#she does however have a strong sense of I GOTTA PROTECT THE MIDDLE GUY

[moeblob]

Karen has four older brothers and this is Ross! He's the second oldest and he looks rather polite and smiles a lot and when he's at work he can behave most of the time... but he really has such a foul mouth it puts Right to shame.

And Karen when she was a kid couldn't pronounce S's and they sounded like Z's. So when her brothers would be leaving for school she would say "enjoy zool" and just. Could NEVER say Ross's name correctly so he told her to just call him Oz. And it stuck but only with Karen. She's the only one to use it and no one else is allowed.

[snappedsky]

Fanatics 77

The Night Terrors protect Squee.

*Links to previous and next chapter in reblog*

-- 

Sleep Struggles

           “I need your help. After what happened before, I’ve been avoiding sleep. But I can’t anymore. I’m so tired. But even when I do try to sleep, I can’t relax. I feel like something bad is coming and I can’t tell if it’s for real or if it’s my paranoia. Before…I didn’t have to tell the difference because…Shmee did it for me.”            Squee takes a deep breath and looks up at the Night Terrors. “So that’s why I’ve called you here. If you guys are here keeping watch, then I know if something bad does happen, you’ll be able to stop it. Maybe then I can relax a little. And if I do create something in my sleep again, you’ll be able to slow it down until Nny wakes up.”

           “Right. So you want us to be your bodyguards,” Reverend Meat clarifies, “no problem.”            “Yeah, sounds fun,” Sickness agrees.

           “And this is the first time we’ve been out of the city since we were created,” Eff adds, “it’s like a holiday.”

           “With an actual house and free food and everything,” D-boy nods approvingly.

           “Exactly. We all benefit,” Squee says between a yawn.

           “Okay, we’ll get started,” Reverend Meat declares and salutes. “See you all at lunch.”

           With that, the Night Terrors exit Cammie’s house and Squee and Johnny stare after them.

           “I can protect you, y’know,” Nny points out.

           “I don’t want you to shoulder all that responsibility,” Squee argues, “this is supposed to be a vacation for you too.”            Nny smiles and pats Squee’s head. “Go get some sleep.”

           “I’ll try,” he replies, “come on, Nugget.”            The cat mews as she follows him down the hall to his room.

           Outside, the Night Terrors stand on the porch, glancing back at the door.

           “Squee…isn’t doing much better, is he?” Eff questions.

           “Do you blame him?” D-boy scoffs.

           “He’s tired,” Reverend Meat says, “that’s why he called for us. To help him.”

           “Still though,” Sickness sighs, “I wish there was more we could do.”            Reverend Meat rubs his chin with consideration. “Maybe there is. Happiness is supposed to be infectious, and Nny and Cammie aren’t exactly happy people. So maybe we should be.”            “Happy people?” D-boy questions, scornfully.

           “Yeah. Or at least act like it,” Reverend Meat nods.

           “How do we do that?” Eff asks.

           He points at his face, smiling brightly. “Smile.”            Eff and Sickness oblige but D-boy hesitates.

           “Come on, D-boy,” Reverend Meat urges, “for the Little Boss.”            D-boy grumbles but cracks a smile.

           “There we go,” Reverend Meat cheers. “Now we just gotta keep this up all day whilst we play bodyguard. So I figure we each take a corner of the house. If you see anything, jump to the middle of the roof to alert the others. But keep the noise down. We don’t wanna disturb Squee. And remember: smile!”            “This is why retail workers are suicidal,” D-boy mumbles as they split up, each resting on a corner of the roof.

           They’re observant at first, for at least a couple minutes. But as early morning slips into mid-morning, with nothing happening, they all start lounging.

           It’s so relaxing out here. It’s not like they have much going on at home, but here there’s no city noise and no Aron and Serena. It’s just peace and quiet.

           Reverend Meat is the first to notice a change, as he often is. He immediately shoots up, this feeling recognizable. And just as he jumps to the peak of the roof to warn the others, they sense it too and join him.

           “They’re here,” Reverend Meat says.

           “Yup, they’re making their move,” Eff nods.

           “Or maybe they’ve been making their move and that’s what Squee’s been feeling,” D-boy points out.

           “Either way, how do we deal with it?” Sickness asks.

           “Same way we deal with any threat,” Reverend Meat replies, “destroy it.”

           The others nod.

           “And smile!”

           Eff and Sickness beam brightly while D-boy groans and cracks a grin.

           They all jump to the ground and approach the edge of the forest. The shadows within are deep and dark, more so than should be normal. And if you squint, you can see something moving, swirling around in the darkness.

           The Night Terrors can feel its sudden agitation. It’s not happy to see them again.

           “Long time no see,” Eff snarls.

           “This is gonna be a short-lived reunion,” Reverend Meat says as he cracks his knuckles and rams his hand into the shadows.

           Something immediately pulls at him, threatening to tug him into the trees, but he stands strong. The others quickly grab him and he pulls his arm out. Nightmarish tentacles and tendrils covered in little hairs or spikes are wrapped around his wrist. He pulls out as much as he can before barking, “cut it!”

           Eff quickly draws a machete from his hat and slashes it through the tentacles. The severed pieces around Reverend Meat’s arm shrivel up into dust while the rest shrink back into the trees, hissing painfully.

           “It sure didn’t like that,” Sickness comments.

           The Nightmare bursts out of the woods, a mass of monstrous mouths, fangs, and tentacles surrounding them at the sides and overhead.

           “No, it didn’t,” Reverend Meat agrees.

           “Can this be considered teenage rebellion?” D-boy grins as they all ready for a fight.

           The beastly appendages lunge at them. Reverend Meat blocks with his arms while Sickness, D-boy, and Eff attempt to knock them back, but there’s too many. A couple tendrils slip by and wrap around D-boy’s ankles. He cries out with surprise as they yank him off his feet and drag him towards the trees. But before the shadows can engulf him, he plants both ends of his mallet against neighboring trees, catching and holding himself back.

           The others are too busy to worry about him, however. Eff is struggling to hold back a fang-filled maw from biting his face off, his blades caught between its fangs. Tentacles have wrapped around and are tugging on Reverend Meat’s arms, forcing him to play tug-of-war with himself. And Sickness is barely dodging the creature’s attacks, its appendages scraping and grazing against her skin as she jumps and flips around.

           All of her acrobatics have backed her up against the wall of the house. She looks back in shock, right through the window of Squee’s room, and catches a glimpse of him in bed. He’s asleep, but it seems fitful, rife with bad dreams.

           Sickness snarls and glares at the Nightmare as its appendages charge her. She quickly ducks down, plants her hands on the ground, and spins her legs through the air with such force she slices through them like a blade.

          The Nightmare hisses as its severed extremities disappear into nothingness. As she stands up, Sickness starts to shout at the others but stops when she remembers Squee asleep just a wall behind her, and instead races over to them.

           “Get it together, you guys,” she hisses, “the Little Boss needs us.” She points at her face and smiles. “Remember?”

           Reverend Meat, Eff, and D-boy look at her in surprise before a renewed vigor rushes through them. And they smile.

           Reverend Meat grips the tentacles around his arms and pulls them down just enough for him to step on them, pinning them to the ground. Then he tears them in half.

           Eff lets his blades slip out from between the maw’s fangs and as it starts to charge at him, he brings them against its cheeks and slices it in half. Then, he swiftly cuts up the rest of the appendage and all the surrounding ones like a master sushi chef.

           Finally, D-boy flips his mallet around, allowing the Nightmare to pull him into the trees. But before the shadows can devour him, he swings his hammer and completely smashes the appendages at his feet.

           Expecting more to come at him from the mass of darkness, D-boy quickly backflips away and joins the others outside the trees. They all tensely watch the squirming shadows, ready for another round. But then, the shadows split apart and disappear.

           “It’s gone,” Eff sighs.

           “For now,” D-boy adds.

           “Yeah, it’ll come back,” Sickness agrees.

           “But not like this,” Reverend Meat points out, “now it knows Squee isn’t gonna be an easy prize. It’s gonna send a servant to weaken him. We need to watch out for anything suspicious.”

           They all sigh and dust themselves off as Reverend Meat glances at the sky.

           “It’s noon,” he says, “come on. I think we’ve earned ourselves a lunchbreak.”

           The others nod agreeably and they head to the front of the house.

           Meanwhile, Squee’s eyes blink open and he groans. His sleep throughout the morning had been restless. He would only sleep for a couple hours at a time and he would always have bad dreams. And the entire time he felt like something bad was happening. But he forced himself to rest, trusting the Night Terrors to keep watch. And it doesn’t look like anything bad happened so his plan must’ve worked.

           After checking the time, he sits up and stretches. Lunchtime. He should eat something.

           “Come on, Nugget,” he says, patting his cat as he stands up. She yawns before following him out of the room.

           As Squee exits the hall, he runs into the Night Terrors entering the house. They face him and grin brightly.

           Squee blinks with surprise. They’re covered and dirt and grime; their clothes are torn, they’re scratched up, and the Doughboys’ makeup is smudged. But none of that is quite as bewildering as their beaming smiles.

           Despite himself, Squee chuckles. “You guys are a mess. Clean yourselves up then have something to eat.”

           The Night Terrors watch him, stunned as he passes them to the kitchen, before smiling excitedly.

           “Yes, Little Boss!” they chime before racing each other down the hall, arguing about who will use the shower first.

           Squee smiles as he listens to them and opens the fridge.

           “They really care about you, huh?”

           Squee’s smile disappears at the voice. He swallows hard and ignores it as he grabs sandwich ingredients.

           “It’s baffling, really. I mean, why should anyone care about you? You’re such a loser. A real failure at life. It’s probably pity. Yeah, that’s it. Why else would anyone care about you?”

           Squee continues to ignore it as he makes his lunch but the voice doesn’t seem to care. Nny and Cammie, who are both sitting at the table, clearly can’t hear it. But Squee knows this already.

            “You should probably just give up, you know. It would be so much easier on everyone. Your friends, your family, you. Why keep fighting when there’s nothing worth fighting for?”

           Squee stops, dropping a butter knife and a jar of mustard, and glares at the source of the voice. A stress toy, the kind with eyes and ears that bug out when squeezed. He’s also got an unsettling smile that only Squee can see. He’s not sure where he came from or how long he’s been here. But this isn’t the first time he’s seen the toy in the last week. He calls himself ‘Squishy Pete’.

           Squee picks him up and gives him a squeeze.

           “Feel better?” Pete asks, “I’m great for stress. But you know it’s just a temporary solution. But if you give in, all of your stress will disappear.”

           “You’re wrong,” Squee says quietly.

           “Huh?”                      

           “I do have things worth fighting for,” he states, “and I’ll never give up.”            Before the toy can reply, Squee pops open the lid of the garbage can and drops him inside, shutting him in the darkness. But as he goes back to his sandwich, Squee knows that won’t be the last he sees of Squishy Pete.

           A temporary solution indeed.

[bestworstcase]

Since Gilbert took over Corona in the latest chapter, I wanted to know like, what is his relationship with his brothers? Do he and Frederic usually get along? Is it a kind of "I was supposed to inherent the throne" kind of deal? Also how does he feel about Arianna, Punzel, and Eugene?

alrighty so!!

gilbert is the middle sibling; fred’s older, ludolf is younger. i don’t think he has much, if anything, in the way of ambition to rule—he’s very much a traditionalist and that includes buying into the system of monarchy and frederic having the “right” to rule as the eldest son.

however he absolutely is not the kind of person who could loaf around being a rich prince all his life, and since the temple didn’t appeal to him (too boring) and neither did diplomacy (too delicate), as a young man he enlisted in ingvarr’s battalion and served as an officer in the hvassjarn war, which was a fairly significant war ~20 years ago involving, primarily, a territorial dispute between ingvarr and seland, with their respective allies getting dragged into the mix (and quintonia stuck in the middle like “god damn it, guys, again?).

and that is an environment in which gilbert definitely thrived. he always has a very black and white, us-vs-them mentality that suited him well for war; he liked the military camaraderie of the battalion, the physical and mental challenges of battle, and the... simplicity? of the whole conflict. i think any political nuances that existed were entirely lost on him and in his mind it was a very straightforward... we (the seven kingdoms) are the good guys, we want the land, seland/the hĺessian alliance doesn’t want to give us the land, therefore they are bad and we’re fighting them. 

buuut then the war ended, and he retired with honors from the battalion and returned home to corona, where... there was really nothing for him to do except advise frederic and involve himself with the king’s watch, which is the closest thing corona has to a standing army. and i think he found that sort of boring and unfulfilling / ended up being to restless to ever... like start a family of his own. 

i figure in the last 20 or so years he’s been in and out of corona a fair amount for diplomatic reasons, and he doesn’t... enjoy that, but it’s something he can do to Serve Corona, which he’s very keen to do. because he’s very patriotic. but like, in general, he isn’t a man who... can exist without an enemy, if that makes sense? he needs a them to be in opposition against, and in times of peace there’s really not. a clear cut them

and then of course in this same time frame his baby niece was kidnapped and he was heartbroken about that and dealt with that heartbreak by, even moreso than frederic did, looking for someone to blame...

