#i support max's right but most importantly i support his wrongs.

[versatancore]

lando takes everything he said back and tries to make himself forgive everytime he's done something while max doesn't even change his sentences is so funny to me

[souvenir116]

I've got two sides, let's speak about the second move on Lando. I think this is over the limit. I also think that whoever in his (Max's position) might just do the same. We are fighting for a world title. Today Max feels that the car is not as good as the start of the season. My opinion, (what Max did is) understandable.

he really said its over the limit and I support Max's rights but most importantly also his wrongs 😭

[uniquexusposts]

Her || Charles

Main characters: Charles Leclerc x OC Genre: fanfiction, fluff  Story type: novel  Part: 14/? Word count: 3144 Co writer: @mistrose23

Story summary: Matilde Jørgensen, the new Scuderia Ferrari team principal, faced the nerve-wracking challenge of reviving the team's fortunes and aiming for a championship. Leading a historic team as a 'newbie' and separating her work and personal opinions posed a significant challenge. The big question: is she capable to do so?

Previous chapter

Chapter 12. You Don't Trust Me

The race on Sunday was a race that people were looking forward to. It was a perfect weekend for Ferrari so far; Charles qualified on pole, and Carlos would start from P2. Everyone had hope, hope that they could take the win home. But most importantly, Charles could break his curse. Unfortunately, Arthur was still affected with the Leclerc curse at their home Grand Prix, he had DNF'ed towards the end of the race.

There was pressure resting on Ferrari. They wanted to win, they were eager to win. It felt like they were in Miami again; the dynamic within the team was positive and energetic, but this time, it was real. They were one team, no one was left out.

Before the race, Charles almost couldn't control his nerves. The flawless weekend in Monte Carlo was new to him, he never got the chance to finish it flawless. If it wasn't a mechanical failure, it was a crash. He didn't want to let his friends and family down. He wanted to make them proud. He wanted to make the people of Monaco proud, and his fans, who supported him dearly here in Monaco. There was no way he could afford to fail. Again. Charles could make it, he was confident about it.

From the moment the lights went out, Charles and Carlos executed perfect starts. The Ferrari's roared to life, and they shot forward with precision, entering the first turn perfectly. Charles took the lead, showing his skills. As they navigated through the streets of Monaco, there was an air of confidence around both drivers that could be felt even through the TV screens.

The circumstances weren't too perfect, though. The weather played a big role during the Grand Prix. it threatened to rain multiple times, it could ruin everything. Matilde was monitoring everything closely, nothing would go wrong under her watch.

The team's strategy was spot-on. Pit stops were executed with military precision and exemplary tyre management. Charles and Carlos communicated succinctly with their engineers, providing feedback that allowed them to make real-time and quick adjustments to the cars.

Unfortunately, there was an incident with Carlos and Checo. Checo wanted to overtake Carlos, but his tyres locked up, and he touched Carlos. They both dropped down to the fifth and sixth position, behind Ocon. It was frustrating to the team, mostly because it wasn't a mistake from the team or Carlos, but a racing incident. Matilde was disappointed, but she had to keep her head up for Charles, who was delivering outstanding results.

As the laps counted down, the gap between Charles and Max grew. Every time the drivers passed the crowd, they erupted in cheers. The ambience felt special, it felt like everyone was eagerly waiting for this victory. Matilde felt the pressure coming up, just like the nerves. It would be amazing if she could deliver this home victory to Charles, but little did she know what was about to happen in lap 65.

"I want to switch to new softs," Charles said over the board radio. "I want to go for the fastest lap."

Matilde's eyes shot to the times and other data; he had no chance. Her eyebrows were slightly raised, and she bit her upper lip. She looked at Xavi, waiting for his answer.

"Negative," Xavi replied.

Matilde nodded, the only right answer. As much as she wanted to give Charles a grand slam, it was impossible to do so. Xavi's response was in line with their strategy, and she couldn't afford to gamble that would make a difference between a win and not.

"I'm gliding on these tyres," Charles mentioned again. "We're losing time as well."

"Negative," Xavi said again. "We will not take the risk. We stick to plan A."

"I am losing time because of the tyres."

"You're not losing time. Stay out."

"I am losing time. I want new softs," Charles clarified.

Matilde took a deep breath, and she looked annoyed. What part of the 'we will not take the risk' does he not understand?

"I want to take the risk and go for the fastest lap," Charles explained again.

"Negative."

"I'm coming in," Charles repeated, his frustration clear in his voice.

It was time for Matilde to stir. She felt a pang of irritation. She knew Charles was a fierce competitor, especially now he was about to win his home Grand Prix after a faultless weekend, but right now, he couldn't afford a pit stop. "Stay out, I repeat, stay out," she replied on the board radio, her irritation subtle creeping into her tone.

"I am losing time!" Charles protested.

"We do not have a free pit stop." She looked at his position on the track. "If you pit right now, you will end up behind Max with a gap of five seconds. There will be no chance to overtake him in the time that is left," she sternly said. Her eyes shot to the data; yes, Max was gaining time every lap, but Charles didn't lose time. By the time they finish, Charles would still be far ahead of Max if he stayed out. Matilde's eyes darted to the pits, the Ferrari crew was ready with fresh tyres. "If you come in, you will lose your chance for a victory. Stay out," she mentioned again, her patience wearing thin. "Abort this pitstop."

The pit stop crew were stepping inside the garage again, exactly what Matilde told them to do. She looked back at the screens again, Charles was pushing, exactly what he needed to do if he wanted a free pit stop. Seconds passed, and everything looked great again.

"... I'm already in."

Matilde's face straightened, and she looked at her screen; indeed, he had entered the pits. She turned around and saw a red car approaching their garage. "Are you serious?" she mumbled to herself, looking disapprovingly at Charles, who now stopped. She ignored his rant over the board radio, letting it all happen. The pit crew panicked and ran out with the fresh tyres. Matilde looked down, seeing how the guys struggled. Malicious pleasure, this was an almost malicious pleasure.

To make matters worse, the right rear tyre didn't want to go on. They were struggling. Matilde could only look at it and think how unnecessary this was. After a good twenty extra seconds, the tyre was on, and Charles drove away. It was silent, completely silent. Matilde's eyes followed the car to the exit. She turned around, facing the data and standings.

P5.

"No, no, no! Fuck!" Charles yelled.

Consequences of his own actions, she thought. This hurt. She couldn't help but feel annoyed at how a possible win had slipped away. The camera filmed how the crew in the garage reacted: they were bummed. She felt a camera on her, filming her reaction; she wanted to laugh and yell at the same time, but she told him not to come in, and this was not her mistake.

The data continued to roll in. Carlos moved a position up, making him a podium candidate. He was pushing, closing the gap with Alonso, trying to take the second position from him. Charles was pushing hard, trying to regain his lost positions during the disastrous pit stop. However, time was running out, and the gap between the cars in front of him was significant.

As the laps ticked away, Charles managed to close the gap with Ocon, but he couldn't pass him. It was a bummer that the victory that had seemed so certain earlier in this race had slipped through his fingers. Charles finished fifth, and Carlos was third. It wasn't the result the team hoped for, but the third position was the best they could accept this weekend. Matilde thanked the entire team for their performances and left the pit wall.

On the way to the podium, Matilde ran into Sylvia. They made eye contact.

"Expression," Sylvia said, pointed at her face and passed her.

Matilde straightened her face, trying to keep it neutral. She knew she had a face that was easy to read, but she had no idea it was that obvious. And apparently, her face showed what she thought during the race. When she entered the track, many people were already applauding Max, who got out of his car. Matilde decided to stand in the back, she didn't want to face the media and show her face. She wanted to give the team the celebration, they were standing in the front for Carlos.

"So, eh..." Christian found Matilde in the crowd and stood next to her. "What happened?"

"The Monaco curse," Matilde casually replied.

His eyebrows raised.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked in front of her. "It's a circus," she concluded and shook her head.

He leaned closer to her. "They can read lips, you know," he whispered.

"Consequences of his own actions."

"You can't really say that as team principal, Matilde. You can think it, not say it."

Her eyebrows raised, and she looked at her former boss. The man was known for openly sharing his opinions. "I'm saying this as Matilde, a supporter of the sport, to a friend. You will not hear me say this in the media or in front of the team."

Christian looked at her; he was impressed. He knew her as a sweet woman who barely shared her thoughts. Now she turned into a confident woman with an opinion, she showed no insecurities. A real leader.

"What?"

"Nothing," Christian said.

"But, eh, what was that? With Checo?" She looked unamused at him. Christian's eyes widened. She shook her head in disappointment. "It's a shame. Again."

"We haven't had a chance to speak to our drivers yet. It's too soon to speak."

"Yeah," she mumbled. "We will talk." Matilde looked at him, sharing a waitingful look before snorting when she saw his smile, a playful smile, he still couldn't accept the fact how much she had grown into a leader in a couple of months. "No, but for real, I don't accept this - professional-wise."

"We will talk," he repeated. "But hey, I wanted to ask if you want to join us for dinner tonight. Toto and Susie are coming as well."

Matilde let out a smirk. "You and Toto?" She turned to him. "Secret bromance?"

"Get out of here," he responded immediately. "No, Geri and Susie organised something. We are just being good husbands."

She nodded. "Thank you, but I will have to pass. You have no idea how much trouble I got into the last time I went out with you."

"Was it that bad?"

She blew up her cheeks and looked at him with a 'you don't want to know' look. "Maybe next time, but I really appreciate it." Matilde gave a nod to the front. "Go to your team, celebrate the victory."

Christian padded her shoulder. "Have a good word with your team before leaving."

Matilde looked at him when he walked away. Of course, she would have a good word with her team. Her eyes shot to the podium, she clapped and smiled proudly when Carlos entered the podium, she was still satisfied with the result. It may not be the win they were hoping and aiming for and definitely not the position, but at least one of the Ferrari drivers ended up on the podium after a difficult battle. When Alonso entered the podium, she also clapped. As a supporter, she liked to see Alonso on the podium - she grew up watching him as one of the best on the grid. And then Max, she smiled again and clapped. She grew up with Max at Red Bull, they were close friends, and she was proud of him. The Dutch and Austrian anthems blew through the speakers; once, they were anthems, Matilde lived for.

After the ceremony, Matilde went to Carlos to congratulate him on the podium. They had a brief chat about the race and the slightly disappointing result. Matilde said she was still satisfied with his performance and how helpful he was to the team throughout the race. Then, she told him to go to the media pen for the interviews. Once she arrived in the paddock, she got stopped for an interview with Sky Sports Italy.

