#guess who is FREE FROM THE DEPTHS OF SCHOOLWORK

[kitsunecrows]

good luck! 🍀

[karamell-sweetz]

rui kamishiro, the alchemist - an extremely jumbled overanalysis

⚠️ LONG POST AHEAD ⚠️

hello rui fanclub. instead of doing schoolwork i think about rui as the alchemist. what’s new with me i know.

but why is he an alchemist specifically?

because if you look at it simply, rui’s jobs in the shows could also garner the title of ‘mechanic’. where you take a lot of metal and make it into something functional, or fix it so it works again. fundamentally that’s what he does right? with all the robots and staging ideas? and to some extent he could also be a ‘poet’ or ‘philosopher’ because we know he and tsukasa write the shows (during the pxl arc anyway) and he’s constantly coming up with new show ideas. there’s stuff like ‘magician’ or ‘wizard’, which could also be used to describe how he does things with such ease — and we’re not even going to mention ‘genius’ or ‘whiz kid’, okay?

so with all of that said, rui haters /j can essentially say that rui’s title of ‘alchemist’ is just him trying to sound a little cooler — and to some extent they might be correct. like have you seen this man

but let’s get to the nitty gritty of today’s wall of text, because there’s no way sega would call him an alchemist and not know what that entails. putting on my swirly nerd glasses.

✨alchemy✨ according to the merriam-webster kids definition is as follows:

“a medieval chemical science with the goals of changing less valuable metals into gold, discovering a single cure for all diseases, and discovering how to live forever”

and is commonly cited by most articles i read on the topic to have been a mixing of science and magic, having been the predecessor of modern chemistry. that part sounds like rui, doesn’t it?

and honestly, that alone should be enough to stop me from yapping, BUT WE NEED TO HIT THE BOTTOM. HAND ME MY SHOVEL I’M GOING IN /lyr

by the way!! i am completely aware of the more metaphorical meaning of alchemy where it’s essentially synonymous with magic, e.g. “he performed his alchemy o’er the pot and the water became soup”. but since wxs are often cited as the guys with the whimsical references to olden times (gestures wildly at revival my dream) i have no reason NOT to analyse him from the philosophical perspective.

so basically the alchemist has three main goals as we said before and just for my sanity (and my english teacher’s approval even though she’s not ever going to look at this) i’ll use them to organise my thoughts.

⚠️ DISCLAIMER: this post is not properly structured or organised and may be hard to understand. if you need any clarification on anything i say here please let me know! and ofc feel free to add your own ideas! also this is not too serious or in-depth ⚠️

websites used for research have been linked in underlined words :D (ex. wikipedia)

the transmutation of metals a.k.a. turning ‘lesser’ metals into gold

this one is pretty straightforward. rui is somewhat of a metal manipulator by making his robots, and while he doesn’t turn them into gold literally he DOES make them more valuable by giving them something better — life.

now obviously your life is more valuable than gold — although capitalism says otherwise! /j

also, as wxs’ alchemist specifically, rui’s job is to take them as they are — let’s say, their base forms — and make them shine through his directing, thus making them into something brighter, like gold! (addition for all the ruikasers in chat: gold shares its alchemical symbol with the sun and the sun is a star and guess who’s a star COUGH)

something else interesting though: according to the royal society of chemistry:

“To the medieval alchemist's mind the different elements were but the same original substance in varying degrees of purity. Gold was the purest of all and silver followed closely.”

it kinda gives a bit of weight to rui’s character and (just because i have to revise it for school) his relation to the general human experience in a way. we know that rui’s been outcasted for most of his life because of his interest in shows — but at his core he is still human, just like everyone else. i keep thinking about that line from rmd whenever i think about rui and the human experience, where little rui says “i am me, people are people”. it’s not wrong per se — but he’s just as human as everyone else, is he not? that’s why his story (especially pandemonium) hits so hard imo. it also then makes sense why rui treats his robots as his “little darlings” and gives the plants so much care, because all the world is made of the same stuff — according to the alchemist, at least.

…sorry that was me extrapolating. MOVING ON

finding a single cure for all diseases

now we get into the stretchy parts of this analysis.

getting rid of all diseases would theoretically better the entire world, at least in a medical point of view. now what does rui use all of his fancy robots for? as a catalyst for making people smile with his shows, of course! as we all know, laughter is the best medicine, and a smile can brighten someone’s day (so they say).

and furthermore, all of rui’s little exploits, and generally just his character overall, work for the good of others. i don’t know if i’m using this term correctly but i feel that he’s sort of a chaotic good person: working for what is good and just, even if it goes against authority. i mean, we see this right from the start of the game’s story — making nenerobo so nene can continue pursuing her dreams; the mall area conversation where he makes a balloon stegosaurus when the employee isn’t looking, claiming that it’ll be a much better present for the lucky kid who receives it; doing his robot shows in public even if the police chase him and nobody stops by to watch it all anyway, perhaps in the hopes that just one person will be even lightly amused by his antics. even when he intended to work alone, he sought to better other people’s lives, even if they didn’t appreciate him for it. (which ofc makes me so sad)

finding the elixir of immortality

now this one i initially struggled to get a good argument for because there’s a lot of things you can talk about here. the immortalisation of an individual is one of them — in making a show or story you essentially make a permanent memoir of the ideas you had for it, or the world at the time in which you wrote it, and i suppose in the case of the wonder stage immortalising the memory of a person in keeping grandpa otori’s stage alive.

but then it hit me.

rui wants to immortalise a *moment,* not necessarily one person. the time he has with wxs. which we are all aware that they are running out of.

this isn’t that clear in the early story because he’s not as attached to them yet — which i suppose leaves a hole in my argument since he’s used the title since before the main story. but maybe he only gained this goal in its full extent after joining wxs. curtain call and our happy ending make it very clear that rui wants to be with wxs, ideally, forever. and let’s not even MENTION the fact that they worked in phoenix wonderland which is supposed to be an immortal bird!!

i suppose at its core the idea of immortalisation is to spend time with the immortal individual forever, so that they can continue to have all the wonderful moments of life. everyone fears death to some extent, after all. so therefore: rui’s current alchemic quest, alongside/after the wxs training arc, would be to find that elixir for wxs and somehow find a way to make shows with them forever… even though realising that he *needs* to let go is probably going to be the most groundbreaking part of his character progression.

rui’s philosopher’s stone (not the harry potter book)

you might be wondering why i’ve titled this section this way but i promise i’ve got a point

so the philosopher’s stone is basically related to all three of the alchemist’s goals in some form. apparently if you put it in the ground it produces metals faster? (because apparently they thought it just grew like that. you DO get stones from the ground so i guess that checks out. AND THAT’S WHY RUI IS A GEOLOGIST IN THE KIRAPIKA SET.) i think i saw an image with its symbol that called it the ‘end of all ends’. so it’s kind of a miracle object in the sense that, once discovered or created, will instantly fulfil the aims of alchemy.

now obviously being in the modern age, rui isn’t looking for something that can solve all the world’s issues forever, because that’s proven impossible. but maybe there’s something that can do the next best thing — and for rui, that’s doing shows. it might sound silly (and i’ll come back to that in a bit) but rui knows how wonderful shows can be, how they make people smile and forget their ailments for just a small moment — they don’t get rid of them, of course, but they offer the next best thing he can give. that fateful little mermaid show gave him a purpose in life, basically, something he could work towards that could affect people in ways that a robot on its own simply couldn’t.

and i suppose, in that sense, all of wxs are alchemists, too…? well, if we apply this to some sort of medieval fantasy game, they’d be in his party and help him out, right?

the alchemist as an outcasted figure

so basically from most of the stuff i read, alchemy was generally frowned upon (and even outlawed in england) due to being associated with fraud, with con artists of the time utilising the transmutation thing for their own personal gain, and just generally looking for something impossible. i think in some way this could be connected to rui being ostracized by his peers because of his ideas — he’s not a fraud, but the actual alchemists of the time tended to receive the same reputation as the con artists. and i imagine the alchemical experiments were pretty dangerous back in those times, so there’s that whole thing with people not trusting rui’s ideas to be safe and practical.

bonus related discussion: do you think maybe people were envious of rui’s ‘genius brain’ and wished he would use it for something other than shows… like scientific endeavours? idk this is just a half formed thought i had after writing this particular section. in the same way that alchemy started to become an old practice, did rui’s love for theatre and whimsy grow to be seen as farfetched at any point? maybe in that mysterious elite high school— okay that one is just me grasping at straws. but it makes you think, right?

main conclusion

the role of alchemist really fits rui to a tee, right down to the context of the times. and i’m karamell, chairwoman of the rui fanclub. and there are literally so many things that sega could play with in regards to card symbolism (COUGH the alchemic symbols COUGH COUGH) that i secretly hope to see in the future!

(and now you, dearest reader, have some completely impractical information about a bunch of pixels under your belt. read and flourish!)

bonus: planetary references

in ancient alchemic writings the planetary symbols were actually used for alchemy as well, as in they were used to identify some of the main metals. as such most of the metals are associated with the solar system as well, notably gold with the sun, silver with the moon, and mercury with, well, mercury.

now… what is rui’s colorfes card themed around?

that’s right: SPACE.

now this could be entirely coincidental bc its implied in the story that his colorfes sekai was based on one of his favourite sci-fi books (show? movie? i’m a fake rui fan what text type was Trip to the Moon) but sega likes their extended metaphors and symbolism.

so anyway that’s the REAL end of the post. that will be all. no, i didn’t need to write all of that, but i did because isn’t that what my training is for?

[ereawrites]

Tim Drake x Reader - Envy

The first time he realises it's more than a stupid crush is mid-summer, sweat across the back of his neck, ice in his drink. Bruce has had a tough few weeks, and he's learning to surround himself with the people he cares about in times like these: besides, the weather is gorgeous, a rarity for Gotham, and so Bruce throws an extended family barbecue. 'Family' has always been a little tough to define, for Tim and for many others who share the Wayne name. Some - Dick, Jason, Damian, Cass - feel as though they could be his blood siblings, like they share more than a name and a vigilante identity and a proclivity for violence. Duke, Kon, and Jon have somehow become his annoying cousins who say, let me play the games on your phone, Tim, I know you get the unreleased ones, don't lie, but he loves them all the same.

It's when he sees you talking to Steph, the distant ex who he now considers one of his closest friends, that the depth of his feelings really hits him. You're in a swimsuit - he shouldn't stare, he shouldn't, it's summer and it's hot and it's perfectly normal for you to want to enjoy the pool while you're at the manor - with a cocktail in hand, golden sun catching in your hair, a warm smile lighting up your features, eyes crinkled up at the corners with laughter. Maybe Steph is telling an anecdote about the family; perhaps you're just enjoying this perfect day.

A giggle spills from your lips, shiny with the cherry-flavoured lip balm he knows you use, right as your gaze wanders across the pool and meets Tim's own. Although he's quick to react, transforming his face into a friendly smile and giving you a small wave, he has to fight back a blush from the shame of almost being caught staring. He isn't a creep. He isn't.

"Tim!", you exclaim, as he crosses around the pool and makes his way over to you and Steph. "I didn't know you could even come out in the sun! I hope you're wearing sunscreen."

Steph smirks. "You're all... milky. How long has it been since you left your computer screen?'

Tim feels your eyes drag down over his body, probably only because Steph's just pointed out how pale he is, but he's in a swimsuit too and he can feel your gaze burning hot on every inch of exposed skin. He huffs out a sarcastic laugh. "Funny, both of you. Duke attacked me with a bottle of SPF twenty minutes ago."

You and Steph dissolve into another fit of laughter: clearly the image of his assault is amusing to you. Tim would pretend to be more annoyed than he really is, maybe play it up a little to make you both feel bad, but he knows that you're only in a good mood. Why wouldn't you be? This is the first day you've had fully to yourself in weeks - he makes a point to stay updated on your activities, but he's not a creep, it's normal to take an interest - between your schoolwork and your internship. The hard work has paid off, though, and you've just graduated at the top of your class with a path straight into a major company. He can cut you some slack for now.

"Do either of you two know where I can find Damian?", Steph pipes up suddenly after a sip of her own drink. "I've gotta talk to him."

Tim exaggerates a disgusted tremble, which only earns him a playful slap from Steph and another little giggle from you. "Poor you. He's probably walking the dogs on the other side of the garden, or something - antisocial little shit."

"Damian, antisocial? I haven't heard from you in almost three weeks, Timothy Drake! You hypocrite!", Steph cries. Three weeks? He could've sworn it was only a week ago, at most; he FaceTimed her for a catch up, and she was talking about her crush on Kon's dad, and he'd explained he'd been busy because he'd been helping you write your thesis - but, wait, it hadn't even been the final section, so it must have been longer ago than he thought, because you submitted your final draft five days ago - shit.

Tim sighs. "Sorry, Steph. Actually, sorry to both of you. I... lost track of time, I guess?"

"I'll let you off this time, Drake-", Steph narrows her eyes at him, and tips back the last of her cocktail. "But you better repay me by having another drink ready for me when I come back."

She grins widely, and heads off to find Damian: God knows why she wants to talk to him when he's being so antisocial, but she's always had a way of drawing the young boy out of his shell. Tim chuckles under his breath, and turns to smile sheepishly at you.

"And you? What do I have to do to make you forgive me?", he offers. He's half-teasing, but there's a part of him that feels guilty. It's selfish. He knows it is; he's the one who finds himself wanting to spend so much time with you, not the other way around, and he sees you more than enough. You probably haven't even realised it's been four days since you last spoke to him.

You swirl the last dregs of your drinks thoughtfully, smiling at him - God, your smile is perfect, so soft and warm and kind - and then reach out to pat him on the shoulder. "I think I'm the one who owes you, you know."

Your touch lingers for just a fraction of a second and Tim is forced to suppress a shiver. "Meaning?'

"You've spent most of your free time for months helping me with schoolwork, Timmy! There's no way I would've been able to - actually, no, I would have managed fine without help - but you made it so much easier. I wish I could do more to thank you."

Tim waves away your gratitude with a small smile. "You've done plenty - besides, I enjoyed helping you."

"Why?", you grin, and the previous playfulness you'd exhibited with Steph is beginning to spark back up in your eyes. "Because my area of study interests you so much? Or is it just because I'm your favourite person?'

There are a million ways he could play this. This stupid, summer crush has been eating at him for weeks now, and Tim knows all too well that he's bad with emotions. He has no idea which course of action he should choose: flirt, or tease, or act aloof? Dick would dazzle you with a charming grin and a compliment - Jason would make a ridiculous, suggestive joke that somehow would be flirty instead of creepy - Damian (and Tim feels indescribable shame at the fact that his younger brother would be better at this than him) would brush the teasing off in a way that only drew you in.

"...Spending time with you isn't the worst thing in the world.", Tim settles on, and he mentally kicks himself as soon as the words leave his mouth. God, he isn't a creep, but he's stupid. So stupid. Almost as stupid as he is for developing a crush in the first place.

By some saving grace, your smile only widens. "So I am your favourite person?'

He needs another drink.

"You're in danger of losing that title.", he shrugs, and begins to head for the drinks table that Alfred so thoughtfully set up - you follow without question. "But, well, I wouldn't have spent all that time with you if, you know, I didn't like you. It was actually... kind of fun."

You fix yourself your own cocktail at the same time as him. It must be your favourite, since it's the same as the last one you were drinking, and Tim has to remind himself again that he's not a creep as he wonders how it would feel to kiss the taste of sweet alcohol off your lips. It's just a crush. He's going to get over it.

