#small bit of critque

[indigomarina]

Reverse Crush!Ladrien Headcanon (and some episode Rewrites)

This is up to Season 2

Thanks to Midnight Kittens, and reading this fic called Swapped in More Ways Than One and this AO3 series called 'you made me a hero - reverse crush short stories', I know have the headcanon that Ladybug would find Adrien on a roof and goes to check if he's not doing anything drastic. He's not, he just needed some time out of the house (he transformed in Chat briefly). Adrien talks about how he feels confined, Ladybug lets it slip, being a hero sometimes makes it hard. Adrien is surprised, don't get him wrong, he is very aware being a hero isn't a walk in the park. But hearing LADYBUG say that is a bit jarring. They talk about how that's okay to feel not okay and an odd friendship is struck (and then Ladybug escorts him back down).

In 'Origins Part 2', Adrien is still interested in Ladybug, I think that part would stay the same. But only because it's implied (confirmed in Season 5) that if Adrien wasn't there, Marinette/Ladybug would be in love with Chat. This is implying the same, Chat was growing feelings for Ladybug but then fell in love with Marinette instead.

In 'The Mime', when Ladybug interrupts Adrien's car. She apologize but says he needs to get out of the car and referring to him by his full name. Adrien asks how she knows his name. Ladybug pales before making up the excuse that he's a famous model, why wouldn't she know his name. Adrien buys and leaves the car to transform.

In 'Simon Says', the exchange remains where say hello but they're not timid about it. Likewise, when Ladybug goes to see 'Adrien taking a shower', Ladybug is still awkward. But it's less being she's being pervy and more she's forced to talk to someone whose supposedly naked! When Adrien walks out, he notes his mother on his desktop and says she's pretty. Ladybug agrees, before saying he has her eyes. Realizing she just said that the person she's supposed to be protecting's eyes are pretty, she briefly goes into Marinette mode and rambles about how they're not pretty before realizing that's an insult and backpedaling before Adrien says he knows what she was trying to say. Ladybug nervously chuckles and says she's not really good at this whole bodyguard thing before Adrien reassures her, she's doing great, making her smile.

(No 'Volpina' here. In this AU, Marinette would befriend Lila, who lies and says she knows Chat Noir, making Adrien suspicious. As a result, Adrien keeps the book and confronts Lila. I don't like him doing this as much I didn't like Marinette doing it, but he's been shown in some episodes being VERY petty, plus we need a reason for her to get akumatized. The part where Volpina kidnaps 'Adrien' is replaced with her with kidnapping 'Marinette', so any Ladrien would be replaced with MariChat).

Small bit in 'The Collector', where Ladybug tells Chat Noir he thinks Adrien could be Hawk Moth. She doesn't like this theory, since he seems 'like such a good kid'.

Riposte: Ladybug's still protective over Adrien, but that's normal for a hero protecting a civilian from a villain. Lines like 'She doesn't deserve you.' are removed, because those sound suspiciously romantic despite Riposte coming before Frozer where it was confirmed Kagami had romantic feelings for Adrien. When Adrien says Marinette didn't mean to hurt Riposte, he starts gushing about she's the kindest, nicest girl in the world. Ladybug blushes (that is still her after all) but gets back on track. When Ladybug brings her and Adrien close, she sheepishly asks if it's okay, and Adrien says it's fine also sheepishly. And they swing away. Adrien still doesn't tell Ladybug he's claustrophobic because 1. he doesn't want to burden her and 2. he needs her to go away so he transform into Chat.

Sorry, no 'Glaciator' or 'Gorizilla' because they'd both be Marichat leaning.

[writerofadream]

Fortune favors the Bold ⛓

TDI!Duncan x Juvie Bestfriend! Reader ⛓

Chapter Twelve: Bubbling up

Put your head on my shoulder

Hold me in your arms, baby.

"Todays challenge will test your minds, your teamwork, and your skills in the kitchen." Chris had the campers gather on the beach and Duncan groaned, you sucked at cooking, a lot.

"You'll be cooking a three course meal, and serving it to me for tasting. The winners will get a reward the losers will send somebody home. Each team will appoint a head chef." Chris put a hand on his hip.

"To cook you need ingredients. Every morning a truck brings us food. Today's task starts there." A truck pulled itself out of the waters and you saw it was lined with food on the inside.

"We could do a killer italian theme." Geoff suggested. "Hello, head chef." Duncan smiled wide. "Seriously?" Geoff smiled clearly happy with his role. "We get it you love each other." You pushed the two out of the way and started grabbing food out of the truck.

Geoff laughed and Duncan rolled his eyes. Then you all got to work grabbing the food Geoff told you to get.

