#hope would always win

[andreal831]

What music do you think all of the Mikaelsons plus Hayley and Cami would listen to?

Ok, this was actually so hard. I tried to do both time period accurate but also today what they would listen to.

Elijah

Elijah would be super pretentious with it and pretend he only has a Spotify account to listen to classical music in the car, because of course live or vinyl is the only way music should be consumed. But we all know he was in his room listening to some Lana, Adele, Dean Lewis, etc. My boy likes to listen to music that makes him feel his sadness. He also really just appreciates well produced music so I think he would really enjoy Billie and Finneas. I also think he would really have liked music in the late 1900s. He would have really enjoyed The Beatles, Billy Joel, Queen, Journey, etc.

Elijah would be obsessed with Hozier. The lyrics, the storytelling, the music, the history. He would learn all of the songs on piano. He would also really like David Kushner and Dermot Kennedy.

No memories Elijah liked to dance and I can just see him really enjoying Conan Gray. He gets to dance and cry all at the same time. But come on, Family Line is his song.

Hayley

I've seen people say Hayley would love Taylor Swift, but she was far too much of a "pick me" for that. She would have been listening to more rock or angry music. The early 2010s were peak emo music. My girl would have been listening to My Chemical Romance, The All-American Rejects, Green Day, Foo Fighters, etc. But she would pretend they were too mainstream for her. She would tell people she only listens to her version of the classics: Metallica, Pantera, Iron Maiden, Avenged Sevenfold, etc.

As she got older, it would be less angsty, but still emotional. Some Halsey, Lorde, Alessia Cara. Hope would get her to listen to Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter, she would enjoy it but tell Hope she needs to listen to the classic. They would both really enjoy listening to Heart, Pat Benatar, and Janet Jackson together.

Klaus

I honestly can't picture Klaus listening to music unless he is painting. So it just depended on his mood and his painting. I could definitely see him painting to Lana and Christina Perri, maybe even some James Arthur. I could see him getting high, listening to Bob Marley or Pink Floyd and painting. He would have enjoyed classic rock.

Hope would try to get him into pop music but he would only listen to the ones he didn't consider basic. He would vibe with Noah Kahan and Phoebe Bridgers.

Cami

Cami was definitely a party girl in Undergrad. She took her classes seriously but she knew how to let loose on the weekends. She was an OG listener to Beyoncé, Rihanna, Charli xcx, etc. Cami would also really love women empowerment music. She would love JoJo (not Siwa, the original), Julia Michaels, Kesha, Lady Gaga.

We just know she would love Because I Liked a Boy since she literally lived it.

She would have loved Paris Paloma if she had lived long enough.

Rebekah

I'm struggling with Rebekah a little bit. But I think she would listen to more soft pop music. Like Julia Michaels, Rachel Chinouriri, Lewis Capaldi, Mariah Cary (her older music), etc. But Rebekah would eat up boy bands too. She would definitely have fan girl'ed for the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC had she not bee daggered during their prime. She would enjoy Harry Styles and Jess McCartney.

She would have been so mad at Klaus for keeping her daggered during the 90s girl bands. She would have been obsessed with Spice Girls and Destiny's Child.

Freya

I see Freya being a country pop girl. She would have been exposed to such little music each time she was awaken. But I think she would have really liked Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert, Dolly Parton, Kacey Musgraves, etc. She would be obsessed with Shania Twain. She would always stand up and dance to Man I feel like a Woman every time it came, loving living in a time where she could be a woman and free.

But she also liked to dance and have fun. She would have loved Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Sean Paul, Beyonce, etc. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter would be on repeat. But she would be willing to listen to anything. Hope would constantly be showing her new music.

She would love Chappell Roan, Renee Rapp, Kehlani, Fletcher, Muna, Hayley Kiyoko, Towa Bird, etc. Any sapphic artist.

Kol

All I know about Kol is that he doesn't like Icelandic folk music. He would like slow music to dance to and then just whatever Davina liked. Davina would be introducing him to Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, etc., and whatever club music Josh was listening to.

Also, just Kol listening to Rude by MAGIC! on repeat because we know Marcel never warmed up to him.

If they all had lived, Josh, Cami, Freya, Davina, and Kol would have been obsessed with Brat.