"Aww - I knew you loved me! Seriously, though - I did really enjoy spending that time with you. Even if you did spend half of it vibrating from caffeine overload, and the other half shouting at me for drinking caffeine myself.", you say.

He shrugs. "It's bad for you." Hypocrisy normally gets to Tim, but he can excuse the bad habit for himself. He can't help but worry about you.

The words that spill from your fruit-stained lips in response - teasing, as always, no more than that, stop it - and the glint in your eye and the little quirk of your mouth upwards; something about it just feels different and it makes his stomach lurch. "You're a bad influence, Timmy. I like it."

Fuck. He sips at his drink, too much vodka for his liking and too little ice, but oh well: he's got bigger things to worry about, like hiding how thickly he swallows. Like pretending he doesn't notice the faint sheen of sweat coating your collarbones, and the dip of your throat, spreading across your shoulders and down, down, dipping to your stomach - he pretends he doesn't notice. It's hot. You're warm. And a bit of sweat shouldn't get to him as much as it does.

"Every person here is a bad influence. You asked me for help, anyway. I'm starting to regret doing it.". That's a blatant lie and you both know it, but Tim doesn't know quite how to react other than with sarcasm. He feels like he's dancing with you every time he speaks to you, skating on paper-thin ice but loving the thrill - don't be so fucking dramatic, it's just a crush, stop it.

You roll your eyes and place your glass down onto the table. "I'm sorry. You're a fantastic influence, and you've made the last few months far more bearable. Thank you. I mean it."

And then you bring one hand to his shoulder, a feather-light touch that still sends him practically careening into ecstasy, and before Tim quite realises what's happening, you're pressing a friendly kiss to his left cheek.

You pull back with a smile. "I'll stop giving you shit for today, but only because I'm so grateful."

You just fucking kissed him. You were barely an inch away from his lips, close enough that he could almost smell your drink on your lips, and it was only a friendly gesture and he knows you do it with everyone and he knows it doesn't mean anything, to you, at least - but, to Tim, you've just punched right through his chest and grabbed his heart and squeezed, tight, snatched the breath right from his lungs and all rational thought from his brain; he wants, so badly, to lean forward and kiss you for real this time. He would, if he had the courage. He would, if he knew you felt the same way.

This is more than a stupid, summer crush.

Tim wants you to kiss him again. He wants to take your hand and parade you around the barbecue on his arm. He would lick the sweat off your fucking collarbones, if you would only let him. Maybe he is a creep. He doesn't care anymore.

Another sip of his drink. He's so fucked.

You don't notice the way his jaw tenses, or the way his breathing quickens; why would you? You're not looking for any kind of reaction, because, for you, it was just a kiss on the cheek, nothing more, nothing worthy of a revelation of his feelings.

"Oh, Tim - look, Kon's coming over!", you nudge him with your elbow, drink back in hand. Tim's too shellshocked to do anything other than follow your gaze, right over to where Kon's walking over to the two of you. He must have been in the pool with Jon and Dick, because his hair is wet and rivulets of water are running down his chest - Tim doesn't think he'll ever really get used to his best friend being so absolutely ripped. He hates it.

Kon fixes you with a beaming grin. "Hey, guys! What's with all the drinking? I though barbecues were for having fun and eating, not an alcohol club."

Tim forces a smirk: Kon will see right through him if he isn't careful, figure out what’s going on. The smile on your face, though, is wide and genuine, almost as big as Kon's.

"Says Aquaman over here.", you giggle. Kon shakes his head, flicking water at you, and you squeal and dash behind Tim.

Droplets of pool water land on Tim's face, filling his nose with the scent of chlorine instead of the scent of your drink, and he mourns the loss. "Careful, Kon. Chlorine can burn our skin right off. You wouldn't want to hurt us, right?"

The other male's eyes widen comically, and he mouths a seriously at Tim, concern evident in his gaze. Having a half-alien best friend has its drawbacks, but it's worth it for the tricks Tim gets to play.

You peek over Tim's shoulder and, upon determining that the coast is clear, step out and pout at him. "Don't tease - Kon, don't listen. He's stringing you along."

Tim scowls at you. "Fuck - you couldn't have played along for a few minutes? Seriously?"

Kon lets out a hearty chuckle, and out of nowhere he reaches his hand out towards you - for a moment, Tim just stares at it, wondering why his best friend is offering his hand to you. Then, you take it, that soft smile on your face, and Kon's pulling you into his chest and you're squeezing his hand and he's kissing you gently on the forehead.

"I knew I could rely on you.", Kon smiles, brushing a stray strand of hair away from your face. The penny begins to drop for Tim, but it's as if it's in slow motion - he sees the grand reveal coming, but he it doesn't quite sink in just yet.

You turn back to face Tim, keeping your fingers interlaced with Kon's so his arm wraps around your body and settles on your waist, pressing you into his side. "I - uh, sorry, Tim. Kon's still... getting the hang of how much PDA is acceptable."

Oh. Tim should have seen this coming. He should have noticed the signs; they all spring up in his mind now, the way Kon only ever seemed to blush around you, and the way Tim's noticed you checking Kon out during training a few times (he'd not thought much of it, you'd be blind not to), and the way both of you have been so suspiciously quiet about your love lives lately - maybe to protect his feelings, to make him feel like he's not the odd-one-out of the group, to avoid excluding him.

"It's fine,", he lies. "But, well - PDA? I didn't realise you two were... close like that."

Why is he torturing himself by asking for details?

You offer him an apologetic look. "I know you've been really busy, lately - you know, with work, and stuff. I thought it would be best to hold off on telling you about anything going on until you had less on your plate."

You don't say it with pity, like you know that he's been harbouring feelings for you: no, it's just friendly concern, knowing that he would want to know about your new crush and help you navigate it, because Tim is shit with his own feelings but he's got a penchant for helping others with their own.

"Thanks for being considerate. I wouldn't have minded helping you, you know.", Tim says. Another lie. It would have absolutely fucking killed him to help you, but at least he would have seen this coming. At least he could have prepared.

Kon squeezes you into his side, and then releases you so he can pour himself a drink. His bright blue eyes, kind and piercing, prompt Tim to speak again. "And, Kon - come on, buddy. Why didn't you say anything to me?"

Kon chuckles warmly. "I guess I didn't really realise what I was feeling, you know? I mean, I knew that it was different, but I didn't exactly know what it meant... or how to explain it."

Another piece of the puzzle falls into place. There's a domino effect in Tim's mind and right now he hates how intelligent he is, wishes he could turn it off for a second if only so that he would stop making deductions about this relationship that's sprung up right under his nose.

"You made the first move, then?", he asks, directed at you, and he can feel his smile starting to slip. There are beads of water on your waist in the wake of Kon's touch.

You let out a small, almost embarrassed laugh - Kon returns to your side, not touching you this time, but still standing in a way that makes it seem as though he's protecting you. "You could put it that way. I mean, nothing's official yet - no one even knows other than you and Steph and Jon, we're still figuring it out. We don't wanna make a big deal, you know?'

Tim doesn't know. He nods anyway. "I'm happy for you both."

The smile on his lips - vodka, ice, fruit - falters just a little too much and he knows Kon notices it. Bright blue eyes soften in worry, his mouth moves to ask if Tim's alright, but Tim just glances back at you; small smile on your lips, golden sun in your hair, happy.

"I'll have to go make sure that Bruce and Jason aren't in danger of blowing us all up in a gas explosion. I'll catch up with you two after.", Tim says, just before Kon can get any words out. He gestures aimlessly in the direction of the barbecue, and you and Kon nod in unison - together, a couple - and Tim throws back the last of his drink before he leaves.

He should be happy for you - he is, in a way, glad that Kon's found someone he can be vulnerable with and you've found someone who makes you happy. He should have been more convincing - he doesn't want either of you to worry. He should have seen this coming. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He should never have let himself start feeling anything for you in the first place.

Maybe, Tim thinks as he heads into the cool air of the manor and slips into a quiet room, closing the door behind him - maybe, if you hadn't have kissed him on the cheek, it would've been easier. He could've kept telling himself that this was just a stupid, summer crush, and it would've went away by the time the first snow fell in Gotham, and if worst came to worst he could've called Steph and distracted himself for a few nights. The thought of that, of touching anyone else, makes him feel sick now.

Tim runs his hands through his hair and tugs desperately at the ends. He has no idea how he's meant to come back out to the barbecue, watch Kon kiss the taste of sweet alcohol off your lips, think about Kon's hands on your body - he can't do this. He can't.

[almost-correct-bnha-quotes]

Soft spot|Bakugou×Reader

Requested: Nope!

Warnings: Nah

A/N: It's 12 AM on a Wednesday and this idea popped up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At first, he treated you like everyone else. In his eyes, you were nothing but another extra, as he called you. But things changed after you made the simple gesture of standing up for him, after some older students began attacking him verbally. He never thanked you, but the manner in which he treated you had subtly changed since then. While he cursed other people and called them names, he seemed to avoid saying certain things to you.

Seeing the tolerating relationship between you two, people began suspecting something even more was between you. On several occasions, you were even asked if you were his girlfriend. Hell, even Deku asked you about it.

To be honest with yourself, he was attractive, and he definitely had the brains. The only thing that pushed you off, however, was his rather pompous personality. Things were, however, about to take a turn on a Thursday afternoon.

'Alright, y'all,' Aizawa said, during one of the homeroom hours he held for the 1-A students, 'I prepared an assignment that's due next week. You will have to work with someone and make a presentation of three minutes on how the Hero system can improve its security. You cannot choose with who you work. You can be as creative as you want, but keep in mind that you must have a PowerPoint that holds all the information that you'll present us.'

You sighed, just as the rest of the 1-A students. It was a pity- you had a particular strong friendship with Momo, reason for which you hoped that you could work with her.

'I put all your names in a bag, right here,' Aizawa pointed at a black, small, leather bag on his desk, 'Half of you will pick out a piece of paper with a name on it. Whosoever name you got, that's the person you'll work with. All clear?'

'Yes, sensei.' The group of students answered, in unison.

'Good.' Aizawa nodded, as he picked a random piece of paper out of the bag, 'Let's see... Momo, come take a paper.'

Momo did as she was asked to- she walked to the front desk and took a piece of paper out of the bag. Please let it be me, please let it be me., you thought.

'Ashido Mina.'

You pursed your lips. Not this time, you guessed. Momo looked at you and smiled softly. As she passed by your seat, she whispered a quick apology. You weren't mad at her. You didn't need her apology. You were very much aware that it was beyond her control to choose who she was working with that time.

Seeing how you wouldn't be working with your favourite person in that class, you scanned your classmates, looking for other good options you'd have. Deku could be a great person to work with, due to his knowledge over heroes and his persona, maybe Tsuyu would be nice too... Bakugou. He had his knowledge on heroes and the hero system, but seeing how the amount of patience within him was equal to a peppercorn, you doubted how well he's work with anyone.

Aizawa took another piece of paper out of the bag. 'Bakugou.'

The blonde boy stood up and walked proud fully towards the desk. He put his hand inside the bag and took a few moments to mix all pieces of papers inside, before eventually taking one out. He looked at the name on his paper and let his face visibly drop. He didn't have the smallest ounce of anger on his face, but he did seem... frustrated, in a way. You almost wanted to laugh. It was Deku, wasn't it?

'Bakugou,' Aizawa said coldly, 'Who is it?'

Bakugou looked at the man irritated, regaining his composure. 'Y/N.'

You felt your entire body cool off as everyone looked at you. Really...? Did... Did I just jinx it?

'So... Bakugou and Y/N,' Aizawa repeated as he wrote it on a piece of paper, 'Got it.'

'Don't say it like that.' Bakugou mumbled as he walked back to his seat.

By the end of the class, everyone had a partner. As everyone walked out class, you tried catching up to Bakugou. Finally reaching him on the hallway, you put your hand on his shoulder for a moment, as a request for your presence to be acknowledged.

'Hey, are you free this-' You began, only to freeze at the look he gave you.

He turned his head to you with a ice-cold look. He brushed off your hand off his shoulder without saying a word.

'What?' You asked.

'Leave me alone.' He demanded, coldly.

You weren't the type of person to give up so easily, but something in his tone and eyes made you rethink your choices. You shook your head.

'Alright then, mister bad mood. See you later.'

With that, you turned around and walked the other way down the hallway. You could live with a bad opinion on you. Or two, or three. It didn't matter to you much- there would always be people who won't like you, and it was okay. It wasn't even like you and Katsuki had a relationship anywhere near close, so you didn't miss out on much. All you had for each other was a slightly higher tolerance than with most people.

What you didn't know as you walked down the hallway was that Bakugou remained frozen on his spot with pursed lips, watching you get lost in the crowd of students.

'You didn't have to do her like that, you know.' A familiar voice said, next to him.

Bakugou snapped out of his trance and looked at the owner of the voice, only to recognise the relaxed face of a blonde boy in his class who looked at him expectantly.

'I know you have everyone, but-' he continued, but got interrupted mid-sentence.

'Do her like what?' A redhead boy, Kirishima, said with a laugh, 'Don't be stupid, Kaminari. Haven't you seen?'

'See what?' Kaminari frowned, as Bakugou looked at Kirishima in confusion, waiting for a more in-depth explanation.

'Bakugou,' Kirishima said, calmly, 'If you really like Y/N, your current attitude won't help, even if you do your be-'

Once he processed what the boy meant, Bakugou didn't hesitate to silence him through planting a rather violent kick on his head.

'Shut up! Who said I like her?' He yelled in his usual tone.

Kirishima laughed dryly as he rubbed the back of his head. He joked lightly on a different topic, in the hope that he'd change the mood.

As he and the two boys walked down the hallway to their next classroom, Bakugou snorted. Like you. He didn't even know why he tolerated you this much. Your Quirk wasn't anything spectacular, your skills were just a little above average, and he's seen girls who could be considered prettier.

Yet.. that once simple attempt to stand up for him while others took the chance to make him taste his own medicine did catch his attention. It was the first time he felt weak, and it was the first time he felt someone want to be by his side.

The rest of the day passed by rather quickly, as you occupied his mind through the rest of the classes. That evening, you were in your own room in the 1-A dormitory, completing an English essay that was due the next day. An unexpected light knock on your door made you jump.

For a moment, you looked at the clock. It was fifteen minutes past eight. Dinner was just an hour and a half or so ago, and most students preferred to be in their own bedrooms at the time, completing their homeworks. Who would bother visiting you?

You walked to the door and opened it curiously. You expected one of your friends to be there to ask you if they could borrow some school supplies or to ask you something regarding schoolwork, but that wasn't the case this time.

'Eh... Bakugou. Hi,' you greeted surprised as the boy looked at you with his typical frown, 'How can I help you?'

'May I come in?' He demanded.

'Of course. Enter.'

You backed away, allowing him to enter before closing the door behind you. While seating yourself back on your desk chair, you watched how he threw himself nonchalantly. on your bed.

'So... what brings you here?' You asked, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

'Whatcha writing there?' Bakugou raised his head from your pillow, to get a little sight on your desk. 'The English essay? That was really easy.'

You smiled as you continued to write down the rest of the essay. 'Yeah. It's not that hard.'

As you wrote, he didn't say anything. He simply watched you write. You two didn't get any moments to be alone, so you never got to truly know what the other was like when not under the influence of impressing others. He's looked at you before, but he couldn't remain and watch you for too long, in fear of someone noticing. It was in that moment Bakugou truly got to admire you for the first time.