"Matilde, there was a dramatic moment when Carlos collided with Checo. Can you tell us something about it?"

Matilde's expression was serious. "The incident was unfortunate, especially in the position Sainz was racing in. He lost some positions, but he managed to make it up and ended up on the podium. We still have to talk about it during the debrief, so I can't share much."

The reporter then asked about the disastrous pit stop. "What happened? How did it go wrong? It seemed to create a lot of tension between you and Charles. Can you talk us through the moment?"

Matilde maintained her professionalism, but couldn't hide a glance of disappointment. "Unfortunately, I cannot give you a comment on it. That is something the team and I have to talk about first."

"But how did it go so wrong? Charles was leading the race, having an outstanding race, a fantastic weekend... And then this?"

"As I said, the team and I have to talk about it before we can share any thoughts," Matilde gave the people a nod and stepped away, not wanting to participate in the interview if they only wanted to talk about the pit stop.

She was forced to stop for another couple of interviews. She stayed professional and refused to share anything about the pit stop. Matilde returned to the hospitality and let out a deep sigh; it was the tension she was holding in. She ran both her hands through her hair; this was a disaster. The potential for the Monaco victory had been within reach, and it had slipped away. Matilde knew that as the team principal, she needed to remain composed and focused on the path forward, but in this private moment, she allowed herself to acknowledge the disappointment and frustration she felt.

She grabbed her stuff and joined everyone in the briefing room, waiting for Charles and Carlos. It was silent, an uncomfortable silence. A few minutes later, Carlos and Charles entered the briefing room. If looks could kill... They sat down next to their engineers.

The debrief started.

"Fire away," Matilde opened the debrief. She understood that the disappointment and frustration among the team needed to be addressed openly for progress to be made. People looked at her, not knowing what she meant. "Fire away," she repeated. "If something stays unspoken, it will lead to further issues. Speak, talk, share." She encouraged everyone to speak their minds.

Charles scoffed and looked away. He seemed sceptical and even dismissive of this approach. He questioned her seriousness. "Are you being serious?" He made eye contact and raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

She met his gaze with unwavering determination. "Very much. We can only learn from this." They glanced at each other for some time.

He shook his head and looked away again. "My goodness. I just want to go through the race and go home," he mentioned.

Matilde took a deep breath and looked around the room. "Anyone else?" It stayed quiet. "Fine, let's begin then," she mumbled, knowing this would cause trouble in the near future.

People spoke about the race, and feedback was collected. Tension hung in the room. Everybody said what needed to be said, but not one word more. Matilde looked around, this team was everything but open to each other. She rubbed her face with her hands and looked outside for a brief second; she had to stay professional, but she was close to losing it. Did she fail as team principal or did... She was failing. When she looked back, she noticed Charles looking at her with a 'if looks could kill' and a disappointing look on his face.

They reached the pit stop during their conversation. The words about the pit stop were being rushed. On to the next part of the race.

"May I ask why you called for a pit stop?" Matilde asked Charles. She crossed her arms and leaned back on her chair. No one dared to ask it, so she would do it.

Charles licked his lips and raised his eyebrows.

"I am just trying to understand. Because you didn't show any errors or slow laps. In fact, your lap times were consistent."

"I saw an opportunity for the fastest lap," he casually replied.

"Where?" It was silent. "You didn't have a free pit stop, and Max was gaining time, but not enough to overtake you before the end of the race." Matilde leaned against the table again. "We told you multiple times not to come in. And what did you do? You come in. When I tell you to stay out, you stay out."

"I saw a gap."

"We did not."

"With all due respect, Matilde, I know what I felt in the car. I knew I had an opportunity, and it was taken away."

"I absolutely respect your passion for winning, and I, and if I may speak for the team, want nothing more than to see you win or to see Carlos win. We aim to be the best, be at the top of the podium as many times as possible, and bring a championship home to you both. However, the decision was made regarding this race with the team's best interests in mind. And I rely on your input, but also on everyone else's input within the team," Matilde spoke, hoping Charles would also understand her point of view on this race and the disaster.

"You don't trust me."

Matilde's eyebrows raised, and she looked at him with a confused but hurt face. "You came in seconds after I told everyone to abort the pit stop. You only mentioned you were in the pit lane when you were already in the pit lane. If you still decide to come in, be kind and tell us sooner next time."

"I did tell you!" Charles raised his voice. "Didn't you look at your monitors?"

"When I say to stay out, you stay out, and I trust you to stay out," Matilde mentioned, remaining calm. "What did you expect?" She waited for an answer. "You know why we told you no? Look at the results yourself."

"I saw an opportunity-"

"And we didn't!" She cut him off. "There was no need to stop. We could not afford to take the risk to pit. If there was no risk, you were more than welcome to come in and change your tyres, but there was no margin to do it. We wanted to go for the win, a safe win, to bring home a win," she responded, overruling his statement. "Even with a perfect pit stop, you still would not be able to pass Max. What was your goal in doing this?" 

Next chapter

Taglist: @itsjustkhaos @crashingwavesofeuphoria @maryvibess @chocolatefartstrawberry @snzleclerc

[slythereen]

I agree, if Charles went to RBR it would actually be the best, PR-wise, for RB and him.

If anyone starts talking about Charles betraying Ferrari? The absolute shade Christian would throw out into the media about how Ferrari didn't treat him right.

People hating on him once he starts winning? Red Bull would bask in the media attention for being the villain team and having two drivers destroy the competition. They would post videos of getting booed and see it as a sign of superiority. You're right, they would definitely eat that shit up and throw it in everyone's faces.

And Charles in Ferrari media always gives PR-media-trained-perfect-angel-boy, but we all know Charles is actually unhinged and insane and can be snarky as hell. RB would allow him to not be a robotic PR boy for once in his life.

Honestly, it would be best for everyone, and most importantly, entertaining for us.

you know, i actually am not sure how demonic charles would be on main about it all. on one hand, yes, ferrari absolutely has a hand in how buttoned up his media persona is — but, he's been with them for so long (is ferrari the team that sent him to media training with sky? or was that earlier?) that it's definitely influenced his natural approach, i think. careful and deliberate is ingrained in him.

don't get me wrong: he has his moments. he's not afraid to get a little sassy, he will toss shade, but significantly less than other drivers (and half the time he gets kidnapped by silvia and returns suddenly happy with ferrari again). i can see the sudden shift in pr management from transitioning from ferrari to rbr going two ways.

first, charles doesn't really shift much. his personal brand is very polished and serene. it may have originated with ferrari, but it's part of the image that he has also helped to craft for himself. he may just me more relaxed and freer with his cheeky commentary, less likely to get scolded behind closed doors (but everyone knows so it may as well be in the paddock), generally be a slightly spicier form of charles... but he'd still be gentle about it. playful about it. not abandon his main persona very much, because a) i think a lot of it is genuine but b) a switch up would make it look not genuine. so non-robotic but not the fullblown rbr villainy that would entertain me greatly.

or: rbr as a brand encourages it. they will tell him he can do it, likely (within reason/without it blowing back on the team, naturally). they may even craft scenarios where he can be "real" on main. red bull gives you wings, after all, and charles' have been clipped for years. and charles, if he moves to rbr, knows what he is signing up for. if he wants to cohesively integrate into the rbr image and marketing (which he would want/need to) he would need to embrace a shift in his pr approach. that's something he would need to be committed to in advance. he might full-send it, or at least send it harder than expected. it might be part of the new marketing angle he's taking.

a combination thereof may be closer to the how the brand book would be put together. a happy middle ground, maybe. if you think about it, charles' shift in messaging supports it, too: "i don't care for pole, i want to win" "max may have the best car but that doesnt excuse his talent. the driver winning is still extremely talented even with the best car, btw. (pls remember that when i have the best car and suddenly am winning again)". it's little but it's noticeable; he's repeated it a lot.

[kookie-doughs]

Maybe Hero

Hawks / Keigo Takami X Reader

-Y/N L/N a UA’s 1st year Department of Support was mistaken by the No. 2 hero as a hero.

Chapter 1: Robots and Swords

Previous | Masterlist | Next

Your quirk is Technokinesis

There's a lot to unpack in this quirk, you'll just learn more about it through out the story or you can look it up online I'm probably goinf to follow what it says there to keep the character from being too OP

You can have the ability to create a machine if you have the blueprint in your mind and the materials in front of you. Mei doesn't want you to try the suit because your quirk optimises to you and prevents any malfunction thus the blue print would be altered without knowing what went wrong.

The optimise only works if youre in contact with the said machine. When contact is lost, the machine would revert back to it unoptimised version.

Example you connected the wrong wires, it could cause an explosion when touched the wires correct themselves, when untouched it unconnects. Even if in battle when youre firing left and right it will explode when contact is lost.

You can manipulate any data and equipment with a look but only to some degree, your power works best if you hold it, which triggers the "fix everything when touched" part of your quirk so its difficult to adjust in between. You can also analyse any equipment or such but it only gives off surface level information, once again deep analysis work when in contact. Your analysis only gives about the machine, such as function, who, when, where it was made and whether its faulty. Deep analysis gives all the materials used and their function, if you inspect a faulty one it shows those despite the machine working fine as is.

Only minor altercations can be done by sight. Changing the street light from red to green or changing your scores in arcades or make the claw hold the toy tighter. In fight lets say Katsuki is supposed to explode using this gauntlet, you can prevent that one click once because you do have a cool down so if he barrages you with it you can stop about 25% of his attacks.

A big altercation you can do is when holding the equipment you can disable it. Lets say youre playing in the arcade, you hold the claw machine you can shut down the entire mall as theyre all connected. You can also stop anything motor powered.

You can feel every equipment around 30 meters when you focus. If something is faulty to the point of danger you are alerted and you have to figure out whats wrong. It doesn't say what's wrong.

When you have the blueprint and the function in mind you can restore, repair and return any broken or damaged non-living object to its optimal state no matter how long it has been broken or how damaged it was.

Most importantly, you can move your consciousness to an equipment, machine or any of sort when your body fails(passive) or on command as long as your body is within 20 meters. Your body would be locked in a cylinder shield to prevent damage. You can stay in another body for 5 minutes max. You can not possess the equipment causing you danger(unless it was passively activated and its the only thing around). You can move your consciousness every 12 hours.

