#so I was like 'oh it will be fun to enhance my reading experience by looking up something similar on youtube!' and welp

[televinita]

What is a normal amount of time to listen to an acoustic cover of Wonderwall on loop.

Like in terms of hours.

[gemharvest]

Okay hear me out (and I will forget I sent an ask in again 2 seconds later) RGB as crystal gems

PREFACING THIS ART WITH AN "I'm sorry I didn't lean more into the SU side of things" I am being so fr I don't wanna mess with trying to figure out more gem-like outfits for them so they're basically the same except with limited palettes and also gems. I don't think it's actually gonna matter to anyone but ANSJKNKDGJ if I don't open with that my brain will Explode. /lh

GO CRAZY GO STUPID AHHHHHH. GEMS. I'm going to have to put my bullet points under a read more just cuz I know I am about to fucking Go Off. grins

Girlfriend is a red diamond. Boyfriend is a peridot. Pico is a green spinel.

GIRLFRIEND:

Went with a diamond cuz of the status thing. I am almost worried it feels like too easy of a pull but I doonnn't care I think it'd be fun if she was a diamond. :) Red obviously because it's her color.

Playing off the status thing; ofc her parents would also be diamonds and so you can have the reasoning of "oh this isn't a high-rank gem" for them not liking Boyf. I mean if you need any reasoning aside from them just being unreasonable LOL but that's always there.

Placement on her chest because !! love !!!! That's also why it's a heart-shaped cut instead of a. Diamond shape.

My backup assignment for her would be a jasper because I think it'd suit her well to be any quartz, and with jasper you can get close to her reds !! The status thing is really what made me decide on a diamond tho.

As I type this I realize there are some vaaaguee similarities to Pink I could pull as extra reasoning but shruuuugs my brain is NOT in an analytical mood rn so I'll just let others chew on that for me.

This isn't really relevant to RGB but I wanna mention it: I think it'd be funny if the demon henchmen were rubies.

BOYFRIEND:

The biggest factor for me going peridot with him is the fact that a common headcanon for canon Peridot is that she's autistic and while I mostly work with ADHD Boyf myself (since that's the experience I can pull from personally)... I am a sucker for a good autistic/AuDHD read with him.

This man is short and Era 2 peridots are short. If I drew him SU style this guy would need limb enhancers. lol

Instead of a prohibition symbol his shirt has the outline of a star. I just find that neat. :)

He would sooooooo suck at a peridot's role but also iirc in canon he's a college drop out anyways so it cancels out. He's got that Greg Universe in him.

Honestly, I put his gem placement on the back of his hand bc I had no clue where else to put it. My secondary placement for it would be on his forehead bc it'd make me giggle with him being Dumb but canon Peridot already has the forehead placement so I didn't go ahead with that.

HE STOLE PICO'S GREEN SPOT. spritzing him with water like a naughty dog BAD BOYFRIEND.

PICO:

This is my little indulgent one I really. I really love canon Spinel. This is tangential but like I literally have 4 spinel OCs and then another 4 furry OCs with designs based on canon Spinel. The urge to make One Of Them a spinel was going to be there.

The juxtaposition of him being a gem with an entertainer role and also a hard-ass hitman makes me giggle. Idk I feel like if you already know canon Spinel then you can probably connect the dots as to why I'd imagine him as a spinel as well.

Heart cut because I find it cute and it matches GF. I think a spade shape could be fun too but idk I prefer just going with a heart. Placement on his upper back because. :) Because he can't easily shield it from damage that way. He has to be constantly aware of his surroundings, unless he wants to give someone the chance for an easy hit on him if they sneak up from behind. Little paranoia thing to fuck with him. I'm so nice to Pico !! :D

Bringing back the status thing with GF's parents; I can't help but giggle thinking abt them hiring him. Imagine you get recommended this really good hitman and you meet up and it's a fucking court jester. Fucking ego hit but DD needs the job done so he hires him anyways. AND THEN PICO DOESN'T EVEN CARRY OUT THE FUCKING HIT. Never hiring a clown off of Craigslist again. /JOKING

hits play on this and sits down with my head in my hands

OKAY BEFORE I'M DONE I WANNA MENTION: I made myself give them all gem assignments BUT I do think it would be fun if one of them was not a gem a la Greg and Rose. So I give you: regular canon demon GF and her two gem boyfriends. Takes a bow. (<- honestly might do something further with that for my own fun. teehee)

[sceletaflores]

i’m so obsessed with crimson (not a cringe name at all!) and logan!!!

pls tell us more about crimson and her backstory! and her mutation! thanks baby!!!

wtf oh em gee anon ofc i’d love to chat about her!

for her mutation, she’s basically a blood bender, but with some extra stuff cause i thought just blood bending was a little boring lmao. i'm not the best at explaining things, so hopefully this isn’t all over the place.

in my head, she can manipulate blood that's both inside and outside of the body. she can sort of "possess" peoples bodies by either ingesting their blood or by blood-to-blood contact. if it has a blood stream, she can take it over. it’s not only limited to just the living either, corpses that still have blood in their bodies are easiest for her to manipulate.

she refrains from ever ingesting blood in fear of looking too scary, she only learned and honed the blood-to-blood contact method working with charles and hank. she can also use her own blood (other peoples as well but once again, she doesn't really want to come off as scary) as a weapon by manipulating it into sharp objects once it's spilled.

she hardly possesses living people because it takes a huge toll on her physically and it's still a little too hard for her to execute safely.

i even toyed with the idea of her being able to like...ingest a mutants ability. not forever, but if she takes enough blood from them she can retain a watered down, weaker version of whatever ability they may have for a short period of time, but i'm not so sure about making it 'canon' in my own little universe.

one cause it’s a super similar trait to rogue and two cause i obviously want her abilities to be interesting and powerful in a way, but i don't want to make her too op or a sort of mary sue type character. it's so icky reading ocs that are written to be the strongest mutant ever that body jean and magneto and everyone else under the sun. i don't ever want to give that vibe with this lol please let me know if i do don't spare my feelings like is this cool or is it too extra...

okay so what i have in my head in terms of a backstory is very chaotic and not really fully fledged in any way shape or form! the main idea i have for her is that, as a child, she was sold to a mutant testing lab by her abusive mother. her father left right after her abilities developed, refusing to raise a mutant daughter.

i know i very ominously mentioned the “scientists” and the “experiments” in afilav sort of in passing, but just know she was a mutant before she was tested on! the experiments only affected her mutation. that’s why she reacts more aggressively or viscerally to the sight and smell of blood. however, her enhanced strength and healing are a result of her time in the lab.

anyway long story short she finally broke out of the lab when she was older and started to “work” as like a free agent for a couple years.

killed whoever wherever for whoever for lots of money. she never stayed in one place long. she liked being off the grid, mostly drifting from state to state sleeping in shelters, on park benches, in abandoned cars, but only until she was found by charles xavier.

that's really it! i'm trying to think out some more aspects of her that are only half-baked ideas so i won't bother writing them down lol thanks for the question anon! i had so much fun actually sitting down and writing this.

fyi: i'll be tagging all my content about this au and character with the tags 'to the bone au' and 'file: crimson' from this point on :)

love you!

[singularsoldier]

Been re-reading the comics and one thing that’s been lingering in my mind is when Medic says the team won bc everyone else doesn’t have a soul

Probably a throw away line, but its got me thinking. We don’t know exactly what Medic’s contract w the devil was. All we know is that Medic sold his soul and upon his death he would go straight to hell. One might think “oh he sold it for his medical abilities” which is good in theory, but then we have the Two Cities update. There, it describes Medic’s hometown of Rottenburg.

Most important line here is “chasing the next in resident lineage of mad doctors out of town…whenever they swapped out too many super-charged baboon hearts”. Medic comes from a family of doctors/medical personnel. Its likely that he grew up with dissections, scalpels, and everything else that makes him the man he is.

So! What could possibly be the deal with the devil? My theory is that rather gaining medical abilities, he enhanced his own. I can very easily see a frazzled Ludwig on the brink of a miracle only to fall short due to costs/capability/fragility of the human body. Medic is definitely a smart man, but it wasn’t enough.

See how the Devil says “you would have ended up here anyways”? Medic has always been a mad man. He just got the chance of a lifetime to make his wildest dreams a reality.

Now, why the extra souls? Again, Medic is a smart man, and he knows that under normal circumstances, the rest of the team would die from his experiments. Think of the Meet the Medic video. Heavy is fully conscious with his entire torso open. You can chalk it up to being silly game logic, but for the sake of my post, lets pretend he’d be dead any other way.

By removing his soul (and everyone else’s) Medic likely preformed a similar deal. He’s not the type of scientist to denounce the supernatural. The mercs can clearly use magic as seen in the Halloween gameplay, so how different can magic be from a devil’s powers? (Dont answer that). By taking their souls, Medic was able to enhance everyone else in a similar fashion. Whether it be durability, intelligence, or just a vague “they’re all stronger now lol” the mercs outlasted their predecessors. Despite being called jokes/loser mercenaries, they beat the tfc crew into the dust (with the help of Pauling and Zhanna ofc).

All in all, this is just a half baked thought i put together. Probably lots of holes in it if I take a deep dive, but its fun to think about!

[mamawasatesttube]

hi do you have any kon comics recs?

oh boy do i!!!!! ♥

for his origins, you'll want to read "reign of the supermen" (probably easiest to read it as a tpb, because the individual issues are all over the place). this details his creation and escape from cadmus, his relationships with clark and john henry irons, and his early attitudes!

after that, of course. well. superboy (1994). i love this comic. it is deeply flawed. it's 100 issues long, so it's a bit of an undertaking, but in my opinion it's essential reading to actually understand kon as a character. he gets groomed and exploited in many ways in this book, and it is not handled well because it's treated as acceptable as the fantasy of any teenage boy (the grooming and sexual abuse), or played for comedic effect (the financial exploitation). but understanding those facets of kon's backstory are vital to get a read on him as a character. sb94 also does a really great job of establishing him as someone kind, creative, and incredibly lonely and depressed. he's passively suicidal for pretty much the entire run. he's a really good boy. and some of his relationships with his supporting cast (roxy, serling, dubbilex, guardian) are just sooo <333

next up: young justice (1998)! this is the fun one with a lot of shenanigans. the depth here is mostly understated for characters like kon, tim, and bart (who have their own solos outside of it) and i'd say the kon experience here is enhanced by having read sb94 first, because there are certain arcs that follow up on things going on at cadmus and stuff. after yj98 is teen titans/young justice: graduation day, which basically shows how yj disbands after donna troy's death.

after that is the unfortunate mess that is teen titans (2003). this comic is not good, but it is important. this is where the lex retcon happens, the mind control arc happens, and the tie-ins to infinite crisis all happen. kon dies in infinite crisis, returns in final crisis, and rejoins the team towards the end of tt03.

next up is adventure comics (2009), the first six issues of which get into what kon does in the wake of his resurrection. superboy (2011) (i) (not to be confused with the n52 superboy solo) follows up on some of these themes and shows his adventures in smallville! both are pretty solid.

if you Really wanna dig into everything going on towards the end of postcrisis continuity, i'd rec getting into a tpb of the new krypton arcs! kon isn't around for everything there (he's dead for the first parts), but by last stand of new krypton, he's back and running around with the legion (this includes the last few issues of adventure comics '09, too).

in n52 kon is just. not there. the "kon-el" in n52 is just straight up an entirely different guy. (incidentally, this guy is where the edgy "kon means abomination" thing comes from. this is a retcon. kon's name originally is the name of a dead cousin of clark's that clark says he would be honored if superboy would accept.)

if you want to read anything post flashpoint, he gets reintroduced to continuity in young justice (2019). then the house of kent arc in action comics sort of explains his situation in prime earth continuity. stuff like yjdc (which i have not and will not be reading, so i certainly can't recommend it) takes place after this, and kon appears some in various other action comics arcs going on lately, but none of those are major appearances really. he did have his recent mini solo superboy: man of tomorrow, which was... fine. nothing spectacular imo, but the covers are cute and i have all six issues sitting on my desk because kon <3!

i know this is kind of long. my bad i love to ramble about kon kjsdhf but!! if you have any questions or anything i'm happy to elaborate or clarify further!! but in the meantime. go forth, and happy kon reading ❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🩷💖

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading roundup: April 2024

oh my god you guys I've read SO MUCH this month!!! I got BIG into reread N.K. Jemisin's tremendous Broken Earth trilogy and it's been jaw-dropping, and I have been reading a HEAP of comics and manga a

on the extremely off chance there's anyone following me who doesn't think comics, manga, graphic novels, etc don't count as "real reading" lmao lol get out of here??? you're on the Reading 1000s of Pages of Old Batman Comics blog. go feel the whimsy of reading a whole graphic novel in one afternoon and maybe you'll calm down.

ANYWAY!!! what have we been reading?

Earthdivers Vol. 1: Kill Columbus (Stephen Graham Jones, Davide Gianfelice, Joana Lafuente, 2023) - Stephen Graham Jones is one of my all-time favorite authors, and I was super excited to check out his first comic series. Earthdivers takes place in the wasteland of the 22nd century, where four Native survivors have hatched a plan to try to stop the disasters that are killing the world: use a time-travelling cave to send one of their number back in time to kill Columbus before he can launch the colonization of North America. it's a one-way trip, and the time traveler will have to be ruthless to achieve their goal. beyond the attention-grabbing hook of killing Columbus, this story dives (you see what I did there) deep into an exploration of what it means to sacrifice everything for a cause and find the will to be ruthless in pursuit of the greater good. I'm not 100% sure I tracked all of the twisting threads of time travel in this first volume, but the hook is compelling and Gianfelice's art is beautiful, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the series progress!

Spoiler Alert (Olivia Dade, 2020) - at this point I've written 8000+ words about this book on my patreon and it's becoming difficult to figure out what else to say or how to say it briefly. this book ties itself up in knots with its contrivances and makes both of its protagonists look dumb in the process. I don't like either of these people but - spoiler alert! - I still think April can and should do better. Olivia Dade please call me I just want to talk.

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 1-3 (Ryoko Kui, trans. Yen Press, 2017) - I don't need to explain Dungeon Meshi. surely you've seen the gifs of Dungeon Meshi. all that matters is that I fucking love Dungeon Meshi, this shit rules and it's going to be so hard to hold off on reading Volume 4 while I try to prioritize some other books first. this world is great, the characters are a delight and a joy, and the way that Kui is so fascinated by the food and biology and exploration of adventurer fantasy tropes in her world makes my brain go wheeeeeeeeee!!! I'm having so much fun.

The Fifth Season (N.K. Jemisin, 2015) - historically I've very seldom reread books, but I'm starting to think that I need to change my stance on that. revisiting the Fifth Season years after I first read it, with the time to really enjoy it and also the maturity and perspective to actually appreciate what Jemisin is cooking, has enhanced the experience immeasurably. a thing that really struck me this time was how artfully Jemisin depicts the way orogenes are conditioned and groomed from the jump to be subservient and scared and willing to settle for life at the margins of society; it's not something that I could totally understand the nuances of when I read this book fresh out of my first year of college. this novel and its sequels are so brilliantly devastating, I cannot say enough great things about them.