Finn

I don't know if Finn ever lived long enough to enjoy music. I think music would honestly be so overwhelming to him. He went from music being a harp and lute to the insane production we have today. I think just starting him off listening to Chopin or Mozart before throwing him into Ariana Grande would be wise. This man wouldn't even know what a piano is. I think he would eventually enjoy more soul or jazz music. Like Leon Bridges, Etta James, Frank Ocean. Especially being in New Orleans. He would like to go to jazz bars and just discover new artists.

Hope

Hope would get all of these people listening to modern music. She would be dragging them to go see Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, etc. And I just know her and Freya would go see Chappell.

What do you all think? This is really interesting.

[inkskinned]

one of the things that's the most fucking frustrating for me about arguing with climate change deniers is the sheer fucking scope of how much it matters. sweating in my father's car, thinking about how it's the "hottest summer so far," every summer. and there's this deep, roiling rage that comes over me, every time.

the stakes are wrong, is the thing. that's part of what makes it not an actual debate: the other side isn't coming to the table with anything to fucking lose.

like okay. i am obviously pro gun control. but there is a basic human part of me that can understand and empathize with someone who says, "i'm worried that would lead to the law-abiding citizens being punished while criminals now essentially have a superpower." i don't agree, but i can tell the stakes for them are also very high.

but let's say the science is wrong and i'm wrong and the visible reality is wrong and every climate disaster refugee is wrong. let's say you're right, humans aren't causing it or it's not happening or whatever else. let's just say that, for fun.

so we spend hundreds of millions of dollars making the earth cleaner, and then it turns out we didn't need to do that. oops! we cleaned the earth. our children grow up with skies full of more butterflies and bees. lawns are taken over with rich local biodiversity. we don't cry over our electric bills anymore. and, if you're staunchly capitalist and i need to speak ROI with you - we've created so many jobs in developing sectors and we have exciting new investment opportunities.

i am reminded of kodak, and how they did not make "the switch" to digital photography; how within 20 years kodak was no longer a household brand. do we, as a nation, feel comfortable watching as the world makes "the switch" while we ride the laurels of oil? this boggles me. i have heard so much propaganda about how america cannot "fall behind" other countries, but in this crucial sector - the one that could actually influence our own monopolies - suddenly we turn the other cheek. but maybe you're right! maybe it will collapse like just another silicone valley dream. but isn't that the crux of capitalism? that some economies will peter out eventually?

but let's say you're right, and i'm wrong, and we stopped fracking for no good reason. that they re-seed quarries. that we tear down unused corporate-owned buildings or at least repurpose them for communities. that we make an effort, and that effort doesn't really help. what happens then? what are the stakes. what have we lost, and what have we gained?

sometimes we take our cars through a car wash and then later, it rains. "oh," we laugh to ourselves. we gripe about it over coffee with our coworkers. what a shame! but we are also aware: the car is cleaner. is that what you are worried about? that you'll make the effort but things will resolve naturally? that it will just be "a waste"?

and what i'm right. what if we're already seeing people lose their houses and their lives. what if it is happening everywhere, not just in coastal towns or equatorial countries you don't care about. what if i'm right and you're wrong but you're yelling and rich and powerful. so we ignore all of the bellwethers and all of the indicators and all of the sirens. what if we say - well, if it happens, it's fate.

nevermind. you wouldn't even wear a mask, anyway. i know what happens when you see disaster. you think the disaster will flinch if you just shout louder. that you can toss enough lives into the storm for the storm to recognize your sacrifice and balk. you argue because it feels good to stand up against "the liberals" even when the situation should not be political. you are busy crying for jesus with a bullhorn while i am trying to usher people into a shelter. you've already locked the doors, even on the church.

the stakes are skewed. you think this is some intellectual "debate" to win, some funny banter. you fuel up your huge unmuddied truck and say suck it to every citizen of that shitbird state california. serves them right for voting blue!

and the rest of us are terrified of the entire fucking environment collapsing.