I almost forgot to say this you can not mess with someone else's quirk. You cant turn off the charger if its plugged on Denki. But if Overhaul or Tomura breaks a computer you can bring it back if you know the necessary information about it, you can not deep analyse a computer that broken down but you can still surface analyse it.

Mei and you work together a lot she's often the one making blue prints and you create the blueprints so she can adjust them. It gives her more time to hone her creations. She may be better at making them but you're not that far behind.

Shinsou has been your friend since a child as you were the only one unafraid of him, because he cant penetrate your mind easily, because you always move your consciousness passively when he tries.

Im sorry if the explanation is bad or its too overpowered but yeah thats your quirk for this story. I'll try to adjust the quirk to be less overpowered.

-kookiedoughs

Taglist?

@gayer-than-the-gayest-gay @applepie-macaroon @nykie-love-anime @qardasngan

[lestappenwdc]

You know I've been wondering...with all the Carlos is the better driver, Ferrari fired the wrong one bullshit, and Sainz camp absolute zooming on his underdog-ness, will this fly if he's at RedBull? Will people start saying Carlos is better than Max 3 time world chanpion, 19/22 race wins, 10 consecutive wins, most points in a season Verstappen because he won in Singapore?

On the other hand, if Carlos does well in a Adrian Newey rocketship, I fear people will start saying he was better than Charles all along, which is ridiculous more than it is infuriating.

What do you think?

Helloo lovely, thank you for the message, this is probably gonna be shorter than I'd usually do bc I need to go to bed but ill try

So, first of all, and most important, this is a lot of what ifs. Starting with Carlos going to Red Bull. I know Christian has been mentioning it but at this point I really don't think it's gonna happen. For now I see Checo extending with Red Bull for one more year if he continues to drive like he has the past 4 races.

Now that that is out of the way:

We need to understand that this propaganda that we are seeing now is exactly that - propaganda. Anything that is said during these few months about Carlos is said in order to get him a good seat. If Carlos was not in such a situation I do not think the talks you mentioned would be so pronounced. If the flashing newsworthy "Ferrari fired the wrong driver" headline didn't exist no one would care enough to spread such rhetoric. The articles would not get popular. No one would read since there would be no story. All this is happening because Carlos was fired (he was not actually fired he just didn't extend the contract) and because Carlos is looking for a team.

So I think that if he joins red bull, the story will be over. The team hunting will be done and dusted, there would be no need for such headlines. Of course, there will be the usual "will we finally get a title fight in red bull" but that would happen with any top driver going to Red Bull right now. It happened last year with Checo at the beginning. Everyone kept over estimating Checo bc he won some races and everyone was expecting a title fight when in fact.... the title fight was non existed because Checo is simply not on Max's level. So I think these conversations would for sure be present if Carlos joins Red bull. Would they be saying that he is better? Maybe. For the headlines and for the drama. But just like right now it is obvious this is not true (and IT IS obvious if you watch the races) it will be obvious then too. Simple as that.

And yes, if Carlos does good in the Red Bull they will say that he is better than Charles but such is the sport and we can not do anything about it until Charles is also in the red bull. Which can't happen. So there is no need to worry about something that a) hasn't happened yet (and probably will not) and b) is in the nature of the sport and we can't do anything about.

And most importantly we should not let any of this get to us. We know who the better driver is. Their clickbait articles and obvious fishing for sponsors do not interest me. I know who my drivers are and I believe in them. And I will always support them.

Just kidding this is still long jxjsnd

Hope I answered your question 😌

[nyxknocks]

I support women's rights but most importantly I support women's wrongs. Not that I think the women in this movie did anything wrong, but if they did, I would support them. I digress.

So, I've had Ugetsu on my list of movies to watch on Max for well over a year now, couldn't remember for the life of me why. Watching it, now I do. I love me a good ol' ghost story. Too bad this left me mostly disappointed and frankly, pretty pissed off.

I didn't think I could be more annoyed at characters than Shige in Tokyo Story but I guess I forgot that men as a whole exist because wow. The men in this film suck massively. Selfishness and greed is most definitely the name of the game in this, as well as the male obsession with honor and notoriety. The two men essentially ruin their own lives (but more important the lives of their wives) in an effort to further their own selfish whims--money, status, glory, what have you.

The ending is insulting because you expect the message to at least somewhat be like "look, this is what happens when you stray from your family duties for selfish actions" but the men are fine? At the end? And they get their wives back, albeit halfway. They really made her haunt him forever and be happy about it after he wholly and fully married another lady, ghost or not. How is that justice? How does that make them learn their lesson, truly? That they can destroy everything they had and leave these women destitute and alone--one murdered while defending their son and the other having to resort to sex work after being assaulted. The lack of agency the women have is insulting even if it is period appropriate. If I died after being abandoned by my useless husband while he had an extramarital affair with a ghost, I would haunt him too but I wouldn't help him. That man would suffer every day for the rest of his life, smh. The kid can go back to the village elder, they took better care of him since clearly that dad didn't care one iota until his ghost wife and ghost home faded into ruin. Prick. "Why did you have to die" I will. Kill you.

I could not care less about the split narratives. The samurai one felt shoe-horned in and lack luster compared to the ghost one (though that could be my bias) and felt less developed. With more runtime, this probably could've been better, but alas. Disappointing.

Now. What I did like about this (besides the ghosts) was the MUSIC and AUDIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my god the creepy little bells from the moment you meet Lady Wakasa showing off that something just isn't quite right from the jump. Her lighting and dress is often ethereal, and the way they shot Ukon during the reveal of the whole ghost-bit was amazing. She was fully in shadow looming behind Genjuro while he was getting mind freaked. This is immediately mirrored when he returns and we get Miyagi fully enshrouded with darkness/shadows with the only light being on the sandals--which further mirrors the focus shot on the sandals left in the dirt during Ohama's assault. The make up was SO effective in making Lady Wakasa just uncanny and off, really setting her apart but mostly making you believe it's her sexual allure--that she's some temptress, not a ghost. I'm also a sucker for all forms of traditional music, so that fan dance scene was easily my favorite bit. Ghost lady? Check. Fan dance? Check.

This movie does excellent at portraying both men and particularly men in power as highly aggressive, selfish, and destructive. The samurai are not protectors--they are violent men who pillage like bandits do. Dutiful wives are left behind--to their death, or to be assaulted with no option left but death or sex work--and then expected to just pick up right where they left off when the men decide they learned their lesson and are ready to come back. No lesson is truly learned. So they went back to working hard, so what? What happens a year from now, when another big sell happens or he finds another grand dream? Pull the same stuff again, expect the women to take them back? She's stuck haunting him forever man !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I call bullshit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[crystalelemental]

Unit Teambuilding - Clavell

Aw yeah, there we go, there's Clavell! Still can't believe Jacq made it in first, what is that about?

General Overview Clavell is an interesting charge, fire, reload type. He boosts speed with every basic attack, then his buddy move removes all speed buffs to get stronger based on the stacks removed, hits AoE, and debuffs Def. There's nothing stopping you from spamming B Move either, so long as someone can boost speed each turn for him. It's an interesting approach. X Evasion is odd, but it leads into grid passives. His role as Sprint/Field is also fairly unique, setting him up for applying an extended field effect in Rain while fast-ramping. Between Head Start 2 and a -1 on his trainer move, he's a fast ramp to first and second sync.

That said, Clavell is by far the most flawed of the four new units. While his B Move is not MP gated like the others, it is gated by removing his Spd buffs after using it. Its power isn't bad, especially with the boost it receives and the AoE no penalty effect, he hits harder than Shauntal when it's ready. But that's kinda the point. When it's ready. His speed boosting relies on attacking or on a supportive ally, and where is he going to...oh. Oh right.

But moreover, he's Water. Oversaturation in a type isn't always a big concern, but like...also it kind of is? The game seems to recognize that type specificity wasn't working, and is now selling pairs off unique role combinations for Rally purposes. By damage, Clavell is not anything exceptional, and Water is absolutely covered. His value is in having both Sprint and Field roles, which are hard to shop for. But I personally had no issue getting all of the rally points to get the cake coin vouchers for the month despite being gone since February and having like a grand total of may 6 Field or Sprint pairs. It's not that necessary. So I sincerely struggle to find situations where Clavell becomes the optimal choice of sync pair for this month. Don't get me wrong, the others are flawed too, but at least Ghost and Ice are rare offensive types.

Team 1: Clavell, H!Caitlin, Dojo Gloria Alright, shut the fuck up! It's Halloween Caitlin hours now! Atk/Spd buffing with accuracy, welcome to die! Yes, once again Caitlin is supreme, as she is a rare buff bot who can provide Clavell with some needed speed increases for his bursts. Thanks to her own natural Vigilance, she can also run Head Start, which is a thing Gloria can do too, and Gloria + Clavell's TM is then -6 cooldown, for a sync turn 2. Now we've got ramping into Clavell's Buddy move, into his sync for Rain and the Max Move from Gloria. It's all there.

Team 2: Clavell, MC Registeel, Mix Leaf I have to justify pulling a Mix unit, let me have this. MC Registeel is worth noting because it gives +1 speed to the team every time it attacks. This makes it, as far as I am aware, possibly the only support pair that lets Clavell actually spam his buddy move? With Mix Leaf's Max Move and her own Field effect, they can persistently keep up Rain while applying offensive pressure. Bad for CS because mixed offenses, turns out there are like no physical Water damage dealers, go figure.

Team 3: Clavell, NC Calem, SC Steven Okay, this is another option that focuses more heavily on Clavell. NC Calem can set Rain with his Buddy move when he gets there some day, but otherwise tops off Clavell's needed offense. SC Steven is the real fun. Stacking PMUN, debuffing, and most importantly, buffs team speed every time he attacks a for with No Evasion. Which means, again, persistent Buddy move pressure. Which I think is the end goal here. This is also probably the Damage Challenge comp.

Final Thoughts Maybe I'm forgetting a lot of people, but I feel like it's hard to find pairs that consistently boost team speed. The removal of that condition is rough, and while there's the option to attack with the base move, it slows his DPS a bit. Not the worst, but you know. I just don't like Quaquaval.