My Pancreas Broke, But My Life Got Better (Nagata Kabi, trans. Jocelyne Allen 2022) - I did it, I'm officially caught up on all of Nagata's works that have been translated into English! and man, I'm still worried about her. the experience of reading My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness hasn't quite been replicated for me; I think that was a once in a lifetime event, although I've certainly found a lot that I relate to in Nagata's subsequent struggles to sort of out anxiety, independence, art, and figuring out what kind of relationships she event wants to have in her life. at this point I feel like I'm just reading the illustrated life updates from a friend I haven't seen in a long time who stresses me out because her life is a mess. which is still interesting! but god I hope something good happens to this woman soon.

The Obelisk Gate (N.K. Jemisin, 2016) - The Fifth Season is a book about the end of the world and of one woman's personal apocalypses that happened prior to that. its sequel, the Obelisk Gate, is a book that's extremely preoccupied with the tedium of figuring out how to run a halfway-functioning society in the midst of the apocalypse, which is genuinely fascinating stuff. and it's also a book about the fear and desperation and sheer levels of exhaustion that might drive someone to decide that, fuck it, maybe the world should end and we should be done with all of this, actually. it's also a book about devotion and dependence and destruction and devouring people you love in a VERY literal way, which it must be said is pretty sexy. the stuff that pops off between Essun and Hoa in this book makes me think of Octavia Butler in the best way; I think she would have adored them. I'm so excited to get to the final book and see how this all pays off, because the first time I read it I barely understood a single goddamn thing that was happening.

I Hate This Place Vol. 1-2 (Kyle Starks, Artyom Toplin, Lee Loughridge, 2022-2023) - a short and spooky comic series that wraps up in two tight little volumes. I have some gripes with the pacing, but it makes for a fun afternoon read. a mid-tier streaming service is going to adapt this into a live action series within a couple of years, mark my worms. personally I'm fancasting Mackenzie Davis as Gabby and Samira Wiley as Trudy.

[kasienda]

Spin the Bottle

Core Four OT4 - Read on Ao3

I had too much fun with this one! Please enjoy! ^_^

...

Nathaniel’s family home is not as large or ostentatious as the Agreste family manor, but that only means Adrien feels more at ease. The space is wide and open, but still feels like a home rather than a museum. And all his friends are here for a party, which makes it even better. 

“Dude! You’re here!” Nino greets, holding out his hand.

“Wouldn’t miss it!” Adrien exclaims, clapping into Nino’s open fist. He may have used a bit of Plagg’s aid to make it, but he knows from bitter experience that no one will miss him until morning, so why shouldn’t he come? 

Nino ushers him inside. Rose and Marinette are helping Nathaniel pour snacks into large plastic bowls. The rest of the class - minus Chloe and Sabrina, plus Marc - are circled around Kim and Ivan who are locked in an arm wrestling match.

“Yay! Adrien! You made it!” Mylene says. Everyone else cheers in greeting. Adrien grins back. 

“Hey guys!”

Kim looks up then, and in that moment Ivan pounds Kim’s fist into the table. Kim throws a pout at Mylene. 

“Is it surprising that I’m here?” Adrien asks Nino quietly. 

“I’m not gonna lie, dude. I didn't want to get my hopes up.”

Adrien sighs.

Nino offers him a dazzling smile and Adrien only feels warm. “But I’m always really glad to see you.”

“Me too!” Adrien agrees.

“C’mon Agreste! Welcome to the party!” Kim says, his arms draping over his shoulders. “Want to go up against Ivan in arm wrestling? No one can beat him.”

Adrien isn’t sure that’s a good idea. Some of his miraculous enhanced strength seems to carry over whenever he’s wearing the ring and Adrien doesn’t want to accidentally hurt anyone. 

“No? Anyone up for a game of spin the bottle?”

“Spin the what?” Adrien asks.

“Oh, Agreste. You are so deprived,” Alix says. 

“Spin the bottle is a kissing game,” Max supplies. 

A kissing game? 

“I dunno, man,” Nino says, pinching his own shoulder. “I have a girlfriend. Not sure if I should be kissing anyone else.” 

Alya waves away his objection. “It’s a silly game! And I’m right here watching.” Then she pauses and turns back to Nino. “Assuming you’re okay with it?” 

“Uh… yeah, sure. Levels one and two?” 

She nods. 

Adrien has no idea what they’re talking about. How could there be levels to a kissing game? 

“Then sure! I’m down,” Nino agrees.

“What’s spin the bottle?” Adrien asks again. 

Rose giggled, patting the space next to her on the floor. “We sit in a circle with an empty bottle in the middle. Then we take turns spinning it, and then whoever it ends up pointing at we’re supposed to kiss!” She claps her hands together excitedly.

“You game, dude?” Nino asks.

“You ever been kissed?” Alya asks before Adrien can answer. 

Heat blooms across his face. “I have,” he says. It wasn’t technically a lie even though he didn’t remember either of his kisses with Ladybug. They happened. They count, right?

Alya smirks. “Great! We won’t go easy on you then.”

Adrien swallows down his nerves. Maybe he should have said he had never been kissed, but he has always wanted to know what a kiss felt like. Maybe this was an opportunity to find out. He takes a seat next to Nino.

The action earns him another cheer from his friends. Then everyone scrambles into motion to find a seat. Nathaniel places an empty soda bottle on the ground. Kim shoves it towards Adrien. 

“As the only spin the bottle virgin, you should go first, Agreste.” 

Adrien picks up the bottle awkwardly. “I just spin it?” 

Rose crawls forward. “Let me show you!” She lays the bottle on its side and twists it around the center, sending it into a spin. “Like this!” She stops it before it slows on its own and hands it back to him. 

Adrien spins the bottle. He swallows his nerves, or tries to - but his stomach squirms as the bottle’s nose whips around the circle from classmate to classmate. Who will fate choose for him? 

When the bottle cap comes to a stop dead center on Nino, Adrien’s both relieved and somehow more anxious. 

His first kiss - not his actual first kiss, but still kinda his first kiss - the first kiss he will remember, will be with someone he deeply cares about.

But Adrien also cares what Nino thinks of him, so what if he’s a terrible kisser?

Nino offers him a reassuring smile, and he relaxes. Adrien glances at Alya for permission, and she just shoos him towards Nino. 

Adrien turns to Nino, leaning closer. If his stomach had been squirming before, it now feels like a half dozen Kwamis have taken up residence in his gut. But Adrien doesn’t hesitate. He blocks out the presence of all of his friends watching, and instead focuses on Nino - like Nino is a stage partner in a photoshoot.

Except kissing Nino is nothing like a photoshoot. Nino isn’t some model Adrien barely knows. Nino’s his best friend, one of his favorite people in the whole world with the possible exception of Ladybug, and even then, Adrien’s not sure. And Nino’s lips are soft and warm. Then Nino gasps, and they’re breathing the same air. What would it feel like to explore Nino’s open mouth?

But the sudden whooping and whistles send Adrien scuttling backwards before the kiss can become anything more, frantically searching Nino’s face. 

“Woah there, Sunshine,” Alya says. “At least buy him dinner first.” 

Adrien’s gaze darts back and forth between Nino and Alya. Nino’s golden brown eyes are wide, but he’s noticeably not smiling. Alya looks like a wolf about to catch dinner and Adrien’s pretty sure he’s the prey.

“D-did I do something wrong?” 

“No!” Alya immediately reassures, shaking her head. “You just jumped straight to level three, which you’re totally allowed to do. Established couples do it all the time!” 

Adrien’s cheeks burn as he glances back at Nino who was pinching his own shoulder, suddenly not able to meet Adrien’s eyes. 

Has he messed up? He and Nino are definitely not an established couple and Nino and Alya agreed to levels one and two only before the game started. 

Adrien hopes not.

“What’s level one?” Adrien asks. 

“Usually we start with a hand kiss, and then a cheek kiss if you get the same person again. And then on the lips for the third time,” Alya says, grinning at him. 

“Any other rules I should know about?”

“Do you want to know what all the other levels—“ Max starts to ask.

“Nope!” Alix interrupts. “That’s it!”

Adrien turns back to the group, and very carefully does not look at Nino, who is sitting right next to him. 

Mylene goes next. The bottle lands on Rose, and Mylene gives her the smallest of pecks on her cheek.

Adrien’s face burns hotter at how stupid he was, but he resists the urge to bury his face in his hands. He risks another glance at Nino who immediately looks away. 

But Nino had clearly been looking at him. Adrien wishes he knew what that meant . 

Did Nino like the kiss? Is he wondering what it would have felt like to let the kiss last longer or go deeper like Adrien is? Or is Nino feeling super awkward and weird that his idiot best friend kissed him on the lips instead of his hand? 

Adrien knows what he’s hoping it means, which makes him doubt that could possibly be what Nino is thinking. 

Alix goes next, and the bottle points to Marc. Alix approaches, and holds their hand like it’s a treasure. “Marc! Though I’ve loved you more than I’ve loved anyone—“

Marc snorts. 

“—I know when our romance is hopeless. Please forgive me! My heart is not strong enough to offer more than this small token.” And she dramatically kisses Marc’s hand to the giggles of everyone looking on before returning to her spot in the circle.

Adrien sits up straighter when Marinette spins the bottle. He feels almost as nervous as he did when the bottle was spinning for him. He’s not sure where he wants the bottle to stop, but when it points to Nathaniel’s knee, Adrien feels strangely disappointed. 

Marinette moves, but she’s not even halfway across the circle, when Nathaniel holds up his hands. 

“Marinette, I uh… given our umm… history, I’d prefer if you were the one person who didn’t kiss me.” 

Adrien opens his mouth to object. Was Nathaniel seriously rejecting the just idea of Marinette in front of all her friends? Anyone would be lucky to—

But Marinette smiles at both Nathaniel and Marc whose hands are suddenly interlaced. “I understand completely. I’ll just spin again.” 

This time the bottle lands on Alya. 

Adrien is still a little disappointed, but it doesn’t twist his shoulders into knots the way it landing on Nathaniel had. He turns to watch the two girls with interest. Marinette and Alya exchange cheek kisses and then a peck on the lips with a playful “mwah!” before turning back to the group all smiles. 

Adrien is jealous of how comfortable they both seem with each other. Nino still will barely look at him.

Alya spins and the bottle lands on Kim. Adrien tenses, feeling oddly protective, though Alya is quick to deposit a kiss on Kim’s hand and it’s over before Adrien can make sense of his feelings.

He’s being ridiculous. Why would it matter if Alya kissed Kim anymore than it had that Adrien had kissed Nino? Like Alya said at the beginning, this is a game . And as Marinette just demoed, even during the game, boundaries would still be respected. 

He wishes he thought to ask Nino first if he was welcome. 

After they make it all around the circle, a second round starts.

Rose goes first this time. She literally squeals when the bottle lands on Juleka. She’s in Juleka’s lap immediately, her legs wrapping around Juleka’s waist. Their mouths are sliding against one another, revealing flashes of pink tongue between the tiny spaces between their lips. Then their hands . Rose’s fingers are tangled in Juleka’s hair, pulling her closer, while Juleka’s hands are squeezing into Rose’s thighs.

Adrien can’t look away.

“Oh my god!” Alix shouts, smacking the two with a pillow, which barely slows them down at all.  “Get in the closet already!”

“The closet?” Adrien echoes. 

“Level five is seven minutes in ‘heaven’ where you make out in the closet for seven minutes,” Max says. 

Rose giggles as Juleka leads her away. 

Then it’s Marinette’s turn again. Her bottle lands on him. Adrien has to remind himself to breathe. This is what he wanted during her first turn, he realizes. For Marinette to kiss him. He licks his lips. What kind of kiss will Marinette choose for him?

His excitement lasts right up until he looks at her. She’s white as a ghost, staring at him with wide blue, very much panicked, eyes. “I umm… I have to go to the bathroom!” 

She launches herself to her feet and runs. Adrien watches her retreat. 

“Girl!” Alya calls, running after her. “Get your cute butt back here!” 

The pleasant fluttering in his gut turns sour.

Sweet kind brave Marinette doesn’t even want to kiss his hand.

Did she dislike him that much? 

…

Alya chases Marinette into the kitchen.

She’s never completely understood what it is about Adrien that turns Marinette into a nervous basket case.

And Nino too apparently! She hadn’t missed how flustered Nino became after Adrien’s kiss. 

Though she likes it when Nino turns into a flustered mess. They’d have to talk about it obviously, but Alya isn’t even sure what she wants to say yet because she hadn’t wanted that kiss to end so quickly.

She shoves the thought aside. The point is Adrien is as kind and as patient as they come, and starved for love and friendship, both. If there’s anyone Marinette and Nino don’t need to worry about disappointing or accidentally pushing away, it’s Adrien! 

“Earth to Marinette,” Alya says when Marinette’s gaze remains distant. “I thought you would want to kiss Adrien.” 

Marinette’s forehead clunks against the refrigerator. “I do! Just not like that.” 

Alya arches an eyebrow. 

“It’s just if he’s going to kiss me I don’t want it to be because a bottle told him to. I want it to mean something! I want him to want to kiss me.” 

“Marinette, did you see his face?!”

Marinette turns to her with furrowed brows. “What do you mean?”

“He lit up when that bottle landed on him. He definitely wanted you to kiss him.” Not to mention that he visibly deflated when Marinette’s first turn landed on Nathaniel, but Marinette didn’t need to know that. 

“Or maybe he just figured out he likes being kissed,” Marinette said dryly. 

Alya grins. “You saw that, too?” 

“Does it upset you that he and Nino both seemed so bothered by it?” 

“No.” If anything she really really liked that they - especially Nino - were so bothered by it. She wanted to pounce on Nino right after. It’s not as often that she can push him into that shy flustered state anymore. She really likes him like that. 

“But we’re not talking about me! We’re talking about you and Adrien. How do you think running out like that made him feel?” 

Marinette buried her face in her hands. “I know! I know! He probably hates me.” 

Alya shook her head. “He definitely does not hate you.” 

Marinette likes Adrien because he’s so kind and understanding. Alya wishes Marinette would trust that.

“I really think that things would be a lot easier for you if you would tell him how you feel, but right now I’ll settle for you going back in there and giving that sweet boy who thinks you don’t like him , a tiny little kiss on the cheek.” 

Marinette shakes her head rapidly. “I want to! I know you’re right. But when I’m there looking at his stupidly perfect face I turn into all panic. I’m never going to be able to tell him! And because of that I’m always gonna be a crappy awful friend.” 

God grant her patience!

Alya wants a lot of things, several of which she may have just realized in the last ten minutes. What she would give to watch her boyfriend and his best friend really make out? Or better yet, her boyfriend and her best friend! 

Sadly, they’ll likely never go for that.

But more than any of that, Alya just wants all of them to be happy. 

“Marinette, Adrien is not going anywhere. He’s not that easy to scare away. He’s definitely confused right now, and maybe a little hurt, but just as he apologized to you the day you met him, you can apologize to him and I promise you, he will be all smiles.”

“You really think he’ll forgive me?” 

“I know he will! And a cheek kiss wouldn’t hurt.” 

Marinette smiles. “I can do that.” 

Alya smiles back. “I know you can!” 

And maybe if they kept playing, the bottle would grant a few of Alya’s wishes.

The chances are low with so many of them playing. Alya knows that, but a girl can dream. 

… 

Nino has never related so hard to a Marinette freakout. He is now painfully aware of how big a deal it is to kiss Adrien. 

He traces his lower lip, a tiny part of him wishing he hadn’t been so startled by Adrien’s actions so he could have savored it more. 

Except he can’t be thinking any of this! He has a girlfriend! He can’t be thinking about what it would feel like to kiss his best friend.

