he needs a guide, that shes the most bearable person to be with! That she is just a friend- Oh god. No it cant be! He sounds like-! Like ADRIEN! And Chloe already told him about THAT mess! No! Absolutely not! He will not lead on Marinette like his idiot cousin! Marinette is a rare and beautiful woman! She could be his queen! And god he has to admit it much as he loathes too Marinette’s smile is enough to make him thank every non-existent god. He will win her heart, show her that she deserves better than his brain dead cousin! Felix is sure mother will approve of his decision to pursue the girl, now he just needs to do more shoots with Marinette...

And that's what finally gets Gabriel to snap. Because REALLY Felix!? Is there no loyalty to FAMILY. Not to mention he was totally drafting a potential contract for Marinette when Audrey snapped her up the witch! But its fine! Marinette has always been interested in Adrien! Surely she still is? Surely she's not been swayed by any of her new suitors! Right? Gabriel knows he can't mess with Audrey’s contract so he goes through Adrien, freeing up his sons schedule and telling him to spend time with Marinette to help her ‘adapt’ to the harsh world of fashion and modeling. He uses Adrien’s heroic nature to make it sound like hed be saving her from Chloe and Felix. And sure enough Adrien bites, using his friendship with Chloe to worm into fittings, meetings, and photo shoots. At first hes just there to make sure Chloe and Felix arent hurting sweet Marinette. But when he sees the blondes fighting for her attention, flirting with her, posing with her in some rather romantic settings. Suddenly hes less worried and more… Jealous? No! Not him! Hes concerned, confused, suspicious! Obviously he needs to spend more time with Mari- Wait! When did Kagami get here to take Marinette to lunch! And why are they all ignoring him!!!

Now Marinette is fully in the public's eye. Gossip blogs are being fed bits of info writing up each ‘candidates’ appeal as THE romantic partner to the Marinette Dupain-Cheng paris new darling, the girl with a heart of gold too oblivious to see the trail of hearts following her around! But there is still another contender yet to enter the game! Jaggeds been away on tour teaching Luka his up and coming protege all the tricks. And lets not lie Luka has his own fans now, enough to rival all the others. Jagged sees Luka as his own son, even calling him as much! Hell hes even adopted Luka and Juleka and when I say adopted I mean Jagged literally got shared custody of the kids when their real dad tried to start trouble once Luka started gaining fame. Luka and Juleka for one love their adopted father and his wonderful fiance Penny. But back to Jagged, being Jagged. 

The moment Jagged is back in Paris he's checking up on his favorite designer and hopefully future daughter in law! When… WHAT'S THIS?! All the other ritchies in Paris are playing his game! Trying to get Marinette married into THEIR families! Not rock and roll at all! He was here first! And so being Jagged he decides to make Luka’s stake in the race for Marinette’s heart clear! By spamming social media with photos of Marinette being cute with Luka, taking his measurements, going out with him, the pair babying Fang, the two passed out against each other after a long concert. And he has photos going back at least a year or two! Soon Luka’s fans pick up the hype starting a trending hashtag finding the pair cute! Jagged feels confident that hes won! When Audrey retaliates, and from there its a complete train wreck. Before long each pair has a hashtag filled with cute moments and arguing over whos dating the model / fashion designer! 

Meanwhile Adrien is drowning in denial as he goes through each hashtag seething about how many MORE photos everyone else has with Marinette, when HE is her very good friend and was here first! Felix, Chloe and Kagami on the other hand have declared open war after they tried to talk to each other about the hashtags reasonably only for it to devolve into “so you agree Marinette is best with me!” - “WHAT! No! Thats not what I said! Besides she clearly is best with me!” - “Ridiculous!” And so on. Poor Luka is having an entirely different reaction hiding in shame unsure how to face Marinette because he WAS going to ask her on a proper date now that she seems over Adrien, because even with everything she's the melody playing in his heart and he had a plan! But now his mom and sister are texting him and teasing him and apparently he has MORE competition! Who do these people think they are to deserve Marinette! No! Luka won't lose Jagged has been teaching him to be bold and confident! And Marinette is worth all of his efforts! Jagged REGRETS NOTHING even if Penny confiscated the tv remote!