You all met in your kitchen holding various food items. "Okay so we have to make a three course meal and there's seven of us. So I say we all team up." Geoff suggested.

You had to smile at how kind he sounded, he was a good guy but some people just couldn't be in charge. Too nice.

You, and Duncan had desert duty which you heavily protested. "Last time I tried to make oatmeal, Tarun it turned out burnt. Hell, I've tried to make you hot cocoa before and somehow made it curdle." You just wanted to sit out of the challenge all together.

"That's because your father was a terrible cook, idiot. I'll teach you." Duncan rolled his eyes and wrapped an apron around you before you could say anything.

As the challenge progressed Duncan had you roll out dough. "Doll, I love you but your not even rolling the outside of it. It'll have huge edges and a paper thin middle." Duncan nicely critqued you. You stuck your tongue out.

He rolled his eyes and got to work fixing your mistake. He leaned over your back his chest hitting you as he put his arms around your making you roll into the correct spots. You giggled, but to his surprise you were blushing like an idiot.

Geoff snapped a picture.

---

|Trending on X right now|

#THEWAYHEHOLDSHER-

#obliviousidiots<3

#whenhecancook

#meantforeachother

#"illteachyou"brbsobbing

---

You didn't notice when Geoff winked at Duncan, but you did notice when Harold came into the kitchen wearing a pair of red underwear... and no shorts.

You gave the redhead one look and glared at Duncan. "I'm going to kill myself." You hissed.

"You'd never. You'd miss me too much." Duncan stuck his tongue out smirking. "Keep that tongue out much longer and I'll cut it off." You muttered going back to rolling the dough. Duncan quickly closed his mouth with a small smirk.

Geoff wanted to keep up with the classy italian theme so he had some old music playing in the background. The blonde also had made sandwhiches and when Harold had bit into his, he had spit underwear out much to Courtney's disgust.

Duncan pulled that trick on a bunch of dudes in juvie, frequently.

So it was to no surprise when you hit him in the back of the head. "أيها الأحمق، هل تريد الفوز بهذا التحدي أم لا؟ أقسم أنني سأدعوك بأمي إذا حاولت شيئًا آخر. توقف عن التركيز على رد الجميل لهارولد وابدأ في التركيز على التحدي أو ساعدني يا إلهي، تارون." You whispered in his ear (luckily the cameras picked it up). "Don't call my mom, doll. I'll stop." Duncan muttered looking a bit ashamed.

"Then focus on the challenge." You hissed.

---

You put the canollies in the oven and washed your hands. All that was needed to be done is the pasta sauce which Bridgette was working on.

Geoff, DJ, and Harold who was now wearing PJ's were talking about the dish pretty calmly to your surprise.

You were sitting on the countertop watching the people around you. Courtney was advising Bridgette on her tomato to water ratio, and Sadie was taking a picture of the meals to send to Katie.

"Put your head on my shoulder."

"Hold me in your arms, baby."

Duncan held out his hand to dance. You rolled your eyes taking it all the same. "I'm sorry I was a dickhead to Harold." He said not sounding all that sorry. "He deserved it, so it's fine." You smirked lightly punching his shoulder.

"This was Leo's favorite song." He commented quietly. "Was that the guard who always gave me pudding?" You asked with a small smile.

"No that was Jonah." Duncan quietly laughed as you both swayed together to the music. "Then which one was Leo?" You asked mildly confused.

"Squeeze me oh-so-tight."

"Show me that you love me too."

"He was the one who tased the dude with the blue hair on his first day." Duncan explained. "Oh! Dickface Leo!" You said remembering now. "He's the one that always took my extra pudding." You rolled your eyes.

"Mhm." Duncan smiled.

Sadie snapped a picture.

---

Sadie to Katie

S: *picture attached*

K: AW I LOVE THEM TOGETHER ROOTIN FOR THEM

S: ME TOOO

---

Duncan and you stayed like that for a while. Your head leaning against his chest as you stared at your feet swaying to the music. Duncan had his arms wrapped around your waist and his chin ontop of your head as you slow danced together.

You fit together like puzzle pieces.

---

Chris LOVED your team's food. Since DJ and Bridgette were definetely the more likeable ones on your team, Geoff decided to have them serve it too Chris.

Apparently, according to the blonde girl, Owen had devoured his teams plate.

---

You guys won dinner under the stars. Which honestly you could care less for. You would've been happy with hotdogs by a campfire. But instead you watched Duncan throw sushi into Geoff's mouth from five feet.

It was fun.

Sorta.

---

You and the girls dragged the tipsy boys back to the cabins. Once you got back you heard Heather berating Linsday for leaving her in the freezer. You had stepped out of the boys side of the cabin after tucking Duncan in and heard the words-

"For once in you pathetic life stop being such a ditzy bimbo blonde, and do something right!" Heather hissed at the girl who looked close to tears.

