#it can drive people to the brink as they try to manage whole projects with some flaking out due to various reasons | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

quicksilversquared · 5 years ago

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Plagg’s School

Plagg isn't much interested in being any sort of teacher, but when the opportunity arises for him to spend some time with Marinette, he jumps on the opportunity to try to unteach some of the less healthy lessons that she's been taught.

He didn't expect it to be this hard, or for there to be so much for her to unlearn. But he's no quitter, and Paris needs Ladybug to be at her best.

A continuation of sorts for my story Superhero Lessons

Plagg hadn't thought that this would be so hard.

When Tikki and Master Fu had decided to have Marinette and Adrien switch Miraculous temporarily (thanks to a subtle suggestion from Plagg, but framed so that they thought that he was kidding), Plagg had thought that all it would take to knock her out of her mindset of having to feel responsible for everyone else's actions and reactions all the time would be to just make some snide comments when he saw adults behaving badly. Marinette- Ladybug- was smart, surely she would pick up on the clues fast enough and then Plagg could sit back for the rest of the week, relax, and enjoy the plethora of cheese bread that came along with living in a bakery.

He was wrong.

Sure, there had been plenty of opportunities for side-eying and "offhand" comments, and Plagg had taken pretty much every single one. But Marinette had brushed the comments off or repeated the party line of "I have to be the bigger person" every. single. time. It was enough to make Plagg want to scream.

Not that it was a bad thing for a Ladybug to be kind and caring and self-aware, of course! Those were very good things. And yet. And yet.

Marinette's parents were caring and loving, sure, but they seemed to have higher expectations for Marinette than they did for actual adults sometimes. They- and Tikki, and probably the teachers in Marinette's life, too- had drilled in the lesson that Marinette had to be kind, had to be understanding, had to be accommodating and giving and accepting and not hurt people's feelings and always apologize when she did something wrong and-

Ugh. There was such thing as too much. Teenagers would make mistakes and have honest reactions sometimes, and it was supposed to be up to the actual, literal adults to understand that and not get disproportionately upset about it. Maybe an apology would make sense some of the time, but when Marinette was the only one apologizing for an honest misunderstanding?

It was just one more thing on the pile of stuff to stress about, one more subtle push towards you have to be perfect, you can't ever make anyone upset ever, everyone else's feelings and reactions are your fault.

Plagg had had kittens who were sensitive and anxious before. He knew how they thought. There most definitely was such thing as taking on too much of the blame and too much responsibility.

If a grown-ass adult got akumatized because of something a frustrated teenager said... yeah, that was definitely on the adult.

So that was annoying, and Marinette seemed to be slipping further and further down the path of fully believing what she had been told, always careful to try to keep her own emotions under control but taking what seemed to be full responsibility for when other people couldn't manage to do the same.

And then there was the whole overworking thing.

Plagg had thought that Adrien was busy for his age, with all of his activities- the fencing, the basketball, the Mandarin and piano and modeling and commercials. But Adrien at least had plenty of time set aside in his schedule for homework and studying and projects. If he was scrambling to get stuff done, it was usually because the akuma attacks at that time had been longer than usual (or more numerous than usual) or because Adrien had spent too much time on the Ladyblog. If Adrien mentioned that he didn't have enough time to study or do a quality job on his homework, Nathalie would rearrange his schedule at once to give him more time, canceling extra lessons for a week or two while Adrien got himself caught up.

Marinette's activities could largely be framed as self-imposed, but there were so many of them that it was honestly a miracle that she could balance everything.

Or...maybe less a miracle and more a necessity, because she just couldn't say no and people took advantage of that. Like, a lot.

"It's not that bad this week!" Marinette told Plagg on their third evening together as she finished hand-sewing a seam on a doll that someone- Plagg had neither caught the name nor cared- had commissioned from her so that they would be done and put away before Alya and Nino brought their siblings over for Marinette to babysit so that the two of them could run off and suck face together instead of being responsible older siblings. "Sometimes I have commissions and tests and other stuff all in one week. Tikki helps me study, sometimes. And then other weeks, I have almost nothing and I can catch up."

...seriously, how was she living like this?

"I didn't hear them asking you to babysit," Plagg said instead of vocalizing any of his concerns, because he couldn't give away his lazy cat reputation right away. "What, did I sleep through that or something?"

"No, it's... it's kind of an ongoing thing, I guess." Marinette didn't look at all enthused about that. "They asked once, a few months ago, and I said yes then because they sounded so excited about this movie that was running and they wouldn't be able to catch it during their normal date time on the weekend, and they, uh..."

"Took that as a standing invitation to keep doing it," Plagg filled in, entirely unimpressed. "Wow. Great friends you have there. What if there's an akuma attack while you're babysitting? What if you have stuff to do? Don't you have a test to study for on Friday?"

Marinette's shoulders hitched up, just a little. "I just- I'll study tomorrow, over lunch. Then I can catch up. And I'll tell my parents that I can't play video games with them until Friday evening at the earliest."

"So let me get this straight- you don't get any free time so that your friends can have more free time to go groom each other's faces?" Plagg demanded. "Fun trade-off you have going on there. Also, I didn't hear an answer about the akuma thing."

"I just like helping!" Marinette protested. "That's- that's all, really. I can handle it."

And that was the end of that conversation. Even with Plagg's increasingly heavy-handed comments, Marinette seemed determined to ignore the issue and assure him that she could handle it. Even when Twin No. 2 pulled the pinned pieces of fabric off of Marinette's mannequin and spilled a box of sewing machine threads, taking away an hour of Marinette's sleep as she tried to put everything back together. Even when one of her classmates asked Marinette to fix a torn shirt right away, eating up half an hour of her study time. Even when Manon got dumped on Marinette for a bit of emergency last-minute babysitting with absolutely no warning and without really asking her if it was okay.

Seriously, did no one else notice how much work they were dumping on her? Even without taking her superhero activities into account, it was a lot. With the superhero activities, it was crossing the border into too-muchland. And if Marinette wanted to do anything fun? Anything for her?

There just wasn't any time.

Had Tikki said nothing? Plagg knew that she was all about being productive and staying busy and making the most of opportunities and potential and helping people, but not to the point of running her Chosen into the ground!

Thankfully, Plagg was going to get another week with Marinette. Tikki had requested an extension under the guise of Adrien needing more time to actually figure out how to use Ladybug's powers, since during their one swapped-Miraculous battle so far, Lady Noire had told Mister Bug how to use the Lucky Charm that he had gotten. To Plagg, she had said something about teaching Adrien to enforce his boundaries.

Well, okay, maybe she had been a little more specific than that, but Plagg had gotten distracted by the news and had been trying to think of how he could knock Marinette out of the frankly toxic mindset that she had been pushed into when Tikki was talking and so he hadn't quite caught all of the details. But the gist of it was that Adrien didn't push back enough when people made him uncomfortable and Tikki was working on changing that somehow.

Plagg wished her luck. His advice whenever Adrien had commented on people clinging to him had been to bite them. Or, alternatively, shove them off. Adrien had been horrified by both suggestions, and that whole thing had gone nowhere.

Nowhere, like how things with Marinette seemed to be going. But it was the weekend now, and so Plagg had time to absolutely drive Marinette up the wall until she cracked enough for him to drag her frustrations out and actually push her towards doing something about them besides just "work harder".

It would be more effort than he normally put in, but Paris needed Ladybug to be rested and focused and not overwhelmed with responsibilities. If she fell and Adrien was left to fight on his own...

Plagg wanted to believe in his kid, he really did, but Adrien had a habit of relying largely on Ladybug to lead the battles and decide a course of action. If Ladybug fell in battle, or if she ended up akumatized because of all of the pressure that was being put on her...

Well, it wouldn't be pretty.

So naturally, Plagg decided to antagonize Marinette. And by that, he meant that he presented her with a list of completely unreasonable demands for her to fulfill since they were going to be spending a second week together, and he kept ramping it up until she had gone from being mildly irritated to gritting her teeth to being so frustrated that she was on the brink of screaming at him.

And then, very deliberately, he pushed her that little bit more.

"I can't!" Marinette finally snapped at him, glaring at Plagg with a poisonous expression. "I just can't! You're asking too much- I'm busy, and you know that! I need time to sleep and study and get caught up on my school projects and work on that draft of Clara's dress and do my class rep duties and I just told you that I have to remake Ivan's Kitty Section mask because it fell in the river and I don't! Have! Time! To do a special run to the cheese market all the way across the city to find some really rare cheese that might not even be in stock this week, and I don't have time to make you a special embroidered bed with thirty-three pillows or a monogrammed bathrobe, and I don't have time to do anything on your list, really! I already don't have any time to myself, and you're not! Helping!"

"But I require it," Plagg said haughtily, though he was keeping a careful eye on the window. If he was going to wind Ladybug up, he had to make sure that he could pull the plug if needed. "You make everything else work, don't you?"

"Barely!" Marinette was barely holding it together, he could tell. There were frustrated tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "I'm so busy this weekend, and I have more tests this week and I'm already so worried that I'm going to fail because I don't have time to study, and if there are any akuma attacks this week then I'm absolutely screwed, because I'll fall behind again and won't have time to catch up!"

Very deliberately, Plagg yawned as wide as possible and then made a show of inspecting his (nonexistent) claws. "Mm-hmm. So...about the cheese-"

"NO!" Marinette half-shrieked. "No, no, no, I refuse. I can't, I literally can't, so no, I am not eating up even more of my sleeping time just so that I can go across the town and comb through some out-of-the-way cheese shop to find some cheese that they might have. I cannot. I'm tired of giving up all of my free time to bend over backwards and meet everyone's expectation, okay? Enough!"

There was a pause, and then Plagg smirked.

"So you can say no. I was starting to wonder."

Marinette's eyes snapped to him, still glimmering with frustrated, stressed tears. The first one finally broke free and started to make its way down her cheek. "Huh?"

"You say yes to everything that people ask of you, no matter how much it inconveniences you. No matter how busy you already are. Even if you want to do your own things, and other people are being selfish in their requests on your time." Plagg zipped around Marinette's head, forcing her to spin around to follow his progress. "How many of the things that you have coming up this week aren't necessary? How many are other people's responsibilities that they're shoved onto you? Aren't you supposed to have a vice president to help you with your class representative duties? Why is other people's free time more important than yours? Why are other people setting deadlines for you when you're the one who has to work under them and you'd prefer a deadline later on, so that it doesn't coincide with tests and result in you pushing yourself so hard?"

Marinette swallowed hard, not saying anything as she stared at him. She was still shaking, and even if Plagg wasn't nearly as attuned to emotions as Nooroo, he could still tell that she was brimming with frustrations, all ready to come out.

So, if Marinette was actually being truthful with him and with herself, he might as well get it all out.

"So if we're being honest, how do you feel about the babysitting?" Plagg prompted, zipping closer. "About giving up your free time so that your friends can run off and suck face more? About having three rambunctious kids running around your room for hours and tearing everything up? Do you like that?"