Marinette meanwhile has no idea what's going on because the whole class made a dumb bet on when the designer would notice with one of the bet conditions being that no one could tip Marinette off and that they have to keep her away from Paparazzi so they dont spoil it either. And sense Alya is helping manage Marinette’s social media Marinette hasn't looked at it yet so she has NO idea what's happening. But her birthday is coming up next week and Chloe definitely didn't get dibs on planning a surprise party for her all so she could spoil the girl and RUB her GREAT relationship with Marinette into her competitions FACES! The competition however (and Adrien JustAfriend Agreste) have decided that they really aren't going down without a fight!

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[ Wanna Read More? Masterlist HERE! ]

[mystic-sky]

✨part 1 here ✨

Satoru’s only been in love once. Though it wasn’t with you, it wasn’t long before he met you either. The summer before he graduated high school he fell into a deep infatuation with someone. 

He was always a fast guy, even during his earlier youth- having lost his virginity in his sophomore year. He was a curious one, and he had the looks and the charm to scoop as many women as he chose. But he did give love a try with her. She was spunky, but shy at the same time. Outspoken, and he’d never forget how she kissed him first. She scooped him off his feet, somehow wrapping him around her finger- until she got bored. Gradually, there were no more late night phone calls, no more study dates and sneaking out together. She no longer responded immediately to his text messages, and casually rescheduled plans on short notice. Satoru had never been out right rejected before. But his nonchalant attitude lead him to adapt, and just reciprocate everything she had been doing. 

And in came his ex best friend, Suguru, who he no longer spoke to for external reasons.

He couldn’t go anywhere in school without witnessing or hearing the two laughing amongst one another or watching them hold hands. He felt nauseous every time he saw him wrap his arms around her; her sickening smile and her eyes sparkled just for him.

Senior year felt way too long. In the end, she left the both of them high and dry for an American University after graduation. But Satoru saw it as a lesson of sorts. He didn’t think all women were the same, but he certainly didn’t leave himself open to disappointment after this.

And that’s why he wasn’t the least bit surprised when he saw Suguru pressing his lips to your knuckles in the cafe you both first met in.

“Snake,” Satoru muttered under his breath.

He had no plans to walk inside the establishment at all, until he saw your cheery smile over the head of the brunette on his arm through the window. He shifted his gaze towards the source of your happiness, feeling that same sickening feeling from 3 years prior. 

He needed something sweet to rid the awful taste on his tongue. He took the brunette girl on his arm with him, offering to buy her a sweet drink. She happily obliged, simply ecstatic to be in his highly esteemed presence.

He imagined you didn’t even know who Suguru was, or what kinds of things he was capable of. But who was he to try and inform you? The both of you had split long before, and the last thing he needed was you thinking he actually cared about you. 

But he couldn’t stop looking at you. His heart swelled as he remembered when you both first met. It wasn’t even in lecture the way he had convinced you prior- oh no, long before that. It had been in sophomore year of college, the semester before you signed up for the political science course. 

He saw you in the college office, discussing electives you’d possibly be into with your counselor and one of your friends. He thought you were a cute, timid little thing. He gave himself a project, figuring he’d plant the seed and flirt with you in the near future when he had less women in his current line up. He could tell you were a busy one, rushing out of the office just as quickly as you came in. He didn’t even get a chance to make conversation with you. 

He signed up for a political science class, realizing just how low the probability of him ending up in the same class as you was. One semester later, he remembers chanting God is good as you sit idly in the middle of the lecture room when he arrives. 

The seats around you are taken, and he regrets being late on the first day. At least he had 2 hours to admire you from a distance. 

Your friends had came to get you as soon as class ended, making him miss his opportunity again to talk to you. The week after, you showed up late to class. Satoru being Satoru, it was impossible for him to keep empty seats beside himself due to his popularity. He watched you climb the steps and sit all the way in the back, far behind him. You had stayed to talk with the professor after class as a result. And unfortunately, his entourage of women couldn’t be kept waiting. That week he cut them all off. It was getting too difficult to maintain so many relationships along with his multiple sexual partners.

 A part of him thought having multiple partners and women around just wasn’t worth it. He grew tired of having multiple personalities around him. One sexual partner would be the most convenient. He didn’t even care if people thought he was dating that one specific person- as long as people left him alone. To rid himself of his options when he hadn’t even found a new contender for himself yet is what leeched at his brain. He might of been a bit of a sex addict. But there was also a part of him that was sure you’d be into him. All he had to do was try.

The third week you were absent. He almost lost his shit. He never saw you around campus ever, and he didn’t even know your name. This was getting a bit ridiculous.