[dmmeeble]

Yeah see, this is interesting to me because I too have noticed the sentiment that Victoria is the primary motivator for Kate's suicide attempt lingering around the fandom. However, when you analyze the game from both a dialogue and gameplay perspective, that notion does not appear to be supported by the narrative. In Episode 2, while Kate does mention the video, most of her dialogue is centered around trying to figure out what happened to her the night of the party, and whether or not she should go to the police. Counting up the lines throughout the episode Kate only has around 6 that are related to the video, 1 related to Victoria's bullying ("she was being her mean self"), and 12 about Nathan/being drugged. Later, on the rooftop only one of the six choices you're presented with to talk Kate down centers around the video. The others focus on David's harassment, Nathan/being drugged, and Kate's belief that no one cares about her. Then in Episode 4 during the hospital visit, we get a chance to talk to Kate about both Victoria and Nathan. Comparing the way she talks about both is very interesting and extremely relevant to the topic at hand. Victoria:

"Even Victoria wrote me a very sweet note… and I believe she was being real."

"Max, I know Victoria can be a… a… not nice. But, I do believe in forgiveness and redemption. I might be naive, but I feel her struggle."

[Max sassing/painting Vic] "We all have our moments. Why do you think she acts so mean?"

[reasons for Vic's behavior] "Well, there must be. If Victoria could write me such a sincere letter…"

"Victoria doesn't look like she has much to be insecure about…" [GAY???]

Nathan:

"Nathan Prescott has to pay for what he did. And we have to stop him from hurting anybody else."

[about Nathan being suspended] "You did? Oh, right on, Max! I love how fearless you are." [ALSO GAY]

[Vortex party] "And nobody can do anything to him after what he did."

[Prescott family] "I never say this about people… but Max, there's something evil about the Prescotts. They have something to do with death."

[Nathan's room] "Max, please let me help! I can get the number and I'll text it to you, okay?"

"Now it's time for Nathan to watch out for us…" [GET HIS ASS KT]

There's a clear difference in the way Kate addresses these characters. For Victoria, she expresses empathy, a desire for understanding, and enthusiasm about the possibility forgiving her and Victoria redeeming herself. Whereas she feels Nathan is quite literally the spawn of evil, someone who should pay for his crimes and who Kate is actively pursuing justice against.

This is clearly not how one would expect Kate to talk about Victoria if she actively believed her bullying or the video to be the main cause of her suicide attempt. It seems that to Kate, the lion's share of the blame lies with the man who drugged and kidnapped her.

Lastly let's look at Episode 5, which gives us two very interesting tidbits. In this episode we see not one but two alternate timelines (Bay ending, and San Fransicsco timeline) where the video is posted but Kate does not attempt suicide. What is the main thing these timelines have in common? In both, the truth about what Nathan and Jefferson did to Kate is revealed and they're very publicly arrested for it.

Don't get me wrong, Victoria is a heinous bitch to Kate (especially in Episode 2), and none of this analysis is meant to minimize what she did. She treated Kate cruelly and without empathy, and refused to believe that Kate was drugged against her will until the same thing happens to her. Her bullying and kicking Kate while she was down clearly didn't help Kate's mental state, and I do agree that the video was a flashpoint that knocked over several other dominoes in Kate's life.

But despite all that, when we look at the evidence available from the gameplay elements that impact Kate's choice, to multiple realities in which Kate never attempted, to (and I feel most importantly) Kate's own words, I think it's clear that the primary factor for Kate's attempt was the fact that she was drugged, kidnapped, and violated, and Kate's belief that the perpetrators would never face justice.

I literally have seen people say that Victoria caused Kate’s attempt and while I will admit that she had a hand in it — just feels weird that the majority of the blame is placed on Victoria when I think Jefferson/Nathan are more responsible.

Yes, Victoria (unknowingly) made fun of Kate for her actions while drugged and bullied her but Nathan actually drugged her ? Jefferson dismissed Kate while being the one that caused Kate’s depression because he is the one that made her feel dirty from her sexual assault ( even through can’t consciously much )

Feels weird is all

[landinoandco]

Could I ask for a Max Verstappen request?

Where you get all excited to tell him you’re pregnant and it doesn’t go well. Could you make it super angsty

Of course you can :) here you go, I hope you enjoy! 

Max Verstappen x reader 

Warnings: angst but with fluff at the end

Word count: 2.2 k 

Requests are open...

Baby, the future is ours

At last the summer break had rolled around again, to the relief of the Formula one drivers and crew, they had 3 long weeks ahead of them to fill with whatever they deemed stress-free or relaxing. The subject of activity depending on person to person - most sane folk tended to stick to a holiday to Greece or if you were an adrenaline junkie like Daniel Ricciardo jumping out of planes or BMX biking. You had lost count of the times Max - your boyfriend - had rushed in to tell you about all of the exciting things his best friend had gotten up to as of late. 

You and Max had decided to take a break and travel to a cosy, quiet part of Italy - to escape the press, the stress and most importantly the eagle eye of social media. It would just be you and him for a few weeks before reality brought you back to Milton Keynes in the shape of Christian Horner and his motley crew. 

You and Max had met in 2018 at a gala event Redbull had hosted, Pierre Gasly - being a close friend of yours - had introduced you two and to say the pair of you hit it off instantly was an understatement, whether it was a mixture of the Dutch meets British humour you had no clue but you weren’t one to complain. A few months later and Max had asked you to travel around the world with him - you did so willingly and life had been nearing perfect ever since. Of course you had your ups and downs, where the universe seemed to really test not only your love for one and other but your patience. A few arguments had shown you that both being hot-headed never ended well. 

You were sat out on the balcony, a book in hand and looking out into the Italien countryside. Max had left for a run and to explore the local village, leaving you, your thoughts and your growing baby. You were pregnant - you had taken the test just before flying out, this meant that Max wasn’t aware. You hadn’t told him yet and you had no clue how you were going to. As it turns out telling your partner you were pregnant was easier said than done - ironically. 

You and Max hadn’t had the baby talk yet - you had but only along the lines of: “one day, when we’re older and married and driving isn’t the main priority anymore.” Those were Max’s words. He wanted to be there for his child, to watch him or her grow, to see every milestone but most importantly to be a good and nurturing father. 

There was part of you that was slightly worried because you just didn’t know how Max would take it - you couldn’t keep it in any longer though. You had to tell him. There was another part of you that was excited - from a very young age you knew you wanted to have a family of your own with the person you loved the most. Call it childish naivety. At this point in time, you were ready to become a mother - well as ready as anyone ever could be. 

Placing your book onto the table, you made your way into the kitchen, grabbed a glass and filled it. Sighing loudly as you leant onto the countertop. 

“That was a loud sigh.” A voice called out from behind you. You recognised it instantly. Whipping your head around, you saw Max standing there, wiping the sweat from his forehead. 

Chuckling, you hit back, “Thank you, Captain Obvious.”

Rolling his eyes, he made his way over to you and wrapped his arms around your middle, placing a sweet, chaste kiss onto the side of your head. Leaning into his warm embrace, you let out another long but content sigh. 

“Seriously, what is it with you and sighing today.” Max uttered, his lips still against the side of your head. 

You went to move forward, out of his welcoming embrace. You knew what you had to do. 

“There’s something I need to tell you.” Instantly the atmosphere changed, you could feel Max stiffen behind you. Maybe the tone you chose to make that comment in was too serious but it was now or never. 

“Haha, which of your friends is pregnant this time.” He quipped jokingly, trying to break the tension. 

Instantly you knew the way the conversation was going to end, a pang of hurt felt in your stomach. You squeezed your eyes shut, catching your lip with your teeth. He stood there with an air of innocence and unknown, concern dancing in his eyes - he went to reach his arm out to you, to offer that encouragement. 

You braved the words that came out of your lips, “Me.” You almost whispered. Time seemed to slow. Max dropped his arm and instantly took a step back. 

“Pardon.” Was the only thing he could force out of his mouth, his throat seemed to close up and his hands went clammy. He definitely heard you the first time but he wanted to make sure it wasn’t a night terror. A bad dream he had failed to wake from. 

“I am, Max,” You said again, your voice wavering. 

“Oh.” He stated, his face drained of colour, his mouth set in a straight line. 

“Is that all you have to say.” You swallowed thickly, your eyes swam with tears. You had a hunch this was how it was going to end but it didn’t stop is from hurting the way it did. You had hoped he would have proved you wrong, to have wrapped his arms around you and to have spun you around. To have laughed. To have cried. To have shown a little more excitement to the fact you were now carrying his child. His first child. 

You moved past him and sat down on one of the wooden chairs, rubbing your hands over your face. He was still stood there. His eyes fixated on the view out of the window. No emotion read in his eyes. It was almost like you had hit the ‘off’ button. He tapped his foot and made a clicking noise with his mouth before turning around to face you - meeting your gaze. 

“How long have you known.” His voice was hoarse.

“A couple of days before we flew out.” You answered him, moving your face back to rest in your hands. 

There was a pause. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner.”

You took a breath, looking him dead in the eye. “Because I knew this was how you were going to react.” You didn’t trust your voice at all, you also didn’t know whether you wanted to scream at him or cry in the corner. 

“Right.” Was all he said. Still stood there like some awkward teenager after a rather large telling off from their mother. 

“Is that all you have to say to me?” You asked him, nostrils flaring. You were allowed to be angry, right? 

“What do you expect me to say.” He rounded on you, his voice raising more than was necessary. Tears had spilled down your cheeks, you didn’t have the energy to fight back. As soon as he realised the effect this was having on you, he went to move forward again, his eyes softening instantly. “I’m sorry - I - I shouldn’t have raised my-”

“Get out, Max.” You stated lowly. By this point, you had stood up, shuddering away from his desperate grasp. He knew he had made a mistake. You knew he regretted it, the moment the words had left his mouth. 

“Get out?” He repeated quietly, his voice cracking, you could see tears glazing his vision. 

“Just - please, go on a walk - come back once you have more to say to me.” You spat.

“But - But I already have more to say-” You cut his rambling off once again. 

“Please. Max.” You insisted, your voice betraying you again. “Go.” You whispered. 

Max stormed out of the door, ensuring to slam it so hard the chandelier on the ceiling swung precariously. You sank back into your chair and let out a loud sob, unable to hold it in any longer. 

Max was mad. Not at you, that would be unfair. He was mad at himself. At the world. At everything actually because at this point why the hell not. You were pregnant - don’t get him wrong, he was over the moon. He was going to be a dad. 

It was too soon. 