Except that he is thinking about it. He’s thinking about it a lot.

He’s so fucked. 

And when he glances over to see how Adrien is taking all this, his best friend is staring at the empty doorway, the personification of dejection. Everyone in the room is staring at Adrien with sympathetic frowns, which only causes Adrien to further cave in on himself. 

Nino taps his shoulder. “C’mon dude, let’s take a breather.”

Nino hauls Adrien to his feet and juts his chin at Alix over Adrien’s shoulder, who takes a hint immediately. “Mylene! It’s your turn!” 

They don’t go that far, Nathaniel’s house does have a small outdoor terrace, so they can at least put a door between them and the group even if that door is made of glass. 

“You okay, mec?” 

Adrien shrugs. “Yeah? If she doesn’t want to kiss me, that’s fine. I just… I just wish I knew what I did wrong.” 

“What makes you think you did anything wrong?” 

“Nino! She literally ran away. She didn’t even want to kiss my hand.” 

That’s not the problem. Marinette definitely wants to kiss Adrien.

But Nino can’t say that. 

“Maybe she has a reason.” 

“Like what?!”

Nino wishes he could explain. “You’d have to ask her, mec.”

Adrien sighs. And then looks at him. “Are we okay?”

Nino swallows, and glances down into his hands, heat burning in his face. “Of course, we’re okay.”

More than okay. Except maybe Nino really wants Adrien to kiss him again, but he definitely can’t act on that impulse. 

Because he has a gorgeous and amazing girlfriend and he absolutely doesn’t want to mess that up.

“Do you think we’re not okay?” Nino asks. 

Adrien rubs the back of his neck. “I just- I hope I didn’t make things weird. I’m sorry. I should have asked if you were okay with me kissing you. I thought that was the game.” 

“It is the game. The not explaining the rules fully thing is something every one of us has gone through the first time we played. It’s always a question of will the person chicken out or go straight for it.”

“Really?” Adrien sounds so hopeful that Nino wants to laugh at himself. He really shouldn’t have been surprised that Adrien kissed him. Adrien has always wanted to have the genuine party experience. 

“Really! Just in our situation it usually goes the other way.” 

“Our situation?” 

“Two dudes who are pretty solidly platonic?” 

Maybe not as platonic on his end as Nino had previously assumed, but that was a crisis for another day. 

“Was it weird?”

Nino’s ears and cheeks burn. “Umm… not to me. But I’m uh… not straight.” 

He can feel Adrien’s eyes widen to the size of saucers, though he doesn’t look up. 

“Oh. I uh… don’t think I am either.”

Oh god. That made everything so much better. 

And so much worse at the same time.

“Thanks for telling me,” Nino says, because what else can he say? 

“Yeah, you too.” 

“You feeling better, mec?” Nino shoulder bumps him. 

Adrien smiles. “Yeah, I am. Thanks.” 

“Ready to head back inside?” 

Adrien nods. Alya and Marinette are already there sitting next to each other with their arms looped together, and their fingers interlaced.

Nino licks his lips at the sight. If Nino says Alya is allowed to kiss her best friend, would she grant him the same boon? 

Gah! What is he thinking? That’s not how relationships worked. 

Alya smiles at him, and something in Nino’s chest loosens. He sits down and Adrien catches his gaze, and he’s smiling, and the warmth in Nino’s chest only spreads.

Oh, he’s well and truly fucked.

…

Marinette’s vaguely aware that Mylene and Ivan are taking a turn in the closet and Marc is about ready to throw the bottle out the window for refusing to land on Nathaniel. 

Alix is not even playing anymore, but whatever she’s doing, she can’t stop laughing. 

But Marinette’s attention is focused completely on the two boys outside. The fact that Nino and Adrien are outside, separate from everyone else, when Adrien had been so excited about just being at a party at all, is evidence enough that Alya’s right. Adrien is hurt. 

And it’s her fault. She’s the one that hurt him by running.

Alya’s arm hand loops through her own, and some of the tension in Marinette’s shoulders bleeds out, and she can breathe again.

She doesn’t know what it is about Alya, but Alya grounds her in much the same way Chat Noir does. Marinette has a tendency to float away and spiral and lose herself, and Alya has a way of yanking her back to reality, but also of catching her so that the landing is always soft. 

She grants Alya a beaming smile, hoping that some of her gratitude and appreciation shines through. Alya squeezes her hand.

The door slides open and Marinette’s gaze whips to Adrien immediately. He’s smiling and seems at ease. But when he sits down, he chooses the spot that’s further from her, the spot that places Nino between them. 

Which, fair. 

But she can’t stand it. 

She scrambles around Nino, throws her arms around Adrien’s shoulders and kisses him on the cheek. 

He presses a hand to his face where she kissed him, and turns to her with wide eyes. 

“I’m sorry I ran,” she whispers. It’s all she can manage before she retreats back to the safety of Alya’s hold. 

But Adrien is smiling again. 

Unfortunately when it’s Alya’s turn, she has to untangle herself from Marinette. 

In some cruel or amazing twist of fate, the bottle lands on Adrien. 

Alya shoots her a mischievous grin. Marinette knows that look, and it’s not good. Abort abort abort. 

Nino is in no better shape than she is at this pairing, Marinette distantly notes, but she can’t pay much attention to Nino, not when Alya is leaning so intimately into Adrien’s space, whispering something she can’t hear into his ear. 

Adrien nods. 

Alya grins and then she’s cradling Adrien’s face in her hands. Marinette forgets to breathe as Alya leans forward slowly, until there’s no more space. Their lips slide against one another—

Marinette’s nails dig into her knee.

—parting ever so slightly. The contact lingers, like a perfect moment frozen in time. 

Marinette bites down on her own lip. 

She’s not jealous. 

She’s insanely turned on. She likes watching Adrien and Alya kiss. She likes it waaay more than she should. 

And she is jealous, she realizes. But she’s jealous of Adrien. 

She wants to be held so carefully in Alya’s hands. 

Alya pulls away slowly. Adrien though doesn’t move. His eyes remain closed, totally blissed out. Alya grins, and turns triumphantly to Marinette. 

That’s how it’s done, she seems to say. She made it look so easy.

Marinette wishes she had half her courage. 

But Alya’s gaze doesn’t linger with Marinette. Instead, her attention turns to Nino who is also wide-eyed with his mouth hanging open. Marinette has never related to him more in her life. Alya’s grin only grows. Adrien finally blinks his eyes open. 

Alix cackles. “I think all four of you might benefit from a turn in the closet!” 

Marinette’s face is on fire. 

“W-what?” Adrien stammers.

Nino is still speechless. 

But Alya, Alya hums in agreement. 

Every inch of Marinette’s body is tingling. She can’t talk, but she can’t sit still either. And so she runs. 

Again. 

This time Alya doesn’t follow. Her friend’s laughter follows her though. 

She retreats to the bathroom, breathing hard. She tries to take a breath to calm her racing heart. She splashes water on her face and it doesn’t really help. 

The door bursts open and it’s Nino standing in the doorway, looking just as startled as she feels. 

“H-hey,” she says. “I… uh…” and she turns back to the mirror, unable to look at him.

“I’m s-sorry,” he stammers, backing away.

“N-no, it’s fy mault.” And she’s stuttering around Nino now.

She buries her fire-hot face in her hands. This is all Alix’s fault. She had Marinette thinking about kissing Nino now, as if Marinette needed a whole new person to be an absolute disaster around.

The problem is, it’s not hard to imagine. She had been overjoyed to know Nino was crushing on Alya all the way back at the zoo because she knew he was patient and just fun to be around even if she hadn’t known him that well then. 

She knew him better now, and that image doesn’t bother her at all. The idea of all four of them? 

She peaks through her fingers at him. 

He bursts into laughter. And a second later she joins him. She laughs so hard she doubles over clutching at her sides. It feels a touch hysterical, but it’s helping. 

Nino collapses down next to her a second later and she’s laughing so hard it hurts. And he’s laughing so hard he almost tips over, but she manages to steady him. 

Eventually their laughter subsides, and they sit beside each other on the bathroom floor. 

“D-did you want to talk?” Marinette eventually asks. 

He shakes his head. “No, I just… I ran in here because I needed to be able to breathe.” 

“Oh my god! I know! They’re both torturing us.” 

“Alya’s doing it on purpose.”

Marinette groans, burying her face in her hands all over again. “Which means she’s not gonna stop.”

“Definitely not.”

“How are we gonna survive?” 

Nino barked a laugh. “We’re not. We’re fucked.”

“At least we’re fucked together.” 

Nino laughed again and held out a fist. She met it easily, grinning.

She could think of worse than being tortured by Alya side by side with Nino and maybe hopefully Adrien too. 

… 

Adrien stares at the bottle that’s pointing at him, afraid to see Alya’s reaction. He starts when she puts a hand on his shoulder, but when she catches his gaze she’s smiling gently with so much patience.

She leans toward him. “I’m gonna kiss you for real,” she whispers. “You okay with that?” 

He nods dumbly just relieved that she’s still there - that she wants to kiss him. 

And kissing Alya is a very different experience than kissing Nino. Her hands on his face are warm and gentle. She’s the one who leans forward, the one who presses her lips to his. She’s softer, but more confident. Her lips part, and instead of pulling away as he had with Nino, he reciprocates. Her tongue slides across his lower lip, and electricity shoots down his spine to his toes.

When she pulls away, he doesn’t move. He’s dizzy, and he doesn’t want the sensation to end. 

Was every kiss this mind blowing? 

He pulls away staring at Alya in shock, but her attention is on Nino who is definitely staring at them both in slack jawed astonishment. 

And Adrien’s gut twists again, not sure where he stands with either of them at the moment, and nervous about how his kisses with each might be impacting their relationship. 

And then Marinette runs again. Nino lasts only thirty seconds longer, and Adrien fights to keep breathing. He had wanted to come to this party so bad, and now it feels like he’s messing everything up. His eyes are burning. 

But this time, Alya squeezes his hand and he relaxes. 

“It’s not what you think,” she tells him. “They’re just being stupid.” 

“They’re not stupid,” he defends. Marinette is brilliant and inspiring. He could watch her for days and never get bored. And Nino is just solid, grounding in a way that always makes Adrien feel like he is always enough. 

She laughs. She definitely does not agree with him, but she also doesn’t argue. 

Spin the Bottle seems to be a bust at this point. With Marinette and Nino gone, the group breaks apart. Nathaniel and Marc soon have their heads together over a notebook. Rose and Juleka are still making out in the corner. Mylene is on Ivan’s lap on a couch. Alix and Max are talking excitedly about something on his computer. Kim is nowhere to be seen. 

He and Alya are effectively alone in the sense that no one is really paying attention to them, though they’re the only ones who haven’t moved from the original circle. 

“Why did you kiss me like that?” he asks.

She grins. “I had lots of reasons.”

“Care to share?” 

“Not yet, but I hope soon.”

He sighs. He tries so hard to respect other people’s boundaries, but he’s so tired of being in the dark all of the time. He does appreciate that Alya is direct about it though. She doesn’t try to evade or dance around the fact that she’s holding information back from him. And he believes her when she says she wants to tell him, so he doesn’t push. 

“Are you okay that I kissed Nino earlier?” he asks instead.

“I’d be a total hypocrite if I wasn’t.”

Adrien frowns. “That doesn’t answer the question.”

She grins again. “Let’s just say I was a lot more okay with it than I thought I would be, and maybe that’s part of why I wanted to kiss you too.”

“Please don’t use me as a way to get revenge on my best friend,” he pleads.

She laughs again. “I promise you I was not trying to hurt him. And I don’t think I did, but you’re right. He and I should probably talk. Are you okay if I go find him?” 

He nods, though it’s not completely true. He doesn’t feel like he’s on the verge of panic anymore, so he doesn’t need Alya to stay. 

But when she’s gone, he’s alone with his thoughts. Thoughts he very much doesn’t know what to do with. 

He’s in love with Ladybug! He’s certain of it, but this crazy game is making him realize that he has other feelings as well.

Feelings for his friends that he’s not supposed to have.

He wanted Marinette to kiss him. Hell, he still wants Marinette to kiss him, but he’s not always sure she even sees him as a friend, let alone something more. So trying something there doesn’t seem worth the risk. But he wants it anyway even though he now realizes he has feelings for Nino and Alya as well. 

But he’s not allowed to have feelings for his best friend and he’s definitely not allowed to have feelings for his best friend’s girlfriend.

What is wrong with him? 

...

Nino’s not sure what shifted, but Marinette seems calmer now. She’s smiling and he can’t help but mirror the expression. He always liked her smile. 

A soft tap on the door stops his thoughts in their tracks, and Alya pokes her head around the door. 

“There you both are!” 

Marinette’s hands cover her face again, but Nino can still see the blush blooming under her hands.

“Hey girl, do you mind if I steal your spot to talk to Nino alone for a moment?” 

Marinette’s head bobs up and down with far too much enthusiasm. And as she disappears, Nino wonders if he should envy how easily she escaped Alya’s gaze. 

But the second the door is closed, Alya pounces on him. He barely catches her. Her mouth is on his, hot and urgent, her tongue demanding entrance, and he’s only too happy to grant her request. 

But he’s confused. He thought she would be upset. Not that he’s complaining. 

Her lips travel to his ear, and his neck. Oh yeah, he’s definitely not complaining. 

But he’s still very confused. 

“Babe! What the hell?”

“I’ve literally been wanting to jump you,” she tells him between kisses, “since Adrien kissed you.” 

For some reason this upsets him, and he pushes her off him. “This isn’t some game, Alya.” 

She frowns, settling backwards on her heels, but her hands stay on his shoulders. “I didn’t say it was?”

He takes off his glasses and rubs at his eyes. “I just… I’m kinda messed up right now because I think I like him, like him. And I don’t want to mess this,” He gestured between the two of them, “up. And I don’t want to mess him and I up either, but I can’t stop thinking about it now. And now, you treating that kiss like it’s just some kind of turn on or toy thing for you to get me all riled up.” 

Her hold on him loosens, but she doesn’t let go. Instead she’s rubbing soothing patterns on his shoulders. 

“Nino, it’s okay. Adrien is super sweet, and totally hot. And you care about each other immensely. Of course, you have feelings!”

Nino’s brows pinch together. “And you don’t have a problem with that?”

“I personally think it’s totally normal to have a bit of a gay crush on your best friend,” she says.

His eyes blow open. “Holy shit! You have a thing for Marinette!”

She clamps a hand over his mouth, as she glances frantically towards the closed door. “Shh! Nino! She’s not ready to hear that!” 

“I thought this was about you riling me up, but this is about her too, isn’t it?”

Alya doesn’t say anything. 

“How long have you felt this way?” he asks.

She bites her lip. “A long time. Longer than us.”

“I see.” 

“Nino! It’s not like that! I don’t have a favorite. I’ve known I was poly for a long time, but I didn’t think that you were and Marinette was never interested, and I thought I had made peace with all of that.”

But today apparently had been testing all of their limits. 

“Babe, why did you kiss Adrien like that?” he asks, but he thinks he already knows the answer. 

“You kissed him first!” 

“He kissed me! And that didn’t answer the question.” 

She looks up at him. “Because I wanted you to know what it felt like to watch two people you love, love each other.” 

He’s not sure he really got to appreciate that feeling in the moment. He had been too busy freaking out about his feelings for Adrien and if Alya would be upset.

“You’ve never told Marinette how you feel.” 

“She’s not remotely interested. She’s always had tunnel vision for Adrien.” 