Then, seemingly God sent, did he happen upon you in the university’s local cafe. He hadn’t known how long you’d been there since he had been studying himself towards the back.

You had gotten up and had been staring out the glass at the rain. A golden opportunity, he thought.

He packed his things, tossing his bag over his shoulder and umbrella in hand. Smoothly, he stood in the same space by the window. You were dazed, in your own little world, barely noticing his presence. He heard you speak,

“I guess I should sit back down,” you muttered quietly. She’s really not paying me any mind, he thought.

“Man, you don’t have an umbrella? That sucks.” He finally spoke, earning a startled look from you. He continued to stare straightforward towards the window pane. 

“Yeah, I know.” You say, sighing to yourself. He could see the slight blush in your cheeks through the corner of his sunglasses. 

“It says the rain is going to stop within the hour on the weather app.” He said, scrolling and tapping away at his phone. “You goin’ to the train station?”

“Oh, yeah.” You say shyly. He watched you nervously tucked some hair behind your ears before he looked straight ahead at the rain.

He also noticed you couldn’t stop stealing glances at him through the corner of his eye.

“Like what you see?”

You blinked at him repeatedly, earning a cocky chuckle from his end.

“Wanna walk with me?” He asked, peering down at you. He assumed it was too forward because he couldn’t read the look on your face after that. Just a series of blinks and a continuous puzzled stare. 

“I don’t even know you.” You said bluntly, and he felt that you meant it disrespectfully.

“Not yet.” He said slyly. “But I’ve seen you around campus a lot.”

Though that wasn’t true, he couldn’t possible tell you that he had been secretly admiring you every Wednesday for almost three weeks now either.

He watched you put a finger towards your chin before speaking.

“Professor Edamura’s class right?”

“Bingo.” He grinned.

“There’s like 120 people in that lecture.” You only took a guess, considering that was your largest class. 

“Yeah. But I think you’re the cutest.” He could’ve been smoother about it. But he was anxious to make his introduction. Only seeing you on Wednesdays sucked. This way, he could make sure you’d be thinking of him for a little while until you saw him again. 

Whose the mysterious tall guy with the white hair, or at least that’s how he thought you’d be thinking of him in his head.

“Thank you,” you say, squeezing your arms around your book and pressing it towards your chest. 

“Oh look, the rain is stopping.” He says, leaning forward, nose nearly pressing against the glass.

“Well, see you Wednesday.” He smiled a cheeky smile, before walking off. He felt you watching him stride down the street, and that’s how he wanted it to be.

Days later, Satoru was sure to be on time to class. He finally got a chance to sit beside you, offering you a wink and a smile. He could feel how shy you were, choosing not to make much conversation with you during the two hours of lecture. 

Luck was on his side yet again, considering he got paired with you for a group project. He offered to meet at his house, fixing up a group chat for the five of you. The other girls in the group talked over you while you made project plans before class ended. He was highly aware that they were trying their hardest to flirt with him, completely unphased by your presence. He felt bad that he couldn’t even really get close to you without other women somehow ruining things yet again. At least he learned your name and got your phone number. 

The next day, and also the night before the meet up, he texted you privately outside the group chat. 

He remembers checking his phone a few minutes later, seeing you’d left him on read. He realized he probably shouldn’t have been so forward. He chuckled at himself before tossing his phone on the bed and going to sleep.

You arrived somewhat early to his apartment, greeting him quietly before he told you to make yourself comfortable. It didn’t take long for the other three to text the group chat explaining that something had coincidentally came up, leaving you all alone with him. There you sat on the floor of his living room, not looking all that pleased to be in his presence. 

“Guess it’s just the two of us,” he chuckled. 

“Don’t look so happy about it.” He watched you roll your eyes.

“I can’t help it,” he says, sitting across from you on a different floor pillow. “I won’t lie. I had been thinking of asking you on a date. I didn’t think I’d get so lucky.”

“And did you text the other girls in our group the same thing the night before?” You say, nonchalantly opening your book. You didn’t even look his way. Your response threw him off.  Why were you acting like you hated him?

“No, they’re incredibly annoying.” He sighed genuinely, hoping he could change your outlook on him even a little.

“You’re pretty cool though. Kind of bummed you didn’t text me back.” He addressed. It sort of ticked him off that you didn’t respond to him. 

“Because I know what you’re up to.” You say, scribbling away in your notes.

