#maybe its not super inane .

[aahsoka]

are u trying to insinuate that the ending of episode 4 was somehow. not extremely straightforward?

“he fingered her and then asked her to marry him” like thats it lmfao.

[insertsomthinawesome]

*pokes head out of the great expanse of information that is the internet* DID I HEAR YOU SAY KAEYA ZHONGLI BESTIES AGENDA do elaborate because I am. I am. in need.

AHAHAAHAHAHAHAH YES YOU DID HEAR CORRECTLY. Look They have so much inherent angst based on Kaeya's origins and Zhongli's orgins. And I'm definitely going to get into some fanon/headcanon territory here. But like- I headcanon that whatever part Zhongli played in destroying Khaenri'ah he feels horrible about it. Meeting Kaeya would be a grenade of emotions for him. Like on one hand: Hey! This guy is a living Khaenri'ahn, maybe i can do small things to pay him for what I've done Not that I could ever total repay it ON the other: OH SHOOT I MESSED UP SO BAD BY HIM I SHOULD JUST NEVER SPEAK TO HIM EVER AND IF HE WANTS ME TO PAY FOR MY CRIMES I WILL. Initially Zhongli would probably just be a good ole formal acquaintance. Being pretty normal about everything (he's good at compartmentalizing and burying pain) except in weird instances where he'd get really intensely invested in Helping Kaeya. Kaeya is like "Okay this dude is strange. Nice! But strange." Eventually the truth would come to light and that would be a mess, not exactly sure how it would go down? I usually play with the idea of Kaeya being pretty angry with Zhongli and softening when he realizes how much Zhongli regrets and how human he is. The start of their actual friendship would be climbing over the hurdle of Zhongli.... well being overly gracious essentially?

Kaeya would have to slap him being like "Dude you need to not bend to my every request for star's sake." Like, kaeya can understand given how much he feels like he messed up, but at this point he genuinely wants to be friends with Zhongli, not have Zhongli be his dutiful archon butler. It'd take a bit for Zhongli to shake the behavior because the guilt complex runs DEEP. Also Kaeya would have to open a lot. Zhongli is old as dirt (ha) So he can probably see through Kaeya waaaay more than he's comfortable with. Zhongli is thankfully not horribly heavy handed? But I can see him being somewhat petty or poking at Kaeya before he's ready.

Kaeya would have the bonus of Zhongli already knowing his Origins! But he would still have to contest with worrying about him flipping out over the spy thing (not to mention Zhongli was the Contracts lord.) Zhongli would also not be super cool with kaeya's more reckless and under-explained stunts. Its probably already somewhat nervewracking for him that most of his friends are mortal. Them making ill-advised decisions would not sit well with him. but with time I think they'd have a beautiful friendship! They're both protectors and have Older Family member vibes (grandpa and older brother) Zhongli would be invested in seeing Kaeya grow past his trauma and the horrible things that happened to him and his people. And Kaeya would be invested in seeing Zhongli live a happy unburdened life (he understands too well holding what feels like the weight of the world.)

And just in general I think the way they can play off of each other is really fun? Just personality wise. They're both really smart but also feel like they'd have a great time discussing stuff over tea, Really random or inane stuff. I imagine they're both kinda fed up with the Anime Plot they're born into xD

I feel like they're both little things people. LIke zhongli going on and on about the flowers being beautiful this morning and Kaeya would just be sitting there like "yeah :]" They realize how much that stuff matters.

Somebody save Zhongli if Hu Tao and Kaeya are in the same room tho. SFDLSDIHGDFIGLDHFGLASIDGHDFG Also they'd both be doing "Woe, therapy be upon ye" at each other SADLFIHSDGLIDFHGDFGHFG

Also both of them adore kids. ;;v;; The capacity they have for understanding each other's pain. Just being the "stop being strong, I know, you can't hide it from me." and "i'm sorry you have this burden, you should've never had it." and "i'm so afraid of what I am harming the people I love." THere could be so much solidarity and comfort and understanding. And conflict and frustration too! I can see them easily being very hypocritical with each other without intending too xD

So yeah! Just their whole deal can be so fascinating and fun, both of them would have so much baggage to work through with each other. And I can see every step of that journey being delightfully fun to dig into and play out in different ways!

[mrawkweird]

A quick rundown of the previewed shows Adult Swim gave

Common Side Effects: The fuckin stand out of the bunch. Distinct style, great cinematography, quirky humor it's like Scavengers Reign meets, uh I dunno Fargo? Breaking Bad? I don't really know what other thing to compare it to. I'd wanna say animation is healing but I dont wanna jinx it.

Women Wearing Shoulder Pads: Was....defiantly uh...something

I guess AS is branching out into having more drama's because I could not tell if this was a comedy at all.

Invincible Fight Girl: CN's 2nd dedicated action series in forever once again graces Adult Swim because of their own inane business decisions.

I've seen people compare it to OK KO but I see the difference instantly. KO was a pastiche of anime and super toony animation, but this really is just really trying it's damndist to be it's own anime. With a moment that feels ripped right outta MHA complete with You Say Run sounding music. I don't think it's bad or anything but I'm far from saying it's stand out. Animation is great though.

And hey, if you want another hyper anime specific project to follow you can check out the game Wander Stars

Rick and Morty The Anime: was also there

Some bits of it feel just like the original show but by the second half it does what all the other Japanese Rick and Morty shorts by the same team have done and sorta revel in the sci fi existentialism it brings up

I think one of Adult Swim's strengths, maybe even their greatest strength, when putting out or buying onto a number of their projects is seeing the variety of styles and mediums utilized. When you can go from shows like 12 oz. Mouse to Metalocalypse to Moral Orel to Gemusetto to The Shivering Truth there is a lot to choose from.

Also, to have something like a Common Side Effects where it's a very hybrid looking sort of show. Best way I could think to describe them are fever dreams captured on camera. Not to an extreme case but in the sense of that it's existence shouldn't be possible. I remember when it wouldn't have been possible but now here we are.

Between Common Side Effects and Women Wearing Shoulder Pads alone it feels like Adult Swim is expanding on what they always were which is a place where you can find just a little bit of everything and we're continuing to see how far it can go.

When it comes to Invincible Fight Girl I can see where people would get the OK KO vibes probably thinking back to certain episodes but from the looks of it I think it will be more next-gen Mucha Lucha now complete with the obligatory anime influence at its core.

Plus if it's going to be wrestling centric I need to see what it's about by default so for me that's a stand out and I like what they got so far. It also feels like a very throwback'ish sort of concept. They already got me hooked and I hope the powers that be can also see the potential but when it comes to shows that feel niche in a way like this one I'm always prepared for some fuck-ass exec to go "I ain't racist or hate women or anything but cancelled".

[wtfgaylittlezooid]

You said 'superhero verse' and I had to come running in So Fast bc superhero ocs and worldbuilding is a Thing I like a lot shdjsdjh

That said. Unfortunately I can't provide advice on story/universe names 😔 mine is just 'SPCverse' (SPC being the temp! Acronym for the group) or 'heroverse' for those who can't keep track of the letters gjdjfjskxj

But worldbuilding.... 👀 I find I do best in a call and response format personally where people ask me shit and I pull answers out of my ass, BUT I've been rehauling my story (from elementary years mind you) recently with actual worldbuilding so maybe I can also drop some tips for that?

Like for example, weirdly for me having a concrete location to work with has helped. I based it in my hometown and find that being able to look up Actual Statistics helps, like the total pop., first responders around, inane shit like that. Or having a physical location I can look at and be like 'hm this looks like a good space setup for a hero organization. Goodbye college with its expansive campus you're moved to [redacted] now' lol

Also if this is too in depth, I find working at varying scales goes a long way! Some days I just focus on fleshing out one oc. Sometimes this leads to fleshing out an Entire superpowered species. Sometimes I ask if a hero organization provided rooms, how would they determine who gets what? This also sometimes help build up social circles. So asking big OR small scale things can really help, part of why I recommend the call and respond approach.

I hope this helps any to start with! I Love thinking about this shit so if you want anymore feedback I'd be More than happy to weigh in ahfjsjfsj

This is actually super helpful! I think I just really need to be decisive, I do know for sure I do not want the basic city setting. I do think it’d be funny to have the vigilante trying to find out how to be a hero way out in the country where there’s just fucking nobody lmao

[cainightfics]

rereading trotw (which i love btw) and theres one detail in the first chapter that always had me confused. when elliot watches the woman kill herself in the subway WHY is there a bunch of focus on her shoe flying off?? does this mean something??

sdjkhasdkhds the shoe thing was sooo self indulgent so im super glad somebody noticed it lol

the most obvious explanation is that its just a thing people do when they witness a traumatizing event. you focus on an inane detail to avoid confronting the entirety of the horror. its like compartmentalization. i think nope, the peele movie that came out this summer, does this same thing with a shoe, actually. maybe he secretly copied me (im jk lol)

the second reason (which is super self indulgent and so specifically referenced) is that the womans death in the subway is the first death that impacts tyrell in any way. tyrells response to it makes elliot disgusted.

but do you know what OTHER death which happened IN CANON features a woman losing her shoe??

when tyrell murders sharon knowles, she kicks her shoe off in the struggle. it was a detail that always struck me. its kind of a humourous nod to the materialism we see a lot of characters represent—the same greed and desire for wealth/status that we see tyrell ruin his life trying to obtain in s1.

so basically its just a stupid easter egg, lol

[mistwraiths]

3 stars

WHAT EVEN WAS THIS? Major spoilers ahead.

