#pretty sure they only met recently BUT I DIGRESS

[chubphoe-linkclick]

Theory that Li Tianchen and Liu Min were actually unironically friends

it's the fact that they both aimlessly hate the general population with little regard for human life

[bloobydabloob]

Holy shit I love your Dirk interpretations, it's so true and I could talk about this shit forever. I feel like another part of his character that people seem to forget (along with Roxy for some reason) is that he's from the future in solitude in an apocalyptic wasteland. I just see that part of his character always removed which is disappointing because I feel like that's a pretty big part, especially regarding his themes around technology, his brother's theme of Time, his own isolation, and how he plays in the vastness of the universe and spacetime.

Art I drew related to the subject because I like to respond to asks with art.

But absolutely. I certainly understand where the lack of discussion over his isolation + upbringing comes from, considering a majority of the fanbase that I have seen builds their ideas based on their own version of postcanon. I’m not entirely sure how that would be fixed, but certainly even in the somewhat recent past I would see a lot more content regarding his upbringing both literally and symbolically. I don’t have much to add regarding the things you’ve mentioned, because they just are what they are. Dirk being confined to a singular room left to him by a father figure he never met, in a future where the only other person left on the planet is someone he cannot pursue a relationship of because of himself, with purely 3 robots to keep him companion, one being an exact replica of his own brain who is *also* trapped inside a pair of glasses, is about as literal as it gets to me.

The contrast to me involving the flooded, organic world in comparison to the little speckle of Dirk’s apartment packed with the dude and his technics is not only a representation of his isolation and entrapment within himself, but also of his lack of control. I think his obsession with & themes of control are a direct product in the case of Dirk specifically *of* this kind of upbringing. His themes of technology are also related to his themes around control. So much of his character is actually revolved around this to me like so much. Dirk is so deeply disconnected from humanity in every way and so much of his character + symbolism is based around that.

It doesn’t even have to be about the symbolism or anything though. It’s just pretty *interesting* in the literal sense that he lives in the middle of the ocean in the future. There’s not only a lot to theorise on to do with his young life there, but on how it might affect him in the way he acts for the rest of his life. The latter part is probably what I see mentioned the most by people talking about Dirk regarding this, I’m surprised I don’t see more discussion on the former too though. I really ought to actually talk more about Homestuck stuff on here. I will do it myself.

Roxy & Dirk’s relationship is largely ignored though because there is a narrative a certain demographic spreads that Dirk resented and blamed Roxy for her interest in him, and thus too many people believe that their relationship was or would continue to be an abusive one. Realistically, I believe it’s important to acknowledge that the way Roxy treated Dirk regarding his homosexuality wasn’t right while still acknowledging the obvious amount of respect and admiration Dirk had for Roxy. I mean we have a huge piece of dialogue from their post trickster mode conversations on the quest beds from Dirk purely stating how he feels about Roxy that people completely ignore somehow. I think this usually happens to characters that are women though. I know everyone says it, but it is true. Jane gets the exact same treatment of boiling her down to solely her negative aspects. The things I see completely mischaracterising both of them are horrific.

I mean how much more explicit can it get that their relationship is obviously very important to Dirk? But I digress. I think the best or I should say “most interesting” interpretations of their relationship usually come from DirkRoxy shippers actually.

I would be interested to hear about Dirk’s relation to his brother’s theme of time though. I don’t have any thoughts on this and I don’t recall ever hearing anyone talk about it before. If you or anyone else would be willing to enlighten me I’d be thrilled.

[felicitywilds]

The Magiciatron

A couple of posts came across my dash recently in quick succession about Crowley and Aziraphale’s costuming, and boy howdy did they get me Thinking™. The details of those posts are not super relevant, but they did inspire this one and were quite insightful, so I’d recommend giving them a read anyway, as well as the several other posts I have linked throughout where ideas were taken. Please do give those a read/reblog as well!

And then take a look at this post I saw:

“You’re not trying to trick me, are you?”

Now kindly consider the fact that Crowley is beside Muriel’s left shoulder (like an angel) and the Metatron is on Aziraphale’s right (like a demon). And notice, like I did, that the lapels on his coat are some of the lowest we’ve seen. Which, for an angel-who-isn’t-Aziraphale, and you know, the literal fucking voice of God, is pretty fucking weird. But I digress.

Because what’s important here is that you’re reminded, like I was, how weird it is that the Metatron is wearing so much black.

Surely the most important angel we’ve ever met-- who up to this point, has only ever been depicted as a brilliantly glowing white head, and is (stage blocking-wise, literally) above inhabiting the typical corporations that other angels have, even while in heaven-- surely he would be sporting the cleanest, purest, whitest clothes imaginable, right?

But... he isn’t. He’s not wearing grey or beige like any of the other angels, or even white like Muriel’s constable uniform, he’s wearing black. That’s weird! Angels don’t wear black! Oh... well except when they’re magicians, of course:

(X, X)

But even in his magician costumes, Aziraphale retains many elements of his angelic nature: the upward-pointed lapels; the white cuffs poking out of his sleeves; the floppy bow ties; the single-button or open jacket revealing the soft gold and velvet vests. This is merely a flashy costume! Don’t worry folks, he’s still the same, good old angel underneath!

The Metatron, on the other hand, does not have any of these angelic indicators. Underneath his magician’s coat-- which is big and loose, falls closed in front of him in a way that obscures his suit, and has extremely downward-pointing lapels-- he wears a dark tie, and a very normal-looking, white, pinstripe shirt. No angelic tartan to be seen, either. It’s a very understated, business-minded look compared to Aziraphale’s flashy stage getups. Also worth noting imo is that in many scenes, the Metatron has his hands in his pockets, which obscures his form even more.

Now this might be indicative of something more, some larger scheme we haven’t deduced yet, but by itself it’s a brilliant move by the costuming department, adding yet another perfectly conniving layer to the Metatron’s manipulations:

Dress him in the magician’s coat and send him on stage, where his tricks are hidden in plain sight...

Engage the audience to participate in a dramatic reveal...

Reassure his volunteer that his props are completely normal by offering them up for inspection...

Have the assistant do all the flashy presentation for him...

So that while the audience is distracted, they fail to notice...

... that a swap has been made...

And then the curtain falls. Show over. Audience fooled. Job well done.

The End.

[inkybloom-luv]

Words Unsaid 4, housing arrangements suck

♪~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♪

Hello hello everyone who's been reading this series!! Part 4 is here! I hope you enjoy the series as much as I do!

Characters may be a bit ooc in this but this also includes some personal headcanons about Kalim and some stuff that'll be resolved in the next chapters

Some more spoilers from ch.4 so be aware

Again, can be read as x reader but I have been mentioning my prefect's name more in this chapter so be aware of that.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

Tw: injuries, absolutely abysmal and disgusting living situation, Crowley being a bad headmage

1.6+k words

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Have I ever told you your hair looked pretty the way you wear it? The way you tie that beaten up black bandana around your dark hair that only barely differs in colour enough to differentiate? The blue in it makes it easier perhaps, but it's a recent change, from what I'd seen. Has the headmage decided to pay for a visit to the local hairdresser? I can't help but think you look nice, though your messy hair from before had its charm.

I digress. Your hair is not why I'm writing this, though I could go on about yours. I wanted to apologize to you. I want you to know that I regret nothing more than treating you the way I did. I took advantage of the way it seemed you could look only me in the eyes when speaking to someone. I betrayed Kalim. But that didn't hurt me as much as it did to betray you.

I found one of them, your letters. I wonder how many more there are. I wonder if any of them describe how much I'd hurt you. When I read it my heart ached and cracked and broke. It bled. I wish I'd known sooner. I wish I'd known about the incident with Azul. I wish I hadn't turned your dream, your desert mirage into a walking nightmare.

No, that wouldn't do. It didn't feel right. It felt.. Jamil didn't know what it felt like. He crumpled this paper too, throwing it way towards a trash can. He'd set up in his room, ducking away from prying eyes. But no matter how many papers he wrote, nothing felt right, felt good. It just wouldn't compare to the words she'd written about him. For once in his life he was at a loss. He had no plan, he didn't know what to do.

To make matters worse a knock sounded. Kalim. He was asking for tea once Jamil was free, but really, Jamil needed a break. He sighed a frustrated sigh and opened the door. He told Kalim he'd make him the tea, not noticing he'd kicked a ball of paper into the hallway. The most recent letter he'd thrown away. Kalim noticed it only after Jamil had left it. Picked it up and read it too. Kalim was a lot of things, though he acted carefree, dense and yes, kind of stupid, he was observant. He knew people. He knew Jamil. And he knew who this letter was addressed to. Even if it has been weeks since then, almost a month even. Sure, Jamil had thrown this letter out, but it was something Jamil had been doing for those weeks. Shutting himself in his room for at least an hour and especially at night the light from there would keep burning. And Kalim had had enough. He decided to help.

And that he did. He took the letter and headed straight for Ramshackle. It was pouring rain on campus. Ramshackle wasn't much better, seeing as it was an old building. Heck, he'd met the prefect a while back and they looked exhausted and slightly injured.

Kalim knew the dorm needed renovations but.. when he got there it was worse than he expected. Sure some areas were fixed up but the stairs had holes and the roof leaked, judging by the bowls and buckets all over the floor. The old couch was a bit uncomfortable but it was better than the creaky floor. It was cold too, so much so that the prefect wore a jacket. But with a broken window, courtesy of some Savanaclaw students who had been ostracized and punished well enough by Leona according to the prefect, everyone would be cold. The prefect wrapped a blanket around kalim, seemingly the only nice one. The one from their room which they'd struggled to move down the stairs that were obviously breaking more and more under anyone's step, no matter how light.

The prefect, or, as he knew her better, Inky, had gotten injured fighting Jamil. A bandage around their arm indicated that. Their shirt had a sleeve lifted to accommodate. One of the snakes in Jamil's hair had bitten her there, ripping out a bit of skin. But that was the only injury she'd really gotten. The other bandages and bandaids were from the poor condition of their living quarters. She twisted her ankle going up stairs as one of the boards gave way, the floorboards made her trip and bruise, the large shards of the broken window had cut her hands. And still Crowley was running this girl dry. He'd talk to Crowley afterwards. He finished drying his hair off with one of the few nice towels the prefect did have. he'd gotten it before the blanket.

No more time should be wasted. He spoke. "Jamil is upset. Stressed. He shuts himself in his room for an hour at least almost every day. His light burns into the night. I wanted to know what he's doing. I found this in the hallway and it's.. addressed to you as far as I know. I don't think he wanted you to see this. But if he keeps this up he'll never say what he wants." Kalim was worried. More than. The prefect skimmed the letter. She sighed, her lips pressing together. She should tell Kalim.. and she did. Because her letters couldn't stay hidden anymore. Jamil mentioned them in his writing.

"I write letters to Jamil about my encounters or thoughts of him. I didn't think he knew. But I must've dropped the one I was writing at the time in Scarabia.", she explained, her gaze pointed at the letter in her hands, tears welling up in her eyes now as she continued, her voice breaking as she spoke as steady as she could,

"I miss him. I thought he hated me. I'm.. I'm not good at reading people. I can't look people in the eyes but it was so easy with him. I'm scared to try again. But- But I want to. I've just been.. far too busy. The storm that's been plaguing the island has been causing trouble. The other students have been causing trouble. Everything is loud all the time and I can't take it..! I want to see Jamil. But I can't. I have too much to do. This dorm is falling apart. Someone needs to fix it and Crowley sure as hell isn't doing it. I can't leave here right now."

Kalim nodded his white haired head. He sighed. This was harder than he thought. So Jamil wants to apologize but cannot bring himself to do it in person in fear of Inky being.. scared of him. And Inky.. is way too busy to do much of anything and the storm outside is destroying the old dorm she lives in. No wonder she's hardly been seen, she's constantly repairing her home here. And she could barely keep up much of anything. Everything costs way too much for the little amount of money she gets.

That was an hour ago. Kalim was sitting in the common room, drying off and being oddly quiet. He was thinking. He should.. oh.. he doesn't know what he should do. He should tell Jamil though. Tell Jamil the prefect wants to see him again, but is struggling to make time for anything. When he passed Kalim, the latter called out to him.

"Jamil..! I visited Inky..! Apparently she's really busy.. and she looked hurt all over! I'm worried about her..!" He said in a slightly overdramatic tone. Jamil's face held a look of concern, genuine worry even for only a split second.

"What's happened to the prefect? Why were you visiting her in this storm anyway?", the long haired desert dweller asked.

"Well..! We haven't heard from her at all and I got worried..! You won't believe the condition she's living in, it's terrible Jamil..! She's freezing because of broken windows and the creaky floor is made of tripping hazards..! She almost fell so many times..! And the stairs too, they're so old they have holes and they almost break when anything with any weight lands on it..! The roof is leaking too! It's terrible Jamil!" Kalim had to take a short breather after that. There was no way he could keep talking out of breath. Even all that was enough to send dread to the pit of Jamil's stomach. Was it really that terrible in ramshackle?