...which is where his hatred of saporians really started to boil over. like he was never not bigoted against them, but when he was a younger man i think it really was more just the average... thoughtless dismissal / distaste and casual distrust of saporian culture that Most Coronans have. but after rapunzel was kidnapped gilbert a) looked at the exploding popularity of saporian separatism and went “clearly Those People stole, and probably killed, my infant niece,” and then b) generalized separatism to all saporians and entrenched himself further and further in that bigotry until he got to... where he is today, which is something goes wrong and his knee-jerk reaction is to be like “the saporians did this somehow”

SO

when the saporians / the coalition between the separatists and the syconium started actually seriously laying the groundwork for a rebellion, gilbert was already mentally primed to jump straight to saporians are the enemy and we need to treat this like a war...

...which frederic repeatedly refused to do. and gilbert was legitimately distressed about this, because in his mind, saporians are The Enemy/not coronan, and they’re a dire threat to corona, and he can see very clearly that they’re going to become a worse threat if something isn’t done, and... frederic is doing nothing about it. [what fred is actually doing is applying moderation and recognizing that saporians are part of corona too, but that. doesn’t register as doing anything, in gilbert’s brain]

so gilbert is like UH??? because it feels to him like he’s the only sane person left in the room and everyone else is just sitting on their butts with their heads in the sand. and he really doesn’t know what to do about it other than loudly and insistently asking fred to Do Something, but that keeps... not... working...

and then the saporians steal the journal of herz der sonne. this compromises herzingen’s security in a MAJOR way, and gilbert is able to wring a couple concessions out of it... but it’s nowhere near what he feels is enough, in his mind the task force (under sir peter’s command, not his) is a token gesture at best. it’s not going to fix anything. 

and then his niece gets kidnapped AGAIN! and STILL nothing changes! the witch who kidnapped and hurt her gets coddled [this is how gilbert interprets sir peter chewing out the guards he catches roughing her up] and lackadaisical security allows her to not just escape but also murder a guard on the way out. and still nothing changes except for a handful of arrests and interrogations that don’t really go anywhere.  

so gilbert is getting very frustrated and uneasy and upset, and he feels like the only person taking this huge burgeoning crisis seriously...

...and that’s where he’s at when cass dips and leaves her note confessing to stealing the journal, and gilbert is like. HOLY SHIT. THIS HAS GOTTA CHANGE THINGS. and he pushes very very hard for more stringent measures, and for the most part he gets them, but that ends up being, in his mind, too little too late, because just a couple weeks later socona revolts and almost thirty coronan guards die. (and there’s also the report from falke that two of the guards stationed in socona were traitors lol)

and then in the scene with him and sir peter in the hospital in artois, gilbert very much sees that... sir peter is not going to emotionally be able to handle a war where cassandra is on the other side, so he’s like. weighing up the odds he can get frederic to remove sir peter from the commandership and he’s like... Doubt.

so that’s the point at which gilbert commits himself to a coup, because he is at his wit’s end and in his mind it’s either... a leader who is better prepared for war steps up to steer corona through this, or the saporians destroy corona forever, and as much as he doesn’t want it to come to forcibly removing frederic from power he feels like it’s his only choice, because frederic is too soft and sir peter is too emotionally compromised by. everything. 

and then it’s uh. about a month, give or take a bit, for gilbert to actually put the coup together—which is a FAST turn around, but he’s able to pull it off because a lot of the king’s watch is very unhappy about how sir peter has been handling the whole “saporians keep killing guards” and “cassandra was a traitor” situations, and it doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to get enough of them on his side for a coup to be possible. and then he waits until the next opportunity presents itself and rolls in with a plan and the backing of corona’s closest thing to an army at his back and strong-arms frederic into abdicating to facilitate a “peaceful” transfer of power. and now frederic and arianna are under a soft house arrest rip them

*deep breath* 

anyway all of that is a long winded way of saying in gilbert’s mind, he’s 100% the Virtuous Underdog Hero who is Selflessly Stepping Up to save corona from its Well Meaning But Incompetent Leaders in a Time of Dire Consequence. so that’s where he was coming from. 

as for his relationships with his family:

- he loves frederic but does not respect him very much, because the events of benighted / fred completely losing any semblance of control he had over the separatists eroded gilbert’s respect for him pretty signifcantly. (prior to benighted, i think gilbert felt pretty favorably about frederic’s leadership; he approved heartily of the crackdown, though he kept trying to nudge fred to go even harder to clean up those last few hotspots of separatism in southern corona)

- he also loves ludolf but ludolf confuses him because ludolf is perfectly content with his life as a rector and gilbert is just kinda like. but isn’t it boring. but he keeps that thought to himself because gilbert is a fairly devout man and he respects ludolf’s decision to devote his life to the temple quite a bit even if he absolutely does not get it. he does however think that ludolf, and the whole temple really, is Too Soft and Too Idealistic to function in reality

- he clashes with arianna a lot on political grounds because they have almost no common ground in their opinions on the direction corona should go, but he likes her as a person and thinks she’s generally a good fit for frederic / he’s pleased to have her as a sister in law. they just. have a no politics at the dinner table sort of agreement. because otherwise they Will fight.

- he was firmly, if silently, convinced that rapunzel was dead until she strolled back into herzingen. after that he was delighted to be wrong, and very happy for fred and ari’s sake in addition to just happy to have his niece back / for the chance to get to know her. i think a lot of his pushing and some of the desperation he has in benighted comes in part from a desire to protect rapunzel, though he sorta conflates her safety with the safety of corona as a whole in a way that frederic doesn’t. 

- he... did not like eugene at all at first, and still doesn’t like him very much. he thinks eugene is a rude, ignorant layabout who is taking advantage of frederic’s and arianna’s gratitude and he does not like that rapunzel is involved with him and he was PISSED after the botched proposal. i think fred and ari had to tag team him to get him not to just like. explode at eugene, and that only worked because gilbert knew other people were chewing eugene out for the whole thing. he has warmed up to eugene very slightly since then, because eugene started to get his act together and stopped acting so lazy. but he still is definitely like, hoping rapunzel will dump him and kick him out of the palace soon lbjkskdjlfjksd

- he’s very big on the Idea of family, even though he was never able/ready to start a family of his own (which i think... is something that bothers him a bit, though not something he dwells on). so the coup is something he genuinely didn’t want to do to frederic, but he did it because he felt it was for the greater good / he had to put his personal feelings aside to do the Right Thing. and in general he wants and tries to have good personal relationships with his family.

[the-lupine-sojourner]

Ain’t Going Away [Eijiro Kirishima/Reader] [Hanahaki AU]

Hi! So, I know...I know. I wanted to wait, too, then my hand slipped and here we go. ^.^’ Sorry not sorry! 

This idea came from Crush by David Archuleta, which I listened to on repeat while wiring this fic. I even used lyrics in it. They’re italicized and bolded.

Might not make sense, might end up being cool. Either way, hope you all enjoy! 

I want to tag @elite-guard-hardygal (who gave me the encouragement needed to post this now instead of waiting) and @souskena, who voted for this idea as Kirishima X Reader and also voted for another one from This Post of Ideas. If y’all wanna see more of those ideas, please just send in an ask and tell me what you want to see. You can use the idea and say [Character] X Reader or a different F/M couple from MHA. Doesn’t have to be KiriKara, but that’s where my brain went coming up with the ideas. 

..I’ll shut up now...

Hope you all enjoy! 

God Bless and Good Day!

~The Lupine Sojourner

(Ignore the words on the GIF...hehe...)

=#=#= Kirishima =#=#=#=

It all started after the attack on the USJ. Eijiro hadn’t meant to fall so deep so fast, but here he is. He’d protected Y/N when she’d gotten hurt, making sure she got the treatment she needed, staying with her and helping her through her recovery.

Ever since Y/N had fully recovered, he’d started coughing up petals, the number increasing every once in a while.

Now, the petals fall into the trash can, and he knows he’s in trouble. Twenty petals, over ten minutes of painful hacking and choking.

This girl had him puking flowers...and still he loved her. Y/N would never know, cus he was too stupid to just spill those three words.

But...but what if she said she didn’t feel the same way?

He’d be dead. So he kept doing to the study sessions Mina set up with their class to get he and Y/N closer together and Eijiro just hopes he keeps it together enough that he didn’t raise suspicion. He knows Mina manipulates him into going purely because she also gets Y/N to go. Of course, his best friend knew about his condition. She’d happened to  The last thing he wanted was for Y/N to take pity on him and try to kiss him purely to stop the disease.

So he remains silent. That is, until his phone buzzes. Y/N was calling him. His eyes go wide. He’d forgotten! They had a study date tonight!

=#=#= Y/N =#=#=

“Hey, Kiri!” I cheer. I wasn’t mad. Of course, there was still plenty of time for him to get here, so I wanted to remind him now.

“H-hey, Y/N.” Eijiro replies. I frown.

“Dude, you okay?” I ask worriedly. His voice was really gravelly, like he was sick. “If you’re sick, we can reschedule.”

“Nah, I just, uh, was singing really loud a lot while cleaning.” He replies and I’m not sure I believe him. But I lie and pretend to buy it. He was such a nice guy, but even nice guys need privacy, so I push down the instinct to push and find out the truth.

“Oh. So we’re still on for tonight?”

“Absolutely. Chemistry tonight, right?” He asks. His voice seems to be a little steadier now, so I guess it wasn’t that big a deal.

“Yeah.” 

“Okay. Just give me five minutes to change then I’m on my way.” I nod, blushing, then I shake myself. It wasn’t like he was coming to my house. It was just a study session. There would be other people from our class there.

“Alright. See you soon!” I hope I didn’t sound too eager as he repeats what I’d said and hangs up. I make sure all my books and notes are in the bag, then slowly walk down to the living room. Mom was waiting.

“Ready to go?” She asks. I slip on ankle boots at the door.

“I was born ready.” I retort playfully and go to grab a protein bar from the kitchen.

“Okay.” Mom says. I kiss her cheek and walk out the door. It was a twenty minute drive to the local library and I walk in happily, accustomed to the sight and smell of the building. Our classmate, Yaoyorozu, had somehow been talked into being the class tutor, as she had the highest grades. I had a strong suspicion my friend, Mina Ashido, was responsible. Mina could talk just about anyone into just about anything, and make it seem like their idea. 

Either way, it was a great boost to my grades and I was grateful Momo decided to start these sessions.

=#=#= Kirishima =#=#=

I hung up the phone tonight. Something happened for the first time, deep inside, there’s a rush...what a rush...

Eijiro couldn’t help smiling to himself. Y/N had sounded so happy he’d be there! She was always happy, but this seemed different somehow.

Cus a possibility that you would ever feel the same way is just too much, just too much...

Why, though? Why would someone as wonderful and amazing as Y/N ever notice, much less fall for, a guy that had already failed to protect her and didn’t really let himself hang around her for fear of her discovering his condition and piecing it together. So he kept his distance, telling himself it was better this way, that it was okay.

Why do I keep running from the truth? All I ever think about is you...

However, the study session was an opportunity to see Y/N and help his grades a little at the same time and Lord knows that boy needs a bit of help.

So he trudges into the library, swearing he missed a petal in his throat when he was having that huge coughing fit earlier. Y/N sees him instantly, jogging over.

“Hey, you made it!” She cheers quietly, hugging him and seeming as happy as she had on the phone. Was that...was she blushing? Eijiro ignores that. It was windy outside. That was it. Yeah…

“Of course.” He replies softly. It was killing him, the way she smiles at him like he was the only one she saw, the way that hunter green fluffy sweater with missing shoulders swishes around as she moves.

Does she know what she’s doing to him? Is she teasing him til he breaks? Or he was just being creepy and reading too much into her expression?

Got me hypnotized, so mesmerized, and I just got to know--

Either way, he cuts wandering thoughts of Y/N off and makes himself keep just a little distance between them as they walk to the group. “I so need the help!” Y/N confesses, scratching the back of her neck. “Chemistry isn’t my strong suit.”

“You’ll get it.” He assures her. He was always the one to support her, to tell her she could do it, because he meant it and it was a harmless way to show his support, right?

Do you ever think, when we’re all alone, all that we could be, where this thing cold go?

Eijiro swallows, sipping from a water bottle he usually kept on him (puking flowers made one thirsty, apparently), and sets his bag down as Momo set up problems on the board Eijiro was frankly scared to try. He was surprised when Y/N sat across from him, smiling that damning smile at him again. He blushes scarlet and dips to grab his books so he doesn’t have to let her see him blushing. When he straightens, Mina is chatting with Y/N as she grabs her books, as well. It drove Eijiro mad when Y/N flits her eyes to him every now and again, and he swears that blush is still on her cheeks. Why? It wasn’t that warm, but maybe her sweater was making her hot?

=#=#= Y/N =#=#=

Am I crazy or falling in love? Is this real or just another crush?

It was a stupid question, really. I’d never felt quite like this before. Not even in middle school with Shinso, and I drew our wedding. It was nothing more than a momentary, flitting infatuation compared to Eijiro, however. Since he’d saved me at the USJ, I can’t help feeling like he and I were becoming closer, but he never wants to stay and talk at length with me, so I have to resort to texting him as much as he’d let me.

Do you catch your breath, when I look at you? Are you holding back, like the way you do?