“And what might that be?” He takes off his shades, putting them on the glass coffee table. He loved to play with the girls like this; acting so oblivious to his obvious intentions. 

“I’m not going to fall in love with you. I don’t have time for that.” You firmly set your pencil down, looking at him. He was taken aback. He’s intrigued and wants to poke at you some more.

“I don’t exactly want you to.” He chuckled. You looked at him before speaking again.

“So what do you want from me?” You say, placing your palm in your hand and leaning forward a bit to look at him directly. He thought the way you furrowed your brows at him was precious. He was fully aware you were being serious but he thought you were too cute.

“I said I wanted to take you on a date.” He laughs. “Get to know you a bit, but ultimately take you to bed at the end of the night, if you don’t mind. You can decline, I just wanted to show you a good time.”

Satoru may have been a downright whore up until now, but one thing he did manage to do was not lie to any of the women he dealt with. He never made false promises, and he never ever told women he would eventually commit to them. He hated when people tried to hold him emotionally accountable for things. He was typically clear to everyone about what he wanted from the beginning. Anyone who got their heart broken afterwards couldn’t say shit to him. 

“Sure,” you say calmly, to his surprise. You shift yourself around the table, right beside his body.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously,” you took hold of his jaw, delicately planting a kiss. He had no idea you were so confident. It had been so long since someone had kissed him first so forwardly and so passionately. For the first time in a long time he was mesmerized, feeling the summer before senior year of high school all over again on his living room floor. Your lips were incredibly soft and pillowy. He was already hard, wondering just what your sex was like if you kissed him like this.

You shifted over his body, straddling him against the bottom of the sofa. You’d give him exactly what he wanted.

“You better be good at this, or don’t even bother looking at me after we finish this project.” You break from his lips. His eyes widened a bit, staring deeply into yours before speaking. 

“Oh princess, I don’t ever disappoint.” He smirked. He lifted both your bodies off the ground. He sucked in your lips, kissing you firmly as he brought you to his bedroom. 

That night, he gave you the best sex of your entire life. He wasn’t lying about not disappointing you.

Sex with you was more than a memorable experience to him. The both of you had formed this bond having had done it so many times in one semester. You never pried or asked him about his personal life. You never hinted at wanting more than what he was already giving you. He would notice when you were stressed and life would occasionally beat you up. He lent you his ear, hoping to ease you the best he could. This kept up for almost a year, and he genuinely thought you’d get tired of the agreement by now. But here you were still, being exactly what he wanted you to be. You never smothered him, and that made him want to spoil you. 

He didn’t know how to communicate that unless it was while he had sex with you. You told him not to buy you gifts. Maybe he could treat you to dinner but you were keen on keeping things minimal. 

The most intimate moment you both had was probably the night before you both had ended it all.

He hadn’t seen you all week, and took you to dinner before bringing you home to bed like he always did. He wanted nothing more than your skin against his own. The warmth you gave him was intoxicating yet somehow endearing. He couldn’t dare fall in love with you, but his sex told you otherwise.

“Fuck, I missed you.”

Your entire head was hot from the whisper he made into your ear. He knew he shouldn’t have said it like that. The way your sweet and dazed eyes looked up at him- he knew it was starting to fuck with you. You let out a moan as he filled you up completely, grinding your sex towards him from underneath.

“It looks like you missed me too,” he chuckled. He could never forget the sounds your slimy cunt made every time he inserted himself into you. He knew you couldn’t lie to him even if you tried— your body wouldn’t let you.

He heard you moan back how much you missed him too, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him close. This was getting bad and he knew that. But he never had someone hold him like that before- like they loved him. 

“I know baby,” he placed sweet kisses against your face and neck, “I know.”

This memory echoes in his brain as he watched Suguru play with your fingers at your table. He orders his drink, and the dame beside him is talking a thousand miles per minute but he doesn’t hear thing. He somehow tunes out the entire establishment, only focusing on you and the dark haired bastard right in front of you. 

She moves on quickly, he thought. He was thankful he had his signature dark shades on so he could stare at you as much as he wanted. 

Were you both just talking? Did Suguru establish the same friends with benefits situation with you? Or... was he your boyfriend? 

It felt like it was just yesterday you were telling him how much you missed him, how much you needed him. 

Satoru then remembered the bullshit speech you gave him once about how you didn’t have time to fall in love. 

So what the fuck was this?

