#my classmate said she looked like that one horizon character and He Was Right

[joowee-feftynn]

fucking . swept back teth

[unknownwriting]

Summary- going on a date

Character(s)- Kaminari Denki, Kirishima Eijiro, Mina Ashido, Aizawa Shōta

Warnings- just so one comes for me, everyones aged up!!, besides that none :)

Notes- ahh look at me trying to expanding my fandoms

Kaminari Denki

Definitely an arcade date. A simple yet fun idea.

Of course when he invites you, it mostly as a joke. He’s not expecting you to actually answer. But when you did this man is like so excited. If he could he would’ve planned the date that day but of course he waits till the weekend.

It’s a casual date, nothing to fancy just the 2 of you enjoy the little things. It’s one of those dates that feel like a date yet at the same time doesn’t.

It’s like those dates y’all see in like those cheesy romance movies. It’s a very cute date 🥺💕

Of course y’all don’t spend the whole date at the arcade, it was just the first out of many spots. Y’all basically play till y’all can’t anymore then go out to eat.

Y’all end up chatting about anything and everything, whatever topic pops up yall talk about it. At one point you make him charge you phone, limited his ability to talk. But you end up talking the most anyways.

After y’all had eat and enjoyed a dessert or 2, the 2 of y’all go a goof off at some random park. Talking on the swings, climbing up the monkey bars, petting to local cats.

Over all the date was just a simple one but it was probably the best one Denki has ever had and will have.

Before the date, he knew you only as a classmate, not knowing the small things about you. After the date he learns and remembers all the little things about you.

Your favorite color, your dream pet, what you what to do as a side job, how you wanna help people. All the little things.

Denki felt so unbelievably happy when the date was over. He hasn’t be on many dates before more like none so going on a date with you, and it being an actual date made him so happy. Y’all are definitely gonna be going in more dates from now on

Kirishima Eijiro

Unlike Denki, dates with Kirishima take a bit more time to plan. Kirishima loves to go hiking, so why not go on a hiking date with him.

You honestly had never been on one so you have no idea what y’all would even do but you decided to go along with it. It something new for you to try and plus Kirishima seemed really happy when he was talking about it.

You clearly underestimate him and the date. By a lot. To start of with, y’all met up together just as the sun had reached over the horizon. It was to early.

2nd, he just had to pick the most ‘manliest’ trail. It was an gorgeous trail, don’t think it wasn’t. There were so many animals, birds, and beautiful flowers. But also bugs, and awkward wooden stairs and rocks, and a lot of walking. At that point you weren’t sure if this was a date or extra training.

However, you went along with it. Although it wasn’t your thing, it was nice change of pace and something else fun to try. The date wasn’t bad either, the two of y’all cracked jokes, chatted about the latest gossip at the school and about y’all’s works study, and just talking about random topics.

At one point y’all ended up holding hands and walking shoulder to shoulder, until however the 2 of y’all didn’t even know how or when y’all did it. The only time y’all noticed it was when Kirishima tried to head off into a bush to pee but next he knew you just continued to follow him. His flustered face was so unmanly.

After hours and hours of talking, sunset came and you noticed that y’all weren’t near the entrance of the trail. You brought your concern with him, but he simply smiled, grabbed you hand once again and asked, “Trust me. You’ll love it.”

There was no way you couldn’t trust that smile. So you continued to follow him until the sun began to dip under the horizon. And an hour before the light had disappeared completely, Kirishima brought you to a lovely field and a small picnic area

You were speechless, you were definitely not expecting that. It was so strange yet cute. So while you stood there, speechless, Kirishima began to unpack a bunch of snacks, of course ones that didn’t need to be referated. Once he set them all out, he looked back at you and smiled sheepishly, “Hehe, I hope you don’t mind a pinic date.” 

and of course you loved it. The date lasted on for about 2 more hours before yall decided to head back. Although the walk back was scary and surprising a lot shorter bc he apparently knew a short cut, it was still fun. The date was very new and nice, it was very different from any date you went on before. So this just might become a regular thing for you.

Mina Ashido 

a night out on the town all the way. Kinda like Kaminari but not at the same time...

Even though the date is technically at night. The 2 of y’all spend the day together anyways. Not going out and partying, but lazing around the house doing nothing. Mina liked to call it your girl time where y’all gossip, watch rom-coms, fantasize about the future, sending each other memes, simply stuff like that.

It wasn’t until around 5 when the date was finally starting. Y’all would get all dressed up, do each other’s make up, complement the hell out of each other, flirt, and try on like 5 different outfits before finally heading out.

The night started off relatively calm. The 2 of y’all would start the date off by going out to dinner at a somewhat fancy restaurant. Where y’all would continued to gossip and talk about random things.

After the dinner date the 2 of y’all would sneak off to an ice cream parlor and enjoy an ice or 2 together. Completely ruining y’all’s outfits. Besides the dinner date and the ice cream, everything after that wasn’t planned at all. It was all up to Mina where y’all would go.

To the club! Is the first place Mina’s gonna drag you too. It was popular club too where citizens, heroes and even villains would attend. The only rule that’s enforced at the clubs is: no sharing your real identity with a stranger. Besides that it’s a free for all.

Dancing, drinking, partying. They do it all, and y’all definitely do it all. Of course still having a sense of responsibility, y’all don’t drink too much but y’all definitely make that up on the dance floor.

While dancing you even ran into a few friends and decided to join their little party. Y’all did everything: drinking games, dance, encourage fights, ate till y’all couldn’t stand, threw it all up in the bathroom then did it again. You were pretty sure you saw some people from the league of villains but who cares. You were on a date not a night patrol.

Of course y’all aren’t super human well technically you are butttt so eventually even y’all had to call it quiets. It was around 3 am tho. It was a good thing that y’all didn’t have work in the morning. So the 2 of y’all said you goodbyes and slowly stumbled y’all’s way back to your apartment. Both of y’all took turned carrying each

As soon as y’all go home y’all had enough energy go pull off your outfits before crashing on the bed make up and all. The next morning, or next afternoon Mina was the first to wake up so she was quick to get dress and clean up before she began to make breakfast for you and a hot drink. When you woke up Mina was quick to check up on you and make sure you were feeling ok.

Once again y’all spent the day doing nothing and relaxing with each. And after a night like that, y’all couldn’t ask for more.

Aizawa Shōta

This man is like so romantic...when he wants to be lol. It really all just depends on his mood. Normally a date with him would be a very simple and easy going one.

Because he is a teacher, there’s a lot of time where’s he stuck grading papers and when that happens, He loves to cuddle up with you under a blanket and while you watch a movie or read or play on your phone he’ll grade the papers. Taking many breaks of course.

Most of the time his breaks will consist of him complaining about how one of his students didn’t get a question right or didn’t even answer it or just put something crazy. Most of the time he’s not to talkative but when it comes to school, especially his students, he won’t shut up. So you let him rant, you enjoy hearing this stories too anyways. His students are amazing.

Occasionally if it’s a simple worksheet with an answer sheet he made before hand, He’ll make you grade the papers while he sleeps or does something else. You love when this happens cause then your can give them a few extra points just bc.

Of course the date is not grading papers with him. The date comes after. Once all the papers are graded, the 2 of y’all would put in some relatively decent clothes and head out to the nearest coffee shop. A chance to get y’all out of the house and a nice breath of fresh air. Normally it’s your idea to go on the date but Aizawa always loves it.

Once y’all reach the cafe that’s when Aizawa would normally take over the date. He’ll either find something else he wants to do like see a movie or take a walk in the part the. Something he’ll just want to go back to the appointment and just sleep and relax.

It really doesn’t matter what y’all do. Aizawa’s the type of person to just savor the time spent with you. As long as he’s with you he doesn’t mind what y’all do. With thag in mind, he would prefer to just lay around the house and cuddle but he’s also open to your date ideas.

Like I said before Aizawa can be one hell of a charmer when it comes down to it. So when y’all go on actually dates. He knows exactly how to dress, act, and what do it. It’s almost like a completely different person but his lazy reaction remind you he’s still the same man you fell in love with.

Even the romantic dates are simple, going out to eat at a fancy restaurant and going out for a walk hand in hand. If y’all do something too exciting, he thinks it will take away from your beauty and distract him so that he’a not focused on you. So he keeps the dates simple so that he won’t have any distractions from you.

To others y’all’s dates might be too simple and boring, but y’all love them. The dates aren’t about seeing how much y’all could do together, it about spending time with each. So if all y’all do it go off to some cafe that’s around the block and talk, y’all are completely happy and satisfied.

[crqstalite]

Letters Home.

I made a mistake because this was originally meant to answer a prompt fill and then I forgot about it until now. So I tweaked it, but it still works I think.

I would rather not think about the fact the current majority of writing I've done for Lali and Joker is very angsty. That'll change, eventually, but it was begging to be written so here we are. It's a little shaky since I've written Joker himself maybe a grand total of three times but I'm happy enough with it.

Post-Thessia, minor (major?) character death mentioned. Lali/Joker.

"There's a new Blasto movie coming out, it doesn't look a lot better than the last one, but it'd be great to see with you when you're home again."

Her green eyes are still bright, her grin wide while she falls back on the collection of pillows decorating her bed. Her concerns then must've extended about as far as what was for dinner that evening, or tomorrow's assignment. Blasto wasn't one of her favorites, he knew that every time they'd watched one together, but she'd sat through every single one because it made him happy. Not that she didn't complain the entire time though.

It'd been a while since he'd been fifteen himself, but those concerns shouldn't have included Reapers in them.

"You must know about all the inaccuracies in the movies, huh? With the Council and stuff this has to be hilarious to you."

Joker isn't sure what feeling to name the one that's threatening to consume him while Hilary continues talking, rattling off that week's events. Teachers, classmates, her chores around the house.

The vidmail just seemed so normal. Everything had seemed perfectly fine when he'd checked in on them after they'd left Earth. Maybe that was an overstatement, nothing would've been fine but it was still manageable then. His father and his younger sister had intended to bunker down for as long as they had to, as long as they could while he'd promised them to try and get them off Tiptree. Nothing had seemed off. Nothing had seemed wrong. He thought they'd have time.

Six months later and he'd proved himself wrong. Time was in shorter and shorter supply. By the time he could turn his attention fully back to finding them nearly a week ago to do anything more about their situation, it'd been too late. He'd heard it over the extranet, part the long list of colony worlds flashing red every other hour. His blood had run cold while he'd hoped, prayed he wouldn't find his homeworld among the lost.

The galaxy felt like it stopped spinning when he did. In big, bright red letters, it'd said Tiptree, and he...it'd all felt like a bad dream then. That he'd look back and see it was some other colony out in the Traverse. Not his. It couldn't. It shouldn't have. It was so far outside of normal trade routes that it didn't make sense for the Reapers to seize it.

Yet they'd done so anyway. The last communications had gone out the day prior, and had stretched into silence since then. Where he'd be expecting a call today, instead his missed messages have remained dark. His 'tool won't connect to his father's, or Hilary's.

He almost misses when the door behind him opens, his hand missing the pause button on the video while he scrambles for it. He doesn't get a great glance over his shoulder, but it's enough for him to try and get his emotions back in check long enough to hold a conversation, "Shepard? Look, I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

"You've got the wrong Shepard, actually. I think." If the voice isn't enough to convince him, then the absence of anger in it does when he turns his chair to look at her. Smaller, softer, more concerned when Citlali pauses in the doorway compared to her elder sister. His girlfriend a sight for sore eyes, at least compared to her counterpart, "Sorry for scaring you, if I did.

"You didn't. Just, thought she was making the rounds again. And holding a grudge against your commander doesn't really bode well for you, as I've found." He can't find the energy to add a genuine laugh with the quip, and while Citlali smiles, it's one of the ones that's strained, "What? I feel like Alenko's walking proof of that."

"I guess, depending on how you look at it." She furrows her brow, maybe in thought, maybe in disbelief. He still can't read her very well, though it's not as if she makes it easy. Shaking off the expression, "Do you mind if I come in? You seemed...busy."

While Hilary's vid has gone quiet, he doesn't meet her eyes. The distraction might be better than nothing, even though he'd rather spend his time alone, most likely watching the last handful of mails from the month prior, "If you want to, sure. Did you need anything?"

"No. It's just...quiet around here. Thessia's on everyone's mind and it honestly feels too constricting." The door closes behind her, "If you're worried, Kodelyn's with Liara right now. I don't think she's going to come back up here for a while."

"Oh good. That'll probably give her time to cool off." Refocus her frustration with Thessia back towards comforting, always seemed like it fixed something in her. He might've been out of line, but he hadn't been expecting for her to explode at him like that. It seemed too out of character, and he hadn't been able to accurately predict it. The longer she spent doing anything else was probably extending his lifespan. Shepard wasn't predictable, but she rarely played the stereotype of the short-fuse Commander.

"Cool off?" Citlali quirks an eyebrow, "Was she mad at...you?"

"Surprising, I know."

"Weird. What'd you do?"

"Nothing." He says habitually, then sighs, "I don't know. Rough day for obvious reasons, she wasn't doing so well and I probably didn't make it any better."

"Oh." Citlali cringes, "She wasn't too upset with you, was she?"

"Probably not with me specifically. I just ended up as collateral damage."

"Collateral -- Never mind. She'll probably apologize when she's feeling more like herself. If she ever does." Her tone wavers at that, uncertainty on the other end of it, "Are you okay, though?"

His silence answers it for her. What does he say to that? Fine, only that I found out my home might be ashes and the only family I have left might be gone?

Well, he probably could.

"Sure. Fine."

Her smile's shaky, "Are you really fine, or are you just trying to get rid of me?"

"Never, I love spending time with you. You know that."

"Uh-huh. I'll suspend my disbelief, but only because you're sweet," She frowns at that, padding over to sit in the empty co-pilot's chair, turning it to face him, "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. You don't have to lie to me though."

"I'm not. Just dealing with...everything. All of us have our off days." The screen blinks when he turns back to it, Hilary's expression still frozen in one of amusement. His chest grows heavy again, this one was dated a day before the Reapers came through. This vidmail, the one like so many others that'd come before it, was one of the last ones he'd ever have of her.

And when he received it, he hadn't thought anything of it. He wouldn't go as far as to say he'd taken the ritual for granted, but he'd thought he'd receive another one. And another after that. He was careful to watch every one, and send back another as soon as he was able. His had gone unread.

"Fair enough." Citlali leans back, blissfully oblivious, "Long day. Maybe way too many things happened all at once."

"You could probably say that again."

"I'll refrain from repeating myself." She chuckles, "Can't wait to get back to the Citadel. The rest this crew needs is probably ticking up towards absurd."

"That bad in your professional opinion?" He asks, "I'd thought we were doing just peachy. Y'know, with the Council trying to absolve themselves of guilt and the galaxy crumbling around us."

"Thank God for night clubs." She responds, leaning back, "It just feels tenser than ever. Can't shake the feeling we're getting towards the end of whatever this is, and it's making everyone jumpy."

"Probably, yeah. Hopefully it'll be longer than a day or two when Shepard's done with Horizon. It'd be nice not running from Reaper forces day in and day out."

"Too exciting for you?"

"Everyone has their limits. just seems like there are more of them than ever lately, and they all want a piece of us." That much is true. The other half is that he wants a chance to search. Search the Citadel, search the surrounding systems. Maybe Hilary would be with the refugees, and he just hadn't found her yet. Maybe she'd lost her 'tool. They'd never been great at remembering each other's codes.

One hell of a time to forget, if she was out there, all alone and surrounded by the unknown.

Citlali turns her gaze towards the front window, then to one of the screens in front of him from what she can see, "Thessia-related matters aside, if you're willing to share, who's that?"

He hesitates, trying to find an answer while his throat tightens around his words. All he can do is send a picture of Hilary over to her screen. She halfway smiles when she receives it, one of her out in the yard during his last leave. Yellow sundress, celebrating the first day of summer, "Friend? Family? She looks just like you. Same grin and everything."

"Family. Younger sister, actually."

"Aw. Looks just like you." Citlali smiles, "What's she like?"

"Like any little sister, I guess." What was there to say? Why is he looking for adjectives to encapsulate the sister he loved, and why is it so difficult, "Smart, kind, practical joker sometimes. Occasionally gets on your nerves, but you love her too much to stay mad."

"As all siblings do. Feel like she'd be fun to have around. Guess you missed out on the curly hair gene, huh?"

"Had it when I was younger."

"Is she looking to follow in your footsteps? A pilot just like her brother?"

The lump in his throat almost doesn't let him answer her, and he plays with the bill of his hat, "Maybe. I don't think she ever really said anything about it."

"Big shoes to fill, I get it." The smile fades slightly when he doesn't follow up on it, "Where is she now?"

His voice is raspy when he tries to talk again, "I don't...really know. I don't know if she even still is."

Her face falls, furrowing her brows once she realizes, "I- Jeff..."

"Evac orders were sent out to Tiptree a couple of days ago. No news since, only that a handful made it...somewhere. Liara didn't say where." The orange lights in front of him start to swim in the water collecting in the corners of his eyes, "I don't even know if she made it offworld."

There's a flood threatening to burst behind his eyes, delicately held back for the last few days just by sheer will. Just the thought of the planet being turned into Earth, Palaven, Tuchanka...hell even what he saw of Thessia turns his stomach.

They didn't live that close to any major city, but they still would've been at risk if they sent any husks out that way. Any of the other grotesque monsters they'd seen lately.

Had she been looking for him? When it'd all happened, had he missed her call while they were in FTL? Just by a split second.

The thought of one them getting their hands on her, one of the sweetest girls in the galaxy who'd done nothing but act as a ray of sunshine in his life, it kills him to think about.

His hands are wet, he doesn't even realize until he hears Citlali's boots against the ground behind him. Her eyes are searching his face when she kneels down next to his chair, holding out her arms halfway in a silent question.

He accepts a moment later, wrapping his arms around her. She hugs him back, a quiet whisper on her lips when she returns the gesture, "I'm so sorry."

The dam breaks.

Big jade eyes that match his, a grin she lamented about every other day. The figurine he'd brought back for her, the Normandy, on her nightstand just in view.

What he'd give to see her again. Hear her voice again.

The galaxy crumbles away, tears streaming down his face.

"I love you, Jeff. I miss you."

[peach-pops]

song and movie: i see the light from tangled || 1.4k masterlist

warning(s): light swearing 

author’s note: here’s the first 1.4k event! this request is directly based on the actual Toro Nagashi Festival in Japan so if you guys wanna read more about it, click here! maybe just maybe this is a bit ooc for bakugo but i did my best to try and stay along the lines of his character while focusing on the song! let me know if you want to be tagged to the celebration and if you guys liked it!

word count: 1.5k

lyrics: All those days chasing down a daydream. All those years living in a blur. All that time never truly seeing things, the way they were // Now she's here shining in the starlight. Now she's here suddenly I know. If she's here it's crystal clear I'm where I'm meant to go

★━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━★

Bakugo rubbed the material of the lantern between his fingers as he waited for his classmates to pass around the pen. The rest of 1-A talked amongst themselves, getting ideas on what they could write on their lantern and the possibilities seemed endless. 

Ever since Bakugo was old enough to go to the Toro Nagashi Festival, he wrote the same wish on his lantern to send down the river: to surpass All Might and become the number one hero. Of course, after the events at the Kamino Ward, he had to change his wish up slightly. 

Even though Bakugo looked disinterested, he paid close attention to what his classmates were going to write down; Sero and Kirishima gave honor to their ancestors by writing down their family name while others like Iida and Todoroki wished for their families health. It came to no surprise that Kaminari had written a wish to do well in his upcoming exams which only sent the rest of the group into a fit of giggles. 

After Uraraka had written down her wish on prosperity for her family, she passed the pen over to you and Bakugo couldn’t help but look over your shoulder as you carefully wrote something that made little sense to him; to my sun, my moon, and all my stars. 