[jonsnowunemploymentera]

In the whole “what would the Starks do if Jon’s parentage ever came to light” debate, the most interesting figure to me is Robb Stark. Ned is already caught between a rock and a hard place: duty and love to both his king and his sister’s son, though he already committed treason once to save Lyanna’s boy. Catelyn the embodiment of the Tully words, “family, duty, honor”, is fiercely loyal to her husband and children - but not to Jon. So if she was ever put in a position to choose, it’s obvious what she would do. Then there’s Robb. He’s his father’s heir, his mother’s pride. He’s named after Robert Baratheon, the ruling king of the seven kingdoms, as a testament to his father’s upbringing and love for his friend. But Jon is his brother; his best friend; his greatest companion. Where Ned’s choice would leave him conflicted, Robb doesn’t share the same loyalty to the king. So when forced to fight for the crown or his brother’s life, he’d obviously choose his brother. Which would be an interesting twist of fate. Ned and Robert rebelled for their lives many years prior. How interesting it would be for the boy who bears Robert’s name and the boy who bears Ned’s face to rise in rebellion again.

[shinixgami]

Bleach x Twice

Younha - houki boshi by kangnam with Twice nayeon, jihyo (bleach ending 3)

[horsemeatluvr23]

the juppet !! i just realised he is jerma posing i swear that was unintentional...... i spent so long digging thru muppet concept art and looking at old puppet designs just to end up doing a rly simple drawing but. i love joehills!! i have only been watching them for like 4 years but their videos r so special to me :3

[chirpsythismorning]

Milkvans complaining about bylers not mentioning Finn’s response about about the monologue is so funny, as if it didn’t support byler endgame even more 🤣

Finn saying I think he knows she thinks all this, bc I think there’s a reason why he says it, is because she— she— he’s been waiting to say it for a long time and she’s been waiting for him to say it for a long time. I think it’s an interesting thought, having that reciprocated. Yeah I think so. I don’t… I don’t know. I would hope… idk… great question and thought tho…

Like he literally cuts himself off before implying that Mike knows how El feels and that she wanted him to say I love you for a while, which is the very reason why he said it in the first place, despite seasons of attempting to say it, stalling repeatedly, only to fail each time up until now when there was literally no option not to in his eyes…

How is that a milkvan win?…

Not only that, but he didn’t make it sound hopeful for their future either. It’s still up in the air according to him. He makes a point of just saying interesting question over and over, only to not actually come up with an answer…

The assumption for many viewers, specifically milkvans, is that everything is great for Mike and El right now bc the monologue fixed everything. If that’s the case why does Finn end that question on a sort of question mark with it still up in the air? Least of all when you’re dealing with a queer ship on the other end, with him making much more of an effort to imply that it will be addressed. It’ll pay off vs. idk?…

This is like the casts reaction to the monologue all over again. The interviewer asked about Mike and El’s future and Finn basically danced around it saying he’s looking forward to all of their endings and is mostly interested to know if Mike will stay in Hawkins, adding at the end that he hopes Mike and El you know, find… happiness.

He’s always giving answers that work both ways. Byler endgame still fits in with whatever he says, whether milkvans want to acknowledge that or not.

Otherwise there would be no reason for him to try so hard to be ambiguous about Mike and El’s feelings, as if it’s this big spoiler… unless what’s about to go down is something most the audience won’t expect…

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Happy Pride month everyone B*) Allow me to reveal a little behind the scenes detail behind my Banner and Icon. Love was always winning <3

[greenerteacups]

hi GT!

Lionheart had me the moment you kicked it off with “it’s a nice day to start again.” Might i ask why you chose that particular line?

And, if you havent already answered to this emoji:

❄️

P.s: you have my eternal gratitude for creating the most brilliant piece of writing i’ll ever read. I shout about it from the rooftops, share it on my socials, requested my spouse to read it so we may discuss it together (in lieu of a present for my 30th birthday), et cetera.

I see from your URL you are a fellow lad of taste.

There's a couple things going on in the epigraph for Book 1. On one level, it's a lyric from the first muggle song I picture Draco listening to on his walkman at the end of the book, so there's a cute full-circle thing there. The second layer is the theme of change and redemption, which, in Lionheart, doesn't so much come from major moments or self-sacrifice, but from the slow, grueling, everyday work of living, and living better. It's a nice day to start again because every day is. You always have the opportunity to start making better choices, no matter what lies behind you. That's the thesis of any Draco redemption arc, right? You have to imagine that he could have chosen to be better.