He still had his full F1 career ahead of him. A promising and long F1 career as a matter of fact. He wanted a baby to be his main priority and he wanted to share those one in a lifetime moments with you. He knew there was no point in being mad, it wasn’t like they were in a position where they couldn’t have a child. They had plenty of things to offer, a nurturing home with parents who were head over heels in love with each other and a large family - blood and not - who would be willing to support and love the child as if it was their own. Max really was in love with you. He knew it would be you to mother his children in the end, he just didn’t think it would be now. 

He reached for his phone, went into his contacts and pressed on the number that read the name: “D.R new phone.” Whilst it wasn’t adventurous like many thought it would be, it saved the confusion from calling a number that no longer existed. 

Daniel picked up on the second ring. “Hey dude, how’s it going?” 

“Not good at all, Dan, not good at all.” Max admitted, his voice wavering once again. He explained the events that had happened a mere 5 minutes ago, the way he reacted and the way he left you. Hurt and alone.

“I’m not going to lie to you, mate, you’ve fucked up big time.” Dan spoke after what felt like a loud silence. After all, Daniel knew you just as well as he knew Max. 

“I know. I know I have, do you think I’ve been selfish?” He asked, his tone full of raw emotion. 

“Yes.” Dan stated simply, “I think you have been, especially since she even told you this is how she thought you would react. How much stress do you think she had been putting on herself? Come one, I’ve taught you to be better than this.” Daniel paused, Max could almost hear him place his thumb and ring finger onto the bridge of his nose. “You know, just as well as I know, she knows it isn’t the best time. Her becoming pregnant is very much a two person job, I think it’s time that you go back to her and have a conversation like the adult I know you are.” 

In that moment, Max was so grateful to have someone like Dan just a call away. “Thank you, Dan. Really. I don’t know what I would do without you.” 

“Alright Mr Father-to-be, don’t be going all soppy on me now.” Daniel joked, returning back to his normal teasing. That was the best thing about Daniel, he was quite useful when you needed him to be. 

“You can count yourself on being the godfather after that.” Max added, a large beaming smile plastered onto his face. 

He heard Dan let out a loud laugh, “Go on, leave me be. Good luck, mate, let me know how it goes and when the time is right tell her I say congrats.” 

“Of course, mate. Thank you, again.” Max muttered, looking back in the direction of the villa. After he hung up, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and ambled slowly - working out exactly what he was going to say to you. 

Once he had opened the door, he called out to you. “Babe?” He heard a sniffle in response. You were still slumped on the chair in the kitchen, shooting daggers at the cupboard opposite. 

Max sat opposite you, reaching out for your hand. Grudgingly you let him take it, you blinked and he took a deep breath before a large, beaming smile crept onto his face.

“We’re going to be parents.” He rubbed the back of your hand, speaking tentatively. You nodded, your lower lip trembled. Max stood up, still keeping a hold of your hand as he gave it a slight tug, indicating that you should stand up. You made your way into his embrace, his arms wrapping securely around you, tucking your face into the crook of your neck as he rocked gently side to side, burying his face into your hair. He then moved his hands to cradle your face, wiping the stray tears away before peppering your face with feather light kisses. 

“We’re going to be parents.” He repeated, a little louder and to this you let out another sob, laughing as he picked you up and spun you around. 

“I’m sorry. I was being selfish.” He said, as he wrapped you back up into his arms. You smiled into his chest. In that moment, you couldn’t be happier. It was like all of your childhood dreams had come true. In that kitchen stood your new family, mismatched and sometimes a little bit broken but you wouldn’t have it any other way.

[shurisneakers]

harmless (ii)

Summary: Bucky volunteers to go stop a small time villain, but nothing can prepare him for what exactly he has to deal with. (Bucky x villain!reader, drabble series)

Warnings: cursing, stealing cultural landmarks, frustrated bucky

Word count: 1.6k

A/N: made a header 4 this fic but i couldn’t take it seriously enough <3 

if you have any ideas for future inventions/evil plans, lemme know! it’s always fun to hear from y’all. 

here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <333

Previous Part || Series Masterlist

It’s roughly a week before he sees you next.

Right on time too, according to the briefings he had received. Once a week you’d come up with your next batshit crazy idea and someone would be sent to make sure you didn’t execute it.

It was more of a babysitting gig than anything. Most people would do one, maybe two assignments before asking to not be sent again. 

He was not most people. He volunteers to go again. His afternoon is relatively free and he’s bored. 

Also, and more importantly, he needs to get out of the house before Sam finds out what he did.

“You’ll find her near the Statue of Liberty.”

“How do we know?”

“Oh, she tells us.”

“...she tells us where to find her?”

“Most times, yes. She says it’s time efficient.”

Absurd. He thinks you’re absurd.

Bucky finds you in line to board the ferry. You’re dressed to the nines like an obnoxious tourist, even though you were a local, topped with binoculars and a bucket hat. 

On an unrelated note, he thinks that maybe the mission today is to kill you for daring to wear sandals with socks like a suburban dad. A shudder runs through his body when he sees it.  

He’s wearing all black and a baseball cap. Somehow he’s standing out more than you are.

He boards the ferry behind you, keeping a close eye on all your movements. You take your place near the railing, a seat near the front of the boat. 

His phone rings. He answers it, expecting Sam to screech at him for painting Redwing neon pink again. He should have known it was coming after he shoved Bucky off the quinjet before he had time to strap his parachute on properly. 

“I thought I told you to bring a cape.” 

He quickly looks up at you but you’re not facing him. You have your phone held up to your ear, however.

“How did you get this number?” he asks icily.

“I knew you’d show up again.” Your head tilts to look at the statue in the distance. “Also, thanks for the door money, but I’m not sure I appreciate how you think the least creepy way to give someone money is to drop it off anonymously at their doorstep.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” He swiftly gets up, stalking over to where you’re sitting. He was advised not to do anything aggressive. Advised was a flexible word. 

“Because I wasn’t going to answer it.” You look up at his figure looming over you. “Oh, hey.”

The phone is still pressed to the side of your face even though he’s right beside you. He cuts the call, shoving it back into his pocket.

“Allow me to introduce my pl-”

“What are you doing here?” He cuts to the chase. 

You send him a glare. “I was going to say it before you told me to. And sit down before everyone thinks you’re going to kill me.”

“Why are you going there?” He doesn’t have time for this, he thinks. He has important things to do. Like watching the reruns of Masterchef Junior. 

He sits in the seat beside you.

“Look at us.” You grin at him. “Me with the evilest outfit I could think of, you with your... Addams Family cosplay. We’re like, two peas in a po-”

“Start explaining,” he interjects. 

You roll your eyes. “I’m going to shrink the Statue of Liberty and use it as a keychain.”

“What?” It’s probably the most benign plan he’s ever heard in his life.

“I’m kidding.” Oh, good. “I’m not using it as a keychain, I’m taking it to class.” Nevermind. 

“What?” He finds himself repeating his previous question.

“I’m shrinking all the statues I can find. I want to use it in my classroom to teach the kids.”

“You’re... a teacher?” He blinks.

“You got a problem with that?” You look offended, to say the least. 

“No.” It’s not what he would peg your occupation as. He didn’t think you had one at all. “How are you planning on shrinking it?”

You rummage through the ugliest fanny pack he has ever had the misfortune of seeing. You pull out a small ring box, complete with a bow tied neatly on top. 

“I was saving this for our third anniversary, but-” you offer him a nervous laugh.

His stony expression doesn’t change, not even a blink. 

“Fine, Jesus, you’re no fun,” you huff, dropping the emotional act when he doesn’t look amused. 

You flip open the lid. Inside there are a few small disks. It looks familiar, he realises.

“Your friend Ant-Boy didn’t file a patent, so I just took his whole shtick.” He wants to defend Scott’s honour; it’s Ant-Man not boy. He doesn’t. He’s too transfixed on what you have in your hand.

��Pym particles.”

“The diet version.” You pick up one of them carefully. “A ripoff, but effective. Just gotta attach it to the thing I want to shrink and give it a few minutes.”

“You’re going to steal the Statue of Liberty,” he says, frankly a little taken aback that you were serious.

“Would you relax? I’ll put it back.”

“That’s not the point,” he damn near exclaims. “You can’t take away the Statue of Liberty just because you feel like it.”

“I literally can.” You point to the chips in your hand. “That’s the point of this, keep up.”

He feels exasperated. He didn’t sign up for this when he became an Avenger.

“Give me the box.” He makes a grab for it but you yank it away from his reach.

“What do you think you’re doing?” 

“I don’t have time for this.” His reruns would begin in an hour.

“That’s my problem, because...” you trail off. 

He rolls his eyes, makes a grab at the box again. His tactic is different this time. He stealthily pins one of your arms down so that you’re basically incapacitated.

“Hey! Stop that.” You fumble against his reach, shoving him with your elbow.

“Just give me the thing and we can all go home for the day,” he huffs, unfazed by your squirming.

“No! Over my dead bod-” 

He doesn’t immediately notice what goes wrong in the scuffle. 

Until you look at the ground near your feet. A disk lay there, undisturbed.

“Is that-” All of a sudden, either he’s getting taller or the ceiling of the boat is getting lower.

“Oops,” you say, not remorseful in the slightest. 

“Are we going to-”

“I’d give it five minutes max.” 

Great. He was stuck on a boat that was beginning to shrink. The other passengers were either oblivious or ignorant to seats that were starting to become too small for them, but Bucky’s heightened senses and extreme reflexes made it hard to skip.

He nudges the piece of tech with his foot. Maybe he can kick it off the boat.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” you warn solemnly. He wants to disagree but doesn’t know enough about the device to dispute you. 

“Fix this,” he hisses, panic slightly rising. His fingers find their way to his phone to send out an emergency text requesting backup and mass evacuation. 

“I think it’s a rather lovely day for a swim, don’t you?” You stare dreamily at the waves that were inching closer up the boat. 

Or you were inching closer to the water. Technicalities were frivolous. 

“There are other people on this boat.”

“River’s big enough for all of us, I reckon.”

“Fix it.” 

“Or what?” There’s a wicked gleam in your eye. “We both know I have the upper hand here.”

“Or I call the entirety of the Avengers here and haul your ass to prison.”

“Will they bring snacks?”

You’re insufferable. You know it. But you also are the fastest way to get out of this situation and right now, he didn’t want to be responsible for a shipwreck simulation. 

“Fine. Tell me what you want.”

“I like soy chips.”

“Soy chi-” He nearly throws his hands up in frustration. “You know what I’m talking about.” 

“I want one historical artifact so I can impress the kids. They think I’m the cool teacher and I want to keep that reputation alive.”