You heard Bakugo let out a ‘tch’ underneath his breath so you looked over your shoulder and gave him a curious glance,” What? You don’t like it?”

“ It sounds like a shitty line out of a romance manga,” Bakugo cringed but in the back of his mind, he was hoping you would indulge him on the meaning,” what does it even mean?” 

Everyone knew how much of a tough guy Bakugo was to crack but somehow, you had managed to find a way for him to consider you a suitable friend and you both were okay with these set terms. In fact, you were the only one who could drag and beg Bakugo into coming along to the lantern festival to begin with. 

“ Well if you’re gonna be mean, I guess you’ll never know,” You hummed as you handed Bakugo the pen. 

Your fingers brushed against his only for a moment before he swallowed hard and yanked the pen to his chest, letting out a grumbled response as he wrote down his own wish that made you laugh. 

“ What the hell are you laughing at?”

“ Nothing! It’s just very on brand of you, that’s all,” You smiled as you read his dream over in his voice,” to become the number one hero. You’re like a broken record Katsuki! Why don’t you wish for something like everlasting peace or success for your exams like Denki?” 

“ I can pass just fine on my own and when I’m number one, I’ll make sure there’s everlasting peace or whatever the hell you said,” Bakugo retorted boldly even though your comment made him feel wary of his wish,” and don’t call me that dumbass.” 

Before you could reply back with an even more insulting nickname, a soft chime rang throughout the field where others were waiting with their lanterns. Everyone started to slowly make their way down the hill to the water’s edge and once the class found a space along the water, Todoroki started to help light everyone’s lanterns. 

Once your lantern was lit, you sat by the edge of the water and held the lantern in your lap as if you were soaking it all in. 

Bakugo said nothing but as he was getting closer and closer to getting his lantern lit, he felt something he hardly ever felt. Anxiousness. 

He had no reason to be because in his mind, this was all just some tradition he never second-guessed. For years, he had written down the same dream because even as a child, he had always wanted to be a hero. Things were different now, he still wanted to be a hero but his gut was almost telling him that it wasn’t all that he wanted. 

His hand had a mind of his own as he quickly fished out the pen that was still tucked into his pocket and crouched down to write something else along the opposite side of his first wish. He felt his cheeks heat up as he finished writing it and even though he felt himself become somewhat embarrassed, he made no attempt to cross the fresh words out. 

The anxiousness he felt faded almost instantaneously now that he was comfortable with his wish but he still didn’t hesitate to threaten Todoroki’s life if he even tried to flip the lantern to the other side to read his new wish. 

(Todoroki paid no attention to Bakugo’s threat but obeyed his wishes nonetheless since he had no intention of reading it anyway)

“ Hurry up before this lantern sets me on fire,” You urged Bakugo as he realized you were waiting for him this whole time. 

Bakugo only huffed in response but made a rather quick pace towards you and sat down beside you with his lit lantern. He did his best to keep his new wish facing his chest and away from your eyesight and you were none the wiser. 

“ Okay, ready?” You asked as Bakugo nodded, waiting for you to make the first move. 

You carefully placed your lantern in the cold water and Bakugo followed pursuit after. You let out a small gasp as you watched a part of Bakugo’s lantern start to crumble from the weight of the wrinkled side and you immediately reached out towards it. 

Bakugo almost swatted your hand away, in fear that you would see the new wish but you swatted his hand first. 

“ Oi baka! Leave mine alone-”

“ Oh shush, I’m helping you!” 

His eyes followed your steady hands as you carefully reached down into the water to straighten up his crumbled lantern and became just like new.  

“ There ya go, all better,” You said softly as you gave the lantern a helpful nudge to guide it down the slow current,” aw look, our lanterns are floating together!” 

Bakugo looked out toward the direction of his lantern and sure enough, both of your lanterns sailed slowly out towards the current of the bay. The action alone made Bakugo’s chest tighten up but your attention was cast out to the sea of lanterns.

The stars along the satin night sky reflected off the water and meshed with the city lights in the horizon, making it look like the whole sky and earth were filled with infinite stars. In your eyes, nothing could compare to the view of specks of various golden shades that rocked slowly along the dark sea but Bakugo would disagree-there was someone who could outshine the view. 

There was something about how each lantern represented a person with a dream that made Bakugo feel comfort like no other, almost as if his wish didn’t seem as obscure as someone else’s was bound to be. 

And yet, with all of the infinite lanterns that were cast out into the water, Bakugo knew there was no one else in the world who wanted their dream to come true as badly as he did. 

“ For as long as I can remember, I’ve always gone to this festival yet every time I come, it completely takes my breath away,” You sighed peacefully as Bakugo understood exactly what you meant,” I will never get used to this, isn’t it beautiful?” 

Bakugo’s eyes never left your face as he carefully studied your glowing expression, the flow of the lanterns illuminated your face in a soft light. His chest swelled with warmth and he couldn’t help but let out a soft breath,” Yeah, beautiful.” 

Bakugo didn’t mind the comfortable silence between the two of you but knowing you, it wouldn’t last long and he was right. 

“You know, I really like what you wrote on your lantern,” You said as you looked at Bakugo, who was already looking back at you,” I hope your dream comes true Katsuki.” 

Bakugo let out another ‘tch’ at his name but made no effort to correct you. 

He thought you were praising the hero wish so he only nodded. Number one hero.

He had always wanted to hear that sort of praise from people but he wasn’t even thinking of that wish. In all honesty, Bakugo was thinking of the one he had freshly written moments ago after thinking of you, one that he would take to the grave, or for however long the lantern would float along the bay for. 

“ Me too...and I hope yours comes true or whatever but I still think it’s stupid,” Bakugo replied as you smiled to yourself before nudging Bakugo’s shoulder playfully to which Bakugo nudged you back even harder,” you ever going to tell me what it means dumbass?”

You shook your head and watched as Bakugo rolled his eyes,” Nope but you’ll find out soon enough.” 

Bakugo was fine with your answer as you two both looked out to the bay, watching the infinite lanterns bob up and down across the water. 

You couldn’t help but smile to yourself as you thought back to Bakugo’s lantern. 

There was never a rule against taking an innocent extra peek at someone’s wish so that’s just what you had done when you adjusted Bakugo’s lantern when you swore you saw extra words that weren’t there the first time. 

“ To Y/N, my new dream.” 

taglist:  boosyboo9206

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: Playing with Fire

Relationship: Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant

Characters: Lila Rossi, Rose Lavillant, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Juleka Couffaine, Alya Césaire, Ivan Bruel, Chloé Bourgeois, Luka Couffaine, Principal Damocles, Caline Bustier, Penny Rolling, Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale, Fang

Additional Tags: Lila salt, Good Chloé Bourgeois, Uncle Jagged Stone, Emotional Support Crocodile, Principal Damocles salt, Bustier salt

Summary: Lila tries to break up Kitty Section. It doesn't go as planned. Salty.

Notes: Had this stuck in my head as an idea. There’s been a trope of Luka being kicked out of Kitty Section because of Lila pulling something like this. Except I don’t think she’d get that far with it. Also, every time I hear this song it makes me think of Lila.

AO3 link

She's got a history of making a scene, yeah

She's telling stories she’s gaslighting

-The Interrupters

“Are you sure it’s… appropriate for an older boy like Luka to be in Kitty Section?”

Marinette froze in the middle of taking a bite of a croissant as Lila’s words floated across the courtyard, her mind filled suddenly with the desire to shriek at the liar, even knowing that would backfire as it always did. She wanted to defend Luka. If Adrien was here rather than at a photo shoot, he’d see Lila was actually trying to hurt people with this.

She barely realized she’d stopped breathing until she started coughing, and that nearly sent the bite of food down the wrong tube. By the time she’d recovered, she had missed any response from the present members of Kitty Section, and Lila was talking again.

“I’m just concerned, is all. I’ve told you I’m like Jagged Stone’s favorite person, right? I know a few people in the industry, really. And some of the execs just don’t sign bands if there’s such a big age gap between members. Like you three and Luka.”

Marinette put down the croissant, trying to build her courage. She could defend Luka.

“But Luka’s Juleka’s brother,” Rose said, looking concerned.

“Yeah, that can look even weirder.”

Marinette started to stand up, but then she caught a Look that passed between the couple. At times they were so in sync it was scary.

Juleka glanced her way, shook her head minutely, and quirked a half-smirk as though to say, We got this.

“You must have worked with some amazing people, Lila!” Rose gushed.

Her admiration sounded just a touch off, but Lila was too busy preening to notice.

“I have. Clara Nightingale texts me all the time.”

“Oh, I have an idea,” Juleka said, her voice faux shy. “I-I mean, if you don’t mind? Like can we try guessing the artists you know? Like a game?”

Lila’s smile widened. “Oh, that sounds like so much fun!”

Marinette carefully kept her face blank, picking at her croissant and ignoring the pitying look Alya sent her way from her seat beside Lila. It wouldn’t do to give the game away.

Ivan’s expression had also gone blank, as though he too knew what was up and wanted to see what happened.

“Oh! I have one. 30 Seconds to Mars?” Rose asked.

Lila shook her head. “No, but I know their producer.”

“What about My Chemical Romance?” It was Juleka’s turn.

“Yeah, they’re a silly bunch,” Lila said with a giggle. “I dated the lead singer for a few months. We’re still friends.”

Marinette had to stop herself from snorting—like an artist in his 40s was going to date a teenager! But clearly Lila only knew the band name and that they were popular among teens.

But apparently the game wasn’t over, and Rose made another guess. In the next three minutes, Lila told them all about three songs written for her and exotic concert venues. Some of the smiles of their classmates were becoming a bit forced as they recognized band names and knew more about them than the liar. Marinette knew enough about music to know that every single band they’d named had sibling members.

“The Carpenters?” Juleka eventually asked.

By the way Lila’s face brightened, Marinette could guess she definitely knew they were famous and would make a great story.

“Oh my gosh, we’re so close! I helped them write some of the lyrics for their most recent album!”

Alya made a choking noise, and while trying not to crack up Marinette realized the girl had finally caught one of the lies.

Chloé was suddenly hissing in her ear, “Put the call on speaker when it rings,” before she moved toward the stairs to the classroom.

Marinette glanced at her suspiciously, but was immediately drawn back to the show when Juleka crossed her arms and laughed.

The smile on Lila’s face faltered for a moment, before returning with a look of confusion. “Did I say something funny?”

“Their last album came out in 1981, so unless you’re secretly like 50 years old pretending to be a teenager like I’m guessing you’ve pretended everything else, it’s hilarious,” Juleka drawled loudly, her shyness momentarily absent in her glee.

In the stunned silence, during which Lila’s face twitched and turned an interesting array of colors, Marinette’s phone rang.

The screen read Uncle Jagged.

Marinette blinked, suddenly realizing what Chloé had meant, and—

Chloé had gotten Jagged to call her?!

She answered the call, putting it on speaker. “Um, hello?”

“Marinette! Where’s the fire?! Drive faster, Penny!” He sounded almost frantic.

“Fire?” She asked.

“I heard my favorite niece is having an emergency. What’s wrong?”

“I’m just at school, Uncle Jagged,” she said, putting emphasis on his name and taking joy in how Lila’s face turned a mottled white. “Having lunch and a show. Are you in Paris?”

“The school? Penny, she’s at the school.” Jagged’s voice was distant as he talked to his assistant, then came back full force. “Hang tight. Uncle Jagged and Aunt Penny are coming. Clara’s here, too!”

The line went dead.

Lila stood abruptly. “Oh, I just remembered, I need to—”

Ivan put his hands on her shoulders gently, suddenly behind her. “Sit.”

The Italian’s eyes darted around the table, finding no sympathy. She sat. Ivan kept his hands on her shoulders, not quite menacing.

Chloé’s laugh rang out from above, and Marinette glanced up to see that the blonde had M. Damocles and Mme. Bustier in tow.

“What is it you need us to see, Mlle. Bourgeois?” the principal demanded. “We were enjoying lunch.”

Jagged sprinted through the entrance, Fang on a leash and easily keeping up. “Marinette! I came right away!”

“M. Stone!” M. Damocles sounded a bit strangled. “You cannot bring that… creature on school property!”

“Can so. Fang’s my emotional support crocodile!”

Penny trotted up from behind him and handed a slip of paper to the principal.

Clara was behind Penny, looking concerned as she approached. “Marinette, are you unwell? I hear for us you’ve a tale to tell.”

Marinette’s face grew warm. “I’m okay, Clara. I’m not sure why Jagged thought there was an emergency.”

Chloé let out an irritated huff. “Because there was. The entire class was being seduced by a liar’s pretty stories, and that thot was bullying you.”

Jagged let out an outraged string of what sounded like they could be curse words if they were pronounced in a non-Cockney accent.

Eventually he scanned the courtyard. “Okay, which of you has been bullying my niece? It’s time for Fang’s lunch, anyway.”

“We don’t have the paperwork to cover that, Jagged,” Penny commented, though she too was leveling a hard stare at the students.

“Bullying certainly isn’t cool. Why was it allowed in this school?” Clara took a seat next to Marinette, taking one of her hands. “You of all people deserve much better: why, you’re a wonderful budding trend-setter.”

A lump was forming in Marinette’s throat; she’d spent so long being strong while all of this had been going on, figuring no one would believe her. But Chloé, of all people, had brought in the cavalry.

Juleka was the one to finally answer Jagged, pointing at Lila. “She’s the one. Just tried to convince me to kick my own brother out of our band and claimed she helped the Carpenters write their last album.”

Jagged studied Juleka for a moment. “You’re Anarka’s kid, yeah? ’Course you’ve got a band. Music’s in your blood.”

Then he turned to Lila. “So what other tall tales has this one been making up?”

Nathaniel opened his sketchbook. “That she’s best friends with Ladybug, has arthritis, got tinnitus saving your kitten from a runaway airplane, you wrote a song about her—“

“A kitten? A song? I’ve never seen that brat in all my life.”

“I mean, there’s more. But she also told us that Clara texts her all the time earlier.”

Clara’s expression turned stormy. “Using my name to borrow fame? I truly think you have no shame! The rest of this class needn’t lie, for they’ve all danced at my side!”

“She was pretending to be in Achu when we participated in your music video, Mlle. Nightingale,” Rose offered softly. “She’s also claimed to know Prince Ali, but I bet if I texted him right now we’d learn that’s a lie, too.”

Chloé scoffed, turning to M. Damocles and Mme. Bustier. “Did you even look into her claims about being in Achu, or having disabilities?”

The principal stuttered an excuse, while their teacher turned pale.

“It seems the school has dropped the ball. Her parents they should try to call.”

Lila chose that moment to push away from the table and out of Ivan’s reach, fleeing from the school as though her ugly-ass romper was on fire.

Marinette sighed. Volpina, take three, was likely on the horizon.

But as her classmates gathered around her apologizing, Alya sitting beside her and hugging her, she could feel it was all going to be okay.

Especially if she got to smack Lila around a little when she was akumatized.

I’m a match, she’s kerosene

You know she’s gonna burn down everything

She’s an arsonist in her pastime

And I’ve been burned for the last time

-The Interrupters

[sayuricorner]

Ever After High x Twisted Wonderland AU  Headcanons part 8

Part 7        Part 9

AU concept

MASTERLIST

Warning: English is not my first language so sorry if it’s confusing!

This part will focus on Raven’s, C.A. Cupid’s and Poppy’s twisted Wonderland profile and as well on some headcanons of them with the Pomefiore dorm and the school.

Characters profiles:

Name: Raven Queen

Gender: Female

Age: 15-16

Birthday: November 25

Starsign: Sagittarius

Height: 165 cm

Eye color: purple

Hair color: Dark with purple shades

Homeland: White kingdom

Dorm: Pomefiore

School year: first year

Occupation: Student

Club: Light music club

Best subject: Music

Dominant hand: Left

Favorite food: Salted caramel

Least favorite food: Anything too spicy (ex: hot sauce)

Dislike:  Doing what is “hexpected” of her aka being the new Evil Queen

Talents: Singing and music in general

“Everything is so differents from all what I though I knew, but this school do to me one thing Ever After High never do: it give me the opportunity to make my own destiny!”

In bonus, here’s some illustrations and fan arts of Raven in the AU done by the amazing and talented @zebrabaker​ and @icant-choosename-help​ ! ^^

Raven Queen(made with Dolldivine) by @zebrabaker​ as she is presented in their fanfiction “Choosing Destiny” go read it and their others fanfics as well please their writtings are amazing! ^^

Raven Queen as a Pomefiore student draw by @icant-choosename-help​  you can see this fan art’s post by clicking on this link and please take time to also check their others arts they’re an awesome artist! ^^

-----------------------

Name: C.A. Cupid

Gender: Female

Age: "old as teenage love"

Birhtday: November 24

Starsign: Sagittarius

Height: 165 cm

Eye color: Blue

Hair color: Pink

Homeland: Olympus

Dorm: Pomefiore

School year: First year

Occupation: -Student

                    -Presenter at the school’s radio station

Club: School’s radio station(she’s the founder of that club)

Best subject: Mythology history

Dominant hand: Right

Favorite food: Cupcakes

Least favorite food: Can’t eat some fresh fruits, vegetables or nuts unless they’re baked(Headcanon I made up: she had a pollen-food syndrome that she contract because of her pollen allergy)

Dislike: Not being able to help someone’s love problems

Hobby: Give love related advices to her peers

Talents: love advisor 

“In those troubled times some people’s hearts become troubled as well, with time they will heal and I’ll make sure to help!”

-------------------

Name: Poppy O'Hair

Gender: Female

Age: 15-16

Birthday: june 19

Starsign: Gemini

Height: 165 cm

Eye color: Blue-cyan-green

Hair color: Auburn with half dyed purple

Homeland: White kingdom

Dorm: Pomefiore

School year: First year

Occupation: Student

Club: Fashion club( she’s the founder of that club)

Best subject: Art

Dominant hand: Left

Favorite food: Chicken wings

Least favorite food: Liver and onions

Dislike: Being restraint in her creativity

Hobby: Fashion

Talents: Fashionnista

“New school, new horizons and a new page to my story!”

Raven Queen at Pomefiore:

-The first times at Pomefiore and NRC in general were a bit akward for Raven mainly because of the cultural shock.

-Her dormmates were very nice but them over complimenting her was very akward to her so at first she mainly hang out with Epel.

-With Vil at first things were not simple, you see, he was VERY extasic to had the direct descendant of the Beautiful Queen in his dorm so he was often rambling to Raven about how an honor it was to have her in Pomefiore, how great the Beautiful Queen was and how proud she must be to had the Beautiful Queen as her ancestor.

-This make Raven really unconfortable, she don’t know what answer to this all her life her lineage was paint to her as just being evil and now she was ina place where the Evil Queen was see as a hero. Honestly she don’t know how to process all this.

-This and she had some diseagrements with him about his obsession with beauty.

-As for Rook, well, he was nice with a charming but again: over-complimenting a bit annoying and in his case to the umpteenth power as if she suddenly become Apple.

-However she prefer not tell them about her disconfort ‘cause she’s scare to sound rude and offend them so she keep it to herself.

-At one moment, Epel took her aside to talk to her ‘cause he notice for a time that she seemed to be bothered by something.

-After he insisted, Raven finally explain to him what was wrong.

-After she said her piece about everything, Epel, rather shocked about what Raven gone through at her former school, was about to say something when they suddenly facing two shocked Vil and Rook who hear everything.

-Raven was about to say something only to be cut by Vil who say to her with a worried voice something like “You silly potatoe! Why didn’t you tell us a thing?”

-The four then got a long conversation during which they set the record stray:

1)She wasn’t in her former school anymore nobody is going to scold her for being who she want to be.

2)What her former headmaster and her former classmates tried to force her to do was wrong and she was in the right to stood up for herself.

3)She don’t had to be scared to tell what she think.

4)They’re her dormmates and by so if she had a problem or anything which is on her mind she can come see them for help.