It didn’t matter; he never wanted to talk too deep with me when we were together, or even through texting, so I’d have to settle for pining from afar. It’s eating me up, though. I just know something’s itching to be said. 

The way he looks at me when he thinks I’m not looking, the way his eyes dart around, looking anywhere at me when I begin to get too personal, it all indicated something was wrong, but he never wanted to talk about it, so I always let it slide. No sense ruining our friendship because I couldn’t respect his boundaries. Mina wouldn’t tell me, either, insisting his home life was not the cause, and that she’d let me know if she found out anything.

I then shake myself; time to get back to the studying.

=#=#= Kirishima =#=#=

Cus I’m trying and trying to walk away, but I know this crush ain’t going away…

Eijiro sighs softly and copies the notes, and Momo’s explanation as to how she got the answer. It was hard to concentrate on chemistry when there was a different chemistry Eijiro was concerned with. The boy was sunk, and even if he tried to walk away, even if he wanted to just stop seeing her, he knew he’d eventually cave and go back to her. His life might well depend on staying with her. Mina looked between them, smiling at Eijiro, who flushes and grabs a sip of water. This wasn’t going to end well, was it?

Has it ever crossed your mind, when we’re hanging, spending time girl, are we just friends? Is there more? Is there more…

Y/N was smiling at him again as Momo wrapped up her session and they began putting books away. It was suddenly hard to breathe, and Eijiro didn’t think it was because Y/N was happy.

Shit. No, no, no! Not here. Not now!

“Are you okay?” Y/N asks. Eijiro takes another sip of water, praying it would stall the inevitable.

“Yeah. M’fine.” He lies, and is kinda proud of how his voice remains fairly calm and level. “I just, ah, I felt a cough, and drank water to stop it.” He adds, and Y/N nods, swinging her backpack up. Cute and strong...could this girl get any more perfect?

See, it’s a chance we gotta take, cus I believe we could make this into something that will last forever and ever!

Something in Eijiro snaps and his trepidation suddenly doesn’t stop him from getting closer to Y/N. “Can I just say how pretty that sweater looks on you?” He says, using what he hopes is a flirty voice. Y/N blushes and this time, Eijiro knows he made her blush. Counting that as a win, and ignoring the way his throat is slowly constricting, he smiles at Y/N.

“Aww, r-really? I- -thank you!” Y/N replies.

“Thank you.” Eijiro retorts without thinking, blushing as soon as the words were out. “Shit. I mean, um…”

“Relax, Eijiro.” Y/N giggles, and dear God his blush is getting out of hand. This girl would be the death of him.

Maybe literally. He shuts that thought down. Or not. “I gotta say, Eijiro...you look handsome in that flannel.” He blinks, heart skipping happily as he processes her words.

=#=#= Y/N =#=#=

Holy shit what’s gotten into Eijiro?! He’s always been super supportive, but...flirty is a new side of him!

I mean, I like it, but still.

“Thanks!” He then coughs a few times and instantly, I am worried.

“Eiji!” I grab his water bottle and press it into his hands. “Try some water.” He takes a sip and straightens, the effort of not coughing making his eyes water.

“Th-thanks.” He croaks. “I think...home...now.” Is all I can understand. I nod.

“Okay. Text me when you get there, okay?” I don’t notice the look he gives Mina when he turns around. I don’t notice the frenzied, panicking look in their eyes. All I know is Eijiro gives me a thumbs up and takes another sip of water as he walks to his car. I get into mine, worry gnawing at me. I sit there as the others drive away.

Suddenly, I realize that Mina is still here, too. She’s on the phone, gesturing frantically. I roll the window down and can’t help listening in on a hunch.

“--ro, this is serious! You texted me that you’d coughed up twenty petals before the session! Now you’re coughing harder than that?! So soon!? This is getting out of hand! I have to tell he- -yes, someone has to tell her, Eijiro! Y/N has the right to know what you’re doing through! She’s the damn love you’ve kept inside you, you idiot!” I am floored.

Petals? Coughing up petals? Had I heard that right? Shit! I’d heard of that! It’s a rare, deadly disease coming up in someone with an intense, unrequited love, right? They begin to puke up flowers, starting at petals, then whole flowers when the feeling increase. How could this happen! I was the cause of his suffering?! I made him cough up flowers because he couldn’t tell me how he felt?! Why not?! Did I scare him away?

Well, obviously not...considering that he was in this position because he loved me, but couldn’t get the words out... 

I start the car and drive as fast as I can, my mind racing. I just hoped I wasn’t too late.

Eijiro liked me so much, and I never had a clue! Which is stupid, looking back. What I thought was me just reading too much into his words and expressions was real. He loved me! And I loved him! That should be all the cure he needs, right? I just have to confess to him and it’ll all be okay!

=#=#= Mrs. Kirishima =#=#=

“Hey, honey, how was- -Eijiro!” Mrs. Kirishima wasn’t usually one to fret too much over her child. But seeing him with a stream of tears and petals falling out of his mouth was enough to drive her into a panic. She sits him down and gets him a bucket for the petals. She knew by the amount of petals already in the bucket that this was a whole flower coming up, which meant he was running out of time... “Breathe, baby. Breathe. It’ll be okay…” She whispers without reassurance it’ll come true.

“It hurts!” Eijiro sobs in a moment of vulnerability. “I could barely talk to Mina on the way over here!” He croaks between coughs. All Mrs. Kirishima can do is rub her son’s back.

“Shh, son. I know. I know...” She doesn’t know what else to say.

Suddenly, a few minutes later, the door opens and in comes a young woman. She goes immediately to Eijiro and gently eases his chin up. Before Eijiro can react, she’s kissing him and Mrs. Kirishima notices tears down her eyes. Eijiro isn’t stupid and responds a moment later, winding his hands in her hair and then they have to break apart because he’s still coughing. “I came as fast as I could. Something didn’t sit right with me and I couldn’t go home, and then I noticed Mina on the phone and I overheard and- -I’m so sorry, Eijiro! I never meant to hurt you!” She sobs, looking him in the eye. Eijiro is stunned. 

“...You love me back?” He whispers, as if not daring to consider it unless this woman repeats it aloud. She nods.

“Yes! I do, I do, I do!” She hugs him. “I thought I was being crazy or reading too much into you!” She replies, sobbing a little, this time in happiness. “I was so happy to know you liked me, but also so scared I was too late. Eijiro, I love you and will always love you!”

“I love you, too. Y/N.” He breaths, leaning his forehead against hers. So, this was who Eijiro talked about to Mina. Mrs. Kirishima couldn’t help overhearing her son’s conversations when passing by and had picked up bits and pieces. This woman was important to her son, so she was important to Mrs. Kirishima, as well.

“I’ll get you more water, Eijiro.” She murmurs, grabbing his cup as Y/N moves to sit next to Eijiro.

Now that the danger was passed, those two had lots to talk about.

[ssj4]

Sorry to bother you, but I keep seeing posts about a future Goten AU and I keep getting really curious! However, when I try to find links to anything about it I end up at some abandoned URLs.

SECOND TIME TRYING TO ANSWER THIS CAUSE MY IDIOT ASS FORGOT I HAD ONE TYPED OUT AND CLOSED EVERYTHING :)

some disclaimers im getting most of this from an old draft i had written about the au, i havent watched the specific scenes in dbz and dbs that these are based on in well over 2+ years so i dont remember the timeline of events that well so im sorry if some of it just straight up doesnt make sense lol

this whole thing did start out as an excuse to replace the romantic scenes with mai in dbs with goten actually so the truten themes are pretty significant but that aside future goten is a very good boy with a much different personality and outlook on things… much like how future trunks is compared to his main timeline counterpart :3c the whole thing was developed by me and my gf together and we never rly posted too much about it and the broken links you did end up finding were probably from like the one or two times we did but here u go im glad u asked 

I HOPE THE READ MORE LINK WORKS ON MOBILE IF NOT IM SORRY

the big change is it starts out with chi chi getting pregnant before goku dies of heart disease or whatever in the android saga instead of the cell saga, so even after he dies in that timeline she still has their 2nd son and he grows up in the future timeline with trunks.

when they were kids (like 10-15) goten was stronger than trunks just bc gohan and chi chi were there to teach him just a little bit. trunks and goten sparred a lot though so he was able to keep up but never really passed him. (that part isnt really important but i figured it was a nice detail that made sense)

thats when history of trunks comes into play, and they both get really serious about gohan training them. the scene in the movie where gohan knocks trunks out before flying off and getting killed is the same except now he just knocks out 2 kids instead of 1 i guess. 

i feel i gotta add that this au was created when the future trunks arc in dbs was airing, and mai was introduced as his love interest, and honestly in my opinion the scenes were written really well but i just wasnt digging the fact that before she was granted a younger appearance she was already middle aged, like she was old enough to be his mom if that makes sense. so it really isnt a dig on mai at all cause i love her and id die for her its just the romantic plot that i didnt like. so when that was airing i thought “WELL what if that was someone else” 

she’s still with them though in this timeline and she still has her younger appearance! 

the future timeline is still progressing the same as it did in canon, the androids still wrecked the place and no one was strong enough to do much about it so trunks is still set up with a time machine to meet with the other timeline. goten stays back and does his best to protect everyone while hes gone just in case

some stuff happens in between here but skip ahead to trunks coming back from the trip after the cell games i guess! lots of stuff happened obviously like trunks literally dying, spending years in the time chamber with his dad, meeting a whole gaggle of clowns that he’d only heard stories about, seeing gohan as a preteen. hes got a lot of stuff to share!!! now hes back and he can take care of the androids + cell + and goten can catch up and lifes pretty good over there! 😇

during the rebuilding period goten would spend a lot of time with chi-chi and ox-king and still slept over there occasionally which she really appreciated, and he invited trunks and bulma over there with him frequently.

despite this he wasnt present when she died as no one really expected goku black to wipe out the landscape so far from the city, but she and ox-king died along with more than half of the population. (ugh god im so sorry queen i love you😓)

as i said before mai is still here and she’s still the leader of the resistance!

events of future bulmas death is the same as well as mai originally intending to go with trunks when they meet up together in an abandoned building. goten is already there as the three of them rest up a bit and start making their way to capsule corp. goten was planning on staying behind anyways but he wanted to see the two of them off. when goku black interrupts them as they arrive, trunks and goten encourage mai to escape, seeing as she only has a gun and everyone already knows bullets arent gonna work. 

this scene is the same as it was in canon, where trunks tries to rush black but gets beaten quickly. mai trying to buy him time to let him escape is replaced with goten actually fighting him and taking a hit for trunks but getting knocked out as mai did. trunks under extreme stress from already losing his mom today assumes hes dead instantly, (he has dumb bitch disease, he didnt even check for a pulse in canon!🤔) and fires a masenko to escape into capsule on his own 

after trunks pops back in time and black is focused on searching for him, mai sneaks back in to retrieve goten (even though they told her to leave she really just ducked behind some rubble and stayed close, because she wasnt just gonna leave them!)

she takes him back to an underground bunker with other members of earths resistance and when he wakes up she tells him that trunks made it to the time machine and that hes presumably in the other timeline now. 

idk if yall remember it well but i rewatched some of the episodes just for this, and trunks in the main timeline believing goten was killed and mai is alone and he wont be able to get back is so sad. and when he spent that day with gohan and his family and cried thinking about how if black hadn’t have shown up, he couldve had a family too… he doesnt deserve to be this sad 😥

skip to when he’s finally able to get back home with goku and vegeta with him and they make their way to the bunker where he sees mai and goten together! the scene in canon where he rushes over and starts spilling his heart out is the same, with him telling goten he thought he died

they get a really sweet hug moment here when theyre both happy to see the other is still safe and it gives both goku and vegeta some Food For Thought, because goku actually didnt know there was a goten in this timeline, and he doesnt really recognize him at first. vegeta has the idea in his head that this is probably goten.

goten never really had any sort of real attachment to his dad. it makes sense hes never met him, hes only ever really heard about him through others, (his mom, his brother, trunks, and probably bulma has mentioned him as well) so he definitely knows OF him its just that, he doesnt know him. so when he sees the real goku standing there for once a lot of thoughts run though his mind, like, “that looks A LOT like goku black!” “thats definitely my old hairstyle” and “holy shit is that my dad?” but the first thing he actually says out loud is “Holy shit its goku orange” and vegeta really almost loses it because cause any doubt in his mind about this kid being related to kakarot just went right out the window cause only someone related to him would say that

and as you probably know a lot happens after that with them all finding a way to defeat zamasu but i dont want to include all of the rest when you can probably just interpret which scenes were changed  

ANYWAYS now instead of trunks surviving the apocalypse its trunks and goten surviving the apocalypse. thats why its not a really super romantic deal like Who has time for dates when goku black Might possibly be hiding in this abandoned olive garden?? so theyre just very close and privately affectionate

the ending where trunks and mai get to live in a new world with their counterparts is the same except gotens there with them of course, dbs left their ending pretty open 

so that takes care of the story changes, heres some additional details and information on gotens character in this au! 

heres his design, drawn by my girlfriend @ssj2 uwu !! 

he kept his natural hairstyle for a while, but i think he changed it sometime during the rebuilding period after the androids and just let it grow out a bunch. up until then he kept his natural style purely to honor the guy he’s heard so fondly of even if it brought him a lot of mixed feelings when people said he looks just like him. a really distinct feature about his new hairstyle is that the spikes look like horns and i love that a lot !!

and the shawl he wears was the same one chi chi wore 

some personality traits for future goten is that he has a habit of bottling up his negative emotions and has trouble taking care of himself, as hes always more focused on the well being of his loved ones. he can be mischievous and cocky but hes not overconfident (or he hasnt been since gohans death) however in some situations he can be charismatic and assertive which works really well imowhen their timeline is erased and theyre temporarily in the main timeline, goten gets to meet a bunch of people like gohan and his family, chi chi, and even his counterpart 

sorry if this post was messy i wasnt really sure how i wanted to make it look and im kinda bad at dumping information out so if any of its confusing just redirect me to it and ill try again gdjfksjdgsfk 😭❤

hmmm anyways thank u for reading!! its an au we made years ago and we love a lot and i hope u do too! be nice pls!! and send asks about it if you’d like cause its fun to think about! 