I heard somewhere that SJM rewrote HOFAS and I feel like maybe that's why this book feels not as good, like Curse For True Love did with Stephanie Garber. House of Flame and Shadow is by all means a decent and engaging book, I read through it extremely fast, but there is something unsatisfying about it all.

This book felt a lot like Bryce goes to this location and learns a bunch of information, meets up with people to explain said information, and then goes to another location to get more information, wash rinse repeat. Why is this book FULL of info dumps with the reasoning being "oh you weren't ready" or whatever. For the majority of this book, I kept thinking why is all these side characters just hanging out in the scenes with Bryce because they aren't important??? Bryce could have been alone in the majority of her scenes and things would have been the same.

HOFAS felt super plot driven which felt a little different from SJM's usual more character driven stories. I didn't feel or recognize much development of any character in this third book. If anything, Bryce felt a little more colder, a little more bloodthirsty than normal. I felt like she felt out of character with a little Aelin-level schemes because Bryce has always notoriously hasn't been a BIG thinker or plan ahead. The girl who didn't pay attention to Fae rules and customs and got herself in trouble; the girl who asked a criminal to find a boy and was shocked when said criminal did any means necessary and killed people? Bryce, who cares deeply about babies and children, told a mother worried about her kidnapped sons to let go of her baggage?? Bryce who has always been pretty understanding emotions and "we're a team he gets me" tells Hunt who is struggling to get over it??? There's just some weird things that felt off here. Especially when Bryce tells Hunt who NEVER wanted to a part of the fight, who still showed up anyway that "its like you don't wanna be here". NO HE DIDN'T WANT TO!!!!

Tharion and Ithan, I enjoyed their characters in the first and second books. But they were completely a drag in this one. For almost 60-70% of the story, it was repetitive and boring and just brought the mood down. Tharion's story gets better when Sathia joins up and I love her, I hope we see more of her. Ithan's story was mostly nonsense. What the fuck was the point of the Viper Queen and Sigrid. It was so obvious where his story was headed but we had to do inane circles and waste stupid time to get there. By the time Ithan finally became Prime I daresay I couldn't care and don't think he truly deserves it. Give it to Perry. She cares about the wolves.

I LOVE Lidia and Ruhn, they were a bright spot in this book, but I do think we deserved more of them and their romance. HOSAB kind of touched it but they deserved more. And Ruhn shooting Lidia was absolutely stupid in my opinion. They're Vanir, don't they heal fast???? Stupid! Lidia deserved to be more furious at him for that.

Bryce and Hunt felt off too, and I think because they didn't 100% (in my opinion) discuss or go back over their arguments. They needed to talk and move through together but they both seemed to afraid to do so. Plus, the reunion between Bryce and Hunt was 100% disappointing. Hunt felt a little sidelined here too in my opinion, his lightning was helpful but like that's it? And when he pulls an Iron Man: eyeroll.

One of my biggest problems is that we get constantly told how bad ass Fury Axtar is and she gets SIDELINED? Here??? As a babysitter??? Juniper who yelled and held the doors as long as they could during book 1 gets sidelined too. This series has been about female friendship too so why?????

Hypaxia could fix way too many problems too easily. Antidote was easily, TOO EASILY solved. Hypaxia just casually bringing people back from the dead and then easily toppling over the Under-King was so eye-rolling.

The whole battle was just really easy? In SJM's books I never once worry about main characters and that really kills the big stakes mood. KILL CHARACTERS AND LEAVE THEM DEAD!!!!! Big main characters. The Bryce and Rigelus grappling in front of a black hole in space was just very ridiculous, and Hunt in a mech suit grabbing her in space felt silly. It's ACOWAR all over again with Bryce coming back to life too.

I do think the crossover was done well. I love that it was pretty much only Nesta and Azriel. But tell me why it takes Rhys so damn long to get to the House of Wind??? He can't fucking winnow?? Nesta was just a huge highlight and I loved the moments with Ember and her.

Also: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COMM CRYSTAL RUHN DROPPED IN BRYCE'S POCKET? IS IT IN PRYTHIAN? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE LIBRARY OF PARTHOS?? WHAT WAS THE POINT ABOUT JOINING THE BLADES IF SHE COULD SUMMON A BLACK HOLE? REALLY HUNT'S DICK BEING TOO BIG TO FIT UNDERWEAR IS THE STUPIDEST THING. WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE HARPY COMING BACK TO BE LITERALLY DEAD IN SECONDS? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF ARIADNE AND THE DRAGONFIRE CAN HARM PRINCES OF HEL? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF ADOPTING COOPER TO LEAVE HIM BEHIND??? BAXIAN SERVED NO PURPOSE??? THE DUOLINGO MAGIC BEAN??? SINCE WHEN DID ACOTAR HAVE THAT BUT NO C-SECTION KNOWLEDGE.

I did enjoy this book, I know people struggled with the jumping around but I really did enjoy it.

[alyimoss]

i definitely thought lemon demon was like wayyy more popular than he actually is?? or maybe hes super popular and its just my friend circle who just. escaped that sphere of influence?? anyway noone i talk to listens to him and theyre exposed to his songs almost exclusively thru me going "hey do you want to hear my insane inane ramblings abt this wordsalad of a song?" and just once i wish i could talk to a fellow ld fan just to know if im like insane or if others think the same things i do...

[greatwyrmgold]

Is it worse for a work of fiction to be bad, or merely mediocre? As someone who watches an unhealthy quantity of YouTube videos, I've seen plenty of people ponder this very question. And I've decided to ponder this for a bit, going full Godwin's Law on it.

A good case study for bad vs. mediocre would be the RPG Racial Holy War, created in 2001 by Reverend Kenneth Molyneaux. (As far as I know, he's not related to Stefan. Or Peter, for that matter.) It is bad in every way, from prose to mechanics to subject matter. Against my better judgement, I've decided to quote the first paragraph:

Sometime in the near future, the world is torn by chaos, anarchy, and mayhem as the world has been devastated by the non-White population growth. All the lands of the world have been overrun by these despicable hordes while the noble White Man has been reduced to a tiny minority, barely surviving the terrors unleashed by the heinous forces of the malicious Jew.

It gets worse.

But Rahowa is not remembered the way something like Birth of a Nation or The Turner Diaries are, as pieces of pop culture notable mostly for being influential and super racist. It's remembered for being mocked in a bunch of oughts-era blog posts.

And it deserves all of that mockery! Putting aside the racism for a moment, there's no end to the ridiculousness of Rahowa's rules. There are entire systems with no written rules (like firearm combat, which is clearly intended as the way that the white holy warriors are supposed to fight their racial war); by contrast, there are rules for skills that should be no more important than Profession (tailor) is in D&D. There are also the inane "powers" that ethnic minorities get, some of which mix with other random rules to turn the Rahowarriors into idiots who flee in terror when outnumbered 5:1 by hostile toddlers* and frequently get distracted by bribes from Jewish combatants who are shooting at them. And there are a bunch of other silly little details, like how snipers specialize in using assault rifles or how playing lots of video games boosts your Dexterity.

In a vacuum, fixing these mechanical problems would make Rahowa "better". But this game doesn't exist in a vacuum. It exists in a thick haze of racism.

Now, the racism is as incompetent as the rest of Rahowa. (Exhibit A: "Latrinos," ew, are described as lazy but have a special power that lets them attack first.) Incompetent racism can sometimes be entertaining in its own right...but it's also disgusting. I'd say "just read the author's description of non-white races," but I don't think any of you deserve to suffer like that. And a lot of the racism isn't incompetent, just banal.

If Rahowa had better mechanics, it might be a better game, but it would just be "that racist game" instead of "that hilariously bad racist game". Would that Rahowa be a better game? Maybe, but I doubt it would be worth playing, and it would be way less entertaining to read. So maybe in the specific case of Rahowa, being better would make it worse.

But on the other hand...what about a game as incompetently-written as Rahowa, but without the racism? A game about noble (non-aryan) warriors fighting some (non-racial) existential threat in a post-apocalyptic (non-racist) world, whose mechanics are equally absent or stoogifying? That game would be more fun to read, and it might even be worth playing! So in the specific case of Rahowa, being better would make it better.

So is it better for a work of fiction to be bad, or merely mediocre? The question is wrong. It presupposes some reasonably universal standard of badness(/goodness) we can project anything onto. Racism makes Rahowa bad, and mechanical incompetence makes Rahowa bad, but they are different kinds of bad. The rules are The Room bad, the lore is Turner Diaries bad. Those aren't just different levels of bad, they're bad in completely different ways, one entertaining, the other horrifying.