"Their roof is leaking too! They can barely keep up with replacing the buckets and bowls and her ankle twisted funny the other day..! She looked so tired.. I want to cheer her up.. but I don't know what to do..! Even I can tell how unsafe it is in there..!"

Now that had Jamil actually shocked. The prefect had been living in that the whole time? How could anyone even- he couldn't believe it. His mouth spoke before his head could react. "Put her up in Scarabia. Get her to stay here-"

And that was what Kalim was hoping for. He may not be good in school or anything like that and rely on Jamil a lot. But. He could think for himself. He could make his own plan. And he did. And it worked.

"You know what Jamil? That's a great idea! I should have my parents donate some money to renovate Ramshackle.. can you tell the principal to tell the prefect?"

Who would've thought Kalim would manipulate someone, and so well too. Not that it was big. But it went very well. Jamil didn't protest. He left. He went to go see the headmage to tell him what happened. What would happen. And while he did that Kalim called his parents. He told them the same thing. Told them about the living condition of the prefect. Ramshackle would most definitely get renovated, even if it would take quite some time. Funds were no issue after all.

♪~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♪

@leonistic

@cy-inky

@azulashengrottospiano

@dove-da-birb

@krenenbaker

If anyone else wants to be tagged, send me an ask!

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

Okay I have more crossover thoughts, except this time the crossover involves my original story, "The SOS Chronicles".

Not exactly sure what triggered it but I've been thinking about Avatar the Last Airbender a lot again recently, specifically my boy Zuko. And as I was mulling things over it occurred to me how funny it would be if the Avatar Gaang met my OC's, Oliver, Silas, Silvie and Cassie.

Part of what would make this so funny is because, y'know, everyone in the Avatar world is pretty prejudiced against firebenders after their nation tried to take over the world. But the SOS kiddos would love firebenders because in their minds that's one of the most useful abilities to have like, ever. Because they're coming at it from the perspective of being slaves/alone at a very young age. So the ability to just, manifest fire whenever you want? SUPER useful. You can use fire to purify water, cook food, and stay warm. Not to mention as a defense against hostile people/animals. (In case you're curious, their pyramid of element usefulness goes: firebending because of the above, waterbending because having fresh/clean water for drinking, cooking, washing is very useful. Then earthbending because you can use it to make shelters and chuck rocks at people. And then airbending, which they have a hard time coming up with practical uses for, but they acknowledge that it's still very important because they immediately understand that it represents freedom. They can't see much of a use for lightning bending tho (except Cassie, their little inventor/engineer who loves that idea), the idea of bloodbending terrifies them (tho Silvie says it'd be very useful for subduing enemies), but METALBENDING, now dang the three kids who used to work in a mine extracting spaceship fuel? Oh yeah, they can see the uses of that immediately. Silvie brings up how useful it would be for escaping from the Enforcers since their prisons are mostly metal. Oliver- when he has Almitak's power- can basically already energybend so that'd be a fun conversation for him and Aang to have. But I digress.)

So anyway, I'm just imagining the kids meet the Gaang and within ten minutes they're just hovering nonstop around Zuko, which freaks him out a little bit, and when he asks what they're doing their only response is, "You're warm." and now he has to deal with them following him around... or climbing him, in Silvie's case. Baby Aguithans just climb the tallest nice person they can find by default. (Silvie is NOT put off by his temper. She yells right back at him. He's not hurting her and baby has been treated so much worse by so many people it doesn't even phase her. The other three kids will drift away until they're done yelling.)

The best way to get at least Oliver to leave Zuko alone, they find out, is by Aang showing how he flies with airbending. Because as soon as he soars into the air, Oliver starts bouncing with excitement and squeaks, "I can do that too!" and shoots into the sky but. with no glider or visible airbending. Almitak is just sighing in resignation but also a deep fondness. Aang is very surprised but delighted to have a flying buddy.

Cassie would LOVE to talk about inventions and things with Sokka. The little bean would take one look at an airship and demand to know exactly how it works. She'd also love Toph just in general, she's got a similar sort of personality, but she's more go-with-the-flow after having been a slave for most of her life. She'd have Toph throwing rocks at her and be trying to hit them with a wrench like a very dangerous game of baseball until Silas yelled at them to stop.

Silas would like either Katara or Sokka most depending on who was being the parent of the group at that moment. Because Silas, as the oldest of his group, is the de-facto parent. He'd be THRILLED to talk about navigating by the stars with them tho (Sokka at least would have to know this since Water Tribe).

Almitak is glad the kiddos are having fun but not really enjoying himself until somebody in the Gaang brings up spirits/dragons and then suddenly he's manifesting his ghostly self like "did somebody say dragon spirit?" and half the Gaang is panicking, Aang is just excited, Toph is the most unnerved she's ever been because there is no way to sense this creature. Almitak feels bad about that and apologizes and is also forced to explain his existence.

At some point Aang and Oliver talk about how they both have No Killing rules and don't really want to hurt anyone and lament the positions they've been put into and it's really good for both of them to be able to admit that to someone in a similar situation who agrees with them. They're besties after like ten minutes.

At the end of the day all the SOS kiddos creep over to snuggle with Zuko because warm. He grumbles about it, but secretly he's kind of pleased and amused that these kids like him so much. The Gaang is extremely amused and Almitak is trying not to laugh and directing them to the futuristic equivalent to a camera in one of the kid's pockets so they can take a picture and savor this memory forever. Zuko is unaware of this until later. The SOS kiddos are DELIGHTED.

Anyway, those are just some fun thoughts I've been ruminating on recently. I have some more I might type up later but this is already long so. Hope it was a fun read!

[fareasterncurlew]

My predictions for Komi's final 18 friends before 100. I feel we probably have already met all of them so far, so here who I think they'll be.

I don't think I have any wild predictions, but I'm posting this so I can see how wrong I was when the series eventually reaches it's conclusion.

Also, I started writing this before ch. 441 dropped, but the newest chapter has only made me more certain about my first guesses, which brings us to...

83: Maruko Tadano

Considering the current arc, this one seems pretty likely. We still don't know if she's related to Tadano (though I assume she is), maybe we'll learn next chapter when they inevitably become friends. That is, if the next chapter is about them at the family restaurant along with the next four...

84: Setsuko Hatohori (Egypt); 85: Sakura Sankoichi; 86: Tsubaki Sankoichi; 87: Ajisai Sankoichi

My theory is that Komi will befriend all the applicants from ch. 437 and we will continue to see them throughout the application process. I'm now even more sure of this after the recent ch. 441 and hopefully we see them again next chapter.

88: Nokoko Inaka

It's bound to happen at some point, I feel it will happen soon after the current arc but that's just a guess. I believe she's one of the most likely on this list to become Komi's friend, though maybe she'll sign her name a little later on.

Inaka has been around since being in Komi's first-year class, similar to my next entry...

89: Toshio Seikimatsu; 90: Hana Soboku

Seikimatsu has been around since the start of the manga and was the catalyst for Tadano starting conversation with Komi, that alone should be enough for him to be Komi's eventual friend. I hope he gets to take his girlfriend on a double date with Komi and Tadano like he wants, solidifying both as Komi's friends. They also both were with Komi, Tadano, and Kawai's group in ch. 403 & 402, and Soboku and Komi greeted each other in ch. 430.

91: Lily Sukida

Another character who has been around for a while. Sukida has popped up a lot so I assume Oda is planning on doing something with her character. Given that she currently doesn't approve of Komi's relationship with Tadano, I assume that will have to be resolved before they become friends.

I wonder if Sukida would have reacted differently in ch. 423 if Komi had questioned her with Rumiko instead of Tadano (she was okay with Tadano pretend dating Rumiko in ch. 433, why not herself?) but I digress, seeing Miss Tadano / Tadano in the girls' uniform again was nice too and perhaps will be part of how they'll later become friends.

92: Goro Suteno; 93: Hajime Gokudo; 94: Yae Hamaki; 95: Makina Kusari

These four have been in the story since the start of second year and have had an ongoing plotline focused on Katai.

My prediction is that upon realising Katai isn't Komi they'll assume Komi is some sort of delinquent mastermind controlling Katai from the shadows, or something silly like that, and choose to "work for her" (sign her book).

They're not the most talked about when considering possible friends, but I think they have a reasonable chance considering their current thing is, while being a misunderstanding, focused around "Komi." Speaking of characters I don't see often being brought up in these discussions...

96: Miwa Omojiri

A little outside Komi's normal friendship age range, but she recently befriended Michita so we know Komi doesn't exclude older friends. She's been around awhile, I think she could make a good friend if she had another chapter or two.

She's also the only character (besides Shiina) yet to become a friend who has their name in ch. 416.

Also in ch. 416, in the background, you can see Inaka as well as the next entry...

97: Komorebi Hiki; 98: Susumi Shujo; 99: Aoi Netsuno

Hiki and Susumi will undoubtably be a friend after ch. 436's last page. I presume Aoi will join them later and also become Komi's friend.

Considering how Oda likes to number the friends I think the order of these three will go "Hiki, Susumi, Aoi;" this is part of the reason why I don't think Hiki will be friend 100. Which leads us to...

100: Muzuka Shiina

Who didn't see this one coming? I know other people also suspect Shiina will be friend 100, and I agree. I wonder what's holding Shiina back from considering Komi a friend, hopefully we'll see when she inevitably becomes one.

This is all the friends up to 100. If this is where the manga chooses to finish this is how I think the list will go. However, I have another theory...

101: Yo Fuki; 102: Teruyoshi Jimochi; 103: Maheto Haheto; 104: Luna Neguse; 105: Fukuyoka Muchi; 106: Kanchi Gai; 107: Yakugaku Komata; 108: Hamaru Tsubo; 109: Shota Kori; 110: Takaomo Fuechi; 111: Kaoru Fukitsu; 112: Marin Saotome

Yep, I think all the other class 3-1 students will be Komi's friend as well. My theory is that upon almost reaching her goal, Komi will become closer with her classmates and want to become friends with all of them, but can't because of her arbitrary goal. Perhaps Shiina will make her realise that making 100 be the limit is silly and prompt her to become friends with the rest similar to ch. 323.

There are some other characters that could be candidates if Komi made more than 100 friends, but this post is getting long already.

Anyway, that's my silly little theory on who the last Komi friends will be. Hope you enjoyed reading :).

Most of these are pretty safe bets. I wonder what differences other peoples lists have to mine.

[wackybuddiemewbs]

Some random thoughts about Marisol's reappearance I gotta put somewhere...

Disclaimer: This is no coherent analysis of any sort, but just something I have to note down in some way. And as per usual, I'm making my rambling everyone's problem.

Like, the big question for me:

What is Marisol's reappearance in Eddie's life meant to achieve on a narrative level?

At first glance, it seems rather random to bring back this woman they helped on a call (and helped fix the house in a not at all heterosexual way, but I digress....). Like, why would you bring back yet another woman fitting a very particular pattern in this part of Eddie's story arc? After all, guy's been thriving ever since he went to therapy, and just recently told Buck that he should not date people he's met on calls.

Now, is this just a simple case of "karma's a bitch" or foreshadowing that this is exactly what Eddie will be doing himself?

Might be, might not be.

But if it's not just a typical "gotcha" moment, if this is really meant to further Eddie's storyline this season, then what is the upshot?

Those are the reasons that currently come to my mind (and it's probably none of them, but here I go anyway). For the sake of the argument (if there is), let's play devil's advocate as a Buddie shipper first and propose this:

Marisol's supposed to be Eddie's endgame

Possible, but highly unlikely IMO. I find it very hard to believe that they'd potentially follow a very similar pattern with how Eddie met essentially all the women he's dated since Shannon's death, only for this to be the one. Sure, he's had some "animosities" about Ana before, until he met her again on a call and then warmed up to the idea of dating her. But the pattern would still be (oversimplified) along those lines with Marisol:

Eddie makes some kind of connection with a pretty "Latina" (Gabrielle Walsh is not, but for some reason they kept acting like that... I'll never get the move, whatever).

Eddie warms up to the idea of dating and/or being in a relationship again, which intertwines his arc with his ongoing struggle of grief, repression, and self-discovery.

Eddie reconnects with said woman, potentially on (another) call.

Eddie goes on a date with said woman.

Now, the rest would be just guess work. But if Marisol and Eddie are supposed to actually start dating and becoming a couple (as per the premise), then the pattern would either continue with Eddie dating other people anyway (to bypass making the same mistakes he's done dating Ana), or actually doing just that (because healing isn't linear and people repeat the same mistakes).

Ergo, that begs the question: What's to be gained from a narrative POV? Either Eddie was just not ready with Ana yet, and he'd be with Marisol... which, you know, fair, but is that such a grand reveal? And what would that make it particular about her and how they met that we didn't already have with Ana? Other than that it wasn't Eddie's time yet?