[comeondowntosouthparkrpg-blog]

Leopold “Butters” Stotch

hi! i think i’ve worked out that i’ve reached the activity limit with my overall replies & discord rp-ing (16 replies overall) but, if not, I’m happy to leave this in your inbox until it’s ready x

out of character info

Name/Alias: Grace Pronouns: She/Her Age: 23 Join Our Discord: Yes – already in x Timezone: GMT Activity: 8 Triggers: N/A Password: Jimmy can fast pass my ass Character that you’re applying for: Leopold “Butters” Stotch Favourite ships for your character: Butters/Kenny, Butters/Eric, Butters/Chemistry

in character info (heavy trigger warning for parental abuse and neglect throughout !!)

Full name: Leopold “Butters” Stotch Birthday: 11th September 2000 Sexuality, gender, pronouns: bisexual, male, he/him  Age and grade: 17, senior.

Appearance: 

Butters is cursed with eternal baby-face: chubby cheeks and big blue eyes. Even his hair is as soft and fluffy as the day he was born, with his parents making sure that he never deviates from his short-back-and-sides style by cutting it themselves every Sunday evening. That’s not the only thing that hasn’t changed; his clothing style is as sweet and standard as his middle school days – boot-cut jeans, comfortable sneakers and the teal fleece his mom bought for his 15th birthday (he’s barely grown, since). Sometimes, Butters will experiment with a graphic-tee, his favourite being his array of Hello Kitty Island Adventure merchandise, or bright coloured polo. 

Butters stands at just under average height and just over average weight, with a cute bit of chub on his belly that he doesn’t think will ever go (he’s banned from visiting the gym after his dad’s bathhouse escapades). One time, his mom threatened to fatten him up so much that he’d never be able to leave, and he’s never been able to budge the extra weight, since. He doesn’t mind, though: he’s as body positive as can be, and thinks that anyone who don’t think he’s handsome ain’t looking hard enough.

Personality: 

Butters is a mess, frankly, though he thinks he’s just an ordinary fella living life as anyone should: by being kind and helping others. He’s dangerously gullible and painstakingly naïve, with a generous soul even after everything he’s been through. He just wants to do right by the world, especially his friends. He has a strong sense of justice, though this can be easily manipulated to the point where he’ll believe that what’s wrong is right and what’s right is wrong. Despite often being misguided, he’ll stick by his guns and stay true to himself when the time comes. He’s got better at standing up for himself as he’s got older, too, and isn’t afraid to put his foot down and say heck no if necessary. Most days, he's very confident in his own skills and self-image, but that can all change with one comment. 

His disrespect for authority is an interesting personality trait. He’ll fudge the police and tell his teachers to go suck a popsicle, but there’s two people he can’t say no to. Butters has been gaslighted his entire life, and the emotional and physical abuse he receives from his parents has led to humiliating and childlike obedience (what 18-year-old accepts being grounded for using twitter after 9pm?). When he’s caught doing wrong by his parents, all his self-confidence and cowboy-like bravado is shot to smithereens: he’s just a no good miscreant who ain’t gonna amount to nothin’, so he may as well give up on his dreams and stick to bein’ a plain ol’ nobody.

History:

Butters was born to Linda and Stephen Stotch on 11th September 2000. Ever since that fateful day, his life has been nothing but chaos and control and, though he wakes up to the sound of his own screams every night, he’s grateful for every opportunity he gets. It would be impossible to write all of his ups and downs in a couple of paragraphs, but there are two things that have really shaped Butters as a person.

One: his family. Stephen Stotch uses fear to control his son whilst his mom, Linda, is dangerously protective. Though seventeen, Butters still calls his dad ‘sir’ to his face and does what he’s told or faces severe consequences. The night that his mom asked him to stalk his father to the bathhouse changed a lot of things; he saw the internalised secrets and lies that have corrupted both of his parents and has watched them wear white-picket-fence masks in public every damn day since. He saw his dad embrace his sexuality yet treat it as a sin. He experienced his mom, breaking down, vulnerable and distressed, ready to kill her own son. Not to mention the time he was sold to Paris Hilton as a pet. Linda and Stephen Stotch are manipulative and controlling parents whose ‘love’ of their son, however much they fret over him and cover him with kisses, will never make up for the trauma instilled in him.

Two: his friends. Scrotie McBoogerballs, AWESOME-O, Good Times with Weapons, Marjorine, Casa Bonita. The list of shenanigans that Butters been apart of, and victim of, is endless. He’s been locked in a fridge, publicly shamed on television and stabbed in the eye with a shuriken, yet he still hangs out with these guys. Why? Because he was never part of the gang in kindergarten, and he’s never really had a true friend, someone who has made the effort to see what he’s been through and respect him regardless. Besides, hanging with these guys (whatever injuries and humiliation they bring to him) has given him a strength he never knew he had. He’s become a pimp, rekindled his confidence to dance, got his wiener out at school, become a best-selling novelist and, best of all, learned to say no to Eric Cartman. Not bad for a good-for-nothin’.

  Sample paragraph: (At least two paragraphs, centred around your character)

For the first time in a long time, Butter’s internal sludge pile of shame and humiliation is joined by anger. He’s so gosh darn mad that he don’t care who knows it, but no-one is gonna know it, ‘cause he got no cell, no internet, and no hope’a gettin’ outta his stupid ol’ room. It’s the same ol’ story: Eric and the fellas convinced him to get a fake ID so they could get some sorta fancy alcohol for Bebe’s party tonight. Kyle said it had to be him, ‘cause he looks the oldest, and he’s the best actor outta all of ‘em. Butters ain’t sure if that’s true, but he appreciated the compliment, and it’s a bad pal that says no to a favour, especially when the entire party rested on his hands.

He got the booze, alright. And he was nice and proud of himself, until Eric said it was the wrong one. Ain’t no one wants to drink this kindergarten crap, Eric said, we’re men now, we gotta drink whiskey. Well, Butters thinks whiskey tastes like butt, and ain’t no one wants to taste butt, ‘cept maybe Kenny. He thought the blue an’ pink bottles looked cute and bubblegum is his favourite flavour, no doubt about it, but maybe he should’a followed the plan and done what he was told. Darn it all.

He was in trouble with the guys, but at least he weren’t in trouble with his mom and dad, and that meant he’d finally be able to go to a real life party, maybe show off his dancin’ skills and eat some cheese and pineapple sticks. But then they found his fake idea when doin’ their routine search’a his room, and all hell broke loose. You ain’t goin’ anwhere today, mister, they said, you’re gonna sit right here on your tushie an’ think about the consequences of identity fraud. I’m goin’ to that party, Buttons said, puttin’ his foot down. Well, that  just about earned a slap around the noggin and a week without his cell, so he couldn’t even tell the fellas he weren’t comin’ tonight.

A knock on his window jolts him outta his angry pacing. He doesn’t want to look up, ‘cause he knows it’s probably Eric, comin’ over just to make fun of his current predicament and boast all about how much fun he’s gonna have tonight. Well Butters weren’t gonna have it, no sir-ee. He puts his hands on his hips and he gets ready to march right over there and give Eric a proper telling to, but then he sees it ain’t Eric, it’s Kenny, an’ he got a proper determined look on his face.

“We’re breaking you out,” Kenny says, an’ Butters ain’t gonna argue this time.

Headcanons: 

Butters still plays Hello Kitty Island Adventures, but he’s also a massive animal crossing fan. Any game that lets him escape his house, have some independence, and talk to (or raise) cute animals can keep him hooked for hours. Unfortunately, his mom and dad turn the internet off at 9pm and keep his phone in their bedroom at night. 

Butters keeps his sexuality a secret from his parents, and it’s no surprise why. After his mom found out about his dad’s trip to the bathhouse (subsequently attempting to murder her son) and after a gruelling (and very confusing) trip to conversion camp, Butters thought it best to hide any ‘abnormal’ feelings. Fortunately, his friends and their often open sexualities has made him feel comfortable and confident with himself, and he’s resoundingly grateful for it.

He is quietly considering his gender and what it means to be Butters. At the moment, he doesn’t think he needs to put a name to it, but it doesn’t hurt to research, and he’s ecstatic to see he isn’t the only one who doesn’t sit on one end of the binary. Though exploring the possibility of being non-binary, he’s happy to be referred to by male pronouns for now.

Butters wants to be a pre-school teacher, even after what happened to Ms. Claridge. He loves drawing and storytelling and wants to share those gifts to others, helping kids who might not be happy at home.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t think his mum will let him go as far as college without having a breakdown or threatening something real bad. Though his parents have started to treat him a little better as he’s got older, their distrust of the world around them, and of their son, has grown rapidly.

Butters works part-time at the ice cream parlour and adds something special to every sale. Most of the time he uses the wafers and chocolate chips to make little teddy bears, but his extra special treat (for people he really likes) is the unicorn uni-cone with lots of sparkles.

Butters is a wonderful artist! He loves using watercolour pencils and paint the best and though his work isn’t always the most profound (it’s usually portraits of his friends or cute animals he sees), it's always beautifully coloured and full of love.  

Anything else: thank u guys 4 the opportunity

[lightsandlostbells]

Skam France 2.10 and 2.11 reaction

Skam France dropped two episodes last week, so I’m gonna put them together. 

this is another angry recap so heads up if you’re not into those

Episode 10

Clip 1 - Mickael and Lisa are very loud

Right off the bat - worst birthday ever. Making it Manon’s birthday was a good way to adapt these scenes into a holiday setting, though.

Are they play-acting so Manon can hear, or is this supposed to be a conversation between them and they’re careless enough to be too loud?

Actually I think this is a real conversation, not a performance for Manon. I think Lisa is sincere and she’s genuinely forgotten Manon’s birthday. Also that she really thinks for a second they’ve got to celebrate the pope’s birthday.

Lisa saying she misses Manon is sweet. Pretty sure they’re not going to delve into this family relationship or anything but it’s nice especially considering Lisa seems quite cantankerous. 

Lisa telling Mickael to open the door faster made me laugh for some reason. She doesn’t have time to prolong the drama.

This whole conversation is funny but poor Manon, she just wants to shut out the world.

Clip 2 - Mickael gets real

Manon’s actress continues to do a good job. She looks so tired and beaten down by everything.

Mickael and Lisa are both cute in their rendition of Happy Birthday! Lisa has so much more energy than Linn. 

“We’re sorry to steal from your cupboards all the time and ruin your life like leeches from hell.” lmao I love Mickael. 

I was apprehensive following the previous scene, because we got a funny conversation between Mickael and Lisa, but not the more serious and caring side of Mickael and the talk with Eskild that was in the original clip. I was worried because overall his character has felt less nurturing than Eskild and he hasn’t seemed to have as close of a bond with Manon - there were a few moments that were played more for humor than to indicate a strong relationship. It made me nervous that they were taking Mickael more in the direction of “gay comic relief” rather than showing his more substantial sides. So the fact they followed up the earlier conversation with Michael talking to Manon in a heavier way here was reassuring. We get to see his more caring side. He sympathizes with her and acknowledges how much he talks about his life but offers to listen as well. The actor is great and I hope they continue to give him the meatier material, especially in S3

I know he’s saying it because he’s worried, but telling a person with an eating disorder she has to eat entirety of her tray maybe isn’t the best advice? Though I doubt he knows about her ED.

Clip 3 - Charles shows up

I do think it makes it more random and less sense that she’d be like “go party with your friends, Charles” when it’s her own birthday. Or does he know that? He has to know that, didn’t he get her the cake? He’d probably see it on social media?

This is in my opinion the best Noorhelm scene of that relationship, and it almost was of Marles, too. Charles/William acts like a decent person, comes in semi-confrontational but gets his priorities straight when he sees that Manon/Noora is breaking down and panicking, and tries to calm her down and support her. The original scene of him lying down with Noora was genuinely touching and supportive.

They were on the right track and then they botched it. I have an anxiety disorder. I have had panic attacks. I know how scary they are. You don’t  “help” someone with a panic attack by physically picking them and making them leave despite them crying at you they don’t want to go out. What the hell. Why would they add that?