“What makes you think I can arrange for that?”

“You’ve been alive since goddamn dinosaurs roamed this earth, I’m sure you have some connections.” You pause to assess his face. “You know, you don’t look a day over 29. Dermatologists must hate yo-”

“I’ll get you an artifact, now fix the fuckin’ boat.”

“You promise?” You grin brightly. 

He stares at you. You are unyielding. 

The boat’s uncomfortably small and people are beginning to take notice. Worried murmurs fill the air behind him.

“Yes.”

“Okay.” You shrug simply.

You kneel over, picking up the chip from the ground. You do nothing else for two minutes, instead turning away from him to look at the Statue of Liberty that was coming closer.

It takes him a while to realise that half his body isn’t hanging off his chair anymore. The ceiling is moving further and further away from the top of his head. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He wants to strangle you. 

Why did he listen to you when all of this would have been over the minute he kicked it off the ship. 

“You can drop it off at my lair on Monday and pick it up on Friday.” You gather your belongings, leaving him steaming behind you. “Nice talkin’ to ya, Sergeant.” 

You step over him, flashing him a quick smile before walking off the boat with the rest of the tourists as if nothing had just taken place. When he looks down, the stupid ring box is on his lap.

He sits there, unmoving, eyes fixed on the container.

The ferry conductor asks if he’s going to get off the boat. 

He simply shakes his head.

Next part

[khaleesiofalicante]

“I really like the idea of Alec adopting a child (a daughter) on his own because he clearly wants that but he knows it's complicated for him - what with his job - and his past and of course with Max and Rafael”

Er? Raf and Max are grown up, no? Why would the object ct? Besides, Rafael openly prioritise Magnus. Isn’t Alec allowed to have a child who would love him more than anyone else? Besides, if Magnus is allowed to have his empowerment path, so is Alec?

Hm.

Yes, Max and Rafe are both grown up. But they are still his children. I don't see Alec (or Magnus) considering having another child without consulting the potential siblings of that child. Especially Alec, who has an extremely high-pressure job. So, him having a child would require a lot of support from his staff (and Max) so I think he would care what his kids have to say about it.

"Rafael openly prioritises Magnus" - does he?

"Besides, if Magnus is allowed to have his empowerment path, so is Alec?"

A slightly longer answer on the above statement.

We need to be very careful here.

Here is the thing, right. Growth is not a competition. Just because Magnus is in a better place (or is striving for it) does not mean, Alec has to do it. It's not about who is moving on faster or better. That's not how moving on works. If you are doing it for someone else, then you are doing it wrong.

Most importantly, empowerment is about autonomy. Empowerment means having the choices and resources and environment to do what you want to do and to follow the path YOU want to take. For example, Magnus removing himself from the political controversies and trying to date other people, and going to support groups is all what HE thinks is his empowerment.

That's his way. It doesn't have to be Alec's way.

Since the very first chapter, Alec has been VERY clear that he doesn't want to move on on his own - either romantically or otherwise. He keeps saying that he wants Magnus back.

So, expecting him to do something (move on or have kids) just because Magnus seems to be doing it is not empowerment. That's peer pressure.

I repeat. Listen to Alec. Listen to what he wants. Respect his journey - even if you don't agree with it.

Respect his choices. That's what it means to empower someone.

Respecting their choices.

[dragontamer-nia]

Max [Parental figures and fighting spirits]

Max and Judy Mizuhara 

Max Mizuhara is the child of two very different people. 

On one hand, we have Taro Mizuhara: a cheerful and friendly man who lives a simple life, owns a little hobby shop, and has taken a passion for a kids' game which requires a certain degree of technical knowledge. He's basically a mechanic, he has a rather small but very functional training ground in the basement of his shop, and he encourages Max to do his best, but most importantly to have fun with his friends. 

On the other hand, we have Judy Mizuhara: an ambitious, strong-willed woman, whose research and abilities have made her rise from the already prestigious position of university professor to the director of the most important and reputable research centre for beyblades, where she has all the resources, funds and technology she could ever need to work with at her disposal. We know the PPB is held in such high regard that her role requires her to answer directly to the goddamn Secretary of State. 

And… Taro and Judy love Max. However, while all we can gather about Taro's opinion on this whole "taking beyblade seriously and winning the world championship" thing is that he supports Max because he wants to see him happy, we know exactly what Judy thinks. 

She thinks Max doesn't have what it takes to be a champion. 

Max's crisis is, in a way, the opposite of Rei's: while Rei at one point already had everyone believing in him, and had to prove that the his actions are atypical but ultimately right, Max has to prove that he is worth believing in because the way he is is right; and that his fighting spirit is just as tough and resilient as everyone else's in this field, if not even more so than most, but his friendly, kind and bubbly personality throws people off. 

And the fact that, of all people, it's his own mother who rejects him almost crushes him. Judy loved him when he was just her fun, adorable child, but when he dared try and assert himself as a person with dreams and a fighting spirit, suddenly she turns her back on him. 

Worse yet, Judy has new children in America. Kids she personally chose as the best in the whole US. Kids who lived and breathed to follow whatever she said. Kids who are very explicitly competitive, who are sports prodigies and know it, who parade around wearing their sports' uniform like a badge of honour, knowing that they're just so much better than anyone else that they're backed up by the effin government... and people love them. They are stars, they are heroes. And so, people shower the All Starz with admiration and attention, and the All Starz love the glory Judy has granted them, and Judy loves them in return and supports them. 

Of course, not only has Max to deal with whatever is going on with his mother's behaviour, not only has he to endure his mom's new, arrogant kids, he also has to face their feelings of jealousy: after all, he is the coach's actual son. And he's a nobody. This is Max, the son of their beloved coach? He's weak, right? Not a trace of ambition, no competitiveness at all, only smiles and "lEt'S bE NiCe tO eAcH oThEr". Why does Judy love this guy? 

Poor Max is having the worst time of his life as the finals for the A block approach, and the night before the finals Kyouju bluntly tells him that he shouldn't fight at all in the coming matches. "They have your data," he says. "They don't have Kai's data," they all say. Max knows what's up: his own team is starting to believe in the All Starz, they are starting to lose faith in him too. What is his team thinking? Would the PPB not have taken his data, had he been stronger, had he been like Kai? They, his own team, his friends, think that even giving Max a mere chance at proving them all wrong would jeopardize their chances of reaching the world's finals, and they’re not willing to take that risk. 

Max is not the type to lash out at people and impose his own world view onto others, as Takao would, but he knows this is an injustice, he knows he doesn't deserve this treatment. Max storms off, leaving the rest of the team appalled: clearly, no one expected nice, friendly Max to react so strongly. They do eventually change their minds after the team finally understands just how badly he needs to. 

Because, after running on the roof of the hotel to get a bit of fresh air… Max finds his mother there. 

Judy thinks she's being objective, because that's what she's used to as a scientist: research is based on numbers, and numbers tell her that Max truly doesn't have a chance. But she's also a professional, and the spot she was put into requires her to not help her own son at all. She can do absolutely nothing but accept that Max is bound to lose, and Max has got to understand this as soon as possible.

Judy knows what it takes to rise to the top, because she has done it. Cold and merciless, ambitious and strong-willed, tough and resilient: she is a champion, in her own way. And she didn’t obtain the most prestigiuos position in her field by being nice; this is why, when choosing the players who would represent the US in the world tournament, she selected kids with a competitive background, who are capable of being cold and merciless when required. And now that her own son is competing against the PPB, a big machine that receives all the funding they need, a whole building full with equipment and any machine they could possibly think of to study their opponents, gather data, prepare a strategy, keep their bladers in top condition… she doesn’t want Max to even try and enter this ruthless race to the top. He is nice, and she accepts it and loves him for it, but... he’s too nice to survive in this world.

I think Judy is the one who chose this role for herself. She knows Taro. She knows she has to be the realistic and disillusioned parent to balance him out, because Taro is just so carefree and happy, with no trace of ambition or fighting spirit, and Max is just like Taro. 

Except… 

This is why the necklace is important. 

Max's fighting spirit doesn't just derive from the fact that he wants to prove his own progresses to Judy. He quite literally inherited his mother's fighting spirit. Max is just as ambitious and strong-willed, Max is just as tough and resilient. Who decided that someone cocky like Michael, or cold and merciless like Judy, is clearly inherently stronger than someone like Max? Max is having none of this shit, and he's having none of this shit as nicely as he can, because he will not bend: Max is not worth believing in even though he's nice and friendly; Max is worth believing in because he's nice and friendly, and it's perfectly fine, thank you. 

And Max proves that Judy was wrong about him, he proves that everyone was wrong about him, and the moment he does, the moment he finally wins against Michael and secures the path to the finals… 

He's just happy. 

At this point, Max would have every reason to brag. He'd be justified to take the spotlight, flip the bird to the All Starz - the kids who really thought the BBA guys were just a bunch of noobs - and laugh right at their dumbstruck faces. 

But the thought of doing so doesn't even cross his mind. He smiles and he's happy, and his team is happy for him, and they all celebrate the fact that Max has won. 

On the other side of the stadium, Judy is forced to face a hard truth that she, deep down, had always known: there's no number understandable by a computer that can describe how fucking stubborn and creative the both of them can become to reach the goals they have set for themselves. 

As she smiles at her own blindness, she walks to Max to congratulate him, and as Judy recognizes and owns her mistake, Max simply smiles and lets it all go, water under the bridge. Because that's who Max is.