So, why bother with this potential repetition of set-up? To invent some deep backstory for Marisol? Again, possible, but... also again, what's the point? I mean, the writers gave one to Taylor and that wasn't what made her and Buck last, even though it may even have seemed like it at first (the trope of "couple goes through some hardships, but they show up when it matters, they grow stronger together, and they can move on to the future from there").

Which is to say, if that's what we might be led to believe by the narrative at this point... NGL, I'd see that as a red herring, similar to the Taylor teary backstory (not) reveal. I just don't see the "lesson" Eddie is supposed to learn from the same set-up, only for this to turn out to be the right reasons to want to be with Marisol and have that partner who's meant to be forever.

Sure, sure, they could build her to be that over as many seasons. But I'll just say that I find that unlikely. Already for the plain reason of potentially repetitive storytelling, and my failure to see how the same set-up leads to a different result and lets it be "right" in one instance and not the other - for the sole reason of timing on Eddie's end.

Now, let's entertain some other scenarios.

Marisol is supposed to be the alter!Ana

Now, not in the creepy kind of way, but it might be a very interesting writing choice to confront Eddie with just that similar set-up, only for him to realize that he can't do that again. Either to himself or the person he's dating.

It could very well show that Eddie has to come to realize that he's about to fall into a similar pattern as he did with Ana. For example, to conform with the "norm", to simply not be alone anymore (a wish he voiced), because being with her might be "easy" compared to being on his own, to skip all the points about dating that he's unfamiliar with – to the familiar zone of "Eddie being in a steady relationship".

Because the latter was basically his only pattern whenever he's not decisively single. Eddie didn't care about dating (self-discovery, figuring out what he likes and doesn't like in a partner or relationship). He skips right ahead to being in a relationship. And in that way is recreating what he's had with Shannon, as they married young and didn't have as much time as their peers to date other people and figure more things out about themselves before having to make their marriage work.

Which is a long-ass way of saying: Confronting Eddie with an awfully similar pattern, and him coming to realize that this is what it is, could be really great for him. And it'd make for neat storytelling. It may open the door for him to actually start dating for himself, to have fun with the discovery (and maybe even to explore his own sexual identity at long last, oh King of Repression).

Emotional readiness doesn't equal being ready

Another thing to focus on might be this: Eddie may now finally be in a place where he can actually date other people... and not just go on (1) date with (1) person and stick to that person indefinitely, while said person bakes indefinitely many cupcakes... Still he is not ready to date, i.e. be in a steady relationship again. Why? Because he can't keep skipping through the actual dating phase (or pretend to go on dates, only to get Pepa off his case).

Eddie told his father last season that he needed to get better for himself. He's done very well on that front in so many way, but this may actually continue to be his blind spot for now. Eddie doesn't currently date for himself. He dates for his aunt, or to make her stop meddling. He doesn't take this as a way to be kind to himself, to find himself. He treats it like a fun evening at best, chore at worst. And if he doesn't, he insists that him and Christopher are a great team and that this is totally enough. Even though it's not. Which shows that he is still firmly in his comfort zone on this matter.

Which is to say: Maybe dating Marisol will give him the insight that he has to date for himself, too. And that he actually has to go through that phase, can't just skip right to the relationship phase to stop being alone or to rely on his comfort zone to "be enough".

This all comes back to what started with him dating Ana, namely Eddie's ongoing struggle with his grief over Shannon's loss. Because we learned this season that her and Eddie basically skipped a long (mature) dating process, as they married young. And Eddie continues to repeat that pattern with Ana (Eddie bumps into her, goes on 1 date with her, and he never dated any other woman again during that time). And he may even continue to do that with Marisol. And by the power of three, the third time would be the one that does the trick to make him aware of that.

So part of Eddie's healing process and reconciliation with his past (Shannon's "ghost", his own repression, you name it), his quest out of romantic solitude to finally find that one person who'll stay by his side, so he won't feel alone anymore... might actually be just that.

Buck isn't the only one missing the assignment

I know there's a lot of talk going on about how Buck keeps missing the assignment, now with him being interested in the death doula. So what I can see working just the same way is that Eddie is actually not much better off.

Sure enough, he's come a long, long way ever since he started therapy. But. I can totally see Eddie and Buck essentially making the same mistakes in different ways. Which is to say: Buddie parallels and antitheses could be so damn delicious in this. Yum.

Like, even without the shipper goggles, it's hard to deny that Buck and Eddie have been paralleled by the narrative in many ways. Their storylines are strongly interwoven, not just qua being best friends (somehow unavailable parents, Buck's self discovery journey vs. Eddie joining the Army to "do what's right", Buck/Ana parallels yet again this season, both going through and witnessing the other going through a (near-)death experience and struggling in the aftermath, trying to seem fine for the people around them, etc., etc., etc.).

So, Eddie continuing to miss his own assignments would be well within the realm of possibility. That Eddie tells Buck what he's not supposed to do (date people he met on a call), only to do that exact thing. And that Buck continues to fool himself in his belief that Natalia sees him (when she is merely reflecting the image he wants to see of himself and his relationship with his own death), even though it is a certain someone who actually sees him.

And yeah, he starts with E, and continues the odd tradition of somehow rhyming with the name of Buck's sister (Abby, Ali, Taylor Kelly...).

Why make them both miss the assignment, then? Well, here go the Buddie goggles, but I think it'd set them up neatly for what's next in their relationship. If Eddie actually starts dating for himself, if he gains an understanding of what he wants in a partner, he might finally be in the place where he can have the Oh moment. Because what he wants in a partner is what he's already got in Buck. And for Buck, it might be about seeing that it's not the person looking at him with a fascination for what happened to him, but the person who had to suffer through seeing that happen to him. Someone who sees him not for what happened to him, but for who he is.

AKA: Buck has to turn his back on the way he wants to see himself through Natalia's eyes and instead see himself through Eddie's eyes (who's seen the terrifying reality of a life without Buck in it, 3 minutes and 17 seconds long).

And here comes the potential twist I can see: Eddie also has to see himself through Buck's eyes. To finally reckon with his own mortality after the shooting (as Buck saw the terrifying reality of the 3 minutes and 17 seconds, the time we as the audience were made to watch Eddie being brought to the ER, as someone was so brilliant to point out).

Like, there are two elephants in this room (kitchen, always the kitchen). One ever since the sniper attack, the other since the lightning strike. And those two continue to dance not so elegantly around it. Buck and Eddie touch on the topic, but they don't go much below the surface level. Buck asks Eddie about what it felt like. He touched on it last season, too. Eddie lets it shine through that he still knows the seconds it took to bring Buck back. But what they don't talk about in depth are:

What did it really feel like for me, to (nearly) die, and what does it do that with me now?

What did it feel like for me, watching YOU (nearly) die, and what does it do with me now?

The first, Eddie touched on in some way this season. Though it's still entirely possible he remembers more about the shooting than he let on, or it's too surface-level as he wanted to keep Buck focused on himself and give an opening. Or something entirely else.

But the latter point is what's been very much absent from their conversations with each other so far. What does it do with you, to have your best friend's blood in your mouth? What does it do with you, to see your best friend dangling in the air, unmoving, silent, actually dead? What does it do with you, to try to get your best friend to safety, but having to let others handle it, to stay behind the glass doors? What does it do to you, to have to explain to your kid/your best friend's kid that the other might die/actually died?

They don't talk about that. Maybe because it's too hurtful, maybe because it's still too scary. Because maybe, just maybe, talking about it would make it oh too real that this doesn't make them feel like best friends but something much more. It may make it too real, how terrible a world was where the other was no more. Even if it was "just" 3 minutes and 17 seconds.

Now, I've taken a sharp U turn away from Marisol as Eddie's newest love interest and the Buddie in it all, but to circle this back... if the latter point is really something they are going for with the narrative... then the theme of recurring patterns, making the same mistakes despite "knowing better" would neatly fall in place with Eddie dating Marisol, I believe.

If this season is meant to wrap up some part of Eddie's and Buck's individual paths towards self-discovery, then for Eddie, it might well be having to learn that he can't repeat things with Marisol as he did with Shannon and Ana. That choosing himself means trying himself out, finding himself worthy enough of making the effort to find out what he truly wants in a partner.

And as for Buck, him potentially having to gear up and face his trauma to save his friends (I swear to God, red string of life coming back with Hen and Chim maybe, with Buck on the other end of that rope, will kill me so, so dead!)... that will be some kind of catalyst for him. And depending on where they want to place Natalia by the end of the season, say, her continuing to be drawn to Buck's relationship with death and maybe continuing to be fascinated by it after Buck went through that... there's many more possibilities I'll spare myself here. The point being: Buck will also find himself in some variation of what he went through before. And that should bring about some self-discoveries for him that he's been searching ever since this season began. And that might just be what they need to change and to move on, to work through their issues another time.

They need to do similar assignments before they can get the initial assignment right at long last.

Alright, that's been waaaaay too long. Here's to more shenanigan and this season finale ripping our hearts out! Woohoo!

[twstrhythm]

Longwei Jiang Birthday Boy

Birthday Vignette for Longwei Jiang. Extra late, but still here. Birthday was March 22

Happy Birthday (Part 1)

NRC School Newspaper A Birthday Interview with Longwei Jiang

Yuu: Hello, Longwei! Happy Birthday!

Longwei: Thank you, your words warm my heart.

Yuu: How are you enjoying the party?

Longwei: It is not bad. It is much more lively than the parties I had back home, but… I would call those more like celebrations.

Yuu: Really? What are those like?

Longwei: They are quiet events. It is usually only family that attends. The most that we do is share food and talk, but it isn’t something I dislike. I think it is just a different way to celebrate birthdays. I know that some people would prefer birthdays to be lively celebrations, but everyone has their own preferences, right?

But I will admit that it is nice to have a party with friends like this. It is a different experience than what I am used to, but I am enjoying it. This is the first time I have been able to celebrate with friends and I am looking forward to more.

Yuu: That sounds great! Are there any plans you have for the future?

Longwei: That is an easy question to answer. I would love to be able to spend more time with the people I have grown to care for. They have all grown to have an impact on my life, and I would like to repay them for that. I am not sure how I would do that though…

Other than that, I would like to see more of the world. There is still so much that I don’t know about, so I would love to discover it.

Yuu: What do you mean by that?

Longwei: Well… I lived in the ocean for the majority of my life. I only recently was able to see what things were like here on the surface. It has gotten my interest, and I would love to explore it more. And hopefully I can do that with some of my friends.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Happy Birthday (Part 2)

Yuu: So… you mentioned your friends. How did you meet them?

Longwei: That is a long story… But I can explain it. Of course, I promise not to lie about anything I am about to say. Telling a lie will not be right, so I will be truthful with you. I was actually enrolled in Royal Sword Academy before all of this.

Yuu: Huh? Is that so?

Longwei: Yup. Haha… I was only there for a few hours actually. It was kind of my own fault, but kind of not at the same time. I sort of got into a fight with someone there and may have caused them to go blind in one eye. I never apologized for that, but he had started the fight.

And as for how I met my friends… Emil and Peri had been enrolled in Royal Sword Academy as well. I’m not really sure what they had done, but they also ended up getting themselves expelled that day too. We met outside the school gates and were all sent here to Night Raven College.

I guess you could say we ended up bonding over a shared experience. It is not so bad if you ask me. At least we have some common ground.

Yuu: Oh… I see.

Longwei: Aside from Emil and Peri, I have made some friends within my own dorm. I would say that Roche and I have grown pretty close. I think he is a dependable person I can rely on.

Yuu: Speaking of your dorm, how are you enjoying your time with them?

Longwei: Octavinelle seemed intimidating at first, but I have grown to see it as a second home. The people here may be scary at times, but they mean well. You just have to get to know them more to understand them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Happy Birthday (Part 3)

Yuu: We are beginning to run out of time for this interview now. Do you have anything else you would like to say?

Longwei: Hmm… let me think about that for a little.

Yuu: Don’t worry, I won’t rush you.

Longwei: Funny you would say that when we are running out of time. But I digress… I should not make fun of you for contradicting yourself like that.

Yuu: That’s alright.

Longwei: I am surprised you aren’t taking that as an insult… Never mind. Let’s see… To me, it is important to tell the truth. I had mentioned that to you earlier, but I really mean it. Telling lies only gets you so far, and they don’t usually help the situation. The more you lie, the deeper a hole you dig for yourself.

This is something my parents taught me. Since I was young, they taught me to value the truth. People don’t like being told lies after all, and lies could hurt more than the truth. I know that sometimes things said can hurt a person’s feelings, but you can’t always spare the feelings of others. Sometimes they need to be told the truth so that they can learn.

I suppose… It could be seen as a lesson for some people.

Yuu: Thank you for your words, Longwei.

Longwei: I should thank you for coming out here to interview me.

Yuu: That’s nice of you to say! Anyways! Happy Birthday!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Roche Laverne belongs to @twstwhisper

[eldritchsurveys]

1254.

What’s something you used to believe in that you don’t anymore? >> I actually don't think this has ever happened to me. Even though I've been several different people, we have had uncannily similar core beliefs and worldviews. It's probably just a "like-attracts-like" situation between this body and its pilots.