Leshawna was about to say something but this girl from the killer bass came up to defend the blonde.

"Okay just because no one likes your stuck-up rich white girl ass, ain't no reason to act like such a god damn bitch." Damn this girl must've had a death wish.

Leshawna watched as Heather's eye twitched and wanted to cackle.

"Go the fuck back to your cabin little miss crazy. I saw what you did to that intern." Heather hissed back getting in the girls face. "Then you know what happens when people call me crazy." The girl from the killer bass had this creepy smirk plastered on her face and Heather paled.

Y/N walked away not before giving Lindsay a hug. "Tell me if she doesn't stop being an ass." The girl whispered to the blonde who smiled gratefully.

Then the ex-con dissapeared back to her side of the camp.

Leshawna smiled. "I for one, love her." The girl laughed and Gwen agreed. "Hell yeah." The goth girl gave her friend a fistbump and Heather let out a frusterated scream. "Her cabin is over there! She shouldn't have even came over here." She whined.

"I'm glad she did." Leshawna muttered causing Gwen to laugh.

[valdederon]

FLAMES JOURNEY CHAPTER #1 -- OUT_WORLDER one morning winds made of ice the grass wet with morning dew a strange occurrence happens just out side of the edge of the phoenix valley guild. a small town sends word of a strange shiny a new born fenekin his back left leg broken after having fallen from a clif, the guild leader a kind and gental serperior heads over to investigate having also been told the feniken is un willing to settle despite the broken leg throwing flame attacks evry time any one aproaches the small bundle of anger no one yet aware that the pokemon is an OUTWORLDER. apon arriving to the small clinic run by a snivy, a lucario, a couple dewotts both twins, and an audino the hectic atomosphere is almost tangible as the large snake like pokemon slithers in silently and asks the lucario whats been going on the lucario named sally sighs and begins to explain ( quick pause here for a sec my writing style is unique so before any one types trying to say how i portray others speaking you can just stop reading if youd like to sugest tips ore helpful critque go ahead an keep reading i welcome honest and kind oppinions ) sally-- well as you can see were struggling the little guys maybey a day old but the constant attacking is getting hard to deal with, if it werent for leo and tina the dewott twins this place would have burned down 6 hours ago but they are exausted and strugglking to keep up. leo--- my sister and i can barely stay awake long enough to use water gun or hydropump.. ugh wed love to help that feniken but. mother mew help me if i have to put out another damed fire. leo-- get that infernal hellion out of here please... sally--- leo come on be patient please the guild leader nods silently and slithers up to the injured pokemon embers visably burning in his mouth as the serperior stares silently into the fenikens soft green eyes glestineing like emeralds in the light the feniken growling unfazed by his fierce gaze. ( leaving the guild leaders un named for a short bit as well a milotic married to the male serperior) serperior--- oh.. your not afraid of my gaze.. verry interesting.. i wonder were you come from little kit. may you kindly douse those embers no one is here to harm you, i promise. the feniken stumbles alittle but maintains eye contact but slowly relaxes his posture closing his mouth and whimpering in pain . serperior--- im going to use an ability called sleep powder on you ok it will help ease you to sleep then we can take care of that leg and get you to a new home are you ok with that. the feniken nods and stumbles as the serperior uses sleep powder and puts the feniken into a soft slumber were the medics can tend to his broken leg after having done so the serperior uses his vines to pick up and carry the feniken to the phoenix valley guild and sets him down in the medical wing in a soft nest of straw gras and moss.

[troublesometrollhunters]

Can you do a head canon list or drabble of Dictatious trying to woo a female troll assistant to Blinky? Like she works as the librarian and heard a lot of stories about Dictatious from Blinky, so she is unsure of what to think of him, and he tries hard to win her over.

~ Blinky had taken on an apprentice. Trolls valued their history, their culture but often more than not warriors were celebrated while trolls like him, the quiet historians who recorded these warriors great feats were just an afterthought. So when a young scholar came to him expressing interest in his work he was quick to show them the wonders of working in a library. Trying not so subtly to take them on as an apprentice.

~ Many trolls had a fine eye for books and a love for art but Blinkous quickly discovered you were a rare breed. Not only a scholar but an enthusiast like him and his brother. You had a wild imagination and although you could fight you enjoyed the comfort of a good book on a quiet night rather than the metal of clashing weapons in the forge. After becoming friends and visiting ghe libarary over and over you decide to become Blinkies apprentice. The troll got so excited to become a mentor he made you a room in the library where you could stay and a study from for you to work and do research for your books.