I mean I feel like there’s some weird gender shit going on here, with Charles being the alpha male type and then Manon being the fragile woman and it’s OK for Charles to ignore what she’s saying because Charles Knows Best. Not to mention this is the show’s idea of a swoon-worthy moment. We gotta get the guy carrying the girl around like a little doll. 

Lol, I even saw some weird justification of this moment along the lines of “Well, if she really didn’t want to go out, I’m sure he would have respected that.” She’s crying and telling him she doesn’t want to go out. What more does she have to do to get the message across? Does she have to physically fight him?

Clip 4 - Birthday cake

Well, the cake looks pretty, and at least they wrote in a new scene to acknowledge her birthday.

Also, don’t totally love that he took her phone away. I get it, he probably wants her to just chill, but in connection with everything else, it’s just another small way he’s jumping in and making decisions for her. I would not have been as annoyed if this wasn’t a pattern in their relationship or if this wasn’t immediately following a moment where Charles overrides Manon’s pleas on how to handle her own panic attack.

This scene of them on the rooftop felt like something out of a kdrama in terms of music and slow motion staring at each other. Or at least how I remember the kdramas I’ve seen.

I don’t get why he needed to take her to the rooftop other than the #aesthetic since he just carries her back to her room. I know it’s where their first date was, but she was freaking out and panicking when he tried to make her leave. I really can’t get over that! Whyyy did they need that moment?

Did Charles look at her phone? Sort of dilutes the impact of him not reading her Facebook messages. 

He muted the volume on her computer at least.

Episode 11

Clip 1 - Charles writing

I guess Charles was up writing this article for a while since it’s like 5 in the morning.

Confession time: I’ve never really liked that William (and now Charles) wrote the article for her. I know it’s considered to be one of the better things he did for her but even when I was watching S2 for the first time, I was like 😕 “Can’t they give me something to like about him that I don’t have reservations about?” I don’t think this was a terrible horrible thing he did, and admittedly I am bringing personal feelings into this situation, but it’s just something that I would not be OK with if someone did it for me without telling me first. I would be really panicked and upset if someone did this to me even if they meant it to be a kindness. He wrote the article and submitted it without her consent. Her name is on it. That means she’ll be held accountable for whatever the article says. Consider that Manon and Charles have been disagreeing on tons of topics so far - in fact Charles’ ability to make Manon rethink her opinions is a point that has been explicitly made about their relationship. So when it comes to the article, how can you expect that Manon and Charles would agree on the same points? Someone can be well-intentioned and still say stuff that’s a bit clueless, or make a mistake, and then it’s Manon who would be responsible. This only works if you assume Charles was a great writer with the right opinions - it excuses the action based on the outcome, without considering if the action itself is appropriate. (Which, to be frank, is true of many actions in this season.)

I would’ve preferred if he’d written it and then shown it to her to get her approval before sending. (“But that would have ruined the surprise/she wouldn’t have agreed to send it” - uh, too bad? She should get a voice in this. I get that she’s dealing with serious anxiety, I know what that feels like. But lol, imagine the resulting anxiety if Charles had sent out the article and it had a bunch of errors or some questionable opinions in it and Manon was criticized for it.)

The best case scenario is that he just took her notes and compiled them into something cohesive, which was somewhat implied, but she didn’t have enough notes to make a long enough article without him injecting his own thoughts.

Clips 2 and 3 - Manon and her girls

Did Charles make her tea? Now that’s a nice gesture.

Charles is watching her sleep, just to bring in those true Edward Cullen vibes. Manon was right about this being Twilight!

Lmao, explain to me why she had to wear that tiny dress? That looks like something I’d have worn to a middle school dance when I still had braces. It’s not Norwegian Constitution Day where the girls are going to be dressed up. It’s Manon’s birthday - she can dress however the hell she wants. She doesn’t have to dress up, she could wear her normal clothes. She could roll over to the party in sweats and a nacho cheese-stained T-shirt. 

The music and imagery in the last two clips has been getting super soap opera-ish.

And when Manon shows up, the other girls are wearing their normal clothes, jeans and comfy clothes. Again, why did Manon need the dress?

Heh, how much did they pay for the rights to sing Happy Birthday? Or is it only in the US that you have to cough up a pretty penny to use it on TV?

I looked it up and apparently the song was officially recognized to be in the public domain in 2016! Good to know.

The girls are very cute performing Happy Birthday, though. Love the placement of the birthday hats at jaunty angles.

I’m not really qualified to talk about this as a non-Norwegian but I’ve read a bit about the patriotic themes in S2, and how it’s fitting that Noora tells the girls on Constitution Day (how living in a free, democratic country means you have to believe the law will protect you from assholes like Niko) and that ties in to the overall motifs of the season, and so that’s obviously lost here. It’s a missed opportunity, especially with the article. I think if they tried harder they could have written, you know ... something that related more to this adaptation and French youth, instead of repeating a speech that specifically about Norwegian culture. That’s the bare minimum, my dudes.

Like when Daphne says they need to go to the police because they’re in France and the law will protect them ... I mean, sure, but it’s just one of those things that lacks the thematic relevance of the original as it’s not a national holiday at the time.

(They’re going to do 21:21 for S3 without any changes, aren’t they? Goddammit. I will believe them that they’re changing the storyline when I see it and not just hear it.)

A minor nitpick: I also feel like it’s kinda odd to read her article aloud? It made sense with Noora since it related to the holiday they were celebrating and could fit into their festivities but this is just a random article. In that case I’d find it weird if my friends just started reading something I’d written out loud. I mean it’s one thing to congratulate her for a job well done but IDK, felt out of place. 

But Emma only gets a few lines in, so thankfully we didn’t have to hear the whole thing awkwardly re-purposed for this remake.

Poor Manon with tears in her eyes. Her acting continues to be very good. Manon is more openly emotional and sad than Noora, who seems more like she freezes or shuts down or tries to close herself off.

Hug pile :(

Loved to see Daphne be at the forefront of taking Manon to the hospital and supporting her while they’re there.

Clip 4 - Justice

Nico is such a rat.

Also his ass is dumb.

But that’s no surprise.

Manon is more no nonsense and less playing with Nico than Noora was. 

Actually I preferred that they cut out the line about not dropping the soap and had her throw her drink in his face instead, good job, Manon! That was satisfying.

Clip 5 - The point of no return

So. This is the part when watching the original series where I knew I could never like William or Noorhelm. 

I’m going to go into a personal tangent, skip if you want. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned how I got into Skam in one of these recaps so my apologies if I’m repeating the story. 

I discovered Skam completely randomly during S3, via a YouTube recommendation. Of all things, strangely it was because I had watched a preview for the show Eyewitness, which was an American remake of a Norwegian show about two boys who witness some murders while making out in the woods. I enjoy crime stories/mysteries and the premise sounded intriguing, so I watched the first 10 minutes of the pilot that the network had put on YouTube as a teaser, and then some interviews talking about the show. Eyewitness turned out to not to be my thing and I didn’t watch more than a few episodes, but because I’d watched it, YouTube started recommending me clips from other shows with gay couples, including Skam. One night I was bored and decided to finally click on one of the Skam clips. I was hooked right away, impressed by the writing, directing, acting, and chemistry.

This was still really early in Skam’s viral spread during the fall/winter of 2016. There wasn’t nearly the amount of information and organized how-to-watch-Skam guides available in English at this point. I learned about the social media concept and real-time distribution of the show from reading the YouTube comments. The first clip I got to watch in real time was the pool scene. If you were there at the time, you might remember the 10-day hiatus between episodes 5 and 6. That was when I decided to watch seasons 1 and 2. Before that point, I had not heard a single bad thing about Noorhelm, William, or S2. In fact, I only heard overwhelming praise from the YouTube comments - people commenting that they missed William, encouraging people to watch the previous seasons and singling out S2 as an amazing storyline (and a number of people saying S1 was boring but to stick it out to S2), telling people Noora and William’s relationship was fantastic. I mention this because for some reason, certain fans are under the impression that people decided to randomly hate S2/Noorhelm/William based on opinions they read on Tumblr and it’s only bandwagon hate. So this is just to say - I did not go into S2 with any negative expectations. I wouldn’t even say I was hyping it too much in my mind so that I was bound to be disappointed. I just expected it to be decent television.

I watched S1 in like a day and loved it. I especially admired how all of the characters had both good and bad sides, and how the characters who easily could have been demonized, like Ingrid and Iben, were made into human and sympathetic figures by the season’s end. Did not love William’s behavior at all, thought he was a creep, but hey, he apologized to Vilde at the end of the season! That must be the character development I saw people mention in the comments! And so I reasoned that S2 would redeem William and manage to sell me on Noora/William. It wasn’t my preferred storyline but I loved S1 and I loved what had been released of S3 so far, so they could probably make me enjoy it, right? And besides, S1 had been pretty good in a lot of ways about sexism and gender roles, I trusted the show to continue that into S2.

So I started S2. And I saw William text Noora even when she’d rejected him. Okay, I thought, not a great start, but it’s the beginning of the season. Surely this behavior will be addressed, and he has plenty of time to change his attitude. And I saw William use Vilde in order to finally get Noora on that date. Yikes, I thought, I thought he was supposed to get better? This is textbook male entitlement. I didn’t feel OK with his behavior.

But OK, we’re only on episode 2! So much time to turn it around! And then we learned that William apologized to Vilde in exchange for a date with Noora. Errrr, that makes his apology a lot less satisfying and much more self-serving, I thought. And then I watched William take Noora on a date, and Noora confront William with his shitty behavior toward her and Vilde, and to my great bafflement, I saw William not express regret for his actions, but instead justify his actions not once, but repeatedly, with reasons that were flimsy at best and appalling at worst. I saw Noora tell William he had manipulated her in order to get her on that date and William deny it and turn it back on Noora. The scene made me furious. At that moment I hated William even more than I’d disliked him in S1 - because S1 was supposed to show him at his worst and ended with a moment of him displaying some self-improvement. Why the fresh hell would we then get this scene that effectively erased that character growth in order to show how selfish his motivations really were? I hated that scene. Hated hated hated it.

We were still early in the season, though. And episode 3 had admittedly a nice scene of Noora and William hanging out together - it was a nice scene because Noora was so cute, though, not because of much to do with William, and marred by William saying some misogynistic crap and then not owning up to it when called on it. But all right. It was progress. 

Throughout the season, however, there was a pattern, where there would be a moment where William seemed decent for a fraction of a second, only to show his ass and do something I found obnoxious, entitled, or awful shortly afterwards. The midseason peak was him bashing a bottle over a dude’s head, justifying it, and belittling Noora for not understanding his Great and Important motivations for bashing a bottle over the guy’s head. This was followed by a scene I found horrific in which the show’s designated voice of reason told Noora that she needed to understand why her boyfriend bashed a bottle over a guy’s head, or else it was unreasonable and just like how war begins or some shit like that, in response to Noora’s objections to her boyfriend being violent. Viewing this scene was deeply surreal, as I was aware that this was the voice of the writer telling me why I should like William or why it was wrong for me to dislike William. The scene’s message made no sense in context.

At this point I had realized I probably wasn’t going to like William - in addition to his crappy behavior and attitude, he wasn’t written in a particularly compelling or 3D way, and the performance wasn’t charismatic enough to hold my interest (although I want to stress that it wasn’t the deal-breaker and I could tolerate mediocre acting for a well-written complex character). Yet I held out a little bit of hope that there would be an 11th hour revelation or redemption arc where we could see how much William had grown and the sexism and male entitlement that had been threaded throughout the season would be addressed properly. We got William calming down Noora from anxiety in what I thought was a genuinely lovely scene. I didn’t much care for him writing the article but it wasn’t something I hated him for. For a moment, things seemed like they might turn around.

And then, we came to this clip. The point of no return.

A scene in which William gets in Noora’s face, towers over her, doesn’t hear her out, shakes her off and leaves her crying in the middle of the schoolyard. 

That would be bad enough as it is, though I can maybe understand his reaction in the heat of the moment. Maybe. But it wasn’t until I read the text messages afterwards that I was well and truly done. Noora texts William like an hour after this scene happens. She explicitly says that if anything happened between her and Niko, it would have been assault, she blacked out, and she’s pressed charges against Niko. And William ignored her for days afterwards.

This is so unbelievably cruel that it killed any hope I had for this storyline, it killed any possibility that I could like his character or root for this relationship. He knows she might have been raped and he ignores her when she is pleading for him to talk to her. He doesn’t reach out to her on his own, either; it takes Noora tracking him down and demanding his attention. I don’t remember him ever specifically apologizing for this behavior (if he did and I forgot about it, feel free to remind me). He apologizes for Niko. Not for himself.

Imagine Noora, who still thinks she may have been assaulted, who is still dealing with the trauma, having to also deal with the boyfriend she loves abandoning her and shutting her out. Imagine how tender William was with her earlier in the episode as he saw she was breaking down, and how it feels when he withdraws that tenderness after he finds out the reason why she was breaking down in the first place.

Let’s not even get into the real-life context of this scene, and how rape victims are often treated like dirt by friends, family, and romantic partners after they come forward about their assault. Let’s just mention that rape victims fear their loved ones won’t believe them, will blame them, or reject them, to the point where it’s a huge factor in why they don’t come forward, and that what happens with Noora here when William leaves is the embodiment of that fear.