[secondlastk]

can NOT believe how correct the davekats were

[kewltie]

bkdk au where deku's hero brand twt acc is super popular & often his agency uses it to post promo pics of him on the job for his fans but recently there been more candid pics of him out of his suit grocery shopping & drinking coffee. they're like who IS TAKING ALL THESE PICS?? the fans are used to professional photos taken of deku shielding a kid against a crumbling building and deku sitting on top of a tower as he oversee the city he's protecting like standard heroic photos but this is the first time they see deku so unfiltered and approachable.

at first they thought maybe it's just a new style of promo ya know trying to make deku more human instead of this larger than life figure, that he's not always deku BUT ALSO izuku yet compare to the promo pics of the past the new ones are captionless and seems "ordinary" in fact. the 'heroic' pics are still being posted regularly and it's always have a caption attached: "hero deku saved a child!" etc it's all really dry and robotic lol standard promo lines but these new candid pics are posted randomly and there's never a sentence or word attached to them. compare to the pro pics of deku on the job looking courageous and noble, this version of deku--IZUKU under the suit---seems to be taken w a phone or something bc its clumsy and raw; it's izuku stripped to his bare essentials smiling at the camera shyly like he didn't expect it.

so rumors spread that it's deku's assistant or someone from his agency taking these candid pics to show the 'true deku' that he's just like everyone else!!! but then one day theres new pic of izuku w messy hair holding back a yawn as he climb out of the BED and ppl are like ????? unlike the other candid pics of izuku doing everyday things this is a more intimate look bc IZUKU is in bed and who the fuck would let their assistant or someone from their job to go into their bedroom and take pics of them waking up??? so maaaaaybe it's not from his agency??? the next series of pics continue to fall under the same theme of intimate and private look of deku in his most natural habitat: napping under the sun w a book on his chest AND waking from it as he smiled softly at the person behind the camera nuzzling his cheek against their hand. unlike the rest of the other candid photos, this is incredibly LEWD. like deku still has his clothes on and he's not doing anything scandalous but it's worst then watching a porno bc this felt so warmth and affectionate in a way that they all felt terribly voyeuristic LOL /o\.

after that photo speculation RUN RAMPANT bc clearly it's not from his agency and deku looks so in love and smitten in that waking up photo and how can anyone touch deku that tenderly if THEY'RE NOT ALSO IN LOVE WITH HIM? it's def a lover posting these pic of deku behind the scene. these photos become the talk of the fans and media bc everyone want to know WHO IS THE PERSON BEHIND THESE INTIMATE PHOTOS OF DEKU?! but no matter how many ppl pressed deku about it he just smile amusingly and brush it off completely, neither denying or agreeing LOL. which only fuel the speculations and rumors that ppl start taking guesses from close friends of deku in the likes of hero uravity & shouto to a random idol that deku had saved several months back. just about everyone was named even completely out there endeavor was suggested LOL but among all the ppl named one name kept getting pass by and it's dynamight. some did brought him in the discussion but only as a joke bc LMAO dynamight and deku eternal rivals and mostly likely to killed each other if locked alone in a room?? PLS pigs would sooner learn to fly.

deku is such a high profile figure that something as silly and inane as 'secret lover' taking candid pics of him and posting it online is like the most interesting hop topic that nobody can SHUT UP about. everywhere you go, ppl want to know who you think is behind the photos???? bc izuku is so silent about it and wont give them anything, ppl start hounding his friends and colleagues about it demanding to know: is it YOU?? ARE YOU BEHIND THE CANDID DEKU'S PHOTOS?? IF IT'S NOT THEN DO YOU KNOW WHO IT IS?? CAN YOU TELL US??? and it's super annoying lol. then some brave fan asked dynamight of all ppl and dynmight stared at the brave kid in the face w a severe look in his eyes: 'yea it's me, you dumb fuck so you can stop asking others.' and the kid was like HAHAHA that's so funny dynamight i didnt know you can joke :'D!!! bc this is the era of the internet, someone always have their camera so the clip of that fan asking dynamight if he was the one posting those 'intimate pics' and dynamight saying it's him go viral. everyone thought it's the funniest shit bc hahaha dynamight and deku?? HYSTERICAL.

then completely unexpected, a new photo from deku's acc got posted and holy shit: deku in an oversize dynamight's shirt w the tinniest of short, BITE MARKS ON HIS NECK & an embarrassed look on his face as he tries and fail to fight off the arm that yanking his shirt down. if the shirt and bite marks weren’t obvious enough hint, the fans would recognize that ridiculous biceps from anywhere and this time the photo came w a caption: "you can fuck off now." yea it's def dynamight alright LOL and that's how bkdk ended the internet :D.

[sakamakisaywhat]

Hi, hope youre well. Can I please request a scenario for shu, ayato, subaru, ruki, kou, yuma and shin when they see their S/O being pecked on the cheek by a boy. Its her brother but they don't know. And then they get super mad and when she comes home they confront her. She wants to tease them so she says 'yeah, I cheated on you' and then they explode. Like maybe ayato would force a kiss or two and ruki would start to punish her. And then she says 'I cheated on u with my brother.'

Marisol: I only do scenarios for up to six characters at a time, and these turned out to be super long, so I randomly picked 3 characters (Shu, Kou and Shin). If you want to see some others you can re-request!

Also your friendly reminder that forcing a kiss on someone is sexual assault and I don’t condone that.

SHU

You didn’t have to make much effort to see that Shu was absolutely fuming. As soon as your brother had pecked you on your cheek, he’d tensed up and immediately retreated back to the car, eyes closed and body turned away from you. As stupid as you were, though, you couldn’t resist teasing him a little.

“Who was that man.” Shu said monotonously. His tone screamed danger at you, but the words came out of your mouth before you could help yourself.

“My secret lover.” You replied casually, unable to stop yourself from smirking.

Shu’s eyes open, and in that moment, he snapped. You went from sitting on the plush car seating to being pushed down on top of it, Shu hovering menacingly over you.

“Is that so?” He breathed, blue eyes boring into your soul. “I can tell when you’re lying. Do you want me to draw the truth out of you, you pervert?”

Your pulse skyrocketed when you felt his fingers stroke down the column of your neck, pushing at the buttons of your school uniform, steadily popping them open, all the while resolutely maintaining eye contact. Heat rushing to your cheeks, you gripped Shu’s wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

“It’s my brother,” you gasped out. “I’m not cheating on you.”

In a flash, Shu vanished from atop you, returning to his seat in the corner of the car. He smirked, looking unusually smug. You sat up, hoping you didn’t look as dishevelled as you felt.

“Knew it. You smell the same.” He grinned, before his gaze flickered down to your chest then back up again. “Nice bra, by the way.”

You flushed and kicked him. Guess that’s what you got for trying to tease a vampire.

KOU

Thanks to Kou’s lifestyle as a globally famous idol, you had long become accustomed to women fawning over him. All sorts of inane gifts turned up backstage addressed to him - cat ears, heartfelt declarations of love, heck, even used panties. You rarely ever complained, but when a package with your name on it and a bunch of pink roses turned up at the Mukami mansion, you were pleasantly surprised.

“What’s this, M-Neko-chan?” Your boyfriend suddenly hugged you from behind, lips brushing your ear as you picked up the bouquet.

You knew better than to take it as a simple display of affection, however - he way he clung to you was harsh, almost restrictive, and his tone of voice had a perceptibly territorial edge. When you peeled off the packaging to reveal a picture frame of you and another man in black robes, his lips pressed to your cheek, his nails dug into your skin.

“Wow, who’s this?” He practically growled into your ear, fangs brushing the side of your neck dangerously. “Is there someone that my pet wants to introduce me to?”

“Yes, actually.” You hummed, trying not to shiver at the press of those two sharp points into your skin. “My younger brother. This was his college graduation. He’s a fan of yours, actually.”

Kou paused. You couldn’t help but grin, twisting in his arms to press your lips to his, albeit at an awkward angle. “Were you jealous, baby?”

“Watch it, M-Neko-chan, unless you want to be punished.” Kou nipped at your ear, but the tension in his arms had faded. “You’d better come and give me a proper kiss, right now!!”

Laughing, you grabbed his face in your hands. “There’s no one else I love but you, Kou.”

“Of course. Who wouldn’t love someone as great as me?” Kou replied as he grabbed at your hips, but the way you smiled at his pink cheeks only made him more embarrassed.

SHIN

Shin didn’t take even his own beloved brother approaching you very well, so when he saw you leaving an unfamiliar apartment block and being pecked on the cheek by a man he didn’t know, his blood was instantly boiling. As soon as the other human went back inside, his fingers closed around your bicep in a bruising grip and dragged you, yelping, into an alleyway.

“Shin,” you said angrily, trying to jerk your arm away from him, “what the hell are you doing?”

You were cut off as soon as your boyfriend pressed you hard against the wall, wincing when the brick scraped roughly against the back of your head. When you made eye contact the pure rage in his gaze had you taken aback; Shin might not always be rational, but he didn’t flip out on you for no reason.

“You really have the guts to betray a Founder, human?” He snarled, wolflike, through gritted teeth. “And with a mortal? He is nothing compared to me. If he has so much as touched you I’ll tear him limb from limb-”

“Shin!” You interrupt, palms coming to press against his chest. His threats did spark concern in you, but his jealous expression - well, it was new, and you were trying your hardest not to laugh in case it further stoked his rage. “Shin, calm down. That’s my brother. He’s just moved here with his wife. I came here to meet them.”

As if some kind of spell had broken, the tension in Shin’s face immediately deflated, his jaw dropping slack. A pink flush began to spread across his chest, not quite reaching his cheeks (maybe he hadn’t had enough blood recently?), but his grip on you sagged all the same.

“I knew that, human.” He mumbled. “Definitely knew that.”

You ruffled his hair, grinning cheekily. “Let’s go home. I’ll give you a treat to make up for not telling you.”

“Don’t touch me, human.” He scowled, but when your boyfriend turned, your smile only widened when you saw how hard his tail was wagging.

[goneahead]

I was tagged by @definegodliness so this is all their fault!