What’s your favorite dinosaur? >> I don't have one. I've never been interested in dinosaurs.

Do you believe in reincarnation? If so, what would you like to be reincarnated as? >> I consider it a likelihood for myself, but not the only one. My understanding of reincarnation goes far beyond just incarnating on Earth, so the possibilities are truly endless when it comes to what other forms I may take in other lives. Also, frankly, I am multiply incarnated at this very moment; I just happen to be "focused" on this world. But! I digress.

What are three scents that you like? >> Oud, anise, frankincense.

Do you ever use the grounding technique 54321? >> I don't. It honestly never occurs to me in the moments it might be useful.

Where would you relocate if you were forced to leave your place of residence? >> If we were forced to leave our place of residence, we'd just be fucked. If we had the means to move, we would already be planning to do so. :V What smells better… fresh baked bread or fresh brewed coffee? >> I think the smell of freshly baked bread is slightly more agreeable to me. I get sick of the smell of coffee really quickly.

Have you ever met a president? >> I have not.

Has anyone ever given you a gag gift? >> I don't think so.

Do you find smoking unattractive? >> I don't have a feeling about it one way or the other. It's just a thing people do.

Do you think flirting is cheating? >> It's pretty much impossible to cheat on me, so, no.

Have you ever liked someone who had a girl/boyfriend? >> Sure. If it's not a dealbreaker for them, it sure as hell isn't one for me.

Would you ever take someone back if they cheated on you? >> Again, see question before last. I don't even know how to be hypothetical about this, the concept is just so alien to me.

What's a word that starts with the third letter of your first name? >> Reality. How many wives or husbands do you want? .

What's your favorite color gummy bear? >> Red.

What's the last movie you saw in the theater? >> Still Longlegs. I will have to take myself to see something new soon. What color is your iPod? . What’s a quality that your sister has that you absolutely can’t stand? .

Have you ever dated a smoker? If not, would you? >> I have. I don't think I would now, simply because I hate the smell of cigarettes now. A diehard goth who smokes Djarums exclusively is still acceptable :p

Do you share a middle name with any of your siblings? .

Name one of your psycho exes? >> You couldn't fucking pay me to talk about people I've been entangled with that way.

Have you ever been drunk at work? .

Have you ever taken a pregnancy test? >> I have.

How many bananas have you ever eaten in a row? >> I can hardly stomach one, let alone more than one.

Do you have a protective father? .

Have you ever had to choose between two people? .

The last thing you remember dreaming about: >> It was a mishmash of various media I am in the middle of interacting with (the book I'm reading, and something else -- a movie I'd seen recently? I don't remember now, this was so many hours ago).

The last place you went: >> The bodega around the corner from me.

The last time you held a baby: >> About five years ago.

What’s the scariest video game you’ve ever played? >> Silent Hill 4, waaaay back when. I mostly watch horror game playthroughs on YouTube rather than play them myself. But, fun fact, the first time I tried to play Fallout 3 (also waaaay back when), I got so freaked out by radroaches that I turned that shit off and took it right back to whatever store I'd rented it from, lol. I'm fine with them now and I have played many many hours of various Fallout games since but that first encounter was a doozy.

If you had the chance to slip through a portal, despite being unaware of any of the effects and/or consequences, would you do it? >> I mean, probably. It's the sort of thing I expect to happen to me.

When someone copies you, are you more flattered or annoyed? >> Definitely flattered.

Which is worse: Stale chips or flat soda? >> Stale chips. I require maximum cronch. I also don't drink soda enough for flat soda to really have a chance to bug me.

What health problems do you have? .

Have you ever had an anaphylactic reaction to anything? >> I have not.

Do you have sensitive skin? >> Not especially.

What would you name a baby boy? .

What would you name a baby girl? .

Do people's rude comments bother you for a long time? >> Sometimes. I think it depends on the state of my nervous system when the comment is given.

Name three things you find boring. >> Long drives that are mostly highway, economics, heteronormativity.

What excites you? >> Uh... a good thunderstorm.

Would you send your kids to Sunday school? .

What is the most interesting biography you have read? .

Do you think your life story would make a good book someday? >> It'd have to be a strange nonlinear meandering pseudofictional sort of book, not a straightforward auto/biography. Do you buy art for your walls? >> I don't make a conscious practice of it, but I have collected a few things over time.

Would you ever decorate a room with a travel theme? >> I would not.

What insects do you think are pretty? >> So, so many. I love bugs.

Do you love God? >> I have loved at least one god. Is there an ice cream flavor that you strongly dislike? Which one? >> If there is, I haven't had it yet. Oh, I guess chocolate, but I also just strongly dislike most chocolate.

Do you own any books with an image of a cat on the front cover? >> Possibly.

Does anything you own have an image of a bird on it? >> I'm pretty sure.

Does anyone you know own a spaniel? How about an Irish setter? >> No.

[sixstepsaway]

okay but mary and izzy parallels? i have a hunch about how they're supposed to -- well, be parallels. but no one's talking about it. thoughts? - ripple

hi ripple!! hope you're doing well!

There has been discussion of Mary/Izzy parallels but I haven't found a lot of meta about it. If you'd like to really be agonized, check out this gifset. Izzy and Ed with Mary's quotes over them. Mm. Pain.

But, as for my own thoughts on this:

Izzy and Mary are deeply paralleled throughout the show, both narratively (similar journeys) and contextually (the way the show is edited).

The first time this is really shown, as far as I can tell, is in 1x04. Stede is dreaming of Mary, remembering his highly failed marriage. He's dreaming of when he showed her the model ship of the Revenge, how passionate he was about it, how much he loved the idea of going away to sea. Mary's response is... not great, as she doesn't like the ocean and doesn't hate their lives, at least not as much as Stede does.

She doesn't get it.

The show immediately swaps to Ed rummaging through the Revenge while Izzy trails around after him trying to get him to focus on their lives. Ed produces the model ship and gushes about how cute it is.

Izzy doesn't get it.

The model ship is purposefully used to draw the two scenes together, to show Stede and Ed in their respective relationships (Stede with his rapidly failing and then abandoned marriage, Ed with his rapidly degenerating and soon to be abandoned work marriage (see: Izzy leaving in 1x06 and Ed leaving in 1x09)).

It's a fascinating parallel that I especially enjoy because Ed and Izzy aren't, in canon right now at least, in a sexual or romantic relationship, nor do we think right now they've ever been (I doubt they've ever been, truly. I don't think that's in their past at all), so the framing of Stede's marriage (lacking love and affection) against Izzy and Ed's platonic* relationship (full of love and affection but it's diminishing faster and faster every day) is gorgeous, because it shows that relationships aren't always the standard Person A + Person B in love and married and then they fell out of it and it was Bad because of that.

(*Yes, David Jenkins says Izzy is in love with Ed, and we all agree with him, but for the sake of the framing, the fact they're not doing anything with those feelings makes the relationship itself platonic)

I find in a lot of media, relationships are shown only as participating in the relationship escalator and no other relationships "count", and queer relationships are pushed into that same relationship escalator because enforcing heteronormativity even on queer relationships is essential (blah blah purity culture blah blah making being queer palatable to corporations blah blah sanitizing the queer movement blah blah)

(I remember when Chicago Fire did a storyline where Severide lost his best friend (who I'm pretty sure he was in love with, but she was a lesbian, and i digress) to an accident that took her life and he was absolutely destroyed by it. He ran off for a weekend in Vegas, where he met a woman who had recently lost her husband suddenly. They got drunk, got married, and he brought her home as his new wife and everyone flipped out because it seemed so stupid and she was surely not good and was playing him for a fool or something.

But in the end, they were married for a few months, never in love, but their brief relationship helped them both heal and they ended up going their separate ways. And I loved that, because not all break-ups or divorces have to be "failures", and not all relationships have to march up the endless escalator.)

It's nice to see a relationship posed in a way that isn't just the escalator and isn't just "oh yeah we dated once" or whatever. This is beside the point though lmao.

The contextual framing continues when Ed returns to the Revenge as well. Stede goes back to Mary, Ed goes back to Izzy. They go back to the familiar, the safe, and they're not greeted the way they'd like.

Mary makes sure Stede knows he's unwelcome now, though it's not because he's changed (although he has: drinking, attacking Doug etc) so much as that he left a gap and she filled it with someone else (someone better, in fact, for her, someone who can give her what she wants and needs and love her) in his absence (as she should).

Izzy meanwhile welcomes Ed back with open arms, but can't cope with his changes. Ed is softer, more vulnerable and open, and maybe if that had been how he was when they first met, that might have been okay. Izzy might have wormed his way into that vulnerability and made a nest there, a safe place for himself and a bit of armor for Ed, but as it stands right now he can't do that, because he doesn't know how and nor does Ed, and so instead he wants Ed to go back to how things were in the past.

But you can never go home again, can you?

That's sort of the base message of 1x10 imo: you can never go home again. Stede can't pursue his life of piracy and expect his family to welcome him home with open arms, and Ed can't soften up and abandon his life of piracy and expect Izzy to just adapt overnight and accept that new version of him.

(And it's unreasonable of either of them to expect those things from the other person. Izzy didn't sign up for a life with soft-n-squishy Ed, and Mary didn't sign up to be the woman waiting at port for her wayward husband to come home whenever he chooses.)

Narratively, Mary and Izzy are mirrored throughout the first season, primarily with Izzy and Mary being fully committed to the lives they've signed up for. Mary may be unhappy, but she tells Stede as much: she doesn't hate their lives, not enough to yeet them into the abyss, but they're the only lives they're going to get and this is their lot, so shouldn't they make the best of it?

Izzy might be struggling too, but he clings to Ed like a lifeline at all times, refusing to budge even when Ed's mental state gets so rickety he puts everyone around him in danger.

The difference is that when Stede leaves Mary, she flourishes. She finds someone better for her, she takes up painting, she loves her children without hesitation, she makes friends and extends her social circle. When Izzy is forced to leave Ed, he stagnates and his entire focus is on getting Ed back and keeping that promise he made, even if Ed doesn't want it kept anymore.

Mary and Izzy are on the same path, but Mary is miles ahead of him. Since I don't think we'll get Steddyhands or Blackhands in canon, I hope Izzy gets to reach the end of the path like Mary did, with someone who loves and deserves him, and a social circle that supports him.

Then, you have the main issue with Ed and Stede: lack of real communication, and massive failure whenever they try.

Stede tried when he told Mary he wanted to run away to sea, but she shot him down (fairly so, in my eyes), and so he never tried again.

Ed tries when he tells Izzy how bored he is, but Izzy is focused on the fact Ed's boredom is going to get them killed (fairly so, again), so Ed doesn't talk to him about how he's feeling about Stede in relation to that boredom.

Both of them talk around what they're actually feeling and considering doing, neither of them really talk about the problem and try to find a solution they just wildly yank the other person around like a dog with a toy, because they've always been there, so won't they continue to always be there?

I read Stede as having had a certain level of reliance on Mary. I believe they could be really good friends now their marriage is over, though I don't think they were before lmao. But the way wives were expected to act and be treated in 1717 implies she was likely doing most of the household work, raising the children etc. We don't ever see any servants I don't think, even in the background of the current day scenes in 1x10, and that makes me think Mary does most of it.

Which explains a lot about why Stede is a fucking mess when he first breaks free of that life and it reframes how he is as honestly how well he adapts and changes to fit in his new life! Assuming we go by Ed's, "these last few weeks" and assume the show to be about 10 weeks because of the season length (which I hate, thanks), he managed to stop being a complete mess in about five weeks and that's damn impressive. Kudos and cookies to Stede Bonnet.

I read Stede as autistic with some social deficits, which is why he's so... blunt, I suppose? It's also why he takes everyone around him at face value (if they say something is a way, he believes them, no matter whether they might be lying). I can imagine that during his marriage, Mary - who I do not read as autistic - was the one gingerly keeping him from being scammed or robbed or overtly lied to by people around him, and now he doesn't have her so he just has to learn for himself! And he does really well actually at that.

See also: him believing Pete about his prior time serving under Blackbeard. I too believe Pete, but let's not act like his stories don't sound like utter fabrications. Stede just... believing him, that Blackbeard has a head made of smoke and his eyes glow and that Pete served under him and was dubbed Black Pete for serving so well.

(Also, I know there's a running fandom joke about Pete calling himself Black Pete considering he's pasty white, but you've all realized it's a direct reference to Blackbeard right? He's saying Ed gave him the moniker of Black to echo his own!)

Meanwhile, as we've said before, Izzy has been shackled with being Ed's SSRIs, adderall and bullet journal for god knows how long, frankly, and without him Ed... does struggle. We don't see a lot of it because he has the Revenge crew filling the blanks and his fixation on Stede is also keeping him from sinking back into depression, but it's definitely there. He's supposedly acting as a co-captain in 1x07, but they run out of oranges. Calico Jack shows up and he just attaches to him like a barnacle and doesn't track that maybe he's being insensitive. It takes Lucius giving him a stern talking to twice for him to figure his shit out, and that's without any real dire consequences going on around him.