Marinette wavered for a moment, but clearly he had done a good job with pushing her frustrations to the top. "I hate it! It's fine some weeks, but most weeks I don't have time to deal with getting distracted for three hours and then having at least an hour of clean-up afterwards! I have homework and commissions and superheroing and- and everything to do! And Alya has the Ladyblog, but clearly she's not lacking for time to work on it considering some of the highlight videos that she's put up recently. And there are weeks where they ask me to babysit more than once, even though I don't have time for it, and- actually, it's not so much asking so much as telling me that they'll need me to babysit, because they just assume that I'll be able to do it!" Another frustrated tear slid down her face. "And then they have more free time and I have less, and I'm already starting with less free time than they have, and they- they know that!"

Plagg hovered and waited for her to get it all out.

"I thought that the babysitting would be a one-time thing, that's why I agreed- well, that and the fact that I just can't- can't say no," Marinette said, finally starting to sound actually angry. "And they know that, and it just feels like they're taking advantage of that because they want more than one date per week- and it's more than two, too, if you count the times when they eat lunch together at the park or outside of school! And they always talk about what a fun time they had, and how nice it was to be able to spend some time together and relax, and then here I am, not having fun or relaxing at all!"

...okay, so there was maybe more frustration there than Plagg had been expecting.

"I'd be much happier if I didn't have to babysit anyone besides Manon, and only Manon if I get some warning and actually get asked," Marinette continued, fiercely wiping away yet another tear before it could get too far. "I'd get some time back to myself. It wouldn't make everything better, but it would take off a lot of stress- but they don't see that! They're apparently blind to everything except for their dates! Never mind that Marinette is falling asleep in class or that she's working on homework literally whenever she can fit it in, let's add some more stuff to her plate!"

If Marinette got akumatized while Plagg was with her, Tikki would actually kill him. So maybe it was time for Plagg to step in.

"So say no," Plagg cut across before any purple butterflies showed up. "You can, I know you can. Set boundaries. I've seen you stand up to people before. What's different this time?"

Marinette glanced at the floor, worrying her lip. After a moment, she sighed and looked up. "Because they're my friends. And when Madam Chamack shows up with Manon, she's a family friend and an adult. And I don't want to let them down."

"Yay! Honesty! Almost as good as cheese." Plagg smirked at her eye-roll. She was still a little wobbly-looking, but a small distraction was good. "If they're taking advantage of you to the point where you're stressed and strung out and they still don't back off, then is letting them down a little really the bigger evil?"

There was a pause, and then Marinette shook her head.

"Are you the only babysitter in Paris?"

That got a laugh out of Marinette. "Not even close."

"Is there some law that says that they can only ask you to babysit?"

"...no."

"Do they need to respect your needs and boundaries if they're your friends?"

Finally, Marinette smiled. "Yeah. I- I'll tell Alya next time I see her that if they want to go on a date when they're supposed to be babysitting, they need to find someone else. I can't do it anymore. Even on my slower weeks, I just- I need a break from their siblings." Then she paused, suddenly unsure. "Is- is that selfish? To not help out on weeks when I can spare the time?"

Plagg paused for a moment, still stuck on that when they're supposed to be babysitting. That sounded a whole lot like Alya and Nino were shirking their responsibilities without their parents knowing, which made the whole situation even worse, but that- that was beside the point right now. He could pick at that little tidbit later. Instead, he yawned, flopping down on the desk. Now that Marinette's emotions had stabilized again, he could get back to his normal careless persona. "Who cares? If you get a slow week, in my eyes, you earned it and get to enjoy it. Sit back, sleep in some sunbeams, eat some cheese..."

Marinette laughed at that, her shoulders relaxing just that little last bit. "Thanks, Plagg." Then she paused, glancing over at him. "I'm still not getting you your crazy fancy cheese, though. Or any of that other ridiculous stuff."

Plagg did his best to hide his grin. "Ah, well. It was worth a try."

By the time Monday rolled around, Marinette had gotten all of her pent-up and packed-away emotions worked out and had started an action plan list on how to become less stressed. The name had made Plagg gag- action plan? That sounded like a lot of work!- but after seeing the list, Plagg had to admit that it wasn't nearly as bad as it sounded.

First of all, there was the end of all babysitting for her friends for her foreseeable future and Marinette had told her parents that she would only babysit Manon when it was an emergency, and she reserved the right to say no without being questioned as to why she couldn't do it.

That was important for her to say up front so the adults wouldn't try to make her feel guilty by questioning why she wanted her free time for herself, and Plagg was proud of her for doing it- not, of course, that he was going to let that on too much. She would think that he was getting soft on her.

The second part of her plan was entirely Marinette's idea, though she was giving Plagg the credit. No longer was she going to let other people set inconvenient commission deadlines for her when they could easily wait a week for their pieces and put not even a quarter of the amount of stress on Marinette. And while she was more than willing to help people with their problems, she wasn't going to take over their responsibilities for them, and if they had something that, say, needed mending but wasn't needed right away, it might have to sometimes wait a day or two until Marinette could actually spare the time. She would actually use her calendar for keeping track of her own deadlines out a ways, and then all of her activities and responsibilities would be spread out and more manageable instead of hitting her with all the grace of a brick wall.

All of this, of course, was easier said than done. People had gotten used to Marinette shoving aside absolutely everything that she was doing to help them that second, and no doubt some people might question the change and that might be hard to stand up to- especially if Tikki was in Marinette's ear and trying to convince her that she could manage just one more thing. But Marinette seemed determined to stick to her plan.

Which was great! Now Plagg could just sit back, relax, and enjoy the cheese bread that he was getting in place of his Camembert (he would have asked for a baked Camembert bread bowl, but, well, Marinette did have exams coming up and even without the babysitting and with the deadlines for her other, non-school stuff pushed back, she was a bit busy). Marinette seemed to have a handle on how to most effectively use his powers, which wasn't surprising. Back when she and Adrien were starting out, she had given him directions on what he should be using his Cataclysm on more often than not. Learning how to use the staff to helicopter herself around had taken a little practice and it was obvious that she didn't have the fencing background that Adrien did, but she could batter stuff into submission just fine.

In fact, just fine was maybe a little bit of an understatement. Her battering was actually kind of terrifying. Not that Plagg was worried about his own life, of course- the ability to phase through things came in handy at times- but, well...

Adrien had made a mistake. Or perhaps Plagg should say Mister Bug had made a mistake.

During the previous akuma battle, Lady Noire had apparently made some comment about how Mister Bug's outfit was more interesting than her usual one, just as a little side comment. Plagg was willing to bet that she had been glancing at Mister Bug's outfit to try to get ideas to change her own usual suit, but that was neither here nor there. Instead of simply accepting the comment and moving on, Mister Bug had said that he was close to the fashion industry, so of course he had creative design ideas and did she maybe want him to help her come up with a new design for her Ladybug suit?

Plagg had winced at both that and the dog-whistle pitch that Marinette had reached while relaying that particular comment. Mister Bug was really, really lucky that the akuma had made a reappearance right then so that Lady Noire hadn't had time to respond.

"Okay, so I gotta have a talk with my kid and tell him to shut his big fat mouth, got it!" Plagg said loudly before Marinette could descend any further into displeased mutters. He had frankly been incredibly surprised to find out that Ladybug's civilian self was so interested- and so successful- at design and fashion when he first learned her identity, but after talking with Tikki and finding out how unsure Marinette had been when she first transformed...yeah, okay, he could understand the footie pajamas look. It probably had just become too engrained for her to consider changing it before. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if Tikki has already told him the same thing."

Marinette finally giggled, some of her murder look finally slipping off of her face. "I can't see Tikki ever telling anyone to shut their 'big fat mouth'."

"She might word it a bit differently, whatever." Plagg landed on Marinette's desk, confident (at least for the time being) that she wasn't going to go berserker on him. "So, redesigning the Ladybug suit?"

"I didn't realize that I could, before." Marinette tapped her fingers against her desk before reaching for her notebook and a pencil. "I just- I'm used to what I have now. And I know that I shouldn't design anything that could snag, or get in my way, or- I don't know." She frowned. "That leaves me with- what? Black paneling and trim?"

"And armor and padding," Plagg added helpfully. He paused, then lowered his voice conspiringly. "My kid doesn't actually have a six-pack or ripped arms. The suit just makes it look that way, because that's what he wants."

Marinette giggled some more.

"And the way his costume looks has less to do with design and more to do with his obsession with all things anime," Plagg continued loftily, yawning widely. "And comics and magical girl cartoons. I just put his wishes together in a tasteful manner."

"I like this whole exchange kwamis thing. I'm learning quite a bit." Marinette tapped her pencil against her lips, then started sketching. "I want to be careful about where I put any armor, I think. I need to stay flexible and not have excess resistance when I'm dodging. But maybe some protection on my arms and legs would be good, and if I put some black here..."

Plagg let out a relieved breath as Marinette threw herself into her sketches, Mister Bug's comment apparently forgotten in favor of designing, and tried not to think of how close Adrien had come to getting gutted for implying that he was better at design than a contest-winning aspiring fashion designer.

Hopefully that was all the drama there would be for this week, because Plagg wasn't sure how much more he could take.

Plagg clearly needed to stop thinking that his job was done. Every time he did- every time that he thought that maybe now he could nap the day away instead of sitting alert and making sure that Marinette wasn't crashing and burning with her resolution to not get herself crazy overworked- something came up.

Thankfully, it wasn't the reporter girl trying to get Marinette to change her mind about babysitting again after having taken the day before off. No, she seemed to have accepted Marinette's decision well enough. But it did have something to do with the reporter girl. The reporter girl, and his regular Chosen.

So naturally, Plagg had to get involved.

If someone had asked Plagg before to describe Marinette, he would have said that she was confident, yet sometimes randomly turned into a tongue-tied mess around Adrien.

...there may have been some misconceptions there.

He was partially right, of course. It would have been hard to be completely off, considering how much time his Chosen spent talking about his friends. But the panicking...

Yeah, not random. Not random at all.

Plagg watched with no small amount of bemusement as Marinette got pretty much railroaded into coming along on an outing with her friends where the goal was clearly to shove Adrien and Marinette together so that Marinette would have some space to ask Adrien out. Marinette clearly wasn't comfortable with the idea (and Plagg didn't blame her- he had, unfortunately, seen the results of what he could only assume were similar set-ups), but Alya clearly wasn't taking no for an answer.

...seriously, was this the girl who had pretty much branded herself Best Friend of the Year? Couldn't she see how panicky Marinette was getting?

Plagg sank back into the bag, frowning at the air. Okay, so he couldn't be his usual brush-off self here, that much was obvious. That was not what Marinette needed. Her emotions were already high enough, and that was dangerous.

What was Tikki doing in these situations? Was she just encouraging Marinette along? That seemed likely, but couldn't she tell when endless encouragement just wasn't helping? It seemed like Alya shoving Marinette into situations she wasn't ready for could easily turn into prime akumatization territory, considering how often it seemed to end in anything ranging from embarrassment to full-on humiliation. Add in the fact that both of them knew that Adrien was pretty much entirely hung up on his superhero partner (and had been minorly distracted by Fencer Girl, but that- Plagg knew that that wasn't serious at all), and trying to get Marinette to confess just didn't seem like a good idea at all.

Seriously, when had he turned into the kwami who did all of the advice stuff? It was weird and he didn't like it.

"How often does that happen?" Plagg asked as Marinette dropped her phone back onto the desk with a groan. "When she tries to set you up when you don't want to, I mean?"

Marinette had to think about it. "Bigger set-ups like this? Every other week, maybe? Smaller things at school...whenever she can manage it, really. And since she's dating Adrien's best friend..."