He knew he could’ve handled the split so much better. But he was scared. He didn’t trust you. He didn’t want to find out if you were capable of hurting him. Were you that fickle? He knew he was one to talk, but he’d never forget the look you gave him that night- like you were in love with him.

But that was only two months ago. He watched the both of you get up, and pack your things. The nostalgic yet sick feeling from earlier grew tenfold in his stomach as he watched you and Suguru join hands. He watched him press a long sweet kiss against your forehead before tilting your chin up to his gaze. Suguru whispered something to you, obviously making you blush and stare at the floor. He presses another kiss to your forehead before leading you out of the cafe. 

Satoru’s chest felt tight, and he hadn’t felt this way in years. Such a green feeling, but mostly terrified that he might’ve been in love with you. 

Just how was he supposed to get you back?

✨part 3 here ✨

[readyplayerhobi]

Jung Hoseok and the Magic to Happiness | 05

; Hufflepuff Teacher!Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Fluff, angst, future smut

; Word Count: 3.5k

; Synopsis: An unexpected issue with your Ministry of Magic job leads to you taking the role of Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts. It’s here that you meet your best friend’s younger brother for the first time in years, the Hufflepuff Head of House, Jung Hoseok. While you contend with seeing him once again, Hoseok tries to show you that he’s very much a man and no longer the gangly teenager you once knew.

; A/N: Not as much of an ‘interesting’ chapter as the last one, but hopefully you’ll enjoy it all the same! I know some of you have been hoping to see this character and what their thoughts are all about what’s going on. This chapter is more of one that’s just self-assessing!

Last Chapter ; Next Chapter

-

You don’t go to breakfast the next morning. Not because you’re trying to avoid Hoseok or anything, but because you didn’t fall asleep until the early hours of the morning and so slept through the morning meal. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had kept your mind occupied instead of letting you drift off.

Thankfully, no one questions your absence. It might be because most of the castle is likely sleeping in today or is packing for the Hogwarts Express. You don’t have to be present when the students begin their journey back to London and you feel that’s probably a good thing at the moment. 

The awkwardness between Hoseok and you would be excruciating for anyone to be around, particularly yourself. So you’d burrowed into your duvet when the usual alarm went off and only woke up properly around noon. 

You’re still in bed though, the covers pulled up to your chin and helping you to feel snug and warm against the constant coolness of your stone room. Which means that you’re staring up at the ceiling of your bedroom intently, brows furrowed as you think over the night before once more.

As if you haven’t already replayed every moment in excruciating detail, latching onto the most ridiculous things. For instance, you couldn’t stop thinking of what Hoseok’s lips looked like up close or the heady scent of him that no longer inspired only safety and friendship in you. How hot his hands had felt against you.

It was embarrassing how often that thought morphed into you imagining the same scenario but minus any clothes. Would his hands be warmer? Would they be as gentle as they’d been on your back last night? Would his hands feel soft on your bare skin or would you be able to feel the subtle callouses formed from years of caring for magical animals?

Groaning out loud, you roll onto your side and bury your face into your pillow. How are you meant to face him when all you can think about is the taste of him on your lips? 

A delicate chiming causes you to peek at your bedside cabinet, eyes narrowing as the noise repeats itself. You don’t even need to check to see who it is; you know already. So you reach out and blindly grasp for the magic mirror, eventually feeling your fingertips pressing against the smooth, reflective surface.

Now your grimace is more because you know that you’ve just smeared fingerprints all over. But you don’t get a chance to clean it because as soon as you look at the hand-sized surface, it activates with a gentle tinkling. The silver mirror shimmers slightly and you’re left looking at the image of Jisoo’s pretty face, smiling at you.

For a moment, you forget that you’ve not even bothered to get out of bed yet. You’ve not been able to shower, and the crustiness of your eyes tells you that your makeup wasn’t removed either. You’d obviously been in more of a fugue state than you’d realised when you’d gotten back to your quarters.

Normally it wouldn’t bother you as Jisoo has seen you in much worse states. But this had been caused by Hoseok, her brother. Her little brother. Her little brother who was incredibly attractive, a great kisser and had looked at you like you’d hung the stars when you’d pulled away from him.

As you think that, you immediately remember his annoyance at any topic relating to age and feel like hitting your forehead. Chaeyoung was right; he did like you. Merlin, how stupid were you to miss all those obvious signs he’d been giving? The poor guy had been practically shouting it from the rooftop for weeks now.