5)”And please don’t be a stupid potatoe next time you feel like this and come to us to talk about it! Keeping all those negative emotions to yourself is not healthy at all!”

-Raven was surprised by hown this turned but she was also happy they didn’t reject her.

-After this conversation her relationship with her dormmates get better.

-The others classmates even noticed that Vil was strangely more and more invested into Raven’s well-being.

-Like for exemple, she show big problems of control of her magic? Vil go explain the situation to the headmaster in order for Raven to had tutoring with a experimented student to learn to control her magic.

-Or when some students surprised her singing and Cater even recorded her telling how good her singing is and that she should try the light music club? Vil made Rook fetch Raven(of course in a Rook style and by that I mean “take Raven by surprise and bring her to Vil while holding her like a bride”) and after discussing it with her he encourage her to join the light music club if she want.

-The others students joke that Vil act as a brother version of a mother hen even if Vil deny it. But one thing is clear in the students mind: whatever Vil is deny it or not Raven was now Vil’s honorary little sister.

C.A. Cupid at Pomefiore:

- Although she is still shaken about what happen with Apple at Ever After High, Cupid is intrigued by her new school, curious about the new possibilities to help people’s heart.

-She’s also very happy to see Raven once again and to be in the same dorm than her.

-When she learn that Pomefiore is based on the heavy efforts of the Beautiful Queen she though that that fit her perfectly, ‘cause after all the beauty of the heart is also an amazing thing and she put many great efforts in it.

-She barely get into Pomefiore that she begin to give advices to people who seemed to need it.

-Quickly words about her goes around the school and soon many others students came to see her for an advice.

-Face to all those students wanting her advices Cupid decided to re-create her radio show so like this students from NRC would be able to ask her for advices and got an direct answer.

-After talking about it to the headmaster Crowley and recruting some students she found the Night Raven College’s radio station.

-The radio got different show, Cupid’s is about love advice.

-In a matter of time the new school’s radio become very popular among the students.

Poppy O'Hair at Pomefiore:

-When she entered in the Night Raven College, Poppy was rather wary.

-She an undirect victim of Apple ‘cause she targered Holly accusing the girl to be too beautiful and to knew about the "Snow White” story too much to her taste.

-Because of this Poppy is very worried about Holly’s well-being, even after their transfer,  so when the sisters have been sorted in two different dorms she wasn’t at ease at all.

-Fortunatly Raven reassured her many times to not worry about Holly and that she will be fine at Octavinelle.

-She often go find her sister at lunch time to ensure herself that Holly was okay.

-To vent her stress Poppy begin to draw fashion designs more than usual to keep herself mentally busy.

-One day she looked at all the designs she created, she made so many of them, so many she want to make real.

-Unfortunatly the only way to make it possible would be through a club, but  there’s no fashion club in NRC.

-Then she think “if there’s no fashion club then why not creating one?”

-So with her new objective she gather all informations she need to create her club.

-She prepared all the documentation, found students, mainly from her dorm, who were interested to be members including Lizzie and Ashlynn.

-She then present her project to the teacher who she heard could be a potential teacher councelor for the club: Divus Crewel.

-When the teacher took a look at Poppy’s club project he become interested and told her he will present the project to the headmaster and will accept to be the councelor of this club if it approved.

-Some times later an hyperactive Divus Crewel burst in headmaster Crowley’s office while screaming “DIRE YOU NEED TO APPROVE FOR THE CREATION OF THIS CLUB RIGHT NOW!”

-And so the fashion club was officialy created

-The club took comissions from others students which with the money allow them then to create bigger projects.

-Even though Vil is not a member of the club he often model for them.

-He even post pictures of himself wearing the fashion club’s creations on his MagiCam giving the club a big exposure.

-Soon the fashion club become very popular and the school even turn to the club for making clothes for school events.

-Poppy even get commissions from celebrities.

TAG LIST :( a reblog will get you a place in the tag list! ^^)

@virgil-is-a-cutie​ , @zebrabaker​ , @icant-choosename-help​ , @twistedwonderlxnd​ , @cowardlybravette​ , @iwilldietomorrowyees​ , @balsae​ , @shinypainterkid​ , @biscuitbirdpeach​ , @feuilleszuyu​ , @pale-lady-dreamer​

[barrysjumpsuit]

the dark side - jj maybank x shoupe’s daughter, ch. 2

w/c: 2.5k

warnings: mentions of domestic abuse

summary:  catherine shoupe has the perfect life. when she gets hired by heyward to run groceries, she has a new coworker - jj maybank. as the deputy’s daughter, she can’t help but hate him. but when jj decides to bring her to the dark side and woo her over, cat not only has to hide her activities from her father, but learn who her father really is.

a/n: this is mainly character development (with plenty of JJ), angst and fluff to come next chapter :-) for the first chapter my tags weren’t working, so if you haven’t read it, you can read chapter 1 here

----

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped, and Pope was quickly in between the two of them.

“Can we not?” he addressed both of them, exasperated. “At least not in front of my dad.”

Cat rolled her eyes, moving to the side of the boat to push off the dock while JJ sauntered to the steering wheel. 

Maybe this was a bad choice. Lane three sounded nice right now. She tried to push her thoughts away as she sat on the back of the boat.

Pope sat down next to her, and they sat silently until he spoke. “You know, Cat, he was a kid back then.”

“He still said and did that stuff though,” she grumbled, picking at the frayed hems of her denim shorts. “And nothing has changed since then.”

She remembered that day well. Back when she went to the same middle school as Pope and JJ and the rest of their crew. It was the age when kids become cliquey, and start to push boundaries. Cat had always been the girl whose dad was a cop, and when she was younger, it was cool. He would do talks at her school. Her classmates’ attitudes changed once she hit middle school. Kids were becoming more in tune with their parents’ perspectives on cops, and they started getting trouble as well. In a place like the Outer Banks, although it is paradise on Earth, kids got bored.

Kids like JJ. He had always had a troubled life in addition to a smart mouth and loose lips.

She overheard him one day, talking about how his father would beat his mother. Cat felt like it was her obligation to tell her dad and, after enough pestering and begging from her, he agreed to look into it.

A few days later, JJ had decked her across the face with a solid right hook. He yelled at her, awful things about how her father was destroying families and lives and that she was too dumb to see it.

A month later, his mother left them in the middle of the night.

The two of them hadn’t associated since. Cat’s dad brought him up sometimes. “JJ stole another box of condoms from the Dollar General.” “JJ got into another fight at the Boneyard.” “Someone saw JJ stumbling down main street drunk.”

Ever since his mother left, JJ’s mischief escalated.

Cat looked over at him, piloting the boat. His back was to her, and he was leaning against the side of the cabin, gazing out onto the water, his loose hair fluttering in the same breeze that rustled the grocery bags. 

JJ looked over towards her, his icy blue gaze chilling her despite the warm air. Looking away, she trained her eyes on her feet.

“Brr,” Pope said, as if reading her mind.

“He can apologize to me,” Cat decided, thinking out loud. Part of her hoped her words were lost in the wind, so that JJ didn’t hear them. Another part of her hoped he heard.

Pope just sighed before they launched into small talk the rest of the short ride to Figure Eight. It didn’t take long; JJ pulled the boat up beside the dock while Cat jumped onto the worn wood, clipping the boat in at the stern and tying it at the bow.

As Pope and JJ handed the groceries down to her, she noticed that JJ’s gaze was intense and lingering. Purposefully avoiding it, once the last of the groceries were unloaded, she picked up the bags and started walking down the dock to the Thompson’s house.

The boys eventually caught up to her, and they delivered the groceries, Mrs. Thompson slipping each of them a $20 bill as a tip.

“Is this a normal thing?” Cat asked, holding up the money as soon as they were on their way back to the boat.

“Sure is,” Pope said.

“The more good looking you are, the more they tip,” JJ said, peering at Cat over his sunglasses and pretending to lick the money. It was crumpled up from being shoved in his pocket.

The three of them finished up six more deliveries that day. The sun was setting as they docked at Heyward’s. Cat’s skin was reddened from the sun, her hair sticking to her face with sweat. Her interaction with JJ hadn’t been any more than a couple brief exchanges. Luckily, Pope seemed to stick to Cat’s side and JJ kept to himself.

Dinner was just being put on the table as Cat got home, and she didn’t bother cleaning up before sitting down. Her parents flooded her with questions about her new job. She told them about Pope, but not about JJ.

----

The first week of work had passed uneventfully. Most days she worked with JJ, but a couple of days, it was just her and Pope. JJ hadn’t addressed the tension between them, and Cat sure as hell wasn’t going to make the first move. He largely ignored her when they worked, which she was fine with.

She decided she liked the job well enough. She made good money with the pay raise and tips, and she could work on her tan, rolling up the sleeves of her work t-shirts and knotting them at the bottom while she was on the boat for a little extra breeze and exposed skin. 

Cat and JJ had just finished their last delivery of the day. The sun was slowly dropping down towards the horizon, casting everything in deep shadows and a golden glow. She definitely couldn’t help but notice JJ’s hair, tousled by the wind of the day, and how it caught the evening rays of sunlight as he disconnected the gas can from the boat.

End of the day checks usually went pretty quickly. There was a checklist kept on board that Cat went over, and she held it while she locked up the cabin of the boat.

JJ’s voice sounded from behind her. “Kitty Cat…” 

“Don’t call me that,” she interrupted, not looking up from what she was doing and maneuvering the padlock so that she could lock the door.

“...I’ve blamed you, you know. This whole time.”

JJ’s words made Cat stop going through the checklist. “Excuse me?”

“Fuck the checklist,” he said, pulling it from her hands and tossing it on the table in the middle of the boat. Did JJ want to get real with her? The look on his face said yes: the way his blue eyes were hard yet soft, the way his jaw was clenched, the way his fists were balled up. 

Cat raised her chin to meet his gaze before he continued.

“I’ve blamed you for the past five years. For everything.”

“That’s not very ni-”

“Shut the fuck up and let me talk,” he burst, bringing his hands up and waving them in a frenzy. Cat took a step back at the movement, and JJ’s face dropped. “Cat, I-”

She turned and walked away, but she could only walk a few feet until she was sitting on the side of the boat. JJ sighed, then went to sit next to her. He was silent for a few moments before speaking. “I’d like to talk things out between us. Want to get dinner?”

“My parents are expecting me home for dinner,” she replied, not looking at him. He sighed, moving slightly.

“Oh. Yeah. Of course,” he said quietly. “I forgot people do that kind of thing.”

His words hurt. She felt stabbing pangs of guilt inside her.

Almost without realizing, Cat picked up her phone, dialing her father.

“Hey Cat, what’s up?” he answered, the sound muffled. She heard the clicking of a turn signal in the background.

“Hey dad, I’m not going to be able to make it home for dinner tonight. We’re flooded with orders at work and have to do some late runs.”

“Alright sweetie, just text me when you’re on your way home, okay? We’ll save you some leftovers.”

“Thanks dad, love you.”

“Love you too, Cat. Be careful on the water tonight.”

At that, Cat hung up, meeting JJ’s eyes for the first time. He raised his eyebrows at her. 

“Where are we going, Maybank?” she asked, and a grin spread across his face.

Half an hour later, they were seated on the back patio of The Wreck, JJ claiming the Carreras gave him a “best friend discount”. They ordered, then sat in an awkward silence, Cat waiting for JJ to speak up.

“I’m sorry I hit you that one time,” he said suddenly, pulling Cat’s eyes up to meet his intense gaze. “I never should have done that. You were worried about me. You were trying to help. I never got to thank you for that.”

“I’m sorry I made your business mine,” she replied quietly. Cat was absently messing with the paper straw wrapper, folding it and ripping it. “I guess I just… felt like I had to.”

JJ was nodding, clearly thinking about her words and how to respond. 

“I shouldn’t have blamed you like I did,” he said finally, giving her a tight smile. “It was just a lot. At the time. It’s still a lot.”

“Want to talk about it?” she asked, and JJ looked up from his drink, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re kidding,” he said, his voice flat.

“I won’t tell my dad. I promise.”

JJ smiled, which turned into a laugh, dimples cratering his cheeks and his hair falling in his face. Behind him, the sun was almost set, only the faintest of oranges lighting up the otherwise dark sky.

“This is a conversation for another day, kitty Cat,” he said, sitting back in his chair. His eyes flicked towards the interior of the restaurant, and Cat turned to follow his gaze. She saw Kiara inside, gesturing wildly and mouthing words at JJ, but stopped and smiled and waved as she noticed Cat looking back.

“Are you sure you’re okay though?” she asked, looking back at him.

He laughed again. “I’m fine. Trust me.” There was an awkward pause. “We cool now?”

“I’m cool if you’re cool,” she replied, taking a sip of her lemonade and raising her eyebrows at him.

“Well, if you’re cool then I’m cool.” She smiled at his play on her words. 

“We’re cool, then.”

“Cool as cucumbers.”

They burst into a fit of laughter as Kiara arrived with their food. “I’m not even gonna ask,” she said, shaking her head, visibly confused. She set the chicken sandwich down in front of Cat before handing JJ his food, whacking him on the head with her serving plate before heading back inside. 

“You two still good friends?” she asked, picking up a sweet potato fry. JJ was in the middle of attacking his burger.

“Very,” he said around his food, and Cat made a face at his manners. She shouldn’t have expected anything less from JJ. “We ‘ang out almost every day.”

“You what?” she asked, grinning, leaning forward on the table, her elbows pressed against the soft wood. “Can you repeat that?”

“We hang,” he said, and a piece of mashed-up food flew out of his mouth as he stressed the word. “H-A-N-G.”

“That’s what I thought, thanks for specifying,” she teased before taking a bite of her chicken sandwich.”

“You should come hang with us sometime,” JJ said, once again carefully pronouncing the word.

Cat almost choked at the proposition, realizing he was serious, but made a point by carefully and thoroughly chewing her food before answering, making direct eye contact the whole time. JJ quickly caught on, pressing his lips together and raising his eyebrows, waiting for her answer.

“Maybe,” she concluded.

“Your dad tell you horror stories about us?” JJ’s words were nonchalant. He leaned back, tossing a fry into his mouth, expecting an answer.

“Mainly about you,” she replied, taking another bite.

“Me?” he asked, and she nodded. “Well, I’m flattered. What would he think about you and I here, now?”

“‘e’d ‘ate it,” she said, holding a hand over her mouth, catching herself as she spoke with her mouth full.

A wicked grin spread across JJ’s face. “What’d you say there, kitty Cat?”

“He would hate it! He’d disown me!” she laughed, and JJ smiled back at her. 

“Unfortunately, I think that’s the truth,” he said. Cat hung her head in agreement, and the conversation died.

They ate, and Cat was almost done with her meal when JJ broke the silence. “Does he know we work together?”

She shook her head. “He’s bound to find out eventually, though.”

“Can I ask something else?”

“Sure.”

“Do you associate with any other Pogues?”

“No, aside from you and Pope,” she replied, her voice soft. Cat didn’t have to think about her answer. “I mean… I don’t associate with too many people. I have a few good friends. A bunch of Kook families really kiss ass to my family, I guess so the cops stay away from them and whatever they do. My dad hardly even lets me drive through the Cut when I want to surf down there or anything like that.”

JJ nodded, his eyes fixed on the table. 

“You associate with any Kooks?” she asked, turning the question onto him.

“Kie,” he said. “I mow some lawns. Kiss some asses,” he added, winking. “But no, they don’t exactly welcome me over there.”

It was Cat’s turn to nod in response, not able to think of any words that could break the heaviness of the topic.

Luckily, Kiara arrived to take their plates. “One check,” Cat said, and Kiara’s eyes grew wide, looking from Cat, to JJ, then back to Cat.

“Get that smirk off your face, JJ,” she sighed, turning and leaving.

“What’s that smirk for?” Cat pressed, smiling. 

“Nothin’,” JJ replied, shrugging dramatically, his smirk softening into a smile. Cat rolled her eyes, and Kiara returned quickly with the check.

“I’ll drive you home,” Cat proposed, leaving $25 in cash with the check. They stood and began down the steps from the deck to where Cat’s car was parked.

JJ quickly shot her offer down. “My dad isn’t good at forgiving people, kitty Cat. I’ll walk, it’s not far.”

“Oh- okay.” 

“Thanks for dinner tonight. I’ll make it up to you sometime.”

“JJ Maybank? Offering me, a Kook, repayment? That’s a shocker.”

“I’m not all what your dad makes me out to be,” he said, walking backwards away from her. “There’s more than what meets the eye, and that goes for everyone, including your father. Come hang with us sometime, I’ll get you out of your bubble, kitty Cat”

“What do you mean?” she asked, but by the time the words left her mouth, JJ had turned and was jogging away.

---

taglist  @letsgofullkook @stargazingstarkey @sortagaysortahigh @jjsmentalpolaroids @ims0golden @jjmaybcnks​ @shawnssongs​ @queenk00k @broken-jj​  @danielle-yeah​ @wicked-laugh​ @obxhoe​ @talksoprettyjjx​ @kt219567​ @abrunettefangirlnerd​ @apoguecalledjj​

[shinneth]

Okay! I’m actually really looking forward to this little series!

AzenZone has been my go-to channel for getting acquainted with the Precure franchise without having to watch the 900-something combined episodes from every series. Dude’s close to my age, so we’ve grown up on a lot of the same shows and whatnot, so I get a lot of his obscure references. I’m probably one of the few who totally got it the few times he referenced Urusei Yatsura in his reviews. :P

He’s also mentioned Ojamajo Doremi a few times in the past (even bringing up how nearly two decades prior, it did a better job at tackling racism than last year’s Precure series), and unlike Precure, I actually have a lot of nostalgia and deep love for the series. “Growing up with it” is a stretch since I was already a high school junior by the time I discovered it, but it was undoubtedly the true successor to Sailor Moon as far as my youth and maho-shoujo anime are concerned.

Because yeah, last week my eyes nearly jumped out of my head when I saw this very blatant cameo on Healin’ Good Precure. That’s one of the only times it’s ever actually happened, which feels odd, considering Precure is pretty much the successor to Ojamajo Doremi in several ways. 

Unfortunately, as stated in the video, Ojamajo Doremi’s always had a bit of a niche fandom outside of Japan. 4Kids getting their hands on the first season reeeeeally didn’t help matters, either. But it’s one of those series where I (along with @47ness​) went out of my way to find as many episodes and merchandise I could get my hands on - because it was quite a few years after Ojamajo Doremi ended before anyone started to regularly sub it. I still have a good number of raw episodes on my external hard drives (and VHS tapes). 

So I always felt a little bitter at the unfairness of Ojamajo Doremi staying in relative obscurity while Precure ended up having a much more notable following. Still relatively niche (even down to the dubs - like, Futari wa, Smile, and DokiDoki got some unfortunate localized treatment... just under Saban’s hand rather than 4Kids for the latter two), but much more prominent than Doremi’s fandom ever was. Guess some of that can be owed to the Precure franchise being much more action-oriented but, ehhh. 

Still, I couldn’t help but beam with pride when I came to learn that Heartcatch Precure, which had a LOT of staff who previously did work for Doremi (most notably the character designs), is almost universally regarded as the overall best Precure series (or at the very least, in the top 2 or 3) - like, it says a lot that according to a recent popularity poll, Heartcatch is one of the few series where every main cast member placed within the Top 25 - and Erika, pictured above, made it to #3, right behind the OG team of Nagisa/Honoka who never weren’t going to be on the top.

Still, there’s always been a unique kind of charm to Doremi that, as far as I know, you don’t really see in Precure and probably the majority of other magical girl series. It had a continuous, ongoing story for its four seasons (plus an OVA that expanded on and added some lovely details), time actually passed - i.e. characters actually got older with each succeeding series (starting at age 8, ending at age 11), and this series so often made the most of this. 