He also jumps right to running away to China which is objectively not a great plan for him or Stede, and Izzy absolutely would have said, "The fuck? You don't even speak Mandarin, Edward." to it.

He does okay without Izzy, likely because he's had more practice, but he definitely misses something that he's been reliant on Izzy for: a steadying hand and someone who spots the details he misses (like not knowing Mandarin and it being a leap year).

But whereas Mary gets loose of those shackles, Izzy desperately tries to get back into them because he doesn't know how to function without Edward and, frankly, Edward doesn't know how to function without Izzy either, not now his dopamine fix has run away.

When Mary tries to kill Stede when he comes back and ruins her life, Stede and Mary instead come up with a plan together to fix things, to set both of them free. They communicate, which allows them to work together, in a rather perfect harmony actually, and understand each other's needs and learn to care for one another outside of the shackles.

When Izzy tries to 'kill' this new version of Edward that's ruining his life (literally trying to un-pirate them all), Ed strikes out in return. Instead of working together, they break apart and fracture, two forces with differing needs that can't find a middle ground because the communication has broken down.

Like I say: Izzy and Mary are on the same road, but Mary is far further down than Izzy is.

The parallels truly kill me but they also give me some hope for the future when it comes to Izzy.

Currently Mary is 'best case scenario' and Izzy is 'oh my god what the fuck WORST CASE WORST CASE??? PUT THE SCISSORS DOWN EDWARD' but hey, maybe we can get there!

[jackie-shitposts]

I Thought Thieves Love Jules!

Carmen strolled out of the elevator, feeling pretty beat after her workout with Shadowsan. Not that she would ever admit that- she had wanted to keep going, but it had only been two days since she got electrocuted in Egypt, so Shadowsan made her cut her workout short while he continued. Carmen sauntered over to the counter, taking a long drink from her water bottle, just as Player’s image appeared on her laptop screen. “Check it out, Red. Julia just posted a new entry on her blog, about a recent find in Columbia.” Player said, ”But it totally digresses into fun facts about fair trade coffee, including a “Red Blend.” Carmen leaned onto the counter. “Could be another riddle to solve?” “Good thing I learned a thing or two about code-breaking from Julia.” Player smirked, clearly excited to show off his new skills. “Every paragraph ends with a number. If you line ‘em up like they're a date and time, it’s tomorrow at 8am.” “Seems Chief wants an opportunity to thank me over coffee.” Carmen quirked an eyebrow. Seems as though she’d be seeing her favorite agent-turned-historian-turned-agent-again in the field, per Chief’s request. “How can you be sure it’s not a trap?” Player asked apprehensively. “If it were, Jules would’ve worded it differently.”

“OoOoO, are we talking about Jules?” Zack asked, peeking his head out from the doorway.

“That ACME gal Carm has a crush on?” Ivy chimed in, peeking her own head out from under her brother.

Carmen rolled her eyes at the sibling’s cartoonish antics. “Jules and I are just friends, you two.”

Ivy scoffed, entering the room and flopping onto the couch.  “Yeah right- then why did you specifically go to her when you needed help decoding the relics?”

Carmen casually took a sip of her water before answering.  “Jules was already familiar with VILE- getting a stranger involved would’ve only made things more complicated and dangerous than it already was.” Zack hopped onto the couch opposite of Ivy, resting his feet up on her knees. He pointedly ignored Ivy’s protests of, “Zack, gross!” and smirked at Carmen. “Oh? Then why did you ask Devineaux where she was in Louisiana?” “Hey, you never told me about that one!” Ivy gasped, feigning betrayal. “I was just surprised ACME let that driving disaster use a car,” Carmen quipped. Player laughed on his side of the screen. “Don’t act like you’re any better, Red. Don’t you remember your first caper?”

Carmen gasped, pretending to be insulted. “Says the 17 year old without a learners permit.”

“Not like I have anywhere to go.” Player laughed, before refocusing on Carmen’s interrogation. “Speaking of firsts, how about when you first met Julia? I listened in, and it totally sounded like you were flirting with her. You called her “Jules” on your first meeting!” Carmen narrowed her eyes at Player in defiance.  “I was just sitting across from Jules so I could blend in while keeping an eye on Paper Star. And what’s wrong with nicknames? I called Crackle “Gray” and Ivy “Ives”. I don’t see what the difference is.” “The difference is that you and Cracker used to be best friends, and now we are best friends. However, you and Jules were not friends at the time.” Ivy said, emphasizing the nickname. “His name is Crackle now.” “He went and rejoined VILE, I think I get to call Gary whatever I want.” Player chimed back into the conversation. “Why did you leave the Magna Cartas with Julia, anyway? You had one conversation with her, what made you think leaving them with her meant they were in “good hands?” “While sitting next to her, I noticed Devineaux’s briefcase, and she said they were travel partners on business. I figured that meant they were law enforcement also trying to recover the documents. Leaving them with Jules simply saved me the hassle of returning the documents myself.” Carmen explained casually. “What about the fashion show in Milan, Carm? Why’d you have Julia help us then?” Zack asked, a shit-eating grin plastered onto his face. Carmen sighed in annoyance. Why won’t they just get off her back about this already? “Jules was the only ACME agent around, and I knew that ACME would be able to get the gowns to safety. And before you ask,” Carmen pointed at Ivy, whose mouth was already open with some smug retort, “I put her in charge instead of you because she would know where the gowns could be put for ACME to return.” At that, Ivy simply leaned back onto the couch and mirrored her brother’s smug grin.  “Yeah, that was a fun night.” She smirked, and Zack tried to hold back his laugh that came out as more of a snort. Carmen raised her brow at the untold story, but she decided not to press. For the sake of her sanity.

“Well, what about Stockholm?” Zack blurted. Ivy and Player’s eyes snapped to Carmen, looking for any hint of discomfort, and Zack immediately tried to rectify the situation. “I-I mean, yknow, you just were gonna go try to get her help before-”

Carmen cut off his anxious rambling, smiling warmly. “Don’t worry about it Zack, I know what you mean. I wanted to talk to Jules to see if she could get ACME to back off. While that obviously didn’t happen, I know Jules didn’t try to betray me.” Carmen glanced out the window for a moment, whispering quietly to herself. “I don’t think I could be angry at her if I tried.” Carmen turned back to her friends and smiled. “Plus, she helped me out in Monaco and Ile De L'oleron afterwards, so-” Player practically leapt up from his chair, causing a loud crash as he knocked the fidget spinners off his desk and dropped the rubix cute he was playing with. “Yeah, let's talk about Monaco! You can’t tell me you guys weren’t flirting at the party. She was so confident you were going to deliver the goods to her door, and you trusted her not to stop you when you stole the eggs. Come on, Red, you know she was flirting with you!” Carmen felt Zack and Ivy’s eyes on her expectantly, and she chuckled at Player’s exasperation. “Player, I’m pretty good at reading people, and I’m fairly certain she wasn’t flirting with me. Even if she was, I was not flirting ba-” “Then what about the roses?”

Carmen’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly. How did Zack, of all people, know about the roses?

“Oh my god, the roses! Carm, why the fuck didn’t you tell us about the roses?” Ivy exclaimed, springing up from her relaxed position on the couch.

Carmen bit her lip before answering. “They were just flowers, as a thank you gift for the help. How do you know about them, anyway? I didn’t buy them until after you guys left.”

At that, Player piped up once again. “So Red, you know how at the end of each month, I look through our funds and see how much we spend on capers, to set our budget for the next month? Well, it was pretty interesting for me to see that you used our encrypted card to buy a bouquet of red roses from the flower shop across the street from Julia’s apartment, on the same day we left her the goods.”

Fuck. Carmen needed to shut this down, now. “They were just a thank you gift guys, nothing more. Just something Jules could keep for herself. And red is my color, so the roses seemed like a good gift. Now if you’ll excuse me,” Carmen glared at the redheads sternly, daring them to stop her, before looking down at Player with the same forbidding look. ”I’m going to take a shower. Player, let me know when you’ve got a red eye to Seattle ready.” Carmen closed the laptop, tucked it under her arm and walked out of the room without looking back. ~~~

The video call flickered to black, and Player leaned back into his chair, sighing. Red can be so thick-headed sometimes. As he booked her flight, he thought back to their teasing and banter from moments before.

Red seemed pretty genuine- maybe we were wrong after all.

Player took a deep breath- he didn’t want to call Carmen back so soon, especially when she seemed pretty pissed at the end of their last call- but he had booked her flight for a short two hours from now. So, Player reconnected to Carmen’s laptop, still looking at the red eye information on his other monitor, before hearing a loud, exasperated groan coming from his speakers.

“Holy fuck that was such a mess!”

Player’s head snapped towards his other monitor. The laptop had been set on the dresser across from Carmen’s bed, where she was laying sprawled out in agony. Player quickly hit his mute button and sat back to watch.

Carmen’s arms raised up to cover her face- though Player couldn’t see it, he was sure her face was covered in her signature color. “God, and the roses- why did I use the card for the roses? That’s a basic credit card slip, how am I so stupid!”

Carmen sat up, hands still over her flushed face. “I’m so fucking lucky they didn’t hear us on the ferry or at her office, there’s no way they would’ve ever let that go- I thought I wasn’t being obvious about this stupid crush-

That was all the confirmation Player needed. He clicked unmute and nearly shouted, “So you do have a crush on Julia! I knew it!”

Carmen’s head snapped up to the source of the sound, her face as red as her coat hanging on the wall’s hook. “Player! What the fuck are you-” Carmen froze as she watched Player pick up his cell phone. “Player, if you do what I think you’re about to-”

“Then what? You’re two thousand miles away Red, I'm practically untouchable.” He laughed and grinned smugly at the webcam as he dialed a number.