Having watched her melt down after Alya kissed Adrien firsthand, he’s not so sure of that now. 

“You’re a hypocrite.”

She scowls. “What do you mean?” 

“You tell Marinette to confess every day. You’ve told me that you wish she would just be honest about her feelings and even if Adrien is somehow an idiot and turns her down she’ll still be freer. All of that applies to you. So why haven’t you confessed?” 

“Well one, I’m dating you.” 

It was a cop out. “That’s not in the way anymore.”

“Nino! It’s different when you’re best friends. Her friendship is precious and amazing and not less than romance. I don’t want to ruin that. ”

He nods. “Yeah. Totally. Makes complete sense. But I think that what you tell Marinette all the time is still true. That you will be freer if you are honest with her about your feelings.”

Alya suddenly grins. “Tell you what. I will confess to Marinette if you confess to Adrien.”

“Fuck. I walked into that one.” 

Alya laughs. “Yeah, you did.” 

He loves her laugh. It’s loud and real just like she is. She’s never as gorgeous as she is when she’s laughing her head off. He pulls her back into his arms and kisses her hard.

She breaks away, giggling. “What was that for?” 

He shakes his head in amusement. She tackled him first. He was just following through. 

“For luck,” he tells her. He doesn’t know for sure which way Marinette swings, but he knows that Alya doesn’t need any luck. 

But he might. 

…

Alya follows Nino out of the bathroom, and sure enough, Marinette is in the kitchen having never made it all the way back to the main living area. Nino nods at her and winks at Marinette before he leaves them both without a word.

Alya faces Marinette who is not meeting her eyes. 

Had Marinette overheard her conversation with Nino? Does it matter if she’s planning on telling her right now anyway?

“Hey,” Alya greets softly, looping her arm through Marinette’s exactly as she had earlier during the game. “Are we okay?”  

Marinette’s head shoots up. “Why wouldn’t we be okay?” 

“Well, I thought you might be upset that I kissed Adrien. I feel like maybe I should have checked with you first?”

Marinette blushes. “I figured you were just trying to inspire me.” 

“Did it work?” 

“Umm… it was definitely inspiring.” Marinette’s cheeks are red as she looks down into her hands.

Alya’s heart flips in her chest. Dare she hope this isn’t as hopeless as she fears? She licks her lips. 

Marinette frowns and grabs her hand. “Did you think I would be mad?” 

Maybe she had thought that was a possibility beforehand, but Alya knew afterwards that she wasn’t. “No… I…” and she trails off. 

“Alya?” Marinette’s voice trembles.

Alya shakes herself. She needs to pull herself together. This is Marinette . Marinette will never hold this against her.

“I never understood why you have such a hard time talking to Adrien. I mean, I knew that it was hard. Obviously in that you struggled with it, but I didn’t understand why you were so afraid . Adrien’s the nicest person on the planet, so even if he wasn’t somehow interested, which for the record, I think he is—“

Marinette shakes her head and Alya wants to shake her. 

“—he would never ever be mean about it. But I think I get it now because there’s something that I’ve never told you because I was afraid.” 

“You don’t have to tell me anything,” Marinette says, squeezing her hands. “Best friends don’t always have to tell each other everything.”

“Nino said I was a hypocrite for not telling you this and he’s right.” 

“Oh no! Did you and Nino fight?” 

“No! Nino and I are fine. I never told you this because I am absolutely terrified you won’t want me in your life anymore.”

Marinette laughs. “Alya, there’s nothing on this earth that you could do, be or say that would make me wish you gone.”

Alya forces herself to smile. She knows that, she believes it. And yet, she’s still scared her feelings could make things weird. She wants Marinette to come to her, to gush about boys, and ask for advice. 

Will she still do that, if she knows Alya loves her too? 

“What is it?” Marinette asks. 

“I’m in love with you, Marinette.” 

…

When Nino walks back into the main room, Adrien is in the corner with Max, Alix, and Kim. Max and Adrien are playing the latest version of his fighting game, which is inconvenient because Nino really wants to talk to him now while he still has Alya’s encouragement in his head. But he’s so nervous that interrupting seems impossible, and he’s hovering to the side of the group like an idiot. Even Alix and Kim are throwing him funny looks. 

Maybe he just can’t do this. 

But then Adrien glances at him out of the corner of his eyes, smiles that blinding smile, and Nino’s stomach drops in a fluttering mess. He has to do this because Alya is right. However Adrien responds, Nino needs to get this out or it will drive him slowly insane. 

Max groans, signaling the end of the match. Kim claps him consolingly on the shoulder and Alix cheers, clearly having just won a bet. 

“That was super close though,” Adrien says graciously. “I think you’ll get me soon.”

Max nods. “We’re definitely more closely matched. I appreciate you not going easy on me.” 

“Wouldn’t want to diminish your accomplishment in any way.” Then he turns his attention to Nino and holds out the controller. “You want a turn?” 

Nino shakes his head, stuffing his hands into his pockets so he can’t fidget. “Can I actually talk to you?” He points behind them with his thumb. “Maybe out on the balcony again?” 

Adrien smiles, but Nino can see the sudden tension in his shoulders. “Of course.” 

Kim makes a weird kissy face at Nino over Max’s shoulder. And Nino tries not to react, but he tucks his head into his shoulders like a turtle trying to hide in his shell. His neck and face are hot. Kim laughs, but at least it cuts off abruptly when Alix punches him in the arm. 

“Hey!” Kim complains, rubbing his arm.

“Leave them alone!” she hisses.

Nino is relieved when the sliding glass door closes, so he can’t hear the interaction. But that lasts all of two seconds because now Adrien is looking at him, waiting for whatever Nino wants to say, and Nino knows Adrien well enough to guess that Adrien’s bracing himself for the worst news ever. 

Which means Nino needs to buck up and be brave. 

“So you know how I said I wasn’t straight?” Nino blurts out.

Adrien lifts his head up and Nino can breathe just a bit easier. “Yeah?” 

“Well, that kiss, mec.” Nino adjusts his hat and risks a glance at his best friend. “I think it awakened some things. And if you’re game, I would k-kinda like to see where that could go?” His voice is pitched too high, and Nino wants to hide, but the hard part is done, and so he makes himself sit still. 

Well, mostly still. Nino doesn’t know how to be completely still. 

“What about Alya?” 

Nino relaxes at that objection. Adrien isn’t saying that he’s not interested. “She’s on board. In fact, if you’re into it, I suspect she’d date you as well, but we didn’t talk about that.” 

“And that’s allowed?” Adrien asks. His brows are furrowed so tight and it’s cute. 

“I mean, if you and I are okay with it and she’s okay with it, does it matter what anyone else says?” 

“I uh… guess not.” 

“But there’s no pressure here either!” Nino backpedals. “My having feelings doesn’t mean anything has to change. Just because Alya and I are poly, doesn’t mean that you have to be. And you don’t have to date us both, though if you dated her and not me, I’m not gonna lie, I’d be super jealous.”

“Nino?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Can we slow down please?” 

…

“You’re in love with me?” Marinette echoes. She heard it, but she can’t believe it. 

Alya has coached her through the most ridiculous anxious spirals, has seen her in her bathrobe rambling with her hair in nets at her most insane, and has chastised her when she was beyond petty. 

Alya has seen her at her worst. 

And Alya loves her? 

It’s so crazy her brain refuses to accept it. 

Alya nods. “Have been for a long time. And I want you to know I’m not at all sure where you would like to go from here if anywhere, but I wanted you to know. I don’t want to keep things from you.”

But if it is true, It’s the most amazing precious thing! She woke up this morning expecting a treat, and woke up with a whole cake! 

“Nino?” she squeaks.

“I love him, too. I’m poly. And I know you’re in love with Adrien. You know I’ve been rooting for the two of you since forever. Like I said, I just wanted you to know. And I guess I wanted to show you that even if you don’t get the answer you’re hoping for after a confession, that things can still be okay.” 

Marinette’s grabs Alya’s arm that is already looped through hers. Alya thought she was going to say no! 

But it’s too amazing. Marinette doesn’t want to say no.

“No,” Marinette says. 

“No?” Alya echoes, stiffening under Marinette’s arm. 

Marinette grip tightens around Alya. “No! No! I don’t mean no!! I mean– Alyaaaa!” she whines, burying her face against Alya’s arm.

Alya laughs. “I must be doing pretty well if you’ve lost the power of speech!” 

Marinette nods. 

And Alya untangles herself and holds Marinette by both her elbows, and suddenly Alya’s dark eyes are filling up Marinette’s entire field of vision. 

“Marinette, may I kiss you?” 

Marinette nods again. And now Alya’s hands ride up her arms to either side of her face, and Marinette basks in the feeling of being held in Alya’s embrace.

And then Alya’s lips are on hers, and Marinette forgets how to breathe. She’s kissed Chat before under battlefield conditions. Hell! She’s kissed Alya before! But it was never like this. Never with Alya pouring all of herself into it. 

Alya is warmth and safety. And she’s fire and courage. And Marinette never wants the moment to end. 

Alya pulls away first. 

Marinette doesn’t want to move. This was how Adrien felt earlier. She knows it. This is what it means to be blissed out. She can’t imagine anything better. 

“Now, I just want you to know, I don’t want you settling. I’m not kissing you again until you’ve confessed to Adrien.” 

Marinette’s eyes blink open.

“But Alyaaaaa!”

…

“Can we slow down please?” Adrien asks.

“Yeah, mec! Of course! I’ll just shut up now! And you can say whatever you need to.” 

Adrien laughs. Every inch of his body is buzzing. Like, he’s floating so high that his feet may never touch ground again. He has no idea what to say, but he knows he needs to say something.

“I think I’m game.” 

“You think?” Nino echoes. “You don’t have to tell me what you think I want to hear.”

“And I’m not! I just— Nino, that was effectively my first kiss,” Adrien admits. 

“What?! But you said–”

“I know! And I have, but it was under an akuma’s influence and I don’t remember it.”

“You could have said something.” 

Adrien rubs the back of his neck. He’s not good at speaking up. Not like Nino, Alya, or Marinette. “I just… when it landed on you I felt so relieved because I knew that my first kiss was going to be with someone that I cared about and who cared about me.”

And should have that alone told him something? 

Nino’s smile softens. “I’m glad.”

“And I definitely felt something, too. I wanted more, but everyone was watching. And I wasn’t sure if all kisses were like that? Because when Alya kissed me–”  

“Oh my god! I know!” 

“–I saw stars. But you’re saying she’s interested too? So maybe not all kisses are like that, and I’m just really lucky that the first two people I remember kissing are people that I have feelings for.” 

Adrien knows he’s the one rambling, but Nino only listens. 

“So umm… yeah. I’m game.” Adrien holds out his hand. 

Nino stares at it. “Yeah?” Nino’s voice cracks on the word, and he has to clear his throat. 

“Yeah,” Adrien says again. 

Nino takes his hand, their fingers interlace and it’s wild how natural it feels, how comforting the warmth of Nino’s hand is in his own.

“I want to do what you said,” Adrien says, “explore where we could go. And it’s not just because I want to make-out! Though that sounds amazing, too!” 

Nino laughs. 

“But a relationship with you? That sounds like a dream. How could I ever turn that down?”

Nino’s gaze drops. “Dude! I—“ His voice cracks again. 

Adrien squeezes his hand reassuringly.

But Nino stands suddenly, and yanks Adrien a meter to the side, where they’re not standing in front of a glass door.

Their second kiss is even better than the first. It leaves Adrien wanting more.

Good thing Nino is his boyfriend now and there will hopefully be so many more opportunities for more.  

… 

The party continues like Marinette whole world hasn’t been thrown out of orbit. The pizza arrives, her friends eat and play Just Dance and Mecha Strike. And Marinette’s losing. 

Badly. 

She just can’t sit still, and she can’t think long enough to finish a slice of pizza, let alone pull off the complicated combos needed to send Alix’s avatar into next week. 

Marinette’s just so happy and so nervous, and her face has to be permanently stained red at this point. Everytime Alya touches her, everytime Nino laughs, everytime Adrien’s delighted smile meets her gaze, she explodes from her seat. 

She grabs another slice of pizza even though she hasn’t finished the first just to have an excuse to be out of her seat, and pours a cup of soda. She backs up and bumps into a solid warm body immediately. 

“Woah there!” Adrien says, his hands hovering over her arms obviously ready to catch her should she stumble. 

She only sees green. The green of spring grass and emeralds.

“Marinette?” he asks, his brows furrowed in concern. “Are you okay?” 

Her cheeks burn hotter. “Y-you’re fine! I mean, me! I’m fine!” 

He grins back at her and she feels warm. “I’m glad.” 

“A-Adrien?” 

“Yeah?” 

“About earlier, when I ran away?”

“Which time?” 

And god, she’s run from him twice today! Could she be more of a disaster? 

“I… umm… the first time.” She pushes a errant lock of hair behind her ear and licks her lips. “I wanted to explain.” 

“It’s okay, Marinette. You’re allowed to not want to kiss me, you know.” 

“But that’s not it at all!” 

“Then what is it?”

She swallows. She’s going to do this even if she messes up every word because Alya believed in her — because of Alya could risk everything to go after what she wanted, Marinette will too. And Alya if Alya can love her at her worst, maybe Adrien can love her at her most bizarre. 

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the day we met. I just… I also wanted it to be special, you know?”

Her teeth press down into her lower lip, and she risks a glance up at him. 

And suddenly she can’t breathe.

…

Adrien isn’t sure he heard her right. 

She’s wanted to kiss him, wanted it to be special? 

For that long? 

He always thought he was doing something wrong, but she had just been nervous? Because she liked him?! 

A laugh bubbles out of him. 

Clearly the stars have aligned today.

Or at least he hopes so. 

“Marinette, what do you think of the idea of loving more than one person?” he asks.

“I… I don’t totally know,” she says, biting down on her lip. “From where I’m sitting, I really really want it to be a thing.”

Oh, this day cannot get any better. 

He reaches for her hand, which she takes. “Is it special enough if I kiss you now?” 

Her cheeks turn a delightful shade of pink. She nods, but he’s too lost in her eyes that are shining like stars to move. 

She moves first. 

And he learns that he’s been wrong on several counts. 

One, from his rapidly growing experience every kiss can be life changingly mind blowing. 

And this particular day can and will keep getting better. 

…

The party isn’t even close to over, but Alya asks if they want to bail early and they all agree. She lives only a few blocks away, and they probably need to spend some time, just the four of them together. 

Today has been a lot. 

But definitely the best kind of a lot, she thinks as they all four walk side by side. Adrien and Marinette are in the middle, their fingers just barely touching, but still interlaced. Nino is on Adrien’s other side, and her boyfriend cannot stop smiling. 

Alya has seen Nino excited and giddy when listening to a song. She’s seen him silly and flustered after she kissed him for the first time, but she’s never seen him quite like this, beaming like he just won the lottery. 

She’s never seen Marinette so calm and relaxed. She’s so glad that Marientte finally managed to confess, and she’s beyond touched that it was her own confession that finally goaded Marinette into action.

And she’s never seen Adrien so real. He’s joking and being silly, and just laughing. It’s a gorgeous sound. 

And she’s so happy for herself, too. That she doesn’t have to fantasize and wonder, she doesn’t have to settle. 

She gets to have all of this. All of them. 

She thought a day like this could never happen. 

“Alya! What’s wrong?”

Alya shakes her head, dabbing at her eyes. 