Most impressively for me was the consistent and relevant side-cast. The classmates of the main characters weren’t just background fodder or one-note plot devices - several of them had multifaceted personalities, ties to the main girls, and character arcs of their own! And this shit carried over from season to season - whatever gimmick they had would stay consistent, while at the same time they usually avoided having said character relearn the same lessons over and over again. 

So rarely does any show so admirably pull off a setting where almost everybody feels important to some degree. The FLAT4 - basically Rowdyruff Boy expys from the second season, easily could have never shown up again, but they made a resurgence in the final season. Characters carrying over across the seasons often feel like they’re in a different place than they were when they debuted, and considering how often shows struggle just to pull that off with their main characters, it’s doubly amazing that Ojamajo Doremi pulled this off with far more than just their core cast. 

It also had a very well-executed, well-paced endgame. Dokkaan! - the final season - concluded with every character going down their own path to forge their future. Their final arc wasn’t just some episodic affair that could have taken place anywhere else on the timeline. As their elementary school days come to a close and middle school is on the horizon, Doremi and her friends won’t be tackling that new chapter of their lives together. The series finale is a heartbreaking affair and one I could relate to all too well, as Doremi is forced to come to terms with the fact that all of her friends (even the long-tenured Hazuki) will be far, far away from her in this new chapter of their lives. 

While she put on a brave face for her friends and encouraged them when she first found out that, one-by-one, they were leaving her, Doremi eventually has a nervous breakdown come graduation day and locks herself up at the store where she and her friends have spent so much time together over the series. She can’t bring herself to attend the graduation ceremony - the sorrow tears into Doremi deeply as she finally admits to herself and everyone else that she can’t stand all of this abrupt change that’s going to permanently change her life. Doremi can’t hold down her selfish impulses any longer and does whatever she can to cling to what will soon be her past; her childhood, as it were, as she transitions to becoming a teenager. 

This really hit home for me in particular since I’ve gone through similar struggles. A divorce forcibly ripped me away from my home of 14 years - the lovely house I lived in on a lake ridge, the friends I had grown up with, and an entire side of my family I’d rarely see again after spending so much of my life with them - all of that, I had to abandon. I’m not a social person to begin with - and this was about 8 years before I even knew about my autism. It was a very rough adjustment period that to this day, I still don’t feel right calling my current residence “home”. Since I got a job, I’ve been able to live with this, but it was really meaningful to see a protagonist struggle to let the past go and accept her future circumstances. Doremi ultimately managed to pull through, but it’s still a bittersweet ending no matter how you slice it. 

For a kids show, Ojamajo Doremi had quite a lot to it. Which is why I really wish it was better remembered and honored.

tl;dr: I’m super excited for this retrospective series.

[thescispot]

I had difficulty recognizing C when she arrived.

We had agreed to meet at the on-campus burger joint and I was early. Sitting in a booth in the corner, I finished up some statistics homework as well as the last of my coffee, and although I expected C at any moment, I was nevertheless startled when she peered over my shoulder, an enthusiastic grin painted on her face.

“Hi!” she chirped cheerfully, wrapping an arm around me. I returned the hug hesitantly, partly because I was in the awkward position of sitting while she was standing, but also because it had not yet registered to me that this was, in fact, C - the very person I had been waiting for.

She slid into the seat across from me and we launched immediately into comfortable conversation, exchanging pleasant greetings, and speaking to one another with a familiar ease I had not expected. We might as well have been meeting up after two weeks, when in actuality, it was nearly two years since we last spoke.

She was wearing a sunny yellow top and had her hair tied up sloppily on top of her head, revealing a pale face with large, doe eyes and a friendly disposition. I entertained the idea that her lack of makeup was what caught me off guard and explained my difficulty in immediately recognizing her but I quickly dismissed this theory as absurd; we had once been living together, after all, so her bare face could not feasibly be considered an unfamiliar sight for me.

She apologized profusely for her inability to meet up with me for the interview on two previous occasions and I assured her it was not a problem. We lamented the difficulties of school life, such as busy schedules, relentless deadlines, and the general fatigue that accompanies the Sisyphean struggle of adulthood. She complained about how much time her job took out of her day. I complained about how the lack of a job left too much time in mine. We both agreed that we could not decide if we were grateful for the looming shadow of graduation on the horizon or not; did it promise much-needed reprieve or threaten even greater distress?

I remembered when C and I had first met, moving into our dorm in late September four years ago. After a few lazy and unsuccessful attempts at unpacking, the two of us decided to seek out cold drinks at the neighboring dormitory building, Lothian, in a desperate attempt for relief from the encroaching heat. To our chagrin, we were hopelessly lost within a matter of minutes and were left wandering in circles around the campus, the sun attacking us the whole while as if driven by a personal vendetta. The two of us trudging across the fields, full of regret, must have been a funny sight, only exacerbated by the fact that we looked to be complete opposites of one another; she pale and I tan, she short and I tall, her hair a sleek curtain that brushed her shoulders, mine waist-length and frizzy. I was average-sized but she was very, very thin.

“When did it start?”

I finally worked up the courage to begin the interview. I felt I was being invasive despite her insistence that she was perfectly happy helping me with my assignment. We had spoken about this subject many times before, but something about the academic lens I was peering through felt disrespectful somehow. Almost alienating.

“In hindsight,” she said thoughtfully, “it started when I was fifteen years old. I . . . stopped finishing my dinner.”

C claimed she had always had a large appetite growing up, that she always cleaned her plate. But as her sophomore year of highschool approached, she had fallen into an insidious routine - she made sure to always leave a little bit of food behind, to never completely finish a meal. An innocent enough habit, or so she thought at the time.

“It spiralled out of control from there?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

C nodded. She related her actions from that time in her life the way one might analyze the motives and psyche of a fictional character, like she was discussing the mental health of someone else. She had a great deal to say, but her voice and manner did not betray even the slightest hint of anguish at being reminded of her troubled past.

“The eating disorder takes control of everything it can,” she said wisely.

Anorexia, in C’s experience, was not something she felt she was “suffering” from as she underwent its horrors. She was not punishing herself by not eating, it was quite the opposite. Not eating made her feel better. Invincible, even.

“I felt superhuman,” she explained. “I felt like I was honing a skill and it made me feel good about myself, that I could go to school and handle all these things in my life without needing food. It was an accomplishment.” She paused for a moment. “Really says a lot about how our culture conditions teenage girls, huh?”

We both sighed with tacit understanding.

“What if you ate more than you intended?” I asked. I tried to hide my discomfort about the whole conversation. I felt like I was trying to play the part of a therapist and it would be painfully obvious to any third party that I was woefully unprepared to do so.

“Then it was a bad day,” she said. “I felt like I failed.”

I suddenly recalled something she had mentioned often back when we lived together. She never went into great detail, and had a way of minimizing the despair this subject caused her. But it was clear to me, and probably our other hallmates as well, that her illness was not a result of merely deciding to eat less one day. It was obvious since that night she watched a music video entitled “Till it Happens to You”, drank copious amounts of vodka, and promptly had an emotional meltdown that something more significant triggered her eating disorder.

“What about your boyfriend?” I asked. “Would you say he was the cause of all this?”

“He was definitely a factor,” C replied hesitantly. “ He was older than me and the relationship was kind of, like, secret, you know? My parents didn’t approve. He would always tell me ‘fat girls are so ugly.’ And I wanted to be pretty for him, you know?”

We were both silent for a while, trying to process how something as simple as the desire to impress a boy could derail one’s adolescence so disastrously.

“One time I called myself fat and he said ‘No, babe, you’re so pretty - I could eat cereal out of your collar bones.’” C seemed embarrassed by how much pride she had once taken out of this disturbing remark.

“He wasn’t the source,” she chose her words carefully. “But he was definitely . . . the spark.” She fell quiet and I decided this avenue of conversation had extinguished itself.

“So when did people notice?”

“We were moving,” she explained, “and my parents noticed the self-harm scars I had running up my legs. They put me in therapy for a while. Eventually, I told the therapist I was, you know, done. Just done. I told her I was going to swallow a bottle of pills that night. I thanked her for trying to help but I was just over it. I was resigned about the whole thing, didn’t have any strong feelings about it one way or the other. ”

C was immediately taken to the emergency room following this therapy session. At this point in her life, she described herself as having skeletal shoulders and no stomach. She had taken to loose, baggy clothes and was especially partial to sweatshirts, even in the summertime. She only weighed eighty seven pounds.

“And the therapist didn't notice?” I asked dubiously.

“She had her suspicions, I’m sure,” C said. “But she admitted to me later that she felt unqualified to handle the severity of my condition.”

I balked at the idea that no one would see their own daughter, sister, friend, disappear steadily in front of their eyes.

“There was one person,” C remembered suddenly. When she was fifteen years old, a classmate she never spoke to slipped a book onto her desk, a book about eating disorders. Inside the book was a note, encouraging her to seek help.

“I was offended at the time. I didn’t think anything was wrong with me.”

“You were in denial.”

C reached into her bag and fished around inside for her wallet. She slipped out a piece of paper but did not offer it to me. My gaze only captured the name “Lauren” scrawled at the bottom in feminine script.

“I keep the note with me everywhere I go now,” she said soberly.

C was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and major depression, as well as obsessive compulsive tendencies in regards to her weight. She was in the hospital for a miserable two months, which she described as being like “solitary confinement.”

She believes attending “Program” saved her life.

“It finally started to make sense to me that I was sick,” C said, sounding more upbeat. “The eating disorder, it distorts a person’s thinking. I was finally educated on my condition and realized it wasn’t my fault.” Learning the science behind “ it”changed her perspective.

She happily relayed to me the structure of Program, and how she felt it helped her the most during her recovery. It was an outpatient program and she was given a meal plan as well as access to therapy for her and the people in her life. “Family night was on Tuesday,” she noted. I didn’t have to ask her to elaborate.

“My mother could be . . . unforgiving of imperfection,” she looked at me searchingly, trying to make sure she had used the right words.

“Did you feel ashamed of your condition?”

“Oh yeah, big time,” she said. “I felt like I was a burden for my family.”

C recalled how she began forcing herself to eat in an effort to gain weight as soon as possible; the hospital and subsequent program, she decided, were costing her family too much money and now that she knew what was wrong with her, why not just, you know, stop?

She threw up many times as her body was not yet adjusted, not yet ready to let go of its trauma. There were two separate occasions where her nasogastric tube was displaced as a result, an experience she implied was excruciating. An especially compassionate nurse was the one to hold and comfort her during the ensuing mental breakdowns.

“The disease pulled my family together,” C claimed. Her relationship with her mother improved significantly. Guilt was something they all had to confront.

“It was hard, but it was worth it,” C said with a smile.

According to C, stigma against mental illness was a huge factor in the initial conflict with her parents. Their words likely echo in the minds of every mentally unhealthy child of color who has made the mistake of displaying such a vulnerability:

“Why are you doing this to yourself?”

C insists now that both she and her parents understand that it was the eating disorder that did this to her.

Program was run by a man named Dr. Marr, a leading researcher in eating disorders and mental health among youth, and it  took place in Rancho Cucamonga. I noted how strange it was to realize that while I was learning precalculus and writing essays on Shakespeare, a girl I would one day live with was recovering practically next door, missing out on such a formative part of her life.

C and I both reached the conclusion that while the hospital helped her physically get her weight back up, all the emotional work was done in Program.

“I grew up a lot,” she said and then added, uncertainly, “I feel indebted to it, you know? It let me see parts of myself I didn’t before. I’m stronger now and I can endure so much more. Like if I could make it through this, I could make it through an algebra test.”

“And what about your identity? Did your mental illness impact your conception of yourself?”

She thought about this for a great deal of time. “Who I was and who I was meant to be...are intact. I’m sensitive, blunt, empathetic, loud, funny, I’m so many things. The eating disorder tried but it could not warp the core of who I am.”

Recovery, C believes, is all about accepting yourself.

“This is something that’s always going to be at the back of my mind,” she explained. “It’s chronic; but I’m getting better. It’s going to get better. I know it is.”

The conversation drifted. We discussed school life, working, friends, etc. She told me about her boyfriend, Ian, and how happy he makes her. I reminded her how the two of them fell asleep while video-chatting with one another one day during freshman year. She told me about an infuriating roommate she had had to deal with the previous winter. I told her about a fight I’d had with my former best friend. She told me about her cat and I told her about my dog. She told me about the time a customer pulled a gun out at her job. I told her why I quit mine. A meetup I expected to take no more than thirty minutes managed to eat up five hours.

Finally, I thanked her for her help and willingness to share with me for my assignment.

“No problem,” she shrugged. “I’m spreading awareness, you know? I’m kind of like, the best case scenario.” She laughed and I agreed. We said our goodbyes.

I was halfway home when it finally occurred to me why I couldn’t recognize her earlier. It wasn’t a haircut, or a new wardrobe, or the lack of makeup that changed C’s appearance in the last two years.

It was the fact that she had, to my utter delight, put on quite a bit of weight since we last met.

[intro-v]

Debunking all anti-BB arguments because i only have so much tolerance(Edited with new extra content cause i still have little tolerance)

“BB isn’t beauty and the beast, stop stealing from t*uradonna shippers”

-The fact that yall want such a beautiful story to represent ya abusive ship is reason enough to reclaim “steal” it

Yang’s last name is “Little Dragon”, last i checked that dragons are pretty fucking beastly by concept alone

“Wings isn’t a BB song, stop stealing from M*nochr*me”

“Wings” is a song ABOUT Blake

It ain’t my fault yall are deaf to not think of Wings when you hear the verse “Help you spread your wings and fly” in “All that matters” and never once hear the word “Wing(s)” in a Weiss song

“Yin and Yang MUST mean man and woman, sorry wasps, E/clipse has that point, Yang means man in that regard”

Yang’s literal name is YANG, what kinda ancestery.com bullshit do you want. Also like shut the fuck up, y’all deny most of Sun’s Chinese influence, like fuck you guys are right in this regard

“The monkey king and the Bull demon king were supposed to fight, YANG STOLE SUN’S FIGHT WITH ADAM”

No she didn’t because Adam ain’t based on the bull demon king, if he was, it would’ve been mentioned a long ass time ago

“It could’ve been anyone going after Blake in the Fall of Beacon, Yang ain’t special”

Yang is the only member of RWBY with the most context of Adam 

Yang saw Blake drawing Adam in the cafeteria(Which is were Adam and Yang’s first encounter happened, so it was foreshadowing right from V2)

Blake was comparing and contrasting Yang to Adam in V3, Yang is smart enough to put two and two together that the guy she’s talking about must’ve the same person she was drawing

Yang literally shows up after Adam threatens Blake with “I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love[Yang shows up yelling for Blake, Adam notices Blake’s mortification]starting with her”

“Blake went to the dance with Sun, not with Yang”

She literally says “Technically, but my first dance is already spoken for” with a massive “Bitch i’m not here for you” tone of voice 

If it wasn’t for Yang she wouldn’t even be going to the dance, Sun asked her to the dance and Blake answers “No”

“Blake and Yang don’t even talk”

This hour long video says otherwise

And the storyline in V4, which y’all worship as the E/clipse bible is barely half the length

“Blake blushed at Sun, never at Yang”

If someone did a stupid dance and then winked and pointed at me, i’d be red with embarrassment too 

Ruby blushed at Emerald...does that mean they’re canon?(If you ship it that’s dope)

Blake never mention Yang while in Menagerie 

In the intro of V4 Blake looks off to the horizon and immediately transitions to Yang

When Sun gets stabbed she’s fucking sobbing “no no no, not again” gee i wonder what recent event in life would make her say not again when a friend gets badly wounded by someone very close to her in the WF

Sun, the messiah himself mentions Yang when he mentions “I’d do it all again if it meant protecting you”, Sun is aware Yang lost her arm trying to protect Blake

Blake’s voice cracks when she mentions Yang when explaining why she left her team

Blake mentions Yang when saying what one word describes her teammates

“Oh yeah, Yang and Blake killing someone together, how romantic~”

Don’t start clowning, you all would be saying the same shit if Sun was in Yang’s position, quick ya bitchin

If you actually fucking ask an actual BB shipper they will tell you, that the moment is not romantic, it is an emotional moment they shared together. Not every BB moment is romantic 

Some of yall use the uncomfortable argument that Blake and Sun have as “Aw look, they’re acting like an old married couple”so shut the fuck up ya lunatics 

“Yang doesn’t care about Ruby and the team dynamic is ruined and imbalanced” 

We goin’ to ignore the fact that the “hur dur team dynamic” was already imbalanced because Ruby and Yang are sisters 

Yang doesn’t need to baby Ruby anymore she knows she can take care of herself since the fall of beacon when Blake said “She’s our leader, she can take care of herself” also like...siblings don’t stop loving and caring for each other when they have an s/o, if you actually think that you are flat out wrong

So Blake and Yang would “ruin the dynamic” but Sun and Blake would’t ruin RWBY and SSSN’s dynamic...That’s some double standard right there since two teams are being affected 

Are yall just gonna ignore how fucking scared she was when Ruby was face to face with Lenny? She was horrified and was reaching out for her...yall gon ignore that?...okay

Literally JNPR were dating amongst themselves...where are yall on that shit?, hell STRQ is the same thing...where are yall on that shit? Oh right its because this is between two main characters

“Blake is abusive”

Yall love painting Blake as the devil, despite her Sun slaps are a confirmed mistake, but yall don’t see a problem with Sun stalking simply because he had good intentions....okay fine, whatever

Yall think Blake ran away because it fun!? She thinks its all her fault, the last fucking thing she wants when thinking that is to be around her friends for what all she knows have a targets on their backs

Blake literally hates herself for leaving, she wants the others to hate her too

“BB STOLE ALL THE FAN CONTENT MAKERS!”

This is a you problem if you think this and you are really fucking dumb for thinking this

Have you thought that there is a reason why BB “””””Stole””””” all the fan content makers

“Wasps are so toxic!”

While i will not deny that there are some awful people in the Bee community 

But at the same time, the ones against BB aren’t free from that either. Yall go out and harass people for fucking years, yall are the ones who go and comment nasty shit on BB posts(and BB art posts), and are even passive aggressive towards BB shippers in the comment section of E/clipse art posts

“Sun would be so jealous and Yang should feel guilty!”

Sun is the same person who pinched Ilia as payback after getting stabbed...That boi doesn’t hold grudges, sorry you guys aren’t fooling anyone into thinking Sun would be the next Adam

“E/CLIPSE IS SO DEEP”

Yall immediately started to ship them once they made eye contact ONCE

Sun thinks Blake’s best feature is her being a faunus

Sun does not understand Blake, ONCE

Blake is constantly tired of Sun’s bullshit

“BLAKE GAVE SUN A PECK ON THE CHEEK”

-Camera angles/placement -setting -lighting 

“Adam is delusional him saying ‘What does she even see in you!?’ means nothing”

By that logic than Sun never went to school because Adam called him a classmate   

“Everything that happened between Blake and Yang happens between siblings and best friends all the time!”

If you stare at your sibling or family the way these two look at each other...seek help

And the all time “favorite”

“BB IS TOO FORCED”

Yes because a love triangle between generic twinky blond boy, rich prissy tsundere and blue sexist boy is TOTALLY not forced

Because immediate eye contact between boy and girl MUST mean they in love

If you watch the essays and watch the hour long BB movie you will see how its NOT forced

[thewritewolf]

Two Cursed Detectives in Paris Chapter Three: Cats and Raccoons

Connor struggles under the weight of the secret and spends quality time with Adrien.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 (Final)

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

The sun was only just starting to dip below the horizon, but you wouldn’t know it sitting inside Connor and Eerie’s hotel room. The black curtains were drawn shut and the lights turned out except for a bedside lamp. A crime show was playing on the television and Connor watched it with narrowed eyes. His attention was divided between the show, brushing his tail with a vintage silver brush, and worrying about his recent discovery.

“You figure out who the murderer is yet?”

Eerie glanced up from her book with pursed lips. “I’m trying to read here.”