“Player, you are so dead next time I visit Ontario!” Carmen yelled before she threw her door open, barrelling down the hall to the stairway.

~~~

Zack and Ivy watched in silence as Carmen walked out of the room. When they heard the door to the stairway close, they looked at each other, before they couldn’t take it anymore and burst into laughter.

“Holy shit she looked so mad!” Ivy wheezed through her laughing fit.

“I know! Do you think that means she was telling the truth?” Zack questioned as he tried (and failed) to calm his giggles.

“No way.”

“But she seemed pretty-”

“What are you two laughing about?” Shadowsan’s stern voice stopped the twin’s giggling dead in its tracks. Just as Ivy opened her mouth to make an excuse, since she doubted Carmen wanted Shadowsan involved in her love life, (he is like her father, isnt he?) Zack spoke up.

“We tried to get Carm to confess that she likes Julia, but she kept on telling us she just likes Julia as a friend. Maybe she wasn’t lying, most of her reasons were pretty solid.” Ivy would’ve smacked him then and there if Shadowsan hadn’t interrupted her train of thought with a small chuckle. Since when did Shadowsan chuckle? “On VILE Island, Carmen was trained to be a master of deception. Do you not realize that she was also trained to survive any interrogation?” Shadowsan said, with…humor in his voice? Zack and Ivy were silent for a moment. “Wait, does that mean she actually does like Ju-” The moment was interrupted with a call on Ivy’s phone. When she looked at the caller ID, her eyes widened as she answered it and put the device on speaker. “Carmen does have a crush on Julia!” Player shouted from the phone, just as the Crimson Gay Ghost herself burst into the room and crashed into Ivy. “Dammit!” Carmen yelled, taking the phone from Ivy who was now on the floor with Carmen and laughing. “Player, I’m going to fly to Ontario and kick your ass!” Player’s laughing from the phone was almost drowned out by Zack and Ivy’s. “Oh no you’re not, you’ve got a flight to catch in two hours!” “OoOh where to? To go see your “favorite ACME agent”?” Ivy teased through her laughter. “Yeah Carm, I thought thieves love Jules!” Zack said as he laughed. Carmen jumped off of Ivy, her voice a noticeably higher pitch and her face extremely red as she shouted, “No! I mean- well, that is- I just-” As Zack, Ivy and Player continued to tease an extremely red-faced and stammering Carmen, Shadowsan smiled and quietly walked out of the room. It seems the war may be coming to a close with ACME on their side, but that doesn’t mean Carmen has to stop chasing someone.

[ddarker-dreams]

It’s probably been awhile since you’ve gotten an ask about your Contractal Obligations mini-series, but I would like to say that I like to think Chenghua would get a Vision after darling gets forced into her inevitable marriage. Idk, maybe she pieces it all together or somewhat pieces it all together, and then seeing her sister leave for Snezhnaya with a terrible terrible man might just fill her with a indescribable feeling on loss, knowing that her sister has been suffering all this time. (1/2)

Warnings: Yandere themes, unhealthy relationships, forced relationships, the darling here is described with she/her pronouns. 

ANON... THIS IS A GALAXY BRAIN MOMENT...

i’ve been thinking about touching up on the contractual obligations mini series recently!! perhaps this is a sign i should actually do it. most of what i posted where just excerpts loosely connected to one another, but i think it has a lot of potential to be fleshed out further. it might be fun to do like a repackaged version, where i touch up/expand on what i’ve written before, while adding more Meat in there. like how childe met florist darling and such. 

i digress! onto your idea... 

i love it a lot. i wanted chunghua to serve as a foil for florist darling. unlike her elder sister, chunghua is a more reserved and openly suspicious person, her ideas align more with keqing. those two would get along splendidly. before childe waltzed in and ruined everything, florist darling was pretty agreeable and got along well with others. yet another thing that chunghua had a bit of a complex about. sure, chunghua cares for her sister, but looking at florist darling reminds her of everything she’s not. 

interestingly enough, the thing that tears them apart physically would somewhat mend their relationship (that thing being childe). now faced with the reality her sister is actually going to be out of her life, chunghua would be forced to confront the truth; that keeping you at arm’s length was just her attempt to protect herself from feeling more inept. 

chunghua, as a shrewd individual, sees through childe’s bullshit from the first second. she presents a unique problem to childe. sibling relationships are probably his one and only weak spot, he just couldn’t bring himself to hurt his precious darling’s family. that’s the one thing strictly off limits for him. so this gives chunghua some wiggle room to stir up mischief where you can’t. 

god, i’m just imagining how many tense conversations the two would have. so much passive aggression. forced smiles. you’re trying to keep the fatui agents from pouncing on this sassy child who is disrespecting their lord, a fatui harbinger, who wields the power of the abyss. 

it’d all be for naught, but it was fun to rile him up while it lasted.

i imagine your idea would come into play while chunghua and your parents watch the ship departing for snezhnaya. there was so much she wanted to say to you. maybe to even apologize, or at least something close to it. in the end, she froze up, just settling on saying a quick goodbye to you and childe before being ushered off. you promise to send her letters to her retreating back, and she hates herself for not saying more. doing more. 

when the boat is no longer in the harbor, long since faded into the ocean, your parents turn in for the night. chunghua stays for hours after. remembering when you were both younger, how you’d bring her here and recount tales of pirates and sea monsters from generations past. 

that’s when she’d feel a weight in her hands.

looking down, the cryo vision which is meant to be a part of her, feels so foreign. so wrong. 

“Would you look at that, sister,” she whispers, though you can no longer hear her. “You always droned on and on about wanting to match accessories like other siblings did. Well, now we can, huh?” 

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | The Gold Diggers (Potter, 1983)

If there’s one tangible thing I took away from The Gold Diggers, it’s that particular feeling I would sometimes get as a teenager first getting into art cinema. Of watching a Godard movie and being moved by the camera moves and the colours and the affectations of the actors and all the things you can kinda sorta touch and feel, but having the endless allusions go completely over my head and having only the vaguest grasp of what the movie “means”. (I suppose that feeling wasn’t exclusive to my teenage experience with Godard, as I still have a large percentage of the allusions go over my head anytime I reimmerse myself in his work. But with a few more years of book-learnin’, by which I mean Wikipedia-learnin’, under my belt, I like to think I do a bit better with each go.) There isn’t much colour here as this is shot in black and white, but all those other nice touchy feely things are here in abundant supply, and I have barely any idea what the movie is trying to say. I’m sure I’ll stumble across some well articulated review that will explain the secrets of the movie to me, but until then, I’m gonna take a stab at parsing my thoughts and hopefully some method will emerge from the madness. Ignorance has never stopped me before.

What I can say with conviction about this movie is that it is undeniably stylish. A lot of movies would be content to shoot in black and white and call it a day, but this actually channels the visual language of a variety of earlier eras, from silent comedies (The Gold Rush gets blatant nods) to costume dramas and a whole bunch of stuff in between. (Okay, those are practically the first two genres that get evoked, and I was either too lazy to keep track of the rest or too ignorant to identify them.) And the movie evokes them with a combination of precision and fluidity that it’s undeniable that it knows what it’s going for at a given moment. (X was a recent viewing that rankled me with its rendering of a supposed arty porno that demonstrated no real familiarity with its subject.) And there are definitely arresting sequences, like the opening where one of the heroines disrupts the costume drama in progress by picking up the female lead and riding off on a horse, or the scene where one of the characters is chased by a group of anonymous men, or the scenes where the heroine is met with condescension as she tries to get at the truth about what exactly she does for a living. This last scene is one that perhaps many of us can relate to, being stuck in a menial button-pushing job where the value of what you do isn’t readily apparent and your bosses won’t even bother to explain it to you. But not to knock the movie, but if you work in a white collar industry right now, menial jobs like this are basically being automated out, so I couldn’t help but look at this situation and think maybe it wasn’t so bad. I dunno, perhaps that’s a glib thing to say.

And from that scene, it starts to become clear that there is some kind of capitalist satire here, but as to what exactly the movie is trying to say, I have no fucking idea. There’s a scene where a bunch of those anonymous men sing about gold, and maybe the message is that capitalism sure is kooky, but that’s a pretty lazy observation to devote this much concentrated filmmaking power to, especially when it never actually tries to capture its rhythms. (I won’t go into my voting record, but my views on the subject are basically that if you’re gonna have a market economy, it might be a good idea to regulate it, which I suppose puts me somewhere in the range of sane political views. But glibness around the subject annoys me, and while I’m much more sympathetic to one side of the debate, I think there’s enough annoyance to go around. If you’re gonna tackle problems about a system, it helps to be specific. But I digress. But you think of montages from Wall Street or even the non-critical stock exchange sequence from L’Eclisse, and you see those movies captures something about how the subject feels. What’s here feels like someone telling you a joke they overheard incorrectly.) And there’s an element of how the female leads are being forced into certain roles by the patriarchal society they find themselves in, and as a man  there are perhaps things that are not readily relatable to me here, but I also found this to a bit patchy in how it’s depicted. There are intriguing strands here, but I never really felt it cohere.

I feel weird about where I’m landing on this movie, as I don’t think movies are essays or articles or argumentation, and shouldn’t feel the need to coherently articulate a message and run it through strict logic. But there’s a kind of disconnect between how the film looks and feels and moves and the ideas that it’s trying to express. This is directed by Sally Potter, best known for Orlando, which I enjoyed a great deal more. It’s tempting to chalk that up entirely to the performance by the inimitable Tilda Swinton, but I think that movie devotes a significant amount of energy to building a direct connection between her and the viewer (most overtly through the breaking of the fourth wall). There’s a certain charge the movie gets from the extremely distinct way Swinton looks and sounds and the fact that she’s confiding in you. With the leads here, I guess they’re supposed to be audience surrogates, but I found the movie’s flamboyant style rarely generated actual empathy for their experience, and I didn’t find them given enough in terms of actual characterization to really relate to or root for. Again, as a man, there are perhaps things in their experience that went over my head, but I found the movie was pushing me away rather than pulling me in.

But yeah, if somebody can slip me the Coles Notes for this movie and explain what it all means, that would be great.

[honeypiehotchner]

Statistically Speaking (a Spencer Reid one shot)

Okay, yes, I know I literally just made a post about being triggered by Criminal Minds, but writing fluff about Spencer has been one of the things that has helped me heal (weirdly enough) and this is one of the one shots that I wrote. It’s all fluff. Enjoy xx.

(Also I’m only on like season 2 of the show so that’s when I’m imagining this is set but it can be whenever idc)

Tagging @breadgenie892​ because she ruined me with her Jaskier x Geralt fluff earlier. This is 100% payback :)

You and Spender Reid — sorry, Dr. Spencer Reid as he adorably introduced himself to you on your first day at the BAU (and scrambled to say, “S-Sorry, it’s Spencer. Just Spencer Reid,” immediately after).

The two of you have quite the bond.

You’re no genius, not in the way Spencer is. Your memory is nowhere near Eidetic, it more resembles Dory from Finding Nemo, but you don’t make that joke anymore. Hotch gave you quite a worried look and called you into his office an hour later to ask if you were alright that day.

But you digress.

Before you met Spencer, Google was your best friend. You ask a lot of questions, and by a lot-- well, just ask Morgan.

On your first day, Morgan said, and you quote, “Oh, God. There’s two of them.”

Whenever you had a question, you Googled it. You researched, you found literary journals and universities that studied what you wanted to know. You found your answers, and sometimes more questions along the way.

But when you started at the BAU, Google was child’s play. Especially when Spencer could give you the answer faster than you could type in the question and hit enter on Google.

It’s one of the things you love most about him. At first, he only answered you because you have a bad habit of asking questions aloud when meaning to just speak to yourself. Spencer didn’t know you were mainly asking yourself, and he launched into a full explanation. You were too mesmerized to stop him, and started asking further questions. It went on and on until you were dazed and he was smiling, and the rest of the team was staring at the two of you like you’d gone insane.

So now, you ask him anything and everything.

Like…

Recently, you called him at almost ten at night. It was storming, but you really needed to take a shower. It had been two days since your last, and you couldn’t take it anymore.

“Hey Spence,” you said when he picks up. “Statistically speaking, how likely am I to get struck by lightning?”

“What? Y/N, what are you doing?”

“I need to shower and it’s storming. How do I look statistically?”

“Not good! Don’t take a shower!”

“Spencer,” you groaned, flopping down on your bed.

“Y/N, showering increases your likelihood of being electrocuted. Ten to twenty people on average are struck by lighting when bathing.”

“There’s the stats,” you chuckled. “Fine, genius. I’ll wait it out.”

“Good,” he sounded genuinely relieved.

His concern made you smile. “What are you up to?”

“Talking you out of electrocuting yourself.”

“I wouldn’t be electrocuting myself. The lightning is what would do it.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Are you tired of me yet?”

Spencer laughed airily before he replied in a soft voice, “No. Never.”

As strange as it sounds, things changed that night. Spencer stayed on the phone with you until the storm passed -- you were getting scared after a particularly loud boom of thunder, but you’d never admit that to him. Once it passed and once Spencer checked the weather radar to be sure it was gone, he let you shower.

The next morning at the BAU, you fixed a cup of coffee for him as a thank you for the night before. You were expecting him to take it and move on, but he pulled you into a hug instead.

Thankfully, no one saw it. If they had, you’d both be getting hell for it.

But despite not seeing the hug, the team has noticed things.

Hotch first noticed it when you offered to accompany Reid to the local police station to set things up on a new case. You normally go with Emily to talk to the families or even with Morgan to visit crime scenes. It was nothing against Spencer, you just happened to like being out in the field more than holed up in a station with exhausted law enforcement.