Plagg could fill in the blanks there. It was happening really, really frequently.

Well.

"Doesn't seem like she's being that great of a friend if she's not listening to you when you say no," Plagg said, making sure to adopt his laziest voice. He threw in a toothy yawn for good measure as he rolled into a ray of sunlight. "Especially when you're practically melting down over the idea."

"I just- I just need a push or I'll never do it, that's all!" Marinette defended at once. Plagg suspected that that was what she had had Alya tell her over and over before, and ugh, how had Ladybug ended up with so many bad lessons drummed into her head? "I mean, maybe I'll be uncomfortable when I confess, but if I actually manage it- and if things go well, I guess..."

By the way she trailed off, Plagg deduced that she was trying to convince herself, too.

"Do I gotta make you cry again so that you'll be honest with yourself and with me, or can we skip the excuses this time?" Plagg asked bluntly, and was faintly amused to see the startled way that Marinette blinked at him. "How do you feel about the whole situation?"

There was a pause. Plagg waited. Then...

"I don't like it."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Sorry, I didn't hear that. Repeat louder, please?"

"Ugh, you're so annoying!" Marinette scowled at him, but that didn't last long. "Fine, I don't like it! I always feel so uncomfortable and make a fool of myself and maybe Alya finds that amusing, but I don't! Adrien is going to think that I'm a complete nutcase and then even if I ever do manage a confession without immediately walking it back again, he's not going to be interested! Not that he's interested now- I know he likes someone else, but Alya always insists that maybe he would change his mind if he knew that I liked him, which- how likely is that, really? Maybe it worked for her and Nino, but that's an exception to the rule!"

Plagg settled in. It seemed like this was going to be a long rant.

"And I tried letting Adrien go and moving on before, but they said that I couldn't give up!" Marinette continued, and Plagg cocked a brow at that. Oh, THAT was interesting. Also something he could use. "And I don't- I mean, I understand the value of staying positive, but I just don't..." She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I don't know if it's realistic anymore."

"Well, at least we've gotten past the denial stage," Plagg commented. He had wondered. Instead of saying that, he shuffled into a more comfortable position and turned an eye to watch Marinette. "D'you ever feel comfortable around model kid?"

"Yes! We're friends now, and we can talk most of the time. It's just when I'm expected to be trying to ask him out that I get all tongue-tied and make a fool of myself." Marinette flopped back in her chair and- yeah, she and Adrien were meant to be together. They were both crazy dramatic people. "I just don't know what to do."

Plagg snorted. "Isn't it obvious? Don't try asking him out, duh. Problem solved."

Marinette narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly suspicious. "Why do I get the feeling that you're trying to get me to give up on my crush so that I'll date Chat Noir instead?"

Plagg snorted, resisting the urge to bash his head against the wall. "D'you really think I want my kitten dating? He's sappy enough when he's just at crush stage. And he would be even more self-sacrificing if you two were dating, and that's already gotten real old, real fast."

Marinette's wary expression stayed in place for a minute longer, and then it dropped as she glanced away. "I- I can see where that would make sense, but if I don't at least try, I just feel guilty for not making use of the opportunities Alya sets up for me. Like, that just feels rude somehow."

Plagg snorted. "The opportunities that pretty much get dropped into her lap because of her boyfriend and that she's set up even though literally everything about you is telling her no, you don't want to and aren't ready? How very generous of her to keep going against your wishes."

He didn't get a response to that. He hadn't expected one.

Plagg forged on anyway. "Like, kid, I've been with you- what? A week and a half? And I could tell that you didn't want to get pushed into confessing again, so it's not as though you aren't being plenty obvious about it. And clearly the 'shove you in the deep end and hope you swim' method isn't working. It's not suddenly going to start working. And if model boy already likes someone..."

"Then I'm just setting myself up for disappointment and failure," Marinette finished. Her expression- no, her entire being- drooped, but then she straightened back up, and this time, it was like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Which kind of seemed like the opposite of what should have happened, but maybe the whole 'keeping her hopes up' thing had been harder on Marinette than he had thought. "So I should just give up on my crush, then."

"I mean, it might be a good idea." Adrien would 100% chop Plagg's cheese supply in half if he knew that Plagg was encouraging Ladybug to stop crushing on civilian-him, but it was better than Marinette actually working up the courage to confess, only for Adrien to reject civilian-Ladybug and potentially mess up their friendship. "Or at least, like, not act on it. If your friend sets up 'opportunities', then just hang out with model-kid as friends. And, uh." He waved at the pictures on the wall. "I mean, if you want this kid to come over and hang out..."

Marinette drooped, and seriously, her spine was getting one hell of a workout with this conversation. "He's already seen them. When we had Jagged Stone over here, he missed seeing the bathroom and came up here and broadcast live to all of Paris. And Adrien was watching. But now he thinks I just have them because I'm a fan of his father's designs!" she added quickly, as though Plagg didn't know that already. Adrien had been rather puzzled by that explanation at first, Plagg knew, but had decided to just accept it eventually.

"It might still be weird for him to come over and have his face staring back at him all over the place," Plagg said helpfully instead. "'Specially if he's the only model that you have featured on your wall."

That made Marinette pause.

"Just something to think about," Plagg added airily. "That, and the fact that I've already heard your friend complain twice about you missing stuff when you were out fighting akumas, so if you were dating someone..."

Marinette caught on right away and she threw her head back and groaned. "You're so right! How did I not think of that? Even if Adrien did like me, even if I did actually successfully ask him out, even if he did say yes- I would be just like his father, flaking out on him all of the time! We'd never last, and I'd just end up hurting him in the process. And that means that it wouldn't ever have been a good idea to try to move on from him with Luka," she added. "And I shouldn't even think of dating before Hawkmoth is defeated."

Plagg breathed a little internal sigh of relief. Thank goodness. Crisis averted. Marinette wouldn't date anyone until Hawkmoth was defeated, then they could do their little reveal, find out that her partner had been model boy all along, and start dating and being all mushy. No one would be dating anyone else and mucking things up, and they would be in a good enough mood that he might be able to persuade Adrien to buy him the really fancy cheese.

...or they would be so busy being mushy and gross with each other that they would forget about Plagg and he would go unfed, but he was trying to think positive.

"So what are you going to do on your little outing tomorrow?" Plagg asked, rolling over so that he would stay in the middle of his sunbeam. "Are you going?"

"It would be nice to. I have time." Marinette sent him a small smile, and Plagg grinned in response. "Besides, if I don't go, then Adrien will be third-wheeling for Alya and Nino, and that's no fun. I would know, I've definitely done it plenty. And the last time he got to come out, it was on a group outing and Lila spent most of the time clinging to his arm, which is also no fun."

"Mmm."

"Lila was Volpina and Chameleon," Marinette told him, as if Plagg didn't already know that- and okay, maybe he wasn't supposed to know that, whatever. "The liar. She's been pretty much completely discredited now by our class, but she still likes trying to cling, even though it's obvious Adrien hates it. Last I heard, she was trying to claim that she just wanted to fit in and that was why she had made up all of the stories she did, but I don't think anyone has bought that."

"I'm surprised she got to come along on the class outing at all," Plagg commented. He had said the same thing to Adrien at the time, and-

Marinette sighed. "We don't really exclude people when it's an entire class outing, or Chloe wouldn't have been invited to most of the stuff we've done. There's some stuff like birthday parties where we don't have the entire class come, but everything else..."

-Adrien had given the exact same excuse, almost word-for-word.

"At least Chloe's been better recently," Marinette added absently as she reached for her mouse to wake up her computer. "Ever since Adrien put his foot down with her, she's really been trying to improve. And then when Chloe behaves better, Sabrina behaves better. So we don't mind having them along as much, it's just Lila being an annoyance now."

Ah-hah. An opening! Tikki was apparently still having trouble with getting Adrien to enforce his boundaries (because he was dense as a fruitcake and didn't understand that he could have boundaries, seemingly) and Master Fu had said no on a third consecutive week's swap, which meant that they had to try something different. And different might, in this case, mean using a friend as their mouthpiece.

"Maybe you could help Adrien get Lila off of him," Plagg suggested. "He would probably appreciate that."

Marinette paused, glancing over at him. "...I guess that would be a good idea. I mean, I know Nino's mentioned it a few times before, but..."

Okay, maybe this would be harder than Plagg thought. But Adrien had to catch on eventually. Maybe. Hopefully.

...a kwami could hope.

By the time Plagg was returned to Adrien on Sunday evening, they had accomplished several things.

First of all- and most importantly, in Master Fu's eyes- Ladybug and Chat Noir had a deeper understanding of each other's powers and would be able to use the other person's Miraculous in an emergency. Adrien had used Lucky Charm without help from Ladybug several times in a row now, and well, Marinette had mastered the baton. But that wasn't all.

Marinette had gotten her schedule sorted out and the perfection complex addressed, and seemed to have figured out how to use the word no. She had successfully gone on their friend group's outing without stuttering at all around Adrien, and while Alya seemed a bit miffed that Marinette hadn't even tried to ask him out, Adrien seemed plenty pleased to have been able to hold a normal conversation with Marinette.

(Although a 'normal conversation' was not what Plagg personally would have called it. They had started out a little awkward after Alya unceremoniously dragged Nino off- and that was something that maybe should have been addressed, because Plagg knew that Adrien was missing spending as much time as he used to with Nino- but after Marinette had accidentally punned and Adrien had lit up in utter delight, they had ended up spending a great deal of time giggling over absolutely ridiculous puns together. Then Adrien had decided to be dramatic about something- a pun that Marinette had pretended not to be impressed by, if Plagg's memory was serving him correctly- and, well, they were pretty hopeless after that. Calling them normal would be completely and utterly inaccurate.)

Marinette had even managed to score a point on the 'enforce Adrien's personal space' board by commenting on Lila's insistence on clinging to Adrien's arm when he was clearly uncomfortable with it and throwing in the word 'harassment', just loud enough for a nearby teacher to overhear. Madam Mendeleev had been on the case at once, and from what Plagg had heard, Lila had gotten detention and Adrien had finally been convinced that he didn't have to put up with unwanted clinging, thanks in large part to their teacher's intervention.

It was a very devious way of going about that, but Plagg couldn't say that he didn't approve, because he very much approved. If he had been assigned to Marinette from the start- well, she might have been a better fit with Tikki, but she would have made a fantastic Black Cat as well.

"Did you have a good week?" Adrien wanted to know as Plagg wolfed down a giant wedge of Camembert. Cheese bread had been good and it was always good to mix things up, but Camembert was always going to be Plagg's true love. "Tikki was loads of fun!"

"Oh, yeah, all smooth sailing," Plagg lied at once, choosing not to tell Adrien about having made Ladybug cry. It was all for the greater good, after all. Besides, Tikki would probably end him herself once she found out. Then, a thought struck him, and oh, yeah, he probably should say something before Ladybug transformed again with her new suit and Adrien decided to open his big mouth and comment on it. "But Adrien?"

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favor and don't say anything that might sound like you're implying that you're a better designer than Ladybug," Plagg demanded, remembering the absolute ire that he had felt zing through Lady Noire when Mister Bug had made his comment. "If you value your life. Seriously. Don't."

Adrien has the audacity to look puzzled. "Wait, why? I was just trying to offer some help!"