~ He tells you of Dictatious as you train in the art of bookmaking and recording. His brother was a great author and known poet. He often traveled to explore and write of discoveries he's made. But he's also what humans would call a player. Dictatious had always been more popular than Blinkous and Blinky did not care however he warned you of his brothers attitudes.

~ When you've passed the tests needed to prove you could be a historian and that you had the skills needed to help him with his work Blinky is so proud. During your trial porcess he had grown a kinship towards you and he was happy you'd stuck through all his teachings and ramblings. It's some weeks into your work that he decides you should meet hos brother. He assures you despite his stories Dictatious is a good troll. So one day while working he brings in his brother and introduces you to Dictatious. Dic takes to you almost immediately. You have similar book tastes and it turns out your a fan of his work though your weary of his character.

~ Blinky is glad you two are friends and is happy that he and Dic have someone else to talk to about theories, books, and artwork. However as time goes on he notices Dictatious is not just being friendly he is courting. Nope none of that! This is his charge not a fling no romance allowed in the library!

~ Of course being the younger brother Dic does not take Blinky all that seriously. He continues to trade books with you, give compliments on your work, critque your art thoughtfully, and initiate intellectual and slightly flirty banter. He even begins leaving surprises in the books he gives you. Small poems and crushed flowers. When Blinky is busy he'll also slip into your study and leave you fancy quills, pretty inks, and crystals. He wants to show that he cares and he hopes these gifts are a good step towards showing his true feelings.

~ Dictatious is a poetic soul. He believes in true love and soulmates but he will never admit this aloud. Blinky may not want him around you but he feels you two belong together. When you talk his heart flutters, your words are so powerful and your thoughts unlike anything he's ever heard, and your books/drawings. You are so talented and so beautiful. He wishes he could give you the world because that's all you deserve.

~ Your still weary of him he can tell. Blinky may have exaggerated his stories a bit so Dic would sound more terrible than he really was but Dic's willing to put in the work. And eventually he knows you two will have your happily ever after.

[hikaruakahoshi-demonforge]

Giving the restless a break (Keigo Takami [Hawks] x Reader)

Author’s Notes: Reader’s quirk is ‘No Sleep’. Like this interation of Shinsou’s father, credit to the OC creator! First time writing for Hawks, so please feel free to critque! I’m not sure what this fic is, I just writing and went from there, I think it sucks I’m sorry! XD

“Don’t go.” 

His hand circled around your wrist and gripped tightly before you could attempt removing it. Looking down at the wounded hero, your brows furrowed. Your (e/c) orbs met his golden hues, allowing you to see the pain he had been hiding. 

You had been neighbours with the winged hero for over a year now. In that year, you had managed to worm your way into his life. Picked the lock to it like it was nothing, no matter how hard he thought he guarded it. Now he can’t imagine sitting alone in his apartment anymore. He both hated and loved the feeling that swelled in his chest when he was with you. 

“Stay here tonight. You should rest too,” A crooked smile etched its way onto his face once the words left his mouth, his attempt at finding humour in the situation. While your brows lowered to make a pointed glare, it was clear that you didn’t believe that smile one bit. 

“‘Rest’, he says.” You half-heartedly sneer “Like it’s so easy, if possible.” You continued on, rolling your eyes. Your shoulders slumped as you sighed, “You’re the one that needs to rest, Keigo. I need to clean up the mess you made when you trudged your way inside,” You lazily gave him a pointed look to make your annoyance apparent. 

“Where else was I supposed to go?” He feigned ignorance with a small huff. 

Ripping your wrist from his hand, you growled: “Oh, I don’t know, a fucking hospital!” You barked while turning away. But when you turned back, that look in his eyes was still there. Your tired-looking eyes softened as you took a moment to realise why he was here.

With a small sigh, you returned to the edge of the bed and gently set your hand on his. He swiftly reacted by gripping your hand again. This confirmed your thoughts. 

He didn’t want to be surrounded by unknowns, not in this state. He wanted what anyone would want in a situation of pain; a warm place of comfort. But that happened to be in your apartment with you. You lamented in your head about how much he worked but got little in return. He deserved this sort of care, didn’t he?

You shifted so that your hands were intertwined, returning a squeeze but in a reassuring manner. “Move over a bit,” You told Keigo, helping him shift to the side of the bed before climbing in beside him. You rarely used your bed, at best, it was more like a hospital bed whenever you fell ill, but you couldn’t use it for sleep. 

After getting comfortable under the covers, you pulled him close to wrap a single arm around his form, careful to avoid any sensitive areas. 

Keigo, instead, shifted closer. Wrapping his arms around your waist and burying his face into your neck. Clinging to you as a child would to its mother. Your frowned, freezing in place and looking down at him in concern. 