But not this time. This time you wanted to be with Reid. You even turned down Morgan’s offer to go to the crime scene.

Yeah. Hotch knew something was up.

Morgan noticed, too. He saw you pouring a massive amount of sugar into a cup of coffee and jokingly asked if it was for Reid. In your flustered state, you said it was yours. But Morgan watched you hand the cup off to Reid once you were back with him.

Emily’s suspicions were confirmed when you were talking with her one night on the plane. Everyone else was asleep, so you, Emily, and JJ began talking about “girly” things. Tonight’s topic happened to be crushes.

“I can’t imagine falling for someone on the team,” Emily whispered, pulling a face, overdoing it just to get your reaction.

And your reaction was priceless. You shrugged and went completely silent. While you were glancing over your shoulder to check that Reid was still sleeping, Emily shared quite the look with JJ.

Garcia was maybe the last to notice things. She had her suspicions as well (it passes the time, and Morgan made a few comments about it, too), but when she saw the two of you laughing, that was it. Spencer was sitting in his desk chair and you were sitting on his desk. You were arguing about something Garcia couldn’t hear, but the smiles on your faces told her the argument was all flirting.

And she’d be right to think that, too. The argument that day was that Spencer overworks himself, so you promptly sat on top of his paperwork so that he couldn’t get to it. He refused to touch it because it was too close to your ass and voiced this issue, and you told him it sounded like a personal problem. And that you wanted him to get up and walk around, maybe eat something, too.

You’re a bit of a hopeless romantic. That part of you was telling you that Spencer’s flirting was genuine. That there were feelings buried behind it, but you were never sure.

Spencer was officially the last to notice.

“How am I looking?” You asked seemingly out of nowhere.

Spencer raised his eyebrows, turning to look at you, your voice having broken him out of his thoughts. “Uh, good?”

You tilt your head. “No, statistically. I asked what are the chances of me making it to dinner on time?”

“Dinner?” Morgan asked, sauntering over with his blinding smile. “Got a hot date tonight?”

“You wish,” you scoffed, shoving his shoulder lightly.

But you didn’t elaborate further, which caused Spencer to go quiet. Realizing you weren’t getting any statistics out of him this time, you gathered your things in your arms and headed out.

Once you made it through the door, Morgan nearly fell to the floor. “Spencer. Pretty boy. What are you doing, man?”

Spencer dumbly looked down at the paperwork on his desk.

Before he could say anything, Morgan said, “No, man, not the paperwork. Y/N. What are you doing?”

“What do you mean what am I doing?”

Morgan laughed loudly. “Oh, pretty boy. You have no idea?”

Spencer scooted back from his desk, eyebrows furrowed in genuine confusion. “No idea about what?”

“Reid,” Morgan emphasizes every word. “She likes you.”

The sentence stunned Spencer so much he nearly fell out of his chair. “What?”

“Come on, man,” Morgan groaned. “An IQ of 187 and it didn’t help you see she’s got feelings for you?”

Spencer stood to his feet, grabbing his jacket. You liked him. You like him, and you’re going to dinner with someone else.

“There you go,” Morgan cheered as Spencer practically bolted from the room. “Go get her, tiger!”

“Shut up!” Spencer called after Morgan.

Pushing through the doors, Spencer halted, seeing you standing by the elevator. You’re staring down at your phone, and you don’t exactly look happy.

Spencer approaches you slowly, hand gripping the strap of his bag. “You okay?”

You look up quickly like he’s startled you, and truthfully, he has. “Oh. Um, no. My date-- Well, they canceled. Said something came up.”

Spencer can see you’re hurt by this, but he doesn’t care. “Have dinner with me,” he says, eyes expectant.

“With you?” You ask.

“Yeah,” he shrugs, a smile coming through when he adds, “please.”

“Okay,” you can’t help but smile, too.

Spencer grins now, stepping over to press the down arrow on the elevator. You wait in silence, stepping on when the doors open, and Spencer presses the button for the ground floor.

All of your hurt is gone from your face now, and it causes Spencer to start thinking. He stares ahead, and then he hears you giggle.

When he looks over at you, he asks. “You didn’t have a dinner date, did you?”

“Nope,” you chuckle. “Got ya.”

“Yeah,” Spencer laughs. “You got me.”

“So…” You pause, heart racing. “Statistically speaking, how likely are you to kiss me right now?”

Spencer doesn’t even care that the elevator is a few seconds from reaching the ground floor. All he cares about right now is you.

And because of that, he says, “Very likely,” before pulling you in. Your fingers tangle in his hair while his cup your jaw, moving you closer, deepening the kiss, trying to make up for all of his stupidity. As he holds you now, feels your lips, he wonders how he never knew.

[activechataclysme]

TITLE: two truths and a lie.

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug Ship: The Love Square - SnekMouse Rating: T [ AO3 ]

Summary:

“For the, uh, game. You said two things,” he said, holding up two fingers. He wiggled one finger.  “That there was a, uh, boy you’ve been in love with for years,” then the other. “And that you want to get over him.”

“I get that,” he said quietly, tapping a rhythm against her shoulder with his fingers. “Do you, uh, do you see him everyday?”

“More than he knows, I think,” she said, her tone a little sly, as if she was sharing an inside joke with herself. “He sits right in front of me in class, actually.”

-o-

“I realised I’m in love with this girl recently, I’m scared to ask her out. She, um, sits in front of me, an-and…” he floundered before finally tacking on a lie. “She knows exactly how I feel.”

... Or in which warm feelings flare in chests, soft gazes are exchanged, blushes are blushed and confessions are made without even intending to.

One of their evening patrols ended with the two of them after patrol on a secluded rooftop, with beer in cheap plastic cups in each of their hands, and two half empty bottles of it between the two of them. They sat on the balustrade, feet swinging as they looked out at the city, chuckling as they played a game of Two Truths and a Lie.

Aspik found that beer, if had in, er, generous amounts , could in fact make one tipsy, as well as loose-lipped. He was sure Multimouse would’ve figured him out if she hadn’t been a little tipsy and out of it herself...

People love photographing me, I hate that they do ( She had looked at him somewhat sadly at that ) and I love shopping for my own clothes.  

My dad’s a dick, Ladybug is the uh worst and my bestfriend is a superhero. ( She had giggled uncontrollably. )

Modelling is my dream job, I enjoy piano and I love our patrols together. ( He suspected, in a very self-satisfied manner, that the flaming of her cheeks didn’t have much to do with the cold. )

…And well, If he didn’t already know Multimouse’s identity, after tonight he definitely would have....

My parents are bakers, I have a DJ friend and I’ve never dated a musician.  

I have a journalist friend, I want to be a… singer and all walls in my room are pink

Chat Noir’s hair is as soft as it looks but don’t tell him I said that ( If Multimouse wondered why Aspik was blushing, she didn’t voice that ) . I like wearing my hair in pigtails and I’m allergic to marigolds. (Hard, because Aspik couldn’t possibly say that he’d seen her eat marigolds; he never questioned it of course.)

“Your previous suit design was awful, I love rose macarons and Chat Noir’s puns are amazing,” she giggled.

Aspike let out an amused snort. “You love rose macarons. And you love Chat Noir’s puns. So the lie obviously, is about my suit. My suit was the best .”

Multinouse giggled harder, cheeks flushed pink under her mask. The beer must be really getting to her, he thoughts, watching as she took another sip. “ False ,” she declared. “Chat Noir’s puns are awful .”

Aspik huffed. “My suit was just fine , little mouse.”

“Sure, snake boy,” she snorted.

“I’ll have you know I’m an expert on fashion,” he sniffed.

“I’m sure you are, Mr. Celebrity,” she laughed.

Multimouse reached over to ruffle his hair, laughing harder at his petulant look as he attempted to flatten his hair. Just as he was attempting to straighten his bangs, he caught her soft blue gaze on him. She was smiling at him warmly, almost a wistful expression on her face.

“What is it?” he asked, tilting his head.

She shook her head, almost as if she was snapping herself out of something. The softness left her face and she gave him a weak smile. “Your turn,” she said, downing her cup.

He watched quietly for a few moments, as she hastily refilled her cup. He cleared his throat and looked away, training his eyes on the city lights.

“I’m thankful to have you in my life and that we’re friends, your suit is super cute, grey and pink? Very you . And uh…” he floundered, when he sensed her wide-eyed blue gaze. “I… Uh, hate passionfruit?”

He heard her let out laughter, and he couldn’t help but turn to look at her. “You don’t hate passion fruit,” she giggled.

He snorted. “Well, how would you know? Maybe your suit is not cute. Maybe you’re not my friend.”

“You’re so silly,” she laughed. “Don’t think I haven’t seen you scarf down the passion fruit macarons I bring occasionally…”

“Well, only a fool would dislike those,” he said petulantly. “I can tell they’re baked with love,” he added teasingly, wagging his eyebrows at her.

She blushed and looked away, nervously patting one of her space buns. “...Er, well, m-my suit is amazing . I only ever wear top notch fashion, th-thank you very much.”

He grinned. “I’m sure you do.”

“And I… We’re…” She seemed to inhale deeply, before her gaze flickered over to his, a little wistful. “Friends. I know we are. You make sure to let me know.” She laughed, though it sounded a little hollow to his ears. “Everyday.”

Her eyes widened a fraction and she chuckled nervously. “I mean, everytime we patrol.”

Aspik frowned at the distant look in her eyes and the nervous fidgeting of her hands. He scooted a little closer to her and hesitantly took her hand in his. She stiffened, but only for a moment before relaxing again with a gentle sigh. She leaned her head against his shoulder.

“I’m glad we’re friends,” she said softly, and added almost as if to herself. “I’m happy we’re at least that.”

“Me too,” he said, before adding gently. “Your turn.”

“What? Oh, um right,” she said, and he felt her fidget lightly before settling down.

“I’ve been crazy in love with a boy for years,” she started, and Adrien froze. How had he forgotten about that . “I need to get over him, because I know he doesn’t see me that way...”

“He’s an idiot,” huffed Aspik, illiciting a startled laugh out of her.

“He’s not,” she said. “He’s the smartest, sweetest and kindest person I’ve met. Second only to maybe Chat Noir.”

“So Chat Noir is first , huh?” preened Adrien.

“Don’t tell him I said that,” she laughed. “It won’t do his ego any good.”

“Pfft,” said Aspik dismissively. “He’s the humblest hero of them all.”

“Sure,” said Multimouse, rolling her eyes.

“But we digress,” said Aspike. “This debate is on hold until further notice.”

“Whatever you say, li’l snek.”

They were silent for a few minutes before Aspik finally cracked. “You only said two things.”

“What?” she asked, lifting her head off his shoulder to look at him.

“For the, uh, game. You said two things,” he said, holding up two fingers. He wiggled one finger.  “That there was a, uh, boy you’ve been in love with for years,” then the other. “And that you want to get over him.”

“Hm,” she hummed, looking away again before letting out a soft self-depriciating laugh. “It’s going to be so easy to?”

Aspik wrapped a hand around her shoulder to tuck her further into his side, because what an idiot of a guy.

“I get that,” he said quietly, tapping a rhythm against her shoulder with his fingers. “Do you, uh, do you see him everyday?”

“More than he knows, I think,” she said, her tone a little sly, as if she was sharing an inside joke with herself. “He sits right in front of me in class, actually.”

Adrien felt his breath rush out of his lungs, as the world shifted in his mind’s eye. Like a fast replay of everything with a new filter, and he felt his chest start to warm. He tightened his grip around her and pulled her tighter against him.

He cleared his throat. “Have you, um, tried asking him out?”

“Only a hundred times,” she laughed. “It’s always gone wrong. Maybe that was for the best anyway. He doesn’t… He doesn’t see me like that.”

“And how do you know that? If you haven’t asked him out?”

“He says that we’re “just friends” at least once a week.” Marinette snorted. “I am starting to think that’s his way of gently letting me down without really having to reject me. He values friendships too much for that, I think.”

“You should really not make presumptions,” he said nervously, heart racing.

“Pretty sure I know what I’m talking about, Aspik. I’m sure I know what I’m talking about.”

“Including his feelings?”

“Feelings he’s made pretty clear,” she said as she drew circles on the back of his hand.

Aspik sighed, feeling like he was on the precipice of losing something he hadn’t even known he had. He really, really did not want to let go.

“My turn,” he said quietly. “I… There’s this… girl.”

Multimouse seemed to deflate a little next to him, which he couldn’t help but find a little perplexing. But he trudged forth.

“I realised I’m in love with this girl recently, I’m scared to ask her out and…” he floundered before finally tacking on a lie. “She knows exactly how I feel.”

“Well, that’s kind of obvious, snake boy,” she sighed. “I don’t see what you have to be scared about…”

“She… I found out only today that she’s trying hard to move on from me.”

“That means she still does have feelings for you.” Her voice was smaller than he’d like, almost a breathy resignation to it. “You should ask her anyway. I can’t imagine anyone saying no to you.”

“Yeah?”

She lifted her head off his shoulder, her gaze warm, smile fond. “Yeah.”

Aspik hummed. “Even you?”

“Of course! I just told you I- Well, I- I mean, if-if it weren’t for that guy I told you about, then um, yes. Definitely. For sure. Yep.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe I’ll leave a note on her desk when school re-opens after Winter Break. With a bunch of flowers.”

“Yeah, I’m sure she’d like that,” sighed Multimouse.

“Actually, maybe not,” he amended thoughtfully. “She sits right behind me, so it’ll be hard for me to see her reaction. And she’s a little prone to easily freaking out,” he chuckled fondly. “Maybe I should enlist my bestfriend’s girlfriend for help. Those two are bestfriends, you know, and she’s a schemer, that one. What do you think I should-”

He stopped when he realised Multimouse’s head wasn’t against his shoulder anymore. He turned to see that she was staring at him with wide eyes, head tilted curiously

“Did you say that she sits behind you? Like right behind you?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh,” she muttered. “Y-You said that she has feelings for you. And that you found out she was trying to get over them.”

Adrien unfortunately had always been just a little slow on the uptake. So he chuckled a little. “Yeah, found out today, in fact.”

“ Today ?”

“Yep, today.”

“She told you herself, did she?”

He really should have noticed the careful neutrality in her tone.  

“Yes, actually,” he nodded vigorously. “But you seem to think there’s still hope, so I… Wait a second .”

He whirled on her, eyes narrowed, to find that she was studying him too.

“Do you…. Know ?” she asked first, eyebrows set in a wary pinch.

Aspik hesitated before leaning closer to her, almost nose to nose now bodies twisted to face each other. He turned completely to her in a moment, one leg folded, the other hanging off the ledge of the roof.

“Do… you know?”

“I asked first, mon é cailles .” The slight twitch of her eye gave away her faux serious facade though.

He smirked as he wrapped a hand under her knee to tug her closer, while her hands came up to hold his shoulders so she could stabilize herself. “Can’t argue with that logic ma petite souris ,” he chuckled, face towering over hers. “But I’m afraid I have the upper hand here.”