The fact that, at some point, someone in the production crew decided to include Kyouju openly glaring at Judy in this fundamental shot is very telling in my opinion LOL

[dianapocalypse]

so I’m having a very interesting (for me) mass effect legendary edition playthru and i wanna talk about it even tho no one but me will be interested so UNDER THE CUT WE GO!

this probably isn’t interesting to anyone but me but I wanted to write it down for posterity lol

so this time around, I spent a LONG TIME staring at the character creator, not even making anything. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to make my ‘main’ Shepard, play Jane just for the new model in ME1, or make a new Shep entirely. and if I did the last one, did I want to play differently this time??

i ended up making a shepard that was PRETTY similar to my main one. they’re both vanguards (didn’t want to learn a new kit bc my ability to hold a controller is pretty limited these days), both earthborn, same haircut but different overall appearances. this time I went war hero instead of sole survivor, since I’ve played those sidequests so many times at this point. I hit start and named her Kieran, not really knowing what I was going for with this shep and expecting I’d mostly make the same choices, romance garrus, etc

so the first few hours of the game I played p much like I always do. more paragon options than usual, but I attribute that more to me changing than character choices. I also started picking the middle options I always ignore just to see what they are. grabbed Liara, did bring down the sky, nothing new or unusual until I start talking to garrus.

is it just me, or does garrus.... kinda hit different in 2021? don’t get me wrong, still one of my favorite fictonal characters of all time, but also... garrus is a loose canon police officer who thinks regulations that, presumably, are in place to protect peoples’ rights, should be ignored for what he deems is the greater good. while we as players know garrus’s morals are in the right place, uh... if I met someone like that in real life I’d expect them to be a complete jackass. im also american so that contributes to my ill feelings towards police officers, and c-sec in the games is generally portrayed as being a much less awful organization than the american police state, but I’ve definitely gone from always supporting Garrus when he thinks a fucker needs to die to being like... garrus rules are there for a reason, people have RIGHTS

and then like. kieran shepard is earthborn, she was in gangs. she... probably doesn’t like cops either? my last shep was, too, but tbh I didn’t think about it all that much. for the first time I’m playing a shepard that does not trust garrus and that’s WILD.

so then I’m doing sidequests on the citadel, and earthborns get a gang member from their past who tries to blackmail shep into busting one of their members out of prison. for the first time ever, I actually didn’t have the paragon or renegade points necessary to resolve the situation in a ‘good’ way for me. I got to the end of it, and my only options were to bribe him to leave me alone, or shoot him.

i’ll say in my defense, I thought shoot him would be more ‘shoot him in the leg to show him i meant business’, but shep straight up killed him, and I was like, woah. I’m gonna have to figure out how to make THAT work with this character arc!

and the turian cop who he wants you to talk to, he’s right there, and says “wow, I guess maybe the first human spectre will get things done!’ or something, indicating like. that was the Right Thing To Do by his standards. just kill a dude in public for threatening blackmail.

so in role playing games, i try to justify decisions my characters make, even if it’s a decision that I didn’t make on purpose--it’s more fun for me to try to gather these disparate character choices and cohere them into a character than to try to get it ‘right’ for the character i’m playing, if that makes sense. so here, even tho I was definitely not intending to kill that dude, I wanted to find a way to make it work for Kieran Shepard. and it’s kinda ended up shaping the whole way I’m playing her, and it’s cool and interesting bc this is a shepard unlike any I’ve played before! i’m always so focused on min/maxing my character, especially their paragon/renegade points to get the ‘best’ outcomes, that ive never been faced with something like that.

so I think this is where I’ve landed:

Kieran Shepard grows up on the streets, she does not trust authority. all she has is her crew, and herself, more importantly. she does some bad shit, she gets into trouble, she’s strong-headed and stubborn. later in life, she gets recruited to the alliance military. frankly, I think she keeps a lot of the same attitude and distrust of authority, but this is a paycheck, and I think since the Tenth Street Reds are getting really human supremacist and xenophobic, she gets out and needs to go Somewhere that her past won’t follow her--space. off earth.

mostly she’s a shithead at first. gets into trouble with the brass all the time. but she’s got a really good head for tactics. she knows how to think like a merc gang, she thinks of strategies in simulations that higher ups wouldn’t ever consider. think like. star trek 2009 captain kirk basically lmao.

and then anderson gets a hold of her. for the first time in her life, she has like, a Parental Figure, someone who knows she can do better and expects her to. and she FLOURISHES. suddenly she’s got motivation, she’s straightening up. she’s positioned on elysium and the skyllian blitz starts, and one thing she knows how to do, something she’s always been good at, it surviving, and rallying people around her to fight, not roll over and die. her skills from her life as a gangster marry with her skills as a soldier and she rallies the colonists to beat back the invasion. with her STREET SMARTS!

now she’s a war hero, and she’s starting to feel the impostor syndrome set in. she gets a medal, she gets accolades, promotions--she’s just a scrappy former criminal and she doesn’t deserve this. she doesn’t deserve any of it, or anderson’s regard. she starts spending her time trying to be The Perfect Soldier to make up for her past. for the first time, it’s a point of embarrassment to her, not a point of pride. it’s public record, sure, but she needs her entire existence to refute it. she needs to be Commander Shepard now, she needs to be The First Human Spectre, she needs to be PERFECT.

and then Finch shows up, and he’s threatening her, he wants to drag her back into the Life and he’ll blackmail her if she doesn’t comply. she knows if she bribes him he’ll be back in a month for more, he’ll never stop. so she panics. she shoots this guy, kills him in cold blood, in public. old habits die hard. and the cop practically CONGRATULATES her for it.

kieran, now, is in full blown panic mode about Who She Is. she is very much not a fan of the ‘law and order’ of C-Sec, but she’s also not a fan of the spectres and how they operate, but now she’s becoming the thing she as a teen would have hated the most. and she’s being congratulated for it. can she be trusted with this kind of responsibility?? can anyone???

anyway that’s the last thing I did but I think... honestly? the only character that could help her sort out these feelings? is kaidan alenko.

so. i think this is it. this is the playthru i finally romance kaidan.

[alternativemiraculous]

A rather long explanation of why I don't like the Bee. Aka why I think making clones would be a better power.

Aaaah. The Bee. That nice yellow comb. Such a nice design I have to say. I remember that time, years ago, when I was still a newbie, when we didn't even know the Fox was a necklace... what a time.

When there were only seven Miraculouses, theories were vastly common. People looked up symbolism and made theories or just decided cool abilities to write with. Then Sapotis, in Season 2, changed the picture. The Zodiacs were revealed and people lost interest because instead of (then) four unknown Miraculous, there were like fifteen to do research for. I understand why some people use common abilities for Miraculouses tho, it's perfectly fine! It's just, I prefer more complex abilities.

I'm a writer, I've been writing Miraculous things for four years. And you all realise how much I like writing about the Miraculouses.

Yeah, so the Bee, there were many theories. I did have a theory that it would be paralysation, but not in a venom sense. It would've been crystalised honey and it could only paralyse an arm or a leg or something. I didn't like it that much so I started searching. Some people gave her flying, building things or even mind-controlling; but what I liked was this one: cloning.

Why?

It makes sense. Bees, along with ants and wasps, are known for their social structure. Bees in particular have some "roles", and they're known for that. What comes to mind is the concept of coordination, at least for me. Worker bees, abundance, collaboration, all that. A cloning power would require someone to have lots of spatial vision, body control and coordination, especially considering my headcanon where the Bee's clones replicate the main Bee's moves.

It made sense. Back when Sapotis was released, many of us noticed something: Marinette's first idea wasn't using the Fox. It was using the Bee. I admit it was such a vague thought, tho. "If the Sapotis clone themselves, maybe Marinette thought about a cloning Miraculous right before realising it would take too much time?".

It is versatile enough for me to write. My criteria for Miracupowers is that they can't make fights too easy. Cloning can facilitate many things, but it can be useless, misused, not needed, and very hard to control. And, most importantly, you can do many things with it. Distract someone? Yeah. Block a street? Probably. Fight support? Totally. Someone has to do a thing in two different places? Oddly specific, but it totally can happen.

So yeah, my version of the Bee functions like the Double Cherry from Mario 3D World. I admit I took ideas from that concept. I find it nice to write and versatile enough to make fights interesting.

But then, the actual Bee appeared. And I hate it. So much.

For me, it doesn't make sense. Since when are bees associated with subjection? However, if we look at the French concept, this makes more sense... kinda. In French, it is the Miraculous of Domination. Queen bees are associated with domination. But I don't really think domination and paralyzing go in hand. It's just... I don't like paralyzation for the Bee, especially since I'd prefer worker bees instead. And, as many have noted, domination works better with wasps! And the new Bee holder is wasp-coded. Canon Bee should be the Wasp Miraculous.

Why tf did Marinette think of one (1) paralyzing opportunity to fight an entire army of Sapotis? If someone has an idea then please tell me because I literally do not understand why they made Marinette doubt there.

It makes fights too easy. Bee totally paralyzes someone for five minutes... and, I guess, and adult user can paralyze eternally? This is totally OP and, unlike the Cat, it doesn't have any consequence. Cat is totally OP, but at least it cannot be abused like that because... people die. But the Bee totally can. Just bring the Bee. Paralyze the Akuma. Boom. No conflict. Unless very specific situations like Kagami's last Akuma which used a tweak of the same power. What do you do with paralysation? You paralyse things... and that's all? Is there any fight application aside from paralysing the villain?

I will never never never work with the canon Bee lmao. I find it so unoriginal and unfitting.

So my Bee represents Cooperation and for someone to be a good holder, they have to have a very developed spatial vision and body coordination to operate properly with their clones, as they imitate anything they do. So they should be a fast thinker and have strong visualization abilities in order to move the clones properly and learn how to fight with them. I think someone like Max would be a good Bee, because he has an amazing maths capability and probably, or at least I headcanon, lots of physics knowledge. So he could plan fastly how to move in order to execute his plan (overall Max is a very nice holder, I think). Or maybe someone like Nath, who is used to drawing movement so he probably has a developed spatial intelligence. And probably sporty people are good, but they'd have to have a strong concentration so maybe Kim and Alix are rather funny. So yeah, Bee!Max and Bee!Nath can work, at least with how I headcanon them both.

Alt!Bee is probably my most solid Miraculous and I feel like I will never change the cloning idea lmao. So yeah miss me with the Rat having it :)

By the way, I hate the Rat too! Why does it have two abilities? Multiplication, which is its concept, AND shrinking. I understand why, don't get me wrong, it's just that Multiplication and reduction could perfectly be different things. And I hate how clones do whatever they want. Does the holder control them? If so, how? Is there a limited number of clones? I headcanon four clones (because Miraculouses are 5-themed, which all the five minutes shit, so 4 clones + holder makes a team of 5) that imitate the holder's movements. I really would like some clarification, especially on the controlling part lmao.

So yeah, I think my rant ends here?

If you've read all of this, I love you. Please comment something. I'm begging you.

[script-nef]

Fluff alphabets | Kageyama Tobio

Others: Hinata, Oikawa,  Tsukishima

Category: fluff

Affection: How affectionate is he? How does he show affection?

It depends on the location but he’s generally very affectionate and loving. 

Not so good on the “confessions of love” or “love serenade” front but expresses them through little things he does for you.