1. Which celeb would you want as your other BFF and why?

🤔It would have to be someone who could tell some wild, wild stories. Like ibn Battuta or Linda Schele or Henry Rawlinson or Zheng He…

2. What’s the last lie you told?? 

Anytime I put on clean underwear and semi-clean clothes, and then go masquerading in public as a lucid, functioning adult? That’s a complete and total lie!😆

3. When’s the last time you felt inspired to create something?

I love fic, poetry, making up new recipes, and randomly and inanely doodling so—the real problem is trying to squeeze in the adulting stuff I’m supposed to be doing!

4. What’s your all-time favorite dessert?

A hot-from-the-oven sugar cookie, made from scratch with real butter. And some Community coffee to wash it down!😋

5. If you were an animal, what would you be?

Extinct animal? One of the early crocodylomorphs. Imagine being an apex predator when there was a LOT of food, and no real fear of anything hunting you (except another crocodylomorph).

Today? I think it would be fun to hang out as part of the cormidium of a siphonophore. Imagine spending your days only doing one or two tasks, while bobbing along with an entire colony of friends. Also, constant snacking. I’m down with constant snacking.😂😂😅

6. Have you ever used a dating app?

**falls into a pile of laughter** you do realize I only go to eating-places and people-watching-places because my friends insist I need to ‘get out more’. 😂😂😂

7. What’s your No.1 karaoke song?

Um, I also don’t listen to modern music. 😁 next question!

8. Have you ever been on a blind date?

Well, I had a friend who married somebody who was blind, and we all hung out together, so—yes?🙃

9. If a song played every time you entered a room, what would it be?

either ‘Hawks and Eagles” or ‘Waterbound’. You really can’t go wrong with either!

10. When’s the last time you got to really experience nature?

I’m a nomad, so all the time! Could’ve done without last night’s storm rocking my little house, though!

11. What’s an unexpected movie that makes you cry?

Well, not unexpected - but Wrath of Khan still tugs on my heartstrings. I had a lot of Treckies in my circle of friends back in my wild and wooly days, and it was a favorite film for us to watch together.

12. Do you consider yourself religious or spiritual?

I’ve been very, very fortunate to have religion and spirituality as faithful companions on the wheel. So I honestly can’t even imagine doing this Earth thing without both!😉

13. If you could only listen to one singer or band for the rest of your life, who would you choose?

Oh that’s never, ever going to happening. I’m super fickle. I find a singer or a band, listen to their music ad nasueum for three or four months—then I move on to somebody else. Fortunately, I mostly like singers who’ve been dead for decades—so they can’t get their feelings hurt!

14. What was the last movie you watched in a theater?

I think? It was a Godzilla movie? Maybe? I gave up on Hollywood a while years back, so its been eons since I’ve been in a theater. Or paid for a streaming service. (I’ve also never had cable)

15. Who is your hero?

Where do I even start? Roy Wilkens, Catherine Booth, Mary Ann Bickerdyke, Ed Verne Roberts, Emil Notti, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ari Ne'eman… the list is very long!

16. What is your favorite animated film?

hands down The Emperor’s New Groove. Why do we even have that lever?!?😁

I think I’m supposed to tag a certain # of people, but that would require math skills, so letsee

@distilled-prose @a-musingmichelle @wordrummager @mikefrawley @pocketfullofpoesies @ends-2-beginnings @curiokhan0113 @darkacademiansworld @gracebriarwoodwrites @bcmaxwell @bcourchaine and anyone else who wants to jump in!

[infin-8-morphosis]

Hey-ho look at my cool thingo

Redesigned these fire raptors AGAIN and I think I'm finally happy with them.

Inane ramblings about them and what I've been up to below. I would put a readmore but well I guess if people dont like long posts they'd have the post shortener on. I'll tag it anyway tho.

It's probably unwise and unfair to my other creations to start the arduous and fraught task of modelling something I've only JUST made but I really wanted to and here we are.

This one is perfect to practice both multires/baking details as well as proper fur. Not super happy with it so far? Its objectively well modelled but it's not really looking like the drawing yet. Such is the struggle of 3d. Ttrrryyying to model them naked/neutral sex-wise first, not sure if that'll work out.

Biology wise, these guys are wierd. They're related to the dragony group, but not suuper closely. After all they lost all their lower limbs while some dragons still have all 8. Unlike them they dont really show any vestigial parts/repurposing, but that may change.

Fun fact, they are not feathered. Their frills are flaps of cartilage covered in hair. Its probably not super soft, since its derived from scales.

I maaaaay be giving them a third eye? Probably not a conplete one though. See, the common ancestor of their group wouldve had 4 eyes, one on the bottom, top, left, right. I will have to do more work to see exactly which ones lost eyes before I say whether these guys do or not.

Struggling a bit with the feeling I never finish stuff, which is true because 'finished' is an arbitrary line, and I never want to feel obligated to stick with something I no longer like just because it's 'done', but, well, then you get sucked into the alluring tornado of only ever redoing stuff and never progressing. Redoing stuff feels soooo fun and rewarding though.

If you made it here, coolio. Have a look at this guys design evolution:

The original, very yellow, always liked and failed to improve on its upright posture and flowing tail

The redo that got a little out of hand, love it, gorgeous, still some of my best detail work, was in a bit of a realism phase, and lost a lot of the orignals uniqueness in it, but still, great

The re-re-do, an attempt, and maybe failure, to recapture the original, but kind of ended up just feeling like a halfway compromise between the two while having neithers good points. At the least I got rid of the beak which was a great choice. Much better hands too. However this one really solidified their inner workings, habitat, etc. that was key to how I went about re-re-redoing it.

The re-re-redo! Theyre now more upright again, woohoo, finally got it, tails awkward and im still not 100% on it, but its much more reflective of its evolution. Made them more bald like a vulture since they live in a desert, plus, for the new theoretical potential 'female' design, a sandy coat. I'm not 100% on them being dimorphic, texhnically I have an explanation for why theyd be black in a desert, but I thought it'd be fun and make them feel more fitting.

Fun fact, their tassels are actually sensory structures, sort of a nose, sort of an ear, picks up vibrations and chemicals on the wind, basically an antennae. Funner fact, the dragons horns are homologous to these, and serve the same purpose, just heavily modified!

[crescentsteel]

Keeping a Secret - Prologue

plot: ehehe lemme leave this blank for now as this is only a prologue genre: fluff, crack, slow burn, eventual smut, sexual tension, angst at some point wc: 2.7k

[a/n]

I am reeling just from finishing this one because Tsukki is my boy (Kuroo ily too i swear)

Who writes 2.7k words of prologue? lol me

I’ll set up the masterlist when I’m done with the 1st Chapter.

Thank you so much @oii-sugasan​ and @haikyuu-is-for-lovers​ for the betaread! :)

Let me know if you wanna be tagged

Chapter 1 || masterlist

You aren’t just annoying. You’re a fucking menace. Every time he goes to the gym, your presence is like a plague. You're just a manager, but sometimes he thinks that you think you’re the assistant coach. There’s nothing he’d love more than to shower you with the nastiest, most off-handed comments, just to shut you up and wipe the cheery grin that taunts him every time he sees you. 

Seriously, you’re all over the place -- you talk to all members of the team as if you’re a player yourself, you nag everyone to take care of themselves outside training like you’re their older sister, you hand out self-gathered information on upcoming matches as soon as matchups are announced, you scamper around the gym tossing balls, assembling the net, doing whatever the hell you can get your hands on, all the while wearing those stupid shorts that distract the majority of the team, especially the new members. 

As his eyes follow you, you suddenly turn around to face him, breaking him from his reverie. Even when you’re halfway across the gymnasium, he can see the sharp playfulness that you always exude whenever you talk to him. 

“Tsukishima!” You wave at him with that disgustingly sweet grin. “If you’re done staring at my sexy back, you can start your blocking drills, okay?!” you shout with a voice loud enough for everyone else in the gym to hear.  Tsukishima feels multiple sets of eyes glance towards his direction and he ‘tsks’ in annoyance under his breath.

He immediately walks away. He refuses to hear more of the unnecessary and untrue prattles directed at him by you.  

He hears footsteps follow him. Judging from its pace and heavy strides, he already knows its Kogane without even looking

“Oi, Tsukki. Do you like our manager?”

He doesn’t understand why Kogane is whispering when you’re half a court away from them. More than that, he doesn’t understand why Kogane assumes he likes you. For one, you were wrong: he wasn’t even staring at you. He was staring randomly at nothing while thinking  about how irritating you are and you just happened to be at his line of sight. 

“I don’t see anything to like about her,” he replies passively. 

“What? Why? She’s super helpful -- and pretty too.” Kogane, just like the rest of the team, believes so. Even Kyoutani is fond of you because of that one time you received his spike on full force. You rolled on your back from the sheer power of it but you were able to receive it perfectly, making the whole team go wild when you did, with him as the only exception as he found it inane. 

“If you think so, go confess or something then.” 

“You know we can’t!” Pink stains begin to surface on his teammate’s cheeks, obviously infatuated with you. Then again, this is not new to him. It was a basic reaction from anyone whose dick is more functional than their brain.  Maybe it’s because you’re the only female so close to everyone else. Honestly, he really doesn’t know. But one thing’s for sure. Kogane has 0 chances with you, and neither does every player of Sendai Frogs. 

He remembers the conceitedness you displayed even in your first year as a manager. You two became part of the team almost at the same time. He was two months in when the former manager introduced you to the team. As she finished introducing you, you whispered to her to add something. It went something like ‘oh, umm. y/n-chan also said that no one from the team can’t date her.’ Even the former manager looked at you weirdly but you were just there beaming as you bowed to everybody. 