“I saw you peeking at the TV. So what’s your guess, boss?”

“Well, boss,” she said as she closed the book. “It’s pretty obviously the old man at the lighthouse.”

“They aren’t even subtle about it.”

“Honestly. Amateurs.”

They fell silent again. Neither of them were particularly tired, but this was going to be their only chance to get some sleep before the stake out tonight.

But would he be able to get any rest if he didn’t get this off his chest? Eerie was the most dependable person he knew. If he couldn’t trust her of all people to share this secret with him, who could he trust? Deciding to put his faith in her, he started talking before he could chicken out.

“Hey, can I-”

“I need to-”

They cut each other off and Connor snorted while Eerie concealed her smirk behind one well-manicured hand. Maybe they’d gotten too in sync with each other.

He motioned to her. “Go ahead, Eerie. I can wait an extra minute or two.”

“Thanks.” She smiled gratefully before a serious expression settled over her face. “Do you know about the situation in Paris? With the superheroes and everything?”

“More than you might think,” Connor said, raising an eyebrow. “Why?”

“I meet Ladybug.”

“Oh wow, that’s-”

“I know who Ladybug is,” Eerie added in a low voice, as if there were people listening in. Whatever reaction she was expecting, Connor busting out laughing didn’t seem to be among them. She pouted, her hair poofing out like an owl’s feathers as she got up to loom over him. “This is serious, Connor!” She smacked him with a pillow.

“Trust me, I know. After all, I found out who Chat Noir is, so I understand the kind of pressure you’re probably under”

“Oh, good.” After a moment’s processing, her eyes widened. “Wait, what?” She sat down on the edge of his bed.

The next half hour was spent catching each other up on their adventures earlier that day.

“I guess we’re better detectives than we thought, huh?”

“And that’s saying something, given how much you talk yourself up.” Eerie rolled her eyes with a smile. “God, this was a crazy day.”

“No argument from me.” Connor stretched, tiredness starting to creep up on him. “So what are we going to do about it?”

“What do you mean?” She got off his bed and walked toward hers. “Doesn’t sound like we need to get involved, does it?”

“Well… I was just thinking… Chat seems pretty fond of Ladybug…”

“Connor,” she said, her tone reminiscent of all the times she’d found him digging through dumpsters or rifling through trash cans. “We are here to catch bad guys. Not play matchmakers for two fifteen year olds.”

“But you have to admit that they’re cute together!”

“I’m not having this conversation.” She turned off the lamp. It was purely a symbolic gesture since they both had night vision.

“...Fine. Good night.”

“Night,” she said as she rolled over onto her stomach.

“Sleep tight.”

“Mhm,” she hummed into her pillow.

“Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

“Connor. Go to sleep.”

“You’re right. Nothing to worry about, really. This is Paris after all. It’d be the fanciest bed bugs of them all. You’d thank them for biting you.”

“Sleep. Now.” She did her best to put on the Boss Voice, but he could hear the undercurrent of amusement just below the words. He smiled contently as he rolled over to cuddle his banana body pillow.

“Sure, boss.”

------------

Connor suppressed a yawn as he tried to focus on the game in front of him. The night was both incredibly brief because he got to spend it mostly goofing off with Eerie as they poked around for clues, but also unbearably long as night turned to morning.

His character was soundly thrashed, the irritation being just about the only thing getting through how fuzzy his brain was at the moment. Adrien turned toward him, a smug grin on his perfectly punchable model face.

The smirk vanished when he saw Connor’s expression, replaced by a look of concern. “You okay, Mr MacThomas? You seem a little, um… Tired.”

“You don’t need to sugar coat it, I know I’m not at my absolute most handsome today. I just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night since I had to do some detectiving.” Explaining Connor’s real reason for being in Paris hadn’t taken that long. He stretched, reaching his hands high above his head and flexed his fingers. “Not all of us get to jump straight into the beating up bad guys part of the whole fighting for justice gig.”

“It’s hard to believe you’re here undercover…”

“What? Just because I’m cursed that means I’m somehow less qualified for stealthy missions?”

Adrien’s eyes widened and he raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Wh-what?! No, I didn’t-”

“Relax,” Connor said, punching Adrien’s arm. “I’m messing with you. And hey, it wasn’t easy coming to grips with you being a super- MMH!” Connor glared at Adrien as the latter covered his mouth with both hands.

“Sorry! Sorry. I just - can we talk about something else? It’s really weird talking about that with anyone but my kwami, especially here at home.” Once Connor nodded, Adrien returned to his side of the couch.

“Why don’t you tell me about your friends, then?”

“Well, I don’t have a whole lot of them…”

“Oh come on. You’re a sweet kid and not half bad at video games, I’m sure you’ve got plenty of folks beating down the door to be your bud.”

Adrien smiled. “Thanks. I guess you could say I’m friends with most of my classmates, but there are only three that I hang out with much.”

While Adrien was staring off into space thinking about those friends, Connor’s fingers inched ever so slowly toward the unopened bag of cheetos nearby. “Sounds like you really care about them. What are their names?”

“Well, my best bro is Nino. He was one of my very first real friends when I started public school. I couldn’t ask for a better friend - he even got akumatized because he got so mad for my sake once.”

“Uh huh,” Connor said, quietly opening the cheetos. He still wasn’t super clear on what akumatization meant, but it sounded bad. “Sounds like someone who always has your back.”

“Definitely. Although we don’t hang out as much as I’d like - I’ve got my schedule, and he has a girlfriend. Who is another of my friends, actually. Alya, she likes superheroes and journalism. It’s been… interesting being her friend while being Chat.”

“That leaves one person. Best for last or is this the one you aren’t as close with?”

Adrien smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. “Kind of both? She’s absolutely amazing, but I think she mostly hangs out with me because she is Alya’s best friend. I wish we were closer.”

“Well, well, loverboy,” Connor said while nudging Adrien with his elbow. “It looks like you’ve got a crush. What’s the lucky girl’s name?”

“It’s not like that!” Adrien sounded a little exasperated, like he’d had this argument before. “She’s wonderful and cute and all that, but my heart belongs to Ladybug.” He sighed. “Marinette is just a good friend is all.”

Connor’s eyes bugged out and he sputtered in surprise, but with his mouth stuffed full of cheetos, he ended up doubled over into a coughing fit.

“Um… Mr MacThomas, are you okay?”

“Water,” Connor managed to croak out between coughs. In the minute that Adrien was gone, Connor’s mind whirred as it came to grips with this revelation. If he weren’t busy choking to death on snacks, he’d have laughed. What were the odds that they’d both go to the same school, let alone the same class?

Probably pretty good, now that he thought of it. They were probably picked by the same guy after all.

Adrien returned with the water and Connor eagerly gulped it down.

“Connor, by the way.”

“Huh?”

“Mr MacThomas is way too formal, kid. Just Connor is fine.”

“Okay… Connor.”

“Anyway, I think we were talking about your future girlfriend, Marinette.”

Adrien sighed patiently. “I told you, I’m in love with-”

“Ladybug, yeah, got that part. But you realize you can have a crush on multiple people, right?” True, just not in this case. “Just because you have feelings for the Bug doesn’t mean you can’t feel something for Marinette.” Adrien seemed about to say something, but Connor covered his mouth with his hand. “And I notice you didn’t deny having feelings for this Marinette girl.”

Whatever Adrien was trying to say was muffled by Connor’s hand over his face. His attempts to pull it off were to no avail.

“Yes, yes, I know you are madly in love with her, it’s very obvious. But we have to stay on track.” Connor felt something wet on his palm and raised an eyebrow. “Wow, you really are an only child.” At Adrien’s confused look, he added, “I’ve got a bunch of brothers and sisters - this is far from the only time this exact thing has happened.” Connor leaned back, letting Adrien’s face go free and wiped the spit off his glove onto the couch.

“I’m not in love with Marinette.” When Connor scoffed loudly, he folded his arms and pouted. “What? I’m not!”

“Really?” Connor smirked and settled into a relaxed slouch. “You care about her a lot, right?”

“Well, yeah, but-”

“Do you look for excuses to be closer to her?”

“Of course! She’s my friend-”

“Uh-huh. And how often do you think about hugging this ‘friend’ or wanting to hold her hand? And remember,” Connor added, waggling his finger in front of Adrien’s face. “You might be able to lie to yourself, but I get paid the big bucks to know when you’re not telling the truth.”

He was quiet for a few long heart beats. “So… you’re saying… that’s not normal for friendships?”

“Not usually, no.” Connor ignored the treacherous part of his mind that was thinking of Eerie. “I’ve seen a lot of cases of love sickness in my time and buddy, let me tell you - you’ve got it bad.”

“How bad is it?” Adrien squirmed worriedly in his spot.

“Bad.” Connor scooted closer and put an arm around his shoulders. “But hey! Don’t worry, I’m here to help.”

Adrien eyes widened and he stared at Connor as if he had all the answers in the world. “Really? You must have tons of romantic experience, right?”

Connor flashed back to his last romantic experience, a kiss in middle school from before he was cursed.

“Absolutely.”

[etheralisi]

ᵀᴼ ᶠᴼᴿᴳᴵᵛᴱ ᴬᴺᴰ ᶠᴼᴿᴳᴱᵀ

In which Bakugou Katsuki gets hit with an amnesia quirk and has some regrets. Namely getting hit in the first place.  

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝟸: 𝙳𝚎𝚔𝚞 𝚅𝚂 𝙺𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝙸 𝙳𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚁𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛

 Ao3

𝟷 ᴅᴀʏ sɪɴᴄᴇ ɪɴᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛ

 Beep. Beep. Beep.

 There’s nothing more ironic than forgetting you’ve forgotten, but in this moment, Katsuki operates on autopilot, flinging out an arm to grab for his phone on the shelf above. A groan as he blinks his eyes open, bleary vision trying to focus on the bright light hovering near an inch from his face.

 As the screen sets in, so do his memories, or rather, the distinct lack of their presence, empty if not for the fleeting few he’s made from the day prior. Recovery Girl, Kirishima, the study group, it all comes back as his dreams slip away, sand through his fingers, entering the waking world with the slightest residue dissatisfaction from whatever his brain whipped up as a concoction.

 He silences the phone alarm, labelled as something about a morning run for a certain amount of time or whatever, and stares at the numbers on display. New dose of information, normal him’s an early bird, early rising, early sleeping (early sleep according to Kirishima, anyhow).

 This then begs the question, does he go through with his regular schedule or wait things out by killing time with introspection? The latter sounds downright foolhardy, even boring, so it’s a no brainer that he finds himself prepping for the morning run, flinging on clothes that look vaguely work out related (maybe), and heading out. There’s no reason to stick a pin in a regular routine, besides, his inner optimist hopes that if he tries going back to his old lifestyle, he may actually reclaim some of those memories lost.

 (That part of him is pummeled into oblivion, shamed by his inner realist with a glare.  The jog does nothing in that respect.)

 What it does accomplish is the will of his past self. That guy’s right. Run. Running is good. He’s got the barest bones of a mental map for the area, merely skeletal, but better than what he had, discovering that it’s a large site and a pretty one at that. He’s even gotten a glimpse of sakura trees far out, and though he never ran through them, the pink hues looked beautiful on the horizon, the flurry of petals tinted orange through the morning glow. 

 When he arrives back at the dorms, he may go as far as saying that that run had been, well for lack of a better term, relaxing. The soothing ambience of a morning just does that to a person. Katsuki’s worries can be almost discounted as nonexistent, a pure oblivious bliss that shatters the very second he steps back into the common room, all sweaty and smelling for all the world like a caramelised apple. Is sweat even meant to smell like this?

 There’s a couple of faces he recognises, accompanying those that he doesn’t, all busy going about their morning rituals (some of which involving excessive caffeine intake) as they trickle in, states ranging from bedraggled zombie to chipper morning person. Amongst those is a face he’s been acquainted with the most — for better or for worse — shark teeth sporting his trademark grin when he notices Katsuki from over the counter.

 With those faint bruise-like circles shadowing Kirishima’s eyebags, it occurs to Katsuki that maybe he’s woken up specifically this time just for him and this is by no means a regular occurance. Like he’s become some kind of self-proclaimed guide to him for all things Katsuki Bakugou. He’ll roll with it.

 “Coffee?” Kirishima asks as he raises up a kettle. Katsuki’s never tried the beverage before, but there’s no time like the present so he accepts the offer with a nod, sidling up next to him and pulling up a mug for himself.

 As Kirishima pours the boiling liquid, Katsuki deems in appropriate to bite the bullet and start asking questions he’d rather be asking now than later, and if this guy really is his self-dubbed guide, gluing himself to his side like a permanent fixture, there’s no better person to ask. 

 Beating around the bush just sounds pointless.

 “Hey, how’s today looking?” He’s yet to receive a schedule and, like with the run, there’s got to be other things to fill the day. One such thing being school, because they’re not rooming at Yuuei just for the sake of it. Things to learn, places to be.

 “Okay, so you’ve got Tsu over there.” Kirishima waves over at a girl bearing a lot of resemblance to a frog, overseeing a frying pan with a keen eye on the sizzling yolk within. “And Satou both making natto and fried egg on rice for breakfast. Satou’s been under the tutelage of Lunch Rush-Sensei lately, think he’s been trying out new ground? Speaking of, Sensei’s food’ll be delivered over soon, so you’re free to have that instead.” Upon realising Katsuki was asking about the wider picture, Kirishima adds, “Of course you’ve got classes after this, lunch, more classes and then our day’s free from there!”

 So they are going to lessons today. Nice to know.

 “So it’s true, ribbit,” Tsuyu says, coming away from the pan as Satou takes ahold of it. Speaking of. “You’ve lost your memories.”

 “Yeah, don’t remember you. Sorry.” He’s said this before, hasn’t he?

 Kirishima ruffles Katsuki’s hair with a laugh. “S’got nothing up there now — what the, your hair’s so soft. I assumed it’d be all covered in hair gel? How?” 

 “Thanks? I think?” Katsuki’s eyes roam to the top of his peripheral where Kirishima’s hand runs through his hair, longer than the average hair ruffle should be in his book (again, he’s not in any position to say from experience). “Is this normal?”

 “Nah, but you’ve gotta tell me what you use. My hair takes work, y’know. These spikes come from blood, sweat and tears.”

 “And red dye, ribbit ribbit,” Tsuyu adds on, to Kirishima’s horror. He deflates, and Katsuki swears even his hair sags with him, just as disheartened as his face.

 “Wha— who told you my trade secret? Who else knows?” 

 Tsuyu blinks, slow. The kind of gaze she used on the eggs. “It’s a secret?”

 “Yes!”

 “Tsu!” Calls a classmate — presumably this Satou character — just when things may get messy for both the food and the conversation, “A little help please? I’m more suited to baking.”

 “Coming!” Tsuyu hops on back to her work station whilst the pair of them get set up with their coffee. Katsuki swats away the need to get in there and do things himself. Cooking is a foreign jungle he’s yet to explore.

 This atmosphere. It’s… nice.

 ————-

 After showering and changing with minimal unintentional hand explosions — because he doesn’t care what Kirishima says he smells like, he’s still sweaty — he’s heading back down again to enjoy the first meal of the day, only spending five or so minutes looking for a tie that may or may not exist and deeming the search a waste of time.

 He’s not eaten since, well, he doesn’t know.

 It tastes as good as it smells, which is pretty damn good (though Satou insists it’s mainly Tsuyu’s work) and it’s just as he’s finishing up polishing off his plate that he meets him, late down having received a case of faulty wake up alarm. 

 So far, re-meeting his classmates has been going alright. Sure, there’s been looks ranging from giggles and snickers, to concerned and downright confused, or the near impassive look of the infamous Todoroki along the way. But for the most part, he’s taking this in stride. They’re being nice to him, making him as welcome as possible in their efforts, and doing their best to keep things normal in a way he’s thankful for.

 “Oh that?” Kirishima starts when he asks, “That’s Midoriya Izuku, you’re childhood friends.” Then this look crosses his friend’s face as he adds, “I mean, you and I are close, man. But you and him? You’ve got history.” 

 It explains the inexplicable tugging force at work towards him. What the mind forgets, the heart remembers.

 Kirishima pats Katsuki on the back and pulls him over to the boy, all green eyes and a smattering of freckles, cherubic features surrounded by forestfulls of hair. This Izuku’s looking over at them quizzically, and by the rate his mouth is moving at, Katsuki will hazard a guess that he’s mumbling very, very quickly. You think the speed of light’s fast? Got nothing on this kid right here.

 (Nobody notices how the tips of Katsuki’s ears dust themselves in the faintest of pinks, layer opacity five percent at best. Something inside of him flutters. He dismisses it immediately.)

 “Yo Midoriya, what’s up?” Kirishima startles the boy from his spewing of thoughts, the mumbling ceasing as Kirishima makes for conversation. 

 “Oh, hi Kirishima, Kacchan… you’re uh, in a good mood?” He’s a little hesitant, curious, eyes flitting across his face in a calculating manner. It’s nothing of the malicious sort, merely discombobulated, as if he’s being presented with an alien situation and doesn’t know quite how to react, keeping on guard until he can discern an appropriate course of action.

 Katsuki startles as the word ‘Kacchan’ passes his lips, riding sky high on a rollercoaster to cloud nine and simply not coming back down. Kirishima really wasn’t kidding about the childhood friends thing, and, even in this day and age, the cutesy nicknames stay.

 Huh.

 “Kacchan?” Katsuki repeats, his words sounding distant, like he’s underwater. The green boy stills. “You call me Kacchan?”

 There’s a pause. “Whaa- uh...Yes?” Izuku blinks before whirling to face Kirishima, eyes swimming with unanswered questions which absolutely no one can answer until he voices them. Despite this confusion, his next words come out surprisingly firm, commanding even. “What’s going on?”

 As Kirishima gives him a rundown on the situation, something he’s been saved from when it came to the majority of classmates (gossip spreads far, so Katsuki’s learned), Izuku pales considerably, skin subtly turning a sickly pallor, his freckles only becoming ever more prominent like the seeds of an unripe strawberry. A ghost may as well be choosing this moment to walk on in and announce its presence, Izuku sure looks as if he’s seen one.

 But perhaps the only ghost here is Katsuki. Isn’t he but a hollow shell of who he once was? Who is he, really, without those memories? Without his core identity?

 Who is he?

 The boy chokes, mouth opening and closing, catching flies as an accusatory finger is raised at a wobbly snail’s pace. He’s stuck like that before he starts running his mouth with questions, topping at the list of ‘most dramatic reactions yet’ with a grand whopping total of a thousand points. That’s got to be a record. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” He hisses, and hasn’t Yaoyorozu said something along those lines? “You can’t just- this is a bad idea. Okay? And I mean a bad one.”

 Katsuki’s lost, probably somewhere in between bad and idea, but Kirishima remains at ease, laid back from attitude to posture and spewing stuff like “relax” and “everything’ll be fine”. Yeah, he’s missing something big here, stepping on into a conversation part way through like he’s intruding and not meant to actually be present. 

 But he’s got to try saying something. He’s got this growing feeling he’s being ignored. 

 “So childhood friends, yeah?” And that catches Izuku’s attention, like a moth to a flame, caught somewhere in the middle of freaking out in front of Kirishima and trying to give a justifiable conclusion for it. “Great that someone here’s known me for so long, there’s gotta be a load of stories stored up there! ‘Cuz that’ll help with getting my memories back.” Then he adds on, “I’m glad you’re here Izuchan!”

 The word weighs heavy on his tongue, bitter, tangy, like something he is unpracticed in saying. It feels off... somehow, but when he tries to pull up something to justify it, he’s hit with the empty feeling of blank memory banks, a canvas of white when there ought to be colour. He moves on nothing but emotion and muscle memory, the only things keeping him going when there’s little else to guide him.

 And apparently that emotional drive is not helpful in the slightest.