It’s not just that William has flaws. Everyone on this show has flaws. It’s the way his flaws are handled. There is too much baggage with his character in terms of real-life sexism and gender roles, too little remorse and empathy from the character himself, that it’s beyond what I can enjoy in a fictional love interest.

“We don’t know what Niko may have told him.” That’s true, and I did consider that at the time. But you know what? William knows Niko is a creep. If Niko made any kinds of threats toward Noora, if there was any way he misled William other than just saying Noora was a slut who threw herself at him or anything we could have predicted knowing what we’ve seen from Niko, we needed to hear about it once the situation had been cleared up. Julie needed to have William explain so we know he at least had an understandable, non-self-centered motivation for reacting the way he did.

“William was just hurt/didn’t know how to deal.” I cannot stress how much I don’t give a shit about how William was so hurt compared to how Noora must feel in this situation. Noora told him rape may have happened. Why in the world would I prioritize William’s feelings over the feelings of a sexual assault victim in relation to her own potential rape? 

Fuck William. Fuck Charles. Fuck this narrative that is constantly putting a guy’s boner feels and manpain above the female lead’s agency, rational concerns, and mental health. Fuck this narrative that is constantly encouraging us to empathize and understand an entitled dude’s emotions and actions, including sexism and violence, while the same entitled dude shows little empathy or understanding for a potential rape victim, a girl whose self-image was damaged by him telling her she wasn’t attractive enough, or a girl who rejects him romantically. Fuck the double standards of women having to understand and empathize with men when they are behaving like assholes but men not having to empathize or show compassion to women, including when they are victimized, by putting aside their own feelings for a goddamn minute.

Anyway, back to the Skam France clip.

Daphne got aroused from kissing Emma … hmmm

Once again, absolutely no comment from or about the supposedly bi girl sitting right there with them, which might change the context of the scene a bit.

This soap opera music starting as Charles comes thundering up to Manon.

DID THIS ASSHOLE MOVE IMANE OUT OF THE WAY WHEN SHE TOLD HIM TO WAIT

FUCK YOU DUDE

DID HE SHOVE MANON AGAINST THE WINDOW

“Answer yes or no” “I don’t know.” YOUR FIRST CLUE, JACKASS.

oh BOO FUCKING HOO Charles is crying, so glad this is about his hurt feelings and not his girlfriend potentially being raped.

Oh cool and he knocked her on the floor so she’s crying on the ground, great, she thinks she might have been raped and here’s what we have now. 

SHE TEXTS HIM AFTERWARDS. AND TELLS HIM. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AGAINST HER WILL.

HOW DID THEY MAKE THIS SCENE WORSE

General Comments

I was willing to give Marles a chance in the hopes that they would rewrite the worst parts of this relationship, but instead it’s like they’ve double down on Charles’ domineering bullshit and it makes me so angry. That’s really all I have to say. 

I’m not French so if I misunderstood some context, feel free to correct me.

If you got this far, thank you for reading!

[alextheantichrist-blog]

Law of the Jungle

The slimy bastard grinned at me as he swung his right towards my face. I ducked and came back up with an uppercut that had him kissing pavement. One of his friends tried to grab me from behind, but I elbowed him hard in the ribs and he went down on his knees. The three other guys that were with him began to circle me as the main guy got up, rubbing his jaw.

"You're pretty tough," said the leader. "But can you handle all five of us?"

"Bring it on, you ugly piece of shit!"

The leader frowned and came at me. At the same instant I sensed his buddy get up from behind and try to grab me. I sidestepped them both, making them bonk their heads together and go down again. The guy to the left of me began to put his hands up, but I was too fast for him. I pumped my left into his face and then smashed my right into his gut. He fell down and lost consciousness.

The other two guys came towards me at the same time. I dodged both their blows, hitting one with a right hook to the kidney and the other one with a left hook to the head. They both went down.

Now it was just the leader and the lackey who tried to grab me. The lackey tried to charge, but the leader put his hand on the lackey's shoulder.

"Step back, he's mine."

The leader came in with a stiff left that connected and had me seeing stars. The next thing I knew I was on my knees, taking one punch after another to the face. As one of his rights came at me, I bobbed and weaved and pumped my right into his groin. It connected and the leader went to his knees with a high-pitched scream.

I got back up and started pounding him mercilessly: left, right, left, right. The lackey tried to step in, but I threw him to the ground with a stiff left hook. I then went back to pounding the leader. His nose was now broken. His face was bleeding from three different places. The skin of his forehead had the consistency of ground beef. Still the sucker would not go down.

"Please, mercy. I didn't mean to spill your drink, honest!"

Was that what we were fighting about? It didn't matter. All I cared about was beating my opponent into unconsciousness. That's what you had to do to survive.

"Ain't no mercy here, friend."

My right fist came up to hit him again, when suddenly a blinding white light appeared. I shielded my eyes.

"Stop, police," came the cry, and I was suddenly surrounded.

I was too confused to fight back. They all had their guns trained on me. Then I felt something bash my head in and everything turned black.

I remember what I dreamed that night, because I dreamed it every night. I was seven again, looking up at my dad with his muscular frame and eyes red from alcohol. He seemed to tower over me like a giant monster in one of them Japanese movies. He grabbed me by the collar with his left hand. It felt like a vice. His right then curled into a fist and slammed into my face. It felt like getting hit with a brick.

"Nothing personal, kid. It's just the Law of the Jungle. Only the strong survive. You're still weak. That's why I gotta whip you into shape!"

His fist kept pounding into my face until it was a bloody mess. I tried to scream for him to stop, but it died in my throat. My mother was sitting in the corner, crying. Her face was swollen and puffy.

"Come on, you little shit. Fight back! You're not gonna be able to survive unless you fight back!"

With one last punch everything turned to black and the dream ended.

I stared into my parole officer's face. I could tell she was a hard woman. Her eyes and general demeanor told me she'd seen some shit and lived to tell the tale. A connection between us suddenly formed.

Two years had passed. I had just gotten out of prison.

She sighed with what I could tell was frustration. "David Wilker. In jail again, I see. You seem to really enjoy beating the shit out of people."

"It's just how I am. I'm tough and I don't take shit from nobody."

"Well, if you keep at it, you will be back in prison in no time. Do you want that?"

"I can't say I enjoy prison."

"No, no one does. That's why we're trying to keep you out of it. But you seem to be trapped in a revolving door. You get out, you fix yourself up, get a job in construction; next thing you know you get drunk and beat up some poor schmuck for spilling your drink."

"Hey, he had it coming! I didn't like that smug face of his, no sir. He was walking around like he owned the joint."

She sighed again. "I guess there's no use in telling you to stop. I wonder if there's any way for you to channel that aggression in a more healthy and appropriate manner."

She tapped her pencil on her legal pad. "Have you ever thought of taking up some form of mixed martial arts? Muay Thai? Boxing?"

"I don't need nobody to teach me how to fight. I know that well enough."

"I'm sure. But I'm saying that in that context it's appropriate to fight. You can get your fighting done there without ending up back in prison."

"I never really liked ring sports. Too many rules. It's suffocating. I can't just go out and let loose."

"Well, you better learn to control yourself, because next time it's not gonna be just a few years. You're a repeat offender. They're gonna go down hard on you."

I sighed. "Fine. I guess I will try boxing."

She looked at me with a deadpan stare. "I can sense your enthusiasm. However, I think this will be good for you. I will try to find a gym close to your area. I will give you the information, but you have to call them and go to the class, go it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

I stared at the sign on top of the gym for a good five minutes. Fight First MMA. You gotta be kidding me. What a corny name.

I went inside and saw a fit-looking man with a crewcut.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm here for the trial boxing class."

"Ah, you must be David. Welcome. I'm Matt. Let me introduce you to our boxing coach."

He then took me into a large space with blue mats on the floor. Half of it was full of people in white uniforms grabbing each other on the ground. That must be the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guys. The other half was full of punching bags. Matt then took me to see a bald, middle-aged man. He was well-muscled and had scars on his face. I could tell he was a fighter.

"David, this is Steve. He does the boxing program here."

We shook hands.

"Welcome, David," said Steve.

"Call me Dave."

"All right, Dave. What brings you here?"

"My parole officer sent me. She said that since I like to beat the shit out of people, I might as well do it where it's acceptable."

Steve laughed. "Honest. Straight to the point. I like that. I think you'd be great for our program."

I smiled. This didn't seem to be so bad.

"All right, time to start class," cried Steve. "Everyone grab a rope and start skipping!"

"Hey, what's with this?" I cried as everyone headed for the stack of skipping ropes. "I ain't no middle school girl!"

The coach laughed again. "Skipping ain't just for little girls, Dave. Not only is it good cardio, but it keeps you light on your feet. It will make you a better fighter. You wanna be a better fighter, don't you?"

"I guess."

"Come on, just try it! What's the worst that could happen?"

I grabbed a rope and started skipping. I was able to do it a few times before wham! The rope hit my toes. Damn, that stung! My toes were on fire. It was a kind of pain I'd never felt before. I'd rather be hit by a sledgehammer than have to endure that pain again.

"It's okay, Dave. It hurts worst the first time. Then you just get used to it!"

I grumbled and tried skipping again. Wham! The rope hit my toes again. Since they were already sore from last time, it stung even worse. Steve had lied.

My head started feeling hot. I was seeing red. I realized I hated skipping and wanted to storm out of that damned place.

Steve must've noticed I was getting flustered, because he took me aside and said, "I know it's hard. It can be quite discouraging at times. But if you keep at it, I promise you you're gonna love it."

"I hate skipping. I don't think I will ever love it."

"That's okay. Skipping is only one part of boxing. Just stick around for a bit and I'm sure you will find something you like about it. If you like something hard enough, you will be able to grit your teeth through the stuff you don't just to get to it."

I sighed. "All right."

After more frustrating attempts at skipping, we went to weights. This I had no problem with. My work always had me lifting heavy things, so I had built up quite a bit of muscle.

"All right, everyone," cried Steve. "Put on your gloves and grab a bag! We're gonna be doing five three-minute rounds. Do any combinations you feel like. Just remember your technique."

Now this I could do. I put on a pair of gloves Steve had lent me for the class and started pounding on that bag. It felt liberating. It was just like beating someone's face in, only this guy couldn't resist.

Steve watched me for a while. "Not bad. You certainly have the raw power and you know the basic punches. However, your technique is off. You have to punch with your hips. You're punching with your shoulders. If you turn your hips, you will get more power."

I did as he said and it was like magic. I could feel the strength of the impact. The bag shuddered and started spinning.

"You see? Not only do you have more power, but you have greater reach. Sure it's maybe just an inch, but an inch makes a difference in a real fight."

"Thanks, coach."

I began putting my hips into it and was surprised with the results. The bag spun every which way. I kept pumping and pumping, until I felt the coach's fist lightly tap my face while I was punching. I went back to punching and it happened again. After a few times, I stopped and stared at him.

"Where's your other hand, boy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your other hand should be pasted to your face. It protects you from an incoming punch. Try that."

I did. It felt really awkward, but it got the coach smiling, so I guess it was worth it.

After class, I met up with Matt again.

"How was it?"

"It was amazing! I loved it."

"Good, would you like to sign up? We have a few options for you. You could pay monthly for six months or a year or you could pay a lump sum for six months or a year."

I looked at the prices and my eyes flew wide open. "$150 per month? Are you trying to swindle me?"

"Sir, I assure you we are doing no such thing. You will find that our prices are competitive with other places in the area."

I rubbed my chin. "That sure is a lot of money. And I have to commit for at least six months, huh?"

"Yes, that is also standard for any MMA gym in the area."

I sighed. I wasn't sure about putting down that much money and committing to that much time. Six months was more than I had held onto any job.

Then my parole officer's voice came into my head. Do you wanna go back to jail?

No, sir, I didn't. This may be the only way I could stay out of prison, and I knew now that it didn't come cheap.

"All right." I sighed. "Where do I sign?"

My therapist was a petite blonde woman. She couldn't have been more than twenty-five. She spoke in a soft voice.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Uh, okay, I guess. I'm not really feeling anything."

She stared at me with a face like she knew everything and nodded.

"Okay, okay. Now I heard from your parole officer that you have a lot of issues with anger. Is that correct?"

"Yes, ma'am. Whenever I see red, I just lose control. The smallest thing can set me off. Someone looking at me the wrong way, for example. I hate it when someone looks at me like I'm lesser than them."

"I understand. Now, over these next sessions we're going to unpack what makes you so angry. We will try to get at the root of your anger."

"I just thought I had a short fuse. I get that from my dad."

"Really? Tell me about your dad."

"Oh, he'd lose his temper over anything. Dinner not being cooked right, me having the TV on too loud. You name it. 'Course it didn't help me that he came home drunk every night."

"I see. And what did he do when he lost his temper?"

"Oh, he beat the shit outta me. Me and my mom both."

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that. That sounds horrible."

"It's all right. I mean, everyone had that growing up, right? It's normal."

"No, it's not, actually. In these modern times, most parents don't beat their children anymore."

"What, really?"

"Yes. I think it's really important for us to denormalize it. What happened to you was not normal. It was abuse."