“I’m so stupid!” You curse, spitting out a few more severe swear words after that to the surprise of Jisoo. It’s not helped when you notice how similar they look, maturity making the familial genes even more prominent between the two. Just your luck.

“Hi...are you okay?” She asks, her brow furrowing in concern and you sigh deeply. Ignoring her question for a few seconds, you take the time to push yourself up the bed and fluff up the pillows, letting them act as a backrest for you to prop yourself up. A quick spell cleans your face and mouth, studiously ignoring the fact that it’s considered lazy to use magic for these kinds of tasks.

Still, you feel a little more refreshed and not like one of those zombies from muggle television shows.

Taking a deep breath, alongside a few swallows of water from the glass you always keep by your bed, you pick up the mirror once more and smile at Jisoo. It’s pretty obvious that she doesn’t buy it though and you didn’t expect her to. She’s known you too long to let you get away with pretending, so you drop it quickly.

“I’m...okay, I promise. I just...I’m a little confused about something.” You’re not entirely sure that you want to admit the fact that you might fancy her little brother just yet. Jisoo is very open-minded and she’d always thought Hoseok’s obvious feelings when he was younger had been cute. But the unrequited emotions of your teenage brother are very different from the mutual attraction between your adult brother and your adult best friend.

“Oh? Did something happen last night? Hoseok was acting a little strange as well when I talked to him earlier.” The urge to sink under the covers is very strong when you hear that, but you use pure will to remain in place.

Of course, they’d already talked. 

Scanning Jisoo’s face closely, you try to use your own best friend's sixth sense to see if she already knows that you’d kissed him last night. But she’s either a master of acting or she has no idea because there’s only genuine concern in her expression.

You feel the need to talk though and you want to do that with your best friend, even if she is Hoseok’s sister. The feelings you have are confused and you just want to try to sort through them all. 

“I kissed Hoseok last night.” The words rush out in a breath, almost mumbling with how quiet they are. Still, Jisoo hears them perfectly thanks to the spell on the mirror. From the way her eyes widen in shock, you know that Hoseok hasn’t revealed that little tidbit to her. Part of you wonder if that’s to protect your privacy, but you don’t get a chance to consider it further.

“Merlin...so that’s why you’re both being odd! What happened? It was the Winter Solstice Ball, right?” Relaxing back, you nod and make an affirmative noise while chewing on your lips.

“Yeah, it was. It was all going fine, the students were having a good time and all that but then Hoseok finally arrived and-” Pausing, you frown before groaning out and running a hand across your face. “You don’t want to hear this! This is your brother.”

“Ignore that. As long as you don’t give me...descriptive details then it’s fine. This is one time that I have no interest in hearing about how well he kisses or what he’s like in bed, so keep that to yourself. Otherwise, keep talking.” Mortification runs through you at Jisoo’s mischievous smile and she laughs in delight.

“We didn’t do that! I swear.” Muttering, you reach for your glass and take another swig in an attempt to give yourself time to get yourself under control. Partially because you’re embarrassed about Jisoo thinking you’d slept with her brother so quickly but also because you’re feeling a little warm at the thought of sex with him.

A thought that you’d likely come back to at a later time but isn’t something to consider right now.

“I didn’t think you had. Firstly, you’ve never been the kind of person to shag someone on the first date. Or before the first date, I guess, as you’ve not even had a date. Secondly, neither is Hoseok. Don’t ask how I know, I’m surprised he didn’t blurt this news out this morning.” One of your eyes narrows in contemplation at that and you realise that you don’t want to ask.

The idea of Hoseok sleeping with someone else causes an unpleasant sensation to bubble in your stomach. Something else you don’t feel like analysing at the moment.

“Okay...well...firstly, I hate the word ‘shag’ and you know it. Secondly, I’m really confused right now. I mean, objectively I’ve known Hoseok is hot. Like, I’m not stupid. I have eyes and he’s well...yeah. But I think I’d always managed to have some kind of barrier between us, you know? Like...he was your little brother and he was just my friend here. But then last night he came into the hall and Merlin. It was like something switched in my mind, and I finally realised that he’s not just attractive, but he’s...he’s my kind of attractive.” You realise halfway through talking that you’re just telling Jisoo your thought process as you go through it.