It was then he realised how much he loved the way you looked when concentrating, the little tics you had while focusing, and how well you could use your time without getting distracted. He loved the way you talked, the colour of your eyes, and the way you always looked at things so optimistically. He loved the way how, even if you couldn't do something in that moment, you always pushed your limits to become better. He loved you.

After a while, he got up from your bed and walked behind you, looking at your essay over your shoulder.

'Hey, watch out,' he said as he pointed at a word on your paper, 'You forgot an h after the t.'

You analysed the word before turning at him with a smile. 'Thank you.'

At the sight of your smile, the corners of his mouth rised up inevitably.

'Tch,' he said as he grabbed a small chair and seated himself next to you. 'No need to thank me... loser.'

You smirked. 'Aren't we all losers at something?'

He didn't say anything, but he looked at you with a challenging gaze in his eyes, before resting his head over his arms on your desk. For the next ten minutes, neither of you said anything, except for the occasional moments when Bakugou would correct your mistakes on your paper.

Being honest with yourself, even if you knew that he was smart, you didn't expect him to do so well in theoretical classes. He gave off more of a street-smart aura that had you assuming that he just memorized everything before an exam or test and then let it go once the testing was over.

'There.' You smiled as you arranged your papers who were now full of writing, 'Essay's done. At last.'

Bakugou snorted. 'At last.'

'Thank you for your help, by the way. Is there anything I can help you with in return?'

You locked eyes with him curiously, as he thought. He opened his mouth almost immediately, ready to refuse, but a better idea came to him.

'Are you free this Saturday?' He asked, his smirk not leaving his face.

You felt how your face heated up, resulting in your cheeks turning as red as they could. What is this...?

'Ah... yes. I am. Why?'

'[Insert favourite movie]'s premiere is this Saturday in the cinema, isn't it? I thought you wanted to see that movie.'

Seeing the offer, you couldn't help but laugh. You couldn't say that any of the girls in 1-A were interested in seeing that movie, and you didn't know many people outside your classroom.

'Yes, I do want to see it!' You smiled.

'Then... will you go out with me, Y/N?' He asked.

The confidence he usually presented wasn't there in that moment, and you could easily feel it. You felt how vulnerable he was in that moment as he waited for your answer, and you couldn't understand why. Why would the king of confidence lose his wealth for a girl? Why would a king lose his wealth for a stranger?

'I would love to go out with you, Bakguou.'

You didn't even know why you accepted. You knew how rejecting that he normally was with everyone. Yet... in that moment, it felt different. It always felt a little different, but now the sensation that he might've been more than the hot-blooded demon he was in and outside class.

Bakugou smiled broadly as he got up from your desk. 'This Sautrday at six, then.'

He paused a moment as his eyes lingered a moment from you to your completed essay, and then back to you.

'Good luck with your essay... and everything else.'

'Thanks. You too.'

You watched how he walked to the other side of the room and pressed the doorknob. Just before opening the door, he looked back at you.

'Hey, Y/N?'

'Yeah?'

'Goodnight.'

'Goodnight, Bakugou.'

[kryptored]

When he is latibule

@lukanette-exchange My Lukanette Exchange ‘20 fic for @cobraonthecob. I’ll do my best to use all the prompts given to me! Also, you might have to google ‘latibule’ for it’s definition since I found it that way.

AO3

Chapter 1

Everything hurts, and there was not even an akuma in sight to justify it. She’s tired and has never felt the fatigue more than now; when she is nothing but (temporarily) free of her responsibilities as Luka claims the right to be her human blanket and main source of heat.

For such a large world she lives in, why does everything (or mostly) feel like they’re being stacked upon her? She feels like she’s going to suffocate in an invisible but tight grip. She feels like a thin thread that’s barely holding on and about to snap. Time seems to fly so fast and so slow at the same time, yet never giving Marinette enough to even catch up. All she needs is a break; enough time to think about and for herself for once and without the consequences of being accused as ‘selfish’.

So, there she lays in bed with Luka one afternoon, thankfully without the interference of her parents incessantly barging in on them. She should try to get away from Luka’s hold (because it shouldfeel similar to the suffocation of pressure), yet the feeling of his arms around her brings nothing but comfort, using his heartbeat as her anchor to remain in such a relaxed state. She listens to him breathe and (tries to) match her own breathing with his.

Everything hurts, but it’s slowly dwindling the longer she stays in Luka’s arms.

So perhaps she may see the world as cruelly working her to death and against her, but if she has to receive Luka’s support after all of it, then maybe Marinette doesn’t mind the suffering at all.

A small voice in the back of her head chastises her for disregarding her well-being, even if for the sake of having to indulge herself with Luka’s presence. Perhaps she’s being selfish, perhaps not.

But this is nice. This is okay. This is warm and comfortable.

Having enough with her musings, Marinette glances at what’s in front of her. With the amount of times they’ve shifted to find a comfortable position, it’s left Luka’s shirt ruffled and a little out of place. She doesn’t look up high enough to know if Luka’s looking at her or not, but she sets her sight on his exposed skin and reaches out to it with a hand. Hesitantly, her brushes against his collarbones, tracing small and random shapes onto them. Luka tries to hold in a shudder from the sensation, his hold on Marinette faintly tightening. She doesn’t say anything for a while to indicate if she notices or is bothered by it and continues what she’s doing.

“You good, Marinette?” He whispers to her, his breath blowing against her hair.

“Mhm…”

Luka rubs her back in hopes of soothing whatever it is that’s hurting her, and Marinette feels the warmth of his touch even through her shirt. His chin settles on top of her hair, ignoring the twitch of his nose when a few strands dare to tickle him.

“Just let me know if you want me to stop.” One of his hands reaches up to remove her hair ties and combs through her soft and dark hair.

“This is fine… s’nice.”

He doesn’t look down enough to know if whether or not her eyes are slowly closing, but he tries his best to continue soothing her. Before she succumbs to sleep, he hears her whisper something to his wrinkled shirt.

“You’re enough.… you’re all I need.”

He closes his eyes and joins her soon after into the land of dreams.

Sometime later, he maybe sees through the smallest gap a bright light from down below and hears hushed voices, but ignores it in preference to the small body finding comfort with him.

They are warm and content and alright for the moment.

Luka would probably chastise her for thinking that she’s used to overworking herself (again), but Marinette just wants to tell herself that living through another day of dragging herself physically, emotionally, and mentally is a norm and that there are, in fact, worse days to come. Like today.

She likes Kagami. She really like Kagami. She really does, but it still catches her off-guard to see her and Adrien together. Dating.

Which is what she has to witness after school.

Which is why she calls Luka right after, asking him to come find her because as much as she loves Alya, she wouldn’t always understand her. Not the way Luka does.

Which is why she’s looking at nothing and nowhere and no one, holding Luka’s hand to keep her grounded as her mind goes to everything and everywhere and everyone.

Which is why they’re both content to just listen to the sound of Paris as they sit on a bench, watching the sunset as it paints the sky in pink and orange.

She’s liked Adrien for a long time so, it’s only fair that she takes her time with getting over him. Right?

She needs a lot of time to accept the fact that Adrien mightwill never look at her the way he looks at Kagami. It still hurts to acknowledge that she never stood a chance in the first place. Not even close. Not in the slightest.

She’s wasted so many hours pining over someone who was too enraptured with someone who is more on par with them.

She poured almost her entire heart out to someone who never even held his hand out to catch her.

She cried for nights over someone who never thought that her nightmares happened before she falls asleep. Nightmares that were filled of high expectations, too many hopes, and what ifs.

She cherished memories with someone who might not even remember a single detail, long lost within the depths of his mind. But not hers. Never hers.

After all, what is bashful and soft pink when you can have vibrant and fiery red?

Perhaps she wasn’t good enough.

Marinette loses herself in her realizations, but the feeling of Luka’s hand in hers is all it takes to reel her back into the land of the grounded. All it takes is a smile from him to stop that small and pathetic voice inside her head from corrupting her thoughts even more, tainting how she sees the world.

“You good, Marinette?” He asks, and she feels his thumb brush against the back of her hand.

“Yeah.”

“Let me know if you want to go somewhere else, or if you want to go home. I’ll take you there, wherever it is.” He smiles a little wider, and she can’t help but smile back.

“That would be wonderful, Luka. Thanks.”

She looks down at their intertwined fingers and a different voice (which strangely sounds like Tikki) tells her that, surely, there was nothing wrong if she just focused on this instead? To just hold his hand and make it into a new memory to replace counter the pain of the past?

Her eyes stray away from their hands and lose themselves again into the horizon, only this time, she has Luka to guide her thoughts into something better. Something that has him in them, hopefully.

“But you’re enough… you’re all I need right now.”

They are warm and content and alright for the moment.

That night’s dream becomes interesting. Previously, she’d have an array of nightmares due to a lot of things – akumas, commissions, schoolwork, being class representative, Lila, Adrien – so, imagine her surprise when Luka is the one haunting her dreams this time. Is this an omen, she asks herself, of whether or not Luka would someday betray her? Hate her? Leave her? Forget about her?

Guilt hits her when all these treacherous questions dare define Luka’s presence in her dream. Why would she think the worst of him when all she’s felt when her eyes were closed were warmth?

Luka felt like home in her dreams, as if he belongs there.

“You good, Marinette?” Tikki asks her after noticing the lack of sweat and worry on her holder’s brow. A new and strange sight compared to what she’s seen in the past.

“I guess.” She lays back down and makes herself comfortable again, making sure to not jostle her kwami from her perch on the pillow.

“Was it another nightmare?”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Was it a good one, then?”

“You could say that.”

She kisses Tikki on the spot on her head and closes her eyes to sleep. Unaware of the attention on her, Tikki smiles a little as she makes a guess on what Marinette’s dream could’ve been about. On who it could’ve been about.

Perhaps things are getting better for her precious Ladybug, and hopefully stays that way.

They are warm and content and alright for the moment.

[hawkbucks]

Bucky and Steve’s entire friendship starts when Bucky spots Steve reading a Captain America comic on the playground, promptly sits down next to him, and goes: “You like Captain America? He’s cool, but I think Winter Soldier is better.” Steve, of course, is offended that this kid has the audacity to imply someone is better than his beloved Captain, so they argue about the finer points of the Captain and the Soldier, discussing their actions at such depth that you’d forget they’re just a couple of 3rd graders with scraped knees and wild hair. At the end, they agree to come to the conclusion that the Captain and the Soldier are equally as cool. Whenever they’re able–a.k.a when Bucky saves up enough of his allowance to afford a few issues for him and Steve (because, as much as Steve protests against Bucky buying him things, Bucky knows he wants that Falcon issue)–they head down to the comic store around the corner from their school run by a kindly man named Abraham. Abraham slips them snacks sometimes: bags of chips, candy bars, etc. If they prove they’re doing good at school, they also get free books. Tables and chairs are scattered around the store, usually reserved for the game nights that the store hosts, but Abraham allows them to do their schoolwork on those tables. They try to draw out their visits as long as they can, because they just love exploring the store, and Abraham is such a good guy, you know? One day, when Steve is over at Bucky’s house and they’re watching cartoons, Steve gets an idea. He turns to Bucky and proclaims that they should open up a store together. It’ll be the best store ever! Bucky sagely nods before he runs off to grab a notebook and pencils to plan it. Their store looks as follows: 3 stories at the minimum, and there’ll be a slide leading from each floor to the one below. They’ll have cool statues to put on display, a gigantic collection to sale, and a pyrotechnics display at the cash register at Bucky’s suggestion. And they’ll make a lot of money. It’ll be the best store ever.

Unfortunately, said best store ever ends up being pushed to the back burner once they realize that opening and managing a business isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially for a couple of kids. “We’ll just do it later, when we’re grown ups,” Steve says, and Bucky agrees. They grow older. Steve turns from the shortest kid on the playground to the guy that people have to crane their necks up to talk to (Bucky teases him and says that he’s become the real life Captain America. Steve retorts that that makes Bucky the Winter Soldier), and Bucky grows his hair out, looking more and more like a hipster everyday (which he vehemently denies. “Where’s your manbun?” “I will smack you.”). Interests come and go, but they still find themselves stepping into Abraham’s shop. Abraham’s older now, grayer, but he still slides them Snickers every once in a while.   Bucky ends up enlisting in the army to help pay for his tuition while Steve goes to art school to get a degree in illustration. An incident with an IED later, and Bucky comes home with an honorable discharge and an empty left sleeve. Steve visits him as often as he can, usually filling in the gaps when Bucky’s own family isn’t over. Sometimes Natasha (a girl they befriended in middle school after she came dressed as Black Widow for Halloween) and Sam (a boy they got to know during freshman year of high school when he complimented Bucky on his prime taste in superheroes because of the Falcon button pinned to his backpack) drop in, with Natasha keeping him company by watching trashy reality TV with him and Sam listening to him vent and offering a shoulder if he ever needs one. Hell, Abraham sends him a card through Steve when he heard about what happened. (He ends up getting all of them gift baskets as thanks for being there. Sam tries to decline his at first, but the lure of raspberry tarts was too strong.) One day, Steve comes over with Indian takeout and turns on some good ol’ History Channel. “Speaking of history,” Steve says in between bites of naan, “do you remember that store we wanted to open when we were younger?” Hit with that blast from the past, Bucky nods. He doesn’t have the notebook that they used when they first came up with the idea, but he stills remembers the basics of what they put down. Like the pyrotechnics display that he wanted. Steve asks if he’s still open to the idea, and Bucky replies, around a mouthful of rogan josh, that he is. It’s… been a while since he’s gotten out of his apartment to do something other than shop for groceries, pop into the Chinese restaurant right next to the building, or visit the doctor for those couple of appointments about him possibly getting a prosthetic, courtesy of some company that’s looking to do test runs of their new line. A whole bunch of Googling and Binging and Yahoo Answers-ing and they think they might have a slight idea of how to start a business. Slight is the operative word here. Like with many things, they end up going to Abraham for help. Abraham is a godsend, answering all of their questions and offering to point his customer base their way once he closes up shop for good (Steve may or may not have gotten a bit misty-eyed hearing about Abraham’s inevitable retirement). Fast forward, and their shop is open. Steve drew up the logo (gotta put that degree to use somehow), while Bucky was the one who came up with the interior design (and no pyrotechnics displays). Natasha and Sam are hired, with both of them helping to run their social media presence. They get a decent amount of people at their grand opening despite their location being slightly out of the way, and apparently those people liked their experience because they end up getting a handful of regulars, most notably some guy named Clint that Natasha claims to know, a pair of Norwegian brothers named Thor and Loki that Sam swears are actual gods, a timid PhD student named Bruce, and a woman named Carol and her girlfriend, Maria who are the biggest Captain Marvel fangirls that they’ve ever met. Their popularity grows–especially after Abraham closes–and they soon find themselves making a healthy bit of profit. Healthy enough that they’re able to decorate their shop more (Natasha insists that they place a life-sized statute of Black Widow near the front doors) and they tack-on other things, like shirts and posters and snacks to sell. Bucky gets his prosthetic somewhere around the first month that they’ve been open. It’s a wickedly shiny silver, and Steve suggested that he place a red star sticker on his wrist (because his shoulder isn’t visible 99.9% of the time) to represent Bucky’s favorite hero, and Bucky actually does that. Sometimes people ask to touch it. He lets them. Sometimes people ask what happened. He deflects them. At some point, a guy walks in with ruffled hair and glasses and Bucky nearly chokes on the soda that he’s drinking. Sure, they’ve had their fair share of cute customers, but that guy’s cute, and he’s gonna end up making a fool of himself. It’s not like he can ask Steve to talk instead because Steve just went out on his damn lunch break. He tries not to stare at the guy as he peruses the shelves and rifles through the boxes of back issues they have set out in the middle of the floor. He tries really, really hard, taking his phone out and scrolling through whatever social media website and liking the replies to their posts. Every once in a while, he glances at the door, half-expecting Steve to walk in at any time.