"Huh. I never thought of it like that."

"It's normal for victims to not see the abuse for what it is."

"Victim? Listen, honey, I ain't no victim. I'm strong. My dad made me this way. It was his rough and tumble teachings that kept me alive in this harsh world."

"Just because you're strong doesn't mean you're not a victim. Being a victim of abuse doesn't make you weak."

"It doesn't? But... but my dad said..."

"Your dad was an abuser. He would do and say anything to have power over you."

"But... but... that's what I need to survive."

"No, it's not. You can live in peace and not have to suffer abuse."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I can understand that. We will work with that until it becomes easier to believe."

"All right, everyone," cried Steve. "Let's hit the pads! Here's the combination: jab, cross, hook, uppercut. Everyone got that? All right, let's go!"

Three months had passed and I was making good progress. My technique felt much cleaner and my muscle memory was absorbing the right moves.

I was pumping my fists into the pads when Steve came up to me.

"How's it going, Dave?"

"Oh, it's fine." I hit off another combo. "Boxing's great. My parole officer's pretty happy with what I'm doing, too. The only problem is, she's having me see this shrink."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. I don't like her very much. We keep talking about feelings and stuff. It's not my thing."

"Well, I say keep at it."

"Really, coach?"

"Yeah. Listen, it's not just your body that you should keep in shape, but also your mind. Is this therapist nice to you?"

"Well, yeah. Kinda too nice, like she wants something."

"All she wants is for you to get better. I know it's hard to trust people after what you've been through, but try. Not everyone is out for themselves."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I bet you tell your therapist that a lot, don't ya?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"I've been to therapists, too, you know. I think everyone should. We all got baggage to unpack. Does she challenge you a lot?"

"Yeah, and I don't like that. It makes me uncomfortable."

"That's important. It would do no good for her to just be 'oh, poor baby' on you the whole time. I think you've got yourself a good therapist. If you wanna keep outta prison, keep seeing her."

"But I thought the boxing was enough."

"Boxing helps, yes. However, it's only a band-aid. It won't fix everything. You have to go deep to be able to fix your underlying problems."

"Hm. I will consider it."

"Thanks, Dave. I appreciate it."

My therapist looked at me for a while. I realized over time that the look she was giving that I thought was condescending was actually just concern. That made me warm up to her a little. I still didn't fully trust her, though.

"Let's talk about your anger."

"What do you wanna know?"

"I would like to know why you are so angry."

"Gee, that's a tough one. Does there have to be a reason?"

"There's always some underlying reason, at least from my experience."

"Lemme think."

"Take your time."

I thought long and hard and I came up with one word. "Unfair."

"What's unfair?"

"Just life. I keep getting in trouble for things I can't control. I can't hold down a job. Ain't no woman who wanna stick around me."

"I see. Tell me more about that."

"Sometimes I feel like I don't wanna live anymore."

"You have suicidal thoughts?"

"Not specifics. Just this feeling that life isn't worth it."

"I see. Do you get pleasure out of anything?"

"Just boxing. It feels good to hit stuff."

"Yes, you've mentioned that before. I think that's a very healthy coping mechanism. Keep doing that."

"You really think so?"

"Well, it's better than beating up random guys outside bars, isn't it?"

"You sound like my parole officer."

"I think she has a good point."

I sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. I kinda miss showing people I'm not to be messed with. There's something personal about talking to a man with your fists."

"Don't you get to do that in boxing, though?"

"Not yet. I haven't advanced enough to get into sparring."

"Well, hopefully that will give you what you're missing in a more safe and appropriate environment."

"Yeah. I'm looking forward to that."

"Let's get back to that feeling of unfairness. Do you think it's unfair what your father did to you?"

"Hm. I never thought about it like that. I always thought I deserved it."

"Maybe you were feeling it subconsciously."

"Maybe. I dunno."

"Your father seems to have made quite the impact on you."

"He was the one that taught me everything I know."

"And yet all that you've learned has led you here."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm just saying that those things your dad taught you aren't helping you. You've been in prison multiple times. You're unhappy with your life. You have unhealthy coping strategies, like fighting people."

"You're saying that everything he taught me was a lie?"

"I'm saying that what he taught you is unhealthy. It's not how most people live."

"So I've been doing it all wrong?"

"I wouldn't phrase it like that. I don't think you're to blame. You've survived as well as you could given the environment you grew up in. But now your environment has changed and you have to adapt to it."

"I'm not sure I like this."

"That's understandable. People usually don't like change."

"You mean to tell me I gotta change everything about me?"

"Not everything, but maybe some core beliefs. For instance, tell me, what do you think about yourself?"

"Well, I'm tough. I don't take shit from anybody. I'm good at fighting. I guess fighting's all I know. Never did much else. Never did amount to anything. But maybe I deserved that."

"What makes you say that?"

"Come on, let's face it. I'm trash. A junkyard dog. I was born trash and I'm gonna die trash."

"Hm. I think we've hit on something here. You have a very negative perception of yourself."

"You mean I ain't trash?"

"I don't think so. When I look at you, I see someone with a lot of potential; someone who has been through many hard times and has done the best he could do."

I blushed. "No one ever said that about me."

"I think it's about time someone showed you some kindness. You've suffered enough."

Three more months passed. I had been going five times a week. Not only did my body feel a lot better, but I also started mastering the basics. My other hand was always pasted to my face when I threw a punch. I didn't cross my legs anymore when moving in a fighting stance. I punched with my hips, turning over my back leg whenever I threw my right. I knew all the basic slips and bob-and-weaves. I was ready for sparring.

"Dave, this is your partner, Fred," said Steve, pointing to a really smug-looking blonde guy. "He's been at it a few weeks longer than you, but he is the one closest to your level."

"Hmph, I can beat him no problem," said Fred. He was looking at me like I was beneath him, which got my blood boiling.

"What did you say, you little smart-mouth?" I cried, shuffling towards him.

"Ladies, please," cried Steve. "Let's be civil. Both of you get in your fighting stances."

As we prepared to spar, Steve went over to the timer. The beep went off and he said, "Start!"

I put out my left hand to him so he could tap it in a show of good sportsmanship. He wrinkled his nose and his left went straight for my face. I slipped it and returned with a left hook which met nothing but air. So much for sportsmanship.

I readied my left for another blow and felt two light taps on my face. Fred had thrown two jabs lightning quick. This guy was trouble.

I tried to jab again and met another left, followed by a stiff right. That rattled me a bit and made my nose sore for a few seconds. I backed off and he came at me. Hook, cross, hook. I dodged all of them and hit him right in the kidney with a right hook. Just a light tap.

He was furious. He came swinging at me with more power. I parried the first few hits, but took an uppercut straight to the chin. As my head snapped back from the impact he drove in a hard left hook to my ear. Colours exploded in front of my eyes as a high-pitched ringing sounded in my ears.

So this was his game. He wanted to beat me to show just how macho he was. Well, two can play that game. I wasn't thinking anymore. I was seeing red. I went in with a one-two and put all my strength behind the right. He dodged it easily, but realized I was going full power. He feigned a jab to the head and then got me with a cross to the body. I stopped breathing and spat out my mouthguard.

When I had it back on I charged right in. I had forgotten all about technique and proper form. I was my old self again, just brawling for the sake of it. I yelled and went to smash his face in with my right. He slipped it and went inside my guard. Boom-bam! He hit me with a left uppercut to the jaw and then a solid right straight to the face. I went down.

"What the fuck are you guys doing?" yelled Steve. "You're supposed to hold back during sparring, not go all out! If you get seriously injured, how are you supposed to train?"

I got up, still dizzy from that last cross. "You sonuvabitch, I'll kill you!"

"Bring it on, pretty boy," Fred yelled back.

I was about to charge him when I felt a hand on my chest. It was Steve. He had gotten between us.

"Now both of you, calm down. Especially you, Dave."

"Me? He was the one that knocked me down."

"And you were the one that started going all out. I have eyes. I can see the difference between someone sparring and someone trying to beat the shit out of his opponent."

"But, coach, he was egging me on!"

"It doesn't matter. You need to control your anger."

"But that's not fair!"

"Life's not fair!"

I stormed out of the gym.

I spent that evening at a bar, getting hammered. I made to leave, when this bastard bumped into me.

"Hey, watch where you're going."

"Fuck you, buddy."

He was a tough looking guy. His muscles bulged out of his black T-shirt and grey jean jacket. He had long black hair and tattoos running down his arms. He looked like a biker.

"You wanna start something, buddy?" I yelled.

"Sure, why not? Let's go outside."

As we exited the bar, a bunch of images flashed through my mind. My parole officer looking at me disapprovingly. The smashed face of the last guy I clobbered. The jail cell. I then realized that I was making a mistake.

I knew I couldn't convince the guy to reconsider. He was too hot-headed, like I used to be. So I just ran away.

"Hey, where are you going? Fucking chicken!"

As I ran, I cried tears of rage. This was going against every ounce of my being. My nature was being violated. I ran all the way home and punched a hole through the wall.

"I think you did a very brave thing," said my therapist.

"I still lost my temper at the gym, though."

"It won't all go away overnight. You are taking the right steps."

"Sometimes I wonder if I will ever change. Maybe this is just who I am. Maybe I just have to live with that."

"Changing a behaviour, especially one so ingrained from childhood, is very hard, but you were able to walk away from a fight."

"I didn't wanna go back to jail."

"Exactly. That is very important to you. It was so important that you were able to go against your nature, as you said."

"It was really hard, though."

"That's okay. It's normal. It's good to learn to congratulate yourself for the small victories."

"If you say so."

It had been a week since the incident. I walked over to Steve with my head down.

"I'm sorry, Steve. I got carried away. I promise it won't happen again."

"It's all right, big guy." He patted me on the shoulder. "We all have our demons. You need to get that anger under control, though. Not only does it get you in trouble, but it doesn't make you a good fighter. You gotta fight with your head. If you just go in swinging carelessly, you'll get knocked out."

"I understand, coach."

"Do you wanna get even with that guy?"

I looked up. "What do you mean, coach?"

"What I mean is, if you want, I can arrange a fight between you two. It will be official and legal."

My face lit up. "Oh, man, coach, you're the best! I would love to sock it to that guy!"

"It's gonna be about three months from now. You're gonna have to train three hours a day, five times a week starting this week. Part of that training will be one-on-one with me. Each solo class will be an extra $50. Think you can handle that?"

"Anything to get back at that guy, coach."

"Good. Class is about to start. Join us. Tomorrow at 5 pm we will be holding our first one-on-one class. Can you make it?"

"Sure, boss. I'll ask work to leave early. They're pretty cool with that kind of stuff."

"All right. Get ready for a whole different kind of training."

I didn't know what he meant by that, but I soon found out. The next day, after some conditioning, we started pad work. It was all going along fine, and then the coach did something I wasn't expecting.

"Come on, you ugly piece of shit! You think those weak punches will beat Fred? My grandma can do better than that!"

I furrowed my brow. The coach had never been mean to me before. He was always firm, but never put me down. This was a strange turn for him.

"What's the matter? Why'd you stop? Come on, you worthless scum! Hit the pads!"

I saw red. All technique flew out the window as I began to bash the pads. Suddenly one of them bashed me in the face.

"Where are your hands at? You keep dropping them! That's not what I taught you!"

My hands felt like lead, but I brought them up. I kept swinging wildly at the pads.

"Where's your technique gone? What happened to all that I taught you? Come on, you lily-livered weakling! Move your hips!"

I stopped and brought my hands down. "Coach, why are you doing this?"

"You need to learn to control that anger of yours. Whenever someone says or does something you don't like, you lose control. That's why I'm inoculating you from it. A real fighter knows to control his anger and use it as a weapon."

My face finally relaxed and my mouth grew into a smile. "So that's what you were doing. Thanks, coach. That's a big help."

"What are you doing standing around talking for? If you can talk, hit the pads!"

The next sparring class came along, I was matched with someone a lot more friendly. His name was Jeff. He was bald with a white beard. His arms and legs were full of tattoos. He looked like a tough man, but he had the demeanor of a pussycat. Everyone loved him.

When we began I went in jabbing and he got me with a hook.

"Make sure to step out after you throw your combination. That way you won't get hit so easily."

I nodded. I went back in with a jab, cross, hook, but it didn't feel right.

"You're too close. Find your distance by jabbing a couple times. You can use it as a probe to find your reach."

I went out and jabbed a bit until I found my distance. I went in with another jab, cross, hook. He dodged them easily.

"You're too slow. That's why I'm avoiding them. Speed it up. Speed and technique are the most important in amateur boxing."

This was great. I was learning and having fun. It was great to know that guys like him were at this gym.

The day had finally come. I was ready.

The place looked kinda dingy and there weren't that many people in the audience, I counted ten at most, but that didn't matter. This was all between me and Fred.

As we both got in the ring with our gloves, headgear and groin protector on, the announcer said, "Welcome everyone to this official Boxing Ontario match. This fight will be four rounds, two minutes each."

After introducing us, along with our weights, the referee came between us.

"I want a clean fight, gentleman."

The bell rang.