They thought it was a joke, but when you became a full-pledged manager in less than six months, you announced it yourself. 

‘I know I’m kind of cute, but I won’t ever consider dating anyone from the team. Okay?’

You announce it with a sickening smile every time there are new members, reminding everyone else that you’re untouchable. 

It’s fucking atrocious, to him at least. Unlike the other players from his team, he’s not shallow enough to fancy you just because you’re not disgusting to look at, or that you did your managerial duties so exceedingly well.

He grits his teeth. He hates it. How can someone so chaotic as you be so effective in managing the team. What grinds him even more is that you go to the same university he does, and even there, your presence stinks. He once had a class with you only to find out that you’re not as dumb as you make yourself out to be. 

It’s infuriating. He can’t wait for the day you mess up -- only then would he finally get the chance to diss you. He’ll turn that shit-eating smile of yours upside down. 

--

Man, nothing boosts your mood better than bugging Tsukishima. When you felt his sinister stare boring at your back earlier, you just couldn’t waste the opportunity to say something about it. He just ignored you, but the scowl on his face was enough response to satisfy you. 

The truth is, you have nothing against Tsukishima. Yeah, he has a sharp tongue and a vile attitude, but hey, he’s a good team player. He doesn’t speak much, but he gets shit done in matches. Despite his foul personality, he’s actually manageable: he listens to you and he rarely shows up late. He’s not particularly motivating to look at, but he still does what’s asked of him. For some reason that you don’t know, he still hasn’t spat out his usual, rancid remarks towards you. You know he’s itching to, and honestly, you’re kind of curious of what he’ll throw your way. 

Still, for the last three years he kept his mouth shut even though he looks at you like you’re the most unpleasant being he’s ever laid eyes on. 

“Y/n!”

You jog towards the team coach, Coach Mira. “Yes, Coach?”

“Do you like Tsukishima?” she asks curiously. The question is funny to you but you hold back the laughter and smile instead.

You like Coach Mira a lot. She’s more like an older sister than a coach to you. You’re free to share a few laughs with her, and she values your input to the team. Maybe it’s because you’re both women drowned in a sea of male athletes that you sort of have that innate connection. 

“No, Coach. Why?”

“Cause you pay attention to him the most.”

“I don’t see what’s to like about him,” you veer your gaze towards his direction, watching his scowling face as he walks away, Koganegawa following closely behind him. You can’t hear them, but the sight is already amusing as it is. “I just like putting him in place whenever he’s being extra nasty,” you add. 

“If you say so, y/n. Honestly, I don’t really care if you go out with one of them.” 

You wave your hand back and forth like you’re swatting a fly. “No way, Coach. They’re like little boys I’m taking care of.”

She sweeps her gaze behind you, scanning all the players present in the court. “Can’t say they feel the same way though.” Then she looks at the same person you’re looking at. “Well, maybe except for Tsukishima.”

“That’s why I like messing around with him the most,” you admit with mirth as you watch Tsukishima get away from Kogane.

--

Everyone in the gymnasium is staring as they enter the arena. If there’s one thing opposing teams remember about the Sendai Frogs, it’s their female tandem of a stone-cold coach and a ‘hot,’ bubbly manager who walk side by side in front of the whole team, not the players.

It’s not really an issue for Tsukishima. He doesn’t really care. Shimizu had the same reputation back in high school. But you? You’re not Shimizu. You aren’t even close.

And you, being the chaotic mess that you are, you milked the attention. Whenever someone blatantly gapes at you,  you’d wave at them. You’d even entertain those who openly flirted with you. In retrospect, he should find it despicable. Rather finds it entertaining. So does the rest of the team.

When the Sendai Frogs reach their spot, a guy wearing a Tamaden Elephants jersey approaches you shamelessly. A brave (maybe a little bit foolish) act, considering you’re with the whole team.

“Hi!”

You turn around and greet him just as enthusiastically, maybe even more.

“I just want to say, great game from last season, he says as he scratches the back of his head. 

Liar. 

If the guy really wants to acknowledge the team’s play from last season, he’d approach one of the players. He also wouldn’t have that stupid blush on his awe-struck face. 

“Thank you! Great game indeed,” you return the compliment.

As soon as the guy starts fidgeting, Tsukishima can already guess what comes next: it’s either a date or your number.

“If you don’t mind, can I get your number?”

Tsukishima sneers at how predictable the scene is, and he can’t wait to see what comes next.

You beam at the guy. “Sure! It’s number 1.”

He still smiles even though he’s obviously dumb-founded. “Sorry, what?”

“My number, right? It’s 1. Cause we’re number 1 in the district,” You say with that fake innocence that isn’t really fooling anyone.

“...Uhh.”

“Go Sendai Frogs!” You cheer out of the blue and as if an automated response, the rest of the team, even Tsukishima (though lifelessly), answers.

“Sendai Frogs fight!”

The loud baritone of deep male voices drew the attention of other people in the area, brightening your face up even more as you focus on the guy in front of you again. He looks scandalized by what just happened. 

“How about you? What’s your number?” you ask, pushing the guy to a mental corner as Tsukishima and his team glares at him while waiting for how he’ll answer. An embarrassed blush replaces the previously infatuated one as he realizes that he shouldn’t have made the mistake of hitting on you. 

“I-I’m not really sure,” his voice loses any shred of confidence it once had.

“Oh. That’s too bad,” you feign sympathy. 

“Yeah.” The guy looks down. “Guess I’ll see you around,” he adds before retreating defeatedly.

“Bye! Nice to meet you,” you wave cordially. ‘Whoever you are, newbie elephant,’ you say to yourself as you watch the unfamiliar member of the Elephants go back to his team, a team you wiped the floor with last season.

Until now, you don’t understand why people still even bother. You welcomed the flirtations, but never really went out with anybody. You’re not really opposed to getting in a relationship, but like -- Gooood! They’re all so uninteresting. Rejecting them is more fun than the mere prospect of dating them.

You feel a familiar touch on your shoulder. 

“Good job boosting the team morale,” Coach Mari says in a volume that only you can hear as she pats you.

“Thanks, Coach!” You grin at her praise. 

You turn around to check your players and your eyes instantly land on Tsukishima who had just put on his white headphones and began scrolling at his phone. Around him, everyone else has already started stretching. 

You bounce your way to him, knowing that you’d instantly get his attention even without saying anything. But even with you ogling when you stopped in front of him, he still doesn’t budge.

“Tsukishima.”

No response.

‘Heh,’ you snicker internally. He never fails to amuse you when he tries to ignore you. 

“Tsu~ ki~ shi~ ma~” You bob your head sideways, popping at the opposing sides of his phone so he’ll notice you.

You don’t miss the minute twitch of his eyes as he drags his phone closer to him in an attempt to shut you out. 

Tsk tsk. He should know better by now that you're not the type to back away. 

You go beside him instead, tiptoeing so you can see what he’s so busy looking at. As soon as your arms touch his, he puts down his phone and irritatedly removes his headphones. 

He’s shooting daggers at you, making you giddy with excitement as he looks like he’s about to say something you. You hold his gaze with a raised eyebrow and subtle smirk that you couldn’t suppress. Did he get fed up already? Is he finally going to say something?

‘Do it. Do it. Do it,’ you chant in your head. 

He takes in a painful deep breath instead. “What?” The single word contains so much disdain that you want to cackle so bad. 

“Shouldn’t you be stretching?” you query.

“In a bit.”

You leisurely shake your head with disapproval. “I know you’re a lazy ass fucker sometimes,” you begin. “But you always help us win. You’re our meanest, tallest, best blocker.” Your gaze drops down to his ankles and travels up.

“So,” you continue, dropping your voice amusedly, “stretch those gorgeous, God-given, legs you have.” Your eyes linger on his thighs before landing up to his face to smile sweetly at him. “Will you?”

This is one of the moments you’re pretty sure he won’t dare talk back at you. Why? Because you’re one hundred percent right, and he knows that too. 

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t hate it.

He glares at you for one second and walks towards the rest of the team to join them. 

--

Playing at the professional level, he always considers one match to be a big win already, even if it’s just the first match of the regular rounds. Ever since he became a starter for Sendai Frogs, he was not allowed to slack off even for one rally. He could take the lecture if it’s from Coach, but he couldn’t stomach it if it’s from you. 

Even before the match started, you were already on his grill, pestering him just because he wasn’t warming up yet. He was pissed the whole game and put extra effort than usual to make sure that you won’t have anything to say after. 

“Um, excuse me.” A girl from Red Rabbits blocks him on his way to the restroom. “Tsukishima, right?”

He can tell that she is trying her best to look nonchalant, but the familiar tint on her face is telling.

Tsukishima had never understood girls who approach him for anything remotely romantic. Does he look like he’s interested? It’s not that he’s not open to the idea of dating, but he finds it unpleasant when people go after him because they like how he plays. Worse, for some obtuse reason like him being ‘cute.’

“Yes. Why?”

She smiles at him bashfully with her arms crossed behind her. “I’m also a middle blocker. I was really inspired with how you read block so well. If it’s okay with you, can you teach me how you do it?”

Why would he do that? He’s already a senior college student who’s also a professional athlete. He has no reason to go out of his way to teach someone read blocking. Especially someone who’s already supposed to know it since (as she claims) she’s also a middle blocker. Judging from where they currently are, someone from Division 1 no less. 

“Sorry. I’m really busy,” he says bluntly. 

“Oh, okay. Sorry for bothering you.” She bows then takes off immediately. 