And then thirdly, there's the audacity of doing a full Hogwarts canon rewrite, a good 30 years after the original books came out, millions upon millions of words of fanfic later, and basically asking everyone to read the same story they did the first time around, only different. So it's a kind of winking entreaty. It's saying to readers, many of whom are understandably wary of doing it over, zeroing out the characters to starting positions, and starting from the beginning with 11-year-olds all over again. It's going: "hey. That was fun, right? Why not do it again?"

[bandzboy]

it’s so insane how some of the ot6 fans are reacting to the news of seunghan coming back because i think for a while, they really thought they won. they thought he was gonna be another idol who was gonna get kicked out for doing normal human shit that for some reason, bothers them to the core. things he did PRE DEBUT were bothersome to this people.

but then, he came back. if it wasn’t for the members constantly supporting him behind the scenes and the fans who were constantly reminding sm that they cared about him and wanted him back then maybe this wouldn’t happen and it’s truly sad to think how these crazy fans who have no life almost controlled the narrative yet again.

i am glad seunghan was not another victim of this. it must have taken a lot of courage and self determination to continue despite being slandered by the media and the ot6 fans and also other kpop stans. all of this to say, that i hope another situation like this doesn’t happen again. it’s too normal in this industry to punish idols for being human but i hope this starts a shift in the right direction

[elliscousland]

okay so tonight I sat down & drew & scribbled a bunch of drafts in my notebook to decompress and it definitely helped. It was really difficult to write at home but I think being in the mountains & hiking and spending time with loved ones has helped me a lot. I’m supposed to go home Wednesday & I’m going to see how going home affects me, but I’m hoping that I will be able to do some writing & engage in my hobbies when I get home ❤️

[skitskatdacat63]

Boy King AU | Vettonso + Martian | 1.3k

There's something about putting the future emperor of the Holy Realm on his knees like this. About how easily he goes, how willingly, how obediently. What would his adoring public think if they could see him now. If they saw their beloved king pressed down like this, in the cramped space between Fernando's legs. When they realized their little boy king took it like he was a little concubine instead. 

Fernando's bitterness is lifted away in moments like these, like taking off a heavy cloak on a winter's day. It was hard to feel humiliated about his own situation when watching Sebastian debase himself like this. 

He always gives himself up so easily. When Fernando threaded his fingers through his thick curls. When he pulled them, and then when he pressed his face down further down into the vee of his legs.  Sebastian rubbed his cheek into the coarse fabric of Fernando's breeches and blinked up at him. Fernando had to smother an embarrassing sound; he was just like a little cat!

Sebastian quirked his lips up into an odd little smile and slightly rose up on his knees, "What's funny?" Fernando swallowed lightly and schooled his face back into being impassive, "Nothing. As you were." Sebastian simply smirked at him and let himself be pushed back down by the fist clenched in his hair. 

Fernando scoffed internally, there was only so much pleasure in putting the other man in his place when he instead acted like this, this degrading action, was his birthright. He took to ruling and indulging in carnal pleasures as if they were of equal gravity. To be privileged to hold such high station and also let himself be taken apart like this…Fernando felt embarrassed for him.

He is dragged away from his musings when Sebastian moved to settle his hands in Fernando's lap, clutching his hips over the fabric and slightly squeezing; Fernando fought against the urge to shiver. Sebastian pushed up the skirt of Fernando's waistcoat and smoothed his hands over the opening flap of his breeches.

His eyes darted up at Fernando again, a daft smile on his face. Fernando scowled at him, "What?" Seb's grin sharpened, "You could stand to be a little more gracious. This is your future emperor, and future husband might I add, kneeling for you on this dirty, depraved, derelict- ah–" Fernando tugged on his hair again and hissed, "Well then, why don't you show me how eager you are to perform your marital duties?" 

Seb licked his lips, completely unconcerned by Fernando's annoyance, and unbuttoned one side of the closure to Fernando's breeches and moved to open the other–

The door to the carriage flew open, arrival announcement dying on a wheezing breath as the servant took in the image the two kings made. One splayed across the seat, exuding power, the other kneeled, debauched, between the former's legs. 

One would be hard pressed to determine which was higher on the totem of power and titles. 

There was something gratifying about this to Fernando, about being caught. He had been humiliated enough throughout the entire courtship, what was one more thing? And, certainly, what was one more thing if he could drag Sebastian down into the dirt with him. 

"Oh Mark, don't act so abashed! It's nothing you haven't seen before, in fact, we have been in this very position not even a fortnight ago!"