I went in jabbing to get my distance. He did the same. After a while, Fred threw a rapid one-two. That would've gotten me before, but my speed had greatly increased. I slipped both of them. As I went in for a combo, I caught him trying to do a rapid double jab. I slipped and got him in the kidney with a hard left hook. That staggered him. I went up for an uppercut, but he managed to move his chin out of the way. I overextended myself and he got me with a cross to the body. Now we were even.

We broke apart and Fred came in again. I dodged his one-two-hook and he dodged my hook-uppercut. We were both bobbing back and forth like a couple of marionettes. Every time one of us went in with a punch, it would hit air. This went on for a while.

I feigned a jab and got him with a hard cross. He went down. At the count of two he was back up, but the referee kept counting until eight, since those were the rules. I came after him again, and it was my turn to eat his cross. I hit the ground and got up after the count of three.

As the referee kept counting, I looked into his eyes. Those cold blue eyes had nothing but hate and contempt in them. They reminded me of something, but I didn't know what.

As I charged in after the count, the bell rang.

After two more rounds of this, we were both exhausted. The intense energy needed for this drained our stamina. We both had puddles by our feet and had trouble keeping our hands up. We both had black eyes. There had been two more knockdowns, one for each of us. As far as points went, we seemed to be evenly matched. Whoever got the third knockdown first would win the match.

The bell rang the start of the last round. I went it with all I had and, after dodging a few blows, Fred clinched. This was a good time for both of us to rest for a bit. After the referee separated us, he came in with a hard right. I dodged it and sank my right to the wrist in his midriff. After retreating he came back and clinched again.

After the separation, I looked at my opponent's hate-filled face. Suddenly it morphed and it was my dad standing in front of me.

"Come on, you little shit! Fight me if you're man enough!"

I began to see red, but quashed that immediately. The work I'd done with both my therapist and my coach had helped. I kept my anger beneath the surface and used it to fuel my left hook to his face. He was thrown back a couple steps and then came back and clinched again.

"Come on, fight already," cried someone in the crowd. "We didn't come here to see two guys hugging!"

In the clinch, I heard his shallow breathing. He was losing steam. I might've been exhausted, but he was in much worse shape.

I managed to get out of the clinch and hit him with a cross one last time. I put all my strength, all the months of blood, sweat and tears into it. It connected and I saw his whole face deform with the hit. He hit the ground and that was it. The match was over.

"The winner, by technical knockout, David Wilker!"

Everyone cheered. I caught a glimpse of my parole officer near the door. She nodded and smiled, and then left. I had beaten Fred, and beaten a greater foe, as well.

[pokefan531]

Yuki’s Story Chapter 76 - Phase’s Plan

Chapter 76 Yuki is at front of her house door outside, thinking how her parents will react on her day. Yuki: I know what to expect. Let's just move on and deal with this. She went inside her house and sees her parents, and her parents notices her. Mom: Hey Yuki! How was your day? Yuki is thinking on her head about why her mom isn't reacting angrily. Yuki: Hmm... Kinda rough. Mom: Rough? How rough? Yuki: Oh. Just a lot of school work I had to finish. Dad: Did you pass them? Yuki: Hopefully? She is wondering why her parents aren't yelling at her. Ryo comes downstairs and sees Yuki. Ryo: Yuki! You must come up! Yuki: All right. She runs upstairs and she and Ryo went to his room and sees Haruka. Yuki: Hey. Haruka: Yuki, we got some news. Ryo closes his own door. Ryo: Yuki, you must keep this a secret. Yuki: What? Ryo: I was the one who talked to your principle. I pretended to be Dad. Yuki: You?! How? Haruka: Your dad needed a favor from Ryo to check on his phone. Ryo: He wanted me to check if there is enough space since he has many photos there. He still does, but then it was ringing in the middle of it. Haruka: And before, your friends texted us about what happened to your school. We decided to help when the phone was ringing. Ryo: I still recognize the school's phone numbers. I decide to play Dad, and after that, I erased the history for that call. Yuki: Wow. Interesting. I didn't expect that, but good job. I thought they know already. Ryo: Be glad they didn't. You should find out why they got you in trouble. Yuki: I know I do. I know I can't go to school in the coming week, so I should be planning on the whole weekend. Haruka: Also, I texted your friends that we covered for you. Yuki: Thanks. Tram Phase are still together and planning things, despite us busting them on their last scheme. Ryo: You guys are gonna try a lot harder to inspect what they just did. Yuki: That's what I'm thinking. We gotta know everything about them. The next day at Saturday, Yuki is at Minoru's house with Ayano, Retasu, Takahashi, and Leon. Yuki: During my suspension, I do plan to go to my brother's college. That way, it will seem like I'm at school. Minoru: And what are we supposed to do? Yuki: At best, you guys will do everything to know everything about them. Not just watching what they do, but learn more about what they are up to. Leon: It sounds difficult. I can't believe they knock you out of school for a week. Yuki: And that's why I'm not giving up to figure out how they did that. Retasu: I don't want to be near them again. I don't want them to beat me up again. Ayano: Do they know about me? Yuki: I'm not sure. Ayano: I can see if I can take a peak at them. Minoru: So during your suspension, you are gonna find some information on each of Team Phase members? Yuki: Yes. If possible, and if I do find something like that, I will send it to all of you. Retasu: Cool. Yuki: So where did Rin go? Takahashi: She's out with Shirou on a date. Leon: Cool. Later in the evening, Yuki and Minoru are at the ice cream shop, getting ice cream. Yuki: Here is one for you. She gives one to him. Minoru: Thanks! Yuki: Now let's go to a place. She takes him to a field, and sit at the bench. Yuki: Does the ice cream taste good? Minoru: Yes. Wow, I can't believe Ryo covered for you. Yuki: Amazing brother. I have something to say. Minoru: What is it? Yuki: If you want some defense when I'm away, just be with any of our pals. I know I would always want to defend you for everything, but I know I won't be always with you at all times. Minoru: I know. I just don't want them to do something to me, and I just want to ask anyone to be with me. Yuki: Yeah. Also, there is nothing wrong to be by yourself. You should at least know how to handle the situation on your own too. Minoru: But I'm not strong like you. Yuki: I know, but your brains could think of something to protect yourself. Minoru: I see. Yuki: I know you are a smart person, and I do believe you are capable of not letting them to get to you. Minoru: Hmm... I know I won't always gonna have someone on my side, but I just want to be safe. Yuki: Don't worry. I used to think the same for you, but now I realize that you can be safe, whether you have someone with you or not. Team Phase are not always gonna have time to get to either of you. Minoru: Make sense. Yuki: And now my mission is to figure out everything about yesterday. Minoru: I believe we will find out about this. Yuki: Me too, Minoru. She kisses his cheek. Minoru blushed. Minoru: Sweet. What about lips? Yuki: Sure. They both kiss by their lips. They both get up. Yuki: You finish your ice cream? Minoru: Yes. Yuki: Let me take this out to the trash. Minoru gives her the empty stick, and she throws it to the trash. Minoru: Thanks Yuki. Yuki: No problem. At Monday morning, Yuki is at Ryo's car. Ryo: Trust me Yuki, once you go in our campus, you will see how it is like to become a young adult. Yuki: I always want to see how your place looks like. Ryo: Also, it has a game room, a lobby to see popular pop culture, several snack machines, and sometimes we have attractions on the outdoors. Yuki: Cool. I'll go check these places. Ryo: It's awesome. You don't get to wear uniform there anymore. They park at the reserved parking spot. Ryo: And here we are. He shows Yuki the campus. Yuki: Amazing! It's even bigger than my school. Ryo: Yep. Let's go in. They both went to the coffee shop. Ryo: They have this in few places on this campus. Yuki: Cool. Although, I don't like coffee, it is interesting. In the other place of the campus, he shows her the lobby. Ryo: This is the lobby. You will find a lot of people who are into the shows and games you play. Yuki: Wow. You said they have a game room here. Ryo: It's on the left hallway. You just open the first door on your right. Yuki: Thanks. Ryo: You could find a table anywhere here unless if you decide to look around. I gotta go find Haruka. Yuki: I'll stick here for a while. Ryo: All right. He left. Yuki: This place got even more interesting. In Fujiwara, Minoru talks to Ayano. Minoru: Well, class starts in ten minutes. Ayano: Ok. I wonder if they are here. Minoru: It seems like they don't use any of the students or club rooms anymore, but I know they meet somewhere. Ayano: You may be right. Minoru: Also, Yuki is already in Ryo's place right now. Ayano: Good. On the other side inside the building, Rin sees Kaname drinking the water fountain. Kaname leaves and heads to a room. Rin: Hmm. She's going to a musical room. In college, Yuki walks around the lobby and sees group of people having manga and half are My Hero Academia. Yuki: I collect these. It is an interesting series. Guy1: Cool! We just read the latest one. Yuki: I think several parts in the middle and the end are awesome. Girl1: Nice. Who are you? Yuki: I'm Yuki. Guy2: Nice to meet you, Yuki. Later in high school, on the first break, Minoru walks to the fountain. After drinking, he turns around and he sees Lila coming. Lila sees him and walks to him. Minoru is frighten a little. Lila: Minoru. Minoru: Um...What? Lila: After school, I want to talk to you. Minoru: What did you do to her? Lila: She deserved to get suspended. Minoru walks back a little. Lila: Look, I just want to ask you to meet me by after school at the room we used to have! Minoru: I don't trust you. Lila: I'm just asking a simple thing! Meet me. There will be non hurting, no harm, just a simple talk. Minoru: No. I mean, I know you got Yuki in trouble. Lila: We did. That doesn't mean I can't have a simple conversation with you guys. Minoru: Why? Lila: It is about you. Minoru walks back. Lila: You're such a scary cat! Stop walking back! I'm not doing anything! Lia comes up and pushes her while holding a baseball hat. Lia: You leave this guy alone! Lila: You don't know what I'm doing. She left. Lia: Are you all right? Minoru: Yeah, but she wasn't trying to hurt me or anything. She's just creepy, so thanks. Lia: No problem. Say, what is Yuki doing right now? Minoru: She's at her brother's college. Lia: Cool. A while later, he is having lunch with Rin, Oka, and Leon. Minoru tells them the story. Rin: Hmm. So that was it? Minoru: Yeah. Although, she didn't lay a finger on me. Leon: Good. Minoru: Although, I don't think she is trying to. She was just asking me to talk to her after school. I refused. Rin: Good. She doesn't need you or any of us. Minoru: I'm just wondering what happens if I don't. What is she gonna do? Will she get me into trouble? Leon: That is the possibility, but I suggest not to go. She is just tricking you to go, and she may be worse than we could think of. Oka: He's right. Minoru: But, I'm just worried. Rin: Even if she said she won't hurt you, don't. It's a trap. Minoru: You're right. I mean, I want to find clues about them. Leon: You could just find another way. Minoru: But what if she will do something worse if I don't? Rin: ...She did get Yuki suspended. I think that is a risky situation, Minoru. It's your choice. Oka: I still think you shouldn't. Yuki was the one who tried to stop them, so if you do nothing about it, she may not retaliate. Minoru: Hmm... A while later, Yuki is talking to the same random people in the lobby. Yuki:...And that's it. I loved that manga series. Yuki feels a vibration on her phone. Yuki: Excuse me for a sec. She walks to the table where Ryo is sitting. Yuki reads the message from Minoru from Lila. Yuki: Hmm. That's a hard decision. Ryo: What happened? Anything related in Fujiwara? Yuki: Yeah. Minoru just texted me about his story about Lila. She is trying to talk to him after school, but since she's just another creep, Minoru is not sure if he should do it. I mean, she set up my suspension, so I don't want her to get Minoru in trouble, but also I don't want that guy to get hurt. Ryo: Has she tried to? Yuki: As far as I know, she only hurt Retasu with the gangs and little on Rin. However, she tells him that she won't harm him either way. Ryo: I mean, I don't trust her. Yuki: Same here. If she really means it, it would be a relief. Ryo: So what is your answer? Yuki is thinking. Yuki: Well, going to Lila is risky, but not going may get him in trouble. I know Minoru's not as strong as me, and I told him to depend on himself. I would have to say yes. Ryo: You mean it? Yuki: Yeah. It would be the safest. I hope she means it. Yuki texted him. "Knowing all the risks on both decisions, I say go for it. You can do it." Later after school, Minoru is walking to the room, and Rin and Shirou is behind him. Rin: You're sure? I know Yuki said yes, but you're up for it? Minoru: Yeah. I'm nervous though. Shirou: Well, just be brave and go there. Minoru: I'll do my best. Rin: Bye! Minoru went inside the room and Rin and Shirou starts heading home. Rin: I honestly don't like this decision. It's odd that Yuki encourages him to go. Shirou: I mean, that's the best option for him. He at least won't get in trouble like what they did to Yuki. Rin: I know. I just hopes he comes out safely, for Yuki's relief. In the room, Minoru sees Lila at the seat. Lila: Hello, Minoru. Have a seat. Minoru looks at her.

Next Chapter: Minoru's Side Story Lila talks to Minoru about herself, and it leads Minoru to a lot of questions. Minoru had no idea why would Lila decide to be with Team Phase in the first place. Meanwhile, Yuki has some adventure on the next day and tries to do more research about Team Phase. What will both learn about them? Tune in next time!