“I’m just happy.” 

Marinette beams at her. 

“I know! I don’t think I’ve ever felt so… loved.” 

Nino laughs. “It looks good on you.” 

It looked good on all of them. 

Because it’s perfect.

Right up until Alya has to let go of Marinette’s hand to unlock the front door. And instead of cuddling right back up to Marinette like she wants to, she ducks into the apartment trying to see if anyone is home. 

While she has no intention of keeping her unconventional relationship a secret, she prefers the chance to talk to all her partners for at least one whole conversation before she has to explain it to anyone else. 

Luckily, the whole place is dark. 

“Looks like we have the place to ourselves! Make yourselves at home! I’ll get drinks! Adrien, want to help me?” 

“Of course!” he agrees, his and Marinette’s hands slowly untangling, until they can’t reach as they part ways. 

“Why Adrien?” Marinette pouts.  

Alya laughs. “Because I need to talk to him! We’ll be out in two minutes.” 

He follows her into the kitchen. “What’s up?” 

“I just wanted to tell you all the reasons I kissed you today now that I’m not revealing any secrets.” 

He grins. “Please go on.” 

She hands him two cans of soda from the fridge. 

“One, I wanted to drive Nino nuts, but I swear in a good way.” 

Adrien laughs. 

“Two, I wanted to show Marinette that it wasn’t that hard. And that things could still be okay after the fact.” 

“Better than okay!” he adds. 

“Three, you are hot and I’m not blind.” She grabs another two cans of soda. 

He laughs again, and Alya really likes the sound. She looks right up at him. 

“And last, you were hurting earlier when Marinette ran, and I don’t know… I wanted you to know what it was like to be wanted.” 

“I…” he visibly swallows. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” 

She grins. “You're welcome! Now, come on!”

Alya freezes in the threshold. 

Nino has a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. He throws a silly grin at her and she sucks in a breath. He knows exactly what he’s doing. 

“So I don’t know how you feel about me compared to them,” Nino says to Marinette. 

Marinette blushes, and glances toward Alya who is staring at them both, still unmoving.

“But I have it on good authority that if we kissed, it would drive Alya wild,” Nino stage whispers. 

Adrien chokes on a laugh from behind her. 

Marinette nods enthusiastically. “She would deserve it after knowingly torturing us all day!” 

They turn towards each other. Marinette has to stand on her toes, and Nino leans down, and their lips meet. 

Alya’s throat feels dry. 

Adrien whistles in clear approval, and then the three of them dissolve into giggles. 

But Alya has to swallow several times before she finds her voice. “Not gonna lie. I have thought about this before and I didn’t think it would ever happen.”

Marinette holds her hand out, and Alya lets herself be pulled into their embrace. Adrien is only a few seconds behind. 

“Does it live up to your fantasies?” Marinette asks. 

“It’s even better. All thanks to Spin the Bottle! We’re gonna have to thank Kim for pushing it.” 

“And to think, Marinette didn’t think a Spin the Bottle kiss could be special,” Adrien teases.

“Shut up!” she protests, her cheeks turning pink. Alya kisses the closest one.

“Spin the Bottle kisses can obviously be life changing,” Nino says, his fingers threading through hers. 

“Did Marinette just tell Adrien to shut up?” Alya asks. “Maybe?” Marinette squeaks.

Alya grins. “I’m so proud.” 

…

Bonus:

Adrien’s never been this comfortable in his whole life. It’s almost overwhelming. Marinette’s head lay in his lap, while he leaned on Nino’s shoulder with Alya on Nino’s other side. He’s not sure how they got here all together like this, but he’s never going to let go now. 

“So are we exclusive?” Marinette asks, her fingers tracing patterns on the back of his hand.

“Why do you ask?” Alya grins, clearly amused. 

“I just kinda wanted to see if I could add Chat Noir.”

Adrien chokes. “Ch-Chat Noir?” he splutters.

“What? Is that crazy?” Marinette asks. 

“He does look hot in that catsuit.” Nino comments and Adrien’s ears burn. 

“I’m down for Chat Noir, Ladybug, and Carapace,” Alya interjects. 

Marinette glares at her. “I think you’re forgetting someone.” 

“Who?” 

“Rena Rouge!” 

“Oh! Yeah, sure,” she agrees readily. 

They all turn to him expectantly, and Adrien doesn’t know what to say. It sounds amazing and it sounds like way too much, and it also seems impossible. “What are the chances all four of them would be down for that?” 

Marinette glances at Alya and Nino before her gaze flips back to him. “Higher than you might think.” 

…

[meanscarletdeceiver]

Wilbert's Worst

Right, so I really was open to having my mind changed on The Worst One but nobody’s argument has budged me.

I was going to write a complete, balanced essay on The Worst W. Awdry Book, but I’m a) mired in the research phase (hey if anyone knows someone with an encyclopedic knowledge of Tom and Jerry hit me up, for real) and b) right now I wanna talk about the characters and their Beloved Dynamics instead. 

So I'm just gonna get this out of the way so I can post the poll and move on to answering fun asks and watching Tom and Jerry in peace. Behold: a salty and unbalanced review.

Wilbert’s biggest failure of a children’s storybook? 

Henry the Green Engine 

Ohhh… because of the, uh, ra —?

Because of the racism, yes!

Oh. You do know that since 1972 they’ve republished it without the n-slur? 

Good for them. Two things: 

1. I know it used to be there, I’m never able to read it without knowing it was there in the first edition.

2. I consistently try, when ranking the books, to consider them in the context in which they came out. Because of this, I don’t like using “things that happened later” (like a new character never being properly used again or whatever) against the book. This helps me evaluate the author’s successes and failures against what they were trying to achieve when they wrote it vs what I would most want (blorbo content). It helps me not bring to bear the whole weight of fanon and fandom on a text that should be able to stand or fall on its own. Tl;dr I try to read the books like a guy who picked it up in 1951, or whatever. 

And yeah, if I’d bought this when it came out it would have had the slur. I’m going to judge it accordingly. 

Look, racism is bad, no argument, but does that mean the book as a whole must be condemned? 

Yeah, I think the slur and the “aaaand suddenly, blackface! heeheehee” bullshit fuck over the entire book, game over. Go directly to jail, do not collect $200. 

The Railway Series is not a work of high art or deep thorny complex literature. The books are meant for children — small children, at that. Children small enough to get bedtime stories read to them. The main goal of each book (especially this early on — you do have to manage secondary priorities like “pleasing the long-time fanbase” the longer you go, but right now we’re only 6 books into the series) is to create a happy imaginary world to enhance childhoods and family lives… to impart to other parents and kids a similar cosy happiness to that the author and his own kids enjoyed when he was workshopping/drafting the stories for them. When we say “children’s book” we really do mean little’uns — these average 1.25 full-color illustrations per page!

And these books sold in large numbers. This means it’s a certainty that somewhere in 1951 there was a Black family who owned the whole series, who went out to the shops, whose kid was like “ooh! Henry gets a book, neat…,” who like everyone else enjoyed the wild ride of Henry’s inspection and coal and wreck and rebuild… only to get verbally spat on one page from the end. 

Real mood-killer there. Epic fail, as the cool kids used to say in my youth. 

All right, fine, cool kids never said that. Anyway, statistically speaking there was certainly even more than one family that got that experience. Not to mention the non-Black families who even in 1951 were like “... wtf? i’d smack my kid if they ever said a word like that around me, geez. no.” Just a lot of people who had the light the book was kindling in them snuffed out all at once. 

You can actually be totally racist and your book not commit creative suicide on the penultimate page! Awdry flubbed his job of 'bestselling books-for-six-year-olds' here. Creative failure. Unforced error. Automatic zero. 

But times were different then, you have to consider it in the context of the time. 

1951 U.K. was not the nadir of multiracial equality or Black power, but jfc. I can assure you that over 99% of children’s books published that year in the Anglosphere managed to not use the n-slur. 

All right, all right. That was bad. But this feels off-topic. If you had never known about what used to be “Henry’s Sneeze,” would you still rank the entire book as dead last in the Wilbert Awdry corpus? 

Not dead last, but it is not a strong book. “Coal” and “The Flying Kipper” are super-interesting as material for Henry, but after that the book kind of falls off a cliff; the intrigue drops dramatically. The railway incidents chosen to make stories of are all solid choices, but it was not only “Sneeze” where Awdry’s handling of the material feels clumsy and weird. (And I’m not even talking here of the “heehee blackface — ain’t i a stinker?” gag in “Sneeze.”) 

But… “The Flying Kipper”? C’mon. It’s a superb story and no book that contains it can be the absolute worst in the series. 

“TFK” remains easily the best single TVS episode ever – but a lot of that is down to Britt and David’s artistry and judgment. 

Don’t get me wrong, a full-on railway wreck makes interesting material. But I don’t think the book does nearly as much with it as it could (and I’m trying sooooo hard here to forget about the amazing TVS adaptation, as I think it REALLY shows Awdry up. Even so, the storytelling here is surprisingly tepid and low-stakes). I get that Awdry probably wanted to lean into the comic angle and not make Henry’s condition afterwards seem too grave, in order to ensure the material wasn’t too dark for his young audience? (*mutters* again, a level of tender consideration for his readers’ youth that went right out the window when it came to small Black kids, evidently coz he couldn’t imagine that they read) Understandable, laudable — but if he outright refuses* to make the wreck too dramatic or scary then, well, then the wreck isn’t real scary or dramatic. And it can’t save the rest of the book from its flaws. 

*For all I know it could have been the publishers who insisted that the wreck be made preschooler-safe, that’s possible (although it’s also consistent with Awdry’s brand of humor and his overall low degree of emotionalism in his writing). Either way, though, the end result book is what it is and it will be judged accordingly. 

In addition to not being as exciting as many remember... @trainsupessandhuntresses asked me once if I thought some of Awdry's stories were "mean-spirited." I had to assent vigorously. And a surprisingly high proportion of those "mean" moments are in Henry the Green Engine? For some reason? It’s not just the racism. Awdry was not in the game to give Henry a deserved happy ending, he’d wanted to kill him off (the fuck?) and when his publishers prevented him (I don’t say this often, especially since I love how salty the Awdrys get about their publishers, but this in case good job, publishers!!) he wrote “TFK” with the primary motivation of giving Henry a new engine basis. Any soft or hearty emotions we get out of the deal are a side-effect — the only emotion that was fueling Awdry as he wrote this was spite, spite and a weird resentment towards his poor, long-suffering, invaluable illustrator. (I don’t blame Awdry for being frustrated that the engine illustrations were continually inaccurate or confusing, but I do think it’s weird to read all this great Henry material knowing that it was written with such poor grace.) 

So his ‘happy Henry’ stuff feels perfunctory; his Percy interlude is just brutal (why did you have to drag Percy into Henry’s book purely to give him a fuck-up, a scolding, and a messy dunce cap?); Gordon’s savaging of Henry for being too happy after recovering from a near-death experience is such an incredibly low point for Gordon that it’s hard for me to accept it as canon (there’s being proud, boastful, and self-absorbed, and then there’s being the straight-up raccoon dumpster fire Gordon is in that scene). Oh, and I think “call the police [local constabulary, doesn’t bear firearms]” woulda probably a less reckless way of dealing with the rock-throwing youths than the sneeze of hot locomotive ashes, which of course the Fat Controller doesn’t like, that shit coulda been real dangerous! Mind, there are small rays of kindness throughout that do get me (the interactions between Henry and his crew feeling to me the least perfunctory and most heartfelt), but this is overall such a mean-spirited book. God. It starts off with such a gentle story (almost a non-story, if you’re in it purely for the “railway incidents” game and not character drama), but in short order the vibes just sorta suck. At least in other RWS books, when the vibes are off, they’re usually off near the beginning and then improve by the end. This one gets worse as it goes on. Oof. Don’t like that. 

Also, the last page is sooooo lame. I suspect the publisher strong-armed Awdry into writing most of it so that at least the slur wasn’t on the last page of the book... and if Awdry had any idea of how much he’d just empowered Henry and all his fans in this book he shouldn’t have found it hard to find 50 extra words to sum things up. As it was, he’s just filling space and running out the clock, lol. Lame wrap-up. Boring. As usual when it comes to every little thing about this book, Britt and David closed this up better (mind, their closer – “He had taught Gordon and silly boys a lesson, with a whistle and a sneeze” – also sucked. But at least it was blessedly short.)

Didn’t you once list HtGE on a list of your favorite Wilbert Awdry books? 

I did list it as one of the books that “at one time or another” have been my favorite in the series. Unfortunately in the case of HtGE, that was back when I really couldn’t read a story that I knew from the TVS without mentally substituting the adaptation into my brain as I read… largely overriding the actual text. Plus, everything I knew from TVS as a kid kind of automatically got a halo effect. Plus, I was super into Henry’s arc. 

The first time I read HtGE after calming down and actually reading all the books as books... massive disappointment. There is such a gap there between what I'd thought the book said (all our incredible fanon work overanalyzing and headcanoning Henry and building this beautiful fantasy arc about disability!) vs. what it actually said (limp and careless writing, mean vibes, airbrushed n-slur, bad aftertaste). 

I do think there is some stuff about the development of Awdry’s storytelling technique here that is interesting (again, Tom and Jerry superfans reading this, please shoot me a message!) but it doesn’t counteract everything else. 

At least we’re over the racism stuff? 

Nah, I’m not over it, actually. 

[bluerose5]

Zevran & Astarion Banter Pt. 5/?

[First] [Prev] [Next]

...

Astarion: You know, Zevran, you are such a tease.

Zevran: Me? No, not I. Surely you must have me mistaken for someone else.

Astarion: Uh-huh, what was it you said the other day? Something about me sinking my fangs into your "warm, tender flesh"?

Zevran: I suddenly can't recall.

Astarion: Of course not, but if you are ever truly up for it, I'd be more than happy to drink from you. A sweet, little treat like yourself has my mouth watering just thinking about it.

Zevran: Is that so? Do I get anything from this exchange? Enhanced strength, superior hearing, improved vision?

Astarion: It is more likely you'll get lightheaded and a bit weak.

Zevran: Oh, well, that's no fun! Nowhere near as exciting as the books make it out to be.

Astarion: Why is it no surprise that you read fictional stories about vampires?

Zevran: Mostly the naughty kind.

Astarion: Was I supposed to expect anything other than literature of the smutty variety?

Zevran: Are you telling me that you have not indulged in such stories on occasion?

Astarion: Hmph, I only read them to laugh at all of the atrocious inaccuracies.

Zevran: Yes, yes, I too read solely for academic purposes.

Astarion: Well, in that case, I could always give you a firsthand demonstration of my knowledge and experience in that regard.

Zevran: What a generous offer.

Astarion: I am the embodiment of selflessness. Wouldn't want you to be misled by all of those wild inaccuracies. Just say the word, darling.

Zevran: Heh, and you call me a tease.

Astarion: It's only a tease if I don't intend on following through.