 Somehow — and he doesn’t know how — this only succeeds in making things worse. If this guy’s lucky, he’ll live until he’s fifty because he’s pretty sure he’s shaved exactly that amount of years off his life.

 Oops?

 (“He’s.... smiling…. at me,” Izuku says slowly once Katsuki is out of earshot, straining to push the words out, the subject hard to grasp. The few left to witness the whole conversation send him some sympathetic looks.)

 (Just. What?)

 _____

 Excluding the odd encounter with the green boy, the morning’s smooth sailing, with a few road bumps along the way (read: Izuchan and other stories). Lessons? Not so much. 

 Just like the dorms, the label for their classroom can’t possibly be bigger. And even if he, for some unfathomable reason, found himself unable to follow the flow of his classmates as they meander their collective way to lessons, locating the room would be childsplay, you know, after finding the correct floor. 

 Yuuei sure likes its flashy titles.

 He finds his seat (thanks Kirishima) and instinctually slings his feet up on the desk like a sack of potatoes, a natural reaction that refuses to leave even during memory loss’ hold. He doesn’t even realise he’s doing it either until that glasses guy — what’s his name again? Begins with ‘I’ and ends with ‘don’t remember’ — comes up, hands chopping at the air with a mind of their own like he’s cutting invisible vegetables, and calls him out on it, using examples of property damage to fuel his point. Katsuki hastily backpedals, sinking into his seat as he returns his feet right back to where they should be. On the ground. The traitors.

 Katsuki doesn’t know what came over him, he swears. Can testify this in court. But he settles with apologising which gets the glasses guy to halt, then nod in approval, like the class’ proud parent.

 (Or class rep, as it dawns on him later. Funny how these things come to you late.)

 Then chatter tapers off into muttering as in walks a guy who looks like he’s stared death in the face and remains wholly unimpressed. Their homeroom teacher in all his glory, one of the many pro heroes here because right, that’s what they’re training to be.

 Apparently, even pro heroes need to learn the mandatory normal school stuff.

 Katsuki, more often than not, finds himself staring at the board rather than his notes, the creeping unease rising about jumping in mid topic, the deep end of the pool when he’s only dipped his toes in the shallow end. He doesn’t remember what he’s being told he should know, and when he flicks back to his notes, everything his past self has written feels foreign. This whole experience, it’s like he’s being shoved into the life of someone else, someone who looks so much like him, but he can’t even begin to recall. It’s all so... foreign. Someone else’s shoes he can’t possibly fill, not for lack of trying.

 Katsuki wants to push himself to do better, but he’s tailing the others. He’s floundering when they’re already so far ahead, and try as he might, despite wanting to resist this metaphorical speed bump and not let it get the better of him, it inevitably does.

 It must show because he can feel the concerned eyes of Izuku prickling on his neck. It realligns him with reality and he gets back to note taking.

 For now, it’s all he can do.

 He won’t let himself fall behind. He won’t.

 ----------------

 There are many peculiarities at Yuuei.

 And this is one of them.

 One minute Aizawa-Sensei is there, doing that thing teachers do, standing in front of the class and talking about something that is undoubtedly important in their studies. The next, he’s out cold and dead to the world (in a manner of speaking, their teacher hasn’t just kicked the bucket from the stress of teaching them, afterall). Was that teacher seriously just taking a nap in class? Looking, for all his worth, like a human caterpillar, lying flat and ready for metamorphosis. Katsuki idly wonders about the entry requirements for working as a teacher at Yuuei, or if this sleeping correlates with his quirk in any way shape or form.

 The classmates are all unperturbed by the development, seemingly a common occurrence they’d grown used to, as normal as a blue sky, or Iida reminding him to take his feet off the desk. If it doesn’t bother them, then it shouldn’t bother old him either. He keeps his trap shut as they finish up with his lesson plan.

 They’re training to be heroes. They’ve known weirder.

 ------------

 By the time lunch swings around, he’s only filled up about half as many book pages as he would on a regular day. But. Katsuki’s trying. It may not mean much, but it’s all he can say, and for the meantime, before all his memories come back and shit makes sense, it will just have to do. 

 Whilst he may be stumped when it comes to his education, his taste buds aren’t having the same problem.

 “Aaand you’re still eating that.” Kirishima grimaces with his eyes locked on Katsuki’s lunch. He really doesn’t understand where that look’s coming from, this spicy stuff is great. “Your taste buds really haven’t changed.”

 “It’s a memory quirk,” Katsuki points out, as if this information isn’t obvious at this point. Apparently he holds more brain cells than them, and he’s the one with memory troubles. Talk about the irony.

 “True, true,” Ashido nods along from where her head rests propped up by her elbows, “Soooo, what do you think of- whaa- Sero! My drink’s spilling.”

 “Maybe if you stopped using my elbow as a cupholder,” Sero insists from his seat next to her, said drink only spilling more until Ashido scoops it up, “There’s a table. Right there. Instead of my elbows.”

 “Just using my resources!” She says like the innocent flower she’s not, then looks down disappointedly at her cup “Aww, I’m going to have to get a refill.”

 “Or you can have some of mine? I don’t mind,” Katsuki offers, but at her slightly taken aback look, he almost considers retracting the offer. Then the smile’s back in place like it never left, though a little softer.

 Another thing he’s releasing. Smiles aren’t exclusive to Kirishima. They’re all chronic grinners here, one way or another, like it’s something contagious. 

 His other self sure must be something if this lot’s hanging out with him. They’re nice. Chaotic, but nice.

 “Oooh,” Ashido continues, reaching out wiggling fingers across the table, “Don’t mind if I do…”

 “You...may want to... reconsider,” A voice chokes from beside him, in between wheezes as he struggles for breaths. They jolt at Kaminari’s appearance, all red in the face like he’s run a marathon with no breaks, and then some. “This stuff’s just as spicy as his food. What is this stuff? Eugh, hot.”

 Ashido backs away, slumping back in her seat. When she speaks, it doesn’t do the faintest thing to mask her amusement. “Maybe that’ll teach you not to steal other people’s drinks, then.”

 “He offered!”

 “To me. Ooo, speaking of drinks, you’re probably gonna need one before you die of spice.”

 When the pair arrive back, drinks in hand and Kaminari looking significantly less red in the face and not impersonating a dog panting after a long run, Ashido wastes no seconds in starting where she left off.

 “Anyway, as I was saying. What do you think of us Blasty? Come onn, admit it. We’re pretty great, right?”

 “Fishing for compliments?” Kirishima asks, “Unmanly, dude.”

 “No, no!” Kaminari protests, like if he doesn’t jump in now, he will forever be mournful of a lost opportunity, “This is good material. Let’s hear it.”

 Put on the spot like this with all eyes on him, Katsuki sees no other option than to comply. “I mean, I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I just met you yesterday.” His eyes fall on Sero, who apparently chose yesterday of all nights to pack in up early with his study group session. “Today. Whatever. But if you’re asking then... yeah.” He meets their eyes with the utmost sincerity, a smile tugging at his lips, a hint of something small, honest. “You’re ‘pretty great’.”

 Katsuki doesn’t know what to say to the silence, wonders if he’s misspoken even if he can’t fathom how. He opens his mouth, makes a move to correct whatever muck up he’s got involved in, when it’s broken by Ashido’s squeal.

 “Oh get in here, you!” And suddenly there’s a blur of pink in his face, wrapping her arms around like a clingy limpet doing — oh, is this a hug? He goes ramrod rigid initially, but finds himself leaning in, a steadily rising of something warm and odd in his chest, fizzling and mushy and sending back up in that rollercoaster to the clouds once more.

 “Knew you always liked us!” Someone says from amongst the bundle, and that’s got to be Kirishima, he’s sure of it.

 “We’re doing a cuddle pile?” That’s distinctly Kaminari’s voice, though it sounds so, so far away, “Whilst eating? My food!”

 But he’s in on the pile in seconds, in favour of his lunch, adding to the tangly mess of limbs that’s surprisingly comfortable, even with all these odd angles they’re coming in at. They make a pretzel look simple, tangled wool look neat. Yet he’s content.

 “Wish I could remember you lot,” Katsuki says quiet enough to nearly go unnoticed, heck, he’s only half aware of saying it aloud. It’s true, he does. He’s a tourist in his own skin. He wants to remember all moments like this, the laughs, them.

 Their grip tightens before Ashido bails out, like a diver gasping for breath. “If it’s memories you want, then it’s memories you’ll receive. Let’s make some!”

  Sero looks as if this is the best idea he’s ever heard in the history of ideas, pumping his arm with a beat of enthusiasm as they untangle, “Yeah! Sure sounds like fun.”

 Kaminari wrinkles his nose. “Ehhh? But how? Didn’t they say it’ll be a week?”

 “At the most,” Kirishima adds, then returns to the topic at hand by shooting Ashido a confused stare, “What do you mean by that?”

 “Boys, boys,” She drawls, and you can see her eyes taking a roll on the dark abyss of her sclera, “I mean let’s do something fun as a squad. Make some memories! You in?”

 “Oh that?” Kaminari nods, then again with a tad more conviction, entertaining a thought that is steadily growing on him the more he mulls it over, “I mean we had to cut the last trip short, so why not head back? I’ve still got stuff to get.”

 Kirishima puts his foot down at that, not in the literal sense, but rather the ‘absolutely hecking not kind,’ wincing as if Kaminari’s words cause him physical pain with a whole bucket load of flashbacks to boot. “Dude, you saw what happened to Bakugou. Really? So soon?”

 Kaminari may not have, but he’s looking at Katsuki now, then Kirishima, brow creasing slightly but otherwise absolutely unphased. “There’s got to be a rule against villains not hitting the same place twice, right?”

 “That’s lightning. Lightning.”

 “Okay but, hear me out,” Kaminari continues like his words are spiritually enlightening and not the complete opposite, “We’re not that unlucky.”

 His words seem to register after a moment, gauging their looks, tense and silent, and his face falls, crestfallen. “Nah, you’re right. We are.”

 “We’re villain magnets.” Sero nods sagely.

 “Cursed,” Ashido agrees, then not two seconds later, “So, a film then?”

 “Yeah.”

 (Not for the first time does Katsuki find himself wondering just what he’s been through with this group of individuals. But it is a first when it comes to wanting to know how they’ve gone through the wringer too.)

 --------------

 Just as there is normal schooling of the academic kind, to get people’s brain cells in gear, there’s the hero part of their training for — as it so clearly states in the title — the hero course.

 And, being the heroes they are, they have the matching suits to go with. He picks his out and then frowns at the pieces as if they’ve done something to offend him by purely existing. It’s not like he’s unhappy with it — because he is, really well and truly is — but there’s something to be said for assembly. Once the flashy costume is on, you have gauntlets that weigh heavier than they look (which look heavy on their own, but these sure are something), and all those other fiddly attachments which are as good as useless when there’s no instruction manual to go with them. What’s he meant to do in the emergency case of amnesia then, huh? What then?

 With a sheepish look, he’s turning for Kirishima once more, only to find the place he once inhabited utterly devoid of any spiky redheads. Already out and on the field then, having beaten him to it. What he does see, however, is someone less on the red side and more on the green spectrum.

 Midoriya Izuku stands in the doorway, half awkwardly, with his nervous twitch and round uneasy eyes, the gentle breeze ruffling his hair like a sighing forest. He looks conflicted, caught in some internal debate of ‘should I or shouldn’t I.’ If he’s going to do anything other than pose by the door, Katsuki really hopes it’ll be sooner rather than later.

 Or not.

 Katsuki takes the leap, startling Izuku from all thoughts.

 “You don’t happen to know what’s going on with this costume, huh?” He doesn’t know how aware his classmate is of his costume, but unlike Katsuki he’s seen this thing in action. That’s a better start than he has.

 “Oh, of course!” And he’s not expecting that, he blinks, stupefied. This will save him some hassle for sure. 

 Then Izuku’s mumbling something about gauntlets, sweat, pins all the while pointing at each part individually, making this look like a rehearsed speech. He starts tinkering, picking up the parts and attaching them on all before Katsuki really knows what’s going on.

 “Oh, sorry!” Izuku startles, getting a hold of himself. He rips his hands away like someone upped the temperature of Katsuki’s suit to level five: fiery inferno. But there’s nothing wrong with the fabric and Izuku’s hands are yet to blister. “You don’t mind me helping you out like this, do you Kacchan?” 

 Izuku drops this like he’s thus far not finished already, way too late to the party to be asking a question such as that. Try a few moments earlier, perhaps? Still, help is help.

 “Nah, you’re good. Thanks Izuchan.”

 Izuku pulls a face, something caught between a wince and a flush at the reiteration of the name as he pulls away completely, hastily changing the subject, be it an equally important one.

 “Aizawa-Sensei paired us up for practice today,” Izuku explains, and now his awkward shuffle waiting is a whole lot clearer, or else he’s be in the field like Kirishima “I think it’s because of my notebooks I’ve got on using your quirk. He’s noticed that you may need…” He frowns. “Pointers?”

 Today’s task is simple training, or at least, it should be for those with actual experience doing this thing. Him? He’s got nada. Could’ve been born yesterday for all it matters. 

 There’s something to be said for muscle memory, so it isn’t as if he’s working from scratch, but it can only get you so far before lack of technique becomes a hindrance. Ever since last night, he’s been setting off sparks, occasionally and not all intentional, coming to grips with his quirk as it comes back to him like a well oiled bike. He’s far off where he probably was only a mere few days ago, hasn’t even had time yet to practice full attacks, but he can’t afford to be useless for when a real threat comes. 

 If he slacks off, even for just a day, there’s no way he can rise to the top. To be the best hero he can possibly be.

 He’s done this before, and maybe, with the assistance of Izuku’s olive branch, he can do this again.

 (Izuku pays attention to his quirk, his mind screams. There’s a notebook out there on… you.

 He doesn’t know how he feels about this.)

 “Sure,” Katsuki finds himself answering, tightening up those gauntlets and ready to give it his all, “I’d like that.”

 -------

 Izuku’s not going easy on him. Which is good. He doesn’t want that. His limits are there to be tested and tried, and if anyone thinks babying him just because of a slight case of memory loss is the way to go, then they can suck it.

 Besides, he’s not going to go easy on anyone either.

 In fact, he’ll be as bold as to say he’s getting the hang of this.

 “Of course you are!” Is Izuku’s response, like he never expected any less of him. Good.

 Along with encouragement straight from the heart, Izuku never giving praise he doesn’t think is due, Izuku dishes out suggestions and techniques as the pair of them spar, one on one, locked in a battle of minds and fists. Izuku’s observations start with weaker, fiddly bits of information, as if almost nervous to suggest anything major. 

 With Katsuki’s shout of “Come at me with everything you have!” that smirk on his face just so right, Izuku progresses in internal drive to demonstrate entire moves, with Izuku admitting once Katsuki sees some of these tactics in action, that some of his own moves are inspired by Katsuki himself.

 Huh.

 Izuku is a force to be reckoned with, alive with a stunning energy about him, but Katsuki’s no slacker either. And he’s a fast learner to boot. Katsuki puts in his all, the thrill of adrenaline coursing through his veins, heightening the power of each blow in this back and forth dance of blows. Now this is his element, his quirk, his extension of his body. This is where he belongs and it will take more than a villain’s quirk to take it away from him.    

 Katsuki detonates his palms once more and throws a fist back to counter and-

 <A bitter rage swells, simmering beneath the surface, his blood boiling to the hundredth degree. It Ripples through him in leaps and bounds, a wild hound that can’t be tamed, ragged at the edges, fierce to its prey. Like a second skin, like it’s always been there, an underlying current that’s washed him into an ocean of scorching rage. Like an old friend. 

 But it encases something more, buried deep down in his core, closed off and held tight. The caged hound is wounded, fearful and guilty, and he pushes this down because he refuses to be weak. Refuses to be less than strong. He won't. But in this moment they begin to spill over the crumbling edges, and the lines blur to what once and what is.

 And he needs to know. To lay things down clear.

 The truth.

 He’s shouting and the words are tumbling and “FIGHT ME!! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!”

 And so, the first blows are thrown. They fight with fists and words and>

 And he’s gasping for air, momentarily thrown by the dizzying feeling of whatever that was, the tumbling and loss of focus just enough time it’s enough to give Izuku the leverage he needs for his attack.

 “Kacchan?” Izuku asks, breathy and panting as sweat crawls from his brow. Izuku’s concerned, those eyes glistening like sparkling beacons, calling out to him through whatever ocean he plunged through.

 He takes a moment, no movement between the two except for the rise and fall of Katsuki’s chest, taking heavy breaths. He’s not sure how much of it is from the battle or the vision. Katsuki blinks it back, and shrugs it off, back on his feet in seconds like an ordinary day at the office. 

 “Yeah,” Katsuki assures, “I’m fine. C’mon, go again.”

 He won’t let Izuku take him down so easily.

 ----------

 They go again.

 And again.

 And again.

 (He pushes the vision to the back of his mind. He can’t explain what he’s feeling, what it means.)

 (But it sounds important.)

[fiction-in-my-blood]

Switching Sides: Part 3 (HLITF)

if anyone possibly wants to get on a tag list I’d be happy to make one

👉 @theshove 👈

If you wanna catch up, Part 2 is right here! Happy reading :)

Premise: Growing up in a life of crime in a Japanese mafia, Atsuko Motomori has seen enough injustice to last her a lifetime. To try and give back to the universe her family has taken so much from, she dreams of being a detective from a young age. Her twin, sharing her disgust for her father and many uncles, just wants an ordinary life away from the crime, paing and suffering. Instead, she wants to be in the spotlight with the soft notes she makes with her cello. In their escape of 2015, on their coming of age birthday, they must split ways, never to be together ever again. If one was found, they didn’t want the other dragged down with them. Atsuko, having changed her name and appearance as best she can without a scalpel, sets off to start her life of car chases and arrests.

Four years in a seemingly dead-end police station in the middle of nowhere, being passed over time after time for promotion, Atsuko finally gets a shot at her dream, having been sent to an academy for the best candidates in the country by her boss who had always kept an eye out for her. After discovering her boss may have made her bite off more than she could chew, Atsuko must become the slave of a dominating instructor!? Who so just happens to be the captain of the most famous police unit in Japan? Not to mention a total knockout! Will Atsuko finally achieve her dream? Or will her new instructor put her through the wringer?