Hesitantly, you weaved your fingers through his hair, brushing the loose locks away from his face. His tense posture relaxed at your tender touch, nuzzling into your warm skin. Keigo was quick to fall asleep in your hold, leaving you staring with a twinge of amusement and envy on your face. 

While your quirk could easily be seen as a curse, you spent your life attempting to use it to your advantage and be good at what you do. Now you found something else you could do.

Leaning down, you pressed a kiss to his forehead. He smiled in his sleep, squeezing his human pillow. 

You could let the injured hero relax, something he deserved. Finally, let his guard down and make himself being an injured Keigo instead of the hero that needed to remain strong no matter what. 

“I’ve got you, Keigo. Sleep well,” You whispered, more to yourself. But his wing (smaller than usual due to work) came to rest on your shoulder like an extra blanket. 

Keigo felt safe. Because he was under your care and protection. It... felt nice to be the protected instead of the protector for once...

Thank you... (Y/n). 

[rivaltierno]

You listed Future Shock as one of your bottom SS episodes, can I ask your thoughts on that? :o

Sure thing!

My issues with “Future Shock” are a mixture of like, legit critques of the episode’s writing and more personal things I simply just didn’t like about it. I’ll put my major thoughts about it under the cut for length purposes. 

To get the most petty reason out of the way up front: I’m just not that big of a fan of Batman, and by the time this episode rolled around I was already getting tired of seeing him/his cast so much. “Future Shock” was the 6th crossover episode of the series and the 5th one involving Batman in some manner, and frankly, if I wanted to see the guy that badly I would be watching one of his series’ instead of Static Shock.

Speaking of which, probably the biggest issue issue I have with “Future Shock” is that I don’t think it really works as a Static Shock episode - it’s a Batman Beyond episode that Static happens to be in. Besides a cameo from Gear and a brief appearance of the Gas Station, Static is our only connection to the show in this episode. Everything else in all Batman Beyond, from the setting to the villain to the characters Static is surrounded by. Static isn’t even the character who gets any development in this episode (though he’s the only Static Shock character active in the story), it’s the guy from the show we’re not watching who gets it.

Sure, the episode does explain who these villains are and whatnot so the audience isn’t completely lost, but I shouldn’t have to have a crash course in Batman Beyond’s lore to enjoy or even just understand a Static Shock episode. From how I see it, “Future Shock” is just one big Batman Beyond advertisement and that’s it.

Yes, all of the other crossover episodes are just advertisements too, but at least those episodes still had the Static Shock cast/setting play a part in their stories. Most of them are set in Dakota proper and involve Static’s relationship with other characters, whether it be with the rest of his cast (him and Daisy in “Toys in the Hood”, him and Gear in “A League of Their Own pt. 2″) or the other DCAU characters he’s supposed to be working with in the episode (him and Batman in “The Big Leagues”, him and Green Lantern in “Fallen Hero”). Even “Hard as Nails” - which is an episode I rank low almost exclusively because its good parts are pushed aside to show off more Batman characters - made sure to ground Static’s part of the episode in his desire to help Allie. All “Future Shock” had was Batman berating Static for half the episode and then reluctantly teaming up with him again later, which is not exactly something I want to watch (but more on that later).

Likewise, all the crossover episodes built up their stories a lot better too, in that they were actually built up. Static and the other heroes in those episodes had actual reasons to work with one another, usually of the “[X] villain is in Dakota!” variety. Even “A League of Their Own pt. 1″ and it’s “Static needs to charge the Watchtower!” reasoning which I personally don’t really care for is still like, an actual reason. “Future Shock” had “Static is working with Batman and Robin for some reason and then he zaps a time machine that they had for some reason and gets sent to the future”.

On the topic of that opening scene, it has my other biggest problem with “Future Shock” in it as well, in that I think Static was written very poorly in this episode, in an almost OOC way even, especially in the beginning. 

I don’t for a second believe that Static would have decided to just try and start the random time machine like that. This isn’t Season 1 or even Season 2 Static that’s brand-new to being a hero and wants to impress the League heroes. This is Season 4 Static who has been a hero for at least a good year and has worked with League heroes multiple times now. Even ignoring the experience side of the argument, Static is a smart character, both in a book-smart “good at science” way and a more observational way. I feel like that alone would make him realize “Hey I shouldn’t charge this malfunctioning machine that I don’t know what it’ll do once it’s working properly”.

I don’t think that his more impulsive tendencies would make this in character for him, either. Yes, Static has in past episodes ignored orders from others and acted on what he thought was best. But these instances have been based on more moral reasons than egotistical ones. He ignores Batman in “League of Their Own pt. 2″ to save Gear, he goes to try and talk to Green Lantern in “Fallen Hero” because he wanted to give him a chance to change his ways before fighting him, and so on. Static in “Future Shock” deciding to ignore Batman’s warnings because he thinks he can “fix” the machine or whatever is not the same. 