[floral-poisons]

driving with prefects

in honor of constantly being reminded that leona can drive, i am writing up a brief dorm leader head canon post. i just think it would be a fun set of head canons, you know? (also it’s been a bit since i’ve posted like content).

i haven’t read any translations for the new event ft. leona and whatnot. so if my head canons don’t align with canon...take it with a grain of salt.

for the sake of these head canons, i’m mostly thinking about manual cars. because i know magic enhanced technology exists within twst. but when i think about driving, i’m thinking about like...regular cars, you know.

malleus draconia

unfamiliar is malleus with manual cars. after all, they’re so different from vehicles operated by magic alone. when he gets behind the wheel, he’s very cautious. sometimes, the things he does are reckless (your heart was beating so fast it would have exploded). but that’s because he isn’t used to driving with stick. or even having experience with manually shifting the car into different modes. he also needs to put his seat as far back as possible because of how tall he is and he needs a tall car so his horns aren’t squished. it can get very uncomfortable very quickly.

child of man, this car is very confusing. how do i activate the windshield wipers? i would not want us to get into an accident.

riddle rosehearts

getting on the road is honestly the worst for him. riddle is an anxious driver. he hates traffic, hates people honking at him, and most certainly hates getting on parkways and highways. he doesn’t mind driving in the countryside where he can drive smoothly and as fast as he desires. no one’s around after all. but with other people, he becomes a mess. he also has a bit of road rage within him. you’ve never heard someone curse as much as he did when someone cut him off. riddle also happens to follow the rules a little too well. he’s always going under or at the speed limit, always checking his blind spots, always signalling his turns even in parking lots. he is, arguably, the best parker.

oh come on! didn’t even signal while switching lanes! cut me off and everyone else too! there’s more than you in the world you know!

vil schoenheit

vil is an awful driver. not in the sense that he doesn’t follow the general rules of driving (because great seven forbid he gets into an accident and it becomes a scandal) but in the way that his braking tends to be...janky. his turns can range from being smooth to jarring. and the man lacks the ability to park. he’s horrible at parking. you learned your lesson when you got into the car with him driving (better off with rook). ironically, he’s a lot better at driving while he’s multitasking, like touching up his makeup or answering phone calls. honestly, he just needs a little practice. with every drive, he improves even in the slightest. he has no problem dedicating hours to practicing driving either. he just doesn’t have the time right now.

normally i don’t drive. my father had drivers for me. but i can. it’s just...been a while. i’m a little rusty is all.

leona kingscholar

leona, having driven for a while now, is one of the best drivers amongst the prefects (and arguably the whole school). he follows the general rules but definitely enjoys going fast. he especially likes to take scenic routes (there’s something peaceful about late night drives, you know). however, he is very possessive of the aux. you’re not allowed to play your playlists unless it’s a really long trip. besides, he prefers to listen to podcasts and audiobooks while driving. he kind of has a conversation with the audiobook or podcast. it’s cute to watch leona react in real time.

that is ridiculous! doesn’t she understand that he’s the bad guy? that he’s awful? she’s better off getting with the second lead anyways!

azul ashengrotto

putting a creature from the seat into a car is a bad idea. there’s only one person that is, arguably, worse than vil. and that is azul. now, it’s not really azul’s fault. he’s not really used to land traffic rules. but that doesn’t take away from the fact that you have almost gotten into a plethora of accidents with azul behind the wheel. he gets pretty anxious while on the road and does his turn signals, lane changes. but he’s pretty awful at guessing distance and lacks spatial awareness. naturally, this also inhibits his parking skills. his parking skills are pretty awful.

the coral sea traffic is not nearly as bad. i mean half of these rules don’t even make sense (y/n)!

kalim al-asim

kalim is a wonderful driver! his driving is really smooth and he’s a joy with to be in the car. there’s always something to talk about while he’s driving. and he’ll let you play your music, podcast, audiobook. the two of you have had so many lovely conversations while driving. there isn’t much to say. plus, kalim is pretty great at parking too. he’s always willing to go on errand runs with you and take you out on late night drives.

oh (y/n)! you need to get something from the grocery store? i was heading there anyways. hop in!

idia shroud

much to your surprise, you learned that idia is not an anxious driver. he seems like he would be. but no. he feels like he’s in a video game whenever he drives. and he absolutely loves the adrenaline rush that he gets from going fast. slamming on that gas petal is extremely satisfying to him. furthermore, traffic becomes a puzzle to him. a puzzle to solve on how to get out of traffic. everyone else becomes npcs. and you have almost thrown up from how motion sick you’ve gotten in his car.

ohohoho! traffic? guess we can play a game of how to escape! it should be relatively easy considering how all the normies drive.

[ineffablydelighted]

[How exploring the Ineffable Husbands' dynamic in Good Omens can help us figure out what the show/book is all about, Part 1/?]

Also called: This human has, apparently, too much time on her hands and will be trying to Effable the Ineffable for [...] hours.

Ah, Hello! 👋

I'm ineffably delighted to meet you all! 😇

Let's cut to the chase and bear with me as we try together to analyze further the subject of the day:

Aziraphale is in love with Crowley and I am pretty sure he is aware of that fact BUT 

[yes, there is a "but", do not erase me from the Book of Life just yet, let me explain first, homie 🥺] 

I do not believe he can comprehend WHY he is just yet, and what that would mean for him in terms of... well... EVERYTHING he ever stood for.

It will also be the perfect roots to answer the biggest question yet :

What is Good Omens all about, exactly?

[Yeah, it's a tough one. When I say "bear with me", I really insist on the fact that it will be LONG. I will try my best to make it fun to read and to allow some "natural breaks" but know that I would appreciate your unshared attention if you're willing to give it to me. 😇]

Although, would you have the chance to ask him about it (probably looking at a cup of tea as we would all do in Earthy fashion), Aziraphale would have somewhat of an answer to give you, probably in the range of:

"Because, deep down, Crowley is the nicest being I've ever known."

Is it false? No, Crowley IS nice. Swaggeringly nice, occasionally unhinged, but still. Nice.

And that is somewhat the core of the... "problem" for our soon-to-be Supreme Archangel [Yep, the pain is still fresh, thanks for asking, you're welcome for reminding you 😭👍] because, as much as Crowley learned nuances due to past experiences (Falling being, most likely, the most traumatic one,) Aziraphale remains bound to think in absolutes. And everything relates to THIS perfect meme right there:

[Whoever you are, person/entity who has done that, you have forever my utmost gratitude and respect]

I'm far from bringing anything new to the table here, but to Aziraphale, Crowley should NOT have fallen in the first place. Because of how nice he is. Crowley IS an angel, to him. In fact, I'll go even further by stating that, to Aziraphale,

Crowley is more of an Angel than ANY Angel in the "Main Office."

Let's present our other contestants, shall we?

When he ruled, Gabriel was an absolute a** and had an ego the size of, idk, at least A DOZEN GALAXIES. He made Aziraphale feel like... well... poop most of the time they interacted.

That is why, in S2 when Gabriel/Jim tells him "I love you", Aziraphale, even being and considering himself a "creature of love", happens to be utterly unable to either reciprocate or take the compliment. At this moment, later enhanced when he reminds himself of the Job case, he realizes he is able to feel, if not hatred, NOT love NOR admiration for somebody he should somewhat consider a role model.

That is very important for Aziraphale's present and future character development, especially considering Gabriel/Jim's own fate, so please keep that in mind.

Michael? Oh God, Same if not worse: too condescending and ambitious in the wrong way to inspire anything nice to anybody.

Sandalphon just does what they are told but can totally throw a punch if necessary.

Uriel is mostly cold, occasionally cruel, and can also be physically threatening.

[I love the actress, though. Gloria Obianyo deserves a Ph.D. in Resting Bitch Facing for her performance in Good Omens alone and I'm here for it.]

S2 Saraqael seems to be more layered but has also been hurtful to Aziraphale (especially when she ironized that he couldn't possibly be the 25-Lazarii-magnitude-miracle caster).

Overall, S1 Aziraphale refers to the "Main Office" Angels as "BAD ANGELS!" after their hostile encounter. We could see from his face he would have wanted to use harsher words but couldn't get past his forgiving, decent nature.

Before we talk any furfur-ther [Am I proud of this so-called pun? A-BSOLUTELEH 😎🤭], let's add a really important stone/layer to our favorite Angel's thinking: to him, it is simple maths:

GOOD = RIGHT, BAD = WRONG

And let's save it for later, shall we?

[Killgrave dear is just here to remind you you can take a break anytime to drink a glass of Talisker if you'd like, or, more so, if HE'd like. Also because that character is THE best David Tennant role on television - 10th Doctor being the worthy third, I let you guess which character is our second now - and I might have wanted to use this gif just to be able to say that, who knows? *whispers* Mysssteryyyy...]

Anyway.

To a being like Aziraphale, who mostly thinks in dichotomy, being an Angel requires one main requirement: being GOOD.

[Buy a farrrrrm and be good! Not just "pretendy" good but. properly. GOOD! - NO, I couldn't find the gif and YES, I'm mad about it, but since I'm also unable to make one myself, I'll just shut it.]

That is why he refers to the Main Office Archangels as simply being BAD.

At that moment, they had been mean to him, threatening, and, by doing so, they became somewhat active in Hell's Armageddon project. Making them "bad" angels, but, more so:

Bad at BEING Angels.

Aziraphale, on the other hand, is, at heart, the penultimate goody-two-shoes: he does feel bad about himself whenever he does something bad/wrong such as lying (it has started to change, and I'll nuance that statement another time, but you get the grip).

He is constantly scared he might fall whenever he somewhat defies God's will or the idea he built in his head of what an Angel should be(have).

But have you paid attention to how his "Angelmates" NEVER seem to CARE about their own displays of, let's say "unconventional characteristics" for what should be the highest "Representatives of the sole concept of Good"?

Have you ever seen Gabriel or Michael being self-conscious about their narcissism and condescending tendencies? Uriel about their coldness? Saraqael about their sarcastic nature? Any of them about their use of violence? Of course not! They seem to be perfectly fine with it!

They own their characteristics, good AND bad.

Aziraphale does not.

Aziraphale is... soft. Even if he, at times, expresses regrets to be just that, he also applies it to his Angelic nature.

You know who else is soft?

Crowley.

Crowley is soft because he cannot kill children and takes it upon himself to LITERALLY DEFY BOTH GOD AND SATAN'S WILL TO SAVE SAID CHILDREN, including two annoying ones [especially the one who DARED to hit on Aziraphale but that is a topic for another day]

[MASSIVE Bildad the Shuhite fangirl here, consider yourselves warned.]

Crowley is soft because he cannot even kill GOATS.

Defying both God's and Satan's will to save kids? Yeah, eventually, okay.

Defying God's and Satan's will to save goats? Man, that's so effingly. more. powerful.

[Oh, look! A bird flying, normal thingy, nothing to see here, buh-bye!]

Crowley is soft because he proposes/"tempts" Aziraphale to "eat a spot of lunch", especially whenever his Angel experiences stress.

We have barely seen him eat, which might indicate he does not have such a strong taste for it personally. He only goes to the Ritz to enjoy Aziraphale's company and to watch him happily eat scrumptious, comforting foods.

[Okay, also because it morphed into a proper kink at some point but that is NOT today's subject, so stop trying to make me deviate from it! 😣]

Oh, and, before you bring that up, no, the alcohol motive is not relevant since he can, in all probability have a glass of Talisker in ANY sort of pub/restaurant in London.

[As a proper peated whisky lover who happens to be French, let me tell you this is NOT the case in my country and I'm super duper jealous of you, lads.]

Crowley is soft because he takes care of both Gabriel and Aziraphale's bookshop, even if it is clear he loathes the first and expressingly said he would not be a bookseller "even at gunpoint."

And, by "taking care of", know that I MEAN IT: he kept an eye on Jim, didn't wake him up when he heard him snore, answered any question he had, no matter how seemingly stupid they were [Even if Crowley, of all beings, cannot be anything but a raging "There is no stupid question, only stupid answers" representative] and offered him hot cocoa. As for the Booksho-P[uhhhhh *exhales in asthma*], he attempted to repair Jim's messy ordering twice and meticulously rearranged the place after ✨the Ball✨

[What do you mean, "he also Killgraved him into jumping out of the window?" HE ALSO STOPPED HIM FROM DOING SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. #NotBiasedInTheSlghtestIndividual]

Crowley is soft because he shares his Bentley with Aziraphale. Which is a VERY. BIG. DEAL. considering it was, at the time, HIS LAST ONE AND ONLY PRIZED POSSESSION.

[Should I mention that the Bentley FALLS IN LOVE with Aziraphale or is debating on whether or not that falls into the Oedipian complex territory off-topic? Yes, I'll see myself out.]

Crowley is soft because he rescues Aziraphale on countless occasions, even though, 99% of the time, that is pretty much unnecessary.

For real, guys: if Aziraphale had been discorporated in the course of his 6000+ years on Earth at any other given moment BUT on the eve of THE WAR with a capital "W", nobody in Heaven would have flinched.

[I do have a theory, though: maybe being re-incorporated takes quite a long time, which would have meant too many years apart from each other, hence the growing Damsel in Distress kink in Aziraphale, idk THAT IS NOT TODAY's SUBJECT, OKAY?!]

Also, Crowley is soft because "doing that makes him so happy".

Do you know who is supposedly "so happy" to save living things, aka GOD'S CREATIONS? Angels.

Crowley is soft because he rescues Aziraphale even when it is ACTUALLY ENDANGERING for both of them

He risked: his life, his pretty comfortable position "he carved out for himself", both his Earthy and Infernal homes sort of speak, AND EVEN HIS CAR to save his Angel's bottom/help him out in the direst situations (like stopping time to stop SATAN HIMSELF.)

[Also his past/present/future existence altogether, but the Bentley is more important, as I'm sure we'll all agree.]

[That is a Class A Protective/Helpful Husband, right there.]

Crowley is soft because he encourages Aziraphale to follow his passion for ✨prestidigitation✨

Even though he is pretty... amateurish at it. Not only does he encourage him, but he also HELPS him when he accepts to be his dashing assistant on stage.

[Yes, he does tell S1 Aziraphale to stop doing magic because he "has no idea how demeaning that is" but I'm pretty sure it was BECAUSE of S2 1941's events. Also, #WeStan1941Crowley here.]

Crowley is soft because he works pretty hard to make two humans he barely knows fall in love.

Yes, he also does it to cover his and Aziraphale's 25-Lazarii-magnitude-miracle lie BUT don't tell me his amazed expression when he thought he was about to witness Nina and Maggie actually falling for each other was not the purest, sincerest of all.

Finally, even if I could come up with more examples,

Crowley is soft because he saved Aziraphale's books JUST because he KNEW and CARED that Aziraphale CARED about said books.

That also, in Michael Sheen's very own opinion [as stated by Neil Gaiman in S1 GO DVD commentary], shared by many fans, and myself very much included, marks the moment

Aziraphale falls in love with Crowley.

[I DARE you to tell me THIS is NOT THE LOOK OF LOVE PERSONIFIED, go on, fight meh.]

So. WHY did it happen at that moment in particular? Well, because, first of all:

As a proper Jane Austen fan, Aziraphale is a slow burner.

Also, to him, an actual Angel, love is everywhere, so differentiating one love from another might be more difficult for somebody who can feel it whether or not it is even their own.

BUT [have you started getting used to my "but"s yet or should I harass you some more?] Let's go back in time to see how every previous encounter (that we know of) led to that pinnacle, shall we?

[Oh and, YES, this sort of essay will be long, and NO, I had no idea how much it would be when I started writing it, and still haven't, tbh 🤷‍♀️]

During part 2, we will also dive a little bit deeper into what Good Omens is all about.

[Yeah... I figured we would all need a break at this point.]

More on that later, then!