"Can't tell you. Identity stuff." Adrien would be kicking himself as soon as they did the reveal, whenever that was, but he just had to have an ounce of self-preservation between now and then. When they did, though...

Well, based on what Plagg had seen over the past two weeks, the reveal would go really well. By the time it happened, Marinette and Adrien were pretty much guaranteed to be fantastic friends. There would be feelings on both sides, he was willing to bet, and while Plagg was already gearing himself up for plenty of moaning about how gross the two of them were together, well...

After doing so much to save the city, the two of them deserved some cuddly mushiness. He could tolerate it.

#Miraculous Ladybug #my writing #marinette dupain cheng #Plagg #we support healthy character growth in this house #healthy character growth and not punishing Marinette for being human #*side eyes the show some more*

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arcticdementor · 4 years ago

Link

On June 24, amid great cultural upheaval and unrest, Glenn Yu reached out to Glenn Loury, his former teacher, to record his thoughts about the current moment. An edited version of their conversation follows.

…

You may or may not have an opinion about that, but suppose the question were to arise in the dorm room late at night. Suppose you have the view that you’re not sure it’s racism, and then someone challenges you, saying, “you’re not black.” They say, “you’ve never been rousted by the police. You don’t know what it’s like to live in fear.” How much authority should that identitarian move have on our search for the truth? How much weight should my declarations in such an argument carry, based on my blackness? What is blackness? What do we mean? Do we mean that his skin is brown? Or do we mean that he’s had a certain set of social-class-based experiences like growing up in a housing project? Well, white people can grow up in housing projects, too. There are lots of different life experiences.

I think it’s extremely dangerous that people accept without criticism this argumentative-authority move when it’s played. It’s ad hominem. We’re supposed to impute authority to people because of their racial identity? I want you to think about that for a minute. Were you to flip the script on that, you might see the problem. What experiences are black people unable to appreciate by virtue of their blackness? If they have so much insight, maybe they also have blind spots. Maybe a black person could never understand something because they’re so full of rage about being black. Think about how awful it would be to make that move in an argument.

Suppose someone, a white guy, is arguing about affirmative action with you. Suppose he thinks that affirmative action is undignified because he thinks that positions should be earned, not given, but he allows that he doesn’t expect someone like you to understand that argument because you’re black. That would be terribly unreasonable— even “racist.” Yet I’m hard-pressed to see the difference.

…

People cry, “structural racism.” Is that why the homicide rate is an order of magnitude higher among young black men? They say structural racism. Is that why the SAT test-score gap is as big as it is? They say structural racism. Is that why two in three black American kids are born to women without a husband? Is it all about structural racism? Is everything structural racism? It has become a tautology explaining everything. All racial disparities are due to structural racism, evidently. Covid-19 comes along and there’s a disparity in the health incidence. It’s due to structural racism. They’re naming partners at a New York City law firm and there are few black faces. Structural racism. They’re admitting people to specialized exam schools in New York City and the Asians do better. This has to be structural racism, with a twist—the twist being that this time, the structural racism somehow comes out favoring the Asians.

This is not social science. This is propaganda. It’s religion. People are trying to win arguments by using words as if they were weapons.

…

And just so I don’t sound like a right-winger, observe that if I were a Marxist, I’d be furious at these people going around talking about “structural racism.” Structure, yes. Racism, no. Because if I were a Marxist, which I’m not, I’d understand the driving force of history to be the interaction between class relations and the means of production, the struggle between workers and capital in the quest for profit given the logic of capitalism. Though I don’t subscribe to it, that’s at least an intellectually serious theory. I know what people are talking about when they say we need more unions, when they say we need to break up big companies, when they say that the accumulation of wealth has gotten too great. When someone says that the logic of profit-seeking leads to war, at least I know what they’re talking about. I don’t necessarily have to agree with Das Kapital to understand that it’s a serious engagement with history.

Structural racism, by contrast, is a bluff. It’s not an engagement with history. It’s a bullying tactic. In effect, it’s telling you to shut up.

…

Yu: I’ve had conversations in the past few weeks that have ended very poorly; conversations that have spiraled out of control, where I’m suddenly a racist, so I’m on damage control. I just don’t know how to reach people in a meaningful way, and that’s very disturbing to me.

Loury: It is disturbing. I’m not a seer. My mouth is not a prayer book. I only say what I say based on my subjective assessment of it all. But it may be that, for a while anyway, there’s not going to be a whole lot of effective talking. It may well be that we have to imagine a world where effective deliberation and consensus is not within reach for us, and we’re going to have to manage that situation. It could get very bad. It could go to violence. This is what Sam Harris always says, and he’s got a point. He says that if we can’t reason together, then the only alternative for dispute resolution is violence.

I don’t know if you saw my piece in Quillette about the looting and the rioting, but I pick up these pieces published in the New York Times, respectable left-wing journals. I’m reading them, and the writer is saying, “America was founded on looting. What did you think the Boston Tea Party was?” Or, “You’re talking about looting when George Floyd lies dead? Oh, I see, black lives don’t matter as much as property.” These are, to my mind, incomprehensibly idiotic. I don’t mean that to cast aspersions. The civilization that we all enjoy rests upon a very fragile foundation. Look. I’m in my backyard. It’s very nice. I’ve got a lot of space. There’s a fence. The birds come. I have a lawn. It’s mine!

Now, if a homeless person comes and squats in my backyard, I call the police. I have him removed, forcibly. There should be no lack of clarity about whether George Floyd’s death somehow excuses or justifies burning a bodega to the ground that a Muslim immigrant spends his whole life building. Being confused about that, equivocating about that, splitting the difference about that—I don’t understand how we’re going to have a reasoned discussion. My thoughts go back to, protect civilization. Again, I know how that sounds. It’s hyperbolic. It’s exaggerated—but only a little! My gut response is that this is not the time for argument. This is the time to protect civilization and protect institutions. When people start toppling statues of Abraham Lincoln and spray-painting on statues of George Washington, “a slave owner,” things fall apart. The center cannot hold. We teeter on the brink of catastrophe.

…

Yu: If there’s no available policy intervention, and there’s also no way we can change people’s minds, then is it hopeless? Is disparity always going to be the case?

Loury: Yes. My answer is it’s hopeless. But let me rephrase the question, and I’m channeling Thomas Sowell now. You have two alternatives. You can live with disparities, or you can live in totalitarianism. Again, hyperbolic, I know. No, I’m not talking about Eastern Europe circa 1960, but look at it this way: there can’t be a disparity without somebody being on top. People don’t recognize this.

What groups are on top? What about the Jews? You could say, “There are too many Jews in positions of influence.” If there are too few black lawyers who are partners in big law firms, doesn’t it follow that are too many Jews who are partners at these big firms? If there are too few blacks who are professors of mechanical engineering at places like Carnegie Mellon, why aren’t there too many Korean professors at these places?

…

What is the nature of the world that we live in? Why would I ever expect that there would be parity across the board between ethnic, racial, cultural, and ancestral population groups in an open society? It’s a contradiction because difference is a very fact of groupness. What do I mean by a group? Well, it’s genes, to some degree; it’s culture; it’s networks of social affiliation, of intermarriage and kinship. I mean the shared narrative, the same hopes, the dreams, the stories. I mean the practices of parenting and filial piety and whatever else there might be.

A group is a group. It has characteristics. Those characteristics matter for whether you play in the NBA. They matter for whether you learn to master the violin or the piano. They matter for whether you pursue technical subjects or choose to become a humanist or a scientist. They matter for the food that you eat. They matter for how many children you raise and how you raise them. They matter as to the age when you first have sex. They matter for all those things, and I think everyone would agree with that.

But now you’re telling me that they don’t matter for who becomes a partner in a law firm? They don’t matter for who becomes a chair in the Philosophy Department somewhere? Groupness implies disparity because groupness, if taken seriously, implies differences in ways of living life. Not everybody wants to play the fiddle. Not everybody wants to dunk a basketball. Not everybody is frightened to death that their parents are going to be disappointed with them if they come home with an A-minus. Not everybody is susceptible to being swayed into a social affiliation that requires them to commit a violent crime in order to prove their bona fides. Groups differ. Groups are not evenly distributed across society. That’s inevitable. If you insist that those be flattened, you’re only going to be able to succeed by imposing a totalitarian regime that monitors everything and jiggers everything, recomputing and refiguring things until we’ve got the same number of blacks in proportion to their population and the same number of second-generation Vietnamese immigrants in proportion to their population being admitted to Caltech or the Bronx High School of Science. I don’t want to live in that world.

#city journal #glenn yu #glenn loury #interview #read the whole thing

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sanshineaus · 5 years ago

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mingi : friends to lovers

warnings: none!

type: bulletpoint au, fluff

word count: 1989 (a lil short!! i’m very sorry)

a/n: as a san stan, we get fed content every 30 minutes and y’all mingi stans are the backbone of the fandom

you and mingi have a very sweet friendship, really

he and you would most likely die for each other

but also if he touches your charger you WILL kill him

you met through another friend, at their birthday party

right after you congratulated them and handed them their gift, mingi came around the corner and clumsily nearly spilled a drink on you

he still apologized though!!! AND offered to check for you if there was a drink anywhere

your friend laughed and introduced you two

'he's cute isn't he?'

oh boy was he!!!

he really was sweet too; you didn’t know anyone else but your friend and now, him, and he was nice enough to let you stick to him like glue

you even ended up exchanging numbers, and playing 8ball in your respective cabs when the party ended

from then on you began texting

and it grew into exchanging social media

to being inseparable in real life too

mingi would constantly bug you to go out and eat with him

and you’d frequently go shopping together (or window shopping. mingi just LOOKS stingy)

when your snap streaks had officially reached 420 days, mingi made sure to screenshot it and post it on all social media

as he did with any you content in general

and let’s be honest with ourselves— mingi’s a very, very beautiful person

so there was no shortage of people in his dms

most of which happened to be opening with ‘are you single’

because of your numerous posts together, it just didn’t seem likely

but really, you’d say ‘ew’ to that, because ew, that’s your best friend

who you’ve seen snotty crying over a picture of a particularly small puppy resting on a very large cat

and who has seen YOU snotty crying over the same picture but shhhh

you honestly think there’s no way you like him

your heart doesn’t palpitate around him or anything like that

(your chest just gets concerningly warm, so does your face and ears, and you have to take several gulps of air to compose yourself when he smiles. shhhhh)

EVEN if you did (which you don’t!) he wouldn’t like you back

he’s mingi

all mingi likes is dragging you out of bed by your feet

and making you regret giving him a spare key to your place

he’s in general grossly sappy, though

he fully understands that he’s cute and you detest it

because he ASKS you. he has the gall, the nerve to put on a silly cat, make a face at you in the store you’re in, and ask if he’s cute

and you want to say yes and laugh along with him but you settle for sighing and saying ‘sure’

but each and every time

he smiles

and it’s really rejuvenating. maybe an angel gets its wings or something. or fairies get born?