Then the guy (now dubbed Cutie in Bucky’s mind) comes up and he smiles at Bucky in greeting and Bucky would probably sob if that wouldn’t make him come off as a complete weirdo. Cutie hauls up a veritable stack and places it on the counter. Despair courses through Bucky’s veins when he sees the Captain America comic on top, because he could do so much better. “Mmm, I’m just getting those because my friend likes Captain America,” Cutie says and oh, shit, did he say that out loud? “I’m partial to Iron Man myself.” “Iron Man’s cool an’ all,” Bucky replies, somehow managing to keep himself from running out the front door and never looking back, “but he’s not my favorite.” Cutie’s eyes flick down to the red star sticker on his wrist. “Let me guess: Winter Soldier?” Bucky clicks his tongue. “Yup.” Cutie laughs, and it’s a really nice sound that Bucky wouldn’t mind hearing again. When he’s finished ringing Cutie up, he mentions the membership that they have going and how members have a pull list and would he like to sign up?  Mentally, he crosses his fingers that Cutie says yes because it would be a shame if he only got to see him once in his life. A damn, damn shame.

So, he should be thankful that Cutie says yes and he finds out that Cutie’s name is actually Tony and Tony just moved from Malibu and it was his friend James–whom he calls Rhodey–that recommended this place to him. (He goes through a list of James in his head, and figures that it most likely is James Rhodes, who also happens to be a member. He should send him a gift basket.)

Tony ends up leaving around the same time Steve comes back from his lunch break, and Steve must have this sort of sixth sense because he sends Bucky a knowing, amused look.

Tony drops by every 2nd and 4th Wednesday, and it’s always at 12:40 PM, give or take a few minutes. His pull list isn’t particularly long–or at least, it isn’t something that he needs to drop in twice a month for, but Bucky’s not going to complain, not when he’s able to see the way Tony’s eyes sparkle when the topic crosses over to a story arc that he’s passionate about or the way the tip of his tongue pokes out between his lips when he becomes engrossed in what he’s reading. They swap stories, with Bucky finding out that Tony used to be in the robotics club when he was in high school and how his father used to tell him that comics were all “bullshit,” so that threw him off of them for a bit. He always asks Bucky if he recommends something before he leaves, if he saw that episode of Game of Thrones, or if he’s simply feeling okay.

Tony’s visits last longer and longer and longer, until it’s basically just him and Bucky talking for hours on end, their topics ranging from comic cons to what they had for dinner last night. (Steve laments how he’s always the one stuck helping customers because he doesn’t have the heart to interrupt him and Tony when they look so concentrated on each other. He begs Bucky to just ask Tony out already because he can’t take it anymore.)

Bucky ends up asking Tony out on accident. Y’see, Tony was excitedly talking about the movie adaption of Iron Man that’s supposed to be coming out soon, and Bucky blurted out that he wouldn’t mind taking Tony out to see it, just the two of ‘em and some popcorn.

Tony says that he’d love to, and Bucky wonders if he should thank Steve for going out to lunch those few months ago.

[katastroficwriter]

Cutscene #5

*Once again, I apologize for the late update. This update would feel very rushed--but that’s because of my inexperience with writing action/fighting scenes. And because I needed to push the story to where it needs to be as soon as possible. I hope this fact won’t reduce your enjoyment of my au. ^^;

May 18, 20xx, 4:43 pm

“Hey, Kiiboy?”

“Not now.”

“Yes now.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Ye~s!”

Kiibo leaned against his seat, sighing in exasperation as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “What do you want this time? Can’t you see that I still have a lot of schoolwork I need to catch up on?”

“What I see is that you are in desperate need of a good walk in the park, my friend,” Ouma shamelessly plucked his roommate’s reading glasses and wore it on his head. “Getting stressed about doing work while doing work is hardly productive, you know.”

They spent a couple of minutes in an impromptu staring contest, to which Kiibo eventually forfeited.

“Fine. I suppose I do need a breather,” Kiibo snatched his reading glasses back from his roommate’s head. “As long as we don’t stay out too long, I guess it’s okay.”

“Great! There’s this good hotdog stand by the park. My treat!” Ouma grinned. ‘Step one--cleared.’

Kiibo shook his head. “No. I’ll treat you. You took care of me while I was sick.”

Ouma blinked in surprise before moving to cover his pleased smile. “Be careful there Kiiboy. Keep doing this and I might just fall in love~”

The albino simply rolled his eyes as he pocketed his wallet. “Ha, ha. Anyway, are we going or not?”

“Heck yeah we are!” Ouma skipped towards the doorway after shrugging his backpack on.

“What’s the backpack for?” Kiibo asked as he locked their room.

“It’s just in case something happens! Like sauce spilling on my shirt. Also first aid kit in case you...I don’t know, slip and fall or something. You’re just so clumsy that I can’t afford to be confident that you’re getting out of this trip unscathed.”

“Is this how you see me?” Kiibo huffed.

“I’m just stating facts, my good sir,” Ouma tipped his invisible hat. “Anyway we better hurry! If we wait around any longer they might run out of the good stuff!” He grabbed his roommate by the wrist and made a dash for the school gate.

After paying for their hotdogs, Ouma led Kiibo farther and farther from the crowd of people and into the forest. Which normally would raise alarm bells in any sane person who was being tugged into a forest. But this was Ouma. If Ouma wanted to murder him, he would have done so as soon as he went to sleep.

“Why are you taking me into the forest?”

“I usually go for walks while eating, and I happened to find this great spot to watch the sunset. There’s also a bench there! The best part is, no one really wants to walk all the way here just for a seat. So it’s practically all ours,” Ouma grinned.

“I see...”

“Oh it’s here! Man the light reflects really well in the lake--”

“A lake?”

“Yeah, a lake!” Ouma grabbed Kiibo by the wrist for the umpteenth time that day and led him to the bench with unbridled excitement.

Kiibo had his doubts, but the sunset view had rendered him speechless. Ouma wasn’t lying--the view was gorgeous. The way the sun’s rays bathed the forest with a soft yellow glow was something worth painting. Oh, if only he were a painter...

“You sitting or not?” Ouma punctuated his question by shoving the hotdog in his mouth as he patted the free space beside him.

“Ah,” Kiibo shook his head a little to snap out of his daze. “I’m sitting.”

Ouma simply smiled at him with his eyes since he was still busy chewing. At least he still had the manners to not speak while eating.

They spent time eating their snack in comfortable silence as they watched the golden orb that is the sun slowly sink under the horizon.

“Soooo...whatcha think?” Ouma tilted his head as he grinned--cheek stained with ketchup and mustard. Not at all ashamed of breaking the silence.

“...I think you need to clean your face up,” Kiibo heaved out a sigh as he made a move to wipe the other man’s face with a tissue. “And...you’re right. It’s pretty good. The price is affordable too.”

“Riiiight?! I always try to drop by their stand everyday--except when my schedule doesn’t allow me at all,” Ouma grabbed the tissue from the albino and started wiping his face on his own.

“By the way, there’s something I’ve been wondering about.”

“Mm?”

“I still find it weird that there’s a bench all the way out into the forest.” Kiibo looked around their vicinity. It was his first time visiting the forest area located in the park, and he wasn’t too sure if it’s normal to find a well furnished bench hidden by trees and foliage.

“No, actually,” Ouma paused to finish his last bite. “It wasn’t here before, but maybe I’m not the only person who found this spot after all. Probably asked some of the people in charge to move a bench here.” That’s a lie, of course. This was simply Step 2 of his plan.

“I see...I suppose that makes sense.”

“Well, at least we benefited off of it,” Ouma smiled, stretching his arms over his head before standing up and walking towards the lake. “I wouldn’t have brought you here if it weren’t for the bench.”

“So the bench was the most important thing here and not the view?” Kiibo quirked a brow.

“Of course! My comfort--and in this case, our comfort is way more important than watching the sun,” Ouma wagged a finger as though he was sharing valuable wisdom. “We can enjoy the view better if we’re comfortable.”

“You’re right,” Kiibo then crumpled the hotdog wrapper and shoved it in his pocket. “...Anyway, it’s getting dark. We should head back now.”

“No! Not yet!” Ouma puffed his cheeks. “We’re not here just to watch the sun set. We’re also here to watch the moon rise!”

“The moon...you do realize it would be really dark in the forest if we actually wait for the moon--”

“I know! That’s why I packed a flashlight in my backpack,” Ouma waved a hand in the general direction of his backpack which was resting on the bench.

“You’re awfully prepared for this. Did you plan to lure me out here from the start?” Kiibo shook his head in mild disbelief.

“What if I was? It worked, didn’t it?” Ouma winked. Now this was definitely not a lie. “Relax. Just stay in your seat and watch the moon, alright? We’ll go home as soon as it’s over.”

Aquamarine eyes stared into amethyst. He’s really doing a bad job at winning in conversations today. “Alright. Dinner’s going to be on you tonight.”

“I accept your terms,” Ouma could see it--how relaxed the albino was. His pupils were slowly dilating--the moon wasn’t out yet but the dark sky was starting to affect him. His body knows what’s about to come. Fortunately for both of them, Ouma knows too.

Truth be told, the thought of watching the moon rise filled him with dread.

Kiibo found it odd how he couldn’t remember anything that’s transpired during nighttime for the past few week. He can’t trust himself to study at night because of this. Which is why he rescheduled his studying time to the afternoon. It scared him a little--feeling this way. But surely there wasn’t anything wrong with him? Maybe he was falling asleep without him realizing which is why he doesn’t remember much about the night before…

“Kiiboy, it’s here.”

Prompted by his roommate’s voice, he looked up at the rising moon.

That was when he felt completely odd. His body froze at the sight of the glowing white orb on the darkened sky. His body felt hot. Extremely hot. His bones were aching. His entire body was shaking. His mind was growing blank the longer he stared at the glowing celestial body.

The worst part were his thoughts.

Kill.

Destroy.

Tear it to shreds!!!

Such violent words invaded his mind. Words that have never crossed his mind were filling his headspace. Commanding him to obey. He moved to stand up, trying to steady himself with the bench.

The pain that followed was sharp. Excruciating. It felt like he was being ripped apart and then later reassembled into a form that’s only vaguely his. Much like a badly sewn ragdoll that was given the Frankenstein treatment.

“Gghhk!!” The pain was unbearable. He couldn’t hear himself. But he could feel it. He could feel his throat growing raw from all his screaming. He felt like he was being slowly ripped apart from the seams.

Deaf to his own screams of agony, Kiibo didn’t realize that the sound that left his mouth were no longer screams of a pained human being--but rather the angered howls of a wild beast.

The soft rustling of the trees and the sight of leaves falling like gentle rain did little to calm the situation.

“Heh...not a bad form at all, Kiiboy. You’re honestly a lot bigger than what I expected you to be.“

“But size has never stopped me from putting a pup in its place.“

Their battle was without ceremony. What else do you expect when one of the parties is a rampaging werewolf?

Kiibo was completely acting out on his new instincts. The instinct to kill any and every vampire in sight. Despite his rather large form, his agility was not to be underestimated if Ouma wanted to live. Which he does.

Ouma swiftly transformed into his bat form and flew above his rampaging roommate before reverting to his previous form and landed a strong kick across the werewolf’s torso--sending it flying into a lake. He took this chance to catch his breath and to assess the damages he’s sustained.

“Tch...I won’t be able to hold out for too long at this rate...” he panted. “The one thing I desperately needed but failed to get a hold off--blood. Fucking awesome.” He glared at the torn sight of his navy blue hoodie. “He owes me a new hoodie too.”

The werewolf let out a furious howl as soon as it got out of the lake’s watery depths. It seems kicking him in ice-cold water only made him angrier.

Ouma cursed his exhaustion when he lost his footing mid-dodge. He grunted as his head collided against a tree before getting pinned beneath the growling creature.

“Shit--!!!” Ouma screamed when he felt Kiibo’s canines dig in his right shoulder. “Get off me you dumbass!” he aimed his punches at the albino’s eye in the hopes of making it lose its grip on his shoulder. Fortunately, it worked.

The vampire then struggled to move his legs upwards until his knees are pushing against his chest. “I said get off!!!” He kicked Kiibo on the chest with both of his feet as hard as he could.

Ouma then grabbed a fallen tree by its roots and smacked Kiibo away from him, not giving the werewolf time to recover at all. With a palm resting against his bleeding shoulder, he teleported on the werewolf’s back and dug his nails into its shoulder, eliciting a pained howl followed by another angrier one.

“Oh shut up! I’ve had enough of your BULLSHIT!” It had been centuries since he’s had his fangs out in its full length. It almost felt alien to him. Almost. He made sure to put in all of his strength into this one bite.

The deliciously rich flavor of werewolf blood mixing with Kiibo’s human ones filled his throat much to his content. His strength was returning and he could already feel his wound closing. Even Kiibo was having a hard time getting him off his back due to his growing strength.

Ouma only let go once he felt the muscles and bones beneath him shifting and crunching. He licked his lips as he watched his roommate slowly revert back to his original form. His naked and shivering form.

The vampire then moved to grab his backpack from the mess of fallen trees and pulled out a fresh change of clothes he got for Kiibo. He didn’t miss the confusion in the albino’s eyes when the latter saw his bloodied form approaching him in calm strides.

“What...happened?“ Kiibo’s voice was hoarse. Raw from all his screaming and howling before, during, and after his transformation.

“Oh, nothing much. Just had some intense make out session that got of hand. Ended up destroying a few trees here and there because of how amazing a kisser I was,” Ouma deadpanned. “--Of course that’s a fucking lie! You turned into a werewolf Kiiboy! I could have died!” He tossed the clothing at the albino with a frown.

“A...a werewolf...?” Kiibo blanched at the thought.

“Wear your clothes first. I’ll answer your questions later,“ Ouma idly rubbed his right shoulder, hiding his satisfaction of finding that the wound was no longer there.

Due to the roughhousing earlier, the bench got wrecked into mere splinters, and so they had no other options but to sit on the grass. As Kiibo listened to the voice recording Ouma took with his new phone, he felt dizzier and dizzier. The screaming was definitely his. And although it was a little vague--even during the growling parts, he could still hear traces of his voice coming from it.

Ouma’s bloody face and clothes were an indicator that this wasn’t an elaborate plot just to mess with him.

“I...how? This never happened before!” Kiibo regarded his companion with panicked eyes. “How could I...how could I suddenly turn into a monster?!”

“The ‘dog’ you took care of was a werewolf, you ding-dong,“ Ouma huffed. “How could you even mistake a wolf for a dog!?”

“It was barking, Ouma-kun. Wolves don’t bark! They howl, they growl--they don’t bark as often as dogs do!” Kiibo hissed, faltering a little when the pain from the previous skirmish was finally registering.

“Tch. Terrific acting from an old bastard, I see,” Ouma bit on thumbnail. “...In any case, everything’s going to be okay.”

“Okay? No I’m not! How am I supposed to deal with this?!” Kiibo grunted when he felt a slightly dislocated shoulder pop back into place. One of the perks of his new predicament is his enhanced healing. Not that it made him any happier. “There’s going to be another full moon tomorrow and--I still have a lot of schoolwork to do! I can’t--I can’t possibly juggle being a student and a monster at the same time!”