Oh. Yes. That. 

It was hard to be completely pleased when he remembered how Sebastian had already spent years prior to their engagement sampling the palace's ample selection of fellow high-born men. And how all those men seemed to be completely and utterly wrapped around his little finger.

Fernando released his hand from Sebastian's hair as if it had burned him. He did not understand why he felt ashamed with Mark looking in on them like this. Fernando was the one marrying Sebastian, not Mark; Mark was just a lowly courtier who had the esteemed duty of spending practically every waking hour with the brat…something he himself was decidedly not looking forward to. 

Sebastian stayed kneeling, staring impassively up at Mark, still fiddling with the clasp on Fernando's breeches. Fernando gritted his teeth and looked up from where he was watching Sebastian's clever little hands; Mark stared back at him placidly. 

Mark's indifference made the entire situation worse. Fernando now felt as if he was not doing anything unique, not doing anything particularly new. How many other men had Mark caught Seb with in this exact position? Fernando felt like he was just another plaything of the boy king, soon to be boy emperor, except his position was forever, permanent. He was the "Kept King", the king who only kept his throne due to the whims of a boy who doesn't even understand what power is.

Mark coughed, "Well," he says, "Your Majesty, I do believe you have a meeting to attend." Seb pouted at him and whined, "We were just getting to the main course," but still braced himself on Fernando's thighs and got up off the carriage floor. 

Seb pranced down the steps Mark had placed next to the carriage, miming tripping sown the stairs, snickering when his action made Mark reflexively reach out to grab him, and then playfully skipped off the final step. 

Fernando couldn't help but stare as Mark made the weirdest grimace in response, and he inexplicably felt all his mortification seep away from him. Huh. Maybe Mark is-

Seb then turned around and frowned at him, seemingly disappointed, but his eyes are deceivingly sharp, "Fernando, I regret to inform you that I have other duties I must attend to, you will simply have to wait." He then grinned up at Mark next to him and giggled as the other man stiffened when Sebastian looped both of his arms through Mark's. 

He leaned all his weight on the other man, Mark not so much as shifting his weight, "Oh Mark, won't you carry me back to the palace? I'm so very tired after all the horse riding," Seb looked up at him imploringly.

Fernando observed as Mark rolled his eyes and shrugged off the man, though notably not pulling his arm from Seb's grasp, and he got the distinct feeling that this exact scene had been played out countless times before. 

Fernando clenched his jaw as he watched Seb turn and saunter off, Mark trotting alongside him like a loyal dog. Fernando was supposed to be the unaffected one in this partnership, the unflustered one, the unconcerned one. And yet here he stood, in broad daylight, in a foreign kingdom, on the steps of a carriage with his breeches half unbuttoned and his cravat in disarray. 

He heard a cough from beside him, jolted and looked to the side. Sebastian's loyal Horse Master stood there, lounging against the side of the carriage. Fernando had forgotten who had even been driving the carriage in the first place. After Seb has let himself be pushed down, his hair still windswept from their ride together, everything else seemed to fade away. His thoughts were reduced only to how he could mess up the younger man's hair further. 

Jenson grinned at him wolfishly, and casually crossed his legs,  "First time?" he inquired. Fernando glared at him. The other man laughed openly at him, "What? He's a busy man with big prospects. You're not his majesty's only conquest, you know. Now your throne on the other hand…"

Fernando seethed, it was one thing to be humiliated by the future emperor, but to be patronized by the king's horse boy? No. It would simply not do. He closed his eyes in annoyance, pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaled, and prepared a speech about how he was not about to be talked down to by a man who didn't even have a throne to speak of! 

But when he opened his eyes again and opened his mouth to begin his tirade, Jenson was already wandering away to tend to the horses. Dios mío, Fernando was not mentally prepared to spend the rest of his life with all of these impertinent morons. 

[coygs]

pre-last day of the premier league season depression is setting in HARD

[perpetuallyfive]

what moving forward really looks like

I’ve seen some discussions of g witch that seem to focus on the idea that in a capitalist hellscape with fascist undertones around every corner, there can’t be objective morality, so who can say what actions are truly good or bad.