you two once debated over which of those two phrases is better, and you were the firm ‘fairy gets its wings’ believer

until he seemed a bit pouty and you decided to just merge the two

you have very stupid discussions

of the ‘do we belong in a circus’ kind

(yes, you might)

his very hidden talent is carrying a lot of mugs

mingi’s fingers are long, and he hangs the mugs off of them while maintaining focus

his record? 24 mugs

one of which broke while he walked from his room to the dishwasher

he was sad about it because it was a mug shaped like a bird

and you had to both comfort him and drive him in his tears to the store to get another one

to be fair, you also felt bad. so, so bad, because the mug was ADORABLE and you could tell mingi thought so too

but you got a Mingi Hug out of it later

when he thanked you, he really did go all out

(he put in no effort, he was just very huggable and it was very nice)

it was when you were very tired and on the brink of Death™ (you know, Death™, like when you just want to nap for 78 hours somewhere in a forest temple)

that you two decide to go to a 7/11

you both unfortunately have this thing called responsibilities so for whatever reason, neither of you can sleep

and so you offer to mingi to meet up at the store between your houses

to which he agrees, and asks if he can come over

to which you say no, but you also say YOLO™ and decide to leave your work in progress to meet up with your friend

(be gay do crime)

you don’t really do either, actually, you respectfully pay for your drinks and those packaged meals which are never as good at day as when they are at night

he insists you use the plastic bag you two had as a seat so your butt doesn’t get cold

and you do, but you also try and elbow his shin when he also sits down on the concrete

you are reminded of the ew feeling of seeing your best friend scarf down sushi like it’s soup

and he somehow manages to talk coherently about his stupid escapade which brought him to this point of meeting up with you

it’s so frustratingly endearing

because you know he’s enjoying himself if he doesn’t stop talking, and you know he’s comfortable around you

and that’s what makes you heart FINALLY flutter

it doesn’t take long for you two to depart, when you finish your own food and drink

and berate him a bit for not saving his drink for when he ended his meal and then stole a sip— no, a GULP from you

that night you give up on your project

(obviously not entirely)

but you’re certainly too busy to think straight

and lying in your bed with your heart beating quick is something you find pretty exhilarating

it’s actually pretty nice to like someone

because anything mingi does is fun, too

he gives you his jacket? perfection

he gives you a noogie? not AS perfect or ideal, but you’re happy he has you in a headlock because it’s a touch of human contact

and you like This human

he tries talking to you about what he would do if aliens landed

and you call him out on his bullshit, not because he’s wrong but because you love him <3 and he’s also wrong

he would NOT try and be nice to them, he’d immediately go in and look if there’s more species

“mingi would accidentally bring doomsday because he’d reject the flirting of an alien princess” yunho (who you met through mingi on the exact day of your 420 streak) adds, from somewhere near you guys in mingi’s apartment, and you absolutely agree

“marriage proposal? come on, i’d know!”

yunho looks at you, then at mingi, then back at you, and just shakes his head

and you feel offended because you’re aware of what yunho’s thinking

but mingi’s less on board

“are you saying they’re an alien princess?”

you argue that if you were an alien, you’d abolish the monarchy

but you also add that you’d rather be king if it came down to it

mingi is very insistent and it’s then when you realize that your heart is beating like that again

because he’s stood up and taken you with him to show to yunho that you’d make a terrific alien princess if only they put you in a sci-fi dress and crown

you want to put mingi in a sci-fi dress and crown all of a sudden, you don’t know : /

it’s prerogative you get more than one Mingi Hug

Mingi Hugs are a bit of an oddity

not because he doesn’t hug you often

it’s just that this is such a specific brand of hug that he reserves for moments of vulnerability

where he protectively wraps his arms around you, but places his head on your shoulder to hide his face

maybe he’s crying, maybe you’re crying, maybe neither is happening and he’s just grateful you’re there, but you’ve noticed he doesn’t do it as often to other people

it’s really cute, though

you’re sitting on your roof one night

not star gazing, mingi just said he read an article that said some phenomena will hit the skies

you tried to listen to him but he was so excited that explaining failed him and he just grabbed your hand to pull you out

(not that you were complaining, he was so gentle and cute)

you are lying down next to each other; and he’s pointing out constellations to you

you see some of them, others are less easy to spot, but every once in a while he rambles about something interesting he knew

but then it starts

you hear a sizzling first, and then a shot

and your sky is red… with a firework

after that, there’s another pound, the colour this time pink

it is pretty— colours exploding against the night sky is pretty

but what the hell? this isn’t a nebular event

it’s when you finally tear your eyes away from the sky to mingi to interrogate him that you see he’s already looking at you

and he has a very sweet smile on his face

“it’s our 500th snap streak day”

and you aren’t stupid, so you know he’s behind the fireworks, but

“why?”

and he lets out a very burdened sigh before he grabs your wrist, and places your hand in his

“it means i’ve liked you for 500 days”

there’s two emotions fluctuating all throughout

relief and joy

so you scoot over and let go of his hand so that you can swing your arms around his neck

his arms, for the first time, are loose, and you can absolutely hear the beating of his heart

the fireworks stop all of a sudden when your neighbour yells

but you ignore her so you can try and get even closer to mingi

you mumble that you like him too

however he hugs you tighter

and tells you he can’t hear you

but he DEFINITELY CAN AND HE’S JUST—UGHHH

so you decide to be even worse about it

and you y e l l it

now the whole neighbourhood knows you like mingi

though it does gradually grow into love

mingi’s a very caring boyfriend; after all, he was exactly the same as a friend

now with the added bonus of being able to kiss you

which is a power he abuses thoroughly

he gives forehead and temple kisses the most

and he’s a very terrible gremlin, so he sometimes holds your head only to bring it to his lips

or he’ll pick you up randomly

“can you tell i worked out?”

yes, you can, but you’re more focused on trying to land safely if he loses his grip

not that you don’t trust him

you trust him in every aspect of the relationship

he’s reliable— and also brings you food at inconvenient times of the day

plus you get to visit each other whenever

he likes doing animal face masks with you

and offers a bath every. time.

he runs some of the best bubble baths though, you can’t lie

he’s also very warm most of the time, so if you’re a heat sink… guess what! you no longer are!

mingi’s also very careful

he makes mistakes often; physically breaking things, sometimes he doesn’t know his strength, and so on

but he’s always ready to apologize and get you something new

he sometimes ends up going too far with a joke?

apology!

he’s very meticulous with it too. words mean as much as actions to him, and so there’s a lot of meaning in his apologies

he’s just cute

you’re both very cute but also a very annoying couple

pda? she’s your best friend

*yeosang cringes*

#song mingi #song mingi x reader #ateez #ateez x reader #ateez scenarios #song mingi scenarios #mingi x reader #mingi scenarios #ateez imagines #mingi imagines #mingi fluff #musicians #ateez moodboard

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lunalilith19 · 5 years ago

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Moon Phases

The cycle of the Moon is connected to the cycles of life and growth, and in astrology, which phase the Moon was in when you were born influences how you approach the world and affects how you relate to others.

The phases of the Moon measure where the Sun and Moon are in relation to each other, so they can reflect your conscious vs. unconscious self, your outward vs. inward energy, You can find out your Moon phase here: X

New Moon: Madison Chock Javier Fernandez Max Trankov Meryl Davis Charlie White Jeff Buttle Ashley Wagner

The Moon conjuncts the Sun and starts a new cycle every month. People born at this Moon phase are full of energy and enthusiasm and can have a wide-eyed wonder. They’re excited, lively and spontaneous and act on instinct and intuition, with a need to learn about who they are and project that into the world. Attracted to beginnings, they need to work on follow through and are challenged to develop perspective. Impulsive and quick to act. New Moon people are full of optimism when they fall in love and see the best in people. They tend to be authentic and don’t pretend to be anything they’re not. They look for relationships that give them a happy balance where each person is whole and independent yet completely devoted to the other.

Waxing Crescent Moon: Yuzuru Hanyu Eric Radford Mao Asada Alina Zagitova (Wakaba Higuchi Kaori Sakamoto)

At the Crescent Moon, the seeds planted at the New Moon are beginning to sprout. These people have a creative energy that takes time to germinate. Their tentative curiosity encourages them to explore after having done some research and preparation. They live with a sense of eager anticipation, with the excited feeling that they’re on the brink of something wonderful, with the challenge to turn that into action. They like their comfort zones, and can stay rooted to the past or in their habitual behaviors and need to reconcile that with their drive to create change and move forward. Sometimes taking the first step is the hardest part, but when they do, they often have breakthroughs. They have a dedication when they’re in love to commit and be the best partner they can be. When they fall in love, they don’t fall halfway, but fully.

First Quarter Moon: Scott Moir Gabriela Papadakis Guillaume Cizeron Elvis Stojko Carolina Kostner Evgenia Medvedeva (Anthony Ponomarenko Marjorie Lajoie Han Cong Madison Hubbell)

The First Quarter is considered a critical phase, because it’s the turning point from inner to outer, from sprouting to being fully into the air aboveground. There’s an element of struggle to being birthed, so First Quarter Moon people can feel life as if there’s always a crisis to respond to. Passionate risk takers, they have an element of tension or nervous energy to them. Quick to act, and from a place of instinct, as if trying to prove something to the world, slowing down to think things out isn’t their first impulse. Anger needs to be managed consciously and healthy physical outlets are important. They take life as a challenge, are ambitious and driven. Can unconsciously create havoc in their lives if they’re not balanced. They are very emotional in love and have big feelings. Falling in love can be overwhelming because it amplifies all their already over the top emotions.

Waxing Gibbous Moon: Tessa Virtue Kaetlyn Osmond Tanith Belbin White Nikolaj Sørenson Jason Brown (Tatiana Volosozhar Adam Rippon Alex Shibutani)

In the Waxing Gibbous phase, buds form and fruit begins to grow. This moon phase is about self development and conscious, deliberate action. People born in this time plan, organize, and constantly learn about themselves in order to excel in all areas of life. They are very creative without being impulsive, with sharp, analytical minds. Delving deep into the essence of things to gain understanding brings them joy. Questioners and learners, they often periodically apprentice themselves with mentors and take on new skill sets or areas of knowledge. They can be worriers but are survivors and problem solvers. In love are very giving and don’t expect relationships to be easy. Can be very open and willing to share with the right partner and are good at making their loved ones feel truly loved and appreciated.

Full Moon: Aljona Savchenko Evan Bates Jeremy Abbott Lawrence Fournier-Beaudry (Gabrielle Daleman Evan Lysacek)

At the full moon, the Sun and Moon are facing each other, at directly opposite points in the zodiac. Full Moon individuals learn about themselves through relating to others. It’s a time of flowers blooming and fruit ripening, so they tend to have lives rich in a variety of experiences. Finding important personal or professional partners tends to spur great periods of growth and success in their lives. They are learning about the tension of opposites and what it means to work in harmony with people who are very different from them. They tend to be idealistic, searching for what they can truly believe in. Finding balance in themselves is important, because with the Sun and Moon in opposition, there can be a tug of war between their wants and needs. In love they tend to fall quickly, so can confuse attraction for deeper connection, or mistake lust for love. But tend to approach love with confidence and enthusiasm.

Waning Gibbous (Disseminating) Moon: Anna Capellini Nathan Chen Romain Haguenauer Sui Wenjing (Jean Luc Baker Ben Agosto)

After the culmination of light at the Full Moon, the Waning Gibbous or Disseminating phase is about scattering seeds, dropping fruit and giving back. People born at this phase are natural teachers, philosophers, mentors. They inspire and share important messages or information. They are great communicators and are gifted at connecting with others and tend to leave a lasting impression. Here to go their own way, they often break with convention or tradition. They can be selfless when they fall in love- prepared to give everything without expecting a return. They focus on helping others, making sure they add to the peace and love in the world and strive to be a supportive, healthy partner.