He watches as the girl from Red Rabbits scampers off as quickly as humanly possible. Did she really think he’d agree to it?

He is too occupied to notice the faint sound of footsteps behind him, and only when you speak does he notice your presence.

“Aww, poor girl going out of her way to ask you out.” 

He groans. Why are you even here? You’re supposed to be checking on the team since their match just ended.

You fall into step beside him as he brushes your comment off and continues heading for the rest rooms.

“I didn’t ask her to,” he calmly responds despite your irksome presence. 

“How are you going to get a girlfriend like that?” you ask exaggeratedly as if not getting in a relationship will lead to his ruin.

“I don’t need one.”

You gasp. “Damn, Tsukishima. Men your age are all about raging hormones. Where do you put all that raging testosterone?”

He purses his lips in a corner, his jaw tensing at your remark. Men his age? You talk as if you’re older when you’re in the same year he is.

Also, what the fuck?

Now you’re nagging about his personal life too? You’re already aggravating as the team manager. Now you’re even sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.

His blatant irritation must have shown in his face because you suddenly let out a giggle. “My bad, my bad. Don’t look so scary. Geez. Where you get action is none of my business. I just followed you to let you know that we’re leaving in twenty minutes.”

You turn around, about to go back but stop before you make the first step. “Oh, and we have a meeting later. I did the stat sheets of the game and gave it to the coach already. Great blocking, Tsukishima!” You pat his shoulder twice with a proud smile, then saunter off back to the arena. 

Damn it. If only you aren’t so good at being a manager, he would actually be able to dislike you to the fullest. Not only that, he wouldn’t feel that silly, tiny contentment he felt upon hearing you.

Chapter 1 || masterlist

Taglist:(those crossed out can’t be tagged)

@ameliaxo @suikrem​​ @akaashisslave @tsumurai​​  @babythotshq​​ 

[bestworstcase]

I like your thoughts on how Rapunzel was handling things wrong in “Rapunzel: Day One.” The episode tries to imply that Cassandra is wrong for not sharing her feelings with Rapunzel, but is a Rapunzel really the person Cassandra should be opening up to? Rapunzel never respects Cassandra’s boundaries. Cassandra’s a private person. Rapunzel doesn’t respect that. And just because Cassandra doesn’t want to open up to everyone doesn’t mean that she’s bottling things up.

ok so this is gonna be a long one bc tbh i like. fundamentally disagree that RDO, the narrative of RDO, in any way positions cassandra as the one at fault for the emotional conflict between her and raps.

to digress a bit - while tts is not immune to Aesop Episodes (e.g. rapunzel's enemy or you're kidding me) wherein the characters close out the story by talking about What They've Learned, ultimately i don't think tts can or should be read as a morality play. it's a story where sometimes characters just... fuck up and the narrative doesn't waste its time on hand-holding or spoon-feeding us the moral.

anyway, i submit that RDO is what i'll call a False Aesop Episode. it follows the basic structure of an Aesop Episode (protagonist acts badly -> protagonist learns a lesson) but the lesson rapunzel learns is a bad one. it's like if you took... say, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" as an aesop, the False Aesop here is rapunzel confidently eating a rotten apple and then being blindsided a few months later when the doctor who kept begging her not to eat food with maggots in it steals the moonstone from under her nose and runs off into the night with her new demon pal--

and that metaphor got away from me a little bit but you get the idea.

#1: constructing the conflict

the episode opens with cassandra. she's training; we see the sword fly out of her injured hand; lance suggests she take a break, and she answers, "thanks to rapunzel's little trick at the great tree, i have to relearn everything using this hand, so breaks aren't really an option."

she isn't harsh about it. her demeanor isn't all that different from her normal self—she even segues into a very typical concern (that the woods are dangerous and they should all be on their guard) and banters with lance a bit.

what this communicates, immediately and succinctly, is that:

1. cassandra's injury is severe. it's disabling. she's either in immense pain or she's lost all the strength in that hand or both.

2. cass is really upset about this, and not happy with rapunzel.

3. nevertheless cass is keeping her feelings more or less in check; the worst anyone could say about her is she's being a bit more curt than normal.

which is to say, she's acting quite reasonable. she's not taking out her hurt feelings on anyone else or being mean or lashing out, and she's not hiding her injury either. the most concerning thing about her behavior here is actually that she's focused on training so she can do her job instead of on healing or resting or taking care of herself.

then there's a pan over to rapunzel, who is angrily watching this play out while venting to pascal. "i get why cass is mad at me," she says. "she told me—" huge disdainful rolling of eyes here "—not to use the decay spell back and the tree, and i did, and she hurt her hand. but if she had just listened to me and stayed out of it, this all could have been avoided! and i feel like we could work things out, but she refuses to talk about it!!"

line this up against cassandra's behavior and spot the differences.

cass is focused on her injured hand. cass is upset because rapunzel accidentally mutilated her in the great tree. that's what this conflict is about for cass; her injury, and how she feels about being injured.

by contrast, rapunzel thinks the conflict is about them not listening to each other. she does acknowledge that cass was injured, but 1. she puts the blame on cass, and 2. has shoved the fact of the injury to the periphery of the conflict. it's not important, it's just a natural consequence of the real conflict, which is cass being mad and petty and refusing to talk to her about how she's unfairly blaming rapunzel for something that wasn't rapunzel's fault.

[i will add here that this behavior from rapunzel is 100% not knowing how to handle guilt and externalizing it as anger, and this thread of rapunzel burying her guilt gets picked up again in rapunzeltopia; it isn't that rapunzel doesn't care that cass is hurt, so much as she's just not emotionally equipped to process these feelings in a healthy way so it mutates into...this.]

and where cass handles her feelings in a pretty reasonable way, rapunzel rants and raves and draws cass as a literal monster with fangs and claws—she's stewing in her out of control emotions and concludes that she just has to find a way to force cass talk to her, which she does shortly thereafter by ordering—not asking—cass to come with her to search for parts to fix the caravan.

#2: the breakdown of communication

i've said it before but it bears repeating: cassandra might not be perfect, but she's a good communicator. in s1 and the front half of s2, she shares her feelings with rapunzel readily and frequently. when she tries to set boundaries with rapunzel, she's able to be clear and specific about what she needs. when she expresses frustration with eugene or her dad or rapunzel, she's very articulate about exactly what she's frustrated about. she can recognize when politer, softer refusals are being ignored and become blunter and more specific to ensure the message is getting across.

the moments when cass struggles to communicate are noteworthy because they're not normal. they signal that she's in acute crisis. think of how her unhinged rant about adira in RATGT heralded a complete emotional breakdown. she clams up in RDO because it's the only thing she can do to protect herself. because rapunzel is an inexperienced nineteen year old who learned all her social "skills" from a manipulative, egotistical abuser and nowhere in the series does that show more than in RDO.

rapunzel knows cass doesn't want to talk about the great tree, so she isolates cass from the rest of the group with the intention of forcing her to talk about it anyway. she's passive aggressive at first: chattering about inanities and trying to bait cass into 'opening up,' and acting vexed and guilt-trippy when she finds out cass brought owl along. she broaches the subject by going "too bad there's not an open-up-to-your-best-friend-about-the-thing-you-guys-are-fighting-about wand, huh?"

then she leads with "i know you're mad at me, but i did the right thing. i didn't have a choice," which... what can cass even say to that? she acknowledged cassandra's anger in one breath and followed up with "but you're wrong tho" in the next. that statement makes cassandra's feelings about her debilitating injury into an argument about Who Was Right.

this is a game that cass tries very hard not to play. "look, if you feel that way, then it's fine. we're good," she says, which is a statement that is not true at all on its face but - what it means is that if rapunzel wants to turn this into a debate about Who Was Right, cass will concede because that's not an argument she's invested in. cass does not want to put her feelings on trial so rapunzel can pick them apart and decide whether she deserves to have them or not.

so she disengages. the sun sets. they camp. rapunzel pokes her again, this time with a more direct approach: "cass, i need to talk about what we both know is going on between us."

and that's when cass throws up a WALL. prior to RDO, when cass is pressed on her feelings, she either: 1. opens up and explains to the extent that she's able (e.g. under raps or RATGT), or 2. flatly shuts the conversation down (e.g. cassandra vs eugene). but in RDO?

"there's nothing to talk about."

"i never said i was upset."

"what makes you so sure that you know how i'm feeling?"

this is cass falling off the end of her rope. this is a cass who spent the last year and a half with rapunzel running roughshod over every boundary cass exhausted herself trying to set. this is cass maybe a few weeks out from rapunzel screaming at her in front of all their mutual friends and then telling her "i am going to make decisions you don't agree with and i need you to be okay with that" when cass tried to open up about her deepest insecurities. this is cass spiraling into despair because she's seen that her best friend cares more about assuaging her own guilt and exerting her authority as a princess than she does about cassandra's feelings.

this is the moment when the friendship dies.