Hope I kept your interest at a reasonable peak. See you soon, Angels ❤

Need help to find the rest of this analysis? I've got you covered! Follow me, Angel 😇

Previous - Beginning (you're here) - Next

[mysteryshoptls]

R Malleus Draconia PE Uniform Personal Story

"This is a first"

[Sports Field]

Heartslabyul Student: Look. It's the Malleus Draconia… He's really taking class in his PE uniform.

Octavinelle Student: Since we're not in the same class as him, we don't really see much of him, so it freaks me out whenever he's in a joint class with us.

Malleus: …

Heartslabyul Student: Looks like he's gonna be stretching on his own. Wanna reach out to him?

Octavinelle Student: No way! It might just be stretching, but what if he puts a curse on us just for pushing down on his back?

Malleus: …

Cater: Malleus-kun, you're all alone. Want me to ask my partner if you can join us to make a trio?

Malleus: I do not mind being alone.

Cater: There you go saying something all dreary again! Don't you think you should be making some fun, exciting school memories here every once in a while?

Cater: These are precious memories, yeah? They'll probably last forever, y'know? …Ooh, yeah! Memories are better if there's a physical reminder ♪

Malleus: Diamond. If there is something you wish to say to me, why don't you speak plainly?

Cater: Aha. Guess I was obvious I had my own plan up my sleeve, huh?

Cater: Wellll, I thought maybe I could upload you to Magicam～

Malleus: Magicam?

Cater: Basically, I wanna take a picture of you! Ah, and if you want, I'll join you for it ♪

Malleus: I was curious what your aim was… Just a photo? You called out to me for such a thing as that?

Cater: I'd been waiting for that chance that we'd be in the same class, y'know ♪

Cater: I bet you in your PE Uniform'll totally go viral, don't you think? 'Specially because I bet photos of you are rare in the first place!

Malleus: I must admit, this is a first. I never had someone like you wish to take a picture of me before.

Cater: I mean, I guess it might be pretty difficult for people to ask you for a pic normally. Kinda like, you got too much of an intimidating aura, Malleus-kun.

Cater: Like, you're a bit out of our league, or like, we can't really read what you're thinking… And maybe just a little scary～?

Malleus: …

Cater: Sides, us commoners can't even hope to think about what your personal life is like.

Cater: Like, do you even show up in pictures? I'm just kidding. Obviously, you'd totally show up, right～? Ahaha!

Malleus: …

Cater: Haha… Uh, oh. Malleus-kun, did all that make you made?

Cater: Sorry, sorry, I was just kidding around.

Malleus: Of course not. I would not be angered by such banter.

Cater: Ah, whew, glad you're the type of guy who can take a joke.

Cater: I mean, Malleus-kun, you're an enigmatic and mysterious guy, after all. You scared me just a bit there.

Vargas: That's it for stretching, everyone line up!

Cater: Ah, he's calling us. 'Kay, we can talk about this some other time…

Malleus: Alright, Diamond. I do not mind. You may take a photo of me.

Cater: Oh! Awesome～ Glad you're up for it!

Cater: Cay-kun's so happy～! Thanks, Malleus-kun ♡

Malleus: So... What sort of photo were you hoping to capture? Unfortunately, I have no experience with Magicam.

Cater: Hmm, let me think. We're in our PE Uniforms, so we should make it look like, "we're about to exercise," or something like that? And our hashtags can be…

Cater: #NRC #MalleusDraconia #SportsAttire #PhysicalEducation #SSR

Cater: …How about that?

Malleus: Then, why not take one while I run?

Cater: Ooh, nice, nice～! Let's try to take one shot like that ♪

Cater: Ah, but you only need to pretend to run, 'kay? If you really run, you'll come out blurry on the picture.

Malleus: Pretend? Then would that not be a fabrication?

Cater: It's fine, it's fine, that's basically all Magicam is. Rather than a blurry picture that I can't enhance, it's more important to make it look good from the start!

Malleus: Is that so?

Cater: That's so! Okay, then let's snag a pic ♪ Can you make it look like you're running?

Malleus: Like this?

Cater: Can you lower your arm just a bit? And tilt your head a little…

Cater: OK, OK, perfect! This'll be a great picture.

Cater: Okay, I'm gonna take it. Say ch…

Cater: …eese!

Cater: And hey, why'd you move? If you move then, it'll be blurry, and I won't get a good picture.

Malleus: Ah, apologies. It seems I unintentionally tensed up there.

Cater: Eh～ Did you seriously get nervous there for a bit? Wow, you got an adorable side to you too, huh ♪

Cater: OK, no worries! Just relax～ We'll try again ♪

Cater: Say ch…

Cater: …eese!

[zoom!!]

Cater: And this time he ran off! Hey, hey, Malleus-kun!? Where are you going!? Come back, already.

Malleus: What is the matter, Diamond?

Cater: H-Hey, come on. If you move that much, I won't be able to take a picture～

Malleus: I see, what a bind. …Ah, perhaps…

Malleus: You are unable to take a picture of me because I am a scary, enigmatic, and mysterious guy who you cannot read?

Cater: …Eh? Hey, isn't that what I just said earlier?

Malleus: I couldn't say.

Cater: It totally is! Ehh～ You're totally holding a grudge!

Cater: Guess that really did bother you earlier. C'mon, I'm sorry, OK?

Malleus: It does not faze me. You may take as many pictures as you wish… If you can capture me, that is.

Cater: C'mon, you're really gonna tease me like that～?

Cater: Oookay. I'm definitely gonna get that miracle of a picture of you and totally go viral, so you better be ready for it!

Requested by Anonymous.

[wutheringskies]

"Well, personally, I don't think MDZS characters are on the spectrum?"

oh. not even Lan Zhan? (or Song Lan?) I'm autistic and it's genuinely impossible for me to not read him that way. Especially the part where your personal morals clash with the chaos and messiness of the outside world. He's my favorite because I felt his journey and growth as a character deep in my soul. Idk about other autistic people but to me it was always the most painful thing: holding on to my values while trying to be more flexible and not attacking people or cutting them off for minor offenses. Over the course of the story,Lan Zhan manages to mature,understand Wei Ying better,and become more flexible without becoming disillusioned or passive,so he's really an ideal in that sense.

Sorry,I ranted too much again

"No wonder why Jiang Yanli, though a little more aware due to her sex and standing, gives the same vibes? like a sort of lost, good, kind vibe?"

Yes! yes! Those are exactly the vibes. I was just joking to someone a while ago that both Lan Zhan and Wei Ying have been raised by the exact same older sibling figure. Honesly that puts Yanli and Xichen's achievements in perspective,cause they both encouraged or allowed their younger siblings to be idealistic and righteous,instead of stifling those impulses,which is a choice and a great thing.

And yes,unlike Lan Xichen,Jiang Yanli is that passive mostly because of her status and sex. And because of being traumatized by a horrible abusive narc mom.

They should have been allowed to have like a soup and flute club together every sunday or something. The friendship would have done them good. (Maybe let Wen Ning join too)

Anyway,thank you for replying! It was fun talking to you!

Hey! I'm really sorry for not seeing this before. I forgot to open my inbox.

Yes, I personally do not perceive MDZS characters on the spectrum. There are two reasons for this - firstly, Lan Zhan's character is very well written. Personally, I did not feel the need to enhance him. I think you can call me a bit of 'canon purist,' that is, I derive most pleasure from improving my understanding of a literary work to be as close as possible to authorial intent (I am of course, open to divergences, enhancements, and all sorts of stuff. But if we go by my 'default' setting, it is this.)

Secondly, I would count as a neurotypical person. I think you'd agree that in many fandoms, the 'quiet' or 'just a little bit weird' person, as well as the cheery, energetic person are often immediately headcanonned as neurodivergent. Thus, I guess I felt like doing so to Lan Zhan etc might be me leaning heavily into stereotypes! In my personal experience, my close cousins - though diagnosed similarly on the spectrum, had extremely varying thinking processes.

However, it is enlightening to know more about why you characterized him as such - especially about becoming more comfortable in his skin. Lan Zhan is also my favourite character, though for different reasons. I can relate to his desire to perform each task with excellence, preference for quietude, and struggle with his dominant orientation. How he tried his hardest to be a liberal, before becoming radicalized. The struggle of being someone who respects traditional and societal values, but has his own strong personal ideals, morality and desires that cannot co-exist with them :( It's tragic how he wished to protect the one he loved, tried but wasn't good at expressing himself, wasn't powerful enough to guarantee peace, wasn't politically smart enough to change things, wasn't strong enough to fight the whole world for him, and eventually, he was even unwanted by his lover, who was hurt by him. Thus, exiled by love and punished by his clan, he really had nothing to look forward to. Yet, he choose to rise up, day after day and make the differences he could make.

I think his persistence and his healing is the most impressive thing about him for me. How he was inadequate but then, became someone who could protect Wei Ying.

There's no need to apologize! I quite love your takes and rants. (PS - please don't take my stating I am a canon purist as a form of discouraging thought. That is only for my personal satisfaction!)

I totally agree. I wish to add Xiao XIngchen to this club. In a highly tense political environment, these characters were adorably in need of some splash painting and crafts sessions. I'd love to put all of them together in some club in a Modern AU. Jiang Yanli will cook, Lan Xichen will paint and play sad, and funky melodies, Wen Ning will help and Xiao Xingchen will laugh at everything.

[lieblingspulli]

Are we forever?: SKZ

W/C: 1.7k words

Changbin x Reader

Summary: 

Masterlist!

SKZ Masterlist

A/N: Hello! Yes, I am back and I got too soft in my feelings for this one LOL. I just saw a tiktok that was so soft I wanted to cry 🙂Changbin holds such a special place in my heart for being so unapologetically loving!! The song Fuye No Kage Ha Kanashimi by Lamp is the main source of my inspiration here so feel free to take a listen while reading <3 I promise it enhances the experience! Have a great day/night!!

It was a lovely evening with the boys, in fact, one could even describe it as being cozy. Hyunjin had strung up the fairy lights from his room, Chan had set out snacks and Felix had baked cookies. Endless laughter could be heard throughout the apartment as the entire group argued over whether Minho had the jurisdiction to veto movie choices or not since the last one he chose was really creepy and scary. Jeongin was arguing with Han and Minho while Chan was handing out blankets. Changbin made himself comfortable with you in his arms. 

“Are you okay?” He whispered in your ear. 

You nodded and smiled at him sweetly. 

Nothing is ever calm when you hang out with your boyfriend’s team members but it sure is fun. This week was the scheduled movie night with the whole team and you had been invited by Changbin because he knew how much you needed this. So, you found yourself nestled in blankets in between Changbins arms and Seungmins legs. Weekly outings like this made you feel incredibly at home and like you belonged somewhere and to someone. It was such a comforting happiness. 

Changbin squeezed you in his arms and turned to Minho who was still arguing because he really wanted to see the movie “Smile.” 

“Yah! Just let someone else pick! Your movies suck.” Changbin’s loud voice reverberated in his chest and you giggled, it was like watching little kids argue. 

“But at least they’re entertaining! All the movies you guys suggest are boringggg.” Minho dramatically spread out over Jisung’s lap and pouted with his arms flailing everywhere. Jisung scoffed. 

“Bro you picked last time.” Shaking his head, Minho huffed and muttered “Fine.” 

Chan calmly sat down in front of Jeongin and sat between his legs with a bowl of chips in hand, disregarding the clammer altogether. Changbin grabbed the remote and started searching for action movies. You calmly laid your head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat aimlessly. 

As soon as Hyunjin spotted a movie he liked, he yelled for it.

“Oh my gosh, you guys are so loud.” Felix groaned.

You were quick to remind him, “says the guy who screams at his games who can’t reply back.” Felix rolled his eyes. Seungmin was quick to agree. “Yea Yongbok. They can’t even answer back!” He laughed and gently tapped Felix’s head. 

Minho complained, “Hurry up..” 

As everyone settled into their spots, Changbin pressed play and placed the remote down on the console table before settling back into his own spot. 

“Are you comfy jagi?” 

“Mmhm.” 

“Ok. Let me know if you want anything.” Changbin directed a sweet smile at you and you melted at his kindness. 

Changbin was always so quick to attend to your needs, even when there were so many things going on around you two. With the movie night and everyone being unruly, Changbin made sure to bring you your favorite blanket you stole from him as well as a glass of water in case you got thirsty during the movie. He had even suggested to the members that they get all their favorite snacks and include yours too. You smiled widely and leaned down again to relax before receiving a kiss on your head from your oh so thoughtful boyfriend. 

As the movie dragged on, you felt stiff and tried to stretch your legs a bit without disturbing Seungmin or Changbin who were sitting so close to you. Without skipping a beat, Changbin grabbed your legs and put them on his lap so you could stretch easily without disturbing Seungmin on the other side of you, all without taking his eyes off the movie. 

For the rest of the hour and a half, all you could hear was the movie, occasional wows from the boys and reactions to crazy stunts that the characters on TV would do. With the lights off, it was like being at the movie theater but for free. Changbin held you close throughout, making you destress from all your worries and stress of the work week. 

At the end, you clapped with the rest of the boys because Jisung loved the movie so much he started clapping. You laughed and watched everyone get up to start cleaning up. Changbin pressed a kiss to your forehead before getting up and stretching (loudly might you add). You finished your water and offered to wash the bowls. Unfortunately you got a loud chorus of defiant no’s. 

“Absolutely not.” Jisung immediately said. 

“Hell nah.” Seungmin chimed in. 

A, “That sounds ridiculous, I’ll do it,” from Chan. 

Minho just simply snatched the dishes from you. 

Hyunjin struck a pose at you with his hands on his hips and scolded you, “Um? No!” 

Felix, being in the middle of putting the leftover cookies away yelled from across the room, “Oh come on Y/N, you do too much already.” 

You rolled your eyes at the intense reaction and pouted. “Well what am I supposed to do if you guys never let me do anything? Sit on my butt and watch?”

Changbin immediately said, “Absolutely Jagi.” He skipped over to where you were after folding the blankets and pulled you up by your hand. “I can’t let my Jagi do anything, that’s what I’m for!” He sweetly chirped. Hyunjin gagged in the kitchen. “Hey I only agreed to a little PDA, not baby talk!” 

“Oh hush, you don’t even have game.” Seungmin countered and snickered. Chan laughed so hard he doubled over. 

“Hyunjin lost his speaking privileges.” Jeongin snickered. You could only roll your eyes and follow Changbin to your shared bedroom with Seungmin. 

“You guys have 10 minutes before I come in! I don’t wanna walk in on unholy things!” Suengmin quickly yelled after you two. Changbin pushed you gently ahead of him and stuck his tongue out at Seungmin before closing the door behind you two, leaving the noise to the boys. 

After you threw yourself onto Changbin’s bed, Changbin was quick to remove his sweatshirt and worm his way into your arms. 

“Oh my god, Bin, we just spent like 2 hours cuddling.” 

“I just miss my baby’s arms so much.” Changbin cooed. 

“Ewww, Bin that’s so cringey!” You smacked his arm and laughed. 

He squeezed you into his chest and snuggled his head on top of yours. “You love it though.” 

“Of course I do,” you sighed, “I always do.” 

“Aish, now look who’s being cringey.” 

“What? That wasn’t even cringey.” You rolled your eyes and felt the warmth he radiated. It permeated into your soul and you sighed before gently scratching his back. He sighed in content. 

“Jagiya.” 

“Mmmhm?” 

“I really love you.” 

“I know.” 

“Hey!” Changbin complained and peeled away from you an inch. 