Third or Last Quarter Moon: Michelle Kwan Alexandra Stepanova Marie-France Dubreuil Patrice Lauzon Zachary Donohue (Meghan Duhamel Kaitlyn Hawayek Anastasia Buscis)

At this phase, leaves mature, change color and begin to fall. The question of meaning and purpose is often central. Because these are big subjects, people born in this phase often find their greatest fulfillment a little later, and mid-life can be filled with change. They reevaluate the old and aren’t afraid to change to live according to what they believe. They combine instinct with creativity. Because finding themselves is an ongoing journey, they need alone time. Dreams are an important part of their internal process. They can be going through inner shifts and then suddenly take dramatic steps, like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. They can have a dreamy, idealized image of a perfect relationship and look for that in reality. They sometimes need to reality check their high high expectations, but they strive to be the best partner they can be.

Balsamic Moon: Satoko Miyahara Marina Zueva Lilah Fear Andrew Poje (Miki Ando Nikita Katsalapov Christina Carreira)

In the Balsamic phase, leaves fall. It’s the last phase before the next New Moon and a new cycle. This is a phase about completion, and so for Balsamic Moon people, time alone to reflect and process is crucial. They tend to be selective regarding close friends and loved ones. Spirituality is a key theme and they ponder the bigger questions because they are here to wrap up a karmic cycle before starting their next. The challenge is to live in the moment rather than having their mind on the future or what they want to happen rather than what is happening. They often have an awareness of the larger or deeper picture and can help raise that consciousness in others. Would rather be alone than settle for less than what makes them happy. Their relationships can tend to be intense. They fall in love with full understanding of what it takes to be in a healthy committed relationship.

#vm astrology #vm #in a day the moon travels around 12°#so without birth time #some people fall in range of 2 phases #so couldn't include them #moon phase is just one factor in the big picture of your chart

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fhimechan · 6 years ago

Text

Merman AU - February

Another rushed update - I forgot february was such a short month! Thanks @brokenfannibal and @my-soul-and-perfume for following me so far, we’re slowly working towards the end! Also, reminder it’s unbetaed, and also it was supposed to be just sketched...!

[Prologue] [June] [July] [August] [September] [October] [November] [December] [January]

Eventually, Will runs out of gasoline for the heater and has to reluctantly go back to the shop. Jenny greets him as a long lost relative.

“Wiiiiillllllll!!!!!!! I’m so happy to see you!” She takes in his appearance. “Wild, but happy. I saw you made peace with your boyfriend!”

Will feels himself blushing, and Jenny reddens too, laughing. “Sorry, that’s the last comment about it. I’m just glad you two are okay.”

Suddenly, there’s a hand on Will’s shoulder. “Will, the man I wanted. Are you coming to try my boat, or not?”

Will manages not to flinch, and steps away from the hand. “George.”

Jenny looks at Will closely. “If you prefer to do anything else, you’re not obligated.”

George says, “Nonsense, he loves boats. When are you coming, Will?”

Will is about to mechanically decline, but when he opens his mouth he realizes that he actually would like to see the engine.

He hesitates for a moment too long, because Jenny notices and interrupts him. “Well, actually… I was waiting for you to come to go myself. On Sunday there should be a storm, so there won’t me much else to do.” She widens her eyes and theatrically flutters her eyelashes at Will. “Would you keep me company?”

That sounds… nice, actually. Will says, “I’ll think about it,” which satisfies George.

Alone with Jenny, Will asks, “A storm, uh?”

Jenny winks, “Well, you always come here when it’s raining. Either you're free in those days, or you’re a storm god. Since I do actually want to get to know you, it seemed worth a try to tell you the weather forecast.”

She grins, unaware of how amazing it is that she can express her feelings so easily.

Will leaves the shop smiling.

It isn’t exactly that Will asks permission… but it feels like that. Oh well, that isn’t the most unhealthy part of their relationship.

Hannibal regards him with steady eyes.

Then he signs, “Go,” surprising both of them.

Will kisses his knuckles.

It’s Jenny that comes to pick Will up with the shop van and that drives them both to the house. Or, more precisely, to the boatshed under the cliff.

There, she heads straight for the boat and gets in. Will looks at her disappearing form, then follows with a sigh. He hopes she knows what she's doing.

The guests and George arrive shortly after, coming from a lift that connects the house to the boatshed. The lift is built inside an artificial hole in the rocks and is impressive; Will wonders how out of his dept he has been not to notice it during his stay.

Jenny sees his puzzlement and explains, even if she explains the wrong bit. “My parents and George are very good friends, he always tells me to just get in, no ceremonies. Well, actually, he prefers me not to wait outside, because of that one time I got dizzy and risked to fall.” She cuts Will’s reply off. “Don’t you dare say anything. I have my meds, I know how to handle myself, I don’t need another person to tell me what I can’t do.”

Will can relate.

The weather is stormy, but the boat is solid and warm. It’s also filled to the brink with science equipment. And too many people.

George is excited to introduce his guests to what he calls “his usual science team”, which consists in three people. They look more friends than scientists, except for they have a whole lot of publications under their belt. Apparently, George loves to fill his tank with fish, but also to study it.

“Someone needs to tell me how to keep the fishes alive,” he tells the guests with a wink.

The tallest of his friends answers, “Yes, well, we need to keep an eye on you, or our promising projects will be dead in a day or two.”

“Oh, come on, that happened once.”

“Well, we learnt that it’s better to come here often and uninvited. To check.”

“And not because you like my wine cellar, I reckon.”

The teasing is gentle, speaks of a long friendship. Will relaxs. Maybe one day he will have that too, he thinks, looking at Jenny. That the prospect doesn't terrify him is probably a minor miracle.

Will stays mostly silent, sipping hot chocolate and eating canapès to do something with his hands. Having a large group of people there is actually helpful, since he can avoid a direct conversation with George and concentrate on the boat and the equipment. He really likes it.

Jenny keeps close, occasionally chatting with him. It’s surprisingly nice, to hear the storm outside and to be lulled by the waves and the low chattering.

Will is content to look the fishes out of the small windows, but he misses Hannibal.

Then, George comes closer and conspiratorially shows him a picture. “What do you think? A friend of mine took it few months ago.”

In the photo, Hannibal’s tale is clear in the distance, while his human torso is facing away.

Will’s heart skips a beat.

Jenny says, “Oh, come on, it must be fake!”

“Cross my heart, it isn’t. Don’t spread the word, but,” he claps his hands on their shoulders, “we're going to specifically look for it.”

Will manages a nod, but the world is echoing weirdly around him. He tells Jenny he doesn’t feel well, and fortunately George drops them off immediately.

Hannibal isn’t alarmed. “They have seen me many times. They have never caught me.”

Will imagines how Hannibal slipped away in those situations. With blood and teeth.

“Please, hide.” His hands shake too much to sign.

“I’ll stay with you,” says Hannibal, and Will can breathe again. “I'll be safe. You’ll kill anyone who will lay a finger on me.”

[March]

#hannibal #fanfic #my fic #criticism welcome #merman au #ah! plot!

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thebandcampdiaries · 3 years ago

Video

youtube

Yayo Brinks is back with a new single and music video “Change.”

April 2022 - Yayo Brinks is an artist who makes music in a very unique and creative way. Her most recent release, "Change", is a remarkable take on modern pop, hip-hop and R&B. These days, genres don’t really matter match, and artists like Yayo Brinks are proof. She seamlessly incorporates a huge variety of influences into her sound, and as a result, she is able to keep her music incredibly fresh and fun.

So, what is it that makes this project so special? For one thing, it is definitely its own thing. Yayo Brinks doesn’t seem interested in emulating others or recreating whatever trendy sound is en vogue at the moment. On the country, she wants to etch her own mark and make her own way. "Change" is a remarkable example of what it means to make music that has roots, yet still the willingness to branch out into unexplored territories. While the sound of this release owes much to the artist’s musical background, "Change" is also a great statement when it comes to portraying the artist’s natural willingness to stretch out and try something new. The song kicks off with a mellow electric guitar part. A beautiful pattern that has some clean sounds and a lot of reverb to keep the mood going. Soon after, a trap-inspired beat comes in, giving the track a sense of drive and energy. The low end is pretty solid too, with a thump on the bass drum pattern that gives the track its pulse. The proverbial cherry on top is the singer’s beautiful voice. Yayo Brinks is all about singing from her heart. Her lyrics are spontaneous and you can tell that she is personally connected with what she is saying in the song. At the same time, the track is not only emotional, but also quite catchy, leading to a really vibey and catchy listening experience. One of the most powerful lines in the song is when the artist sings about giving 100% but getting only 50% back. She relates this feeling to the music industry specifically, but many people of all walks of life can actually empathize. Even when it seems like we’re giving it all, we often find ourselves in a situation of feeling stuck, like we can’t progress. However, Yayo Brinks gives us a hopeful and brighter perspective with this single, a reminder that we can be strong and follow our dreams and inner motivation, no matter what! Musically, the track has a very special flow to it. It's like the artist feels more and more confident in what makes her special and what gives the audience something truly recognizable about her vision and her whole approach to music overall. “Change” is a truly perfect calling card for Yayo Brinks. In fact, this new song might just make its way into your heavy rotation and it might stay there for quite a good while!

It’s not always a trivial thing to get there: experimenting with new ideas often means to get out of one’s comfort zone, and in some cases, it might not work. The more you consciously try to “be different” or shock your audience, the bigger the chances of failure, because the process wouldn’t happen in a very genuine, and organic way. Yayo Brinks, on the other hand, seems to have it built-in in herself to try new things with her sound. It is not something she does just for shock value, but it is a pattern of following her creativity without necessarily being stuck in the usual tropes of the modern indie pop genre. Much like artists such as Rihanna, Dua Lipa, and The Kid LAROI, Juice WRLD or Halsey, Yayo Brinks managed to build something special, and let her distinctive voice through. Her music is going to be a big hit in your book if you do enjoy energetic sounds that still have a lot of substance and a recognizable musical DNA that’s not the usual carbon copy of something else! Listeners who give Yayo Brinks a well-deserved chance will most definitely be glad they did, considering the amazing quality and spark that drives this new release.

Find out more about Yayo Brinks, and listen to "Change" on your favorite streaming service.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/56UWyV8guuk02XDknNzu3F?autoplay=true

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/yayo-brinks/1566219553

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orhv_HtoDYk

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aaluminiumas · 7 years ago

Text

At Ten Paces

“So, Burr, have the finger on the trigger?”

Hamilton, as usual, didn’t miss the opportunity to sneer and throw a waspish remark at me. As expected, he wasn’t serious at all, this duel meant merely nothing to him: he didn’t respect this historical moment – just like he didn’t respect me. He made fun of everything he saw – made fun of the situation, made fun of me, that eccentric that would certainly be dished on by newspapers!.. Unbearable, ridiculous! This man turns everything into a farce: once he takes the floor, any session morphs into a mess!

“Almost pulling it.”