“Of course you can! All you need is some proper training and you’ll be able to keep your self-awareness even during a full moon,” Ouma patted him on the back. “Dogs can be trained. And you’re practically a big dog. Chin up!”

“Training. I don’t even know where to start.... For one thing I won’t be conscious tomorrow to even think of training, am I?” Kiibo groused, burying his face in his knees.

“It’s fiiine. Because I’m a vampire. I can keep you in check,” Ouma smiled.

Kiibo lifted his head to glare at him. “Look, it’s nice and all that you’re trying to cheer me up. But cracking jokes like that just makes me want to smack you. Because now is definitely not the time for jokes like that.”

“Huh? But it’s not a joke though! See for yourself!” Ouma tapped his neck on the left side, prompting the albino to do the same.

Kiibo froze when he felt two deep puncture wounds on his neck which was still in the process of healing up. He looked up at Ouma, eyes widening in shock when the latter unabashedly showed him his fangs.

He knew that he really should be more shocked--but the revelation that he’s going to be stuck as a werewolf monster for the rest of his life took the brunt of his shock. Not to mention how it felt like he had solved a mysterious riddle surrounding his odd roommate.

“Is that why you’ve been going around licking my wounds all this time?”

“Yup!”

Kiibo hid his face in his hands. His days of peace are now over.

“Nishishi! Don’t worry, I know a thing or two about werewolves~” Ouma snickered. “I’ll train you in exchange for your blood!”

“M...my blood?” Kiibo gulped.

“Mmmhm~” Ouma placed a finger against his own lips. “Now that you’re a werewolf, I could feed to my heart’s content without worrying about turning you~”

“I...I see...” Kiibo’s mind was reeling from the new knowledge. He knew he didn’t have much choice. Ouma was a vampire--another monster. He was pretty much the only person who can restrain him in his werewolf form as proven by this night alone. This was his only bet of maintaining his normal life without causing trouble for everyone. “...Alright. I accept.”

Ouma’s pupils narrowed into slits as he smirked. “That settles that then.”

[themostrandomfandom]

Hi! I found your blog the TKTD, and that fic and your theories have highkey gotten me back into glee :D your content is so interesting, thank you so much! I haven't read all of your analyses yet, so I may have missed something, but I'm still wondering a couple things 1. why did Brittany fail senior year? You've written a lot about her not being dumb (despite her intelligence being non-normative), and we know she's able to do at least very advanced math. It seems like her primary goal would be...

To move to the next stage of life with Santana, so why wasn’t avoiding failing out a bigger priority for her? Furthermore, as someone who was so involved with extracurriculars (Cheerios, glee), she must’ve needed to maintain reasonable grades to avoid academic suspension. So avoiding failing seems like something that would be on her radar? and 2. do you think brittany dropped the ‘if sex were dating santana and i would be dating’ line on purpose?

Hey, @savealtonrichards​​!

Sorry it’staken me so long to answer you! I don’t have much internet access these days.:p

If you’re infor a good ramble, it’s under the cut.

(WARNING:Here be griping about Glee writing—as one does.)

___

First thingsfirst:

Theout-of-universe stuff.

Glee is a show that’s difficult to categorize because while it ostensibly takes place withina realistic fictional universe (as opposed to say a fantasy or science fictionone), there are times when it noticeably deviates from reality.

Though thecharacters seemingly live in suburban Ohio in the early 2010s and areregular human beings living “regular lives,” there are certain aspects of theirexistences that absolutely strain credulity (even when one actively tries tosuspend disbelief).

Some ofthese breaches are obvious, like when Lord Tubbington is shown as being capableof using a computer. However, others manifest more as gaps in logic—the typesof minor “glitches” in believability that cause the viewing audience to go,“Wait a minute. That’s not how that plot development would play out in reallife.”

One exampleof this second type of breach is how between S4 and S6, the young charactersliving in New York, most of whom are supposedly tight on money, arenevertheless able to jet set back and forth to Lima seemingly every otherweekend, as if plane and train tickets are free and travel takes no time orenergy at all. Another is that Sue Sylvester could do all of the illegal,immoral, and just flat-out batshit insane things she does without ever being firedor prosecuted. Still another is that nineteen and twenty year-old kids likeBlaine, Finn, and Sam could be hired to coaching positions at their respectivehigh school alma maters, even though none of them holds a college degree orteaching certificate.

The breachin realism that is pertinent to our discussion has to do with Brittany’sacademic history—which as depicted in show canon is replete with gaps and holesand just doesn’t make much sense.

In episode1x07, we are told that for years Sue has been doctoring the grades of herCheerios, including perhaps Brittany’s. However, even after Will puts his footdown and flunks many of their teammates, the Unholy Trinity, including Brittany,continues to attend Cheerios practice. They are the only Cheerios who do.

How theyalone of the whole squad retain their academic eligibility is not clear.Santana may not be taking Spanish, as she’s not shown in the class. However,Quinn and Brittany most definitely are, so either they must be passing (whiletheir teammates are not) or else Will must have decided against giving them thefailing grades they would otherwise deserve, perhaps because he doesn’t want torender them ineligible for glee club.

WillSchuester is nothing if not a hypocrite, so honestly I wouldn’t put it past himto walk that particular low road.

In any case,the show never really clarifies to what extent Brittany may rely on Sue tomaintain a passing GPA.

ThroughoutS1, Brittany is reported to cheat off of Becky’s schoolwork in math class (seeepisode 1x09) and is shown attempting to cheat off of Quinn’s tests in Spanishclass (see episode 1x07), incidents which suggest that she does at timesstruggle with academic performance during her sophomore year. 

However, herstruggles are not explored in depth, and her continued eligibility for theCheerios would indicate that either she somehow manages to make passing grades,struggles notwithstanding, or else that interference from Sue renders herstruggles moot.  

Kurt alsoreports that Finn sometimes cheats off of Brittany’s math assignments (seeepisode 1x10). We don’t know if this cheating represents an isolatedincident or a pattern of behavior. However, if it’s the second option, then given that Finn maintains his academiceligibility for football even after having cheated off Brittany’s work, andconsidering that, unlike with Brittany, Sue is unlikely to have doctored Finn’sgrades, we can perhaps surmise that Brittany at least occasionally managesto earn passing grades on her own.

Even if Sueis pulling strings to keep Brittany on the field, come S2, the situationchanges, as in episode 2x11 Brittany quits Cheerios, at which point whatever“help” Sue had been giving her is almost certainly rescinded.

Shortlythereafter, in episode 2x13, Brittany remarks that hergrades are bad (“Totally. Most teachers think that by cutting class, I mightimprove my grades”), perhaps suggesting a drop-off due to a cessation in Sue’shelp. 

Even so, it would still seem that Brittany isn’t altogether failing, asshe apparently passes the eleventh grade and commences thetwelfth grade with the rest of her class.

The shownever specifies to what extent Brittany and the other glee kids must maintaintheir grades in order to stay in show choir. On the one hand, glee club is notan athletic program, so the rules for eligibility may be different than withcheerleading or football. On the other hand, glee club is seemingly anextracurricular activity in which students may “letter,” and it does have itsown governing board and competition requirements, so perhaps its eligibilityrequirements are similar or even identical to those for prep sports. To whatextent there may be “house rules” specific to WMHS as opposed to district orstatewide rules for all competitive show choirs remains unclear.

My guess isthat there’s got to be some kind of statewide threshold for eligibility,particularly as we’re told, per Jesse St. James, that the Carmel High kids in VocalAdrenaline cheat and doctor their grades in order to maximize their practicetime and minimize their schoolwork.

Whatever thespecific requirements may be, the fact that Brittany remains eligible toparticipate in glee club throughout her junior year is another point that maysuggest that even without Sue’s interference Brittany maintains a passing GPA. ThatBrittany is eligible to rejoin the Cheerios come her senior year also suggeststhat her eligibility remains intact as she finishes out the eleventh grade.

However,things seem to take a sudden downshift from there, both in terms of Brittany’sprospects and in terms of narrative sense-making.  

Come S3, we arefinally told that Brittany has a 0.0 GPA, though it’s never specified if that’sher semester, yearlong, or cumulative GPA. My guess is that it’s the secondoption, given that Brittany is told she must repeat the twelfth grade (asopposed to just making up a few credits during summer school or repeating multiplegrades).

That said,the situation surrounding her failure remains murky.

Prior to S3,Brittany has seemingly maintained a passing GPA, as is evidenced by heraforementioned progress through her freshman, sophomore, and junior years ofhigh school and her continued academic eligibility to participate in Cheeriosand glee club.

However, theshow never reveals how she has come by this passing GPA.

Our threemain options for explaining this phenomenon seem to be:

We can infer that Sue hasmanipulated Brittany’s grades in order to keep her academically eligible forvarsity sports.

We can infer that Brittanyhas achieved passing grades through her own efforts.

We can infer that perhaps somecombination of the above two options has taken place (i.e., that Sue hasmanipulated some of her grades, while others she earned through her ownefforts).

On the onehand, the show heavily implies that Brittany is a very poor student who wouldprobably be incapable of passing her classes if not for Sue manipulating thesystem on her behalf. On the other hand, given that Brittany maintains academiceligibility for Cheerios even when Will flunks many of her teammates in hersophomore year AND that she spends a significant portion of her junior year offthe Cheerios and still manages to pass, it would seem that Brittany is able tomake grades even during the times when Sue isn’t propping her up.

The questionsthen become: If Brittany can pass the eleventh grade “on her own,” then whydoes she fail the twelfth grade? Furthermore, how come Brittany is allowed toremain on the Cheerios and in glee club even once her grades start slipping?Why does her failure only come to light after it is essentially too late forher (or anyone else) to do anything about the problem? How come Sue, who hasnever had any qualms about manipulating her cheerleaders’ grades in the past,seemingly “allows” Brittany to fail her senior year? How come not a singleteacher or counselor at WMHS makes any efforts to help Brittany, even thoughshe is obviously struggling?

After all, Brittany’s 0.0 GPA seems to be a reflection of a chronic problem.

The firsttime we hear about said failing GPA is in episode 3x19, which is the sameepisode that features the WMHS senior prom.

For mostAmerican public high schools, prom takes place anywhere between March and June,which means that somehow Brittany is allowed to fail for at least one or two fullsemesters (or, more likely, given that many Midwestern American public schoolstend to run on the quarter system, two or even three full quarters) before Figgins tells her what’s up.

The school thenseemingly takes no action—at least as we see play out on screen—to helpBrittany course-correct for the final semester or two quarters of her senioryear.

She’s notput on academic monitoring or probation. She’s not assigned a tutor. MissPillsbury doesn’t set up any meetings with her to discuss her options or determineher future. No one writes her an IEP. She just crashes and burns until the endof the year, at which point she fails to graduate.

It strainscredulity that in today’s day and age Brittany could flunk out as “quietly” asshe did, without anyone—including her parents, coaches, guidance counselor,and/or girlfriend—realizing she was in trouble at any point along the way.

Where werethe midterm progress reports? The report cards? The summonses to MissPillsbury’s office? The failed tests that required the signature of her parent orguardian? Santana glimpsing an F on her Spanish essay and ripping Mr. Schue agoddamn new one because who is he to tell Brittany she isn’t conjugating verbsright when he can’t tell his own ass from an ñ?

Shouldn’tsomeone somewhere along the way have noticed something was wrong while therewas still time enough left to do something about it—and particularlyconsidering that Brittany is not only a student but a student athlete?

Per the OhioHigh School Athletic Association, a student must earn “passing grades in aminimum of five one-credit courses, or the equivalent, in the immediatelypreceding grading period” of athletic competition in order to be eligible toparticipate in a varsity sport, so in theory, after she fails that first term,Brittany shouldn’t be able to compete as part of the Cheerios squad at all, letalone be one of the senior leaders.

For therecord, the real life school districts in Lima, OH require a minimum GPAbetween 2.5 and 3.0 for student athletes.

One has towonder: Where is Sue in all this? How come she doesn’t intervene once she seesthat first bad report card?

After all,Sue has no qualms concerning academic dishonesty. By her own admission, she’s meddledwith her cheerleaders’ grades for years. Why shouldn’t she simply meddle in this case, too? Wouldn’tit be in her best interest to keep Brittany eligible to compete?

Come S4, Sueherself blames a “haze of pregnancy hormones” for preventing her from noticingBrittany’s S3 academic nosedive (see episode 4x02). Another contributory factor to her negligence may be her vicious congressionalcampaign against Reggie Salazar and Burt Hummel.

However,that Sue would allow Brittany to fail still presents a narrative problem, nomatter what her excuses for doing so may be, because the fact remains that academiceligibility is an issue that extends beyond her sole purview.

OnceBrittany fails the first academic quarter of the 2011-2012 schoolyear, shebecomes ineligible to compete in interscholastic competitions. The issue is outof Sue’s hands and into those of the Ohio High School Athletic Association.Some state official somewhere has the responsibility to mark her fileand bar her from any further participation in state cheer events.

—and yetthat never happens.

Somehow,Brittany remains a cheerleader (and member of the glee club) for the duration of the schoolyear, despite not passing a single class.

It’s one ofthose lapses in believability—those “Wait a minute. That’s not how thatdevelopment would happen in real life” instances—that takes Glee out of the realmof passingly realistic fiction and into the realm of exaggeration and camp.

There’s noway that Brittany could fail an entire year of school without facing anyacademic consequences—that’s just not the way that the American school systemworks, particularly when it comes to athletic eligibility.

How comeFiggins only notes Brittany’s failures in springtime? What is going on during the fall and winter?

For the record, episode 3x19 originally aired on May 8th, 2012. Within the universe of the show, the action of the episode may take place on the same date or at least a proximal one.

By allaccounts, someone somewhere along the way should notice what’s going on—if nota faculty member at Brittany’s own school, then some official on an athleticeligibility committee, or a college cheerleading coach scouting Brittany for anNCAA scholarship, or an auditor working for the superintendent, or a rivalcheerleading coach digging for dirt on Sue Sylvester’s stars.

Someone!

But no onedoes.

I mean,that’s what the show purports. 

Figgins knows enough to inform Brittany thatshe’s failing, but he doesn’t do anything to help the situation except to lectureher for neglecting her duties as the senior class president and badger her intoplanning the prom. 

Will and Emma, too focused on rescuing Puck from a similarfate, seemingly remain either oblivious to or unconcerned about Brittany’sacademic woes until she’s on the verge of failing her SECOND consecutive senioryear in S4. 

And Santana? She’s blindsided. Somehow, even though she andBrittany take classes together and meet up during every passing block and spendall of their spare time in each other’s company outside of school, she has noidea that Brittany is in academic jeopardy—not until Brittany springs the newson her at BreadStix just before what should be their joint graduation.

Not untilit’s too late.

That’s canonas TPTB at Glee wrote it.

It makes nogoddamn sense, but it’s what we’re stuck with.

So.

Onto thesecond order of business, then:

Thein-universe stuff.

Returning toyour original questions: Why does Brittany fail her senior year—from asituational and character perspective? How come she doesn’t work harder not tofail?

Though earlyon, Glee at times tried to play Brittany off as an accidental or even dubiousgenius—such as in the scene in episode 4x22 where she’s first shown solvingcomplex equations for the researchers at MIT—they later fully committed to herprodigy, acknowledging it as the real deal.