“I’m just kiddingggg. I love you too.” You smiled innocently. Changbin got all shy and purposefully acted bashful. 

“Aw, is my baby shy?” You jokingly teased. 

“My Y/n is too nice to me.” He scrunched his nose at you. 

“Ew, now this is actually too cringey.” You snickered and tried to roll over.

Changbin quickly caught you and gripped you tightly to him. “Nooooo, come back. My Jagiya can’t ignore me or else I’ll cry.” He innocently cried. You scrunched your nose in second hand embarrassment. “Stoppppp! My heart can’t take this embarrassment.” 

“Yah. Who says it's embarrassing to show my love to my forever person?!” He pouted. 

“Oh? Who says I’m forever?” You joked. 

Changbin got upset and cried, “Aren’t you my forever? You have to be or else I’ll die or something. Dweakki will get upset!” 

“Dweakki or you?” 

“That’s not the point! Aren’t we forever?” 

“Of course we are Bin. We are forever when you put a forever ring on this finger!” You snickered and stuck your hand out in his face. He grabbed it and kissed your ring finger. 

“Then now I have to make it forever.” You blushed and giggled like a little girl. He smirked confidently and placed your hand on his heart. 

“This is now yours. Forever.” 

“I’m gonna tell Chan how sappy you can get.” 

“Nooooo! He won’t leave me alone.” He dramatically cried and covered his face with his other hand. 

“Fine then, I’ll just tell Seungmin.” You gently pushed a lock of hair out of his face and caressed his cheek. He held your hand on his face and sighed with content. 

“Are we really forever?” He whispered. 

You nodded and patted his heart where he held your hand still. 

“This is mine, remember? I’m just waiting for the ring.” You smiled lovingly and closed the gap between the two of you. He kissed you gently and and moved his hand so he held you by the waist. You sighed into the kiss and finally broke away. 

“It better be a pretty ring if it's forever.” 

“Yah, I have good taste.” Changbin kissed you again and giggled like a child. 

“You guys are so embarrassing.” 

You both jumped and looked up to find Seungmin at the door with a bowl of cereal. “Utterly disgusting really.” He rolled his eyes and headed over to his bed before popping in his airpods. 

“Hey, you can’t just interrupt a moment like that!” Changbin propped himself up and yelled after Seungmin who promptly left to put his bowl in the sink. 

You just sighed and pulled him down for another kiss before laughing and calling him stupid. 

“I can’t believe I’m spending forever with the boys too.” You laughed and Changbin shook his head with a dismayed look because his sappy movement was ruined. Right before settling in bed and shutting off the light, Changbin stared at your eyes and said, “I’m so happy you’re my forever.” 

“Let’s go to sleep before Suengmo ruins it again.” Changbin pouted and wrapped the blanket around the two of you, promptly turning off the light and making sure you were comfortable. With a kiss and a goodnight, you fell asleep to the sound of Changbin’s heartbeat and his subtle promise to be yours forever.

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Continuing some of the previous conversations + talking about random stuff…

Anonymous asked:

I meant by the new prison warden info since you mentioned you been thinking over.

Ohh, I see! Sorry for misunderstanding, Anon.

No, unfortunately we don’t really have anything new to share for now :( That being said, whenever we get asked about the AU, we kind of come up with a lot of new stuff on the spot  lol so if you’re interested in any particular character, feel free to ask.

artfulhero-m asked:

Ryu that office worker Lilia art got me feeling like I'm at work cause as someone who works in an office herself with coworkers who are decades older than her (I'm in my 20s) I cannot express how extremely common the scaring prank is between my coworkers, at least once a week I'm hearing someone yell "BOO!" and hearing in response either a scream or complete silence followed by laughter.

Based off of real events, you got me thinking about Lilia leaving some kind of noise machine underneath other's desks playing fart sounds when the office reaches rare moments of quiet in the day. That fart machine will circulate around the office for a few days.

I am so happy to hear that you have no idea!! I’m very glad we came up with something that has this very specific office vibe lol As someone who has 0 experience with the office environment, I had no idea this type of behaviour was common in any way. I hope these interactions are mostly positive though and not annoying lol

Lilia ABSOLUTELY leaves all kinds of noise machines and whoopee cushions around, you can also never shake hands with him because he has that ring that shocks you, all kinds of classic pranks he’ll absolutely do. And as time goes, they’ll get more and more elaborate.

And if Lilia gets closer to Idia in any way shape of form, it’s over for everyone, because if they join forces… With Idia’s genius mind and skills, he could enhance that noise machine in a way that’ll make the whole office shudder…

Anonymous asked:

Oh, I sent the cursed asks about what Lilia bullied Idia into telling and Lilia’s past crimes. Those were what I was apologizing for XD

So those were yours!! Good to know. I liked these asks though lol

Anonymous asked:

After reading about General Lilia’s sordid past, the song Weedkiller by Ashnikko reminds me of him. Just….major psychotic, unhinged, creature vibes.

Psychotic unhinged creature is such a good way to describe this particular version of Lilia, and I feel like this song could fit perfectly into his personal mixtape! Along with a bunch of death metal songs, so the sound is going to be quite contrasting lol

Anonymous asked:

Do you have any designs for Ace's brother? I've always thought of his brother as Jack Hearts from Disney recruiters if you don't, but I've slapped so much angst onto those boys it's hard to imagine they wouldn't want to "support" each other whenever Ace comes home for the holidays.

Well… it’s kind of awkward, because our view of Ace’s brother is closer to Eddy’s brother from Ed Edd n Eddy lol Ace used to think that his older brother is cool and maybe even idolised him a little when he was a kid, but then got disillusioned and annoyed as he grew older. They bicker a lot because they’re siblings + both of them are kind of mean and quick to throw each other under the bus. His brother isn’t necessarily malicious (although scenarios in which he is a complete jerk could be super fun too), but they often have heated arguments + there is this sense of “I’m older, therefore I win” between them.

Sooo… while this design isn’t something that we’re 100% sure about (if I ever draw him again, he might look COMPLETELY different, so keep that in mind lol), but the overall vibe is kind of like this. A jerk that kind of looks like a slightly older Ace.

That being said, Ace’s brother being supportive of Ace and overcoming complicated stuff is a sweet idea, Anon! I really wonder what their actual relationships are like…

Anonymous asked:

Ohhh, you would LOVE Criminal Minds. Serial murderers, mind games, sympathetic backstories, cursed people doing cursed things, it’s a beautiful, terrible show. ☺️

I can’t believe this is my first time hearing about this show considering the fact that it’s rather old?? But thank you for recommendation, Anon! <3

We very rarely watch live action series, but anything that is described as both beautiful and terrible (and cursed!) is always intriguing.

[unit-zero-two]

It's been a few months since I played through Traum. I meant to write a post about it as soon as I finished, but alas life got in the way. The short version is that I loved Traum and I'm going to talk about all the things I loved in it. It's not a perfect chapter. There's weaknesses to be found in some character stories and plot elements, but nothing that ruined the chapter for me. I think it'll be a much better look at the chapter through a positive lens than trying to ding it like I'm YouTube clickbait. There will be spoilers below the cut, but if you find yourself trudging through the chapter unexcited, I urge you to spoil yourself so that hopefully some excitement can be brought into your Traum experience.

Traum introduces an element that I've long been hoping for in the story and which I feel helps enhance our main cast. Kadoc. We've seen the moody boy before, but now he's out of his coma, resigned to working with Chaldea with a suicide Squad collar around his neck and completely unprepared for the wackiness that is Chaldea. Kadoc's inclusion helps highlight how much of a normal person the Protagonist is, even after everything we've gone through. We only survive because we hold on to our humanity. Kadoc is a man with a lot of humanity, but was raised in a society that told him to succeed he needed to kill that side of him. In a lot of ways he's a repeat of Goredolf while we were clearing Lostbelt 1. Mages who have kindness inside of them, but try to act like they don't. Kadoc knows what the proper way to do things is, but he's also not great at doing it. A lot of the fun of Traum is watching him stumble along and regain his humanity while hanging out with the protagonist. Kadoc and the Protag get to be each other's senpais, one in magecraft and the other in being a human. The protagonist has a much stronger voice and character in this chapter than in previous ones, and that is very much due to Kadoc as a foil and someone to bounce off of. Watching Kadoc grow from his loss in LB 1 and to regain hope in the world after dying, that's just so great.

Sherlock also comes with us, and this is the BEST he's ever been written. I've read every official Sherlock Holmes story, so you'd best believe I rolled for him as soon as possible in FGO. His writing has always been...rough... At times entertaining and compelling, at others frustrating. It's a hard balance to write Sherlock. He's the world's greatest detective, so he can't not figure out a situation or he's an idiot. But if he figures it out too soon, it gets frustrating as the writers have him act coy and not tell us important information, "just because". There was no point during Traum I felt this issue. Holmes was very forthcoming when he figured something out, and his mental battle with Moriarty created a good reason for why he was constantly feeling on the back foot and struggling to focus. His mental acuity and his humanity were on full display. Kadoc and Vlad were also huge helps in balancing out Holmes as they could bounce off of him with their specific specialties. The fact that Traum introduced a mystery with Sherlock that we never thought to question was such a good retcon and the reveal of his origin was heartbreaking. His final moments, his sprite beautifully drawn, his thoughts pensive as he remembered everyone who meant something to him. The satisfied smile he had on his lips as he went over that waterfall...the final bow of a character I'll miss greatly.

Moriarty as an antagonist allowed our protagonists, but especially Holmes and Kadoc, to shine. He thought he was ahead of everyone but constantly his manipulations failed He had no human connections, and could not comprehend others holding on to them. Constantly rejected, in the end he doesn't get what he wants, but he does find that he gets what he needs.

OH MY GOD I LOVE THE PALADINS SO MUCH. Like, holy crap (pun intended) are the Paladins all so good. It's self evident that Astolfo is the best Servant in Fate sorry Mordred, but that they go from goofy comedy to one of the most badass 1v1 fights between honorable warriors ever done in FGO is fantastic. Through their defeat of Tametomo, Astolfo elevates Tametomo as well, adding humanity to the man who claims he's a robot, but is actually just a proud warrior and a bit of a child. Astolfo's friendly banter in this helps to give nuance and introductions to all the other characters they interact with. Roland, Bradmante, and Charlie all feel like characters we've been with forever, and one of those characters is a Traum original. Roland's one gag is pretty funny, but he also manages to be a charismatic knight who has a pretty badass and sad sacrifice. That he and Astolfo just decide, "yeah, our king would approve of an imposter stealing his name" and help the charade tells us so much about Charlemagne before he even appears. An easy going king and knight, Charlemagne is just such a positive figure. He's smart enough to understand the dark sides of people, but he looks to the positive and the good. His is a radiance that is clearly visible even before he removes his cloak. His reveal isn't a powerful moment because it's a surprise, but because of what he's doing. Standing up for a knight who was willing to give his life in battle to live up to the name he stole and protect the one he loves...

...Which brings us to Don Quixote and Sancho. Holy shit these two had me in tears. Traum is a sequel to Atlantis is so many ways. Spiritually, Atlantis and Traum are about heroes making sacrifices and moving forward inch by inch to fight for and protect what you love. In Atlantis we heard of some Servants who fled from the might of the Gods. In Traum we meet one of these Servants, the combined Don Quixote and Sancho. A knight more famous than possibly any other in modern history. The lengths Sancho is willing to go to save her lord are awe inspiring, even as we know that he himself does not wish for any of this. But until that moment where he's facing down Constantine, hopelessly overpowered, Don Quixote just constantly gave in. But as he goes knight versus knight against an Emperor, as Sancho begs him to stop and his light is fading, through his actions he inspires Charlemagne to act. He moves a legend, and proves why he was the one who was worthy of running the realm in the King's name.

Constantine was introduced as our bespectacled ally previously, but now we get him in his full regal glory as one of the primary antagonists. He plays into several of the main themes of Traum, primarily: Existence in History and Love as Motivation. He existed, but he rebels because he finds it unfair that Pope Johanna does not. He fights for a sudden love, and in that regard he is placed in opposition of both Sancho who is willing to do anything for her Lord, and Kriemhild who wishes for nothing more than to make the pain of her love go away. He is not just defeated by a conceptual weakness, but by the love in his heart that meant there was no other path for him in that moment besides sacrifice for Johanna.

Pope Johanna, a woman who hates humanity for creating and then rejecting her existence. Traum plays around with what it means to be a Heroic Spirit and what it means to exist. Everyone in the Singularity is full of contradictions. The composed, compassionate Pope who leads the nation vs the angry woman who storms into a capital and challenges it's leaders to a fist fight. Johanna is both of those things. She's the woman famous for lovers who may not have existed, but when faced with Constantine's love, she only realizes what was there when it's gone. And with it she realizes her own mutual feelings that had grounded her the entire time. It's a tragedy and that she lasts until the end to bring her thoughts and feelings to fruition is a triumph.

Bradmante was fantastic as Johanna's gal pal. In opposition to the other knights and her king, we get to see how the Paladins operate by following their hearts. It does not matter if she's fighting her lord or friends, they understand and support her. And she brings that support back to Johanna. She may be our enemy, but she's never felt more like an honorable knight.

Salome...brought me to tears...Her story is short, a footnote early in Traum. Someone for who love in dangerous. She loves those who are exceptional, and in that love takes their lives. But the protagonist isn't exceptional. We're just a normal human in a land now only occupied by the exceptional. In a world of the exceptional, the mundane shines. And it is due to that normality that Salome is able to hold that love to completion for the first time, to not consume or be consumed by it's fires. We are not Jokanaan, we are not a saint, we are just a person who is kind. A person who cares, and is cared for. Salome resists her nature and instead of taking, she gives, and in giving she receives final moments of repose. Her love has not consumed her this time. A love that puts her in contrast with....

...Kriemhild. The Ruler of one of the three realms. The primary antagonist of Traum. The cruel dictator who sacrifices others quickly and callously on her path towards victory and her dream. Kriemhild is terrifying and effective the entire Singularity. She is driven by anger. But what is the source of this anger? The loss of her husband Siegfried? The revenge that consumed her and all she loved? The inability to change her own nature? Love. Love is the source of her anger. As it compels and empowers all the characters I've talked about above, from Kadoc all the way through Salome, no one else is moved by love more than Kriemhild. That's the main theme of Traum. When we find and free Siegfried and the two former lovers resign themselves to a final bloody confrontation it is clear only tragedy can come from this. We all know Siegfried from Apocrypha and Orleans. He is unyielding and unwavering in his determination. He will not change his ways. We know that and Kriemhild knows that. She counts on it. But in that final battle, as we fight against Kriemhild's rage, Siegfried does not beat her physically in battle or emotionally with his iron clad determination. He surrenders to his love. Kriemhild's rage melted and reshaped the metal heart of the legendary hero Siegfried. A dream long overdue, that she had given up on ever experiencing, happens in this moment. Siegfried chooses her over everything else. Kriemhild wins. He apologizes for his actions and he changes sides. Kriemhild's lover fights and dies by her side. Her will outlasted Siegfried's, and as a Servant she got what she'd long deserved in life. Kriemhild gets her wish. The scene was such a reversal of everything we knew about Siegfried and it's beautiful. In the end, love wins.

Traum is a triumphant story of heroes and of love. It is a tale of those whose names made history, and those who will never be known to us. Traum is a step towards a new era in FGO, where secrets are revealed, old allies are lost and new allies are gained. Traum is still not my favorite chapter, but I enjoyed and loved it from beginning to end.