She doesn’t respond though, just gives a considerate look with her lips slightly pursed before taking a sip of her drink. You don’t know what she’s drinking as it’s a mug, the image on the front just a generic cat. The fact it’s not moving gives away that it’s a muggle creation.

“And then we just kept talking, all night. Even when we had duties, we kept meeting back up and it felt so natural and normal. It’s like I’ve known him for all my life or something, our conversation is so easy and I don’t feel uncomfortable around him. You ever have that with someone?”

“Once or twice. It’s a good sign though. I know you’ve become pretty good friends over the last few months so maybe that’s why it’s all clicking now. Relationships that start from a solid friendship usually end up being some of the best. Maybe that’s why it’s all feeling a little more natural than normal. You’ve found someone that makes you feel comfortable and safe.” You wonder how many times you’d told Jisoo that her brother inspired those feelings within you since being here at Hogwarts.

As that runs through your mind, you suddenly become distracted with an entirely different thought.

“Hang on, did you suspect that I might like him? You’ve always been very accepting of my friendship with him and if I remember right, you’ve been the one encouraging me to spend time with him. Is that why you’re not surprised at this?” Jisoo’s cheeks blush a pretty pink, so like her brother that you can’t help but smile.

“I may have suspected something. I am your best friend, after all. And his sister. When you’re close to both sides, you notice things.” Her voice is teasing and you wonder if other people have been suspecting this as well. 

Suddenly, all the times your fellow professors had arranged for events and Hoseok had happened to just be attending as well began running through your mind. Was everyone scheming?!

You’d never considered yourself a suspicious person before but you certainly were now. Seokjin and Chaeyoung, in particular, were going to be at the end of a very serious set of questions whenever you next saw them.

“In all seriousness, I didn’t think that you might like him. I just thought you were enjoying having a good friend at Hogwarts as Hoseok is someone you already know, so you at least had a link with him. You finding him nice to look at was expected; I’m not stupid, I know he’s pretty. He’s my brother and I’m gorgeous,” There’s a slight smirk to her smile, and you roll your eyes at her ego, fully recognising that she’s trying to cheer you up. “But you never really gave the inclination that you wanted anything romantic with him, so I didn’t suspect too much with you.”

Humming, your nose wrinkles as you look away from the mirror and contemplate her words. She’s not wrong, mainly because you hadn’t considered that with him until last night. Hoseok had been firmly in the friend box in your mind. It’s only now that you realise he’d been subtly creeping into the romantic box without you noticing.

“That’s because I didn’t realise I wanted that. I feel like I missed something really obvious, and everyone around me knew. I’m pretty sure Chaeyoung and Seokjin knew; there’s no way that they wouldn’t try to interfere. They’re those kinds of people, you know?” Jisoo giggles lightly, running her hand through long, silky black hair.

“Sounds like my kinda folk. Seriously though, don’t stress over it. All you’re going to do by over analysing things is get yourself tied up into knots. I know you and you’ll just talk yourself out of anything that could potentially happen. There’s nothing wrong with going for what you want if it’s going to be good for you. As his big sister, I can safely say that Hoseok will be very good for you and to you. He’s a good guy and I don’t want you to throw away a chance at happiness.” 

You groan yet again, pulling one of your spare pillows to stuff your face into. Even if you’re feeling completely confused about what to think or do, you’re glad that you get to talk it through with Jisoo. She always knows just what to say and how to help you come to decisions that felt right.

Shifting, you sit up straight and look at Jisoo’s image in the mirror, feeling even more thankful that she’s willing to talk about this particular subject. At that thought you frown, knowing that she’s close with her brother.

“Did you suspect anything with Hoseok? You said that you got to notice things from both sides…” Trailing off, your eyes narrow as you watch the way she bites her lip in an almost coy way. It wouldn’t surprise you as she knows her brother far better than she knows you.

“Yes, I did with him. He fancied you so much when he was a teenager and I thought he’d just...grown out of it, you know? Neither of you saw each other for ages so I just assumed his hormones had finally settled down. But then he practically jumped at the chance to help you apply for the job and...well, he’s being very obvious lately. I swear, every conversation has to include you in some way and he gets this look on his face.” Jisoo says, brow creasing as she thinks back.

“What look? Does he get a look? What kind of look?” The questions pepper her but she doesn’t look annoyed by them. Instead, she just smiles before laughing lightly, taking another sip from her mug before taking her time nibbling on a milk chocolate covered digestive biscuit. It makes you scowl, realising you’d given yourself away once more.