By episode5x12, Baby Girl is shown as being capable of tackling the Riemann Hypothesis.Her work at MIT is serious. By S6, she’s doing complex math for fun, albeitwith kitty doodles drawn in the margins. The Brittany of episodes 6x03, 6x06,and 6x08 is able to slip in facts and impressive logical arguments alongsideher usual Brittanyisms and one-liners. Her intelligence is no longer subject todebate.

So what’sthe deal with her flunking out of high school? How can someone capable ofprocessing the most complicated calculus there is fail at high school algebra?

Here’s thething: While Brittany is indeed a certified math genius, there’s not always aneat one-to-one correlation between “raw intelligence” and “academicsuccess.”

Lots offolks who are plenty bright—including many who have impressive naturalaptitudes in certain areas—fail in traditional classroom settings, even inclasses that by all accounts they “should be good at.”

Some havebehavioral tendencies that are incompatible with the classroom culture. Others findthe course materials boring, either because they already know the materialbeing taught or else because the material is being taught in a way that isn’tconducive to their learning style. Still others learn at a different pace thanwhat the curriculum may allow for, working either faster or slower. Many simplytest poorly or have trouble focusing. Organizational issues, language barriers,home circumstances (which may interfere with one’s ability to complete homeworkor come to class rested and ready to learn), individual teacher-studentdynamics, problems with bullying at school, health or disability factors, etc.,etc. may also affect one’s ability to “make grades.”

Many of thesmartest people there are have failed in formalized academic settings. Conversely,many people of average or even below average aptitudes have found ways tosucceed in the classroom. Other factors such as one’s work ethic, connection toteachers and mentors, support networks, accommodations, etc. can also impacteducational success.

In Brittany’scase, there are myriad reasons why, despite her certified genius, she fails herclasses.

For onething, WMHS is a substandard learning environment, just to start out with.

Theatmosphere there is toxic. Bullying runs rampant, with the staff either whollyapathetic toward, powerless to intervene in, or even sometimes party to theperpetuation thereof. 

The administration routinely mismanages its resources,spending an inordinate amount of money to support the cheerleading and footballprograms, though lacking certain other necessities—such as a functional specialeducation department, adequate handicap accommodations, and up-to-datetextbooks.

They also hire teachers who are both underqualified (such as Will,who teaches Spanish for years despite not actually speaking the language) andfrequently abusive (such as Sue, who should literally be serving jail time forthe way she treats the student body). 

Multiple times, it’s stated that theirstudents test at below average reading levels. 

While only a small percentage ofwhat Sue says should ever be believed, her claims that she doctors the gradesof her Cheerios to maintain their academic eligibility to participate in avarsity sport are seemingly accurate, as Will and Principal Figgins aver that such is this case. 

Not a single permanentteacher, principal, or guidance counselor at the school, with perhaps theexception of Coach Beiste, appears competent to do their job.

The hijinks ofvarious staff members and students regularly interfere with the learning day.

Rememberthat old post about JennaB. Lacey, the Hogwarts student who just wants to get a proper education but isconstantly prevented from doing so because she has the misfortune of being inthe same year as one Harry Potter, whose adventures and misadventures areconstantly interrupting her lessons and preempting her exams? Just replace “Harry Potter” with “Rachel Berry” or “SueSylvester,” and you’re basically describing the life of your average WMHSstudent.

Though wedon’t spend a lot of time following the New Directions kids through theirregular classes, the few glimpses that we do get suggest that much of thecurriculum they are subjected to is either outdated or else straight upobjectively incorrect.

While theepisode plays the situation for laughs, Holly Holliday’s points about the sexeducation at WMHS being painfully inadequate aren’t at all off the mark. Mrs.Hagberg seems to experience episodes of dementia while teaching (and is aself-admitted painkiller addict). She frequently forgets her spatiotemporallocation and has on occasion been known to teach that the Nazis won WWII. Will speaksSpanglish and buys into racist stereotypes about Latinos. Sue promulgatesconspiracy theories and unsubstantiated revisionist history, purposefullyspreading misinformation as if she were the White House Press Secretary.

Later on, inS6, it’s shown that a complete overhaul is necessary to update the school’stechnology and curriculum in order for the students to start performing up tostandards on their state tests.

—and there’sBrittany, who learns differently than most people do, stuck in the middle ofall of this chaos.

Honestly,it’s a wonder that any of the kids at WMHS achieve any kind of mainstreamacademic success. That Quinn gets into Yale and Tina into Brown is kind of ascholastic miracle, all things considered.

So she’s upagainst a lot of impediments as barriers to her learning just as a baseline.

Then add inher individual difficulties on top of the other stuff.

Brittany’sis a unique mind. It is unclear to what extent book-learning and traditionaleducation work for her. She has a tendency to metaphorize concepts, suggestingthat she is an abstract thinker. Her flair for malapropisms also intimates thather mind is organized in “webs,” with various like-words grouped together byloose strings of associations. Though she is mathematically intelligent, she isalso emotionally intelligent and physically intelligent, as well.

Early on,her genius seems highly intuitive, as she is able to pull numbers out of theair, though she is not always equally able to explain how or by what means she hasdone so. In time, her methods seem to become more examined and deliberate, withtheory underlining what was once a more reflexive capability.

She isperhaps something of an autodidact, able, for instance, to teach herselfSpanish, though she apparently doesn’t fare well in the class in high school.

Though fewpeople on the show, save Santana, realize as much, she frequently runs abouttwo or three steps ahead of everyone else in terms of her conversations andsocial maneuvers. Her zany quips and seemingly innocent demeanor throw peopleoff, to the point where they don’t pick up on just how wily and keen she canbe.

On the onehand, this phenomenon affords her some social leeway—because, after all, she’sjust “Brittany being Brittany.” On the other hand, it sometimes results inthose who fail to understand her talking down to her, infantilizing her, andblowing her off. 

Frequently, both Brittany and the people who engage with herwalk away from their interactions frustrated, Brittany because she’s beencondescended to, her conversation partners because they find herincomprehensible and off-putting. 

So. 

Considerthat many of her teachers—including Will—seem to be confused by the way shetalks and find her irksome to deal with and so tend to be dismissive of herduring classroom discussions.

Because herintelligence is non-normative, a teacher talking about A subject can get her thinkingoff on a tangent about B subject, C subject, and D subject, and pretty soonshe’ll be blurting out a question or comment about Z subject, which from herteacher’s perspective does not relate to the discussion topic at hand and mayeven derail the lesson, distracting the other students. The teacher then eitherreacts to Brittany’s question or comment with annoyance, shutting her down(such as Ms. Hagberg does in episode 3x02); or reacts with bafflement, ignoring her andglossing over what she’s said (such as Will does in episode 1x10). Either way, Brittanydoesn’t get her questions answered or her comments responded to in aconstructive manner, which means that, invariably, she doesn’t get what sheneeds to out of class.

By the timewe first meet her as a sophomore, Brittany’s reputation as a nuisance and“numbskull” precedes her.

Her teachersmake no effort to hide their low opinions of her intelligence.

In episode2x04, everyone ribs Puck for crashing his mom’s car into an ATM and gettingarrested. Brittany joins in the fun, remarking, “He may be the dumbest personon this planet—and that’s coming from me.” Though the moment is generallyjocular, the fact that Brittany’s teacher Will says nothing to defend her toherself speaks volumes. The incident is also not an isolated one, as later inthe season, in episode 2x17, Will directly questions Brittany’s intelligence toher face (“I get the three of you being on [the Brainiacs], but Brittany?”).

Tack on allthe instances when he responds to Brittany’s comments during rehearsals (andeven her later “cries for help” during S4) with bafflement at best and disdainat worst, plus the way he clearly talks down to her as if she were a youngchild rather than a teenager, and there’s no question that he thinks she’s adolt.

And he’s notthe only member of the WMHS faculty who feels that way, either.

SueSylvester is likewise a serial offender when it comes to calling Brittany dumband infantilizing her. Ditto for Hagberg and Figgins. Though we don’t get tosee Brittany interacting with many other members of the staff aside fromSheldon Beiste, Holly Holliday, and Shelby Corcoran—the last two of whom areonly at the school briefly—it stands to reason that there are other teacherswho share the same negative attitude toward her that the featured teachers do.  

At onepoint, Brittany even says that her teachers have told her that her grades mightactually improve if she were to slough her classes.

Brittany’s“stupidity” is widely viewed as a given.

Time andtime again, the show depicts people taking her intelligence for granted andassuming the worst of her capabilities. Such attitudes undoubtedly influencethe way that her teachers approach educating her. If a smart kid like Quinn orArtie isn’t grasping a concept, then teachers will try changing their pedagogyup, teaching the lesson in a different, more effective way. The same is trueeven for an average student like Mercedes. If she’s struggling, a teacher’simpulse will be to show her patience because there’s a good chance thateventually (with some hard work and extra credit) she’ll get it. But not so with Brittany, whom most teachers seem to viewas an idiot. Why slow down a class for her? Why assign different readings? Whytutor her after school? Their assumption is that she is a lost cause.

Sue potentiallydoctoring her grades—and those of the other Cheerios—also exacerbates theproblem.

Thoseteachers who are aware of Sue’s meddling, and especially the ones who have beenbullied by her into being complicit, may feel a lessened sense of obligation toreally teach Brittany or attempt to accurately evaluate her learning because,after all, no matter how Brittany performs, she’s going to be handed a passinggrade in their classes anyway.

Conversely,those teachers who remain unaware of Sue’s meddling may believe that givingBrittany a failing grade will result in meaningful academic consequences forher, which will then lead to her getting the help and attention she needsvis-à-vis the systems that are in place to prevent kids from “falling throughthe cracks.”

Of course,because Sue changes Brittany’s grades after the fact, Brittany never receivesany such help.

The systemsdon’t attend to her. Nothing in her file gets flagged. No one pulls her aside.She just gets passed along from year to year and class to class without anyoneever really taking an interest in her learning.

Either way,she’s left ill-equipped to succeed in high school.

On top ofeverything else, Brittany may also have an undiagnosed learning disability,such as ADHD or ASD. Though of course the show never states that she does havea disability (undiagnosed or not), some neurodivergent fans see in Brittany a kindred spirit whose experiences inthe public school system resemble their own.

It’sdefinitely possible that she could benefit from some accommodations.

But as faras we know, they’re never offered to her—not only because, as we learn from Sueregarding Becky Jackson, WMHS doesn’t offer special education classes, but alsobecause everyone thinks that she’s just “Brittany being Brittany,” and she’s a hopelesscase from the get-go.

So howeversmart Brittany may naturally be, she’s got alot stacked against her at WMHS, including antagonistic teachers, theabysmally low expectations people set for her, Sue’s interference with hergrades (and then the sudden cessation of that interference), her non-normativelearning strategies, and other possible factors.

Add in thatduring her senior year, she’s also dealing with some extra pressures outside ofthe classroom, and what we have is a recipe for a disaster.

Note: Ofcourse, the show deprives us of hearing Brittany talk about the aftermath ofSantana’s outing, suspension, and disowning in her own words, but HeatherMorris’s nonverbal cues show that Brittany’s upset during this period is hardfelt. It’s a stressful time in Brittany’s life, and even after the initialwounds have healed somewhat, Brittany still devotes much of mental andemotional energy to trying to ameliorate the situation, to keep Santana in agood place, to help her smile, and carry on. That’s not to say that Brittana’srelationship or Brittany’s efforts to make Santana happy cause Brittany to failher classes. It’s just to say that Brittany’s senior year is one in which shehas a lot on her mind beyond the regular cares of just being a teenager.

Thesituation as it is, it’s perhaps unsurprising that she should struggle.

However, thequestion still remains: Why doesn’t she ask for help?

No one, includingher parents, teachers, or girlfriend, seems to notice she’s academicallydrowning until it’s too late. But just because they don’t notice on their owndoesn’t mean that Brittany can’t alert them to the situation, right? So whydoesn’t she turn to Mr. Schue and say, “I need some extra help on my historyhomework,” or confide in her parents that she’s just bombed another Englishexam, or ask Santana if they can perhaps study for chemistry class together?Wouldn’t it be in her best interest to do so? Shouldn’t she want to graduate sothat she can get on with her life (and follow Santana)? Why not just reach outto someone?

Easier saidthan done.

Brittany hasspent her whole life being disparaged for “not being smart enough.” Is shereally going to admit she’s struggling to many of the same people who are activelycontributing to her struggles?

Sure,ostensibly, Mr. Schue is her teacher, and he’s supposedly an advocate for her.But can she really turn to someone who has routinely made her feel like anidiot and confess to him that she’s not understanding her classes—andespecially when she’s fully aware that, even if she were to ask him for help,he is probably not the best person to offer it, considering that he’s not actuallya qualified teacher?

The samegoes for Sue, who habitually preys upon Brittany’s vulnerabilities and has beenknown to blackmail students whenever she has any sort of leverage over them.Brittany would have to be an even bigger fool than the one people take her forin order to ask a favor of a megalomaniac of Sue’s caliber.

If Brittanywere to turn to her, the best case scenario would be that she would once againresort to doctoring Brittany’s report card—which is not necessarily an outcomethat Brittany wants. The worst case scenario would be that she would find someway to make Brittany’s life hell for having even approached her.

Brittany has to wonder: Is there any good that could come of prompting Sue totake action if she hasn’t already done so (unprompted) yet?

Not evenEmma is a safe bet, considering that she seems completely oblivious toBrittany’s plight, even though it is literally her job to be on top of it.

She doesn’t pushWill to include Brittany in his Saturday Night Fever competition alongsideFinn, Mercedes, and Santana (see episode 3x16). She isn’t present to participatein the “come to Jesus” meeting Figgins calls Brittany in for before the prom (seeepisode 3x19). Nowhere along the line does she show any concern for Brittany’sGPA, even though she has access to Brittany’s records and presumably has aprofessional imperative to counsel with her concerning her future.

If she can’tbe assed to take an interest in Brittany’s academic struggles even though she’sbeing paid to do so, then Brittany’s not going to beg her to get involved.

Her inactionhas already sent the message loud and clear: Brittany is on her own.

As for whyBrittany doesn’t turn to her parents or Santana for help, things arecomplicated on that side, too.

Since wedon’t know much about Brittany’s relationship with her parents aside from thelittle we see of it in S6, it’s difficult to say why she doesn’t approach themfor help. Maybe she fears disappointing them. Maybe she feels that they won’tunderstand why she’s failing. (They might assume she’s being lazy or goofingoff rather than facing legitimate roadblocks to her learning.) Possibly,they’re dealing with some kind of crisis of their own at the same time thatBrittany realizes that she’s failing, so she doesn’t want to “bother them” withwhat she’s going through. Perhaps she does approach them but they either can’t or won’t helpher.

There’s alsothe possibility that Brittany is reluctant to involve her parents in her issuesbecause she fears the consequences if they find out that Sue has been doctoringher grades for years. How can she explain to them why she’s gone from having apassing (and perhaps even impressive) GPA in years past to having a failing(and even abominable) GPA this year? She’d have to admit that Sue’s been fudgingher report cards to preserve her academic eligibility—and doing so might resultin her parents asking her questions that she doesn’t want to answer.

Either shewould have to say that she had gone along with Sue’s meddling (even though sheknew what Sue was doing was wrong) OR she would have to admit that Sue hasbasically been abusing and blackmailing her and the other Cheerios, making herscared to come forward about the academic dishonesty. The first option oversimplifiesthe situation. The second option is the truth but one that’s probably difficultfor her to cop to.