I’m more lenient of other actions Static does in “Future Shock”, like for some reason deciding to trust that random dude in the street instead of waiting for Batman since you know, unfamiliar situation and all that, but I still think that my point still stands for those scenes as well. I feel like this episode purposefully wrote Static like this to play on the “inexperienced hero meets a more experienced one” angle they were going for in this episode. 

Now, this isn’t an inherently bad idea for an episode, I actually like the episodes that play on this dynamic for Static (“Blast from the Past”, the Anansi episodes, etc.). The problem is that those episodes have Static working with adult heroes, who legitimately have more experience than him in both being a hero and general life situations. Since “Future Shock” is a Batman Beyond crossover episode, that means the “more experienced” figure in this case is another high schooler.

Thus, the episode has a limited-experience high schooler yelling at and looking down upon a different limited-experience high schooler for being a limited-experience high schooler. I found this incredibly annoying in this episode and made me kinda hate Batman in it. 

Sure, in hindsight why Batman’s so upset makes sense, but like I was saying earlier, I was watching this episode as a Static Shock fan wanting to watch Static Shock characters, so I’m naturally going to care more about how Static is being treated in the story than what the other guy is going through. It’s also true that Batman does learn to respect Static a bit more in the episode, but I feel like that’s done better, or at least more enjoyably, in other crossover episodes. When Batman learns that lesson in “Hard as Nails”, Static gets to learn the man’s secret identity. All Static gets in “Future Shock” is existential concerns about his future self caused in heavy part by Batman himself.

Those are the two major reasons I really dislike this episode, but there are other ones as well. For example, it bummed me out that they made Gear fat as an adult entirely to make jokes about it instead of just letting him be fat and moving on. I can’t really think of major things I liked about it, either. I can’t think of any jokes or quips I laughed at (I think there was like, one facial expression I sorta chuckled at but I’m not sure if it was supposed to be funny or not), I can’t think of any memorable action scenes, and I didn’t like the character interactions throughout it.

There are small things I liked about it, sure. I liked the adult designs for both Static and Gear and the future of the Gas Station. I liked that the reasoning for adult Static getting captured is that he wanted to help Gear and assumed it wasn't a trap. In a petty way I liked Robin’s comment about Batman not being as great as everyone thinks he is. But those things aren’t really enough to carry the episode for me. The adult designs could have easily just been an extra on a season DVD or something, for example.

I think that's all I have to say about “Future Shock” and why I rank it so low. It’s poorly written, and there’s not much I really liked about it, but it's not the worst written episode and it didn’t make me super mad or uncomfortable, either. 

[mr-stjames-icon]

Weekly Task: Self Para

“He tries.”

Jesse followed her gaze to see the figure walking around their bedroom. They’d been back in their New York apartment for a few days now. The national holiday had been a pleasant distraction from the worry of work and family life but now they were back to this stage. The man drew in a long breath as he watched the figure pace back and forth, chattering on about something to do with his game.

“He does,” Jesse replied. “I mean he really tries but he won’t ever understand.”

He felt his heart sink a little as he knew she was right. Like a kid blindly trying over and over at a test he didn’t know the answers to, Cooper had always done his best to help. He had a kind heart, Jesse had realised this early on.

“But you do.”

The Broadway star looked across at her from where he was sat. Elbows resting on his knees and hands held together over the empty space. He wasn’t fond of these sorts of conversations. “I do?” he asked, playing dumb to avoid it.

“You. Well, you went through the same, right?”

His eyes flicked away from the teenager. It wasn’t a topic he liked discussing. Nobody knew about this moment in his past. He tried to hide it where possible. Jesse didn’t need to be defined by his past, his weaknesses. He was more than that. It was maybe why he always strived to be the best. To prove that despite the rough start in life, he had as much in him as anyone else.

Jesse St. James was not going to be another lost cause spat out of the system.

“Not to your extent,” he finally muttered.

The teenager drew in a breath as she crossed the space to sit on the couch beside him. He could tell she wanted to talk, wanted to find some sense of comfort. It’s not like in every placement you were gifted with a foster parent who could relate to what it was like being in the system. He had to make an effort.

“I..” Jesse began before his throat closed up. Like tiny hands were clawing at his vocal chords, blocking his windpipe to prevent any of the secrets being spilled. 

He shook his head to shake those feelings. Get it together, St. James.

“I was a kid when I was adopted, I was lucky those years didn’t hinder much of my childhood. People never asked, people just accepted or even better, they didn’t know,” he admitted. “I wasn’t, it’s not that I was ashamed to be adopted or that I was ungrateful to my new family. I owe the St. James family. It’s that-”

“It’s just that poeple look at you differently,” Ramona interrupted. The small nod from him relieved her slightly as she brushed a strand of hair from her face.