With that he kissed the corner of her lips ( Her. Lips. ), just as he decided to hell with it and tugged her onto his lap ( Oh, my god! ) fully.

“A-Aspik!” she squeaked as he looked up at her affectionately, before pressing a kiss to the other corner of her mouth.

“Multimouse,” he said, now his hands wrapped around her hips, zero room between them.

She was watching him with parted lips, face flaming, while her expression was of utter disbelief. Hesitantly, her hand went up to trace his mask, before it settled on cupping his cheek. Blushing, she looked at him with soft eyes before leaning slightly and kissing the apple of his cheek.

“How… How did you find out?” he asked quietly, as she started to draw back.

She looked panicked for a moment before relief seemed to wash over her.

“The game sort of gave you away,” she admitted, not meeting his eyes as one of her hands snaked ( snaked , heh) over his chest and over his shoulder so she could play with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Um, so what gave me away?” she asked shyly.

He froze for only a second before thanking the gods for having Marinette herself present the answer to him.

“The game,” he grinned.

She groaned before deflating in his arms ( In. His. Arms!!! ), forehead resting against his shoulder.

“I knew the beer was a terrible idea,” she whined. “It made us too loose-lipped!”

“Beg to differ,” said Aspik. “Best idea you’ve had, I think.”

Multimouse giggled. “Maybe.”

“Hey, Marinette?”

“Hm?”

“I do love you, you know. I meant that.”

She was quiet for some time before she finally drew away from him to look him in the face. She brushed his hair out of his eyes, dancing with a pure sort of happiness that made his heart burst with joy. She kissed his forehead, and then the tip of his nose, making his face heat up with anticipation.

As he watched, her eyes flickered to his lips, before she looked away nervously, biting her lower lip with worry. Adrien’s heart warmed - what, was this the hundredth time just that night? - and he brushed the tip of his nose against her chin.

“You know, you keep doing that and I might just kiss you,” he said teasingly.

He laughed softly as the tips of her ears turned red. “Well, you won’t hear me complain, mon écaille irisée ,” she muttered.

And well, so he kissed her. She seemed frozen in shock for a fleeting second before melting against him. Her hands locked around the nape of his neck as she pulled him closer, an almost mind-numbing tug at the base of his skull as she tilted his head back to get a better angle. He decided then and there that he wouldn't complain if they never stopped. He tried his best to cull the purr building in his throat because that would be dead giveaway, and wondered briefly if he'd develop snake-like tendencies as well if he wore the miraculous long enough. His teeth grazed her lower lip, where hers had been less than thirty seconds ago, and he bit it gently, greedily swallowing the moan she let out.

They finally parted for breath, and her buns sat skewed on the top of her head, messed up and unkempt, some strands straying loose and falling on her as she stared at him.

“You know, no one’s ever called me iridiscent before,” he said, eyes dancing with mirth as he swept back some of the loose hair off her face.

“Shut up, nicknames aren’t really my forte,” she pouted, leaning into give him another peck against his lips.

“No, I love it,” he assured her, making her look down at him again. “Will you promise to call me that forever?” he asked teasingly, an eyebrow quirked with mirth.

Everytime he thought she couldn’t turn any redder, she proved him wrong. And he loved her for it.

“You’re too much,” she complained. “You and Chat have been spending too much time together!

Adrien only laughed. “But you looooooove me.”

“Yeah I do.”

“I’m glad you didn’t get over me,” he said quietly.

Her smile faded and she looked at him fondly. “Thanks to you, you don’t make it easy, you know.”

“So I’ve heard,” he chuckled.

[imagine-loki]

Hiding In Plain Sight

TITLE: Hiding in Plain Sight CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 8 AUTHOR: wolfpawn ORIGINAL IMAGINE:Imagine coming from a line of nobility or royalty and being in an arranged marriage with Loki in an attempt to strengthen your kingdom / alliance with Asgard. You’re not entirely on board with the idea but figured that the best you could do was to get to know your fiancé.You form an agreement with Frigga for you to pose as Loki’s personal servant for a few months so you can get to know who Loki really is – beyond the veil of his responsibility to the Asgardian throne, behind all the masks he wears when facing the public, to really know who Loki is behind closed doors as you slowly fall for each other.How long will you keep up the ruse with the God of Lies? RATING: General Audience

NOTE - I finally got my ass in gear and finished something, thank Loki.

Raven thought over everything she and Frigga discussed. Her earlier worry that Frigga was blinded by motherly bias was very much confirmed. Loki was by no means a tyrant, he did not seem to have an aggressive bone in him. She knew he would never physically harm her. She also suspected that he would not be the kind to constantly say negative things to her and belittle her publicly but she knew too that behind everything, he would be thinking it, and that was an issue.

Frigga had ensured that until her family arrived, she would not be bothered too greatly. She instead spent time learning different aspects of Aesir court that could only be taught on her coming to Asgard, as it included court records that were kept in Asgard’s archives and could not be taken off the realm. It made for interesting reading, there were so many things she would never have even thought existed. Alfheim’s court was run so differently, it was a large learning curve for her, and she liked it. It gave her something to do while waiting that made her feel like she didn’t have to think of Loki all the time. On occasion, he came up in the court records, but they were in the grand scheme of things, where the royal family went and such so it was interesting but not overly informative. There was one situation that seemed to have arisen when Loki seemed to think it humorous to play tricks on his brother and a few of his friends and had been reprimanded in court for that but overall, he seemed to not be much of the situation. The only things of note from outside of the court that occurred but made it into the annals of it was an ambush in Vanaheim that noted his seidr was one of the reasons they made it to safety and when he was able to prove a young man innocent of a crime he would have faced a long sentence for. She read the articles pertaining to both with interest and noticed that Loki had a keen interest in justice and perceived imbalances of such. It was a trait to commend but again, she found herself wondering how to deal with her future with him. Clearly, he saw having to marry her as an injustice against him.

The knock on the door that stole her from her thoughts startled Raven. She walked over and opened it, not expecting anyone as Frigga had already told her that she was to deal with different matters through the day and would see her that evening and her family was not yet due to arrive. When she opened the door, the large burly figure on the other side caused her to frown slightly. “Your highness.” She bowed.

Thor nodded his head in acknowledgement. “Princess. I am sorry to bother you, but may I speak with you briefly?”

Raven moved to the side and closed the door again once he was inside. “Is everything alright?”

“I was going to ask you that. I noticed that Loki’s old maid had returned and that there was no sign of you anywhere. I was worried my morose brother scared you into hiding in some dark corner of Svartalfheim.” Thor meant it as a joke but the manner in which Raven looked awkwardly to the side caused him to worry. “He has not been overly rude, has he?”

“No more than usual, I suppose. He just…” She toyed with her hands.

“I can assure you, I will not run to Loki with whatever you say to me,” Thor promised.

“I could not stand his manner of speaking of me. He decided to actually attempt to learn something of me and Light Elf customs through my guise as an elven maid but that went about as well as a Jotun going to a sun for a holiday. He would not even use my name, he called me “Her” and “She” and “The Princess”. When I told him that it would be wise to use my name, he was uninterested, so I told him I could not stomach his disrespect any longer and left.” She explained.

Thor stood in silence for a short time thinking over what she had said. “Can I just say, that your official meeting as intended is going to be utter madness?” He chuckled.

“I have been hiding here reading, trying not to think about it.”

“How is that fairing?”

“Very badly. From what I am reading, Prince Loki does not take well to being lied to or deceit.”

“That is true, though the irony is utterly startling as he himself often lies and is deceitful, but I digress.”

“Two wrongs do not make a right.”

“No, that is true, but if you go left twice, you end up going right,” Thor argued.

“I am not entirely sure that has much logic to it but it’s not wrong, I suppose.” Raven laughed slightly. Thor smiled at her as a result. “Thank you, I think that is the first laugh I have had all week that is not at the expense of my current situation.”

“It does seem like it was by the look on your face.” Thor nodded. He sighed at the defeated features of the Elvish Princess. “Princess Raven, I know this is not ideal and I know my brother is immense work but I assure you, for as many faults as I can list him having, he is not a bad being and his recent adversity to the Light Elves is not a lifelong dislike, merely a reaction to the impending situation and I believe it is unfair to thrust this upon you, he is just trying to deal with it and I know he will cease his foolishness upon realising that this is not as bad as he seems to think it to be in his head.”

“How will he react when he realises who I am?” She asked. “I am trying to figure out myself how I think he will but I am not sure.”

“What have you thought would be his reaction?”

“Insulted and embarrassed that his mother and I schemed this. Perhaps angered at you too for not revealing the truth to him. Leading to an angry and scorned prince.”

“I would think that to be a fair assessment.” Thor nodded.

“Yet you seem to actually smile at the thought?”

Thor exhaled loudly. “My brother is very proud.” He explained. “Too proud, far too much so. And this will very much hurt his pride, I know that deeply but that is not a bad thing. Pride is not something one should have in great amounts as it is not a good trait. I too suffered this affliction but through Loki mostly, I have been cured of my pride and see now how harmful it actually is to one’s self. Loki has thought himself too much above others for too long, this will crash that delusion down and yes, if I am honest, I am interested to see how that goes. The worst you will endure is scathing comments, glares and such. I, on the other hand, will be subjected to abuse, both physical and verbal.”

“And you’re okay with that?” She asked, noticing the devious smile on his face.

“Yes, I am. It’s nice being the one not feeling fooled for once.”

“It was not about fooling him, it was about getting to know him before being married to him for the rest of my life,” Raven verified.

“Yes, but you fooled him by doing so,” Thor pointed out.

Raven became silent after that, uncertain of what to say. The closer the time came to reveal the situation, the more she regretted ever coming to Asgard before the wedding.

*

Loki eyed Thor with interest as he walked up the hallway of the royal wing. When Thor passed him, he noticed something about his brother that was off. “Where have you just come from?”

“What business is it of yours?”

“You smell of lavender and rosemary. Unless you have accidentally fallen into mother’s bathroom supplies, which, going by the fact you are dry, I sincerely doubt, then you were in the presence of someone who uses such perfuming plants and I am curious as to ascertain who that was.”

“That is entirely none of your concern.” Thor dismissed. “Why would you even care? So long as I am not encroaching on you and your business, what is it to you?”

“Now you have caused my curiosity to alter into intrigue.”

“I would have thought you would have been too busy readying for your impending nuptials to care what I am doing, seeing as you are to be wed so soon.” Loki scowled at the thought. “You know, if I were you, I would have some gratitude. Mother spoke to me about my perspective wives, and none come near the beauty of Princess Raven.”

“Ask Mother to give her to you then,” Loki growled before his brow furrowed. “How in the Norns would you know what she looks like?”

“We met her, years ago, in Vanaheim. Her and her brothers. I recall her being pretty then. According to Mother, she looks even more beautiful now. So, while I need to fret about the appearance of the woman I will have to have by my side, you are being gifted a pleasant one of good looks and mind and are complaining. Honestly, Loki, you state that you have it the least favourable of the two of us, yet on this front, you very much are at an advantage. Your wife will be appealing looking but even more importantly than that, she is well-versed in the role required of her as a princess herself and is genuinely a nice person and before you demand to know how I know this, the answer is simple, her brother Richard and I have spoken substantially of late. He is the second oldest of her brothers, he was at the same camp as us in Vanaheim.” Thor stated. He used the fact it was true that he was in correspondence with Richard because of the elf’s thirst for knowledge of the battles through time so that he could learn from them. In Vanaheim, he had spoken to Thor at length with regards to different battles and the Aesir prince promised that he would send books on different historical effects for the elf prince to better himself in his role as general of Alfheim. Never once had the elf asked for his sister, but Loki did not need to know that.

Loki gave a small disinterested sound. He had known of Thor corresponding with Richard, he was slightly startled that the two other princes were discussing Raven but it was not entirely implausible either. “Lucky me.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “Sounds like she is perfect for you, you can have her.”

“She is not a fruit bowl, she’s a living being and you need to remember that,” Thor growled. “She comes from a culture where she is not as utilised as she should be but that will not equate to her being vapid and dim.”

“Norns, why is everyone so sure that this princess is so great? Between you and Mother, I am getting so sick of hearing about this. All I need now is Father bothering me about her too.”

“Father has said several times in my presence that this is the alliance we need to secure our ties to the Light Elves. Raven being married to you and the children that will result in such ensure that.”

“Unless one of her four brothers wed elsewhere, of course?”

“Three are marrying Light Elves and one is promised to a Vanir, General Everett’s daughter, Evie, is it? Their alliances are being set in stone via that.” Thor informed him. “He aligned his daughter after it was ensured you and Raven were to be wed. This alliance was integral to everything.”

“Whoopie.”

“Loki, please….just…” Thor sighed, he wanted to tell his brother to be nice to Raven, that she was a genuinely nice person but he knew that when it would be announced that she was actually the being that had been playing his maid and that his mother and the princess had concocted the plan and then, of course, when Loki realised that Thor knew who she was too, there would be a severe issue and he would not be easily calmed. “Try and be reasonable.”

“What were you going to say? Or was your brain not able to keep up with your train of thought?” Loki growled.

Thor sighed, no longer feeling the slight twinge of guilt for his brother at being deceived. “I was going to say, be nice to her when she arrives, but I gathered that was too much to ask.” he simply side-stepped his brother. “I hear they are arriving soon.”

Loki said nothing more to his brother as he left, too busy considering what was to come.