Like picking up your favourite snacks on the way home or trying to teach you volleyball so you understand what’s happening when you visit his matches or practices. When you look into his eyes, there’s nothing but desire and love for you.

Baby: Does he want to start a family?

He wouldn’t mind and leaves the decision to you.

He’s not all that good with kids but there’s no doubt that he would try his best to be a great dad for his children.

*spoiler alert* So you know how his parents weren’t around all that much in his childhood? He doesn’t want that for his babies. He’ll make sure to be involved in his children’s lives and be as attentive as he can be. And hopefully play some volleyball with them.

Although to do that, he wants to put them off for a while because he’s currently incredibly busy as the best setter in Japan. He’s also thinking of you because you’re successful in your career right now and doesn’t want to take that from you.

Cuddles: Does he like cuddling? How often does he like hugging?

Poor boy is touch-starved and intends to never have you feel the same way.

Hugs you whenever he sees you: after matches, returning home, watching movies, cooking dinner and on and on and on.

He would rest his head on your shoulder or head and squeeze tightly. Or sometimes fiddle with your hair. And hope that you understand how much he loves you through these small acts of affection.

Date: What is a typical date?

It’s usually watching movies/TV shows or teaching him cooking. Since he’s entire childhood was volleyball-based, he missed out on classic shows like Doraemon, Pokémon and animes. So you try to help him become educated.

The food front is abysmal. There’s a theory that when he was born, his volleyball stats were maxed but everything else was sacrificed in its stead.

Other times it’s going shopping because he has an absolutely terrible fashion sense or doesn’t try at all. Everything is either black or grey so you try to give him some colour which works out perfectly because hello? Japan’s next top model is ready to be contracted over here. Effortlessly beautiful and catches everyone in the shop’s attention.

Experience: How much has he dated before? How does that reflect in this one? 

You’re Kageyama’s first significant other!! *party blowers and confetti*

He was incredibly clumsy and confused when it comes to dating and being a boyfriend, but years of practice helped him. He regularly asked for what you wanted and expected from him and did his best to achieve that. And now he can understand your moods from the smallest signs.

He didn’t understand boundaries very well but as soon as you say something like “please stop”, he immediately leaps back and apologises. And he remembers what he did wrong so he never does it again.

Fight: Do you fight often with him? How does it usually end?

Fights don’t happen often and even then, it ends pretty quickly.

He can’t concentrate on anything if he knows you’re mad at him and tries to understand anything he did wrong to make sure those kinds of arguments never happen again. He goes around asking everyone for their help and opinion on the matter and tries to find the fastest way to fix the relationship.

If you did something wrong, he doesn’t back up. No matter how much he loves you, you have to apologise if you’re the cause. He is quite stubborn when he knows he’s in the right.

Gentle: How does he treat you?

In the beginning, he barely even held you because he didn’t understand how his strength should be adjusted for you. Slight paranoia of “what happens if I hurt them?” crept into his mind.

So when you asked if he didn’t like physical contact, he panicked and confessed his predicament. You laughed and said “I’m not a glass doll. Besides, if you don’t try, are we going to stay in this relationship with no touching at all?”

So after months of careful and tentative touches, he got a hang of it and is now completely gentle whenever he initiates physical contact.

Hand: Does he like holding your hand? How often?

Kageyama is fascinated by the size difference between your hand and his.

Holds your hand as frequently as he can and fiddles with your fingers. Often interlaces his fingers with yours and loves how your hand fits perfectly into his.

Impression: What was your first impression of him?

Not that great (Feat. Death glare and lack of vocabulary)

You visited one of his matches in high school and caught him just glaring at you with the most piercing eyes. It made you think “Does he hate me or something? I’ve never even spoken to or seen him before!”

Needless to say, it threw you off and made you kind of avoided him whenever you went to their matches. He was secretly dejected when you would slip away from his sight. He was just staring at you because you were so radiant and beautiful that it took his breath away. 

Thankfully, after talking to the third years, the misunderstanding cleared and you started hanging out with him. 

Jealousy: Does he get jealous easily? What sets him off?

He doesn’t get jealous easily because he trusts you and knows you love him with everything you have like he does for you. 

Rare occasions where he gets annoyed is when you become a fan of other setters and praise them for their skills. He’ll sulk and say “I’ll beat them all so you can see I’m the best.”

Kiss: Is he good at kissing? When does he kiss you?

His kisses are soft but pretty long. Just spends the entire time pressing his lips against yours and doesn’t even dare to do more than that. 

If you want to do deeper than that? Then you gotta start it, because this boy is too scared of making you feel uncomfortable. 

Love: Who said “I love you” first? And when does he say it?

You. Definitely you. This boy was seriously too shy when the relationship started to give away anything.

He immediately replied “I love you too” once you admitted it.

Nowadays he says it before falling asleep, whispering against your ear.

Memory: What’s his favourite memory with you?

The first “date” you had with him, when he came over to your house for a tutoring session. You weren’t going out back then but it’s one of his most treasured memories.

It was his first time being alone with you and he thought about how perfect you were. How patient and understanding you were even though he couldn’t comprehend anything.

It was also the day he learned the most about you through your chatter after the session.

Nickname: Does he give you a nickname? Do you have one for him?

You have some for him like Blueberry, Prince Charming (in exchange for the King of the Court), volleyball dork and so on

He doesn’t have any for you. He prefers to call you by your name because he thinks it’s beautiful and most importantly, it’s your name. Would shorten it but he never calls you that in public. Our boy is too shy //^//

Open: How open is he about his feelings?

The weird thing about Kageyama is that once in private, he confesses his feelings for you like it’s a fact. No hesitation, no embarrassment, just his overwhelming love for you. In fact, it makes you blush a lot because of how unashamed he is.

But if someone else asks him about his feelings for you, he clams up. Sometimes he even refuses to look at the person and hides his face because of how red it became. He can eek out an incredibly quiet “I love them” and that’s it.

PDA: Is he fine with PDA? How far can he go?

He’ll turn into a flaming blueberry but tries to do it if you want to.

His limit is kissing on the lips. Hugging and hand-holding is “okay” but the edges of his ears will be tinged in red and hot to the touch. If you initiate the kiss, he becomes unresponsive and needs to rest for a while.

If someone manages to snap a shot of you two kissing and upload it for the world to see, he’s never going to live it down. He’ll be so embarrassed but also happy that the world can see how much he loves you.

Quirk: Habits or something he does which is unexpected?

He gives you manicures.

You asked him once when he was taking care of his nails and he responded with “do you want me to do yours?” and boom your nails have never looked better.

Does his best to make yours amazing and neat as possible, working at each cuticle with Bobby Fischer intensity. It’s to the point where you have to push his head away and say “Sweetie, your face is a centimetre from my nails.”

Expands his skills to painting as well. How he found the time, you will never know.

Relax: What activities do you do with him to relax?

Taking naps together. Kageyama runs on a tight and strict schedule which stresses him sometimes, so the best thing you can do with him is to take afternoon naps.

Just talk or sing quietly and he’s out like a light. He demands you sleep cuddled with him even if it’s in the blazing heat of summer. Even bought 2 fans to convince you that you would be fine while snuggling him.

Support: How supportive is he of your dreams? What do you do for him?

No matter what you do or what you want to do, this boy is there to back you up and encourage you every step of the way. Will try to help you even with limited knowledge with your work and tries not to bother you when working.

He loves it when you come to his matches and cheer him on. Every time he scores a point or sets a really good toss he turns to you at the end of the rally. Whenever you smile and wave to show your support he gets these explosions in his chest and it keeps him going no matter what.

Talk: What does he like talking about?

Most of his talk would be about volleyball (of course) or you.

Everyone knows he loves volleyball with his entire heart and most of his social life revolves around it. But for the first time in interviews or when chatting with fans, he would finally say something from his personal life if it has to do with you.

To you, he recounts all the things he did that day and how much he missed you when he comes back home.

Umbrella: What’s their favourite weather/season?

Kageyama likes cold winter days, preferably when it’s snowing. It’s the best when he wakes up with you and sheets of snow are covering the roads. 

Making sure you’re warm, wearing hats and gloves, he would build snowmen and get into snowball fights with you. Due to his infuriating athletic prowess, he always wins and leaves you soaked from head to toe.

“Why cover me in all these layers if you’re going to drench me with snowballs?!” 

“You’d get hypothermia if you don’t though.” (lmao does he even know what hypothermia is)

But he makes up for it with cuddles and hot chocolates

Vaunt: Does he like showing you off?

Not really. He doesn’t hide you from the world or deny that he’s dating anyone because he’s so proud of you and this relationship which impacts him in more ways he can express.

But at the same time, he doesn’t want your privacy to be invaded and therefore doesn’t give out personal information like names. He does, however, share bits like “they got a promotion” or “We tried painting together. It didn’t end well.” The viewers understand the extent of his love for you when they see him smile when talking about you. 

World: Where does he take you for vacation?

He doesn’t really care for vacations but knows you like them. That’s why he listens and writes down all the places you said you want to go to, even if it’s in passing. Like Sapporo during the Snow Festival or the beaches of Okinawa. Paris or Hawaii.

And even places which he thinks you might like from all your previous comments and remarks.

X-ray: What happens when you’re injured or sick?

If it’s a physical injury, he knows how to take care of it due to his years of playing volleyball where he came into contact with tons of athletes getting hurt. Like sprains, pulled muscles, bruises and cuts—he’s got it under control.

If you’re running a fever, then he’s a bit more panicky. Searches up how to take care of someone who's sick and reads so much even though he might not understand all of them. Tries and fails to cook some soup or porridge but brings you lots of tea and medication.

He tries his best not to get injured or sick because he knows you’ll worry and doesn’t want to burden you :( But loves it when you nurse him.

Yearn: How much does he miss/pine for you when apart?

Because of his and your work, mornings and afternoons are spent apart and he doesn’t like it one bit, not at all. He’s always thinking about you and is restless if he doesn’t see or hear from you. 

But he also doesn’t want to be overbearing or controlling. So he waits for you to contact first most of the time. If he’s had a bad day, then he’ll call you first.

Checks up on you a lot by messages and calls, receiving looks of surprise from all his teammates. He loves it when you send him videos of yourself telling him to cheer up and endure the time apart.

ZZZ: Does he have sleeping habits?

He’s a calm sleeper and doesn’t really move around when snoozing away. Tossing and turning, sure, but nothing more than that.

Besides, he’s pretty much anchored in place with you in his arms.