In any case,for whatever reason, Brittany either doesn’t bring her problems to her parents’attention or she does but they can’t (or won’t) help her.

WithSantana, things are different.

Brittanyknows that if she approaches Santana with her problem, Santana will not onlycare but also understand all of the extenuating circumstances. Santana knowsabout the Sue stuff. She also sees how teachers and other staff members tend toreact to Brittany. She’s fully aware of the injustice. She’s also fully awarethat Brittany’s genius is misunderstood—that Brittany is smart, though her smarts don’t necessarily translate to hertopping the Honor Roll every semester. Santana has the full view of thesituation, and there’s no question that she’d be sympathetic to Brittany’sissues and do everything in her power to get Brittany help, if Brittany justsaid the word.

The troubleis that Brittany doesn’t want to say the word—not when Santana has been dealingwith her own troubles, which, on the whole, from Brittany’s perspective, seem so much bigger and moreagonizing than Brittany’s own.

Brittanycan’t bring herself to interject, “Um, excuse me, Santana, but can we take a break fromdealing with you being outed the entire state of Ohio, suspended from school,disowned by your grandmother, and homophobically bullied so that we can talkabout my algebra test?;” not when she knows that if she points out that she isfailing, Santana will pump the brakes on her own plans and ambitions in orderto stand by her side.

She doesn’twant to hold Santana back when Santana is on her way out of their stifling, gay-bashingtown, onto bigger and better things. She doesn’t want to drag Santana herpersonal turmoil, not when Santana is just finally getting clear from theturmoil in her own.

—andespecially not when Brittany views her own failure as inevitable.

Yeah, shecould tell Santana, and, yeah, Santana would try to move heaven and earth tohelp her. But in the end, there’d be nothing Santana could do. Brittany wouldstill fail, not due to any lagging efforts on Santana’s part, but becauseBrittany has never been able to succeed in school no matter how hard she tried,because the whole system is rigged against her and always has been. No matterhow much effort Brittany expends to show people she’s got a fine brain in herhead—by winning a quiz bowl championship, writing for the school newspaper,becoming class president, dishing out wise advice, etc.—no one except for Santanahas ever been willing to give her a chance. They always see her as an imbecileor a child. Even Santana can’t change the status quo. So why drag her into it?

InBrittany’s view, it’s better for her to help Santana pursue her dreams outsideof Lima than to do anything that might cause her to turn back or slow down.

ThoughBrittany often projects confidence, the truth is that just like the other twomembers of the Unholy Trinity, she has some serious and deep-seated self-esteemissues. After so many years of people calling her an idiot and treating herlike a child, part of her wonders if they aren’t perhaps right (see her speech in episode 4x22). 

While shedoesn’t want to believe what the haters are saying, she also can’t help butfeel that maybe she is destined for Lima Loserdom. If so, then the last thingshe wants to do is drag Santana down with her—hence why she doesn’t mention herfailure to graduate until she’s sure that Santana leaving town and going toLouisville is already a done deal.

Is refusingto seek help from anyone a wise choice on Brittany’s part? No.

But havingdifficulty asking for help is a character flaw she comes by naturally. That agirl who’s been told “no” her whole life would be scared to ask anyone to takea chance on her and say “yes” makes sense. The behavior pattern is a consistentone that she displays throughout the show, such as, for example, in S4, whenshe stages not one but two separate public meltdowns in situations where sheneeds help but doesn’t know how to ask for it (see episodes 4x02 and 4x22).

Note: Thefact that Brittany actually brings herself to ask Santana if they can seekadult help regarding their relationship troubles in episode 2x15 shows just howmuch the issue means to her. Normally, Brittany would never suggest seekingoutside counsel, but in that case she wants so badly to set things to rightsbetween her and Santana that she petitions Santana to approach Holly Holliday.Her love for Santana outweighs her fear of making herself vulnerable.

Brittanydoes want to graduate high school. She does want to be with Santana andcontinue their relationship. She wants to escape Lima. She wants to prove thenaysayers wrong. She wants to start a new life somewhere where she’s notnegatively stereotyped and looked down on by everyone. She wants to livehappily ever after with the woman she loves. She wants all of these thingsdesperately, more than anyone really knows.

But she alsodoesn’t know how to get what she wants.

She feelsboxed in and like her situation is hopeless.

So she justtailspins until she crashes.

—and thetruly tragic thing is that nobody notices what’s happening with her until it’stoo late, either because they remain oblivious (like Santana) or because theyare apathetic (like Brittany’s teachers, coaches, and guidance counselors).

Per usual,Glee tried to play the situation for laughs, but there’s really nothing allthat funny about Brittany’s academic failures at all.

Like manystudent athletes, Brittany is a kid whose physical abilities have been valuedover her learning. As long as she’s helping the Cheerios to winchampionships—and make no mistake, like Quinn and Santana, Brittany is one ofSue’s superstars, whose dance and choreography talents are one of the main advantagesthat make the squad elite—then nobody cares if she struggles in her classes.It’s all about what she can do for the school and not what the school can dofor her.

Of course,in Brittany’s case, there’s even an added element of administrative apathy atplay beyond the usual “Just pass the girl so she’s competition eligible” bit.

Because ofthe way she thinks and acts, her teachers assume that she incapable of and/ordisinterested in learning. They allow their annoyance and exasperation with herto supersede whatever obligation they might feel to provide her with a realeducation.

The sad reality is that no one’s going to go out of theirway to teach a girl that they consider a) a nuisance to have in class; b)incapable of learning; and c) someone for whom grades don’t really matteranyhow, given that she’s one of the moving parts in Sue Sylvester’schampionship cheerleading machine.

So that’show Brittany makes it through grades nine, ten, and eleven: By being passedfrom hand to hand, with the faculty and administration turning a blind eye towhat’s happening because, ultimately, no one really cares about her educationanyway.

But thenBrittany enters grade twelve, and for whatever reason this system suddenlyfalls apart. Though she has previously made passing grades—some of themostensibly without Sue’s “help”—the coursework in her senior year gets thebetter of her.

Maybe thetwelfth grade material proves substantially more difficult than the eleventhgrade material. Maybe years of inadequate learning finally catch up to her. (Ifone never masters the basics of a given subject, then one can’t very wellnavigate more advanced material, after all.) Maybe the stress in her family andsocial life so distracts her from her schoolwork that she is no longer able to juggle it all, and she ends up dropping the academic ball. Maybe herteachers finally have enough of her antics and decide to grade her punitively. Maybea confluence of issues affects her.

Whatever thecase, she fails.

That no onein the WMHS administration takes an interest in her case is a tragedy. Thatshe doesn’t feel safe enough to ask any of her teachers or coaches for help isutterly heartbreaking. Particularly when we compare her story to Puck’s, thenumerous ways in which the system has failed her become painfully apparent.

No childshould flunk out of school because her teachers find her annoying.

—andespecially not when she is willing to learn, if only given the chance.

Throughouther time at WMHS, we frequently see Brittany taking notes in her classes andvolunteering answers during lectures, incorrect though some of those answerscertainly are. She isn’t a girl who sleeps through her schooldays or cutsclasses or goofs off. She’s trying her best. And as the way she really comesinto her own after she leaves WMHS proves, she isvery much capable of learning, albeit at her own pace and in her own way.

Imagine howvery different Brittany’s story could have been if even one teacher had realizedher potential—or had even just given her a chance of any kind. 

Not onlywould it perhaps have been possible for her to graduate with the rest of herclass, but her genius could have been recognized sooner. The entire course of her life could have been changed for the better.

As thingsare, Brittany eventually succeeds inspite of her experiences in the education system, not because of them.

Hers remainsa sobering story.

Anyway.

Then, toanswer your second question:

No, I don’tthink Brittany drops the “—if it were, Santana and I would be dating” line onpurpose. I honestly think it’s a slip on her part.

Here’s thething:

ThoughBrittana don’t get a lot of foreground development during S1, they do have asubtle subtextual, “in the background” storyline that centers on the tension between howSantana thinks they need to be versus how they really are.

Whilethey’re both truly happiest when they’re monogamous with each other, Santanacontinually insists that they maintain publicly visible sexual relationshipswith popular boys at the same time that they’re sleeping with each other—youknow, to project at least the illusion of “straightness.”

However,despite her interest in appearing “heterosexual,” Santana is never able to keepup her sexual relationships with boys for long. Puck inevitably cheats on her.Finn inevitably turns back to Rachel. She invariably ends up back in amonogamous sexual relationship with Brittany, who is more than happy with thearrangement, given that she and Santana are actually in love. The cycle repeatsitself ad nauseum, until eventually, between episodes 1x10 and 1x13, Santanaand Brittany fall into a prolonged period of exclusivity with eachother.

During thistime, they’re sleeping together, plus doing all of their regular “best friend”things—you know, like sharing meals and going out to movies and sittingtogether in the back of the class and writing each other cute notes andcuddling and linking pinkies and generally being, you know, GIRLFRIENDS—whichis why Brittany feels confused about the status of their relationship.

Santana hastold over and over again that just because you’re having sex with someonedoesn’t mean you’re also dating them.

But she andSantana aren’t just having sex. They’re also doing all sorts of relationship-ystuff. Plus, you know, they’re in love with each other.

So doesn’tthat mean that they’re dating?

That’s thequestion that’s in Brittany’s mind going into the infamous party line scene inepisode 1x13.

To quoteextensively from thispost:

During S1,Santana feels secure in her arrangements with Brittany as long as she maintainsa sexual relationship with Puck and he brags about it around school. As long aseveryone knows that Santana has sex with a hot boy and “likes it,” then Santanafeels safe to also have sex with Brittany, per her own druthers. Even afterSantana and Puck officially break up circa episode 1x03, things are cool becausethey still keep having sex and Puck keeps broadcasting the fact that they do totheir peers.

But then circa episode 1x10, somethingshifts.

Though Puck and Santana continue to haveintermittent sex, Puck ceases to boast of their encounters starting around episode1x10, when he begins to woo Quinn in earnest, trying to prove his worthiness asa father and partner to her.

When Puck ceases to brag, Santana getsnervous and feels as if he has rejected her. Is she doing something wrong?Doesn’t he like it anymore? Does he know her secret?

In episode 1x11, Santana sexts Puck in adesperate attempt to rekindle his interest in her, but her efforts don’t panout. Pucktana likely stop sleeping together between episodes 1x11 and 1x13,and, when they do, it likely causes Santana to fear immensely for herreputation.

Ironically, though the thing Santana mostfears in losing Puck as her beard is that people will find out the truth abouther relationship with Brittany, Santana can’t help but run to Brittany when shefeels Puck’s attentions waning. She panics her way right into Brittany’s bed,seeking the approval, affection, acceptance, and validation there that shedoesn’t get from Puck. In so doing, she probably reveals some emotionalvulnerability or even neediness to Brittany.

Considering that Brittany is in love withher, it’s hard for Brittany not to read significance into her actions and thinkthat they signal something big.

Hint: They do.

Brittany starts thinking more and moreabout what’s going on between her and Santana. Since Santana isn’t dating Puckanymore, maybe Santana could date Brittany instead.

It’s because Brittany has the idea ofdating Santana in her mind—and heart—that she blurts it out to the group in1x13.

“Sex isn’t dating.”

“—if it were, Santana and I would bedating.”

It’s Brittany voicing what’s in her heartbefore she can really stop herself.

That she has no premeditated intention ofouting herself and Santana is clear from the look on her face the second thewords leave her mouth and she realizes what she’s just said. She spoke what wasmeant to be a private thought aloud, and she’s scared to death about what theconsequences might be now that she has. She immediately glances to Santana,gauging her reaction, wondering how badly she’s just fucked up theirrelationship. Though the conversation quickly moves on from that point, herheartbeat most likely doesn’t resume a normal pace for minutes afterward.

Anyway, I’ve jabbered for a good, ol’long while now.

Thanks for the questions!

[autoacafiles]

TRANSMISSION INTERCEPTED TRANSLATING...

Lightbright - Hello? Is it on? Arcee - I think it is, the light’s blinking. Lightbright - Alright, let’s do this. *ahem* Greetings to those who have just found this, be they from Acadeimos or beyond! This is the first episode of our first broad-cast audio education assistance show, Study Buddies! Arcee - Title still pending. And the library would only let us rent this equipment for educational purposes. Lightbright - That is me, and this is Arcee. Arcee - ‘Sup. Lightbright - Anyway, the purpose of this broadcast is, primarily, to allow some students that are less-then-adept at schoolwork to learn about the history of the Cybertronian Commonwealth, as well as provide insight into the inner workings of our society and such. Arcee - Alright, first episode is the Birds and the Bees. Lightbright - ARCEE! TOO SOON! Arcee - What? Lightbright - I was actually thinking of going into, say, the Age of the Firstforged, in order to provide context for our civilization. Arcee - Oh come on, the Firstforged are a MYTH. Nothing more. Why would anyone care about that? Lightbright - Think of Myth as a compass. If a story does not reveal the values of a society, we might not be able to figure out how a society even functions. Arcee - Trust me, you probably will regardless. Lightbright - *sigh* Anyway, as for the current subject matter, I think it’d be best to start off with the basic story that everyone in the Commonwealth knows, if only because it makes a good jumping on point. Arcee - Yeah, fine. How about you start things off? Lightbright - Alright. *Ahem* IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE GALAXY. STARS WERE YOUNG, PLANETS WERE MERE PEBBLES, AND PERHAPS FOR THE LAST TIME IN HISTORY, RECORDED AND OTHERWISE, TRUE PEACE WAS ENSURED. Arcee - Wow, dramatic. Lightbright - But then, something awakened, a sentient mind that had slowly manifested in the countless eons that had passed. This mind… was known to us today by a term meaning “The first to wonder” in a tongue few even remember how to speak otherwise – Primus. Arcee - Not to be confused with the band from Earth or that DNA Repository that the Galvans use. I’m fairly certain we tried sending cease-and-desist orders on that. Lightbright - As Primus ventured across the cosmos, he found that thousands of others like him, minds that had manifested across the eons like him… and yet, they evolved beyond him, leaving him alone to ponder his purpose… and in time, he found it. Landing upon a metal planet, he found he could manipulate the very metal beneath his feet, and with his power, he manifested a new body for himself, and began to create others to be his companions and to fill his lonely life with what he wanted – a connection to others… to that end, Thirteen were forged from the metal of their world, and the first Age of Cybertron had come. Arcee - Nobody can agree which of the Firstforged were really the Thirteen, and that’s mostly because of the mythological circumstances – see, even for giant effin’ robots like us, trying to nail a specific interpretation of stories is haaaaaard. Lightbright - Indeed, but there is a common roster, at least. Prima the first and their leader, Megatronus the warrior, Maximus the negotiator, Solus the armsmaster, Onyx the beastmaster, Nexus the one-and-many, Alpha Trion the Knowledge-keeper, Quintus the lifegiver- Arcee - I thought it was Quintessa. Lightbright - That’s another name for the life-giver, yes. Arcee - Say, do you plan on listing every possible member of this godforsaken group? Lightbright - …Noooooo… Arcee - Ok good, not sure we have the time for that. Lightbright - Alright, so, yeah, there’s a lot of debating and a lot of stories about who and what were involved in the Age of the Firstforged. But, uh, I suppose the best-known event of the time was one known as the Great Schism. But it all started, of course, with the arrival of… The Outsider. Arcee - oooooooh, never heard that story. Lightbright - You see, while most of the other minds that had been content to make their own little paradises, one was less-then-ok with it. Even back then, there were some minds that were less creative, and they took their frustrations out by attacking other innocent people. This mind has said to have had a body built by the ancient Antilleans, his first victims who sought to use him as a weapon of war. Arcee - Guessing that backfired. Lightbright - Oh it did, massively. So much so we barely even know if the Antilleans were real or not. But the Outsider rampaged across the cosmos, devastating world after world and ruining the hard work of many a creator… until he crossed Primus’s path. Arcee - Wait… now that I listen to it, this story sounds familiar. Lightbright - Well it is a myth that’s common to most facets of Cybertronian civilization. Arcee - No, no, like… REALLY familiar. Lightbright - If you say so. Anyway, the fight between the Outsider and Primus lasted for untold eras, the tide turning more time then there could be counted… but in the end, the Firstforged and Primus managed to send the Outsider into the deepest depths of space… never to be heard from again. But the battle took a heavy toll. Arcee - War always does. Lightbright - In the end… the Firstforged were divided between those who found War to be their calling and those who sought to maintain order, and the resulting clash between the two groups ended only with the death of one of their central figures and Primus’s lamentations. Taking his creation to the deepest part of their metal planet home, Primus fused with the planet, giving the planet new life and a civilization anew, while the other Firstforged, ashamed of their squabbling, dispersed and disappeared into the stars themselves, never to be heard from again. Arcee - And so, supposedly, was the end of the Age of the Firstforged. If the stories are true anyway. Lightbright - There are rumors that some of the Firstforged had sneaked back to civilization and took their own roles in this new world. Like, Alpha Trion, if it is him, happens to be Acadeimos’s librarian. Arcee - Ooooor he could just simply be named after him. Never really been clear. Lightbright - Oh, come now, who would be arrogant enough to take a God’s name? Arcee - Onyx Primal? Lightbright - Aside from a criminal with ego issues? Arcee - Megatron? Lightbright - Still a criminal. Arcee - Aight, I got nothing. Lightbright - Good. So, uh, you think this is a good place to stop for now? Arcee - Well, it’s nearly out of battery anyway, so yeah, I think so. Lightbright - Ok, well, uh, if you want us to cover another topic on this podcast or if you have any more questions, feel free to send them to AutobotAcademyStudyBuddies@gmail.com. Arcee - Or, y’know, just hunt us down and ask. Lightbright - Bye bye. Arcee - See you… whenever! TRANSMISSION ENDED