#3: the memory wipe, cassandra's apology, and the false aesop

the details of the tangled-but-cass shenanigans are not super important for the purposes of this discussion. suffice it to say that cassandra lashes out in the heat of the moment, seriously harms rapunzel by mistake, and spends the rest of the episode trying to repair the damage, then apologizes to rapunzel for hurting her. this is, obviously, the correct thing to do when you hurt someone, even if it was an accident.

you see the parallel here, yeah?

rapunzel hurt cass with magic by accident, and then made cass's hurt feelings all about her, blamed cass for the injury, twisted the facts to justify her own indignation, picked a fight about Who Was Right and invalidated cassandra's feelings, and pushed and pushed and pushed until cass blew up and lashed out at her.

cassandra also hurt rapunzel with magic by accident, and then she set aside her own hurt feelings from the argument they were having before to focus one hundred percent of her energy on brewing a cure and keeping amnesiac rapunzel safe, readily admitted her fault, and offered an earnest apology for losing her temper as soon as she could reasonably do so.

if RDO were a true Aesop Episode, this would be the lesson, and rapunzel would of course learn from cassandra's good example and reciprocate by apologizing for the accident in the great tree and her abysmal behavior afterwards—and in a reflection of how cass shared how bottling up her anger allowed it to erupt in a catastrophic way, rapunzel would probably confess that her demanding, selfish behavior came from a place of feeling awful about what happened and terrified that it would ruin their friendship.

but RDO is a False Aesop Episode. rapunzel isn't emotionally equipped to handle the intensity of her guilt, and she lacks the social insight and empathy to draw comparisons between what she did to cass and what cass did to her, so she can't connect the two situations in her head to understand what she's doing wrong. the true aesop flies right over her head, and instead what she learns is this:

1. she was right about cass being upset

2. backing cass into a corner fixed the problem

3. friends really do "just know"

4. being pushy and forceful was the right thing to do.

because the thing is, when cass apologizes for the accidental memory wipe, she truthfully explains why she acted the way she did—she's furious and she didn't want to talk about it, so she held it in as long as she could and then exploded when the pressure became too much—and for rapunzel, i think the explanation and the actual apology get conflated. meaning, cass says "i'm sorry for what i did out of anger" and what rapunzel hears is "i'm sorry for being angry."

and because of that misunderstanding, from rapunzel's perspective her own indignation has been validated and her behavior justified, because she was right all along and cass shouldn't have been angry with her in the first place and now everything is fine--

but it's not fine.

we're not supposed to share rapunzel's perspective here, because she's flat out wrong. nothing is really better and nothing has really changed, except that rapunzel got the talk she wanted and stops putting this intense pressure on cass. so as we enter the house of yesterday's tomorrow, rapunzel is taking it for granted that things are fine with cass, and meanwhile cass is still injured, still angry, still as aloof as she can be without getting rapunzel breathing down her neck again... and then she meets zhan tiri, who gives her everything she needed and couldn't get from rapunzel.

like, to my mind, this is the entire point of RDO, that rapunzel makes this catastrophic mess of trying to patch things up after RATGT and comes out of that mess wrongly thinking she succeeded. the episode is presented through the lens of rapunzel's perspective, but the lines are very wide and i absolutely think the intention is for the audience to read between them and understand the reality that rapunzel has sort of blinded herself to.

[cupcakemolotov]

Happiness Looks Like You

So I think I have been poking at this thing for two years now. Anyway, its done, I am kicking it out of my WIP files, and y’all get lots of fluff.

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence; Fluff and Humor; Drinking; Drinking & Talking; Drunken Flirting; (Only Somehwat Drunken);New Year's Eve;New Years; Caroline Forbes Travels the World;Ignoring TO;Ignoring Anything Canon I Don't Like;Happy Bonnie Bennett;Everyone deserves better

You can read it here on A03:

                                                    -    

Caroline felt a bit silly that it took her so long to realize what her nose was trying to tell her. She wasn’t even really that drunk, just kind of tipsy. It'd been a really long two days of moving, after all, even for a vampire, and she’d totally deserved those Bloody Mary’s. And that shot of whiskey. The bottle of gin. She’d turned down the vodka, hadn’t she?

It was New Year’s Eve, and she was maybe an itty bitty, tiny bit drunk.

The sage, potent and familiar, had helped to throw her off. Spells were common on this night, the need for private conversation and so she’d merely wrinkled her nose as she moved away from the exit she’d been pushing towards, wondering if another drink would suffice for the next half hour or so. Witch business on New Years was not something she wanted to be involved in.

Been there, done that, used Enzo as bait.

Really, it was an evening she just wasn’t up to repeating. Bonnie would have kittens, and the lectures had been bad enough the first time. Better to just find a safer spot even if it meant food options would be limited. She didn’t need blood, and the craving for something deep fried could wait. Turning on her heel, she just started to move when a different, old and recognizable scent teased her nose. It was familiar and intricate, something she’d never been able to fully name but knew well.

Hybrid.

With that single breath came a deluge of memories her alcohol induced haze couldn’t quite block, and she exhaled on a rush of air. Ignoring the jostling around her to rise up on her toes with her heart in her throat, she’d barely caught a glimpse of tousled curls she’d know anywhere, the arrogant set of a pair of broad shoulders moving deeper into the crowd she’d just left.

Klaus.

Caroline landed back on her heels with a thud. It’d been nearly a century since she’d walked away from Mystic Falls, and a series of noisy, converted warehouses in Amsterdam in the midst of a New Year’s Celebration was the last place she’d have thought to find him. Once or twice over the years when she’d allow herself to think of him, she sometimes wondered if it’d really be centuries before the next time they’d talk. Some nights, that seemed like a very long time.

But for all her occasionally morous musings, she knew Klaus wasn’t one to fade quietly into the background. In the back of her mind she’d known it had always just been a matter of time before they’d run into each other. The world had become much smaller and much bigger than she could ever have imagined back in Mystic Falls, and now her feet felt frozen to the floor.

Did she follow him?

Did she say hi?

Behind her, someone cursed and stumbled drunkenly into her, and it broke her out of her daze. Post-ball drop, the converted warehouse around her was a madhouse and for a moment she weighed the chance that he’d seen her and chose to avoid her, and immediately discarded it. It wasn’t Klaus’ style. If he’d seen her, she knew down to her bones he’d have taken the opportunity to say hello.

Her lips curled at the realization that for once, she’d have the chance to surprise him. It seemed fitting, in the early hours of the new year. Decided, she moved through the crowd in the direction he’d gone, hoping she could catch him. Reaching up smooth curls turned frizzy from hours dancing, Caroline was thankful she’d chosen to dress up.

She almost hadn’t.

The last two weeks had been a chaotic mix of boxes and paint samples, arguing with Enzo via VC as he complained about her ditching him and Bonnie in London. Her witchy best friend had mostly ignored their bickering, her fond exasperation clear in the commentary she ran from the background. She hadn’t managed to buy more than a few of the basics, it was seriously going to annoy her until she found the perfect headboard, but at least the mattress was off the floor and she’d found a pair of super cute side tables with pretty motifs that brought in the colors she wanted.

Decorating agreed with her.

So did living outside of the US.

Leaving had been hard, but it hadn’t been lonely, not with Enzo and Bonnie with her. They’d all changed, the way she’d been told she would, but they hadn’t lost themselves, the way had worried her. Bonnie might have learned to accept her friend’s choices, but she was still Bonnie. Dangerous, opinionated, and a lovelier friend you couldn’t find. She was also a witch madly in love with a vampire who was totally pro-murder. Enzo had no regrets about who and what he was, and he’d been so good for her friend who had packed enough hurt and troubles in her late teens and early twenties for ten lifetimes.

And once she had been surrounded by fewer judgements and no expectations, Caroline had finally found the balance between the vampire and girl that made her happy. It had taken time, she’d needed to outgrow the parts of humanity she’d held onto for all the reasons that had never been her own, but she’d never felt so steady in her own skin. She suddenly found she wanted to know if it was something Klaus would notice. She rather thought he would; he had always seen her better than anyone else, sometimes even better than she saw herself.

Amsterdam was her recognition of that, the first place she'd picked to be hers. Just hers. And hours before, when she’d sat in her first house, if not her first home studying two days worth of work, it had been done with a sense of pride. The urge to go out, to celebrate, had sunk into her bones and she’d dug a dress out of her closet, found her favorite heels and gone dancing.

She’d never really been able to turn down a New Year’s Celebration in a new city.

And now here was Klaus, brushing back up against her life just as she was opening for new opportunities, letting herself go after she wanted because she wanted it. Caroline wondered if she should take it as a sign and if Klaus put any stock into New Year’s traditions. She’d make a point to ask him, she decided.

Nerves fizzed along her skin as she realized when she caught up to him she was going to talk to him, and her steps almost faltered. She pushed aside that unease, refusing to balk now. She wasn’t a quitter. Talking with Klaus had never really been her problem, really, and even if the last time she had seen him his mouth had still been wet from her arousal as he’d murmured his last goodbye, that was a long time ago.

And that thought wasn’t going to help her play this cool, at all. Rising back up on her toes, she scanned the crowd with narrowed eyes. If he’d moved to the VIP floor she was likely going to be out of luck, but there was another bar on the back wall that held all the overpriced booze. He might’ve headed there. Impatience had her moving people out of her way with a little more force than was advisable, and the crowd finally parted in front of her and she caught her first real look at him.

He looked good.

Klaus wore a pair of dark slacks, but if he’d had a jacket, he’d already discarded it. The crisp white sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled nearly to his elbows, and the hint of leather cords at his throat were tantalizing. He was holding a tumbler of whiskey, and for a moment he left her breathless. The last of her buzz disappeared under a surprising rush of feelings she didn’t want to look at, and her teeth sank into her lower lip.

He stood parallel to the bar, expression mildly bored as a witch spoke to him with a nervous face, the flush of his cheeks young. Amusement bubbled as she realized she was watching someone hit on Klaus even as something like jealousy coiled low in her belly at the realization, good taste or no. The idea that she was interrupting something was surprisingly sharp in her throat. Caroline considered leaving, even as the sudden hesitation annoyed her.