And while I do think the show rejects overly binary thinking, it seems to me that the idea that your past mistakes aren’t really mistakes because you had no other choices goes entirely against the point it is making more overtly week to week. The show doesn’t want to engage in really simplistic moralizing of “this was a bad thing so this is an innately bad person.” I agree with that.

However, I do think the show wants to make the point that even in the worst circumstances, in a truly horrific world surrounded by relentless destruction, it’s possible to make your own choices for yourself that work toward being better and doing good, no matter what you may have done or experience before. That objective good can exist and is worth striving for, despite the horror around you, despite the murkiness in charting that course.

This episode both Miorine and Suletta model the idea that in order to truly move forward you must accept your past. A focus on revenge can keep you looking back but so can self-flagellation. If you become overly consumed with guilt, you won’t move beyond the mistakes you regret, which makes the remorse more selfish than productive. In order to grow, in order to do anything right, you have to accept the responsibility of your mistakes but you also very literally have to move beyond them.

Likewise, you have to learn to accept your pain, the things that have deeply hurt you, and you have to want to move past that pain in order to be anything more than an accumulation of agonies. Prospera’s quest for revenge is a motivation entirely derived from her past. Every time she “moves forward” she is actually looking back, focused forever on her own pain. That’s why the daughter in the machine — the child who never got to grow up — is more real to her than the one she has raised into her teenage years. Because those were years Eri never experienced, that is a truth the past her never knew.

Suletta’s accomplishments and chances for a happy and successful life — not to mention the objective good they could do as GUND-ARM, Inc. — is all secondary to the memory of her dead daughter forever stuck as data that can’t grow up, can’t move on. Both Eri and Prospera are stuck 21 years in the past, unable to mature or change or evolve. She doesn’t know how to change course, because to her that would would mean letting go; it would be a betrayal.

But Suletta demonstrates an ability to acknowledge where you came from, what you have experienced, how it has shaped you, and to still make choices of your own beyond that, to still chart her own path. In these last several episodes, Suletta has chosen to move beyond her regrets and anxieties and accept that all the things that have happened have made her the person who is here ready to take her next steps forward, where truly the only thing she is guaranteed to gain — in spite of all she risks — is growth.

Even though she thinks she learned the idea of moving forward from her mother, it’s very clear that Suletta has actually learned a more tangible way to gain two by actually learning to change and to grow. I’m not sure a more stark example of “do as I say, not as I do” has ever really existed.

[seokmattchuus]

SHUT UP WE'RE REALLY GETTING BOTH FINALS NEXT WEEK ??

[sleepyorchidmonster]

There is one thing that bugs me to no end in TWST, and it's the lack of RSA characters.

I know we're focusing on NRC, but the endgame is fast approaching, which means Interschool Magift tournament in the next arcs.

And wouldn't it be great if we had at least one RSA character parallelling each dorm? For maximum rivalry.

So far, there's only Chen'ya, Neige, and maybe Rielle for Heartslabyul, Pomefiore and Octavinelle, respectively. Which means we still need representatives for Savanaclaw, Scarabia, Ignihyde, Diasomnia and Ramshackle....

I know we'll probably meet them later on, but it can be tricky to add five new characters to the plot in one go, especially if you want to flesh out their relationships with the cast (we usually only get one or two characters per event, like Rollo or the hometown characters. And Neige was basically the main point of conflict in Book 5).

[good-beanswrites]

Hello!! If you're still taking requests for that drabble game, might I request either Strength with Kotoko + Mikoto or Weak with Amane + Futa? It's fine if you aren't doing it anymore, of course

I've been in this fanbase since trial one and out of all the things I've read, your writing is probably amongst my favorite! (Even if I haven't finished going through it all yet...) I hope you have a splendid day! <3

!!!!! You are so kind waaahh this completely made my day, thank you ;---; I'm so glad you're enjoying omg ✨And thanks for these, they were really cool and fitting combos!! I tried to do a dual-perspective of Kotoko and Mikoto's pre-T2 fight, and I posted the one for Weak below.

Strength can manifest in a variety of ways, not just physically. Kotoko had a strong determination, for example. Mikoto had a powerful way with people. She showed solid self control and willpower. He held to strict deadlines and routines. She maintained a sharp intelligence. He upheld an unshakeable resolve.

Also, they were both ridiculously physically strong.