“I don’t want people knowing. I just want to feel part of something. Like I belong?” Ramona sighed softly. She was appreciative of how these two had taken her in, how they had accepted her as their own from the start. She often wondered what the future held, she pondered on whether this would be forever but she also feared getting her hopes up. Hope was a dangerous game.

“You get to hide it,” she commented and it made a shiver run up his spine. He knew she didn’t have that luxury, not at the minute anyway.

“I just didn’t speak about it. Nobody asked. I didn’t tell my friends in school, I didn’t tell my ex-wife. It’s nobody’s business but my own.”

“He knows?” Ramona looked back to the laughing figure with a headset on and a cord attached to his PC. She was still thankful that Rachel had helped with designing the apartment. It had been a tough few weeks and she knew he wouldn’t have coped by himself. It was a mismatch family but she liked it. Cooper thrived on having his own space, his sanctuary. She was glad he had it.

“I told him a few days before we went to meet you,” Jesse explained. Clearing his throat, he could feel the tightness in his chest and the feeling of uncertainty while they stepped lightly over this subject. “I had a-” Jesse stopped and cleared his throat, fidgeting with his hands as he stared down at them. Good a distraction. How he deseperately wanted to walk away from this conversation.

“I had a bit of a meltdown- it’s funny, that’s when you caught us coming out of the bathroom,” he smiled slightly at the thought. “He has them all the time but my god it was debiliating. I don’t know how-” he let his thoughts finish that sentence. He never judged Cooper for when he’d spiral out of control but that had shown him a glimpse into what his partner suffered through daily.

Ramona shifted slightly as she could feel the conversation was uncomfortable. “But... you had a kid already, why did you freak?”

Jesse blew out his cheeks and clenched his hands together. His mind drifted back to the argument he and Cooper had, on the Santa Monica Pier when they arrived. The words had resonated with him since. “I’ll tell you, what I told him.”

“I love Moriah and I wouldn’t trade her for the world but I can’t help but regret not waiting to have a child with the person I want to settle down with and waiting until I was secure enough to be a stay at home dad.”

The quiet response made him nervous. He shifted his stance and straightened his back. Posture. It was the best way to prevent being seeing as vulnerable. It projected a confident stance and confident was definitely a feeling that had escaped him. He cursed how family pushed him into these waters.

“Am I a regret?” Ramona asked, the need for confirmation in her voice.

“You seriously believe I’m going to regret the Hellraiser that set fire to her last placement’s garden?” he met eyes with her and caught the blush that spread over her cheeks. “No. Trust me kid, if it wasn’t working, well, you wouldn’t be here any more,” he admitted. It sounded cruel but it was the honest truth.

“That was almost a nice sentiment,” she teased in return. “Still, why did you freak when you came to the centre? Is it because..” she trailed off. The pain in her chest wouldn’t allow her to finish that sentence. She cupped her hands as the little boston terrier wandered in. A small grumble escaping the dog as she yawned, clearly Cooper’s shouting had woken her up from her slumber.

Jesse quickly denied the suspicion with a shake of his head. “No that’s not why I had a-” he struggled on that word again. “I was-” the man sighed heavily and dragged his hand over his face. This was truly uncomfortable in every way.

“I was scared. I wondered whether I wasn’t what these kids need? What if they just want their real parents and I can’t be enough for them? Just because I saw the other side, didn’t make it any easier, it made it worse,” he confessed.

Ramona looked down at Penny, he hands ruffling through the pup’s ears. Her thoughts drifted to her old home, her old dog, Spotty. Her old bedroom. Then thoughts of his father crept in. Linda crept in. She reminded herself why home wasn’t a place to be. Why it wasn’t really a place to call home. 

“You’re doing a good job... I don’t know if that helps?” she spoke a little awkwardly. A shrug accompanied her words but she meant them.

Jesse nodded in response. It was simple but comforting to hear. 

Before he could dwell, he heard the infectious laughter of his fiancé in their bedroom. He hated how much time he spent on that game sometimes but he wouldn’t deny a small smile tugged in the corner of his mouth at the joy it gave.

“Can you get something from the store for me?” he asked, his tone a little different from the senimental one he’d previously shown towards her.

“Sure,” she lent up from her hunched over position. 

“Get some snacks for movie night,” he took his wallet out, pulled a few notes together and held them out. “Take Penny with you, Larry knows her. Just keep her on the leash and she’s fine in the store,” Jesse instructed.

Once the teenager left, he made his way down the short corridor to their bedroom. Seeing Cooper stood behind his desk, headphones on and that stupid grin on his face, he felt himself soften slightly. He was his idiot.