She was saved from having to make a choice when his shoulders suddenly straightened, his head coming up sharply as he clearly caught her scent even in the mosh of people. A half a heart beat later, and his head turned, eyes finding hers unerringly in the dim light.

Really, his hybrid senses were just unfair.

Dark and intent, the flicker of surprise behind his gaze that she’d always privately delighted in melted quickly into something hotter. His mouth curved slow and tempting, and she inanely lifted a hand in a small wave. His smile widened, and clearly the witch didn’t matter, because Klaus sat aside his drink immediately and cleared the distance between them in mere strides.

“Caroline,” Klaus murmured, dimples peeking through the scruff of his beard. “This is a surprise, love. A delightful one.”

She arched a brow, unable to help her own answering smile, and finding that she really didn’t want to. “Hi, Klaus. I’m not interrupting, am I?”

He shook his head. “Not at all. Can I interest you in a drink?”

Around them, the music blasted at the whim of the DJ, the crowd surging, and Klaus threw a glare over her shoulder as someone bumped into her. Unbothered, she stepped closer to the heat of him, amused by the way his brows arched a little but he made no move to put distance between them. Assured that she was welcome, Caroline shrugged and moved by him. “Sure.”

He beat her to the bar by half a step, but she’d expected that. The witch had disappeared, and as Klaus moved to catch the bartender's eye, she took the opportunity to skim her gaze along the picture he made now that she was closer. She really liked that he’d forgone a tie, the open collar showing off the line of his collarbones beneath his usual tangle of necklaces. His eyes were amused when she glanced back at his face, but she was hardly embarrassed.

Particularly when he didn’t bother to mask the flicker of heat in his gaze as his eyes dipped along her body in a perusal that was anything but casual. The tip of his tongue flickered across his lower lip, eyes warm when they met hers again. “What brings you to Amsterdam, Caroline?”

Grinning, she lifted a shoulder and dropped it, knowing exactly what the motion would do for her boobs. Flirting with Klaus wasn’t new but having no rules against it was and, she realized, fun. “I live here.”

Interest sparked on his face. “Do you?”

Letting out a low hum, she bit the edge of her lip when a bottle of champagne and two glasses appeared. It would never cease to amaze her that the most deadly monster in any room he entered was such a giant cheeseball or how much she liked it. “What about you? Please tell me you're not stirring up trouble. I just finished renovations and would like to actually live in my house, Klaus.”

“Not this time,” he said easily as he poured the champagne and handed her the first glass. “I am here for a bit of business that has now been concluded, and I thought I’d visit an old friend or two. It’s been some time since I spent any time in this city.”

Caroline sipped her drink, letting it fizz on her tongue for a moment as she considered that. “Friends…” she said skeptically. “You have those?”

His eyes gleamed. “Of a sort. Though my current company is far more charming.” She scoffed, ignoring the way she could feel her cheeks heat. Klaus was undeterred by her skepticism. “Why Amsterdam, love?”

She considered his question, all the questions he hadn't asked. “I’ve been in Europe for a few decades now. When we left the states, well. Europe wasn’t our first stop, but Enzo kept insisting, and he’s amazingly persistent. And annoying. London is lovely, he might have been right about that, but I loved it here more.”

“Enzo?”

A hint of something dangerous flickered behind his eyes and she deliberately moved closer to nudge him with her hip. “Nope. Enzo is my friend and happily married to Bonnie. You break his neck and I’ll never hear the end of it.”

His lashes hid his gaze for a moment when she didn’t bother stepping back into her previous space, the heat of him pressed firmly against her side. His gaze held the tiniest flecks of gold at the edges of his eyes when his lashes parted and her pulse skipped. “And have you enjoyed making your home here, Caroline?”

“Yup. I have a few apartments I’ve bought, here and there. But I decided I wanted a house of my own, you know?” It had been an urge that she hadn’t satisfied with her tiny apartment in Cape Town or her flat in London. But Amsterdam was her first house. It’d felt bigger, more significant somehow. “And sometimes a girl just needs a bit of space from her friends, but not too far so, Amsterdam.”

Buying her home had been a touch of serendipity, mixed with careful planning and maybe some online stalking. When she had finally found the home she wanted, she might’ve shamelessly used a teeny tiny bit of compulsion to ensure her offer was accepted, but Real Estate was cut throat and she liked to win. Besides she'd done her research, and she knew exactly what the property was worth. But not even compulsion could make the buying process run completely smooth.

“I’m glad,” Klaus murmured, eyes warm.“I can see how this place would suit you.”

His words settled something in her chest and she took another sip of the excellent champagne to hide it. This monster who only wanted her to fly. Head tipping, Caroline studied his face curiously. “And you? What have you been up to? The PG-13 version, please.”

Pleasure and amusement flickered across his face at her question. “Less murder and mayhem than you’d imagine, sadly, as it does liven up the occasional bit of boredom. But there is always an idiot or two who has decided eternal life is just not the existence for them. I’m generally happy to oblige.”

Her lips pressed together to hold in a smile at his mock exasperation, and his eyes gleamed at her. “That can’t be all you do. Surely.”

Klaus reached up and tucked a loose curl behind her ear, fingertips lingering. “I’ve spent the past few years moving through parts of Europe, but not much to report that would surprise you. The occasional sibling idiocy to correct, a painting here or there.”

She was willing to bet there was a lot more to that statement but she didn’t push. She’d heard rumors of what had happened in New Orleans and had no desire to bring that up here and now. “And how long will you be in Amsterdam?” Caroline asked, making no move to step away from his touch. “Visiting your… friends.”

“I suppose that depends on my welcome,” he replied lightly, but his eyes were dark. His mouth tilted in a small smile before he took a drink of his champagne.

Caroline rolled her eyes at the hint of coaxing in his voice. “I am not inviting you to my house, Klaus. It’s mostly empty and boring and my grandmother would roll over in her grave.”

“Ah,” he agreed mock-seriously, the glimmer of amusement behind his eyes also lingering in the dimple in his cheek. “We can’t have that, can we?”

She pushed at his shoulder with no real force, trying not to laugh. “No, we cannot.”

Klaus didn’t budge, she hadn’t expected him too, if anything he leaned into her space with an amused little noise. “Invitation or no, I’d be delighted to hear of your plans. I have set up a home or two myself, and have a few contacts should you have trouble finding a piece you want. Dining room tables for instance, can be quite vexing.”

“Pretty sure I don’t have your budget, but I’ll probably take you up on that,” Caroline said. A lot could be said about Klaus’ home that she’d seen in Mystic Falls, but his taste, while a little stuffy, had been impeccable.

“Excellent,” he murmured. “You’ll also have to let me know what you consider an appropriate housewarming gift as well. Such things have changed over the years, and I haven’t had a reason to brush up on that particular etiquette.”

Something warm tugged at her chest and she shook her head to cover it. “And here you were just trying to tell me you had friends.”

Before he could reply, and the glitter of mischief on his face told her he had a response, the music skipped, jarring the crowd. All around them, the lights that had been dimmed started to turn on. Klaus scowled murderously, and she laughed once her ears stopped ringing.

And realized she wasn’t ready for this to be over.

Looping her arm through his, she tipped her head towards the exit, stomach a sudden tangle of butterflies. “I was actually on the hunt for food when I saw you and decided to say hi. We’ll probably have to fight the crowds now, but any interest in joining me?”

He had gone carefully motionless when her arm had taken his, but at her words, her admittance that she’d come back to see him, his smile left her breathless. It was such a delighted, boyish thing. Picking up the half full champagne bottle, he handed it to before stepping next to her. “I’d be delighted. I might even have a suggestion or two on a location that will be open this time of night and willing to find us a table.”

She took a long swig of the bottle, letting him start her through the crowd before offering it back. “Pancakes, Klaus. I want pancakes.”

Klaus ignored the bottle, his hand lifting so his thumb could trace her wet lower lip. Bringing it to his mouth, he licked the champagne from his thumb and her body immediately heated, her body becoming intensely aware of everywhere they touched. “Hmm, I’m sure we can find a place to meet those exacting standards.”

Taking a calming breath, she narrowed her eyes at him in warming and he seemed entirely unrepentant. “Uh huh. Pancakes or I won’t show you any of the pictures on my phone of my house.”

His laugh was soft and he started moving again. The crowd never quite pressed close, and people moved out of their way as soon as they got a look at his face. He looked human, the monster tucked away by the amusement and indulgence of him, but his presence was hardly affected by either of that.

“A tragedy, but one we can avoid.” He glanced at her, that dimple tugging at his smile. “Should I warn you that I might have a… suggestion or two?”

She snorted. “By suggestion, you mean opinion. And as long as those opinions are that my taste is flawless and I’m absolutely correct about everything, you may have as many as you want.”

Another laugh, this one deeper, and he led her through the crowd out into the darkness of pre-dawn. The air was cold, she hadn’t bothered with a jacket, but with Klaus next to her she didn’t feel it. Taking another long drink of the last of the champagne, she knew it wasn’t just the booze that fizzled in her veins.

She might not have kissed him at midnight, but she knew in her bones that this night was changing things. Klaus would take her to breakfast, would keep to whatever boundaries she set between them, boundaries she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted anymore, but she’d invited him back to her life. Klaus wasn’t the type to ignore that kind of opening.

Sliding her hand down his arm to link their fingers instead, she found herself smiling widely as his palm pressed tightly against hers.

Happy New Year indeed.