Hamilton grinned arrogantly – with the schadenfreude so characteristic of him that drives me crazy. Oh, if only I could, I would’ve shot him back then, I would’ve planted a bullet into his sarcastic dirty mouth which is always full of snide remarks! He’s always vaunting of his “service in battle”, but in reality it seems like this filthy little toad lay low somewhere in the tent scribbling his useless plans and botching up senseless essays! Instead of being active in politics he always dilates upon, the only thing he’s doing is writing which is not going to help us on the economic arena. This Caribbean bastard, supercilious parvenu God knows how ingratiated himself with Washington, managed to obtain his cushy job – and now he is not ashamed to use the fruits of his so called providence! What are his achievements exactly? A couple of Federalist articles for the Constitution nobody cares about? This mediocre project of the National Bank which isn’t accepted even by excruciatingly indifferent Jefferson? What’s his cultural impact? What’s his contribute to our country’s development? His constant squabbles in Congress – at any meeting in general? His permanent braggadocio, idiotic ostentation, swelled up conceit? Showing off in front of the delegates and haughty behavior? Voting for the man unable to make a strategically important decision, voting for someone preferring to procrastinate and postpone? The fact that his vote gravely changed the situation during the election of 1800 rose himself in his own eyes and ascribed non-existent accomplishments to him. Hamilton, enough. You can apologize – here and now – and stop marring this beautiful day with your insipid jokes popping out of your carelessly concocted pamphlets. But no, you want to take revenge for your own disrespect – again, posing, giving a performance, trying to prove what a perfect shooter you are. You’ll have to take responsibility for your words, for your exceedingly long tongue, for your everlasting attacks and accusations – and your hubris.

“Don’t hesitate, sir,” Hamilton drawled in a mocking manner, reluctantly preparing himself for the duel.

He looked around slowly – slightly narrowed his eyes, he glanced at the boats and the oars; took a gander at me – and, damn it, he obviously noticed I had soaked a bit!.. He muttered something about the fog – and the wonderful day that lay ahead; patted Pendleton on the shoulder, smiled… and started telling us about his plans for the evenings as if he expected to go home in one piece! As if there was not a gun loaded, there were not a second tensed; me, the one capable to determine his fate, did not exist for him!.. He idly adjusted his sleeves as if preening before a date; grabbed the weapon and glanced at the boats again. Hamilton didn’t look nervous at all – on the contrary, he seemed either to be participating in another passionate dispute, or preparing himself for another blow to inflict on the Republicans, especially on Jefferson who had been elected to run afoul of me.

“At ten paces?” he asked, adjusting a ginger strand at the temple. Hell, is he attending a party?

Fighting my annoyance, I nodded. Yes, he surprised me here as well – he baffled me with his outstanding impudence.

“If you say so, Hamilton.”

“Good to know that at least now you hear me.”

I clenched my teeth: he simply couldn’t stay silent for a second! Moreover, the closer the moment of truth crawled, the calmer he became – he wasn’t in the least affected by the seriousness of my intentions! Is he that dumb to take everything for a joke, a cheap trick? The only thing he had to do was to issue an apology and admit the inferiority of his judgement – I’d easily relent! This bastard is always turning the world around into a penny-ante play, and unfortunately this duel wasn’t an exception to the rule. On the contrary: it had awakened the honed skills of a third-rate clown.

“It’s a pity you can’t shut up even on the brink of death.”

“On the brink of death? For god’s sake, Burr. I bet I’ll outlive you.”

And again, that brazen grin, this histrionic astonishment of a bad actor – he wouldn’t be accepted even at the wayside travelling show though he was accepted at the Congress abrim with the same prancing fools!.. No, I am not against the idea of reconciliation, I would forget about the affront, but Hamilton somewhat insists on violence. He vexes me even more so, pits himself against me! With every second he’s digging a deeper hole. I feel a growing urge to tell him that a couple of words could alter everything, even my intentions – he doesn’t even care what nonsense to talk, so if he added a few more lines to his stupid monologue of a great length, it wouldn’t play a significant part for him: a sentence more, a sentence less…

The seconds strained. At the beginning they thought the duel to be a silly caprice of two men with no death happening at the end (at any rate, Hamilton always managed to interject with a long tedious speech full of redundant details, or with a squib). And now they understood the shots were unavoidable. God knows, I didn’t want it to occur – someone had to watch the mouth instead of talking nonsense amplifying it with publications and pamphlets. If Mother Nature created people for a certain purpose, Hamilton had none – he was a startlingly garrulous experiment, ready to take chances. If others consider that to be elocution and talent, then I realize this lack of interest towards my modest person – to any person whatsoever, as this ruffled rooster outshines the most obtuse parrot chattering days on end. Hard to imagine how his family put up with him – I bet his wife and children elude him all the time.

“Check the gun: they say it misfires. You sure don’t want to be a poor shot to boot?”

Pendleton frowned – and Hamilton definitely saw it though didn’t pay any heed to this. Winked and smiled; no control over the situation. Is it possible he is not scared at all? Is it possible he… he intends to shoot? Is it possible he… wants to end it up this way?

“Not worse than you are.”

“We’ll see!”

Just imagine: that smirk, again! I can’t bear it any longer!

“Ten paces,” came a muffled voice. I cannot even make out to whom it belongs exactly. Dang it, he isn’t kidding. He really is going to kill me.

“One…”

Everything is so foggy – it seems the haze covered the eyes as well. I am no longer certain what is going on.

“Two.”

The second’s voice didn’t quiver – but dropped down a notch.

“Three.”

Hamilton barely suppressed the desire to toss another wisecrack. He could hardly keep himself from saying something.

“Four.”

Making a step, I stumble over wet grass.

“Five...”

I can hear Hamilton’s steps behind my back. Slow, steady, made at the word of command.

“Six.”

I falter again. For some obscure reason, I am nervous: maybe I should turn back?

“Seven.”

He commences to sing a doltish funny song as if it is the right time to dally. Hamilton manages to ruin the most serious moment – we’re an inch from death!

“Eight… Nine… Ten. Stop.”

We turn to each other. He shoots first – what have I done to disgruntle him so much that he wants to destroy me? Is he eager to be the most discussed politician of the time? Wasn’t it enough after that Reynolds’ Pamphlet read by the whole country?

“You know, Burr,” Hamilton smiled, aiming, “I am not a supporter or adherent to Draconian measures. But drastic times…”

He didn’t finish the sentence. Instead of listening to his monologue, I way too vividly saw his white finger placing on the trigger. I swear, nothing else seemed more natural to me: he knew how to use the gun; you’d think he was born with the weapon in hand; the way he held it, the way he…

…shot the tree.

I hear the bullet piercing the air next to my ear; honestly, it was an inch away from me – and it got stuck in the trunk of a spreading willow now shaking its boughs.

“…call for diplomacy, not violence.”

I gave a start. He stood opposite me, unusually collected, straightened up – and appeared taller than I remembered; I saw my own reflection in his violet eyes; I was sure there was no shot at all, and if I hadn’t been deafened by it, I wouldn’t have grabbed my own pistol so hastily, I wouldn’t have been so trigger-happy, I wouldn’t have…

“Burr… damn you. The wound is fatal. You aren’t as bad as I thought.”

Hamilton’s voice was muffled and cracked – but his lips were still grinning. Out of the corner of the eye I saw him falling – and the seconds running up to him. As for me… I stood there rooted to the spot, staring into space. Duels had seemed different to me… before I shot Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of Treasure of the United States.

#fanfiction #hamilton #alexander hamilton #aaron burr #burr #fanfic #duel #history #shooting

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countessofsnark · 7 years ago

Text

Snarky Recap - Thunderbirds: ‘Brink of Disaster’

The One Where Neither Reckless Speed Nor Petty Crime Pay Off.

This opens with a shot of Parker having an h’off duty moment. And what would an off duty moment be without some beer and a cigar, eh? (PSA: smoking is bad for you, please consider stopping or simply not starting this nasty habit)

Unfortunately for Parker, a car pulling up near the house means his little moment of me time is over. Indeed, ‘a butler’s work is never done.’ I must go, my people need me.

Now excuse me Mr Fancy Pants, you’ll have to wait for her Ladyship, because she appears to be fashionably late.

Mr Grafton: ‘From what I’ve heard she’s certainly ah worth waiting for.’

EXCUSE YOU, SIR. We don’t talk about her Ladyship that way. And certainly not in this ‘ouse. And kindly keep your hands and other appendages where they belong.

Switching to Penelope driving FAB 1 in a fabulous outfit that would definitely look great on her TAG counterpart too. So badass I can’t even.

There’s staying calm in a stressful situation and then there’s Penelope Creighton-Ward calm while being shot at during a car chase.

Taking out the trash, Penny style.

Back at the Creighton-Ward mansion, Mr Grafton goes from creep to overdressed burglar in 0.5 seconds. See, I knew there was something fishy about this man.

Oh he’s a businessman now is he? And a monorail, you say? Requiring money to get the project off the ground, no pun intended? And just as the conversation turns to a suspicious breakdown of Penelope’s financial means, Parker walks in carrying tea and a message for her Ladyship.

IT’S A TRAP!

Penny is smart enough to know that this Grafton fella can’t be trusted so she sidetracks the conversation to setting up a meet up with a wealthy friend of hers who happens to be very interested in projects of the technological kind.

Meet your new sugar daddy, Mr Grafton.

Fast forward to a New York boardroom, where Grafton and his Pacific Atlantic Monorail Corporation buddies are having a Investment Dick Measuring contest.

A little while later, Grafton is being roasted by his guests aboard the mono train. What about safety measures? Oh not to worry, we’ve got heli-jets on constant patrol.

Jeff: ‘Unless something went wrong with the heli-jet.’ THIS, BASICALLY.

Well don’t you hate it when Murphy’s Law has a field day?

Grafton: ‘So you see, Tracy, in the standard coaches we can pack in 500 people.’

Jeff: ‘Pack in is right.’

Your marketing spiel sure could use some polishing up, Mr Grafton.

Grafton then proceeds to show his distinguished guests the power unit. ‘The greatest junk of engineering genius in land travel history.’

Jeff: ‘Well it’s big enough anyway.’

It’s not size it’s what you do with... ah never mind.

Back at the bridge, Joe and Stan are doing a whole lot of talking back and forth until one of them finally decides to radio the mono train.

Jeff has already figured out that Grafton is way more interested in money than he is in passenger safety.

‘His type usually end up in one place: jail.’

And that’s exactly where our Bonny and Clyde are going if they think they can steal from Lady P and get away with it.

‘Grafton fixed the alarms. All we gotta do is press a button and we’re ok.’ Right, and Rome was built in one day.

A butler’s work is never done. Except when he’s snoring like an intoxicated elephant.

Grafton heads back to his guests to tell them they’re heading for trouble - ‘and I mean trouble!’ Well, good thing you’ve got heli-jets on standby, don’t you? Oh, wait. OOPS.

Jeff is doing a fabulous job staying calm and composed while the monorail is speeding up and out of control.

Grafton, when asked how long it’ll take until they reach the damaged part of the track: ‘I’m not sure. Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty maybe more... I don’t know!’

Jeff: ‘Thanks. You’re a great help.’

Not sure if sarcasm or reassuring or both. *squint*

Back at the mansion, our burglar buddies did manage to sneak inside undetected. For now...