Warnings: Language, Reference to sexual activity, Forceful nature.

~~~~~~

"I'm not going to be your servant!" I frowned, having computed what he said. I was sent to the special Instructors' Staff Room and, instead of just agreeing to have an aide, Captain Kaga dubbed me his servant. 

"Why not? It's not so different from being an aide." His question made me wonder what type of jobs he was going to make me do. "Besides, weren't you saying you wanted to?" His inquiry made me feel like we were having two totally different conversations. 

"Which reminds me, you haven't paid me back for that time yet." He inched closer to me as he saw me tense up. 

"Pa... Pay you back?" I stuttered out, not knowing what he could be referring to. I made sure I was never indebted to anyone. The way my father acted when he went out to collect his loaned out cash was enough for me not to even want to borrow from a bank. I don’t even want to remember how hard it was for me to find an apartment when I didn’t even have a credit score. Well, a shit one at that.

"Thanks to you acting like a moron, the thief got suspicious and escaped. It's only reasonable that you'd make up for those losses." The memory of what happened on the train only one day ago flashed through my mind. 

‘How was I supposed to know there was an investigation going on? I hadn't even met you yet?’ My silent frustration wasn't shown on my face as I was way too scared to give him a piece of my mind. ‘How was I supposed to stand there and watch a crime happening right in front of me?’

‘So, I have to become his servant to pay back a debt I didn't even know I had? What bullshit is that?’ When I desperately tried to protest, Kaga pushed his body closer to me ever so slightly.

"If you don't want to..." His indifferent expression made me take a small step back. "I'll assume that means I can reveal your fraudulent entry into this school." The statement made my heart stop and my blood run cold. 

Was my application fake? My boss had written it, you had to be referred to get in, but I had no idea he would go as far as to lie about my accomplishments. Was he trying to get me kicked out before I even started? 

"You're a local government employee, aren't you?" Kaga looms over me and I can tell he's hiding something in his language; both body and vocal. It was true I might not match my classmates in my connections, only those who have elite bonds got in and I was only a local officer, but... I was only let in because of what my boss said. 

"Do you understand the situation you're in?" He almost seemed to be teasing my naivety as he continued to loom. 

"But, what does that have to do with my entry?" I worried about my place in the school as the threat of being blamed for something I didn't even do emerged over the horizon. 

"That your classmates will have to decide." The sadness I began to feel if I left Naruko feeling betrayed played on my mind as I came to this crossroad. ‘If Kaga's threat was true and my boss had fudged my application, would I feel okay with staying here? It would be too late for someone more qualified to start, I'm sure the instructors had a strict regimen.’

"I didn't know that only elite students got in. My boss somehow got me in, though." I looked down in dismay, secretly cursing out my old boss for putting me in this situation. 

"You might not know just how much your boss puffed up your career. But that doesn't change the fact that he cheated your way in." The blunt delivery of my ultimate demise did nothing but make me worry more. "You're my servant now..." He leaned down to whisper in my ear. "...You better be dependable." And with that, he takes a phone call and walks off, acting like he didn't just threaten what would inevitably be my livelihood. 

‘What do I do now?’ I sigh, watching his back disappear around the corner.

"Already sighing?" Hearing a familiar gentle voice behind me, I turn to see Soma approaching the Staff Room. 

"Oh, excuse me, Instructor." I quickly jump out of his way, but he just smiles down at me. 

"It's fine, I can tell that something's happened." I couldn't tell if that was him saying he knew that my application was falsified or if confrontations with students was a regular occurrence for Kaga. Either were incredibly likely. 

"Kaga's strict, so I'm sure things are tough." The calming way he spoke made me believe the reason for his kindness was the latter. 

"Tough?" I laugh in defeat. "He's made me into his servant instead of an aide..." The idea made me trail off, wondering what kind of jobs he'll have me do. 

"Servant?" Soma's eyes widened slightly. But then he begins to laugh happily. 

"You're really laughing at me..?" I slouched as even Soma found humour in this catastrophe of a situation. 

"Hehe, sorry. I just remembered your enthusiasm, and then he was your first pick." He snickered and I wondered if that ill-timed boost of adrenaline was the reason I found myself in this mess. 

"Why did you choose him?" Soma suddenly became fascinated as he pinched his chin. 

"Well... I knew from the start he'd be strict, but I figured there'd be a lot to learn from someone like that..." Remembering my reasoning for choosing possibly the worst instructor out of all of them, Soma narrowed his eyes at my explanation. 

"I figured you or Sasaki would pick me or Ayumu." He smiled. "Women tend to be attracted to less severe personalities. But you chose him to build upon your character. That's good judgement." 

‘Well, I sure as hell didn't pick him for his sparkling personality.’ I thought to myself, taking his statement as a compliment. It was nice to hear that he thought I had made the right decision, but I'm pretty confident I wouldn't have become a servant if I had chosen him. Ayumu on the other hand, I'm not so certain...

Soma laughed as he saw me about to sigh again. "You'll be undergoing an exam given by the instructors in two months time..." He seemed to be warning me about how defeated I seemed only on my second day. "...There will be forced withdrawals with failure." For a moment, Soma looked so cold that a shiver ran down my spine. 

‘Was that... a threat?’

Yet, his smile immediately returned when my brows furrowed slightly. 

"I'm sure that if you study well under Kaga, you'll grow much faster than others." The quick switch he made threw me off beginning to trust him. 

‘I guess you can never be too careful around here.’ I thought as I thanked him by lowering my head. Soma then left with a smile plastered on his face. 

~~~~~~

Outside of the school building, on my way to clear my head, I find Naruko talking with some other students. "Atsuko! Were you really made an aide earlier?" Naruko screamed at me as I approached them. Even though I was beginning to see the positives of this situation, however few, the excitable yelling put me back on edge. 

"Yeah... is it already getting around?" I got uneasy with everyone knowing. ‘If something like this got around within the hour, what would happen if news of my fraud got out?’

"The school is buzzing with it! Atsuko, which instructor did you get?" I could tell her excitement would be cut short when I told her. 

Exactly as I predicted, the group of students Naruko had been talking to started to pity me.

"I feel so sorry for you... Out of all of them, you got Instructor Kaga." One said. 

"But, come to think of it, she did choose him first. She's got guts." His friend spoke up. 

"I'm just trying to show 'em what I've got! I figured it'd be a good learning opportunity to follow him around." I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck as I put on a smile, secretly regretting my past choices. ‘If I’m going to end up just doing his laundry or cleaning up after him, I don't know how that could be at all beneficial.’

"But if you were chosen as his aide, doesn't that mean he likes you?" Naruko peered into my faltering smile. 

"Doubt it. He flat out rejected me when I went to introduce myself." I sighed, slouching dejectedly. Naruko gasped out in shock. 

"It's no wonder he's called the 'Demon Instructor'. Harsh." She pats my shoulder sympathetically, although there seems to be a bit of admiration in her eyes. 

"Sorry, but... You probably haven't even seen the worst of the Demon Instructor." A classmate interrupted my silent moping. 

"What do you mean?" Shocked he could get any worse, my eyes widened. 

"You don't know? I heard this from the other guys, but..." His friend seems guilty even having to tell me. "He's crazy. He's solved tons of cases on his own." The statement didn't make me worry too much. If he had an eye for crime, I wasn't going to fault him for that. We may have had different upbringings, but I could tell when someone had done something bad. 

"But..." He continued, which did make me anxious. "There's a rumour he killed his partner..." The sheer will to be able to say that on school grounds surprised me, let alone the accusation. As Naruko and I show our shock, the student makes sure to say he doesn't know if it's actually true.

"But he seems like the type who'd sacrifice someone for his own gain." The first guy spoke up again. 

"No," I state sternly, making everyone stare at me. I knew what a cop killer looked like. My father has had officers kill their partners when they got too close to discovering the mole in the force. I didn't believe Kaga would risk that if he was such a good detective. 

"What do you mean ‘no’?" The guy responded and I shook my head. 

"Don't worry about it." I sighed, embarrassed I had just spoken up like that. How would I explain myself by disagreeing with everyone who seemed to agree with the sentiment? On paper, they were all much more experienced than me in the force and with crime. Physically though...

"A man with a past..." Naruko spoke up and I could already tell what she was going to say about our mysterious inspector. 

"Anyways, I heard from Instructor Soma that there's gonna be an exam in two months. Whoever fails: flunks." Wanting to warn my classmates before it's too late, I watch all their expressions fall further. 

"Really? That's harsher than I thought." Another guy standing with us sighs out in dismay. As I think about how easy it would be for Kaga to kick everyone out of the academy, I remind myself I have to work my hardest, no matter the instructor I'm working under, to reach my dream. As I'm reminded of why I'm here, I can't help but smile at the thought of all my hard work paying off.  

"Atsuko, you have that scary look on your face again." Naruko has an uneasy smile of her own as she points me out to the rest of the group.

"I'm just getting excited. I'm going for a run, so I'll see you around!" I waved as I ran back to the dorms to change. 

"But, Atsuko! What about our training earlier?" Maybe worrying about my mental and physical health, Naruko called after me, but I just waved again before continuing on my way.

~~~~~~

A few days later, Kaga is giving us a hands-on lecture about interrogation. "Today I'm going to show you how an actual interrogation would go. Use of force should depend on who you're facing and what it'll take to break them." 

‘In other words, they can use torture in Public Safety.’ The statement made me stiff as that was the only type of interrogation I was used to. The Captain flipped a switch and the scene of an interrogation showed up on the monitor. 

"Spit it out already!" Kaga is practically screaming across the table, but the criminal doesn't say a word. "I'm going to enjoy seeing just how long you can keep silent." There's a loud crash as a chair goes flying across the room and I can see that scary, victorious grin spread across Kaga's face. 

"W-Wait! I don't-!" But, before the criminal can reject, Kaga grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and coldly tells him to "shut up". 

"I have no use for guys who don't talk." Kaga raised his hand to the criminal as his smile grew. Then, Kaga swung it at him without any hesitation whatsoever. 

"Okay, I'll talk! I'll talk, so stop it!" With the cries of the criminal's words, Kaga's hand stops just short of the man's cheek. 

"Too late," Kaga replied. It really did seem like he was enjoying this.

"I'll tell you everything I know! Please!" The criminal begs for his safety before Kaga even hits him. It's like the mere threat of being injured was enough to break him. 

Like he hadn’t heard a word, Kaga kicked the chair out from under the suspect. As we watch the criminal drop to the floor, the room starts to buzz. Unfortunately, one student spoke up through that murmuring. 

"Um... The criminal was willing to confess... Was it necessary to go that far?" One of the guys Naruko was talking to the day I was elected as an aide pipes up. 

"I told you, it depends on who you're dealing with." Kaga, completely composed compared to the video, frowns at us all. "He had a record. If he didn't say everything, he'd have gone out on bail." Kaga explains tiredly. It seemed to be a hassle for him to even turn up to the lecture. "But, by planting fear from the start, I made him confess everything." Kaga finishes and I can't help but ask. 

"How can you ensure he didn't falsely confess?" The room went stiff at the idea of my accusal. 

"What?" Kaga glares down at me and I steel my nerves before explaining myself. 

"How can you make sure he didn't just confess because he was worried for his life?" I rephrase the question but it only made him sterner. As he stared at me, I felt all my classmates pitying me. 

"We already had evidence of him committing the crime. It made for an easier court case for him to confess as well." The surprisingly non hostile response shocked everyone in the room, although his expression was just as aggressive as it was a moment ago. 

"Thank you, sir." Not wanting to leave on bad terms, I thanked him for explaining before he returned to the video. 

~~~~~~

By the time Kaga's terrifying interrogation is finished, the class is tense. Except for me. I was used to seeing these forms of violence, but it still made me a little on edge. To think that was legal was a little frightening. 

"That's for reference. Drive it into your heads." Kaga clicked off the video on the presentation. "Now I'm going to divide you all into detectives and suspects for a simulation." The idea made my ears buzz. Thinking back to the video, I wondered who would go too far. 

"Ahh, but there's an odd number of you... One extra." Kaga sighed, looking at the sheet of students' names. “One of you will have to be paired with me." Knowing my luck, my hands froze at the concept of me being his partner. Around me, the class buzzed with fear that they too could be chosen. 

"The person paired with me will get special training in a real interrogation room," Kaga smirked at, even still, everyone avoiding his gaze. I tried to at least look in his direction, although I was secretly freaking out. 

He clicks his tongue at the scene of terrified students before him. "You're all a waste of space. Are any of you capable of this?" The captain complains. "If nobody volunteers, you all fail." He crosses his arms as he forces us to push forth a martyr. I met his gaze in surprise that he would try to kick us all out in one fell swoop. He chuckles, signalling I would be paired with him just for looking at him. I panicked, annoyed I put myself in this situation again. 

"Hurry up, servant." Kaga glares down at my frozen state.

 "Are you sure you want me?" Trying to direct the attention away, Kaga casually rejects everyone else. 

"It's not like you're a bad choice. Anyone will do." He crosses his arms, turning to walk out of the room. 

‘It's a good opportunity, Atsuko.’ Every time I find myself telling myself that, I believe it less and less. 

Kaga sends everyone to team up before walking towards the door. "Let's go. Don't loaf around." Kaga complains and I jump up. 

"Please wait!" I rush after him as I hear my classmates gossiping about what he called me. 

~~~~~~

In the interrogation room, I find myself becoming increasingly nervous. ‘Could I use what I watched dad doing? I might as well use my experiences in my favour.’ I thought to myself as Kaga locked the door behind us. I couldn't help but feel guilty about the idea of ever using what my father taught me. I ran away because I didn't want to do things that way. 

"You be the detective, I'll be the suspect." Kaga sits in the chair opposite the wall with a monitor hooked up. "Give it a try. Use my earlier interrogation." He instructs with an unphased expression, referring to the instructions he had given us. 

"Right now?" Shocked he wouldn't give me any pointers, I began to wonder why he would bother showing up here if he was going to throw us all out in the deep end. Suspecting none of us had any experience in this, how were we meant to learn from a single video?

"Of course, Did you think we'd rehearse it bit by bit?" Kaga seemed offended by the idea of actual training as I grew nervous. My palms even began to sweat. He crosses his arms and stares at me, judging me even by the way I stand. He commands me to start and I take a deep breath. 

"You've been arrested due to the evidence against you. So, you want to tell me what really happened?" I looked down at the folder in my hands that had a fake report inside. Kaga stayed silent. 

"...Fair enough.” Sighing, I continued my gazing at the paper under my nose. “I wouldn't wanna talk either if I was working with these guys." I forced out a chuckle, slapping the folder on the table. I hadn't sat down since we entered the room. 

"But, you know it won't matter, right? It only takes a rumour to get around that you spilled to get you in trouble." I thought back to what my father said to a snitch he found in his ranks once. "And one little rumour is enough to make you paranoid. I wonder what they'll do to you?" I remembered what my father did and used it as an example. "Probably chop off your finger with a cleaver. Threaten your family. Or, you might not be able to make a family when they're done with you." Dealing with a man, I thought the best threat would be to threaten his manhood. The expression I made was indifferent, but none of my warnings seemed to affect Kaga at all. 

‘How is this supposed to work if he knows it's all fake? I never understood hypothetical scenarios.’ My internal thoughts of injustice were unheard, and hopefully unseen on my facial features.

Kaga stayed silent throughout the whole process and, with him avoiding my gaze, I began to lose my nerve. "Do you give up?" He turned back to me and I sighed. 

"Yes." I frowned at myself. ‘I guess I wasn't intimidating enough to use my father’s tactics.’

"The suspects we handle in the Public Safety Division will be like that. They're not exactly happy to talk." The statement the captain made seemed so obvious, but I had yet to know how to get them to talk. Defeated, I sat in the chair across from him. 

"Let's switch. You be the suspect now." 

Being interrogated by the Demon Instructor seemed like a nightmare, but I wanted to learn how to do this right, so I agreed. ‘You just gotta stay quiet, Atsuko. Keep. Your mouth. Shut.’ I told myself as I looked into his eyes. 

"Well..." He peered into my face extremely closely. If I dared to move, our lips would touch. I could smell the lingering scent of a cigarette on his breath. I tried to match his gaze as the closeness secretly really bothered me. The scent was familiar, probably because everyone I used to know smoked, but it wasn't just that fact. 

In the silent interrogation room, my anxious heart beated faster than usual. Maybe it was all the energy I exerted yesterday, but I was beginning to feel overtired and very hyperaware. 

"You did it, didn't you?" Kaga whispered as he peered into my face. I kept my expression stoned as I wonder how he'll proceed, but my heart was racing. 

‘What have I done? Has he discovered something in my past?’ The truth perhaps? ‘I knew I probably wouldn’t last long, being surrounded by professional detectives, but I’m only three days in!’

“I see..." He sounded amused at how I didn't react and stood up straight. I looked up to match his gaze, only to have him lift me up by my wrists and push me against the wall behind us. 

"There's proof." He glides his finger against my jaw and I feel a rush tingle up my spine. "Do I look like a man who'll go easy on you because you're a woman?" The statement, however true, did make me sulk a little. Internally, of course. Never had I evermore wanted to be treated differently.

Kaga pressed his body so closely that I could barely move. "Or... Do you want to let me have some fun in exchange for overlooking this?" With those words, I began to get that he wasn't talking about the case we were given. It made me uneasy to be locked in a soundproof room with him as he likely referred to my falsified application. My eyes flashed with recognition, but I forced my mouth shut.  

"I'm fine either way." He laughed, but I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. His breath tickled my ear and I could feel that area redden from the heat. 

"So? What have you been wanting to do to me?" Ideas flashed through my mind, but the one I settled on I wouldn't be able to say. If I admitted to wanting to kick a man in the balls, I'd likely get suspended. 

Seeing my famed confusion, Kaga continued. "You seemed excited when I pushed you down in that love hotel." He smirked and I became increasingly embarrassed. Sure, he was good looking, Naruko made me aware of that, but no way in hell would I want to do anything like that with him. Do you know how much of a slut that would make me look? 

"Want me to continue what I started that time?" A teasing smirk reappeared on his face and I gulped. "I see." His voice was low, only being a few centimetres apart, he didn't need to raise it. The raspiness of his whisper helped keep my heart rate up. As I looked away, embarrassed I was reacting so much to him, he grabbed my chin and easily turned me back to face him. His handsome features neared mine until I couldn't take it anymore. 

"Tap out! I tap out." Panicked, I repeated to ensure he heard me. 

"Finally. That took some time." He sighed, stepping back. 

My breathing was a little ragged as I recollected what just happened. "You struggling there?" He showed me another concerned look and I quickly stopped. Surprisingly, I couldn't compare that experience to any situations I had watched my father in. 

"Anyway, you should be glad. You have a weapon that we don't." Kaga suddenly announced and I threw him a confused look. "Your body. You could use it against male suspects. And the more inclined female ones." He admitted and I was just more confused. I had never been a very good-looking girl. My father would complain that my body was too toned and I needed to pudge myself up a bit to attract the opposite sex. It never bothered me, I didn't care about anything he said, but I was surprised Kaga would insinuate I use my feminine wiles against men. 

"Well, you would have to be sexier, though." And there it was, the critique I was waiting for! "Maybe it'd be better to train you in that area?" He suggested and I genuinely thought it over. If I could use something to get a foothold in the class competition, I'd be happy to use it. 

"What? Like, using seduction techniques?" I questioned, surprised it would even be an option for me. I had never been in a relationship and had never felt the need to. Everyone I was surrounded by as a child were older or scared of my family and, since running away, I was too focused on keeping to myself and work. 

"There may be times when it's necessary. If you've got sex appeal, you should use it." He explained and I considered the issue. 

‘I would prefer to use real detective work, but if I'm not intimidating, it may come to that.’ I pursed my lips as I thought it over. 

In the end, the interrogation class comes to an end without another word from either of us. 

~~~~~~

The rumour about me being Kaga's servant had spread across the school pretty quickly, having only been a day since the captain outed me in front of the entire class. I've now been summoned to the Staff Room by Kaga. 

"Sorry for being late!" I called out, having knocked and entered the room. 

"You're late. Just how long did you plan on making me wait?" Kaga frowned down at my sorry state. I had been helping Naruko with a laundry malfunction when I realised I would be late for the scheduled time. 

"It's only three minutes." I sulked to myself, not realising I was speaking out loud. Kaga only frowned at me and I quickly apologised and shut my mouth. His glare was as cold and scary as ever. He sighed, calling me useless again. 

"Oh well. Get these in order by tomorrow." Kaga dropped a huge stack of documents in front of me with a thunk. I was in shock by the sudden workload before me. "Documentation of past incidents that Public Safety is keeping an eye on." He explained what the files actually entailed. "Sort these and file them. If you have time, put them in the database too." 

‘And by “if you have time” he means, you better do this too or I'll punish you. 

‘It'll take hours to do all this.’ Even with my short experience as a PA at a law firm, I never had this much work to do in such a small amount of time. I had odd jobs before I entered the academy to be able to live. That job reinstalled my dream of being a cop and never having to work a desk job like what I had. 

"Looks like you have a complaint?" Kaga frowned at me and I quickly shook my head. 

"It'll be done, Instructor." Maybe promising too much, I didn't want to give him a chance to kick me out of the school, so I grabbed the documents and left the Instructors' Staff Room. 

When I exited again, Naruko was outside waiting for me. Her eyes went wide at the piles of papers in my hands. "Woah, what's with all that?"

"I have to get them filed by tomorrow." I sighed, believing Kaga couldn't hear us. 