The pair came to this realization around the same time. They’d gotten a taste of the others’ power when clashing in the interrogation room, but it had begun suddenly and ended just as quickly. This time was different. They stood in the center of the panopticon, with the echoing space to themselves. As Kotoko swung a punch toward Mikoto, and he caught her against his forearms, they had a moment to gauge the other’s muscle. 

Kotoko stared into his eyes, which had a different sort of awareness to them now. He’s more coordinated, she thought, he must not be the same one I faced before. He’s leaning on the strength in his arms -- he’s not using his legs to their fullest potential. It doesn’t matter, given the raw force of his blows. Has he trained for fights, or just built his muscles in general? 

Mikoto stared into her eyes, returning her fiery gaze. Fuck, this lady’s strong.

She wound up again. He retaliated quickly. She shoved his back into the guard’s tower. He sidestepped her next attack. 

He didn’t really care why his fellow prisoner had come charging at him swinging, but she made sure he knew.

“The warden may not be able to administer punishments,” she said in between timed breaths, “so they entrusted me with that responsibility. This is justice, for the lives you’ve taken. You won’t be able to hurt anyone else.”

He broke into harsh laughter. “You’re one crazy motherfucker! You’re the only person hurting anyone.” He tried to grab her, but she slipped from his arms. His eyes narrowed, laughter dying away with unsettling speed. “But there’s no way in hell I’m letting you hurt me.”

Kotoko was struck by the way he said it. Her voice had shaken with the very same determination when putting herself between an innocent citizen and some creep. It was how she felt now, trying to keep his violent hands away from the other prisoners. There were children here, weak and scared. Es themself was just a child, and had already suffered his violence. She refused to let this villain cause any more pain. “I’m doing what needs to be done. You’re nothing but a murderous monster.” She swung her fist.

Mikoto caught her by the wrist, forcing her to look at the blood caked in her hand. He didn’t know whose it was, but it wasn't either of theirs. “You’re the fucking monster!” He shoved her backwards. “And I’m gonna kill you for it…!”

He didn’t know how she could think she was the hero in this whole situation. He was the one protecting someone else. 

Neither held back. Mikoto wheezed as her boots connected. Kotoko cringed as Mikoto landed a solid hit on her face. There was some shouting from the hallway. Their resolves hardened. Mikoto wasn’t going to let anyone else threaten him. Kotoko wasn’t going to let him threaten anyone else. They were strong, they reminded themselves. They had to end this now.

The two charged at one another. A moment before they were set to collide, they both cried out in pain. Blinding white light flooded the dark panopticon. They clutched their eyes, stumbling away from one another. A figure shoved through, planting himself between them.

“Stop this, both of you!” It was Kazui.

“Get outta my way,” Mikoto growled.

“This is not your concern,” Kotoko said, blinking in the light. 

The spotlight in the guard’s tower had been switched on, pointed directly at them. Kazui remained in place. “That’s enough. Look at yourselves, for god’s sake!”

Under the harsh light, they now saw the sort of state they were in. Mikoto’s uniform had torn in new places, blood seeping through. He could taste some in his mouth, too. Kotoko’s face was cut. Her leg ached. They stood covered in bruises, panting. 

“Go back to your cells,” Kazui commanded. “We’ll sort this out in the morning.”

Kotoko squared her shoulders. “There’s nothing to sort out. He’s a murderer. I won’t lose to him.”

“This bitch tried to kill me. I’m not letting her get away with it.”

“I don’t care.” Kazui said simply. “Call it a draw. You’ll both tear yourselves apart if you keep going.”

They continued staring at one another as if their gaze alone could take them to the ground, but neither moved to fight. 

Mikoto felt a pang of guilt. Lost in adrenaline, he didn’t realize how banged up he was. He thought of how much pain he’d experience in the upcoming days. The whole point was to save himself from harm. 

Kotoko cursed Kazui for interrupting her. As one of the forgiven, he was supposed to be on her side. Even if he wasn’t honorable enough to see her as an ally, she’d have to be the bigger person. She wouldn’t threaten him. 

Neither was happy about conceding, but couldn't think of a better option given their end goals.

Kazui remained between them as they stalked off to their respective cells.

“A temporary draw,” Kotoko muttered to Mikoto. She flashed a grin that felt more like an animal baring its teeth.

He returned the smile. “You won't be so lucky next time.”