[cr-mango]

ask meme

tagged by @shortview thanks 

five things you’ll find in my bag: a massive stack of unsorted schoolwork computer notepad/journal (unused for the most part, random notes i never actually read after writing) i really dont carry much in my bag normally not a single pencil. i always forget to bring pencils. five things you’ll find in my bedroom:

bird posters crumpled papers in pretty much everwhere bed at least 34 empty soda bottle random things stuffed everywhere five things i’ve always wanted to do:

metalworking (did it twice! was pretty great) build a computer (JUST COMPLETED YESTERDAY FEELS GREAT) get back into 3d modelling ill just see five things that make me feel happy: playing games chatting online comfort foods music (ok now im worked up so i have to share some: lots of initial D stuff (eg king of eurobeat), carpenter brut, waveshaper, pendulum, game soundtracks (in this case, eye divine cybermancy and lost planet 2 & EDF 4.1 menu themes, so many more but ill just stop with that), gorillaz, netsky, too much more to list) i do things 3 hours at a time so i dont have a wide variety here five things i’m currently into: furi (game) computers in general (while waiting to get parts computer videos and magazines became a way to pass time) from the depths (game) initial d (vaguely? i havent actually watched any just listened constantly for the last few days) im not really watching any shows right now though five things on my to-do list: no idea visit my dad? yeah thats about it im just gonna be here and do stuff or not do stuff whatever works anddd i dont know who to tag so i guess if you see this feel free

[omgkatsudonplease]

I just wanted to tell you how much I've enjoyed BTDS--I've forced my girlfriend to read it and I wouldn't be surprised if it became a fandom classic someday. Though I'm 110% ready for the angst train to be over but at the same time I'm sad to leave the universe you've created.

(Sorry I'm on mobile and I hit send too soon smh) What are your plans after you're finished fic wise? Who wrote most of the poetry (or was it split fifty/fifty?) Do you have a chapter you're the most proud of? Sorry for all the questions, like I said I have a lot of feelings haha. I'll be anxiously waiting until Sunday :))

I’m so glad you like it! And wow, that’d be something lmao I’ve always wanted to write a ~fandom classic~ :’D And I’m just gonna say, chapter 12 is minimal angst so far... but that’s kinda to be expected, really. 

Anyway, your questions! After I finish this, I think I want to get back into my schoolwork properly, since I’ve been neglecting it so much (and it’s like, senior spring soooooooo I’m not about to tempt early-onset senioritis). I’ve got two independent studies lined up, and one of them will be doing some more in-depth stuff with the Selkie AU’s universe (in case I do decide to publish it I guess?) I’m fortunate to have professors who are open to nontraditional writing lmao

So yeah, there’s that, but I’m also super duper in love with the works of Satoshi Kon atm, I might make my final in my animation theory class about him, and I do have a roadmap for a Satoshi Kon-inspired AU for YOI (think San Junipero meets Paranoia Agent and Paprika lol) so we’ll see about future fics. I also have a WIP about Viktor Nikiforov posing for the ESPN Body Issue to finish up sooo ;)

For the poetry? The first poem that’s posted in chapter 3 was Leah’s, as well as “Lullabye for a Kuril Seal”, and all the flashback moments in chapter 8. Everything else (I think?) was mine, mostly because Leah got super busy with personal stuff and couldn’t contribute as much as we’d originally hoped for. Non-poetically, Leah also did portions of chapter 2 (mostly the morning after stuff). 

My favourite chapter from a ~literary standpoint~ was probably chapter 9, because the framing of Yuuri’s journal was so much fun to do. It was a complete bitch to write, though, since I had to basically squash ~4 months of angst into one chapter. But I love that it paid off so well; everyone was super blown away by the reverse order of the journal entries haha. In terms of Viktuuri content my favourite is... good lord. Maybe 6? I got so much joy writing out their first date and kiss and all of that. 

No need to apologise for the questions! I love blabbering about my stuff; there’s like a bazillion things crammed into this fic that people don’t notice, or if they do they think they’re being annoying if they ask about it, which they’re not. So feel free to keep talking!

[localgayanimeboy]

Anime Overview 2018

So as the year comes to a close and this blog just gets started, I thought it would be interesting to look back on the shows I watched this year and just collect some general thoughts on them. I watched at least some of 14 anime this year, which is a decent number, considering the amount of schoolwork I’ve had and just my life in general, but I would have liked to watch a few more so that I would have more to talk about, but whatever. Note that some of these shows aren’t from 2018, I just watched them this year, so yeah I’m late to the party on a few things. None of this is actual analysis or anything either, just whatever came up over the past few days, so some of these are just a few short sentences and others are pretty long paragraphs.

Top 3, Aka: Shows with Unbelievably High Amounts of Fucked Up Shit Going On (in no particular order)

Devilman Crybaby: What even was this. Like, I know what it was, because I watched it twice, and enjoyed it both times. But what was this. Everything about this show was insane, and yet somehow it came together into something that was both incredible and mostly comprehensible. I will say that I was sad to discover that the whole show was not going to be rendered in the crazy color schemes from the first episode, but maybe it's better that way in the long run, and the more desaturated colors in the rest of the show also have an interesting effect, so I'm not really complaining. I also wish i had gotten around to reading the original manga at some point during the year, since I know it’s completely different, but alas, school kept me away from it, even though I have a physical copy of the first half waiting on my manga shelf. Other things: I fucking love the animation in this show. Its weird and kind of ugly, but I love it because it’s supposed to look like that and it works perfectly for portraying all of the crazy things that happen. The soundtrack also absolutely slaps, 10/10. If you ever want to feel depressed listen to the last song on this soundtrack, it’s guaranteed to work.

Made in Abyss: So pretty much everything about this show is amazing. Even if the plot and world building hadn’t been incredible (which they were), the soundtrack and the art would probably be enough to keep it on this list. I didn’t really know what to expect here other than “children climb into a giant hole filled with monsters”, and I definitely did not expect it to be one of the most existentially terrifying shows I had ever watched, but here we are. Part of this is the actual scale of the Abyss, which is a kilometer across and a completely unknown depth, part of it is the fact that a lot of the characters, including some of the adults, are really adorable and do not blend in with the atmosphere of the show at all, and a lot of it is the fact that I am willingly watching two 12 year olds get mutilated and traumatized by going to a place that one of them physically cannot return from. But I also could not stop watching all of this go down, which I think the show is very aware of since unlike the other two shows on this list, which usually censored some of the fucked up shit in some way, nothing here is covered up or cut away from (unless it absolutely had to be for TV reasons), so you’re just forced to deal with it (points for one scene literally making me want to throw up). I love this show and I am so hype for season 2 hopefully next year.

Banana Fish: If you read my review of this, then you might be thinking what I am also thinking right now, which is that it might not be fair for me to make this type of judgement on this show since I don’t feel like I have a good grasp on it yet. Which yeah, you’re right, but there were enough really strong elements in this show to make it stand out to me as something that was worth my time, and despite my many problems with its execution, I still love this series a lot and have no problem putting it on this list. Some of the other shows on the complete list were also very good and could have ended up in this spot; some of them may have even been better shows at a technical level, but when I get right down to it, this show affected me more than the others, and just fit better into my personal preferences. It’s here because I feel like once I do have a better grasp on it, it will have earned its place on this list. It’s complicated.

Bottom 3 (also in no particular order)

Darling in the Franxx: I don’t have much to say here because I only made it 5 episodes into this. Mecha anime is already not at all my jam, and this was just, awkward to watch. If you’re unfamiliar, giant robot monsters exist in a post apocalyptic world that can only be defeated by mechas piloted by pairs of teens sitting in not-so subtle sex positions. It’s uhhh, yeah, interesting. Apparently there were some themes about adolescence and sexuality to be found here, but either they were communicated extremely poorly or I didn’t watch enough to get to those themes. It doesn’t really matter though, because I have no intention of ever finishing this.

Kado: the Right Answer: I have a whole post about this show coming up, but in summary, the first half is a masterpiece, and the second half is so bad that it was all I could think about for about 3 days after finishing it because I was so mad about it. If you do not like CG anime, this show will also not work for you, although that’s really the least of its problems. Also, queerbaiting bad. I will say this though: if the concept of this show interests you, go watch episodes 0-7 and then write your own ending, I promise it will be better than what actually happens. If you’ve already watched all 14 episodes, I’m sorry.

ACCA 13: I honestly have no idea if I actually watched this show this year or late last year, but I remember being upset because the premise was pretty interesting, but it kind of took a weird turn that I wasn’t expecting. It isn’t necessarily a bad show, but of the ones I watched this year, it was just okay. I also put it on this list because I can’t really remember anything about it other than that, so maybe I would enjoy it if I watched it again, but since it didn’t stick with me the first time, that seems unlikely.

Other shows I watched (again:no particular order)

BNHA/MHA Season 3: It’s BNHA. If you’re watching it, cool. If not, also cool. Season 3 was good, as always. I don’t really know what else to say here.

Hinamatsuri: Spring 2018 was pretty good to us, and I generally liked this show, although I wish it had stuck to more comedy in the later episodes rather than shifting towards a serious plot structure. Yakuza man attempts to raise a preteen girl with psychic powers who just appears in his house. Chaos ensues. Love that. It was weird, and I don’t really have any serious complaints, so there it is.

Yoitsuiro Biyori: This is a show about 4 attractive dudes running a cafe. They have a very cute cat and help people with their minor life inconveniences. That’s pretty much it. And despite my love of fucked up shit in shows (see my top 3), I really enjoyed this one. Maybe more than I should have. It’s chill. There isn’t anything to complain about because there’s nothing going on. In fact, if I had to make one complaint, it’s that there are moments where they attempt to create drama for one of the main dudes. Stop that. Also a fun thing: you can feel free to ship none, all, or any combination of the main characters and all of these choices are justified by canon. I’ve rambled enough here. Watch this show.

Houseki no Kuni: Yes I’m late to the party here. I am aware. I’m not sure how I feel about this show yet though. I love the concept, and the animation looks pretty amazing for CG (also, that soundtrack… seriously good shit), but I can’t get over the fact that the plot structure of this show is just… weird? At the beginning I felt like I had a decent idea of what kinds of things would happen and what it would be about. And then it wasn’t that, which is fine. But I never felt like I had a good grasp on what it actually was, and by the end of the season, it had oddly looped back to the original concept anyways, which was confusing. I think this is just one I’m going to have to read the manga/wait on season 2 to fully understand, which is fine with me.

Gakkuen Babysitters: Similar to Yoitsuiro Biyori, there really isn’t much substance here to discuss. If watching teenage boys take care of disgustingly cute toddlers fits within your interests, then you’ll love this. If not, then there really isn’t anything here for you. Then again, I never would have imagined myself enjoying something like this, and I still had a pretty decent time with it, so maybe you’ll surprise yourself.

Baby Steps: Okay so I didn’t finish this, but I’m definitely planning to, because for some god forsaken reason I am in love with this show. I’ve never enjoyed sports anime, and this show looks like shit 99% of the time, but for some reason I could not stop watching it when I started it at the end of the summer, and ended up watching like 25 episodes in 2 or 3 days before I had to do something else. Why do I love this show from 2014 (I refuse to believe this was created in 2014 but I suppose I have to trust wikipedia here) about a high school student giving up his position as the smartest person in his class to learn to play tennis instead? It is a mystery to me. I don’t even know if I can really recommend it, but if you’re looking for sports anime, it's there I guess, just don’t expect it to look as good as pretty much any other sports anime.

Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens: Where do I even start with this show. I make no promises about if it is actually that good, but I do love it a lot (it would probably be #4 or #5 on the list). The concept here is that 3% of the population of the Hakata ward in Fukuoka are employed as hitmen, and from there you can probably assume with a good amount of certainty what kinds of outrageously wild situations end up occurring as a result. I don’t really know how to categorize this series, because on one hand I think a lot of it is completely serious, but on the other hand, there are multiple scenes in which the main characters, all of whom are hitmen or other criminals, get together and play baseball against other teams of criminals. And don’t get me wrong, the serious parts of the story are pretty good, but my favorite moments were things like the baseball scenes, where the show just does whatever the fuck it wants because why not? Even something that isn’t inherently weird or funny like trading business cards suddenly becomes the funniest thing ever because the reality of this series is that hitmen and torturers and all types of criminals run into each other on a regular basis and need a way to trade information about their services. It’s ridiculous and I love it.

Neo Yokio:How much of this did I watch? 1 episode. Do I feel mentally capable of watching another episode? Absolutely not. Did I enjoy my time with that 1 episode? I don’t know. I’m also not sure I didn’t enjoy it. This show defies categorization and maybe that’s okay. Is this even an anime? Uncertain.

And that’s it for this post! I’m already working on a bunch of stuff for 2019, so I should be able to post ~twice a month (that’s the goal, anyways), and the next Banana Fish review will hopefully be written by mid-January, so in case you haven’t seen me say enough about it yet, do not worry, there is a lot more. It’s sounding like my first anime of the year might be Forest of Piano because a friend recommended it to me earlier today (this may be surprising, but no I do not enjoy torturing myself with CG anime), so we’ll see how that goes and if there’s anything worth writing about. Anyways, Happy New Years everyone! Hopefully 2019 will be a good year for all of us!