"By tomorrow? Will you make it?" Naruko tried and failed to keep her voice low, but her shock made her too energised. 

"If I start right when classes end I might just make it." I showed her a determined smile, assuming I could get it done with enough willpower. 

"That sounds terrible. I'll give you a hand if you'd like?" 

Giving me the offer of the century, a voice spoke up before I could respond. "You know what happens if you get help?" 

Without either of us realising, Kaga had come out of the Instructors' Room and was directly next to me. I jumped out of my skin, almost dropping my new assignment. 

"Hey, Instructor. Where are you going?" Trying to play off my surprise with a much calmer tone, I turned to him with an uneasy smile. 

"That has nothing to do with you." He's turned around before I can finish my question, already walking down the corridor. 

"But you said you had no investigations today?" I called out, but he just told me to be quiet and insulted me. 

"Why moron? Out of all the insults?" I muttered under my breath at the recurring word, watching his back disappear around the corner. 

~~~~~~

On our way back to the dorms, we met a few of our classmates. "Instructor Kaga is so scary! But that's fine!" Naruko cheered, obviously into every guy we seem to run into. 

"Even if he's scary, too much is too much." A classman began to question me about the ‘slavery allegations’ circulating the school, but I quickly reject the rumour. 

"No, no-no. It's just, if I say I can't, he tells me to quit." I laughed uneasily. 

"But, you do get to see him up close." The other classmate became dreamy-eyed. "Is it true he does everything based on intuition?" The question made me think back on all the time the Instructor and I had spent together. Which wasn’t much, but still more than the rest of the students here. 

"Yeah... I guess." 

‘To be honest, most of the things he does are without any sort of planning.’ 

"Even when he has no evidence, he'll just say 'it's my intuition'." I explained, almost laughing at the idea of how unsafe that is. Surely an investigation would get ripped to pieces if the only clue to the criminal was an investigator's gut. 

"Changing plans all the time because of his intuition must be exhausting." Naruko sighed.

"Don't worry, Naruko. I'll always make time for you!" I teased and she laughed back. 

"But everyone is jealous that you get to learn from him." The only thing I could think of when Naruko said how much she wanted to be in my position was my first mission. 

‘So much for learning on the job.’ I sighed to myself as I thought back on all the sexual harassment cases I could have made against the Instructor if I wasn't a student. Even on my first mission, I was just used to gather evidence. I didn't have any training as to how I could actually do it.

"That interrogation was scary, but apparently he has a 99% confession rate." A classmate pulled me out of my thoughts. 

‘I'm not surprised. With all the scum he deals with, a pinch on the arm would get them to confess.’ I sighed internally as my classmates continued to gossip.

[a-student-out-of-time]

//That's called a Mary Sue. And speaking of that, is there any other character in the Danganronpa canon you considered one aside from Chiaki?

//Hoo boy. That’s a term I think is really misapplied to a lotof situations. I never actually said Chiaki’s a Mary Sue, andthat’s because I don’t think any incarnation of her is one.

//”Mary Sue” is such an overused and yet misunderstood conceptthat people  use. And oftentimes, it gets thrown around becauseit feels like it adds validity to criticism that I feel is franklyunearned. The reason for that is because Sueness isn’t acharacter problem, but symptomatic of a bigger writing problem.

//See, a lot of people think Sues are just unrealisticallyoverpowered, have no serious flaws, every person in the storyloves them no matter what they do, etc. but you can use thosetropes well with some quality writing and apply those to pretty muchany protagonist character from anime or superhero stories, butusually they don’t get called Mary Sues or Gary Stus or whatever.

//No, what really defines Sueness is that they warp the reality ofthe story around them. A character can be at the center of a story,but a Mary Sue warps the story so the entire universe revolvesaround them, whether it’s showing how great they are, how evilthey are, how much their life sucks, etc. That’s fundamentallywhat makes a Mary Sue or Gary Stu what they are: they’re at thecenter of everything and everything has to be about them insome way, shape, or form.

//Supporting casts, villains, side characters, plot, themes, allof it revolves around what the Sue does. All morals are defined aswhat the Sue thinks is right. All situations are resolved because ofwhat the Sue does. It’s all about them. Nothing else matters,nothing else exists.

//Now let’s look at Human Chiaki. She starts off as a quietgamer girl who originally didn’t have friends, but managed to getcloser to her classmates and bring everybody together throughher love of games. She opens up, has a great time with them, andbecomes their de facto leader, and also gets a lot of friendshipscenes with Hajime. All of which become poignantly tragic when shedies and everyone falls into despair.

//That’s it, really. That’s not a Mary Sue, that’s just afairly flat character. And really, you can make the same argumentabout everyone in Class 77: they’re side characters in a storythat should be about them. And even when theytalk about how great she is, not everything revolves around Chiaki.Hell, she’s not even around in a few episodes of despair side andthere’s plenty of moments when nobody talks about her.

//That’s one of the things that bugs me when people complainabout DR3. Hajime didn’t choose to become Izurujust to impress Chiaki, she was a small part of his ever-growinglist of insecurities. She didn’t solve every single issue inClass 77, she didn’t stop Junko, she couldn’t save anyone, andmost critically, she actually did kinda assist ingetting everyone to fall into despair by encouraging themto save Chisa. That lead them right into that trap.

//Human Chiaki isn’t a Mary Sue, she’s a nice girl leader typesadly suffering from a serious case of underdevelopment  Andit’s disappointing that people jump to “mary sue”to explain why, when really the issue is that she wasn’t givenmuch to do along with everyone else. DR3 Despair Sidereally revolves around Chisa, Ryota, and Junko.

//I actually liked Chisa, so I don’t have too many complaintsabout her other than disappointment in how her character arc ended.

//Ryota bugs me because he was created just to be the explanationfor how all this happened and they pour on all this angst and sadnessto make you feel for him when we literally didn’t know him untilthis anime existed. And honestly, if the anime didn’t spend somuch time trying to make us feel bad for him and dropped the stupidbrainwashing, I’d probably be more sympathetic. I at least applaudthem for going with him actually creating the brainwashing anime andit was completely his own fault.

//And that brings me to Junko. She’s really the closest to a Suein this situation, and frankly a lot of DR. It always has to comeback around to her, her schemes, her plans, her boredom, hermanipulation, her pulling the strings in some way, shape, or form.And DR3 really is the worst example of it, where she gets awaywith her plans completely unimpeded. Yet was too lazy to actually doanything, so went with “lol brainwashing.”

//The fact that the DR fandom has “It was really Junko allalong” and that they actually reference that fact in V3 is proofthat this franchise has a serious issue with revolving the situationaround a character that...frankly bores and annoys the hell out ofme.

//Junko just isn’t an interesting enough character in my opinionto hold this status as total and complete mastermind of everything.Not even in SDR2, which I actually really liked. It’shonestly everything that happens around her and because of herthat I find far more interesting. She sets into motion so much coolstuff and it’s really the people motivated to these things by heractions that make DR interesting.

//She’s supposed to be this profoundly intelligent manipulativemastermind, and I applaud Kodaka for not giving her a backstory asan excuse, but let me ask this: do we ever actually see heruse any manipulation techniques? Do we see her successfully turn orconvince anyone on screen? Do we see her successfully playing puppetmaster? Not really.

//The most we get are people saying she did or it happeninglargely off-screen. And what she does on screen in DR3 is just usingsomeone else’s creations and skills to achieve her own goals.Beyond that, most of what we get is her rambling about despair overand over to the point that it stops sounding like a word. Herattempts at manipulation always felt hollow to me, and maybe it’sbecause I’ve heard a ton of villain speeches before, but I wascompletely unphazed by all of her pseudophilosophical ramblings.

//That’s not just a dig at her. Characters that only everwhine about how life is boring, without meaning, imperfect, too hard,or whatever always annoy me. And especially when their logic forwhat they’re doing boils down to petty childishness andself-centered entitlement. I could write an essay about how muchI despise Adachi from Person 4 and completely fail to get why so manypeople love him, but that’d be getting off topic.

//Point is, based on the definition I provided, Junko is far moreof a Mary Sue than Chiaki is and the issues with DR3 go beyondcharacterization and extend more to having too little time towork with everything they have and devoting it to thewrong elements.  DR3 feels like a fist draft that was madeinto a final product.

//And also, that’s not me saying you shouldn’t like Junko. Ifyou like her and think she’s a compelling villain, go for it. Morepower to you. I’m not one to tell you which characters you can andcan’t like, I’m just explaining my opinion.

//I’d also prefer if people stop tossing around “marysue” like it’s a shortcut to criticism without analyzing what itactually means. It’s less of a character problem and more of anoverall writing problem. Your story should not be an eventhorizon bent around the singularity of a single character.

[bendywackyadventures]

Warm and Cozy Chap.5

Hey everyone how are you hanging in there with what's going on in the world? If you must know I'm doing a bit better, after a few breakdowns, panic attacks and stress I got a new chapter for you all! I'm still not 100% better more like 90%, but I'm hanging in there. Hopefully during this time I can get some stories out for you all new and updated chapters so you all can have something to read during this time.

However, with the release of Animal Crossing New Horizon's I might be delayed with stories again. I hope you enjoy this story and stay safe!

@queenofcats17 

Today was a big day for Charlie. Their entire class was putting on a play of fairy tales for their friends and family. Each of the classes had a fairy tale to put on, and Charlie’s class was doing Jack and the Beanstalk. The best part about it is everyone has a part in the play, whether it be acting, painting sets, or both.

Though, while Charlie was excited they were a bit nervous. They never did acting in their life before, not even after being adopted by an actress, Susie Campbell who voices Alice Angel in the Bendy cartoons. Charlie never asked their mom acting tips or anything about acting. Luckily, no one except for Charlie’s friends know their parents work for Joey Drew Studios.

Charlie sighed. “I’m so nervous, this is my first play ever!” They complained to their friend, Patty.

Patty laughed patting her friend in the back. “Don’t worry Charlie. You're going to be fine. No matter what role we get.” 

Charlie chuckled, Patty always gave them pep talks when they felt nervous. Soon the two friends looked up to see their teacher with a paper in his hand. “Alright class, I got the roles for the play.” He announced. He went through the list of characters in the play as well as who they’ll be played by in the class. Charlie sat in their seat nervously as the class was being called one by one on who they would play. Even Patty got a role in the play, playing the harp. “And Jack is going to be played by none other than...Charlie Lawrence.”

Charlie almost fell out of their seat hearing their name called. They straightened themselves up still in shock from hearing their name called. “I’m the main lead? W-why?” Charlie asked. “I’m just asking.” They added.

“Well the class decided you’d make the best Jack,” The teacher explained. 

Charlie almost wanted to cry, their classmates made them the role of Jack. Before Charlie could shed any tears they wiped them away and smiled at their class. “Thanks everyone.” They said.

Patty smiled. “No problem Charlie. You're going to do great!” 

“We’re counting on you!” Another classmate shouted. Charlie smiled as the class cheered them on to do well in their first play ever. 

On their way from school to Joey Drew Studios Charlie was reading the script in hand. They were nervous, but if their parents can remember lines from storybooks they could memorize lines from a play. 

Sammy Lawrence was finishing the music for the next Bendy episode when he heard the door open and saw it was Charlie looking at a paper. “Hey Charlie how was school?” He asked.

“It was good. Guess what?”

Sammy chuckled. “What?”

“My school is doing a play of Jack and the Beanstalk and I got the role of Jack!” Charlie exclaimed.

Sammy smiled and hugged their kid tight. “Congratulations Charlie! I’m so proud of you!” Sammy beamed as he spun around with their kid in happiness. Soon Sammy stopped realizing that Charlie is the star and had to wonder one thing. “Wait your mother doesn’t know about this yet.” He gulped.

Charlie shook their head,“No, but I want to tell her. She might have some advice for me.” They explained.

Sammy chuckled. “Your mom is the best at this acting stuff, but she’s not here right now.”

“Where is she?” Charlie asked.

“With Allison going dress shopping for Allison’s date with Thomas tonight.” Sammy explained knowing the whereabouts of Charlie’s mom. Charlie smiled and for the rest of the day Charlie read their script and said their lines. 

When Susie and Allison came back from shopping, Sammy was cleaning his office and Charlie was asleep. “Hey Sammy.” Susie sang as she gave her husband a hug. Sammy chuckled and hugged his wife back. “How was Charlie’s day at school?” 

“You would not believe it Susie, but our little angel got their first role in a play.” Sammy whispered. Susie smiled wide and was ready to squeal, but had to hold on to it not to wake Charlie. She leaned over to her child and shook them gently as it was time to get dinner and head home.

“Charlie. Wake up. We have to go.” Susie whispered.

Charlie slowly opened their eyes and looked to see their mother smiling at them. Charlie smiled back and hugged their mom. “Mom guess what?” They asked, still tired as they just woke up.

Susie smiled. “Your father told me you're going to be in a play.” 

Charlie nodded. “But did he tell you I got the lead role?” They added.

Susie covered her mouth in shock. She gave a squeal and hugged Charlie tight. “Oh congratulations my angel!” She beamed. Charlie smiled, hugging their mother back. “So what’s the play?” She asked. Charlie handed their mother the script and Susie smiled seeing it was Jack and the Beanstalk. Charlie even mentioned they got the role of Jack, which gave Susie lots more reasons to be happy for their kid.

They left the studio and Susie celebrated, by taking Sammy and Charlie out to a huge dinner as well as getting some ice cream. When they got home, Charlie was in bed in their pajamas as they read their script a bit more. Charlie heard a knock on the door, and shouted, “Come in!”

Susie opened her child’s door and smiled. “How’s my little actor doing?”  She asked.

“Good. Just reading my script.” Charlie replied. Susie came in and sat on her child’s bed. 

“How are you reading?” Susie asked.

Charlie sighed. “Mom, do you think you can give me acting advice?” They asked.

Susie smiled putting a hand to her heart. “Of course.” She said. “Okay first off with the script, don’t read it like a book, read your lines and say it.” She explained. Charlie nodded. “Also to add, highlight your parts, so you're Jack and you outline Jack’s lines to read.”

Charlie nodded. “Thanks mom.” Susie smiled as she reviewed the script with her child giving them advice and how they should make their character sound. Charlie enjoyed hearing the tips on how to act from their mother. It gave Charlie the confidence they needed for the show in a few months.

During these few months Susie helped Charlie with more acting tips as well as make the costumes for them and the rest of the cast of the play. The hardest part of this practice was doing the lines without the script as Charlie stuttered their parts.

“I need my script again.” They sighed. Susie smiled and handed Charlie their script. Charlie skimmed through it before handing the script back to their mom and tried again.

Few months had passed and the play was about to start. Susie and Sammy got some seats alongside Wally, Jack, Buddy, Dot and Allison along with them. Sammy turned to his wife and said, “Susie, did you have to invite most of the studio?” He asked.

Susie chuckled. “I didn’t invite everyone just those closest to Charlie.” She replied. Sammy rolled his eyes and waited for the play to start. 

Charlie was reviewing all their lines before the show started, and was nervous. Patty came out dressed in her harp costume and saw her friend looking nervous. “Charlie are you alright?” Patty asked.

Charlie turned to their friend. “I am, just a little stage fright.” They whimpered. Patty gave a sympathetic smile and put her hand on Charlie’s shoulder. 

“You're going to do great. Your mom did so much for us these past few months and you did so well in rehearsals.” Patty explained. “You’ll be fine.”

Charlie smiled and hugged her friend. Patty was surprised with the hug and returned the hug. “Thanks Patty.” 

The two let go of the hug and smiled at one another. Patty gave Charlie a gentle punch in the arm. “Now go out there and be the star!” She beamed. Charlie smiled and took their place ready to start the play.

[kristianhrabkolma11]

Audition process

For this this musically really wants to share my versatility as a musical theatre practitioner.

Previously I have played a variety of characters raging from Miss Trunchbull in Matilda, Ursula the sea witch in Disney then we have Fred casely from Chicago leading up to our last performance of Kinky Boots where I was in the ensemble as an Angele, one of Lola's backup drag queens.

So this time I wanted to change it up a bit, I wanted to show my masculine side of portrayal in characters.

In our current musical Heather's there are several male roles that I can go for however one of them stood out the most which is Jason Dean or better known throughout the show as J.D.

Looking into this character was very interesting, he is one of the most peculiar characters of the show, if we were to have it in the reality TV setting he would be classed as the villain.

"But for villains, you need two extra ingredients: delusions of grandeur and susceptibility to producers’ persuasion."

Callenberger, J. (2016) How to Create a Reality-TV Villain [online].

JD is one of the main characters he's troublesome individual who's mature for his age of 17. He lives with his father who is blowing up buildings as a job we can look at this as a danger exposure of JD's mind. When you look at demolition as an action it is to tear down and to destroy. He doesn't have a great relationship with his dad which only reflects on how his mind made an association to his father's job.

However there is a stronger underlining reason.

When Jason was young his mother was still alive who obviously loved and cared for him, cherish them just like any mother would until the accident happened, I'm calling in an accident however his mum must have been an activist of some sort or she really disagrees with her husband job decision, as she was willingly to entered a building which was about to be demolished by her husband.

JD was present to witness this situation father must have felt very strongly about his job if he left this happened. On the page 91 of our scripts we can see J.D.'s retelling of the events to Veronica. J.D. " My dad said it was an accident. But she knew what she was doing. She walked into the building 2 minutes before dad blew it up. She why she waved at me out the window, and then.... kaboom. She left me."

When this kind of event that take place in ones life it can be classed as a traumatic experience, it only contributes the J.D.'s mental health issues and personality development .

Going forward into the audition process I was really nervous I didn't know what to expect as I've never really played 'straight' character but I really wanted to show my versatility . I knew that I have this charismatic personality of my own and it got me so far where I am right now however I really wanted to push myself and to see where it can get me. Moving forwards I was up against one of my close friends called Jamie who has mastered the ability of being charismatic in character and really portraying the mental side of Jason Dean, I was really pleased to see how he portrays his character but I was more concerned about myself of producing a really strong and solid performance.

Drawing from my own personal experience of being with sociopaths in the past, I really wanted to showcase this strong, evil but charismatic character, through his facial and body expressions . His intention however were a bit unclear to me, until the announcement of our show I wasn't really familiar with the characters at all, I knew of the show and seen few exerts so it was a bit challenging for me to know what the panel wanted to see. This was one of my disadvantages however I have felt really confident in delivering even though I've messed up a bit , after all that's what matters most to deliver strong and wrong rather than not at all.

Going up against all of my competitors who were rightfully strong and talented just as I was, it was a pleasure seeing somebody else getting this role as they are deserving of it.

One of the greatest things that came out of this audition was my tutor explaining to me how I wasn't suitable to play this role, which was a bit disappointing however knowing this now only allows me to broaden my horizon for character choices and my delivery techniques .

As I mentioned previously of one of my roles who I played was a drag character, well I have been soing drag for so many years now it only makes sense that I embody the characterisation of those characters and it disables me to portray a different one, this is my challenge to disconnect myself fully from characters to be able to switch to another.

What was really interesting in my audition process was when we had our call back date the next day and my tutor asked me to go for Heather Chandler, I was pleased as I could portray bitch- like character, after all that's was drag is about, embracing that strong version of us that we all possess.

I was going up against few of my other classmates who are so talented and so fit for the role, however my character was on point with having to run to a shop at night buying all the costumes necessary to create this character overnight I was really pleased with my final presentation. However ultimately the role needs to be fair to our entire cast and we need to look at the entire cast from all sides to see how it will fit and work together therefore the character wasn't given to me yet it was given to my other classmate who rightfully so embodies that physical look of a Heather. If I was playing the role of Heather Chandler it wouldn't be as visual pleasing due my own height and manley stature it wouldn't be crowd-pleasing to see a tall 6-ft 4 individual next to two woman statures. However if I were to be casted, it would change the whole dynamic of casting which would only innovate the system and break down bares.