A look of alarm crossed his face when Jesse entered the room. “Was I-” he began to apologise for being too loud. He knew the noise-cancelling headphones had been a problem sometimes so he jumped to apologies.

Jesse frowned a little with a look of disapproval. He straightened his stance and eyed Cooper up. “I’m at the end of my tether, Cooper,” he said coldly.

Cooper’s face fell immediately at the words. What did this mean? They’d been up and down, back and forth, Cooper couldn’t keep track any more. He slipped the headset completely from his head and let it drop onto the computer chair. Fear and anxiety radiated off him as he stayed frozen like a scorned child.

“I don’t know how long I can sit out there with you giggling like a hyena without me,” he said sternly and accompanied the final words with a smile.

The musician’s face twisted quickly as he tried to understand what was happening. Slapping his arm and grumbling in frustration, he took a few steps away from him. “I hate you,” he huffed to himself, a glare fixed on Jesse.

“You’re cute when you pout,” Jesse taunted, knowing it would provoke him further. The slap on his arm hadn’t phased him as he took a step closer and pulled Cooper into his space. “A smile looks better on you, Doofus.”

Almost on cue, a smile crossed Cooper’s face with a defeated sigh. There relationship was one full of taunt and teasing. He expected it most of the time. It was their way of showing affection without getting to personal. Both of them seemed to have a phobia of emotion and letting people in too far.

“Better, could still work on it,” Jesse critqued, eyeing up the smile and got a playful push in return. Grabbing a handful of Cooper’s shirt instinctively to prevent himself from falling, Jesse returned them to that close space. One you very rarely let anyone inside. It was sacred and special for a few people.

“I hate you,” Cooper murmured as he lent in and kissed his cheek.

“I love you,” Jesse corrected with an egotistical smile. His harsh stance softened at the tenderness and the snark blipped away for a few seconds, like a computer program ran into an error and was buffering, allowing his true self through.

Cooper paused for a moment as he rested his arms around his waist. It wasn’t a phrase he often used. The actor didn’t let that word slip out of his mouth too casually, at least not with the meaning it was supposed to carry. He ofter resorted to a loving ‘I hate you’ instead. It signified what he meant without having to say it. Yet, there were moments like this that Cooper wasn’t sure if Jesse needed to hear it. If it was a silent ask to hear those words out loud.

“I love you,” Cooper said softly, his grip pulling Jesse back and forth sligthly in a sway, he was a constant fidget and neither of them liked being this exposed. Leaning in he pecked his lips before holding him. The rough stubble against his own cheek as he rested his chin on the other man’s shoulder.

The touch was tender and welcoming. A warmth filled his chest and Jesse shut his eyes slightly, giving himself completely to the moment of embrace. This was home, this was what he’d been missing during those weeks in Los Angeles, alone. He felt like he belonged somewhere in his life. Next to this man.

“I told Ramona we’d have a movie night,” Jesse muttered, not moving from the embrace as he breathed in the scent of familiar aftershave. “But I don’t think we’ve graced her with one of our kareoke nights,” he added, feeling the rising cheekbones and the small chuckle from his partner, he knew they were on mutual agreement. That was it, their evening plans were settled.

[brotherblaccspider]

Top Comment

Wanda Merrill 2 years ago 

Darryl, My thoughts are not meant to be critical instead helpful to you if you are looking for honest critques that you can use to make yourself a better artist. First, I am a huge Barry White fan and would love to become one of your biggest fans as well. That said, your voice is great. You sound almost exactly like your dad when you speak. Not so much when you sing which isn't a bad thing. You need your own style and so you have it. The song you are singing really needs work and doesn't showcase the full range of your singing abilities.. The lyrics don't say much at all and I couldn't see anyone making babies off that song as they did with your dads. lol. It seems as if you have the look, but more focus should be placed on song development and lyrics.. find something we can vibe too but that also tells a powerful story of love and showcase your range and singing ability fully. Your dad could make us feel every emotion through his voice.. I believe you could do the same thing with more training...Now, the video... It's less than impressive...and the suits you are wearing don't fit. they are way too big...did you loose a lot of weight? The white suit is the only suit in the video which seemed a perfect fit. All those small details we pay attention too when watching videos.. and the biggest thing is feeling exactly what the artist wants us to feel.. and in this video it's like you only wanted us to feel your vibe and we do but your song has to move us...through the way you tell the story and the way you express it through your voice.. I think you fell a bit short this time.. however, I believe you will get better with time.. keep giving us more... there is a place in on the music scene for you.. not another Barry White but Darryl White! whoever he is.. let him be authentic and unique. separate from Barry.. but just as good..