The damaged part of the bridge is STILL exploding. Like, seriously, was this episode co-produced by Michael Bay? *more squinting*

Jeff has worked out a plan to secretly contact the boys. Until then, Obi-Brains, you are our only hope.

Leave it to John to awkwardly intercept the call.

Jeff: ‘Make it snappy, we’re running out of time.’ YOU BETTER HURRY UP, MY WOEFULLY UNDERAPPRECIATED SON.

A few moments later, on Tracy Island, John transfers the message to the boys.

Scott: WHAT THE FUCK.

Virgil: ‘We’ll never get there in time!’ No, not in your slow ass bird you won’t.

Scott: ‘Well we can’t just sit here.’

Virgil: (suddenly forgetting all about the dramatic remark he made seconds ago) ‘Right. Come on!’

Our bandit buddies manage to open the jewel vault but unfortunately for them, this also sets off an alarm that wakes up both Penny and Parker

Penelope: ‘Parker? Are you awake? It appears we have visitors.’

Ah yes. ‘Visitors.’

‘Parker, they’re going to take my jewels.’

‘That would seem to be the intention, m’lady.’ Such sharp observational skills, Parker.

Our jolly bandits think they can get away with their loot. But just as they’re about to take off in their getaway car...

Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals. And a happy New Year.

Shooting the tyres doesn’t stop these guys though. They make the horrible mistake of trying to steal FAB 1 next. Penny activates the remote control and has the car spinning circles around the driveway fountain. Case closed. LOL.

You spin me round baby right round like a record baby right round.

Joe and Stan continue to provide ‘useful’ commentary regarding the bridge situation without actually doing anything about it. Good job, Captains Obvious and Obviouser.

Brains’ plan seems to be working but the train is still speeding along the track.

Grafton: WE’RE STILL GOING TOO FAST OH GOD OH GOD WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE.

Jeff: OH SHUT UP.

Attaboy, Jeff.

Tin Tin, meanwhile, is seeking comfort in Daddy Jeff’s arms. Well well well, guess she likes her men the way some people like wine: vintage and full bodied. If Alan were here he would probably spontaneously combust.

‘They’re going too fast!’

YOU DON’T SAY.

But just as the train reaches the end of the line, it slows down enough to execute a full stop. SUCCESS!

Jeff: ‘Easy now, Tin Tin. It’s all over now.’

Yes, my dear girl. We all act on our deepest desires when we think the end is near. Don’t worry, Alan need not hear a word of this. Unless you want to break his poor fragile heart. *grins*

And that’s when Appreciated Son Number One arrives at the danger zone, while Appreciated Son Number Two is still six minutes away. Good job, boys. You didn’t exactly sit around but you didn’t exactly contribute to the happy ending of this situation either.

Scott: ‘International Rescue here. You guys are still in danger. The tower behind you is gonna collapse any moment.’

Well good thing you fellas are here then, eh. Bring on Thunderbird 2 for some heavy lifting.

Grafton: ‘Say, what goes on? Are they trying to murder us or something?’

No, you dick. It’s called rescuing people from a nasty situation that was created by idiots like yourself.

Scott and Virgil safely deposit the section containing Jeff, Tin Tin, Brains, and Grafton and then fly off, heading back to Tracy Island.

Tin Tin is still shook af and Jeff is trying to *cough* comfort her *cough*. Oh boy if only Alan were here to see this.

Jeff warns Grafton that his next holiday will be spent behind bars. Grafton is not impressed.

Cut to Grafton and buddies in jail. Nice outfit, lads. Keep on dreaming, that’s the spirit. LOL.

Ahhh this was such a little gem. Thank you for the request, @undercoverchikin and @madilayn

#snarky recap #thunderbirds #request #brink of disaster

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theagencyrp · 7 years ago

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[[LOADING FILE]]

>>:// [[ACCESS GRANTED]]

ALIAS: AGENT PARKS NAME: [[REDACTED]] POSITION: FIELD OPERATIVE ACCESS LEVEL: ONE

>>:// [[AGENT PARKS INTEL]]

>> Agent Parks has an extensive history in Human Rights work and caught their mentor’s eye in the middle of a protest-turned-riot the Agency was monitoring. >> Parks has multiple tattoos displayed from various projects and campaigns they’ve worked. They can all be concealed for field work. >> Mentor Notes: Parks is cool and collected under pressure. Agent’s smaller stature works well to their advantage. Their unbending nature is a blind spot and may hinder advancement. More supervision to follow. >> Proficiency: rhetoric, stealth, and self-defense.

>>:// [[AGENT PARKS IS TAKEN]]

Faceclaim: Logan Browning

>>:// ATTEMPTING TO ACCESS CODENAME: PARKS >>:// DECRYPTING >>:// TEMPORARY ACCESS GRANTED

What skeleton are you applying for?: Agent Parks Character’s real name: Corrine (Cory) Daniels First choice FC: Logan Browning Second choice FC: Candice Patton Character gender and pronouns: Female, she/her Character age: 27 Please list at least two reasons why the Agency looked to recruit your character: LOG 2.18.2014: She has an uncanny ability of toeing a line. Standing right there on the brink of danger, so close to getting arrested or falling into a riot, but instead she just disappears into the crowd and fades away right before it gets out of control. Her instincts are unmatched when it comes to human behaviour. For this reason she could be a great field agent, being seen when needed and unseen as soon as things change for the worse. Her instinct of when to fight and when to run seems unmatched. LOG 7.20.2015: Around her the world was falling, people were rioting in the streets, breaking windows and fighting back. They were claiming injustice at yet another rally. She was unaffected though. She stood in the crowds watching, fully observing what humanity was capable of without becoming enthralled herself like everyone else seemed to be. Her calm composure managed to keep people away from her but also watch. Yet, she helped organized this, though without intention to turn violent. Without attaching her name to it she inspired people to rally and ultimately riot. Could cause trouble for this very reason. Character backstory: July 29th, 1990: She was born in the sweltering heat. Her parents were by no means rich, but they were determined to give this girl every ounce of love they had. They wanted to give her the entire world and instill the confidence in her that the world was changing and she had a better shot of getting out of their terrible town than either of her parents ever had. November 2nd, 1996: Six years old. That was the first time she heard the n word. Someone on the street walking by called her father and her it. Maybe it was more targeted at her dad than her, but she wanted to know what it meant almost immediately. She asked what it meant when they got home, she asked why the man spit at the ground right next to their feet. At six years old, Cory learned that her small town wasn’t the most accepting place of her mother and her father. Interracial couples were still frowned upon in the nineties. April 5th, 1997. Cory came home from school with a new word. Tears streamed down her face for the injustice of such a word she didn’t even know. She knew they called her hair ugly and said she wasn’t even black, she was a milano. No one wanted her because she didn’t fit into either race. She learned when she went home that milano meant half black half white, it wasn’t just a cookie. She also learned that despite her skin being nearly as dark as her some of her friends’, she wasn’t the same as them. March 12th,1999. How intense can a debate for nine year old’s be? It may not seemed intense on the outside but on the inside Cory was excited. She had won. She made her points, stood her ground and won the whole debate. Her father was so happy for her. Her mother had to return to work. To celebrate, her and her father went for ice cream. The reward for winning was all the toppings she could want. Giggling in the backseat of the car, listing the toppings she wanted both were oblivious to the brake light that had burnt out. After a stop sign they were quickly pulled over. Her father was too abrupt, he just wanted to go get his daughter her reward, he got frustrated and the cop took it as aggression. One hour later Cory’s mom showed up. In that time Cory saw her dad behind bars, while she sad quietly in a hard chair wondering what her dad could have done wrong. That night her parents taught her she would always have to be careful, she needed to have confidence in herself and what was right, but she could never push a line. Cory learned the line quickly and vowed to never step over it, but she also learned how far she could push it too. September 21st, 2001. Cory couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t stand the hateful words people were saying towards people who had nothing to do with the attack in New York. She was angry, frustrated. She felt that people were being unreasonable. She spend her nights after school writing countless letters. Contacting as many congress people as she could manage hoping to insight a change. The naivety of being barely ten years old allowed Cory to believe the government and the people in power would do what was right. Maybe they were all like the cops, maybe they all wanted a scapegoat. July 29, 2006. Cory was finally sixteen, while most asked for a car, instead Cory asked for donations to her favorite charity at the time. Black lives matter. Things were looking like they were changing, but not nearly fast enough. So much change had to happen before the world was okay and finally, Cory was at the age she could start attending rallies without her parents being terrified for her well being. Cory had a good head on her shoulders. She knew when to leave, when things were getting out of hand very quickly. November 4th, 2008. It happened. The first black president. After months of driving her parents mad with attending any rally she could and trying to help fuel the fires of Obama’s campaign they had won. Her “I voted” sticker became one of her most cherished possessions, she was a part of something larger than herself and finally she felt hope for the world she’d been desperately trying to save. This success for half of her being gave her a new found confidence and determination to make a difference as well. Maybe one day she could make such a powerful difference just like Obama had done. May 18th 2012. College graduation. Her undergraduate years flew by, filled with constant studies, internships, and as many rallies as she could manage. Cory solidified her confidence in school, performing top of her class and managing to land a job in D.C. working for senator. While unideal, she loved the fact that she was surrounded by people who could make a change constantly. December 13th, 2014. She spent months preparing for this. It was a campaign that could finally take a stand. So many innocent lives were taken away, so many ignorant people just didn’t care. The Justice for All March on Washington D.C. was inspiring, truly an awe worthy moment to see everyone come out in support of the fact that black lives matter, too. A fact police seemed to have forgotten, an experience she had as a child as well. She was strong, unmoving walking with all the others who stood beside her. Happy to see a movement pushing change. August 3rd, 2015. A proposition. A man came to Cory with an offer. An offer to work in the agency and say goodbye to her current life. The same offer gave her hope to change the world. To change it from underneath, behind the scenes just as she preferred. It was the most incredible opportunity and if she could make it through training she would be impacting the world. Her agreement was quick and she was unbelievably proud even though she had to lie to her family about why she would be gone. July 6th, 2016. She did it. She made it through training and was now a full agent. Now called Parks, she managed to whip her tiny body into top physical shape and was now ready to conquer the world. She could finally change the world in her own small ways. Character personality: Parks is confident. Her confidence sometimes toes the line of cocky, threatening to step over it but never actually heading that way. Her confidence gives her a sense of self, a keen ability to understand her moral compass and choose right from wrong. Under pressure this skill is unbelievable, while the world could be falling apart, Parks can stay cool and calm. She can almost always make the correct decision and hold her cool. You will never see her yelling at someone, instead she may perform a spiteful revenge, quiet with no way for you to tie it back to her at all. However, her strong beliefs often push Parks instead to inspire those around her. She’s a natural at starting grassroots campaigns for whatever she feels the newest most important injustice is. Parks is like the wind, she’s unseen and quiet most of the time, yet she can also cause a decent amount of damage and come out unscathed.

OTHER: Anything else: Parks tries to donate 50% of her paycheck to various campaigns and non-profits anonymously every month. One of the hardest parts about being an agent for Parks is being away from her parents, however she’s convinced them she’s joined the peace corps. Sometimes, when she’s feeling down she will get online and do her best to rally there instead of in person like she used to before. It’s a small way of reminiscing on her old life. Parks is tiny, barely over five feet tall, but her confidence makes her feel eight feet tall.

#all #parks #field #one #taken

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