“Yes, he gets a look. I don’t know how to describe it to you but it’s like...he gets this smile and I swear his eyes get all shiny. He’d be appalled to know I’d noticed this as he’s never come out and said anything but I know what he looks like when he likes something. Hoseok talks about you the same way he talks about anything else he loves.” The last word makes your eyes widen and you’re thankful Jisoo doesn’t comment on it.

She’s noticed though, you know that she has. 

“Oh, okay. Well...I haven’t noticed.” What a stupid thing to say, but you don’t have anything else.

“Obviously.” Jisoo gives you a droll look, causing you to glare at her. It’s probably not as effective as you’d like given the two of you are hundreds of miles away and only visible through a reflective surface. Still, it makes her laugh at least.

Not the reaction you wanted but you’ll take it.

The conversation between you both falls into a lull, the silence of your room almost deafening. It lets you start to think once more and you don’t think that’s a good idea. Jisoo is right in that you tend to talk yourself out of things that might have a big impact on your life.

You’d taken a whole month to finally apply for the job here at Hogwarts and even then, you’d had to have Jisoo convince you that you should accept the offer when they made it. A good choice now, but you had a constant fear that big change might have negative effects on you.

The possibility of beginning something romantic with Hoseok was perhaps the biggest change you could do and it had the potential for so many repercussions if it went wrong. He was your work colleague, your friend and your best friend’s brother. It wasn’t like if you tried dating him then you could just never see him again.

Hoseok was likely to always be a part of your life in some way.

But he was such a good person and he could be something positive in your life, too. You found him to be charming and kind, funny and thoughtful, intelligent and attractive. There were a lot of reasons against trying a relationship with him, but there were so many more reasons for it.

“Would it not bother you? If anything happened then you’d be stuck between us, and he’s your brother so you’d have to take his side.” Your words are quiet, almost reluctant. Jisoo doesn’t respond immediately though, giving you the benefit of thinking seriously about your question before shaking her head.

“I would be stuck between you both if it ended badly. But I don’t either of you are the kinds of people to make me choose something like that. More importantly, I have high hopes that kind of scenario won’t even happen. I have a good feeling about this, for both of you. You both have to decide what’s right for you but...I don’t have any issue with it. If anything, it’d be great. My best friend and my brother getting together? If you married him then you’d be my sister-in-law and your kids would be my nieces and nephews!” There’s palpable excitement in her voice now, matched by the way she almost vibrates as her imagination runs wild.

You, on the other hand, feel your cheeks going warm with embarrassment as you try to follow where her mind is running. It feels a little overwhelming if you’re being honest, but you just push those thoughts away.

The last thing you needed was to start fantasising about marriage when you’d only kissed the man once.

“Jisoo!” You scold.

“What? I don’t get to live this life of romance so let me have my dreams. I’d rather you marry him than anyone else. Your babies would be so cute.” She wriggles in her seat, hands clapping and you’re reminded once more how similar the siblings are.

“Jisoo,” Whining, you pout at her before rubbing at your temple. “Don’t marry us off before we’ve even talked after last night.”

“Fine, fine, spoilsport. Anyway, it’s your decision. Yours and his. But just know that I think you’d both be good together. Don’t push him away because you’re scared, he’s a good guy. Not saying that just because he’s my brother, either. If you decide no, then don’t be afraid of that either. I know him, he’ll be a gentleman and will accept it.” You know she’s right and it makes you feel a little better as you take a deep breath.

Nodding slowly, you give her a weak smile before wincing when your stomach gurgles almost painfully. A glance at the clock shows that it’s been a very, very long time since you last ate and your stomach is not happy with that. 

“I’ll think it through, I promise. I won’t make any rash decisions. For now, I need to just analyse my feelings and thoughts regarding him before thinking about anything else. But I’ll admit that I’m not opposed to the idea. As much as I’d like to continue this conversation though, I need to go get something to eat or my stomach might eat itself. I’ll talk to you again later, okay?” It’s only a few minutes later before you’re ending the spell on the mirror, watching as it turns into a reflective surface once more.

Placing it onto your bedside table carefully, you let yourself fall back onto the mound of pillows and simply stare up at the ceiling. 

Of all the decisions you’ve made in your life, this one seemed to be the most daunting. Yet just the thought of his bright smile makes your lips quirk automatically, causing you to let out a breathy laugh.

Yes, he’d be good for you.